The Ledes

Friday, February 28, 2025

New York Times: “Boris Spassky, the world chess champion whose career was overshadowed by his loss to Bobby Fischer in the 'Match of the Century' in 1972, died on Thursday in Moscow. He was 88.”

New York Times: “The actor Gene Hackman was found dead in a mud room in his New Mexico home and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found dead on the floor of a bathroom on Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit. An open prescription bottle and scattered pills were discovered near her body on a counter in the bathroom. A dead German shepherd was found between 10 and 15 feet away from Ms. Arakawa in a closet of the bathroom, the affidavit said. There were no obvious signs of a gas leak in the home, it said, and the Fire Department did not find signs of a carbon monoxide leak. The maintenance workers who found them said they had not been in contact with the couple for two weeks. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that 'there were no apparent signs of foul play.'... The causes of their deaths had not been determined.”

The Wires
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The Ledes

Thursday, February 27, 2025

CNBC: “Initial filings for unemployment benefits hit their highest level of the year last week in another potential signs of weakness in the labor market. Jobless claims for the week ended Feb. 22 totaled a seasonally adjusted 242,000, up 22,000 from the previous week’s revised level and higher than the Dow Jones estimate for 225,000, according to a Labor Department report Thursday. The level of claims matched the highest since early October 2024 and comes amid questions over broader economic growth and worrying signs in recent consumer sentiment surveys.”

CNBC: “High mortgage rates and elevated home prices combined to crush home sales in January. Pending sales, which are based on signed contracts for existing homes, dropped 4.6% from December to the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors began tracking this metric in 2001. Sales were down 5.2% from January 2024. These sales are an indicator of future closings.”

New York Times: “Gene Hackman, who never fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star, but who became one all the same, playing seemingly ordinary characters with deceptive subtlety, intensity and often charm in some of the most noted films of the 1970s and ’80s, has died, the authorities in New Mexico said on Thursday. He was 95. Mr. Hackman and his wife were found dead on Wednesday afternoon at a home in Santa Fe., N.M., where they had been living, according to a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff’s deputies found the bodies of Mr. Hackman; his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64; and a dog, according to the statement, which said that foul play was not suspected.” ~~~

     ~~~ Update. New York Times: “An investigation was underway on Thursday after the prolific actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead along with their dog at a house in New Mexico, the local authorities said. The bodies of Mr. Hackman, 95, and Ms. Arakawa, 64, were found by sheriff’s deputies in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Santa Fe on Wednesday afternoon, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The couple had lived in the Santa Fe area for years. Sheriff Adan Mendoza of Santa Fe County said in a phone interview that an associate of Mr. Hackman and his family had placed an emergency call on Wednesday afternoon after discovering the bodies of the actor and his wife.”

New York Times: “Michelle Trachtenberg, a touchstone of millennial youth culture who grew up onscreen, rising to fame as a troubled teenager on the supernatural 1990s series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and as a conniving young socialite on 'Gossip Girl,' was found dead on Wednesday in Manhattan. She was 39. The New York Police Department said in a statement that officers, responding to a 911 call just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, found Ms. Trachtenberg unconscious and unresponsive in a Manhattan apartment. She was pronounced dead by emergency medical workers, who had also responded.”

Help!

To keep the Conversation going, please help me by linking news articles, opinion pieces and other political content in today's Comments section.

Link Code:   <a href="URL">text</a>

OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

OR you can always just block, copy and paste to your comment the URL (Web address) of the page you want to link.

Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

Marie: Sorry, my countdown clock was unreliable; then it became completely unreliable. I can't keep up with it. Maybe I'll try another one later.

 

Public Service Announcement

Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Democrats' Weekly Address

Marie (Feb 23): As far as I can tell, there isn't any. I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like Democrats are so screwed up, they can't even put together a couple of minutes of video to tell us how screwed we are.

Out with the Black. In with the White. New York Times: “Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the 'NBC Nightly News' over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at 'Dateline,' where he serves as the show’s anchor.... He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until 'the start of summer.' The network did not immediately name a successor.” ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “MSNBC said on Monday that Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who has become one of the most prominent hosts at the network, would anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time. Ms. Psaki, 46, will host a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, replacing Alex Wagner, a longtime political journalist who has anchored that hour since 2022, according to a memo to staff from Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president. Ms. Wagner will remain at MSNBC as an on-air correspondent. Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, has been anchoring the 9 p.m. hour on weeknights for the early days of ... [Donald] Trump’s administration but will return to hosting one night a week at the end of April.”

