September 28, 2025

Tara Copp, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump has decided he’s going to the last-minute global gathering of the nation’s top generals in Quantico, Virginia, that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered last week. Trump’s appearance not only upstages Hegseth’s plans but adds new security concerns to the massive and nearly unprecedented military event. 'We have confirmation from the White House that POTUS is now attending the speech on Tuesday,' according to a planning document sent Saturday that was viewed by The Washington Post. Notice went out to offices around the Pentagon that the decision will 'significantly change the security posture' of the speech, set for Tuesday morning.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Maybe Trump will use the occasion to announce he's finally firing Drunk Pete for this latest of many stupid stunts. 

Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: “Mayor Eric Adams of New York City announced on Sunday that he would abandon his foundering campaign for a second term, upending the race to lead the nation’s largest city just five weeks before Election Day. Mr. Adams had publicly insisted that he would see his campaign through despite dismal poll numbers. But behind the scenes, he was exploring potential exit ramps to avoid an embarrassing finish, with his advisers at one point engaging in negotiations with President Trump’s about an ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia. Those talks fell apart, and on Sunday, Mr. Adams called it quits in a nearly nine-minute video message posted to social media. He gave no indication that he had a specific job lined up after he leaves office.... The mayor plans to say he will serve out the remainder of his term. His name will remain on November’s ballot because the deadline to change it has passed.... The mayor’s exit could give a fresh jolt of momentum to [former New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo, who, like Mr. Adams, is a moderate Democrat running on a third-party line.” A CBS News report is here.

New York Times liveblog: “A man drove his vehicle into a Michigan church and then opened fire, killing at least one person, investigators said. At least 10 people were shot, and investigators believe the gunman set fire to the church before dying in an exchange of gunfire with officers. Investigators believe more victims may still be inside the structure, a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. Hundreds of people were inside attending services at the time, according to the local police chief, William Renye. Investigators did not release the identity of the gunman or describe a possible motive. Chief Renye said additional information would be released later.” This was the pinned item at 1:30 pm ET.

Somebody Yanked Trump Down off the Wall. Joe DePaolo of Mediaite: “Donald Trump has deleted a bizarre AI-generated video he shared in which he was seen promoting a magic bed which purportedly could cure all diseases. The president, late Saturday night, shared the phony video on Truth Social, which shows him — on a fake Fox News broadcast of My View with Lara Trump — touting a 'med bed' which has mythical healing powers.” Related story by DePaolo linked below.

Marc Santora of the New York Times: “Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital and other cities across the country on Sunday with nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles, killing at least four people in Kyiv and injuring dozens more in an hourslong assault. 'A massive Russian attack on Ukraine lasted for more than 12 hours,' President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in a statement. 'Savage strikes, a deliberate, targeted terror against ordinary cities.

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Luke Broadwater, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump declared on Saturday that he had directed troops to be sent to Portland, Ore., saying he had authorized them to use 'full force' to quell protests directed at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.... Like Mr. Trump’s other dispatches of federal forces, the Portland directive was quickly opposed by state and local officials, who called it unnecessary. Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said in an afternoon news briefing that she had spoken with the president and Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, on Saturday, and that she had told them to stay out. She did not plan to approve the use of the state’s National Guard, she added.... Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said in an interview that Oregon’s state and congressional leaders had not heard from the administration before the president’s social media post [announcing his 'full force' military invasion of Portland], despite repeated requests for information and for a chance to provide input.” The AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you read the NYT story, you'll see that it appears that Trump is bringing down the "full force" of the military on Portland because 15 or 16 protesters demonstrate outside an ICE facility every day and night. ~~~

     ~~~ Myah Ward & Natalie Fertig of Politico: “The president, his aides and allies have been increasingly focused on Portland over the last several weeks, repeatedly referring to the city in apocalyptic terms that call back to the summer of 2020, when protesters gathered against police violence for more than 170 days.... In recent weeks, Trump has made statements about the protests in Portland that marry facts from 2020 with the current situation.... On Thursday, in the Oval Office, Trump pointed to Portland for at least the third time in recent weeks as an example of a city in despair. 'Take a look at Portland some time,' Trump said. 'These are crazy people, and they’re trying to burn down buildings.'... Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on Saturday accused Trump of wanting to trigger chaos. 'He wants to create a big problem that he can then, in turn, use to justify other expansions of authoritarian control,' Merkley said.”

