August 12, 2026

Erica Green, et al., of the New York Times: “Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary and one of the most public-facing officials in the Trump administration, will step down to spend more time with her family, she and ... [Donald] Trump announced on Wednesday. In a social media post, Mr. Trump said that Ms. Leavitt, who recently returned from maternity leave after giving birth to her second child, would leave at the end of the month to spend time with her young children — a decision that he said 'I totally understand and respect.' He said Ms. Leavitt would become one of his 'top' outside advisers and called her 'one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.'... He did not name a replacement in his announcement, nor a timeline for naming one.... Ms. Leavitt’s departure comes at a critical time for the White House, as Mr. Trump faces multiple headwinds, foreign and domestic, and the midterm elections in November.... [Ms. Leavitt said in a social media post,] 'Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least.'...” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Let's be real. Leavitt's departure was abrupt and probably unexpected. It came about a day after the news of his elaborate airplane hoax broke. I mentioned the other day that "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." Leavitt is not only a young person, she has very young children -- one a newborn -- and a 60-year-old husband. Besides wanting to live out her own natural life, she certainly doesn't want her children to be orphaned. So I'll bet that when she realized Trump went to lengths to set her up as a decoy in order to save himself (and Trump girlfriend Natalie Harp's), it was easy for Leavitt decide "to spend more time with her family." ~~~

~~~ We've already established that Karoline Leavitt, who is still in her 20s, has gotten extensive plastic surgery to give herself the Mar-a-Lardo look. Now it appears that was not enough. AI/Photoshop to the rescue: ~~~

~~~  Vic Verbalaitis of the Daily Beast, republished by Yahoo! News: "Karoline Leavitt appears to have used AI-generated content in a statement announcing her departure from the White House.... Her hair, face, chest, and waist all appeared modified compared to a similar photo taken by Getty Images staff photographer Anna Moneymaker on July 15, 2025. Her hair appeared fuller, her cheekbones higher, her chin narrower, her waist slimmed, and her chest enlarged.”

Warren Strobel, et al., of the Washington Post: “U.S. intelligence officials were skeptical of an Iranian assassination threat against ... Donald Trump that was relayed by Israel and prompted an extraordinary clandestine maneuver that saw him secretly fly out of Turkey in an alternate military aircraft, current and former U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence said. The assassination threat was relayed by the Israeli government to the CIA, where analysts did not view the intelligence as compelling and conveyed that skepticism to Trump administration officials, one of the officials said. Another official called the reports of threats against Trump’s life 'Israeli-derived, not U.S.-generated, and viewed as low confidence.'”

Madeleine Ngo & Shaila Dewan of the New York Times: “The Trump administration plans to spend millions of dollars equipping immigration officers with gloves that can deliver electric shocks. The Department of Homeland Security described the gloves as a 'de-escalation device,' but critics have expressed alarm over equipping immigration agents with another tool that they say could actually escalate their use of force. The plans have also drawn concern from some former Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who have questioned use of the gloves against people accused of violating immigration laws, which are mostly civil offenses.... The G.L.O.V.E. is relatively new and untested; it has not been widely adopted by police departments, and some policing experts had not even heard of it before the news of the ICE contract broke.” The link is a gift link. MB: I linked a Hill story on this earlier Wednesday.

Ana Ley & Pranav Baskar of the New York Times: “A Guatemalan immigrant who had been taken to a troubled detention center in Newark last month experienced a medical emergency and died after having been transferred to a hospital, federal officials said on Wednesday. The man, Jose Chajon-Raxon, is the third immigrant to have died after being detained at the center, known as Delaney Hall, which reopened in May 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Mr. Chajon-Raxon had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and then taken to Delaney Hall on July 18.... The next day, a nurse saw him experiencing what appeared to be a seizure, the statement said. Medical workers were summoned, and Mr. Chajon-Raxon was taken to a hospital....” The link is a gift link.

