The Commentariat -- September 3, 2018

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Catherine Lucey of the AP: "... Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday, suggesting the Department of Justice put Republicans in midterm jeopardy with recent indictments of two GOP congressmen. In his latest broadside against the Justice Department's traditional independence, Trump tweeted that 'Obama era investigations, of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department.' He added: 'Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff......' The first two Republicans to endorse Trump in the Republican presidential primaries were indicted on separate charges last month: Rep. Duncan Hunter of California on charges that included spending campaign funds for personal expenses and Rep. Chris Collins of New York on insider trading. Both have proclaimed their innocence. Another blow in Trump's long-running feud with Sessions, the president's complaint fits with his pattern of viewing the Department of Justice less as a law enforcement agency and more as a department that is supposed to do his political bidding."

Trump Is Killing His Own Voters (and They Don't Live on Fifth Avenue). Ellen Knickmeyer & John Raby of the AP: "... Donald Trump picked [West Virginia] to announce his plan rolling back Obama-era pollution controls on coal-fired power plants. Trump left one thing out of his remarks, though: northern West Virginia coal country will be ground zero for increased deaths and illnesses from the rollback on regulation of harmful emission from the nation's coal power plants. An analysis done by his own Environmental Protection Agency concludes that the plan would lead to a greater number of people here dying prematurely, and suffering health problems that they otherwise would not have, than elsewhere in the country, when compared to health impacts of the Obama plan.... Nationally, the EPA says, 350 to 1,500 more people would die each year under Trump's plan. But it's the northern two-thirds of West Virginia and the neighboring part of Pennsylvania that would be hit hardest, by far, according to Trump's EPA."

POtuS Trashes Labor Leader on Labor Day. Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "President Trump criticized the leader of the nation's largest union federation on Monday, escalating the feud between the administration and organized labor amid crucial negotiations for both sides over the North American Free Trade Agreement. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, had on Sunday disputed the White House's strategy for renegotiating the NAFTA trade pact and argued that Trump had 'done more to hurt workers than to help' them since taking office. Those comments elicited a sharp counterattack from Trump, who blasted Trumka as an ineffectual leader just as union members across the country prepared for Labor Day celebrations. 'Trumka, the head of the AFL-CIO, represented his union poorly on television this weekend,' Trump said in a tweet. 'Some of the things he said were so again[s]t the working men and women of our country, and the success of the U.S. itself, that it is easy to see why unions are doing so poorly.'" ...

... Justin Wise of the Hill: "'Happy Labor Day!' Trump tweeted [this morning]. 'Our country is doing better than ever before with unemployment setting record lows. The U.S. has tremendous upside potential as we go about fixing some of the worst Trade Deals ever made by any country in the world. Big progress being made!" he added." Emphasis added. Mrs. McC: But we're so poor we can't afford to give federal workers a measly COL increase because of, um, a "national emergency or serious economic conditions." (See Vox report, linked below.)

Post-truth Trump/Putin convergence --safari

*****

** Steven Greenhouse in a New York Times op-ed: "Donald Trump promotes himself as a friend of 'forgotten' workers, but in ways large and small his administration has undermined what has traditionally been the biggest champion of workers: labor unions." Greenhouse counts a few of the ways. Thanks to PD Pepe for the link.

Emily Stewart of Vox: "Just ahead of Labor Day weekend..., Donald Trump announced he would freeze the salaries of some 2 million federal workers next year. After outcry, Trump said he'd use the long weekend to 'study' the matter. Thus far, he's spent much of the long weekend on the golf course and rage tweeting about Canada, the Department of Justice, the Russia investigation, his approval ratings, and Tiger Woods.... Trump in remarks in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday seemed aware of the backlash.... 'People don't want to give them an increase. They haven't had one in a long time,' he said. 'I said, "I'm going to study that over the weekend. It's a good time to study it -- Labor Day."'... Trump's decision to freeze pay, especially when you look at his explanation that it's tied to 'national emergency or serious economic conditions' compared to his usual rhetoric celebrating the strength of the US economy, doesn't seem to add up.... New government data this week showed the economy grew by 4.2 percent in the second quarter -- something Trump's bragged about a lot. Republicans just passed a huge tax cut, insisting that it would translate to an economic boom. The administration said the tax bill would deliver an average $4,000 pay boost to American household annually. It hasn't yet materialized for workers.... If Trump does reverse course, it will be to address an immediate problem of his own making.” Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead. ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Actually, his "study" is a political expediency. Even white nationalist Senate candidate Corey Stewart (R-Va.) "trusts" Trump will fix "Obama'" pay freezes. (Tweet embedded in Stewart's story."

Trump's Harsh Immigration Policies Are Good for ... Canada. Nelson Schwartz & Steve Lohr of the New York Times: "The Trump administration is using the country's vast and nearly opaque immigration bureaucracy to constrict the flow of foreign workers into the United States by throwing up new roadblocks to limit legal arrivals. The government is denying more work visas, asking applicants to provide additional information and delaying approvals more frequently than just a year earlier. Hospitals, hotels, technology companies and other businesses say they are now struggling to fill jobs with the foreign workers they need.... Seasonal industries like hotels and landscaping are having to turn down customers or provide fewer services. Corporate executives worry about the long-term impact of losing talented engineers and programmers to countries like Canada that are laying out the welcome mat for skilled foreigners."

Jeff Toobin, in the New Yorker, profiles Rudy Giuliani, concentrating on his role as Trump's lawyer, or as the headline writer (and the illustrator Barry Blitt) puts it, "Trump's clown": "He has, in effect, become the legal auxiliary to Trump's Twitter feed, peddling the same chaotic mixture of non sequiturs, exaggerations, half-truths, and falsehoods. Giuliani, like the President, is not seeking converts but comforting the converted.... At times, Giuliani's arguments have verged on thuggish irrationality." A pleasant read if you can stomach reading about Rudy.

Matthew Rosenberg, et al., of the New York Times: Accused Russian operative Maria Butina -- who "had no experience in the oil business" -- tried to put together a huge deal for the sale of Russian jet fuel in the U.S. "Ms. Butina's efforts to deal in Russian jet fuel, detailed in hundreds of pages of previously unreported emails, were notable ... for who they involved: David Keene, a former president of the National Rifle Association and a prominent leader of the conservative movement, who has advised Republican candidates from Ronald Reagan to Mitt Romney. They also involved Mr. Keene's wife, Donna, a well-connected Washington lobbyist, and Ms. Butina's boyfriend, Paul Erickson, who ran Patrick J. Buchanan's 1992 presidential campaign and who moved in rarefied conservative circles despite allegations of fraud in three states." There were others involved in the odd scheme, as well. "All of them seemed out of their depth, each projecting confidence and deep knowledge of the jet fuel business while seeming not to grasp the basics." Butina apparently tried using her feminine wiles to secure Russian backers. Mrs. McC: These are not very bright people.

