The Conversation -- September 25, 2024
You never have to watch local news again! The report below covers everything you need to know and every report you've ever heard. (Substitute some event like "a bear wandered through Riverdale back yards Wednesday morning" for "bullshit.") On the other hand, if you're hoping to break into broadcast news by starting at your local teevee station, the report is a model object lesson in how to produce, report, film & cut a live report, including obligatory recorded clips of eyewitnesses & experts. Good luck, kid! Thanks to RAS for the lead: ~~~
Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: :President Biden on Wednesday delivered a blunt assessment of the character of his predecessor, telling the hosts of 'The View' on ABC that 'there;s not a lot of redeeming value' to... Donald J. Trump. Asked if he would have won if he stayed in the presidential race, Mr. Biden replied: 'Yes. I was confident I would beat Trump. He;s a loser.' But in an appearance that was part personal, part policy and part political, Mr. Biden said he was 'at peace' with his decision not to run again. He also made an enthusiastic pitch for Vice President Kamala Harris: 'She is smart as hell, No. 1,' he said. He added that 'she's tough, she's honorable, and the thing I like about her -- and one thing to share in common -- is that we have an optimistic view in the future.' Mr. Biden's appearance on the 'The View,' his 10th, was the first time a sitting president has appeared live on the show."
New York. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on Wednesday said Eric Adams should resign as mayor of New York City, becoming the most prominent Democrat to push for his ouster amid federal corruption investigations involving his administration. In a statement to The New York Times, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a national leader of her party's progressive wing, said she could 'not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City.... 'The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening government function,' she said. 'Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.'"
Democrats Save the Republic! Again. Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The House on Wednesday passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown just ahead of the November elections, punting a bigger funding fight to the end of the year. Speaker Mike Johnson again turned to Democrats to supply the bulk of the votes to keep federal funding flowing through Dec. 20, after conservatives in his own conference said they would not support the legislation because it would not cut spending and did not include a measure imposing new proof-of-citizenship requirements on voter registration. The vote was 341 to 82, with a majority of the Republican conference voting in favor of the legislation. Mr. Johnson had brought the legislation to a vote using a special procedure to pass the bill that requires the support of two-thirds of those voting in an effort to circumvent any attempt by hard-liners to block consideration of the measure. All Democrats present voted in support of the legislation.... Senator Chuck Schumer ... said on Tuesday night that the Senate would take up and pass the measure mere hours after it passed the House." CNN's story is here. ~~~
~~~ NYT Update: "In a pair of votes in quick succession, lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly voted to pass the measure to keep federal funding flowing through Dec. 20. The Senate vote was 78 to 18. All the 'no' votes were Republicans. [President] Biden is expected to sign the legislation before the Sept. 30 deadline."
North Carolina. Rats ... Ship. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: "Senior staff members in the office of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina have said they will resign on Oct. 1, becoming the latest people to abandon Mr. Robinson, the state's Republican nominee for governor, in the wake of a CNN report that linked him to disturbing comments on a porn site. Those resigning include Brian LiVecchi, the chief of staff and general counsel; Jonathan Harris, the policy director; John Wesley Waugh, the director of communications; and Nathan Lewis, the director of government affairs. Mr. LiVecchi confirmed the resignations in a brief phone call on Wednesday afternoon. On Sunday, most of the senior employees of Mr. Robinson's campaign for governor also resigned."
The New York Times' live updates of developments Wednesday in Israel's wars are here. CNN's live updates are here. ~~~
~~~ Erika Solomon, et al., of the New York Times: "Over two weeks, Palestinians watched as Israeli military bulldozers tore up mile after mile of their streets and alleys, sewage seeping into the dusty ruts left behind. The people of Tulkarm and Jenin, the two West Bank towns that were the focus of Israel's latest military raids, said they had never before experienced such a scale of destruction. Residents pointed to one video that shows an Israeli armored bulldozer flattening a decorative roundabout and nearby vegetation." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Surely I'm not the only wild-eyed conspiracy theorist who suspects Bibi is laying down all this death and destruction at least partially in order to undermine the Biden administration, thus Vice President Harris's election bid. Bibi can't want an honorable, intelligent U.S. president when Trump is the alternative.
Here are the New York Times' live updates in developments at the U.N. General Assembly today.
