;)
The Commentariat -- October 26, 2019
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
One Honking Big Toljaso. Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said Saturday that he warned President Trump against hiring a 'yes man' to succeed him at the White House, saying doing so could lead to impeachment. Kelly said at the Sea Island Summit, a political conference hosted by Washington Examiner, that he told Trump that he would be impeached if he did not choose a chief of staff with the strength to blunt some of the president's more self-destructive impulses." Mrs. McC: On the one hand, Kelly is an obnoxious braggart; on the other, he's probably right.
Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Friday that all but three GOP senators had signed onto his resolution condemning the House impeachment inquiry. GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Utah) have not yet signed onto the resolution, according to an updated list of co-sponsors shared by Graham the day after he introduced the measure.
Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "Philip Reeker, a senior State Department official who tried to counteract a campaign of falsehoods that undermined the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is expected to testify before House impeachment investigators Saturday.... Based on previously released accounts, he can be expected to provide a limited but critical piece of the back story involving an informal endeavor to prod Ukrainian officials to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter ahead of the 2020 presidential election. In March, Reeker was selected as acting assistant secretary in charge of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. As head of the bureau that dealt with Ukraine, Reeker was nominally in charge of policy for the country. In reality, the policy was being steered by political appointees and by Rudolph W. Giuliani..., according to previous testimony given during the impeachment probe." ~~~
~~~ Conor Finnegan & Allison Pecorin of ABC News: "As the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, Reeker was communicating with key officials who were either part of the efforts of Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to have Ukraine launch investigations that would favor him politically, or were swept up in that effort. Reeker also was communicating with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aides and may be able to shed more light on what Pompeo knew."
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Negotiations to make former White House counsel Don McGahn available for a House interview have been active throughout October, the Justice Department indicated Friday, revealing that it has had discussions with the Judiciary Committee five times since Oct. 8. Those talks -- on Oct. 8, 11, 15, 21 and 24 -- came despite an Oct. 8 letter from McGahn's successor, Pat Cipollone, declaring that the White House would refuse to cooperate with Democrats' ongoing impeachment inquiry.... McGahn refused to comply with a subpoena for his testimony in May and the Judiciary Committee filed suit in July, declaring that his testimony is crucial to determine whether the House should file articles of impeachment against Trump. Since then, sporadic talks with the Justice Department have reached no conclusion."
Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Friday dismissed the need for a bolstered team to defend him against House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. 'Here's the thing. I don't have teams. Everyone's talking about teams. I'm the team. I did nothing wrong,' Trump told reporters outside the White House before leaving for an event in South Carolina. The comment came as part of a lengthy rant against the impeachment inquiry, which Trump derided as a 'phony deal' focused on a 'perfect' call he had with the Ukrainian president. He went on to say that if anything came of this inquiry, he thinks it could plunge the country into economic downturn."
Martin Crutsinger of the AP: "The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year surged 26% from 2018 to $984.4 billion -- its highest point in seven years. The gap is widely expected to top $1 trillion in the current budget year and likely remain there for the next decade. The year-over-year widening in the deficit reflected such factors as revenue lost from the 2017 Trump tax cut and a budget deal that added billions in spending for military and domestic programs. Forecasts by the Trump administration and the Congressional Budget Office project that the deficit will top $1 trillion in the 2020 budget year, which began Oct. 1. And the CBO estimates that the deficit will stay above $1 trillion over the next decade. Those projections stand in contrast to President Donald Trump's campaign promises that even with revenue lost initially from his tax cuts, he could eliminate the budget deficit with cuts in spending and increased growth generated by the tax cuts."
Reuters: "Maria Butina, who was jailed in the US in April after admitting to working as a Russian agent, arrived in Moscow on Saturday to be greeted by her father and Russian journalists who handed her flowers."
Also, there's a new link below to a story about Trump's visit to Benedict College. The college pretty much locked up the students.
