The Conversation -- August 16, 2024

Buh-Bye, Bob. Tracey Tully of the Washington Post: "Senator Robert Menendez, a famously pugnacious Democrat whose five-decade political career came to a crashing halt last month when he was convicted of corruption, has run his final race for re-election. After resisting what felt all-but inevitable to people close to the senator, Mr. Menendez pulled his name from November's ballot hours before the Friday deadline. He had planned to run as an independent.... Mr. Menendez, 70, was found guilty of taking bribes and acting as an agent of Egypt..., and he had virtually no chance of winning re-election.

Michael Gold of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump on Thursday described the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which honors civilians, as being 'much better' than the Medal of Honor, because service members who receive the nation's highest military honor are often severely wounded or dead. Mr. Trump's remarks follow a yearslong series of comments in which he has appeared to mock, attack or express disdain for service members who are wounded, captured or killed.... At a campaign event at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., billed as a discussion about fighting antisemitism, Mr. Trump recounted how he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson, the Israeli-American widow of the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Ms. Adelson, who attended the event, is among his top donors. 'It's actually much better, because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, that's soldiers, they're either in very bad shape because they've been hit so many times by bullets, or they're dead.' Mr. Trump said, using a common misnomer for the military award. 'She gets it, and she's a healthy, beautiful woman.'" The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

No, the Medal of Honor is not the equivalent of the medal Trump gave to Rush Limbaugh and Jim Jordan. No, they are not "rated equal." Not even close. Every single member of the military knows the significance of the MEDAL OF HONOR. Every single Commander in Chief in the history of America knows the significance of this medal ... except Donald Trump -- Amy McGrath, former Marine pilot, in a tweet

Erica Green, et al., of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris unspooled her economic agenda on Friday in her first major policy address, casting her vision as one for the future and ... Donald J. Trump's as of the past, as she argued that she would improve the lives of middle-class Americans and benefit generations of their descendants. In a roughly 30-minute speech in Raleigh, N.C., she painted a sharp contrast between herself and Mr. Trump, who has spent more time attacking President Biden's economic policies than laying out his own.... In her speech, Ms. Harris emphasized middle-class Americans' everyday experiences, like sitting at the kitchen table paying their bills or browsing grocery-store shelves. She detailed how she would build what she called an 'opportunity economy' that would lower the cost of living, provide economic security and remove barriers to building generational wealth.... Much of Ms. Harris's agenda represents an expansion of policies proposed by Mr. Biden....

"On Friday, the Trump campaign called the vice president 'Comrade Kamala' and said she had gone 'full communist' in a news release." MB: Seems like a well-reasoned critique, dunnit?

Alex Henderson of AlterNet: "During a lighthearted conversation about food with ... Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz humorously said he likes 'white guy tacos' -- meaning hard taco shells with 'ground beef and cheese' as opposed to authentic Mexican tacos with soft corn tortillas. 'Black pepper is the top of the spice level in Minnesota,' Walz joked.... Walz's comments have been drawing fake outrage ... from MAGA Republicans who believe he is disparaging white people." MB: When the leader of your party is a humorless sociopath (have you ever seen him laugh?) who would never, ever, under any circumstance, engage in self-deprecating humor, you might be dumb enough to be outraged by self-deprecating humor.

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Republicans [-- like Kellyanne Conway, Peter Navarro, Kevin McCarthy, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy & Frank Luntz --] are begging Donald Trump to stop being so insulting.... They all might as well ask Trump to abandon Mar-a-Lago and move into a double-wide. Trump abandon insults? They are the very essence of the man." MB: Milbank's column is worth reading if you have a WashPo subscription. I experimented here with what the Post calls a "gift link." I don't know how or if it works. It may count against the number of articles/month you can access. Anyway, Milbank puts in one place quite a few of the insults Trump has dished out recently and a number of the more outlandish lies Trump has told.

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "... Trump's delusions have gotten wilder, his thinking more scattered.... A glitch-plagued X interview (unable to start for 45 minutes) with Elon Musk ... only made things worse. People on social media reflected shock at hearing him slur and ramble his way through a softball interview. His obsession with President Joe Biden, who is no longer running, sounds like Trump cannot cope with his actual opponents. A much less alarming performance in the debate effectively ended President Biden's campaign. Had the media been conscientiously covering Trump, the public would understand these bizarre outings as part of his noticeable cognitive decline.... The media's refusal to convey Trump's unfitness amounts to misleading the public."

Say, here's a news story that might help Donald Trump understand that rising sea levels do not create more waterfront property. It involves a multimillionaire, a disappearing beachfront, a lawsuit, and a sports franchise. Maybe some aspect of all that could pique Trump's attention. ~~~

~~~ Broad Beach Is Not So Broad Anymore. Maria Paúl of the Washington Post: :... in recent years, sea level rise and erosion have washed away nearly all of the dunes in [the] Malibu neighborhood [of Broad Beach,] turning sand into a premium commodity and a source of conflict between neighbors. Now, the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team's principal owner, multimillionaire Mark Attanasio, is up to bat in the dispute. His neighbor accused him in court last week of stealing the neighborhood's scarce public sand and using it for an ongoing construction project at his home.... Between June and July, the suit alleges, construction machinery descended into the neighborhood -- and 'at times restricted public access to the entirety of Broad Beach.' The 'enormous excavators' transferred large amounts of sand from the beach's tidal zone to Attanasio's property, leaving traces of gasoline residue in the water and sand, the lawsuit states.... According to a research article published in the Pacific Historical Review in 2023, the high tide line in Broad Beach began moving landward about two feet each year starting in 1974 -- resulting in 'a loss of sixty-five feet of beach by the start of the twenty-first century.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Yasmeen Abutaleb & Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, touting their efforts to lower prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients, hosted their first joint appearance since Biden ended his reelection bid, a policy event that quickly took on the tone and feel of a campaign rally.... The appearance was billed as an official White House policy event, but it had clear political implications, and Biden leaned into them from the first minute of his remarks. 'Folks, I have an incredible partner in the progress we've made,' he said, adding, 'She's going to make one hell of a president.' Harris, for her part, spent much of her speech heaping praise on Biden and his leadership. 'I can speak all afternoon about the person that I am standing on the stage with,' she said. 'There's a lot of love in this room for our president, and I think it's for many, many reasons.' As the crowd chanted, 'Thank you, Joe,' the president brought his hand to his chest and nodded. The event reflected a complex political moment for the Democratic leaders, as Biden seeks to burnish his legacy while also boosting Harris, and Harris seeks to make the case for her candidacy while honoring Biden." ~~~

~~~ Noah Weiland & Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled the results of landmark drug price negotiations between Medicare and pharmaceutical companies, allowing President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to cast themselves as confronting the drug industry on behalf of older Americans at a critical moment in the presidential campaign. The negotiated prices, which take effect in 2026, are expected to save billions of dollars for Medicare, which is funded by taxpayers. But they will lead to direct out-of-pocket savings for only a subset of the millions of older Americans who take the drugs subject to negotiations. Other provisions of the law that created the drug negotiation program, such as capping patients' expenses for insulin and their yearly out-of-pocket drug costs, will do more to save older Americans money at the pharmacy counter. The 10 drugs subject to negotiations include widely used blood thinners and arthritis medications. Had the new prices been in effect last year, administration officials said, Medicare would have saved $6 billion, which would have reduced its spending on those drugs by 22 percent." The AP's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yes, it's a dirty trick to "cast yourself" as a champion of older Americans just because you do something to champion older Americans. President Biden noted during the announcement that not a single Republican voted for the bill allowing the administration to negotiate with big Pharma. Vice President Harris, presiding over the Senate, broke the tie that allowed Democrats to pass the bill. Oh, why can't we get better reporters?

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Apart from Donald Trump, the basic problem of the Republican Party's so-called fever -- the extent to which it has been captured by nihilists and ideological extremists -- is that the party is untethered from any electoral dynamic that might force it to moderate its behavior.... The ambitious Republican politician has one option if he or she hopes to advance within the party: rigid commitment to ideological purity. The only way to get ahead is to out-conservative -- or now, out-MAGA -- your rivals.... The ability to win power without winning votes is a powerful disincentive to change.... A more democratic American democracy -- where majorities elect and majorities rule -- would force the Republican Party to try, once again, to compete for national majorities.... If Democrats win control of Washington in November, they should make reforming our democracy a priority, since even without Trump, the sickness in the Republican Party will remain." Bouie suggests solutions: end the Electoral College, gerrymandering & the Senate filibuster; pass the Voting Rights Act, grant D.C. statehood, & reform the judiciary.

