The Conversation -- October 30, 2024

Maggie Astor of the New York Times: Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, saying that Donald J. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election were disqualifying and that electing Ms. Harris was the only way to reduce division and anger among Americans. Mr. Schwarzenegger, the actor and bodybuilder who served as governor of California as a Republican from 2003 to 2011, said in a lengthy statement on social media that he hated what United States politics had become and was tempted to 'tune out,' and echoed the sentiments of many voters in writing that he didn't like either party at the moment."

MJ Lee & Samantha Waldenberg of CNN: "Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday distanced herself from President Joe Biden's comments that seemingly referred to Donald Trump's supporters as 'garbage,' setting off a political firestorm a week before Election Day.... Asked if she has spoken to the president about his comments, Harris said that Biden called her Tuesday evening but that the president's comments 'didn't come up.' 'Listen, I think, first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for. You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career. I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people whether they support me or not,' Harris said on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. The vice president also repeated what she has said on the trail, including that she will 'represent all Americans' if elected." ~~~

~~~ Cleanup on Aisle Joe. Andrew Howard of Politico: "Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz brushed aside President Joe Biden's 'garbage' comment from Tuesday, stressing in a pair of interviews that a Harris administration will be inclusive. 'The vice president and I have made it absolutely clear that we want everyone as a part of this,' Walz told George Stephanopoulos on 'Good Morning America.' 'Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric is what needs to end.... Walz ... emphasiz[ed] that Biden clarified his remarks after the fact on Tuesday. And he made a point to emphasize that Vice President Kamala Harris, not Biden, is on the ticket." ~~~

~~~ It's the Punctuation, Stupid. Marie: C'mon, people, it's not that hard. Biden is reported to have said, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters." The reporters made an error in punctuation. Biden did not disparage Trumpbots (Okay, "Trumpbots" is a slur, and I don't retract it.) What Biden meant was, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter's." That is, "supporter[apostrophe]s." Or in a Spanish construction, "la basura de su partidario" -- "the garbage of his his supporter". Oh, lookie there. The fake scandal just went poof. I am the punctuation magician. English is a difficult language.

Jimmy Kimmel wants you to send this along to any friends who might be contemplating voting for Trump. The URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy0zq8YzY9w  But watch the video yourself, too; it's pretty good: ~~~

