August 6, 2026

Lying Racist Tries to Get Around Supreme Court Order. Robert Mackey, et al., of the Guardian: “Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders that the White House said aims to restrict eligibility for birthright citizenship and ban 'birth tourism'. The ‌orders come just over a month after the United States supreme court rejected Trump’s first attempt to restrict the guarantee of birthright citizenship enshrined in the US constitution. Trump has long sought to dismantle the principle of birthright citizenship, making [it] a top priority of his second-term immigration crackdown.... The president told reporters on Thursday is practiced by hundreds of thousands of people.... According to the Migration Policy Institute, the highest census-based estimate 'puts birth tourism at 22,000 to 26,000 babies born annually on US soil, although government data show just 9,600 births to mothers with foreign addresses in 2024'. Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was born a US citizen to a non-citizen mother who arrived in New York five months pregnant.”

Coral Davenport of the New York Times: “The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would move forward with a plan to eliminate hundreds of federal regulations governing Head Start, in what advocates fear is a push to gut a 61-year-old antipoverty program aimed at helping the nation’s most impoverished young children. The proposed plan, detailed in earlier reporting by The New York Times, would remove most of Head Start’s 133 pages of federal requirements for math and literacy curricula, class sizes, medical screenings, home visits.... Critics say the changes will gut the core components of a singular institution that has served 30 million young children with high classroom standards and more health and antipoverty services than most states provide. Head Start was launched 61 years ago as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, and a key figure in its early design and creation was Sargent Shriver, an uncle of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary leading the push to deregulate the program. It provides early education and poverty support services for children up to age 6.” The link is a gift link.

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "An organization representing career Internal Revenue Service employees has joined a lawsuit over the contentious settlement reached in connection with ... Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS, challenging a carve-out that would give him and members of his family immunity from certain tax audits. A Jan. 6 prosecutor fired by the Trump administration and others previously sued to block a fund that could have gone to Trump allies who said they were victims of weaponization, potentially including Jan. 6 rioters. A federal judge then temporarily blocked the fund from moving forward in May. Now, an amended version of the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday afternoon alleges that the IRS audit immunity that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche agreed to for Trump and his family members in connection with the purported settlement is unlawful and unconstitutional. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents career IRS auditors, has joined the litigation."

Luke Fountain of CNBC: “... Donald Trump won an 11th-hour court reprieve Thursday that temporarily blocks the BBC from obtaining detailed records on the finances and ownership of his business empire as part of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster. The emergency stay, granted in Miami federal court, pauses a looming Thursday deadline that would have forced the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust to turn over tax returns, financial statements and ownership records for roughly 400 corporate entities. Trump’s lawyers filed the emergency motion Wednesday, calling the BBC’s demand 'shockingly broad' and argued disclosure would cause irreparable harm because the broadcaster could not 'un-see' the confidential information if the order were later overturned. The stay gives Trump a temporary procedural victory but does not permanently shield the records. The court must still decide whether the BBC is entitled to them as it tests Trump’s claims of sweeping financial harm.”

Mitch (Or Somebody) Says He's Not Dead Yet. Olivia Diaz of the New York Times: “Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, said on Thursday that he had been discharged from a rehabilitation facility after a nearly eight-week medical absence, announcing in a statement that he would continue recovering at home as the Senate takes its scheduled August recess. 'On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,' Mr. McConnell said in a statement. A spokesman for Mr. McConnell did not say whether the senator would return to the Senate when the chamber, which is scheduled to begin a five-week break starting Monday, returns to session in September.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ AND He's Voting! Tyler Spence of NOTUS: “Sen. Mitch McConnell wasn’t at the Agriculture Committee’s markup of the farm bill Thursday, but the Kentucky Republican was casting tie-breaking votes on partisan issues. Yet his absence is why the bill did not advance to the Senate floor. McConnell ... voted 'by proxy' on each amendment presented during the meeting. Committee rules allow absent senators to authorize a senator who is present at a meeting to cast a vote in addition to his or her own. Chair John Boozman (R-Arkansas) said in his opening remarks that he spoke Wednesday night with McConnell, who approved his use of proxy votes as Boozman votes.... McConnell has been on the agriculture panel from the beginning of his time in the Senate, and his proxy votes kept the bill in shape for Republicans. But ... when it comes to a vote to advance the bill to the Senate floor..., proxy votes 'cannot make the difference in successfully ordering a measure or matter reported to the Senate,' according to the Congressional Research Service. Both McConnell and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) voted by proxy in the final vote, so the bill was not advanced to the floor.”

