September 25, 2025

Eric Tucker, et al., of the AP: “James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after ... Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump’s chief grievances, the long-concluded investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, to face prosecution. Trump has for years derided that investigation as a 'hoax' and a 'witch hunt' despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution. Trump on Thursday hailed the indictment as 'JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!' Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Trump loyalist, and FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime vocal critic of the Russia investigation, issued similar statements.” The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~

James Comey responds to the indictment: ~~~ 

     ~~~ Washington Post Editors had an editorial ready-to-go: Trump “insisted Thursday that he was not involved in the charging decision but added that he could have been if he had wanted to, and also that Comey is 'a bad person' who 'did terrible things at the FBI.' In the president’s view, he suffered through an ill-advised process of criminal prosecution and wants to inflict it on his foes. That might give him satisfaction. The rest of the country will more likely regard it as at worst an abuse of power and at best a waste of time.”

⭐George Packer of the Atlantic, republished by AOL: “We are living in an authoritarian state.”

Doktor Zoom of Wonkette on the shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas. Down the page, Dok writes: “This is where we would like to suggest that if the administration doesn’t want to see ICE portrayed as Nazi goons, stormtroopers, slave catchers, and secret police, it might help if those agents acted less like paramilitaries and masked thugs. Case in point: A Massachusetts family says that last week, ICE agents surrounded their 5-year-old autistic daughter and refused to let her go, in an effort to make the parents surrender to them. The couple has shared video of the little girl sitting in their driveway as agents in vests marked 'POLICE' stand around her, as the parents plead with them to let her go to them.” ~~~

~~~ In a related post, Robyn Pennacchia of Wonkette writes: “... over and over [the Right] assured us that they were not responsible [for violence], because 'words are not violence, violence is violence.'... On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security issued an announcement demanding that people stop their demonizing of ... [Donald] Trump, his supporters, and DHS law enforcement agents — claiming that this is the cause of the recent shooting of Charlie Kirk and the attack on an ICE detention center yesterday by a 29-year-old guy from Texas and sometimes Oklahoma who either had to live with his parents or was going to have to move in with them, had no history of being even remotely political, and only managed to hit detainees, not agents.... If people are getting violent towards ICE officers, it’s not because we are 'demonizing them.'... Kristi Noem may think she looks totes adorbs frolicking around in her ICE Barbie outfits and hair extensions, but it is a deeply, deeply disturbing visual for anyone who thinks of these immigrants as human beings. No one needs to say “They look like the Gestapo” out loud.... They’re masked men dragging people off without identifying themselves, beating people, demanding to see papers, separating families, and sending people to far off lands where they don’t know anyone. ” 

In today's Comments, Akhilleus linked a story that provides more clarity that the stories I linked early today on the resignation of Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's loopy right-wing State Education Superintendent. ~~~

     ~~~ Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: “Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters announced Wednesday that he would step down from his role overseeing the state's schools to lead the conservative group Teacher Freedom Alliance, saying, 'We're going to destroy the teachers unions.'... Teacher Freedom Alliance confirmed Walters’ new role as CEO, saying in a post to X that he 'fearlessly fights the woke liberal union mob.'”  

Arden Farhi of CBS News: "New architectural renderings obtained by CBS News reveal in more detail the White House ballroom that is currently under construction. The Trump administration announced in July that a 90,000-square-foot ballroom with a seated capacity for 650 people will be constructed in the White House's East Wing. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the project would be paid for by private donors and the president himself, who has committed to disclosing donors' names.... CBS News reported last week that corporate and individual donors have pledged nearly $200 million to cover construction costs, and fundraising is ongoing. Google, R.J. Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Palantir and NextEra Energy have donated, sources told CBS News, and so have firms in the tech, manufacturing, banking and health industries." ~~~

 

 

     ~~~ Marie: So kind of Neo-Beaux-Arts Plus Random Greek facade. Maybe Comic Neofascist, for short. The White House itself is not, IMO, a beautiful building, but this addition is atrocious. Nonetheless, fitting, I suppose, for what the nation is about to become.

Tara Copp, et al., of the Washington Post: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of the U.S. military’s generals and admirals to gather on short notice — and without a stated reason — at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week, sowing confusion and alarm after the Trump administration’s firing of numerous senior leaders this year. The highly unusual directive was sent to virtually all of the military’s top commanders worldwide, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the matter. The directive was issued earlier this week, as a government shutdown looms, and months after Hegseth’s team at the Pentagon announced plans to undertake a sweeping consolidation of top military commands.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll just assume that -- whether he knows it or not -- Hegseth has access to a top-secret communications system through which he can communicate with all top brass so that he could convey to them the general nature of this meeting. Besides the fact that it is foolish to keep your own military leaders in the dark, you also don't want to convey to a world full of enemies that, hey, anybody who can make a decision about anything is stuck in a basement room with Drunk Pete. 

Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: “A senior Justice Department official [-- Todd Blanche --] has instructed more than a half dozen U.S. attorney’s offices to draft plans to investigate a group funded by George Soros, the billionaire Democratic donor whom ... [Donald] Trump has demanded be thrown in jail. The official’s directive, a copy of which was viewed by The New York Times, goes as far as to list possible charges prosecutors could file, ranging from arson to material support of terrorism. The memo suggests department leaders are following orders from the president that specific people or groups be subject to criminal investigation — a major break from decades of past practice meant to insulate the Justice Department from political interference. The move is the latest instance of the Justice Department moving against Mr. Trump’s perceived enemies.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is so far over the top that it borders on the insane.  

Karen Weise of the New York Times: “Amazon agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle claims that it tricked tens of millions of people into signing up for its Prime membership program, and then made it hard for customers to cancel when they wanted out, the Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday. The settlement came days into a jury trial that began in Seattle this week over the issue, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the F.T.C. in 2023. The lawsuit cut to the heart of how Amazon defines itself as a champion for the hundreds of millions of consumers who regularly use its online shopping service. The settlement includes $1 billion in penalties and $1.5 billion in payouts to customers, who could get $51 each if they qualify. The agency said it is one of the largest settlements in its history.” ~~~

     ~~~ MB: If I find instructions on how you might be able to collect your $51 bonanza somewhere online within the next couple of days, I'll link the instructions. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Glenn Thrush & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald “Trump’s handpicked federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia is racing to present a case against James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, to a grand jury before a deadline early next week, according to officials familiar with the situation. Lindsey Halligan, a former defense lawyer for Mr. Trump who was hastily appointed after the president forced out her predecessor last week, is rushing to draft an indictment under withering pressure from the White House. The president has demanded the department go after one of his foremost enemies, even though career prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to indict Mr. Comey.” ~~~