Sorry, meant to link this earlier: ~~~
~~~ Sheryl Stolberg & David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Biden used his final speech to the United Nations on Tuesday to celebrate his defense of Ukraine against Russia's invasion and his work to restore the United States' global alliances, but he also warned that the advances of his administration could easily fall apart if America returned to isolationism. In an address of a little more than 20 minutes to the U.N. General Assembly, Mr. Biden combined personal touches with policy imperatives and an impassioned defense of democracy. He traced the arc of his own political career, from election to the Senate in 1972 at age 29, to his 'difficult' decision two months ago to drop his bid for re-election -- a decision he framed as a lesson for other heads of state. 'My fellow leaders,' Mr. Biden said, 'let us never forget: Some things are more important than staying in power.'" CNN's story is here.
Jamie Frevele of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump declared this week that he would be a 'protector' of women. In a pair of campaign ads, two women described how the ex-president sexually assaulted them. People Magazine was the first to report on the ads, which were backed by George Conway's Anti-Psychopath PAC, and one of their own journalists, Natasha Stoynoff, recounted what happened when she visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2005:" ~~~
A Libertarian and a Libertine walk into a Manhattan crypto-bar. The Libertarian, Nick Gillespie, an editor at Reason, says to the Libertine, Donald Trump, an aging, lying, totally disreputable SOS, "You signed legislation adding $7.8 trillion to the deficit in your first four years. Why will it be different if you're reelected?" "Well, we had a thing called Covid," the Libertine replied. "But you added it before Covid," the Libertarian countered. "And we were getting the country all set with our liquid gold and all the other assets that we have. We were going to bring that way down," the Libertine said, making no sense at all.
This Week's Big Grift: "Trump Is Hawking Silver Coins at a 210% Markup." Michael Luciano of Mediaite: Donald Trump is promoting silver 'Trump Coins.'... On Tuesday, Trump retweeted a post by @realtrumpcoins1, whose profile states it is an 'Official Partner of The Trump Organization.' The post contains a 48-second video showing the coin, which has Trump's face on the obverse. On the reverse is the White House, Trump's signature, and the motto 'In God We Trust.' The coin is one troy ounce of silver. The post also contains a link to a website where people can 'preview the coin' and join a waitlist to buy them for a cool $100. As of this writing, the spot price for an ounce of silver is $32.... Typically, custom-made silver coins sell for less than $10 above the spot price of silver...."
The Candidates' Debate. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "CNN reported this week that former Fox News personality and Trump administration official Monica Crowley is helping Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) prepare for his vice presidential debate next week against Gov. Tim Walz (D). Crowley is playing the moderator during the debate prep sessions, while House GOP Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), who is a longtime colleague of Walz's, is playing the Democratic nominee for VP. News that Vance enlisted Crowley for debate prep raised eyebrows as she is a prominent contributor to the much-maligned Project 2025, which Donald Trump and his campaign are working overtime to distance themselves from." ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Kathryn Watson, et al., of CBS NEWS: "Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is standing in for Vance in [Gov. Tim] Walz's debate prep sessions, according to a campaign official familiar with the prep. Buttigieg was praised for his debating skills during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary process, and was a stand-in for former Vice President Mike Pence's in Harris' [2020] debate prep.... Buttigieg has also made frequent appearances on Fox News, earning the nickname 'Slayer Pete' by the Los Angeles Times for being a 'rhetorical assassin' on cable news."
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Presidential Race
Megan Messerly of Politico: "Kamala Harris is calling for [eliminating the filibuster] ... to pass federal legislation protecting abortion rights. Harris voiced support for ending the 60-vote threshold needed to advance most legislation in the Senate, commonly known as the filibuster, during an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio that aired Tuesday.... President Joe Biden has long said he supports such an exception, and in 2022 Harris promised as vice president to cast a tie-breaking vote to end the filibuster for reproductive rights and voting rights. Democrats face an uphill battle to keep the Senate this November." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: "Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, an independent who considered making a presidential run this year, said on Tuesday that he would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris after she reiterated her support for eliminating the Senate filibuster to pass abortion rights legislation. 'Shame on her,' Mr. Manchin, who is not running for re-election, told CNN. 'She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It's the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.'" CNN's story is here.
Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times on "the long, strange saga of Kamala Harris & Kimberly Guilfoyle. More than two decades ago, the future vice president and the future conservative firebrand were rising legal stars in San Francisco. Then Ms. Guilfoyle accused Ms. Harris of trying to deny her a job." (Also linked yesterday.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Paul Waldman in a Substack essay: "... many [journalists] are dissatisfied with the way [Kamala Harris] is running her campaign. In particular, they're unhappy with how she is treating them, namely that she isn't doing a lot of interviews with big-time news organizations.... What really galls reporters, I believe, is that Harris has declined to approach them as a supplicant. They expect (and receive) contempt from Trump and Republicans, but from Democrats they want respect, admiration, and acknowledgment of their vital role in the operation of the democratic system." A fine piece. Thanks to Ken W. for the link.
