Ides of October 2024

Trump appears lost, confused, and frozen on stage as multiple songs play for 30+ minutes and the crowd pours out of the venue early pic.twitter.com/6r0TE2qCYM

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 15, 2024

Georgia. Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "A county judge [--Robert C.I. McBurney --] in Georgia has rejected an argument by allies of ... Donald J. Trump that local election officials have the power to refuse to certify election results, finding the process to be mandatory and one that must meet critical deadlines. The ruling cuts at the heart of a key argument from right-wing activists following the 2020 election, when Mr. Trump sought to disrupt the certification process as part of his bid to subvert the results. In years since, right-wing groups have been seeking much broader authority and power over the certification process, an ambitious -- and legally dubious -- attempt to reimagine decades of settled law."

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. -- Kamala Harris, at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania ~~~

~~~ Erica Green of the New York Times: "... at a packed campaign rally on Monday night in Erie, Pa..., for Vice President Kamala Harris..., [she used] Mr. Trump's own words as her campaign amplified warnings of the dangers she says he poses should he win a second term in the White House. Ms. Harris pulled few punches as she portrayed her Republican opponent as an authoritarian obsessed with his own power, pointing to Mr. Trump's recent rallies and media appearances where he has asserted that his Democratic detractors were the 'enemy from within,' more dangerous than foreign adversaries like Russia and China, and that they 'should be put in jail.'... In a striking moment, Ms. Harris told the crowd of 6,000 that they didn't have to take her word for it, that she had an example of his 'worldview and intentions.... Please -- roll the clip,' she said as the crowd groaned and gasped as Mr. Trump's face flashed on screens. 'He's talking about the enemy within our country, Pennsylvania,' Ms. Harris said to a jeering crowd. 'He's talking about that he considers anyone who doesn't support him, or who will not bend to his will, an enemy of our country'." The AP's report is here.

Erica Green & Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris made a sweeping push on Monday to energize Black voters, among whom she faces slipping support, unveiling a plan to bolster the finances of Black men, appearing in interviews with two Black media outlets and releasing a pair of ads in battleground states targeted to that crucial voting group. Taken together, Ms. Harris's blitz put forward a broad argument that her administration would deliver meaningful policy changes for Black Americans and that ... Donald J. Trump was making empty promises that contradict his history of racist remarks.... The plan, called the 'Opportunity Agenda for Black Men,' expands upon Ms. Harris's 'opportunity economy' pitch, building upon efforts to address the unique barriers that the demographic faces in starting businesses and building wealth."

Look Who's Not Afraid of the Big Bad Fox. Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to an interview with Fox News, the network said on Monday. The interview, with Fox News's chief political anchor, Bret Baier, will take place near Philadelphia on Wednesday, shortly before it airs at 6 p.m. Eastern on Mr. Baier's program, 'Special Report.' Ms. Harris is expected to sit for 25 to 30 minutes of questions, the network said. This is Ms. Harris's first formal interview with Fox News, whose day-to-day programming is heavy on conservative punditry that often explicitly supports ... Donald J. Trump." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's hoping Harris brings to the Fox interview some of the receipts Rachel Maddow featured last night; video below.

Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz warned a crowd of supporters [at a rally in Wisconsin Monday] that ... Donald Trump was talking about them when denouncing 'the enemy from within.'... 'Donald Trump, over the weekend, was talking about using the U.S. Army against people who disagree with him. Just so you're clear about that, that's you. That's what he's talking about.... He called it "the enemy within." And to Donald Trump, anybody who doesn't agree with him is the enemy. I tell you that not to make you fearful or anything. I tell you that because we need to whip his butt and put this guy behind us.'...

At a rally in Colorado on Friday, Trump floated the idea of using the military on U.S. citizens. 'We have the greatest military in the world, but you have to know how to use them,' he said. 'It's the enemy from within. All the scum that we have to deal with that hate our country. That's a bigger enemy than China and Russia!' He reiterated the idea Sunday on Fox News. 'We have some sick people, radical left lunatics,' the former president stated. 'It should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or if really necessary by the military.'"

Listen to Walz pull out the stops: ~~~

In her lead segment last night, Rachel Maddow got to wondering about people who say that "business" or "the economy" are their main reasons they're voting for Donald Trump:

Some Things Donald Trump Has Lost: (1) Dozens of Court Cases; (2) 2020 Presidential Election; (3) His Marbles: ~~~

~~~ Michael Gold of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump was about 30 minutes into a town hall Monday night in suburban Philadelphia when a medical emergency in the crowd brought the questions and answers to a halt. Moments later, he tried to get back on track, when another medical incident seemed to derail things, this time for good. And so ... rather than try to restart the political program, he seemed to decide in the moment that it would be more enjoyable for all concerned -- and, it appeared, for himself -- to just listen to music instead. Mr. Trump had his staff fire up his campaign playlist, standing on the stage for about half an hour and swaying to songs as his crowd slowly dwindled. He bobbed his head through the Village People's 'Y.M.C.A.'.... He swayed soberly to Rufus Wainwright's version of 'Hallelujah,' watched a Sinead O'Connor video, rocked along to Elvis, watched the crowd during 'Rich Men North of Richmond' and then, finally, left the stage to shake hands on his way out during one last song." ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post headline calls Trump's dance party "a bizarre town hall episode." Meanwhile, the AP report treats the incident as sort of standard Trump. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So according to the Times, Trump spent half-an-hour of a supposed town hall bobbing his head. And he brags about his "genius" "weave." Yet the the same paper of record ran a headline accusing Harris of bobbing and weaving?

David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement, republished by the Raw Story: "After a weekend of speeches dehumanizing immigrants and threatening to use the U.S. military on Americans who oppose him, Donald Trump in a 1 AM dead of night post lashed out at his Democratic presidential opponent in what some are saying was projection. 'I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at 1:12 AM. 'Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her. Even 60 Minutes and CBS, in order to protect Lyin' Kamala, illegally and unscrupulously replaced an answer she had given, which was totally "bonkers," with another answer that had nothing to do with the question asked. Also, she is slow and lethargic in answering even the easiest of questions....' Late Monday morning Trump posted the same message on the social media site X....

