August 19, 2026

Marie: Well, I was going to tell you about President* W. Recking Ball wandering around the White House grounds boasting about granite that would last a million years (???), but then some more important news broke: ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: “Prince Harry, his wife, Meghan, and their children are moving back to Britain in the upcoming weeks, according to two people familiar with their decision. The move comes six years after they left for the United States amid a clash with other members of the royal family. The surprise announcement ends a self-imposed exile for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.... Prince Harry was stripped of his honorary military titles and royal patronage appointments in 2021, more than a year after announcing that he and his wife would 'step back' from their official duties. The yearslong feud continued across the Atlantic as Harry wrote a tell-all book, 'Spare'; the couple gave an interview to Oprah Winfrey; and several efforts at reconciliation failed. For years, Harry accused Buckingham Palace of preventing his family’s return to Britain by refusing to provide them with armed protection. King Charles III was informed of the decision on Sunday, one of the people said, adding that the family’s move was not discussed when the duke and duchess visited Britain and met with the king this summer. There will be no change in Harry and Meghan’s status as non-working royals, and they will remain as private individuals while they reside in Britain, both of the people said.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Okay, back to the wanderings of a Crazy Old Man: ~~~

~~~ Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: “...  for 20 minutes on Wednesday morning, [the] problems [Donald Trump should be addressing] were mostly set aside as [he] delighted in one of his favorite roles: showing off new White House construction. The president took reporters on a tour of his planned helipad, which workers have been constructing around-the-clock on the White House’s South Lawn.... [He also talked about the lawn.] “Grass has a life like humans have a life,” Trump said, thanking ScottsMiracle-Gro for making a donation of new sod and pointing out fresh topsoil. 'If you’re grass, you’re very happy.' He also shared his continued frustration over efforts to block his planned ballroom, with the Supreme Court now weighing whether to side with lower courts and temporarily halt construction beginning Friday.” ~~~

     ~~~ A clip from the tour is embedded below. A longer version is here: ~~~

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Marie: Well, crap. A few days ago, the New York Times started giving me unlimited license to share links. I thought that was great and I started sharing every story I linked. Just now I found an email from the Times announcing their generous addition to my subscription with this qualifier: "To read articles you share, recipients simply need a free Times account." What??? So I checked with Art Intel to find out what "a free times account" was. According to Art, it is "a basic, no-cost profile on the New York Times that requires only an email address." It seems you have to register with the New York Times, which almost certainly means they'll bombard you with a lot of annoying emails. If you do NOT have a paid subscription, please let know what your experience is with these supposed gift links I've been dolling out. I don't want to be pretending I'm sharing accessible links when I'm not. Thank you. You can answer in the Comments or at marieburns2022@gmail.com . 

Primary Elections Results

Alaska Senate Race. Kellen Browning of the New York Times: “A high-profile Senate race in Alaska is officially set: Mary Peltola, a Democrat and former congresswoman, and Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican, advanced from the state’s top-four nonpartisan primary on Tuesday night local time, according to The Associated Press. They will face off in November in a race that could determine control of the Senate. Ms. Peltola was seen as the only Democrat who could pose a formidable challenge to Mr. Sullivan, a two-term incumbent running in a conservative state known for its independent streak. An Alaska Native, Ms. Peltola is a former commercial fisher and a former state legislator. She rose to political stardom with an upset win for the state’s only House seat in 2022, becoming the first Democrat to represent Alaska in the House in decades.” The link is a gift link.

Alaska Gubernatorial Race. Anna Griffin of the New York Times: “Tom Begich, a singer-songwriter and former state lawmaker with a rich family legacy in state politics, has finished in the top four in the 17-person primary for Alaska governor and will make the runoff in November, The Associated Press said. Another Democrat, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, also secured one of the four spots in the general election. Campaigning on a promise to make Alaska more affordable and find new ways to fund public education, Mr. Begich capitalized on his family’s name recognition, endorsements from some of the state’s leading progressive groups and a condensed Democratic field. Mr. Begich’s father, Nick Begich Sr., served in the U.S. House as a Democrat. His brother, Mark Begich, was a Democratic U.S. senator. And his Republican nephew, Nick Begich III, is the state’s current member of the U.S. House.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Alaska Gubernatorial Race. Anna Griffin of the New York Times: “Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, who entered politics as a teenager on Howard Dean’s presidential campaign, won the chance to become the youngest governor in Alaska history by securing one of four spots in the November general election, The Associated Press said.... Mr. Kreiss-Tomkins, a 37-year-old Democrat, pitched himself as the only candidate capable of bringing together Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters to solve Alaska’s fiscal crisis and population loss. As a five-term Democratic state legislator from Sitka, Alaska, he represented a southeastern district that Republican presidential candidates have consistently won. He was among the top fund-raisers in the 17-candidate primary, raising much of his money from out-of-state donors linked to the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, but he also campaigned hard in rural Alaska. That included driving a snowmobile to the Arctic Ocean and riding a skiff 450 miles down the Yukon River.” The link is a gift link.

The New York Times has full Alaska primary results here; the link is a gift link.  

Florida Senate, House & Gubernatorial Races. Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: “State Representative Angie Nixon, a progressive firebrand who ran such an underdog campaign that she could not afford a single television ad, won the Democratic Senate nomination in Florida on Tuesday in a shocking upset. With her defeat of Alex Vindman, a candidate with establishment backing who raised more than 16 times as much campaign money, Ms. Nixon, a democratic socialist, continued the left’s winning streak this year in Democratic primaries.... Credit Ms. Nixon, a union organizer, for knowing how to harness the enthusiasm of grass-roots Democrats and volunteers — and deftly using social media — to inform them about her candidacy....

“Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz, both moderate, pro-Israel Democrats, easily fended off rivals after Republican gerrymandering led them to compete in new districts. Ms. Wasserman Schultz, an 11-term incumbent, overcame frustration from Black Democrats who did not want her to represent a historically Black district. Mr. Moskowitz bested a democratic socialist.

“Representative Byron Donalds, who has long had Mr. Trump’s endorsement in the president’s adopted home state, crushed his rivals in the Republican primary for Florida governor. He has far out-raised the Democratic nominee, former Representative David Jolly, a former Republican. But Mr. Donalds did not break 50 percent on Tuesday, as some Florida Republicans had hoped. And he did not win some largely white, rural counties in North Florida. Mr. Donalds is Black. Some Republicans will be looking at his underperformance in those counties with concerns about whether some white Republicans will be unwilling to vote for a Black nominee, choosing to stay home in November instead....”The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Florida Senate Race. Here's Patricia Mazzei's stand-alone story for Angie Nixon's upset Democratic primary win. The link is a gift link. Politico's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Florida Gubernatorial Race. Gary Fineout & Kimberly Leonard of Politico: “GOP Rep. Byron Donalds and Democratic former Rep. David Jolly, emerged victorious in their respective Florida primaries Tuesday — setting up dueling tests of the power of ... Donald Trump’s endorsements and the ability of more moderate Democrats to succeed in ruby-red states.” ~~~