Insane Old Man Blames FBI for January 6. Kyle Cheney & Iris Sentner of Politico: “... Donald Trump on Saturday falsely accused the FBI of fomenting the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol — a sharp escalation of his attacks on the bureau and his effort to downplay the violence a mob of his supporters inflicted that day. Trump on social media said the FBI had 'secretly placed' 274 agents into the crowd of rioters who stormed the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. His comments stemmed from reports Friday in right-leaning media that appeared to conflate the FBI’s response to the Jan. 6 attack — the bureau has long acknowledged sending agents and support personnel to the Capitol after the breach to help restore order — with conspiracy theories that the bureau embedded undercover agents to ignite the attack in the first place. In reality, the inspector general of the Justice Department revealed 10 months ago that 'hundreds' of FBI agents went to the Capitol to assist at the request of the beleaguered Capitol Police.” Trump blamed his then-FBI Director Christopher Wray. ~~~

     ~~~ Mike Bedigan of the Independent: “Kash Patel has walked back false claims by his boss Donald Trump that undercover FBI agents may have caused the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, stating instead that agents were sent on a 'crowd control mission.' The FBI Director stopped short of agreeing with the president that the agents present on the day had been the 'agitators,' but agreed that sending them into the mob was a breach of Bureau protocol.... Speaking to Fox News Digital, Patel [said] that: 'Agents were sent into a crowd control mission after the riot was declared by Metro Police – something that goes against FBI standards. This was the failure of a corrupt leadership that lied to Congress and to the American people about what really happened.' Patel added: 'Thanks to agents coming forward, we are now uncovering the truth. We are fully committed to transparency, and justice and accountability continues with this FBI.'”

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: “The indictment [of James Comey] marked the culmination of an extraordinary series of White House actions that have, in the view of many Justice Department veterans, stripped away remaining legal and procedural restraints that might have prevented Mr. Trump from directing federal law enforcement to humiliate, investigate and prosecute the people he hates. Mr. Trump’s campaign of retribution began to intensify in mid-July after an adviser stoked his snarling impatience over the slow pace of Justice Department investigations. It hit fever pitch over the past week with the resignation of Erik S. Siebert, the U.S. attorney who believed the evidence against Mr. Comey was insufficient, and with Mr. Trump’s remarkable public demand last Saturday that Attorney General Pam Bondi move quickly to prosecute his enemies.... [The drama] ended with a tableau that summed up both the gravity and slapstick of the moment.... This account is based on interviews with more than a dozen administration officials and former and current prosecutors....” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: “Even before James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, was indicted this week, legal experts were already questioning whether the case might be vulnerable to an uncommon but powerful legal attack: allegations that ... [Donald] Trump, who has long called for Mr. Comey to be jailed, had pushed the Justice Department into opening an improper vindictive prosecution. Such speculation gained at least a little steam this week after Mr. Trump weighed in on the charges, which center on whether Mr. Comey lied to Congress, in a manner that seemed to prejudge his guilt. 'Whether you like Corrupt James Comey or not, and I can’t imagine too many people liking him, HE LIED!' Mr. Trump wrote on social media on Friday morning. 'It is not a complex lie, it’s a very simple, but IMPORTANT one. There is no way he can explain his way out of it.'

“While vindictive prosecution motions are notoriously difficult to win, the president’s voluble vitriol and his incessant need to be on the attack could provide defense lawyers with an avenue to protect the very people he most wants to punish. 'Ironically, by demanding the prosecutions, Trump may have undercut any possibility of success by providing the people on his “enemies list” with a built-in defense,' Joyce Vance, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, wrote in a recent blog post on the subject.” 

