The Commentariat -- June 8, 2016

Afternoon Update:

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "She may not be the orator President Obama is, or the retail politician her husband was. But Mrs. Clinton's steely fortitude in this campaign has plainly inspired older women, black voters and many others who see in her perseverance a kind of mirror to their own struggles. And Mrs. Clinton's very durability -- her tenacity, grit and capacity for enduring and overcoming adversity -- could be exactly what is required to defeat Donald J. Trump." -- CW

Jesse Singal of New York: "A truly vintage example [of Donald Trump's lying] popped up in Tuesday’s BuzzFeed article detailing Trump's attempts to raise money from, and forge potential business relationships with, Muammar ­Qaddafi.... In [2009, in] exchange for some cash -- and, evidence strongly suggests, in an attempt to bring himself closer to Qaddafi, who had access to funds and business connections Trump openly coveted -- Trump allowed his estate to be partially taken over by a throng of 20 members of Qaddafi's entourage[, and they erected a tent on the premises].... Unfortunately for this rental agreement..., 'the town of Bedford issued a stop-work order, based on a local ordinance against building temporary structures without a permit.... Later, Trump took credit for shutting the site down, saying he had asked the Libyans to leave.'" CW: Everything he says is fake.

Matthew Pennington of the AP: "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Congress Wednesday that his nation and the U.S. have overcome 'the hesitations of history' and called for ever-stronger economic and defense ties between the two countries.... Modi's address followed years of being shunned in the U.S. because of religious violence in his home state. Underscoring the turnabout, it came a day after a White House meeting with President Barack Obama and preceded a lunch Modi will have in the Capitol with congressional leaders and a reception hosted by the House and Senate foreign affairs committees." -- CW

Charles Pierce: "Tom Cotton weaponized a dying woman's final days in order to 'inflict special pain' on the president. Tom Cotton is a petty, sadistic swine who has the basic conscience of a cholera outbreak. He should be shamed from office, and he should be shunned by decent people. God, I hope there's a hell, and that it's as advertised by Dante." -- CW

Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "A former CIA officer who was accused of taking part in an illegal counter-terrorism programme said she is facing imminent extradition to Italy from Portugal after a high court in Lisbon rejected a last-minute legal appeal. Sabrina de Sousa, a 60-year-old former CIA officer who was convicted in absentia in Italy in 2009, faces a four-year prison term for her alleged role in the kidnapping of a radical Egyptian cleric named Abu Omar, who was grabbed off the street in Milan by CIA officials in 2003 and sent to Egypt, where he was imprisoned, interrogated and allegedly tortured." -- CW

William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "The powerful leader of the union that represents New York City correction officers, whose alliances with mayors and governors have afforded him broad influence, was arrested on federal fraud charges on Wednesday, according to court papers. The charges against the union leader, Norman Seabrook, and a second defendant, Murray Huberfeld, a hedge-fund financier, stem from the first major criminal case linked to one of several corruption investigations focused on the campaign fund-raising of Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat." -- CW

Sam Levin & Julia Wong of the Guardian: Brock Turner, the former Stanford U. swimmer convicted of sexual assault & given a lenient sentence, in a statement to the judge, "placed blame on 'alcohol' and 'party culture.'... The Guardian has published a portion of Turner's statement that illustrates, as the victim described in her original statement, the ways in which Turner 'failed to exhibit sincere remorse or responsibility for his conduct'." -- CW

William Booth of the Washington Post: "A top Israeli minister said he wants the government to take complete control of more than half of the West Bank and remove the Palestinian residents of the territory. While traveling with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a state visit to Russia on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel told the Times of Israel that the world should forget about a Palestinian state." -- CW

Simon Denyer of the Washington Post: "A U.S. spy plane has been buzzed by Chinese jets as it flew over the East China Sea, with one of the fighter planes approaching in an 'unsafe' manner, the U.S. military said, after the second similar incident in three weeks. China responded by accusing the United States of 'hyping' the incident but said the real problem was U.S. surveillance planes flying too close to its territory." -- CW

*****

Presidential Race

My mother believed that life is about serving others. And she taught me never to back down from a bully, which it turns out was pretty good advice. -- Hillary Clinton, in her victory speech last night

(BTW, this is true. Years ago, I heard her tell the story that when some neighborhood bully picked on her, her mother told her to go back out & punch him. -- Constant Weader )

Shane Goldmacher of Politico: "Hillary Clinton triumphantly claimed the Democratic nomination for president on Tuesday, calling for party unity to stop Donald Trump as she became the first woman in U.S. history to lead a major-party ticket. Thanks to you, we've reached a milestone, the first time in our nation's history that a woman will be a major party's nominee,' she announced to thunderous applause at her Brooklyn headquarters." -- CW

... Clinton begins speaking at about 10 min. in:

... Jeet Heer of the New Republic: "Clinton ... is the perfect candidate to stand up to Trump's politics of resurgent sexism. She has spent many years honing her response to precisely the kinds of attacks that Trump will use against her.... Trump practices dominance politics, which involves intimidating rivals. But Clinton happens to be the type of person that Trump himself is intimidated by: a strong woman.... If Clinton wins in the fall, she'll be a feminist heroine twice over: not just the first female president, but also the president who squashed the most repellent sexist in American public life." -- CW

... Patrick Healy & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "... Mr. Sanders refused to yield, insisting that he would continue his campaign and barely acknowledging her achievement." -- CW ...

... Michael Barbaro & Yamiche Alcindor of the New York Times: "... despite the crushing California results that rolled in for him on Tuesday night, despite the insurmountable delegate math and the growing pleas that he end his quest for the White House, Senator Bernie Sanders took to the stage in Santa Monica and basked, bragged and vowed to fight on. In a speech of striking stubbornness, he ignored the history-making achievement of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who became the first woman in American history to clinch the presidential nomination of major political party." CW: Yo, Bernie, time to move on. You still have a pretty, pretty good job. ...

... Greg Sargent: "In interviews with me..., two of Sanders's most important supporters in Congress -- Senator Jeff Merkley and Rep. Raul Grijalva, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus -- said Sanders would have to accept the inevitably of Clinton's nomination, and begin the process of getting behind her." -- CW ...

... Philip Rucker & Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "A handful of people are expected to play key roles in brokering peace between the two warring campaigns, including President Obama, Vice President Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).... Warren ... is seen by other leaders of the party as uniquely credible and positioned to play one of the most influential roles in bridging the Clinton and Sanders divide." -- CW

... Andrew Prokop of Vox: Sanders' "speech didn't contain any criticism of Clinton, and emphasized the importance of defeating Donald Trump.... However, he also hammered home the importance of all the issues he's been campaigning on for the past year -- and, really, for decades.... But ... plans can change. Back in 2008, after all, Hillary Clinton did take a few days after the conclusion of primary voting to finalize her decision to end her campaign. And Sanders has a meeting with Obama set up for this Thursday, in which the future of his own effort will surely be discussed." -- CW ...

