March 5, 2026

⭐Trump fired Kristi Noem and gave her some other job as "special envoy" to something or other. He announced the new secretary would be one of our favorite senators: Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). ~~~

~~~ Hill: Donald “Trump on Thursday announced that he was firing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and replacing her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla). 'I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026,' he announced on Truth Social. Trump thanked Noem for her service, stating the former South Dakota senator 'has served us well.'” ~~~

    ~~~ From a New York Times liveblog: “Mr. Trump announced the change on social media, along with a new, and previously nonexistent, role for Ms. Noem: special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, which he said would be a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere. Mr. Trump is close with Mr. Mullin, a Republican, and speaks with him regularly.... On Thursday, the president contradicted remarks that Ms. Noem made under penalty of perjury in her hearing before a Senate panel on Wednesday: that Mr. Trump had signed off ​on a border security advertising campaign featuring Ms. Noem. 'I ​never knew anything about it,' ​Mr. Trump told Reuters.”

Barak Ravid & Zachary Basu of Axios: Donald "Trump told Axios in an interview Thursday that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran's next leader — just as he was in Venezuela. Trump revealed this ... in an eight-minute phone call....  Trump acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is the most likely successor — while making clear he finds that outcome unacceptable. 'They are wasting their time. Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,' Trump said.... Trump's comments represent an extraordinary claim of American power over Iran's political future, further muddying the objectives of the massive U.S. military campaign he launched on Saturday."

Possibly 1,100 people are dead in Iran and U.S. troops have died in Kuwait, but Trump's White House still thinks war is just a fun game: ~~~ 

~~~ Athena Dawson of the Mirror, republished by AOL: “The White House is being slammed for a disturbing missile strike montage video, as the majority of Americans oppose ... [Donald] Trump’s recently enacted war with Iran. The eyebrow-raising minute-long video begins with what appears to be a Call of Duty video game intro, with the POV of an armed soldier typing on a tablet to deploy 'Mass Guided Bombs.' The video, posted by the official White House X account, then cuts to a montage of U.S. fighter jets, warships, and missiles being launched at targets. Clips include declassified images of strikes hitting a ship, vehicles, and what appears to be a compound. The post, captioned, 'Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue,' drew the ire of hundreds of commenters.”

Rebecca Crosby & Noel Sims of Popular Information reprise how the Trump administration stranded hundreds of thousands of Americans in a war zone.  

Dasha Burns & Cheyanne Daniels of Politico: “... Donald Trump appears to be leaning toward endorsing Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas GOP Senate primary, issuing a stark warning to state Attorney General Ken Paxton in an interview with Politico. The president, in a brief phone conversation Thursday morning, said an endorsement will be 'made pretty soon' before addressing Paxton, who recently said he would not drop out of the race even if Trump endorses Cornyn. 'Well, that’s bad for him to say,' Trump said. “... So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction.'Trump had previously stated he would ask the candidate he does not endorse to step aside. Senate Republicans have already asked Trump to back Cornyn, who narrowly pulled ahead of Paxton on Tuesday in the first round of the primary. The two now face a heated runoff, which could last for another three months unless one of them ends their [his!] campaign.”

Betsy Klein, et al., of CNN: “Approval for ... Donald Trump’s massive East Wing ballroom project – from a government commission that oversees planning for federal buildings and land in the nation’s capital – is delayed after it received over 32,000 comments from the public overwhelmingly opposing the construction. The National Capital Planning Commission was expected to take a final vote to approve plans for the ballroom on Thursday, marking the latest clearance for the project in a process that has been on a fast track since Trump suddenly demolished the East Wing last October. But the commission announced Thursday that the vote was postponed to April 2 'given the large amount of public input on the project.' 'We’re going to take the time to deliberate, and we’re going to have a final vote on April 2,' NCPC chairman and Trump aide Will Scharf said as the meeting began.” MB: Sadly, as in every dictatorship, we already know the outcome of the vote.

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Marie: As usual, also see today's Comments for links to some excellent reports & opinion pieces. 

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in Trump's Iran War. From the pinned item at 6:00 am ET: “Iran on Thursday denied Turkey’s claim that it had fired a missile toward Turkish airspace.... On Wednesday, Turkey said that NATO shot down a missile that was heading toward Turkish airspace. An attack on Turkey, a NATO member that shares a 300-mile border with Iran..., could activate the alliance’s mutual defense clause, potentially drawing its 32 member states into the war. So far the United Kingdom, France and Greece have said they are deploying military assets to the region only to defend their citizens and interests. Separately, a torpedo launched from a U.S. Navy submarine sank an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka on Wednesday, marking the first time a U.S. submarine had fired a torpedo at an enemy ship in combat since World War II, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. Sri Lankan officials said on Thursday that their navy had rescued more than 30 people, recovered more than 80 bodies and was still searching for dozens of people. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, on Thursday accused the United States of an 'atrocity at sea,' saying on social media that the Iranian frigate had been struck in international waters without warning.”