Meredith Hill & Jordain Carney of Politico: “The top congressional leaders of both parties will meet Monday afternoon with ... Donald Trump — less than 48 hours before a possible government shutdown — according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the plans ahead of a public announcement. The meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is set to take place less than a week after Trump abruptly canceled a previously scheduled meeting with Schumer and Jeffries. The new sitdown was set after Thune and Schumer spoke for the first time in weeks about the spending standoff....” ~~~

~~~ As They Like It. Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: “Under the Trump administration’s plans for a government shutdown, the Labor Department would cut off most activities — then fire thousands of employees. National parks would close, and their staffs could face layoffs. Phone help lines at the Internal Revenue Service would go unstaffed, perhaps permanently. National Guard deployments to major cities — D.C., Memphis and Portland — would continue. Immigration raids and deportation activities would be unaffected, though officers would work unpaid. If Congress fails to fund the government next week, the White House is preparing for a shutdown that would reflect the purest version of  ... Donald Trump’s vision for the federal government, guided by White House budget director Russell Vought, an architect of the controversial Project 2025 playbook for Trump’s second term....

“Under the Vought plan, the only agencies that would remain operating apace are those that received money in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, the $4.1 trillion tax and immigration package that Congress passed in July. The Defense and Homeland Security departments were the main beneficiaries. The result, both during and potentially after a shutdown, could be a federal government dramatically reoriented to defense, immigration and law enforcement — and not much else.”

Another Alarming Plan to Expand the Fascist State. Laura Meckler & Susan Svrluga of the Washington Post: “The White House is developing a plan that could change how universities are awarded research grants, giving a competitive advantage to schools that pledge to adhere to the values and policies of the Trump administration on admissions, hiring and other matters.... Under the current system, the federal government’s vast research funding operation awards billions of dollars’ worth of grants based on peer reviews and scientific merit. The administration says it is working to enforce civil rights laws, which it contends many universities have violated by embracing diversity, equity and inclusion programs or failing to adequately protect Jewish students or staff from antisemitism. But the effort is almost certain to add to criticism from outside experts who say the administration is already overstepping its authority to try to impose its values on higher education.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course the plan has not been put into effect. Still, I think the reporters downplay what Trump could unleash with the stroke of his penny-pen-pen.   

Arwa Mahdawi of the Guardian: “Donald Trump..., who once vowed to be a protector of women  'whether they like it or not', has turned his attention to prenatal care. “Taking Tylenol is, uhhhh, not good,' Trump said on Monday, with his trademark eloquence.... Trump went on to link autism to prenatal exposure to acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol. If you’re feeling poorly while pregnant you should 'fight like hell' not to take Tylenol to relieve your pain, the president instructed. Which basically means suffering instead.... There is no evidence for a causative link between acetaminophen and autism and many experts were aghast at Trump’s statements.... And while Trump claimed that there is “no downside” in avoiding Tylenol, an untreated fever during pregnancy could cause problems for the baby.... This sudden Tylenol scare is ... yet another example of mom-shaming.

“Studies have also found a link between advanced paternal age and autism. But does society constantly shame men for having kids later in life? Of course not. When a 59-year-old Trump fathered Barron, he crowed to the press about his virility.” ~~~

     ~~~ Nitwit & Not-Doctor Trump has not stopped giving dangerously bad medical advice to expectant mothers and mothers: Friday (I think) he posted this to his social media site: “DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON, BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!), TAKE CHICKEN P SHOT SEPARATELY, TAKE HEPATITAS [sic] B SHOT AT 12 YEARS OLD, OR OLDER, AND, IMPORTANTLY, TAKE VACCINE IN 5 SEPARATE MEDICAL VISITS!” Via Heather Cox Richardson. ~~~