Rory Carroll of the Guardian: "The driver of the lorry that contained 39 dead migrants has been charged with manslaughter and human trafficking. Maurice Robinson, 25, from Co Armagh in Northern Ireland, faces 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering, Essex police said on Saturday. The announcement came shortly after Irish police arrested another Northern Irish man at Dublin port on suspicion of involvement in the tragedy. It brought the number of people from the island of Ireland who have been arrested to five, fuelling suspicion an Irish smuggling gang was part of the network that transported the migrants. The sprawling police investigation stretches from the Irish border, England, continental Europe and Vietnam, where many of the victims are believed to have come from."
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Farewell to a Better Angel of Our Natures. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "Two former United States presidents and a throng of powerful American leaders joined thousands of everyday people in Baltimore on Friday to bid farewell to Representative Elijah E. Cummings, a towering African-American presence in Washington who was praised for his integrity, his character and, in his final months, his unwavering challenges to President Trump. In one of the stirring eulogies that prompted mourners to rise with applause, Barack Obama called Mr. Cummings 'a man of noble and good heart.' Bill Clinton ... professed his love for Mr. Cummings.... 'We should hear him now in the quiet times at night and in the morning when we need courage, when we get discouraged and we don't know if we can believe anymore,' Mr. Clinton said. But for all of the emotional remembrances of Mr. Cummings as a champion of working people and civil rights, the funeral, which came amid impending impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump, also was an implicit rebuke of a president who had called the congressman a 'racist' and had criticized his representation of Baltimore...." The AP story is here. ~~~
Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Justice Department must turn over former special counsel Robert Mueller's grand jury evidence to the House Judiciary Committee, a groundbreaking victory for Democrats in their effort to investigate whether ... Donald Trump should be impeached for obstructing the long-running Russia probe. In a double victory for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Judge Beryl Howell -- the chief federal judge in Washington -- ruled that the impeachment inquiry Democrats have launched is valid even though the House hasn't taken a formal vote on it. The decision rejects arguments by DOJ and congressional Republicans that a formal vote is necessary to launch impeachment proceedings.... Howell took particular issue with a sharply worded letter sent by White House counsel Pat Cipollone on Oct. 8 to House Democrats declaring their intent to block any cooperation by White House officials with the ongoing impeachment inquiry.... 'These arguments smack of farce.... The White House's stated policy of non-cooperation with the impeachment inquiry weighs heavily in favor of disclosure.'... A Justice Department spokeswoman said the DOJ is 'reviewing the decision.'" ~~~
~~~ Carol Leonnig & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "After weeks of dismissing the impeachment inquiry as a hollow partisan attack, President Trump and his closest advisers now recognize that the snowballing probe poses a serious threat to the president -- and that they have little power to block it, according to multiple aides and advisers.... [A] belated scramble [to respond to impeachment proceedings] -- a month after the House formally launched its impeachment inquiry -- serves as a recognition that the White House's strategy of refusing to cooperate with the probe has failed to stymie it, according to Trump advisers and people involved in responding to House requests. That posture was driven by Trump, who dictated much of a defiant letter sent by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to House leaders earlier this month that claimed the inquiry was constitutionally invalid, according to people familiar with his role.... The president's reconstituted legal team is racing to master details about the administration's dealings with Ukraine, along with the efforts of their longtime co-counsel, Rudolph W. Giuliani, to push Ukraine officials to investigate Trump's Democratic rivals. Meanwhile, White House officials have begun holding regular impeachment strategy meetings, often in the Situation Room." Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: (1) You knew Trump wrote that ridiculous letter, and here's confirmation. (2) The Situation Room? Really? That facility is meant for addressing national & international crises, not for working out the president*'s personal problems.