Ashleigh Fields of the Hill: "Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) fired back at Former President Trump, condemning media coverage of his shots at the Vice President during a CNN appearance on Tuesday after he said [Vice President] Harris had 'bigger cognitive problems' than [President] Biden. 'Why would you even cover that? This is a person who's not on the level,' Pelosi fumed." ~~~
~~~ Wait, Wait. Who Has Cognitive Problems? AP: "Donald Trump flubbed the name of Charlottesville, Virginia, while going off script during a speech on Tuesday otherwise focused on economic policy, slamming Vice President Kamala Harris for lying about 'Charlottestown.'... Trump has faced years of criticism from Harris and other top Democrats when he blamed 'both sides' [for the violence committed by white nationalists in 2017]...." ~~~
Marie: Donald Trump, writing on his failing social media site, after Kamala Harris's campaign confirmed that she would not be attending the Al Smith dinner: "... It was a virtual event in 2020, and I was delighted to speak to our Catholic friends that day and, of course, it was a HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL evening in 2016 when we were there in person with Crooked Hillary Clinton. The reviews of my remarks were TREMENDOUS. It's sad, but not surprising, that Kamala has decided not to attend. I don't know what she has against our Catholic friends, but it must be a lot, because she certainly hasn't been very nice to them, in fact, Catholics are literally being persecuted by this Administration. Any Catholic that votes for Comrade Kamala Harris should have their head examined…." Via Mediaite. (Also linked yesterday.)
Seb Starcevic & Veronika Melkozerova of Politico: "Donald Trump said Monday [at his Indiana, Pennsylvania, rally] that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted 'so badly' for Vice President Kamala Harris to win the 2024 U.S. presidential election.... Zelenskyy on Sunday visited a munitions factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania -- a critical swing state in November's knife-edge election -- as part of a tour to shore up support for Kyiv's resistance against Russia's war, providing a fillip to the Harris campaign which riled Trump.... [Trump said] that if he wins the election, 'the first thing I'm gonna do is call up Zelenskyy and call up President Putin and I'm gonna say, "You gotta make a deal, this is crazy."'... He has also threatened to cut U.S. aid to Ukraine.... Zelenskyy's office refused to confirm the swing state trip was chosen for any purpose other than 'to pay a visit of gratitude' to the Scranton munitions factory, which manufactures shells used by Ukraine's military." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: It seems the main utility of Zelensky's visit to the munitions factory was to remind Americans that almost all of the materiel we send to Ukraine is American-made. That is, the money stays in the U.S. Sure it's redistributed, but it's moving from general federal taxpayers to U.S. workers, who then recirculate it in their communities when they pay for goods & services. Trump either doesn't understand this, or (there's some slight possibility) he gets it but he's pulling the wool over the eyes of his sheeples. ~~~
~~~ James Kilner of the (U.K.) Telegraph: "Donald Trump doesn't know how to stop the war in Ukraine, despite claiming he could end it on his first day as US president, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. In his harshest criticism yet of the Republican presidential nominee, the Ukrainian president also described Trump's running mate JD Vance as 'dangerous' and 'too radical'. 'His message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice,' Mr Zelensky said of Mr Vance in an interview with the New Yorker magazine before he flew to the US to present his 'Victory Plan' to the White House this week. 'But I believe that we have shielded America from total war.' Mr Vance has been criticised by supporters of Ukraine for pushing a peace deal that consolidates the Kremlin's control over captured territory." (Also linked yesterday.)
Justin Glawe of the Guardian: "At an event intended to tout economic policies that would usher in what his campaign calls a 'new age of American industrialism', Donald Trump spent as much time discussing personal grievances and blaming immigrants for everything from fentanyl overdoses to crime and taking Americans' jobs as he did discussing the economy. 'This is a speech on economic development but this is a big part of economic development,' the former president said of immigration at a speech in Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday.... Trump said he would revive American manufacturing and restore it to 'how it was 50 years ago'..." MB: Right, back when unions were becoming weaker and the jobs went first to white, male applicants.