~~~ Wait, Wait! There's More from Dr. Quackpot. Joe DePaolo of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump shared a bizarre AI video to social media in which he’s seen promoting 'med beds' — a far-right conspiracy involving a magical bed that can supposedly heal any sickness. In a post to his Truth Social platform late Saturday night, Trump shared a phony, AI-generated Fox News clip in which he’s seen rolling out this magic technology to hospitals nationwide. 'Every American will soon receive their own medbed card,' AI Trump said. 'With it, you’ll have guaranteed access to our new hospitals led by the top doctors in the nation, equipped with the most advanced technology in the world.' AI Trump went on to specifically tout the magic healing power of these fictional med beds. 'These facilities are safe, modern, and designed to restore every citizen to full health and strength,' AI Trump said.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Boing, Boing, Boing. This is Article 25-level mental disability. We should ask Prez-in-Waiting JayDee what he thinks about this.  

Marie: RAS just dug up a whole new can-full of worms that could crawl out of the Epstein files. The hilarious irony here is that this particular wormy delight feeds right into the Russia investigation that has so obsessed Donald Trump for nearly a decade. Moreover, if the story below is true, then Trump's claims that he ended his relationship with Epstein in the 2000-aughts is not true, although it's possible the relationship continued mostly through a web of intermediaries. The bones of the story linked below could be a big part of why Trump wants to keep the Epstein files under wraps. Note: I know nothing about Spooky Connections, which describes itself as operating "an independent international open source investigation into transnational organized crime. We operate using open source information from established news outlets and primary sourced documents." The footnoting of this article seems to bear out their claim of relying on established sources: ~~~

~~~ Spooky Connections: “In 2016, Jeffrey Epstein collaborated with Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s inner circle during the presidential election. Epstein reportedly arranged meetings between influential Trump backers Peter Thiel, Thomas Barrack, and Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin.... A year later, Churkin unexpectedly died after a 'brief illness' and 'heart attack.' Three days after Churkin’s death, Epstein sent an email to Thiel saying, 'As you read, my Russian ambassador friend died. Life is short; start with dessert.' Vitaly Churkin hosted Donald and Ivana Trump during their July 1987 visit to Russia, a trip organized by Intourist, the Soviet tourism agency, a known KGB front." Read on. 

Marie: Posted next is a version of a video RAS linked this morning. RAS describes this as "Kirk Explained." I would add that it's also "MAGA Explained," because you'll likely notice that there's no way most of those dolts can figure out all the ways Charlie Kirk (and others) manipulate them. It is complicated. There are quite a number of logical fallacies involved. I don't know who the actor/writer is here, but kudos to him (or, well, to them). ~~~

⭐Kim Bellware, et al., of the Washington Post: “Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez had just dropped off his 3-year-old son at day care when an unmarked vehicle pulled in front of his car. Less than a minute later, the father of two was shot dead by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says ICE was targeting a 'criminal illegal alien' who refused to follow their commands. In a statement, DHS said Villegas-Gonzalez drove his car at law enforcement officers, hitting one and dragging him a 'significant distance.' 'Seriously injured' and 'fearing for his own life,' DHS said, the officer fired his gun. But videos collected from nearby businesses and bystanders show both officers engaged in tactics that experts in policing said put them at unnecessary risk. Video also shows the hurt officer was fully mobile after the shooting and described his injuries as 'nothing major.' And while DHS has said it is targeting the 'worst of the worst,' records from Chicago’s Cook County show Villegas-Gonzalez had no record of violence. Since illegally crossing the border nearly two decades ago, he has been charged only with traffic violations in the city where he settled.”

Konstantin Toropin of the AP: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that he has decided that the 19 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for their actions in 1890 at Wounded Knee will keep their award.... Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, ordered the review of the awards in 2024 after a congressional recommendation in the 2022 defense bill — itself a reflection of efforts by some lawmakers to rescind the awards for those who participated in the bloody massacre on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Wounded Knee Creek.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So let us now turn to historian Heather Cox Richardson, who tells us what happened at Wounded Knee, and why it happened. An interesting history lesson, and unless your high school history book was way better than my high school history book, you may not know what-all Richardson shares. Richardson's essay is also a reminder that late 19th-century politicians were just as conniving and crooked as our own. (Also linked yesterday.)

Notes from the Kleptocracy. Lauren Hirsch & Mike Isaac of the New York Times (Sept. 26): “Jared Kushner’s private equity firm and a group of large investors are in talks to buy out the video game company Electronic Arts in what could be one of the largest such deals ever, according to two people briefed on the discussion. Mr. Kushner’s firm, Affinity Partners, along with other investors including the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and Silver Lake Partners are in talks to take the publicly traded company private. The people, who requested anonymity because the talks are confidential, said a deal could value the company, the maker of such popular games as Madden N.F.L. and Battlefield, at around $50 billion.” ~~~