New York Times: “Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, two people familiar with the changes said. The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, 'The ReidOut,' is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years. MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host 'The Weekend,' which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.” MB: In case you've never seen “The Weekend,” let me assure you it's pretty awful. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: "Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC, the network’s new president announced in a memo to staff on Monday, marking an end to the political analyst and anchor’s prime time news show."

Y! Entertainment: "Meanwhile, [Alex] Wagner will also be removed from her 9 pm weeknight slot. Wagner has already been working as a correspondent after Rachel Maddow took over hosting duties during ... Trump’s first 100 days in office. It’s now expected that Wagner will not return as host, but is expected to stay on as a contributor. Jen Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary, is a likely replacement for Wagner, though a decision has not been finalized." MB: In fairness to Psaki, she is really too boring to watch. On the other hand, she is White. ~~~

     ~~~ RAS: "So MSNBC is getting rid of both of their minority evening hosts. Both women of color who are not afraid to call out the truth. Outspoken minorities don't have a long shelf life in the world of our corporate news media."

As we watch in horror the rapid destruction of our democratic form of government, it is comforting to remember there is life outside politics. I took a break a while ago to enjoy a brief lesson in the history of the moonwalk: ~~~

But it may go back even further:

And this chronological account is helpful:

New York Times: “Chuck Todd, the former 'Meet the Press' moderator and a longtime fixture of NBC’s political coverage, told colleagues on Friday that he was leaving the network. A nearly two-decade veteran of NBC, Mr. Todd said that Friday would be his last day at NBC.... Mr. Todd, 52, is the latest TV news star to step aside at a moment when salaries are being scrutinized — and slashed — by major media companies. Hoda Kotb exited NBC’s 'Today' show this month, and Neil Cavuto of Fox News and CNN’s Chris Wallace departed their cable news homes late last year.”

CNBC: “ CNN plans to lay off hundreds of employees Thursday [Jan. 23] as it refocuses the business around a global digital audience.... The layoffs come as CNN is rearranging its linear TV lineup and building out digital subscription products. The cuts will help CNN lower production costs and consolidate teams, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. Certain shows that are produced in New York or Washington may move to Atlanta, where production can be done more cheaply, said the people. For the most part, the job cuts won’t affect CNN’s most recognizable names, who are under contract, said the people. CNN has about 3,500 employees worldwide.... NBC News is also planning cuts later this week, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. While the exact number couldn’t be determined, the job losses will be well under 50....”

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Page Links
Thursday
Aug222024

The Conversation -- August 23, 2024

Trump to Wrestle Bear in Central Park. A Kook & a Crook Hook Up. Brittany Gibson of Politico: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in a court filing, endorsed ... Donald Trump, ahead of an announcement that will likely bring an end to his quixotic campaign just months before the November elections. Kennedy filed on Friday to officially have his name withdrawn from the Pennsylvania ballot 'as a result of today's endorsement of Donald Trump for the office of President of the United States,' according to a brief filed by Kennedy's campaign attorney. He also filed to withdraw from another swing state, Arizona, on Thursday evening.... The presidential election remains incredibly close, and if even a fraction of Kennedy's support moves to Trump, it could be decisive in swing states."

Maggie Haberman & Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump, who recently said he has 'no regrets' about appointing the Supreme Court supermajority that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion rights, declared on social media on Friday that his administration will be 'great' for women's 'reproductive rights.' Mr. Trump's use of the specific phrase 'reproductive rights' -- the language used by abortion-rights advocates -- appeared to be an effort ... to refashion himself ... as a political moderate on an issue that has the potential to be damaging to him in November.... On Thursday night..., Mr. Trump once again falsely claimed that 'everyone' wanted Roe 'terminated' and brought back to the states.... At the Democratic National Convention, the end of Roe -- and Mr. Trump's professed pride in appointing the justices who eliminated it -- was a central focus.... Some 22 states have implemented bans on abortion at various stages of pregnancy since the end of Roe in 2022."

Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Speaking in his most closely watched speech of the year, Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, clearly signaled on Friday that the central bank was poised to cut interest rates in September. And while Mr. Powell stopped short of giving a clear hint at just how large that move might be, he forcefully underscored that the central bank stands prepared to adjust policy to protect the job market from weakening further and to keep the economy on a path for a soft landing."