... Edward-Isaac Dovere & Gabriel Debenedetti of Politico: "There's no strategist pulling the strings, and no collection of burn-it-all-down aides egging him on. At the heart of the rage against Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party, the campaign aides closest to him say, is Bernie Sanders." -- CW ...

... Andy Borowitz: "Upping the ante in his quest for the White House, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders vowed on Tuesday night to continue battling for the Democratic Presidential nomination even if Hillary Clinton is elected President of the United States." -- CW

Eli Stokols of Politico: "Mired in a weeklong controversy over his racially charged comments about the Mexican heritage of the American-born judge handling a Trump University lawsuit, [Donald] Trump shifted into general election mode by unleashing new attack lines on Hillary Clinton and promising more to come.... Trump stood behind a podium and spoke from a teleprompter, eschewing his familiar off-the-cuff vernacular and delivering a more refined, scripted sales pitch that portrayed his signature bombast in a more flattering light.... Just as Clinton is securing the Democratic nomination amidst controversy over her heavy reliance on superdelegates, Trump made an overt play for the supporters of her rival, Bernie Sanders, noting that they share an opposition to free trade." -- CW ...

... Isaac Chotiner of Slate: "Donald Trump's attempt on Tuesday night to give a relatively normal political speech was, on its own terms, a success. Trump read from a teleprompter, kept the personal attacks to a minimum, and discussed actual issues by using about as many policy details as he can muster (not many.) The speech was a reminder that if Trump were even just a tad more normal or contained, he would have a real chance against Hillary Clinton in November. But he isn't, and he probably doesn't.... Trump has tried this before.... And yet, within days, each and every time he has gone back to being the man he further revealed himself as this week: a bigot and racist with no self-control, a nasty streak, and a contempt for the press." -- CW ...

... Ryu Spaeth of the New Republic: Donald Trump said last night that he was going to give a "major speech, 'probably Monday,' and will go over 'all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons.'... Trump, as usual, is ditching the subtlety and billing his speech as simply a 'major' attack on the Clintons. Get ready to revisit that time Hillary murdered Vince Foster!" -- CW

Primary Results

The New York Times has today's full results here.

Democrats

California. With less than one percent of the vote counted, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by 61.6 percent to 37.5 percent. With 88 percent counted & with Clinton ahead 56 percent to 43, the AP has not called the race. With 93 percent counted, the AP declared Clinton the winner; she has 56 percent of the vote to Sanders' 43 percent.

Montana. With less than one percent of the vote counted, Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders by 49.3 to 45.3 percent. With 91 percent reporting, the AP has called the race for Sanders; Sanders has 50.5 percent of the vote, Clinton 45.

New Jersey. With less than one percent of the vote counted, Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders 55.3 to 44.7 percent. With 3 percent of the vote counted, Clinton is leader 60-40 percent. With 13 percent counted, the AP has called the race for Clinton; she has 58.7 percent of the vote to Sanders' 41.3 percent.

New Mexico. With 20 percent of the vote counted, Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders 52.3 to 47.7 percent. With 70 percent of the vote counted, the AP has projected Clinton as the winner; Clinton has 53.3 percent to Sanders' 46.7 percent of the vote.

North Dakota. With 4 percent of the vote counted, Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders 68.8 to 25 percent. With 43 percent of the vote counted, Sanders is leading Clinton 62.6 to 26.9. With 60 percent of the vote counted, the AP has called the race for Sanders; he leaders Clinton 64.3 to 26.4 percent.

South Dakota. With 20 percent of the vote counted, Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders 54.6 to 45.4 percent.

Republicans

California. With less than one percent of the vote counted, Donald Trump leads with 79.5 percent of the vote, followed by John Kasich with 9.1 percent & Ted Cruz with 7.4 percent. With one percent of the vote counted, the AP has declared Trump the winner.

Montana. With less than one percent of the vote counted, Donald Trump is leading with 71 percent of the vote, followed by Ted Cruz with 9.8 percent & John Kasich with 8.1 percent. The AP has called the race for Trump.

New Jersey. With less than one percent of the voted counted, Donald Trump has 77.5 percent of the vote, followed by John Kasich with about 13 percent & Ted Cruz with about 9 percent. The AP has declared Trump the winner; with 4 percent of the vote counted, Trump has 83.4 percent.

New Mexico. With 19 percent of the vote counted, Donald Trump is leading with 71.7 percent, followed by Ted Cruz with 10.9 percent & John Kasich with 9.8 percent. The AP has called the state for Trump.

South Dakota. With 21 percent of the vote counted, the AP has declared Donald Trump the winner; he has 67 percent of the vote, followed by John Kasich with 16.9 percent & Ted Cruz with 16.3 percent.

Gail Collins: "... if [Hillary Clinton] could go into the past to tell someone that she'd been nominated for President of the United States, it would be her mother." -- CW

Shane Goldmacher: "Hillary Clinton ... has launched a new website aimed at courting disaffected GOP voters. The website, republicansagainsttrump.org, was registered on May 27 and launched on June 2, according to domain registration records. The Clinton campaign only appears to have begun buying ads to promote the site more recently." -- CW

Yamiche Alcindor & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders plans to lay off at least half of his campaign staff Wednesday as his battered presidential bid continues despite Hillary Clinton's being declared the presumptive Democratic nominee, two people close to the campaign said Tuesday." -- CW

Matt Pearce of the Los Angeles Times: "California voters faced a tough time at the polls Tuesday, with many voters saying they have encountered broken machines, polling sites that opened late and incomplete voter rolls, particularly in Los Angeles County. The result? Instead of a quick in-and-out vote, many California voters were handed the dreaded pink provisional ballot -- which takes longer to fill out, longer for election officials to verify and which tends to leave voters wondering whether their votes will be counted." -- CW

Glenn Greenwald of the Intercept: "... the Associated Press ... surprised everyone by abruptly declaring the Democratic Party primary over and Hillary Clinton the victor.... AP claims that superdelegates ... privately told AP reporters that they intend to vote for Clinton, bringing her over the threshold. AP is concealing the identity of the decisive superdelegates.... This is the perfect symbolic ending to the Democratic Party primary: The nomination is consecrated by a media organization, on a day when nobody voted, based on secret discussions with anonymous establishment insiders and donors whose identities the media organization -- incredibly -- conceals. The decisive edifice of superdelegates is itself anti-democratic and inherently corrupt.... For a party run by insiders and funded by corporate interests, it's only fitting that its nomination process ends with such an ignominious, awkward, and undemocratic sputter." -- CW

