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Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.
New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~
~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”
New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”
Click on photo to enlarge.
~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI."
Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”
New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”
Washington Post: “An early Titian masterpiece — once looted by Napolean’s troops and a part of royal collections for centuries — caused a stir when it was stolen from the home of a British marquess in 1995. Seven years later, it was found inside an unassuming white and blue plastic bag at a bus stop in southwest London by an art detective, and returned. This week, the oil painting 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' sold for more than $22 million at Christie’s. It was a record for the Renaissance artist, whom museums describe as the greatest painter of 16th-century Venice. Ahead of the sale in April, the auction house billed it as'the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market in more than a generation.'”
Washington Post: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., which houses the world's largest collection of Shakespeare material, has undergone a major renovation. "The change to the building is pervasive, both subtle and transformational."
That Donald Trump would begin to "act presidential," at least to some degree. I believed much of his despicable campaign schtick was conscious performance & that he had a second act in him: playing president.
That Trump would not be completely irresponsible.
That Mitch McConnell & the House leadership team would push through its horrifying right-wing agenda in record speed & Trump would sign every bill. (I didn't count, of course, on some madman shooting & disabling whip Steve Scalise, but I don't think there's much Scalise could have done to alter what happened in his absence.)
That Trump, although not interested in details, would insist that some legislation he signed would attempt to adhere to some of his more populist campaign promises, & that Congressional Republicans, at first, would at least pretend to accommodate Trump's campaign rhetoric.
That about half of the country would be pleased & impressed with Republicans' "progress."
That Trump would be totally unethical.
That the inevitable scandals surrounding Trump would be fairly small-bore & predictable (like Price's & Munchkin's travel extravagances), and & that most Americans wouldn't care what a sleazebag Trump was because, after all, he would be performing as what many Americans believed was an "effective leader."
So I was right one time. Everything else I got completely wrong.
Damian Paletta & Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Republicans on Wednesday proposed slashing tax rates for the wealthy, middle class and businesses, while also preserving popular tax deductions that encourage buying homes and giving to charity, according to a 9-page document obtained by The Washington Post. But the document, titled 'Unified Framework For Fixing Our Broken Tax Code,' leaves many key questions unanswered. In it, the White House and Republican congressional leaders do not identify the numerous tax breaks they say will be removed in order to offset some of the trillions of dollars in revenue lost by cutting tax rates. The framework is being presented to Republicans and the public Wednesday as a starting point for negotiations on revamping the U.S. tax code. Congress must vote the changes into law, and Republican leaders are now tasked with resolving controversial questions to unite their party -- and possibly some Democrats -- behind tax legislation." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Binyamin Appelbaum of the New York Times: "The tax plan that the Trump administration outlined on Wednesday is a potentially huge windfall for the wealthiest Americans. It would not directly benefit the bottom third of the population. As for the middle class, the benefits appear to be modest." ...
... Trump Voices Another "Believe Me" Tell. Adam Raymond of New York: "President Trump traveled to Indiana Wednesday to begin pitching his tax-reform plan, which he said will benefit the middle class at the expense of wealthy Americans like himself. 'They can call me all they want. It's not going to help,' Trump said of his rich friends. 'And it's not good for me, believe me.' That's not true. Trump's plan, which calls for reducing the number of tax brackets from seven to three, lowers the top rate from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, while repealing the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax, both of which are paid almost entirely by the wealthy." ...
... WealthFare. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) ripped President Trump's long-awaited tax framework on Wednesday, arguing it would provide a financial 'windfall' for wealthy Americans. 'It seems that President Trump and Republicans have designed their plan to be cheered in the country clubs and the corporate boardrooms,' Schumer said from the Senate floor. He added the GOP tax plan should be called 'wealth-fare.'"...
... Flim Flam. Josh Barro of Business Insider: "The 'doubled standard deduction' in the GOP tax plan is a lie.... The plan would increase the standardized deductions available to taxpayers by 15% or less. Meanwhile, taxpayers who still wouldn't take the standard deduction under the Republican plan -- those who would instead deduct things like mortgage interest -- would pay tax on more of their income than they do now." Mrs. McC: I know you're shocked that Trump & the GOP would mislead you when they haven't done that since ... yesterday. Hope you didn't spend your "double deduction." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Jim Puzzanghera of the Los Angeles Times: "Many Californians face a big financial hit under the Republican tax plan, which would eliminate a major tax break that benefits state residents more than those anywhere else in the U.S. The federal deduction for state and local taxes allowed Californians to reduce their taxable income by $101 billion in 2014, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The tax outline released Wednesday by President Trump and top congressional Republicans would ax the break, which largely benefits residents in states that are Democratic strongholds."...
...Norm Ornstein of The Atlantic: "The end of September marks the 40th anniversary of the Food Stamp Act, the program that institutionalized the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP ... 81 percent of SNAP benefits go to those who are working or to those we do not expect to work -- children, the elderly, the disabled. In other words, SNAP benefits the most vulnerable among us, especially those in dire poverty. It is one of the most successful programs we have had in our social safety net...Why write about food stamps now, other than the 40-year milestone? Because yet again, Republicans, including the Trump administration, are going after SNAP with a meat ax." --safari
**Grim outlook for SCOTUS. Ian Milhiser of ThinkProgress: "Neil Gorsuch ... is on a bit of a victory tour...On Thursday, Gorsuch ill speak to a conservative group at Trump's D.C. hotel. By headlining this event, Gorsuch will personally enrich the very man who appointed him to his lofty position. And he will enable the very mechanism that allows Trump to profit off the presidency.... Gorsuch, along with four of his fellow Republican appointees, have the power to set into motion a downward spiral in which the Supreme Court enhances the GOP's ability to win elections, thereby entrenching the Court's Republican majority -- and undermining the legitimacy of what's become an increasingly partisan institution." Read on. --safari
Humiliated into Helping Puerto Rico. Niraj Chokshi of the New York Times: The Trump administration said on Thursday that it would waive the Jones Act for Puerto Rico, a century-old shipping law that Puerto Rican officials said was hindering efforts to get supplies to the island. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the decision on Twitter, saying that President Trump had authorized the waiver after a request from Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló of Puerto Rico." ...
... We have a lot of shippers and a lot of people that work in the shipping industry that don't want the Jones Act lifted. -- President Trump, Wednesday, accidentally admitting the real reason for curbing aid to Puerto Rico ...
