July 16, 2026

Chris Marquette & Erica Orden of Politico: “Sen. Thom Tillis said Thursday his vote to confirm attorney general nominee Todd Blanche is contingent on Blanche meeting with victims of the late convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein. The North Carolina Republican’s new demand creates yet another hurdle for Blanche’s confirmation, which will fail to advance to the Senate floor if one Republican on the Judiciary Committee defects — assuming all Democrats on the panel oppose him. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is also undecided.” ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: According to Nicolle Wallace of MS NOW, Tillis' demand that Blanche meet with Epstein survivors, Blanche has scheduled a meeting with some of the women Thursday afternoon.

Emily Allen, et al., of the Portland Press Herald: “The federal immigration agent who shot and killed a 26-year-old Colombian man in Biddeford has been identified as David Michael Brouillette. Brouillette, who is 37 and lives in Manchester, was identified by an ex-wife as the ICE agent who shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. Ashley Brouillette told the Portland Press Herald in a phone interview Thursday afternoon that her ex-husband called admitting to the shooting and defending his actions.... 'He was asking me to lie for him and to cover for his character,' Ashley Brouillette said. 'I told him that I was not going to lie for him. And then he tried to say that it was a justified shooting because the guy tried to hit him with his car.' She said she has seen videos of Brouillette on the scene of the shooting and confirmed that was him on scene, telling him: 'nowhere in there does it show that this man charged at you with a car.... In his head it’s justified. He’s unusually calm about it, she said.

“David Brouillette has held multiple jobs in law enforcement and public safety in Maine. He’s also a licensed real estate agent and a veteran.... Ashley Brouillette told a reporter that she wanted to speak publicly because she had previously reported concerns to his superiors in the military about his mental health. She said he was abusive in their relationship.” The Press Herald has made the link to this story a gift link.

Jarrett Ley, et al., >of the Washington Post: “The lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool peeled away in at least seven places along seams that were created when the material was applied in large rectangular sections, indicating likely problems in how it was installed, according to a Washington Post analysis of visuals and interviews with experts.... Post reporters visited the Reflecting Pool on June 25 and identified seven locations where the lining — a waterproof membrane that was painted onto the concrete basin — had partially or entirely peeled away. The peeling occurred in irregularly shaped patches that stretched alongside the long edges of the pool. The pieces ranged in size from a few inches to as long as six feet.By comparing the seven locations with satellite imagery, photos and videos taken during the renovation process, the analysis found that all of the failures occurred at the seams — lines between two areas that were painted at different times....

“When The Post shared its findings with the White House and the Interior Department, spokespeople disputed that the surface had been improperly applied.... Donald Trump has repeatedly said vandals are to blame for the damage that appeared just two weeks after the $14 million renovation was completed in early June.... 'The slashes were 300 yards long, and the floor of the pool was cut and then pulled upward, with great force, by these thugs,' he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday.... Interior Secretary Doug Burgum made similar claims in television interviews in early July, saying on Fox News that vandals left gashes totaling 350 feet.”

Matt Zdun & Katherine Perry of the New York Times: “Democratic candidates for the Senate have raised far more money than their Republican rivals so far this year in several crucial contests, new campaign finance filings show. The cash influx could give an edge to the party out of power as it seeks to take back the chamber. Strong fund-raising showings in the second quarter, combined with a dominant performance in the first quarter, mean that Democrats now hold a cash inflow advantage in all of the key Senate races except Iowa. (The party’s financial picture in Maine, however, has been complicated by Graham Platner’s exit and a search for a new nominee. And Republicans still outperform Democrats in money raised through main party committees and super PACs.)”

Tom Bartlett of the Atlantic on Drunk Pete's “High-T Department of War: “How much this new initiative will cost taxpayers, and the question of whether the military health system’s labs even have the capacity for such testing, is unclear. But the bigger question is whether this is in any way a good idea.... The American Urological Association’s guidelines say that a low-testosterone diagnosis shouldn’t be made based solely on a test. That’s because testosterone levels can vary widely, and a man with a lower-than-average number might still be perfectly healthy.... Even if a man’s testosterone level drops below what’s considered normal, doctors don’t automatically recommend testosterone-replacement therapy. For starters, non-pharmaceutical interventions might work.... [For instance, e]xcess alcohol consumption is known to lower testosterone. Testosterone-replacement therapy also comes with real side effects.... Testosterone therapy suppresses a man’s natural production of the hormone and decreases sperm count. That’s why experts caution against its use by men trying to conceive.” Related stories linked below. ~~~