Avery Anapol of the Hill: "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort]s daughter has filed paperwork to officially change her last name, a move that would distance herself from her father, a convicted felon. Jessica Manafort filed name-change paperwork in the Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday, according to multiple reports. She is seeking to take her mother's maiden name, Bond.... 'I am a passionate liberal and a registered Democrat and this has been difficult for me,' she told the [Los Angeles Times]."

John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "As his legal troubles have deepened in recent weeks, the President's anti-media rhetoric has become even more inflammatory and personal.... Some of Trump's associates are open about the fact that his effort to discredit the media, which in recent days has expanded to attacking tech companies like Google, is now central to his survival strategy. But political expediency provides no excuse whatsoever for demonizing journalists and describing them as the public enemy. That is the language of dictators and despots." Cassidy reprises some of Trump's recent remarks & details some murderous threats Americans have made against members of the press.

Diplomacy in the Age of a POtuS* Who Is a Crude, Racist Bigot. Gardiner Harris of the New York Times: "... few [irritants] have been as perplexing to New Delhi, or left as bitter a taste, as President Trump's tendency to mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi's accent in English. A video of Mr. Trump imitating Mr. Modi has gone viral in New Delhi. So have reports that Mr. Trump often mimics his Indian counterpart in internal discussions. 'There's a general understanding here that Modi is not sure he can do business with Trump,' said Suhasini Haidar, foreign affairs editor of The Hindu. 'India is just now coming to terms with the idea that Trump will not treat India with the same kind of benevolence that previous presidents have.' This is the diplomatic headache that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will confront when he arrives in the Indian capital on Wednesday with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Tiptoeing around the president's indiscretions is one in a suddenly long list of challenges to a relationship that, according to senior State Department officials, Mr. Pompeo would very much like to preserve -- and even improve."

"Bloody Battle in Affghanistan" -- Herman Melville, Moby Dick. Mujib Mashal of the New York Times: General John W. Nicholson Jr., the commander of the American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said, "'It is time for this war in Afghanistan to end.'... The general called on the Taliban to 'stop killing your fellow Afghans,' but he also referred indirectly to regional players -- particularly Pakistan, where the militants enjoy sanctuary -- who have complicated the fight.... His departure [from Afghanistan] comes as the war seems to spiral deadlier even as it recedes from American attention -- General Nicholson did not meet once with President Trump in the 20 months since he moved into the White House.... Like his predecessor, John F. Campbell, General Nicholson is likely to retire immediately, a diplomat with ties to the general said, a sign that the posting is no longer a springboard to more senior roles...."

Thomas Gibbons-Neff & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The Pentagon is considering withdrawing nearly all American commandos from Niger in the wake of a deadly October ambush against a Green Beret team that killed four United States soldiers. Three Defense Department officials said the plans, if approved by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis would also close military outposts in Tunisia, Cameroon, Libya and Kenya, as well as seven of the eight American elite counterterrorism units operating in Africa. The shift in forces is part of the Pentagon's defense strategy to focus on threats from China and Russia. But they represent a more severe cut of Special Operations forces in Africa than initially expected, leaving a lasting, robust military presence primarily in Somalia and Nigeria."

Alayna Treene of Axios: "Omarosa taped nearly every conversation she had while working in the White House, including ones with 'all of the Trumps,' a source who watched her make many of the tapes tells Axios. Omarosa did this with a personal phone, almost always on record mode."

Emily Birnbaum of the Hill: "After a week of emotional and bipartisan celebrations commemorating the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Senate giant has been laid to rest at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. McCain ... was buried in a plot of land next to his Naval Academy classmate and lifelong friend Adm. Chuck Larson, who died of leukemia in 2014, the Associated Press reported. Mourners and the senator's family walked behind a horse-drawn caisson carrying his casket from the Naval Academy chapel to the cemetery after the ceremony, the AP reported. Students from McCain's 1958 graduating class also joined. McCain's son Jack McCain, Gen. David Petraeus and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) delivered remarks at the private ceremony."

Senate Race. Texas. Avery Anapol: "Activists in Texas have raised thousands of dollars to place an anti-Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) billboard in the state. A GoFundMe page organized by USA Latinx, a political group focused on supporting Latinx candidates, topped its $6,000 fundraising goal, raising nearly $10,000 in less than 24 hours. Parkland, Fla., school shooting survivor and gun control advocate David Hogg and Claude Taylor, the chairman of the liberal Mad Dog PAC, helped promote the effort on social media.... The proposed sign will feature a February 2016 tweet from Trump...[:] 'Why would the people of Texas support Ted Cruz when he has accomplished absolutely nothing for them,' Trump's tweet reads. 'He is another all talk, no action pol!'"

Congressional Races. Why Not to Go to a Seahawks Game. Jim Brunner of the Seattle Times: "Billionaire Seahawks owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen this year has made his largest-ever foray into congressional politics, donating $100,000 to a group aiming to keep Republicans in control of the U.S. House of Representatives."

Gubernatorial Race. Florida. Courtesy of Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post, here's some of the text of that racist robo-call against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum that the Tallahassee Democrat refused to publish in a story we linked last week: 'Well, hello there,' the call begins as the sounds of drums and monkeys can be heard in the background.... 'I is Andrew Gillum. We Negroes ... done made mud huts while white folk waste a bunch of time making their home out of wood an' stone.' The speaker goes on to say he'll pass a law letting African Americans evade arrest 'if the Negro know fo' sho' he didn't do nothin'.'... In a statement emailed to The Washington Post, Gillum's spokesman, Geoff Burgan said: 'This is reprehensible -- and could only have come from someone with intentions to fuel hatred and seek publicity. Please don't give it undeserved attention.'" The campaign of Gillum's GOP opponent also has condemned the call.

Presidential Election 2020. Axios: "An 'exhaustive review' of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's professional history by the Boston Globe found that her claim to Native American ancestry was never a consideration during her hiring process for Harvard Law School or throughout her rise in the legal profession." The Globe story is firewalled, but click on the link if you're a subscriber. Mrs. McC: I'm sure Trump will quit calling Warren "Pocahontas" now. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

** David Roberts of Vox: "California is one signature away from committing to 100 percent clean electricity. If it does so, it will become the most significant political jurisdiction in the world to take that step, by a wide margin. (It is the world's fifth-largest economy!) The state is on the verge of making history -- again. SB 100, the bill sponsored by state Sen. Kevin de León, would set a target of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045. It passed the California Senate last year, passed the state Assembly on Tuesday, and was reconciled by the Senate on Thursday. All that remains is a signature from Gov. Jerry Brown." --safari

Adam Peck of ThinkProgress: "Lawmakers in California passed new legislation that will restore virtually all of the net neutrality protections first introduced during the Obama administration. The bill is the most sweeping state legislation since current FCC chairman Ajit Pai led a campaign to repeal those Obama-era regulations.... Predictably, the industry's largest lobbying group came out forcefully against California's new bill, which now goes to the desk of Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature or veto. He has yet to indicate whether he will sign the measure." --safari