... Lachlan Markay, et al., of The Daily Beast: "Over the course of the weekend, President Donald Trumpgrew increasingly irritated as media coverage portrayed him as inattentive to the devastation on the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. And so, he engaged in a now standard form of online catharsis: He sent out a series of off-key tweets in which he seemed to blame the hurricane-ravaged island for its own fate. When it was all done, Trump came off looking not only inattentive towards Puerto Rico's plight but also unconcerned. The insecurity that he felt about that earlier coverage has only intensified, aides and confidants say, with some conceding that the president has himself to blame." --safari
Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday said he is considering an executive order to allow health insurance to be purchased across state lines. Trump told reporters at the White House that he plans to issue a 'very major' executive order, probably next week, 'where people can go out across state lines, do lots of things, and buy their own health care.' Trump said the order is 'being finished now. It's going to cover a lot of territory and a lot of people -- millions of people.'... Experts said it's not clear what an executive order on selling insurance plans across state lines would do.... 'To do anything from a federal level would usurp states' ability' to regulate their own insurance markets, said Christopher Holt, director of health care policy at the right-leaning American Action Forum." ...
... Paul Demko & Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "... the idea [of selling health insurance across state lines] is broadly opposed by state insurance commissioners, consumer advocates and insurers, and has failed in states where it's been tried.... Most insurance experts find it hard to imagine how an executive order could supplant existing state regulations, and believe such a move would likely spark a legal challenge.... There's been zero interest from insurers.... Insurers in states with tough regulations are fearful of having to compete against out-of-state plans that don't have to adhere to the same rules.... Skeptics also worry that there wouldn't be any accountability for insurers that engage in shoddy business practices if state regulations are stripped away...." ...
... He's Not Happy about It. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "Tom Price's apparent fondness for taxpayer-funded private jet trips has attracted the attention of President Trump, who on Wednesday said he was disappointed in his secretary of Health and Human Services, and would personally examine any financial malfeasance. 'I was looking into it, and I will look into it. And I will tell you personally, I'm not happy about it,' Mr. Trump told reporters before departing on a trip to Indiana.... 'I am not happy about it. I'm going to look at it. I am not happy about it, and I let him know it.'" Got that? He's not happy about it. (Emphasis added.) ...
... Lauren Fox, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday said 'we'll see' when asked if he would fire Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in the wake of reports he has used taxpayer-funded private planes for government business. ...
... Gail Collins takes a stab at picking Trump's worst Cabinet member, & she prominently features Price. Mrs. McC: I'm sticking with Pruitt. Then again, as Collins writes, "There's so much competition." Remember how Trump promised to "pick all the best people"? Of course we knew long ago that he had excelled in picking all the worst. ...
... Price Sabotages Mississippi Health Insurance Enrollment Prep as Repeal Fails. Dylan Scott of Vox: "For the past three years, the US Health and Human Services Department has partnered with a health advocacy group in Mississippi on an education tour before Obamacare enrollment started.... Up until Monday, Roy Mitchell, executive director of the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, thought these events were going forward in the coming weeks as planned. He had even asked HHS just last week for biographies of the officials they'd be sending. But then two days ago, he received a short message from an agency official, which Mitchell shared with Vox: HHS wouldn't be doing any Obamacare marketplace events in the South this year. No further explanation was provided. 'HHS bailing out was the last straw for us,' Mitchell told me by phone Wednesday. 'It's clearly sabotage.'" ...
... Kate Nocera & Paul McCloud of BuzzFeed: "... a source ... told BuzzFeed News that all of the department's 10 regional directors were told to not to participate in state-based events promoting open enrollment -- a significant change from years past. The move follows a trend by the Trump administration of stepping away from past federal assistance for Obamacare and, particularly, of dialing back resources for the upcoming open enrollment period.... In a statement Wednesday night, department press secretary Caitlin Oakley said 'Marketplace enrollment events are organized and implemented by outside groups with their own agendas, not HHS. These events may continue regardless of HHS participation.' She went on to say that 'As Obamacare continues to collapse, HHS is carefully evaluating how we can best serve the American people who continue to be harmed by Obamacare's failures.'" ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie Translation: As Obamacare continues to collapse, we're doing all we can to kill it. Besides, we're out of money for these fairly cheap & effective outreach programs, because we spent all our discretionary funds sending the Secretary on private jet excursions. ...
... Another Day, Another Lie. Politico: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday said the attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare isn't dead, tweeting that 'we will have the votes on Healthcare' but not for Saturday's reconciliation deadline. 'We will have the votes for Healthcare but not for the reconciliation deadline of Friday, after which we need 60. Get rid of Filibuster Rule!' he tweeted. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chose not to hold a vote on the Obamacare repeal bill written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) after it became clear there wasn't enough support for it to pass." Mrs. McC: I heard Trump speaking to reporters & he used the present tense: "We have the votes." Mitch obviously noticed that wasn't true. ...
... Update: Here's a Trumpentweet, issued Tuesday morning, where he also uses the present tense: "With one Yes vote in hospital & very positive signs from Alaska and two others (McCain is out), we have the HCare Vote, but not for Friday!" So, yeah, a big fat lie, in keeping with the time-honored Trump tradition.
Jim Acosta, et al., of CNN: "Returning from a high-dollar fundraiser in Manhattan on Tuesday evening, an infuriated ... Donald Trump watched aboard Air Force One as Fox News called the Alabama Senate primary for Roy Moore against Trump's favored candidate, Luther Strange. What ensued was a barrage of angry venting at his political team and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had consolidated establishment GOP support behind Strange.... He went to bed 'embarrassed and pissed' following the election loss, according to a person familiar with his mindset. Trump, multiple sources said, was furious with McConnell ... and feels outdone by his former aide [Steve] Bannon[, who campaigned for Moore]." ...
... Frank Rich: "As the news of Moore's victory hit..., the Times tweeted that the results had delivered 'a blow to President Trump.' Nothing could be further from the truth. Both of the GOP primary candidates were far to the right, and both were full-throated Trump supporters. Yes, Trump, acting impulsively on sloppy political intelligence, had endorsed the loser, Strange, but the Moore victory only adds to Trump's power over the GOP. Moore was a Trumpist before Trump was: a nativist, homophobic, law-disdaining, white supremacist, theocratic Dixie judge -- a Bible-thumping regional variant on Joe Arpaio. He will be a vocal Trump ally in trying to drive what’s left of the GOP Establishment in Washington out of power." Mrs. McC: Do read on. Rich is usual funny, articulate & insightful self.