Karen DeYoung, et al., of the Washington Post: “In calls this week to Kurdish minority leaders in Iran and neighboring Iraq..., Donald Trump offered 'extensive U.S. aircover' and other backing for anti-regime Iranian Kurds to take over portions of western Iran, according to multiple people familiar with the effort. 'The American request to the Iraqi Kurds is to open the way and not obstruct' Iranian Kurdish groups mobilizing in Iraq, 'while also providing logistical support,' said a senior official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of two major political parties that govern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.”

Heather Cox Richardson posted the transcript of Donald Trump's "answer" to a reporter's question about why the U.S. had not evacuated Americans now trapped in the Middle East. This is a real transcript instead of the sanitized, normalized rewording -- and often hypothesizing about his meaning -- the major media report. 

Tim Collins of MS NOW: “The Pentagon released on Wednesday the last two names of U.S. Army Reserve members killed in Kuwait.... The Trump administration had earlier released the names of four other soldiers who died following the Iranian drone strike, the only American deaths so far attributed to the war with Iran. The two service members were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif., and Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa.”

Julian Barnes & Tyler Pager of the New York Times: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the leader of the Iranian covert unit that planned to assassinate ... [Donald] Trump in 2024 had been killed in the U.S. strikes on Iran. The Pentagon provided few details, but the Trump administration has said that Iran’s plotting to kill U.S. officials — particularly Mr. Trump — is one reason the United States launched its bombing campaign. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Mr. Hegseth said that the leader of the Iranian unit that tried to kill Mr. Trump was killed in a strike on Tuesday. 'Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh,' Mr. Hegseth said.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know Drunk Pete thinks he's a super-jihadist Christian, but I don't think real Christians talk about assassinations as "getting the last laugh." Pete doesn't seem at all familiar with what most of us would recognize as "Christian morals" of just plain "religious morals" for any one of numerous religions. ~~~

     ~~~ Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth lashed out at the news media for making tragic deaths in the Iran war 'front page news' to make ... Donald Trump 'look bad.'...  'when a few drones get through, or something tragic happens.' Hegseth held a joint press conference for the Pentagon press corps on Wednesday morning, which he opened with a hyperbolic ode to the 'death and destruction' being wrought by U.S. air power.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't suppose the families of the fallen consider the deaths of their loved ones a piddly page A-26 kind of story about "a few drones getting through." Even if you thought that carelessness about troop safety (see yesterday's page for the failure to properly fortify the site where "a few drones" killed the American soldiers) was not a front-page story, you would likely have the grace not to insult the families by saying "So what?" ~~~

     ~~~ Evan Hurst does the color commentary on Drunk Pete's presser. Based on the clips Hurst includes, it's foolish to dispute his take. Hegseth is dangerously demented. Dangerously.

Republican Senators Roll Over for Their Master. Theodoric Meyer of the Washington Post: “The Senate rejected a resolution Wednesday to block ... Donald Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran, declining to halt a war that Trump started without the consent of Congress. Democrats — along with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) — forced a vote on the war powers resolution over the opposition of most Republicans, who control the Senate. Democrats implored a handful of Republicans to break with their party to end the conflict and reassert Congress’s control over declaring war.... The resolution ... failed 47-53 on a procedural vote. One Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (Pennsylvania) voted against it.” The Guardian's report is here. The New York Times report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If these dopes think Trump is going to scratch their bellies for obeying their master's commands, they're wrong. Trump hates dogs. 

Anthony Faiola & Ellen Francis of the Washington Post: “ As other European leaders offer parsed words, about-faces or outright backing for the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez delivered a striking rebuke Wednesday of ... Donald Trump’s military foray — refusing to back down a day after Trump threatened to cut off trade with Spain. Dueling accounts later in the day had the White House saying that Madrid, which had refused to allow its bases to be used in the Iran attacks, had backed down and would 'cooperate,' a claim the Spanish government quickly denied. For months, the left-leaning Sánchez has been emerging as the embodiment of European resistance to Trump, locking horns with the president on defense spending while contrasting the mass legalization of migrants in Spain to the 'cruel' crackdowns elsewhere. As the attack on Iran unfolded Saturday, Sánchez condemned the Iranian regime but also denounced the U.S.-Israeli operation as contributing 'to a more uncertain and hostile international order.'” A CNBC report is here. An AP report is here.