Racists of America, Unite! Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump riled up rally-goers on Monday night by saying that some immigrants who are in the U.S. legally should be deported. Speaking in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Trump once again invoked Springfield, Ohio.... The Haitian migrants are there legally under Temporary Protected Status and have helped the city plug a severe labor shortage. Despite knowing this, Trump's running mate, JD Vance, has said he will keep calling them 'illegal.'... 'The fact is -- and I'll say it now -- you have to get 'em the hell out. You have to get 'em out. I'm sorry. But get 'em out. Can't have it.' The crowd responded by erupting in applause. 'They've destroyed it,' he said. The crowd broke into a chant demanding deportations. 'Send them back! Send them back! Send them back!'... The ex-president went on to commend Dwight Eisenhower for his deportation program in the 1950s that was dubbed 'Operation Wetback,' though Trump did not refer to it by name." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think Trump would have accused legal immigrants of eating their neighbors' pets if the immigrants had come from, say, Denmark. Hell, in one of his crazier schemes, Trump wanted to buy Greenland from Denmark. (In fairness to Trump, I don't suppose he realized that about 88 percent of its population is Inuit; or maybe he just figured he could deport them to ... someplace.)
Ariana Baio of the Independent, republished by Yahoo! News: "Donald Trump scolded those who critique the Supreme Court at a rally on Monday, saying people should be jailed for 'the way they talk about our judges and our justices' -- despite the First Amendment allowing people to criticize the government. The former president, who has invoked his First Amendment right to launch a bevy of attacks against federal and state judges, suggested it should be 'illegal' to rebuke judicial decisions or try and advocate in favor of a certain decision.... The former president was referring to the backlash the Supreme Court received after overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022. He called the court 'very brave' for making a decision that 'everybody wanted' -- an unfounded claim." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "For someone who has so strongly objected in recent weeks to the idea that he's an authoritarian or a threat to democracy, Donald Trump has a funny way of showing it. At a rally Monday in Pennsylvania, the former president said for at least the fourth time that criticizing judges and justices either is or should be illegal. And for what may be the first time, he directly said people who do so should go to jail. This was not only a stunning comment about restricting free speech, but it suggests a standard that most likely would have landed Trump in jail long ago. Few modern political figures, after all, have spent so much time attacking judges and others involved in the judicial process, in an obvious attempt to apply political pressure." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Donald Trump says scary stuff all the time, and this is among the scariest. He is signaling that when he is president*, it will be "illegal" to criticize government officials who do his bidding. And if it's illegal, you can bet a penalty will follow. ~~~
~~~ Oops! Spoke too soon. It gets worse: ~~~
~~~ Ellie Houghtelling of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: Donald Trump said during an interview "that under his potential second administration, he would round up and mass-deport noncitizens based on their 'serial numbers.'... 'But we're getting the criminals out, and we're going to do that fast, and we know who they are, and the local police know their names, and they know their serial numbers,' Trump said. 'They know everything about them.' Trump has regularly mimicked Adolf Hitler during his campaign. But the mention of serial numbers -- a terrifying echo of the identification numbers forcibly tattooed on concentration camp prisoners -- is one of his most chilling references yet." Read on. MB: Even more frightening, millions of Americans are cheering on this crap. (Also linked yesterday.)
Julie Smyth of the AP: "The leader of a nonprofit representing the Haitian community invoked a private-citizen right to file charges Tuesday against ... Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, over the chaos and threats experienced by Springfield, Ohio, since Trump first spread false claims about legal immigrants there during a presidential debate. The Haitian Bridge Alliance made the move after inaction by the local prosecutor, said their attorney, Subodh Chandra of the Cleveland-based Chandra Law Firm. Charges brought by private citizens are rare, but not unheard of, in Ohio." MB: Sure would be fun if the next time JayDee flies home, authorities cuff him at the airport. Film at 11:00. (Also linked yesterday.)