... Adolescent in the White House. Nicole Lafond of TPM: "During a private dinner with conservative activists at the White House this week, President Donald Trump complained about his fellow Republicans in the Senate, calling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 'weak' and physically mocking him and Sen. John McCain(R-AZ). Imitating McCain's thumbs-down gesture, which he used to indicate his no vote in the last Obamacare repeal vote in July, Trump reportedly mocked the gesticulation at the dinner, complete with a facial expression...Trump also physically mocked McConnell, according to Axios, which reported Trump mimicked McConnell's posture by slumping his shoulders and having a lethargic demeanor." --safari ...
... Alex Shephard of the New Republic: "'In private, President Trump has taken to physically mocking ... Mitch McConnell (slumped shoulders; lethargic body language) and Senator John McCain (imitating the thumbs-down of his historic health-care vote)...,' [citingMike Allen of Axios].... This walks right up to a familiar line for Trump, who has a long history of mocking the disabled. (McConnell learned to walk after suffering from polio and McCain was tortured while a POW in Vietnam.)" ...
Emily Goldberg of Politico: "A majority of American voters say Donald Trumpis not 'fit to serve as president,' according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, with 51 percent of respondents saying they are embarrassed to have Trump serve as president. The poll reports that 59 percent say Trump is not honest, 60 percent say he does not have good leadership skills and 61 percent say he does not share their values.... Fifty percent of white voters say Trump is fit to serve, while 94 percent of black voters say he is not fit for the role; Hispanic voters are split 60 percent to 40 percent.... Men are divided 49 percent to 49 percent, while 63 percent of women say Trump is not fit."
The Guardian: "Rapper 50 Cent has claimed that Donald Trump's team offered him $500,000 to make an appearancein Trump's presidential campaign. The musician and actor was discussing the Trump administration on US radio station Hot 97 when he mentioned the president's proposal, adding that he believed it was motivated by a desire to appeal to black voters...'They wanted to pay me $500,000 as part of the campaign just to make an appearance.' [Curtis] Jackson revealed that he turned down the offer, as it would have sullied his reputation. 'I was like, "Nah, that's not good money,"' he said. 'That's not worth it!'" --safari
Norman Eisen & Anne Weismann in a Washington Post op-ed: "At issue [in the Kushner, et al., private e-mail revelations] is the Presidential Records Act, a post-Watergate statute Congress enacted to establish public ownership of presidential (and vice-presidential) records. It obligates the White House and those who work there to preserve all records relating to their official duties. Despite these legal requirements, the first eight months of President Trump's administration have been marked by stories of deleted presidential tweets, by the use within the White House of messaging applications that destroy the contents of messages as soon as they are read, and now by White House staff using personal email accounts to conduct government business.... The emerging pattern makes clear these are the actions of public officials who fail to respect and observe the rule of law.... These and other lapses are not simply 'technical' violations of a somewhat obscure law; they have real-life consequences on matters of great public interest and urgency." ...
... Ashley Feinberg of Wired: "According to the records held by the New York State Board of Elections, Jared Corey Kushner is a woman." Mrs. McC: Either Kushner (a) is an admirably evolved metrosexual or (b) is incapable of filling out complex paperwork, like the one-page voter registration form. If (a), good for him; if (b), he's the ignoramus we thought he was. (Okay, there's a slight possibility the Board of Elections made an input error on the sex designation. But that's not nearly as funny.) ...
... BUT remember, he's an exemplary businessman ...
... Predatory Capitalism. Betsy Woodruff of The Daily Beast: "One of Jared Kushner's real estate companies has been sued. A class action lawsuit filed in Maryland State Court this morning alleges that Westminster Management, a company owned by ... [Kushner], charged its tenants improper fees, and then used their failure to pay those fees as a basis to threaten them with eviction.... According to the suit, Westminster Management charged late fees that are higher than allowed by Maryland state law." --safari
Daisuke Wakabayashi & Scott Shane of the New York Times: "For three weeks, a harsh spotlight has been trained on Facebook over its disclosure that Russians used fake pages and ads, designed to look like the work of American activists, to spread inflammatory messages during and since the presidential campaign. But there is evidence that Twitter may have been used even more extensively than Facebook in the Russian influence campaign last year. In addition to Russia-linked Twitter accounts that posed as Americans, the platform was also used for large-scale automated messaging, using 'bot' accounts to spread false stories and promote news articles about emails from Democratic operatives that had been obtained by Russian hackers.... The House Intelligence Committee announced on Wednesday that it would hold a public hearing on the matter of Russian influence next month, and a Senate aide said Facebook, Twitter and Google have been invited to testify at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Nov. 1." ...
... Ben Collins, et al., of the Daily Beast: "The Facebook group United Muslims of America was neither united, Muslim, nor American. Instead..., it was an imposter account on the world's largest social network that's been traced back to the Russian government. Using the account as a front to reach American Muslims and their allies, the Russians pushed memes that claimed Hillary Clinton admitted the U.S. 'created, funded and armed' al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State; claimed that John McCain was ISIS' true founder; whitewashed blood-drenched dictator Moammar Gadhafi and praised him for not having a 'Rothschild-owned central bank'; and falsely alleged Osama bin Laden was a 'CIA agent.'... The imposter account bought Facebook advertisements to reach its target audience. It promoted political rallies aimed at Muslim audiences. And it used the Twitter account 'muslims_in_usa' and the Instagram account 'muslim_voice' to pass along inflammatory memes under cover of the UMA.... The Kremlin-backed trolls did all this while simultaneously using other accounts to hawk virulently Islamophobic messages to right-wing audiences on Facebook...." ...
... Josh Dawsey of Politico: "Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was the beneficiary of at least one of the Russian-bought political ads on Facebook that federal government officials suspect were intended to influence the 2016 election. Other advertisements paid for by shadowy Russian buyers criticized Hillary Clinton and promoted Donald Trump. Some backed Bernie Sanders and his platform even after his presidential campaign had ended, according to a person with knowledge of the ads." ...
... As Harry Enten of 538 said, "... the number of votes cast for Stein in the three states that proved to be pivotal (Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) exceededTrump's margin of victory over Clinton."
... Dylan Byers of CNN: "At least one of the Facebook ads bought by Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign referenced Black Lives Matter and was specifically targeted to reach audiences in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore...." ...