Stephen Colbert checks out Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention: ~~~

MEANWHILE, on the Sidelines. As Akhilleus points out in today's Comments, Republicans had a spy who sneaked into the "Democrat convention" to make a case for Trump. Alas, the spy -- a friend of Donald's -- came upon a 12-year-old, and things did not go well for Incognito Man from there: ~~~

Presidential Race

Toluse Olorunnipa & Tyler Pager of the Washington Post: "Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday, using the most consequential speech of her political career to cast herself as an avatar of America's middle class and an avenue to usher the country away from the abrasive style of politics embraced by Republican nominee Donald Trump.... Harris delivered a withering critique of Trump while also making several appeals to bipartisanship and patriotism during her speech, combating efforts by Trump and his allies to brand her as radical or somehow foreign. As she spoke, a packed, jubilant crowd of supporters clapped and waved American flags. Many were wearing white, the color associated with the suffragist movement. More than 100,000 red, white and blue balloons dropped at the end of her speech." ~~~

     ~~~ Katie Rogers & Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris used her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday to present herself as a pragmatic leader who could unite all Americans behind a 'new way forward,' painting ... Donald J. Trump as a dangerous and 'unserious man' whose election would alter the foundation of American democracy. With a steady voice and a straightforward gaze, Ms. Harris, a former prosecutor, presented the lengthiest and most serious case she has made against Mr. Trump as a presidential candidate. At each turn of the nearly 40-minute address, Ms. Harris warned that the former president's truculent behavior belied a serious and substantive threat to Americans, whether they are seeking access to reproductive health care, concerned about the safety and stability of diplomatic relationships or worried about the flow of immigrants across the nation"s southern border." ~~~

New York Times reporters live-update the final night of the Democratic National Convention. Here are some entries & partial entries: ~~~

Jazmine Ulloa: "Representative Veronica Escobar, a Biden ally who represents a Texas district that includes the border city of El Paso, is chairing the Democratic National Convention tonight."

Jennifer Medina: "Senator Alex Padilla of California, who took over [Kamala] Harris's Senate seat after she became vice president, delivered a brief speech and promised Harris would restore the sueño Americano -- the American dream."

Maggie Astor: "'I'm impressed with how large this A.I.-generated crowd looks tonight,' quips Representative Ted Lieu of California, mocking Trump's false claim that a photo of a packed Harris rally was fake."

Catie Edmondson: "Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado, 40, is seen as a rising star in the House Democratic caucus. His speech appeared to be aimed at younger voters, arguing that Harris will fight to make college more affordable, invoking his own daughter in explaining his support for her.... Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, the top Democrat on the China Select Committee in the House, provides some of the first foreign policy remarks we've heard all week at the convention. China wants 'us to fight against ourselves,' Krishnamoorthi says."

Kellen Browning: "Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts got one of the biggest ovations I've seen this week as she took the stage. She appeared to tear up at the strength of her reception from the crowd."

Jonathan Weisman: "The current speaker, Representative Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, is running for the seat of the retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow, and it is one of the closest Senate races in the country." ~~~

~~~ Medina: "For days, Democrats have invoked reclaiming patriotism, but few have made it as explicit as Slotkin. 'I want you to proudly claim your patriotism. You are here because you love your country. Do not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag but sit in the face of freedom it represents.'"

Astor: "Representative Pat Ryan of New York is continuing the national-security theme that has dominated the night so far. He is a combat veteran and notes that his district includes West Point, which he attended. He notes that cadets are forbidden to lie, steal, cheat 'or tolerate those who do,' and says Trump 'has violated every word in that code -- a serial liar, cheater, thief who looked soldiers in the eye, then turned around and called fallen heroes "suckers" and "losers."'"

Maggie Haberman: The Rev. Al "Sharpton is talking about Trump's full-page newspaper ad calling for the death penalty for the group, five Black and Latino teenagers who had been arrested -- but not tried -- in connection with the brutal gang rape of a white female jogger in Central Park. Those teenagers' convictions were later set aside, and their confessions found to have been coerced. One of those young men, Yusef Salaam, is now a New York city council member. Trump continues to insist he was right.... Four of the five of the 'Central Park Five' are now onstage.... Huge cheers for Yusef Salaam as he introduces himself as a New York City councilman. 'Forty-five wanted us un-alive,' Salaam says of Trump. 'He wanted us dead.'... Hearing from these men takes on a new meaning as Trump continues to insist he himself is being unfairly treated by the judicial system."

Maya King: "The Central Park Five's endorsement of Harris is significant on several levels. It draws a contrast with Trump.... It also pushes back against an ongoing narrative about how Black men view Harris, who is a prosecutor and faced real criticisms for the number of Black men who were incarcerated while she was California's attorney general."

Haberman: "The convention program has moved on to two women affirming Harris's tenure as a prosecutor, fighting sexual assault perpetrators, among others. The 'prosecutor' frame gives Harris, running for a chief executive job as a woman and facing sexist perceptions of women in those roles, an air of authority and of strength, Democratic strategists say."

Weisman: "Maura Healey, the governor of Massachusetts, is the first of a few friends of Harris who grew close as the attorneys general of their states.... Deb Haaland's confirmation as the first Native American secretary of the Interior was one of the most dramatic appointments of the Biden term. She has led an agency that was once devoted to all but eradicating Native American culture, and she brought a quiet reverance to environmental conservation. It now falls to her to attest to Harris's commitment to that vision.... The program now turns to two of the youngest, most dynamic Democrats of color in Congress, both fighting uphill battles in red states. First, Representative Maxwell Frost of Florida, the first Gen Z member of Congress, then Representative Colin Allred, who is running to defeat Ted Cruz and take his Senate seat in Texas.... [Allred] has insisted his secret weapon is the contempt that Texans of all political stripes hold for Ted Cruz, his opponent.... Allred's real secret weapon in Texas may actually be football. A linebacker from Dallas, he played for Baylor, then after going undrafted he earned a roster spot for the Tennessee Titans, where he played four seasons from 2007 to 2010."

Weisman: "Craig Sicknick's brother, Brian, died of a stroke after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. To this day, conservatives backing Trump have said Sicknick's death had nothing to do with the attack."

Browning: "NBA star Stephen Curry just appeared in a prerecorded video message, days after his head coach, Steve Kerr, addressed the convention. 'I believe that Kamala as president could bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward,' he said."

Weisman: "The choice of the Chicks to sing the national anthem is fascinating. Conservatives had once shunned them, but have recently adopted their in-your-face anthem 'Not Ready to Make Nice' as an answer to Democratic appeals for bipartisanship and support for Harris. But the theme was written after the Chicks, then called the Dixie Chicks, were all but banished from country music stations and booed by country audiences for disparaging then-President George W. Bush during the Iraq War. They are making their politics known again tonight."

Medina: "We're getting a lesson from two little nieces about how to pronounce Kamala -- comma, then 'lah.'" ~~~