~~~ Florida House Race. Oriana González of NOTUS: “Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultzwas projected to win a competitive Democratic primary in a historically Black district in Florida, likely securing her return to the House of Representatives in January.... Wasserman Schultz had been under heavy scrutiny from Democratic officials for choosing to run in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, which has long been represented by a Black lawmaker and has a plurality Black population. Wasserman Schultz, the only white candidate in the race, ran against four Black Democrats after redistricting effectively eliminated her current seat.... Wasserman Schultz, best known for her role as chair of the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 election cycle, lives in the new 22nd Congressional District, which now leans Republican. She hopped in the race for Florida’s 20th Congressional District, one of the safest blue seats in the state, in late May. The lawmaker will face Brent Andersen, who won the Republican nomination Tuesday.”

Florida House Race. Mack Liederman of the New York Times: “Representative Cory Mills of Florida, who is facing allegations of assault and threatening behavior toward women and a House Ethics Committee investigation, lost his Republican primary on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Mr. Mills, a two-term congressman, lost to Ryan Elijah, a former local Fox television news anchor. The race had divided Republicans, with ... [Donald] Trump endorsing Mr. Mills in February and Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos of Florida more recently backing Mr. Elijah. Mr. Mills’s campaign was troubled by the allegations of misconduct against him. A former girlfriend was granted a protective order against Mr. Mills last year after accusing him of threatening her with revenge porn after their breakup. Police in Washington, D.C., investigated Mr. Mills last year after a woman filed an assault report, though no charges were filed.” The link is a gift link. NPR's story is here.

The New York Times has full Florida primary results here; the link is a gift link.