Here's bad news for democracy & voting-rights advocates and anyone who fears the corrupt Supreme Court will find a way to hand over the presidency* to Donald Trump: ~~~

~~~ Mark Sherman of the AP: “The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Virginia to resume its purge of voter registrations that the state says is aimed at stopping people who are not U.S. citizens from voting. The justices, over the dissents of the three liberal justices, granted an emergency appeal from Virginia's Republican administration led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The court provided no rationale for its action, which is typical in emergency appeals. The justices acted on Virginia's appeal after a federal judge found that the state illegally purged more than 1,600 voter registrations in the past two months. A federal appeals court had previously allowed the judge's order to remain in effect.... Trump had criticized the earlier ruling, calling it 'a totally unacceptable travesty' on social media.... The Justice Department and a coalition of private groups sued the state earlier in October, arguing that Virginia election officials, acting on an executive order issued in August by Youngkin were striking names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law.... Court records indicated that at least some of those whose registrations were removed are U.S. citizens."

Tributes to Trump. Gabe Cohen of CNN: "Two political statues have mysteriously popped up in Washington, DC, drawing crowds of onlookers.... Last week, an unknown artist placed a bronze replica of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk -- topped with an emoji-like poop, the size of a basketball -- along the National Mall near the US Capitol. 'This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6^th, 2021 to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election,' a plaque below the statue reads. 'President Trump celebrates these heroes of January 6^th as "unbelievable patriots" and "warriors." This monument stands as a testament to their daring sacrifice and lasting legacy.'... On Monday, a bronze statue of a tiki torch appeared in Freedom Plaza, just a couple of blocks from the White House. The statue [is] called 'The Donald J. Trump Enduring Flame.'... 'This monument pays tribute to President Donald Trump and the "very fine people" he boldly stood to defend when they marched in Charlottesville, Virginia,' a plaque below it reads. 'While many have called them white supremacists and neo-Nazis, President Trump's voice rang out above the rest to remind all that they were "treated absolutely unfairly." This monument stands as an everlasting reminder of that bold proclamation.'" With photos.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

The Closer. Katie Rogers & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "In a speech in front of what her campaign said was around 75,000 people assembled at the Ellipse, a park just south of the White House in Washington, [Vice President] Harris sharpened her case, gesturing to the nation's seat of power and bringing up the specter of a riot that had unfolded less than two miles to the east.... Relaying her case in a way that was plain-spoken but forceful, Ms. Harris told the crowd that she would not be a perfect president but that she would govern with unity in mind, based on what she said was a 'lifelong instinct to protect' people who had been abused or victimized. But she also used the arc of history to make her case, saying that the country was born 'when we wrested freedom from a petty tyrant' and that, over centuries, Americans had fought threats both foreign and domestic to preserve the promise of democracy. 'They did not struggle, sacrifice and lay down their lives, only to see us cede our fundamental freedoms, only to see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant,' Ms. Harris said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Harris's speech was cogent, coherent, comprehensive and direct. She did not "weave," she did not garble her words, she did not forget what she was talking about, she did not sputter, she did not lie, she did not whine, she did not preen and boast, she did not mock and disparage the strangers, she did not invoke profanity or obscenity. What American -- except one determined to cause mischief and undermine the nation -- would choose an alternative? ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Jonathan Lemire of NBC News said NBC had estimated Harris' crowd at about 60,000, still "thousands more" than attended Trump's infamous January 6, 2021, call to action there. In August, Trump claimed his January 6 crowd at the Ellipse was greater than the crowd attending the Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, estimated to be 250,000.

Maya King & Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "Michelle Obama, the former first lady and among the Democrats' most popular surrogates, offered a bracing tutorial in the realities of political power on Tuesday night, beseeching thousands of people near Atlanta to vote and to 'stop the spiral of disillusionment and apathy.'... 'It's our job to show folks that two things can be true at once: that it is possible to be outraged by the slow pace of progress and be committed to your own pursuit of that progress.'"

Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times: "Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, under extraordinary pressure from friends and fellow billionaires to do more to help Vice President Kamala Harris, recently donated about $50 million to a nonprofit organization that is supporting her presidential run, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. The donation followed months of arm-twisting from associates such as Bill Gates, investor Ron Conway and Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn. Mr. Bloomberg recently spoke with Ms. Harris in a private phone call, according to two people briefed on the conversation. Mr. Bloomberg's decision conforms to a strategy that has become his trademark: Confounding Democratic operatives by refusing to make early investments -- only to come in hot and heavy in the homestretch. But unlike his previous big gifts, this one was intended to be kept under wraps, and that secrecy has made unaware Democrats more anxious than they have been most autumns. His contribution was made to Future Forward USA Action, the dark-money vehicle of Future Forward, Ms. Harris's main super PAC."

Another Biden Gaffe. Will Weissert of the AP: "In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, [President] Biden ... [said,] 'Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don't.... The Puerto Rico where I'm fr -- in my home state of Delaware. They're good, decent honorable people,' he said. The president then added: 'The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American....' White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden 'referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as garbage.' Biden then took to social media to personally clarify what he said. 'Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage - which is the only word I can think of to describe it,' he posted on X. 'His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I meant to say....'" ~~~

But Then This: "As reactions to Biden's reaction began to fly, meanwhile, Trump was asked in an interview Tuesday night with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity about the racist and vulgar joke at his New York rally. He responded: 'Somebody said there was a comedian that joked about Puerto Rico or something. And I have no idea who he is.' The former president added, 'I can't imagine it's a big deal.' At a rally Tuesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a large Hispanic population, Trump repeated his claim that Biden's immigration policies have allowed other countries to treat the U.S. like 'a giant garbage can.'"

ABC News 6 Philadelphia: "Former President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and John Legend were in North Philadelphia on Monday in support of Kamala Harris as part of the 'When We Vote We Win' concert series." ~~~ Here's Obama, near the end of his Philadelphia speech, with questions for people who would vote for Donald Trump because there's something about Democrats they don't like:

Gary Reed, in a letter to the editor of City Pulse, Lansing, Michigan: "I was the executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, back during a time when the GOP embraced values like fiscal discipline and a strong foreign policy. I voted for Nikki Haley in the Feb. 27 primary in part to move the Republican Party past Donald Trump. She received 296,200 votes -- 27 percent of the primary votes -- at a time when it was clear that Trump was likely going to be the party's nominee. Many of those 296,200 voters will not vote for Trump on Tuesday; I am one of them. Donald Trump and JD Vance don't advocate for the values of the Republican Party I once knew.... I'm voting for Kamala Harris."

Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, endorsed Vice President Harris's presidential bid and spent part of the weekend campaigning for the Democratic ticket in Pennsylvania, 'People' magazine reported.... The magazine published a photo of Bush and her friends door-knocking in Pennsylvania this past weekend." (Also linked yesterday.)

Twenty former CEOs of major U.S. companies, in a Fortune opinion piece, back Kamala Harris for president. The essay is firewalled, but you can read the names of the CEOs and the companies they lead.

Adriana Licon, et al., of the AP: "Urged by some allies to apologize for racist comments made by speakers at his weekend rally, Donald Trump took the opposite approach on Tuesday, saying it was an 'honor to be involved' in such an event and calling the scene a 'lovefest' -- the same term he has used to describe the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.... Speaking at his Florida resort, he said that 'there's never been an event so beautiful' as his Sunday rally.... 'The love in that room. It was breathtaking,' he said. 'It was like a lovefest, an absolute lovefest. And it was my honor to be involved.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: We should assume Trump means it when he says a bloody insurrection was a "lovefest." Ditto when he says a string of crude remarks, some coming from his own mouth, constituted a "lovefest." This strange description helps explain why Trump thought it was okay to (allegedly!) sexually attack women. He has confused hate, violent language, threats and even extreme physical violence with love. We know he's a psychological wreck, and this is but one aspect of his pervasive mental illness. This isn't about Trump's "decline." It's about forever Trump.

Tim Balk of the New York Times: "With Mr. Trump set to hold a rally Tuesday night in Allentown, Pa., which has a significant Puerto Rican population, the Democratic Party said it had invested in two digital highway billboards in the city that highlight the slight of the American territory. The Democratic Party said the billboards shift back and forth between English and Spanish, displaying a Washington Post headline: 'Trump rally speakers lob racist insults, call Puerto Rico "island of garbage."' The billboards appeared to serve two purposes -- trolling the former president and appealing to voters who may have been offended by the rally on Sunday in Manhattan...." ~~~

No president has done more for Puerto Rico than I have. -- Donald Trump, Tuesday ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Swan & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Days after a comedian described Puerto Rico as a 'floating island of garbage' at Donald J. Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, the former president's team seemed to manufacture a moment for him on Tuesday to pledge allegiance to the territory. At a round-table discussion in the Philadelphia suburb of Drexel Hill, a retired occupational therapist seated at the table announced herself as Puerto Rican.... 'Puerto Rico stands behind you, and Puerto Rico loves you,' the woman, Maribel Valdez, told Mr. Trump.... 'I know it very well, and we helped you through a lot of bad storms,' Mr. Trump replied, adding, 'No president has done more for Puerto Rico than I have.'... As president in 2017, Mr. Trump publicly cast doubt on the death statistics from a hurricane, suggesting it was not as devastating as Puerto Rican officials claimed. He told aides back then that he did not want to give any more disaster relief money to the island because its leaders were corrupt."

Ignorance Is Bliss His Go-to Excuse. Again. ABC News: Donald Trump "denied knowing the comedian who made a slew of racist, sexist and vulgar comments at his rally at Madison Square Garden, ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott reports.... 'I don't know him, someone put him up there. I don't know who he is,' Trump told ABC's Scott. Trump also insisted he didn't hear any of the comments, even as they've been played on television and written about extensively. When asked what he made of them, he did not take the opportunity to denounce them, repeating that he didn't hear the comments." (Also linked yesterday.)

Charlie Nash of Mediaite: "Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized the 'bromance' and 'masculinity stuff' on display at former President Donald Trump's controversial Madison Square Garden rally this week, arguing it could alienate female voters.... '... This is not a time to have anyone criticize Puerto Rico or Latinos. This is not a time for them to get overly masculine with this bromance thing that they've got going. Fifty-three percent of the electorate are women. Women will vote.... They need to go and tell Puerto Ricans how much, you know, they do value them. They need to tell Latinos that....'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Haley is not upset by the comments themselves but by the fact that the comments will cost votes, warning that "this is not the way to win votes." She's still so into Trump that she says she's "on standby" to speak for him even though she hasn't spoken with Trump since June. Nikki is not now nor has she ever been a serious person.

Edward Helmore of the Guardian: The Washington Post "has now shed 250,000 subscribers, or 10% of the 2.5 million customers it had before [publisher Jeff Bezos'] decision [to cancel the paper's endorsement of Kamala Harris] was made public on Friday, according to the NPR reporter David Folkenflik[, writing on Xitter]." ~~~

Judd Legum of Popular Information calls Elon Musk's "cunt" ad "the most misogynistic ad in the history of politics.... On Friday afternoon, America PAC posted a video ad attacking ... Vice President Kamala Harris. 'America really can't afford a "C-Word" in the White House right now,' America PAC posted, adding a laughing emoji. 'Kamala Harris is a "C word,"' the narrator of the ad says. 'You heard that right. A big ole "C word."' The 'joke' of the ad is that Harris is a 'communist.' Of course, Harris is not a communist. And the ad makes no effort to show she is a communist. The line is only included as a pretext to repeatedly use a crass, misogynistic slur against Harris." The Trump campaign "coordinates directly with America PAC.... On Monday, America PAC deleted the ad attacking Harris from X. Neither America PAC nor Musk explained -- or even acknowledged -- the ad's removal. As of Monday afternoon, the ad remains available on America PAC's Facebook account." (Also linked yesterday.)

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk appeared to acknowledge Tuesday that his pledge to help ... Donald Trump slash federal spending could unleash severe, short-term economic turmoil, underscoring the fiscal stakes as voters weigh whether to send the Republican back to the White House. Musk first outlined his highly aggressive target at a raucous campaign rally in New York last weekend, promising to identify 'at least $2 trillion in cuts' as part of a formal review of federal agencies that he would conduct if Trump wins next week's election. But the audacious pledge, which drew rapt applause, belied a harsh fiscal reality: Slashing the budget that steeply would require decimating an array of government services, including food, health care and housing aid -- and it could erode funding for programs that lawmakers in both parties say they want to protect, from defense to Social Security. By Tuesday...., on X..., the tech mogul agreed with another user's post that argued his federal review -- and other Trump policies -- risked a 'severe overreaction in the economy,' causing financial markets to 'tumble' before the country's fiscal standing later improves. 'Sounds about right,' Musk wrote in response."

Marie: I suppose it doesn't matter, but Elon Musk is extremely weird. Watch the brief clip from Jimmy Kimmel's Monday night show, beginning at about 3:15 minutes in, of Elon's speaking (shouting, grunting, gesturing, mugging) at Trump Madison Square Racist blow-out. He doesn't seem to know there's anything wrong with him.

Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the presidential ballots in two key battleground states, Wisconsin and Michigan. Mr. Kennedy, an independent, suspended his campaign in August and endorsed ... Donald J. Trump. In emergency petitions to the court, he had mounted a last-ditch argument, saying the states had violated his First Amendment rights by keeping him on. The decisions by the justices were unsigned and gave no reasoning, which is typical in such cases. There were no noted dissents in the Wisconsin challenge. But Justice Neil M. Gorsuch dissented in the Michigan case, echoing the reasoning of a dissent from an appeals court earlier in the litigation."

Speaker Johnson Has Many Concepts of a Plan. Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged 'massive reform' to the Affordable Care Act if Donald Trump is elected president, reopening a politically sensitive policy issue for Republicans a week before Election Day. Johnson (R-Louisiana), who appeared at a campaign event Monday for a Republican House candidate in Pennsylvania, told attendees that GOP leaders are again weighing how to overhaul the 14-year-old law, which provides health coverage to tens of millions of Americans and has been a frequent target of Republican repeal efforts. 'Health-care reform's going to be a big part of the agenda,' Johnson said, wearing a personalized jacket emblazoned with the Trump-Vance campaign logo. He added that a caucus of Republican physicians had shared proposals with him and that GOP leaders hope 'to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state' and 'fix things.'" The NBC News report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So far the only "concept of a plan" a Republican "leader" has proposed is one JD Vance put forward during his debate with Tim Walz: he said the GOP plan would create "high-risk pools," thus eliminating perhaps the most important provision of Obamacare: guaranteed, affordable coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. BTW, if you currently don't have any pre-existing conditions, bear in mind (a) what "insurance" means and (b) that at any time you or a family member on your policy can contract what insurance companies will declare is a pre-existing condition, thus hiking your rates or limiting or even eliminating coverage for any illness that can be even tangentially related to the condition.