     ~~~ Thanks to akaWendy for the link. See also Paul Waldman -- linked below -- who asks, "Is Hegseth unaware that the vast majority of military personnel are people whose jobs involve things like logistics, equipment maintenance, IT support, and everything else that doesn’t require firing a weapon? Actually, the answer to that last question might be yes." AND, based on Bartlett's reporting -- "Excess alcohol consumption is known to lower testosterone" -- one does have to wonder how many of Pete's policy preferences, how much of the macho-man identity he tries to project, are based on some sort of pathetic projection? On some existential fear of his own effeminacy. See Akhilleus's commentary below on Trump's coin. Pete likes to be pictured glowering, too. So just substitute "Drunk Pete" for "Fat Hitler" in Akhilleus's analysis.

Katherine Faulders of ABC News: "... Donald Trump's longtime teleprompter operator is believed to have made tens of thousands of dollars by placing bets on more than a dozen of Trump's speeches on the prediction market Kalshi, federal investigators with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission found.... Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant to the president who has been operating Trump's teleprompter since 2016, is in talks with federal regulators to settle allegations he used his inside knowledge of the president's speeches to win more than $100,000.... According to the sources, Kalshi alerted its regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to the suspicious activity on its 'Mentions' market, where users can bet on whether specific words, phrases or topics are uttered during a public speech.... White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday afternoon, following ABC News' report, that Perez has been put on unpaid administrative leave. Leavitt said she spoke with ... Trump about it, and he thought it was a 'disgrace' and made the decision himself to put Perez on unpaid leave." ~~~

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. Akhilleus sez, "Every single person connected with this fucking guy is a goddam crook and world class sleaze bag." Marie: I'll add Normally, a crook on Trump's staff would get a pardon. But this guy's name is Perez. It would be better if his name were Guy White.

Marie: I knew there was somebody I forgot all about this morning, and that was Jay Clayton: ~~~

~~~ Julian Barnes of the New York Times: “Democrats on Wednesday repeatedly questioned Jay Clayton..., [Donald] Trump’s nominee to lead the nation’s intelligence community, about his refusal to answer the question of who won the 2020 election. Mr. Clayton’s response — that Joseph R. Biden Jr. was 'certified' as the winner — has become the standard answer for Trump administration nominees, who have refused to say flat out that Mr. Biden won. But with Mr. Trump set to deliver a speech on election security this week, Democrats refused to accept the standard answer. Senators Mark Warner of Virginia, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Angus King, a Maine independent, all grilled Mr. Clayton over his answer. Several of the senators said that the job of the director of national intelligence is to speak truth to power, and that Mr. Clayton was demonstrating an aversion to that very task.” A CNBC report is here. ~~~

~~~ Here was the exchange with Sen. Ossoff, who wouldn't let Clayton off the hook: ~~~

Paul Waldman on Hegseth's "High-T Department of War": "You can’t write an absurdist satire of Trumpworld, because Trumpworld is an absurdist satire. We can laugh at them — and we should, because mockery has always been one of the most potent weapons the public has against tyrants — but we don’t need satire to reveal their stupidity and lunacy. It’s right there before us, clear as day." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. MB: Waldman went right to the same "Dr. Strangelove" clip that I did, not because great minds thing alike but because Drunk Pete is such a cardboard stereotype of a deranged military "leader" that equating him with an insane fictional military character is an immediate visceral response to the High-T story.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Marie: Oh, there's more to do, but I have run out of time.