Madeleine Rubin of the New York Times: “A federal agent on Monday brandished a gun at a Virginia woman who had shouted at him, according to videos of the encounter, the latest in a string of clashes between immigration agents and drivers. The woman, Carolina Molina, 36, said in an interview that around 3 p.m. on Monday, several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surrounded her car in a shopping center in Falls Church, Va., after she had yelled at them as they detained people on a sidewalk nearby. Ms. Molina had pulled into a parking spot and backed out and was driving through the center when agents encircled her, blocking her vehicle by parking cars behind and in front of her, a dashboard video shows. The agents repeatedly accused her of trying to run them over with her car and threatened to arrest her. But in videos captured from several angles, there is no indication that Ms. Molina had tried to harm the agents.... The agency did not provide any videos of the encounter or events leading up to it. Ms. Molina, whose videos do not capture events outside the shopping center, was not detained and has not been criminally charged.” The link is a gift link.

David Halbfinger, et al., of the New York Times: “Two Palestinian families have been trapped since Sunday inside their homes on a rocky West Bank hillside by a group of violent Israeli settlers, who set up a tent in the front yard of one of the houses. Residents say about 10 to 15 settlers have been attacking them around the clock, throwing stones and an ax. Early Wednesday morning, after news of the siege began to draw news attention, the Israeli army’s commander for the West Bank, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, showed up in the village of Qusra and listened as one of the families described how the settlers had been terrorizing them since January. Outside, his soldiers tried to disperse the settlers with tear gas. Yet, by 10:20 a.m., videos from security cameras show, the soldiers had left. Soon after, residents said, the settlers resumed their attacks.... The army’s initial retreat and broader struggle to contend with settler violence cast a spotlight on the increasingly chaotic situation in the West Bank, where hundreds of Israeli settlers have been terrorizing Palestinians with near-impunity all year.” The link is a gift link.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Marie: It's 10 am here in the East, I've been having technical difficulties. so I'm done. For now. There are some useful links -- and excellent commentary -- in today's Comments thread.

Primary Elections Results 

The front page of the New York Times currently has the results for key races in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Carolina and Vermont, which you can access without a subscription.  

Connecticut Gubernatorial Race. Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: “Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut easily overcame a primary challenge on Tuesday to earn the Democratic nomination for a third term, according to The Associated Press, defeating Josh Elliott, a progressive state lawmaker who ran on a platform of raising taxes on the wealthy. The A.P. called the race in favor of Mr. Lamont, 72, soon after polls closed at 8 p.m. Mr. Lamont, who was first elected in 2018, will face Ryan Fazio, 36, a Republican state senator from Greenwich, Conn., in the November general election. Should Mr. Lamont win, highly likely given his durable approval numbers and the state’s reliably blue voters, he will become one of the longest-serving governors in Connecticut history.” The link is a gift link.

Connecticut House Race. Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: “Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, defeated Representative John Larson in the Democratic primary in Connecticut’s First Congressional District, capitalizing on calls for generational change in the party. The victory by Mr. Bronin, a former Navy intelligence officer, unseated a 28-year incumbent and followed a series of victories by younger challengers in congressional contests in New York and Denver.” The link is a gift link.

Minnesota Gubernatorial Race. Dana Ferguson of Minnesota Public Radio: "An all-woman lineup will lead party tickets in November, with DFL [Democratic Farmer Labor party] and Republican voters opting for female candidates in the open governor’s and U.S. Senate races. Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Republican Lisa Demuth will face off in the governor's race. Barring something unforeseen, the winner would be the state's first female chief executive. Minnesota is among 19 states to never elect a woman to that post. And it's Democrat Peggy Flanagan versus Republican Michele Tafoya for U.S. Senate. The winner will replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith. The four nominees defeated primary challengers Tuesday to advance to November’s ballot. The primary saw the largest turnout in modern history, topping 1 million votes overall."