~~~ Dan Mangan & Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: “Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to be indicted on criminal charges in the coming days in federal court in Virginia, MSNBC reported Wednesday. The news comes days after the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia resigned under pressure from ... Donald Trump after opposing filing charges against Comey. Comey for years has been a target of Trump’s ire.... MSNBC reporter Ken Dilanian, in a post on X, said Comey is expected to be indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia, according to three people familiar with the matter. 'The full extent of the charges being prepared against Comey is unclear, but the sources believe that at least one element of the indictment — if it goes forward -- will accuse him of lying to Congress during his testimony on September 30, 2020 about whether he authorized a leak of information,' Dilanian tweeted. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that day had asked Comey if he lied when he said he did not authorize a leak of information to The Wall Street Journal.The reporter noted that the five-year statute of limitations on that charge would lapse next Tuesday.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "Earlier this week, prosecutors presented Lindsey Halligan -- Trump’s former personal attorney whom he appointed to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia -- with a detailed memo recommending that she decline to bring perjury and obstruction charges against Comey, the sources familiar with the memo said. A monthslong investigation into Comey by DOJ prosecutors failed to establish probable cause of a crime -- meaning that not only would they be unable to secure a conviction of Comey by proving the claims beyond a reasonable doubt, but that they couldn’t reach a significantly lower standard to secure an indictment, the sources said.... Despite their recommendations, Halligan -- who has never prosecuted a criminal case in her career as an insurance lawyer -- plans to present evidence to a grand jury before the statute of limitations for the alleged offense expires next week, the sources said. " (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Salvador Rizzo, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Justice Department will seek to indict former FBI director James B. Comey for allegedly giving false testimony to Congress about his role investigating efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election..., days after ... Donald Trump demanded prosecutors use the criminal justice system to punish his political opponents. The investigation centers on testimony Comey gave before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020, about the FBI’s missteps in the 'Crossfire Hurricane' probe, which had delved into possible but ultimately unproven collaboration between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ As Ken W. pointed out at the end of yesterday's Comments thread, there is a perfect irony is Trump's attacks on Comey: "...  Comey's bumbling investigation of Clinton's emails and his ill-timed pressers likely elected the Pretender. Instead of indicting him, the Pretender ought to give him an award, maybe the now meaningless Presidential Medal of Freedom." MB: My husband once told me that no one resents you more than the people you've helped the most. I expect there's some of that working here. (Funny, too, that neither Trump nor Comey will acknowledge that Comey made Trump president*.) ~~~

~~~ Benjamin Wittes & Anna Bower of Lawfare do a deep dive into the evidence (or lack thereof) against Comey, facetiously looking at it from brand-new prosecutor Lindsey Halligan's POV. They conclude, "... whatever way you play Halligan’s hand, you lose. You lose by bringing a conspiracy case. You lose by bringing a false statements case involving the conduct of the investigation. You lose by bringing a false statements case involving supposed leaks. You lose by not bringing any case. You lose by going after Letitia James. And you lose by going after James Comey. The only question is whether you lose at the hands of a grand jury, a federal judge, or the president who just finished praising you on social media." ~~~

Noah Lanard & Dan Friedman of Mother Jones profile Lindsey Halligan. Here's a choice tidbit: "Halligan told the Washington Post that she met Trump at a November 2021 event at his golf club in West Palm Beach. A former contestant in Miss Colorado USA pageants, Halligan has said she probably stood out to Trump during their initial meeting because, unlike other women at the event, she was wearing a suit. Trump hired her as a lawyer soon after." MB: A few days ago, I noted that Halligan's primary qualification seemed to be that she had the Mar-a-Lardo "look." A beauty pageant contestant's hiring following a meeting with Trump at his WPB golf club sure fits with my "analysis." One does not have to be very smart or well-informed to figure out what goes on in Trump World.  

