The Commentariat -- June 5, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Trump Still Doesn't Understand Difference between Climate & Weather. Morgan Gstalter of the Hill: "President Trump during an interview broadcast early Wednesday said that he appreciates Prince Charles's passion on climate change but dismissed the British royal's concerns on the topic, adding that the weather 'changes both ways.' Trump told Piers Morgan of ITV's 'Good Morning Britain' that the prince spent more than an hour trying to warn him the dangers of climate change. Prince Charles did 'most of the talking" during their interaction, Trump said." ...

... ** Adam Raymond of the New York Times lists the nine "most bonkers" moments from Trump's interview with Morgan. Kind of a must-read.

** Erik Sherman of Fortune: "When it comes to talking himself up, Trump in particular has compared himself to Barack Obama. So, how do the two presidents measure up in terms of growth in major indexes, measured between their inauguration and May 31 of their third year in office? The short answer is that Trump has quite a way to go. Under Obama, the S&P 500 grew by 56.4%. The Dow Jones Industrials Average was up 50.6% and the Nasdaq, 92.9%. The numbers under Trump were 21.4% for the S&P 500, 25.2% for the Dow, and 34.2% for Nasdaq."

Andrew Kaczynski & Em Steck of CNN: "[T]he royal family has for years batted back stories that its members were looking into or joining Trump's properties -- stories that, according to multiple biographies of Trump, were spread by the real-estate developer himself. Between 1981 and 1995, multiple claims that members of the British Royal family were joining Trump properties filled New York tabloids and national papers according to a CNN KFile review of archival papers, audio, and books about the then-real estate developer. All of them were unequivocally shot down by Buckingham Palace." --safari: A damning review of how Trump has cynically manipulated journalists for decades for free publicity.

Anjali Tsui of ProPublica and Alice Wilder of WNYC: "In mid-March, the payday lending industry held its annual convention at the Trump National Doral hotel outside Miami. Payday lenders offer loans on the order of a few hundred dollars, typically to low-income borrowers, who have to pay them back in a matter of weeks. The industry has long been reviled by critics for charging stratospheric interest rates -- typically 400% on an annual basis -- that leave customers trapped in cycles of debt.... The mood was celebratory.... A month earlier, Kathleen Kraninger, who had just finished her second month as director of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, had delivered what the lenders consider an epochal victory: Kraninger announced a proposal to gut a crucial rule that had been passed under her Obama-era predecessor.... Now, the industry was taking credit for the CFPB's retreat.... The CFSA and its members have poured a total of about $1 million into the Trump Organization's coffers through ... two annual conferences.... They [also] contributed to the president's inauguration and earned face time with the president after donating to a Trump ally. But it's the payment to the president's business that is a stark reminder that the Trump administration is like none before it."

David Cay Johnson of DC Report in RawStory: "Only one of the billionaire Koch brothers supported Donald Trump's 2016 campaign: William Ingraham Koch. Bill Koch even raised money for Trump, his nearby neighbor in Palm Beach, Fla. That same year, IRS criminal agents began an investigation after receiving nearly 1,000 pages of documents detailing what were described as multiple tax frauds at Bill Koch's companies. The documents, which we call the Koch Papers, came from a deeply knowledgeable source: Charles Middleton, who had been one of the companies' top tax executives. The IRS investigation went cold after Trump assumed office, documents obtained by DCReport show.... [O]ne of Middleton's lawyers, William ... Cohan, and Middleton's Seattle lawyer, John Colvin, both say the IRS and Justice Department stopped acknowledging their calls, emails and letters after Trump became president." --s

Tim Starks of Politico: "Russia's infamous troll farm conducted a campaign on Twitter before the 2016 elections that was larger, more coordinated and more effective than previously known, research from cybersecurity firm Symantec out Wednesday concluded. The Internet Research Agency campaign may not only have had more sway -- reaching large numbers of real users -- than previously thought, it also demonstrated ample patience and might have generated income for some of the phony accounts, Symantec found. The company analyzed a massive data set Twitter released in October 2018 on nearly 3,900 accounts and 10 million tweets.... The research also found that the accounts played to both sides of the aisle more than previously believed, and that most of them were fakes pretending to be regional news outlets, while a smaller subset amplified those messages."

Cruel & Unusual. Priscilla Alvarez of CNN: "The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is charged with caring for unaccompanied migrant children, is 'scaling back' or canceling activities at shelters, citing the need for more resources.... 'This week, ORR instructed grantees to begin scaling back or discontinuing awards for (unaccompanied minors) activities that are not directly necessary for the protection of life and safety, including education services, legal services, and recreation,' [a] ... spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services... said in a statement."

E. A. Crunden of ThinkProgress: "The Trump administration is seeking to dramatically escalate federal penalties for pipeline protesters. Under newly proposed changes, pipeline protesters could face up to 20 years in prison for disrupting the construction of oil and gas infrastructure.... The administration argues that the changes are key to ensuring safety.... But environmental groups and activists will likely oppose the proposed measures and are expected to seek legal action against the Trump administration." --s

Susannah George of the AP: "Directly challenging ... Donald Trump's use of executive power, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are banding together to introduce more than a dozen resolutions aimed at blocking the Trump administration's sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. The maneuver amounts to a remarkable display of bipartisan pushback to Trump's foreign policy and threatens to tangle the Senate in a series of floor votes this summer. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is leading the effort, but he has support from two of Trump's allies in Congress: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Anger has been mounting in Congress over the Trump administration's close ties to the Saudis, fueled by the high civilian casualties in the Saudi-led war in Yemen -- a military campaign the U.S. is assisting -- and the killing of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Trump's decision in May to sell the weapons, in a manner intended to bypass congressional review, further inflamed the tensions."

Julie Davis of the New York Times: "The Democrat-led House passed legislation on Tuesday to grant a path to citizenship to about 2.5 million immigrants whose legal protections President Trump has moved to end, advancing a measure that highlights the bitter partisan differences over immigration. The bill, which passed 237 to 187, with seven Republicans voting yes, would create a new legal pathway for young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, known as Dreamers, and for those with Temporary Protected Status, granted to immigrants whose countries are ravaged by natural disaster or violence. It is almost certain to die in the Republican-led Senate, where there is no appetite to challenge Mr. Trump on his signature issue and the majority regards it as amnesty for people who have broken the law. The White House said on Monday that Mr. Trump would veto the measure." Mrs. McC: Thought I linked a story on this earlier today. Obviously not.

Josh Israel of ThinkProgress: "At least 43 of the 58 Republican House members who voted against a $19 billion bipartisan disaster relief bill Monday night have previously demanded or endorsed emergency aid funding for their own states, a ThinkProgress analysis has found." --s>

Kevin Roose & Kate Conger of the New York Times: "YouTube announced plans on Wednesday to remove thousands of videos and channels that advocate for neo-Nazism, white supremacy and other bigoted ideologies in an attempt to clean up extremism and hate speech on its popular service. The new policy will ban 'videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion,' the company said in a blog post. The prohibition will also cover videos denying that violent incidents, like the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, took place." ...

... BUT. Homophobic Slurs A-Okay. Tom McKay of Gizmodo: "YouTube has chosen not to take action against right-wing video personality Steven Crowder after Vox host Carlos Maza posted clips of Crowder repeatedly harassing him with derogatory, anti-gay, and racist statements, which Maza says resulted in hordes of Crowder's fans doxxing him and subjecting him to abuse on social media.... YouTube's hate speech policy page specifically bars 'content promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups' based on a number of attributes including ethnicity, race, and sexual orientation.... After claiming YouTube takes 'allegations of harassment very seriously' and that they had spent days 'conducting an in-depth review of the videos flagged to us,' the Team YouTube Twitter wrote that while Crowder's language was 'clearly hurtful,' 'the videos as posted don't violate our policies' and will 'remain on our site.'... YouTube's stance is apparently that it is okay for a host with millions of subscribers (3,846,360 as of early Wednesday a.m.) to repeatedly engage in racist, homophobic bullying so long as it's couched as part of some kind of ambiguously defined 'debate.'" ...

... Madison Kircher of New York: "June is usually the time when tech companies deck themselves out in rainbow colors and bend over backward to demonstrate just how much they support the LGBTQ+ community. YouTube, refreshingly, has taken a different tack this year. The company has ruled that right-wing commentator Steven Crowder hasn't violated YouTube policy by continuously slinging anti-gay and anti-immigrant slurs -- including a 'gay Mexican,' a 'lispy queer,' an 'anchor baby,' and a 'token Vox gay atheist sprite' -- at Vox host Carlos Maza, leading to harassment and abuse against Maza from Crowder's fans and followers." Mrs. McC: No, no Madison. It turns out labeling someone a "lispy queer" is an essential element of "debate."

