The Commentariat -- May 28, 2016

Sometimes a Great Story. Christine Hauser of the New York Times: "Since he invented the Heimlich maneuver, Dr. Henry J. Heimlich had spent decades demonstrating the lifesaving technique on people willing to play the role of a choking victim. But this week, Dr. Heimlich, 96, said he got to do the real thing. He used the abdomen-squeezing maneuver on Monday night on an 87-year-old woman who was choking at their senior residence community in Cincinnati, popping a morsel of meat out of her mouth." CW: Previous reports of Dr. Heimlich's using the maneuver have been "murky." I love this story. If it's untrue, I'll choke myself. (No, that's not a promise.)

** Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times on how billionaires are using various methods to control the news media, often in secretive ways. -- CW

Presidential Race

Julian Hattem of the Hill: "The Obama administration is trying to prevent former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from being deposed in an ongoing open records case connected to her use of a private email server. Late Thursday evening, the Justice Department filed a court motion opposing the Clinton deposition request from conservative legal watchdog Judicial Watch, claiming that the organization was trying to dramatically expand the scope of the lawsuit." -- CW ...

... Lisa Lerer & Catherine Lucey of the AP: "Over the months, Hillary Clinton misstated key facts about her use of private email and her own server for her work as secretary of state, the department's inspector general reported this week. According to the findings, she claimed approval she didn't have and declined to be interviewed for the report despite saying 'I'm more than ready to talk to anybody anytime.' Scrutiny of her unusual email practices appeared to be unwelcome, despite her contention those practices were well known and 'fully above board.'" ...

     ... CW: No one can predict the future, but we can state with some certainty that the next POTUS will be an inveterate liar & an arrogant imperialist. The crucial difference, of course, is that one candidate will be just an irritating, common-variety fibber whose cover-ups & prevarication are reality-based lapses while the other would be a megalomaniacal danger to the entire world. ...

... Natasha Bertrand of Business Insider: "Chuck Todd grilled Hillary Clinton over the scathing inspector general's report released on Wednesday that determined she 'did not comply' with State Department rules in using a personal email address to conduct government business." -- CW ...

... Stonewall Clinton. Dana Milbank: "The report on Hillary Clinton's email by the State Department's inspector general this week was devastating -- not because of how she handled email but because of how she handled investigators.... The Office of the Inspector General said it 'interviewed Secretary Kerry and former Secretaries Albright, Powell, and Rice. Through her counsel, Secretary Clinton declined OIG's request for an interview.... In addition to Secretary Clinton, eight former Department employees [most of them Clinton aides] declined OIG requests for interviews.... OIG sent 26 questionnaires to Secretary Clinton's staff and received 5 responses.'" -- CW

As the Worm Turns. Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed: "A technology investment company has offered to put up the $10 million for charity that Donald Trump said on Thursday would be needed to hold a debate with Bernie Sanders.[Update at 4:38 p.m.: Shortly after the publication of this report, Trump's campaign released a statement that he would not be participating in a debate with Sanders.]" -- CW ...

... Yamiche Alcindor of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump on Friday rejected an offer to debate Bernie Sanders before the June 7 California primary, saying, 'It seems inappropriate that I would debate the second-place finisher' in the Democratic nominating contest." CW: This is the fourth stance Trump has taken on the proposed debate in less than 48 hours. Everything he says is fake. ...

I heard that he was going to debate me and then I heard that he was not going to debate me.... Mr. Trump is known to change his mind many times in a day. Trump goes around he's a bully, he's a big tough guy. Well, Mr. Trump, what are you afraid of? -- Bernie Sanders, in response to Trump's pronouncement that he would not debate Sanders after all

Michael Finnegan & Kurtis Lee of the Los Angeles Times: "Donald Trump waded into California's perennial water wars Friday, taking the side of agriculture and vowing to boost the state's farmers even if it means cutting back environmental protections." -- CW

You two wouldn't know how to write a good story about me if you tried -- dream on. -- Donald Trump, in a "more presidential" e-mail to NYT reporters Ashley Parker & Maggie Haberman when they asked him for comment ...

... Ashley Parker & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A constant stream of changes and scuffles are roiling Donald J. Trump's campaign team, including the abrupt dismissal this week of his national political director. A sense of paranoia is growing among his campaign staff members, including some who have told associates they believe that their Trump Tower offices in New York may be bugged. And there is confusion among his donors, who want to give money to a 'super PAC' supporting Mr. Trump, but have received conflicting signals from top aides about which one to support.... Two months after assurances that the candidate would become 'more presidential'..., Mr. Trump continues to act as if the primary is still underway. His team has struggled to fill top positions, such as communications director, and Mr. Trump has made clear he still sees himself as his own chief adviser." -- CW ...