Hannah Rabinowitz & Hans Lybrand of CNN: "Prosecutors on Tuesday filed the charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate against Ryan Wesley Routh, the man they say camped outside of Donald Trump's West Palm Beach golf course for hours on end, armed with a rifle that he pointed through a chain-link fence with a clear shot to the next hole where the former president was headed on September 15.... Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who oversaw, and later threw out, the federal criminal classified documents case against the former president, was randomly assigned to oversee the case, court documents show.... [Attorney General Merrick Garland] also responded to a statement Trump posted Monday evening accusing the federal government of mishandling the assassination attempt investigation and saying that the Justice Department should 'LET FLORIDA HANDLE THE CASE!' Garland said that the Justice Department will 'seek to cooperate and get assistance from' Florida state officials 'consistent with the law.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump certainly knew that the original gun charges against Routh were placeholders to detain him while investigators explored evidence for other charges, but he complained anyway in order to discredit the DOJ. ~~~
~~~ Isaac Arnsdorf & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump further escalated his long-running bid to discredit federal law enforcement by accusing agencies on Monday of mishandling the investigation of last week's apparent assassination attempt.... Trump criticized the initial charges as 'a slap on the wrist' and accused the Justice Department and FBI of 'downplaying' the threat to his life because they 'have been coming after me nonstop with Weaponized Lawfare,' a term [MB: Trump uses] for alleged political tampering in prosecutions of Trump and his supporters. His statement sought to implicate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, picking up on other recent remarks blaming them for failing to protect him. There is no evidence that Biden or Harris were involved in any security decisions leading up to the apparent assassination attempts, and Biden has since ordered the administration to provide the Secret Service with every available resource and asked Congress for more funding." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease. Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump was briefed on Tuesday by U.S. intelligence officials about 'specific threats from Iran to assassinate him,' according to his campaign."~~~
But Keeps on Squeaking. Isaac Arnsdorf & Shane Harris of the Washington Post: Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung "claim[ed] without evidence that Iran wanted [Vice President] Harris to win the election. 'Make no mistake, the terror regime in Iran loves the weakness of Kamala Harris, and is terrified of the strength and resolve of President Trump,' Cheung said.... Officials have said that plots against former Trump administration officials are driven by Iran's desire to retaliate for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, which Trump ordered in 2020. Intelligence officials have said Iran views this presidential election as 'particularly consequential' for its national security, but they have not said whether Iran has a preferred candidate."
Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post marvels at the way "Republican candidates [including Donald Trump & Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno] are finding new and creative ways to insult women."
Luke Broadwater, et al., of the New York Times: "No one was in charge of planning and security decisions for the July 13 campaign rally where ... Donald J. Trump was shot, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by a Senate committee that described a withering list of Secret Service failings. Diffuse and blurred leadership roles for the event in Butler, Pa., led to communications breakdowns and security lapses, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee found. There was confusion over who was supposed to secure the building from which the gunman opened fire. There were multiple plans in place, none of them definitive. There were urgent warnings that were picked up but then dropped. The report painted a portrait of hapless on-site leadership unaware of potential threats to Mr. Trump's safety and a culture within the agency of individuals unwilling to take responsibility for those failures." A CNN report is here. ~~~
~~~ The Senate report, via Politico, is here.
The GOP Really Does Not Want Your Vote to Count. Patrick Marley & Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "A panel of federal judges heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could upend the rules for counting a sliver of mail ballots in Mississippi just weeks before Election Day, with possible ramifications for all states. At issue is a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots to be counted if they arrive up to five days after Election Day and are postmarked by Election Day or earlier. Seventeen other states and Washington, D.C., have laws allowing postmarked mail ballots to be counted if they arrive after Election Day, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. The case in Mississippi is one example of a nationwide effort by Republicans to invalidate mail ballots over issues unrelated to whether they were cast by a legitimate voter."
Madison Fernandez of Politico: "Republicans' effort to change Nebraska's unique electoral vote system ahead of the November election to benefit ... Donald Trump has been dashed. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, a major proponent of making Nebraska a winner-takes-all state, said on Tuesday that he has 'no plans to call a special session on this issue prior to the 2024 election' because he couldn't secure the 33 votes needed to avoid a filibuster, should the change be put before the legislature." (Also linked yesterday.)