~~~ MEANWHILE. Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: “Federal prosecutors are struggling to put together a criminal case against John O. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director, over his agency’s response to Russian election interference in 2016, according to senior administration officials. The development is likely to anger ... [Donald] Trump and his Republican allies, who have long had Mr. Brennan, a persistent critic, in his cross hairs. Senior Trump administration intelligence officials have also harshly denounced Mr. Brennan’s response to the investigation. In July, John Ratcliffe, the current C.I.A. director, issued a criminal referral of Mr. Brennan, accusing him of lying to Congress.... The decision last month by Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, to revoke the security clearances of current and former national security officials has deeply hampered the inquiry [into Mr. Brennan].... A number of the people stripped of their clearances were likely to be interviewed ... over their involvement on the intelligence community assessment of Russian influence.”

Paul Krugman: "Trump is nakedly following the playbook of autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban. As his poll numbers fall, he is rushing to lock in permanent power by punishing his opponents and intimidating everyone else into submission. Craven congressional Republicans and a complicit Supreme Court have abetted Trump’s destruction of our democratic safeguards and norms. Yet Trump has a significant problem that neither Putin nor Orban faced. When Putin and Orban were consolidating their autocratics, they were genuinely popular.... Trump, by contrast, is deeply unpopular. He is increasingly seen as chaotic and inept.... Is the Jimmy Kimmel affair the harbinger of a failed Trumpian putsch?... Disney was evidently completely unprepared for the backlash caused by its decision to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air, a backlash so costly that the company reversed course after just five days — too late to avoid probably irreparable damage to its brand. And this time I hope and believe that other institutions will take notice." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jennifer Rubin of the Contrarian: “Donald Trump, like the Bourbon dynasty, has 'learned nothing and forgotten nothing.' His defining features—aside from narcissism—are his willful, cringeworthy ignorance and his unremitting hunger for vengeance. Both have been on humiliating display of late.... Trump’s ignorance may be the defining feature of his agenda. He refuses to learn that consumers pay tariffs or that Russia is the aggressor in Ukraine or that windmills don’t hurt whales or that immigrants are not responsible for rising crime (which isn’t even rising) or that it is illegal to blow up boats on the high seas that could be interdicted. Knowledge and common sense would simply get in the way of his desire and ambition. However, his propensity for vengeance is as robust as his ignorance.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Colonists revolted to rid themselves of one mad king. Despite all of their efforts to win independence and form a new nation, now we have saddled ourselves with another mad king: ~~~

~~~ New York Times Editors: “Somewhere mingled in the foam and debris of the Caribbean Sea are the remains of at least 17 people who were killed this month by U.S. military forces on the orders of ... [Donald] Trump. They were aboard three speedboats that the Trump administration said were carrying drugs and smugglers from Venezuela. Perhaps they were. Yet the administration has produced no evidence for its claims. And even if the allegations are correct, blowing up the boats is a lawless exercise in the use of deadly force.... It is a violation of legal due process that should alarm all Americans. It is even more extreme than his policy of sending migrants to a brutal prison in El Salvador.... The United States, created in opposition to monarchy, should never become a country where the president can order the indefinite imprisonment or the unilateral killing of people merely because he has deemed them to be criminals.”

~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: “The core constitutional claim behind ... [Donald] Trump’s effort to oust Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors is the same claim he makes to justify nearly all of his attempts to seize power: that Article II, Section I of the Constitution — 'The executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States of America' — grants him unlimited authority over the entire executive branch and everything it touches.... But there are many reasons to think that, as Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote in 1988 in a footnote to his opinion in Morrison v. Olson, this reading of 'general constitutional language' is far 'more than the text will bear.'... In truth, neither Congress nor the executive can claim to represent the undivided will of the American people.... [The notion] of the sovereign president, owes more to 20th-century apologetics for European despotism than it does to anything in the American political tradition.” Along the way, Bouie makes mincemeat of Chief Johnnie & the Dwarfs. The link is a gift link.