Wyoming Senate Race. Tim Balk of the New York Times: “Representative Harriet Hageman, a close ally of ... [Donald] Trump’s, won the Republican primary race for Senate in Wyoming on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Ms. Hageman, who rose to prominence four years ago by defeating Representative Liz Cheney, will be an overwhelming general-election favorite in Wyoming, one of the most conservative states. Ms. Hageman, 63, is running to replace Senator Cynthia Lummis, a retiring Republican. Ms. Lummis endorsed Ms. Hageman in January, describing her as a “real workhorse” and a strong champion for Mr. Trump’s agenda.” The link is a gift link.

Wyoming Gubernatorial Race. Jack Healy of the New York Times: “Eric Barlow, a rancher and state senator in Wyoming, won the Republican primary for governor on Tuesday, The Associated Press said, beating a candidate endorsed by ... [Donald] Trump in one of the country’s most staunchly Republican states. Mr. Barlow’s victory means he is all but certain to become the next governor of Wyoming, where Republicans hold every statewide office, and voters gave Mr. Trump his largest margin of victory in the 2024 presidential election. This year, legislative races in Wyoming have turned into a contest between the right and far right as ultraconservative candidates pushed to take control of the State Senate, where more moderate Republicans have held sway. Mr. Barlow ran a campaign that focused on problem solving and lowering the temperature of Wyoming’s internecine Republican brawls, in contrast to his Trump-endorsed rival, Megan Degenfelder, who promised to stock state agencies with 'bulldogs.' He also defeated Brent Bien, a far-right conservative and retired Marine Corps colonel who won the endorsement of the Wyoming Republican Party.” The link is a gift link.

The New York Times has full Wyoming primary results here; the link is a gift link.   

Everything Is Going Very Smoothly

Paul Waldman: Natalie Harp "is about to be a full-fledged character in the dramedy of the Trump White House, discussed in the news and recognized by ordinary people. And while the White House and its allies are pretending to be outraged about that fact, it’s completely appropriate and long overdue. There is literally no single person who spends as much time at the side of the president of the United States as her [she!]; the idea that it should somehow be off-limits to discuss her role is bonkers.... In this White House, she’s an incredibly important figure. She is the most important channel through which he receives and distributes information, and because Trump is impulsive, mercurial, and has the emotional regulation of a toddler, the person most responsible for determining his psychological state is central to the work of the administration. I have no opinion on whether Trump and Harp are having an affair. He cheated on all his wives, and there’s no reason to believe he isn’t still doing it with somebody or other; it might be Harp, or it might not be." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The Trump crew can express all the feigned outrage they want. First of all, it's sexist: commentators knock the men in Trump's orbit all the time, so there's no reason not to criticize Harp. Being "a conventionally attractive wom[a]n," as Josh Marshall puts it, is not a free pass. Second, you know Trump is loving this: he's a fat, unattractive, sickly 80-year-old man in diapers, and the fact that he's getting press as the "love interest" of "a conventionally attractive woman" less than half his age must be flattering. He's old Henry VIII, without the talent and intelligence. ~~~

~~~ Kathryn Wilkins of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump’s top aide Natalie Harp once jumped into the trunk of an SUV ... [in order to be near Trump], according to a new CNN report. CNN’s Kristen Holmes and Adam Cancryn reported Tuesday on Harp’s position in Trump’s inner circle as executive assistant, including the previously unreported incident from October 2023. Trump was preparing to leave Trump Tower for a New York City courthouse when aides allegedly informed Harp that there was no seat available for her. Harp insisted Trump had personally asked her to come along, prompting a 'screaming match' in the lobby, two sources told the network. Rather than stay behind, Harp climbed into the trunk of an SUV, CNN reported, citing the two sources and a photo.” MB: Gosh, I have no idea why the Secret Service & chief-of-staff Susie Wiles were reportedly worried about Harp's obsession with Trump. (On the other hand, I might jump into the trunk of an SUV if it were my only way of getting away from Trump.) ~~~

     ~~~ The CNN print report is firewalled, but you can watch the on-air report via this YouTube video. ~~~

~~~ Shawn McCreesh & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Natalie Harp “never takes a day off, not even on Sunday. She works out of the Oval Office and she’s got a regular seat on Marine One. She texts with world leaders on the president’s behalf. She stays up late with him drafting social media posts. She rarely speaks on camera and yet she is never not there, ever-present with a wide smile and her eyes fixed on the president. She is ... [a] 35-year-old West Wing aide who is the utmost gatekeeper to ... [Donald] Trump, a one-woman conduit of information operating entirely outside the usual chain of command. The public’s interest in Ms. Harp exploded after she was revealed last week to be one of the lucky few who joined the president inside an airplane catering container to be whisked out of Turkey under threat of attack by Iran.... This article is based on interviews with a half-dozen people with knowledge of her role.” The link is a gift link.