I do not feel that one's heritage makes them incapable of being impartial, but, based on the rulings that I have received in the Trump University civil case, I feel justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial. -- Donald Trump, in a statement Tuesday

It's Our Fault for "Misconstruing" Trump's Totally Non-Racist Remarks. Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump, who said last week that a Mexican-American judge was biased against him because of his heritage, said on Tuesday that his remarks had been 'misconstrued' and that he did not think that the judge's ethnicity created a conflict of interest.... 'It is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage,' Mr. Trump said. 'I am friends with and employ thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent.'... Mr. Trump, who did not apologize for the remarks, continued to express doubts about Judge Curiel, noting that he was appointed to the federal bench by President Obama." -- CW ...

... Jose DelReal & Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post: "Trump said he will no longer comment on the case." CW: We'll see how long that lasts. ...

... Trump's statement is here. ...

... Trump: "I'm sorry you thought my racism against Judge Curiel was racist." Dara Lind of Vox: "... when it comes specifically to Curiel, Trump's argument, from the beginning, is that Curiel's pride in his ethnicity -- and, specifically, his membership in a Latino lawyers association (which Trump's campaign appears to have confused with a mainstream Latino advocacy organization) -- makes him unusually likely to oppose Trump's immigration policy and therefore Trump himself.... Furthermore, the statement continues to imply that Curiel is biased against Trump because Trump wants to keep out 'drugs and illegal immigrants' -- implying that Curiel must not want to do these things." -- CW

... Kevin Drum reads three sentences of Trump's statement: "You have the whining, the lying, the passive voice rowback, and the faux sorrow that this has become such a divisive issue, all in just a few sentences. It's vintage Trump, folks." -- CW ...

... William Saletan of Slate: "Based on the statement's sloppiness -- grammatical mistakes, revisited grudges, and nonsense terms such as 'Hispanic descent' -- it looks as though Trump wrote (or dictated) the statement himself. This is how he thinks about ethnicity and fairness, not under interrogation by journalists, but in his own considered words. It's damning." -- CW ...

... Eric Levitz of New York: "So, the GOP nominee should soon be back on the high road he was taking before the Trump University case crept into the headlines -- accusing Bill Clinton of rape and Crooked Hillary of murdering Vince Foster. -- CW ...

... David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Tuesday called Donald J. Trump's criticism of a federal judge of Hispanic heritage 'the textbook definition of a racist comment' and said he 'regrets' the remark. But Mr. Ryan also reiterated his support for Mr. Trump.... 'I disavow these comments -- I regret those comments that he made,' Mr. Ryan said after announcing a new Republican anti-poverty initiative in Anacostia, an overwhelmingly black neighborhood in Washington." -- CW ...

... Yo, Paul, You're the Racist! Tierney Sneed of TPM: Jeffrey Lord, "a top surrogate for Donald Trump, said Tuesday that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) was 'playing the race card' for condemning Trump's recent attacks on a federal judge because of his Mexican heritage. 'Speaker Ryan is wrong and Speaker Ryan has apparently switched positions and is supporting identity politics, which is racist,' Trump supporter Jeffrey Lord...." -- CW ...

What happens is you begin to develop a cult of personality where an authoritarian is right because he is right. -- Van Jones to Jeffrey Lord, on CNN, Tuesday

Exactly. -- Constant Weader

... And You, Too, Gonzalo. Callum Borchers of the Washington Post: "... it turns out Curiel is actually the racist, according to Lord, since he belongs to a group of Latino attorneys 'that is all about discriminating against non-Latino lawyers.'" Other CNN panelists & host Anderson Cooper pummeled Lord for his remarks. -- CW ...

... Benjamin Wallace-Wells of the New Yorker: The #RealDonaldTrump has been a racist for decades. "The Curiel story shows that Trump is not playing a part. There is no Trump character, just Trump the man." -- CW

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., facing a big challenge from Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said Tuesday he will not support ... Donald Trump after earlier saying he would back him. 'I cannot and will not support my party's nominee for President regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party,' Kirk said in a statement, in which he also said Trump did not have the temperament to command the U.S. military or take control of nuclear weapons." -- CW

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday doubled down on his skepticism of Donald Trump, saying he currently doesn't believe he'll support ... [Trump] in November. 'As of now, unless he changes significantly, I can't see myself voting for Donald Trump,' Flake told reporters, according to Bloomberg News, on Tuesday." -- CW

Niels Lesniewski of Roll Call: "Sen. Marco Rubio wants to make clear that if he speaks at the Republican National Convention this July, he will not be on stage as a Donald Trump surrogate. 'I may not be asked to speak, but if I am at a convention or any Republican gathering for that matter, what I would communicate is the things I believe in,' Rubio said Monday. He said that no one has reached out to him about a potential speaking slot." -- CW

Nick Gass of Politico: "Donald Trump has the 'right' to express his opinion about the U.S. federal judge presiding over Trump University lawsuits, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie asserted Tuesday, defending the presumptive Republican nominee from criticism after he remarked that Judge Gonzalo Curiel would not be fair to him because of his Mexican heritage." CW: Another good reason for #NeverTrump: he would probably make the severely ethically-challenged Chrisco his attorney general.

Ben Jacobs of the Guardian: "The Iowa state senator David Johnson became the first elected official to leave the Republican party over Donald Trump on Tuesday, likening the presumptive nominee's campaign to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Johnson announced that he was changing his registration to No Party after Trump levelled accusations of bias at Judge Gonzalo Curiel, an American judge of Mexican heritage who allowed the release of some unflattering documents from a case against Trump University." -- CW

** Ezra Klein: Donald Trump's "most salient characteristic is that he operates entirely without shame.... This is the danger Trump poses to the American political system, even if he loses. He is normalizing the abnormal. He is redefining what is acceptable to do and say in American politics.... Americans are protected by our constitutional right to free speech. But we are also protected by norms around the kind of speech that is acceptable, particularly from those in public life.... As often as not, our real protection is found not in laws but in norms." -- CW

He's a Lying Braggart, But He's Our Lying Braggart. Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "... many of Trump's fans don't actually think he will build a wall -- and they don't care if he doesn't. Many also don't think that Trump as president would really ban foreign Muslims from entering the country, seize oil controlled by terrorists or deport 11 million illegal immigrants. They view Trump's pledges more as malleable symbols than concrete promises, reflecting a willingness to shake things up and to be bold." -- CW