Way Beyond

Dom Phillips of the Guardian: "Brazil's oldest and most important historical and scientific museum has been consumed by fire, and much of its archive of 20m items is believed to have been destroyed.... 'It was the biggest natural history museum in Latin America. We have invaluable collections. Collections that are over 100 years old,' Cristiana Serejo, one of the museum's vice directors [said].... Luiz Duarte, another vice-director ... said that governments were to blame for failing to support the museum and letting it fall into disrepair. At its 200th birthday in June, not one state minister appeared.... Duarte also said that the museum had just closed a deal with the Brazilian government's development bank, BNDES, for funds that included a fire prevention project. 'This is the most terrible irony,' he said." --safari

Benjamin Haas of the Guardian: "South Korea's capital and largest city, Seoul, is set to begin daily checks for hidden cameras in public toilets in response to growing public outrage over an epidemic of 'spy-cam porn'. South Korea is in the middle of a battle against videos secretly filmed in places such as toilet stalls and changing rooms. Police have said more than 26,000 victims between 2012 and 2016 have been identified, but many cases go unreported.... But experts and activists have criticised sweeps of public bathrooms, saying they were little more than a show and most cameras were installed in homes and offices." --safari ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Wait, wait. They're installing spy-cams to spy on people who installed spy-cams? Okaaaay.

The Commentariat -- September 2, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Axios: "An 'exhaustive review' of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's professional history by the Boston Globe found that her claim to Native American ancestry was never a consideration during her hiring process for Harvard Law School or throughout her rise in the legal profession." The Globe story is firewalled, but click on the link if you're a subscriber. Mrs. McC: I'm sure Trump will quit calling Warren "Pocahontas" now.

*****

New York Times: "Senator John McCain is receiving a full-fledged Washington send-off on Saturday as former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama lead an invitation-only service at Washington National Cathedral. A motorcade carrying Mr. McCain's coffin left Capitol Hill around 8:40 a.m. and stopped along the way at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where Cindy McCain laid a wreath in honor of her husband, a naval aviator who was held for five and a half years as a prisoner of war. The memorial service at the Cathedral began shortly after 10 a.m. Meghan McCain, one of his daughters, delivered an emotional tribute to her father that included a steely rebuke to President Trump. Former Senator Joseph Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, and former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger also made remarks." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Benjamin Hart & Chas Danner of New York: "... often by simply articulating the values [John McCain] stood for, [the speakers at his memorial service] created a powerful contrast between the man they were eulogizing and the current commander-in-chief. Below, some of the notable remarks and scenes from the event[.]" ...

... Susan Glasser of the New Yorker: "This was ... a meeting of the Resistance, under vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows.... Midway through [Meghan McCain's] remarkable speech, a pool report from the White House was released. Trump, wearing a white 'Make America Great Again' hat, and having tweeted his morning complement of bile, directed at Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller, and his own Justice Department, had departed to play golf.... In any other context, maybe it would not seem to be a stinging criticism to hear [President] Obama praise the 'rule of law.' But Trump is the inescapable context of these times in Washington. 'Perhaps above all, [President] Bush [II] said, 'John detested the abuse of power.'" ...

... Charles Pierce: "John McCain was given a national send-off in a National Cathedral and there was a great gathering of emotion that was almost frightening in its intensity because you knew that it was aimed at a solitary, angry, unbalanced man left back at the White House, at someone who nonetheless is the president* of the United States, with all the powers inherent to his office, a man who has created a situation in which he is an object of dislike and disrespect, because that is all that he's given to the world in return.... We let the customs, manners, norms and institutions weaken through neglect and now we are in open conflict with an elected president and, make no mistake about it, John McCain's funeral was a council of war.... He wanted a pageant of everything this administration* has trashed and put up for sale, and that's what he got Saturday -- a morality play shot through with Shakespearian portent and foreshadowing, a pageant of democracy's vengeance." ...

** Eric Levitz: "McCain's loved ones deserve to take pride in the sacrifices he made at the 'Hanoi Hilton.' But we, as a nation, do not. The United States asked John McCain to risk his life -- and kill other human beings -- for a war built on lies. We asked him to give some of his best years on Earth -- and the full use of his arms -- to an illegal, unwinnable war of aggression. The story of McCain's time as a prisoner of war should inspire national shame. It is a story about our government abusing the trust of one its most patriotic citizens. But it's (almost) never presented as such. Instead, in stump speeches, op-eds, and obituaries, McCain's service is typically framed as a testament to our nation's greatness, or an affirmation of its finest values." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: In his truth-telling -- and you should read Levitz' entire post -- he writes one thing that may have been true at the time McCain was in service, but at least over time it ceased to be true. Levitz: "There is no reason to doubt that McCain believed he was in Vietnam to risk his life -- and then, to endure a living hell -- in defense of our nation's highest ideals." ...

     ... But Charles Pierce, in his post linked above, writes that in 1998 he asked McCain "if there was someone he couldn't forgive, or at least talk to, about" his imprisonment. "He got all quiet and took a long time to answer. 'McNamara,' he finally said. 'That's the worst to me -- to know you've made a mistake and to do nothing to correct it while, year after year, people are dying and to do nothing to stop it, to know what your public duty is and to ignore it. I don't think any conversation we could have would be helpful now.'" ...

... The Little Man Who Wasn't There. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "President Trump ... found himself more isolated than ever Saturday, airing his latest grievances and retreating to his private golf course in Virginia as his peers gathered to pay homage to the late senator John McCain.... Trump issued threats to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement and promoting a false conspiracy theory alleging government misconduct in its surveillance of one of his former campaign aides [Carter Page]. 'I love Canada, but they've taken advantage of our Country for many years!' Trump wrote in one tweet.... 'If we don't make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out,' Trump wrote. 'Congress should not interfere w/ these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely & we will be far better off.' The sharp dichotomy of Trump's pugilistic posts and the dignified memorial service, broadcast live by cable news stations and online, underscored the president's unwillingness to embrace the traditional duties of office and his scorn of Washington's protocols and conventions, which he has delighted in undermining." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: This is, of course, exactly the kind of behavior that cost Trump an invitation to a service where a "normal" sitting president -- especially one of the same political party -- would be an honored guest, but that's something Trump either can't or won't comprehend. ...

... Lorraine Woellert of Politico: "... Donald Trump's allies went on the counterattack Saturday after tributes to the late Sen. John McCain took pointed aim at the president.... And they privately chastised Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner ... for attending the senator's memorial service. '@realDonaldTrump ran for @POTUS ONE time and WON,' tweeted Katrina Pierson, an adviser to Trump's campaign. 'Some people will never recover from that.'" Mrs. McC: Extremely classy, Mizz Pierson.