Brad Plumer of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Pentagon to lift its freeze on reviewing onshore wind projects and to end some of the delays that have brought U.S. wind power development to a standstill. Judge Karin Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit that a coalition of renewable energy groups filed against the Defense Department. The groups argued that the Trump administration has unlawfully delayed dozens of wind projects across the country by halting military reviews that were once considered routine. In her ruling, Judge Immergut, who was appointed by ... [Donald] Trump, said that the renewable energy groups were likely to prevail on the merits and that the Pentagon had violated legal deadlines when it stopped its reviews. She ordered the agency to resume reviewing wind projects and to report back to the court on its progress every 30 days while the broader legal case played out.

“Since April, the Pentagon has halted all military reviews of proposed wind farms, which are meant to ensure that turbines don’t interfere with radar or flight paths. While the Trump administration has cited national security as a rationale, the coalition of renewable energy groups said the delays were an unjustified tactic to thwart wind power, a technology that Mr. Trump has derided for decades.” The link is a gift link.

Shame, Shame. A Short-lived Victory for Little Randy. Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: “The Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday approved a resolution holding Dr. Anthony S. Fauci in contempt of Congress for his refusal last week to answer questions from the panel, whose chairman, Senator Rand Paul, has said repeatedly that he wants to see Dr. Fauci in prison. The vote, along party lines, clears the way for the committee to recommend that the Justice Department prosecute Dr. Fauci for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena, a misdemeanor under federal law. But that does not mean the department will take up the case. For a contempt resolution to carry the force of Congress, the full Senate must adopt it; in that case, it would be sent to the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., who could then present a case to a grand jury. But contempt resolutions require a 60-vote majority, and with 53 Republicans in the Senate, adoption is highly unlikely.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Simon Levien & Robert King of Politico: “Hellbent on putting [Dr.] Anthony Fauci in jail, Rand Paul wants to skip a Senate vote.... After the Kentucky Republican pushed a contempt of Congress resolution through his Senate committee on party lines Thursday morning ... Democrats demanded he take it to the full Senate for a vote they could filibuster. Paul said he’s going to instead take it straight to the attorney general.... 'Maybe he should' be prosecuted..., Donald Trump told reporters ... on Thursday, referencing the contempt prosecutions of two of his allies, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, that began when Democrats controlled Congress. 'What he did is far more serious than a lot of crimes.'... Paul’s shortcut opens several legal pitfalls. It’s far from certain, legal experts say, that a committee can trigger the contempt process without a full Senate vote.” Read on for the rest of the legal folderol. 

More on Trumpish Election Interference. Nick Corasaniti & Alexandra Berzon of the New York Times: “...  at least 25 county-level election officials ... have taken office across the country since the last major federal election in 2024 and — through public statements or actions — have aligned with the broader election-denier movement, according to a Times review of a new database from Voting Rights Lab, a nonprofit voting-rights organization. These officials — ranging from Virginia to Ohio to Nevada — have all come to office since ... [Donald] Trump returned to power and all currently play roles in elections in counties that are home to key House, Senate or statewide midterm races this year. All have either publicly espoused false conspiracy theories that Mr. Trump won the 2020 election or that American elections are rife with fraud, or taken direct action to support those theories. 

“This surge in election-skeptic officials adds to the ranks of at least 69 who were already in office across different states.... They include county election directors, members of election boards, and members of various county governing boards with the power to canvass and certify the vote. Most took office after the 2020 election, when Donald Trump and his allies began to ramp up their election fraud rhetoric. Among those officials, 41 have taken direct action to interfere with elections....” The link is a gift link.

I'll Show You Fake News, Donald. Judd Legum of Popular Information:  “The Alaska Navigator bills itself as 'independent news covering the Last Frontier.'... [It has run some very positive (and misleading) reports about U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R)]. Both the content and tone are highly unusual for an independent news outlet. That is because the Alaska Navigator is not an independent news outlet. Rather, it is a website fully controlled by One Nation, a dark money group that works in concert with the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the super PAC of Senate Republicans. One Nation has directly contributed over $70 million to the SLF this political cycle.... The fake Alaska news outlet is one of at least six operated by One Nation in states with key U.S. Senate races.”