Fiona Harvey of the Guardian: "The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by the second highest annual rise in the past six decades, according to new data. Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas were 414.8 parts per million in May.... Scientists have warned for more than a decade that concentrations of more than 450ppm risk triggering extreme weather events and temperature rises as high as 2C, beyond which the effects of global heating are likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.... As recently as the 1990s, the average annual growth rate was about 1.5ppm, but in the past decade that has accelerated to 2.2ppm, and is now even higher. This brings the threshold of 450ppm closer sooner than had been anticipated." --safari: No one can honestly claim today that we're leaving a better life for future generations.

Jonathan Watts of the Guardian: "Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon surged last month to the highest May level since the current monitoring method began, prompting concerns that president Jair Bolsonaro is giving a free pass to illegal logging, farming and mining. The world's greatest rainforest -- which is a vital provider of oxygen and carbon sequestration -- lost 739sq km during the 31 days, equivalent to two football pitches every minute, according to data from the government's satellite monitoring agency." --s

~~~~~~~~~~

New York Times: "After meeting with Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Theresa May, President Trump traveled to southern England to commemorate the D-Day operation." Here is the Times' liveblog of events.

When Royals Meet. Many thanks to forrest m. for making my day. Every time I look at King Donaldo I LOL.

Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "Demonstrators inflated a 20-foot blimp depicting President Trump as a baby in a diaper outside the U.K. parliament in London Tuesday, as mass protests got underway across the U.K. while Trump met with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of his state visit." Lots of photos. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: "Thousands of Brits took to the streets [of London] Tuesday, where they marched alongside a 16-foot farting robot of Donald Trump and held aloft huge photos of John McCain in an attempt to trigger the president. The protests — which saw thousands brave the typical British weather shielded by umbrellas emblazoned with anti-Trump slogans, EU flags, and the LGBTQ rainbow symbol -- went within meters of Downing Street, where the president must have heard creatively foul-mouthed chants, although he still insists there have been no protests against him at all. Protesters were kept away from the gates of Downing Street for Trump' arrival and departure for talks with Theresa May. However, the thousands occupied a large stretch of central London, marching from Trafalgar Square past the government buildings of Whitehall and eventually arriving outside parliament to hear a speech by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

I kept hearing that there would be 'massive' rallies against me in the UK, but it was quite the opposite. The big crowds, which the Corrupt Media hates to show, were those that gathered in support of the USA and me. -- Donald Trump, in a tweet today

There were thousands of people (Monday) on the streets cheering. And even coming over today, there were thousands of people cheering and then I heard that there were protests. I said: 'Where are the protests? I don't see any protests.' I did see a small protest today when I came, very small, so a lot of it is fake news, I hate to say. ... There was great love. ... And I didn't see the protesters until just a little while ago and it was a very, very small group of people. -- Donald Trump, news conference Tuesday ...

... Thousand of People Cheering:

... As Akhilleus pointed out in yesterday's Comments, Camilla's stock went up in the U.K. after her, "Yes, we all know this is a farce" wink yesterday:

The Trump Scandals, Ctd.

Susan Page of USA Today: "Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who as recently as last month cautioned Democrats about the perils of pursuing President Trump's impeachment, now says the House should open an impeachment inquiry that might or might not lead to a formal effort to remove him from office. 'It's not the right thing to do nothing,' Reid said in an interview Monday with USA Today. It's not the right thing to jump into impeachment without doing an inquiry.' The most important goal, he said, would be to 'give the American people a view of what's going on.'"

Pamela Brown, et al., of CNN: "The White House has directed former officials Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to turn over any documents to the House Judiciary Committee relating to their time at the White House, according to two sources familiar with the matter. But Hicks, the former White House communications director, still could turn over documents the committee has requested related to the 2016 Trump campaign, a period that's not covered by executive privilege, according to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler. The White House sent letters to the committee stating that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had directed Hicks and Donaldson, the former deputy White House counsel, not to turn over the documents. The committee had issued subpoenas to both Hicks and Donaldson for documents, setting a Tuesday deadline. The subpoenas also include requests for testimony from the former White House officials for later this month. In a statement, Nadler argued that the White House could not prevent the officials from complying with the committee's request, though he added that Hicks' agreement to provide documents related to the Trump campaign was a 'show of good faith.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

All the President*'s Men (in Jail)

Brutal. William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Paul J. Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman who is serving a federal prison sentence, is expected to be transferred within the next few weeks to the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, where he will most likely be held in isolation while facing state fraud charges, people with knowledge of the matter said.... Rikers Island has been plagued by violence and mismanagement over the years...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Pilar Melendez & Erin Banco of the Daily Beast: "George Nader, an emissary to the United Arab Emirates who cooperated extensively with Special Counsel Robert Mueller probe, was denied release on Tuesday after being arrested for possessing child pornography. Nader, 60, a Lebanese-American businessman will be handed over to federal agents for extradition to Virginia for his prosecution. He was arrested Monday at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport for allegedly possessing child pornography on a cellphone more than a year ago."

MEANWHILE. Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast: "Michael Cohen is being celebrated as a celebrity inside the federal prison where he's serving time after flipping on ... Donald Trump. Prisoners have approached Inmate No. 86067-054 for advice on their legal problems, quizzed him about Trump's alleged dalliance with porn star Stormy Daniels, and tried to take photos of him on cellphones smuggled into the facility, according to people who've spoken to inmates."

Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "A federal judge reversed course on Tuesday and absolved the Justice Department of a demand to make public transcripts of recorded phone calls between former national security adviser Michael Flynn and a Russian official. In a one-paragraph order, U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan said he accepted the argument recently made from federal prosecutors who defied his earlier request to release any recordings from December 2016 between Flynn and Sergey Kislyak, who at the time was the Russian ambassador to the U.S."

S. V. Date of the Huffington Post: “With commercial tenants fleeing his Trump Tower..., Donald Trump continues to spend $37,500 a month of campaign money for office space there -- with some of that cash destined for his own wallet ― even as thousands of square feet go unused at a newly opened office in northern Virginia. No more than 'four or five' campaign staffers work at Trump's Manhattan base, according to an informal adviser close to the White House, where the campaign rents a few thousand square feet as its 'headquarters.' The per-square-foot cost is likely at least triple what the Republican National Committee pays for the much larger space it shares with the campaign in Arlington, according to a HuffPost analysis." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... ** Jonathan Chait explains why right-wing grifters -- including the Biggest Grifter of Them All -- are so good at their cons. Thanks to Schlub for the lead. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair reports on Trump's cheesy prenuptial agreement with Marla Maples: "Maples reportedly wanted $25 million, but Trump agreed to pay her only $1 million if they separated within five years, plus another $1 million to buy a house. Trump also would stop making $100,000 child support payments for Tiffany when she turned 21. The agreement states that Trump's payments would cease earlier if Tiffany got a full-time job, enlisted in the military, or joined the Peace Corps.... According to the prenup, Maples surrendered any claim to Trump's future income and inheritances. The $1 million award Trump would pay her was it. (There would be no alimony.)" Also, the agreement contained rigid confidentiality terms that prevented Maples from mentioning from revealing any details of the marriage. Trump married Maples, according to Gabriel, mostly because marriage would encourage lenders to believe he was a more stable risk, & Trump was in desperate straits.

Radio Free Europe: "Russia has denied it informed ... Donald Trump that it is pulling defense personnel out of Venezuela, contradicting a comment by the U.S. leader. 'I was surprised when I read this. We did not notify anyone. He apparently read an article in The Wall Street Journal,' Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 4 referring to a June 3 tweet by Trump. Trump in March said Russia 'has to get out' of the South American nation after it landed planes carrying supplies and technical advisers to help President Nicolas Maduro amid an uprising. The United States is seeking the ouster of Maduro, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as thousands of Venezuelan citizens take to the streets to protest his regime. Trump on June 3 tweeted that Russia had informed the United States 'that they have removed most of their people from Venezuela.'... His tweet came a day after The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed source close to the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that Moscow had pulled out many defense advisers from the country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Russia had not informed the United States of any such withdrawal, adding that Russian specialists continue to work in the South American country." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Since both sides lie, it's impossible to know what's going on.