~~~ Also Afraid of Trumpolini. Kipp Jones of Mediaite: "USA Today will not endorse a candidate in the coming week before the election, explaining it will let its readers make 'informed decisions' on their own.... In October 2020, USA Today's editorial board cited then-President Donald Trump's handling of the Covid pandemic, the economy, and his character as reasons for a rare endorsement of then-candidate Joe Biden." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

⭐ Not Afraid. Maria Rangel, Editor, El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico's largest newspaper: "Trump has for years maintained a discourse of contempt and misinformation against the island that reveals an obsession and disdain for a people who do not have the power of the vote to defend themselves, since the three million American citizens who live in Puerto Rico cannot vote in the presidential elections. However, the other five million who live in the United States, whom they also labeled as trash, can vote. Let's not forget the paper towels he threw at us while we suffered without electricity for months and let's not forget that the funds did not arrive because Trump -through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development- told them to stop because he considered Puerto Ricans 'bums who live begging.'... At Sunday's event they ... also insulted Latinos, blacks and women. An angry mob shouted prostitute at the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. They also spat in front of a group of her supporters.... To all Puerto Ricans who can vote in this upcoming United States election and represent those of us who cannot: Vote for Kamala Harris."

Another Cannon Blast. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Aileen M. Cannon, the federal judge overseeing the prosecution of a man accused of trying to assassinate ... Donald J. Trump, rejected the man's request that she remove herself from the case, saying on Tuesday that she has no relationship with Mr. Trump even though he appointed her to the bench and she has ruled in his favor in a separate criminal matter. Judge Cannon denied the request by the defendant, Ryan W. Routh, in a brief decision issued in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla. Mr. Routh was arrested last month in West Palm Beach after Secret Service agents spotted him carrying a rifle in the bushes along the fence line of one of Mr. Trump's golf courses. Mr. Routh's lawyers first asked Judge Cannon to remove herself from the case two weeks ago. In their initial request, they argued that Mr. Trump had 'repeatedly praised' her rulings in [the unrelated] classified documents [case]. In an unexpected decision in that matter, Judge Cannon threw out all the charges against Mr. Trump in July, ruling against decades of legal precedent that Jack Smith, the special counsel who filed the indictment, had been illegally appointed to his job." (Also linked yesterday.)

AP: "Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was released from prison early Tuesday, after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, according to Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons. He planned to hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan, his representatives said. He's also expected to resume his podcast Tuesday." (Also linked yesterday.)