This Russia Thing, Etc., Ctd.

All the President's Crooks. Larry Buchanan & Karen Yourish of the New York Times: Since President Trump's inauguration, numerous campaign and administration officials have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes. Others were found to have violated federal ethics rules, or were forced to resign over security clearance issues. The criminal charges were all connected to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III." The reporters compile a nice list, with notes & diagrams. Criminal Convictions: Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates, Michael Flynn. Cabinet Officials Who Misspent Taxpayer Dollars or Violated Ethics Rules (or Both!): Scott Pruitt, Ben Carson, David Shulkin, Wilbur Ross, Tom Price, Brenda Fitzgerald, Nikki Haley. White House Staff with Security or Ethics Issues (or Both!): Rob Porter, Dan Scavino, Kellyanne Conway, John McEntee.  And counting.

Ken Vogel & Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times: "Between 2014 and 2016, the F.B.I. and the Justice Department unsuccessfully tried to turn [Russian oligarch Oleg] Deripaska into an informant. They ... were hoping for information on Russian organized crime and, later, on possible Russian aid to President Trump's 2016 campaign, according to current and former officials and associates of Mr. Deripaska. In one dramatic encounter, F.B.I. agents appeared unannounced and uninvited at a home Mr. Deripaska maintains in New York and pressed him on whether Paul Manafort, a former business partner of his..., had served as a link between the campaign and the Kremlin.... Two of the players in the effort [to flip Derispaska & other oligarchs] were Bruce G. Ohr, the Justice Department official who has recently become a target of attacks by Mr. Trump, and Christopher Steele.... The systematic effort to win the cooperation of the oligarchs, which has not previously been revealed, does not appear to have scored any successes.... Mr. Deripaska ... told the American investigators that he disagreed with their theories about Russian organized crime and Kremlin collusion in the campaign...; Mr. Deripaska even notified the Kremlin about the American efforts to cultivate him." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: As nearly as I can tell, this story is a leak in response to leaks. House Republicans who interviewed Ohr last week have been leaking, as they are wont to do, "selected tidbits" of info about the many meetings between Ohr & Steele -- the Deep State Duo. In response, somebody has leaked this story to explain why Ohr & Steele had so many meetings.

Spencer Hsu & Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post (via the Portland [Maine] Press Herald): "A Maine native and longtime Washington political consultant who advised a Ukrainian political party and worked with a co-defendant of Paul Manafort pleaded guilty Friday to failing to register as a foreign lobbyist while working on behalf of a Ukrainian political party. W. Samuel Patten, 47, was charged with one count of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act for failing to register with the Justice Department when he represented the Ukrainian opposition bloc from 2014 to 2018." Thanks to MAG for the link. Mrs. McC: A lovely bio of a lovely man, I'm sure. Except for that Ukrainian stuff & accidentally forgetting to register as a foreign agent & buying those inaugural tickets for a Kremlin fave & lying to Congress & what-not. This is a guy, BTW, who had all the advantages, la creme de la crum. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Rob Tibbetts, in a Des Moines Register op-ed: "Ten days ago, we learned that Mollie would not be coming home.... At the outset, politicians and pundits used Mollie's death to promote various political agendas. We appealed to them and they graciously stopped.... Sadly, others have ... chosen to callously distort and corrupt Mollie's tragic death to advance a cause she vehemently opposed.... But do not appropriate Mollie's soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist. The act grievously extends the crime that stole Mollie from our family and is, to quote Donald Trump Jr., 'heartless' and 'despicable.'... The person who is accused of taking Mollie's life is no more a reflection of the Hispanic community as white supremacists are of all white people." ...

... Mrs. McCrabbie: Rob Tibbetts is being facetious about Junior. What Junior actually wrote in an op-ed for the Register (published August 31) was, "The reaction from some Democrats and others on the left to the murder of Mollie Tibbetts is as despicable as it is revealing. The mask is off and the true radical face of the Democrats has been exposed. They are seemingly more concerned with protecting their radical open-borders agenda than the lives of innocent Americans." And off he goes. Junior is, to borrow from Rob Tibbetts now, "extending the crime." Here's hoping the next publication by Donnie Junior is titled "Letter from Ossining Jail." P.S. to prosecutors: Junior is a flight risk. He has places to stay all over the world. At his arraignment, ask the judge to lock him up.

** What John Roberts & His Buddies Did. Mark Niesse, et al., of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "When a passionate crowd rallied to save polling places in rural Randolph County, it won a high-profile battle for voting access. But voters trying to preserve their local precincts are losing the war as voting locations are vanishing across Georgia. County election officials have closed 214 precincts across the state since 2012, according to an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That figure means nearly 8 percent of the state's polling places.... These precincts have been eliminated without federal government oversight. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2013 removed requirements under the Voting Rights Act for some local governments to obtain federal clearance before making changes to voting practices, such as closing precincts. The requirement was created specifically to prevent discrimination in mostly Southern communities.... The state doesn't monitor the closure of polling places either.... Across the South, hundreds of polling places have closed since the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act five years ago. At least 868 polling places in seven Southern states have closed since the decision, according to a Leadership Conference Education Fund study in 2016 of some areas previously covered by the Voting Rights Act."

Gubernatorial Race. Kansas. Ha Ha Ha. Peter Hancock of the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World: "Douglas County (Kansas) will have to summon a citizen-initiated grand jury to investigate allegations that Secretary of State Kris Kobach's office mishandled voter registration information during the 2016 election, the Kansas Supreme Court said Friday. In a one-page order signed by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, the court denied Kobach's request to review a Kansas Court of Appeals decision in June that said Lawrence resident Steven Davis had met the legal requirement for circulating petitions to summon a grand jury.... Davis, a Lawrence resident who ran unsuccessfully for the Kansas House in the 2016 and 2018 Democratic primaries, circulated petitions following the 2016 elections, calling for a grand jury to investigate whether Kobach or others in his office had engaged in 'destroying, obstructing, or failing to deliver online voter registration.'... While the case was pending at the Court of Appeals, Attorney General Derek Schmidt's office withdrew the state as a party to the case.... Kobach himself, who is now the Republican nominee for governor, has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.... Kansas is one of only six states that allow citizen-initiated grand juries."

Loose Canon

Laurie Goodstein & Jason Horowitz of the New York Times: "A week ago, Archbishop [Carlo Maria] Viganò released an explosive letter saying that [Pope] Benedict had ordered Cardinal [Theodore] McCarrick to retire to a life of prayer and penance and had barred him from celebrating Mass in public, traveling for church business, giving lectures and participating in public meetings.... However..., during the years he was supposedly restricted under Benedict ... he visited seminaries and ordained new priests, officiated at Masses and traveled the world representing the church.... After Francis became pope, in 2013, he lifted the sanctions and made the cardinal a trusted adviser, the letter claimed.... One explanation given by church analysts is that he had been under sanctions, but that they were not taken seriously because the accusations against him were of sexual misconduct with adults, not children.... Both popes could clear up the confusion created by the letter. Neither one has." ...