Nahal Toosi of Politico: "Jared Kushner's Middle East peace plan isn't even out yet, but there are already intensifying calls to scrap the rollout -- including from some Trump allies. Prominent conservative and pro-Israel voices close to the White House are increasingly sharing their fears, which range from the possibility that the peace proposal could trigger violence to worries that its offerings could forever kill efforts to craft a two-state solution.... For their part, Kushner and other aides to Trump appear intent on going full speed ahead." --s ...

... Muhammad Shehada of Haaretz: "The most disturbing aspect of ... [U.S. President Trump's 'Deal of the Century,' developed by ... Jared Kushner] is its disastrous effect on the overall peace process paradigm. In simple terms: Palestinians are losing faith fast with the foundational idea of peace through negotiations.... Forcing what U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo himself calls an 'inexecutable' deal on Palestinians - through bribery, coercion and punitive measures - and framing it as Palestinians' last chance to get anything, undermines moderate Palestinian voices and amplifies immensely violent rejectionism.... Most prominent among these is the new Islamic Jihad leader and Iran's loyal man, Ziad Nakhalah.... As the biases of Kushner's peace plan will continue to sow feelings of defeat, humiliation and isolation amongst Palestinians, Nakhalah's ascendance to a gruesome kind of stardom is inevitable." --s

"Bone Saw Bonus." Matt Shuham of TPM: "The Trump administration approved the transfer of nuclear expertise to Saudi Arabia just two weeks after Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) revealed Tuesday.... [T]he administration ... [made] ... seven such approvals. Notably, two occurred after Khashoggi's death: One on October 18, 2018, '16 days after Khashoggi's murder,' Kaine noted, and another on Feb. 18, 2019." --s

Speaking Truth to Trumpy Is Creepy. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "President Trump called Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) "a creep" on Tuesday after the Democratic leader predicted the president would back down from slapping new tariffs on Mexico. 'Can you imagine Cryin' Chuck Schumer saying out loud, for all to hear, that I am bluffing with respect to putting Tariffs on Mexico. What a Creep,' Trump wrote in a tweet. He asserted that Schumer 'would rather have our Country fail with drugs & Immigration than give Republicans a win. But he gave Mexico bad advice, no bluff!'... Schumer, speaking from the Senate floor, characterized the new tariffs as another example of Trump's 'whimsical and erratic proposals.' 'President Trump has a habit of proposing asinine and dangerous policies before backing off. And President Trump has a habit of pretending that the very act of not following through on a misguided policy is somehow a victory. So, I wouldn't be surprised at all if President Trump doesn't follow through on these tariffs either,' Schumer said." ...

... Catie Edmondson & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: “Republican senators sent the White House a sharp message on Tuesday, warning that they were opposed to President Trump's plans to impose tariffs on Mexican imports, just hours after the president said lawmakers would be 'foolish' to try to stop him. Mr. Trump's latest threat -- 5 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico, rising to as high as 25 percent until the Mexican government stems the flow of migrants -- has riled Republican senators who fear its impact on the economy and their home states. They emerged from a closed-door lunch in the Capitol angered by the briefing they received from a deputy White House counsel, Patrick F. Philbin, and Assistant Attorney General Steven A. Engel on the legal basis for imposing new tariffs by declaring a nationa emergency. 'I want you to take a message back' to the White House, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, told the attorneys, according to people familiar with the meeting. 'You didn't hear a single yes' from the Republican conference. He called the proposed tariffs a $30 billion tax hike on Texans."

Burgess Everett & Eliana Johnson of Politico: "strong>Ken Cuccinelli has spent years attacking Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans. Now, [there is little chance those Senate Republicans will confirm Cuccinelli] ... to be director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. But there may be nobody in Washington whom McConnell and his allies would take more pleasure in defeating, and the bottom line is Cuccinelli has little chance of getting approved for the job, Republican senators said.... 'It's unlikely he's going to be confirmed if he is nominated,' [Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) said].... Some senators are still hoping to persuade Trump not to formally nominate or appoint Cuccinelli, but if the president goes through with it, the former Virginia attorney general likely will be either rejected or blocked from a floor vote entirely."

Presidential Race 2020

Here We Go Again. Zack Colman & Natasha Korecki of Politico: "Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign came under fire on Tuesday for putting out a $1.7 trillion climate change plan that appeared to copy a handful of passages from previously published documents. The incident recalled the plagiarism incident that helped drive Biden from the 1988 presidential race, though Biden's campaign team called the latest episode an error that was corrected.... Biden rolled out his climate policy on Tuesday after facing weeks of criticism from the Democratic Party's left flank for reportedly considering a plan to strike a 'middle ground' on the issue. It won praise from environmental groups who welcomed its call to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and ban oil and gas drilling on public lands. Biden also said he would reject campaign contributions from fossil fuel executives and corporations."

Ari Berman of Mother Jones: "Documents unearthed last week showed that the Republican Party's top gerrymandering expert, Tom Hofeller, was behind the decision to add a controversial question about US citizenship to the 2020 census.... But the [Supreme Court] justices are unlikely to be swayed by the bombshell new evidence. In fact, they may not even be able to consider it.... First, there's little time for the court to consider the new evidence. The justices typically make up their minds following oral arguments, and they have already started writing their opinions.... Second, the Supreme Court is only supposed to examine evidence that is part of the record in the case.... Though the justices sometimes do their own research or cite outside sources, deviation from the legal record is frowned upon.... Any consideration of Hofeller's memos, which have not been vetted by a federal court, would be an exception to the rule[.]" --s

Helen Lock of the Guardian: "When it comes to trying to stop fake medicines getting into the hands of sick patients, experts describe a difficult task where they are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of counterfeiters.... Th need for any solution being developed to have a global reach is clear. In 2011, Interpol seized 2.4m fake and illicit pills, and that number jumped to 20.7m seized in 2015. A large quantity is produced in China, but India, Pakistan, Paraguay and the UK are also among the top sources for fakes.... Counterfeited medicine, thought to be the most lucrative of illegally copied goods trades, ends up all over the world. But developing countries, where spending on medicine means being out of pocket for the majority of people, are the most vulnerable to conterfeits. Most of the cases (42%) reported by the WHO between 2013 and 2017 were found in subSaharan Africa." --s

Beyond the Beltway

Florida. David Ovalle, et al., of the Miami Herald: "Scot Peterson, the former Broward Sheriff's deputy responsible for protecting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, has been criminally charged for failing to confront a gunman who methodically shot and killed 17 students and staffers, state authorities said Tuesday. In a highly unusual case, the retired 56-year-old deputy was arrested Tuesday on 11 charges -- including child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury -- for his role in the massacre that shocked the United States, galvanized gun-control activism and led to changes in Florida's law. Peterson, who has long insisted he acted properly and was not sure Nikolas Cruz was inside the 1200 building, faces nearly 100 years in prison if convicted. As a school resource officer trained to engage an active shooter immediately, Peterson 'was responsible for the welfare and safety' of the students and 'failed to make a reasonable effort' to protect them, according to an arrest warrant. The criminal charges against Peterson stemmed from an investigation by the Florida Department of Law of Enforcement, tasked by former Gov. Rick Scott to examine the response of law enforcement to the worst school shooting in state history." ...

... Meet your local GOP, Ctd. Cristina Cabrera of TPM: "Florida state Rep. Mike Hill (R) refuses to apologize for his reaction [of laughing] to a suggestion that he pass legislation to allow the execution of gay men. On Friday, the Pensacola News Journal published an audio recording of Hill holding a meeting at Pensacola City Hall, during which a man asked the GOP lawmaker about imposing the death penalty onto gay men." --s

Texas. Sam Levine of the Huffington Post: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) pushed officials at the state's Department of Public Safety to scour driver's license records for noncitizens and forward that information to the Texas secretary of state, a fellow Republican, in advance of the state's botched voter purge, according to emails made public Tuesday. Texas officials would go on to falsely claim that they had found nearly 100,000 noncitizens registered to vote. They later admitted that number was based on deeply flawed data. But some Texas officials knew all along that they could access more information in order to determine whether the people whose driver's licenses said they were noncitizens were actually noncitizens, the emails suggest -- and pushed ahead regardless.... A spokesman for the governor denied Abbott had any role in the botched January effort.... The state has refused to comply with a congressional request to turn over communications and documents related to the January incident."

Virginia. Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: "Citing the shooting in Virginia Beach in which 12 people were killed, 'as well as the tragedies that happen every day across Virginia,' Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday called for a special session of the General Assembly to vote on gun control bills. He listed a number of measures he intended to propose, including universal background checks and a requirement that people report lost or stolen firearms. Those ideas were floated in the past but died in committee before reaching the floor of the Legislature. This time, the governor said, he was demanding that the measures be 'put to a vote by the entire General Assembly.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Way Beyond