Marie: There was a part of Trump's Oval office putdown of CNN reporter Kristen Holmes that I didn't understand, even though I saw the clip twice: "... You’re very disrespectful in front of this young man, okay? Don’t you find her disrespectful? He understands...." ~~~

~~~ Andrew Feinberg of the Independent Provides the Explanation. And It's Bad: “Donald Trump berated a female CNN reporter in the Oval Office on Monday, awkwardly trying to rope in a 10-year-old boy seated in front of him to make his case for cutting her off, then turning to the teenage lifeguard who rescued that child to support him in his media bashing. Trump was hosting Ryder Williams, the 16-year-old lifeguard from Santa Cruz, California, who was filmed last month pulling Nathaniel Rai, 10, from heavy surf at Seabright State Beach. Sitting with them in the Oval Office was Nathaniel himself. The rescue went viral and prompted the president to invite Williams to the White House for what he called 'a High Civilian Honor.' As the reporter, veteran CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes, tried to ask the president whether there are sufficient supplies and food aboard U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, he angrily cut her off and cited Rai’s presence as a reason to do so. 'Quiet! You're very disrespectful in front of this young man,' Trump said. The president then turned to Williams, seated beside him, and asked: 'Don't you find her disrespectful?' 'He understands. Quiet!' Trump further berated the reporter." (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Enlisting a confused 10-year-old and a teenager in your petty grievances is far more reprehensible than the petty grievances themselves. It's one thing for a POTUS* to pick on a female reporter; the power dynamic is grossly skewed. But dragging a 10-year-old into it? Really? And a teenager who thinks he's there to get an award? Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Nope. Not only did Trump try to directly involve children in his absurd vendetta, his staff brought up Kristen Holmes' children in their crude follow-ups.

Dan Diamond, et al., of the Washington Post: “Historic preservationists on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to keep ... Donald Trump’s ballroom construction on hold while litigation plays out, warning of an administration effort to 'outrun judicial review.' The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued last year to halt the project, said Trump had exceeded his authority by attempting to build the planned $400 million ballroom by soliciting private donations rather than seeking congressional approval. They also criticized the White House for racing to complete its construction, with administration officials last week telling the high court that work is '65 percent complete' and that it is too late to stop the project.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Luke Broadwater & Ann Marimow of the New York Times: “With the fate of his ballroom tied up in court..., [Donald] Trump is racing against the clock. He has enlisted a team of 250 workers to push ahead with construction 20 hours a day, seven days a week to complete as much work as quickly as possible. This week, there are plans to install one million pounds of rebar and pour 3,000 cubic yards of concrete for a project that is now two-thirds complete, the administration said in a court filing. Now, with the matter pending before the Supreme Court, the Trump administration is making a practical appeal to the justices: The ballroom is simply too far along to be stopped now.” The link is a gift link.

Jenny Gross of the New York Times: “Two ships in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked in recent days..., maritime officials said on Tuesday, as a declining number of vessels brave the dangerous passageway. Both vessels were hit by unknown projectiles as they passed through the strait, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency. A crew member on one ship that was sailing close to Oman was killed, the Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational organization, said. On the other vessel, there was a 'crew casualty,' U.K. maritime officials said. Iran has not commented on either attack.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Bibi's Bloody Response to Jared. Ephrat Livni & Abu Bashir of the New York Times: “The Israeli military on Tuesday carried out a deadly strike on a seaside cafe in Gaza City, one day after ... [Donald] Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Israel in an effort to restart American peace efforts. Mr. Kushner met in Jerusalem on Monday with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in an attempt to advance Mr. Trump’s 15-point proposal for disarming Hamas, restoring calm to Gaza and beginning the reconstruction of the war-torn enclave. Last month, Mr. Trump announced that his Board of Peace had reached an agreement with Hamas to disarm, and the agreement stipulated, in part, that Israel must fulfill its obligations under the October cease-fire deal, which called for immediately suspending Israeli attacks. The airstrike on Tuesday killed at least seven people, including a child, and wounded 14, according to Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, head of Al-Shifa Hospital. Several of those were in critical condition, and medical workers were 'trying to save their lives,' he said.” The link is a gift link.

Eric Schmitt & Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times: “The Pentagon said late on Tuesday that it was ending a major training exercise with South Korea one week earlier than scheduled, on Aug. 21, and scaling back many remaining live-fire training drills to computer simulations or canceling them altogether. The moves came after ... [Donald] Trump on Sunday ordered the Defense Department to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally and a linchpin of America’s national security strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Trump’s order was aimed at rekindling talks with Kim Jong-un of North Korea at a time when efforts to resolve the Iran war have hit an impasse, as well as punishing the South Koreans for declining to join in the conflict against Iran, a position that deeply angered Mr. Trump.” The link is a gift link. MB: See especially Paul Krugman's post, linked yesterday; he wrote, “Trump clearly prefers a nightmarish, totalitarian dictatorship ... to a vibrant, successful democracy.” ~~~