Tim Arango of the New York Times: "David DePape, the intruder who broke into the home of Nancy Pelosi two years ago and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer, was sentenced [by a state court judge] on Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.... Mr. DePape had, in the years before the attack, become immersed in the darker corners of the internet and embraced conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and QAnon. Mr. DePape, 44, is already serving a 30-year sentence in prison after being convicted of two federal crimes last year: attempted kidnapping of a federal officer and assault on an immediate family member of a federal official. In June, Mr. DePape was convicted of several crimes in state court, including aggravated kidnapping; false imprisonment of an elder by violence or menace; and first-degree burglary. Mr. DePape's state sentence will be served concurrently with his federal sentence, and he will be held in a state prison, according to the San Francisco district attorney's office."

~~~~~~~~~~

Indiana. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "Larry Savage, who previously ran for the GOP nomination in Indiana's 5th Congressional District, was serving as a local precinct committeeman in Madison County, when a pair of sample ballots during a test of the voting equipment went missing, said [a Fox 59 report]. 'A review of security footage, which was subsequently being live-streamed online, showed Savage handling the two missing ballots. He can also be heard confirming with an election official that these are 'absolutely, totally real ballots.' In the video Savage can be seen looking around the room before folding up two ballots and putting them in his sweatshirt pocket. After this, Savage muttered to another woman in attendance, 'f---ed up count,' and left with the ballots. He later joined in that woman's Facebook Live, where he posted comments appearing to disparage the validity of the process, saying things like '3 ballots short!!! lol.'... Savage [told police who found the missing ballots in his car that] he took the ballots thinking they were 'sample' ballots ... and thought it meant they were free samples for the public to take. 'If you go to Payless, or go wherever, it says sample and you usually can take a sample,' he said. 'So that is the way I took it. I thought they were fake f---ing ballots.'... The ballots weren't marked 'sample,' and bore clear warnings that it was a crime to steal or tamper with them." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yeah, I can see why a person would confuse a test ballot at a polling station with Cheddar-on-a-toothpick on a Piggly-Wiggly tray.

Michigan. Alexandra Berzon of the New York Times: "Two local election officials in Michigan have been removed from overseeing the vote, state officials said on Tuesday, in a forceful move to keep Trump-aligned officials from trying to subvert election rules. Tom Schierkolk, the clerk of Rock River Township in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and his deputy, David LaMere, were removed after telling state officials that they intended to hand count ballots before sending their tally on for the county canvass, according to a letter that Jonathan Brater, Michigan's elections director, sent to Mr. Schierkolk on Monday.... Mr. Schierkolk is tied to a network of activists who have pushed several baseless theories about corruption in elections and, at times, advocated the hand-counting of ballots, apparently believing that electronic voting machines are insecure. Donald J. Trump and his allies spread the idea widely after his defeat in 2020, claiming, falsely, that the machines had changed the votes to Joseph R. Biden Jr. In his letter, Mr. Brater noted that hand-counting is against the law and could undermine the accuracy and security of the count.... Mr. Brater wrote that the clerk had refused an order from the Michigan secretary of state's office to follow proper procedures."

Pennsylvania. Kate Christobek of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by six Republican members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation that challenged the state's handling of ballots for military and overseas voters. The judge tossed the suit on procedural grounds, including that the plaintiffs had waited too long to initiate legal action and could not rely on 'phantom fears of foreign malfeasance' to justify their late challenge. The decision, handed down by Judge Christopher C. Conner of U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, noted that Pennsylvania authorities had already sent out more than 25,000 overseas ballots by the end of September."

News Lede

New York Times: "Teri Garr, the alternately shy and sassy blond actress whose little-girl voice, deadpan comic timing, expressive eyes and cinematic bravery in the face of seemingly crazy male characters made her a star of 1970s and '80s movies and earned her an Oscar nomination for her role in 'Tootsie,' died on Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 79."

The Conversation -- October 29, 2024

Another Cannon Blast. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Aileen M. Cannon, the federal judge overseeing the prosecution of a man accused of trying to assassinate ... Donald J. Trump, rejected the man's request that she remove herself from the case, saying on Tuesday that she has no relationship with Mr. Trump even though he appointed her to the bench and she has ruled in his favor in a separate criminal matter. Judge Cannon denied the request by the defendant, Ryan W. Routh, in a brief decision issued in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla. Mr. Routh was arrested last month in West Palm Beach after Secret Service agents spotted him carrying a rifle in the bushes along the fence line of one of Mr. Trump's golf courses. Mr. Routh's lawyers first asked Judge Cannon to remove herself from the case two weeks ago. In their initial request, they argued that Mr. Trump had 'repeatedly praised' her rulings in a separate case in which he stood accused of illegally holding onto classified documents after he left office. In an unexpected decision in that matter, Judge Cannon threw out all the charges against Mr. Trump in July, ruling against decades of legal precedent that Jack Smith, the special counsel who filed the indictment, had been illegally appointed to his job."

Ignorance Is Bliss His Excuse. Again. ABC News: Donald Trump "denied knowing the comedian who made a slew of racist, sexist and vulgar comments at his rally at Madison Square Garden, ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott reports.... 'I don't know him, someone put him up there. I don't know who he is,' Trump told ABC's Scott. Trump also insisted he didn't hear any of the comments, even as they've been played on television and written about extensively. When asked what he made of them, he did not take the opportunity to denounce them, repeating that he didn't hear the comments."

Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, endorsed Vice President Harris's presidential bid and spent part of the weekend campaigning for the Democratic ticket in Pennsylvania, 'People' magazine reported.... The magazine published a photo of Bush and her friends door-knocking in Pennsylvania this past weekend."

Judd Legum of Popular Information calls Elon Musk's "cunt" ad "the most misogynistic ad in the history of politics.... On Friday afternoon, America PAC posted a video ad attacking ... Vice President Kamala Harris. 'America really can't afford a "C-Word" in the White House right now,' America PAC posted, adding a laughing emoji. 'Kamala Harris is a "C word,"' the narrator of the ad says. 'You heard that right. A big ole "C word."' The 'joke' of the ad is that Harris is a 'communist.' Of course, Harris is not a communist. And the ad makes no effort to show she is a communist. The line is only included as a pretext to repeatedly use a crass, misogynistic slur against Harris." Legum notes that the Trump campaign "coordinates directly with America PAC.... On Monday, America PAC deleted the ad attacking Harris from X. Neither America PAC nor Musk explained -- or even acknowledged --the ad's removal from the platform. As of Monday afternoon, the ad remains available on America PAC's Facebook account."

Another Big Newspaper Afraid of Trumpolini. Kipp Jones of Mediaite: "USA Today will not endorse a candidate in the coming week before the election, explaining it will let its readers make 'informed decisions' on their own.... In October 2020, USA Today's editorial board cited then-President Donald Trump's handling of the Covid pandemic, the economy, and his character as reasons for a rare endorsement of then-candidate Joe Biden."

AP: "Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was released from prison early Tuesday, after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, according to Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons. He planned to hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan, his representatives said. He's also expected to resume his podcast Tuesday."

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

Nicholas Nehamas & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris raced across Michigan on Monday, making three stops in the battleground state to begin a furious final week of her presidential campaign. She and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, capped the day with a joint appearance in Ann Arbor, where they addressed an outdoor crowd [of an estimated 21,000 people] on a brisk evening.... After weeks of explicit appeals to Republicans, Ms. Harris sprinkled her speech near the University of Michigan's campus with outreach to progressive Democrats. She said health care 'should be a right, and not just a privilege for those who can afford it.' When she was interrupted by protesters shouting about American policy toward Israel and Gaza, she told them, 'I hear you.'... Mr. Walz addressed gun violence, a topic that polls show resonates deeply with young voters who have grown up participating in active-shooter drills in their schools. 'I'll take no crap on this,' Mr. Walz said. 'Both members of the Democratic ticket are gun owners. The Republican nominee can't pass a background check.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "On a day when Donald Trump's campaign tried to distance itself from racist insults about Latinos at his recent rally in New York City, Vice President Kamala Harris sought to drive home 'the two extremely different visions' of America she said the two presidential candidates represent.... 'I'm very proud to have the support of folks like Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez and others, who were supporting me before that nonsense last night at Madison Square Garden and are supporting me because they understand that they want a president of the United States who is about uplifting the people and not berating, not calling America a "garbage can,"' Harris said before boarding Air Force Two for the flight to Michigan."

Oh, She Wrote the Art of the Deal. Rachel Siegel & Maeve Reston of the Washington Post: "... in interviews, two dozen former aides, attorneys general, banking experts and Obama administration officials underscored that [Kamala] Harris's role as a tough negotiator [when she was a new state attorney general] set her apart. Her allies look back on the episode as an example of her ability to make gutsy decisions -- withstanding pressure from colleagues trying to get her to fall in line and going toe to toe with banking executives who said her demands were unfair." The article reports on a confrontation between Harris & JPMorgan Chase CEO cowardly blowhard Jamie Dimon. (Also linked yesterday.)"

Marie: I'm not sure why the Gray Lady was too delicate to mention this in the report, linked yesterday, on Walz & Ocasio-Cortez's video-game session: ~~~

     ~~~ Kipp Jones of Mediaite: "Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz reacted live on Twitch to comic Tony Hinchcliffe speaking at the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday and were not amused.... The two aired the clip of Hinchliffe's Puerto Rico joke and reacted live: Walz: 'Who is that? Jackwad? Who is that guy?' AOC: 'Actually, I think that's Tommy Hinchcliffe. Which is super disappointing.... Yeah, I mean, it's like super upsetting. Obviously, it's super upsetting to me. My family's from Puerto Rico. The thing that is so messed up that I wish more people understood is that the things that they do in Puerto Rico are a testing ground for the policies and the horrors that they wish to and that they do unveil in working-class communities across the United States. And I need people to understand that ... when you have some A-hole calling Puerto Rico floating garbage. I know that that's what they think about you. That is like that's just what they think about you. I's what they thin about anyone who makes less money than them. It's what they think about the people who serve them food in a restaurant....'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Oh, Walz & AOC Took the "Joke" "Out of Context." Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: Tony "Hinchcliffe responded to a clip on ... X of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticizing his material.... 'These people have no sense of humor,' Hinchcliffe wrote on X. 'Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his "busy schedule" to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist.... I love Puerto Rico and vacation there,' he continued. 'I made fun of everyone ... watch the whole set. I'm a comedian Tim& ... might be time to change your tampon.'... 'You don't "love Puerto Rico,"' Ocasio-Cortez responded in a separate post. 'You like drinking piña coladas. There's a difference.'" MB: Yes, if only Walz, AOC & the rest of us had shown more appreciation for his stereotyping Blacks, all Latinos and Jews, we would have been way more understanding about the insult to Puerto Ricans. More on the fallout from Madison Square Garden Racist Night linked below.

Trump Threatens Michelle Obama. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said that Michelle Obama had made a 'big mistake' by criticizing him, as he responded on Monday for the first time to her recent searing comments about his mental state. 'I always tried to be so nice and respectful,' said Mr. Trump, who in 2011 spent weeks spreading the lie that Barack Obama ... was actually born in Kenya, with the insinuation being that he was therefore illegitimately in office.... Mr. Trump made the comments at a rally in Atlanta, in response to what Mrs. Obama, the former first lady, said about him while campaigning on Saturday for Vice President Kamala Harris in Michigan. At that event, Mrs. Obama said some voters were ignoring Mr. Trump's 'gross incompetence.' She said Mr. Trump had displayed 'erratic behavior' and 'obvious mental decline,' and noted that he had been found 'liable for sexual abuse' in a civil case and that the former president was now a felon. 'She was nasty,' Mr. Trump said, adding, 'That was a big mistake that she made.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Perhaps you don't take Trump's remark as a threat, and I'll admit that if I told a child he had "made a big mistake," it probably would not be a threat. But when a person known for vindictiveness who has promised retribution against his political enemies calls a woman "nasty" and says she has "made a big mistake" by criticizing him, his preference is to exact revenge against her and his purpose is to threaten her.

Peter Baker & Dylan Freedman of the New York Times: "All in all..., Donald J. Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday was a cornucopia of crudeness, punctuated by the kind of language that once would have been unthinkable for a gathering held to promote the candidacy of a would-be president of the United States.... Four-letter words were flying everywhere. One speaker flipped his middle finger at the opposition. Another made what was interpreted as an oral sex joke regarding Vice President Kamala Harris. Another suggested she was a prostitute. Still another discussed the supposed sexual habits of Latinos rather explicitly.... But among the many lines that Mr. Trump has obliterated in his time in politics is the invisible boundary between propriety and profanity.... In his third campaign for the presidency, his speeches have grown coarser and coarser.... By comparison, Ms. Harris, 60, is practically prim in public." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's an anecdote I don't think I've heard before: "When [President Harry Truman] talked about 'manure' at a horticulture show, a scandalized friend of his wife, Bess, asked if she could get him to use a less salacious word. 'Heavens, no,' Mrs. Truman said. 'It took me 25 years to get him to say "manure."'"

Annie Karni of the New York Times: During yesterday's rally in Madison Square Garden, Donald Trump said to Mike Johnson, "'I think with our little secret we're going to do really well with the House, right?... Our little secret is having a big impact. He and I have a little secret -- we will tell you what it is when the race is over.'... [Democrats feared] a scenario in which Mr. Johnson, who worked with Mr. Trump to undermine the 2020 election results, would again be in cahoots with the former president to steal the election and stop the certification of the results on Jan. 6, 2025, should Vice President Kamala Harris win. In a statement provided to The New York Times, the mild-mannered Mr. Johnson did nothing to alleviate those fears. Instead, he seemed to confirm that there was, in fact, a 'little secret' -- and that he planned to keep it that way." ~~~

~~~ Ah, have no fear! RAS reveals that Garry Trudeau has found a way to head the two desperados off at the pass. It's an official act, folks. It could work.

Uh, Trump Plans Rally Today in Middle of Allentown's Puerto Rican Neighborhood. Meredith Hill, et al., of Politico: "Many Puerto Rican voters in [battleground Pennysylvania] are furious about racist and demeaning comments delivered at a Trump rally. Some say their dismay is giving Kamala Harris a new opening to win over the state's Latino voters, particularly nearly half a million Pennsylvanians of Puerto Rican descent.... A nonpartisan Puerto Rican group drafted a letter urging its members to oppose Trump on election day. Other Puerto Rican voters were lighting up WhatsApp chats with reactions to the vulgar display and raising it in morning conversations at their bodegas. Some are planning to protest Trump's rally Tuesday in Allentown, a majority-Latino city with one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in the state. And the arena Trump is speaking at is located in the middle of the city's Puerto Rican neighborhood."

