July 30, 2026

Here's Lawrence O'Donnell on the U.S. Senate's Inquisition of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Well-worth hearing:

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Many of the stories in today's news revolve around Trump's retribution campaign against his perceived enemies: James Comey, Hillary Clinton, Anthony Fauci, federal judges, professors. Trump of course is not alone in his foolish obsessions, so he is joined by toadies and weirdos within his administration and without: the top DHS lawyer, Rand Paul & other GOP senators, etc. If you read the linked reports, you might ask yourself, "Would this have happened if Trump/Republicans were normal public servants interested in advancing good government outcomes?"

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: “U.S. forces on Wednesday night launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran, one night after Tehran launched a ballistic missile attack on U.S. military positions that were thwarted by air defenses, U.S. defense officials said. The strikes began about 8 p.m. Eastern time and ended about two hours later, officials with U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the region, said in statements. Dozens of targets affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were hit, Centcom said, 'including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities.'... [The U.S. attacks] stopped short of some recent threats ... Donald Trump made against Iran’s infrastructure, including bridges and power plants.” An Axios report is here. ~~~

~~~ Barak Ravid of Axios: Donald "Trump met Wednesday with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.... The meeting was added to the Saudi minister's itinerary after he met with Vice President Vance and told him that Saudi Arabia favors de-escalation with Iran — despite this week's joint U.S.-Saudi strike on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, a source familiar with the matter said.... 'The Crown Prince wanted to convey to Vance that the strikes in Iraq don't mean that Saudi Arabia is pro-escalation but rather that it is ready to defend itself if needed,' the source said." ~~~

     ~~~ Juan Cole in Informed Comment explains how Saudi Arabia is getting hit from all sides -- by Iran, by the Houthis & by “Iraqi Shiite militias ('Popular Mobilization Units').... If the Strait [of Hormuz] remains closed for the most part for another two months, a sudden and unprecedented shortage of gasoline and diesel could develop very quickly, especially if China comes back into the market. The war on Saudi oil facilities by the Houthis and the Iraqi PMF could exacerbate this looming catastrophe.”

"Show Trials All Around." Chris Hayes on what Donald Trump, his administration, Congressional Republicans & state teevee (Fox "News") are all about. Hayes highlights the Fauci hearing & the Great Seashells Caper.

The Great Seashells Caper, Ctd. Devlin Barrett & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “Secret Service agents who questioned the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey were told to quickly send a written summary of the interview to ... [Donald] Trump on Air Force One, according to a new court filing by Mr. Comey’s lawyers seeking to dismiss criminal charges over a social media post. The disclosure, included in internal government documents turned over to Mr. Comey, is one of the most glaring examples to date of the degree to which Mr. Trump now directs federal law enforcement actions. The records suggest his intense personal involvement in investigating his longtime nemesis and a sharp break from past practice in which the president remained removed from criminal inquiries.” The link is a gift link. The MS NOW report, by Carol Leonnig & others, is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ “Preposterous.” Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: “A May 2026 FBI interview with notorious mobster 'Sammy the Bull.' A text message from a disgruntled acquaintance misled by a Rudy Giuliani podcast. An actress’ late-night television routine. The strange tale that led to former FBI Director James Comey being prosecuted over a May 2025 photo of seashells arranged to read '86-47' grew stranger still Tuesday as his defense attorneys laid out what they contended were bizarre aspects of the federal investigation that resulted in him being indicted in April on charges of threatening to kill ... Donald Trump in an Instagram post. New details about the probe emerged in a fusillade of motions Comey filed late Tuesday to kill the criminal indictment, contending that it was rooted in Trump’s personal animus for the FBI chief he fired in 2017, and based on misleading evidence used to improperly obtain search warrants for Comey’s digital records....

“The bureau contended that Comey’s years prosecuting organized crime would have exposed him to that darker definition [of the number '86'] — and his decision to post the picture to Instagram represented a 'true threat' to Trump’s life.'... Prosecutors went so far to prove Comey’s violent intent that they interviewed Salvatore Gravano, better known as 'Sammy the Bull,' in May. Comey’s team said Gravano supported the notion that law enforcement officials would know the term '86' had a violent definition, but he added that mobsters wouldn’t use it because it would be too obvious.... Gravano also urged FBI agents to contact longtime prosecutor John Gleeson to corroborate the violent connotations of the expression. Comey’s team ... [obtained] a six-page affidavit from Gleeson.... “The claim that “86” is mafia jargon for “kill” is preposterous,' wrote Gleeson, who became a federal judge....” Of course there's more. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Here's Marcy Wheeler on the same subject. She fingers Todd Blanche. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ She was right to do so. From Jeremy Roebuck's Washington Post account of Comey's recent filings: “In April, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in part over his frustration with the pace of her efforts to prosecute his perceived political enemies. The defense documents Tuesday show that the investigation of Comey’s seashell post intensified shortly after her firing, under Bondi’s replacement and former deputy, acting attorney general Todd Blanche.”

     ~~~ Marie: No matter how the Senate confirmation vote on Todd Blanche goes down, he will never be more than Assistant Attorney General of the United States. The Real Attorney General will always be the Real Donald Trump. ~~~