Presidential Race

Jeff Stein & Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday unveiled an aggressively populist economic agenda, providing the most detailed vision yet of her governing priorities since becoming the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Ahead of a speech in North Carolina, Harris's campaign announced support for more than a dozen economic policies aimed at 'lowering costs for American families,' including some that went beyond what President Biden had promised. The most striking proposals were for the elimination of medical debt for millions of Americans; the 'first-ever' ban on price gouging for groceries and food; a cap on prescription drug costs; a $25,000 subsidy for first-time homebuyers; and a Child Tax Credit that would provide $6,000 per child to families for the first year of a baby's life." Politico's report is here.

Reversal of Fortunes. Lenny Bronner of the Washington Post: "Since President Joe Biden exited the presidential race on July 21 and passed the baton to Kamala Harris, his vice president, the race has effectively reversed itself. It is no exaggeration to state that Harris would be the favorite to win the White House, according to our polling model, if the presidential contest were held today. Relative to the day that Biden dropped out, Harris has gained two percentage points nationally and, as of Sunday, leads in our national polling average. In swing states, she has gained an average of 2.1 points since June 21 and leads in 2 of 7 of them.... Harris still trails Trump in the electoral college tally if the election were held today and every state votes as their polling average currently demonstrates. Nonetheless, she would be the favorite if voters today went to the polls because Harris now has more paths to the presidency than Donald Trump -- that is, she is competitive in more states that could add up to 270 votes or an electoral college victory."

Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times on how President Biden decided to drop out of the presidential race: "People close to President Biden say he believes he could have won a second term. But he came to realize that the fight would rip apart the Democratic Party that he had served his whole life.... The president would be pitted against his donors, half of his party in Congress and Democratic voters who had concluded that he was too old to win." Interesting read.

Nathaniel Rakich of 538 reports on the popularity ratings of vice-presidential candidates over the past two decades and finds out that Tim Walz is nearly the most popular and JD Vance is the least popular, based on favorability-unfavorability ratings. MB: I suppose I should caution you that the most popular of the veep candidates in the lot was John Edwards (in 2004): not only did his ticket lose the race, it came out years later that he had fathered a child as a result of an affair he had while his well-liked wife was dying of cancer, AND he was indicted (but not convicted) for violating campaign finance laws in service of his efforts to cover up the affair. Beware the charmer. I can't recall what I thought of him in 2004, but in 2008, when he ran against Obama & Clinton, I thought he was a roaring phony.

Michael Gold of the New York Times: "Toward the end of a meandering news conference..., Donald J. Trump on Thursday insisted he was 'entitled' to continue his barrage of personal attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris, even as Republican allies are pushing him to shift his tone and emphasize policy issues. Saying he was 'very angry' at Ms. Harris, Mr. Trump told reporters outside the clubhouse of his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., that he had little respect for his Democratic opponent. 'I don't have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she'll be a terrible president,' he said.... The former president said that he didn't need to moderate his tone to win the Republican primary, insisting that he was now running a 'very calm campaign'... 'I'm a very calm person.' Still..., Mr. Trump bounced between his proposals to fight inflation, his dry recitation of economic figures that he used to criticize Ms. Harris and the Biden administration and a number of other wide-ranging tangents, including complaints about Hillary Clinton, windmills, the news media and President Biden's decision to exit the race." Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Alex Wagner of MSNBC pointed out that Trump claimed during this little economic lecture that "more than 100 percent of job creation [under the Biden administration] has gone to migrant workers." MB: Yesterday I told you I could learn a lot about economics by listening to Trump, and here he goes and proves it again. Who knew that if business created 100 new jobs, they would give, say, 115 of them to foreigners. It's much like his assertion that rising seas create more beachfront property. In Trumpworld, the arc of the universe bends toward impossible. ~~~

     ~~~ ⭐AP: "At his New Jersey golf club, [Donald Trump] blended falsehoods about the economy with misleading statements and deeply personal attacks about his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Here's a closer look at the facts." MB: Includes an explanation of Trumparithmetic."

     ~~~ Marie: I do want to congratulate Trump's excellent campaign staff for staging a talk supposedly highlighting the growing cost of necessities for ordinary Americans -- complete with tables-full of grocery-story props like Cheerios & Campbell's Soup -- at one of his fancy, members-only private golf clubs. Definitely how to showcase a real Man of the People.

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "Though [Donald Trump] made successful electoral appeals to the working class -- particularly the white working class -- his record on labor was that of a standard conservative Republican. He appointed union busters to the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that enforces labor law. His Department of Labor reversed the 'persuader' rule, which had forced transparency on companies waging anti-union propaganda campaigns. His Supreme Court appointees dealt a severe blow to public sector unions in the Janus decision, an outcome Trump celebrated. His signature policy accomplishment was a tax cut that disproportionately benefited the rich. Nevertheless, Trump's jocular delight in a centibillionaire's [Elon Musk's] war on labor shocked some of his populist sympathizers.... In his first presidential campaign..., [Trump] regularly attacked Wall Street and corporate America.... But since then..., many Silicon Valley titans, Musk chief among them, lining up behind Trump. So have many figures on Wall Street.... These multimillionaires and billionaires are the people whose approbation Trump has always wanted, and whose financial support he needs...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I can think of a couple of reasons a person would vote for Donald Trump: (1) he's White like me; or (2) he'll make me richer. But I can't think of a single reason for any demographic or interest group -- including the super-rich -- to like him. You name a group and I'll give you a significant reason for that group to dislike or downright detest him. For instance, as an exemplar of the ultra-rich -- many of whom are rather intelligent, well-educated and sophisticated -- he makes them look like boobs. He exposes their avarice & their corruption. There are reasons they didn't invite him to their parties before he became president*. But if you're living on the other end of the economic scale -- if you're a poor white guy living in a studio apartment above a garage in a back yard in a dumpy small-town neighborhood -- Donald Trump will do nothing to help you and he will scam you if he can.

Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump's campaign is bringing Corey Lewandowski, his first 2016 campaign manager who was fired during that cycle [after manhandling a female reporter], onto its staff, along with a small group of new additions for the final push of the 2024 race, the former president and his top advisers said in a statement.... Mr. Lewandowski, who was on contract advising the Republican National Convention for its events in Milwaukee, is a divisive and yet consistent presence in Mr. Trump's world.... In 2021, Mr. Trump and his allies removed Mr. Lewandowski from his leadership role at an early version of a super PAC that was in place to support an eventual third Trump presidential campaign. That move came after a Trump donor accused Mr. Lewandowski of making unwanted sexual advances at an event." Politico's story is here. MB: Should help with the ladies' vote.

I Bring You Glad Tidings: The Jesus Grift Is Working. Shane Goldmacher, et al., of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump's latest financial disclosure lists more than $100 million in liabilities stemming from three civil lawsuits he lost in New York that required him to obtain bonds to pay the judgments -- but also profits from licensing fees at Trump-branded properties in Dubai and Oman, as well as income that he made from his post-presidential books, including a Trump-endorsed Bible.... He also reported a $300,000 royalty payment for 'The Greenwood Bible,' which appears to be for a version of the Bible that Mr. Trump and the singer Lee Greenwood have endorsed. The Bible is on sale online for $60 with a copy signed by Mr. Trump selling for $1,000. 'Yes, this is the only Bible endorsed by President Trump!' the site advertises."

digby looks into Donald Trump's absurd claims that rising sea levels will create more beachfront property, but it's nothing to worry about because the seas will rise only an eighth-of-an-inch in 400 years. In fact, the seas have risen on average more than an eighth-of-an-inch every year since 1901, and failing to curb emissions could increase sea levels by as much as 5 feet by the end of the century. MB: I don't know how long Trump has been telling the 1/8" porkie, but I've heard him make the senseless, counterintuitive beachfront expansion claim before. His brain doesn't work right. When he calls Kamala Harris (or anyone else) "stupid," he is projecting on an elementary level. Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Simon Levien & Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Senator JD Vance of Ohio have agreed to participate in at least one vice-presidential debate this fall, with both candidates accepting an invitation from CBS News to face off on Oct. 1. The network announced Wednesday on the social media platform X that it had offered Mr. Walz and Mr. Vance ... four potential dates: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. 'See you on October 1, JD,' Mr. Walz wrote in response. The Harris campaign confirmed that it had accepted the network's invitation for that day. On Thursday, Mr. Vance said he had accepted the Oct. 1 invitation, as well. He also said he was willing to have a second, earlier debate on Sept. 18, a date offered by CNN." (Also linked yesterday.)