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Tara Copp, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump’s frustration over the Iran war boiled over at Camp David last week, where he demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on why he had apparently been misled on extreme munitions shortages that now threaten to limit military options with Iran.... The encounter took place on the sidelines of his Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday where Trump vented at Hegseth that he thought the munitions issue 'had been fixed.'... Hegseth defended himself and blamed his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, for the shortages and for not ensuring Trump was fully apprised of the issue.... The exchange underscored Trump’s increasing frustration with his defense secretary, who was one of the biggest early advocates for taking military action against Iran.... The president asserted overnight that the United States has 'massive amounts' of munitions, saying in a post on Truth Social that 'large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.' The “‘leakers” of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,' he added.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know who-all is present during a Cabinet meeting, but I would guess there are very few people not hired or approved by the president*. The same would be true for closed-door White House meetings. Nevertheless, media outlets produce quite a few stories about these private meetings. And that suggests that a significant number of Trump's hand-picked employees are "traitorous" leakers. As for Hegseth, what a brave, stand-up guy, blaming his deputy for the problem that irritated Trump. The buck stops someplace else. Feinberg is a billionaire supporter of Donald Trump and a Trump campaign donor. He has worked for Trump before. ~~~

     ~~~ Robert Farley in LG&$ posts charts that reveal the current and projected supplies of key U.S. munitions. "Long story short… the Trump administration was fully aware that stockpiles of munitions were insufficient for even a fairly short war. It accelerated Biden-era efforts to rebuild stockpiles but those efforts need time to ripen. Nevertheless, Trump decided to initiate the war because he evidently believed it would end quickly.... Iranians can read those charts just as easily as you can, and they understand leverage." MB: So which was it? (1) Trump's advisors had no idea the U.S. military didn't have the equipment needed to win even a short war; (2) Trump's advisors were too afraid of Trump's wrath to tell him; or (3) they told him, but he (a) ignored them and (b) forgot all about it, so he could blame somebody else who blamed somebody else?? Whatever individual failings were the cause of the foul-up, it was a major, preventable foul-up and a self-own at that.  