... Deb Reichmann of the AP: "Russian internet trolls are exploiting the controversy over NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to stir up divisions in the United States, a Republican on the Senate intelligence committee said Wednesday. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said paid social media users, or 'trolls,' were hashtagging 'take a knee' and 'boycott NFL' to amplify the issue. They were taking both sides of the argument this past weekend, and pushing them out from their troll farms as much as they could to try to just raise the noise level in America and to make a big issue seem like an even bigger issue,' Lankford said at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee."...
...Denise Clifton of Mother Jones: "Millions of tweets were flying furiously in the final days leading up to the 2016 US presidential election. And in closely fought battleground states that would prove key to Donald Trump's victory, they were more likely than elsewhere in America to be spreading links to fake news and hyper-politicized content from Russian sources and WikiLeaks, according to new research published Thursday by Oxford University...[F]ake news from Twitter reached higher concentrations than the national average in 27 states, 12 of which were swing states -- including Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan, where Trump won by slim margins...While it's unclear what effect such content ultimately had on voters, the new study only deepens concerns about how the 2016 election may have been tweaked by nefarious forces on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media." --safari
Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator who has aggressively pushed to dismantle regulations and downsize the organization, is threatening to reach outside his agency and undermine the Justice Department's work enforcing antipollution laws, documents and interviews show. Under Mr. Pruitt, the E.P.A. has quietly said it may cut off a major funding source for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. Its lawyers handle litigation on behalf of the E.P.A.'s Superfund program seeking to force polluters to pay for cleaning up sites they left contaminated with hazardous waste. The E.P.A. reimburses the Justice Department for that work, paying more than $20 million annually in recent years, or enough for 115 full-time employees, budget documents show. But Mr. Pruitt has signaled that he wants to end those payments...." ...
... Brady Dennis & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "... Scott Pruitthas taken at least four noncommercial and military flights since mid-February, costing taxpayers more than $58,000 to fly him to various parts of the country, according to records provided to a congressional oversight committee and obtained by The Washington Post."
Darryl Fears of the Washington Post: "As Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke blasted many within his department for being disloyal to the Trump administration's agenda this week, the agency's inspector general's office continued a probe into whether officials acted inappropriately when they abruptly reassigned dozens of senior workers.... The reassigned workers include Joel Clement, a climate scientist who was removed from his job as director of policy analysis and reassigned to a revenue accounting position for which he has no experience. Clement became a whistleblower when he publicly complained about his switch from his longtime role, in which he assessed climate impact on Alaska Native communities."
Capitalism Is Awesome, After All. No Bonus but a Helluva Consolation Prize. Liz Moyer of CNBC: "The abrupt departure of Equifax's chief executive officer on Tuesday has not dampened the criticism of the company since it disclosed a massive data breach earlier this month. As in other recent corporate scandals, the departure of Richard Smith was swift if not inevitable. The credit reporting company said he was retiring effective immediately and he wouldn't get a bonus for this year, though he is eligible to walk away with at least $18.4 million in pension benefits." (Also linked yesterday.)
A'Hunting He Will Go. Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "Donald Trump Jr. went hunting in Canada after giving up his Secret Service protection, The New York Times reported Wednesday." Donnie was bow-hunting moose.
Medlar's Sports Report. Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post: "Rick Pitinosurvived the tawdriest of scandals during his tenure as coach of the Louisville men's basketball team, first a 2009 extortion attempt during which he admitted to having sexual relations with the wife of his team's equipment manager, then a 2015 scandal in which a former Cardinals staffer arranged for strippers and prostitutes to have sex with players and recruits.... But Pitino could not survive allegations that, in the grand scheme of college basketball scandals, barely rise above sordid: That an executive from Adidas, which outfits the Cardinals' athletic teams, and others conspired to steer top recruits to Louisville via six-figure payments to their families, in one instance enlisting the aid of one of Pitino's assistants. Those allegations, unveiled Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York after a years-long undercover investigation by the FBI, proved to be Pitino's undoing. On Wednesday, Pitino was placed on unpaid administrative leave by Louisville..., likely ending a career that earned him a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013." ...
... With an Assist from Safari. Adam Peck of ThinkProgress: "On Tuesday morning, the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York announced that they had arrested ten people, including four assistant coaches from top-tier Division I college basketball programs for their alleged roles in corruption scandals involving funneling money to prized recruits.... The indictments...sent shockwaves around the college basketball world. Though only four coaches were initially arrested for their roles ... the implication is that Tuesday's news is just the tip of the iceberg.... Players in the NBA and other professional and even amateur sports leagues sign endorsement deals all the time. Only in the NCAA is it known as a rules violation...The NCAA's draconian bylaws governing how and when 'student-athletes' can be financially compensated are almost entirely to blame for the current drama." --safari
Beyond the Beltway
John DiStaso of WMUR (Manchester, NH): "Democrat Kari Lerner of Chester pulled off a surprising upset win in a Rockingham County special New Hampshire House election Tuesday, defeating Republican former state Rep. James Headd of Auburn by 39 votes in a district in which Republicans have a 2-1 advantage in registrations." (Also linked yesterday.)
David Smiley of the Miami Herald: "Florida's Democratic Party picked up a crucial seat in the Florida Senate Tuesday in a special election triggered months ago by a Miami Republican's alcohol-fueled tirade at a bar near the state Capitol. Riding an election-day and early-voting surge, Annette Taddeo topped State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz in the race to claim Senate District 40, a southwest Dade seat resigned in the spring by former Sen. Frank Artiles. The victory gives Democrats 16 seats in the chamber and hands Taddeo her first campaign win in a political career filled with second-place finishes.... Taddeo previously lost races for U.S. Congress and as Charlie Crist's running mate in the 2014 governor's election...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Washington County (Pa.) fire chief Paul Smithhas resigned in wake of his use of a racial slur to refer to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. 'The media dragged my fire company and township into this as well as my family,' Smith told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a statement.... Smith ... called Tomlin a 'no good N***er' on his Facebook page. He then added 'Yes, I said it.' He also blamed the media for labeling him a racist. 'I am not the racist the media portrays me as,' Smith said." Mrs. McC: I don't know who's worse: "the very fine people" in the Charlottesville white-supremacist/neo-Nazi crowd or guys like Smith who indignantly claim they're not racists. (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... digby: Paul Smith is "just one guy. But there are millions like him and Trump is activating their racism for his own gain. Dividing this country is what he does." (Also linked yesterday.)