Curt Devine, et al., of CNN: "For nearly two hours [last month, key Project 2025 author Russell Vought] talked candidly about his behind-the-scenes work to prepare policy for ... Donald Trump, his expansive views on presidential power, his plans to restrict pornography and immigration, and his complaints that the GOP was too focused on 'religious liberty' instead of 'Christian nation-ism.' But the men Vought was talking to [-- whom he thought were relatives of a rich donor --] actually worked for a British journalism nonprofit and were secretly recording him the entire time.... Vought said his group, the Center for Renewing America, was secretly drafting hundreds of executive orders, regulations, and memos that would lay the groundwork for rapid action on Trump's plans if he wins, describing his work as creating 'shadow' agencies. He claimed that Trump has 'blessed' his organization and 'he's very supportive of what we do.'... A Trump spokesperson declined to comment on the video, but his campaign has stressed that he sets his own agenda and that Project 2025 and other outside conservative groups don't speak for him." MB: Vought was director of Trump's Office of Management & Budget. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: AND here's something I didn't know about Russ Vought till Alex Wagner pointed it out: he also was a leader of the Republican party's platform committee. The party's presidential nominee, as is the usual practice of both parties, controls the party's platform. So Vought was the architect of both Project 2025 and the GOP's official platform. Obviously, Trump's policies (as expressed in the party platform) and Project 2025 are, at the core, one in the same. ~~~

     ~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post has more. ~~~

~~~ Eric Hananoki of Media Matters: "During a recent interview, Trump National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized the media for talking 'about Project 2025, which has nothing to do with our campaign.' Media outlets should be skeptical about denials like that for many reasons, including the fact that Leavitt herself worked on Project 2025.... CNN reported that 'at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration had a hand in Project 2025.'" ~~~

~~~ More on Project 2025 (or "Project 25," as Trump calls it. Thanks to RAS for the link: ~~~

These leaked Project 2025 training videos aren't helping conservatives beat the "weird" allegations pic.twitter.com/7p1HZhZ36R

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) August 15, 2024

Kate Kelly of the New York Times: "The Secret Service has bolstered ... Donald J. Trump's security in a variety of ways since the assassination attempt on him last month, several people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, including by temporarily shifting part of President Biden's protective team to Mr. Trump. The Secret Service has also secured ballistic glass, which is designed to repel bullets, to provide enhanced protection for Mr. Trump at future outdoor campaign rallies, those people added...." The Washington Post story, which is here, reports that the ballistic glass is already available to President Biden & Vice President Harris. An ABC News report on the plan to use ballistic glass is here.

Devlin Barrett & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "FBI agents probing alleged Iranian hacking attempts directed at the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns have gathered evidence that indicates one of the targets was senior Trump adviser Susie Wiles, multiple people familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post. Investigators are still working to determine whether the hacking efforts targeting Wiles were successful.... While investigators say a particular set of cyber hacking attempts in June was directed by Iran, agents are also looking for evidence that other more sophisticated efforts have been launched by other nations."

If You Can't Do the Time.... Erica Orden of Politico: "Attorneys for Donald Trump asked the judge overseeing the former president's Manhattan criminal case to postpone his sentencing, now set for Sept. 18, until after November's presidential election. In a letter to the court dated Wednesday but made public Thursday, Trump's lawyers noted that the sentencing for the Republican presidential nominee's conviction on falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star is currently scheduled to take place after the start of early voting. And they argued that the sentencing should be delayed in order to allow Trump to weigh appellate options in response to Justice Juan Merchan's upcoming ruling on whether Trump's conviction should be tossed out in light of the Supreme Court's July 1 decision on presidential immunity. Merchan is set to rule on Sept. 16, two days before the scheduled sentencing, on whether the presidential immunity decision should have an impact on Trump's conviction." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Joyce Vance said on MSNBC that since sentencing does not change the outcome of a criminal trial, Trump's argument lacks merit.

Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: "Mark Meadows, who was Donald Trump's White House chief of staff, has asked that the Arizona election-subversion-related prosecution against him be moved from state court to federal court -- the same legal maneuver he unsuccessfully tried in a separate election interference case in Georgia.... Meadows has pleaded not guilty to nine felonies related to his alleged role in trying to subvert Joe Biden's win in Arizona after the 2020 presidential election."

~~~~~~~~~~

Texas. Sorry, Greggers. Laura Strickler & Didi Martinez of NBC News: "Republican National Convention delegates erupted in applause last month when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on his commitment to send buses full of migrants to blue cities.... But the buses have not been rolling on a consistent basis for months because of a steep drop in the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border, according to officials and migrant shelter operators in Texas and in a half-dozen big cities across the U.S." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in the Israel/Hamas war are here.

Louisa Loveluck, et al., of the Washington Post: "During more than 19 months in power, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government has dramatically expanded Israel's footprint in the occupied West Bank -- accelerating a long-term campaign by the country's settler movement to thwart the creation of a Palestinian state. The government has approved strategic land seizures -- almost 6,000 acres this year alone -- and major settlement construction, escalated demolition of Palestinian property and increased state support for illegally built settler outposts. Together, they mark the most significant territorial changes in the West Bank in decades. While the Biden administration insists that any diplomatic solution to the war in Gaza include a path to an independent Palestinian state, radical Jewish settlers and their far-right political backers, who have ascended to the highest levels of Israel's government, are redrawing the map in real time -- making the two-state solution envisaged in past peace accords effectively impossible."

Russia. Anton Troianovski & Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "A court in Russia sentenced a dual citizen of Russia and the United States on Thursday to 12 years in prison on accusations that she committed treason by donating money -- about $50 -- for Ukraine's armed forces. The court, in the city of Yekaterinburg, claimed to have found that the funds donated by the woman, Ksenia Karelina, 32, 'were subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition' for Ukraine." (Also linked yesterday.)

Ukraine, et al. Julian Barnes & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Ukraine's incursion into a sliver of Russia is likely to make it harder for Moscow to mount a major renewed offensive in Ukraine's east and is the kind of surprise operation that could eventually impose real costs on the Kremlin, according to U.S. officials. The Ukrainian strike, and its continued success, could ultimately have strategic significance, though U.S. officials caution that they will need to see how it plays out to draw firmer conclusions. It could also help rebuild sagging morale among Ukraine's troops and war-weary population, the officials said. The incursion, into the Kursk region of Russia, stands in stark contrast to Ukraine's failed counteroffensive in southern Ukraine last summer. This offensive was developed in secret, devised to divert Russian troops away from the front lines in Ukraine and seize territory to use as a bargaining chip." ~~~

~~~ Siobhan O'Grady of the Washington Post: "Ukraine's offensive into Russia has expanded to the region of Belgorod, with fierce fighting underway there as Kyiv's forces in the neighboring region of Kursk showed signs of solidifying control Thursday. The new details about the fighting in Belgorod, described by Ukrainian soldiers wounded there and evacuated across the border to Ukraine's Sumy region, came as Ukraine on Thursday appointed a military commander to manage the parts of Kursk it has taken."

The Conversation -- August 15, 2024

If You Can't Do the Time.... Erica Orden of Politico: "Attorneys for Donald Trump asked the judge overseeing the former president's Manhattan criminal case to postpone his sentencing, now set for Sept. 18, until after November's presidential election. In a letter to the court dated Wednesday but made public Thursday, Trump's lawyers noted that the sentencing for the Republican presidential nominee's conviction on falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star is currently scheduled to take place after the start of early voting. And they argued that the sentencing should be delayed in order to allow Trump to weigh appellate options in response to Justice Juan Merchan's upcoming ruling on whether Trump's conviction should be tossed out in light of the Supreme Court's July 1 decision on presidential immunity. Merchan is set to rule on Sept. 16, two days before the scheduled sentencing, on whether the presidential immunity decision should have an impact on Trump's conviction."