Toljaso. Michael Birnbaum & Natalie Allison of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump’s furious rhetoric toward Russia is 'a negotiating tactic' intended to pressure the Kremlin, a senior White House official said Wednesday, a day after the president stunned global policymakers and delighted Ukrainian leaders by embracing Kyiv’s ambitions for a decisive defeat of Russia. The president’s apparent flip in favor of Ukraine’s reconquering its full territory is a marker of Trump’s frustration toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, the senior White House official said, a month after a red-carpet summit in Alaska between the two leaders yielded few concrete results. But Trump was not signaling a major shift in U.S. policy toward Kyiv during a day at the U.N. General Assembly in which he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the official said....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Unnamed White House phonies can try to put a glossy finish on this reversal of Trump's reversal by describing Trump's reversal as a crafty negotiating tactic, but I'm sticking with my theory that the fake Trump reversal was just a pathetic old narcissist striking out against the little Russian who hurt his feelings. 

Heather Cox Richardson recounts more lines from Trump's embarrassing U.N. speech in case you're not yet convinced of just how idiotic one "world leader" can be. MB: I'd guess that no one ever has given a speech before the U.N. General Assembly as stupid as that one. If none of his staff has the courage to tell him, "You can't say that stuff, Sir," one would think his wife would tell him. (Also linked yesterday.)

M.I.A. Max Bearak & Somini Sengupta of the New York Times: “At a climate summit at the United Nations on Wednesday, the vast majority of the world’s nations gathered to make their newest pledges to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. Geopolitical heavyweights including China, Russia, Japan and Germany were there. Dozens of small island states were there. The world’s poorest countries, including Chad and the Central African Republic, were there. Venezuela, Syria, Iran — there, too. The United States was not. There are few issues on which the United States is more diplomatically isolated from the rest of the world than climate change. President Trump’s hostility to renewable energy, which he clearly broadcast in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, is at odds with the rapid construction of wind farms, solar arrays and other renewable energy sources in a range of countries. The construction boom includes even oil-producing giants like Saudi Arabia, which is adding solar capacity at a rapid clip.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: It increasingly appears that Donald Trump is purposely diminishing the position of the U.S. in the world pecking order. I've thought for some time that his wrong-about-everything policy book was prima facie evidence that either (a) he is intent on destroying the U.S. from within, or (b) someone has manipulated him to undermine the U.S. at every turn. Even if I'm entirely wrong -- he's doing it. 

Smug Punk Quits White House Job. Tyler Pager of the New York Times: “Taylor Budowich, a deputy chief of staff in the White House, is leaving the administration, according to multiple people familiar with his plans. His is one of the highest profile departures from the Trump White House. Mr. Budowich oversaw communications, cabinet affairs and speech writing. Mr. Budowich, a longtime Trump aide, played a large role in the president’s political operation after he left office in 2021. Throughout 2023 and most of 2024, Mr. Budowich oversaw the main pro-Trump super PAC.” The Axios story, which broke the news, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you morphed Charlie Kirk & JayDee, you would get Budowich. So my guess is that Taylor will move to a high-paying job at someplace like Turning Point USA, Kirk's organization.

David Goodman, et al., of the New York Times: “A sniper perched on a nearby rooftop fired at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas on Wednesday morning, killing one detainee and critically injuring two others, the Department of Homeland Security said. It was the latest act of violence to raise fears that politically motivated attacks are increasing in the United States. The authorities said that the gunman killed himself, and that no law enforcement officers were injured in the attack. R. Joseph Rothrock, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s Dallas field office, said that rounds found near the shooter were marked with messages that were 'anti-ICE in nature.' Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, posted a photo on social media showing a rifle ammunition clip, with one bullet inscribed with the words 'ANTI-ICE.' The New York Times has not independently verified details about the writing on the ammunition. Mr. Rothrock said that F.B.I. was investigating the shooting as 'an act of targeted violence.' Three people familiar with the investigation identified the shooter as Joshua Jahn. Mr. Jahn was 29, one of the people said.” See also liveblogs linked on yesterday's page. ~~~