... digby: "Trump is firing seasoned presidential campaign operatives in favor of the little friends he made during the primaries and is telling everyone that he doesn't think he needs a ground operation and has no intention of spending 500 million on the general election campaign. This is the businessman who's supposedly going to 'make America great again.' I guess if you think bankrupt casinos is a definition of greatness, he's your man." -- CW

** David Roberts of Vox: "Pretty much everything [Donald Trump's energy speech] revealed was terrifying." Read why. CW: It's part hilarious & 100 percent scary.

Drew Griffin, et al., of CNN Money: "... a CNN investigation finds that [Donald] Trump and others involved in ["Trump University"] admitted under oath that some promises made to students just didn't happen. In Trump's own deposition this past December, Trump failed to recognize the name of a single presenter or teacher at his real estate seminars. He also confirmed he had nothing to do with the selection process of instructors ... or mentors.... A review of Trump University presenters and so-called real estate experts found many with questionable credentials and inflated resumes. Court documents show background-checks conducted during the hiring process could not determine whether some instructors even graduated high school." CW: Because everything about Trump is fake.

Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "When Donald Trump publicly floated the idea of running for president in 1999, his ex-wife Marla Maples made it clear she would spill the beans on her ex-husband if he were to make it to the general election. 'If he is really serious about being president and runs in the general election next year, I will not be silent,' Maples told London Telegraph. 'I will feel it is my duty as an American citizen to tell the people what he is really like.' The reaction from Trump and his attorney was swift and brutal. They launched a full-court effort in the press to discredit Maples and withheld an alimony payment to 'send a message.' The episode illustrates how Trump uses character assassination and threats to quash any opposition. Maples has largely remained silent on Trump's 2016 candidacy." -- CW

** Jonathan Weisman, in a New York Times op-ed, on some of the shocking anti-Semitic, extremist tweets he has received from Donald Trump supporters since he tweeted about "an essay by Robert Kagan on the emergence of fascism in the United States." Here's one: "a photo of my disembodied head held aloft, long Orthodox hair locks called payot photoshopped on my sideburns and a skullcap placed as a crown." Another: "the image of a smiling Mr. Trump in Nazi uniform flicking the switch on a gas chamber containing my Photoshopped face.... Julia Ioffe was served up on social media in concentration camp garb and worse after Trump supporters took umbrage with her profile of Melania Trump in GQ magazine. The would-be first lady later told an interviewer that Ms. Ioffe had provoked it." ...

... CW: If, like me, you don't care for Hillary Clinton, bear in mind that her base is nothing like the scum who support Donald Trump & whom Donald refuses to denounce & Melania Trump excuses.

Senate Race

Patricia Mazzei of the Miami Herald: "on Thursday, [Sen. Marco] Rubio acknowledged that GOP colleagues in the Senate and some Florida activists have prodded him in previous days to run [for re-election]. It's part of a last-ditch, coordinated effort from Republicans worried they could lose Rubio's seat -- and perhaps Senate control.... Rubio left himself a tiny opening, saying Thursday he might consider re-election if his friend, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, weren't running for his seat." The filing deadline is June 24. -- CW ...

... Marco, Man of Principles. Ledyard King of USA Today: "In March, Marco Rubio dismissed Donald Trump as a 'con artist' and 'the most vulgar person ever to aspire to the presidency.' This past week, the Florida senator told reporters he'll not only vote for Trump, he'd be willing to speak on his behalf at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer. And he didn't rule out the possibility of serving in a Trump administration." -- CW ...

... Ed Kilgore: Marco is an experienced flip-flopper. -- CW

Beyond the Beltway

Julie Bosman of the New York Times: "The Kansas Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the state Legislature had failed to equitably fund public schools, once again giving the state until June 30 to fix its financing system or face a court-ordered shutdown of schools. The ruling was the latest volley in a long battle over public education in Kansas. A lawsuit from a coalition of school districts led the Kansas Supreme Court to order the Legislature in 2014 to increase funding to poorer districts." -- CW

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Bryce Dejean-Jones, a guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, died after being shot in the abdomen early Saturday morning in Dallas, according to Dallas police. Dejean-Jones, 23, was found shot in an apartment breezeway. He died after being taken to a hospital." According to the manager of the apartment complex, Dejean-Jones "was attempting to enter the apartment of an 'estranged acquaintance' but instead entered a different unit and was shot." -- CW

Washington Post: "A World War II-era fighter plane crashed into the Hudson River on Friday night, killing the pilot, according to New York authorities. Officials said William Gordon, the 56-year-old pilot from Key West, Fla., died in the crash, the Associated Press reported." -- CW

The Commentariat -- May 27, 2016

Gardiner Harris of the New York Times: "President Obama laid a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial on Friday, telling an audience that included survivors of America's atomic bombing in 1945 that technology as devastating as nuclear arms 'requires a moral revolution.'" -- CW ...