Way Beyond
Martin Chulov of the Guardian: "More than 92% of voters in Iraqi Kurdistan have opted for independence, according to election monitors, in an overwhelming endorsement of a proposed split from Baghdad that has sparked increasing threats of air and land blockades that could be imposed as early as Friday. The result came after Iraq's parliament authorised the prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, to send troops into areas disputed between Arabs and Kurds that were contentiously included in the ballot. Euphoria on the streets of Erbil in recent days has been met with sharply increasing tension in the region, which is likely to escalate in the wake of the result." --safari...
...Update: Juan Cole: "The Iraqi parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution demanding that the Iraqi army take control of the province of Kirkuk and reclaim the Kirkuk oil fields as a national patrimony. The parliament also demanded that the government arrest and try Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani for treason...the Baghdad government is using its international recognition to impose an air flight ban on Iraqi Kurdistan in the wake of this week's referendum.... As isolating as the Iraqi moves are, Turkey can hurt the KRG even more badly. PresidentTayyip Erdogan is threatening to cut off oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan through the Cayhan pipeline. Turkey is also ceasing food exports to Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraqi Kurdistan is landlocked and surrounded by hostile governments who do not want it to secede from Iraq. In going ahead with the referendum, Barzaniput his country on a collision course with the whole world." --safari
News Lede
New York Times: "Hugh Hefner, who created Playboy magazine and spun it into a media and entertainment-industry giant -- all the while, as its very public avatar, squiring attractive young women (and sometimes marrying them) well into his 80s -- died on Wednesday at his home, the Playboy Mansion near Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 91."
Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post: "Rick Pitinosurvived the tawdriest of scandals during his tenure as coach of the Louisville men's basketball team, first a 2009 extortion attempt during which he admitted to having sexual relations with the wife of his teams equipment manager, then a 2015 scandal in which a former Cardinals staffer arranged for strippers and prostitutes to have sex with players and recruits in the team's dormitory. But Pitino could not survive allegations that, in the grand scheme of college basketball scandals, barely rise above sordid: That an executive from Adidas, which outfits the Cardinals' athletic teams, and others conspired to steer top recruits to Louisville via six-figure payments to their families, in one instance enlisting the aid of one of Pitino's assistants. Those allegations, unveiled Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York after a years-long undercover investigation by the FBI, proved to be Pitino's undoing. On Wednesday, Pitino was placed on unpaid administrative leave by Louisville..., likely ending a career that earned him a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013."
Damian Paletta & Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Republicans on Wednesday proposed slashing tax rates for the wealthy, middle class and businesses, while also preserving popular tax deductions that encourage buying homes and giving to charity, according to a 9-page document obtained by The Washington Post. But the document, titled 'Unified Framework For Fixing Our Broken Tax Code,' leaves many key questions unanswered. In it, the White House and Republican congressional leaders do not identify the numerous tax breaks they say will be removed in order to offset some of the trillions of dollars in revenue lost by cutting tax rates. The framework is being presented to Republicans and the public Wednesday as a starting point for negotiations on revamping the U.S. tax code. Congress must vote the changes into law...." ...
... Flim Flam. Josh Barro of Business Insider: "The 'doubled standard deduction' in the GOP tax plan is a lie.... The plan would increase the standardized deductions available to taxpayers by 15% or less. Meanwhile, taxpayers who still wouldn't take the standard deduction under the Republican plan -- those who would instead deduct things like mortgage interest -- would pay tax on more of their income than they do now." Mrs. McC: I know you're shocked that Trump & the GOP would mislead you when they haven't done that since ... yesterday. Hope you didn't go out & spend your "double deduction."
No Bonus but a Helluva Consolation Prize. Liz Moyer of CNBC: "The abrupt departure of Equifax's chief executive officer on Tuesday has not dampened the criticism of the company since it disclosed a massive data breach earlier this month. As in other recent corporate scandals, the departure of Richard Smith was swift if not inevitable. The credit reporting company said he was retiring effective immediately and he wouldn't get a bonus for this year, though he is eligible to walk away with at least $18.4 million in pension benefits."
John DiStaso of WMUR (Manchester, NH): "Democrat Kari Lerner of Chester pulled off a surprising upset win in a Rockingham County special New Hampshire House election Tuesday, defeating Republican former state Rep. James Headd of Auburn by 39 votes in a district in which Republicans have a 2-1 advantage in registrations."
David Smiley of the Miami Herald: "Florida’s Democratic Party picked up a crucial seat in the Florida Senate Tuesday in a special election triggered months ago by a Miami Republican's alcohol-fueled tirade at a bar near the state Capitol. Riding an election-day and early-voting surge, Annette Taddeo topped State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz in the race to claim Senate District 40, a southwest Dade seat resigned in the spring by former Sen. Frank Artiles. The victory gives Democrats 16 seats in the chamber and hands Taddeo her first campaign win in a political career filled with second-place finishes.... Taddeo previously lost races for U.S. Congress and as Charlie Crist's running mate in the 2014 governor's election...."
Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Washington County (Pa.) fire chief Paul Smithhas resigned in wake of his use of a racial slur to refer to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. 'The media dragged my fire company and township into this as well as my family,' Smith told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a statement.... Smith ... called Tomlin a 'no good N***er' on his Facebook page. He then added 'Yes, I said it.' He also blamed the media for labeling him a racist. 'I am not the racist the media portrays me as,' Smith said." Mrs. McC: I don't know who's worse: "the very fine people" in the Charlottesville white-supremacist/neo-Nazi crowd or guys like Smith who think they're not racists. ...
Sayed Salahuddin of the Washington Post: "Apparent Taliban rockets targeted Kabul's international airport on Wednesday as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the NATO chief held talks with Afghan officials in the capital, authorities said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, carried out while Mattis held meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders at the heavily fortified presidential palace. The attacks forced all flights to be canceled. Several Afghans civilians were injured after one of the rockets hit a house near the combined civil and military airport, officials said."
In American People v. GOP, Another Narrow Victory for the People. Seung Min Kim, et al., of Politico: "Senate Republicans do not intend to vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill, putting an end to their Obamacare repeal effort for now. The decision was reached Tuesday after it became clear the bill would fail. Three Senate Republicans had said they would vote against the measure, and the GOP could only afford two defections." This is an update of a story linked earlier today. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Thomas Kaplan & Robert Pear of the New York Times: "Senate Republicans on Tuesday officially abandoned the latest plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, shelving a showdown vote on the measure and effectively admitting defeat in their last-gasp drive to fulfill a core promise of President Trump and Republican lawmakers.... Democrats, who have spent all year fighting to protect the Affordable Care Act, responded by calling for the resumption of bipartisan negotiations to stabilize health insurance markets. Republican leaders had squelched those talks as the latest repeal plan.... Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee and the chairman of the Senate health committee, and Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the senior Democrat on the panel ... both said on Tuesday that they hoped to resume those efforts." ...
... Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday said he was 'disappointed' that some 'so-called Republicans' were opposing the Senate's latest effort to repeal ObamaCare."
Glenn Thrush & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "President Trump will propose a sweeping rewrite of the federal tax code on Wednesday, outlining a plan to reduce rates for corporations and individuals and eliminate some popular deductions, in a move that will set off a scramble among powerful groups eager to protect their tax breaks. The proposal will call for slashing the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, doubling the standard deduction for individual taxpayers and slightly increasing the bottom tax rate to 12 percent from 10 percent, according to two officials briefed on the details of the blueprint. The framework, which has been agreed upon by Republican leaders in the House and Senate, leaves most of the details to Congress...."
Julie Davis & Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "President Trump plans to cap refugee admissions at 45,000 over the next year, according to current and former government officials briefed on the decision, setting a historically low limit on the number of people who can resettle in the United States after fleeing persecution in their own countries[.]" ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: I'd say Trump didn't consult the Secretary of Homeland Security before he made this decision, because there isn't one.
BBC News: "... Donald Trump has said he will travel next week to Puerto Rico amid a growing crisis in the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Maria.... On Tuesday, Mr Trump said the US was sending food, water and supplies on 'an hourly basis'. 'Puerto Rico is very important to me,' he added. 'The people are fantastic. I grew up in New York so I know many Puerto Rican people.' Mr Trump said next Tuesday - which will be nearly a fortnight after the storm struck - was the 'earliest I can go without disrupting relief efforts'. He may also visit the US Virgin Islands, which was hit by both Hurricane Maria and Irma, he added. The White House also on Tuesday announced Mr Trump had increased federal funding and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the storm. Addressing criticism, the president said his administration was doing a "really good job" and that the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, was 'so grateful'." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "President Trumpon Tuesday rejected criticism he is preoccupied with the NFL when his administration is facing a humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. 'I have plenty of time on my hands. All I do is work,' Trump told reporters at a White House news conference. Trump said he believes 'the NFL situation is a very important situation' and that players should be banned from kneeling during the national anthem." ...
... Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Twice on Tuesday, President Trump offered an excuse for why government aid to Puerto Rico has been slow to arrive after Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico is an island.... That's true.... Supplies must be transported by airplane or ship instead of by truck. But that's still not a great excuse for why the island is awaiting supplies.... So couldn't the government have either sent supplies in advance (as it did for Texas and Florida by truck) or sent cargo after the fact that could have gotten to Puerto Rico by now? The answer is yes and yes.... The government could also have stationed ships closer to Puerto Rico in expectation of needing to offer aid. By Sept. 16, the National Hurricane Center was already expecting Maria to hit Puerto Rico 'as a dangerous major hurricane....'" Mrs. McC: Maybe the problem was the language barrier. Well, okay, more likely the problem is that Puerto Ricans can't vote in presidential elections. ...
... Timothy Gardner of Reuters: "The Trump administration on Tuesday denied a request to waive shipping restrictions to help get fuel and supplies to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, saying it would do nothing to address the island's main impediment to shipping, damaged ports. The Jones Act limits shipping between coasts to U.S. flagged vessels. However, in the wake of brutal storms, the government has occasionally issued temporary waivers to allow the use of cheaper, tax free, or more readily available foreign flagged ships. The Department of Homeland Security, which waived the act after hurricanes Harvey and Irma, did not agree an exemption would help this time." Emphasis added. ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: How does this make sense? Even Trump knows Puerto Rico is an island, so it's harder to get supplies there from, say, Ohio, to, say, Texas & Florida, which are still attached to the mainland U.S. ...
... Press Release: "U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Elaine Duke today urging the department to waive the Jones Act for Puerto Rico to aid recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria." ...
... Kyle Dropp & Brendan Nyhan of the New York Times: "A new poll of 2,200 adults by Morning Consult found that only 54 percent of Americans know that people born in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, are U.S. citizens." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "As the devastation from Hurricane Maria became more apparent Sunday..., Hillary Clinton implored President Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to help the people of Puerto Rico. Send the Navy, she tweeted, especially the hospital ship USNS Comfort.... Two days later, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long announced that the Navy will soon do exactly that. The decision, disclosed in front of the White House on Tuesday afternoon, was later confirmed by the Navy. It comes after days of critics saying that the U.S. government isn't doing enough to support hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.... [Clinton's] call to action took off, with a petition on the website Change.org garnering more than 100,000 signatures in three days and critics expressing frustration with the hashtag #SendtheComfort. Since then, the call for the Comfort has come to symbolize something larger: A call for the Pentagon to send more. More food. More water. More generators. More aircraft. More everything." ...
... Hillary Wonders if Trump Is a 46-Percenter. Nick Visser of the Huffington Post: “'I’m not sure he knows that Puerto Ricans are American citizens,' [Hillary] Clinton told Sirius XM's Zerlina Maxwell on Monday afternoon.... During appearances on Sirius XM and MSNBC's 'All In With Chris Hayes,' Clinton described the president's approach as a political calculus and being disinterest in the fate of the 3.5 million American residents living on the island. 'He doesn't think that has any political relevance and it's certainly not personally important,' Clinton told Chris Hayes on Monday evening. 'He clearly doesn't want to talk about Puerto Rico, more than 3.5 million American citizens, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands. Not interested, doesn't say a word about it.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Dana Milbank: "... a week after the storm, the response from the American mainland has been paltry. There is no rush, as there was after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, to approve the emergency funds that Puerto Rico will surely need. There has been no massive movement of military personnel and equipment to Puerto Rico: no aircraft carrier (one was sent to the Florida Keys in response to Hurricane Irma), no hospital ship (finally on Tuesday afternoon the Navy said it was sending one). The Post's Joel Achenbach, Dan Lamothe and Alex Horton called the three Navy amphibious ships dispatched to Puerto Rico 'a modest fleet given the scale of the crisis.'... Two Trump Cabinet members, Energy Secretary Rick Perry Ryan Zinke, made a joint public appearance Monday but didn't even mention Puerto Rico. And the Trump administration said it would not assist Puerto Rico by waiving the Jones Act, which restricts the use of foreign cargo ships, after waiving the act in response to Harvey and Irma.... The Trump administration's failure to help Americans in Puerto Rico with the same urgency it gave those in Texas and Florida furthers a sad suspicion that the disparate treatment has less to do with logistics than language and skin color." ...