"The Harris campaign mocked Trump in response. 'Trump posts at 1:12am that VP Harris must take a cognitive test,' wrote campaign spokesperson Ian Sams. 'As he refuses to release his medical records, sit with 60 Minutes, or debate her again -- instead retreating solely to rambling rallies where he's increasingly making no sense.'"

     ~~~ Marie: I doubt that Harris has taken a cognitive test. There's a reason for that. Unless a person shows signs of cognitive decline, these tests are usually reserved for people aged 65 & older, when Medicare kicks in. Harris is 59. Trump has taken the tests several times (by his own admission) because he's old and/or because his doctors suspected he was losing it. He's making a mistake to emphasize that by demanding that Harris take a test commonly reserved for the elderly and afflicted.

Aaron Navarro of CBS News: "More than 230 doctors, nurses and health care professionals, most of whom are backing Vice President Kamala Harris, are calling on ... Donald Trump to release his medical records, arguing that he should be transparent about his health 'given his advancing age.... Trump is falling concerningly short of any standard of fitness for office and displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity,; the 238 signatories wrote in a letter dated Oct. 13 and first obtained by CBS News. 'In the limited opportunities we can examine his behavior, he's providing a deeply concerning snapshot.'...

"Harris again called on Trump to release details about his health in an interview released on Monday. 'I put out my medical records. He won't put out his medical records. And you have to ask, why is this staff doing that? And it may be because they think he's just not ready, and [is] unfit and unstable and should not have that level of transparency for the American people,' Harris told journalist Roland Martin in an interview for his Black Star Network."

Aurora is not a war zone, and the pleasant 1.2 mile autumn walk [I took] through a mixture of neighborhoods, park, etc. was lovely.... It's a very rich environment. I can walk to a mosque, buy treats at an Armenian bakery, get my middle eastern staples at an Iraqi store, observe African prayer services, and even a Mexican wedding with mariachi band at the corner park, etc. etc. Oh, and people keep their dogs and cats under supervision as (native) coyotes might be in need of a meal. -- Aurora, Colorado, according to Linda from Denver, writing in yesterday's Comments

[Donald] Trump painted a picture of [Aurora] apartment complexes overrun by 'barbaric thugs' and streets unsafe to travel, blaming President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.... 'They're ruining your state,' Trump said.... 'No person who has inflicted the violence and terror that Kamala Harris has inflicted on this community can ever be allowed to become the president of the United States,' Trump added. Trump often used dehumanizing language, referring to ... migrants as 'animals' who have 'invaded and conquered' Aurora. The town is 'infected by Venezuela,' he said. -- Associated Press

Hmmm. So a person who follows Reality Chex can walk around Aurora freely and enjoy the street life. But a Trump follower would be afraid to step onto the curb. Looks like I am your protector. -- Marie

Bill Barrow of the AP: "Donald Trump insists that Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page blueprint for a hard-right turn in American government and society, does not reflect his priorities for a White House encore. 'I haven't read it. I don't want to read it -- purposefully,' the Republican presidential nominee said Sept. 10 on the debate stage. Yet from economics, immigration and education policy to civil rights and foreign affairs, there are common ideas and shared ideology between Project 2025 and Trump's outline for another term -- from his official 'Agenda 47' slate, the Republican platform he personally approved and his other statements.... Here's a look at how Trump's 2024 campaign and Project 2025 align and deviate[.]" MB: Where Barrow notes the two differ: Trump likes Russia; Project 2025 backs Ukraine. So Trump is worse than Project 2025.

About Those Corrupt Trump Pardons. Ken Vogel & Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "A Florida man who received a commutation of a 20-year fraud sentence from ... Donald J. Trump in 2020 -- only to plead guilty this year to a related crime -- was arrested on Sunday on domestic violence-related charges in South Florida. The man, Philip Esformes, was charged with two felony counts that could result in jail time and fines if he were convicted, according to a public records database maintained by Miami-Dade County. Mr. Esformes is at least the seventh person granted clemency by Mr. Trump who has been charged with new crimes after receiving a second chance, according to a New York Times analysis. Mr. Esformes is also the third known recipient of a clemency grant from Mr. Trump to be charged with a domestic violence-related offense."

Claire Moses of the New York Times: "Lilly Ledbetter, whose lawsuit against her employer paved the way for the Fair Pay Act of 2009 and who dedicated decades of her life to fighting for equal pay, died in Alabama on Saturday, her family said in a statement. She was 86." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Is it surprising that this savage fuck grew up to head the NRA? ~~~

~~~ Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "Douglas Hamlin, who was appointed to lead the NRA this summer in the wake of a long-running corruption scandal at the gun rights group, was involved decades ago in the sadistic killing of a fraternity house cat named BK, according to several local media reports at the time. Hamlin pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty brought against him and four of his fraternity brothers in 1980, when he was an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The charge was brought against Hamlin under a local Ann Arbor ordinance. All five members of Alpha Delta Phi were later expelled from the fraternity. The details of the case, described in local media reports at the time, are gruesome. The house cat was captured, its paws were cut off, and was then strung up and set on fire. The killing, which occurred in December 1979, was allegedly prompted by anger that the cat was not using its litterbox."

~~~~~~~~~~

Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: "Republican allies of former President Trump have embarked on a sweeping effort to restrict voting and purge voter rolls across the country since the 2020 election.... A review of the voting landscape by The Hill shows the breadth of efforts carried out at the state and local level, where GOP officials have adopted a number of measures to increase partisan control of elections and secure greater opportunities to audit results and hinder certification. They've also launched a series of lawsuits or other challenges seeking to cull voter rolls, sparking fears that bids to remove tens of thousands from the list will inevitably remove qualified voters."