Simon Levien & Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Senator JD Vance of Ohio have agreed to participate in at least one vice-presidential debate this fall, with both candidates accepting an invitation from CBS News to face off on Oct. 1. The network announced Wednesday on the social media platform X that it had offered Mr. Walz and Mr. Vance ... four potential dates: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. 'See you on October 1, JD,' Mr. Walz wrote in response. The Harris campaign confirmed that it had accepted the network's invitation for that day. On Thursday, Mr. Vance said he had accepted the Oct. 1 invitation, as well. He also said he was willing to have a second, earlier debate on Sept. 18, a date offered by CNN."

digby looks into Donald Trump's absurd claims that rising sea levels will create more beachfront property, but it's nothing to worry about because the seas will rise only an eighth-of-an-inch in 400 years. In fact, the seas have risen on average more than an eighth-of-an-inch every year since 1901, and failing to curb emissions could increase sea levels by as much as 5 feet by the end of the century. MB: I don't know how long Trump has been telling the 1/8" porkie, but I've heard him make the senseless, counterintuitive beachfront expansion claim before. His brain doesn't work right. When he calls Kamala Harris (or anyone else) "stupid," he is projecting on an elementary level. Thanks to RAS for the link.

Curt Devine, et al., of CNN: “For nearly two hours [last month, key Project 2025 author Russell Vought] talked candidly about his behind-the-scenes work to prepare policy for ... Donald Trump, his expansive views on presidential power, his plans to restrict pornography and immigration, and his complaints that the GOP was too focused on 'religious liberty' instead of 'Christian nation-ism.' But the men Vought was talking to [-- whom he thought were relatives of a rich donor --] actually worked for a British journalism nonprofit and were secretly recording him the entire time.... Vought said his group, the Center for Renewing America, was secretly drafting hundreds of executive orders, regulations, and memos that would lay the groundwork for rapid action on Trump's plans if he wins, describing his work as creating 'shadow' agencies. He claimed that Trump has 'blessed' his organization and 'he's very supportive of what we do.'... A Trump spokesperson declined to comment on the video, but his campaign has stressed that he sets his own agenda and that Project 2025 and other outside conservative groups don't speak for him." MB: Vought was director of Trump's Office of Management & Budget. ~~~

~~~ More on Project 2025. Thanks to RAS for the link: ~~~

These leaked Project 2025 training videos aren't helping conservatives beat the "weird" allegations pic.twitter.com/7p1HZhZ36R

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) August 15, 2024

Texas. Sorry, Greggers. Laura Strickler & Didi Martinez of NBC News: "Republican National Convention delegates erupted in applause last month when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on his commitment to send buses full of migrants to blue cities.... But the buses have not been rolling on a consistent basis for months because of a steep drop in the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border, according to officials and migrant shelter operators in Texas and in a half-dozen big cities across the U.S."

Anton Troianovski & Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "A court in Russia sentenced a dual citizen of Russia and the United States on Thursday to 12 years in prison on accusations that she committed treason by donating money -- about $50 -- for Ukraine's armed forces. The court, in the city of Yekaterinburg, claimed to have found that the funds donated by the woman, Ksenia Karelina, 32, 'were subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition' for Ukraine."

~~~~~~~~~~

Man with Work Experience Seeks Employment. Zach Montague of the New York Times: President Biden addressed "a room of dozens of online content creators whom he referred to as 'the future' and his grandchildren's preferred news source during a meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Wednesday, trying on a new face as a statesman enjoying the twilight of his career. 'You break through in ways that I think are going to change the entire dynamic of the way in which we communicate, and that's why I invited you to the White House, because I'm looking for a job,' he told the crowd, drawing big laughs."

Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden reiterated his call Wednesday for the release of freelance journalist Austin Tice, saying that his administration has 'repeatedly pressed' Syria to work with the United States to secure his return. Biden's comments came in a statement marking 12 years since Tice was abducted in Syria.... Tice, a Marine veteran and Texas native, was abducted on Aug. 14, 2012, while reporting on the civil war in Syria. He disappeared at a checkpoint outside Damascus, and video surfaced months later showing him blindfolded and being held by a group of armed men. U.S. officials have long insisted that the Syrian government is holding Tice, which the country has denied. Biden said in 2022 that his administration knows 'with certainty' that Syria has had Tice in captivity."

Presidential Race

Charles Blow of the New York Times: "Misogyny has been central to Donald Trump's identity, rise and political movement, but it is now central to his distemper, as Kamala Harris's remarkable campaign rollout has frustrated and unnerved him.... Trump praises autocrats (male autocrats, that is), calling them 'strong,' 'smart' and 'savvy' -- he even once described Kim Jong-un as 'honorable.'... In recent days, he has referred to Harris as 'incompetent,' 'nasty' and 'not smart.' Behind closed doors, he has reportedly referred to her, repeatedly, using the B-word.... Writing in 2022 for Foreign Affairs, the Harvard Kennedy School scholars Erica Chenoweth and Zoe Marks explained that the 21st century 'is demonstrating that misogyny and authoritarianism are not just common comorbidities but mutually reinforcing ills.'"

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Margaret Sullivan of the Guardian argues that Kamala Harris must "do what's right" and explain herself to the press in "both a lengthy press conference and a televised, in-depth interview." MB: Ironically, Sullivan devotes most of her column to outlining good reasons Harris should not accommodate the press's demands: (1) she's already getting lots of positive media attention; (2) the press asks her silly questions; (3) the White House press corps in particular is "broken"; (4) Harris isn't very good at answering press questions; (5) if Harris does speak to reporters at length, "some unfavorable headlines will result." So Sullivan's message here is (a) you must speak to the press, and (b) it will be a disaster! Thanks to Patrick for the link. ~~~

~~~ Marie: An excellent discussion near the end of yesterday's Comments follows. Patrick starts the conversation by listing a few more reasons Harris is on the right track, including a brief look-back at Vice President Hubert Humphrey's failure in 1968 to negotiate an effective response to the Viet Nam war debacle. Humphrey's dilemma -- how to (or if he should) delineate differences with his boss President Johnson -- led to a number of mini-disasters, ending with the big one: the election of Tricky Dick Nixon. RAS links to an opinion piece by John Stoehr, who also thinks Harris is doing the right thing by largely ignoring the press, mainly because she was an eye-witness to how the press mistreated her boss, President Biden. Elizabeth links to a column by Markos Moulitsas (Kos) in which he points to "the imbalance in how that press has covered Democrats and Trump." With examples. For instance, "The same outlets that literally had live blogs of the Clinton leaks [in 2016] suddenly decided that their ethics forbade them from publishing whatever [leaked Trump campaign documents] they received." And see Akhilleus' comment at the top of today's thread.

Stefan Becket, et al., of CBS News: "Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday agreed to participate in a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News on Oct. 1 in New York City.... Donald Trump's campaign has not yet agreed to the date, leaving GOP Sen. JD Vance's participation in question. Earlier in the day, CBS News proposed four dates for a debate between the two vice presidential nominees: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, and Oct. 8. The Harris-Walz campaign soon agreed to the Oct. 1 date.... Later, in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, Vance said he was open to debating Walz on Oct. 1, but did not firmly commit to the date."

Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump was campaigning in Asheville, North Carolina on Wednesday and gave an 'intellectual' speech on the economy.... 'We're talking about a thing called the economy. They wanted to do a speech on the economy. A lot of people are very devastated by what's happened with inflation and all of the other things,' Trump began, adding: 'So we're doing this as an intellectual speech.... [Digression.] But from today and from the day I take the oath of office, we will rapidly drive prices down.... [Blah blah blah.] Under Kamala's extreme high cost energy policy known as net zero. You know what? Net zero. They have no idea what it means. By the way, it's net zero. What does that mean? Nobody knows what it means. We're going to go to a net zero policy. What does that mean? I have no idea.... She's attempting to abolish oil, coal, and natural gas. 84% of U.S. energy supply. She wants it ended,' Trump continued, despite the fact that the U.S. has recently broke[n] oil production records under the Biden administration." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Wow! Now that I've learned so much about a thing called the economy, I think I'll apply for Krugman's job at the New York Times. Imagine all the intellectual columns I could write about net zero, which is secret code for something not even a person with a very good brain can decipher. ~~~

~~~ How to End an Intellectual Trump Lecture. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump dodged on Wednesday when asked about his odd and easily disproven claim that images of Kamala Harris's crowds were generated by artificial intelligence. 'And you said that Harris's crowd sizes were "A.I."d and there weren't people there. There's all kinds of video evidence and people who were there who've proven that false. Can you tell us about why you made that claim,' Trump was asked by an off-camera reporter. 'Well, I can't say what was there, who was there. I can only tell you about ours. We have the biggest crowds ever in the history of politics,' [Trump said.]... 'We have crowds that nobody's ever seen before, and we continue to have that. We have a level of enthusiasm that nobody's seen before. They want to make America great again. That's what's happening. We're going to make it great again. Right now we have a failing nation. We're in a failing nation and, become in many ways, a third world nation. And we're not going to let that happen. Thank you very much. Thank you everybody.'"

