August 11, 2026

Annie Laurie of Balloon Juice embedded quite a few takes on Catering Cart 1. Here's one: 

I’ll have the chicken. Youre in luck, there’s one left.

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— David Waldman (@kagrox.bsky.social) August 10, 2026 at 10:20 PM

     ~~~ Ian Boudreau announces, "Sorry the president is not available right now, he is having himself Doordashed across the runway." Thanks to RAS for the link to Laurie's post.

Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: “A judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay more than $250,000 to a jazz musician who pulled out of a performance after the venue’s board voted to rename the building for ... Donald Trump. D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya Jones Bosier on Monday ordered the center to pay $252,000 in legal fees and costs to lawyers for Chuck Redd, who for years had played at the center’s annual Christmas Eve concert. Last year, Redd had been in talks with the venue’s staff to perform but declined to sign a contract. He told the center he chose to bow out because of 'the defiant and illegal name change happening to the Kennedy Center.' The Kennedy Center sued in March, alleging Redd had breached his contract by withdrawing from the concert. But in June, Jones Bosier tossed the lawsuit, determining that center officials failed to show they had made a legally binding agreement with him.” 

Raymond Zhong of the New York Times: “The Trump administration has pulled federal funding for an annual report chronicling the changing environment of the Arctic, where rapid warming is upending ecosystems, reconfiguring trade routes and scrambling Great Power strategy. Every year for the past two decades, the Arctic Report Card has provided a checkup on the health of the region, which is heating up at several times the pace of the rest of the globe. Sea ice has dwindled. Snow cover has shrunk. Glaciers are thinning out. Tundra vegetation has grown more abundant, leading to wildfires that burn through huge areas. Now, the report’s coordinator and publisher, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is withdrawing its support for the report card. In a statement on Tuesday, Kim Doster, the agency’s director of communications, didn’t provide a reason.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Correct answer, Kimbo, is "Because the President of the United States is on a time travel trip back to the 20th century -- even the 19th century -- before most people were aware of the scientific acknowledgment and measurement of man-made climate change. We are living in the fantasy world of the Dear Leader, people, and you must come to terms with that. Next question." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, Donald Trump seems to be taking the banana republic route to realizing his imperial aspirations. Rachel Maddow has the outlines of a theory: ~~~