Getty images, via Vanity Fair. ... Melena Ryzik of the New York Times: "At the moment that Hillary Clinton was all but clinching the Democratic nomination for president, Meryl Streep was on a stage in Central Park, impersonating Donald J. Trump. In orange face makeup and pompadoured hair, Ms. Streep ... did a more than credible version of the presumptive Republican nominee, down to the pursed lips and low-hanging belly. She got the braggadocio-inflected voice, too, even while singing." Thanks to MAG for the lead. -- CW

Congressional Race

Lynn Bonner of the Raleigh News & Observer: "U.S. Rep. George Holding of Raleigh defeated a fellow incumbent -- and a Donald Trump ally -- in one of the most-watched congressional primaries in the nation. Rep Renee Ellmers' defeat in the GOP contest marks a major fall for a politician who was once a television political show staple and who worked to recruit Republican women to run for office. Holding presented himself as more conservative than Ellmers.... Holding challenged the 2nd Congressional District incumbent, Ellmers, after Holding's 13th District was moved from the Triangle to the Triad when the legislature redrew the districts in response to a federal court ruling." -- CW

Other News & Views

Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "The Senate passed legislation Tuesday evening that will overhaul the way the federal government regulates every chemical sold on the market in the United States. The bipartisan accord represents the most sweeping environmental measure to pass Congress in a quarter-century. The bill, which drew support from the chemical industry, trial lawyers and many public health and environmental groups, updates a 40-year-old law long criticized as ineffective.... The measure, which President Obama is poised to sign into law, grew out of an effort that the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) launched with [Sen. David] Vitter [R-La.] and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) in 2012. The bill passed the House by an overwhelming margin late last month, but Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) put a hold on it that delayed its passage." -- CW ...

... The Importance of Being Randy. CW: If you're wondering why Li'l Randy put a hold on an environmental bill that Jim Inhofe & Jeff Merkley [D-Ore.] could agree on, the answer is that he's a remarkably slo-o-o-w reader, as Eilperin reported in May. As an aide to Inhofe pointed out, she had "carried and birthed a child in the same amount of time in which Rand Paul could have raised objections to the few lines in this bill that he is now calling 'rushed.'" He did it because he could.

Missy Ryan & Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "The White House issued its second veto threat against a massive annual defense bill on Tuesday, naming a long list of provisions that administration officials said would tie President Obama's hands on crucial national security matters.... 'The bill attempts to micromanage [the Defense Department] by impeding the Department's ability to respond to changing circumstances, directing overly prescriptive organizational changes, preventing the closure of Guantanamo, and limiting U.S. engagement with Cuba, and includes provisions that set an arbitrary limit on the size of the President's National Security Council staff,' [the Office of Management & Budget] said.... The administration threatened last month to veto the House version of the bill, citing lawmakers' steps to boost defense funding despite budget caps. Obama vetoed the original version of last year's bill, only his fifth veto since he took office in 2009, but he later signed an amended version into law." -- CW

Aviva Shen of Think Progress: "Three months after apologizing for calling poor people 'takers,' House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) unveiled his plan to make life harder for them.... The plan includes a bevy of policies designed to make it much harder for people in need to access federal programs: tougher work requirements for food stamps, housing aid, or cash welfare; eliminating benefits conservatives believe are making improper payments; cutting Social Security; eliminating funding for early childhood education lifeline Head Start; sealing off tax credits from some low-income families; and further allowing states to cut certain programs as they see fit." CW: Thanks, Paul, for getting those lazy bastards up out of their hammocks.

Gary Legum of Salon: Sen. Tom "Cotton kept this hold [on Cassandra Butts' nomination to be ambassador to the Bahamas until she died] for two reasons. The first is that he is a nasty, small-minded, arrogant, repugnant, self-righteous, testosterone-fueled warmongering jackhole with an over-inflated sense of his own value both to the nation's political process and humanity in general. Second, Cotton is a perfect creature of what the Republican Party has evolved into over the last 40 years.... It is a party with no coherent ideological beliefs, no governing philosophy, and no interest in developing either beyond the usual platitudes about cutting taxes and keeping government small. It is a party of nihilism. It is a party of angry toddlers stamping their feet and holding their breath until they either get what they want or turn blue." -- CW

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The investigation that led CIA Director David Petraeus to resign and ultimately plead guilty to a criminal charge of mishandling classified information also uncovered evidence that he discussed highly classified information with journalists, according to a court document obtained Tuesday by Politico. Requesting a search warrant for Petraeus' Arlington, Virginia home in 2013, an FBI agent told a federal magistrate the agency had two audio recordings in which the retired four-star Army general spoke with reporters about matters that authorities believed were 'top secret.'" -- CW

News Ledes

New York Times: "Two Palestinian gunmen posing as restaurant patrons opened fire on civilians in a popular Tel Aviv cafe on Wednesday night, killing four people and reigniting fears of terrorism in Israel just as a recent wave of Palestinian attacks had seemed to be waning."

New York Times: "Maria Sharapova> was suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation on Wednesday for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Sharapova, 29, the agency monitored its usage for a year. Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion whose ranking has dropped to 26th because of injuries and her suspension, is the highest profile tennis player to have a positive doping test." -- CW

The Commentariat -- June 7, 2016

Presidential Race

** Hope Yen, et al., of the AP: "Striding into history, Hillary Clinton will become the first woman to top the presidential ticket of a major U.S. political party, capturing commitments Monday from the number of delegates needed to become the Democrats' presumptive nominee.... Campaigning this time as the loyal successor to the nation's first black president, Clinton held off a surprisingly strong challenge from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.... Clinton ... reached the 2,383 delegates needed to become the presumptive Democratic nominee on Monday with a decisive weekend victory in Puerto Rico and a burst of last-minute support from superdelegates." -- CW ...

... Maggie Haberman & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "Mr. Sanders, who had vowed to stay in the race until the convention, said in a news conference on Monday that he 'hoped to win' in California, but added, 'Let's assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation.'" -- CW ...

     ... Update: Amy Chozick & Patrick Healy of the New York Times have a more expansive story, published early this morning, on Clinton's win. -- CW ...

... Melanie Mason of the Los Angeles Times: "It was the biggest news of the Democratic primary season.... But neither [Hillary Clinton] nor rival Bernie Sanders seemed much interested in acknowledging it.... Neither candidate wants the perception of a settled contest to muffle their supporters' turnout Tuesday in California's close race." -- CW ...