... MSNBC coverage, which includes the full speech, is here. ...

... The New York Times is updating events surrounding President Obama's visit. They include excerpts of his speech.

Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "President Obama's public disparagement Thursday of Donald Trump ... during a news conference in Ise City, Japan, obliterated the now-quaint political convention that partisanship stops at the water's edge. It also revealed a stark truth: The world is worried about Trump." -- CW ...

Rachel Bade & John Bresnahan of Politico: "House conservatives on Thursday blocked passage of a relatively uncontroversial energy and water spending measure after Democrats attached an amendment that would bar federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The appropriations bill failed 305-112, with a majority of Republicans opposed because of the gay rights provision.... Democrats also heavily voted against it over objections to other GOP-sponsored add-ons, including one related to immigration.... The breakdown of the appropriations process started earlier in the day when Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) opened the weekly GOP conference meeting with a prayer about the LGBT issue, prior to the vote. He read a passage from the Bible and questioned whether members would violate their religious principles if they supported the bill. Moderate Republicans were stunned by Allen's remarks, and some walked out of the meeting in protest, according to GOP lawmakers." CW: If you were wondering why the do-nothing Congress can't do nothin', this is a prime example: both sides tack controversial amendments onto run-of-the-mill bills.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a Washington Post op-ed: "Three years ago, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing at the height of a contentious debate about sexual assault in the military, one of our nation's highest-ranking military officials -- the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- ... in an effort to defend the status quo, Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr..., told the Senate about 93 sexual assault cases ... in which civilian prosecutors 'refused' to prosecute and commanders 'insisted' on prosecuting the cases. For many of my colleagues, including former senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee at that time, it was a compelling argument, which they repeated on the floor of the Senate while successfully filibustering our reform. It was also verifiably false...." -- CW

The Die Is Precast. Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) hasn't yet met with Supreme Court nominee Merrick B. Garland.... But Hatch already wrote an op-ed, accidentally published in the Deseret News, claiming, "Like many of my Senate colleagues, I recently met with Chief Judge Merrick Garland.... Our meeting, however, does not change my conviction that the Senate should consider a Supreme Court nominee after this presidential election cycle." The paper later removed the op-ed. "Paul Edwards, the executive editor of the Deseret News, on Thursday described the piece as a draft that was 'awaiting edits from the Senator following his meeting with Judge Garland' and was published inadvertently." -- CW ...

... Michael Virtanen of TPM: "Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Thursday that having only eight high court justices isn't good, resulting in some 4-4 splits this year that denied litigants an opinion." -- CW

Lena Sun & Brady Dennis of the Washington Post: "For the first time, researchers have found a person in the United States carrying bacteria resistant to antibiotics of last resort, an alarming development that the top U.S. public health official says could signal 'the end of the road' for antibiotics.... The authors wrote that the discovery 'heralds the emergence of a truly pan-drug resistant bacteria.'" --safari

Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic: "On Tuesday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced she would seek the death penalty for Dylann Roof. It has not been a year since Roof walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and murdered nine black people as they worshipped.... [K]illing Roof does absolutely nothing to ameliorate the conditions that brought him into being in the first place. The hammer of criminal justice is the preferred tool of a society that has run out of ideas. In this sense, Roof is little more than a human sacrifice to The Gods of Doing Nothing." --safari

Annals of Journalism. Katie Rogers & Michael de la Merced of the New York Times: "A day after Peter Thiel explained why he had given about $10 million to fund multiple lawsuits against Gawker Media, the site's founder [Nick Denton] published an open letter [in Gawker] to the Silicon Valley billionaire, calling him 'thin-skinned' and a 'comic book villain' and challenging him to a public debate about the role of journalism in society.... Mr. Denton harshly criticized what he said was a lengthy, unnecessary vendetta Mr. Thiel waged against not only Gawker Media but also individual journalists." -- CW ...

... Katie Rogers & John Hermann of the New York Times: "The story of Gawker versus Hulk Hogan -- or, perhaps more accurately, Peter Thiel -- has some asking whether press freedom in the United States is in peril if a scorned billionaire can help deliver a crippling blow to a media company." -- CW

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Kelsey Sutton & Peter Sterne of Politico write a "pre-eulogy" for Salon.com. -- CW

Presidential Race

Thomas Kaplan & Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "... Hillary Clinton on Thursday played down a report from the State Department's inspector general that criticized her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. In an interview with ABC News, Mrs. Clinton repeated her concession that using the private email server was a mistake. But she suggested that voters had more important issues to consider when making up their minds between her and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. 'As I've said many times, if I could go back, I would do it differently,' Mrs. Clinton said." -- CW ...