Marianne LeVine & Clara Morse of the Washington Post think they have found the reason that Donald Trump keeps bringing up the fictional Hannibal Lecter during his rallies: "A Trump rally is a sort of time capsule, a frozen-in-amber moment from an earlier era -- the 1980s -- when Trump ruled the New York City clubs and tabloids and first graced the cover of Time magazine. His self-curated rally playlists include hits like 'Y.M.C.A.' (1978) and 'Gloria' (1982). The fit of his suits and the length of his ties scream 1980s. Trump is the 'crypt keeper for the 1980s,' which was 'the high point of his life until he became president,' said Tim O'Brien, a Trump biographer who has criticized the former president.... 'None of his tastes have been updated in decades.' Trump's Hannibal Lecter obsession fits perfectly in this mold." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This sounds right. It's also the period in which the U.S. took a sharp right turn after a decades-long, if sputtering, progressive period in which the nation, at least on the surface, very slowly became more inclusive. Beginning in 1980, we had a backlash: Republican presidents for 12 years, followed by a Democratic president who, as a Southerner, adopted many ring-wing positions. Another conservative Republican followed him. The '80s changed the country in a profound and deleterious way.

And now for our feature presentation, "Ask Jay Dee." A woman of a certain age writes, "Jay Dee, what is a woman like me to do when she ages out past the barefoot and pregnant years? Does my life have any meaning?" ~~~

~~~ Clare Olson of Heartland Signal: "While appearing on 'The Portal' podcast in April 2020, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) agreed with host Eric Weinstein's claim that 'postmenopausal females' exist just to help take care of children. In the podcast, the current Republican vice-presidential nominee mentioned that his son benefited from having exposure to his grandparents, expressing importance for the multigenerational family. Weinstein replied saying 'that's the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female in theory,' to which Vance immediately agreed with by saying 'Yes.' Vance went on to explain that his mother-in-law, who worked as a biology professor, took a sabbatical for a year to move in and help take care of his newborn child. He says it's just 'what you do.' He also agreed with Weinstein that grandparents helping raise his children is a 'weird, unadvertised feature of marrying an Indian woman.'" MB: Go fuck a couch, Jay Dee.

Ask Jay Dee. A recent college grad writes, "Jay Dee, I need to buy a car to get to my new job. But I'm just starting out in my career and I'm worried about how much it might cost. What would my monthly payments be?" ~~~

~~~ Ahmad Austin of Mediaite: "Vice presidential candidate JD Vance was roasted on social media for claiming new cars cost $50,000 annually -- and blaming Vice President Kamala Harris for it.... According to data gathered by AAA..., last year, the average annual cost of new car ownership was a little over $12,000 -- or about $1,015 per month. While that number is still high, it;s nowhere near Vance's claims." MB: Also, I'll need the intellectual Donald to explain to me how a vice president sets automobile prices.

Michael Scherer & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sought a meeting last week with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to discuss the possibility of serving in her administration, perhaps as a Cabinet secretary, if he throws his support behind her campaign and she wins, according to Kennedy campaign officials. Harris and her advisers have not responded with an offer to meet or shown interest in the proposal, say people familiar with the conversations.... The Kennedy outreach, made through intermediaries, follows a meeting in Milwaukee last month between Kennedy and Republican nominee Donald Trump to discuss a similar policy role and endorsement that resulted in no agreement. In those discussions, Kennedy spoke about advising Trump in a second term on health and medical issues." MB: Yup, I'd definitely put Kennedy in charge of Health & Human Services.

Sean Lyngaas of CNN: "Google said Wednesday that an alleged Iranian hacking operation aimed at US presidential campaigns is ongoing and more wide-ranging than previously known as the hackers continue to target the email accounts of current US officials and people associated with Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and ... Donald Trump. In May and June, a hacking group linked with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted the personal email accounts of about a dozen people associated with Biden and Trump, including current government officials, Google researchers said in a blog post. And even today, Google is seeing unsuccessful attempts by the Iranian hackers to log into the accounts of people associated with Biden, Harris, Trump and both presidential campaigns."

Colin Kalmbacher of Law & Crime: 'A state appeals court on Wednesday quietly denied a request by Donald Trump's lead attorney to push back some key proceedings in the case aimed at dismissing the former president's racketeering (RICO) and election subversion charges in Georgia. In a terse, one-sentence-long order, the Georgia Court of Appeals declined to reschedule oral arguments -- ruling against a request by Trump's attorney, Steve Sadow, to grant a continuance for him to accommodate long-ago scheduled international travel plans.... 'It was booked more than two years in advance to ensure a date certain to celebrate lead counsel's 70th birthday and 45th wedding anniversary,' Sadow explained in a July 23 motion obtained by Atlanta-based NBC affiliate WXIA. 'It is fully paid for and nonrefundable except for health-related issues.'"

Michael Sisak & Jennifer Peltz of the AP: "Donald Trump has lost his latest bid for a new judge in his New York hush money criminal case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month. In a decision posted Wednesday, Judge Juan M. Merchan declined to step aside and said Trump's demand was a rehash 'rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims' about his ability to remain impartial. It is the third time that Merchan has rejected such a request from lawyers for the former president...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Beware Disney+. Jordan Valinsky of CNN: "A man suing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for the wrongful death of his wife is facing a new legal hurdle: Disney is trying to get it thrown out of court and sent to arbitration -- because he signed up for Disney+ years earlier. Court documents show that the company is trying to get the $50,000 lawsuit tossed because the plaintiff, Jeffrey Piccolo, signed up for a one-month trial of the streaming service Disney+ in 2019, which requires trial users to arbitrate all disputes with the company. Company lawyers also claim that because Piccolo used the Walt Disney Parks' website to buy Epcot Center tickets, Disney is shielded from a lawsuit from the estate of Piccolo's deceased wife, Kanokporn Tangsuan, who died of a reaction to severe food allergies. In a legal filing responding to Disney's claims, Piccolo's lawyer Brian Denney called Disney's argument 'preposterous' and said that the notion that signing up for a Disney+ free trial would bar a customer's right to a jury trial 'with any Disney affiliate or subsidiary, is so outrageously unreasonable and unfair as to shock the judicial conscience.'"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Connecticut. Alice McFadden of the New York Times: "A Connecticut state representative lost a primary election Tuesday, just hours after a video surfaced of her saying that her challenger should not represent the district because he is Jewish. The incumbent, Anabel Figueroa, a Democrat, made the comments in a late July interview posted to YouTube. 'We cannot allow for a person of Jewish origin, of Jewish origin, to represent our community,' Ms. Figueroa said in Spanish. 'It's impossible.' Ms. Figueroa's statement comes as Jewish Democrats across the country are contending with anxiety about antisemitism both within and outside their party. Democrats in Connecticut and beyond were quick to condemn Ms. Figueroa on Tuesday, and her opponent, Jonathan Jacobson, went on to win with a decisive 63 percent of the vote."