... Cyra Master of the Hill: "Shortly after The Associated Press updated its delegate count and declared Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, a spokesman for Bernie Sanders slammed the media's 'rush to judgment.' 'It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgment, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee's clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer,' spokesman Michael Briggs said Monday night." -- CW ...

... Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "Bernie Sanders had a testy moment with a reporter [-- Yamiche Alcindor of the New York Times -- in Emeryville, California,] Monday when he was asked whether he sees his refusal to cede the Democratic presidential nomination to rival Hillary Clinton as 'sexist.'" -- CW

Benjamin Siegel of ABC News: "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed Hillary Clinton for president this morning on 'Good Morning America' before her home state's primary today. 'I'm a voter in California and I have voted for Hillary Clinton for president of the United States and proud to endorse her for that position,' the Democratic superdelegate said, though adding 'it's not over until it's over.'" -- CW

Nick Gass of Politico: "Should the FBI not recommend an indictment of Hillary Clinton following its investigation of the setup of her private email server, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Monday said he and his Republican colleagues would 'probably' accept the outcome." --safari

Hillary Clinton's campaign responds to Donald Trump's attacks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel: "

... Seth Meyers does a better job:

... Kevin Cirilli, et al., of Bloomberg: "An embattled Donald Trump urgently rallied his most visible supporters to defend his attacks on a federal judge's Mexican ancestry during a conference call on Monday in which he ordered them to question the judge's credibility and impugn reporters as racists.... When former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer interrupted the discussion to inform Trump that his own campaign had asked surrogates to stop talking about the lawsuit in an e-mail on Sunday, Trump repeatedly demanded to know who sent the memo, and immediately overruled his staff. 'Take that order and throw it the hell out,' Trump said.... [Trump's top campaign aides reviewed the memo before a staffer sent it.] A clearly irritated Trump told his supporters to attack journalists who ask questions about the lawsuit and his comments about the judge. 'The people asking the questions -- those are the racists,' Trump said. 'I would go at 'em.'" -- safari ...

This [-- Trump's attacks on Judge Curiel --] is the most un-American thing from a politician since Joe McCarthy. If anybody was looking for an off-ramp, this is probably it. There'll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary. -- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

... Daily Beast: "Marco Rubio is 'very disturbed' by Republican nominee Donald Trump's racist comments about a judge overseeing the Trump University case.... However, his remarks largely came off as scolding Republican voters for having not selected him as the nominee: 'This is not the choice I wanted us to have, obviously. I ran myself,' he said. 'This is the voice our voters have given us for this primary.'" --safari ...

... Patrick Healy, et al., of the New York Times: "In an unusually coordinated series of attacks leveled from congressional offices and the Senate floor, in state capitols and sidewalk protests, Democrats excoriated Mr. Trump as racist and demanded that Republicans either stand behind his comments or condemn him and even rescind endorsements of his candidacy.... No prominent elected Republican came to Mr. Trump's defense unreservedly. And others found themselves wondering aloud what it would take -- what Mr. Trump would have to say or do -- for Republicans who have endorsed him to start jumping ship." -- CW ...

If this dude wasn't the presumptive presidential nominee of one of the two major parties right now, I swear this would be a 'let's talk about taking Gramp's checkbook and car keys away before something terrible happens' incident. -- Annie Laurie of Balloon Juice ...

... Benjy Sarlin, et al., of MSNBC: "Donald Trump is a candidate without a campaign -- and it's becoming a serious problem. Republicans working to elect Trump describe a bare-bones effort debilitated by infighting, a lack of staff to carry out basic functions, minimal coordination with allies and a message that's prisoner to Trump's momentary whims.... Trump's comments against the judge horrified many supporters, but the real estate mogul rebuffed efforts by campaign staff, donors and party officials to back off the incendiary claim this weekend, per sources, telling them he was unwilling to look like he had caved to pressure." -- CW ...

He [Judge Gonzalo Curiel] is giving us very unfair rulings, rulings that people can't even believe. This case should have ended years ago on summary judgment. The best lawyers -- I have spoken to so many lawyers -- they said, this is not a case. This is a case that should have ended. -- Donald Trump, interview on CNN's "State of the Union," June 5

Curiel made a straight-forward legal judgment as to whether two sides agreed or disagreed on facts, and whether or not they should be presented to a jury.... Trump also overlooks that Curiel, in his November 2015 ruling, did grant him partial summary judgment. Trump can disagree with the judge's decision all he wants, but Curiel didn't really have a choice: the students provided evidence that could dispute Trump's reason for requesting a summary judgment. So Curiel had to do his job -- and let the case go forward to a jury. -- Michelle Lee of the Washington Post

... Dahlia Lithwick of Slate: "[U]nlike the lawyers who tried to bounce black and female judges from civil rights cases, Trump isn't trying to toss Judge Curiel off a case about race. He's declaring that no judge from any ethnic or racial background Trump has insulted can ever hear any case involving him.... This isn't just racism. It attempts to turn the victims of Trump's racism into the de facto racists in order to try to gain a more sympathetic judiciary.... But here's the larger issue the Republican nominee's attacks on Judge Curiel highlights: It is actually a part and parcel of a broader GOP assault on judicial independence that predates Trump and transcends the recent racism directed at Curiel." Read on. --safari ...

When I want something I get it. When I call, they kiss my ass. It's true. -- Donald Trump, at an Iowa rally in January ...

... Jeff Horwitz, et al., of the AP: "Florida's attorney general [Pam Bondi (R)] personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates.... The money came from a Trump family foundation in apparent violation of rules surrounding political activities by charities.... After the check came in, Bondi's office nixed suing Trump, citing insufficient grounds to proceed.... The timing of the donation by Trump is notable because the now presumptive Republican presidential nominee has said he expects and receives favors from politicians to whom he gives money.... More than 20 people requested help from the Florida attorney general's office in obtaining refunds from Trump University and affiliates.... The documents complicate prior claims by Bondi's office that she received only one consumer complaint...." -- CW ...