Kyle Cheney: "Tim Morrison, a National Security Council official who has been identified as a witness to one of the most explosive pieces of evidence unearthed by House impeachment investigators, plans to testify Thursday even if the White House attempts to block him.... Morrison ... would be the first currently serving White House official to testify. He's also the first official believed to be on a July 25 phone call between ...Donald Trump and ... Volodymyr Zelensky during which Trump pressed his counterpart to investigate former vice president Joe Biden." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ BUT Now There's This. Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "A key witness in the impeachment investigation filed a lawsuit Friday asking a federal judge to rule on whether he can testify, a move that raises new doubts about whether President Trump's closest aides, like the former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, will be able to cooperate with the inquiry. House Democrats had subpoenaed the witness, Charles M. Kupperman, who served as Mr. Trump's deputy national security adviser, to testify on Monday. But in an effort to stop Mr. Kupperman from doing so, the White House said on Friday that the president had invoked 'constitutional immunity,' leaving Mr. Kupperman uncertain about what to do. 'Plaintiff obviously cannot satisfy the competing demands of both the legislative and executive branches, and he is aware of no controlling judicial authority definitively establishing which branch's command should prevail,' the suit said. The implications of the suit, filed in federal court in Washington, extend beyond Mr. Kupperman. His lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, also represents Mr. Bolton and is likely to address congressional requests for his testimony in a similar fashion. House Democrats have had discussions with Mr. Cooper in recent days about Mr. Bolton testifying but have not subpoenaed him.” ~~~
If this case is ultimately decided by the Supreme Court, it will be one of the most consequential separation of powers cases in American constitutional history -- however it is decided. --- J. Michael Luttig, a former federal judge, to the Washington Post ~~~
~~~ Kyle Cheney: Kupperman pointed to what he described as the merits and drawbacks of both the White House and Congress' arguments. He noted that a court ruled in 2008 that there are limits on claims of 'absolute immunity'" of presidential advisers to congressional testimony, even if those limits hadn't been tested. That court determined that President George W. Bush's counsel, Harriet Miers and other senior administration officials, did not enjoy 'absolute immunity.' But the court left the guidelines ambiguous.... Kupperman also raised questions about whether the House subpoena itself was valid, in part because of concerns raised by Republicans that the impeachment inquiry itself failed to comply with House rules.... In a rebuke of that position, however, [Judge Beryl Howell] in a separate matter ruled earlier in the day [story linked above] that the House's impeachment inquiry is valid and constitutional, rejecting the Trump administration's claim that it's an illegitimate exercise of congressional power."
Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump was already under fire for freezing aid to Ukraine when ... on September 11, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman [R] made one last pitch to the President, telling him that with the end of the fiscal year fast approaching, if he didn't act soon there wouldn't be time to get the money out the door, according to six sources....Trump put up his usual defenses with Portman, claiming the US was getting a poor deal in Ukraine and that European allies weren't doing their fair share.... But in a move that surprised officials from Washington to Kiev, after months of holding up the money the President finally relented. That evening after his call with Portman, Trump released the funds.... Much like the decision to freeze the aid, the decision to abruptly release it appears to lie squarely with the President.... What triggered the President to ultimately release the nearly $400 million in security aid, and how that decision was communicated to other government agencies, is one of the key mysteries that impeachment investigators are trying to unravel.... National security adviser John Bolton was fired the day before Trump changed his mind, and White House officials had recently been made aware of a whistleblower complaint that had been filed concerning Trump's behavior toward Ukraine."
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The reason Trump suddenly released the funds to Ukraine may be a "mystery" to some, but it seems pretty obvious: despite his big mouth, Trump & his gang try to keep a lid on some of Trump's shadiest schemes. Once Trump realizes his cover is blown -- as he did when he heard the whistleblower complaint was about to become public -- he caves. That is to say, he suddenly reverses course & does what he was required to do all along. Here's another case that's directly on point:
~~~ Reis Thebault, et al., of the Washington Post: The White House trade representative restored some of Ukraine's trade privileges Friday evening, reinstating benefits that were initially prepared for approval in late August. The paperwork was expected to be routine at the time, but then-national security adviser John Bolton had warned U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer that President Trump would oppose any action that benefited Kyiv, said people briefed on the matter. Following Bolton's warning, the White House pulled the paperwork back.... The move, announced by Lighthizer's office, comes a day after The Washington Post reported on Bolton's exhortation. The revelation of that exchange between Bolton and Lighthizer was the first sign that the administration's suspension of assistance to Ukraine extended beyond Trump's withholding of $391 million in military aid to the country -- the action at the center of House Democrats' impeachment inquiry." Emphasis added.
