The Conversation -- October 31, 2024

Phil Hands of the Wisconsin State Journal.Marie: The last couple of days, contributors to the Comments section have suggested several articles and essays that sound like important, worthwhile reads. I have not been able to get to the recommended stories on accounta going half-blind these last few days. Anyway, I recommend that you give the suggestions a look-see.

How Donald Trump & Greg Abbott are protecting women, whether they like it or not: ~~~

Cassandra Jaramillo & Kavitha Surana of ProPublica: "Josseli Barnica is one of at least two pregnant Texas women who died after doctors delayed emergency care. She'd told her husband that the medical team said it couldn't act until the fetal heartbeat stopped.... Neither [woman] had wanted an abortion, but that didn't matter. Though proponents insist that the laws protect both the life of the fetus and the person carrying it, in practice, doctors have hesitated to provide care under threat of prosecution, prison time and professional ruin."

Tara Suter of the Hill: "The Economist announced Thursday that the outlet is backing Vice President Harris over former President Trump in the upcoming election.... 'While some newspapers refused to back a presidential candidate this year, today The Economist is endorsing Kamala Harris,' Economist editors wrote in the endorsement published early Thursday. 'Tens of millions of Americans will vote for Mr. Trump next week. Some will be true believers. But many will take a calculated risk that in office his worst instincts would be constrained.' The writers added later that if Trump were to win election, 'Americans would be gambling with the economy, the rule of law and international peace.'"

Voter Suppression, Incompetent Judges Edition. Ian Millhiser of Vox: "On Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit handed down an astoundingly poorly reasoned opinion claiming it is illegal for a state to count a ballot mailed before Election Day but that arrives for counting afterward. Eighteen states, plus the District of Columbia, currently count at least some late-arriving ballots. The opinion in Republican National Committee v. Wetzel is difficult to parse. Important sections of it appear to be missing several paragraphs, as the decision makes logical leaps without explaining key concepts. It reaches some of its central conclusions without citing a legal authority ... to support those conclusions. If this opinion were submitted as part of a law school exam, the student would risk a failing grade.... The one good thing about the Wetzel opinion is that the Fifth Circuit didn't give it immediate effect, so it is very unlikely to impact the current election. Still, there are two good reasons to be troubled that a federal appeals court handed down such a cocamamie decision. One, is that Wetzel is emblematic of the many bad election decisions we can expect to be handed down in the coming days.... [The other is that] the three judges involved in the case, Kyle Duncan, James Ho, and Andy Oldham, are widely viewed as potential Supreme Court nominees if Trump becomes president again -- certainly, the three of them have all auditioned very hard for such a promotion." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link.

Will Oremus & Trisha Thadani of the Washington Post: "An attempt by Philadelphia's district attorney to block Elon Musk and his pro-Trump super PAC from continuing a $1 million daily giveaway to registered swing-state voters was put on hold Thursday morning. A hearing on the motion ended without a ruling, after lawyers for the billionaire and his America PAC filed late Wednesday to have the case moved to federal court. Lawyers for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner signed an order Wednesday compelling Musk to appear at City Hall on Thursday for the hearing, but the billionaire, who has become a key backer of ... Donald Trump, did not attend. Musk's attorneys argued that the proceeding was moot since the case was no longer in the judge's jurisdiction.... The case now moves to federal court, where Krasner said he will push for it to be speedily remanded to the district court, perhaps as soon as Thursday afternoon."

Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Wednesday lodged claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania, a state critical to his election prospects. But Democratic officials and voting rights advocates said that Trump's allegations stare wildly exaggerated and that the problems he and Republicans are focused on are not only common, but also proof that election safeguards are working as intended. For months, Trump has been using misinformation to lay the groundwork to claim a stolen election if he loses, just as he did in 2020.... Experts and officials say the Pennsylvania claims are in keeping with his insistence that the only way he can lose this year is if the other side cheats...." Read on for details. The ABC News story is here.

digby finds another statue "honoring" Trump, this one for his "lifetime of sexual assault." Thanks to RAS for the link.