Feinberg is hardly the only Trump donor whom Trump gave a swell job: ~~~ 

~~~ Meine Kinder, We're Going to See the Pyramids! Adam Taylor, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Trump — more than any president in recent history — is relying on wealthy donors and political loyalists to fill ambassadorships at U.S. embassies worldwide, The Post’s analysis showed. It comes as the president has overseen a broader shake-up at the State Department, marking a shift away from apolitical norms that have guided American foreign policy for decades, former diplomats and other observers say.... In selecting donors and loyalists for ambassadorships, the president is flouting a 1980 law that states that only people with diplomatic experience should serve in such roles — and that these assignments should not be used as political patronage.... 

“[As an example,] the position of U.S. ambassador to Egypt has been held by a career diplomat for decades. But in June ... [Trump] ... nominat[ed] a political donor and lawyer who provided legal representation to rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Nick Oberheiden, 48, has no formal diplomatic experience. Born in Germany, he has no public link to Egypt, either. However, his law firm has defended clients aligned with the administration, and he has donated roughly $1.3 million to political committees that have supported ... Donald Trump’s reelection.... [The Trump] administration also has left more than 100 diplomatic missions without a confirmed leader, including key postings in Russia, Germany and Saudi Arabia.” 

Lying, Racist Conspiracy Theorist Weighs in on Michigan Senate Primary. Gregory Svirnovskiy of Politico: “... Donald Trump panned Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a social media post, calling the progressive Democrat a 'Communist, who is not liked in Detroit,' while alleging without evidence rampant voter fraud in the state. 'Wayne County (Detroit) in Michigan is one of the most corrupt voting areas in the United States, if not the World,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. 'It is strictly Third World! Miracles happen in Wayne County, including more votes being cast than there are voters, by a lot.... The Radical Left Socialist has a real shot, and don’t discount all of those fake mail-in ballots that will ‘surprisingly’ show up at the last moment....Get ready for another Rigged Election.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know why the DOJ sent elections "observers" to Wayne County if they can't do anything to stop the "corrupt ... Third World" (read "criminal Black") voters. 

Tyler Pager, et al., of the New York Times: purport to have the inside story on Jeanine Pirro's meeting with Pool Scums Donald Trump & Interior Secretary Doug Burgum: “After about an hour of intense back-and-forth, Ms. Pirro emerged with her job intact, for now. Speaking to reporters during a trip to the West Coast on Tuesday evening, Mr. Trump said he had told Ms. Pirro he was 'not happy' with her filing and was still weighing her future. 'I haven’t made a determination,' he said when asked if Ms. Pirro’s job was safe. During the meeting on Monday, Ms. Pirro, her voice raised at times, directly confronted Mr. Burgum, accusing him of misleading the president. She made the case that Mr. Burgum had promoted a self-serving cover story to conceal his own missteps.... This account, based on interviews with several people with knowledge of the events, demonstrated a core truth of Mr. Trump’s second term: Anyone willing to contradict the president is in trouble, even if the dissenter happens to be a family friend who has faithfully executed his prosecutorial agenda over the years.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Digby provides a transcript of remarks Donald Trump made in regard to Jeanine Pirro's dropping the malicious prosecution of Davey Hearn. The transcript does have typos. (Trump did not say "mandalism," for instance; he said "vandalism.") But even assuming the transcript has errors, it's close enough to accurate to convey Trump's inability to make his case in a clear manner on a matter that has obsessed him. During the course of his little soliloquy, he gets confused. He cannot form complete sentences. He lies. ("Biden spent $58 million. Barack Hussein Obama spent much more than that." According to Art Intel, Biden spent $1.4MM; Obama spent about $35MM). He jumps from topic to topic; he cannot remember common words like "videos" or "videotapes" ("we have photographs [or] tapes, like moving cameras, right? We have them where people are on the side, cutting it with a box knife." Thanks to RAS for the link to the transcript. You can watch President* Fuzzymuddle's oral presentation here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Now it turns out that Trump may not be planning to abscond with only the Qatari jet. He may also steal another plane used as Air Force 1. This heist is certainly a stepped-up version of running off with a boatload of classified documents & small "souvenirs."

Maggie Haberman & Eric Lipton of the New York Times: “When Qatar donated a Boeing jet for use as a temporary Air Force One..., [Donald] Trump said the luxury plane would come with him when he left office — but only as a display at his presidential library. Those plans appear to have changed. A White House official ... said on Wednesday that no final decision has been made about which plane will go to the library. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump’s son Eric, who is heavily involved with developing the library, told NBC News in a text message that it was 'not the plan at the moment' to bring the Qatari jet to the library, which is planned for downtown Miami. One person with knowledge of the discussions said that Mr. Trump had been considering decommissioning one of the two older Air Force One jets to display at the library, but that he also planned to take the Qatari jet as well. It was unclear if that plan was still in consideration.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's kind of amazing at how bad Trump is at presidenting and how good he is at grand theft larceny.  

Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: “Senate Democrats on Wednesday demanded that a South Korean company explain why it paid $2 million to ... Donald Trump’s holding company while it was embroiled in a trade dispute with his administration, writing that the transaction 'raises significant concerns about pay-to-play politics and the potential for bribery.' The payment from Base Group Ltd. was described in the president’s June financial disclosure as part of a 'letter of intent' and a 'nonrefundable development fee.' Base Group is a key investor in Korea Aluminium, one of several companies that the Commerce Department accused of circumventing tariffs imposed on Chinese aluminum.... The probe offers a preview of how Democrats might leverage their power in Congress if they regain the House of Representatives or the Senate in the midterms.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yeah, sure, this is a corruption scandal. But it's business as usual -- nothing compared to absconding with a couple of jet planes. And leave us not forget the kids! ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Elizabeth Dwoskin & Andrew Ba Tran of the Washington Post: “A group of Democratic lawmakers have asked the Pentagon’s official watchdog to open an investigation after The Washington Post revealed that 15 companies with investment from ... Donald Trump’s sons have garnered $3.2 billion in federal contracts, investments, and loans — most coming after Trump took office for the second time. The letter from Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), Tammy Duckworth (Illinois), and Rep. Robert Garcia (California), asks for an inquiry into Defense Department contracts awarded to companies affiliated with Eric and Donald Trump Jr., according to a copy of the request provided to The Post.” MB: Warren & Blumenthal also are on the Base Group/Korea Aluminum inquiry.

Sex, Lies & Money. Mostly Money. As akaWendy points out in yesterday's Comments, Heather Cox Richardson's recent "letter" is worth a read: "Observers note that the story of Trump wanting immunity from IRS audits and the revelation that his bank activity mirrored that of money launderers might well be the same story." Wendy also provides a gift link to a 2018 Atlantic story by Natasha Bertrand, which outlines some the money laundering suspicions and ties to organized crime. IMO, the reason Trump talks like a mobster is that he is a mobster. The fraudulent little indiscretions that Alvin Bragg & New York State attorneys general Eric Schneiderman & Tish James were able to catch Trump in are blips on the big screen of international hoohah this guy and his family engage in. The fact that Trump has never been held accountable for any major financial crimes is, well, odd. But we do know he's fine with hush money payments. (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ See also Sen. Cory Booker's remarks at Tuesday's Judiciary Committee hearing. Booker was (literally) spitting mad at "a president that we know is a tax cheat" and a committee that is granting him immunity from prosecution for tax cheating. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Josh Gerstein of Politico: “... Donald Trump is seeking to stave off a court order that requires him to begin giving the BBC financial details on his business empire by Thursday in connection with a defamation lawsuit he is pressing against the network. Trump’s attorneys filed the emergency stay motion Wednesday with Miami-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, urging her to lift the order she issued last month that the British TV broadcaster is entitled to information on the financial performance of hundreds of Trump’s companies because he claimed his 'brand, properties and businesses' were damaged by a documentary the BBC aired in the U.K. in 2024.... Trump’s legal team is also asking the judge overseeing the lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman, to overturn Lett’s order and to allow Trump to amend his lawsuit to trim out some of the language that led the magistrate judge to conclude that the financial performance of Trump’s businesses should be subject to discovery.”

Jeremy Barr of the Guardian: “A federal judge in Florida seemed skeptical of arguments from Donald Trump’s legal team on Wednesday over whether the court should allow a $10bn defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal to move forward. Trump sued the Journal and the News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch over a July 2025 article about a 'bawdy' letter reportedly from Trump that was included in a 2003 birthday book for disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has denied authoring or signing the letter, and his attorneys have argued that the Journal published the story despite having been told it was false. US district court judge Darrin P Gayles initially dismissed the case in April, arguing that Trump’s attorneys had not sufficiently pleaded actual malice, the legal standard needed to win a defamation case, but he gave Trump an opportunity to refile the lawsuit.”

Jon Stewart Gets a Scoop. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: “Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) says he will vote against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve in the role permanently, putting more pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to limit GOP defections on the high-profile nominee. 'If you’re going to bring up Blanche, I’m not going to vote for him,' Fetterman told 'The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart' podcast.... Thune, however, told reporters Wednesday that he feels confident he has the votes to confirm Blanche.” ~~~