~~~ Haberman: "Donald Trump has made a repeated bit out of mispronouncing Harris's first name, a way of othering her."

Rebecca O'Brien: "Meena Harris, Ella Emhoff, and Helena Hudlin -- Kamala Harris's niece, step-daughter, and goddaughter, respectively -- have taken the stage."

Haberman: "It's clear what [D.L.] Hughley is here as: He is a convert to Harris, after being a skeptic. That is a message Harris needs to communicate to a lot of people, that she's an acceptable alternative to Trump."

Mitch Smith: "Chris Swanson, the sheriff of the Michigan county that includes Flint, drew national attention in 2020 for walking with protesters following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. He appeared this year in a campaign ad for President Biden that criticized Donald Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021."

King: "Representative Lucy McBath of Georgia rose to national prominence as a gun safety advocate after her son, Jordan, was shot and killed. She is a rising figure in Georgia politics...."

Edgar Sandoval: "ays after her daughter was killed at a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Kimberly Mata-Rubio told me that she was making a promise to never stop pushing for safer gun laws.... This appearance at the convention was her largest audience yet."

Haberman: "Gabby Giffords, the former congresswoman who was shot in the head more than a decade ago, is speaking now, with her astronaut and senator husband, Mark Kelly, next to her."

Nick Corasaniti: "Pink is doing an acoustic version of 'What About Us,' a ballad that she has called a political protest song."

Weisman: "Senator Mark Kelly's appearance must feel bittersweet. He was a finalist to be Harris's running mate. His supporters argued that he could secure the pivotal swing state of Arizona, lend strength on the border issue and appeal to working-class voters as the son of New Jersey cops who went to war and became an astronaut. He didn't make it -- in part because he's not a scintillating speaker.... After Kelly leans on his résumé as a combat pilot and astronaut, Leon Panetta, the former C.I.A. director and defense secretary, is attesting to Harris's foreign policy credentials, then Representative Ruben Gallego, an Iraq war combat veteran running for Senate in Arizona, will have stories to tell of valor that Trump can't compete with."

Lisa Lerer: Gov. Gretchen "Whitmer edits one of her campaign slogans for this national audience: GSD -- Get 'Stuff' Done."

Shane Goldmacher: "Democrats are trying to flip the strength vs. weakness frame that Trump had used for months against Biden. [Former Rep. Adam] Kinzinger [R-Ill.] is explicit, twice calling Trump 'weak' in his speech. 'Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong,' he says."

Erica Green: "Maya Harris's remarks are largely a tribute to their mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, whom she described as having 'defied the odds, and defined herself."

King: "Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina is the last elected official scheduled to speak before Kamala Harris. His name was on the shortlist to be her vice-presidential pick before he removed himself from contention."