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Presidential Race

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

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

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

     ~~~ Update: I thought I conjured up "supporter's." Oops! Turns out the White House got there first. ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "In the final days of a coin-toss election..., [President] Biden has twice caused headaches for his vice president with ill-timed gaffes.... The president, whose career-long blooper reel is extensive enough that he once called himself a 'gaffe machine,' suggested last week during a brief stop at a New Hampshire campaign office that he wanted to imprison Mr. Trump. 'We got to lock him up,' he said. Catching himself, he quickly added, 'Politically lock him up.' But the damage was done.... Keeping Mr. Biden in the White House did not keep him from tripping up.... During his video call with Latino supporters on Tuesday..., [he said,] 'The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters -- his, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American.'... The White House later released a transcript rendering Mr. Biden's comment with an apostrophe, meaning 'his supporter's' demonization....

"[Vice President] Harris has already been trying to stand apart from Mr. Biden and present herself as an agent of change. She did not include Mr. Biden in her Tuesday night rally even though she held it on what amounts to his own backyard.... Mr. Trump's complaints may ring hollow to many since he has practiced the politics of division for years, regularly disparaging his opponents as 'vermin' and the 'enemy from within' and threatening to use the military to round up liberal opponents. Just last month, he said Ms. Harris was surrounded by terrible people.... 'They're scum...,' he said. 'They are absolute garbage." ~~~

     ~~~ AND Aaron Blake of the Washington Post caught it, too: "It may come down to the placement of an apostrophe, and it's worth a parse.... [That Biden's reference was only to Hinchcliffe] is entirely plausible. The context is clearly Biden talking about Hinchcliffe's remark. Biden often speaks in non sequiturs, failing to finish his thoughts and shifting course midsentence, including in the Delaware comments that preceded his 'garbage' remark. It's basically the entire premise of Dana Carvey's Biden impersonation on 'Saturday Night Live.'... It's also plausible that Biden did step in it here.... If there's a lesson in all of this, it's that Democrats should probably be glad the guy who keeps stepping in it like this isn't actually leading their ticket anymore." MB: Exactly what I thought the moment I heard about Biden's comment.

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

⭐ On Halloween Eve, the Sadist Issues a Warning. Nicholas Nehamas & Erica Green of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said at a rally on Wednesday that he would protect American women 'whether the women like it or not.'.... Speaking near Green Bay, Wis., Mr. Trump told the crowd that his advisers had urged him to stop using a well-worn rally line about his desire to protect women, saying they had called it 'inappropriate.' In recent months, Mr. Trump has boasted on social media and in his speeches that he would protect women in America by making their communities safer and by making sure they won't 'be thinking about abortion.'... On Wednesday, he delivered similar remarks but added a new twist as he described onstage what he had told his advisers: 'I said, well, I'm going to do it whether the women like it or not. I am going to protect them.'...

"The former president's remarks on Wednesday mean that, for many voters, his closing message is being defined, in part, by racist jokes about Puerto Rico told by a comedian at his rally in New York this week and, now, a striking display of machismo.... [Vice President Harris's campaign] sent out a news release that blared: 'In Wisconsin, Trump reminds women how little he values their choices.'... Over the course of the campaign, Mr. Trump and his allies have made a series of misogynistic, sexualized attacks against Ms. Harris.... Mr. Trump has been accused by roughly two dozen women of sexual misconduct." The NBC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Don't kid yourself: "whether the women like it or not" is meant to be menacing. It is meant to frighten, to threaten. Trump gives women no choice; he will use the power of his office to force us to submit. It's a threat of rape; it's sadistic. Overturning Roe v. Wade was just the beginning, he warns. This is the equivalent of the rapist telling his victim, "Just lie back and enjoy it." ~~~