~~~ Exhibit A. Devlin Barrett & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “Two days before Senate lawmakers were scheduled to vote on advancing Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve as attorney general, a million-dollar payout was announced for an anti-abortion activist he has called a victim of government weaponization by the Biden administration. The settlement given to Paul Vaughn, who was convicted by a Tennessee jury in 2024 of conspiring to prevent access to an abortion clinic, shows how the goal of a $1.8 billion fund announced in May can continue, despite a public retreat by Mr. Blanche. An already existing avenue for disbursing taxpayer money could allow him to assuage skeptical Republicans while fulfilling ... [Donald] Trump’s desire to pay people he believes were wronged by the Justice Department. Mr. Vaughn will receive a seven-figure settlement from the government, his lawyers said, making him among those aligned with the administration who have received a payout by an alternative means.... Mr. Vaughn, whom the president pardoned last year, has insisted he is innocent....” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Glenn Thrush & Michael Gold of the New York Times: “Republicans on Wednesday night postponed a critical vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general after two key G.O.P. senators threatened to derail it over a deal he cut to settle ... [Donald] Trump’s lawsuit against the I.R.S. The senators, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who are not returning to Congress next year, accused Mr. Blanche of refusing to put on paper his promise to kill aspects of the deal.... After a day of muddled wrangling, Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican who leads the [Judiciary C]ommittee, announced late Wednesday that the [committee] vote [on whether or not to confirm Blanche] had been postponed to allow negotiations to continue — and 'to secure sufficient support' for Mr. Blanche’s uncertain nomination, according to his spokeswoman.” The link is a gift link. Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bear in mind that because of Blanche's many reported transgressions, which include flat-out lawbreaking, no senator should vote for his promotion. He has demonstrated again and again that he cannot be our lawyer because, as he has said and let slip again during his confirmation hearing, he is Trump's lawyer. It's a screaming, five-alarm conflict of interest.

(Singapore) Straits Times: "... Donald Trump said he will ask the US Supreme Court to revive his failed lawsuit accusing Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and others of conspiring to tarnish his 2016 campaign with bogus claims of collusion with Russia. In a Supreme Court filing made public on July 28, the President requested an additional month, until Sept 9, to seek review of a November appeals court decision that upheld dismissal of the case and affirmed almost US$1 million (S$1.3 million) in sanctions against Trump and one of his lawyers.” MB: This appears to be a (plagiarized) copy of a firewalled Bloomberg News story. Since I can't access the Bloomberg story, I can't be certain; however, most of the wording of the lede sentences in both articles is identical.

Care to Roomba? Too Bad. Michael Can of PC Mag: "The US ban on foreign-made advanced robotic devices targets more than just futuristic humanoid machines. It also reaches into people’s homes by covering robot vacuums, too. The Federal Communications Commission today confirmed to PCMag that the newly announced ban, which stems from a White House order, covers both robot vacuums and robot lawn mowers. In announcing the ban, the FCC specifically named 'mobile robots, such as humanoids and quadrupeds.' However, an FAQ says the agency defines advanced robotic devices as 'a mechanical mobile device [that] is capable of locomotion, obstacle avoidance, navigation, or movement on the ground,' which sounds a lot like robot vacuums.... However, the US ban only covers new advanced robot models, not existing products that have already received FCC equipment authorization for sale in the US." ~~~

     ~~~ Here's a Politico story July 28) on the ban. 

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: Donald “Trump unveiled plans for a $22.5 billion redesign of Dulles International Airport at the White House on Wednesday, characterizing the reconstruction as part of his broader efforts to remake the Washington region. 'This transformation is another step in our ongoing efforts to make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful again,' Mr. Trump said, adding that the project would have bipartisan appeal, because 'whether you’re Republican or Democrat, you don’t want to go and be subjected to this airport.' Dulles Airport, which opened in the Virginia exurbs of Washington in 1962, has long been celebrated as an architectural landmark, thanks to the sweeping glass features of the main terminal, designed by the Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen. Mr. Trump called that terminal 'iconic,' and he said that it would be spruced up but preserved as part of the redesign.” The link is a gift link. This Washington Post story also was linked yesterday. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump's assurances here remind me of his assurances that he would leave the East Wing of the White House essentially intact even as he attached his Newport Beach-style monstrous ballroom to it. He had planned secretly for months (WashPo link) to tear down the East Wing, basement and all.