Lerer: "Harris is casting herself as a 'realistic, practical' leader with 'common sense.'"

Haberman: "In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man,' Harris says, part of a theme of trying to make him smaller. But she stresses that the consequences of electing him are 'extremely serious.'... While Harris is invoking Project 2025, a series of policy initiatives written by a consortium of conservative groups aligned with Trump, she is doing what most Democrats haven't done: focused on Trump's own language and proposals, which are plenty norm-shattering and radical on their own.... The only part of Biden's record that Harris is explicitly linking herself with is the effort to forge a coalition against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It's the least controversial part of his record."

Ulloa: "Harris's calls for security and dignity for the people of Gaza drew one of the loudest responses of the night in the arena."

Jess Bidgood: "Since she has been running for President, Harris has presented herself as a 'joyful warrior.' But this is a sober speech, one that is focused broadly on how she would handle issues like the economy, abortion rights, border security and foreign policy as president."

Katie Glueck: "Harris is putting patriotism at the heart of her pitch. The crowd, waving American flags and quick to burst into chants of 'USA!', embraced it."

Oliver Darcy: "Bad news for Donald Trump: The Democratic National Convention is handily beating his Republican National Convention in the one area he cares about most: television ratings. After night one of the DNC bested night one of the RNC (an average of 20 million viewers to 18.1 million), night two saw the gap open up even wider. The Michelle and Barack Obama-powered evening averaged 20.8 million viewers across television, dwarfing the average of 14.8 million viewers who tuned into night two of Trump's coronation. The strong ratings are a reflection of the electric energy coursing through the Democratic Party after President Joe Biden stepped aside and passed the torch along to Vice President Kamala Harris. The last-minute handoff to Harris has rebooted the party, leading to viral memes, record fundraising, and now muscular television ratings."

Michael Grynbaum & Michael Gold of the New York Times: Donald Trump called in to Fox "News" during Kamala Harris's acceptance speech, "and the former president proceeded to issue a meandering, stream-of-consciousness rebuttal.... The impromptu call-in -- which lasted for 10 minutes, until Fox News informed Mr. Trump that the network had run out of time -- came shortly after he had taken to his social media platform, Truth Social, to provide real-time commentary on Ms. Harris's speech. His posts there, capitalized in a haphazard manner, were less directed at her specific remarks than at broader complaints.... At times, he digressed. 'WHERE'S HUNTER?' Mr. Trump asked as Ms. Harris came onstage.... At several points during the call, a familiar beeping sound interrupted Mr. Trump's remarks. It appeared that the former president was accidentally pressing buttons on the keypad of his phone." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to many reports, Trump doesn't drink, but this sure reads like a drunk dial-in.

On Wednesday night, the DNC played this devastating video, which speaks to Trump's actions and inaction on January 6, 2021: ~~~

~~~ S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "Donald Trump is hosting a fundraiser for domestic terrorists convicted of assaulting police officers, and some defendants still facing those charges, as part of his Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt to remain in power. The event is to take place on Sept. 5 at his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and is being staged by The America Project, a pro-Trump nonprofit based in Florida that is calling the reception and dinner 'the J6 Awards Gala.'"

Isabella Ramirez of Politico: "... Donald Trump, in a wide-ranging and unfocused 'Fox and Friends' interview on Thursday morning, slammed Tim Walz as a 'total lightweight' after the Minnesota governor delivered his vice presidential nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention [Wednesday] night. In the live phone interview, Trump attacked Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris while also distancing himself from Project 2025.... The hosts struggled to keep him on topic as Trump spoke for more than 30 minutes on issues including crime, the border, Russia-Ukraine, abortion, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- with one of his favorite subjects being bashing Chicago, the DNC host city.... At his speech on Wednesday, Walz leaned into his background as a coach and hit Trump on attempting to separate himself from Project 2025, telling the crowd, 'When someone takes the time to draw up a playbook, they're going to use it.' Trump told 'Fox and Friends' that Walz connecting him to Project 2025 was 'disgraceful' and throughout the interview, repeatedly said he had 'no idea' what it was." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If Trump has "no idea" what Project 2025 is, why is it "disgraceful" for Walz to connect him with it?

Fierce Cruelty Is a Feature of the Right-Wing Ecosystem. Julia Metraux of Mother Jones: After Gus Walz --Tim Walz's teenaged son who suffers from complex intellectual disabilities -- responded emotionally to Tim's DNC address, right-wing commentators mocked the young man.

Rebecca O'Brien & Kellen Browning of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed paperwork to withdraw from the presidential race in Arizona, a spokesman for the Arizona secretary of state's office said on Thursday night. The move comes a day before Mr. Kennedy, an independent candidate, is set to give an address in Arizona about the future of his struggling campaign. He is expected to end his candidacy and possibly to endorse ... Donald. J. Trump following weeks of discussion between their camps, although people close to Mr. Kennedy say an endorsement is not yet certain. On Thursday Mr. Trump's campaign announced that the former president would have a 'special guest' at his rally in Glendale, Ariz., on Friday."