Marie: According to a Politico report I linked yesterday (as well as other reports I've read) about Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, "A Trump adviser said the speakers' remarks weren't vetted by the campaign." But that can't be entirely true, can it, because somebody loaded the speeches into the teleprompter. Well, it turns out the distancing is not true AT ALL. ~~~

~~~ Marc Caputo of the Bulwark: "Tony Hinchcliffe 'had a joke calling [Vice President Kamala] Harris a 'cunt,' a campaign insider ... told The Bulwark.... Campaign staffers had asked all speakers to submit drafts of their speeches ahead of time -- before they were loaded into the teleprompter -- according to ... sources. Once the objectionable 'cunt' joke was spotted, the sources said, a staffer asked Hinchcliffe to strike it. He complied. Those sources insisted that they did not spot the other objectionable lines in Hinchcliffe's speech prior to him delivering it because they were ad-libbed. Hinchcliffe couldn't be reached for comment.... 'It's a joke. People need to grow up,' one Trump adviser in the no-apology camp told The Bulwark. 'This is what we're campaigning against: PC culture run amok.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Nicole Acevedo & Ignacio Torres of NBC News: "The comedian who let loose a series of racist jokes, some about Puerto Rico, at ... Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday night workshopped the material the night before at [the Stand] comedy club [in Manhattan (just below Gramercy Park)].... The joke [about the 'florating island of garbage'] did not draw laughs, just a handful of awkward chuckles. [The self-identified comedian Tony] Hinchcliffe told the audience that he would be performing at the Madison Square Garden rally the next day and said multiple times during his routine that he would get a better reaction 'tomorrow at the rally.'... The criticism and the controversy over Hinchcliffe's joke -- which Trump himself did not disavow when he addressed the rally or later -- are now at the forefront as the two presidential candidates vie for the support of Puerto Rican voter...."

Emmanuel Felton of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden ... featured a song that had little in common with the location: 'Dixie,' the unofficial national anthem of the Confederate States of America. The song, which some see as an ode to Southern pride and others condemn as a celebration of American slavery, was played at least twice during the night, once as Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor, entered and left the stage. 'How good of a song is that,' Witkoff said at the beginning of his comments." MB: I'm surprised they didn't play "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." Heck, maybe they did.

Spokesperson Tries to Defend Trump. Colby Hall of Mediaite: "Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt woke up very early Monday morning so that she could appear on Fox & Friends in the 6 AM hour.... [Speaking of Trump rally Sunday, she said,] 'It was amazing... And it was such a diverse group of people in that stadium packed to the house.... You had black Americans, Latino Americans, Jewish Americans, men, women of all ages coming in support of President Trump and unafraid to show it.' Steve Doocy then asked..., 'You know, this morning, mainstream media has picked up on the comic's comments, which were offensive, have been denounced by the campaign and everybody else. What went on with that?' 'Look, it was a comedian who made a joke in poor taste,' she replied. 'Obviously, that joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign. And I think it is sad that the media will pick up on one joke that was made by a comedian rather than the truths that were shared by the phenomenal list of speakers that we had.'... 'The crowd, they didn't mind,' she said of the racist jokes." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: For context, I should say that Leavitt is as blonde & White as the driven snow. Second, I suspect that by "such a diverse group at the rally" she meant "all the way from Bavaria to Prussia." The Blacks, Latinos & Jews who may have been there showed up as props for all the racist slurs. As you can tell from a few of the links below (which don't cover the breadth of the slurs), the racist attacks made at the rally were by no means limited to one speaker or against one group of "floating islanders." It's true, though, that "the crowd didn't mind." Apparently they roared their approval of some of the racist remarks.

Anita Hill, in a New York Times op-ed: "It's not easy to remain calm and collected in the glare of intense public scrutiny, especially when the opposition is set on denying your integrity, competence and accomplishments. But call it grace, poise or dignity, Kamala Harris has managed to make a positive case for her candidacy every day since President Biden endorsed her to take his place on the Democratic ticket. Think about it: No presidential nominees in modern history have faced such a direct challenge to the authenticity of their identity and by extension their qualifications to be the president." (Also linked yesterday.)

Heather Cox Richardson on Substack: "... the 2024 October surprise was the Trump campaign's fascist rally at Madison Square Garden, a rally so extreme that Republicans running for office have been denouncing it all over social media tonight.... Like [the Nazi rally of 1939], Trump's rally was supposed to demonstrate power and inspire his base to violence.... Trump advisor Stephen Miller's claim that 'America is for Americans and Americans only' directly echoed the statement of Adolf Hitler that 'Germany is for Germans and Germans only.'... But Trump perhaps gave away the game with his inflammatory language and with an aside, seemingly aimed at House speaker Johnson. 'I think with our little secret we are gonna do really well with the House, right? Our little secret is having a big impact, he and I have a secret, we will tell you what it is when the race is over,' Trump said. It seems possible -- probable, even -- that Trump was alluding to putting in play the plan his people tried in 2020." (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: If you don't think Donald Trump is infecting his party with his racial animus, look at these stories about Abby Phillip kicking a guest off the air mid-show and Elon Musk's superPAC making cunt jokes:

Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "CNN NewsNight host Abby Phillip took the highly unusual step of kicking a guest off the show in the middle of Monday's program. Phillip's panel discussed ... Donald Trump's lengthy rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.... During the panel, guests Mehdi Hasan and Ryan Gidursky argued about the rally, with Hasan stating that Trump made some troubling remarks himself.... 'Well, I hope your beeper doesn't go off,' Gidursky replied [to Hasan at one point], alluding to the fact that the Israeli government planted explosives in pagers that were to be delivered to members of the Hezbollah terror group.... 'Did you just say I should die?' a stunned Hasan said.... The show eventually went to break, and when she returned, Phillip apologized to Hasan and told viewers Gidursky had been kicked off the show[.]" Accompanying the story, there is video of the CNN segment, and it's mostly the crosstalk.

Brittany Gibson of Politico: "Elon Musk's America PAC shared a video calling Kamala Harris 'the c-word' on X, the social media platform also owned by the tech billionaire. The narrator in the 34-second ad repeatedly calls Harris a 'c-word' and says other elected officials whose photos are displayed in the ad -- Democrats President Joe Biden, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) -- are all 'c-words.' The ad flashes an image of a cat with a meow sound, an innuendo for the swear word, before the voiceover reveals that the 'c-word' stands for 'communist.' The reference to vulgar language to describe Harris mirrors crude language about women, people's genitalia and political opponents often used by Donald Trump...." MB: It is so wrong to call Trump backers pottomouths when they're really clever boys you might meet in the fourth grade.

     ~~~ Marie: As far as I can tell, Gidusky and whoever produced the superPAC ad are people who don't know that violent, racist or sexist references aren't funny. They don't know this because among their role models is Donald Trump, and he thinks it's hilarious to mock other people, quite often for things that are accidents of birth and not funny in any situation.

Kate Christobek of the New York Times: "District Attorney Larry Krasner of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit on Monday to stop Elon Musk and his Trump-supporting organization, America PAC, from continuing their $1 million daily giveaway in Pennsylvania, calling it an illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in the presidential election. Mr. Musk's giveaway, which had already prompted the Justice Department to warn that it might violate federal law, purports to 'randomly' reward registered voters in seven battleground states who signed a conservative petition by America PAC, which is mobilizing voters to support Mr. Trump. 'America PAC and Musk are lulling Philadelphia citizens -- and others in the Commonwealth (and other swing states in the upcoming election) -- to give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1 million,' the lawsuit said. 'That is a lottery. And it is indisputably an unlawful lottery.'"

"Bezos" Begins with "B" & Ends with "S." Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Katie Robertson & Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: "Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, whose decision to end presidential endorsements at the paper set off a firestorm inside and outside the paper last week, said on Monday in his first comments about the change that it had been done to improve the newsroom's credibility, not to protect his own personal interests. 'Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election,' Mr. Bezos wrote in an essay published on The Post's website. He added: 'What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it's the right one.'... Earlier on Monday, three journalists ... -- David Hoffman, who has worked at The Post since 1982; Molly Roberts; and Mili Mitra, the director of audience for the opinion department ... -- said they were stepping down from The Post's 10-person editorial board. All three are staying at the paper in other roles. ...

"[Irony Alert!] Mr. Hoffman received a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing at a ceremony on Thursday for a series on authoritarian regimes suppressing dissent.... 'I believe we face a very real threat of autocracy in the candidacy of Donald Trump,' Mr. Hoffman said in his letter announcing his intent to step down to the editor of the opinion department, David Shipley. 'I find it untenable and unconscionable that we have lost our voice at this perilous moment.'" The AP's story, by David Bauder, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bezos' excuse is indeed B.S. As far as I know, the WashPo newsroom didn't need much help with its credibility. Since the editorial board operates separately from the newsroom, the editorial board cannot enhance or diminish the newsroom's credibility. Is Bezos pretending he doesn't know that, or does he truly not know? The WashPo editorial board has sucked for years; Bezos just made it even worse and he enhanced his own legacy as a major jackass. ~~~