~~~ In OTHER NEWS about Jared's Saudi Partners. Williams Hughes of the AV Club: “Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival kicked off this weekend — and with it, increasingly vocal criticisms of comedians who have opted to participate in a state-sponsored comedy fest.... Comics ... have weighed in;... Atsuko Okatsuka even revealing the contract she was sent about a possible appearance, including rules about what participants won’t be able to say during their appearances at the fest.... [The list of veboten topics included] jokes 'that may be considered to degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule' Saudi Arabia, its ruling government, royal family, or any religion or religious figure, period. Okatsuka also takes time to point out that 'The money is coming straight from the Crown Prince, who actively executes journalists, ppl with nonlethal drug offenses, bloggers, etc without due process....'” Thanks to RAS for the link.

Rylee Kirk of the New York Times: “The election technology company Dominion Voting Systems settled a defamation lawsuit against Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former lawyer for ... [Donald] Trump and former mayor of New York City, according to court records and the company. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice on Friday, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In a statement, Dominion Voting Systems confirmed that a settlement had been reached, but did not offer any details on the terms because it was a confidential agreement. A lawyer for Mr. Giuliani confirmed the settlement and declined to comment further.”

Aaron Gilchrist of NBC News: “Lt. Col. George Hardy, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and the last of the group’s World War II combat pilots, died Tuesday night, according to Tuskegee Airmen Inc. He was 100 years old. At 19, Hardy became the youngest Tuskegee fighter pilot when he completed the Army Air Corps pilot training program in 1942.... Hardy flew 21 missions over Germany during World War II and also served in the Korean War and Vietnam War. The U.S. military was segregated during World War II and created what was then called the Tuskegee Experiment to test whether Black Americans could command and maintain complex aircraft in battle.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I supposed Trump & Carr will demand NBC's Seth Meyers be fired now since NBC published a "woke" obituary of Col. Hardy, especially because it specifically reminds us that the military was segregated during WWII. Anyway, my deepest thanks to Col Hardy & all the Tuskegee Airmen. I grew up with my father because the Airmen accompanied & provided protective cover for U.S. bomber planes over Italy & Germany and saved the lives of many American bomber crewmen, including my father.

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Iowa. Mitch Smith & Ann Klein of the New York Times: On Saturday, the Des Moines Public School District placed the district's superintendent, Ian Roberts, on paid administration leave after ICE arrested him in rather dramatic fashion. See related stories on yesterday's page. “Dr. Roberts remained in custody at an Iowa jail on Saturday.”

North Carolina. Saturday Night in the U.S.A. Mark Walker of the New York Times: “A gunman opened fire on a crowded riverside bar in North Carolina on Saturday night after pulling up to its dock on a boat, killing three people and wounding at least eight others before speeding away on the water, city officials said. The attack occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the American Fish Company bar in Southport, N.C., said ChyAnn Ketchum, a spokeswoman for the city. She said the gunman fired on a crowd after pulling up to the dock, then escaped on the boat. Just after 10 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard detained a person matching a description of the shooter who was bringing a boat out of the water to secure it to a trailer at a public ramp in Oak Island, N.C., a town about 12 miles west of where the shooting occurred, city officials said in a statement early Sunday. City officials said the person was being held by the Oak Island Police Department and would be transferred the Southport Police Department for questioning.”