"Fox vs. Fox." Media Matters. "Megyn Kelly criticized 'pundits' calling for the judge in the Trump U. case to step down.... Kelly went on to state that 'any litigant who moved to disqualify a judge based on his heritage would actually sanctioned, punished, by an court and it's happened in the past. Rightfully.' Kelly's critique came roughly an hour after Fox News host Bill O'Reilly called on the judge to recuse himself from the Trump U. case. From the June 6 edition of Fox News' The Kelly File." -- CW

Donald Trump, Groundbreaking Feminist. Number one, I have great respect for women. I was the one that really broke the glass ceiling on behalf of women, more than anybody in the construction industry. My relationship I think is going to end up being very good with women. -- Donald Trump, on Bill O'Reilly's show Monday

Sarah Burris of Raw Story: "Donald Trump commemorated the day by tweeting out a photo with 'D-Day 1944' at the top, saying, 'Remembering the fallen heroes on #DDay -- June 6, 1944.'...The problem is that the photo is actually from a 1943 training mission. As Mediaite cites, you can see a man in the foreground with his hands on his hips overlooking the scene. The actual invasion was bloody and violent, with bodies washing up on the beach. No one was just standing around." --safari

Hadas Gold, et al of Politico: "BuzzFeed has pulled out of an advertising agreement with the Republican National Committee over objections to Donald Trump's rhetoric.... 'We certainly don't like to turn away revenue that funds all the important work we do across the company,' [CEO& Jonah] Peretti wrote. 'However, in some cases we must make business exceptions: we don't run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we won't accept Trump ads for the exact same reason.'" --safari

Eric Levitz of New York: "Trump has proven himself to be an intransigent ideologue. While the mogul has few (if any) genuine convictions about policy, his faith in the core tenet of his political philosophy -- that Donald J. Trump can never be wrong -- is absolute. The events of the past week have made it impossible for the Republican Party to wish away this reality." --safari

David Graham of The Atlantic: "Trump is trying to claim that he wouldn't have led Americans to war in Libya and Iraq.... Part of Trump's pitch to voters is that he stands apart from the Beltway elite, and is not beholden to the same mistaken conventional wisdom that binds its members. These two interventions, however, show how Clinton and Trump both came to the same conclusions about hitting Baghdad and Tripoli: The wars would be short, good for America, and good for the world. In both cases, they were wrong, and the major contrast between them is that Clinton was better versed in the specifics of both cases when she made her calls." --safari

CW: Here's a potentially explosive curiosity: Aaron Elstein of Crain's New York: New York City property tax bills came out last week, and they reveal that Donald Trump "gets a tax break for New Yorkers whose incomes are $500,000 a year or less." There are a few possible explanations: (a) clerical error; (b) Trump's accountant used loopholes to get his family income down to under $500K, even though he actually earned a lot more; (c) Donald & Melania earned less than $500K after taking ordinary tax breaks. Unless & until Trump releases his federal tax returns, I think it's fair to assume either (b) or (c), with (b) being the more likely. Via Kevin Drum.

Digby in Salon: "Trump was clearly rattled by more than just criticism by Clinton and the press about his comments and his fundraiser. He's edgy and he's agitated in a way we haven't seen before and it seems to mostly be centered around the questions about his business practices." ...

As the Donald Sweats. See today's comments for context.... CW: Some commentators think Trump has become so unglued that he'll withdraw from the race. Steve M. disagrees. See Also the comment to this post by Jim Snyder; it backs up what Marvin Schwalb wrote here over the weekend & what I wrote in today's comments. Also, I think if you read the tennis court scene in Mark Bowden's 1996 Playboy profile, you'll realize that Trump's apparent meltdown of today is part of a longstanding personality disorder. He reacts with "red-faced and fuming" rage to the most minor circumstances -- and of course makes worse whatever the supposed "problem" is. Trump won't quit the race because opponents or the press displease them; he's just going to call these people names.

** Dana Milbank: "A confluence of three factors has caused a sudden and sharp change in Trump's fortunes. The media scrutiny has increased significantly since he secured the nomination, and journalists, rather than chasing his outrage du jour, are digging in to report more on Trump University, Trump's stiffing of charities, his lies and his racism. Hillary Clinton has, finally, made the shift to attacking Trump vigorously over his instability. And Republicans are, belatedly, discovering that their presidential candidate wasn't putting on a show during the GOP primaries: He's an actual racist.... The things Trump is doing now -- disparaging the 'Mexican' judge, disqualifying Muslim judges, calling somebody claiming Native American blood 'Pocahontas' and singling out 'my African American' -- is very much in line with what he has been doing for the past year, and before." -- CW

Other News & Views

Appointment Delayed, Appointment Denied. Frank Bruni of the New York Times: "In early 2014..., President Obama [nominated his longtime friend Cassandra Butts] to be the next United States ambassador to the Bahamas.... When I met her last month, she'd been waiting more than 820 days to be confirmed. She died suddenly two weeks later, still waiting. She was 50 years old. The delay had nothing to do with her qualifications, which were impeccable.... At one point Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, had a 'hold' on all political nominees for State Department positions, partly as a way of punishing President Obama for the Iran nuclear deal. At another point Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, put a hold specifically on Butts and on nominees for the ambassadorships to Sweden and Norway.... Blocking her was a way to inflict special pain on the president." CW: Bruni, who is a lamebrain, blames "Washington politics" for Butts' mistreatment. Obviously, the real culprits are Senate Republicans.

John Bresnahan of Politico: "Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans will roll out a new plan on Tuesday to fight poverty and help Americans move up the economic ladder, yet much of this latest initiative is repackaged GOP proposals likely to win only limited support from Democrats.... The GOP recommendations include: expanded work requirements for those receiving federal welfare, food or housing assistance; more 'flexibility' for state and local governments to improve programs, although what that means isn't always fully defined; consolidation of dozens of existing federal programs into fewer, better run efforts; improved accountability for federal programs while 'rewarding' those which show the best results; more effectively target those Americans in greatest need of help; and reducing waste and duplication...." -- CW ...

... Greg Sargent has Democrats' "pre-sponse." -- CW

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear two appeals raising questions about the roles race and intellectual disability might play in capital prosecutions. One case, Buck v. Stephens, No. 15-8049, arose from a psychologist's testimony that black defendants were more dangerous than white ones.... [The other] case, Moore v. Texas, No. 15-797, raises questions about whether Texas uses outdated standards in assessing whether a defendant's intellectual disability was severe enough to bar his execution." -- CW

Beyond the Beltway

Liam Stack of the New York Times: "A recall effort against a California judge [Aaron Persky] was announced on Monday in a sexual assault case at Stanford University that ignited public outrage after the defendant was sentenced to a mere six months in jail and his father complained that his son's life had been ruined for '20 minutes of action' fueled by alcohol and promiscuity.... The judge, identified by The Guardian as a Stanford alumnus, handed [Brock] Turner, a champion swimmer, far less than the maximum 14 years after he was convicted, pointing out that he had no 'significant' prior offenses, he had been affected by the intense media coverage, and 'there is less moral culpability attached to the defendant, who is ... intoxicated.'..." -- CW