... Julio Varela, in the Washington Post: "The United States may not like to see itself as the type of nation that has colonies, but if you're not treating Puerto Rico and its American citizens the same way as you treat states and theirs, that's the only explanation. The island always struggles to get federal aid for natural disasters that flows virtually automatically to people on the mainland. Maria is the worst example, but it's hardly the first. Even though Trump will tour Puerto Rico next week, the White House still seems to be taking its time asking for the money that it's obvious the island will need." ...
... Hey, This Isn't the First Time Trump Stiffed Puerto Rico. Lisa Needham of Shareblue: "In 2008, Trump licensed his name to a golf course in Puerto Rico. A few years later, that golf course borrowed a hefty $26.4 million in municipal bonds. A few years after that, in 2015, the golf course declared bankruptcy, leaving Puerto Rico holding the bag and the debt, because the golf course will never pay back those municipal bonds. Frankly, it's an astonishing way to conduct business: borrow money from the government, run up your debts (the golf course owed a staggering $78 million in debt when it filed for bankruptcy), and simply walk away. Rather than deal with this in an honorable fashion, the Trump family immediately tried to say that they had nothing to do with the bankruptcy, insisting the golf course had licensed their name, nothing more. Trump's eagerness to license his name -- and make money off it -- knows no bounds, but he has no interest in picking up the pieces when things go south."
Manu Raju, et al., of CNN: "... the IRS Criminal Investigation agents [have] been working with the FBI to investigate [Paul] Manafort since before the election in a ... probe that centered on possible money laundering and tax fraud issues, according to ... sources. It's unclear if [Michael] Flynn is now or was previously under investigation by the IRS. CNN has reported that [Robert] Mueller's team is examining Flynn's payments from Turkey and Russia.... The new information about the depth of IRS involvement renews questions surrounding the controversial issue of ... Donald Trump's tax returns, which he refused to release during the campaign.... It is not clear whether the special counsel has asked for or obtained Trump's tax returns." ...
... "Follow the Money." Jeff Toobin of the New Yorker: "At this point, the precise nature of Trump's connections to Russia remains a mystery, but, whether through staging a Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, or pursuing the construction of a hotel in that city, Trump hoped to profit from the oligarchs who control the Russian economy. In turn, their patron, Vladimir Putin, wanted to prevent Hillary Clinton from becoming President. At the heart of the current investigations is whether and to what extent these two objectives merged. Almost certainly, the key to answering that question is financial. Money played an important role in Watergate, but it was a means to an end -- political power. For Trump, money has been the end in itself. At the moment, it appears that he may survive his scandal in the way that Nixon could not surmount his. But if Trump is to fall, it will likely be in part because the investigators take the advice of Holbrook's Mark Felt, and really do follow the money." ...
... Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "Criminal charges against two former top advisers to ... Donald Trumpare virtually certain, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday. Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort are almost sure to be indicted as a result of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Connecticut senator told Politico. 'I'm about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation,' said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blumenthal has also served as a U.S. attorney and spent 20 years as his state's attorney general." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Spicey Gets a Criminal Lawyer. Betsy Woodruff of the Daily Beast: "Sean Spicer ... has tappedChris Mead, a high-powered criminal defense attorney ... to handle issues related to ... Robert Mueller's probe...." ...
... In Today's Funnies. Natasha Bertrand of Business Insider: "Abbe Lowell, a top Washington lawyer, exchanged emails on Monday with a prankster posing as his client Jared Kushner, at one point telling the prankster he needed to see 'all emails' sent and received from a private email account Kushner had set up in December.... On Monday, the prankster wrote to Lowell from the address kushner.jared@mail.com asking what he should do with 'some correspondence on my private email ... featuring adult content.' 'Can I remove these?' the prankster asked. 'Forwarded or received from WH officials?' Lowell responded." And so on. "Lowell's suggestion that he needs to see all emails sent or received from Kushner's private account raises questions about whether he has fully examined the messages and what kind of information they contained [before issuing a statement Sunday about the correspondence in Kushner's private account]." Mrs. McC: I'm wondering if Lowell will bill Real Kushner for time spent corresponding with Fake Kushner. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
How Trumpbots respect the American flag & various musings on the fight against social justice. Thanks to Gloria for the link:
Scaremonger-in-Chief. Louis Jacobson of Politifact: "In [a] Sept. 23 tweet, Trump wrote, 'Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!'" There are a couple of problems with Trump's tweet. (1) Iran probably did not "just test-fire a Ballistic Missile" (Why is "Ballistic Missile" Capitalized?), and (2) the Iran nuclear agreement covers, um, nuclear stuff, not missiles. And Trump didn't even get his fake news from Fox "News"; it was Fox that reported the "test" was fake.
Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will resign at the end of the week, according to law enforcement officials, who said he had become convinced that President Trump had little respect for the law. The official, Chuck Rosenberg, who twice served as chief of staff to the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and remains a close confidant, had grown disillusioned with Mr. Trump. The president ... in July told law enforcement officers 'please don't be too nice' when handling crime suspects. Mr. Rosenberg forcefully rejected Mr. Trump's comment, sending an email to all D.E.A. employees at the time to tell them that they should not mistreat suspects.... Mr. Trump has injected the White House into law enforcement matters in ways that have made many career officials uncomfortable."
Free Speech for Me but Not for Thee. Rebecca Ruiz of the New York Times: "Attorney General Jeff Sessionsdived into the debate over free speech on college campuses on Tuesday, inserting the Justice Department into a little-known lawsuit against a Georgia college and ... comparing the tactics of one student group to the Ku Klux Klan. Speaking at Georgetown University's law school, Mr. Sessions condemned the designated free-speech zones that have popped up on campuses across the country and seized on the case of an evangelical Christian student who had been restricted from speaking about his religion.... Mr. Sessions's appearance drew dozens of demonstrators who dropped to one knee ahead of his speech.... The protesters -- including Georgetown Law faculty members, more than four dozen of whom signed an open letter opposing Mr. Sessions's policies -- were themselves confined to protest zones by the university.... Mr. Sessions ... has unwound several significant civil rights initiatives of the Obama administration...." ...