     ~~~ Trump-Endorsed My Pillow Guy Loses. Ernesto Londoño of the New York Times: “Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House, won the Republican primary for governor of Minnesota on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. She defeated Mike Lindell, who was endorsed by ... [Donald] Trump. The contest revealed deep fissures in Minnesota’s Republican Party, which has not won a statewide election since 2006. State party leaders openly despaired last month when Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Lindell, the MyPillow founder and a prominent election denier who they believed had virtually no chance of defeating the Democratic candidate, Senator Amy Klobuchar. Ms. Demuth, 59, a small-business owner, has represented a largely rural district in central Minnesota since 2019. In 2025, she became speaker of the Minnesota House, which is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.” The link is a gift link.  

Minnesota Senate Race. Tim Balk of the New York Times: “Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic primary race for Senate in Minnesota on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, defeating a centrist congresswoman in the latest victory for the party’s left wing. Ms. Flanagan, 46, campaigned as an anti-establishment fighter, calling for universal health care and a higher federal minimum wage. She prevailed over Representative Angie Craig, a moderate Democrat from a swing district, leading by nearly 20 percentage points with more than 95 percent of votes counted. In her victory speech, Ms. Flanagan signaled that she would focus on the rising cost of living in the general election, and reveled in winning a primary in which she had been heavily outspent by Ms. Craig.” The link is a gift link.

Minnesota House Race. Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: “Matt Little, a former mayor of Lakeville, Minn., and state senator, won the Democratic primary in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, scoring another victory for the party’s progressive wing in a district long considered to be a battleground area. The three-way race to replace Representative Angie Craig was seen as test of how liberal candidates can fare in more moderate, Midwestern areas. Mr. Little, who beat State Representative Kaela Berg and State Senator Matt Klein, centered his candidacy on promises to ban corporate money from politics and support for “Medicare for All.” He was critical of data centers and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group that has spent tens of millions on midterm races.” The link is a gift link.

South Carolina Senate Race. Trump-Endorsed Lindsey's Little Sister Forced into Runoff. Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: “Senator Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, advanced on Tuesday to the special Republican primary runoff for Senate in South Carolina, when she will face Representative Ralph Norman, a longtime hard-line conservative lawmaker, according to The Associated Press. The matchup on Aug. 25 will offer a sharp contrast in experience, though few policy differences. Ms. Graham, who stepped in to complete her brother’s Senate term after he died last month, has offered little in the way of specifics about her positions, other than to back ... [Donald] Trump and the Republican Party line. Mr. Norman is a five-term congressman and vice-chairman of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Alec Hernandez of Politico: “Sen. Darline Graham scored her first ever electoral win as a political novice on Tuesday night, advancing to a runoff with Rep. Ralph Norman. Now comes the hard part.” 

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Race. Kellen Browning & Julie Bosman of the New York Times: “Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, entered Tuesday evening’s Wisconsin primary for governor as the Democratic favorite, with a lead in the polls built on months of grass-roots organizing and a left-wing message that seemed to fit the moment of establishment unease. But David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, scored a razor-thin victory over Ms. Hong, showing the limits of the progressive movement and allowing mainstream Democrats to breathe a sigh of relief as they nominated a candidate perceived as more electable in a battleground state.” The link is a gift link. A NOTUS story is here. Politico's report is here.

Wisconsin House Race. Mack Liederman of the New York Times: “Rebecca Cooke, who raised millions of dollars for a campaign that drew support from high-profile Democrats nationwide, won the party’s nomination for Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District, according to The Associated Press. The district — which went for former President Barack Obama before ... [Donald] Trump won it the last three presidential cycles — is critical to Democrats’ hopes of winning back the House. The victory sets up Ms. Cooke, a moderate Democrat, to challenge Representative Derrick Van Orden, a hard-right Republican running for his third term who defeated her in 2024 by fewer than three percentage points.” The link is a gift link. 