Marc Caputo of Axios: "Venezuela's state-owned mining company on Monday inked a multimillion-dollar deal to sell as many as 1,000 kilograms of gold destined for U.S. markets.... The arrangement shows the tightening commercial bounds between Venezuela and the U.S. after ... [Donald] Trump ousted that nation's indicted socialist dictator and exerted de facto control over its oil-rich petroleum company.... The gold deal requires state-owned company Minerven to furnish 650 to 1,000 kilos of Gold Dore bars to the commodities trader Trafigura, according to [a] source.... U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who arrived in Venezuela Wednesday..., helped shepherd the gold contract.... This contract is the third extraction deal made under the Trump administration's supervision as the U.S. has taken control of Venezuela's most crucial and abundant resource, oil. Trafigura is also involved in those oil contracts worth more than $1 billion. 'The oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both countries is a very nice thing to see!' Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social, also praising Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump + Contract + Gold = Something Shady. We just don't know what. Yet.

Alex Woodward of the Independent: “The Department of Justice has withheld from the public nearly 48,000 files stemming from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, after publishing more than 2 million pages of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.... A spokesperson for the Justice Department told the outlets that '47,635 files were offline for further review and should be ready for re-production by the end of the week.' Those offline files include materials connected to unverified allegations against ... Donald Trump, The Independent previously reported.... DOJ told The Independent last week that it is 'currently reviewing' documents that detail unverified allegations against the president.” (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Colby Hall of Mediaite: The “DOJ Chose Which Epstein Files You’d See — And Left Out the Trump Ones.... After analyzing the DOJ’s public Epstein database, the [Wall Street Journal] identified tens of thousands of files that appeared to be missing. When reporters Sadie Gurman and Caitlin Ostroff pressed the Justice Department about the discrepancy, a spokeswoman confirmed that 47,635 documents were being held offline for further review. The department hadn’t previously volunteered that information and confirmed it only after being asked directly about the gap.... For weeks the Justice Department characterized the problems surrounding its document release as the predictable friction of a massive, logistically complex operation — tagging errors, privacy reviews, deadline pressure.... Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche have both insisted categorically that nothing was withheld for political sensitivity and that the department complied fully with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Those are strong claims that now sit alongside a documented record of selective disclosure.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: “The United States is expected to increase tariffs on global imports to 15 percent this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, as the Trump administration works to replicate some of the punishing duties struck down by the Supreme Court. That rate is an increase from the 10 percent global tariffs that ... [Donald] Trump imposed last month after a court ruling struck down the administration’s emergency tariffs. In an interview on CNBC, Mr. Bessent said the United States would be using a legal authority that allowed the president to impose an across-the-board tariff for 150 days unless Congress agreed to extend it. Mr. Bessent said that the office of the United States Trade Representative would conduct trade investigations to allow the Trump administration to replace the temporary tariffs with more permanent duties that would be less vulnerable to legal challenges.” (Also linked yesterday.)

 Sometimes even an unscrupulous dictator doesn't get his way: ~~~  

~~~ Another Boxwine Fail. Michael Schmidt, et al., of the New York Times: “The Justice Department, after calls by ... [Donald] Trump to investigate former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., scrutinized whether Mr. Biden and his aides broke the law in using the autopen to sign presidential documents, but was ultimately unable to move forward with making a case.... The department’s failure ... is the latest example of its increasing inability to follow through on Mr. Trump’s demands and bring indictments against those he wants to be criminally targeted. Some of those cases were rejected by grand juries, some were rejected by judges and some, like the autopen case, were abandoned by prosecutors. But the fact that prosecutors even pursued the matter to begin with reflects the degree to which Mr. Trump has sought to use the levers of government to undermine Mr. Biden’s presidency by seizing on an unsubstantiated theory: that the pardons Mr. Biden issued in his final months in office were invalid because he did not have the mental capacity to consent to them. 

“The autopen investigation was led by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, which is run by a longtime Trump ally, Jeanine Pirro. The inquiry was quietly shelved in recent months, around the time that prosecutors under Ms. Pirro sought and failed to secure an indictment in a different case: one against six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video in the fall that enraged Mr. Trump by reminding active-duty members of the military and intelligence community that they were obligated to refuse to follow illegal orders.” The NBC News story is here.

Kadia Goba & Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: “The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday, setting up yet another clash between House Republicans and the White House over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The vote compels Bondi to appear before the committee for a closed-door deposition regarding the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into Epstein and his associates in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the Justice Department to release all its files related to Epstein. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) introduced the motion to consider the subpoena. Every Democrat on the committee voted in favor of subpoenaing the attorney general, as did Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colorado), Michael Cloud (Texas), Scott Perry (Pennsylvania) and Tim Burchett (Tennessee).” Politico's story is here.

Luke Barr & Sarah Hensley of ABC News: "House Democrats questioned Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem over the agency's immigration enforcement operations under her leadership when she testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday -- with the committee's top Democrat saying she turned 'turned our government against our people.' Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the committee, began the hearing by attacking Noem over her handling of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal law enforcement earlier this year.... Several Democrats used videos of U.S. citizens being detained during immigration enforcement operations to criticize Noem and the agency's efforts." ~~~