Edwin Eisendrath in Lincoln Square: Donald Trump is "using the powers invested in the office [of the presidency] for some other purpose. America has no president. In place of upholding that government of the people, as Lincoln described it, the occupier of that revered office leads an aggressive effort to roll back voting rights, civil rights, and even our freedom to choose what to read. He has ordered signs to be placed outside the Smithsonian to denounce the very idea that American history is somehow about our dedication to the task of finishing the work.... Instead of feeling the weight and responsibilities of leading our magnificent country, the man who redecorates the Oval Office with gold leaf sees only the tools of coercive power and the opportunities those create for personal enrichment. And enrich himself he has, in violation of the emoluments clause of the constitution. A mob boss does that. A president, by constitutional definition, does not."

Top DHS Lawyer Targets Judges. Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: “A senior Trump administration official is using his government social media account to name and attack sitting federal judges whose rulings he doesn’t like, sparking accusations that he’s putting their safety at risk at a time when judges are facing increasing threats of violence. James Percival, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, posted a series of messages on social media last week dubbed 'Worst of the Worst, District Judge Edition.' Borrowing the phrase “worst of the worst” from his department’s

description of undocumented criminal immigrants it wants to deport, Percival names four U.S. district judges, identifies the Democratic presidents who appointed them and condemns their decisions on immigration-related cases as if they’ve gone beyond the bounds of the law.

“The DHS counsel’s decision to name-check judges who make decisions not in favor of the administration — with promises to keep doing this — comes amid a horrifying spike in threats against sitting judges, and just two weeks after conservative Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett testified to Congress about the 'really high' level of threats against judges.... U.S. District Judge Esther Salas[, whose son was murdered by a pro-Trump, dissatisfied litigant who had appeared before her, said,] '... DHS’ counsel is, in essence, putting a bullseye on [the judges].'”

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: “Dr. Anthony S. Fauci refused on Wednesday to answer questions from a Senate committee investigating the origins of Covid-19, accusing the panel’s chairman of having an 'unhinged obsession with me' before invoking his constitutional right under the Fifth Amendment not to incriminate himself. 'On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution,' Dr. Fauci said repeatedly, as Republican members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee questioned him. Senator Rand Paul, the panel’s chairman, pointedly warned the scientist that there would 'be repercussions' for his refusal to answer questions. When a lawyer for Dr. Fauci, David Schertler, piped up to defend him, Mr. Paul ordered security to escort Mr. Schertler from the room. 'He was not invited to testify,' the senator later said. The decision not to testify marked the latest turn in the long-running battle between Dr. Fauci, who spent nearly four decades as the government’s top infectious disease expert, and Senator Paul, who accuses Dr. Fauci of funding research in China that sparked the pandemic, and then lying about it to Congress — accusations Dr. Fauci vehemently denies.” The link is a gift link. An NBC News report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times' live updates of the hearing are here. The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Would that Dr. Paul would show as much interest in the whereabouts of his erstwhile fellow Kentucky senator, Mitch McConnell. Mitch is a year younger than Dr. Fauci and has been MIA since mid-June. On another note, I recalled that near the end of his term, President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter, his sister Valerie & (more vaguely) "other" family members. I also recalled that he pardoned some "other" people, but I did not remember who those other people were. Here's one:

~~~ Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: “In his final hours in the Oval Office, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. issued Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, then the country’s top infectious disease expert, a pre-emptive pardon to shield him from what he expected would be retribution from ... [Donald] Trump and his allies. But the pardon only covers what transpired before it was issued on Jan. 20, 2025. And as Senate Republicans grilled Dr. Fauci on Wednesday about his management of the Covid-19 pandemic response, the risk that Republicans accusing him of making a misrepresentation to Congress could drag the retired 85-year-old immunologist into fresh legal battles appeared too great for him to take. Again and again, Dr. Fauci answered questions from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee by invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. The repeated refrain visibly angered Republicans, who accused him of being a 'megalomaniac' and, more critically, 'a liar,' given that lying to Congress is a federal felony.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Simon Levien, et al., of Politico: “Rand Paul says Anthony Fauci can expect consequences for the former Covid czar’s decision to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Paul’s Senate committee on Wednesday. 'It’s against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions for your refusal to testify,' Paul told Fauci.... Paul scheduled a vote of his Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Aug. 5 on a resolution declaring Fauci in contempt of Congress.” But Paul faces difficulties & complications in realizing his threats against Fauci. ~~~