Florida. Geoff Mulvihill of the AP: "Florida's government is finding fault on multiple fronts with an abortion rights ballot measure that Gov. Ron DeSantis opposes. This month, the state health department has been telling television stations they could be subject to criminal charges if they continue airing one ad from Floridians Protecting Freedom that the government says is untrue and creates a 'sanitary nuisance.' The ad has continued to run anyway. Separately, on Friday, the Office of Election Crimes and Security issued a report claiming a 'large number of forged signatures or fraudulent petitions' were submitted to get the question on the ballot. The state also announced a $328,000 fine against the ballot-measure group. The campaign director for the group says that the campaign has been 'above board' and that the state government is acting improperly to try to defeat the amendment."

North Carolina. Terence McGinley of the New York Times: "A North Carolina man was arrested on Saturday and accused of threatening federal emergency responders who have been administering aid since Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the state last month. The man, William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, N.C., was charged under a law that makes it illegal to carry a weapon in a way that threatens the public. He was arrested at a supermarket where a Federal Emergency Management Agency bus was parked.... Mr. Parsons had a handgun and a rifle in his possession. No FEMA personnel were at the site.... The man was overheard voicing threats at a gas station in neighboring Polk County, and either a station clerk or a customer alerted U.S. Army soldiers nearby, [a Rutherford County Sheriff's spokesman] said. The Army informed the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, whose deputies visited the gas station and obtained a description of the man's vehicle. That information led them to Mr. Parsons at the supermarket....

"Social media pages that appear to be run by Mr. Parsons feature messages supporting Mr. Trump and opposing coronavirus vaccines. One of the posts from 2020 shows the logo of the Three Percenters right-wing militia group and the message 'When tyranny becomes law, rebellion is order.'" CNN's report is here.

Texas Senate Race. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) vented his frustration with the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), for not spending any money in his competitive reelection race, accusing McConnell of using the group to 'punish' his critics in the Senate GOP conference.... Asked if McConnell or the PAC had put any money into his increasingly close race against Democratic Rep. Colin Allred (Texas), Cruz replied: 'Not a penny.' ... [Cruz] said the same thing happened in 2018, when he barely beat Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), who outspent him by a large margin."

~~~~~~~~~~

Canada/India. Matina Stevis-Gridneff of the New York Times: "Canada accused the Indian government on Monday of homicide and extortion intended to silence critics of India living in Canada, escalating a bitter dispute that began last year with an assassination of a Sikh activist. Canada expelled India's top diplomat and five others, saying they were part of a vast criminal network. India reciprocated, expelling six Canadian diplomats. The two countries have been in an intense dispute following the assassination in Canada of a prominent Sikh cleric, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time that his killing had been orchestrated by the Indian government. Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside India, where the religious minority lives mostly in the northwestern state of Punjab. The Indian government says that some Sikhs in Canada are actively involved in a secessionist movement that seeks to carve a Sikh homeland known as Khalistan out of India."

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Tuesday in Israel's wars are here: "A top U.N. humanitarian official condemned an Israeli strike on a hospital compound in central Gaza, which set tents ablaze and killed at least four people. The Israel Defense Forces said the strike was targeting Hamas militant infrastructure." ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates Tuesday are here.

Shira Rubin & Ellen Nakashima of the New York Times: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Biden administration he is willing to strike military rather than oil or nuclear facilities in Iran, according to two officials familiar with the matter, suggesting a more limited counterstrike aimed at preventing a full-scale war."

AP: "More than 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced in the past three weeks..., [Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's deputy executive director for humanitarian actions] said Monday, warning of a 'lost generation' in the small country grappling with multiple crises and now in the middle of war. Israel has escalated its campaign against the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group, including launching a ground invasion, after a year of exchanges of fire during its war with Hamas in Gaza. The fighting in Lebanon has driven 1.2 million people from their homes, most of them fleeing to Beirut and elsewhere in the north over the past three weeks since the escalation."

The Conversation -- October 14, 2024

Claire Moses of the New York Times: "Lilly Ledbetter, whose lawsuit against her employer paved the way for the Fair Pay Act of 2009 and who dedicated decades of her life to fighting for equal pay, died in Alabama on Saturday, her family said in a statement. She was 86." Thanks to RAS for the link.

Look Who's Not Afraid of the Big Bad Fox. Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to an interview with Fox News, the network said on Monday. The interview, with Fox News's chief political anchor, Bret Baier, will take place near Philadelphia on Wednesday, shortly before it airs at 6 p.m. Eastern on Mr. Baier's program, 'Special Report.' Ms. Harris is expected to sit for 25 to 30 minutes of questions, the network said. This is Ms. Harris's first formal interview with Fox News, whose day-to-day programming is heavy on conservative punditry that often explicitly supports ... Donald J. Trump."

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

Nicholas Nehamas & Maya King of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris challenged ... Donald J. Trump on Sunday for refusing to do what she has done in recent days: release a report on his health, sit for a '60 Minutes' interview and commit to another presidential debate. 'It makes you wonder: Why does his staff want him to hide away?' Ms. Harris asked the crowd at a rally in a packed college basketball arena in Greenville, N.C. 'One must question: Are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America?'... Ms. Harris's weekend visit to North Carolina also included local outreach efforts.... On Saturday, she helped put together care packages at a barbecue restaurant and met with local Black elected officials and faith leaders. Then, before her rally on Sunday, Ms. Harris attended a service at a predominantly Black church in Greenville as part of her campaign's wider initiative to engage Black faith voters, which will include a 'Souls to the Polls' initiative...."

Brakkton Booker & Eugene Daniels of Politico: "Kamala Harris, looking at daunting polling that shows she could draw some of the softest support for a Democratic nominee among Black men, is rolling out new efforts to shore up support with this key voting bloc. In the coming days, Harris plans several campaign events and policy proposals designed to appeal to Black men. She plans to announce three new policy prescriptions: providing 1 million small business loans that are forgivable up to $20,000, training and mentorship programs that would help give Black men a leg up in jumping into 'high-demand' industries and launching an initiative focused on health issues that disproportionately impact Black men. She will also tape a town hall with Charlamagne tha God, co-host of the popular Breakfast Club program...."

Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "With early voting set to begin in Georgia, the Harris campaign is sending the former president [Bill Clinton] to get out the vote in rural areas.... From a church service in Albany, where the former president reminisced about campaigning alongside the baseball great Hank Aaron, to the fish fry in Fort Valley attended by a few hundred people, Mr. Clinton used the opening hours of a two-day blitz to try to help Ms. Harris bump up her score wherever she can.... Mr. Clinton is scheduled to campaign again in Georgia on Monday -- again steering clear of Atlanta -- and to headline a bus tour in rural North Carolina later in the week."

Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday that he is worried about the prospect of unspecified actions by what he dubbed 'radical left lunatics' on Election Day, urging that the National Guard or U.S. military be deployed on American soil against those he labeled 'the enemy from within.'... The 'enemy from within,' Trump argued in a later part of the interview with Bartiromo, 'is more dangerous than China, Russia and all these countries.' He added that some politicians fell into that category. 'The thing that's tougher to handle are these lunatics that we have inside, like Adam Schiff,' the former president added.... 'Taken with his vow to be a dictator on "day one," calls for the "termination" of the Constitution, and plans to surround himself with sycophants who will give him unchecked, unprecedented power if he returns to office, [his proposal to use the military against voters] should alarm every American who cares about their freedom and security," [Harris campaign spokesman Ian] Sams [said]. 'What Donald Trump is promising is dangerous, and returning him to office is simply a risk Americans cannot afford.'"

They Can't Handle the Truth. Ashley Parker & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump and his campaign have waged an aggressive campaign against fact-checking in recent months, pushing TV networks, journalism organizations and others to abandon the practice if they hope to interact with Trump. Trump nearly backed out of an August interview with a group of Black journalists after learning they planned to fact-check his claims. The following month, he and his allies repeatedly complained about the fact-checking that occurred during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.... And this month, Trump declined to sit down for an interview with CBS's '60 Minutes' because he objected to the show's practice of fact-checking, according to the show.... The moves are the latest example of Trump's long-held resistance to being called to account for his falsehoods, which have formed the bedrock of his political message for years.... By the time [JD] Vance was preparing for a CBS debate with ... Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the issue of fact-checking was ever-present." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In fairness, it isn't just that they can't handle the truth; it's that they don't want to. As Parker & Dawsey lay out, the lie is the message. And you know what? The lie is beating the truth. See Charlie Warzel's essay below.

SAY, here's some news that might convince some Black (and White!) men to vote for Harris: ~~~