~~~ Allison Pecorin, et al., of ABC News: "Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski met on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as they weigh whether to support Blanche’s nomination to serve as attorney general, sources told ABC News. Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday she would vote against Blanche’s nomination when it reaches the Senate floor, possibly by the end of the week. With GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell’s absence and Democrats voting against him, a 'no' vote from either Cassidy or Murkowski would sink Blanche’s nomination. Cassidy has said he’s worried about the 'lawfare' at the Department of Justice, referencing those who have been prosecuted because 'somebody in high office is angry at them,' presumably referring to ... Donald Trump.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The ABC reporters got the math wrong when they claimed that "a 'no' vote from either Cassidy or Murkowski would sink Blanche’s nomination." There are 53 Republicans in the Senate and 47 Democrats & Independents who caucus with Democrats. Let's assume that the ghost of Mitch McConnell does not show up and that either Cassidy or Murkowski does defect along with concerned Senator Susan Collins. That leaves 53 minus 3: (1) McConnell, (2) Collins, and (3) Cassidy OR Murkowski. So 53 minus 3 = 50. Also too 47 + 3 = 50. That would be a tie. Then along comes JayDee. 

     ~~~ Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. If I'm wrong, somebody please correct me. It gives me no pleasure to have to correct a simple arithmetic problem. There were three reporters on this story, presumably an editor and a copy editor, and maybe some other helpers. How is it possible that at least five professional journalists at a major media outlet can't do second-grade math when it matters? 