     ~~~ The photo accompanying the NYT article shows Trump wearing an orange traffic-safety vest at the Green Bay rally. I didn't get the signficance of that; in fact, I thought the vest would make him an easier assassin's target, so not too smart. Well, it seems he was pretending to be a sanitation worker because he was so upset by Biden's "garbage" remark. Trump's trick-or-treat outfit is even less convincing than his McDonald's apron was last week. (At least with the apron, he was wearing as much makeup as Ronald McDonald does.) Man of the People? I don't think so. ~~~

     ~~~ Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Former President Trump on Wednesday climbed into a campaign-themed garbage truck in his motorcade in Wisconsin in an effort to draw attention to comments made by President Biden in which he seemingly called Trump supporters 'garbage.' 'How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,' Trump said from the passenger seat of the truck, which was adorned with a Trump campaign sticker and Trump flag."

Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times: "Last month..., Donald J. Trump was still promising to reinstate what he called his 'famous travel ban' on some Muslim countries. He falsely claimed over the summer that Vice President Kamala Harris 'wants to deposit thousands of jihadist sympathizers in Minnesota.' And he said Democrats have a plan to 'turn the Midwest into the Middle East.' The anti-Muslim scaremongering is a cornerstone of Mr. Trump's political identity, dating back at least to his 2016 campaign when he said he would create a registry of Muslims and embraced an apocryphal story about Gen. John J. Pershing executing Muslim rebels in the Philippines with bullets dipped in pig fat. But in the final stretch of the presidential race, Mr. Trump is trying to persuade a potentially decisive group of Arab and Muslim voters that they should vote for him, even though he has spent years insulting and demonizing them.... Mr. Trump is exploiting Democrats' weakness among Arab and Muslim Americans because of the Biden administration's support for Israel's assault in Gaza."

Everything Will Go Very Smoothly. Rebecca O'Brien of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told supporters on an online organizing call this week that ... Donald J. Trump had 'promised' him 'control' of the nation's public health agencies, should Mr. Trump win the election next week. The Trump campaign, however, would confirm no such commitments. 'President Trump announced a Trump-Vance transition leadership group to initiate the process of preparing for what comes after the election," Steven Cheung, a campaign spokesman, said in a statement. 'But formal discussions of who will serve in a second Trump Administration is premature.'"

Chris Cameron & Jazmine Ulloa of the New York Times: "Nicky Jam, a Puerto Rican musician who endorsed ... Donald J. Trump last month, withdrew that endorsement just days after racist remarks against Puerto Rico and Latinos made by a speaker at Mr. Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday drew widespread outrage. The reggaeton star had stood by Mr. Trump's side at a campaign event in Las Vegas in September as he endorsed the former president. Before Nicky Jam took the stage, Mr. Trump praised the musician's looks, apparently believing him to be a woman. 'Do you know Nicky?' he asked the crowd. 'She's hot. Where is Nicky?' When Nicky Jam came to take the stage, Mr. Trump looked a bit befuddled. In a video posted on social media on Wednesday, Nicky Jam said he had supported Mr. Trump because he believed that he would be best for the economy." The CBS News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sorry, Nicky Jam, your endorsement was stupid from the git-go.