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the Iran War. From the pinned item at 5:20 am ET: “The United States appeared to expand its targets in Iran, and Iranian forces on Thursday launched more attacks on bases belonging to American allies in the Middle East, as the fighting over control of the Strait of Hormuz extended into a sixth straight day. The Iranian military also threatened to widen the scope of strikes. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, an Iranian military spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday that 'all infrastructure in the region will be crushed' by Iran if ... [Donald] Trump made good on his renewed threat to target civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges and power plants. Such attacks could be considered war crimes under international law.” A CNBC story is here. ~~~

~~~ Steven Erlanger of the New York Times: “... since Vietnam, American presidents have repeatedly gotten into conflicts that seem like they could last forever, at least until the next president — or the one after that — decides that the expense and political pain are not worth it, declares victory and goes home. On Iran..., [Donald] Trump may have fallen into the same trap. He campaigned for office vowing to end wars, not start them, and to never get involved in a forever war, let alone one in the Middle East.... With diplomacy at a dead end, at least for now, a frustrated Mr. Trump finds himself back at war, the cease-fire broken, the strait blocked. The memorandum of understanding he said 'achieves everything we set out to accomplish' — despite wildly divergent interpretations of it — is in tatters after less than a month.”

The King Gets His Coin of the Realm. Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Mint would begin striking [the new $1 gold coins with Donald Trump's face on them] in celebration of the nation’s 250 years of independence. The creation of the coins bearing Mr. Trump’s image is one of several initiatives the Trump administration has been working on to fuse the president’s legacy with American currency, including adding his signature to new notes this year and an effort to create a $250 bill with his portrait. In a post on social media, Mr. Bessent said that the new coin would 'honor the enduring legacy of liberty and a lasting symbol of patriotism.' The Treasury Department unveiled initial designs of the coins last year. The plans to mint money with Mr. Trump’s image stirred controversy because of an 1866 law that enshrined a tradition that only deceased people could appear on U.S. currency to avoid the appearance that America was a monarchy.” The Guardian's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Okay, maybe less like a king & more like a feral cat pissing on everything to leave his mark.

~~~ Luke Broadwater & Marco Hernandez of the New York Times: Donald “Trump ... says there is 'no harder zoning thing to get' than a helipad. But he is building one at the White House, and building it fast. Such projects usually require a developer to navigate a complex web of zoning laws, airspace regulations and environmental impact studies, while negotiating with town councils and fighting off community pushback. Construction at the White House can often face additional hurdles. But Mr. Trump ... has not asked Congress or any review panel, such as the Commission of Fine Arts, to approve the project. Past presidents have involved Congress and review panels in changes to the White House grounds, though Mr. Trump has asserted that he has the right to undertake major construction projects, such as a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom, without congressional approval.... A White House spokesman said in an email that 'operational upgrades to the White House grounds, such as the helipad installation, do not require commission reviews.' 

“Work on the helipad — which will be 100 feet in diameter and feature a presidential seal — started last month, shortly after a makeshift stadium built to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight significantly damaged the South Lawn. Dana White, the U.F.C. president, said that his organization had set aside $700,000 to repair the lawn after the June 14 event. But Mr. Trump instead decided to forge ahead immediately with a helipad he had long wanted. The helipad would allow Mr. Trump to use the latest generation of Sikorsky helicopters as Marine One on White House grounds — a move multiple administrations had avoided because the new, more powerful helicopters were likely to damage the South Lawn during landing.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: You see the rationale here? The White House needs a gigantic helipad because the new Sikorskis would tear up the lawn. So they tore up the lawn and replaced it with a gigantic helipad. Oh, and I have a sneaking suspicion the presidential seal that is painted on the helipad will look like this: ~~~

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: “A federal design panel on Thursday will consider the Trump administration’s plan to add a permanent fence around Lafayette Square Park, a public space next to the White House that is frequently the site of protests.... Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District of Columbia, has introduced a bill to prohibit permanent fencing at the park.... The Commission of Fine Arts, which advises the administration on design projects in Washington, is also set on Thursday to consider a proposal to build a 33,000-square-foot security screening facility for visitors to the White House, the latest major change to the grounds overseen by Mr. Trump.”