... Jason Horowitz: Carlo Maria Viganò "has escalated his offensive with new, detailed accusations that put increasing pressure on a pontiff who the archbishop and his supporters say has misled the faithful and should resign.... In a new letter published late Friday by the conservative website LifeSiteNews, the archbishop gave his version of events leading up to the pope’s controversial September 2015 meeting with Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. His description contradicted the Vatican's own account of that private meeting, maintaining that Francis' lieutenants lied to the public about the encounter, which threatened to eclipse the pope's entire trip to the United States that month.... A Chilean abuse survivor, Juan Carlos Cruz..., said Francis had told him that Archbishop Viganò sneaked Ms. Davis into the Vatican Embassy in Washington for a private meeting in 2015 and that the pope did not know who she was or why she was controversial.... Archbishop Viganò writes in the new letter: 'One of them is lying: either Cruz or the pope? What is certain is that the pope knew very well who Davis was, and he and his close collaborators had approved the private audience.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie's Sunday Advice: if an institution is going to get all hung up on its members' sex lives, to the point it tells its lieutenants that they can't have sexual relations at all, and that many of the rank & file can't have relations with their preferred partners, expect problems. Terrible problems.

The Commentariat -- September 1, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Ken Vogel & Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times: "Between 2014 and 2016, the F.B.I. and the Justice Department unsuccessfully tried to turn [Russian oligarch Oleg] Deripaska into an informant. They ... were hoping for information on Russian organized crime and, later, on possible Russian aid to President Trump's 2016 campaign, according to current and former officials and associates of Mr. Deripaska. In one dramatic encounter, F.B.I. agents appeared unannounced and uninvited at a home Mr. Deripaska maintains in New York and pressed him on whether Paul Manafort, a former business partner of his..., had served as a link between the campaign and the Kremlin.... Two of the players in the effort [to flip Derispaska & other oligarchs] were Bruce G. Ohr, the Justice Department official who has recently become a target of attacks by Mr. Trump, and Christopher Steele.... The systematic effort to win the cooperation of the oligarchs, which has not previously been revealed, does not appear to have scored any successes.... Mr. Deripaska ... told the American investigators that he disagreed with their theories about Russian organized crime and Kremlin collusion in the campaign...; Mr. Deripaska even notified the Kremlin about the American efforts to cultivate him." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: As nearly as I can tell, this story is a leak in response to leaks. House Republicans who interviewed Ohr last week have been leaking, as they are wont to do, "selected tidbits" of info about the many meetings between Ohr & Steele -- the Deep State Duo. In response, somebody has leaked this story to explain why Ohr & Steele had so many meetings.

New York Times: "Senator John McCain is receiving a full-fledged Washington send-off on Saturday as former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama lead an invitation-only service at Washington National Cathedral. A motorcade carrying Mr. McCain's coffin left Capitol Hill around 8:40 a.m. and stopped along the way at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where Cindy McCain laid a wreath in honor of her husband, a naval aviator who was held for five and a half years as a prisoner of war. The memorial service at the Cathedral began shortly after 10 a.m. Meghan McCain, one of his daughters, delivered an emotional tribute to her father that included a steely rebuke to President Trump. Former Senator Joseph Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, and former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger also made remarks." ...

... The Uninvited. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "President Trump ... found himself more isolated than ever Saturday, airing his latest grievances and retreating to his private golf course in Virginia as his peers gathered to pay homage to the late senator John McCain.... Trump issued threats to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement and promoting a false conspiracy theory alleging government misconduct in its surveillance of one of his former campaign aides [Carter Page]. 'I love Canada, but they've taken advantage of our Country for many years!' Trump wrote in one tweet.... 'If we don't make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out,' Trump wrote. 'Congress should not interfere w/ these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely & we will be far better off.' The sharp dichotomy of Trump's pugilistic posts and the dignified memorial service, broadcast live by cable news stations and online, underscored the president's unwillingness to embrace the traditional duties of office and his scorn of Washington's protocols and conventions, which he has delighted in undermining." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: This is, of course, exactly the kind of behavior that cost Trump an invitation to a service where a "normal" sitting president -- especially one of the same political party -- would be an honored guest, but that's something Trump either can't or won't comprehend.

Spencer Hsu & Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post (via the Portland [Maine] Press Herald): "A Maine native and longtime Washington political consultant who advised a Ukrainian political party and worked with a co-defendant of Paul Manafort pleaded guilty Friday to failing to register as a foreign lobbyist while working on behalf of a Ukrainian political party. W. Samuel Patten, 47, was charged with one count of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act for failing to register with the Justice Department when he represented the Ukrainian opposition bloc from 2014 to 2018." Thanks to MAG for the link. Mrs. McC: A lovely bio of a lovely man, I'm sure. Except for that Ukrainian stuff & accidentally forgetting to register as a foreign agent & buying those inaugural tickets for a Kremlin fave & lying to Congress & what-not. This is a guy, BTW, who had all the advantages, la creme de la crum.

*****

Ana Swanson & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "The Trump administration eased off its threat to exclude Canada from the North American Free Trade Agreement, extending talks that were set to end on Friday while warning that the Canadians must be 'willing' to accept the United States' terms. After four days of marathon negotiations between Canadian and American officials failed to produce an agreement, the White House told Congress that it would enter into a revised trade deal with Mexico and that it was up to Canada to decide whether to remain in the trilateral Nafta pact.... The White House agreement to keep talking has less to do with a change of heart than with political realities: Congress, which has ultimate authority over trade agreements, has warned the White House that any revised deal must include both Canada and Mexico. Canada is the major export destination for 36 American states, and many of the president's political supporters insisted that he first 'do no harm' to the deal." ...

... Daniel Dale of the Toronto Star: "High-stakes trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. were dramatically upended on Friday morning by inflammatory secret remarks from ... Donald Trump, after the remarks were obtained by the Toronto Star. In remarks Trump wanted to be 'off the record,' Trump told Bloomberg News reporters on Thursday, according to a source, that he is not making any compromises at all in the talks with Canada -- but that he cannot say this publicly because 'it's going to be so insulting they're not going to be able to make a deal.'... In another remark he did not want published, Trump said, according to the source, that the possible deal with Canada would be 'totally on our terms.' He suggested he was scaring the Canadians into submission by repeatedly threatening to impose tariffs. 'Off the record, Canada's working their ass off. And every time we have a problem with a point, I just put up a picture of a Chevrolet Impala,' Trump said according to the source." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Rebecca Morin of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Friday confirmed that he made inflammatory off-the-record remarks about Canada, as he blasted the leak while also saying, 'At least Canada knows where I stand!'... 'Wow, I made OFF THE RECORD COMMENTS to Bloomberg concerning Canada, and this powerful understanding was BLATANTLY VIOLATED. Oh well, just more dishonest reporting. I am used to it,' the president wrote on Twitter. 'At least Canada knows where I stand!'"