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

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

Oliver O'Connell of the Independent: "A former pageant queen has claimed that Donald Trump 'jumped' on her 'grabbing her body everywhere' in an incident at a New York hotel in 1993. Beatrice Keul, 53, told the Daily Mail that the former president and current Republican nominee invited her up to his suite at the Plaza Hotel for a 'private talk'.... 'He kissed me on the lips and on the neck. He tried to lift my dress. He was grabbing and touching my body everywhere he could,' Keul said.... At 6'1" tall, she believes it was only because of her height and strength that she could fight him off.... Keul worked at a Swiss bank in Zurich and modeled part-time when she won second place in the Miss Switzerland 1992 pageant going on to participate in the final round of the Miss Europe competition in Istanbul that same year. She then received an invitation from the Donald J Trump American Dream Pageant to compete, including an all-expenses-paid trip to New York and Atlantic City. Keul came forward with the story now after finding all the documentation concerning her trip to New York in a box as she prepared to move.... Keul's story is backed up by her friend Pascal Claivaz, a Swiss writer, who said she told him about the incident around 2004." There's a Jeffrey Epstein element to the story, too.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Dan Froomkin of Press Watch: "The Washington Post has no future as an independent news organization as long as Jeff Bezos owns it. Bezos's decision to kill an editorial endorsement of Kamala Harris last week led to a massive reader revolt ... and raised new doubts about how the paper would handle the centibillionaire's extraordinary conflicts of interest in the future.... Clearly, the once-widely-held view that billionaire ownership could be the salvation of great newspapers is no longer operative. Bezos has to go and so do his hand-picked lickspittles.... Bezos must relinquish ownership of the Post to a nonprofit organization, devoted to journalistic independence. There are several excellent precedents for this...." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary in yesterday's thread. ~~~

~~~ Steven Waldman in the Columbia Journalism Review: "Bezos is simply too financially compromised to be the owner of one of the most important news outlets in America, especially one operating in the nation's capital. Just this morning, the Post reported that ... Donald Trump asked Amazon's CEO in August for a corporate contribution, saying he was going to win and that it was in Amazon's best interest to help him. (No contribution was made.)... There is a way he could quickly regain admiration and strengthen democracy: donate the Washington Post to a public charity dedicated to maintaining its quality and independence.... This would also provide a model for others --adding more proof that local news can be viable with the proper ownership structure."

Jake Lahut of Wired: "Workers say they were tricked and threatened as part of Elon Musk's get-out-the-vote effort.... In Michigan, canvassers and paid door knockers for the former president, contracted by a firm associated with America PAC, have been subjected to poor working conditions: A number of them have been driven around in the back of a seatless [and seatbeltless] U-Haul van, according to video obtained by WIRED, and threatened that their lodging at a local motel wouldn't be paid for if they didn't meet [steep] canvassing quotas.... The video from inside the van shows a bumpy ride, with a cage separating the mostly Black door knockers from their driver.... One door knocker alleges that they didn't even know they were signing up for anything having to do with Musk or Trump.... 'Then, after I signed over an NDA, is when I found out we are for Republicans and with Trump,' [the worker said]." MB: The story is firewalled.

Dan Mangan & Lora Kolodny of CNBC: "Elon Musk must attend an emergency court hearing in Philadelphia on Thursday morning to address a bid by the city's top prosecutor to stop the Tesla CEO and his political action committee from continuing to award $1 million prizes to registered voters in the swing state of Pennsylvania, a judge ordered Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, attorneys for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner revealed in a court filing that his lawsuit against Musk, who is an ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and the America PAC had 'triggered an avalanche of [social media] posts from Musk&'s followers,' many of whom 'made antisemitic attacks on Krasner.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Unless a story specifically involves ethnicity, a normal person doesn't stop and think, "Gosh, I wonder if that person is Jewish" or "maybe that guy is Black." Clearly, Trump backers & Elon bros are not normal. The potentially-unlawful prize story has nothing whatever to do with anybody's ethnicity. So someone might say the particular backers who "made antisemitic attacks on Krasner" are "garbage."

David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department's ability to monitor local jurisdictions for voting rights irregularities on Election Day, already curtailed by the Supreme Court, is facing a new hurdle: opposition from Republicans who are seeking to block federal authorities from polling sites.... While the Justice Department has the legal right to request access to polling sites, inflamed partisanship and ideological extremism have contributed to greater resistance to such activities in some GOP-controlled states, legal experts said. Those states have attempted to politicize the process and cast federal monitors as partisans from the Biden administration who cannot be trusted. Republican leaders in Missouri and Florida, which flatly banned federal monitors in the 2022 midterm elections, said in recent interviews that their positions have not changed and that Justice officials likely would be rebuffed again if they request access to voting locations for Tuesday's presidential election."

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

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