C-SPAN: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) ... says he plans to pursue what he calls 'discrepancies' in the wake of the audit, saying, 'Secretary Clinton and some State Department officials have not been truthful.'" Video. CW: Thanks, Chuck. I'm sure you'll do a totally nonpartisan, professional job & get your "report" out right around Hallowe'en. Maybe you could dress it up with a Photoshopped cover pic of Hillary in a witch's costume. P.S. OR, you could follow Sen. Hatch's example & tell us now what's in that "report" before you do that "inquiry."

... Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "State Department officials took pains to accommodate Hillary Clinton's email practices as secretary, according to newly released testimony by a career agency official. Clinton was offered a 'stand-alone' computer near her office that would let her access the Internet without entering a password or logging into the department's network as other employees are required to do, the official said. The official, Lewis A. Lukens..., said he was told the proposal was declined because Clinton was 'not adept or not used to checking her emails on a desktop.'" -- CW ...

... Chuck Todd, et al., of NBC News: Wednesday's "stinging State Department inspector general report on Hillary Clinton's email practices should have produced one of the worst 24 hours for Clinton's campaign. Instead, it's been a political flesh wound.... Why? Because almost all of Hillary Clinton's weaknesses are overshadowed by Trump's." Via Paul Waldman. CW: Hard to believe Chuck wrote this balanced report; I'll bet his coauthors, Mark Murray & Carrie Dann, are the "real" writers.

Dahlia Lithwick of Slate: "I count myself among the many silent liberals who have largely kept their feelings on Bernie versus Hillary to themselves -- partly because each speaks to me in different ways.... That said, I have been taken up short by the number of comments and scoldings I have faced, from close friends and casual acquaintances alike, for voicing even a hint of support for one or the other in recent months.... If we are treating our friends and allies like we treat our enemies, we are not really a movement so much as a collective of grievances." --safari

Dave Weigel of the Washington Post: "A new count of Kentucky's ballots from the May 17 Democratic primary found no discrepancies, confirming ... Hillary Clinton's narrow victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders. It was Sanders who asked for the canvass just two days ago...." -- CW

Jonathan Easley of the Hill: "Bernie Sanders's campaign manager says 'back-channel conversations' are underway with Donald Trump's staff about setting up a bipartisan debate between the two presidential candidates." -- CW ...

... Burgess Everett & Seung Min Kim of Politico: "For some Democrats, Bernie Sanders' latest gambit -- challenging Donald Trump to a debate to cap all debates -- is the last straw.... Lawmakers reacted with puzzlement, sarcasm and barely veiled anger as Sanders' campaign and Trump himself played up an event that would exclude Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.... A minority of Democratic lawmakers, though, said they'd be fine with Sanders going toe-to-toe with Trump on TV, if only to unmask the Republican nominee as a false advocate for working people." -- CW ...

... Nick Gass of Politico: "Donald Trump on Thursday said he would 'love' to debate Bernie Sanders and raise $10 million to $15 million in the process, even if the Democratic challenger is not well positioned to be his general election foe.... 'What we'll do is raise maybe for, maybe women's health issues or something, if we can raise $10 million or $15 million for charity, which would be a very appropriate amount. I understand the television business very well.' The event would 'get high ratings' and 'should be in a big arena somewhere,' Trump said." -- CW

I will give you everything.... I'm the only one. -- Donald Trump, in Bismarck, North Dakota, Thursday

** Ignoramus-in-Chief. Ashley Parker & Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump traveled Thursday to the heart of America's oil and gas boom, where he called for more fossil fuel drilling and fewer environmental regulations while vowing to 'cancel the Paris climate agreement,' the 2015 accord committing nearly every nation to taking action to curb climate change.... But experts remain skeptical of Mr. Trump's command of the complexities of the global energy economy. And he made claims, such as a promise to restore jobs lost in coal mining, that essentially defy free-market forces.... In his speech, he complained, inaccurately: '[The Paris] agreement gives foreign bureaucrats control over how much energy we use on our land, in our country. No way.'... 'Under my presidency, we will accomplish complete American energy independence,' he said.... But experts say that such remarks display a basic ignorance of the workings of the global oil markets." -- CW ...

... Ben Jacobs of the Guardian: "Donald Trump pledged to cancel the Paris climate agreement, endorsed drilling off the Atlantic coast and said he would allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built in return for 'a big piece of the profits' for the American people." --safari...

... safari note: Not only would Drumpf shred our own social fabric, but he would literally melt the planet. The irresponsibility of the GOP on climate change has become absolutely pathological. ...