Way Beyond

Dylan Matthews of Vox: "On Sunday, Switzerland became the first nation to hold a referendum on the idea of a basic income.... The measure, however, was soundly defeated.... The loss was expected; from the beginning, campaigners have framed the referendum as a chance to elevate the public profile of basic income, to force it into the public debate, rather than an effort that was likely to lead to actual constitutional change...But as a consciousness-building effort, the referendum was a clear success." --safari

Michael Slezak of the Guardian: "What's at stake here is the largest living structure in the world, and by far the largest coral reef system. The oft-repeated cliche is that it can be seen from space, which is not surprising given it stretches more than 2,300km in length and, between its almost 3,000 individual reefs, covers an area about the size of Germany. It is an underwater world of unimaginable scale...Australians are being wooed by politicians for an upcoming federal election, most of whom support policies that will guarantee the reef's destruction. This is the story of the impending death of the world's largest living structure -- whose hand it is dying by, who is staging a cover-up, and how it could be saved." --safari

News Lede

Miami Herald: "A sloppy, wet Tropical Storm Colin whipped Florida's west coast Tuesday morning as Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for parts of the state. The fast-moving storm, which made landfall at the Big Bend Monday night, had already caused some flooding as it sailed northeastward along the Gulf coast. At 5 a.m. Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was located about 110 miles northeast of Jacksonville, moving over the Atlantic at about 51 mph with sustained winds of 50 mph." -- CW

The Commentariat -- June 6, 2016

Presidential Race

Danica Coto & Lisa Lerer of the AP: "Hillary Clinton overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary on Sunday, putting her within striking distance of capturing her party's nomination. After a blowout victory Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a decisive win in the U.S. territory, Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count." -- CW

John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "he Democratic primary season comes to a climax on Tuesday, when six states will vote: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The biggest prize is California, where the race appears to be tightening.... Even though [the California results are] unlikely to affect who gets the nomination, it could have a major impact on where the Democratic Party goes from here -- toward unity or discord." -- CW

Ed Kilgore: "With Hillary Clinton drifting towards a majority of pledged delegates, it wasn't so clear California would matter that much to Democrats.... But the thing to remember is this: a narrow Sanders win will be mainly of psychological value...A big net delegate harvest for Sanders will require a big popular vote victory, and the polls just don't show that as remotely likely -- barring some really strange pro-Bernie turnout dynamics. So the current din of hype over who will 'win' California is largely a shuck." --safari

E. J. Dionne: "Hillary Clinton gave the speech about Donald Trump that, with a few changes, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) could have given. And he should have.... Instead of sticking to his vaunted principles, Ryan forged a link between the Republican Party and Donald Trump that may endure in public consciousness long after this campaign is over.... [Republican] party leaders have decided that Trump's nativism and racism, his utter disrespect for the judicial system, his soft spot for foreign dictators and his latent authoritarianism matter far less to them than holding on to power in Congress. It will be up to the voters to decide how big a price Ryan, Mitch McConnell & Co. should pay for this." -- CW

Judging Trump. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump said Sunday that a Muslim judge might have trouble remaining neutral in a lawsuit against him, extending his race-based criticism of the jurist overseeing the case to include religion and opening another path for Democrats who have criticized him sharply for his remarks.... [John] Dickerson [of CBS's 'Face the Nation'] asked Mr. Trump if, in his view, a Muslim judge would be similarly biased because of the Republican presumptive nominee's call for a ban on Muslim immigrants. 'It's possible, yes,' Mr. Trump said. 'Yeah. That would be possible. Absolutely.'" ...

... CW: We know Drumpf's sister is a federal judge, but I'll bet he doesn't think women "look judicial," just as he says Hillary Clinton "doesn't even look presidential," so let's rule out female judges, too. And why not "the blacks," (acknowledging as we do that Trump has "his African-American"). So pretty much the only kind of person who is fit to sit in the Trials of Trump are white, European-heritage, Christian guys (though maybe we'd better rule out judges of Spanish or Portugese heritage. Italians? Greeks? I'm not sure.) Also, too, they should probably be Republican appointees. Of course, any judge, no matter his pedigree, is unfaaair the minute he rules against a Trump motion. ...

... Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: "In May, Trump released a list of potential Supreme Court nominees in a Trump administration. Every single person on his list is white." -- CW ...

... Philip Bump of the Washington Post adds to the list: "Let us ... try to isolate which judges Donald Trump would like to bar from overseeing any future legal disputes involving his get-others-rich-quick schemes.... Judges from the Democratic party.... Judges who are immigrants.... Judges who are women.... Judges who are black.... Judges with physical disabilities." -- CW ...

... Chas Danner of New York: "In other news, RNC chair Reince Priebus has assured the Washington Examiner that Trump's rhetoric regarding Hispanics is likely to evolve between now and the election.... Of course, that theory of evolution is not yet supported by evidence outside the minds of establishment Republicans who now find themselves chained to the Trump Express." On Bump's list, Danner writes: "(It's probably also worth excluding otherwise eligible men who have low energy, have wives who aren't tens, or are named Mitt Romney.)" -- CW ...

... CW: As the list of "unqualified" judges grows, it will become apparent that the only person capable of judging Trump is Trump Himself. So if you think digby is exaggerating when she writes that if Trump is elected, "we will have our very own Putin," you might want to have another think. ...

... ** Garrett Epps of the Atlantic: "At its rawest, [Trump's] claim amounts to, 'Who are you -- African American, woman, Jews, "Mexican" -- to judge a real citizen, a white man?'... The re-introduction of this crude, explicit racism into politics is repellent. More repellent yet, in a sense, is the effort now beginning -- by figures like [former U.S. Attorney General Alberto] Gonzales, Joel Pollack of Breitbart, The Daily Caller, and other conservative outlets -- to mainstream this dangerous deviancy." -- CW

** Larry Summers in the Washington Post: "On June 23, Britain will vote on whether to remain in the European Union. On Nov. 8, the United States will vote on whether to elect Donald Trump as president.... Both could yield outcomes that would have seemed inconceivable not long ago. Both pit angry populists and nationalists against the traditional establishment.... Yet, as great as the risks of Brexit are to the British economy, I believe the risks to the U.S. and global economies of Trump's election as president of the United States are far greater. Indeed, if he were elected, I would expect a protracted recession to begin within 18 months. The damage would in all likelihood be felt far beyond the United States." Summers explains why. And for once he writes in plain English. -- CW

Goofy Elizabeth Warren, sometimes known as Pocahontas, bought foreclosed housing and made a quick killing. Total hypocrite! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet, May 25