     ~~~ Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: "This is a misreading of the underlying law, a departure from the court's usual standards in deciding when to intervene -- and a chilling signal about what else the conservative justices might do in the event of other election disputes that reach the high court.... The purge was conducted with minimal protections to ensure accuracy.... And that, not surprisingly, resulted in what appear to be clear errors.... If the justices were willing to step in here, where intervention was so unnecessary, so unwise and so out of the ordinary, where else will they interfere in this election? Tuesday's order is a troubling omen in troubling times."

Kelly Rissman of the Independent: "Rudy Giuliani's sexual assault case hearing spiraled into chaos for two hours that ended with the former New York City mayor being muted by the judge.... At one point, Lev Parnas, a Ukrainian businessman and former Giuliani associate-turned-critic, tried to be admitted to the virtual meeting -- a move that the ex-mayor vocally objected to. The judge didn't let Parnas in. Justin Kelton, [plaintiff Noelle] Dunphy's lawyer, said he was a potential witness in the case.... The judge asked whether Giuliani ... was representing himself in the case or whether [Adam] Katz was.... Giuliani replied: 'Can I talk to Mr Katz about it? I am confused.' [Giuliani at one point said Katz represented him, but he asked the judge to allow him to make remarks himself. Judge Nicholas Moyne relented but said,] 'Please do not go on a soliloquy....,' and urged him to avoid 'personal attacks.' That's when the hearing went off the rails. The former Trump lawyer made a series of salacious attacks against Dunphy.... Moyne directed his staff to mute Giuliani. Even with his sound turned off, Giuliani kept talking." ~~~

     ~~~ Mind you, the guy who doesn't know how to behave in a courtroom is the same guy Trump invited to speak at his Nazi rally this past weekend: ~~~

     ~~~ Alex Galbraith of Salon: "Rudy Giuliani claimed that Hamas trains toddlers to kill Americans during an unhinged speech in support of Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.... 'Hamas isn't there for us,' Giuliani said, suggesting without evidence that ... Kamala Harris wants to resettle Gazan refugees in the U.S. 'The Palestinians are taught to kill us at two-years old.'... 'She wants to bring them to you,' Giuliani continued. 'They may have good people. I'm sorry I don't take a risk with people who are taught to kill Americans at two.'"

Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "A father and son from New Jersey have been charged with taking part in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, during which, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, the older of the two hit a police officer with a chair thrown through a window and also shoved an officer's head. The men, Richard Andrews of Brick Township and Keith Andrews of Howell, were arrested in New Jersey on Tuesday, prosecutors said. Richard Andrews, 72, was charged with the felony offenses of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. He was also charged with several misdemeanors. Keith Andrews, 49, faces misdemeanor charges that include disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.”

Grace Ashford & Benjamin Oreskes of the New York Times: "A House subcommittee has referred former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York to the Justice Department for potential prosecution, accusing him of lying to Congress about his involvement in a state Covid report on nursing home deaths. Mr. Cuomo was accused of engaging in a 'conscious, calculated effort' to avoid accountability for his handling of nursing homes where thousands of people died of Covid, according to the referral from the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The referral, which was sent Wednesday night to the Justice Department, was signed by the subcommittee chairman, Representative Brad Wenstrup, Republican of Ohio. No other committee member, including the ranking Democrat, Representative Raul Ruiz of California, signed the referral letter, in a potential sign of political partisanship. The referral centers on closed-door testimony Mr. Cuomo gave to the committee, when he asserted that he had not reviewed a State Health Department report that deflected blame for the deaths of people in New York nursing homes in early 2020....

"Hours before the panel sent its referral, Mr. Cuomo's legal team sent its own letter to the Justice Department requesting an investigation into the subcommittee for potential abuse of power." Politico's report is here.

Lola Fadulu & Tracey Tully of the New York Times: "The Star-Ledger, New Jersey's largest newspaper and the winner of several Pulitzer Prizes, will stop publishing its print edition early next year, ending a lengthy run as a dominant source of print news in the region, its owners announced on Wednesday. The shuttering of The Star-Ledger's printing plant will cause its sister publication, The Jersey Journal, a Jersey City-based newspaper with a storied, 157-year history, to cease publication altogether. Its demise will leave Hudson County, N.J., a densely populated region that is as well known for political corruption as it is for being the birthplace of Frank Sinatra, without a daily newspaper.... In addition to The Star-Ledger, at least three other newspapers that are produced in Montville, The Times of Trenton, The South Jersey Times and The Hunterdon County Democrat, will also phase out their print editions in February. Advance Local, which owns NJ Advance Media and NJ.com, home to the publications' news sites, said they would remain available online."

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Florida. Just Your Typical Trump Backers. Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "An 18-year-old man was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for threatening two supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris with a machete outside an early-voting site, the latest in a series of threats or attacks surrounding early and mail voting. The episode happened around 4 p.m. in Neptune Beach, Fla., a small city east of Jacksonville. The man, whom the police identified as Caleb James Williams, arrived at a voting site at the city's Beaches Branch Library with seven companions. The group carried flags supporting ... Donald J. Trump and confronted people holding Harris signs outside the library. After exchanging words with a 54-year-old woman and a 71-year-old woman, Mr. Williams brandished a machete at them, according to the Neptune Beach police chief, Michael J. Key Jr. Police officers responded quickly to a 911 call." ~~~