Wisconsin House Race. Family Values. Mack Liederman of the New York Times: “Michael Alfonso, 26, clinched the Republican nomination for Wisconsin’s Seventh Congressional District on Tuesday in a crowded primary, according to The Associated Press, buoyed by the support of his father-in-law, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and the endorsement of President Trump. Mr. Alfonso, who has never held office, is likely to face little resistance in November in his quest to represent the same deeply Republican district in rural northern Wisconsin that Mr. Duffy represented for more than eight years. Mr. Trump won the district by at least 20 percentage points in each of the last three presidential elections.... 

“Mr. Duffy ... emptied $1 million from his old congressional campaign account to support Mr. Alfonso’s candidacy. A ProPublica investigation found that Mr. Alfonso had received donations from lobbyists, business executives and PACs connected to industries that Mr. Duffy’s department regulates.... Other Republican candidates in the race had questioned Mr. Alfonso’s residency in the district. Mr. Alfonso, who was registered to vote in Florida, registered again in Wisconsin shortly before Mr. Trump’s endorsement, according to Wisconsin Public Radio, listing his address as a Wisconsin cabin owned by Mr. Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a Fox anchor.” The link is a gift link.

Trump Signals His Plans: Steve Benen: While they were on-air, “a far-right conspiracy theorist pitched [Donald Trump] on the idea of unilaterally declaring a national security emergency for elections, despite the lack of an actual national security emergency, at which point Trump could theoretically impose wildly unnecessary voting restrictions on Americans by fiat and without congressional approval.... [As the far-right guy, Wayne Allyn Root, laid out the plan for Trump to take over the general election,] Trump interrupted [him] to say, 'Let me just say, stranger things have happened, OK? I’ll leave it at that.'”

MB Note: The Times has changed the URLs on the two stories linked next, and I have not been able to keep up with them. You get what you get: 

(1) Eric Schmitt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: “The Iranian threat that prompted ... [Donald] Trump’s secret Air Force One swap last month emerged as he was heading into his last day at the NATO summit in Turkey on July 8. According to two U.S. officials with knowledge of the threat, U.S. intelligence picked up multiple streams of information. They knew that there was a specific threat of a surface-to-air missile against Air Force One, meaning whichever plane was carrying the president, and that someone in the vicinity of the NATO summit had been spotted with a shoulder-fired missile. And the Iranians knew specifically where Mr. Trump was staying in Ankara, including which floor of the building, the officials said.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ (2) Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: “Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was integral to assessing the threat and deciding how to respond.... Secretary of State Marco Rubio knew about the threat and flew on the old plane after helping to plan the operation to spirit the president out of Turkey....” The link is a gift link. The article includes video of the Catering Cart Caper.  

Dan Lamothe & Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: “As ... Donald Trump secretly left an Air Force One jet on a catering truck last month in response to a potential Iranian assassination threat in Turkey, he was accompanied by some of his most loyal and longest-serving aides, but no Cabinet officials. Other passengers on the truck included Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff; Natalie Harp, the president’s executive assistant; and Walt Nauta, the director of Oval Office operations, according to a U.S. official familiar with the operation and corroborating material reviewed by The Washington Post.... Among those on the smaller jet was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who boarded the C-32A with external stairs in a manner that made him look like the senior-most official aboard the flight, The Post reported Monday.” The link is a gift link.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: “The threat to Air Force One was seen as so dire that [the Secret Service] sneaked ... [Donald] Trump off the jet in a catering container to keep him safe. But the same dire threat did not stop them from then sending Air Force One into the skies anyway with a planeful of senior officials, government employees, reporters and military personnel serving as decoys, some unwittingly. If the Iranians were trying to shoot down the presidential plane last month, as U.S. officials concluded at the time, then the subterfuge in Ankara, Turkey, that protected the president also may have made targets of dozens of others who flew aboard the jet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the senior aides Stephen Miller and Steven Cheung. The government has on rare occasions engaged in sleight of hand to safeguard presidents from possible jeopardy, particularly for journeys to hazardous locations.... 

