September 3, 2026

⭐Grotesque Arc de Trump, Ctd. Luke Broadwater & Emily Badger of the New York Times: Donald “Trump is breaking ground on his 250-foot-tall triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, even before a federal review panel has approved the project. Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, on Thursday announced plans for the excavation work. 'After a very long wait (over 125 years!), we are preparing to start, over the next two-week period, the excavation work necessary for the Great Triumphal Arch' he wrote in a social media post.... The rush to push ahead with work on the arch follows a familiar pattern for Mr. Trump, who has frequently embarked on large-scale changes to historic properties in Washington without approvals from Congress or anyone else. And it comes days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the administration to continue building a ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing.” The link is a gift link. MB: So, once again, thanks, Supremes!

Ana Swanson of the New York Times: “The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services grew to the biggest gap in 16 months in July, as America imported more electronics to feed the country’s artificial intelligence boom. The monthly trade deficit, the gap between what the United States imports and what it exports, hit $88.6 billion in the month, according to data the Commerce Department released on Thursday. That was an increase of more than 24 percent compared with June. While some economists said the data mostly reflected the strength of the U.S. economy and the A.I. build out, the data still threatened to present a setback for the Trump administration. Mr. Trump has imposed steep global tariffs on the theory that they will reduce the trade deficit and bolster domestic manufacturing.” The link is a gift link.

Mitch Smith & Ernesto Londoño of the New York Times: “A federal grand jury has indicted an ICE officer on charges of making false statements about the nonfatal shooting of a man during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota last winter, according to a person familiar with the case.... The charges against the officer, Christian Castro of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, represent a rare instance of ... [Donald] Trump’s Justice Department accusing a federal agent of criminal wrongdoing at work. The indictment against Mr. Castro was filed under seal and officials expect to make it public once he is in custody.” The link is a gift link. The Guardian's story is here. MB: To understand what is really going down here, it's necessary to read the rest of the Times story as well as the ProPublica story linked below. This may be a “rare instance” of Todd Blanche's DOJ indicting an ICE agent, but the agent should have been brought up on charges more serious than making false statements.

⭐Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow new restrictions on mail-in balloting, potentially setting up a major legal clash that could affect millions of voters for November’s midterm elections. The fight could possibly upend election procedures just as states begin to send out mail-in ballots in pivotal contests that will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate. North Carolina is set to distribute ballots Friday, and other states follow in coming weeks. The administration says the new rules, set out by ... Donald Trump in an executive order, are necessary to keep noncitizens from voting.... The administration is taking the highly unusual step of seeking to appeal a federal judge’s temporary restraining order, which generally cannot be appealed.” At 5:00 pm ET, this is a developing story. ~~~

~~~ Zach Montague of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Thursday expressed concern that if she allowed the Trump administration to move ahead with plans to restrict mail-in ballots ahead of the November election, it could cause so much chaos that states would experience 'major disenfranchisement.' During a winding two-hour hearing in Federal District Court in Boston, Judge Indira Talwani asked sharp questions of attorneys from the Justice Department and a coalition of Republican states about how they believed they could implement the new rule on the eve of early voting across many states. The hearing highlighted concerns raised by a broad coalition of nonprofits and Democratic states that, if allowed to forge ahead with the new rule, the Postal Service could haphazardly reject thousands of valid ballots. Judge Talwani last week blocked the Postal Service from implementing the plan for 14 days, a period that expires Sept. 10. Thursday’s hearing was intended to help her decide whether to extend her injunction indefinitely.” The link is a gift link. Related stories & opinion linked below.

Rusty Tub Docks in Thailand. Brad Lendon of CNN: “As the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln pulled into port in Thailand on Wednesday, observers were shocked by its appearance. The almost 1,100-foot-long warship was covered in rust from bow to stern. But experts say that’s to be expected from what the Navy says was 286 days at sea since the Lincoln left its homeport of San Diego last November. The warship also saw months of combat and blockade operations against Iran in the Middle East. 'Rust along the waterline is not unusual on a ship that has spent 60 days or more of operations continuously at sea,' said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain.... Tackling the rust problem is not something that could be done at sea, especially during combat operations, Schuster told CNN.”

Jenna Monnin of NOTUS: “The Pentagon has 'temporarily rescinded' the clinical guidance draft published Wednesday detailing its new testosterone screening policy for service members. The document was removed from the Defense Health Agency’s website, as first reported by Reuters, though the interim guidance still remains in place, a Department of Defense official told NOTUS.”

Here Is Trump, Once Again, Pretending Not to Be Racist by Making a Racist Rule. Andrew Duehren & Michael Bender of the New York Times: “The Trump administration released new rules that could revoke tax-exempt status from any school offering targeted support to Black or other minority students, a sweeping change that opens another front in the president’s campaign to reshape American education. The proposed regulations, which the Treasury Department published on Thursday, would add another element to the guidelines that schools and other organizations must follow to qualify for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service. The rules would deny tax-exempt status to any school, including secondary schools and universities, if it has any policy or program, including admissions and scholarships, that the I.R.S. finds to be racially discriminatory. Such a change would thrust the I.R.S. into the center of the Trump administration’s push to pressure schools to abandon initiatives aimed at supporting Black and other minority students, efforts meant to address the nation’s long history of racial discrimination and segregation.” The link is a gift link.

BTW, here's Trump, speaking to GOP candidates in the paved-over Rose Garden Wednesday, "endorsing" Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate (related story linked below): ~~~