~~~ “Every Single Part ... Is False.” Daniel Dale of CNN: “... Donald Trump told a story about South Korea on Monday. Every single part of it is false.... The latest version of Trump’s tale, which you can watch in full here, went like this: South Korea 'essentially' didn’t pay for the cost of the US military presence in the country before Trump first became president. Trump then got South Korea to unhappily agree to pay '$3 billion' in a year, with further increases the following year and the year after that. But then the 2020 election was 'rigged' against him. When Joe Biden became president, South Korea convinced Biden that Trump was 'probably a bad person' and they shouldn’t have to pay the money, so Biden 'immediately rescinded' Trump’s 'order.'” Read on for the great debunking. Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: We're accustomed to it, of course, but world leaders must be shocked when their aides bring them in news of the latest remarks by the U.S. president* about their own countries and "every single part of it is false." 

Another TACO Tuesday. Ian Austen, et al., of the New York Times: “Canada got a three-day reprieve on damaging new American tariffs against billions of goods, with ... [Donald] Trump claiming that a deal was close but Prime Minister Mark Carney saying only that substantial progress had been made. Mr. Trump announced the delay on imposing 50 percent tariffs in a social media post on Tuesday night, roughly 90 minutes before the midnight deadline. The White House issued a proclamation saying Canada had agreed to make certain trade concessions, and the extra days were needed to finalize those provisions. 'I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!' Mr. Trump said. Mr. Trump has previously announced deals with other countries, only to have them fall through — including a recent series of elapsed agreements with Iran. In a brief statement, Mr. Carney was less definitive about what the talks have produced.” The link is a gift link. An Axios report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course it isn't only Canada that "got a three-day reprieve." It is also the American consumer who ultimately will pay the tariffs on Canadian-made products -- as westcoastman pointed out, like hockey sticks -- and probably will also pay higher prices for similar non-Canadian-made hockey sticks when their prices go up because of the rise of Canadian prices. This whole story is so stupid. BTW, I do like the photo accompanying the Axios report; in the photo, it appears Carney is telling Trump to, well, fuck off.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: “Once again..., [Donald] Trump is threatening his country’s own partners with everything from tariffs to bombs. Once again, he is fawning over a nuclear-armed tyrant deemed to be one of the biggest dangers to U.S. security. And once again, the world is left trying to make sense of a United States that has upended the world order that it established eight decades ago. Nearly 10 years after Mr. Trump first came to the White House on the slogan of America First, his attack-thy-friends, befriend-thy-enemies approach to international relations has become the feature, not the bug, of U.S. foreign policy. Traditional alliances from Europe to Asia to the Middle East have frayed while the president courts those once seen as its adversaries. Even so, the past few days have thrown the Trumpian worldview into stark relief.” The link is a gift link.

Andrew Roth of the Guardian: “The US has sanctioned the president of the international criminal court (ICC) and a prosecutor tasked with investigating crimes committed by Israel during its war on Gaza. The new sanctions designations were unveiled by Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, who called the Hague-based ICC a 'corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate', in a statement. Rubio announced that the US would sanction Tomoko Akane of Japan, the ICC president, and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, an ICC senior trial lawyer, because they had 'directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction'... Four human rights groups sued Trump last week for targeting the ICC. In the lawsuit, they said that the sanctions prevent victims of war crimes from seeking justice.”