~~~ Wow! David Folkenflik of NPR: "The Washington Post has been rocked by a tidal wave of cancellations from digital subscribers and a series of resignations from columnists, as the paper grapples with the fallout of owner Jeff Bezos's decision to block an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president. More than 200,000 people had canceled their digital subscriptions by midday Monday, according to two people at the paper with knowledge of internal matters. Not all cancellations take effect immediately. Still, the figure represents about 8% of the paper's paid circulation of roughly 2.5 million subscribers, which includes print as well. The number of cancellations continued to grow Monday afternoon.... Earlier this year, [Will] Lewis, the Post publisher, had touted the paper's net gain of 4,000 subscribers as noteworthy.... The top [WashPo story read on Sunday] was humor columnist Alexandra Petri's piece, headlined, 'It has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to endorse Harris for president.'" Emphasis added. MB: Say, Jeff, your fake excuse for dumping on Harris is not going to get those subscribers to come crawling back sporting "All is Forgiven" signs plastered to their foreheads.

Sheera Frenkel, et al., of the New York Times: Election-related "disinformation from abroad -- particularly from Russia, China and Iran -- has matured into a consistent and pernicious threat, as the countries test, iterate and deploy increasingly nuanced tactics, according to U.S. intelligence and defense officials, tech companies and academic researchers. The ability to sway even a small pocket of Americans could have outsize consequences for the presidential election, which polls generally consider a neck-and-neck race. Russia, according to American intelligence assessments, aims to bolster the candidacy of former President Donald J. Trump, while Iran favors his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. China appears to have no preferred outcome. But the broad goal of these efforts has not changed: to sow discord and chaos in hopes of discrediting American democracy in the eyes of the world.... Here are the ways that foreign disinformation has evolved[.]"

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge [-- Tanya Chutkan --] on Monday granted Donald Trump's lawyers' request to push back the deadline for filing their view of whether the former president is immune from prosecution in the 2020 election subversion case until two weeks after the presidential election." ~~~

~~~ Charlie Savage & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Court documents unsealed on Monday shed new light on a legal battle over which of ... Donald J. Trump's White House aides had to testify before a grand jury in Washington that charged him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, showing how judges carved out limits on executive privilege. The trove -- including motions, judicial orders and transcripts of hearings in Federal District Court in Washington -- did not reveal significant new details about Mr. Trump's efforts to cling to power. But it did open a window on important questions of presidential power and revealed how judges grew frustrated with Mr. Trump's longstanding strategy of seeking to delay accountability for his attempts to overturn his defeat to Joseph R. Biden Jr.... As one witness after another tried to spurn grand jury subpoenas or showed up but then refused to answer questions..., two chief judges of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia -- first Judge Beryl A. Howell, and then Judge James E. Boasberg when he succeeded her in March 2023 -- ruled that the grand jury's need for the information in a criminal inquiry overcame the executive privilege shield."

Sara Ruberg of the New York Times: "Jay Johnston, a comedian and actor who voiced Jimmy Pesto Sr. on the Fox sitcom 'Bob's Burgers,' was sentenced to a year and a day in prison over his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Johnston, 55, pleaded guilty in July to a felony charge of obstruction of law enforcement after reaching a plea agreement that dropped three other charges originally brought against him. The actor was arrested in June 2023 in California with the help of internet sleuths who identified Mr. Johnston after the F.B.I. posted photos of him at the Capitol during the riot. Three other people who know Mr. Johnston also identified him.... He [also] was a regular on the 1990s sketch comedy show, 'Mr. Show with Bob and David,' as well as on 'The Sarah Silverman Program.' He has mostly starred in comedies on television and in movies."

~~~~~~~~~~

Oregon & Washington State. Robert Tait & Rachel Leingang of the Guardian: "Hundreds of early ballots cast for the US presidential election have been burned in two suspected attacks in Washington and Oregon, exacerbating tensions ahead of next Tuesday's knife-edge contest. Police said Monday that the fires in the two states were believed to be connected and that a vehicle involved had been identified, according to the Associated Press. Firefighters went to the scene after smoke was reported coming from a ballot drop box in the city of Vancouver in Washington state at 6.30 am on Monday, according to local media.... The fire was reported after a similar incident in nearby Portland in Oregon, where police say an incendiary device was set off inside a ballot drop box close to a building hosting the Multnomah county elections division." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Gene Johnson & Claire Rush of the AP: "Incendiary devices were set off Monday at two ballot drop boxes -- one in Portland and another in nearby Vancouver, Washington -- destroying hundreds of ballots in what one official called a 'direct attack on democracy' about a week before a heated Election Day. The early morning fire at the drop box in Portland was extinguished quickly thanks to a suppression system inside the box as well as a nearby security guard, police said, and just three ballots were damaged there. But within a few hours, another fire was discovered at a transit center drop box across the Columbia River in Vancouver. Vancouver is the biggest city in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, the site of what is expected to be one of the closest U.S. House races in the country, between first-term Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent. The ballot box in Vancouver also had a fire suppression system inside, but that failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from burning, said Greg Kimsey, the longtime elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver. He urged voters who dropped their ballots in the transit center box after 11 a.m. Saturday to contact his office for a replacement ballot."

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in Israel's wars are here: "Hezbollah named a new leader Tuesday, following the Israeli assassination of its former secretary general, Hasan Nasrallah, in late September. Naim Qassem, the group's new leader, had said after Nasrallah's killing that the militant group was prepared for a 'long' battle with Israel. Israel's parliament passed two laws that could seriously impede the work of the United Nations' aid agency in Gaza, prompting warnings from officials that it will deepen the humanitarian crisis gripping the Palestinian enclave. One of the laws prevents the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, from operating within Israeli territory. A second severs contact between the agency and Israeli state authorities, potentially disrupting the already intermittent flow of aid. Israel's move prompted international condemnation, and State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States had made clear to Israel that it was 'deeply concerned.' The Biden administration warned Israel this month that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza or risk losing U.S. weapons funding."