... "A Walk in the Dead Woods." Tim Egan: "While the world burns and gasps, Trump is now leading the only major political party in the advanced world to deny climate change." -- CW

Paul Krugman: "... the idea that Donald Trump, of all people, knows how to run the U.S. economy is ludicrous." -- CW

No, You Lying Sack of Rat Droppings, Elizabeth Warren Is Not a House-Flipper. Annie Linskey of the Boston Globe: "... Donald Trump opened a new line of attack against Elizabeth Warren Wednesday, accusing the Democratic Massachusetts senator of being a 'total hypocrite' because she 'bought foreclosed housing and made a quick killing.' Trump, pointing to stories that have been circulating in the right-wing media for years, focused on a practice from Warren's past in which she bought or helped finance two dozen properties in Oklahoma for various family members over about two decades.... Trump's accusation ... implies that Warren's family made a fast sale to realize a speedy profit.... The average amount of time that Warren or her family held on to a property was about 7½ years, property records show." ...

... CW: I don't suppose Donald Trump has provided financial help to any of his relatives -- like his children who work for him at no doubt fabulous salaries.

James Hohmann of the Washington Post: "Rick Wiley, hired with great fanfare in mid-April, lasted only six weeks as Donald Trump's national political director. The Trump campaign released a statement late [Wednesday] night saying that it has parted ways with Scott Walker's former campaign manager.... Here's what that says about him and his campaign.... There is a raging internal turf war between the old guard and the new guard.... Trump does not think he actually needs to run a modern campaign to win.... Trump is not playing nice with the consultants favored by the establishment.... Trump's shop is beginning to feel more and more like Hillary Clinton's operation ... circa 2008! That's when a revolving coterie of staffers fell in and out of favor, bickered publicly and contributed to the disarray in her campaign.... But, but, but: Trump is still more decisive than Clinton." -- CW

Jonathan Chait of New York: "Donald Trump is a wildly promiscuous liar.... His contempt for objective truth is the rejection of democratic accountability, an implicit demand that his supporters place undying faith in him. Because the only measure of truth he accepts is what he claims at any given moment, the power his supporters vest in him is unlimited.... Where he has broken truly unique ground is in his lies about relatively small, routine matters." --safari

That's All, Folks. Stephen Ohlemacher & Jill Colvin of the AP: Donald Trump "shrugged off signs of discord in his party hours after sewing up the number of delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination, a feat that completed an unlikely rise that has upended the political landscape and set the stage for a bitter fall campaign." -- CW

Beyond the Beltway

** Marc Tracy of the New York Times: "Kenneth W. Starr, the former independent counsel who delivered a report that served as the basis for President Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1998, was removed as president of Baylor University on Thursday after an investigation found the university mishandled accusations of sexual assault against football players. The university also fired the football coach, Art Briles, whose ascendant program brought in millions of dollars in revenue but was dogged by accusations of sexual assault committed by its players -- an increasingly familiar combination in big-time college sports. Mr. Starr was stripped of his title as university president but will remain Baylor's chancellor and a professor at the law school. The chancellor position is 'centered around development and religious liberty,' a regent said on a conference call Thursday afternoon, adding that Mr. Starr's 'operational responsibilities have been removed.'" -- CW ...

Adam Kilgore & Nick Anderson of the Washington Post: Baylor's" Board of Regents apologized to the school community for the findings of an outside investigation it commissioned in the fall. A damning 13-page report, prepared by law firm Pepper Hamilton, revealed a football team allowed to run amok by university administrators and law enforcement officials.... 'We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus,' Richard Willis, the chair of the Board of Regents, said in a news release. 'This investigation revealed the University's mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive and caring environment for students. The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us.'... The investigation exposed a football program under [Art] Briles that was allowed to operate under its own rules, which led to intimidation of alleged victims, concealment of sexual assault charges and risk for future attacks." -- CW

Shootin' Squirrels & Drinkin' Beer. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Rick Anderson of the Los Angeles Times: Portland, Oregon, police chief Larry "O'Dea, 53, appointed chief last year, has ... been placed on paid administrative leave while Oregon State Police investigate the shooting [of a fellow hunter] and the sheriff's version of what happened in Harney County." -- CW ...

... Mistakes Were Made. Maxine Bernstein of the Oregonian: "Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward is the first to acknowledge significant holes in his deputy's investigation of the April 21 hunting accident near Fields that has sidelined Portland's police chief and snared Portland's mayor in the fallout.... [The deputy, Chris] Nisbet, never identified which weapon discharged or seized any of the guns for further examination, according to his summary report. He made field observations that most in the group seemed drunk, but didn't follow up with field sobriety tests.... The deputy didn't pursue inconsistencies in some of the statements....