Maggie Miller, et al., of Politico: Donald Trump “remains laser-focused on an electoral system he claims is rigged — and his administration is uprooting entire chunks of the current structure ahead of the midterms.... [He] seemingly has a plan for the nation’s election apparatus: Dismantle the existing system with a series of cuts, firings and threats, rather than a sledgehammer blow.... Trump is set to deliver a speech Thursday evening that his allies have claimed will validate his long-held conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen from him. It’s the latest attempt by the president to undermine confidence in the electoral system, as he continues to obsess over 2020 and insist that elections both federal and local are rigged across the country. 'This is a concerted effort of death by a thousand cuts,' said Ingham County, Michigan, Clerk Barb Byrum, a Democrat.” ~~~

~~~ Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Alex Isenstadt of Axios: Donald "Trump's primetime address Thursday night is forcing TV networks to choose: Air potential 2020 election falsehoods, or risk backlash from a White House that's shown little hesitation in confronting the media.... Trump has said that his 9 p.m. ET speech from the East Room will focus on 'free and fair elections.' He has promised a 'very big announcement' and 'really big news' regarding the security of the U.S. voting system.... By signaling he may revisit the 2020 election without saying exactly how, Trump has left the networks to decide whether to air the speech, without knowing whether it'll be largely about long-debunked election claims."

Aishvarya Kavi of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said on Wednesday that his administration was cracking down on unauthorized immigrant truck drivers and would seek to replace them with veterans. 'We are going to take our veterans; we’re going to teach them a lot about driving trucks,' Mr. Trump said, to take the place of drivers without legal immigration status, which he claimed without providing evidence were causing many accidents. The president added that 'any American who has driven a heavy truck for our military will automatically be eligible for a commercial driver’s license.' He did not give details on the proposal. Mr. Trump’s remarks, made during a military investment summit in Carlisle, Pa., appeared to reflect a broader administration push to curtail immigrant commercial licenses, including for legal residents. In March, about 200,000 immigrant drivers who had authorization to live and work in the United States lost their licenses.”

Donald Trump, Serial-Killer-by-Proxy. Isaac Arnsdorf & Ted Hesson of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump came to the defense of immigration agents whose enforcement surge led to three deaths in the past week, countermanding Tuesday’s suspension of traffic stops that was imposed to contain the damage. The latest reversal underscored the White House’s bind between delivering on a core campaign promise for mass deportations and the deadly consequences of its enforcement operations, repeating a cycle of escalating arrests and recoiling from the political fallout. 'The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done,' Trump said of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a social media post on Wednesday morning. 'We CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What this murdering megalomaniac is saying is that it's okay to kill people who look as if they could be driving while immigrants -- so, you know, practically everyone, and certainly everyone whose skin has more color to it than Trump's pasty-white. And listen up, Republicans: this is a reminder that if you support Donald Trump, you are complicit in every cruel and unusual punishment he endorses and encourages. This is on you. ~~~

~~~ Brittany Gibson & Alex Isenstadt of Axios: "Late Tuesday at the White House, a livid ... [Donald] Trump complained to advisers about the Department of Homeland Security's decision to pause the type of vehicle stops by ICE agents that had led to two fatal shootings in the past two weeks.... By Wednesday morning, Trump had sent a Truth Social post reversing the pause, leaving DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and border czar Tom Homan to try to explain.... By Wednesday evening, the vehicle stops were back and Mullin and the White House were insisting they were 'on the same page.'...

"The initial pause on vehicle stops came soon after a plea from Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R), in light of the shooting of Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine on Monday. Collins and Maine Sen. Angus King (I) both said Mullin, a former Oklahoma senator, had been in frequent contact with them — a contrast to [Mullin's predecessor Kristi] Noem, who was criticized by officials from both parties for being unresponsive to Congress. Mullin also has avoided responding with the same fervor as Noem to use-of-force incidents involving ICE or Customs and Border Patrol agents. Noem often drew criticism by immediately defending officers before any investigations were done, in some cases insulting the victims." 

~~~ David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: It's not easy being Markwayne. ~~~

~~~ Radley Balko, in a New York Times op-ed: “The dehumanizing, often explicitly racist language this administration has used with respect to immigrants is an unacceptable breach of a free and democratic society. The dangerous policing tactics the White House has encouraged and defended, essentially telling officers that they’re above the law, and continuing to provoke unnecessary harm and death are morally repugnant. Congress must put a stop to it all.... In 20 years covering policing, I’ve never seen a government agency thumb its nose at the very concept of justice, rights and the rule of law the way D.H.S. and ICE have over the last 18 months.” Balko suggests some steps Congress could take to improve the situation. Some sound pretty far-fetched and unworkable. 