Hmm. RAS has some rather wicked commentary in today's thread. Fer instance, RAS seems to be calling the peculiar old fellow to your left "The Leaning Tower of Feces." Of course, we're not the only ones who have noticed the weird posture of said Leaning Tower. Here's "The Daily Show" a full six years ago. ~~~

~~~OR, as some Internet wag observed, "Dude thinks he's Michael Jackson:" 

 

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Iran Forced Trump to Huddle in Catering Truck on the Ankara Tarmac. Dan Lamothe, et al., of the Washington Post: “An Iranian assassination threat against ... Donald Trump prompted an extraordinary operation last month in which he flew secretly from Turkey on an alternate military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One, The Washington Post has learned. The clandestine mission, which has not been reported previously, was carried out unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff members who believed they were on the same plane as the president.... In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras. He was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies preflight.... That made Air Force One a 'decoy' with media and some White House staff aboard....” The link is a gift link. MB: Yeah, and that meant everybody on that decoy plane was a sitting duck. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times headline is great, especially when you remember that Trump insisted on a rush job to groom the Trojan Horse update the Qatari jet so he could show off with glittery splashes coming to and leaving the NATO summit. The headline begins, “Trump Hid in a Catering Container....” Maggie Haberman, et al.: “Top administration officials engaged in an elaborate deception to spirit ... [Donald] Trump out of Turkey during the NATO summit there last month, transporting him in a catering container to a military jet because of a threat against him and Air Force One from Iran, two senior U.S. officials said on Monday.... The threat led the White House to purposely mislead reporters assigned to cover Mr. Trump, leaving journalists to report that he was traveling on board a plane that was being used as a decoy.... Mr. Trump and other officials had said publicly that he would be leaving Turkey on July 8 aboard one of the older versions of Air Force One rather than a luxury 747-8 donated by Qatar that he had flown in on. Mr. Trump told reporters at the time that he was making the switch for 'old time’s sake.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Chris Geidner, the Law Dork: “This is a story about Trump’s Qatari-donated 'new' Air Force One, the  'old' Air Force One, and a secret third plane (identified by the Post as 'an Air Force C-32A'). It’s also a story about the way the Trump administration lies to the public and to the press, as well as how senior administration officials — up to and including Trump — might have been willing to go so far as to put the lives of others, including members of the media, at risk. Finally, it’s a story of how the Trump administration quickly went on the offense in the aftermath of the 'ruse' — subpoenaing some of the first reporters who dove into what was happening.... If, as the Times ... reported, the Trump administration 'purposely misle[d] reporters assigned to cover Mr. Trump, allowing the press to report that he was traveling on board a plane that was being used as a decoy,' then it appears that the Times is reporting that it believes the Trump administration purposely misled reporters to publish information that the administration believed could make those reporters the target of an attack.” MB: Exactly. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Read on. After Trump, reporters and others were transferred to the “new” AF1 in the U.K., Trump took about 15 minutes of questions. “'So, you’re saying there wasn’t a security threat,' [a] reporter [asked in a follow-up question]. 'No, no, why would there be,' Trump replied.... [After more Q&A], asked if he was aware of any credible threat against Air Force One, Trump said, 'I have a threat all that time. I’m number one on their list, but if I go, you go.' When the reporter pressed again, asking if there was any specific threat that day, Trump did not answer — instead asking a different reporter if he had a question.” The POTUS* and the responsible agencies put crew, reporters and others onboard the decoy plane at particular risk -- while misleading these people/decoys into believing they were taking only the usual risks of flying with the POTUS*. I find that unconscionable. If I were a young reporter and was informed I was going to become a decoy to spare Old McDonald, I most likely would have opted out, even if it cost me my job. No crap job shouting questions at a lying liar is worth getting blown to bits. ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Benen of MS NOW Connects the Dots: “By any objective measure, the Qatari-donated Air Force One was already a legal, political and ethical mess, which grew vastly worse last month.... The New York Times published a ... report three weeks ago that highlighted the plane’s deficiencies, which were visible to the naked eye. Frank Kendall, the former Air Force secretary who supervised the presidential plane modernization project, told the Times soon after, 'Time didn’t permit all the normal Air Force One modifications, so some mix of security, communications and support is missing.' He added, 'Frankly, I’m surprised to see this plane used outside the U.S.' Weeks later, Kendall also told the newspaper, 'People need to be aware it has a lot of shortfalls compared to Air Force One; they do add a measure of risk.' [And Then] The Wall Street Journal reported: 'Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revoked the security clearance of ... [Frank Kendall] for allegedly leaking classified information about Air Force One. […].  Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell..., in a post on X..., referenced 'classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities.'” Read on. ~~~

     ~~~ Nicholas Riccardi & Konstantin Toropin of the AP, published by Yahoo! News: “Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Monday said he'll sue to force the Trump administration to restore his security clearance, which it revoked Friday after claiming he had disclosed sensitive information about the Qatari-gifted jet now serving as Air Force One. Kendall, a West Point graduate who served as President Joe Biden's head of the Air Force, said on CNN Monday that he'll sue the administration, noting it has a history of retaliating against critics by stripping their clearances.”

Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: Previously-classified documents that the White House recently released “shed new light on an often overlooked aspect of the swirl of events surrounding [Donald] Trump in his first months in office in 2017: the [F.B.I.]’s remarkable decision to open a separate counterintelligence investigation into the president of the United States, and how that inquiry was sidetracked before it had much of a chance to get going.... Here is a look at what we know now, based on the new documents and interviews with former federal law enforcement officials, about what happened.” The link is a gift link. 

Trump Leans into His Islamophobia Thang. Akayla Gardner & Nnamdi Egwuonwu of MSNOW: “During an event in the Oval Office, [Donald] Trump was asked by a reporter what recommendations he would give GOP candidates running in November’s midterm elections. 'A friend of mine called up. He said, “You know, really, you should use the word jihadist because that’s what’s happening,’” he recalled. 'We have jihadists being elected all over the place. We have this whether it’s communism, jihadism.'” MB: I guess the “communism” label he tried just didn't have the punch it had back when Joe McCarthy's former lawyer Roy Cohn was Trump's lawyer. Nice to know Republicans are focus-grouping such refined campaign messages. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ On a related note, Paul Krugman reminds us that claiming Democrats are jihadists, communists or socialists is silly partially because "much of U.S. healthcare is already socialist." MB: Not enough of it, IMO.  

     ~~~ The New York Times story is here. Its headline: “Trump Stokes Islamophobia by Calling Democratic Candidates ‘Jihadists.’” Zolan Kanno-Young: “Mr. Trump also delivered another tirade against people of Somali descent, saying: 'They’re not smart, they have no aptitude, they have nothing going, and they’re telling us how to run our country.'” The link is a gift link. MB: Here's a reminder you don't need of Trump's nauseating invocation of eugenics: he regularly says people of color, especially Black people, are “not smart.” In fact, “not smart” is open code language to tell his audience that the subject of his annoyance, whether an individual or a group, is genetically inferior to him. Trump has often boasted that -- unlike the “not smart” people -- he himself has “good genes” and he cites an uncle who was an MIT professor as some kind of proof that he too is a genius. It's straight out of Mein Kampf. 

Lena Sun, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration is preparing an executive order that would upend decades of federal guidance on which vaccines are administered to children and call for states to reconsider school vaccine requirements. Under the draft executive order obtained by The Washington Post, dubbed 'Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations,' the White House would divide vaccines into three categories and direct federal agencies to take steps to advance them. It calls for rethinking the long-standing practice of grouping vaccines to reduce the number of medical appointments parents of small children need to schedule.... Under the plan, vaccines against 11 diseases — including measles, mumps, rubella, polio and whooping cough — would be recommended for all children. Vaccines against several other diseases, including hepatitis A and B and meningococcal disease, would be recommended for certain high-risk groups or through shared decision-making between parents and doctors. Influenza and coronavirus vaccines would also fall into the shared decision-making category.... Trump is expected to sign the executive order as soon as Monday.... Trump has pushed officials to take additional steps to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule, citing his concerns about a debunked link between childhood vaccines and autism, The Post reported last week.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Aria Bendix & Erika Edwards of NBC News: "... Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday that aims to reduce the number of universally recommended vaccines for children — a move that reaffirms the dramatic overhaul Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this year, which has been blocked in court. Similar to that vaccine schedule change, the new order recommends dropping the list of diseases that all children should be vaccinated against from 18 to 11. The other shots would be recommended for high-risk groups or subject to so-called shared clinical decision-making between parents and their children’s doctors. The proposed changes, in theory, would not prohibit access to vaccines or limit insurance coverage. Rather, Kennedy said Monday that they are meant to give parents choices. The recommended childhood immunization schedule in the U.S. is not a mandate, though many schools and daycare centers follow the guidelines in crafting their own requirements." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Annika Constantino & Jacob Pramuk of CNBC: "... Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order backing fewer routine vaccines for kids, calling to whittle down the number of recommended childhood shots to 11 while falsely tying immunizations to autism. The order builds on the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the childhood shot schedule under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Yeah, well, you can believe Doctor Donnie the Bleach Guy And Roadkill Roberto OR you can follow the advice of expert doctors and scientific researchers: ~~~ 