New Jersey Senate. Matt Friedman & Daniel Han of Politico: "New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy plans to name his former chief of staff -- who was a longtime Senate aide -- as the state's temporary replacement to the seat of disgraced Sen. Bob Menendez, according to three people familiar with the decision. Murphy will appoint George Helmy, a former staffer for Sen. Cory Booker who is now a health care executive in one of the biggest hospital systems in New Jersey, to the seat following Menendez's resignation that takes effect Aug. 20. The people with knowledge were granted anonymity to discuss an impending announcement.... Murphy's appointment of Helmy, though not unexpected, will likely lead to some Democratic grumbling if not criticism. [Rep. Andy] Kim [D], who's heavily favored to win the November election for the Senate seat, had said he was interested in being appointed as interim senator. However, the Murphys' relationship with Kim remains strained following the Senate [primary] campaign [in which Kim effectively defeated Gov. Murphy's wife Tammy]." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I guess Murphy is putting his marriage before his politics, but appointing Kim to finish out Menendez's term would have been good for New Jersey as it would have given Kim, if elected, seniority over other senators newly-elected in November.

New York. Alan Blinder & Sharon Otterman of the New York Times: "Columbia University's president, Nemat Shafik, resigned on Wednesday after months of far-reaching fury over her handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and questions over her management of a bitterly divided campus. She was the third leader of an Ivy League university to resign in about eight months following maligned appearances before Congress about antisemitism on their campuses."

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. Miriam Berger of the Washington Post: "More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said Thursday -- a bleak indicator of the war's toll even as a full count remained out of reach amid a near-total collapse of the enclave's health-care system. The official figure of 40,005 killed since October does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. But the Gaza Health Ministry, which has operated for years under the Hamas-led government, says the majority of the dead are women and children. At least 92,401 have also been injured over more than 10 months of war.... Palestinian journalists, first responders, international aid workers and war casualty watchdogs all say that the official death toll in Gaza is probably an undercount...."

Ukraine/Russia. Anton Troianovski & Alina Lobzina of the New York Times: "Ukraine's surprise incursion into a sliver of Russia's Kursk region last week has not shifted the overall course of the war, but it has already struck a blow well beyond the few hundred square miles of Russia that Ukraine now controls: It has thrust a Russian government and society that had largely adapted to war into a new phase of improvisation and uncertainty. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has said nothing about the incursion since meeting with security and regional officials, a tense gathering in which the president at one point berated the Kursk governor for revealing the depth and breadth of Ukraine's advance into Russia. Near the border, where, the authorities say, more than 130,000 people have fled or been evacuated, regional officials appeared unprepared for the crisis -- prompting grass-roots aid initiatives to jump in."

News Ledes

NBC News: "An arrest was made in Southern California on Thursday in connection with the accidental overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, law enforcement sources [said].... Perry, 54, was found face down in the heated end of a pool at his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28, 2023. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office attributed his death to the acute effects of ketamine, an anesthetic with psychedelic properties." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. New York Times: "Matthew Perry’s personal assistant, two doctors and two others have been indicted and charged with providing the ketamine that caused the death of Mr. Perry, the 'Friends' star, in October, the authorities said on Thursday. In documents filed in federal court in California, prosecutors said that Mr. Perry's assistant and an acquaintance had worked with two doctors and a drug dealer to procure thousands of dollars worth of ketamine for Mr. Perry, who had long struggled with substance abuse and addiction, in the weeks leading up to his death."

Washington Post: "Half of Puerto Rico was in the dark Wednesday after a tropical storm lashed the island archipelago with torrential rain and wind, damaging a power grid that has struggled to recover from repeated storms. Luma Energy, the private consortium operating Puerto Rico;s electricity transmission and distribution, reported that more than 700,000 of its nearly 1.5 million customers were without power -- meaning 50 percent of the system was offline as of Wednesday afternoon. Culebra and Vieques, two small islands off the east coast, are experiencing near-total blackouts."

The Conversation -- August 14, 2024

Marie: I set Colbert's monologue to start with the part about the Musk/Trump "conversation": ~~~

Michael Sisak & Jennifer Peltz of the AP: "Donald Trump has lost his latest bid for a new judge in his New York hush money criminal case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month. In a decision posted Wednesday, Judge Juan M. Merchan declined to step aside and said Trump's demand was a rehash 'rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims' about his ability to remain impartial. It is the third time that Merchan has rejected such a request from lawyers for the former president...."

Marianne LeVine & Clara Morse of the Washington Post think they have found the reason that Donald Trump keeps bringing up the fictional Hannibal Lecter during his rallies: "A Trump rally is a sort of time capsule, a frozen-in-amber moment from an earlier era -- the 1980s -- when Trump ruled the New York City clubs and tabloids and first graced the cover of Time magazine. His self-curated rally playlists include hits like 'Y.M.C.A.' (1978) and 'Gloria' (1982). The fit of his suits and the length of his ties scream 1980s. Trump is the 'crypt keeper for the 1980s,' which was 'the high point of his life until he became president,' said Tim O'Brien, a Trump biographer who has criticized the former president.... 'None of his tastes have been updated in decades.' Trump's Hannibal Lecter obsession fits perfectly in this mold." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This sounds right. It's also the period in which the U.S. took a sharp right turn after a decades-long, if sputtering, progressive period in which the nation, at least on the surface, very slowly became more inclusive. Beginning in 1980, we had a backlash: Republican presidents for 12 years, followed by a Democratic president who, as a Southerner, adopted many ring-wing positions. Another conservative Republican followed him. The '80s changed the country in a profound and deleterious way.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "Freed from the campaign trail and the grinding pursuit of another term, President Biden traveled to New Orleans on Tuesday to focus on a project close to his heart: the 'moonshot' effort to sharply cut cancer deaths in the United States that he carried over from his time as vice president and has become a hallmark of his presidency. Speaking at Tulane University, Mr. Biden and ... Jill Biden announced eight research centers, including one at Tulane, that will collectively receive $150 million in research awards aimed at pioneering new methods of precision cancer surgery. Before addressing a crowd on campus, the president and the first lady met with a team of researchers who demonstrated the technology under development at Tulane.... Mr. Biden described touring cancer centers in Australia and Ireland, and being frustrated by a lack of international collaboration."

Presidential Race

Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "Vice President Kamala Harris aims to share the campaign trail vibes with the public in Chicago next week with free manicures, friendship bracelet making and campaign training at the city's convention center. The daytime programing, dubbed 'DemPalooza' by party bosses, will take place at the McCormick Place convention center, about 5 miles from the United Center where more than 4,000 credentialed delegates will gather Monday through Thursday.... The giveaways and celebratory atmosphere are a tactic Democrats and independent groups supporting them have been using this year to recruit volunteers and interest disaffected voters in the coming elections."

Since Donald Trump is so ignorant about how Kamala Harris got her last name, here's an article by Jeff Stein of the Washington Post which delves into the career of Kamala's father, Dr. Donald Harris, an economist who received Jamaica's Order of Merit for his work credited with boosting the nation's economy. (Also linked yesterday.)

Kellen Browning of the New York Times: "Speaking at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees convention in Los Angeles, [Gov. Tim] Walz responded directly for the first time to the claims pushed by ... Donald J. Trump's campaign that he exaggerated his military record to suggest he had served in combat when he had not, and that he left his Army National Guard unit to run for public office in order to avoid deploying to Iraq.... Mr. Walz, a former teacher -- and, as he noted, the first union member on a presidential ticket since Ronal Reagan -- framed himself and Ms. Harris as warriors for the working class, highlighting pro-labor bills he signed in Minnesota and his support for federal legislation like the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a labor rights bill. By contrast, Mr. Walz painted Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance as out-of-touch elitists. 'The only thing those two guys know about working people is how to work to take advantage of them.'" The Hill's report is here. MB: Think Walz' criticism of Trump's & Vance's labor records is unfair? Read some of the stories linked below.

Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "Gov. Tim Walz's response to the unrest [following George Floyd's murder] has attracted new scrutiny, and diverging opinions, since he joined Kamala Harris's ticket.... A series of official reports about that week found failures at all levels of government, including some on the governor's part.... Mr. Walz did not immediately anticipate how widespread and violent the riots would become and did not mobilize the Guard when first asked to do so. Interviews, documents and public statements also show that, as the violence increased, Mr. Walz moved to take command of the response, flooding Minneapolis with state personnel who helped restore order."