... Catharine Tunney, et al., of CBC (Canadian Broadcasting) News: "Canadian and U.S. officials have agreed to take a weekend break from NAFTA talks after a week of tense negotiations in Washington and comments from ... Donald Trump suggesting he is unwilling to compromise on a deal. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters she's optimistic a deal is still within reach, but 'we're not there yet.'"

Shining Turds. Olivia Nuzzi of New York: "You may be wondering why, throughout the second half of August, the president of the United States has been standing in the Rose Garden and yelling. On August 17, he yelled about manufacturing. On August 18, he yelled about trade and, later that day, he yelled about meeting with foreign leaders. On August 22, he yelled about the stock market. And on August 24, he yelled about the economy. The resulting video clips, which range from 23 to 60 seconds in length, are like stream-of-consciousness infomercials for the flimsy concept of #AIGGADW (America Is Getting Great Again, Don't Worry).... According to -- I swear to God -- five current and former officials from both Donald Trump's White House and campaign as well as one former official from the Trump Organization, the purpose of this on-camera exercise is simple: It makes him feel (and, he believes, look) good." --safari

This Russia Thing, Etc., Ctd.

These are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand. -- Deep Throat to Bob Woodward ...

... Spencer Hsu & Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "Lawyers for George Papadopoulos, a former adviser to ... Trump's campaign, argued Friday that he should be spared jail time for lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts during the campaign because his lies did not hinder the special counsel's investigation.... Earlier in August, Mueller's office said jail time was appropriate for Papadopoulos, arguing he had lied repeatedly to investigators and had not provided substantial cooperation since he pleaded guilty.... Papadopoulos's lawyers argued that he has volunteered information in an effort to help -- such as describing a March 31, 2016, meeting he attended with Trump and then-Sen. Jeff Sessions where Papadopoulos announced ... that he could get Trump a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. For the first time, Papadopoulos's lawyers revealed that the young adviser felt encouraged by Trump to continue those efforts, writing in the court filing that 'Mr. Trump nodded with approval and deferred to Mr. Sessions, who appeared to like the idea and stated that the campaign should look into it.' That account conflicts with what Sessions, now attorney general, testified to Congress." ...

     ... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: We're dealing with a situation in which all three participants -- Papadopoulos, Trump & Sessions -- are proven liars, so it's hard to know whose account to believe. But in view of Trump's known enthusiasm for meetings with Putin, Papadopoulos's assertion seems most plausible. There were quite a few people at the March 2016 meeting, so Mueller's team likely has numerous accounts of the exchange.

Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "The top Democrats on two House committees accused Republicans on Friday of selectively leaking to the press sensitive communications that could put a 'confidential human source' at risk. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), ranking Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and his counterpart on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), also accused Republicans of 'cherry-picking' portions of emails and text messages between former British spy Christopher Steele and Justice Department official Bruce Ohr to bolster a narrative that they were part of a conspiracy to undermine the Trump campaign in 2016. The Democrats' concerns, outlined in a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), arose out of an interview with Ohr that Republican members of the two panels conducted on Tuesday. The Justice Department originally provided the documents to the House Intelligence Committee. Some were marked 'law enforcement sensitive' because they contained details relating to a confidential source, the Democrats said.... Copies of portions of the documents have been published online by various media organizations." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Eric Tucker & Chad Day of the AP: "A senior Justice Department lawyer says a former British spy told him at a breakfast meeting two years ago that Russian intelligence believed it had Donald Trump 'over a barrel,' according to multiple people familiar with the encounter. The lawyer, Bruce Ohr, also says he learned that a Trump campaign aide had met with higher-level Russian officials than [that??] the aide had acknowledged, the people said. The previously unreported details of the July 30, 2016, breakfast with Christopher Steele, which Ohr described to lawmakers this week in a private interview, reveal an exchange of potentially explosive information about Trump between two men the president has relentlessly sought to discredit." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Natasha Bertrand of the Atlantic: "Bruce Ohr. Lisa Page. Andrew Weissmann. Andrew McCabe.... Donald Trump has relentlessly attacked these FBI and Justice Department officials as dishonest 'Democrats' engaged in a partisan 'witch hunt' led by the special counsel determined to tie his campaign to Russia. But Trump's attacks have also served to highlight another thread among these officials and others who have investigated his campaign: their extensive experience in probing money laundering and organized crime, particularly as they pertain to Russia.... The president has denied having any business ties to Russia, and his dream of building a Trump Tower Moscow never materialized. But his links to Russian oligarchs and mobsters from the former Soviet Union have been documented.... Trump's attacks have shone a bright light on the experts inside and outside the government who have been investigating him -- individuals who share a deep expertise in organized crime, money laundering, fraud, and racketeering." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Another One Cops a Plea. Andrew Harris, et al., of Bloomberg: "A former associate of Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to a lobbying violation and agreed to cooperate with the U.S., giving prosecutors access to insights from a longtime international political operative whose Russian business partner has already been indicted in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe. The lobbyist, Sam Patten, 47, admitted that he failed to register in the U.S. as a foreign agent for his work lobbying on behalf of a Ukrainian political party. The nature of his cooperation isn't clear. Patten worked with Manafort and on Ukrainian campaigns, and reportedly worked on microtargeting operations with Cambridge Analytica. Mueller's office referred the prosecution to U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu in the District of Columbia...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Ken Vogel, et al., of the New York Times: "An American lobbyist [Sam Patten] who worked with Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs pleaded guilty on Friday to failing to register as an agent of a foreign power and disclosed to prosecutors that he helped a Russian political operative and a Ukrainian businessman illegally purchase four tickets to President Trump's inauguration.... The inauguration tickets were worth $50,000.... The tickets were purchased for Konstantin V. Kilimnik, a Russian political operative believed to have ties to a Russian intelligence agency, and a Ukrainian oligarch.... Patten ... could provide prosecutors insight into a range of activity and individuals relevant to the special counsel investigation, as well as connections between Mr. Trump, his associates and Russia.... Mr. Patten's work ... was done in conjunction with Mr. Kilimnik, who served as Mr. Manafort's longtime deputy on the ground in Kiev." Mrs. McC: By the terms of his plea deal, Patten is required to cooperate with Robert Mueller's investigators.

Peter Beaumont & Oliver Holmes of the Guardian: "The Trump administration has announced it will cut all US funding for the main UN programme for Palestinian refugees, a move with potentially devastating impacts for five million people who rely on its schools, healthcare, and social services.... The announcement comes days after the US said it was withdrawing $200m from its main development agency, USAid, for programmes based largely in Gaza where they help tens of thousands of people.... Cutting UNRWA funding has been widely interpreted in both Israel and Palestine as a blunt move by the US to unilaterally sweep aside one of the main sticking points in peace negotiations -- the right of return of Palestinians.... Asked on Tuesday if the US should 'get the right of return off the table', the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said she thought it should." --safari ...