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Tuesday rejected an effort by ... Donald J. Trump's lawyers to push off until after November an assessment of whether the indictment accusing Mr. Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election can survive the Supreme Court's ruling granting him broad immunity from prosecution. In a brief order, the judge, Tanya S. Chutkan, said that by Thursday evening, the special counsel, Jack Smith, should file his written presentation about why the Supreme Court's immunity decision should not lead to the dismissal of the charges he brought against Mr. Trump in a revised indictment last month. Moreover, the judge granted Mr. Smith's request to have that presentation, which will be filed under seal and therefore not publicly accessible, run as long as 180 pages. Nearly half of those pages, Mr. Smith's deputies have said in court papers, would contain detailed evidence -- from things like grand jury testimony and F.B.I. interviews -- about how Mr. Trump's attempts to overturn the election are fair game despite the Supreme Court ruling, which granted him significant protections for official acts he took as president.... ~~~
"The special counsel has already said he intends to file his brief -- and its numerous factual exhibits -- under seal. Parts of the filing could eventually become public -- perhaps even before voters go to the polls. But it will be up to Judge Chutkan, in consultation with the defense and prosecution, to determine how much, if any, new information about Mr. Trump will be revealed in the papers and when those revelations will be made." The Hill's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
The New York Times live-updated events at yesterday's opening of the United Nations General Assembly here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Aaron Gregg of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department is suing Visa, accusing it of pressuring merchants and partners to go along with debit card practices that stifle the payment giant's rivals. Visa violated antitrust law by imposing a 'web of exclusionary agreements' that penalize merchants who use alternative payment processors, the Justice Department said. The Visa monopoly harms consumers because the merchant fees are ultimately passed along through higher prices across myriad purchases, Attorney General Merrick Garland argued."
Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "Speaker Mike Johnson is preparing to steer around a bloc of conservative opposition to a bipartisan short-term agreement to fund the government by relying -- yet again -- on Democrats to provide the bulk of votes to pass the legislation. Late on Monday night, Republican leaders abruptly abandoned an effort to bring the funding legislation to the House floor using routine procedural measures, in an acknowledgment of the growing opposition to the measure from hard-right lawmakers. Instead, on Wednesday evening Mr. Johnson will put the legislation to a vote using a special procedure that requires the support of two-thirds of those voting to pass. That all but guarantees that Democrats will need to rally most of the votes to push the critical bill extending current funding until Dec. 20 across the finish line." (Also linked yesterday.)
Annie Grayer of CNN, on X: "House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to say if he supports Mark Robinson amidst the unfolding scandal in North Carolina's gubernatorial race, telling CNN, 'I'm not involved in the North Carolina governor's race, I got enough on my hands." MB: Mike Johnson may have callouses on his knees from all that praying he does, but it has not made him a person with anything approaching Christian morality, much less human decency or a hint of a backbone. (Also linked yesterday.)
Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday recommended holding Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to testify in their investigation of the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan, in what Democrats charged was a political stunt ahead of the election. The committee's party-line vote came just days before the House was set to disband for the campaign trail and as Mr. Blinken was in New York, participating in high-level diplomatic meetings during the United Nations General Assembly. It is one of two expected Afghanistan-related moves in the House this week. The full chamber is also expected to vote on a resolution condemning 15 senior members of the Biden administration -- including President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Mr. Blinken -- for their roles in the withdrawal."
The Senate Checks Up on Jared, the Boy Entrepreneur. Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The private equity firm [Affinity Partners] run by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of ... Donald J. Trump, has been paid at least $112 million in fees since 2021 by Saudi Arabia and other foreign investors, even though as of July it had not yet returned any profits to the governments largely bankrolling the firm. Those are among the findings of a Senate Finance Committee inquiry into the operations of Affinity Partners, the Miami-based firm Mr. Kushner set up. The committee opened an investigation this spring in response to reporting in The New York Times examining the firm's first three years of work. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, the committee's chairman, said the new information had only deepened his concerns that Mr. Kushner's firm creates conflicts of interest, particularly with his father-in-law running for re-election. Mr. Wyden asked [in a letter to Affinity] why Affinity Partners had not 'distributed a penny of earnings back to clients,' and suggested that perhaps it was set up primarily as a way for foreign entities to pay the Kushners...."
Frances Vinall of the Washington Post: "Johnny Cash, the giant of American music, is now memorialized with a statue standing at almost 11 feet at the U.S. Capitol, donated by his home state of Arkansas and unveiled Tuesday. Rosanne Cash, one of Johnny Cash's children, said in a social media statement that ... there were more than 100 members of her family in attendance. Cash, whose statue is located in the Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection, is the first musician to be represented in the collection, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) said."
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Missouri. Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: "The Supreme Court refused to block Missouri from executing Marcellus Williams on Tuesday amid questions about the jury selection process and key evidence used in convicting him of murder in 2001. Williams, 55, who maintains his innocence, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Tuesday at 6 p.m. CDT. Moments before, the Supreme Court denied his emergency requests to halt the execution. The three justices appointed by Democratic presidents -- Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson -- voted to block it.... Wesley Bell, the St. Louis County's current prosecuting attorney, does not stand behind the conviction won by his predecessor, citing concerns Williams's constitutional rights were violated and he may be innocent. Court records show the victim's widower also does not want the death penalty used. The Midwest Innocence Project backed Williams's defense, with his legal team in court filings calling his execution a 'horrifying injustice' that reveals 'systemic problems bigger than even Mr. Williams' case.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. David Lieb & Jim Salter of the AP: "Marcellus Williams, 55..., was put to death despite questions his attorneys raised over jury selection at his trial and the handling of evidence in the case."