Joe Rennison & Gregory Schmidt of the New York Times: “Investor angst over stubborn inflation, unsustainable government deficits and rampant spending on artificial intelligence helped send borrowing costs to multiyear highs across the world this week. The yield on the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond rose on Tuesday to 5.3 percent, its highest level since 2007. Similar bonds in Canada, Japan, Germany and elsewhere also traded at their highest yields in at least a decade. The yields underpin interest rates on long-dated consumer borrowing like mortgages, with the rise adding to everyday citizens’ concerns over affordability that have taken hold both domestically and abroad. That is a problem for government leaders, including ... [Donald] Trump, whose administration has pointed to bond yields as a barometer of success in improving affordability. So far, Mr. Trump has shown no signs that he is willing to ameliorate two of the drivers of rising yields by either taking aggressive steps to rein in government borrowing or quickly ending the war with Iran, which had been contributing to elevated fuel prices and inflation.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

A Whistleblower Confirms the Obvious. Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration task force charged with investigating antisemitism on Ivy League campuses pressured universities into punitive settlements despite turning up little to no evidence of systemic abuse, according to a whistleblower complaint made public Tuesday. The complaint — filed by Haley Van Erem, a former career attorney in the Justice Department’s civil rights division who said she was involuntarily detailed to work on the probes last year — alleged that the outcomes of investigations into schools like Harvard, Brown and Columbia were 'predetermined without regard to the evidence' in a 'politically mandated effort' to suspend their government funding and grab headlines. When career attorneys raised objections that the evidence did not support the administration’s position or the tactics it was pursuing, including targeting Muslim professors for interviews, they were overruled and ignored, she said.... Van Erem’s attorneys filed her complaint Monday with the Republican chairs and senior Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary committees. The document was released Tuesday by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.” (Also linked yesterday.) The story has been updated, adding the byline of Danielle Douglas-Gabriel. Also, the link has been changed to a gift link. An ABC News report is here.

Sophie Brams of the Hill: “A federal appeals court panel on Monday upheld an order that disqualified Sigal Chattah from the top federal prosecutorial job in Nevada, ruling that the Justice Department’s effort to sidestep Senate confirmation is unlawful. A three-judge panel for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed in a 36-page opinion that Chattah cannot continue to oversee criminal prosecutions for a group of defendants who challenged her appointment. The ruling rejects the Trump administration’s legal maneuvers that attempted to keep Chattah in the job by leveraging vacancy rules for key government positions.... The ruling marks another setback in the Justice Department’s efforts to install U.S. attorneys sympathetic to ... [Donald] Trump’s agenda in prosecutors’ offices across the country.”   

Jim Rutenberg & John Koblin of the New York Times: “ABC sued the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, accusing the agency of violating the First Amendment in its efforts to possibly strip the network’s local broadcasting licenses. The company asked a federal court to stop the F.C.C. from pursuing the regulatory moves, which the network said posed an 'existential threat' to its operations.” The link is a gift link. Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Christina Jewett of the New York Times: Donald “Trump plans to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House domestic policy official and a proponent of the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, to serve as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that has had significant staff turnover and political interference in recent months.... Last week, she stood alongside [Mr.] Trump as he signed a third executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccinations, which has no legal power and has been broadly criticized by public health experts.... A former chief policy officer at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, she has also written articles that denounced abortion as 'corrosive' to women and called for more controls over the prescribing of abortion pills. She has called the pills 'far more dangerous to women,' aligning with conservatives who have urged the F.D.A. to take steps to restrict access to abortion medication.” The link is a gift link. Politico's report is here.