     ... Colum Lynch & Robbie Gramer of Foreign Policy [Aug. 3]: "Jared Kushner ... has quietly been trying to do away with the U.N. relief agency that has provided food and essential services to millions of Palestinian refugees for decades, according to internal emails obtained by Foreign Policy<. His initiative is part of a broader push by the Trump administration and its allies in Congress to strip these Palestinians of their refugee status in the region and take their issue off the table in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, according to both American and Palestinian officials.... By trying to unwind UNRWA, the Trump administration appears ready to reset the terms of the Palestinian refugee issue in Israel's favor -- as it did on [Jerusalem] in December." [Open in private window] --safari: Has Kushner declared himself a foreign agent of Israel yet? ...

... BUT DPA and Haaretz: "Germany is preparing a 'substantial' increase in its contributions to the cash-strapped UN agency for Palestinian refugees amid reports that the United States plans to withhold a large share of its funding, according to a letter seen by dpa." --safari

Betsy Get Your Gun. Kimberley Hefling & Michael Stratford of Politico: "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced on Friday that she would not stand in the way of states that want to use federal grants to purchase guns for schools, emphasizing that it's a decision for local officials to make.... DeVos' letter comes as Democrats and some education groups had asked the Trump administration not to allow federal education grants to be used for firearms after The New York Times first reported last week that the Education Department was considering the issue. Education Department officials said that they believe that states and school districts already have the flexibility to purchase firearms using federal education grants." ...

     ... American Dystopia. Kate Way of Mother Jones gives you a firsthand look at teachers gun training exercises. The pictures are chilling. --safari

Mark Hand of ThinkProgress: "The EPA, under the leadership of Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, has issued a draft proposal that questions whether it was 'appropriate and necessary' for the agency to set standards in 2012 for mercury and other toxic air pollution emitted by power plants.... The MATS [Mercury and Air Toxics Standards] rule created the first-ever federal standards to limit mercury, acid gases, and other air toxic pollution from power plants. Since its implementation, the MATS rule, combined with other regulations, has achieved a 90-percent reduction in mercury power plant emissions and prevented thousands of premature deaths.... The [Obama-era] EPA estimated that MATS protections prevent up to 11,000 premature deathsand more than 100,000 asthma and heart attacks each year. The value of those benefits to the public is estimated to be as high as $90 billion annually." --safari

Dara Lind of Vox: "A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program -- which President Trump sought to shut down in September 2017 but which has been partially reanimated by judges elsewhere -- is probably illegal. But Judge Andrew Hanen is refusing to order the program shut down immediately. The ruling doesn't mean DACA is safe. The program has already been closed to new applicants, and it's expected that the Supreme Court, with an eventual five-conservative majority, will rule that the Trump administration had the legal authority to wind down the program in 2017." --safari

"The Immaculate Concussion." William Broad of the New York Times: "Doctors and scientists say microwave strikes may have caused sonic delusions and very real brain damage among [U.S.] embassy staff and family members [in Cuba and China].... Douglas H. Smith, the study's lead author and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a recent interview that microwaves were now considered a main suspect and that the team was increasingly sure the diplomats had suffered brain injury.... The F.B.I. declined to comment on the status of the investigation or any theories." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The story reads like a jumbled spy thriller. Interesting.

Julian Borger of the Guardian: "Washington is ready to expand arms supplies to Ukraine in order to build up the country's naval and air defence forces in the face of continuing Russian support for eastern separatists, according to the US special envoy for Ukraine.... In May, Congress approved $250m in military assistance to Ukraine in 2019, including lethal weaponry." --safari

Mariam Khan of ABC News: "As Sen. John McCain's casket was brought into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda Friday, Republican and Democratic colleagues of past and present stood in silence as he entered the iconic building where he made his legacy one final time." Leaders then made remarks about Sen. McCain. Sen. Mitch "McConnell thanked McCain's family, including his 106-year-old mother, Roberta, who was also in attendance.... The Capitol Rotunda will remain open throughout the day so that the public can pay their respects to McCain." (Also linked yesterday.)

Congressional Races

Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat: "Robocalls against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum that say they were paid for by a neo-Nazi group in Idaho are going out to voters in Tallahassee. The automated calls are narrated by someone pretending to be Gillum and using an exaggerated minstrel dialect with jungle noises in the background. The calls end with a disclaimer that they were funded by The Road to Power, an anti-Semitic, white supremacist website and podcast linked to Scott Rhodes of Sandpoint, Idaho. According to the Des Moines Register, a sister paper of the Tallahassee Democrat, the group has been linked to other robocall campaigns in Charlottesville, Virginia, Oregon and California.... The Democrat chose not to publish the audio because of its blatantly racist and offensive content." ...

... Emily Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times: "On social media on Thursday, liberal groups and activists said that Congressman Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for Florida governor, was moderating a massive Facebook group with racist posts and conspiracy theories. DeSantis' membership in the group was first noted by American Ledger, which is run by the liberal group American Bridge.... DeSantis denied through a spokesman on Thursday that he ever led the group or even knew he had been added to it. He 'immediately' left it when notified of the controversy, the spokesman said." Mrs. McC: I linked to the originial story this week & noted its provenance. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Emma Brown & Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post: "Over the past year, a federal grand jury has been conducting a public corruption investigation in Tallahassee. The probe drew little notice beyond the capital during the primary campaign but is attracting new attention with [Andrew] Gillum's bid to become the first African America governor of the nation's largest swing state and Florida's first Democratic governor in 20 years.... Over the past year, details have emerged in the local press about Gillum's relationship with lobbyists and the broader probe -- in one report, a city commissioner was photographed frolicking in Las Vegas with undercover agents and a dwarf entertainer. Those reports are expected to infuse a multimillion-dollar spree of attack ads as the GOP battles to keep a decades-old grip on the governor's mansion. The precise contours of the probe are unknown, but investigators have subpoenaed information about lobbyist Adam Corey, a longtime friend of Gillum's who once served as his campaign treasurer." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: My guess is that investigators -- unlike Jim Comey -- will lie low until after the election, but as the reporters indicate, there's nothing to stop DeSantis & his allies from producing anti-Gillum ads steeped in innuendo. And of course it would be catastrophic if Gillum won the election, only to have it revealed later that he was a participant in a local corruption scheme.