     "[The men] were sitting in a line on lawn chairs, shooting ground squirrels while drinking beer, the deputy's report said. [Larry] O'Dea was on the left of his friend, Robert Dempsey, 54, who was shot. During the interview, the deputy noted that O'Dea was shaking and had glassy and bloodshot eyes. O'Dea told the deputy that he believed his friend had shot himself accidentally while trying to put his pistol back in a shoulder holster and that O'Dea's own rifle wasn't in his hand at the time.... O'Dea sometime later ... called Dempsey and admitted to his friend that he had shot him when he picked up his rifle after grabbing a drink, the sheriff's records show.... O'Dea has never told the Harney County Sheriff's Office that he was responsible, Ward said." CW: I still maintain this is one of the best "Today in Responsible Gun Ownership" stories ever. And it just keeps getting, well, squirrelier.

Way Beyond

Shame on Australia. Michael Slezak of the Guardian: "Every reference to Australia was scrubbed from the final version of a major UN report on climate change after the Australian government intervened, objecting that the information could harm tourism. Guardian Australia can reveal the report 'World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate', which Unesco jointly published with the United Nations environment program and the Union of Concerned Scientists on Friday, initially had a key chapter on the Great Barrier Reef, as well as small sections on Kakadu and the Tasmanian forests." --safari

The Commentariat -- May 26, 2016

... With Current Lease about to Expire, Washington Family Finds New Temporary Housing. Julie Davis of the New York Times: "President Obama and his family plan to move to a mansion in the upscale Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, a mere two miles from the White House, when he leaves office in January, according to people familiar with his plans. Mr. Obama, who has said his family will remain in the capital until his daughter Sasha completes high school in 2018, will rent the 8,200-square-foot, nine-bedroom home, the people said.... The house -- valued around $6 million, according to several real estate websites, with an estimated monthly rent of $22,000 on Zillow -- is owned by Joe Lockhart, a former press secretary and senior adviser to Bill Clinton." -- CW

Kelsey Snell of the Washington Post: "The House voted late Wednesday night to approve a measure to bar the government from paying federal contractors that discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation. Members erupted into cheers Wednesday night after the measure, sponsored by Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), was approved 223-195.... But Republicans are pushing back in a broader effort to preserve 'religious liberty' from Obama's recent actions.... The House also voted 233-186 to approve a measure introduced by Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) that would exempt religious groups from Obama's directives to contractors and public schools." -- CW

** Andrew Taylor of the AP: "Republicans controlling the Senate passed legislation Tuesday to block new Obama administration rules that require financial professionals to put their client's best interest first when giving advice on retirement investments like individual retirement accounts.... The regulations are aimed at blocking financial advisers from steering clients toward investments with higher commissions and fees that can eat away at retirement savings.... The White House says President Barack Obama will veto the Senate measure, which advanced under a special process that did not allow Democrats to filibuster it." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary near the end of yesterday's thread. CW: This is Republicans going out of their way to allow con-men to screw ordinary Americans. Pretty remarkable, especially in a presidential election year. ...

     ... If you're looking for some overarching Republican "philosophy" here, I think it goes like this: Americans should have the freeedom & take the responsibility to plan for their own retirement years. (Socialist Security is practically bankrupt!) Then unscrupulous financial "advisors" should have the freeedom to con said Americans out of their retirement investment plans. So the rich yet richer & the poor get poorer.

Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "In a forceful challenge to the Obama administration's stand on transgender rights, officials in 11 states sued the federal government on Wednesday, arguing that it had no authority to direct the nation's public school districts to permit students to use the restrooms that correspond with their gender identity." -- CW

Linda Greenhouse on the latest developments in Zubik v. Burwell, a/k/a Wicked Obama v. Sweet Little Nuns. "... this is not a case about nuns. It's a case about women who should not, by reason of their particular employment, have to forfeit the right to comprehensive health care that the law makes available to other women in the work force. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but an urgent task." -- CW

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) is fighting to stay on as head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) amid a roiling debate within her party about whether she should step aside before the Democratic National Convention in July." -- CW

Andrew Sorkin of the New York Times: "A 2007 article published by Gawker's Valleywag blog was headlined, 'Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.' That and a series of articles about his friends and others that he said 'ruined people's lives for no reason' drove Mr. Thiel[, billionaire co-founder of PayPal,] to mount a clandestine war against Gawker. He funded a team of lawyers to find and help 'victims' of the company's coverage mount cases against Gawker. 'It's less about revenge and more about specific deterrence,' he said on Wednesday in his first interview since his identity was revealed. 'I saw Gawker pioneer a unique and incredibly damaging way of getting attention by bullying people even when there was no connection with the public interest.'" -- CW ...