We all know Trump's executive order prohibiting "vats of vaccine" being administered to babies was stupid on a number of levels. Here are some important ones: ~~~

~~~ AP via PBS:

“Public health experts have been quick to condemn an executive order from ... Donald Trump aimed at upending childhood vaccinations in the U.S., but the biggest obstacles may be the unprecedented financial and logistical challenges it would impose on parents, health providers and drugmakers. Monday's announcement by the Republican president calls for separating combination shots — including the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine — into separate injections. Appointments for that and other vaccinations should be spaced out whenever possible, the order states. To accomplish that, drugmakers would need to revive a slate of individual vaccines that have not been widely used in the U.S. for decades. They would also have to build new manufacturing plants capable of producing millions more vaccine doses than the nation currently uses.

“For parents, unbundling the MMR vaccine and spacing out the shots would mean returning to the doctor's office many more times than is currently needed. Those appointments could also strain pediatricians who typically administer the shots, while driving up costs tied to syringes and other medical supplies. Studies in the U.S. and other countries have shown that combination vaccines increase the likelihood that children will be fully protected from infectious diseases before starting school.” Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Marie: Obviously, in a reasonably well-functioning administration, even contemplating a decision like this would involve input from and coordination among stakeholders and experts. But no. Trump thinks his dictatorial pronouncements are "wins," and this was another "win" he wanted to slip in before the fall elections. Reality and everybody else be damned.

Jake Spring of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration Tuesday proposed a full repeal of a rule that for decades has prevented road-building and logging inside tens of millions of acres of near-pristine national forests, a move that environmental advocates fear could fragment already-threatened woodlands. The Agriculture Department said that the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, often called the 'roadless rule,' was outdated and that greater flexibility was needed to combat the growing threat of wildfires on public land. Roads can provide greater access for firefighting crews and can serve as firebreaks.... The existing rule also prohibits commercial logging in areas that the Forest Service has officially designated as 'inventoried roadless areas,' or areas of national forest deemed to be generally undeveloped. Advocacy groups criticized the move as opening up vast areas of largely untouched forests to degradation. They argue the changes could lead to more fires as humans, who are the cause of 9 out of 10 fires, gain easier access to remote areas....” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Lisa Friedman & Maxine Joselow of the New York Times: are much more direct than is Spring in pinpointing the administration's real motivate. Here's their lede: “The Trump administration on Tuesday advanced a plan to open nearly 45 million acres of wilderness in national forests to road construction and logging, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Silvia Foster-Frau of the Washington Post: “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, alleging the governor is refusing to extradite a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged with shooting an immigrant during Operation Metro Surge. Christian Castro, 52, is facing four counts of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime related to a Jan. 14 incident in which prosecutors allege he fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home he knew was occupied. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Ellison have sent letters to Abbott urging him to sign off on the officer’s extradition after Castro was charged in May. Last week, Ellison warned Abbott he would sue if he did not authorize Castro’s extradition by the end of the day Monday.... A spokesperson for the Texas governor’s office said he would not comment on 'pending extradition matters.'” (Also linked yesterday.) The Minnesota Public Radio report is here. The New York Times report is here; the link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to my, uh, lawyer Art Intel, "... U.S. states must honor each other's extradition requests under Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution and the federal Extradition Act. When a governor receives a proper demand from another state, they have a legal duty to arrest and return the fugitive."

Jasmine Ulloa of the New York Times: “A federal judge this week found that officials at immigration detention centers in Texas and California had likely housed children and other detainees at unsafe temperatures and had denied them soap and adequate sleeping conditions. In an order issued on Monday, Judge Dolly M. Gee of the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles said she was appointing an independent monitor and a special master — an expert assigned to assist her — as she tracks the government’s compliance with a 1997 legal agreement that sets basic standards of care for immigrant children in U.S. custody. Judge Gee oversees the agreement, known as the Flores settlement, and the plaintiffs have been asking the court to step in, because of what they said was growing evidence that the government was not complying. Under the Flores settlement, migrants who are 17 years old and younger must be expeditiously released from custody and must receive adequate meals, clean water, clothing, education and medical assistance, among other basic needs.” The link is a gift link.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS News: "The Trump administration has been quietly deporting migrants from Mexico to different countries in Central America despite the Mexican government's willingness to accept the return of all its citizens.... U.S. immigration authorities [for months] have been sending [hundreds of] deportees from Mexico to Guatemala and Honduras, flying them around Mexican territory instead of returning them to their homeland, [two] DHS officials said.... The officials said one of the objectives of the deportations, which have not been formally announced by the U.S. government, is to deter illegal immigration from Mexico by sending some of its citizens further south and farther away from the U.S.-Mexico border.... In a statement to CBS News, Mexico's Foreign Ministry voiced its opposition to the deportation of Mexican citizens to other countries."

Madeleine Ngo & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “The Liberian government said on Tuesday that it would take up to 1,200 deportees from the United States in the next year, one of the largest known deals that the Trump administration has struck to send migrants to countries where they often have no ties. The first group of 20 deportees is expected to arrive in Liberia on Thursday, the country’s government said in a statement. The announcement comes as the Trump administration has said it wants to send to Liberia the Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully expelled last year from his adopted home in Maryland and has since been returned to the United States. His lawyers are currently fighting that effort in the courts.... The Liberian government said on Tuesday that it would be welcoming the migrants from the United States as 'guests' and that they would be offered 'the necessary support' to be safe during their stay. They will be free to leave the country or remain and apply for asylum, the government said.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ The Tenacity of Vengeance. Richard Luscombe of the Guardian: “The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Ábrego García that were dismissed in May by a judge who said the prosecution of the man who unwittingly became a symbol of the White House’s mass deportation campaign was 'vindictive in nature'. In a filing to the US sixth circuit court of appeals, the justice department insisted that human smuggling allegations against Ábrego are genuine – and not retaliation for challenging his wrongful deportation to El Salvador in March 2025.” MB: Abrego Garcia is not necessarily the most sympathetic victim of government overreach, but he is a victim of Trump's crazed hatred of immigrants of color. I hope the appeals court judges tell the DOJ to grow up and back off. 

Josh Gerstein & Carmen Paun of Politico: “David Morens, a longtime aide to former top government infectious disease official Anthony Fauci, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to evade federal public record laws in connection with communications about coronavirus research grants. The plea comes three weeks after Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) grilled Fauci about his relationship with Morens. At the Senate hearing, Fauci declined to answer questions, exercising his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. Two years ago, Fauci told a House Committee investigating the country’s response to the Covid pandemic that Morens’ actions were 'wrong' and that he had not participated in them. Morens, 78, had boasted in a 2021 email released by the House panel that he knew how to 'make emails disappear after I am FOIA’d' to avert disclosure under the federal open records law. He entered the guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, according to court records.”

“A Dystopian Academic Nightmare.” Vimal Patel of the New York Times: “Texas Tech is using A.I. to ferret out books and other materials that touch on topics like sexual orientation and gender identity. Professors describe the effort as a dystopian academic nightmare, in which ideologues are wielding technology to sideline subject-matter experts. That is not how the Texas Tech system’s leader, Brandon Creighton, sees things. Mr. Creighton, a former state lawmaker who has been heading the five-university system since November, is the force behind the effort. He has said there was 'quite a bit of garbage in curriculum' at universities.” MB: I wonder if Brandon Creighton is that guy's real name. It sounds like an AI-generated name for someone who is supposed to be a quietly heroic Texan.