~~~ Dr. Rachel Bedard in a New York Times op-ed: “Only Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, said anything insightful [during the hearing] — and that was about what the hearing represented about the state of politics in America, and the implications for trust and a functioning democracy. 'Right now, I feel the hyper-partisanship growing in this country in dangerous ways,' Mr. Kim said. 'People calling our public servants criminals,' he lamented, is 'undermining the very nature of the work of governance.' He’s right, of course; show trials are bad for democracy and do nothing to get us closer to either truth or consensus. Hanging over every conversation about what happened during the pandemic ... is anxiety about what might happen should we face a pandemic in the near future. In projecting all of a difficult era’s conflicts onto Dr. Fauci, Republicans evade the harder work of figuring out what we actually should learn from his, and our, mistakes.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yeah, well, that, and the fact that Republicans are always desperately flailing about for other people to blame for their own failings. Even though Trump was president when Covid landed in this country, even though all the decisions were his, including his badly-bungled early response to the virus, the GOP has tried to make Dr. Fauci the fall guy. (The linked document -- a Biden campaign press release -- also is highly partisan, of course, but the media citations within it are not. Heather Cox Richardson, in her most recent column covers some of the Trump-Fauci dynamic.) ~~~

~~~ Paul Krugman: "What the ongoing show trial of Fauci — which motivated this post — has really driven home ... is that what Trump and his supporters hate most of all is reality. They know what they want to believe. They fly into paroxysms of rage whenever someone points out that the world isn’t what they want it to be. And they always want to shoot the messenger." Krugman goes on to cite chapter and verse of how MAGA has literally gone totalitarian. " But anyone pointing out the obvious is, of course, a Communist." 

Hannah Natanson of the Washington Post: “A West Point professor and his colleagues will remain ungagged for now, after the military academy declined to appeal a judge’s ruling that barred the school from restricting professors’ public comments. The West Point policy, adopted early last year, says no professor can give a speech, publish a paper or speak on a podcast without seeking approval from their department head. School leadership announced it a month after ... Donald Trump issued an executive order forbidding military service academies from 'promoting, advancing or otherwise inculcating' ideas deemed 'un-American' or 'divisive.' In late 2025, West Point’s longest-serving law professor, Tim Bakken, sued the academy in federal court over the policy.... Last month, federal judge Cathy Seibel, a President George W. Bush nominee, issued an interim ruling saying West Point cannot enforce the policy for civilian professors while Bakken’s case proceeds. Seibel also barred West Point from preventing Bakken from sharing his personal opinions with students. The academy had until Monday to appeal her ruling, but it did not do so.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I doubt this is a case of West Point "deciders" suddenly attaining the wherewithal to stand up to Trump. I mean, some of these West Point deciders are probably people who have showed a lot more personal courage than I ever have. So it seems possible that what's happened here is another green shoot presaging a shift in the Trump effect: the would-be dictator is so unpopular (citation is H.C. Richardson's latest, also linked above) that even former supplicants are putting their oaths to the Constitution before their submission to his wishes. 

The New York Times has been liveblogging developments in the Federal Reserve meeting. From the pinned item at 2:10 pm ET: “The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept interest rates unchanged despite growing pressure to more directly tackle inflation after five years of overshooting the central bank’s 2 percent target. The Fed voted 10-3 to maintain rates at 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent, a level that has been in place since January. Beth M. Hammack of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Neel Kashkari of the Minneapolis Fed and Lorie K. Logan of the Dallas Fed dissented in favor of a quarter-point increase. The divisions underscore the tough spot the Fed finds itself in as it grapples with new sources of price pressures that are threatening to compound an already complicated inflation problem.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Alex Isenstadt of Axios: "Tech billionaire Elon Musk is jumping into the midterms with a huge investment in a plan to boost Republican voter turnout.... Musk is resuscitating his dormant super PAC, America PAC, which spent more than $260 million to help get ... [Donald] Trump elected in 2024." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: In case you missed Jamelle Bouie's account of what a lovely white nationalist Elon is, here's the (gift) link again. In general, you probably want to think twice before voting for the candidate a billionaire recommends. Elon is a special case; his recommendation should ensure our vote for the other guy.

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As Adam Serwer of the Atlantic laid out (linked yesterday), Republicans are obsessed with a warped concept of masculinity. Well, you sick bastids, here's manly times two: ~~~

~~~ Iowa Senate Race. Tim Balk of the New York Times: “Barack Obama, the only Democrat to win Iowa in a presidential election in the last quarter-century, famously loves basketball. Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee in the state’s high-stakes Senate race..., was a two-time Paralympic gold medalist on the U.S. men’s wheelchair basketball team. So for one of the former president’s first endorsements of the midterm elections, he appeared in an endorsement video shooting hoops with Mr. Turek, a centrist state lawmaker who is seeking to become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Iowa in more than a decade. Last week, Mr. Obama joined Mr. Turek at a gymnasium in Chicago, where they filmed a two-and-a-half minute video while playing a game of IOWA, a variation of HORSE, the shoot-around game.” The link is a gift link.  (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

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