~~~~~~~~~~

Arizona. Supreme Suppress Votes in Battleground State. Charlie Savage & Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Arizona, at least for now, to toughen some voting requirements, saying that people registering to vote before the coming election must show proof of citizenship. The decision, issued in a terse, unsigned order, handed a partial victory to Republicans who supported a 2022 Arizona law imposing new restrictions on voting. But the court declined to allow Arizona to put into effect another part of that law, which could have prohibited tens of thousands of voters who are already registered from participating in the presidential election or casting any ballots by mail, unless they provided proof of citizenship.... There were signs that the court was divided over the issue, and that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh may have split their votes between two factions. The order ... said four justices had wanted to keep the state from enforcing both measures: Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. It named three as wanting to let the state put both provisions into effect: Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch."

Arkansas. Daniel Wu of the Washington Post: "The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that abortion will not be on the ballot in November, upholding the state's rejection of a petition to bring an abortion access measure before voters because organizers had failed to submit the required paperwork on time. In a narrow 4-3 ruling, the court's majority sided with Secretary of State John Thurston (R), who in July rejected a petition submitted by Arkansans for Limited Government that carried over 100,000 signatures because the group had not submitted training certifications for paid canvassers it used."

Comments Off

Reader Comments (20)

Brought forward from the end of yesterday's Comments:

Not Both Sides…

Okay, I know this is a big night. We’re getting to hear the woman who could bring down the most vile, vicious, dangerous lying piece of dog shit in American history.

BUT (to employ the Both Sides media’s favorite qualifying conjunction), if corporate media has its way, we’ll be getting plenty of reasons that Kamala Harris has a lot to answer for (no three hour sit downs with Both Sides “journalists”) and hearing that poor Donald Trump is being unfairly treated by lib’rul Democrat schemers.

You think I’m exaggerating? (I know you guys don’t, but I do want to offer the latest example of why we can never trust these fucking people.)

So, I’ve been listening to the radio interview show Fresh Air for many years. It’s generally an excellent show. Love Terry Gross. Today I listened, slack jawed, to almost an hour of infuriatingly Both Sides balderdash, presented as a program looking at how Donald Trump weaponized the Justice Department and co-opted the FBI.

Okay, I thought, I could probably write this one, but okay, maybe I’ll learn something new.

What I “learned” was both sides do it. Both sides are to blame.

Here’s the guest:

“David Rohde is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, who has worked for The New York Times, The New Yorker and other publications. He was twice kidnapped and held in captivity, covering conflict zones, once in Bosnia and once in Afghanistan. He's now the national security editor at NBC News. His new book is ‘Where Tyranny Begins: The Justice Department, The FBI, And The War On Democracy.’”

New York Times, NBC…other corporate media both sides outposts…I should have known.

It was billed as a look at how the Orange Monster fucked with Justice and the FBI. You have to listen to about 25 minutes before you get to that, and then it’s all about Bill Barr. But get this…Barr, according to this fucking guy, was only doing what he thought was right when he put his fat ass on the scales of Justice to help an insurrectionist asshole. He was doing what he thought he had to. On the other hand…Jamie Raskin is a partisan “firebrand”, ie, someone who isn’t really trustworthy!

What the actual fuck?!?!

It gets worse. He says no one trusts the justice department now because Both Sides believe the other side is corrupt. But he has zero examples of how Democrats are at fault.

Oh…wait. Yes he does. He rips Democrats for daring to complain about Robert Hur’s horrific report on Biden. “When he said Biden was a little demented, he was just giving his honest opinion. Democrats were wrong to ATTACK him.” Hey. Asshole. That wasn’t his fucking job. He’s not a psychiatrist. He was tasked with saying whether or not Biden had willfully retained a couple of top secret documents. That’s it! His excuse for defending Hur is “See? Biden did terrible in that debate. So I’m right! Harrumph!”

He also defends Fatty attacking the FBI for searching Mar-a-Lardo.

“Well, Trump was right to be upset and claim he was being set up.”

Why?

J. Edgar Hoover did that sort of thing 70-80 years ago.

What?!?!?