~~~ Lauren Irwin of the Hill: "Former President Trump said Sunday that a national abortion ban is 'off the table,' but he left the door open on the conversation by saying 'we'll see what happens.' 'Let me just tell you, I think that it's something that's off the table now, because I did something that everybody has wanted to do, I was able to get it back to the states,' Trump said on Fox News's 'Sunday Morning Futures.' The former president said overturning Roe v. Wade was something 'every Democrat and Republican wanted.'..." MB: If you don't want any baby mamas in your lives, gentlemen, you had better vote for the candidate who can be relied upon to stand up for reproductive rights rather than the one who both lied & equivocated about abortion in this interview. ~~~

~~~ AND just is case you're dumb enough to think Trump cares about you or wants to make your life easier, here's how much he cares about his most ardent supporters: ~~~

~~~ Stephanie Kaloi of the Wrap, republished by Yahoo! News: "Donald Trump made the unusual decision to hold a campaign event in Coachella, California on Saturday -- a state that he's undoubtedly set to lose ... -- and bussed supporters 5 miles into the venue to do so. Unfortunately for thousands of those who showed up, the buses seemingly didn't return to the venue late into the night, leaving many attendees stranded.... In a series of posts on X that were eventually deleted but were shared in screenshots, @WesleyxJohnson wrote that there was 'only one bus in rotation' and 'turnaround time for each drop off was 30 minutes,' with thousands waiting for said bus. Johnson added that there were originally 20-30 buses at the event.... Johnson later added that a bus driver told some abandoned attendees that 'ALL of the fuel stations for BUSES (not cars) were completely depleted,' which meant some of the bus drivers were stranded without gas. 'There were apparently 60 buses employed for this event,' he added, 'and the fuel reserves were completely depleted or never refilled before the event.'... TikTok was also awash in videos from the event and its aftermath." ~~~

     ~~~ AND this from the same article: "The Desert Sun reported that the event was limited to a maximum capacity of 15,000 people by Riverside County, but Trump claimed that the rally was attended by 100,000." Thanks to NiskyGuy for the lead. ~~~

     ~~~ Brooke Binkowski of the Times of San Diego: "The abandonment by the shuttles echoed Trump's 2020 campaign rallies, when his supporters were stranded at multiple events by the shuttle services and had to walk back to their vehicles alone, sometimes in freezing cold and snow." Thanks to NiskyGuy for the link.

Heavily-Armed Man on Way to Trump Rally Was Just Another Crazed Trump Backer. Kellen Browning of the New York Times: "A man was arrested and accused of illegal weapons possession as he was trying to enter ... Donald J. Trump's rally in Coachella, Calif., on Saturday evening, the Riverside County sheriff's office said on Sunday. The man, whom they identified as Vem Miller, 49, of Las Vegas, was found to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine, the sheriff's office said. Mr. Miller was later released on bail, according to the county's inmate information system. Mr. Miller had been allowed through an outer ring of security as he drove toward the rally but was stopped by law enforcement officers at a second level of security, before Mr. Trump had arrived at the rally, Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, said in a news conference on Sunday. In a joint statement, the U.S. attorney's office, the Secret Service and the F.B.I. said that the Secret Service had determined 'the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Trump was not in any danger.'...