“The Trump team’s ruse in Ankara, however, stands out not only for its misdirection but also for the way it shifted the evident peril to others and was kept secret long after Mr. Trump was out of harm’s way.... The government officials and reporters ... left on Air Force One in Ankara last month were not told of the increased threat.... Andrew W. Marlowe, who wrote the screenplay for the iconic 1997 thriller 'Air Force One,' [said,] 'If the threat were that great, it’s hard to imagine the audience rooting for any character who would trade his own safety by treating the remaining civilians onboard as potential sacrificial lambs, especially without their informed consent.'” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump seems to know how cowardly his decision was to let others die so that he might survive. So here are the first steps in this particular performance of the Not-My-Fault Boogie: “'It’s really just up to Secret Service,' he told reporters after returning from Ohio. 'I just follow what they like to do. So I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane for safety.'” Defying any sense of logic, Trump added, “'I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for,' ... an assertion at odds with the point of switching planes in the first place. And let's be clear, even though reporters have casually blamed Trump's security personnel for making sitting ducks of Cabinet officials and journalists, this was not the Secret Service's decision. It may have been what they advised (or not), but Donald Trump decided to put others in danger as he sneaked away to safety. ~~~

     ~~~ Notes on the Cowardly Liar. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: “Mr. Trump’s effort to redirect questions to his protective detail and military advisers came as his administration faced increasing scrutiny over the revelation that Mr. Trump was secretly evacuated out of Turkey on a military jet after the NATO summit last month amid threats against him from Iran.... Mr. Trump on Tuesday night framed the decision as one that was out of his control. 'I get a lot of threats,' Mr. Trump said when asked why the Secret Service moved him to a different plane. 'I just have to do what they say,' he added. 'They go for safety and I have to do what they say.'... Mr. Trump has in the past shown that he has a strong say in the decision-making process over risky movements.” ~~~

~~~ “I Don’t Worry About Anything, To Be Honest.” Will Weissert of the AP, published by KGW (Portland, Oregon): “Trump downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight.... He also downplayed the risk to the people — White House officials, security and support staff, and reporters — he left on the plane. 'They wanted me to go on a different flight, different plane,' Trump told reporters after returning from an event in Ohio, saying he had little choice in the matter. '“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it,' he said. 'I get a lot of threats.... [Earlier, before the Washington Post and New York Times revealed the elaborate ruse, Trump told reporters,] 'If I go, you go. Right?' ... — gliding past the fact that if the plane had been shot down, the president wouldn't have been aboard.” Weissert also summarizes how past flight security risks were managed.

Here's the way the Clinton administration handled a similar security situation. ~~~ 

~~~ Scott Nover of the Washington Post: “When President Bill Clinton deplaned in Islamabad, Pakistan, the sleight of hand became clear. A decoy jet with all of the markings of Air Force One touched down in view of the news media, and a Secret Service agent resembling the president emerged. Then, an unmarked plane landed, and the real president disembarked. It was March 2000, and Susan Page, a White House reporter covering the trip for USA Today, was one of a small group of people who knew about the ruse. Before the India-to-Pakistan flight, White House officials called Page, then the White House Correspondents’ Association president, and summoned her for an off-the-record conversation. There, White House press and security officials explained the operation, informing her of the president’s location and safety measures in place for journalists on the trip.... 