... Tom Levenson in Balloon Juice: "... what you have here is an insanely rich guy gaming the legal system to destroy a media outfit that pissed him off." -- CW

Presidential Race

Rosalind Helderman & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "The State Department's independent watchdog has issued a highly critical analysis of Hillary Clinton's email practices while running the department, concluding that she failed to seek legal approval for her use of a private email server and that department staff would not have given its blessing because of the 'security risks in doing so.' The inspector general, in a long awaited review obtained Wednesday by The Washington Post in advance of its publication, found that Clinton's use of private email for public business was 'not an appropriate method' of preserving documents and that her practices failed to comply with department policies meant to ensure that federal record laws are followed. The report says Clinton ... should have printed and saved her emails during her four years in office or surrendered her work-related correspondence immediately upon stepping down in February 2013. Instead, Clinton provided those records in December 2014, nearly two years after leaving office.... The 83-page report reviews email practices by five secretaries of state and generally concludes that record keeping has been spotty for years. It was particularly critical of former secretary of state Colin Powell...." -- CW ...

... The report is here, via the New York Times. ...

... Steven Myers & Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times: "Mrs. Clinton and her aides have played down the inquiries, saying that she would cooperate with investigators to put the email issue behind her. Even so, through her lawyers, she declined to be interviewed by the State Department's inspector general as part of his review. So did several of her senior aides.... Security and records management officials told the inspector general's office that 'Secretary Clinton never demonstrated to them that her private server or mobile device met minimum information security requirements,' the report said." -- CW ...

... A. J. Vicens of Mother Jones: "Two State Department staffers in the office of the executive secretariat -- the people within State who coordinate the agency's work internally -- told the IG's investigators that they discussed their concerns about the use of a personal email account with their boss. 'According to [one] staff member, the [boss] stated that the Secretary's personal system had been reviewed and approved by Department legal staff and that the matter was not to be discussed any further,' the report states, adding that there's no evidence that the agency's internal legal office reviewed or approved the arrangement. The report notes that the other employee who raised concerns was told to 'never to speak of the Secretary's personal email system again.'" -- CW ...

... Paul Waldman in the Washington Post: "Get past all the abbreviations and government-speak, and what it comes down to is that Clinton should never have used a personal email account, no matter how secure she thought it was, for department business, and that she repeatedly failed to consult with personnel who should have been aware of how her personal system worked." -- CW ...

... Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Voters just don't trust her.... It is not just that the inspector general found fault with her email practices. The report speaks directly to a wounding perception that Mrs. Clinton is not forthright or transparent. After months of saying she used a private email for convenience, and that she was willing to cooperate fully with investigations into her handling of official business at the State Department, the report, delivered to Congress on Wednesday, undermined both claims." -- CW

Assholes Before the Fact. Jason Horowitz & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A bitter divide over the Middle East could threaten Democratic Party unity as representatives of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont vowed to upend what they see as the party's lopsided support of Israel. Two of the senator's appointees to the party's platform drafting committee, Cornel West and James Zogby, on Wednesday denounced Israel's 'occupation' of the West Bank and Gaza and said they believed that rank-and-file Democrats no longer hewed to the party's staunch support of the Israeli government. They said they would try to get their views incorporated into the platform, the party's statement of core beliefs, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July." ...

... CW: Even if I were largely in agreement with West's & Zogby's positions, I'm disgusted by their decision to demagogue this stuff at the convention. Those of you who have questioned Sanders' judgment win big here.

Michael Scherer of Time: "Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe invited the Chinese businessman whose donations to him have been named as a focus of Justice Department investigators to a 2013 fundraiser at Hillary Clinton's personal Washington, D.C., residence. Wang Wenliang, a Chinese national with U.S. permanent residency, briefly shook Clinton's hand at the Sept. 30 event, a representative for Wang told Time. An American company controlled by Wang made a $60,000 contribution to McAuliffe's campaign three weeks before the fundraiser. Less than a month later, a separate Wang company pledged $500,000 to the Clinton Foundation, the first of several donations that eventually totaled $2 million." -- CW

John Santucci of ABC News: "During an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Wednesday night, Donald Trump admitted that he wasn't sincere when he made glowing comments about Bill and Hillary Clinton prior to his bid for the presidency. Kimmel asked ... [Trump] about his once-effusive take on the Clintons.... 'So you were full of s***?' Trump's response? 'A little bit,' he said, laughing." -- CW ...

... Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have seemingly agreed in principle to give the world the debate it's been waiting for. Appearing on ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' in a show that aired Wednesday night, Trump said he would be willing to debate Sanders if proceeds from such an event went to charity. Within minutes of the statement airing, Sanders had agreed to the idea. 'Game on. I look forward to debating Donald Trump in California before the June 7 primary,' he tweeted early Thursday morning." -- CW ...

... Steve M.: "In a bizarre year like this, of course a Sanders-Trump debate could happen. But if it does happen, it won't be a debate.... Trump will spend most of the 'debate' either agreeing with Sanders (on trade deals, on the need for more jobs) or chiding him gently.... Trump's goal will be to use the words of Sanders as a club to beat Clinton with. Sanders won't see that coming, though he certainly won't object when it happens. He'll pile on. It's not going to be a great moment in the history of Western democracy. Sorry, kids." ...