"The Press-Enterprise reported Sunday that Mr. Miller ... supports Mr. Trump.... In the interview he said he was unfamiliar with the difference between California's and Nevada's gun laws. Law enforcement officers discovered that Mr. Miller had multiple passports with various names, and multiple driver's licenses, and that his car was unregistered, Mr. Bianco said. They also ascertained that Mr. Miller appeared to consider himself a 'sovereign citizen,' which Mr. Bianco described as part of a 'far-right' and 'fringe' group that believes government laws do not apply to them." ~~~

     ~~~ Brian Bokos of the Press-Enterprise: "A Las Vegas man was arrested with guns and fake I.D.s about a quarter mile from ... Donald Trump's campaign rally in Coachella Valley, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said Sunday. But while the sheriff called the arrest a thwarted assassination attempt, the man told a reporter he is a Trump supporter who bought the guns for his own safety and notified police at a checkpoint that they were in the trunk of his car."

Margaret Sullivan, a former New York Times public editor, tackles those NYT side-by-side headlines: "In interviews, Kamala Harris continues to bob and weave" and "In remarks about migrants, Donald Trump invoked his long-held fascination with genes and genetics." "The Kamala Harris headline is unnecessarily negative, over a story that probably doesn't need to exist. Politicians, if they are skilled, do this all the time. They answer questions by trying to stay on message.... So, it's a negative headline over a dubious story.... But juxtapose it with the Trump headline, which takes a hate-filled trope and treats it like some sort of lofty intellectual interest.... The article itself got to the heart of the matter -- but not until its 11th paragraph....Cleaning ... up [the vile stuff Trump has said] so it sounds like an academic white paper is really not a responsible way to present what's happening. What's more, the adjacency of these stories suggests equivalence between a traditional democracy-supporting candidate and a would-be autocrat....

"I'll share with you a post from historian and author Kevin Kruse about Trump. 'Historians: He's a fascist. Political scientists: He's a fascist. His own aides: He's a fascist. The NYT: He shows a wistful longing for a bygone era of global politics.' That, in essence, is the issue with these headlines." ~~~

     ~~~ ⭐ digby: Sullivan "notes that deep in the article itself they do address the fact that Trump is evoking 'the ideology of eugenics promulgated by Nazis in Germany and white supremacists in the United States.' To me that's the big story and it's one that's been out there since Trump came down the escalator in 2015. He really believes in this stuff and it's never been fully explored even as he's now not only talking about his own 'good German blood' as he used to do but saying that migrants have inferior genes. This is right out of the Nazi playbook and [I] would think that if the media made as big a de[a]l about this as they did Hillary Clinton's emails, some Hispanic and Black Americans who think he's good for the economy might wonder if maybe he's talking about them -- which he is.... Here's a little reminder of the NY Times coverage of an earlier fascist: 'On November 21, 1922, the New York Times published its very first article about Adolf Hitler. It's an incredible read -- especially its assertion that 'Hitler's anti-Semitism was not so violent or genuine as it sounded.'" Read on, please. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: digby is right. Sullivan, Kevin Kruse & others may not be afraid to write "fascist, fascist, fascist," but the New York Times won't go there. And by minimizing & covering up for Trump, just as the paper once did for Hitler a century ago, the editors & writers are doing their bit to put fascism back in the White House. Sure, Hillary Clinton is arrogant, and that's why she didn't play by the administration's email "rules" in the first place. But what's worse: a president who is full of herself (like almost every one of the male presidents before her) or a corrupt, anti-democracy fascist? As I've said, none of us is safe. ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Democracy dies in the anodyne headline that gets to the story only in the 11th paragraph." MB: As I recall, I was thrilled that after nine years, the NYT finally got around to recognizing Trump's "fascination" with eugenics.

Tara Suter of the Hill: "Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said in a Sunday interview that she doubts House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will carry out 'his constitutional obligations' to certify the 2024 election.... [Earlier on 'Meet the Press,' host Kristen Welker had asked Johnson,] 'Regardless of who wins, you'll certify the results?'... 'Regardless, of course it -- yes, if the election is free and fair and legal, and we pray and hope that it is,' Johnson responded.... In her 'Meet the Press' appearance, Cheney said Johnson 'has a record repeatedly of doing things that he knows to be wrong, that he knows to be unconstitutional in order to placate Donald Trump.... And frankly, you know, you saw that sycophancy just now on display,' Cheney added. 'So, I think that it is -- it's very concerning.'"

Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: President "Biden's visit to the hurricane-ravaged communities in Florida -- his second such trip in two weeks -- came as he has been managing various crises, including multiple natural disasters, in the final stretch of his presidency. He used the visit to announce $612 million for six Energy Department projects in areas hit by Milton and Helene to improve the region's electric grid, including nearly $100 million for Florida. On Friday, he declared a major disaster for Florida communities affected by Milton. Mr. Biden also used the moment to call for bipartisan collaboration to help the areas affected pick up the pieces. In a sign of such unity, Mr. Biden was greeted by Representative Anna Paulina Luna and Senator Rick Scott, Florida Republicans who are frequent critics of the Biden administration, after the president finished his helicopter tour."

Charlie Warzel of the Atlantic: "... it's getting harder to describe the extent to which a meaningful percentage of Americans have dissociated from reality.... Even in a decade marred by online grifters, shameless politicians, and an alternative right-wing-media complex pushing anti-science fringe theories, the events of the past few weeks stand out for their depravity and nihilism. As two catastrophic storms upended American cities, a patchwork network of influencers and fake-news peddlers have done their best to sow distrust, stoke resentment, and interfere with relief efforts. But this is more than just a misinformation crisis.... The people consuming and amplifying those lies are not helpless dupes but willing participants.... Rather than deal with the realities of a warming planet hurling once-in-a-generation storms at them every few weeks, they'd rather malign and threaten meteorologists...." Thanks to laura h. for the link. According to laura, the Atlantic is currently allowing unlimited gift links, of which this is one. AND see WashPo story linked under "North Carolina" below.