Blame the Victim, Ctd. Kash Is on the Case! David Goodman of the New York Times: “The F.B.I. is investigating whether drugs were inside a van last week when immigration agents killed the van’s driver [-- Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52 --] during an encounter in Houston, according to a search warrant application signed by a federal judge on Tuesday. A copy of the warrant application ... described the search for 'controlled substances' and included photographs of small bags inside the vehicle, a white Ford Transit cargo van.... [Mr. Salgado Araujo had] three other passengers when agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement began following them.... Neither Mr. Salgado Araujo nor the other men in the car were the intended target of the immigration enforcement action.... Drugs were not the reason for the encounter, and there has been no indication that agents pursuing the van that day suspected drugs were present. There has also been no prior suggestion that Mr. Salgado Araujo or the others in the van had been involved with drugs or had any relevant criminal history.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Goodman writes, “It was not immediately clear why the van had not been searched earlier, or whether the agents who obtained the search warrant found any drugs inside the van on the day of the shooting. A spokesman for the F.B.I. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” Chalk it up to a combination of (1) ICE's history of blatant thuggery, and (2) my watching too many police procedurals on the teevee -- but I wouldn't be surprised if ICE agents planted “the four bags were visible through the windows, and three bags were seen in the middle of the dashboard.” As the Times might put it, it would be “unusual” for a drug dealer to display his wares on the dashboard of his vehicle for any passerby to see. I doubt this is dealers' go-to advertising technique.

Marie: I'm tellin' ya, this is not how a normal person stands (stressing the hinges on his heels so far he looks as if he could tip over) nor how a normal person gestures (sorry, westcoastman, but thanks for your input). Is Trump from another country where different postures and gestures are the norm? Or from another planet? 

Kash Is on the Case! Maggie Haberman & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: “The F.B.I. has sought to speak with several people who traveled aboard the Qatari-gifted plane that ... [Donald] Trump flew on to Turkey last week, including asking some to turn over their mobile phones, as part of a leak investigation into reporting by The New York Times, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Among those whom investigators have tried to reach are members of the U.S. Secret Service who accompanied Mr. Trump on the trip.... The effort to obtain information from government officials comes after the administration served subpoenas on several Times reporters on Friday night.... Administration officials have said that the investigation, which is being led personally by Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, and the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is aimed at identifying anyone who shared information about security concerns related to the new Air Force One, which was the subject of two Times articles last week.” ~~~

~~~ Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: “The New York Times filed a motion on Wednesday to quash subpoenas issued by the Trump administration to several of its journalists last week. The Justice Department subpoenas, which were delivered Friday evening by federal agents who showed up at reporters’ homes, sought to compel the Times journalists to testify about their confidential sources before a federal grand jury in Manhattan. The reporters had recently published articles that disclosed security concerns about ... [Donald] Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One jet. In a statement on Wednesday, David McCraw, The Times’s top newsroom lawyer, called the subpoenas 'abusive and improper' and said they had been 'brought in bad faith to punish The Times for its coverage.... They violate the constitutional rights of The Times and its journalists,' Mr. McCraw wrote.” Update: the link has been changed to one that appears to be a gift link.

Perry Stein & Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: “Acting attorney general Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement officer continues Thursday morning, with testimony from supporters and critics.... Liz Oyer, the Justice Department’s former pardon attorney who was fired by Blanche last year, is slated to testify against him, as is a woman who has accused convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein of abuse.... Committee members spent hours on Wednesday grilling Blanche under oath, pressing him on his tenure as deputy attorney general and then acting attorney general under ... Donald Trump.... Here’s a recap of what unfolded during the first day of Blanche’s confirmation hearing.”

Lawrence O'Donnell has quite a good overview of the Senate's "performance review" (as Sen. Corey Booker put it) of Todd Blanche's tenure at the DOJ: ~~~

Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: “The fate of Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general remained uncertain on Wednesday after a rocky confirmation hearing in which a Republican senator raised serious questions about his role in creating a $1.8 billion fund for purported victims of Justice Department persecution. The senator, John Cornyn of Texas, who was defeated by a Trump-backed opponent in a primary election, grilled Mr. Blanche about the fund and a related agreement granting ... [Donald] Trump and his family sweeping immunity from tax investigations.... After the hearing, he said he had not made up his mind [about whether or not to confirm Blanche]. Even a single Republican 'no' vote on the Judiciary Committee would block Mr. Blanche’s nomination from consideration by the full Senate.... A second lame-duck Republican on the committee, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, is also undecided but has said he is leaning toward voting 'yes.' Mr. Blanche’s confirmation is somewhat symbolic. He could serve in an acting capacity for the remainder of Mr. Trump’s term.” Update: the link has been changed to one that appears to be a gift link.

Here's the New York Times liveblog of the Senate confirmation hearing of Todd Blanche. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ At the same time, the Times ran a liveblog that includes developments in the Senate confirmation hearing of SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, whom Trump has pegged to be the new Director of National Intelligence. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ana Swanson & Ana Ionova of the New York Times: “The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it would impose a new 25 percent tariff on Brazil next week, arguing that the country had adopted a range of unfair trade practices against the United States. The tariff will apply to thousands of Brazilian products, but will exempt several major categories of exports, including oil and gas, beef, coffee, oranges, and aircraft parts. The tariff will apply to Brazilian ethanol, a senior administration official said, and take effect next Wednesday. The administration put a 40 percent tariff on many Brazilian exports last year. But ... [Donald] Trump walked some of the tariffs back in an executive order in November after a meeting with Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Then in February, the Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Trump’s use of an emergency law to impose those tariffs was unlawful, forcing him to remove the remaining tariffs on Brazil and other countries. The administration imposed a 10 percent tariff on almost all imports as a stopgap measure, but that tariff will expire this month.”

Evidently when you work for a criminal like Donald Trump, it's almost impossible not to get in on the grift, one way or the other. ~~~