Brazil. Jonathan Watts of the Guardian: "Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon surged last month to the highest May level since the current monitoring method began, prompting concerns that president Jair Bolsonaro is giving a free pass to illegal logging, farming and mining. The world's greatest rainforest -- which is a vital provider of oxygen and carbon sequestration -- lost 739sq km during the 31 days, equivalent to two football pitches every minute, according to data from the government's satellite monitoring agency." --s

Israel. Ha Ha! Donald's Best People didn't think up this one: Bibi Netanyahu, who is about to be indicted for fraud, bribery & breach of trust appointed himself justice minister. Not that Bill Barr isn't doing a great job at Justice, but think how much better Trump would be: in his first week, he would indict Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden & John Brennan for something or other; in his second week, he'd lock up Jim Comey, Jeff Sessions & Andy McCabe on charges of treason & being "horrible people." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Commentariat -- June 4, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Ha Ha! Donald's Best People didn't think up this one: Bibi Netanyahu, who is about to be indicted for fraud, bribery & breach of trust appointed himself justice minister. Not that Bill Barr isn't doing a great job at Justice, but think how much better Trump would be: in his first week, he would indict Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden & John Brennan for something or other; in his second week, he'd lock up Jim Comey, Jeff Sessions & Andy McCabe on charges of treason & being "horrible people."

As Akhilleus points out in today's Comments, Camilla's stock went up in the U.K. after her, "Yes, we all know this is a farce" wink yesterday:

When Royals Meet. Many thanks to forrest m. for making my day. Every time I look at King Donaldo I LOL.

Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "Demonstrators inflated a 20-foot blimp depicting President Trump as a baby in a diaper outside the U.K. parliament in London Tuesday, as mass protests got underway across the U.K. while Trump met with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of his state visit." Lots of photos. ...

... Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: "Thousands of Brits took to the streets [of London] Tuesday, where they marched alongside a 16-foot farting robot of Donald Trump and held aloft huge photos of John McCain in an attempt to trigger the president. The protests -- which saw thousands brave the typical British weather shielded by umbrellas emblazoned with anti-Trump slogans, EU flags, and the LGBTQ rainbow symbol -- went within meters of Downing Street, where the president must have heard creatively foul-mouthed chants, although h still insists there have been no protests against him at all. Protesters were kept away from the gates of Downing Street for Trump's arrival and departure for talks with Theresa May. However, the thousands occupied a large stretch of central London, marching from Trafalgar Square past the government buildings of Whitehall and eventually arriving outside parliament to hear a speech by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn."

Radio Free Europe: "Russia has denied it informed ... Donald Trump that it is pulling defense personnel out of Venezuela, contradicting a comment by the U.S. leader. 'I was surprised when I read this. We did not notify anyone. He apparently read an article in The Wall Street Journal,' Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 4 referring to a June 3 tweet by Trump. Trump in March said Russia 'has to get out' of the South American nation after it landed planes carrying supplies and technical advisers to help President Nicolas Maduro amid an uprising. The United States is seeking the ouster of Maduro, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as thousands of Venezuelan citizens take to the streets to protest his regime. Trump on June 3 tweeted that Russia had informed the United States 'that they have removed most of their people from Venezuela.'... His tweet came a day after The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed source close to the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that Moscow had pulled out many defense advisers from the country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Russia had not informed the United States of any such withdrawal, adding that Russian specialists continue to work in the South American country." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Since both sides lie, it's impossible to know what's going on.

S. V. Date of the Huffington Post: "With commercial tenants fleeing his Trump Tower..., Donald Trump continues to spend $37,500 a month of campaign money for office space there — with some of that cash destined for his own wallet ― even as thousands of square feet go unused at a newly opened office in northern Virginia. No more than 'four or five' campaign staffers work at Trump's Manhattan base, according to an informal adviser close to the White House, where the campaign rents a few thousand square feet as its 'headquarters.' The per-square-foot cost is likely at least triple what the Republican National Committee pays for the much larger space it shares with the campaign in Arlington, according to a HuffPost analysis." ...

... ** Jonathan Chait explains why right-wing grifters -- including the Biggest Grifter of Them All -- are so good at their cons. Thanks to Schlub for the lead.

Pamela Brown, et al., of CNN: "The White House has directed former officials Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to turn over any documents to the House Judiciary Committee relating to their time at the White House, according to two sources familiar with the matter. But Hicks, the former White House communications director, still could turn over documents the committee has requested related to the 2016 Trump campaign, a period that's not covered by executive privilege, according to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler. The White House sent letters to the committee stating that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had directed Hicks and Donaldson, the former deputy White House counsel, not to turn over the documents. The committee had issued subpoenas to both Hicks and Donaldson for documents, setting a Tuesday deadline. The subpoenas also include requests for testimony from the former White House officials for later this month. In a statement, Nadler argued that the White House could not prevent the officials from complying with the committee's request, though he added that Hicks' agreement to provide documents related to the Trump campaign was a 'show of good faith.'"

Brutal. William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Paul J. Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman who is serving a federal prison sentence, is expected to be transferred within the next few weeks to the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, where he will most likely be held in isolation while facing state fraud charges, people with knowledge of the matter said.... Rikers Island has been plagued by violence and mismanagement over the years...."

Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: "Citing the shooting in Virginia Beach in which 12 people were killed, 'as well as the tragedies that happen every day across Virginia,' Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday called for a special session of the General Assembly to vote on gun control bills. He listed a number of measures he intended to propose, including universal background checks and a requirement that people report lost or stolen firearms. Those ideas were floated in the past but died in committee before reaching the floor of the Legislature. This time, the governor said, he was demanding that the measures be 'put to a vote by the entire General Assembly.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Here's today's NYT liveblog of Trump's second fun day in London. Massive protest expected. The Guardian's liveblog is here.

MAG suggests Trump reads like a second-grader. Watching only a half-minute of his performance has convinced me:

... The type size on his printed notes must be quite large, & Trump can read only to the end of a line, so we hear bursts of fragments like "this week we commemorate a" (pause). ...

... Mark Landler & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Queen Elizabeth II welcomed President Trump to Buckingham Palace on Monday with an honor guard and royal artillery salute, while Mr. Trump carried on an ugly dispute with the mayor of London, whom he called a 'stone cold loser' and said was doing a terrible job of running Britain's capital city. The juxtaposition of high pageantry and low name-calling, on the first day of Mr. Trump's state visit to Britain, captured yet again the odd swath that this president cuts on the world stage: impulsive and erratic, delighted by a lavish welcome but preoccupied by petty feuds or events back home. It also showcased the deep ambivalence Mr. Trump's visit has elicited. The British public mostly rejects Mr. Trump and his policies, but the governing elite recognizes the need to reinforce the alliance with the United States as it negotiates Britain's exit from the European Union." ...