Texans Beto. Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "Although Democratic enthusiasm has exploded across the country, few candidates have found the fervent level of interest [Rep. Beto] O'Rourke [D-Texas] has consistently attracted, drawing surprisingly large crowds in unexpected places.... O'Rourke, 45, says he's intent on running a positive campaign, one focused not on Trump or the famously acerbic [Ted] Cruz [R-Nasty] but on soothing hot anger with a promise of something different. Even if he doesn't often say their names, his supporters know his candidacy is a direct critique of those Republicans." ...

... Stephanie Murray of Politico: "... Donald Trump is planning a 'major rally' this fall for his onetime campaign foe, Sen. Ted Cruz, in the 'biggest stadium' he can find, the president announced on Twitter Friday afternoon." ...

... ** Who Is a Hero? Jelani Cobb of the New Yorker on Beto O'Rourke, John McCain v. Ted Cruz & Donald Trump. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** John Harwood of CNBC outlines how Republicans misused classified information it received, in error, on Democratic Congressional candidate Abigail Spanberger. Then ... "Once a New York Times story publicized the form's improper release, the [Paul] Ryan-linked PAC embraced the innuendo rather than renouncing it. 'It should surprise no one that Ms. Spanberger would want to hide from voters that she worked at a school that produced some of the world's most dangerous terrorists,' the fund declared. The PAC offers no evidence Spanberger did anything wrong. Unless it can, the attack is a stone-cold smear. Outraged Democrats, fearing other candidates remain at risk, have demanded a federal investigation.... Ryan distanced himself from the episode, with a spokesman insisting 'we cannot speak to the activity or behavior of outside groups.' So did House GOP campaign chief Steve Stivers, whose spokesman said it 'has nothing to do with us.'... But prominent Republicans outside the party's fight to hold its House majority share the Democrats' outrage."

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The plaintiffs who persuaded federal judges to declare unconstitutional North Carolina's Republican-drawn congressional maps have 'reluctantly concluded' that there is not enough time to draw new maps in time for the November elections.... The plaintiffs -- a consortium of Democratic voters and public-interest groups -- said redrawing the lines before the elections would be impractical." ...

... Jesse Byrnes of the Hill: "President Trump on Friday tore into a court's ruling this week that struck down the state's GOP-drawn redistricting map as an unconstitutional gerrymander, suggesting that 'there has to be something going on.' 'How unfair is that?' Trump said during a speech at a GOP fundraising event in Charlotte, N.C.... 'No, it's very unfair to have an election in less than 60 days and they change the district on you? And you've already won primaries? How does that work?'... Trump's comments came after a three-judge panel in North Carolina on Monday struck down the state's GOP-drawn map for the second time this year, saying Republicans had redrawn the map to unconstitutionally favor their party." Mrs. McC: Yeah, it's unfair when a court rules Republicans can't cheat.

Alexander Mallin & Katherine Faulders of ABC News: "At his Senate confirmation hearings next week, Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh is not expected to offer any commitment to recuse himself from cases involving investigations of President Trump, including a possible constitutional fight over a subpoena of the president, sources familiar with Kavanaugh's preparations tell ABC News.... Democrats have said they plan to use the confirmation hearings to spotlight Kavanaugh's potential legal and ethical conflicts should Mueller bring any case involving the president before the high court."...

... John Bowden of The Hill: "The White House has pushed to withhold more than 100,000 pages of records related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's time as White House lawyer during the George W. Bush administration. Bush's attorney Bill Burck informed the Senate Judiciary Committee of the Trump administration's decision to withhold the documents in a letter to the panel on Friday. The Trump administration is withholding the documents on the basis of presidential privilege.... Bush had directed those reviewing what documents to release to err 'on the side of transparency and disclosure, and we believe we have done so,' the attorney wrote." --safari: "Transparency" means withholding 100,000 documents? Must have been a really shady administration. Oh, wait...

Oliver Darcy of CNBC: "The Village Voice, the country's first alternative newsweekly which offered New Yorkers local news and classified ads for decades, will cease production and lay off approximately half its staff, the newspaper's owner announced Friday.... The Village Voice was founded in 1955 and became a staple in local New York City journalism. It was awarded three Pulitzer Prizes and recognized with other journalism awards. The paper leaves behind a long history of publishing the works of legends in the journalism and literary world, including one of its co-founders, Norman Mailer. The publication also served as the primary hub for the work of Wayne Barrett, the late New York City muckraker whose early reporting on Donald Trump took on new life during the 2016 election.... The Village Voice struggled in recent years.... In April 2017, the Village Voice halted its print production and went entirely online. The move was aimed at reinvigorating the more than half-century old publication. But it wasn't enough."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. J.M. Rieger of the Washington Post: "In the three weeks since former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman revealed (and President Trump acknowledged) the existence of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) signed by White House staffers, news networks have continued to book guests and paid contributors who have admitted to signing such agreements. It is unclear whether the NDAs, which aim to prevent aides and associates from demeaning, disparaging and/or releasing derogatory information about Trump, Vice President Pence and their families, are legally enforceable. But they present an ethical dilemma for networks that regularly book guests and paid contributors to discuss Trump when said guests and contributors are potentially barred from speaking ill of the president -- and by extension, logic suggests, being completely honest." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: As if anyone associated with Trump has the capacity to be "completely honest."

Maxwell Tani & Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast: At NBC News, Ronan Farrow researched a long exposé of Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse & harassment. NBC has insisted that the report wasn't ready for air or online, & Farrow left the network. After the New Yorker published a version of his story, Farrow won a Pulitzer Prize. The series of articles "helped launch the #MeToo movement.... According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, NBC News General Counsel Susan Weiner made a series of phone calls to Farrow, threatening to smear him if he continued to report on Weinstein. A spokesperson for NBC News, speaking on the condition of anonymity, vigorously denied those allegations." Some, including Farrow, suspect that NBC News President Noah Oppenheim, who moonlighted as a Hollywood screenwriter, was communicating with Weinstein about the progress of the story."

Beyond the Beltway

Daniel Desrochers & Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader: "Longtime Kentucky Democratic operatives Jerry Lundergan and Dale Emmons were indicted by a federal grand jury in Lexington Friday for allegedly making illegal contributions to the 2014 U.S. Senate campaign of Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and then conspiring to cover them up. Emmons was indicted on six counts and Lundergan was indicted on 10 counts after investigators found they 'willingly and knowingly' made corporate contributions of more than $25,000 to Grimes' campaign and then worked to cover up the contributions.... The indictment says the campaign did not know about the payments, causing it to unwittingly file false reports with the Federal Elections Commission.... The indictments strike at the heart of the Democratic establishment in Kentucky and raise serious questions about the political future of Lundergan's daughter, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. Grimes is considering a run for either attorney general or governor in 2019."

Meet Your Local GOP. Justin Wise of The Hill: "A county GOP official in Pennsylvania resigned on Friday, just a day after it was revealed that she repeatedly called NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem 'baboons.' Carla Maloney, secretary of the Republican Committee of Beaver County, made the comments in a series of Facebook posts last year, according to The Beaver County Times." --safari