     ~~~ Amy Wang & Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in public remarks on Wednesday attempted to tie a fatal shooting at a Dallas ICE office to Democrats, casting the violence as a consequence of what they termed leftist rhetoric against law enforcement. Vance, in a pointed critique, also named a political rival, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), as a driver of a culture underpinning recent political violence, which he claimed without evidence is 'not a both sides problem.' 'It is time to stop the rhetorical assault on law enforcement,' Vance said at an event in North Carolina, adding that Newsom and others did not have to agree with the Trump administration’s immigration policies — 'but if your political rhetoric, encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell and you have no place in the political conversation of the United States of America.'” Here's Politico's story on JayDee's attack on Newsom.~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yo, JayDee! Calling out excessive, extra-legal actions by law enforcement officers is not "an assault on law enforcement"; what is an assault on law enforcement is lionizing, then pardoning men and women who physically assaulted and injured dozens of law enforcement officers on January 6, 2021. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, Ken Klippenstein speaks with Joshua Jahn's long-time friends who say that Jahn was a gamer who seemed addicted to "shooter" games and was only tangentially interested in politics, and then mostly as a vehicle for expressing some kind of edgy irony. Klippenstein's post includes a repro of Trump's full social media post blaming "Deranged Radical Leftists" for the shooting. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MB: RAS linked this post earlier. ~~~

     ~~~ Paul Campos in LG&$: “... I suspect ... that the problem here is not so much with shooter video games per se, but with internet brain rot more generally: with what happens to deeply alienated young, usually white, men, who spend their lives somewhere down the 4chan or equivalent rabbit hole, whether that rabbit hold is video games, or incel chat boards, or endless porn surfing, or even more overtly political fora of one kind or another. What I don’t see any evidence of here is someone who has been politicized in any traditional sense at all, let alone someone who was a 'leftist'. (Keep in mind that in the profoundly warped world of the right wing scream machine, Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer are 'leftists.').”

M.I.A. A Lot. Brianna Sacks of the Washington Post: “...  for about 24 hours in the early aftermath of one of the nation’s deadliest flash-flooding events in decades, key staff members could not reach FEMA’s top official [acting administrator David Richardson], according to eight current and former official.... After the disaster, Richardson told House lawmakers at a July subcommittee hearing ... that he had been in constant contact with administration and Texas officials from his truck while on vacation with his sons.... The Post also reviewed internal messages, emails and records that supported the officials’ claims that Richardson is frequently inaccessible, especially on evenings and weekends.... 'Staff say Richardson is basically useless — absent from the office, unreachable in a disaster, and powerless because Secretary Noem has sidelined him,' [Rep. Frank] Pallone [D-N.J.] said. 'This level of bureaucratic incompetence from the Trump administration is putting lives at risk when the next natural disaster hits.'”

Karoun Demirjian & Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: “At the height of its power, the Department of Government Efficiency was operating out of headquarters that had become a haphazard scene of armed guards, makeshift bedrooms, children’s toys and windows obscured with garbage bags, according to a new report from Senate Democrats that accuses ... [Donald] Trump’s federal cost-cutting operation of putting Americans’ data security at risk. Staff members for Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, reported that young DOGE aides living and working on the sixth floor of the General Services Administration building sat at workstations eight or 10 laptops deep, where they were able to operate on Starlink networks that could have allowed them to work without being tracked.... The broader report cites the testimony of multiple whistle-blowers who alleged that [DOGE] officials ... who had 'unfettered access' to some of Americans’ most sensitive personal information had placed Social Security numbers on a cloud server 'without any verified security controls,' dramatically heightening the risk of a potentially catastrophic data breach.”

Trump & Vought Call Democrats' Bluff. Riley Beggin of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump’s administration instructed federal agencies Wednesday night to prepare for mass layoffs if the government shuts down Oct. 1, after federal funding runs out. The memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget directs agencies to consider firing employees working on any program that is not funded by another law, such as Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted in July, and which does not align with the president’s priorities. Once government funding is reinstated after a shutdown, agencies should revise their plans to keep only the smallest number of employees necessary to legally operate, the memo says. Any such layoffs would add to the sweeping reductions in the federal workforce initiated this year under the U.S. DOGE Service, the memo says.” The Politico story, by Sophia Cai, who broke the news, is here. MB: Your move, Chuck.

The Magic Number. Michael Gold of the New York Times: “A bipartisan group of lawmakers appears to have the support needed to force a House vote on a measure demanding that the Trump administration release its investigative files on the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat who on Tuesday won a special election for a House seat in Arizona, has committed to signing on to a so-called discharge petition that would force action on the measure. The petition needs the signatures of a majority of the House — 218 members — to succeed, and Ms. Grijalva is poised to be the 218th.” ~~~