~~~ Marie: I watched several videos of House members questioning Noem, and as Trump would say if he were honest, "You've seldom seen anything like it." Here are a couple of examples: ~~~

     ~~~ Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) questions the no-bid multi-million-dollar contract Noem let for running an ad campaign featuring her at Mount Rushmore & about which she lied during Senate testimony Tuesday: ~~~ 

     ~~~  Sydney Karnlager-Dove (D-Calif.) asks Noem if she's ever had sex with Corey Lewandowski. Noem did not answer. Later, Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) asked the same question; again, Noem did not deny her sexual relationship with Lewandowski, who as a "special" federal employee seems at times to be running DHS. Jared was nice enough to give Noem a new blankey. Really: 

     ~~~ The New York Times liveblogged the hearing. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Punchbowl News: "... Donald Trump has quietly asked Hill Republicans if he should fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem..., according to multiple Republicans who have spoken with the president. Even Speaker Mike Johnson speculated about the potential for a change at the top of DHS during a recent House Republican elected leadership retreat in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Trump dialed up some GOP senators after Noem testified in front of the Senate and House Judiciary panels on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Those appearances were marked by extraordinarily bitter exchanges between Noem and Democratic lawmakers.... But some of the most notable exchanges, especially in the Senate hearing, were with Republicans. Trump was said to be especially upset about Noem’s response when Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) pressed her Tuesday about a government-funded ad campaign that Kennedy said only served to boost her own personal name recognition nationally. The $220 million contract for the ad campaign was awarded to a firm run by the husband of former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. The ads were filmed in October at Mount Rushmore. Under questioning from Kennedy, Noem said repeatedly that Trump personally approved the controversial ad blitz featuring her in the lead role. This has so angered Trump that Noem’s future at DHS may be at risk, we’re told."

~~~ Mendacity Comes Naturally to Kristi Gnome. Even Under Oath. Joshua Kaplan & Justin Elliott of ProPublica: “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem misled Congress on Tuesday about the powers of her controversial top aide Corey Lewandowski, according to records reviewed by ProPublica and four current and former DHS officials. Lewandowski has an unusual role at DHS, where he is not a paid government employee but is nonetheless acting as a top official, helping Noem run the sprawling agency. For months, members of Congress have asked the agency to detail the scope of his work and authority. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Noem whether Lewandowski has 'a role in approving contracts' at DHS. Noem responded with a flat denial:  'No.' But internal DHS records reviewed by ProPublica contradict Noem’s Senate testimony. The records show Lewandowski personally approved a multimillion-dollar equipment contract at the agency last summer. That was not a one-off. Lewandowski has approved numerous contracts at DHS and often needs to sign off on large ones before any money goes out the door, the current and former department employees said.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Douglas MacMillan of the Washington Post: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking steps to close Camp East Montana, a massive immigrant detention camp near the Mexican border that opened less than eight months ago, according to an internal ICE document reviewed by The Washington Post. The document, distributed to agency staff this week, indicated that ICE is drafting a letter to terminate the facility’s contract, but did not give any timeline or reason for the decision.... Once seen as the model for a new breed of makeshift tent encampments the Trump administration planned to rapidly build all over the country in its campaign to detain and deport millions of immigrants, Camp East Montana struggled to provide safe and humane housing for thousands of people, The Post’s reporting has shown. Detainees have complained of physical abuse by guards, inadequate food and substandard medical care. Last September, ICE’s own inspectors found dozens of violations of federal standards.” 

Tony Romm & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to take the first steps toward issuing more than $100 billion in potential tariff refunds, ratcheting up a legal battle over a roster of sky-high duties that the Supreme Court deemed illegal. The order, issued by Judge Richard K. Eaton of the United States Court of International Trade, amounted to an early victory for the thousands of businesses that have already sued to recover the taxes they paid, plus interest, now that ... [Donald] Trump’s global tariffs have been struck down. Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Trump could not use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose tariffs on U.S. trading partners.”