     ~~~ Max Rego of the Hill: “The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics blasted ... [Donald] Trump’s Monday executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines. 'As measles cases reach a 35-year high in the U.S. and with cold and flu season quickly approaching, today’s executive order on vaccines is not only disheartening but dangerous,' Dr. Andrew Racine said in a release.... 'There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance,' he said. 'Dozens of studies involving millions of people show there is no link between vaccines and autism, and yet federal leaders continue to promote this outdated, disproven idea to scare families.'... He said the new recommendations are intended to 'sow confusion so that more people doubt the importance of vaccines.'”

     ~~~ Apoorva Mandavilli, et al., of the New York Times: “At an Oval Office event announcing the order, Mr. Trump suggested falsely that vaccines were linked to autism and that the combined measles, mumps and rubella shot could be lethal, among other claims.  While it is not clear yet whether the order has any legal power, experts said they were concerned that the statements from Mr. Trump, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others at the event would sow further doubt and confusion about the safety of immunizations. Here is what the evidence shows on some of those claims.” The link is a gift link. ~~~ 

     ~~~ AND Bill Cassidy Displays His Remarkable Arrogance. Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: “Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) blasted an executive order ... [Donald] Trump signed Monday that splits the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot across three separate visits. 'I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism,' Cassidy wrote on social platform X shortly after the order was signed. 'Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection, not fewer shots. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe.' Trump’s order follows a January effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to shrink the number of childhood vaccines, which was blocked by a judge in March.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Cassidy was the deciding vote to confirm the nomination of leading vaccine opponent RFKJ. He also voted to confirm Erica Schwartz as CDC director even after "she dodged questions about whether she could protect the agency from political meddling and push back if Kennedy asked her to take action that was not supported by scientific evidence." (From the Hill report.) And having learned absolutely nothing from these gross errors in judgment AND wanting to keep his resume nice enough to get himself a lucrative lobbying job, just this week, Cassidy made himself the deciding vote in confirming the ethically-, morally- and professionally-unfit Todd Blanche as attorney general. Expressing outrage over DHS's dangerous turn now is closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. What a wienie. 

David Fahrenthold of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Sunday said on social media that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s problems were caused in part by 'some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening.' It was a change in rhetoric for the president, who had spent weeks falsely blaming the pool’s problems on vandals.... In his social media post, Mr. Trump also conceded that there was 'no video or proof' to back up the assertions that vandalism damaged the pool. Still, he continued to blame one of the people who had been charged with vandalism, David Hearn, a former U.S. Olympian. Mr. Hearn had been charged with a felony by Ms. Pirro’s office, before his case was dropped.” Trump was furious at Pirro for withdrawing charges against Hearn and has urged her to revisit her decision to stand down. The link is a gift link. MB: Keep it up, Donald. I hope Hearn successfully sues you for a bundle. (Also linked yesterday.)

Julian Mark of the Washington Post: “Over the past few weeks..., Donald Trump has made it clear that he will not take Supreme Court decisions as the final word on some of his most cherished priorities. The president has introduced new tariffs, renewed efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook and issued new executive orders to limit birthright citizenship. While experts said the moves do not signal outright defiance of the high court, they nonetheless push the limits of the rulings that Trump lost earlier this summer.... The high court’s opinion affirming that nearly everyone born in the United States is a citizen does not allow Trump to create exceptions like some set out in his recent executive orders, [law professor Richard] Lazarus said. Those orders say children are ineligible for birthright citizenship if born to 'alien enemies,' foreign terrorists, foreign lobbyists or people who fraudulently request tourist visas in order to give birth in the U.S. In signing the orders, Trump referred to the Supreme Court decision on birthright citizenship, saying, 'We’re ending it a different way.'”

Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: “... despite the fervent media attention that [Donald Trump's] policy pronouncements and personal attacks on [his social media] site attract, traffic to the ... platform has fallen sharply this summer. Last month, the overall number of monthly visitors to Truth Social was down about 36 percent from a year ago, according to estimates by the online tracking firm Similarweb. Monthly visitors to the site fell by a slightly greater amount in June, compared with last year. By contrast, much bigger social media platforms such as X and Threads have posted higher numbers of visits this summer.” The link is a gift link. MB: I hope this translates to “MAGA enthusiasts give up on Trump.” (Also linked yesterday.)

We've Seen This Movie Before. Patrick Wintour of the Guardian: “Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis.... While Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution have never trusted the US, that animus is now also directed personally towards Trump. He not only tore up the painfully negotiated nuclear deal in 2018, but he sanctioned the assassination of the military leader Qassem Suleimani and twice involved Iran in negotiations on its nuclear programme only to launch wars against it. He shows no remorse for the killing of the country’s supreme leader, or for the attempt on the life of Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Madeleine Ngo, et al., of the New York Times: “The Trump administration is making an intense push to identify and deport noncitizens who registered to vote, even if they did so inadvertently or never cast ballots — an unusually aggressive approach that is helping it promote baseless claims that voter fraud is rampant. State audits and studies have repeatedly found that noncitizen voting is extremely rare, and there have been no instances in which their votes are known to have swayed an election. It is against federal law for noncitizens to register to vote or actually vote, and doing so can carry steep penalties, including jail time and deportation. In the past, the Department of Homeland Security has not aggressively tried to deport the relatively small number of noncitizens who unlawfully registered to vote, especially if they mistakenly signed up, according to immigration policy experts. But the Trump administration is taking a harder line in hopes of increasing deportations while also building a case that illegal voting has been underestimated.” The link is a gift link. People sometimes inadvertently register to vote when they apply for a driver's license or license renewal in states that have “motor-voter” laws.

Anna Liss-Roy & Rachel Roubein of the Washington Post: “Two Republican senators on Monday released the first in a trove of text messages from Anthony S. Fauci’s former government cellphone, including a discussion with health officials about whether the covid vaccine posed a risk for pregnant women. The messages were released by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who lead panels investigating Fauci.... The texts appear to show an exchange between Fauci and top health officials in January 2021 related to the safety of the covid-19 vaccine for pregnant women.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: These texts are public documents, and handled correctly, could provide insights into federal health officials' internal debates weighing risks of treatment, etc. Unfortunately, Johnson & Paul are a couple of right-wing hacks with no interest in productive inquiries and every interest in promoting anti-government (and in this case, anti-Fauci) agendas. 

Zachary Small of the New York Times: “Last week, a former senior museum executive [of the National Gallary of Art], Steven Nelson..., accused the National Gallery of 'soft censorship' after its leaders met with representatives from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Nelson said the changes were made to avoid provoking the White House after ... [Donald] Trump announced a ban on diversity initiatives at federally funded organizations. DOGE was reviewing the gallery because 80 percent of its $235 million operating budget is supplied by the federal government.” The link is a gift link.

Here's a rarity: a milestone to celebrate. AND it's a very big deal: ~~~