~~~ Marie: A few days ago, I scanned a Washington Post story by Joanna Slater about JayDee Vance's conversation with a podcaster in which JayDee reflected on how “his lifestyle was 'totally transformed' after taking office, noting that he flies on his own plane, never goes to the grocery store and has an 'army of people' willing to 'cook me my food.'” He feigned concern that all of the perks could cause him to become “an entitled a[ss]hole,” and he said his dear, departed grandmother “would want him not to 'get too big for my britches.'” Republished by MSN here. I didn't see much point to the report, because in most cases what JayDee says is irrelevant, so I didn't link it. But that was wrong. Because now this: ~~~

     ~~~ Entitled Asshole Orders Helicopter to Take Child to Golf Lesson. Carol Leonnig & Vaughn Hillyard of MS NOW: “On Thursday last week, Secret Service agents groused among themselves as they prepared to deliver another perk to Vice President JD Vance’s family: join a military helicopter crew to fly his young son to his golf lesson. The planned trip on Marine Two ... was canceled at the last minute due to severe thunderstorms and high winds in the Washington, D.C., area that day.... But ... agents have shared concerns internally about Vance and his office pressing them for trips and assignments that some agents consider an inappropriate or even unprecedented use of government resources compared to prior vice presidents.... The agents pulled in to protect Vance and his family have also become 'fed up' with the last-minute travel demands that Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, frequently place on the security team.... There’s no formal Secret Service policy prohibiting the use of a government helicopter for transporting a vice president’s child to a local event, but former and current Secret Service supervisors agreed the request for a chopper for this purpose has no precedent.”

~~~ Corey Johnson of ProPublica: “Despite regulating broadcast media, FCC commissioners have accepted pricey tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala from CBS or its parent company, now Paramount... Ethics experts say that by accepting the gifts, FCC commissioners are compromising the agency’s impartiality and should avoid acting on Paramount’s pending merger.... After voting for a Paramount merger, Commissioner Olivia Trusty took tickets worth over $12,000. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has accepted tickets worth at least $63,000.” Thanks to RAS for the link.

“Precious Bodily Fluids.” Greg Jaffe & Azeen Ghorayshi of the New York Times: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday a new mandatory screening program to test all service members age 30 and older, including women, for testosterone deficiency annually. Hormone treatment for troops with low testosterone will be voluntary. 'Our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter,' Mr. Hegseth said in a video from his Pentagon office. 'We have a sacred duty to maintain that advantage.' The goal, he said in a social media message accompanying the video, was a 'High-T Department of War.'.... Mr. Hegseth’s focus on testosterone levels at a moment when U.S. forces are ramping up attacks in Iran is unorthodox. Defense secretaries typically focus on larger strategic questions, involving alliances, war and weapons production.” Update: I've found what I think is a gift link to this article, which is a good thing, because you really have a right to know what a lunatic Hegseth is. A Guardian story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The other day (July 14), Akhilleus wrote an excellent takedown of the NYT's near-uncanny ability to normalize the abnormal. Most people -- as opposed to Stanley Kubrick's parodic fictional characters -- would call Drunk Pete's testosterone fetish insane; the Times calls it "unorthodox." The article Akhilleus cited was also about Pete's misogynistic orders, which the reporter called "unusual." The author of that report was Greg Jaffe, the lead writer on the "High-T" report linked here. Also, I know military personnel give up many of their individual rights in service of their country. But checking their testosterone levels? No exceptions? That seems mighty far up the ladder on the invasion-of-privacy scale. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm not high on either Frank Bruni or Bret Stephens, and of course they're on the opinion side of the paper rather than the reporting side so they have much wider berth to criticize. But in their "Conversation" about The Misadventures of Donaldeus, they do manage to find quite a few adjectives and metaphors that beat "unusual" and "unorthodox." (I don't read either Bruni or Stephens often, but Bruni has become a better writer than he was in days of yore, so good for him.) 