“Page’s briefing, which has not been previously reported, meant at least one journalist in the traveling press corps knew the president would not be aboard Air Force One.... 'I haven’t spoken about this episode before, because of the off-the-record ground rules of that discussion,' Page said in a text message [to the Washington Post]. 'But since more than a quarter-century has passed — and since the ruse became evident as soon as President Clinton disembarked in Pakistan — I think it’s OK for me to relay it now.'” ~~~

~~~ Sure, you say, but Clinton's security team used a Clinton body-double to pull off their ruse. Where could Trump's people have found a Trump look-alike on short notice? ~~~

Oh, that guy.

Joseph Gedeon & David Smith of the Guardian: “Democrats called on Tuesday for a congressional briefing over a stunning charade in which Donald Trump was secretly spirited to a different plane than the one the public and press believed he was travelling on. Critics now question why reporters and the public had been deliberately misled.... More than a hundred aides, officials and reporters were kept onboard to fly towards Britain, without being told there was a threat to their lives. 'It appears that the idea was we can reduce the danger to President Trump by offering up 100 or so people to be killed by the Iranians in his place,' said Steven Cash, executive director of the Steady State and a former CIA intelligence officer and senior adviser to the Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence branch.... Jake Tapper, an anchor on CNN, tweeted: “... no officials I’ve spoken to have ever before heard of using an AF1 full of WH staff and journalists as a decoy during an imminent threat. And Jose Zamora, Commi[t]tee to Protect Journalists’ regional director for the Americas, said...[,] 'Reporters should be informed of credible security threats so they can make informed decisions about their safety...'”

Brian Stelter of CNN: “The White House Correspondents’ Association has asked ... Donald Trump’s administration to 'work with us on a protocol for handling extraordinary security circumstances in the future,' now that his secret plane switch last month has been revealed by leaks to news organizations. Fox News anchor and senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, who is currently serving as president of the group, met with Trump aides about the matter on Tuesday and relayed the press corps’ concerns about the subterfuge.... The association immediately heard concerns from members — including, Heinrich wrote, 'press safety, the ability of the pool to maintain an independent record of the president’s movements, and the integrity and credibility of pooled reporting.'... While the meeting itself was off the record, and the White House has yet to answer many questions about the secret plane switch, Heinrich indicated that the White House’s credibility is on the line... She said the association will advocate for a protocol that 'recognizes the Secret Service’s responsibility to respond to genuine threats while protecting press safety, preserving independent coverage of the president, and providing a mechanism to correct the record after the fact when necessary.'”

~~~ Marie: Sometimes forgotten in the outrage over the way Trump and his team handled this whole operation is the fact that it is likely none of this would have happened if Trump had not insisted upon flaunting his gold-plated gift/bribe plane to NATO allies. The original plan, of course, was for Trump to fly to and from Ankara is the Qatari Flying Palace, even though security officials and Trump himself certainly knew the plane did not have some AF1-standard security features particularly necessary during international flights. 

Annie Laurie of Balloon Juice embedded quite a few takes on Catering Cart 1 (or, as one person dubbed it, Air Fryer 1). Here's one: 

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

[image or embed]

— 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. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ RAS found some more funnies here. 

Chris Cameron of the New York Times: “American fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft that entered the airspace above a youth sporting event that ... [Donald] Trump was attending in Ohio on Tuesday, launching flares as a warning to the aircraft to leave the no-fly zone. NORAD, the military command that monitors and patrols U.S. airspace, said that a general aviation aircraft violated temporary flight restrictions — the no-fly zones established around the president and other top officials when they travel — over Geneva, the city in Ohio that was hosting Mr. Trump’s Patriot Games, a youth sporting contest. The aircraft was safely escorted out of the airspace by American fighter jets, NORAD said in a statement. It was at least the fourth time that an aircraft has violated the no-fly zone around Mr. Trump just this week. Three aircraft entered the restricted airspace around Mr. Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Sunday. The incursions appeared to be accidental, and NORAD gave a pointed reminder afterward that pilots must regularly check for federal notices of closed airspace.” The link is a gift link.

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

     ~~~ Marie: I wonder if scrapping publication of the Arctic Report Card (story linked below) is a teeny part of the plot.