~~~~~~~~~~

South Carolina Senate Race. Emily Davies of the New York Times: “At the only debate in a runoff election that will most likely determine the next senator from South Carolina, Senator Darline Graham stumbled over a question about the importance of Taiwan to U.S. interests, saying she was 'not that informed on national security.' The awkward moment, which prompted boos from the audience, underscored her biggest vulnerability in the race to succeed her brother, the late Lindsey Graham. Ms. Graham has the full support of ... [Donald] Trump, but she lacks the experience of her opponent, Representative Ralph Norman, who easily explained why Taiwan is an economic ally for the United States and worth protecting against China. On Tuesday night from an opera house in Newberry, S.C., the candidates offered voters a stark contrast in their leadership styles. Aside from the foreign-policy stumble, Ms. Graham appeared poised and portrayed herself as a loyal ally to Mr. Trump. Mr. Norman, the vice chairman of the Freedom Caucus and five-term congressman, flexed his ultraconservative record to argue that he would defend the interests of South Carolinians, even if it meant breaking with the president.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I would not be surprised if Darline knew the standard answer -- the one Norman spouted -- but stumbled because she didn't know what answer the Dear Leader would approve. When you need Trump's support, you have to know not just the facts but also how to repeat and justify Trump's crazy and ever-changing notions on dozens of matters. Specifically, re: Taiwan, Art Intel sez, "Formally, the Trump administration insists that U.S. policy toward Taiwan\ remains unchanged. However, President Donald Trump's rhetoric and handling of a delayed $14 billion arms package — treating Taiwan's defense and weapons approvals as potential leverage with Beijing — have fueled intense debate over a practical shift toward transactional strategic ambiguity." Best answer for Darline: "What Trump says."