The Conversation -- October 28, 2024

Marie: According to a Politico report I linked earlier today (as well as other reports I read) about Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, "A Trump adviser said the speakers' remarks weren't vetted by the campaign." But that can't be entirely true, can it, because somebody loaded the speeches into the teleprompter. Well, it turns out the distancing is not true AT ALL. ~~~

~~~ Marc Caputo of the Bulwark: "Tony Hinchcliffe 'had a joke calling [Vice President Kamala] Harris a "cunt,"' a campaign insider involved in the discussions about the even told The Bulwark.... Campaign staffers had asked all speakers to submit drafts of their speeches ahead of time -- before they were loaded into the teleprompter -- according to ... sources. Once the objectionable 'cunt' joke was spotted, the sources said, a staffer asked Hinchcliffe to strike it. He complied. Those sources insisted that they did not spot the other objectionable lines in Hinchcliffe's speech prior to him delivering it because they were ad-libbed. Hinchcliffe couldn't be reached for comment.... 'It's a joke. People need to grow up,' one Trump adviser in the no-apology camp told The Bulwark. 'This is what we're campaigning against: PC culture run amok.'"

Robert Tait & Rachel Leingang of the Guardian: "Hundreds of early ballots cast for the US presidential election have been burned in two suspected attacks in Washington and Oregon, exacerbating tensions ahead of next Tuesday's knife-edge contest. Police said Monday that the fires in the two states were believed to be connected and that a vehicle involved had been identified, according to the Associated Press. Firefighters went to the scene after smoke was reported coming from a ballot drop box in the city of Vancouver in Washington state at 6.30am on Monday, according to local media.... The fire was reported after a similar incident in nearby Portland in Oregon, where police say an incendiary device was set off inside a ballot drop box close to a building hosting the Multnomah county elections division."

Heather Cox Richardson on Substack: "... the 2024 October surprise was the Trump campaign's fascist rally at Madison Square Garden, a rally so extreme that Republicans running for office have been denouncing it all over social media tonight.... Like [the Nazi rally of 1939], Trump's rally was supposed to demonstrate power and inspire his base to violence.... Trump advisor Stephen Miller's claim that 'America is for Americans and Americans only' directly echoed the statement of Adolf Hitler that 'Germany is for Germans and Germans only.'... But Trump perhaps gave away the game with his inflammatory language and with an aside, seemingly aimed at House speaker Johnson. 'I think with our little secret we are gonna do really well with the House, right? Our little secret is having a big impact, he and I have a secret, we will tell you what it is when the race is over,' Trump said. It seems possible -- probable, even -- that Trump was alluding to putting in play the plan his people tried in 2020."

Oh, She Wrote the Art of the Deal. Rachel Siegel & Maeve Reston of the Washington Post: "... in interviews, two dozen former aides, attorneys general, banking experts and Obama administration officials underscored that [Kamala] Harris's role as a tough negotiator [when she was a new state attorney general] set her apart. Her allies look back on the episode as an example of her ability to make gutsy decisions -- withstanding pressure from colleagues trying to get her to fall in line and going toe to toe with banking executives who said her demands were unfair." The article reports on a confrontation between Harris & JPMorgan Chase CEO cowardly blowhard Jamie Dimon.

Marie: I'm not sure why the Gray Lady was too delicate to mention this in the report, linked below, on Walz & Ocasio-Cortez's video-game session: ~~~

     ~~~ Kipp Jones of Mediaite: "Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz reacted live on Twitch to comic Tony Hinchcliffe speaking at the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday and were not amused.... The two aired the clip of Hinchliffe's Puerto Rico joke and reacted live: Walz: 'Who is that? Jackwad? Who is that guy?' AOC: 'Actually, I think that's Tommy Hinchcliffe. Which is super disappointing.... Yeah, I mean, it's like super upsetting. Obviously, it's super upsetting to me. My family's from Puerto Rico. The thing that is so messed up that I wish more people understood is that the things that they do in Puerto Rico are a testing ground for the policies and the horrors that they wish to and that they do unveil in working-class communities across the United States. And I need people to understand that ... when you have some A-hole calling Puerto Rico floating garbage. I know that that's what they think about you. That is like that's just what they think about you. It's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them. It's what they think about the people who serve them food in a restaurant. It's what they think about the people who.'"

Anita Hill, in a New York Times op-ed: "It's not easy to remain calm and collected in the glare of intense public scrutiny, especially when the opposition is set on denying your integrity, competence and accomplishments. But call it grace, poise or dignity, Kamala Harris has managed to make a positive case for her candidacy every day since President Biden endorsed her to take his place on the Democratic ticket. Think about it: No presidential nominees in modern history have faced such a direct challenge to the authenticity of their identity and by extension their qualifications to be the president."

Spokesperson Tries to Defend Trump. Colby Hall of Mediaite: "Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt woke up very early Monday morning so that she could appear on Fox & Friends in the 6 AM hour.... [Speaking of Trump's rally Sunday, she said,] 'It was amazing... And it was such a diverse group of people in that stadium packed to the house.... You had black Americans, Latino Americans, Jewish Americans, men, women of all ages coming in support of President Trump and unafraid to show it.' Steve Doocy then asked..., 'You know, this morning, mainstream media has picked up on the comic's comments, which were offensive, have been denounced by the campaign and everybody else. What went on with that?' 'Look, it was a comedian who made a joke in poor taste,' she replied. 'Obviously, that joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign. And I think it is sad that the media will pick up on one joke that was made by a comedian rather than the truths that were shared by the phenomenal list of speakers that we had.'... 'The crowd, they didn't mind,' she said of the racist jokes." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: For context, I should say that Leavitt is as blonde & White as the driven snow. Second, I suspect that by "such a diverse group at the rally" she meant "all the way from Bavaria to Prussia." The Blacks, Latinos & Jews who may have been there showed up as props for all the racist slurs. As you can tell from a few of the links below (which don't cover the breadth of the slurs), the racist attacks made at the rally were by no means limited to one speaker or against one group of "floating islanders." It's true, though, that "the crowd didn't mind." Apparently they roared their approval of some of the racist remarks.

Here's the part of Michelle Obama's speech -- delivered Friday in support of Kamala Harris -- where she lays out the effects and potential effects of Donald Trump's attacks on "the entirety of women's health." Thanks to RAS for the lead:

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

Marie: Sunday was Puerto Rico Day in the presidential campaigns. Kamala Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia where she spoke of plans to build new economic opportunities for Puerto Rico, Tim Walz played video games with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who is of Puerto Rican heritage. And in Madison Square Garden, a speaker kicked off a rally for Donald Trump by calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."

"Sí, Se Puede." Erica Green of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign moved quickly on Sunday to elevate and denounce racist and inflammatory remarks made by speakers at a rally for ... Donald J. Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York.... Ms. Harris wrapped up a day in Philadelphia, where she spent time courting Pennsylvania's significant Puerto Rican population by visiting a local Puerto Rican restaurant. While there, she talked about a new plan she announced on Sunday to bring economic opportunities to Puerto Rico, discussed her visit there after Hurricane Maria, and said that even as a senator she had 'felt a need and an obligation' to 'make sure Puerto Rico's needs were met.... This is not a new area of focus for me,' she said. She received a warm reception from the crowd, with chants of 'Sí, se puede.'... In neighborhoods across the city, Ms. Harris delivered tailored messages to different groups of voters as she continued her effort to secure the crucial 'blue wall' states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was Ms. Harris's 14th visit to Pennsylvania since she became the Democratic presidential nominee, and her seventh to the Philadelphia area."

Benjamin Oreskes of the New York Times: "Wearing a camouflage Vikings hat, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota joined Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, on Sunday to play Madden NFL 25 and talk about the election. 'Are we going to play some ball? Are we ready to do it?' Mr. Walz said to the audience watching via the streaming platform Twitch, cautioning that he was prepared to lose. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, played as the Buffalo Bills, while Mr. Walz, a former high school football coach, went with the Vikings. He and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez talked about the politics of Congress, where Mr. Walz served before he became governor and the Democrats' vice-presidential nominee. They compared the House to 'public school,' with the Senate being more like 'private school.'" MB: AOC, who was born in the Bronx, is of Puerto Rican heritage.

Sabrina Rodriguez of the Washington Post: "Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican recording artist and one of the biggest superstars in the world, on Sunday offered his support for Kamala Harris's candidacy for president, sharing a video of her plans for Puerto Rico on his Instagram -- a move that came just moments after a speaker at Donald Trump's rally in New York City referred to the U.S. territory as a 'floating island of garbage.' Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, shared on his story to his 45.6 million Instagram followers a video from Harris's official account in which the vice president outlines her vision for Puerto Rico. A source close to Bad Bunny confirmed the post was the artist announcing his support for Harris. 'I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader,' Harris said in the video, which he shared four times, focusing on this portion of her remarks in three of the shares. 'He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: No, no, it cannot be possible that a person can be "one of the biggest superstars in the world" if I, Marie Burns, never heard of him until Sunday. What, you say I'm a remarkable know-nothing? Maybe so.

Libby Cathey of CBS News: "The Democratic National Committee is projecting digital messages on Madison Square Garden's exterior during ... Donald Trump's campaign rally on Sunday about recent reports that he once praised Adolf Hitler and his generals and that cast him as unhinged.... Some Democrats [have made] comparisons [between Trump's MSG rally and] a 1939 rally [there] supporting Hitler and the Nazi party.... 'Donald Trump's got this big rally going at Madison Square Garden, [Gov. Tim] Walz said, speaking to voters in Nevada [on Sunday]. 'There's a direct parallel to a big rally that happened in the mid 1930s at Madison Square Garden. And don't think that he doesn't know for one second exactly what they're doing there.'"