~~~ Here's a James Talarico ad. He doesn't say a word about how ugly and sloppily-dressed his opponent may be. But then those are not Paxton's worst liabilities: ~~~

Annals of “Journalism,” Ha Ha Ha. Well, Trump Needs a Press Secretary. Erik Wemple of the New York Times: “Maria Bartiromo, one of Fox News’s most recognizable anchors and a fierce backer of ... [Donald] Trump, is leaving the network, the company said on Thursday. In a statement, the network said: 'Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with Fox News Media.' It did not specify a reason for the abrupt departure.... Ms. Bartiromo’s departure was Fox’s decision, according to a person familiar with the details.... In July, Fox News was sued for defamation related to claims made on Ms. Bartiromo’s weekday morning show.... Her conduct was also a focal point of two major defamation lawsuits against Fox News, from the voting machine companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic.” The link is a gift link. The AP report, published by NOTUS, is here.

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Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: The POTUS* cannot distinguish truth from fiction. “It is not that he thinks he can steer around the iceberg, it’s that he doesn’t believe it is there in the first place, even when it is staring him in the face.” The link is a gift link.

Emily Badger of the New York Times: Donald Trump's “beautification projects” in Washington, D.C., keep starting before anyone admits they've started and before the courts can weigh in. “'This has been the strategy,' said Ed Stierli ... [of] the National Parks Conservation Association, which is suing to block the garden [of heroes] from being built in the middle of protected space on the National Mall. The government is 'building or doing work in plain sight while claiming that they’re not doing the work at the same time.'” The link is a gift link.

~~~ Torrie Herrington of NOTUS: “... Donald Trump announced Wednesday that a new helipad on the White House grounds is complete, touting the project as both safer and more visually striking than the previous landing area.... Trump praised the work on the new heliport, which he says was finished ahead of schedule and came out 'more beautiful than I would have thought.... Incredible the job they’ve done.... Carved granite with the seal of the president of the United States.'... The helipad is estimated to have cost up to $6 million, with defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin covering a majority of the construction cost due to the damage caused by their aircraft.”

Fort Trump. Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: “U.S. Secret Service leaders have long wanted a more fortified White House.... Donald Trump is giving it to them. Trump officials on Thursday will publicly present their latest plans to permanently fence Lafayette Square, the public park across the street from the White House. The project, a longtime Secret Service priority, was discussed but never approved in past administrations, as officials wrestled with how to boost security without unduly restricting public access.... Trump officials also will unveil revisions to a planned visitor screening center, another piece of the broader Trump-backed effort to add security facilities and fencing that could alter the relationship between the White House and the public spaces surrounding it. The National Capital Planning Commission, which reviews federal construction projects, is set to consider both proposals Thursday afternoon.

“The Secret Service also has pushed for additional permanent fences on Pennsylvania Avenue and around the White House campus, with administration officials saying that announcements on those additions are forthcoming. And Trump has followed the Secret Service’s recommendation to keep President’s Park, the 82-acre park encompassing and surrounding the White House, off limits amid heightened security threats.”

Isn't This Convenient (for Trump)? Todd Frankel of the Washington Post: “The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday proposed a permanent restriction on flights permitted within a one-mile radius of Mar-a-Lago — a rule that would help address a longtime complaint from ... Donald Trump and a more recent worry for the Secret Service. Trump has never liked the plane traffic over his Florida estate, which sits almost directly in the flight path of the Palm Beach airport recently renamed in his honor. As a civilian, he filed multiple lawsuits against officials at what was then known as Palm Beach International Airport. He complained about the noise, the vibrations and what he described as the 'soot.'... A full ban on flights would make it just about impossible for planes to take off and land [at the airport named for Trump].... At first, the FAA restricted flights only when Trump was at his estate. Then in October 2025, amid heightened security concerns from the Secret Service, the FAA implemented temporary restrictions within a one-mile radius and 2,000 feet at all times for most planes.... It is those temporary restrictions that the FAA now wants to make permanent.”

Tara Stockman of the New York Times: “The Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on drones on Thursday, continuing its long-running campaign to thwart the Chinese drone industry and promote domestic manufacturing. A 100 percent tariff applies to drones that weigh more than 55 pounds or use thermal imaging. Those drones, the vast majority of which are made in China, have become essential for many law enforcement officials, as they’re used to track wildfires and find lost people. Smaller drones have a tariff of 25 percent.... [Donald] Trump, whose two eldest sons have ties to the U.S. drone industry, announced the levies last month after a Commerce Department investigation deemed reliance on foreign drones and components a national security threat.... Critics say that the domestic drone industry cannot fill the gap and that the administration’s abrupt policy changes will do more harm than good.... [Also,] the move has dampened hopes that the United States could work with allies to build a supply chain that competes with China’s drone industry.” The link is a gift link.

Paul Krugman: Why are gas prices so high? According to Scott Bessent, it's Ukraine's fault. "Bessent, as much as or more than Trump, has been effectively an enemy of Ukraine from the beginning." Krugman explains. Read on.

Even Donald Trump Knows More Than Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Zachery Leeman of Mediaite: During a CNBC interview, Lutnick said than no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran and that “data centers don’t use any water, when the facilities can actually go through thousands of gallons of water a day in their cooling processes.” Trump came to Lutnick's defense, claiming the Commerce Secretary just mixed up Iran and Venezuela, as one so often does. ~~~