The president has free speech rights, too. If they take a provocative act, they have a right to be condemned, and the president has a right to condemn them, and I would condemn their actions. -- Jeff Sessions, in response to a question about Trump's attacks on NFL protesters
Mrs. McC Translation: When the President* speaks, he is exercising his First Amendment rights. When black football players "speak" in silent protest against racist acts, they are "provocative" and should be "condemned." ...
Jonathan Chait: "Of all the ways Donald Trump has inflicted public humiliation upon his Attorney General, the most darkly amusing may be his decision to launch a high-profile campaign to censor professional athletes on the eve of Sessions's speech purporting to defend free speech.... In his speech at Georgetown Law School today, Sessions rattled off a familiar litany of pro-free-speech pieties.... The tension in the address arose from the obvious reality that Sessions serves an administration that can barely pretend to uphold them. Trump does not believe instinctively in free speech any more than he believes in any abstract ideal. His test of any issue is whether it serves his personal interests.... [Sessions] and Trump are 100 percent consistent in their unprincipled belief that speech should be heavily regulated by institutions they agree with, and unregulated by those they don't."
Paul Wiseman & Rob Gillies of the AP: "The Commerce Department slapped duties of nearly 220 percent on Canada's Bombardier C Series aircraft Tuesday in a victory for Boeing that is likely to raise tensions between the United States and its allies Canada and Britain. Commerce ruled that Montreal-based Bombardier used unfair government subsidies to sell jets at artificially low prices in the U.S. 'The U.S. values its relationships with Canada, but even our closest allies must play by the rules,' Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said. Canada responded by saying it 'strongly disagrees' with the U.S. move."
Dan Diamond & Rachana Pradhan of Politico: "Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Pricetook a government-funded private jet in August to get to St. Simons Island, an exclusive Georgia resort where he and his wife own land, a day and a half before he addressed a group of local doctors at a medical conference that he and his wife have long attended. The St. Simons Island trip was one of two taxpayer-funded flights on private jets in which Price traveled to places where he owns property, and paired official visits with meetings with longtime colleagues and family members. On June 6, HHS chartered a jet to fly Price to Nashville, Tennessee, where he owns a condominium and where his son resides. Price toured a medicine dispensary and spoke to a local health summit organized by a longtime friend. He also had lunch with his son, an HHS official confirmed. An HHS official said both the Georgia and Tennessee trips were for official government business and were paid for by the department."
What Is Scott Pruitt Hiding? Brady Dennis of the Washington Post: "The Environmental Protection Agency is spending nearly $25,000 to construct a secure, soundproof communications booth in the office of Administrator Scott Pruitt, according to government contracting records.... Typically, such soundproof booths are used to conduct hearing tests. But the EPA sought a customized version -- one that eventually would cost several times more than a typical model -- that Pruitt can use to communicate privately.... No previous EPA administrators had such a setup." Mrs. McC: It would be such a shame if the phone line went down, Pruitt accidentally got locked in his soundproof phone booth & nobody missed him.
Update: Darryl Fears & Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Postmake more clear the meaning of "the flag" than did the Matthew Daly of the AP in a story I linked yesterday. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was complaining about his staff's disloyalty to Trump & him rather than to "the flag" as a national symbol. They character "flag" as military jargon for top dogs, in this case Trump & Zinke. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Olivia Beavers of the Hill: "Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), on Tuesday described women in his conservative caucus as the group's 'eye candy.' Walker made the remark ... outside the Capitol, as other members of the group prepared to talk about their priorities. 'The accomplished men and women of the RSC. And women. If it wasn't sexist, I would say the RSC eye candy, but we'll leave that out of the record, are not attention seekers,' Walker said." Mrs. McC: Thanks,m ark. If it weren't sexist, Mark, I'd say you have a teensy, tiny shlong, but I know for sure you're still a big prick. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Senate Races
Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Roy S. Moore, a firebrand former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, overcame efforts by top Republicans to rescue his rival, Senator Luther Strange, defeating him on Tuesday in a special primary runoff, according to The Associated Press. The outcome in the closely watched Senate race dealt a humbling blow to President Trump and other party leaders days after the president pleaded with voters in the state to back Mr. Strange. Propelled by the stalwart support of his fellow evangelical Christians, Mr. Moore survived a multimillion-dollar advertising onslaught financed by allies of Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader. His victory demonstrated in stark terms the limits of Mr. Trump's clout.... On Dec. 12, Mr. Moore will face Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor and the Democratic nominee, in a race that will test the party loyalties of center-right voters who may be uneasy about their nominee." ...
... Kim Chandler & Jay Reeves of the AP: "The crowd at Moore's election party broke into loud applause as media outlets called the race. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon took the stage to introduce Moore.... 'We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress,' Moore told the crowd." ...
... Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday began deleting his tweets supporting Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) in Alabama's Senate primary after Strange lost the race to former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore."
Paul Kane & Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post: "Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection next year, another blow to the Republican establishment on the same day the latest GOP effort to revamp the Affordable Care Act failed. Corker and other Republican leaders in Congress have come under fire from President Trump and his supporters for not delivering in the early days of the administration. Once considered an ally of Trump's national security team, Corker traded insults with the president during the August break amid chatter that staunch conservatives would mount a primary challenge to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman."
Sometimes There's a Price to Pay. Ron Lieber & Stacy Cowley of the New York Times: "The chairman and chief executive of Equifax, Richard F. Smith, stepped down on Tuesday in the aftermath of a data breach that exposed the personal information of as many as 143 million people, the credit reporting agency said. Equifax said that Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., most recently the president of its Asia-Pacific region, had been appointed interim chief executive. The company said it planned to conduct a search for a new chief executive and would consider candidates from inside and outside the company.... Mr. Smith will not receive a bonus in 2017 and will serve as an unpaid consultant to the company for up to 90 days, according to a regulatory filing. Mr. Smith will not receive a severance package or accelerated vesting of any stock that might have been due to him...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that it would allow women to drive, ending a longstanding policy that has become a global symbol of the repression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom. The change, which will take effect in June of next year, was announced on state television and in a simultaneous media event in Washington.... The momentum to change the policy has picked up in recent years with the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king who has laid out a far-reaching plan to overhaul the kingdom's economy and society. Beyond the effects it could have on Saudi Arabia's image abroad, letting women drive could help the Saudi economy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
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