The overall pattern demonstrated in the 25 real estate transactions don't support Trump's claim that she made a 'quick killing' out of foreclosed homes. Instead, Warren mainly helped family members by purchasing or financing homes that were then held for years. Her family members did appear to profit from some transactions, but only modestly. This ... fits the profile that has been portrayed by Warren and her aides -- a sister helping out her brothers and other relatives, mainly through loans. There's nothing hypocritical about that. -- Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post

Other News & Views

Anne Usher of Politico: "[E]ven if Trump is elected, taking down Paris is going to be a lot harder than he thinks. That's certainly the view of Jonathan Pershing, President Obama's new climate envoy, who's rushing to Trump-proof America's commitment to the pact -- minimizing ways in which a President Trump could obstruct the global carbon reduction plan." --safari

Gardiner Harris of the New York Times: "There are few relationships between President Obama and another world leader more unlikely than the one he has with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. The two have a public warmth -- or 'chemistry,' as the Indian news media like to describe it -- and that is likely to be on display Tuesday when Mr. Modi visits the White House for the second time in two years. It will be the seventh time the two leaders will have met." CW: This is one of those stories where the writer stakes out a storyline, then goes on to refute it. It is interesting, though, for some of the content.

Brian Beutler: "It is ... the Republican Party's plainly stated intention to preserve a Supreme Court vacancy so that Trump might fill it. The notion that Trump, through network effects, political pressure, and use of the Senate confirmation power, would nominate movement conservatives to positions of power is the connective tissue binding Republican leaders to a candidate they nearly all understand to be a political and moral wrecking ball. Trump's power as president to fill Supreme Court vacancies (which arise relatively infrequently) would accompany the power to fill scores and scores of other vacancies across the federal bench. That means more [bigoted judges], the GOP hopes and assumes, and more opportunities for a conservative Supreme Court to overturn liberal policy, whether on the basis of conservative theories of jurisprudence, rank opportunism, or thinly veiled bigotry." CW: You'll have to read the whole post to see how Beutler builds his case.

Democracy in Action. Eleanor Clift of The Daily Beast: "It should get our attention when a lone senator stops a popular piece of bipartisan legislation, blocking passage and opposing the prevailing opinion even in his own party. That's what Republican Senator Tom Cotton, a rising star in the GOP, has done and in a few weeks he'll have successfully killed the much needed and long overdue reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974.... The bill also has the backing of 5000 law enforcement agencies across the country, including dozens in Arkansas, and would have passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous voice vote earlier this year if Cotton hadn't stepped in with his 'hold.'" --safari

Eric Lipton & Julie Creswell of the New York Times: How "a stable of wealthy clients from the United States [hid millions of dollars in assets] are outlined in extraordinary detail in the trove of internal Mossack Fonseca documents known as the Panama Papers.... The Times's examination of the files found that Mossack Fonseca [-- a Panamanian law firm --] also had at least 2,400 United States-based clients over the past decade, and set up at least 2,800 companies on their behalf in the British Virgin Islands, Panama, the Seychelles and other jurisdictions that specialize in helping hide wealth.... For many of its American clients, Mossack Fonseca offered a how-to guide of sorts on skirting or evading United States tax and financial disclosure laws.... In 2001, Sanford I. Weill, then the chief of Citigroup, set up an offshore account called April Fool for his yacht." -- CW

Thanks, Fed! Paul Krugman: "... what is causing the economy to slow? My guess is that the biggest factor is the recent sharp rise in the dollar, which has made U.S. goods less competitive on world markets. The dollar's rise, in turn, largely reflected misguided talk by the Federal Reserve about the need to raise interest rates.... There are other policies that could easily reverse an economic downturn. And if Hillary Clinton wins the election, the U.S. government will understand perfectly well what the options are. (The likely response of a Trump administration doesn't bear thinking about. Maybe a series of insult Twitter posts aimed at China and Mexico?)" -- CW

John Oliver on low-life debt buyers and their multiple scams --safari

Sarah Carr of Slate: "If you want to know what America will look like in a generation, look at its classrooms right now. In 2014, children of color became the new majority in America's public schools...Right now, schools and school systems across the country are confronting a question that our society at large will need to answer in the coming years: Do Americans have the will and understanding to build a more inclusive, and less deeply segregated, nation? In many parts of America -- urban, rural, and suburban -- that will require a radical upending of the status quo." --safari note: interesting read, especially for you (ex)teachers out there.

Beyond the Beltway

Chris Kenning of the Louisville Courier-Journal: "A day after boxing titan Muhammad Ali died at age 74, his family announced his funeral would be held Friday in his hometown of Louisville and include a motorcade through the city, private burial at Cave Hill cemetery and a public memorial at the KFC Yum! Center with eulogies by former President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal and Bryant Gumbel." -- CW

It Depends on How Long It Takes to Commit the Crime. Elle Hunt of the Guardian: "The father of a former Stanford University athlete convicted on multiple charges of sexual assault has said his son should not have to go to prison for '20 minutes of action'. Brock Turner, a former swimmer at Stanford University, was on Thursday sentenced to six months' imprisonment and probation for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.... Turner was expected to spend only three months of a six-month sentence...." CW: How nice that the judge pretty much agreed with Pops. By their standard, drive-by shootings should not be prosecuted. Why waste the public's money building a case against somebody who should go to jail for maybe a couple of days tops for a crime that took only a second?

Way Beyond

Raphael Minder of the New York Times: "Swiss voters on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to guarantee an income to Switzerland's residents, whether or not they are employed, an idea that has also been raised in other countries amid an intensifying debate over wealth disparities and dwindling employment opportunities. About 77 percent of voters rejected a plan to give a basic monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs, or about $2,560, to each adult, and 625 francs for each child under 18, regardless of employment status, to fight poverty and social inequality and guarantee a 'dignified' life to everyone." -- CW

Jim Gomez of the AP: "The Philippine president-elect [Rodrigo Duterte] has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighborhoods.... If a drug dealer resists arrest or refuses to be brought to a police station and threatens a citizen with a gun or a knife, 'you can kill him,' Duterte said. 'Shoot him and I'll give you a medal.'...'If you're still into drugs, I will kill you, don't take this as a joke. I'm not trying to make you laugh, son of a bitch, I will really kill you,' Duterte said to loud jeers and applause." -- safari note: How long until Drumpf starts lauding this strongman, too?

News Lede

Weather Channel: "Tropical Storm Colin is located over the Gulf of Mexico as of early Monday morning and is expected to continue to move to the north-northeast. Colin is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast of Florida late Monday. This system is then expected to be somewhere near or off the coast of the Carolinas by later Tuesday." -- CW