Danny Hakim & Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: “The Trump administration fired a federal prosecutor on Wednesday, less than an hour after he was appointed to lead the United States attorney’s office in Seattle, a move that sets the stage for a likely legal battle. Federal judges in the Western District of Washington had unanimously appointed Roger Rogoff to be the Justice Department’s top official there, filling a vacancy that the president has never addressed. But the Trump administration has largely defied attempts by federal judges to fill vacancies, leading to Mr. Rogoff’s swift dismissal, via email, after 54 minutes. Unlike in similar Trump administration firings, Mr. Rogoff has retained an employment law firm and is weighing a legal fight over his dismissal. Such a challenge would almost certainly entail a lengthy, difficult court battle and raise the extraordinary prospect that a U.S. attorney could operate quasi-independently of the Trump administration.”

Kash Is on the Case! Devlin Barrett & David Fahrenthold of the New York Times: “An F.B.I. evidence-gathering team visited the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Wednesday afternoon after the landmark was drained so that crews could repair peeling sections of its newly installed blue lining. Photos taken by a New York Times photographer showed people wearing F.B.I. insignia and standing on the dry, grime-covered pool floor. They appeared to be documenting the scene in detail, with some using laser-scanning and measuring equipment. A spokesperson for the F.B.I. said that the team was assisting the U.S. Park Police in investigating damage to the pool.... The contractor that applied the liner, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, has said that the problems affected only a 'very small part' of the pool’s floor. The company said on its website that it intended to repair the pool as part of the warranty.” ~~~

     ~~~ Ha Ha. “American Flag Blue” Turns Confederate Army Gray. AP, published in the Guardian: “The newly drained Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool’s bottom surface has noticeably faded since it was lined with a protective coating in a color Donald Trump called 'American flag blue' this spring. An Associated Press reporter and photographer viewed the fenced-off reflecting pool on Wednesday from the top of the Washington Monument. The new liner appears grayer than when the pool was repainted and refilled with water in early June. Debris that had been visible earlier this week after the pool was drained is now largely gone, after work crews removed it.... Trump has said, without citing evidence, that vandals made a '350-foot gash' in the liner and caused other problems. No large slash marks were immediately visible on Wednesday from the Washington Monument view. It was not possible to make a more up-close inspection of the entire pool due to a dark fence surrounding the perimeter.”

Julia Jester & David Rohde of MS NOW: “Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host delegations from 65 countries Thursday for a summit on what the Trump administration describes as a resurgence of far-left political terrorism. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller are expected to attend. 'Far-left political terrorism is a real and transnational threat that has existed for decades but is now experiencing a resurgence,' Rubio is expected to say in his opening remarks, according to prepared excerpts obtained by MS NOW. 'Left-wing extremists operate across borders, maintaining the capability to train, recruit, establish digital infrastructure, fundraise and strike across different countries. The transnational nature of the threat requires an international response.' Civil liberties groups in the U.S. say they fear that Rubio’s gathering — informally called the 'Antifa summit' — is part of a broader Trump administration’s broader effort to target protesters they view as left-wing extremists.”

Gina Kolata of the New York Times: “The Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill on Thursday that can lower cholesterol levels far below what can be achieved with statins, the cheap cholesterol-reducing pills. The drug, enlicitide, whose brand name is Lipfendra, is made by the pharmaceutical company Merck. Clinical trials have shown that it can bring levels of LDL — the dangerous type of cholesterol — down to 50 or 60 or even lower. Adults not taking cholesterol-lowering drugs usually have levels above 100. It works by inhibiting a protein known as PCSK9. New cholesterol guidelines issued by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology say that people who have an above-average risk of heart attacks or strokes should get their LDL levels below 70. Those at high risk because, for example, they have had a heart attack, should get their LDL below 55. Lipfendra’s list price will be $315 for a 30-day supply, and it will be available in a few weeks, said a Merck spokeswoman....”