The Misadventures of ~~~
Then They Blew the Door off the Safe. Erica Orden & Evan Perez of CNN: "Federal prosecutors in New York have subpoenaed the brother of one of the recently indicted associates of Rudy Giuliani, according to two people familiar with the matter, as they escalate their investigation in the campaign-finance case. The subpoena to Steven Fruman is the latest indication of prosecutors' actions since the rushed arrest two weeks ago of his brother, Igor Fruman, and another defendant, Lev Parnas, at a Washington-area airport. Since then, investigators have doled out multiple subpoenas and conducted several property searches, in one case blowing the door off a safe to access the contents, sources tell CNN. Federal prosecutors told a judge this week that they are sifting through data from more than 50 bank accounts. In addition, they've put a filter team in place as they examine communications obtained via search warrant and subpoena, sensitive to material that could be subject to attorney-client privilege because Giuliani..., Donald Trump's personal attorney, counted Parnas as a client." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Wait, Wait. There's More. Actual Headline: "Rudy Giuliani butt-dials NBC reporter, heard discussing need for cash and trashing Bidens. Rich Schapiro of NBC News: "The call came in at 11:07 p.m. and went to voicemail; the reporter was asleep. The next morning, a message exactly three minutes long was sitting in the reporter's voicemail. In the recording, the words tumbling out of Giuliani's mouth were not directed at the reporter. He was speaking to someone else, someone in the same room. Giuliani can be heard discussing overseas dealings and lamenting the need for cash.... 'Is Robert around?' Giuliani asks. 'He's in Turkey,' the man responds. Giuliani replies..., 'The problem is we need some money.... 'We need a few hundred thousand,' he says." Schapiro then relates an earlier butt-call he received from Giuliani on the afternoon of September 28, in which Rudy spent the 3 minutes trashing the Bidens. Near the end of that recording, Giuliani says, "They [in context, Ukranian officials] don't want to investigate because he's [Joe or Hunter Biden] protected, so we gotta force them to do it." As Mimi Rocah pointed out on MSNBC, this is the type of admission investigators seek when listening to wiretaps. ~~~
... I think Rudy is a great gentleman. He's been a great crime fighter. He looks for corruption wherever he goes.... He was the greatest mayor in the history of New York and he's been one of the greatest crime fighters and corruption fighters. Rudy Giuliani is a good man. -- Donald Trump, to reporters, Friday ~~~
~~~ Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "Rudolph W. Giuliani ... signaled this month that he planned to open a new front in his attacks against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. -- work done by Mr. Biden's son Hunter Biden for a wealthy Romanian business executive facing corruption charges. But there's a problem with that strategy: Mr. Giuliani participated in an effort that would have helped the same executive, and was in fact recruited to do so by Louis J. Freeh, a former F.B.I. director who had been brought onto the matter by Hunter Biden. In effect, Mr. Giuliani and Hunter Biden were on the same team, if not at the same time. And their work to help the business executive, along with that of Mr. Freeh, stood in contrast to efforts by the United States, including Vice President Biden while he was in office, to encourage anti-corruption efforts in Romania.... The dynamic in Romania underscores how Mr. Giuliani has done a brisk international business with clients who sometimes seem to be seeking to capitalize on his connections to Mr. Trump even as he has accused Hunter Biden of seeking to capitalize on his father's name while doing business in other countries." ~~~
~~~ Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "Rudy Giuliani's problems keep piling up.... Two of his foreign-born business associates are headed to trial on charges that are part of a broader effort by federal prosecutors eyeing Giuliani himself. The scrutiny isn't coming just from the previously known probes by FBI agents and the U.S. attorney's office based out of Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the investigation. The criminal division of the Justice Department in Washington has taken an interest in the former New York mayor, too, meaning an expansion of resources that indicates the politically sensitive probe into the president's personal attorney is both broader and moving at a faster pace than previously understood.... 'He appears to be a subject, if not a target of an active investigation. So to have him be a part of the [president*'s] legal team would be troublesome to say the least,' said Greg Brower, who served as the FBI's top liaison to Congress until 2018.... Democratic impeachment investigators [are circling] Giuliani." ~~~