... Robert Mackey of the Intercept: “Before his trip [to the UK], Trump had warm words for [Boris] Johnson in an interview with The Sun, Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid. Asked if he would look forward to working with a Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Trump suggested that he would, in part because 'he has been very positive about me.' Those comments suggest that Trump has forgotten or just never heard that Johnson had, in fact, denounced him as 'clearly out of his mind' in late 2015, when the then-candidate for the American presidency first called for 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.'... Johnson went on to say that Trump was 'betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of president of the United States.' Hoping to draw Trump's attention to those comments, a group of anti-Brexit activists projected the video of Johnson mocking him onto the base of Big Ben on Sunday night and invited the American president to watch." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... MEANWHILE. Zamira Rahim of the (UK) Independent: "A teenager has mowed an anti-Trump message, complete with a giant penis, into the grass of his family home ahead of the US president's UK state visit. Ollie Nancarro spent his weekend mowing the words 'Oi Trump' into his lawn, near Hatfield Heath, in Essex.... The A-level student hope[d] that the US president [would] spot his creation as Air Force One approache[d] Stansted Airport, which is near Hatfield Heath, on Monday morning." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Bizarre News. Ruth Graham of Slate: "McLean Bible Church's main campus in Vienna, Virginia, is a 17-minute drive from the Trump National Golf Club, where ... Donald Trump spent Sunday morning. Deep into the church's 1 p.m. service, after pastor David Platt had delivered his sermon, Platt was summoned backstage and told that Trump was on his way and wanted the church to pray for him. In a letter to his congregation published later in the day, Platt explained that he went back out to lead the church's Communion service, then returned to wait for the president. When Platt walked back onstage, the president was behind him, dressed as if he'd strolled straight off the golf course. In contrast with other pastors who have prayed for Trump, Platt was scrupulously nonpartisan.... Trump had pulled off his white golf hat as he walked onstage and held it in his hands as Platt placed his hand on Trump's back and prayed for almost three full minutes.... The White House told reporters that Trump made the appearance at the church to 'pray for the victims and community of Virginia Beach.' But that topic did not come up during his brief time at the church, which is more than three hours north of the site of Friday's mass shooting. The real lure for him, it seems likely, was that evangelist Franklin Graham, a strong Trump supporter, had designated Sunday a 'Day of Prayer' for Trump...." ...

... Krystal Campos of Politico: "The pastor of a Northern Virginia church where ... Donald Trump made an unscheduled visit over the weekend has explained why he publicly prayed for the president, acknowledging to his congregation that 'some within our church ... are hurt that I made this decision.' 'Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we didn't see coming, and we're faced with a decision in a moment when we don't have the liberty of deliberation, so we do our best to glorify God,' Pastor David Platt of McLean Bible Church said Sunday evening in a statement to church members.... 'Today, I found myself in one of those situations.'... Platt went on to explain that he had no intention of endorsing the president, his policies or the Republican Party...."

Ben Protess & Steve Eder of the New York Times: "The owners of a luxury hotel in Panama City that ousted the Trump Organization as property managers last year accused it on Monday of evading taxes in Panama and creating a 'false light around the hotel's finances. The accusations, made in a legal filing in Manhattan federal court, are fraught with potential diplomatic and legal complexities for President Trump. They essentially assert that his family business cheated a foreign government.... The president's company, the filing alleges, 'also made fraudulent and false claims to the Panamanian tax authorities' to 'cover up its unlawful activities.' This was originally detected during an audit last year by that country's tax agency, according to the filing. It was not possible to immediately verify accusations in the filing...."

Emily Tillett of CBS News: "The House Judiciary Committee will hold ... a series of hearings on the findings laid out in former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report ... beginning next week, Chairman Jerry Nadler announced Monday. The first hearing will feature testimony by John Dean, the former White House counsel whose bombshell testimony during Watergate paved the way for President Nixon's resignation.... 'Given the threat posed by the President's alleged misconduct, our first hearing will focus on President Trump's most overt acts of obstruction. In the coming weeks, other hearings will focus on other important aspects of the Mueller report,' [Nadler said.]" The hearing feature Dean will be held June 10.

Heather Caygle & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn on Monday walked back remarks suggesting that Democrats will impeach ... Donald Trump, reversing course to say he's 'farther' from backing impeachment than most of his caucus. Clyburn's comments came after a private leadership meeting Monday evening in which Speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated that she didn't support launching impeachment proceedings right now despite a growing pus within the caucus."

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "After the Memorial Day recess, that argument is no longer tenable. Across the country, Democratic voters have begun demanding that their representatives take a position on impeachment. Yet Democrats have largely failed to even begin presenting a cohesive case to the public about Trump's corruption and criminality. That could start to change next week, when the Judiciary Committee launches hearings into the Mueller report, but no blockbuster witnesses are yet lined up.... The moment demands [an impeachment inquiry], and so do the people who put Democrats in charge."

Adam Jettleson, formerly a top aide to Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) in a GQ opinion piece: "Only Democrats, bless our hearts, could convince ourselves that it is good for a president to be impeached.... The decision not to impeach is not a decision to focus on other things, it is a decision to cede power, control, and legitimacy to Trump. Trump is not a master chess player, he just bluffs his opponents into forfeiting their moves -- and that is exactly what he is doing to House Democrats.... Impeachment is a long process that will highlight Trump's crimes, which according to (literally) one thousand former federal prosecutors, include 'multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice.'... The odds of making a convincing public case against Trump are stacked strongly in Democrats' favor. Trump's crimes are serious and laid out in meticulous detail by an unimpeachable source. The public already believes he committed serious crimes by a margin of two to one.... If the public believes Trump is guilty but the Senate lets him off anyway, he won't ever be truly exonerated.... By contrast, declining to impeach Trump validates his claim that Mueller exonerated him."

Mrs. McCrabbie: As you know, Bill Barr said in his CBS interview last week that Bob Mueller could have said whether or not Trump committed crimes despite Mueller's claim that it was unfair to accuse someone who did not have a timely remedy in court. Neal Katyal pointed out on MSNBC Monday that Barr said exactly the opposite in his Senate confirmation hearings; that is, Barr testified that a sitting president should not be accused of or charged with a crime since he doesn't have the opportunity to attempt to vindicate himself in court. Mueller, then, was following Barr's own stated principle when he refused to accuse Trump of obstructing justice.

Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "House Democrats are moving to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena for information about efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. 'Unfortunately, your actions are part of a pattern,' House Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) wrote to Barr and Ross in separate letters Monday. 'The Trump administration has been engaged in one of the most unprecedented cover-ups since Watergate, extending from the White House to multiple federal agencies and departments of the government and across numerous investigations.' Cummings said he would consider postponing the contempt votes, which have not yet been scheduled, if Barr and Ross turn over the requested documents by Thursday."

Jonathan Swan of Axios: "On 'Axios on HBO,' Jared Kushner said he doesn't know whether he'd call the FBI if he were to receive an email today like the one before the campaign's Trump Tower meeting, which had the subject line: 'Re: Russia - Clinton - private and confidential.'... Kushner said: 'I don't know. It's hard to do hypotheticals, but the reality is is that we were not given anything that was salacious.'... This bolsters the perception that President Trump's inner circle still doesn't fully recognize the ongoing threat of Russian interference in American elections. Kushner's response comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray said in congressional testimony that he would recommend that in the future, people contact the FBI if a foreign government offers campaign support." ...

... Conservative Paul Rosenzweig in Lawfare: "Let's be clear -- that's the wrong answer. I will limit this discussion to legal obligations; the moral failings are self-evident. Even if Kushner had no legal obligation to report the Russian contacts in 2016 when he was a private citizen, he no longer is. At the direction of the president, he now holds a top-secret (TS) clearance. And with that clearance comes a legal obligation to notify relevant authorities in the FBI and White House regarding suspicious foreign contacts.... The language of Security Executive Agent Directive 3, which sets up a uniform reporting system across government for all cleared employees provides a bit more detail. It requires reporting any contact: With a known or suspected foreign intelligence entity.... Either he doesn't know that, in which case he needs a refresher briefing on security procedures, or he does, but doesn't care." Mrs. McC: How about "doesn't know AND doesn't care." ...

... Matthew Dessem of Slate: Jared Kushner's HBO interview was, "to borrow a phrase from a senior adviser to the president of the United States, 'a clown show.' Axios reporter Jonathan Swan pushed back at some of Kushner's more ridiculous statements, and in response, Kushner fell flat on his face so quickly he appeared to be suffering from some sort of localized anomaly in Earth's gravitational field. It turns out that the president's son-in-law has been reticent with the press for reasons that become painfully clear as the interview progresses: H doesn't know anything, and he believes even less. Here are three of his most spectacular face-plants."

Your Typical Trump Associate. Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "A former liaison between ... Donald Trump's transition team and foreign officials has been indicted by federal officials over child pornography charges. George Nader, a Lebanese-American business executive, has been under scrutiny for some time because of his reported connections with the Middle East and Russians who wanted to make early contact with 2017 transition officials. Nader served as a key witness to the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and according to court documents obtained on Monday by the Washington Post, he is now facing indictment in federal court in Virginia." ...

     ... Update. Here's the Daily Beast story, by Erin Banco & Betsy Woodruff. ...