Hmm. RAS had some rather wicked commentary in yesterday's thread. Fer instance, RAS seems to have called 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. ~~~

~~~An Internet wag wrote, "Dude thinks he's Michael Jackson:"  

This doesn't include the golden appliques in the Oval, the
gigantic flagpoles on the lawn & fixing up the his & hers bedrooms.

⭐~~~ Another Corrupt Billion-Dollar Scheme to Fleece Taxpayers. Jonathan O'Connell & Sarah Blaskey of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration plans to spend at least $900 million for construction projects on the White House grounds, a significantly larger price tag than has been previously reported and one that would be covered primarily by taxpayers, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post. Instead of securing money directly from Congress..., the administration has pieced together funding from other agencies and private donors and directed it to a little-known account that typically holds a few million dollars for routine maintenance of the executive mansion. Confidential contracts and related planning documents indicate that the administration plans to use money in that account for White House 'modernization projects' — the administration’s term for ... Donald Trump’s planned overhaul of the property, at the center of which is a gilded East Wing ballroom.... In the past, administrations planning major changes to the White House grounds have done so by submitting budget requests to Congress, receiving appropriations, and directing agencies to seek approvals and hire contractors....” The link is a gift link.   

Oh No. What Now? Perry Stein & Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post: “The Justice Department has convened a special grand jury in Washington, a rare legal body that officials say could pave the way for federal prosecutors in the nation’s capital to investigate some of its biggest and most controversial cases. Unlike a typical grand jury, a special grand jury can release a potentially critical report about the subject of an investigation, even if prosecutors do not find enough evidence to bring the person to trial. D.C.’s special grand jury is to be overseen by Steven Vandervelden, one of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s top allies in her office.... It is unclear what the new special grand jury will be tasked with probing, but those interviewed said it is a notable move, especially given ... Donald Trump’s interest in prosecuting his adversaries.” MB: Looks like Trump's consolation prize for losing the fake Reflecting Pool prosecutions. ~~~

~~~ Jordan Rubin of MS NOW: Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman,“the judge presiding over the prosecution of former Olympic canoeist David Hearn[,] already had a crucial decision in front of him: Should he grant the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case only temporarily, or should he dismiss it permanently as Hearn has requested? A new report highlights the importance of that forthcoming decision. Citing unnamed people familiar with the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that White House officials 'have asked the Justice Department to consider a new prosecution' of Hearn. The Journal further reported that, after the White House’s outreach, DOJ officials 'are exploring whether another type of case — likely based on misdemeanor allegations — is even possible. The discussions have been informal and preliminary, the people said.'”

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.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

You have to wonder if Trump has one efficient, competent adjunct called the "Office for Corrupt Practices." In any case, they sure come up with a lot of ways to promote corruption and prevent transparency: ~~~

~~~ Riley Beggin of the Washington Post: “The U.S. Treasury Department permanently repealed a rule Tuesday that required businesses formed in the United States to report who owns them to federal financial-crimes investigators. Foreign companies and pooled investment vehicles (such as mutual funds or hedge funds) must still report information about foreign owners. But they will no longer have to identify Americans who help them register to do business in the United States, according to a Treasury Department advisory. And Treasury will delete any information it has already collected about U.S. business owners, the advisory said. In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the new rule eliminates 'a burdensome reporting requirement for millions of law-abiding business owners without compromising our national security.'”

MEANWHILE, in the Hinterland. Jake Spring, et al., of the Washington Post: “Government contractors are bulldozing parts of the iconic and environmentally sensitive Big Bend National Park as the Trump administration pushes forward with a $46.5 billion effort to expand a massive wall and other security infrastructure along the border with Mexico.... 'Early construction activities such as clearing and grubbing have begun,' U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman John Mennell said in an email.”

Marie: Looks as if the Trump administration also has an "Office of Cruel & Unusual Punishment": ~~~ 