~~~ And let us pause to congratulate local GOP officials for what could be the winning entry in the national Worst Whataboutism contest: "The county Republican Party released a statement referring to the assassination attempts against Mr. Trump in July and September, criticizing Democrats for describing some Republicans as Nazis and concluding, 'We urge calm.' It did not address Mr. Williams's and his companions' Trump paraphernalia."

Say, the Harris campaign should have thought of this to deal with boss and gaffe machine Joe Biden: ~~~

~~~ Ohio Senate Race. Abby Vesoulis of Mother Jones: Bernie Moreno, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, has boasted at least half a dozen times "about his dedication to transparency[. But] his campaign also uses a machine at his events that renders voice recordings and videos taken by everyday voters inaudible as his race against incumbent three-term Sen. Sherrod Brown narrows to a slim margin.... The so-called 'anti-recording devices' are available on Amazon for $399.99 and work by emitting white noise and ultrasonic waves that recording devices pick up but people present in person generally do not."

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Israel/Palestine, et al.

Christiaan Triebert, et al., of the New York Times: "Satellite imagery and videos show widespread destruction in six villages along Lebanon's southern border with Israel, revealing 1,085 buildings that have been leveled or badly damaged since its Oct. 1 invasion aimed at crippling the militant group Hezbollah. Earlier this month, The New York Times, using satellite imagery, verified the destruction of scores of buildings in two other villages. The images offer only a glimpse at the situation in southern Lebanon. There has been little access to the area since the invasion began and the extent of the damage is unclear."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Walker Buehler spread his arms wide and waited for his teammates to engulf him, the most fitting symbol of a season defined by persistent resilience. Called into emergency relief, Buehler closed out the World Series and shut the door on the New York Yankees as the Los Angeles Dodgers captured a 7-6 victory in a heart-stopping Game 5.... [Buehler's] scoreless frame stunned the crowd at Yankee Stadium and incited a mid-field jubilee from the Dodgers."

New York Times: "At least 95 people have died and others were missing after devastating flash floods hit eastern Spain, according to the local authorities, in one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country in recent years. The catastrophic floods, fueled by an unrelenting deluge that began on Monday, washed away cars, inundated homes and knocked out power across eastern Spain. Rescuers waded through neck-high waters to reach some residents."

The Conversation -- October 30, 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Presidential Race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~~~~~~~~~

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

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

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

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

News Lede

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

The Conversation -- October 29, 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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