Ken Belson of the New York Times: "Under the expansionist leadership of its commissioner [Roger Goodell], the National Football League is growing richer and richer. So, too, is Mr. Goodell.... As the league has prospered, so has Mr. Goodell: About 90 percent of the commissioner's compensation is tied to a basket of metrics and incentives. After securing lucrative labor and broadcast deals and steering the league through the Covid-19 pandemic without missing a game, he received $63,900,050 in each of the fiscal years running from April 2019 to March 2020 and April 2020 to March 2021, making him one of the highest-paid executives in the country. MB: No one should become a billionaire, especially someone who has made his money promoting a blood sport like football. If history repeats itself, it's fall-of-Rome time (remember the gladiators!) here in the U.S.A.

~~~~~~~~~~

Missouri Senate Race. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "The St. Louis Post-Dispatch did not mince words in its endorsement of Democrat Lucas Kunce for the United States Senate. [Kunce's GOP opponent, Sen. Josh] "Hawley... was the first and initially only senator to announce his baseless challenge of the [2020] election results, setting in motion the grotesque events that followed,' the editors write. 'As Trump's rabble gathered for their attack, Hawley infamously raised his first in solidarity with the mob -- a mob from which he eventually had to sprint for his life, along with so many of his congressional colleagues.' The editors then went on to list off what they said were other reasons to oppose Hawley's candidacy..., all of [which], suggested the paper, means that Hawley 'is quite possibly the worst sitting senator in America right now.'" The Post-Dispatch editorial is here.

North Carolina. Brianna Sacks of the Washington Post: "Federal emergency response personnel on Saturday had employees operating in hard-hit Rutherford County, N.C., stop working and move to a different area because of concerns over 'armed militia' threatening government workers in the region, according to an email sent to federal agencies helping with response in the state. Around 1 p.m. Saturday, an official with the U.S. Forest Service, which is supporting recovery efforts..., sent an urgent message to numerous federal agencies warning that 'FEMA has advised all federal responders Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately. The message stated that National Guard troops "had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA."'... By Sunday afternoon, personnel were back in place....

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in Israel's wars are here: "Israel's military struck what it said was a Hamas command center embedded inside a hospital compound in the Deir al-Balah region of central Gaza early Monday. At least four people were killed in the attack within the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital grounds and 40 injured, including women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry said. Separately, Israel's military said it struck 200 targets linked to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours; on Sunday, four Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured after a Hezbollah drone attack hit a base in northern Israel, according to Israeli officials."

Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The United States is sending an advanced missile defense system to Israel, along with about 100 American troops to operate it, the Pentagon announced on Sunday. It is the first deployment of U.S. forces to Israel since the Hamas-led attacks there on Oct. 7, 2023. President Biden directed Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, and its crew, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement on Sunday.... When asked about it on Sunday, Mr. Biden said only that he had ordered the Pentagon to deploy the system 'to defend Israel.'" A Reuters story is here.

News Lede

New York Times: "The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded on Monday to Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and to James Robinson of the University of Chicago. They won the prize for their work in explaining the differences in prosperity between nations, and for their research into how institutions affect prosperity. The laureates have pioneered theoretical and empirical approaches that have helped to better explain inequality between countries, according to the prize committee."

The Conversation -- October 13, 2024

Presidential Race

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times & James Carville admonish Kamala Harris to get aggressive, and they give some concrete examples of how to do that. Now. "Democratic strategists I talked to agreed that Harris needs to let her guard down, cut loose and turn on the afterburners. Mainly, her pitch is that she's not Donald Trump. And that's an excellent pitch. But she needs to make the case for herself more assertively.... As Carville says, we need less mulling and more action in a do-or-die moment. She needs to do so we don't die." MB: I agree. Fun's over. Fuck joy. Hit below the belt. Hit hard, because it's not easy to punch above your weight (literally), especially when your opponent is wearing adult diapers that will soften the blow. Listen to Carville. He knows how to win. He put a very flawed -- but talented -- candidate over the top.

Monica Alba & Carol Lee of NBC News: "Vice President Kamala Harris' team has been discussing ways to clean up her responses to questions this week about how she would differentiate herself from President Joe Biden.... Harris' answers -- including one where she said she couldn't think of anything she;d do differently than Biden -- quickly became fodder for ... Donald Trump, who has played a video clip of the exchange at campaign rallies as a majority of voters still view the current president unfavorably.... Since declaring her candidacy in July, Harris has tried to walk a fine line between praising Biden's leadership and record, and defining her agenda by explaining to voters how she would represent her campaign slogan of 'a new way forward.'" The reporters note that Harris wants "to distance herself from Biden somewhat delicately." MB: That's sweet and all, but I don't think the Harris campaign has time and space for delicate.

Katie Rogers, et al., of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris released a letter on Saturday from her White House doctor, who said she is in 'excellent health' and is successfully managing some minor health issues. Ms. Harris, 59, has seasonal allergies, mild nearsightedness and skin hives that she treats with over-the-counter and prescription medication, wrote Joshua R. Simmons, the physician to the vice president. 'Vice President Harris remains in excellent health,' Dr. Simmons wrote in a two-page letter that appeared to be a summary but not a complete medical report. 'She possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency, to include those as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief.' Ms. Harris has not had diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis or neurological disorders, Dr. Simmons wrote.... The release of Ms. Harris's medical information comes as ... Donald J. Trump, her 78-year-old rival, has refused to reveal similar basic health information.... Mr. Trump ... has declined requests to release new information about his health even though he has promised to." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Dr. Simmons' letter, via the White House. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Fritz Farrow, et al., of ABC News: "Vice President Kamala Harris released a report with details about her health and medical history on Saturday, as the Harris team tries to place ... Donald Trump's health and advanced age under new scrutiny." MB: Note that right up in the lede ABC News contrasts Harris's release of her medical report with Trump's refusal to do the same, whereas the NYT first makes reference to Trump's refusal to release recent medical records a ways down the page. (Also linked yesterday.)

Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: Twenty-four "days before the election[, Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Coachella, California]. In 2020, Mr. Trump lost the state by more than five million votes to President Biden.... The last Republican to win the state was George H.W. Bush.... Mr. Trump then spoke for about 80 minutes in a rambling speech.... It was Mr. Trump's second foray into a blue state in two days.... Mr. Trump is no stranger to Coachella. His name once graced a casino just five miles from the site of Saturday's rally as a part of a short-lived business partnership with a Native American tribe, which eventually bought him out while his company was going through bankruptcy." ~~~

     ~~~ Hannah Knowles & Marianne LeVine of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump suggested that a heckler would later get 'the hell knocked out of her' during an insult-laced speech [in Coachella] Saturday that portrayed a dark image of the country and demonized undocumented immigrants. 'We are known all throughout the world now as an occupied country,' Trump said. "... But it's no different really than if we lost a war.'... He repeatedly mispronounced Harris's first name. He warned about being 'very close to World War III.' He described Democrats as 'professional thieves.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The WashPo reporters cite some audience call-and-response that reflects just who the "animals" are. I'm not talking animals like those tasty dogs & cats of Springfield, Ohio; I mean lions and tigers and bears, oh my, ones who have been incited to fury with cattle prods.

     ~~~ Marie: Obviously, the reason Trump is campaigning in non-competitive states is that his campaign wants to keep him as far away as possible from decider-voters so they won't notice he's a babbling idiot. And by campaigning somewhere, it doesn't look as if he's a do-nothing candidate. Besides, he doesn't have the option to loll around playing golf because, as RAS pointed out yesterday, because the Secret Service doesn't want him out on the links. ~~~

     ~~~ One reason some top campaign strategist(s) want to hide Trump is because they hope swing voters won't hear him say stuff like this, which the Washington Post Editors thought you should know: "Last month in Wisconsin: 'They will walk into your kitchen,' Mr. Trump said of undocumented immigrants. 'They'll cut your throat.' Later, he called the same people 'animals.'... On Thursday at the Detroit Economic Club, he returned to the matter of immigrants: 'We allowed them to come in and raid and rape our country. "Oh, he used the word rape." That's right, I used the word rape. They raped our country.'" ~~~