~~~ Annie Grayer, et al., of CNN: “Top congressional Republicans and White House allies are working behind the scenes to prevent a politically charged floor vote to release the government’s Jeffrey Epstein case files next month, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions. The intensifying effort to halt that floor vote comes as Reps. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, declared on Wednesday they have the 218 votes needed to compel one when Congress returns. That final signature on their petition to force the vote will come from Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona Tuesday night, once she is formally sworn in.”

Kelly Cho of the Washington Post: “A federal judge in Washington on Wednesday declined to reinstate eight inspectors general fired by ... Donald Trump as part of a purge of government watchdogs in the early days of his second term, though she agreed the terminations were unlawful. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes said it was 'obvious' that Trump violated the 1978 Inspector General Act with the firings because he did not provide Congress with a 30-day notice of the dismissals or a valid reason for the removal of the Senate-confirmed inspectors general. However, she said reinstating them probably would not matter because the president could later lawfully remove them by providing Congress with the required notice and rationale. Reyes added that the inspectors general failed to demonstrate that their 'inability to perform their duties for 30 days' had caused 'irreparable harm' that would have necessitated her intervention.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The point of notifying Congress of this action is not merely a bureaucratic matter of crossing the "T"s & dotting the "I"s. Rather, it is to alert Congress to a circumstance that Congress has a Constitutional and legal prerogative to address. (Never mind that this particular Congress is useless.) Reyes is a Biden appointee, and here's her thinking: It's okay if the President* breaks the law as long as it would have been possible for him to comply with the law and get the same result he got when he broke the law. Under this rationale, a cop should not cite me for running a red light because I could have got to where I was going if I had stopped for the light.

⭐David Karpf, in the Atlantic, warns how Trump-friendly corporate magnates can abuse the system the Trump administration is establishing. These MAGA-adjacent corporations can manipulate our online presence and surveil us. MB: The subhead says the story is about the dangers this new MAGA corporate/government collaboration poses to free speech, but it looks to me as if the dangers are much more widespread. The first sentence that caught my attention concerns Oracle, et al.'s takeover of TikTok: “... we should be far less worried about what foreign governments could do with our social-media information than about how our own government might abuse it.” I think so, too. Thanks to akaWendy for this gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

John Koblin of the New York Times: “Tuesday’s episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' averaged 6.2 million viewers, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen. That is nearly four times bigger than his usual audience, even though more than 20 percent of ABC affiliates boycotted the show. The preliminary Nielsen figures are expected to grow in the coming days as more data comes in. It does not include streaming viewership.... Mr. Kimmel’s return also scored big online. The YouTube video of his monologue has already drawn more than 15 million views.... Mr. Trump suggested that he might sue ABC over Mr. Kimmel’s reinstatement.... On Tuesday’s show, Mr. Kimmel played a clip of Mr. Trump aboard Air Force One gloating about Mr. Kimmel being taken off the air. 'He had no ratings,' the president said. 'Well,' Mr. Kimmel said after the clip, 'I do tonight.'”