Rebecca Picciotti & Lora Kolodny of CNBC: "The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday filed federal labor charges with the National Labor Relations Board against ... Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for publicly applauding the practice of firing employees who threaten to strike. 'I look at what you do,' Trump said to Musk during a two-hour interview Monday night on X.... 'You walk in, you say, "You want to quit?" They go on strike,' Trump said to Musk.... 'I won't mention the name of the company, but they go on strike and you say, "That's okay, you're all gone. You're all gone. So, every one of you is gone,"' Trump said. Trump was referring to the 2022 gutting of Twitter staff after Musk took over the social media business and renamed it X. It is illegal to fire workers who threaten to strike, because the right to strike is protected under federal labor law. 'When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean,' UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement Tuesday on the new charges. 'When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Rex Huppke of USA Today, republished by Yahoo! News: "For a fascism-curious billionaire who loves cuddling up to right-wing loons, Elon Musk sure is good at making right-wing politicians look stupid.... Donald Trump had loudly trumpeted a planned Monday night interview with Musk that would stream on X. But much like the disastrous X-platformed launch of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign, the Musk/Trump interview failed to launch, leaving social media users laughing at the collective incompetence.... Of course, things didn't get better for Trump once the interview was able to proceed.... He was rambling, babbling on about crowd sizes and immigration and President Joe Biden and whatever else seemed to pass through his mind. He was also badly slurring his words, raising questions about his health, and doing nothing to knock down rising concerns about his age and well-being. He sounded like a disoriented, racist Daffy Duck." (Also linked yesterday.)

Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "In keeping with his preference that the universe continue to engage with him as though he is still president, Donald Trump's team has adopted the habit of occasionally referring to his public comments and appearances as addresses to the nation,' [as they did with his conversation with Elon Musk Monday].... Highfalutin descriptors not withstanding, that conversation was not an address to the nation. It was two ideological allies touring the right-wing rhetorical bubble and, like new best friends in fourth grade, scrambling over each other to point out their favorite parts.... Over the course of the conversation, there were countless misrepresentations and dishonesties, the background noise of the Trumpian rhetorical space."~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's the good news about Bump's post: Bump writes from a liberal POV, but his posts -- even if they favor liberal interests -- are usually rather dispassionate. Bump normally lets the facts do the talking. However, here he just can't help himself, and he lets his disdain for the fatcat bros spill out on the page. This is going from neutral to mockery in at least second gear. To a more limited extent, I've noticed other reporters, even straight reporters, at least shift -- however temporarily -- into first.

For quite the humorous take on the Trump-Musk fiasco, we turn to Guardian columnist Marina Hyde: "Let's deal only briefly with the eventual contents of Elon and Donald's fireside chat, as long as we're clear the fire they were sitting next to was a dumpster, sparks from which had long since set both their pants on fire." Droll throughout.

Jon Stewart points out how much Donald is missing Joe. In the end, Jon comes up with a plan that will certainly appeal to Trump, as it's kind of Trump's idea, and he has tried it before. I don't usually rerun videos, BUT I'm doing so here because the bit that begins at 11:25 min. in, where Stewart compares Trump's attacks on Biden to his attacks on Harris. A wonder to behold and something you should hear:~~~

JD Vance, "Nightmare" Employer. Allison Gordon, et al., of CNN: In 2017, JD Vance "invested in AppHarvest, a startup that promised a high-tech future for farming and for the workers of Eastern Kentucky.... Over a four-year span, Vance was an early investor, board member and public pitchman for the indoor-agriculture company.... Last year, facing hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, AppHarvest declared bankruptcy.... A CNN review of public documents, and interviews with a dozen former workers, shows that AppHarvest not only failed as a business after pursuing rapid growth, but also provided a grim job experience for many of the working-class Kentuckians Vance has vowed to help. AppHarvest employees said they were forced to work in grueling conditions inside the company's greenhouse, where temperatures often soared into the triple digits.... Despite promising local jobs, the company eventually began contracting migrant workers from Mexico, Guatemala and other countries...."

"Hillbilly Elegy" = Phony Screed Against Poor People. Lennard Davis in the Conversation, republished by Salon: "... there's a bit of a shell game going on when it comes to [JD] Vance's poverty credentials.... The reality -- one that Vance only subtly acknowledges in his memoir -- is that he is not poor. Nor is he a hillbilly. He grew up firmly in Ohio's middle class.... His family never had to worry about money; his grandfather, grandmother and mother all had houses in a suburban neighborhood in Middletown, Ohio. He admits that his grandfather 'owned stock in Armco and had a lucrative pension.'" Thanks to RAS for the link.

Cristiano Lima-Strong of the Washington Post: "Republicans have spent the better part of a decade accusing social media companies of 'censoring' conservative viewpoints ... to benefit Democrats. Now Democrats are ... questioning whether X -- owned by an outspoken GOP ally in Elon Musk -- is suppressing content favoring Vice President Kamala Harris to help ... Donald Trump's reelection bid. On Monday, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) called on House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to 'investigate political censorship' on X, citing reports that the company's chatbot, Grok, falsely told users Harris was ineligible to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot. The chatbot shared the false information for more than a week until it was corrected in late July.... Nadler voiced similar concerns in a letter last month after some users reported temporarily being unable to follow an X account for the Harris campaign. Nadler wrote that if X was 'intentionally throttling or blocking' the account, it would 'amount to egregious censorship.'... A handful of recent content moderation decisions by X have heightened those concerns."

Tania Ganguli of the New York Times: "More Than a Vote, a nonprofit organization founded by LeBron James in 2020, is rebooting this fall with a new focus on women's issues and reproductive rights. Nneka Ogwumike, a nine-time W.N.B.A. All-Star with the Seattle Storm and president of the players union, will take over James's role in leading the organization, and has recruited a group of female athletes to her cause. 'It's more than just abortion,' Ogwumike said in an interview. 'It's all about educating people about all the different roles that exist in society that support and protect the freedoms of women when it comes to family planning, I.V.F., birth control, everything. There's just a lot that's at stake.' More Than a Vote was founded when, motivated by nationwide protest movements after the killing by police of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, athletes like James said they were starting to think more deeply about how they could use their platforms."

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Will Sommer & Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post: "For now, the decision among the [news] outlets [-- Politico, the Washington Post & the New York Times --] that received documents [alleged obtained through an Iranian hacking operation] has been not to publish them, focusing instead on the possible hack itself.... In 2016, Trump relished Russian hacks of Democratic campaign emails, once asking the country to find more of Hillary Clinton's emails with the phrase, 'Russia, if you're listening.' But in the aftermath of its own possible hack, the Trump campaign told reporters that to publish the material would be assisting a foreign state actor in undermining democracy.... 'It would certainly be ironic if Trump, of all people, benefited from the media learning lessons from a situation he exploited,' said Ben Smith, Semafor editor in chief.... Despite the reluctance of news outlets to publish material, if the hackers want the documents to be available online, they will be."

More Boss-from-Hell Musk News: Irish Eyes Are Smiling. Ashley Belanger of Ars Publica: "Elon Musk had no business sending Twitter employees an email giving them 24 hours to click 'yes' to keep their jobs or else voluntarily resign during his takeover in 2022, an Irish workplace watchdog ruled Monday. Not only did the email not provide staff with enough notice, the labor court ruled, but also any employee's failure to click 'yes' could in no way constitute a legal act of resignation. Instead, the court reviewed evidence alleging that the email appeared designed to either get employees to agree to new employment terms, sight unseen, or else push employees to volunteer for dismissal during a time of mass layoffs across Twitter.... An adjudication officer for the Irish Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Michael MacNamee, ruled that Twitter's abrupt dismissal of an Ireland-based senior executive, Gary Rooney, was unfair, the Irish public service broadcaster RTÉ reported.... Now, instead of paying Rooney the draft severance amount worth a little more than $25,000, Twitter[/X] ... has to pay Rooney more than $600,000. According to many outlets, this is a record award from the WRC...."

     ~~~ Marie: Musk's cruelty, intimidating behavior and lack of just normal human feelings here is jaw-dropping. He is a very damaged person, and walking evidence that billions of dollars cannot fix a person. If, on the surface, living well is the best revenge, it is not the best remedy.