~~~ If you or someone close to you is not an immigrant from what Trump calls a shithole country (which is pretty much any country that is not in Northern Europe), then you may be disgusted with his hatred of others while still having little idea what it feels like to be otherized & shunned, not just by Trump, but by millions of Americans. Carlos Lozado can help you with that: ~~~

~~~ Carlos Lozado of the New York Times: "I'm an immigrant but over the years the label has moved lower on my drop-down menu.... In recent years, though, the distance has narrowed between memory and identity, between immigration as a once upon a time versus a here and now.... I've long regarded Trump as a challenge for America -- for democratic institutions, for honesty and, yes, for its immigrant tradition -- but this xenophobic cacophony, building so relentlessly over the past decade, now feels overpowering. It also feels directed my way, at who I am and the choices I've made.... Immigration is a chronic condition, and the only cure, Trump tells us, is a 'bloody story' of mass deportation.... Trump's pledge to build the wall was his essential promise in 2016; the call for mass deportation is his crucial commitment today. The immigrant threat has been redefined from those who are coming ... to those who are here. The wall purported to protect America; deportations are meant to purify it."

Ariana Baio of the Independent: "After mocking Vice President Kamala Harris over her teleprompter use, Donald Trump's rally in Reno, Nevada, ground to a halt as he ... was forced to fix his [teleprompter] on-stage after a campaign sign fell on it. 'Thank god I don't use teleprompters too much,' Trump told rallygoers after the sign fell on the teleprompter, causing the script to stop being projected. 'I look at the teleprompter, it's totally gone. I say "What the hell happened." The sign fell on top of it.... He went on to, again, falsely accuse Harris of using one during her town hall with Univision on Thursday. Both the Harris campaign and Univision have confirmed to CNN that the vice president did not use a teleprompter during her town hall. A teleprompter that was seen in a photo from the event was in Spanish and meant for the moderator, not Harris." MB: Harris does not speak Spanish. "Many questions were asked in Spanish and translated for her [at the town hall]." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Ha Ha. From the Independent story: Trump told supporters on Friday night that "there's something wrong with [Harris]' for using teleprompters. He added: 'I don't use them that much. The concept I use but I don't like it.'" So after thinking about it since 2015, he has concepts of a healthcare plan. And now he has a concept of a teleprompter. Either Trump is a great philosopher who spends his waking hours theorizing & conceptualizing stuff, or he lives in a fantasy world that absolves him a need to grapple with the vicissitudes of reality.

Myah Ward of Politico: Donald Trump's "rhetoric has veered more than ever into conspiracy theories and rumors, like when he amplified false claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating pets. And Trump has demonized minority groups and used increasingly dark, graphic imagery to talk about migrants in every one of his speeches since the Sept. 10 presidential debate, according to a Politico review of more than 20 campaign events. It's a stark escalation over the last month of what some experts in political rhetoric, fascism, and immigration say is a strong echo of authoritarians and Nazi ideology.... Trump vowed to 'rescue' the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, from the rapists, 'blood thirsty criminals,' and 'most violent people on earth' he insists are ruining the 'fabric' of the country and its culture: immigrants.... The supposed threat migrants pose is the core part of the former president"s closing argument.... He is no longer just talking about keeping immigrants out of the country.... Trump now warns that migrants have already invaded, destroying the country from inside its borders, which he uses as a means to justify a second-term policy agenda that includes building massive detention camps and conducting mass deportations." (Also linked yesterday.)

⭐ Donald's New Owner. Mary Trump in a Substack essay: "Donald Trump has always been for sale. It used to be shocking how many people were willing to prop him up in the hopes of profiting off his increasingly seamy ventures. But thanks to a morally bankrupt Republican Party and our degraded corporate media, Donald remains alarmingly close to the kind of power that's worth shelling out massive amounts of money to be close to -- and benefit from.... Given this decades-long pattern, it's not surprising that the world's richest fascist, South African jumping bean Elon Musk, would also be interested in purchasing a few shares in a man who is willing to sell whatever he can get his hands on.... In exchange for Donald's willingness to throw Musk the keys to the federal government, Musk is throwing a considerable fortune, as well as the weight of Twitter's influence, behind the Republican candidate. For him, it's a safe bet because he knows, if Donald is elected, he'll do anything Musk wants him to do."

About Those Tariffs: A Case Study. Joseph Politano in a Washington Post op-ed: "To understand why nearly every economist believes that Donald Trump's protectionist trade agenda will be a blow to the U.S. economy, look to his team's own favorite case study: the great laundry tariffs of 2018.... The explicit, written, intentional purpose of those tariffs was to increase the cost to consumers and stop the steady doldrum of price declines caused by foreign competitors.... By that metric, tariffs definitely achieved their goal; U.S. laundry machine prices spiked in the immediate aftermath of the tariff and remained high for years.... Purchases of household appliances stagnated after years of growth.... The vaunted domestic industry buildout was much weaker than tariff proponents would have you believe.... When the Biden administration let the tariffs expire early last year, laundry machine prices quickly declined, indicating that domestic industry wasn't cost-competitive even after half a decade of protection from foreign competition.... Consumers spent years paying higher prices for inferior products to support a domestic industry that remains no stronger or more efficient than it was a decade ago." Politano goes on to discuss what the effects of Trump's planned universal tariffs would be. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, if you think Congress isn't as stupid as Trump and would never allow him to impose universal tariffs on Americans, I'm here to remind you that Congress has no say. The administration can unilaterally impose tariffs.