~~~ "O, What a Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practise to Deceive!" Marcy Wheeler: The involvement of the D.C. office a/k/a "Main Justice" "... is probably partly an attempt by Bill Barr and Brian Benczkowski to limit the damage that the Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman prosecution can do to the President, even though it's crystal clear their crimes tie to the extortion the President was engaged in on his July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelensky. The focus on Rudy suggests he may be the scapegoat, who must be aggressively prosecuted as a way to avoid prosecuting the President.... But Main Justice's bigfooting into SDNY probably serves another purpose: it helps Benczkowski and others avoid obstruction charges for actions they took to ensure that the August assessment of the whistleblower complaint wouldn't discover the obvious ties between the crimes that SDNY was about to charge and the President's behavior.... Since that is public and obvious to anyone who knows how FBI is supposed to work, Main Justice has no choice but to show some interest in these crimes now or risk being part of the conspiracy." ~~~
~~~ ** Ken Dilanian of NBC News: "Dozens of inspectors general across the federal government have signed a letter repudiating the Justice Department's legal opinion that the original complaint by a CIA whistleblower about ... Donald Trump's conversation with Ukraine's president did not have to be turned over to Congress. In a strongly worded statement written by the inspector general of the Justice Department, the inspectors general portrayed the opinion by the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel as dangerously wrong and severely damaging to whistleblower protections.... The head of the OLC, Steven Engel, is a political appointee hired in November 2017.... The Trump administration tried to keep the complaint secret. Justice Department lawyers at the OLC ruled that the complaint did not fit the definition of an urgent concern because it alleged misconduct by a person (the president) who is not a member of the intelligence community, and because the alleged misconduct didn't specifically involve intelligence activities. Therefore, they ruled, Congress had no right to see it. The inspectors general wrote in their letter that this analysis was wrong on several points." Legal experts said the inspectors' general letter was extraordinary & significant. ~~~
~~~ ** Amanda Marcotte in Salon: "instead of trying to stop [Russian interference in U.S. Elections, Donald Trump and Bill Barr's] plan is quite clearly to use the power of the United States government to cover up the Russian conspiracy -- and intimidate any law enforcement officials who might feel the urge to fight similar criminal conspiracies going into the 2020 elections.... Mueller uncovered a vast Russian conspiracy that pulled off something the Watergate burglars never could.... Mueller also discovered that Trump knew about this conspiracy, encouraged it publicly, and attempted to get involved but apparently failed -- probably because the Russians concluded he was unreliable.... Just because the Mueller investigation is over doesn't mean Trump's efforts to cover up for Vladimir Putin's campaign against democracy have ended. On the contrary, the obstruction of justice campaign has expanded. Now, under the guidance of Barr, it's being run by the Department of Justice itself.... Barr is doing is exactly what Trump, using the threat of withheld military aid, tried to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do: Open up a phony investigation in order to smear Democrats and deny that the Russian government was behind the criminal attack on the 2016 election.... It's time to open an impeachment inquiry into Bill Barr, as well." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: A few years ago, a claim that the Attorney General of the United States was a "long-term project to transform the U.S. into an undemocratic, quasi-authoritarian plutocracy" (digby, cited by Marcotte) would have sounded as unhinged as anything in Trump's catalog of conspiracy theories. Now, it looks likely.
Trump Buses in Black Audience to Historically-Black College. Astead Herndon & Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "President Trump, speaking to a handpicked audience of supporters at a historically black college [in Columbia, S.C.,] on Friday, belittled the Obama administration's record on racial equity and claimed that his own administration had helped African-Americans beyond anything 'in the history of our country.'... Opening a three-day forum on criminal justice that will later feature his Democratic rivals, Mr. Trump promoted the bipartisan criminal justice overhaul he signed last year.... But as his hourlong speech went on, his message of harmony gave way to his trademark partisan attacks on Democrats.... Mr. Trump and his allies had billed the speech, at Benedict College in Columbia, as a chance for the president to ... his administration's record on criminal justice reform and black employment directly to a black audience. But fewer than 10 students from Benedict were given tickets to the invitation-only event.... More than half of the seats were reserved for guests and allies of the administration, including many black supporters of Mr. Trump who came from out of state." Thanks to Ken. W. for the link. ~~~
~~~ NEW. Eric Connor & Carol Motsinger of the Greenville News: "Benedict students, who the week prior pondered what questions they might ask the president once his surprise visit to the forum was announced, were asked to stay in their dorms. Seven students were allowed inside for the speech.... Classes were canceled, and students were served lunch inside their dorms from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m." for security reasons, a spokeswoman for the school said."