~~~ Speaking of Venezuela. Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: “'We’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground,' Donald Trump said when he announced the capture of the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in January. And lo and behold, it has come to pass. Trump announced last week that he had made a deal with Venezuela to develop its oil reserves. Well, not so much a 'deal' as a payment by Venezuela of tribute at gunpoint. In a social-media post, Trump announced that the oil 'is a Gift from Venezuela to the People of the United States.' This is a surprisingly generous offer from a country that is much poorer than the United States and, like most countries, disinclined to hand over its wealth to foreigners as a present.” Thank you to akaWendy for this gift link. MB: We're just criminals now. We have a mob boss, and he is a ruthless thief.

What Is the Crazy Old Man Saying Now? ~~~ 

~~~ Mallory Wilson of the Hill: Donald “Trump on Wednesday floated changing the name of the Strait of Hormuz to the Trump Strait.... 'Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be “hotter” than ever before!' Trump wrote on Truth Social.... The idea of naming the body of water after the president comes after Trump has also suggested that he will make the strait a U.S. territory.... 'I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,' Trump stated Tuesday on Truth Social. 'They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?'” ~~~

~~~ Prashant Rao of Semafor: “... Donald Trump told reporters the war would not last 'too long,' but The Wall Street Journal said his defense secretary was nevertheless extending troop deployments in the Middle East into 2027, potentially creating a yearslong maintenance backlog.” (This is a very short item.)

Tara Copp, et al., of the Washington Post: “When Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told ... Donald Trump last week that he was resigning, Trump suggested he could stay at least through the midterm elections, people familiar with the meeting told The Washington Post — a show of support for a top Pentagon leader who has clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. At the White House meeting last week where Driscoll told Trump of his planned departure, he also voiced concerns to the president about the damage he said Hegseth was doing to the Army, people familiar with the conversation told The Post.” Marie: Sorry, Post reporters. This is not “a show of support” for Driscoll; this is Trump calculating that it was in his own best interest not to rock a battered, leaky Pentagon before the elections. ~~~

~~~ Gregory Svirnovskiy of Politico: “Sen. Thom Tillis renewed his call for ... Donald Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, following the resignation earlier this week of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. 'I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,' the outgoing two-term North Carolina Republican wrote on X. 'He is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force.'”

Israel Asks for Trump's Approval of Ethnic Cleansing. Andrew Roth of the Guardian: “Israel’s defence minister has said his country is seeking Donald Trump’s support to approve plans to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in what has widely been condemned as a potential war crime. Israel Katz said there was 'no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration' during a conference hosted by the Israeli news site Ynet and the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. He said the Israeli government was 'organised and prepared to get them out by sea, by air, by every way possible'. Trump discussed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip in early 2025 that would have involved removing Palestinians from the territory, but has since pulled back from the idea. A 20-point peace plan the White House drew up last year did not call for Palestinians’ deportation, an act that would be widely seen as ethnic cleansing.” ~~~