Dan Diamond & Isaac Stanley-Becker of the Washington Post: JD Vance "has hit on a new strategy to defend the GOP's oft-criticized health-care record: talk about his own family's experience. 'Members of my family actually got private health insurance, at least, for the first time ... under Donald Trump's leadership,' ... Vance ... said at this month's vice-presidential debate.... Vance was referring to his mother, who purchased private health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplace run by Ohio after she ... made too much money to remain on Medicaid, a campaign spokesman told The Washington Post. Vance also was invoking a cousin in Florida who obtained private insurance for the first time through the state's marketplace.... In Vance's telling, his family members' experience reflects Trump's stewardship of the nation's health-care markets.... But to many health policy experts, Vance's story reveals ... the audacity of Trump&'s attempts to take credit for the work of President Barack Obama and Democrats, who crafted and defended the Affordable Care Act at great political cost...."

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, what JayDee is proposing now is a targeted ACA designed to price people with the greatest needs out of the healthcare market. So if you're a healthy young person, you can buy affordable insurance, and if you break your leg, your policy will cover it as long as your insurer doesn't try to weasel out of it. But if you're an older person with, say, a pre-existing, chronic condition, you will likely be priced out of the insurance market.

Steve M. has some thoughts on JD Vance's NYT interview, and you will enjoy reading them. MB: They are funny in the way some horror movies have humorous elements: like I saw an ad for the new "Joker" movie where Lady Gaga sings "Get Happy" to River Phoenix, and I thought that was funny, even though it was obvious that the lyric, "Get ready for the judgment day" was an ominous signal. (Also linked yesterday.)

David McAfee of the Raw Story: "Former Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, the controversial figure Donald Trump named to be his White House national security adviser, stunned observers with his answer to a question about potentially executing political enemies.... 'General Michael Flynn was asked at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival Friday night if he'd "sit at the head of a military tribunal to not only drain the swamp, but imprison the swamp, and on a few occasions, execute the swamp." General Flynn says "What your sentiment is about is accountability" and that "I definitely believe we need accountability,"' [filmmaker Ford Fischer] reported Saturday."

Meredith McGraw & Hailey Fuchs of Politico: "A conservative think tank that has been laying the groundwork for a possible second Trump administration has been targeted by an apparent cyber attack. The America First Policy Institute contacted federal authorities for assistance after its internal network was breached. The group said in a statement that its systems have since been secured."

Sam Levine of the Guardian: "The far-right website The Gateway Pundit acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that there was not any fraud during ballot counting in Atlanta in 2020 when Donald Trump lost the presidency, a significant concession from one of the most influential conservative sites that plays a key role in spreading election misinformation. The statement, the first acknowledgment from the site that there was no proof of fraud in Atlanta, came days after the site settled a defamation lawsuit with Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, two local election workers who the site falsely accused of wrongdoing. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed publicly, but the site appears to have removed all mention of the two women." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The Washington Post's live updates of developments Sunday in Israel's wars is here: "The Israeli military's days-long siege of northern Gaza and relentless bombing has deepened the humanitarian crisis in the region, with no food aid entering since the beginning of this month, aid agencies said. Officials in Gaza said Saturday that at least 19 people were killed in Jabalya, with many others still buried beneath the rubble."

Ronen Bergman, et al., of the New York Times: "For more than two years, Yahya Sinwar huddled with his top Hamas commanders and plotted what they hoped would be the most devastating and destabilizing attack on Israel in the militant group's four-decade history. Minutes of Hamas's secret meetings, seized by the Israeli military and obtained by The New York Times, provide a detailed record of the planning for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, as well as Mr. Sinwar's determination t persuade Hamas's allies, Iran and Hezbollah, to join the assault or at least commit to a broader fight with Israel if Hamas staged a surprise cross-border raid. The documents, which represent a breakthrough in understanding Hamas, also show extensive efforts to deceive Israel about its intentions as the group laid the groundwork for a bold assault and a regional conflagration that Mr. Sinwar hoped would cause Israel to 'collapse.'"