Russ Choma of Mother Jones: "On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump Organization has been in contact with a real estate advisory firm to discuss the possible sale of the Trump International Hotel [in Washington, D.C.,] and is seeking as much as $500 million. Since it opened shortly before the 2016 election, the hotel has been a magnet for Trump's conservative allies, as well as lobbyists and foreign officials seeking to curry favor with the president. And it has been a lighting rod for criticism because of the conflict of interest it represents. In a statement, Eric Trump said ... the Trump Organization is now considering a sale because 'people are objecting to us making so much money on the hotel, and therefore we may be willing to sell.'... It's not clear the hotel is making 'so much money.'... The lease requires Trump to pay $3 million a year, plus a percentage of the profits, to the Government Services Administration.... But a GSA official testified to Congress last month that Trump hasn't ever paid much more than the $3 million, suggesting that the hotel may not be making 'so much money.'" The WSJ story is here. ~~~
~~~ Jonathan O'Connell of the Washington Post: "The Trumps are trying to sell the lease at the earliest they are allowed. According to lease documents, the Trumps were not allowed to sell their interest until three years after the hotel's opening date, which was Oct. 26, 2016.... The hotel's dealings with foreign governments have led to multiple lawsuits, congressional inquiries and investigations.... House Democrats are looking more aggressively into the hotel project. The House committee that oversees the GSA issued a subpoena [for documents] Thursday.... Because the sale would take place while Trump is in office ... any deal may carry its own ethical questions..., possibly raising concerns about the foreign emoluments clause ... [and] about whether taxpayers are receiving a fair deal.... Trump has an enormous financial stake in the project."
Mrs. McCrabbie: In what I suppose will be a continuing series, "Where Are They Now," we learn that, as winter approaches, one person who may have slipped our minds is on her way to balmy Siberia. ~~~
~~~ Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "... Maria Butina was released from the Tallahassee Federal Correction Institution on Friday after having served more than 15 months behind bars, according to the US Federal Bureau of Prisons, and is expected to be immediately deported to Moscow. Butina, a Russian national who studied at American University in Washington, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government after she tried to infiltrate conservative political groups, including the National Rifle Association, and promote Russian interests. Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison earlier this year and has been in custody since her arrest on July 15, 2018.... Butina intends to return to her hometown of Barnaul in Siberia."
Oil is secured. Our soldiers have left and are leaving Syria for other places, then.... COMING HOME! ... When these pundit fools who have called the Middle East wrong for 20 years ask what we are getting out of the deal, I simply say, THE OIL, AND WE ARE BRINGING OUR SOLDIERS BACK HOME, ISIS SECURED! -- Donald Trump, Friday, in a tweet, Friday ~~~
~~~ Uh, Mark Esperanto Ramps Up U.S. Military Presence in Syria. Lolita Baldor & Robert Burns of the AP: “The United States will send armored reinforcements into eastern Syria to bolster defenses against a potential move by Islamic State militants on oil fields controlled by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. Esper described the added force as 'mechanized,' which would likely means it will include tanks and other combat vehicles such as Bradley armored infantry carriers. This would introduce a new dimension to the U.S. military presence, which largely has been comprised of special operations forces not equipped with tanks or other armored vehicles.... Although Esper did not mention the size of the U.S. reinforcements, it could total several hundred troops.... Esper said IS must not be allowed to again threaten the oil. Esper's announcement came even as Trump again indicated in tweets that the U.S. military mission in Syria is completed.... He also said anew on Friday that 'we're getting our troops out' of Syria, without mentioning Esper's announcement. 'We are doing well in Syria, with Turkey and everybody else that we're dealing with,' Trump said. 'We have secured the oil. ... We have a couple of people that came knocking, we said don't knock. And I think I would say that things are going very well.' White House officials would not clarify whom he was referring to as 'knocking.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The duplicity & deceit screaming in all caps from that one Trump tweet cited above are breathtaking. Save the oil but screw the people. We're bringing out troops home (but actually they've gone to Iraq & we're adding new troops & materiel to guard Syrian oil fields). ISIS is secured (but actually that's not remotely the case).