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Florida. Javier Manjarres of the Floridian: “The recent uptick in antisemitic and racist language being disseminated by younger GOP activists nationwide has largely been fueled by a younger generation that follows extremist online influencers like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, and Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback. It appears this has now spread to the Miami-Dade Republican Party. In a disturbing series of group chat entries obtained by The Floridian, Miami GOP Secretary Abel Alexander Carvajal ran a group chat in which the N-word was used over 200 times and members celebrated the removal of an African-American activist from the FIU College Republicans. Carvajal’s chat, titled 'Uber Retards Yapping Inc.,' gives a shocking glimpse into the GOP’s younger element of college students who espouse hateful ideas. Even more concerning are the chat’s members: Carvajal...; Dariel Gonzalez, who is the FIU College Republicans Membership Director; and Ian Valdes, the FIU Turning Point chapter president... Sources have confirmed that Carvajal has recruited members of this racist and antisemitic element into the Miami-Dade GOP to serve as committeemen and committeewomen.” Via the Raw Story.

Montana Senate Race. Theodoric Meyer & Dan Merica of the Washington Post: “Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana) announced Wednesday night that he would not run for reelection this year, opening up his Senate seat eight months before the midterm elections.... Daines, 63, had filed to run for reelection but withdrew minutes before Montana’s filing deadline of 5 p.m. Mountain time on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the Montana secretary of state’s office. Eight minutes before the filing deadline, Kurt Alme, the U.S. attorney for the District of Montana, filed to run and almost immediately received ... Donald Trump’s endorsement.... Daines’s announcement came hours after Seth Bodnar, a former University of Montana president, said that he would run for Senate. Bodnar is running as an independent — though he is using the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue to raise money. The Montana Democratic Party said it would not back him.... At least one Democrat, former state representative Reilly Neill, is also running for the seat.” The NBC News report is here.

Texas Senate Race. From the New York Times liveblog of primary election developments: “Representative Jasmine Crockett on Wednesday conceded the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas to James Talarico, a state lawmaker and seminarian, saying in a statement that the party 'must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.' Earlier Wednesday, it had not been clear whether Ms. Crockett would concede immediately after The Associated Press called the race for Mr. Talarico.... Ms. Crockett had told supporters at her election party Tuesday night that people had 'been disenfranchised' in Dallas County. But on Wednesday morning, Ms. Crockett called Mr. Talarico and left him a voice mail message congratulating him on his victory. Mr. Talarico received the message around 6:30 a.m. local time.... Still, in a text message exchange with The New York Times, Ms. Crockett wrote that she would not commit to campaigning with Mr. Talarico, and that party officials needed to ensure every primary vote was counted or risk alienating her supporters. Mr. Talarico, who had also expressed concern about voter suppression in the primary, declared victory on Wednesday morning.” Politico's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Texas Congressional Race. Amy Wang & Hannah Knowles of the Washington Post: “The House Ethics Committee will investigate allegations that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) had an affair with a former staff member who later died after setting herself on fire, the committee said Wednesday, ensuring that the scandal that has dogged Gonzales through his bitter primary race will continue to factor heavily as he heads into a runoff.  An investigative subcommittee will look into allegations Gonzales 'engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office' and 'discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges,' Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi) wrote in a letter Wednesday.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~Yeah But Whadaboud Everybody Else? Annie Karni of the New York Times: “Representative Tony Gonzales, the Texas Republican who is fighting to hold onto his seat amid allegations of having coerced a staff member into a sexual relationship, admitted to the affair on Wednesday night, calling it a 'lapse in judgment' and a 'mistake.' But in Mr. Gonzales’s first comments addressing a scandal he has tried to ignore for months, he spent only a few moments expressing contrition before lashing out at the media, his political opponents and the widower of the aide with whom he had a relationship. She died after setting herself on fire, in what was ruled a suicide. In a radio interview with a right-wing host, Mr. Gonzales scolded the media for only 'sharing certain information that is beneficial to them'; claimed he was the subject of a 'very coordinated attack'; and criticizing the widower, claiming he had been estranged from the former aide and after her money.” 

Texas Primaries. Jessica Piper, et al., of Politico: “Latino voters flocked to Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Texas in droves, reversing a long-running erosion for the party ahead of this year’s pivotal midterms. The numbers were dramatic: In five different rural majority-Latino counties, more votes were cast in Tuesday’s Democratic primary than for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.... The results provide some much-needed hope for Democrats that they can compete not only in Texas as they have long dreamed, but in Latino districts across the country that could determine control of the House in November. ”