Kate Kelly of the New York Times: “A military helicopter carrying ... [Donald] Trump came within less than a mile of a passenger jet above Washington on Tuesday after garbled communications between his crew and air traffic controllers in Ronald Reagan National Airport’s tower delayed the controllers from clearing nearby air traffic, according to two people familiar with federal officials’ initial assessment. The incident occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. as Mr. Trump was flying to Joint Base Andrews from the White House on the initial leg of a planned trip to Los Angeles. Before taking off, the crew of Marine One ... made three attempts to warn controllers in the National Airport tower that they were three minutes away from taking off.... The communications appeared not to have been heard by the controller, and the helicopter advanced. That put it in the flight path of an Envoy Air passenger jet, a haunting situation after a tragic collision between a military helicopter and a passenger jet in the Washington airspace last year....

“Since July, Mr. Trump has been flying in and out of the Ellipse, a public park south of the White House, because the area on the White House South Lawn from which Marine One typically operates has been closed for the construction of a new helipad. That change has upended the routine in airspace that was already one of the country’s most complex, requiring a constant and elaborate dance among military aircraft, civilian helicopters and passenger jets for three major airports.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Adam Entous of the New York Times: “The C.I.A. has secretly established a Cuba task force, setting in motion plans for a more concerted campaign to pressure the Cuban government to make the economic, political and leadership changes demanded by ... [Donald] Trump, according to people briefed on the action. The creation of the task force will allow the agency to quickly direct more financial, human and technical resources at Cuba, they said. The task force has begun adding case officers who recruit and manage spies, intelligence analysts, officers who conduct cyberoperations and officers who specialize in covert influence operations, the people said. In 1960, the C.I.A. established an earlier Cuba task force, whose members oversaw the failed, agency-backed invasion of Cuba the next year known as the Bay of Pigs.... The new task force['s] mandate is ... to create fissures among the Cuban political elite, in hope of pressuring the Cubans to replace perceived anti-American hard-liners with more practical leaders more amenable to Mr. Trump’s demands.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

      ~~~ Marie: I'm 81 years old. All of my life, the U.S. has been screwing up its relationship with Cuba (with the exception of a short time during President Obama's administration). Why should that change now? As for the Bay of Pigs, I was personally involved in the cover-up of a certain aspect of the invasion, even though I was too naive to figure out what I was doing. (I later read about my part in a national news magazine.) 