Shane Goldmacher, et al., of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump's closing rally at Madison Square Garden on the second to last Sunday before the election was a release of rage at a political and legal system that impeached, indicted and convicted him, a vivid and at times racist display of the dark energy animating the MAGA movement. A comic kicked off the rally by dismissing Puerto Rico as a 'floating island of garbage,' then mocked Hispanics as failing to use birth control, Jews as cheap and Palestinians as rock-throwers, and called out a Black man in the audience with a reference to watermelon. Another speaker likened Vice President Kamala Harris to a prostitute with 'pimp handlers.' A third called her 'the Antichrist.' And the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson mocked Ms. Harris -- the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father -- with a made-up ethnicity, saying she was vying to become 'the first Samoan-Malaysian, low IQ former California prosecutor ever to be elected president." ~~~

     ~~~ Meredith McGraw of Politico: "Donald Trump's opening acts here at Madison Square Garden have been loud, vulgar and at times bigoted. And the thousands of Trump supporters who packed into the Midtown Manhattan arena -- some of whom slept on city sidewalks overnight -- loved it, and cheered, clapped and laughed, as the speakers dropped F-bombs, insulted Democrats and minorities and implored people to get out and vote for Trump.... Radio host Sid Rosenberg called Hillary Clinton a 'sick bastard.' 'Hillary Clinton. What a sick son of a bitch. The whole fucking party. A bunch of degenerates. Lowlives, Jew-haters and lowlives.... Every one of 'em,' said Rosenberg. Painter Scott LoBaido -- who painted an American flag live on a canvas set up on stage -- said to cheers, 'I'm opening up for the greatest fucking president in the world.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Meredith McGraw & Lisa Kashinsky of Politico: "Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, billed as a triumphant homecoming, turned into a political fiasco on Sunday night as a pro-Trump comedian's racist diatribe drew furious condemnation, including from prominent Republicans. The rally, held just more than a week before Election Day, was intended to serve as a platform for Trump to make his closing argument. But the racist slurs and vulgarity of the former president's opening acts were so striking -- and sparked such backlash -- that his campaign was left on the defensive and issued a disavowal.... In his own speech, Trump reprised some of his harshest remarks about immigration, with his calls to weed out 'the enemy from within.'Trump, who has demonized migrants, called for the death penalty for 'any migrant who kills an American citizen or a law enforcement officer,' and at one point stopped to show a video about Venezuelan migrants and gang activity in New York. The crowd responded by chanting: 'Send them back.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Allan Smith of NBC News: "Grant Cardone, a conservative influencer and investor, said [Vice President] Harris and 'her pimp handlers will destroy our country' and raised his middle finger to the camera to show what message a Trump victory would send to 'the elites.' 'It needs to be a landslide," he said. "We need to slaughter these other people..... David Rem, who announced his candidacy for mayor of New York on stage, echoed a rallygoer who called Harris 'the devil' and added that she is 'the Antichrist.'...

"But no comments generated more attention than an opening routine from ... Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke early in the afternoon. His jokes included saying Latinos 'love making babies' because 'there's no pulling out. They don't do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.' Then he targeted Puerto Rico, describing it as 'a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.' Then he told a joke about how he and a Black friend 'carved watermelons' together. There was an uncomfortable reception to his punch lines in the arena. Within hours of his remarks, multiple pro-Trump GOP members of Congress condemned him." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There are three main words in "floating island of garbage," and two of them are wrong. Obviously, the use of the term "garbage" to describe millions of people, their homes and their homeland is reprehensible. It makes me sick to hear it and read it. But let me just add that Puerto Rico is not "floating." I don't know if Hinchcliffe uses "floating" as a slur to suggest Puerto Ricans are aimless or if I should give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's so stupid he thinks islands float around the ocean and, what the hell, might bump up against the rest of the U.S. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Every MSM story I read about Trump's rally focused on the racist & xenophobic remarks that dominated the speeches. Except this Fox "News" report, which said nothing about racism. At all. heir report about "race" at the rally went like this: "Trump added that under his leadership, the Republican Party has become the 'party of inclusion.' 'Jews and Muslims and Catholics and evangelicals and Mormons, and they're all joining our cause in large numbers, larger than anyone has ever seen in this country before, larger than they've ever seen in any country,' he said. 'And we're a big, powerful party, and they're losing it. They're really losing it. Together we will lift America to glory beyond your wildest dreams. It's going to happen fast, too.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If the most shameful 21st-century moment in American history was January 6, 2021, then yesterday was the second-most. It happened nearly in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. There is a photo accompanying the Times piece about Trump's racist rally that includes Speaker Mike Johnson smiling and clapping at the hate-fest. Bear in mind that Mike and the Turtle have urged Vice President Harris to turn down the rhetoric because it's so dangerous: ~~~

This is probably my favorite segment EVER by @jaketapper. 👏 👏pic.twitter.com/zVB1TyY3mh

— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) October 25, 2024

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link.

Trump Ad Shows U.S. Went "to Hell" During His Presidency*. Adam Wren of Politico: "Donald Trump's two-minute ad that aired during Sunday's Philadelphia Eagles game and said the country had 'gone to hell' during the Biden and Harris administration featured an image from a protest during Trump's presidency, not Biden's. The 'Never Quit' spot featured an image from a photo gallery published by KPIC, a CBS affiliate, from a story headlined 'After day of fiery protests, uneasy calm in Seattle' -- in 2020. The protests erupted in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd." The ad is here on Instagram.

Yay! Top-Secret Docs for One & All! No Vetting Required! Shady Characters Welcome! Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "A memo circulating among at least half a dozen advisers to former President Donald J. Trump recommends that if he is elected, he bypass traditional background checks by law enforcement officials and immediately grant security clearances to a large number of his appointees after being sworn in.... The proposal is being promoted by a small group including Boris Epshteyn, a top legal adviser to Mr. Trump who was influential in its development.... It is not clear whether Mr. Trump has seen the proposal or whether he is inclined to adopt it if he takes office. But it would allow him to quickly install loyalists in major positions without subjecting them to the risk of long-running and intrusive F.B.I. background checks, potentially increasing the risks of people with problematic histories or ties to other nations being given influential White House roles. Such checks hung up clearances for a number of aides during Mr. Trump's presidency, including Mr. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Mr. Epshteyn himself." (Also linked yesterday.)

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "... in the nine years that he has been running for or serving as president, Mr. Trump has regularly evoked the language, history and motifs of fascism without hesitation or evident concern about how it would make him look.... No American commander in chief ... has so aggressively sought to discredit the institutions of democracy at home while so openly embracing and envying dictators abroad.... He goes out of his way to portray himself as an American strongman, vowing if re-elected to use the military to crack down on dissent, to use the Justice Department to prosecute and imprison his foes, to shut down news media outlets that displease him, to claim authority that his predecessors did not have and to round up millions of people living in the country illegally and put them in camps or deport them en masse. He has already sought to overturn a free and fair election..., something no other sitting president ever tried to do. When that did not work, he spread demonstrable lies about the 2020 vote so pervasively that he convinced most of his supporters that Mr. Biden's victory was illegitimate..., eroding faith in the democratic system.... He then called for the 'termination' of the Constitution so that President Biden could be instantly removed from power and himself reinstalled without a new election." (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ The online New York Times is rerunning its anti-Trump "Believe Him" editorial. (Also linked yesterday.)

Charles Homans & Alexandra Berzon of the New York Times: "In recent interviews and speeches, [retired Gen. Michael T. Flynn] and an associate are warning that this year's election will be stolen from Mr. Trump, advising supporters to take action to prevent a theft and vowing retribution once Mr. Trump is back in power.... Mr. Flynn's close associate [Ivan Raiklin] has discussed plans to overturn the election if Mr. Trump loses.... Mr. Flynn and Mr. Raiklin ... have been prominent exponents of false claims and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election for years. But they have recently focused on specific tactics to avoid what they predict will be the theft of the 2024 election.... On Oct. 11, Mr. Raiklin told a small group of livestreamers that he was planning for a range of scenarios in the days after the election. 'I have a plan and strategy for every single component of it,' he said. 'And then Jan. 6 is going to be pretty fun.'"

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Gene Weingarten, a former humor columnist for the Washington Post and a two-time Pulitzer-winner, contrasts former Post publisher Kate Graham and current owner Jeff Bezos. MB: Weingarten's depiction of Graham's courage is moving.

~~~~~~~~~~

Japan. Motoko Rich, et al., of the New York Times: "Japan's governing party lost its majority in parliamentary elections on Sunday, as voters delivered an emphatic rejection of the status quo, throwing Japanese politics into its most uncertain period in years. The Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for all but four years since 1955, lost more than 50 seats in an election for the House of Representatives, the influential lower chamber of Parliament, according to the public broadcaster, NHK. For more than a decade, elections in Japan had taken on a rubber-stamp quality for the conservative Liberal Democrats. This time, a wearied public angered by a long-simmering political finance scandal, rising inflation and the burdens of raising families inflicted a humiliating blow to the party just one month after it anointed Shigeru Ishiba as the new prime minister."

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Sunday in Israel's wars are here: "Iran's leaders stressed on Sunday that they had a right to respond to Israel's attack but appeared to take a measured tone, which could help ease concerns that the region's two largest militaries were gearing up for all-out war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that the retaliatory attack on Iran had achieved all of its objectives, as analysts questioned how his government might leverage its recent military gains on the diplomatic front. On Sunday, U.S. and Israeli officials were scheduled to travel to Qatar for meetings aimed at reviving negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages held there." (Also linked yesterday.)