Crooked Friend of Crooked Trump Has Crooked Lawyer. (Allegedly!) Spencer Hsu & Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "A pro-Trump lawyer facing criminal charges for illegally accessing Michigan voting machines after the 2020 election was disqualified Tuesday from representing former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne after a judge found her and Byrne responsible for leaking up to 1 million confidential records turned over in a separate defamation lawsuit. Stefanie Lambert was barred from representing Byrne, a prominent funder of adherents of election misinformation, in a $1.6 billion damages lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, the target of false attacks over ... Donald Trump's 2020 election loss. U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya of Washington disqualified Lambert over violations beginning last March with her disclosure of Dominion emails to a county sheriff in southwestern Michigan and to a court filing in her own criminal case in Michigan, despite a court order requiring that records in the defamation case be kept confidential." ~~~

     ~~~ Crooked Lawyer of Crooked Friend (Allegedly!) of Crooked Trump Arrested as Fugitive. Rachel Weiner & Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "An attorney involved in efforts to upend the results of the 2020 election was arrested in federal court in Washington this week and ordered to turn herself in to authorities in Michigan as civil and criminal cases involving claims of voter fraud collided. Stefanie Lambert's arrest came more than a week after officials had issued a bench warrant for failing to appear for a hearing in her criminal case in Michigan, where she is charged with illegally breaching voting machines, and days after she came under scrutiny for the release of documents as the attorney for an ally of former president Donald Trump in a federal defamation case. Lambert was held at a D.C. detention center as a 'fugitive from justice' until Tuesday, when a judge released her on an unsecured $10,000 bond with orders to turn herself in to the police in Michigan by Wednesday or face rearrest."

Kenneth Vogel of the New York Times: "Hunter Biden sought assistance from the U.S. government for a potentially lucrative energy project in Italy while his father was vice president, according to newly released records and interviews. The records, which the Biden administration had withheld for years, indicate that Hunter Biden wrote at least one letter to the U.S. ambassador to Italy in 2016 seeking assistance for the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, where he was a board member. Embassy officials appear to have been uneasy with the request from the son of the sitting vice president on behalf of a foreign company.... The State Department did not release the actual text of the letter. A White House spokesman said the president was not aware when he was vice president that his son was reaching out to the U.S. Embassy in Italy on behalf of Burisma."

~~~~~~~~~~

Arizona. Rio Yamat of the AP: "Arizona voters will get to decide in November whether to add the right to an abortion to the state constitution. The Arizona secretary of state's office said Monday that it had certified 577,971 signatures -- far above the required number that the coalition supporting the ballot measure had to submit in order to put the question before voters. The coalition, Arizona for Abortion Access, said it is the most signatures validated for a citizens initiative in state history. 'This is a huge win for Arizona voters who will now get to vote YES on restoring and protecting the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, once and for all,' campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement."

Kansas. Ben Brasch & Sofia Andrade of the Washington Post: "A former police chief in Kansas was charged Monday with a felony for allegedly tampering with an investigation into his raid of a small-town newspaper's office. Gideon Cody faces a single count of interference with a judicial process, according to Marion County court records. Barry R. Wilkerson, one of the two special prosecutors assigned to the case, alleged that Cody 'induced a witness to withhold information,' according to the court filing. No attorney was listed online as representing Cody. He could not immediately be reached by phone. The Aug. 11, 2023, raid of the Marion County Record's newsroom and the home of its editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, brought the nation's attention to a county of 12,000 residents roughly 60 miles north of Wichita. The raid sparked national outrage from press freedom advocates.... Meyer ... told The Post on Tuesday that ... the chief should be charged over the raid itself," not just the cover-up. (Also linked yesterday.)

Maryland. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D), a former House majority leader and longtime Maryland politician, sought medical care for a mild stroke Sunday night, his office said in a statement Tuesday. 'Mr. Hoyer has responded well to treatment and has no lingering symptoms,' his ... spokesperson, Margaret Mulkerrin, said in a statement."

Minnesota Congressional Race. Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the progressive lightning rod whose unabated criticism of Israel has deepened the fissures in the Democratic Party over the war in Gaza, won her primary on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. While she prevailed, it has been a rocky summer for the 'squad,' the ultraliberal faction of lawmakers in the House. Two other members of the group, Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York and Representative Cori Bush of Missouri, suffered primary defeats in June and August after pro-Israel groups spent millions trying to influence those contests."

Minnesota Senate Race. Friend of Bannon, Alex Jones Wins GOP Primary. Jared Gans of the Hill: "Former NBA player Royce White won the Republican Senate primary to take on Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota.... White, backed by the state GOP, emerged from a crowded field of candidates jockeying to go up against the Democrat incumbent, including business executive Joe Fraser. White reportedly boasts allies in ex-Trump aide Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and went into Tuesday's contest as the top fundraiser, according to FEC filings. Fraser was backed by former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) and former Republican Sens. Rudy Boschwitz and Norm Coleman...." MB: Okay, then, good choice, Minnesota Republicans!

Texas Congressional Race. Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "Former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner has won the Democratic nomination to replace the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), making Turner her likely successor next year in the heavily Democratic district that she represented for nearly three decades. Democratic precinct chairs in the 18th Congressional District on Tuesday night picked Turner to take Jackson Lee's place on the November ballot after she died last month. Turner faced five opponents in the first round of voting before advancing to a runoff against Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member who ran against Jackson Lee in the March primary."

Wisconsin Senate Race. Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Eric Hovde, a wealthy businessman, won the Republican nomination for Senate in Wisconsin on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, setting up a key race this fall with Senator Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic incumbent.... He ... drew criticism this year for suggesting that 'almost nobody in a nursing home' is mentally competent to vote, saying he had gained expertise regarding nursing homes because the bank he owns lends to them."

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al.

Kyle Melnick & Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration has approved about $20 billion in new weapons sales to Israel over the next several years, amid fading hopes that a negotiating session scheduled for Thursday would lead to a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release. Notification of the pending sale was sent to Congress on Tuesday. It includes F-15 fighter jets, 120mm tank ammunition, tactical vehicles, AMRAAM antiaircraft missiles and high-explosive mortars. The tactical vehicles and about 50,000 mortar cartridges are expected to be delivered starting in 2026. The following year, more than 32,000 120mm tank-ammunition cartridges are estimated to arrive in Israel."

The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Japan PM Does a Biden. River Davis of the New York Times: "Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, intends to step down next month, bowing to pressure within his party to move on from his unpopular leadership, news outlets reported. Mr. Kishida has informed officials in his administration of his intention not to run in a governing-party election in September, according to Japanese news outlets...."

Thailand. Sui-Lee Wee of the New York Times: "Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office on Wednesday, throwing the country into fresh turmoil and creating deeper uncertainty about the political future of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. In a 5-4 verdict, the court ruled that Mr. Srettha, who took office almost a year ago, violated moral and ethical standards set out in the constitution because he appointed an ally of his benefactor, Thaksin Shinawatra, to his cabinet. Mr. Srettha was seen as a figurehead prime minister, with Mr. Thaksin playing a powerful behind-the-scenes role. Wednesday's ruling served as a warning to the ambitions of Mr. Thaksin, himself a former prime minister and long a foil to Thailand's royalist-military establishment." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh why, oh why, can't we have a supreme court who would toss out leaders for gross moral turpitude?

News Ledes

New York Times: "Gena Rowlands, the intense, elegant dramatic actress who, often in collaboration with her husband, John Cassavetes, starred in a series of introspective independent films, has died. She was 94."

New York Times: "The Consumer Price Index cooled in July compared with a year earlier, providing further evidence that inflation is moderating and likely keeping the Federal Reserve firmly on track to cut interest rates at its meeting next month. Overall inflation was 2.9 percent in July on a yearly basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, easing slightly from 3 percent in June. The figure was milder than economists had expected, and it marked the first time inflation has slipped below 3 percent since 2021. While inflation still exceeds the 2 percent that was normal before the coronavirus pandemic, it is much slower than the 9.1 percent peak in 2022."

New York Times: "Tropical Storm Ernesto lashed eastern Puerto Rico with strong winds and heavy rain early Wednesday as it strengthened, prompting warnings across parts of the Caribbean. Ernesto is expected to reach hurricane strength later on Wednesday while passing north of Puerto Rico, where it has brought 'torrential rainfall,' the National Weather Service said at 5 a.m. President Biden approved a declaration of emergency in Puerto Rico on Tuesday night. A hurricane watch is in effect for the British Virgin Islands. A tropical storm warning is active for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Vieques, Culebra and Puerto Rico, where flash flood warnings are also in place. The storm is not expected to approach the mainland United States."