Marie: The other day I remarked that maybe Scott Bessent's expertise as a highly successful currency trader would be helpful in dealing with Japan's currency crisis. This guy -- who is a financial columnist -- doesn't think so. ~~~

~~~ Matthew Lynn in a Washington Post op-ed: “The internet has plenty of wild theories about why Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent intervened in currency markets to prop up the value of the Japanese yen on Friday after it hit a 40-year low. Yet the real explanation is probably a lot simpler — and, unfortunately, a lot more worrying. The intervention was the first time in nearly three decades that the United States stepped in to support the yen.... Here is the problem, however. The Treasury Department can’t be run like a hedge fund. To start with, it does not exist to chase financial gains. Its core objectives should be to maintain financial stability and protect the value and role of the dollar.... Next, making money on a trade is great, but ... there will be days when you lose money.... Finally, making large trades distorts markets. The dollar as the global reserve currency is a huge asset for the U.S. government. But, over time, other countries won’t want to rely on the dollar if the U.S. is using it to pick winners and losers.In fairness, if you did want to run the Treasury Department like a hedge fund, Bessent would probably be the best person to hire. The yen trade might well work out. But this is a very dangerous game.”

Lawrence O'Donnell interviewed historian David Blight on the Trump administration's condemnation of the Smithsonian's Museum of American History:  

     ~~~ Here is the July 17 opinion piece Blight wrote for the New York Times.  “The Trump White House and its history police want us all to live in their chosen bubble, immune from instability or perceived disorder in their take on American greatness. They have a right to their bubble as individual citizens, but to impose it on the rest of us as policy egregiously breaks the public trust.”

Beth Mole of Ars Technica: “The Trump administration continues to respond sluggishly to the explosive, nationwide outbreak of Cyclospora — a unicellular parasite spread from human feces that has now sickened nearly 23,000 people in 47 states, killing two and sending over 500 to the hospital.... In comments to Ars Technica on Monday, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CDC and FDA, said the outbreak information will be updated sometime 'this week.' Sources for The New York Times said that the CDC plans to set up a 'formal response team' for the outbreak sometime this week. Cases in the outbreak began in June.... Both Taylor Farms [-- whose lettuce is believed to be the source of outbreaks in 15 states --] and the Trump administration have drawn significant scrutiny for the lack of clear information about the outbreak.... Amid ... misleading communication[s from both], it came to light that Taylor Farms directly appealed to the White House to delay announcing the recall [of the lettuce]. Further, financial records showed that Taylor Farms donated $1 million to a Trump-supporting super PAC, MAGA, Inc., in March, just days after the Trump administration delayed an FDA rule to strengthen food traceability regulations.”

Christina Jewett of the New York Times: “The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first mRNA flu vaccine, enabling use of a technology that will make it easier to rapidly target a widely prevalent or particularly virulent strain of the virus. The approval of the vaccine, called mFLUSIVA, which is manufactured by Moderna, follows a series of blows to mRNA research directed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including the cancellation of 22 projects meant to develop vaccines with mRNA.... Initially the F.D.A. had refused to even review Moderna’s application for approval earlier this year, but quickly reversed course after a public outcry. The flu kills more than 300,000 people worldwide each year and was particularly harsh in the 2024-25 season, with an estimated 45,000 deaths in the United States, including at least 297 reported cases in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new vaccine is authorized for people ages 50 to 64. The F.D.A. issued an accelerated approval for adults 65 and older, which allows widespread use and can be converted to a full approval if the results of a follow-up study are deemed acceptable.” The link is a gift link.

Joanna Slater of the Washington Post: Credible death threats and other threats of violence against them are “emblematic of the climate facing [judges], whether nominated by Democratic or Republican presidents, when they make high-profile rulings that find Trump administration actions to be unlawful.... Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly blasted individual federal judges as rogue actors and political activists whose rulings are illegitimate, including in a post last month by the top lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security. Some judges have found the rhetoric so troubling that they are increasingly speaking out about the danger it poses to the rule of law, an unusual move for members of the judiciary, who prefer to avoid the limelight.” The link is a gift link.

More GOP Harassment of Anthony Fauci. Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: “On the eve of a planned vote by a Senate committee on whether to hold Dr. Anthony S. Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions at a hearing last week, the chairman of a separate panel said that he has obtained a copy of Dr. Fauci’s cellphone. 'Hopefully, this device will address many of the questions he refused to answer at last week’s hearing,' Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin and chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote on social media Wednesday night. Like Senator Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican who ordered the contempt vote, Mr. Johnson has been a fervent critic of Dr. Fauci. While Mr. Paul has focused his inquiry on the origins of the pandemic, Mr. Johnson has been more interested in Covid vaccines. News that Mr. Johnson had obtained the phone was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said that the Department of Health and Human Services had sent a copy of the phone to Mr. Johnson’s subcommittee.” The link is a gift link.

Coincidence. Early this morning I wrote, "If Mike Johnson says some words in a forest and they mean nothing, does he make a sound?" ~~~ 

~~~ Elon Drops Some Trash on the Moon. Kenneth Chang of the New York Times: “If a rocket stage crashes into the moon and no one sees it, did it really crash? A discarded upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slammed into the surface of the moon around 2:35 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday at a speed of 5,400 miles per hour. However, it appears no one has yet reported any obvious signs of the impact.... No one was able to directly see or photograph the collision.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

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Michigan Congressional Race. "Neither of the Above" Wins GOP Primary. Diana Paulsen & Elise Spenner of ABC News: "A candidate who dropped out of Michigan's 8th Congressional District race nearly a month ago and has done no fundraising will be the Republican nominee after he defeated favorite Amir Hassan, who was endorsed by ... Donald Trump in June. Thomas J. Smith, a retired engineer who exited the race in mid-July, pulled in 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s Republican primary and was projected to win the race as of Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press. Though Smith suspended his campaign weeks ago and backed a third candidate, Al Lemmo, his name remained on the ballot.... Hassan is the first Trump-endorsed congressional candidate to lose this cycle." (Also linked yesterday.)