He Can Be So Presidential. Taylor Telford & Craig Timberg of the Washington Post (via the Mercury News):"... Donald Trump raised a familiar complaint -- 'unfair' coverage by CNN -- in a pair of Monday morning tweets. But this time he took the unusual step of calling on supporters to boycott the cable news network's corporate parent, AT&T, to drive his point home. 'I believe that if people stoped [sic] using or subscribing to AT&T, they would be forced to make big changes at CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway,' Trump tweeted. 'It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!'... Many presidents have expressed frustration and even anger over news coverage of their administrations, but Trump has taken the issue to an unusual extent in calling on supporters to wield their collective economic power against CNN's parent company, historians say." Mrs. McC: Sounds like an unconstitutional "misdemeanor" to me.

Victoria Guida of Politico: "... Donald Trump announced Sunday night that Kevin Hassett, his chief economist and a prominent promoter of the president's tax cuts, will be stepping down from his position with a replacement to be named soon. 'Kevin Hassett, who has done such a great job for me and the Administration, will be leaving shortly,' Trump, who is visiting the U.K., said in a tweet. 'His very talented replacement will be named as soon as I get back to the U.S. I want to thank Kevin for all he has done - he is a true friend!'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump Administration's Massive Child Abuse

Jacob Soboroff & Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "Under the blistering Texas sun last July, 37 migrant children boarded vans for what was supposed to be a 30-minute ride.... But when the children, all between 5 and 12 years old, arrived at Immigration and Customs Enforcement's adults-only Port Isabel Detention Center, rather than seeing their parents, they saw a parking lot full of vans just like theirs, with children from other facilities who, just like them, were waiting to be processed and reunified with their parents. It was 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 15, 2018. Not until 39 hours later -- after two nights in a van -- did the last child step out of a van to be reunited. Most spent at least 23 hours in the vehicles."

Monique Maden of the Miami Herald: "A 705-page court document filed by lawyers who spent substantial time inside Homestead's detention center for unaccompanied minors says the migrant children held there are subjected to 'prison-like' regimens, potentially sustaining permanent psychological damage due to isolation from loved ones. Based on interviews with detainees, the filing describes dumbfounded and despairing children, cut off from their relatives except for phone calls, enduring 'military-camp' style conditions and stays that often stretch into months. It is by far the most detailed description of life inside the secretive detention center, although the stories are relayed through the prism of adults advocates who want to see the children moved to smaller settings-- the number of children in the facility is 2,350 and growing -- or released to the care of family or other guardians." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mrs. McCrabbie: What do you expect from an administration whose Dear Leader hangs out with a child pornography enthusiast?

Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's request to fast track a decision on whether it will hear a case over the president's rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The justices, in an unsigned order, denied the request, which was filed on behalf of the administration last month to expedite a decision on whether to review the case.... A pair of appeals courts have ruled against Trump officials who sought to end the Obama-era program."

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "President Trump ended a losing streak in court clashes with the House on Monday, as a federal judge rejected the Democrat-controlled chamber's lawsuit seeking to stop him from using emergency powers to build a wall along the southwestern border. Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, ruled that the House could not show that it had suffered the sort of injury that gave it standing to sue. The ruling will not have any immediate practical consequences because other groups have already secured an order blocking Mr. Trump from proceeding. But if other courts accept Judge McFadden's reasoning, the House's litigation options will narrow as it battles the president on several fronts."

The Big GOP Grift, Ctd. As I was saying yesterday ... Winger Jim Geraghty of the confederate National Review laments all the GOP super-PACs that are nothing but super-grifts, giving only fractions of their collected donations to their supposed intended beneficiaries. These grifters include, not surprisingly, people who bill themselves as Friends of Trump, like Roger Stone & David Bossie. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ideas are largely lost in the Republican party today, but Rand Paul still has a few of them, albeit very bad ones. -- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), on "All in with Chris Hayes" last night ...

... Caitlin Emma of Politico: "Sen. Rand Paul's plan to slash federal spending by $183.1 billion in fiscal 2020 didn't survive a procedural hurdle [Monday] night, with the Senate failing to advance the measure in a 22-69 vote. The Kentucky Republican's bill aims to balance the federal budget in five years. Paul's office said the proposal would yield a $913 billion surplus five years after the budget is balanced. Sixty votes were needed for the measure to advance. After the vote, Paul noted he gained more votes than in previous efforts...."

Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "The House Judiciary Committee is launching an antitrust investigation into major tech companies like Google and Amazon, moving Congress closer to legislative action against the tech giants. 'This is really about "how do we get competition back in this space?"' Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who will lead the investigation as head of the antitrust subcommittee, told reporters on Monday.... The Judiciary announcement comes as the Justice Department reportedly prepares an antitrust investigation into Google and the Federal Trade Commission receives jurisdiction over Facebook for its own potential antitrust case. But Cicilline said he didn't trust the Justice Department or the Federal Trade Commission to adequately handle antitrust issues during the Trump administration."

Konfederate Krackpots Klub (KKK) Meeting Minutes. Melanie Zanona & John Bresnahan of Politico: "A small group of House Republicans is leading a long-shot bid to get embattled Rep. Steve King back on his committee assignments after the Iowa Republican was booted for making racist remarks earlier this year. The cadre of hard-line conservatives, led by Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and others, plans to ask the GOP conference on Tuesday morning to immediately consider a resolution reinstating King."

NBC 4 New York: "Quest Diagnostics, one of the biggest blood testing providers in the country, warned Monday that nearly 12 million of its customers may have had personal, financial and medical information breached due to an issue with one of its vendors. In a filing with securities regulators, Quest said it was notified that between Aug. 1, 2018, and March 30, 2019, that someone had unauthorized access to the systems of AMCA, a billing collections vendor. '(The) information on AMCA's affected system included financial information (e.g., credit card numbers and bank account information), medical information and other personal information (e.g., Social Security Numbers),' Quest said in the filing."

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. David Eggert of the AP: "Authorities investigating Flint's water crisis have used search warrants to seize from storage the state-owned mobile devices of former Gov. Rick Snyder [R] and 65 other current or former officials.... The water crisis in Flint was one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in U.S. history. Untreated water leached lead from pipes and into Flint's homes and businesses while cost-cutting financial managers -- appointed by Snyder -- were running the city. The investigation has led to charges against 15 current or former government officials, including two who served in the Cabinet of Snyder..., who left office in December. But no one is behind bars, and some Flint residents believe key players who could have prevented the lead debacle are getting off easy."

Way Beyond

Kim Tong-Hyung of the AP: "A senior North Korean official who had been reported to be sentenced to hard labor over the failed nuclear summit with Washington was shown in state media on Monday enjoying a concert near leader Kim Jong Un. North Korean publications on Monday showed Kim Yong Chol sitting five seats away from a clapping Kim Jong Un in the same row along with other top officials during a musical performance by the wives of Korean People's Army officers.... Last week, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo cited an unidentified source in reporting that Kim Yong Chol had been sentenced to hard labor and ideological re-education over the failed summit in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital. The newspaper also reported that senior envoy Kim Hyok Chol, who was involved in pre-summit working-level talks with American officials, was executed with four other officials from the North's Foreign Ministry for betraying Kim Jong Un after being won over by the United States. None of the allegedly executed officials have appeared in state media since the report." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The Commentariat -- June 3, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Robert Mackey of the Intercept: “Before his trip [to the UK], Trump had warm words for [Boris] Johnson in an interview with The Sun, Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid. Asked if he would look forward to working with a Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Trump suggested that he would, in part because 'he has been very positive about me.' Those comments suggest that Trump has forgotten or just never heard that Johnson had, in fact, denounced him as 'clearly out of his mind' in late 2015, when the then-candidate for the American presidency first called for 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.'... Johnson went on to say that Trump was 'betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of president of the United States.' Hoping to draw Trump's attention to those comments, a group of anti-Brexit activists projected the video of Johnson mocking him onto the base of Big Ben on Sunday night and invited the American president to watch." ...

... MEANWHILE. Zamira Rahim of the (UK) Independent: "A teenager has mowed an anti-Trump message, complete with a giant penis, into the grass of his family home ahead of the US president's UK state visit. Ollie Nancarrow spent his weekend mowing the words 'Oi Trump' into his lawn, near Hatfield Heath, in Essex.... The A-level student hope[d] that the US president [would] spot his creation as Air Force One approache[d] Stansted Airport, which is near Hatfield Heath, on Monday morning."