~~~ DHS's Shocking Plan. Ashleigh Fields of the Hill: “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Wednesday notice that outlined plans to provide Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with gloves that will deliver painful electric shocks. The agency is planning to spend up to $20 million on the new devices known as a Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter or G.L.O.V.E. that could be used by officers in the field as they are conducting immigration operations.... 'Our officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training,' [a DHS] spokesperson added. Prison and jail staffers have begun to implement the tools behind bars to ]de-escalate' chaotic incidents.... 'Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public,' ... Jenn Rolnick Borchetta ... of the American Civil Liberties Union told The Associated Press.” Here's a Guardian story. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The company that makes the gloves/weapons says the shock isn't great enough to affects pacemakers and defibrillators, but you know some elderly or sickly individual or some small child will be seriously injured or killed in one of those "accidents" that occur when ICE & CPB agents are around. 

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.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ 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."

Ephrat Livni of the New York Times: “Robert Gilman, an American who was released after spending more than four years in a Russian prison, arrived in the United States late Tuesday, two Trump administration officials said.... [Donald] Trump had announced the release of Mr. Gilman, a former Marine, on social media earlier on Tuesday, saying that it was secured after discussions with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The Russian government released Mr. Gilman on a humanitarian basis and 'asked for no one in return,' Mr. Trump wrote. Mr. Gilman arrived in the United States late Tuesday, Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s special envoy, and Sebastian Gorka, a senior counterterrorism official in the National Security Council, said in separate posts on social media....

“Mr. Gilman, a Massachusetts resident, had been imprisoned in Voronezh, Russia, since early in 2022, when a court convicted him of assaulting a police officer and ultimately sentenced him to 10 years in prison. His health had significantly deteriorated since then, according to his family and a statement from Global Reach, a nonprofit organization representing Mr. Gilman and other Americans wrongly held abroad.” The link is a gift link.

Ellison to Pick Up His Toy and Go -- to a Red State. Benjamin Mullin, et al., of the New York Times: David “Ellison, Paramount’s chief executive, told his senior leadership team last week that he would begin pulling the company out of California on Oct. 1 if there was no progress toward resolving a lawsuit by state attorneys general seeking to block the deal, according to three people with knowledge of his remarks. It is unclear whether Mr. Ellison will follow through on the plan, which could put pressure on the California attorney general, one of the chief plaintiffs behind the suit, to come to the negotiating table. Losing a major Hollywood studio would be a blow to the state’s economy and self-identity. Rob Bonta, the California attorney general, blasted Mr. Ellison on Tuesday for threatening to move. 'It is an attempt to blackmail regulators who are daring to enforce the law,' Mr. Bonta said at a conference.” The link is a gift link. A Hollywood Reporter story is here. ~~~

~~~ Riley Rogerson of Politico: “Democratic lawmakers are readying aggressive oversight of Paramount Skydance’s bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount’s top lawyer said Tuesday the company is 'happy to cooperate.'... Democrats have blasted Paramount’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery as a gross antitrust violation with serious national security implications due in part to the involvement of foreign investment in the deal. And they have slammed Ellison for paying a $16 million settlement to ... Donald Trump, which Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts claimed could be 'bribery in plain sight' in exchange for the administration’s approval of the company’s merger with Skydance last year.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~  

China. Keith Bradsher of the New York Times: “Zhu Rongji, the former Chinese premier who played a pivotal role in guiding his country toward a market-based economy in the 1990s and subsequently into the World Trade Organization, died on Wednesday in Beijing. He was 97.” The link is a gift link. 

Syria. Mohamad El Chamaa of the Washington Post: “A Damascus court on Tuesday sentenced Syria’s former dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the country’s years-long civil war. The court also handed the same sentence to seven other former security officials, including Assad’s brother Maher and cousin Atef Najib, in the first such ruling since the fall of the regime in December 2024. Assad has been living in exile in Russia since then, and Syria’s new leadership, headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has asked for his extradition. Russia, a longtime military benefactor to Assad when he was in power, has maintained relations with the new regime and has hosted Sharaa twice. It has not indicated if it will oblige.”