~~~ Dan McCarthy of Canary Media: "While the Trump administration is busy pointing out that the sun doesn’t shine at night, solar is breaking records around the world, including in sunny California. Solar panels produced 51% of California’s electricity in May, the first time the clean energy source surpassed the halfway mark for an entire month. The data counts both large-scale installations and the state’s bounty of rooftop arrays. This isn’t just a milestone moment for California; it’s a milestone for the entire world. Think tank Ember says the state is the globe’s first major economy to cross the 50% threshold. (Hungary, at 47% in June 2025, is knocking at the door, though it has a far smaller GDP.) Solar’s rise has helped California cut polluting energy sources out of its power mix. Natural gas is the only fossil fuel that California power plants burn at appreciable levels, and solar is steadily squeezing it out of the system." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This should be on the front page of every MSM outlet, not just in a niche publication. But good for Canary Media for reporting it.

Multibillionaire Demonstrates the Necessity of a Billionaires' Tax. Amanda Silberling of Tech Crunch: "Google co-founder Sergey Brin has donated another $20 million to Build a Better California, an organization advocating against California’s proposed billionaire tax, according to a new filing. That means that the world’s fourth-richest man, whose net worth hovers around $267 billion, has now spent more than $100 million to avoid an estimated $13.3 billion tax payment. California’s Prop 40, known as the billionaire tax, would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of around 200 billionaires that live in the state. The windfall from this proposed tax would mostly go toward funding California’s healthcare programs."