Victoria Guida of Politico: "... Donald Trump announced Sunday night that Kevin Hassett, his chief economist and a prominent promoter of the president's tax cuts, will be stepping down from his position with a replacement to be named soon. 'Kevin Hassett, who has done such a great job for me and the Administration, will be leaving shortly,' Trump, who is visiting the U.K., said in a tweet. 'His very talented replacement will be named as soon as I get back to the U.S. I want to thank Kevin for all he has done - he is a true friend!'"

Monique Maden of the Miami Herald: "A 705-page court document filed by lawyers who spent substantial time inside Homestead's detention center for unaccompanied minors says the migrant children held there are subjected to 'prison-like' regimens, potentially sustaining permanent psychological damage due to isolation from loved ones. Based on interviews with detainees, the filing describes dumbfounded and despairing children, cut off from their relatives except for phone calls, enduring 'military-camp' style conditions and stays that often stretch into months. It is by far the most detailed description of life inside the secretive detention center, although the stories are relayed through the prism of adults advocates who want to see the children moved to smaller settings -- the number of children in the facility is 2,350 and growing -- or released to the care of family or other guardians."

The Big GOP Grift, Ctd. As I was saying earlier today ... Winger Jim Geraghty of the confederate National Review laments all the GOP super-PACs that are nothing but super-grifts, giving only fractions of their collected donations to their supposed intended beneficiaries. These grifters include, not surprisingly, people who bill themselves as Friends of Trump, like Roger Stone & David Bossie.

Kim Tong-Hyung of the AP: "A senior North Korean official who had been reported to be sentenced to hard labor over the failed nuclear summit with Washington was shown in state media on Monday enjoying a concert near leader Kim Jong Un. North Korean publications on Monday showed Kim Yong Chol sitting five seats away from a clapping Kim Jong Un in the same row along with other top officials during a musical performance by the wives of Korean People's Army officers.... Last week, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo cited an unidentified source in reporting that Kim Yong Chol had been sentenced to hard labor and ideological re-education over the failed summit in Hanoi, Vietnam;s capital. The newspaper also reported that senior envoy Kim Hyok Chol, who was involved in pre-summit working-level talks with American officials, was executed with four other officials from the North' Foreign Ministry for betraying Kim Jong Un after being won over by the United States. None of the allegedly executed officials have appeared in state media since the report."

~~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of Trump's British visit are here. So far he has spilled hot tea on the Duchess of Cornwall & stepped on one of Queen Elizabeth's corgis, who may not survive the trampling. Okay, that might not be true. But -- no kidding here -- Melania Trump is dressed as Princess Diana, which Duchess Camilla probably finds more distressing than a tea-stained outfit would do. Also, this is true: "President Trump arrived at Stansted Airport, north of London, around 9 a.m., but even before setting foot in Britain, he had ignited controversy by sending a series of tweets attacking the mayor of London. Moments before his flight landed, Mr. Trump took aim at the mayor, Sadiq Khan, calling him a 'stone cold loser' in a series of posts and drew an unflattering comparison to Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York." ...

... Trump is visiting the U.K. this week. His trip should go well:

... The Princess & the Peabrain. Allan Smith of NBC News: "... Donald Trump is insisting he did not call British royal Meghan Markle 'nasty' during an interview with a British publication. 'I never called Meghan Markle "nasty,'" Trump tweeted Sunday morning. 'Made up by the Fake News Media, and they got caught cold! Will @CNN, @nytimes and others apologize? Doubt it!' But an audio recording of Trump's interview with The Sun -- which was tweeted out by a Trump campaign account -- tells a different story." Trump's Official War Room Twitter account tweeted out an audio in which Trump says "... No, I didn't know that she was nasty." accompanying a tweet that reads, "Fake News CNN is at it again, falsely claiming President Trump called Meghan Markle 'nasty.' Here is what he actually said. Listen for yourself!" "Trump's use of "nasty" harkens back to a moment during a 2016 presidential debate when he called his opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, a "nasty woman." Emphasis added. (Khan's op-ed was linked yesterday.) ...

     ... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: What is wrong with these people? They post an audio of Trump saying Markle is nasty & ask you to listen to it to prove to yourself that he didn't say what he says on the audio. We are a long way through the looking glass. We know Trump is a crazed liar. Has he made all his staff crazy? Or did they start that way? ...

... Who is running that war room? George Orwell? -- Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post, in a tweet

... Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Mrs. McCrabbie: I was wondering if Fox "News" covered this story. Why, yes, yes, it did. The headline is "Donald Trump says he never called Meghan Markle "nasty," calls comments about Duchess "fake news."' Then in Para. 10, the very last graf, we learn, "Despite his denial, there is an audio recording circulating of President Trump saying the exact quote about Duchess Meghan that had been reported." No mention that Team Trump first circulated the audio tape. (The Fox "News" link is to video of an ABC News report on the controversy, suggesting to me there wasn't a Fox "News" on-air report on the topic.) So for all the Foxbots who read to the last word of Fox "News" print stories about their Dear Leader AND follow the stories' links, then read or listen to them, all is clear. ...

... Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "Handlers of the baby blimp that ridicules Donald Trump and thousands of police officers are preparing for the arrival of the U.S. president in London on Monday for a three-day state visit.... London Mayor Sadiq Khan, an ardent Trump critic, has granted permission for the high-profile blimp to fly over London the second day of Trump's visit, according to the Times. The 20-foot-high blimp portrays Trump as a giant baby in a diaper, holding a cell phone and having a temper tantrum. In a scathing op-ed piece in The Observer that ran on Saturday, Khan lashed Trump for supporting white supremacists and called him 'the figurehead of a global far-right movement,' comparing him to 20th-century fascist leaders." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) (Khan's op-ed also was linked yesterday.)

Moving a Battleship to Spare Trump's "Feelings" Is "Not Unreasonable." Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "With the U.S. Navy confirming that a 'request was made' to 'minimize the visibility' of the USS John S. McCain ahead of President Trump's visit to Japan last month, Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney admitted on Sunday that it was a member of the White House advance team that asked for the ship to be moved.... 'That's not an unreasonable thing to ask...,' Mulvaney said on Meet the Press. The White House official added that it's 'silly' to think someone would be fired over this, noting the president's feelings towards [deceased Sen. John] McCain are 'well known.'" Mulvaney suggested the advance person was 23 or 24 years old.(Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Not Everyone Agrees, Mick. Lolita Baldor of the AP: "The Pentagon has told the White House to stop politicizing the military, amid a furor over a Trump administration order to have the Navy ship named for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain hidden from view during ... Donald Trump's recent visit to Japan.... A U.S. defense official said Patrick Shanahan, Trump's acting defense chief, is also considering sending out formal guidance to military units in order to avoid similar problems in the future.... Shanahan also said that he spoke with McCain's wife, Cindy, a few days ago. He declined to provide any details. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jennifer Agiesta of CNN: "Democrats are increasingly in support of impeaching ... Donald Trump and removing him from office but the majority of Americans remain opposed to the prospect, a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS shows.... The shift on impeachment stems mostly from a rebound in support for it among Democrats -- 76% favor it currently, up from 69% in April. Whites who hold college degrees have also increased their support for impeachment. In surveys in April and March, fewer than 3 in 10 in that group favored proceedings, but that number has now climbed to 41%." ...

The temperature's rising, the plot is thickening. It's hard for me to imagine Congress certainly leaving for the August recess without some closure on this. The Hamlet act is, I think, wearing thin, and it's becoming untenable and intellectually strange. -- Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), on Nancy Pelosi's reluctance to bring an impeachment inquiry ...

... To Impeach or Not to Impeach; That Is the Question. Kyle Cheney & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "... June is shaping up to be the most critical month to make their case to a reluctant Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A month packed with subpoena fights, hearings on obstruction of justice and legal battles over Trump's financial records is certain to provide fresh ammunition to grow the pro-impeachment ranks." ...

... Zachary Basu of Axios: "Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C), the third-highest ranking Democrat in the House, told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday that he believes President Trump will be impeached 'at some point,' but that Congress must first 'effectively educate the public' on his corruption in order to get their support." ...

... Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst: "... the resistance to impeachment proceedings has rested on a number of faulty assumptions about what happens if the Democrats go down this path.... If [House Democrats] refuse to undertake impeachment proceedings, the President will continue to claim the Mueller investigation was a two-year witch hunt -- and that ultimately House Democrats reached the same conclusion.... But ... the likely revelation of more possible abuses of power as a result of impeachment proceedings, along with the extensive findings in the Mueller report, could easily drag down his already low approval ratings.... [Public opinion polls are] roughly where the American public was (43%) with Nixon in March of 1974 -- several months after the House voted to start impeachment proceedings and almost a year since the Watergate select committee conducted its televised hearings.... Democrats should not rest their case on weak assumptions. More importantly, they need to make some decisions based on principle, especially when facing such overwhelming evidence of presidential misconduct." ...