Jordan Novet of CNBC: "Microsoft has emerged victorious in a dramatic competition for public cloud resources for the U.S. Defense Department, beating out market leader Amazon Web Services, the Pentagon said on Friday. The contract could be worth as much as $10 billion over a decade, according to a statement.... Early in the process Amazon was seen as the favorite, partly because its AWS business won a deal with the CIA in 2013. Also Amazon had been certified at the highest existing security clearance level, while Microsoft sought to catch up. In July, President Trump said he was looking at the contract after companies had protested the the bidding process. While Trump didn't cite Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos by name at the time, the billionaire ... owns The Washington Post, which Trump regularly criticizes for its coverage of his administration. Trump also has gone after Amazon repeatedly on other fronts, such as claiming it does not pay its fair share of taxes and rips off the U.S. Post Office. In August, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that he would look at it. Then, earlier this week, the Pentagon said that Esper had removed himself from the process because his son Luke Esper works at IBM." ~~~
~~~ Kate Conger, et al., of the New York Times: "The Department of Defense on Friday awarded a $10 billion technology contract to Microsoft over Amazon in a contest that was closely watched after President Trump ramped up his criticism of Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos, and said he might intervene.... In public, Mr. Trump said there were other 'great companies' that should have a chance at the contract. But a speechwriter for former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says in a book scheduled for publication next week that Mr. Trump had wanted to foil Amazon and give the contract to another company.... The award to Microsoft is likely to fuel suspicions that Mr. Trump may have weighed in privately as well as publicly against Amazon. Experts on federal contracting said it would be highly improper for a president to intervene in the awarding of a contract. Price Floyd, a former head of public affairs at the Pentagon who consulted briefly for Amazon, said he thought Mr. Trump's vocal criticism of Amazon would give it ample grounds to protest the award to Microsoft.... Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat of Virginia, said on Twitter that it was 'important that we maintain a fair & competitive process' and that 'for the President to use the power of his office to punish critics in the media would be a complete abuse of power.'"
Tom Krisher of the AP: "A contentious 40-day strike that crippled General Motors' U.S. production came to an end Friday as workers approved a new contract with the company. The four-year deal will now be used as a template in bargaining with crosstown rival Ford Motor Co., the union's choice for the next round of bargaining, followed by Fiat Chrysler. GM workers voted 57.2% in favor of the pact, passing it with a vote of 23,389 to 17,501, the union said in a statement. Picket lines came down almost immediately after the vote was announced, and some of the 49,000 striking workers were expected to return to their jobs as early as Friday night."
News Ledes
AP: "New evacuations were ordered Saturday for at least 50,000 people near a huge wildfire and millions of Californians will have their power cut again as the state's largest utility said it would shut off electricity for the third time in as many weeks because of looming strong winds and high fire danger. Pacific Gas & Electric said it would begin blackouts in the afternoon for about 940,000 homes and businesses in 36 counties for 48 hours or longer throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, wine country and Sierra foothills. That's about 90,000 more customers affected than previously predicted. The entire communities of Healdsburg and Windsor were ordered to evacuate ahead of severe winds that could lead to erratic fire behavior near the blaze burning in wine country."
AP: "Millions of Californians were preparing to live in the dark again as the state's largest utility warned it may cut power for the third time in as many weeks because of looming strong winds and high fire danger. Pacific Gas & Electric will decide Saturday whether to blackout 850,000 homes and businesses in 36 counties for 48 hours or longer throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, wine country and Sierra foothills. The two previous shutdowns were done amid concern that gusty winds could foul or knock down power lines and spark devastating wildfires. Weather forecasts called for record strong winds to lash much of the region over the weekend, with some gusts hitting 85 mph."
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