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New York. Benjamin Weiser, et al., of the New York Times: “Federal prosecutors on Monday charged the captain in a boat accident that killed a mother and daughter near Liberty Island over the weekend, as questions have emerged about the tour company’s safety history. The captain, Manuel Hernandez, 46, faces two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, according to a criminal complaint filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Federal investigators are focusing on what went wrong on Saturday night when the Yamaha AR210 boat Mr. Hernandez was piloting capsized shortly after 10 p.m. A 27-year-old woman, Sara Sanchez, and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella, died.... The vessel ... was carrying 14 people, which exceeded its maximum allowable capacity of 10.... The complaint says Mr. Hernandez operated the boat knowing that the 5-month-old girl was not wearing a personal flotation device, and that there was no such child- or infant-size device aboard.” The link is a gift link. 

New York City. Pied-à-Terre Tax Hits a Bump. Mihir Zaveri and Mark Bonamo of the New York Times: “Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration was dealt a setback on Monday when a judge paused the rollout of a contentious tax on the second homes of wealthy New Yorkers, forcing city officials to race to file a hasty appeal. The judge, Wayne M. Ozzi of State Supreme Court on Staten Island, granted a temporary restraining order requested by a group of homeowners who sued the city last week, arguing that the rollout was being mishandled. The halt did not last long: The city filed court papers on Monday evening saying it was appealing the ruling, a move that essentially blocked Justice Ozzi’s order from taking effect until a higher court weighs in.” The link is a gift link.