Nicole Sperling of the New York Times: “Apple TV+ has postponed the release of its show 'The Savant,' starring Jessica Chastain as an undercover investigator who infiltrates online hate groups to stop mass shootings. The show was set to begin streaming its first two episodes on Friday.... Two people ... said that the company was reluctant to release the show in the current political climate, after the assassination of Charlie Kirk this month. Ms. Chastain, who is also an executive producer on the show, took to social media on Wednesday morning to push back against the decision.... 'The Savant' is based on the Cosmopolitan article 'Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens' by Andrea Stanley. Written in 2019, the feature follows an unnamed investigator known as the Savant whose job revolves around identifying violent extremists before they commit heinous crimes.” See also Akhilleus' commentary yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)

Sad News. Joe Heim & Liam Bowman of the Washington Post: “The National Park Service removed a statue of ... Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands from the National Mall early Wednesday morning, a day after it was placed there. 'The statue was removed because it was not compliant with the permit issued,' Interior Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Peace said in an email. She did not respond to follow-up questions about how or why the statue was not in compliance or if the department had provided 24 hours written notice before revoking the permit as required.... Carol Flaisher, a D.C.-based location manager, filed the permit application with the National Park Service on behalf of the artists who created the statue. She said that over 40 years of working with the Park Service arranging installations and filming, she has never had a permit revoked....  Video shows several workers pushing over the statue and eventually loading it on to a truck and driving it away.” Flaisher said she received no notice whatsoever re: the permit revocation or the statue's removal. (Also linked yesterday.) Related story by Heim linked yesterday. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, at the White House. Lalee Ibssa & Michelle Stoddart of ABC News: "The White House has installed a new presidential portrait gallery along the West Wing Colonnade, unveiling the wall of photos on Wednesday. While the new 'Presidential Walk of Fame' features portraits of all the presidents in gilded frames, Biden's portrait is replaced with a picture of an autopen." In an interview, Trump took responsibility for the autopen portrait. MB: What this shows, IMO, is that Trump -- besides lacking any of the grace the presidency requires -- cannot get over his loss to Biden in 2020.  

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Oklahoma. Addison Kliewer of KOKO News (Oklahoma City): "State [School] Superintendent Ryan Walters announced Wednesday that he will resign from office and take a job in the private sector. Walters, who has been a controversial leader of the Oklahoma State Department of Education, made the announcement on Fox News. He said he plans to join the the Teacher Freedom Alliance.... During his tenure, he was the center of hot-button issues, including putting Bibles in classrooms. This summer, Walters made headlines after clashing with newly appointed Oklahoma State Board of Education members, who reported seeing nude women on a television in his office during an executive session.... Most recently, the state superintendent made headlines for saying every high school in Oklahoma will have a Turning Point USA chapter on campus following the death of conservative voice Charlie Kirk." MB: Oklahoma's educational system is usually is rated worst in the nation. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's a report about the Teacher Freedom Alliance which apparently is designed to teach teachers how to bust their own unions. MB: I'm not familiar with the organization who published this article or with the authors, but the group seems okay.   

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France. Aurelien Breeden of the New York Times: “A court in Paris on Thursday found Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France, guilty of a criminal conspiracy to illegally finance his 2007 campaign with funds from the government of the onetime Libyan strongman Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. But Mr. Sarkozy, a conservative politician who led France from 2007 to 2012, was acquitted by the court on corruption charges. The conviction was not the first for Mr. Sarkozy, who since leaving office has already been found guilty of corruption, influence peddling and campaign spending violations in separate cases. He has also been stripped of France’s highest distinction, the Legion of Honor. But the ruling on Thursday was perhaps the most severe and most damaging blow to Mr. Sarkozy’s legacy, with the court finding that he was guilty of scheming to reach the most powerful office in France by seeking money from an autocratic government.”