J. Edgar Hoover!?

Why not blame yellow journalists from 1910? How ‘bout Nostradamus in the 16th century?

Sorry. I couldn’t make it all the way to the end. Several times he actually says it’s his job…his JOB!! to attack both sides equally. And he uses the expression “both sides” about four or five times.

And this guy has two Pulitzers.

But it’s not really Both Sides, is it? It’s give Trump and the traitors a pass and go after Democrats, blaming them for shit they have never done.

We can’t trust any of these assholes.

Not linking this crap. You can find it if you want. Just have a barf bag handy.

August 22, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

How is it that someone who constantly brags about how smart he is can be so stupid?

Easy. You just have to be named Donald Trump.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

The My Pillow guy, MAGA superstar Mike Lindell, tried to sneak into the DNC by shaving off his mustache, putting on a hat and wearing sunglasses. Very Spy v Spy stuff. Then, to show how manly he is, he starts screaming at a kid, but sadly, Pillow Head gets punked by a 12 year old.

This is the best the PoT has to offer. A clearly disturbed crazy person shouting at a child, a child who calmly listens to his bullshit, then drop kicks his ass.

Just sad.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

I’m sure RFK, Jr’s father, wherever he is now, must be so proud that his namesake, his son, is throwing his support and the family name behind a lifetime career criminal, a loathsome fraud, con man, liar, racist, and rapist. Way to tarnish the family legacy there, Bobby. If he thinks he’s going to wrangle a cabinet position out of of this endorsement, he hasn’t been paying attention to the Trump MO: weasel whatever you can out of someone, then kick him down the stairs and tell him his stuff stinks.

Too bad. Weird AND stupid, he’d fit right in. I’m guessing as Secretary of Health and Human Services, he’d be Johnny on the Spot for a return to less, shall we say, scientific treatments like leech therapy, bloodletting, and other assorted medieval practices. Anything but proven vaccines.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Things seem to be changing over on "X" according to this BBC artick=le, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86l4pl6072o.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterBobby Lee

Another Johnny on the Spot (or maybe Jimmy in the Shit) character is career investigator of imaginary right wing fever dreams, Jim Comer (PoT-KY), who hasn’t done a solitary millisecond of actual legislative work since coming to Washington. His sole preoccupation is heading up embarrassingly stoopid “investigation” thingies which all end like this.

His newest, wicked cool idea is investigatin’ Gov. Tim Walz for going to China. Jumpin’ Jim ain’t even a-goin’ ta wait til he gets ‘lected Vice President! He’s gonna get right on findin’ out whether Walz is a secret Chinese agent.

Guess who gave him the idea. The stupidest man in the Senate, the ever moronic Ron Johnson!

Ol’ Ron has evidence stuff too! Guess when Walz got married…the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square uprising.

Ha!! Gotcha, Walz, you Manchurian Candidate, you! That proves you were recruited by the Chinese guv’mint to undermine the Great State of MAGAstan! Harrumph!

The problem with this thinking, of course, is that the event that took place at Tiananmen Square was an uprising AGAINST the Chinese government. This is like saying getting married on the Fourth of July proves one’s loyalty to King George III.

But stupid never sleeps in the Party of Traitors. It just invades their tiny brains like that worm that ate RFK’s gray stuff.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Trump supporters attacking Tim Walz’s son for his reaction to a beloved parent’s big moment is below despicable. Don’t know what’s a lot worse than that, but they have managed it. It’s even worse when you learn that the boy has some emotional issues. Watching it live, I was so happy for the kid, “That’s my dad!” he cried. How can you not tear up watching such a touching moment, a kid who obviously loves his father so much and is so proud of him?

How?

Easy. Well, easy if you’re an inhuman scum-sucking MAGA pig. The Family Values Party, right?

But hey, I’m guessing the Trump spawn had their own reaction when Fatty was nominated. It went along with a “Ka-Ching!” sound effect.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Orange Crush

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

So the former environmental lawyer is choosing the guy who doesn't believe in climate change, loves oil, hates green energy and electric cars, and thinks corporations should be able to pollute with abandon. But crazy attracts crazy.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Help! Help!
I read that Kamala's proposed tax cuts amount to five trillion dollars
(NY Times).
There are about 162 million taxpayers (Forbes Advisor).
My little calculator won't handle those numbers, so I had to lop off
lots of zeros.
I came up with something like thirty thousand dollars tax cut for
162 million taxpayers.
I'm living on three retirement income plans and they don't amount to
thirty thousand dollars per year.
Does that mean that millionaires and billionaires will benefit the
most, or am I missing something?