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The New York Times' live updates of developments Tuesday in Israel's wars are here. CNN's live updates are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
News Ledes
The New York Times is live-updating developments in the progress of Hurricane Helene. "Helene continued to power north in the Caribbean Sea, strengthening into a hurricane Wednesday morning, on a path that forecasters expect will bring heavy amounts of rain to Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba before it begins to move toward Florida's Gulf Coast." ~~~
~~~ CNN: "Helene rapidly intensified into a hurricane Wednesday as it plows toward a Florida landfall as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States in over a year. The storm will also grow into a massive, sprawling monster as it continues to intensify, one that won't just slam Florida, but also much of the Southeast.... Thousands of Florida residents have already been forced to evacuate and nearly the entire state is under alerts as the storm threatens to unleash flooding rainfall, damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge.... The hurricane unleashed its fury on parts of Mexico's Yucátan Peninsula and Cuba Wednesday."
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Reader Comments (17)
If Cannon presides over the Trump assassination attempt case it would be another case of judicial malpractice in Florida. The clear bias of Cannon towards Trump this time could help his alleged assassin walk free or have to do it again. There is no chance that he could get a fair trial with Cannon on the bench. Though they may do it anyway to help accustom the public to the show trials that Trump clearly wants to do if he regains power. And the Supremes have shown that they will ignore or bend the law in order help Trump out. So a tainted trial may get the same treatment as the Missouri inmate that was just put to death even though there were questions about the fairness of his trial and the correctness of his verdict.
Washington is one of the states the Mississippi court case might affect. All ballots are mail-in here and their postmark on or before Election Day determines their validity.
Alarm bells, Politics Girl:
https://youtu.be/xaszgzPuW9E?si=m0G56qQaXBY7XY7F
So Manchin is not not endorsing Trump. That's on brand. Serves that darn uppity woman right for wanting to destroy his Senate's supermajority bipartisanship fun time by allowing popular bills to pass by a simple Democratic majority, who represent a Large majority of the American people, instead of the proper way of allowing one person in the coatroom to ground most legislation to a halt.
There's a museum in Las Vegas called the Mob Museum which
recounts the history of organized crime in the U.S.
I think we need a Museum of Crooked Politicians.
Only problem I see is that there isn't a building large enough to
house it.
Every day when I read the news I keep wondering what it would be
like if there were no crooked politicians and crazy people didn't
own guns. Would life be boring?
@RAS: And Another Thing. I don't know what the figures are now, as the Senate balance has changed somewhat from the last Congress. However, during the first two years of Biden's presidential term, according to Tom McCarthy & Alvin Chang of the Guardian, "Currently Democratic senators represent nearly 40 million more voters than Republican senators – but the Senate is split 50-50, with the vice-president, Kamala Harris, wielding the tie-breaking vote." (In another part of the article, the reporters say Democratic Senators represent more than 42MM more people than do Republicans. But let's no quibble!
The trend toward more people moving to from small to large states continues, so the situation is only getting worse.
My point is that if Democrats were able to secure a majority for certain matters on which they could not override a filibuster, they would still represent far more than half of the people in the U.S.
I believe I read some while back that, at least theoretically, Senators representing only 17 percent of the population could successfully filibuster a bill. That seems to be Manchin's goal.
"Top Muslim-voter organization endorses Harris as Middle East conflict escalates
Emgage Action, the political arm of an 18-year-old Muslim American advocacy group, endorsed Harris’ presidential campaign on Wednesday, saying in a statement provided first to The Associated Press that the group “recognizes the responsibility to defeat” Donald Trump in November.
The group, based in Washington, D.C., operates in eight states, with a significant presence in the key battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania. The organization will now focus its ongoing voter-outreach efforts on supporting Harris, in addition to down-ballot candidates."
Thomas Edsall
"The Real Trump Mystery
The mystery of 2024: How is it possible that Donald Trump has a reasonable chance of winning the presidency despite all that voters now know about him? Why hasn’t a decisive majority risen up to deny a second term to a man in line to be judged the worst president in American history?