... Mrs. McCrabbie: Last night I watched a rerun of a two-hour special on "All the President's Men." One of the people interviewed for the special was Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who revealed to the Senate Select Committee that Richard Nixon had recorded his Oval Office conversations. Three days after Butterfield told staff on the Select Committee about the tapes, Senators Sam Ervin (D-N.C.) & Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), respectively the chair & co-chair of the Committee, called on Butterfield to testify -- immediately. James Hamilton, an aide to Ervin, called Butterfield, who said he was too busy to testify, Hamilton told Ervin. "'Tell Mr. Butterfield that if he is not here this afternoon, I will send the sergeant-at-arms to fetch him,' Ervin responded." (The way Butterfield recalled the message was, "Tell him if he doesn't come in, federal marshalls will pick him up on the street.") Hamilton found Butterfield at his barber shop getting a haircut, and delivered the message. The rest is history. We need a Sam Ervin today. Get on it, Jerry Nadler.

Paul Rosensweig, a right-wing think-tanky guy, in the Atlantic, eviscerates the Trump administration's claims of executive privilege & other efforts to stonewall Congressional inquiries into Trump's obstructive behavior regarding the Russia investigation. Bill "Clinton's invocation was related to his own personal conduct with an intern. Those were events that, while significant, were of little systematic import to the nation, and thus, arguably, of less importance to Congress. By contrast, the investigation of Russian interference in our elections that is at the bottom of the special counsel's investigation is a crucial matter for the nation, and so Congress has greater justification for inquiring into the matter. In short, Clinton's efforts to resist a review of his actions -- efforts which were, in my judgment, properly rejected -- were on a stronger footing than Trump's efforts to evade congressional oversight today."

Donica Phifer of Newsweek: "... Rudy Giuliani, jokes about serving special counsel Robert Mueller with a $17 million lawsuit following Mueller's failure to come to a conclusion on obstruction of justice charges against Trump." Mrs. McC: Oh, ha ha. Why not sue your own client, Rudy, inasmuch as it was his criminal & suspicious behavior that necessitated an expensive inquiry. Oh, and why not mention that "the Mueller investigation actually made a profit for the federal government after Manafort was forced to forfeit over $46 million to the feds"? Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor, tweeted that Rudy's "joke" "should be added to the long list of reasons he should be disbarred." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Edward Wong of the New York Times: "In a second major softening of American policy toward Iran in recent days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the Trump administration was ready to negotiate with the country's clerical leaders with 'no preconditions.' The statement followed President Trump's comment last week that he was ready to talk to Iranian leaders and was not seeking regime change, overruling a longtime goal of his national security adviser [John Bolton]. Mr. Pompeo's statement also recalibrated his earlier position that the United States would not lift sanctions on Iran unless it complied with a dozen sweeping demands, suggesting that those demands could be part of negotiations instead of preconditions. Iran's leaders consider the demands unacceptable."

Maybe Jared's Middle-East Peace Plan Isn't a Slam-Dunk. John Hudson & Loveday Morris of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a sobering assessment of the prospects of the Trump administration's long-awaited Middle East peace plan in a closed-door meeting with Jewish leaders, saying 'one might argue' that the plan is 'unexecutable' and it might not 'gain traction.' He expressed his hope that the deal isn't simply dismissed out of hand. 'It may be rejected. Could be in the end, folks will say, "It's not particularly original, it doesn't particularly work for me," that is, "It's got two good things and nine bad things, I'm out,"' Pompeo said in an audio recording of the private meeting obtained by The Washington Post. ... 'This has taken us longer to roll out our plan than I had originally thought it might -- to put it lightly,' he said at a meeting on Tuesday of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations[.] ... Two attendees said they left with the impression that Pompeo was not optimistic the plan would succeed." Text lifted from New York's "Daily Intelligencer." The WashPo story is here.

The Trump Family's Shady Deals, Ctd.

Trump Uruguay Is Soooo Trumpy. Jesse Drucker & Manuela Andreoni of the New York Times: An ambitious Trump condo project in Punta del Este, a Uruguayan beach town, "is turning into the latest debacle in the Trump Organization's far-flung property portfolio -- featuring a little-known Argentine real estate firm in a gaudy, hard-partying town that has been a destination for money launderers and tax evaders.... People involved in the project said they are not sure if or when it will be finished. Construction is barely proceeding, in part because less than one-quarter of the necessary workers are currently on the job. The Miami-based broker handling the sales of condos has sued Trump's local developer. Some purchasers are now seeking to sell their units, potentially driving down the prices just as the project needs to drum up cash via the sale of new units. The tower is currently uninhabited.... As with its other international developments, the Trump Organization isn't actually building the Punta del Este tower. Instead, it licensed the 'Trump' name and takes a cut of the revenue from selling units.... The problems in Uruguay are a microcosm of the challenges facing the president's company as it stakes its future on projects outside the United States.... Other Trump international developments have also flatlined." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: One would think by now that shady real estate developers all over the world would know that slapping Trump's name on a building was guaranteeing failure.

The Grifters, Ctd. David Kocieniewski & Caleb Melby of Bloomberg News (May 23): "Kushner Cos., the real estate firm owned by the family of ... Jared Kushner, has received about $800 million in federally backed debt to buy apartments in Maryland and Virginia -- the company's biggest purchase in a decade. The loan was issued by Berkadia, a lender co-owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Jefferies Financial Group Inc., in a deal that's backed by government-owned Freddie Mac, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing the private transaction. The arrangement increases the government's exposure to Kushner Cos. at the same time that its former chief executive officer is one of the most powerful people in the White House. Jared Kushner divested ownership in many of the company's assets to close family members when he joined the government. Kushner Cos. had more than $50 million in loans from Fannie and Freddie at that time." Thanks to Forrest M. for the link.

The Corrupt Enterprises of Mitch & Elaine

** Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "So this is how liberty dies -- with a hideous, utterly shameless smirk on the face of arguably the most cynical political leader in American history, as the warriors in his political tribe cackle with laughter.... The Senate leader's amoral political cynicism has been barely concealed (if at all) ever since the dawn of the Obama presidency, when he declared the goal of what was once known, years ago, as 'the world's greatest deliberative body' was no longer to pass laws but to deny Obama a second term.... For all the (justified) talk about efforts to cover up the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, arguably no actor did more damage than [Mitch] McConnell, who in September of that fateful year explicitly blocked the Obama administration from warning the public about Vladimir Putin's ploy and from taking stricter measures to stop it.... In 2019, McConnell is blocking bills that might prevent Russian interference in 2020." One of the best concentrated, all-around takedowns of McConnell ever. ...

... AND it should come as no surprise to you that Mitch's wife Elaine Chou, who is the Transportation Secretary, has used her administration job to benefit herself, Mitch, and her extended family's interests in a big shipping & shipbuilding company. Michael Forsythe & others of the New York Times have written a long exposé. Mitch McConnell & Elaine Chou are fundamentally corrupt; they're just a lot better than Trump at keeping quiet about it.

... Mrs. McCrabbie: Maybe all this is giving you the impression that the country's top Republicans are corrupt to the core. Well, yeah.

Presidential Race 2020

Scott Detrow of NPR: The first glimpse of what the Democratic presidential debates will look like came this weekend in San Francisco, when "candidate after candidate ... parad[ed] across the stage at the California Democratic Party's annual convention."

Sophia Bollag & Hannah Wiley of the Sacramento Bee: "Thousands of Democrats and 14 presidential candidates flocked to one of the nation's most liberal cities for a packed California Democratic Party convention Saturday, where they derided ... Donald Trump and advanced a long list of liberal plans on issues from health care to gun control. Highlighting the Golden State's relevance leading into an election year, one candidate after another took to the podium to make their case to California delegates. More than 5,000 delegates, volunteers, staff, and members of the media registered for the convention at the Moscone Center. The state's historically late primary has blunted its influence in past nominating contests, but next year's earlier primary has drawn a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls to the state. California will hold its 2020 primary March 3, up from its usual June primary date.... Here is a sampling of what the candidates had to say[.]" Includes some videos.

Hannah Gold of New York: "On Saturday, amid an interview with presidential candidate and California senator Kamala Harris at the MoveOn Big Ideas Forum in San Francisco, a dude had some big ideas [link fixed] of his own. Harris was being asked by moderator Stephanie Valencia about her plan to address the gender pay gap when animal rights and climate activist Aidan Cook strolled onto the stage and took Harris's mic from her. Cook managed to say 'I'm asking for your attention for a much bigger idea than...' before the mic was taken from him and guards hauled him off the stage. He was neither arrested nor charged." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Grabbing the mic of a black, female U.S. Senator talking about women's rights, in order to promote the "much bigger idea" of animal rights? Really, Aiden? How incel can you get?