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

@Forrest Morris:

I'm guessing that this is the Times article you're writing about.

If so, it's not $5 trillion in tax cuts; it's $5 trillion in tax increases over ten years. So, kind of the opposite of what you suggest.

But any tax hikes, according to Harris' stated plan, would come only on the amount of annual family (or personal) income greater than $400,000. That is to say, most Americans won't get a tax increase.

So again, the opposite of what's worrying you. The increased taxes will be levied against the wealthiest Americans and corporations, not the middle class or poor people. Of course, most corporations probably would transfer as much as possible of the corporate tax increase to consumers, so if we buy anything, we'll be effectively paying that tax. (Some of the proposed tax increase would be on financial transactions, so transfer of that tax might go more to the wealthy than to others, though I suppose it could affect "average Americans'" retirement accounts.)

Moreover, some of the tax increases would apply only to people who had already accumulated great wealth -- a so-called "billionaires minimum tax." Sorry, but my heart is not bleeding for these guys. The more in taxes they pay, the better. I believe in taxes that serve as income levelers.

I think if you read the whole NYT article carefully, you'll get a better idea of where Harris proposes the money would come from. If you're a billionaire, you should know you will end up slightly less rich than you are now; otherwise, your tax liability should not rise.

Oh, and don't bother to get out your calculator. As with most political tax proposals, this one probably doesn't compute.

August 23, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

@Marie: Thanks for setting me straight on Kamala's tax plan.
I must have caught one of those brain eating worms like Kennedy has.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterForrestMorris

Trying this post again. See it didn't make the trip.

Not recommending Balz's lengthy morning bloviating in the Post but one thing he said caught my eye.

After saying Harris has put the Pretender in a box that he's struggling to get out of, he goes on to say that per recent polls the former guy is still more trusted on inflation, the economy, immigration and the Israeli-Gaza war..

Will never understand anyone trusting the Pretender on anything at all, but that he has any credibility on the economy is beyond understanding. He has no idea how the economy works and has demonstrated his ignorance about it repeatedly. He doesn't even know how his favorite panacea, tariffs, work.

He may or may not be in a box. But I can't shake the fear that it is the nation that remains trapped in a box of stupidity. Hope we can get out of it by November.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/23/trump-harris-campaign-analysis/

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

Kennedy will endorse the Pretender, I see.

That means when Harris wins, she'll be killing two birdbrains with one stone.

Three, counting Vance.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

@RAS: As Forrest Morris pointed out yesterday in a post that echoed President Obama's implication about crowd size, Trump ordered Cheerios. But JayDee ordered doughnuts, where the holes are bigger. Does that tell us anything?

I do want to congratulate JayDee on his interpersonal skills and talent at small talk. He's probably honing them for when Trump sends him to international conferences with world leaders. "How long have you been president? ... Oh, you're prime minister? Okay. What country is that again?"

But this does also speak to the professionalism of his campaign. Normally, when a politician "serendipitously" pops into a local shop, their advance team has been there first to set up the meet-and-greet, ask permission to film there, maybe get releases from the workers, and so forth. That obviously has not happened here.

August 23, 2024 | Registered CommenterMarie Burns

Wowee…you can add that bizarre donut shop clusterfuck to Shady’s Greatest Hits, along with the cat lady interview, humping cushions, his decrees for post menopausal women, and existential flip flopping (Trump is Hitler, but now I go on donut runs for him).

I admit that he’s certainly got a distinctive style of ordering donuts though: “Gimme some glazed and a bunch of this other stuff.”

See, I usually say something like “I need four honey dipped, four jelly, and four plain (I’m a plain donut kinda guy).” I never thought of saying “Some of this and whatever else is over there.”

Must be how manly testicle-tanned venture capitalists order donuts.

Even his small talk is wooden and clumsy. It’s right up there with “Come here often?” and “What’s your sign?”

Smooooth.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterAkhilleus

Yeah, JD seems to get peeved after the worker doesn't know or doesn't care who he is. He is just radiating that "don't you know who I am, I'm famous" energy.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS

Bring back the Tommy guns.

"A federal judge has dismissed charges against a Kansas man for possessing a machine gun, saying prosecutors failed to establish that a federal ban on owning such weapons is constitutional.
The decision, opens new tab by U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita on Wednesday appeared to mark the first time a court has held that banning machine guns is unconstitutional after the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 issued a landmark ruling that expanded gun rights.

Broomes, an appointee of Republican then-President Donald Trump"

Pretty soon we will be hearing about how rocket launchers are just big guns and the founding fathers never banned them so they are totally legal to own also.

August 23, 2024 | Unregistered CommenterRAS
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