The litany of Trump’s liabilities is well known to the American electorate. His mendacity, duplicity, depravity, hypocrisy and venality are irrevocably imprinted on the psyches of American voters.
Jacobson describes the logic of truth denial among MAGA supporters of Trump:
Motivated ignorance differs from the more familiar concept of rational ignorance in that ‘ignorance is motivated by the anticipated costs of possessing knowledge, not acquiring it.’ That is, it is not simply that the benefits of accurate political knowledge may be less than the cost of attaining it and thus not worth pursuing, but that the costs of having accurate information exceed the benefits.
When expressed opinions and beliefs signal identification with a group, it is rational to stay ignorant of contradictory facts that, if acknowledged, would threaten to impose personal and social identity costs for the uncertain benefits of accurate knowledge."
I see Mayor Pete is helping Tim Walz prep for his debate thingie with Shady Vance. It must be weird for Buttigieg, a straight shooting, whip smart, honest guy to stand in for a shape-shifting, misogynistic, race baiting prevaricator with a tendency toward stunning intellectual dishonesty. Putting on a good Shady show must require a serious thespian chops. Maybe an Tony is in his future?
There's one racist T Shirt I'd like to see again. Simply printed on a plain shirt: My Race Is Human".
@Akhilleus: Mayor Pete, aka Slayer Pete.
In one of his patented late night rants on his broke-ass antisocial media thing, the Orange Monster attacked Stephen Colbert (and PBS, and…).
The latest dirty diaper was caused, presumably, by Colbert reflecting on a past appearance by Trump on his show. Asked if he’d invite Fatty back for another try Colbert said “He was pretty boring. So…no.”
Going after late night hosts, Colbert, Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, has become a regular thing for Trumplethinskin, because they find him a preposterous imbecile and regularly hang his fat ass up as a comedy piñata.
Pissed, Trump demanded they all be fired and called for Johnny Carson to return to late night TV, but, um…he’s dead, Dumbo.
I guess if a resurrected Carson did go back on the air, Trump might suggest his first guest be Frederick Douglass, whom he also believes to be still alive.
More likely, he’d want Carson to interview a favorite of his and his VP pick, Hitler.
Cog—ni—tive de—cline. Bigly.
Alexandra Petri, satire
"It is so much nicer being a woman, now that Donald Trump is in charge!
You barely remember the Biden times at all, except in nightmares. In the dreams, regular eggs cost as much as Fabergé eggs. All the food at the grocery store is too expensive — if you made it to the store at all without being killed, sometimes twice. Also you were always thinking about abortion.
But then you wake up all the way and Donald Trump is protecting you and you are not thinking about abortion.
Mostly you feel wonderful all the time, happy and confident and not depressed because all that has been fixed. Every single problem the country had! Poof! And all you had to do was stop thinking about abortion.
Now, Donald Trump is back and you are not thinking about anything. All your anxieties are gone, now that men are handling all the country’s problems."
On Edsall:
Didn't read the whole piece RAS linked but did read his excerpt above.
Oddly, I saw what Edsall talked about in action just this AM.
Was at a meeting of oldsters like myself, most of whom are Dems who tolerate the presence of a very pleasant Republican whom we've been working on for months now without much success. He doesn't like Trump but really doesn't like Democrats, perhaps because of his background in the business world. In that sense he reminds me of my father...
When I mentioned the threats the Pretender issued this week toward those who criticize the Supremes for their decisions (specifically Dodd, I believe) and went on to say they should be jailed, the odd man out exhibited skepticism and asked for a direct quote, which I couldn't supply. When I couldn't, he acted like the thought this skepticism was justified.
But we didn't leave it at that. Someone else got on her smartphone, looked up the quote and handed her phone to him. He read it to himself and said nothing. When he began to hand the phone back, someone else asked him to read the Pretender quote aloud. He began to do so very quietly. A third person asked that he read it more loudly. He did, reluctantly.
I hadn't misrepresented the miscreant in chief. He had said what I said he said....but the confirmed R sure didn't want to face it. When he'd read the passage loudly enough for all to hear, he said nothing.
Nor did anyone else.
My guess it made no difference to him.
Breaking Bullshit, The Onion.
Ken,
Nor would it.
Even the supposedly moderate, non-psycho Republicans learned long ago that truth doesn’t matter. All that matters is loyalty. Not to America, not to the Constitution, not to rule of law, not to ethics, morality, or common decency.
Loyalty to Trump.
That’s it.
The “some bullshit happening clip”?
I was ready to mainline morphine halfway through.