Annie Karni of the New York Times: “The House on Wednesday rejected a measure to eliminate U.S. aid to Israel, but almost half of Democrats supported the move, reflecting a rapid and dramatic shift within the party away from decades of unequivocal support for the Jewish state. The measure, which sought to cut all $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel from a foreign affairs spending bill, failed by a vote of 104 to 314, with 10 voting 'present,' and all but one Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a sponsor, voting no. But more Democrats supported it than opposed it, including many who said they voted in favor despite their opposition to the cuts to humanitarian aid. It was the latest and starkest evidence of a major divide over backing Israel within the Democratic Party, which is grappling with a groundswell of hostility in its ranks toward Israel and its conduct of the war in Gaza.” Politico's story is here.

Lindsey Bever & Aaron Stekelberg of the Washington Post: “The U.S. government is trying to make daylight saving time permanent — again.... But research suggests that daylight saving time is worse for your body than standard time. That early-morning sunlight during standard time is key to maintaining our circadian rhythms, sleep-wake cycles and overall health. Taking it away permanently could lead to chronic circadian misalignment, which has been associated with sleep loss, and over time, an increased risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mood disorders and, in some studies, certain types of cancer.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Somebody set me straight: does this argument make sense? Let us assume that the research is correct and getting more morning sunlight is better for your health. If early morning sunlight during standard time is better for your health, doesn't getting up and going to work or school earlier -- as one must under DST -- expose you to more early morning sunlight?

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Judson Jones & Mark Walker of the New York Times: “New York City on Wednesday night smelled of smoke and the sky turned a faint orange as air polluted by wildfires from Canada and the Great Lakes slipped across the Northeast, prompting alerts about poor air quality. The haze is expected to continue through the night, and even to worsen in some places, as the same heat dome that is pushing temperatures close to 100 degrees across much of eastern Canada and the United States traps the smoke from faraway wildfires close to the ground. Canada’s weather agency was predicting that poor air quality from the smoke will remain through Wednesday night, forecasting a 'very high risk' for poor air quality, a 10 on their 10-point scale.” MB: The article includes a map that shows my neck of the woods has good air quality this morning. In fact, the sun is shining upon my sunporch. That was not true yesterday, when I posted this: ~~~ 

Q: How's the weather in New Hampshire today?
A: Lovely, lovely. It was forecast to be a scorcher today on account of climate change, but the last couple of days have been 10 or 15 degrees cooler than predicted because the sky is so overcast with smoke particles from the wildfires in Canada, which are -- in part -- caused by climate change.

Texas. Here's a heartwarming -- and amazing -- Washington Post story of an off-duty Texas firefighter who saved the lives of three children who were trapped underwater beneath a capsized pontoon boat. 

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Ukraine. Cassandra Vinograd, et al., of the New York Times: “Ukraine’s ousted defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, issued a fervent defense on Thursday of his efforts to modernize the Ukrainian military and directly attacked the country’s top general.... At a news conference in Kyiv, the capital, Mr. Fedorov said that he had urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to remove his primary antagonist in the military hierarchy, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander in chief, but that the president declined. Mr. Fedorov, who clashed repeatedly with Mr. Syrskyi while championing a high-tech vision of warfare dominated by drones, accused the commander in chief of 'blocking all of our initiatives.'... Thousands of people rallied in cities across Ukraine to demand a reversal of Mr. Fedorov’s dismissal just six months into his tenure. The protesters were dismayed that Mr. Zelensky had ousted his defense minister just as many military analysts said the war had turned in Ukraine’s favor. The shift is more marked than any since the conflict’s first months, when Russia endured a series of defeats.” The link appears to be a gift link.