North Carolina House Race. Eduardo Medina of the New York Times: “Republican officials in western North Carolina on Monday selected a candidate to replace Representative Chuck Edwards on the November ballot. Mr. Edwards dropped out of the race last week after the House Ethics Committee documented his troubling conduct toward two young female aides. The new candidate, State Representative Jennifer Balkcom, will now have roughly 80 days to crisscross North Carolina’s sprawling 11th Congressional District and retain the seat for Republicans.... Even without scandal, Mr. Edwards had already been facing a competitive re-election contest. Jamie Ager, the Democratic candidate, has been making inroads in the district as a farmer with deep roots in a mostly conservative region that has shifted left in recent election cycles.... On Monday evening, Ms. Balkcom declined to answer questions from reporters.” The link is a gift link. 

     ~~~ Marie: Uh, refusing to speak to reporters 80 days out from an election is not a good look for a candidate. But, if local Republican party leaders have any sense, at least they may have picked a replacement candidate who has not made unwelcome advances toward young staffers. Maybe.

Ohio House Race. Alexei Koseff of the Washington Post: “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm for House Democrats, announced Tuesday that it is adding [Republican Rep. Max] Miller’s challenger, Brian Poindexter, to its priority 'Red to Blue' program. The designation, which has been given to 30 other candidates seeking to flip GOP-held districts in November, opens up additional party resources, strategic guidance and fundraising support for Poindexter, a union ironworker and city council member in a Cleveland suburb.... Poindexter’s promotion to 'Red to Blue' status comes a day after the window closed for Republicans to replace Miller on the ballot as their nominee in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, which stretches south from the Cleveland suburbs.” ~~~

~~~ Meredith Hill, et al., of Politico: “Members of ... Donald Trump’s political team asked Ohio Republicans last week not to wage a public pressure campaign against embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller, after they became increasingly convinced he wouldn’t end his reelection bid. Their engagement, according to three people granted anonymity to share direct knowledge of private conversations, came as Miller insists he has no plans to withdraw despite serious allegations of domestic abuse, which he denies. Before that, some White House officials and Republicans had urged Miller to drop out of his race for reelection.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It seems Trump always will stand up for an alleged abuser, even when more than one woman -- including a former Trump staffer -- have credibly accused the abuser. Now, that alleged abuse includes extreme violence against a toddler. It's stomach-churning.  

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Colombia. Julie Turkewitz, et al., of the New York Times: “A powerful earthquake rocked western Colombia on Monday morning, rattling much of the country and setting off a desperate search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings in several major cities. At least 111 people were killed and 87 others were injured, according to Colombia’s president, Abelardo De La Espriella, who said that at least 1,575 homes, 18 health centers and 52 schools had been damaged. The death toll was likely to rise as rescue crews and residents continued to dig through flattened buildings. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, was the strongest recorded in Colombia in the last decade, according to the Colombian Geological Survey. The agency said that two aftershocks with magnitudes of 2.8 and 4.8 had been recorded and that the quake was felt in neighboring countries, including Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela, which is still recovering from devastating twin quakes just weeks ago that killed more than 6,000 people.” The link is a gift link. 

Ukraine/Russia. Ivan Nechepurenko & Siobhán O’Grady of the New York Times: “A Ukrainian drone attack Monday on an industrial city about 550 miles east of Moscow was among the deadliest on Russian territory since the full-scale war began in 2022, demonstrating Kyiv’s growing ability to strike far beyond the conflict’s front lines. At least 13 people were killed and 39 others wounded in the strikes, according to the local mayor. Russian investigators said that civilian and industrial sites had been hit in the city, Nizhnekamsk, which is home to one of Russia’s largest and most advanced oil refineries. In a statement, the country’s Investigative Committee said a child was among those killed. Ukraine’s General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had struck the Taneko oil refinery, and that a fire had been recorded there. In recent months, Ukraine has systematically targeted Russian oil refineries to disrupt fuel supplies to the military and to civilian consumers, causing long lines at gas stations.” The link is a gift link.