... CW: Steve is assuming that Bernie is a chump. Steve's pretty smart, so he might be right. But I think Sanders is just as likely to turn on Drumpf & defend -- if not Hillary -- democracy over Trumpian totalitarianism. Played right, a debate with Trump could cement Bernie's status as an all-American hero. Played in Cornel West fashion, Bernie would expose himself as an unstable crackpot. Either way, I think a Sanders-Trump debate would help Clinton.

Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "Donald Trump cut into a handful of prominent Republican figures during a Wednesday rally, even lightly chiding those who ultimately came around to endorsing him for president. The presumptive GOP nominee lashed out at 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, saying he 'walks like a penguin.'" CW: He's said it before. ...

... Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "Despite his promise to unite the Republican Party, Donald Trump attacked New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez -- the chairwoman of the Republican Governors Association -- on Tuesday night and accused her of 'not doing the job.'" CW: Martinez is a Latina woman -- for Drumpf, knocking her is a two-fer. ...

... Arrested Development. Jose DelReal & Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "A fresh string of attacks by Donald Trump this week on rivals in the GOP establishment -- including one delivered against a prominent Latina governor in her home state -- raised new doubts about his ability or desire to unite the party's badly fractured leadership.... The revived feuding this week has only added to the concerns of holdouts such as House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who reiterated Wednesday that he was not ready to endorse Trump and remained opposed to some of his core policies." CW Newsflash: Trump may think he knows how to "act presidential," but he does not have the psychological capacity to put propriety before ego. He has the same level of self-control as a cranky two-year-old. ...

... Digby in Salon: "Throughout the GOP primary people have been shocked at the cretinous behavior of Donald Trump.... It's been clear that he has no limits. And yet, for some reason, the media is shocked each time he proves it again. This week was no exception. [Tuesday] all anyone could talk about was the audacity of his latest atrocious comments to the Washington Post's Robert Costa.... It's his way of deflecting the attention away from his vulnerabilities to what he sees as his strength --- his willingness to bludgeon his enemies.... It's about intimidation.... This is primitive stuff." -- CW 

CW: Tuesday, before the State Department's inspector general released his report on Clinton's email usage, Ken Vogel & Marc Caputo of Politico reported that "Donald Trump, who in recent days has accused Bill Clinton of rape and suggested he and Hillary Clinton may have had a role in the death of one of their close friends, plans to focus next on the Whitewater real estate scandal, Politico has learned." ...

     ... Both Vogel & Caputo are good reporters, so you might reasonably assume that they had persuaded a source inside the Trump campaign to reveal this tidbit. But no. Rebecca Savransky of the Hill: "One of Donald Trump's aides accidentally emailed a reporter from Politico to ask for information about the Whitewater real estate deal. The aide, campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks, meant to respond to Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo, but instead contacted Marc Caputo.... The email included text from a message Michael Caputo sent to a Republican National Committee researcher asking him to 'work up information on HRC/Whitewater as soon as possible.'..." Just not ready for prime-time. ...

... MEANWHILE, Trump fires the new national political director he hired way last month. Something about "clashes" and "backbiting." ...

... CW: That's funny, because Trump is so Great, you'd think his campaign would be Great, too. Never mind this report last week (May 19) by Emily Smith of the New York Post's Page Six: "... Hope Hicks and campaign manager Corey Lewandowski were seen having a public screaming match on the street in Manhattan on Wednesday night.... One witness told us, 'Hope was screaming at Corey, "I am done with you!" It was ugly, she was doubled over with her fists clenched. He stood there looking shocked with his hands on his head.'"

"The Voters They Deserve." Jonathan Bernstein of Bloomberg: "Republicans had encouraged, or at least tolerated, schoolyard taunts and far-fetched conspiracy talk long before Trump's campaign.... By giving a megaphone to people like Pat Robertson, Herman Cain, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, Republicans showed their voters what counts as a 'normal' Republican presidential candidate -- and it isn't all that different from Donald Trump. Republican voters had many well-qualified candidates in 2016, but they had been taught by their party to ignore normal qualifications, and they did so. That same observation can be made about how Republicans have tolerated and promoted bigotry, forging a path for Trump to go even further." -- CW

News Lede

New York Times: "Provocative new research by a team of investigators at Harvard leads to [the] startling hypothesis ... that Alzheimer's disease stems from the toxic remnants of the brain's attempt to fight off infection..., which could explain the origins of plaque, the mysterious hard little balls that pockmark the brains of people with Alzheimer's. It is still early days, but Alzheimer's experts not associated with the work are captivated by the idea that infections, including ones that are too mild to elicit symptoms, may produce a fierce reaction that leaves debris in the brain, causing Alzheimer's." -- CW