~~~ Paul Campos in LG&$: "A couple of days ... [ago, national security minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir (again this is a cabinet minister) posted an AI video of Palestinians being sent by conveyer belt into an industrialized slaughterhouse. I’m not linking but it’s out there if you want to look at it (not recommended)." MB: No matter the circumstances, the very idea of ethnic cleansing is a shocking reminder that humans are help together by a screw that could loosen at any time. But for people of a group that has throughout history been victims of ethnic cleansing (see, for instance, the Babylonian exile of the 6th century B.C.E.), well, I just don't get it.

Dan Lamothe & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: “The Pentagon has pulled decades of classified documents from a secret computer system commonly used by defense officials and U.S. troops, after The Washington Post published a story detailing senior military officers’ concerns about the Iran war. Documents associated with the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB) were removed from an internal web portal on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet).... They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the classified system. It was not immediately clear if the documents remain otherwise available to U.S. personnel or how the reduction in access could complicate military planning.”

Zach Montague of the New York Times: “A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked much of ... [Donald] Trump’s latest effort to withhold citizenship from babies born in the United States to noncitizen parents. The judge ruled that the Supreme Court had already settled questions reopened by an executive order Mr. Trump signed in August. While the decision was limited to children born after Feb. 19, 2025, including those born in the future, Judge Deborah L. Boardman wrote that the order would likely affect babies the Supreme Court had already defined as citizens. The ruling delivered a sharp rejection of the president’s renewed efforts to restrict birthright citizenship, after the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 in July that a previous, more sweeping executive order from 2025 was unconstitutional.” The link is a gift link. Politico's report is here.

Voter Suppression, Ctd. Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: “The U.S. Postal Service has been swiftly developing a complex screening system for mail-in ballots ahead of this year’s midterm elections, despite ongoing legal wranglings over ... [Donald] Trump’s executive order to restrict voting by mail. The new system, which requires states to tell the Postal Service which voters will be sent ballots so they can be verified before delivery, shows how aggressively the Postal Service is moving to deliver on the president’s directive ahead of the upcoming elections, which could tip the scales of power in Congress. The agency’s efforts to set up a way to restrict who gets mail ballots, even as the matter is being fought over in the courts, could cause confusion among voters and undermine confidence in the Postal Service as states are close to getting ballots out the door, current and former officials say.... Despite a court order temporarily barring the Postal Service from implementing the president’s plan to restrict mail-in voting, the agency acknowledged on Tuesday that it had continued to develop the portal in case it is permitted to move forward.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll bet that "complex screening system" begins with, "Hey, does this name look 'American'"? Answers: "Young," yes; "Yung," no. ~~~

~~~ Heather Cox Richardson has more to say about voter suppression. The exchange she sites at the end of her post is pretty good. I hope that Tarrant County citizen is right.

Yunior Rivas of Democracy Docket: "An immigrant rights group sued the Trump administration Wednesday over its escalating effort to screen state voter rolls for alleged noncitizens, arguing the campaign illegally threatens lawful voters just weeks before the midterms. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and a California voter seeks to block the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) from forcing states to run voter registration records through federal databases to identify supposed noncitizens. At the center of the case is the Trump administration’s claim that more than 190,000 people on California’s voter rolls may be noncitizens — a figure DHS has not publicly substantiated or explained how it calculated.... The lawsuit marks a new front in a growing wave of litigation over the Trump administration’s efforts to use DHS databases to police state voter rolls."

In case you were wondering if Trump's DOJ would let random feds get away with murder if they thought that would please Trump, here's a story to help you decide: ~~~

~~~ Megan Rose & Andy Mannix of ProPublica: “Over the 'strongest possible' objections from the federal prosecutor handling the case, leaders at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., quashed plans to bring civil rights charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant and then lying about it. The agent, 52-year-old Christian Castro, allegedly shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg in Minneapolis this January during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s immigration blitz that sent thousands of federal agents into the state. The incident was one of three shootings by immigration agents in the city, the other two of which were fatal. Federal prosecutors in Minnesota had been preparing to charge Castro with deprivation of rights under color of law for the shooting of Sosa-Celis, according to several people....

“Late on Tuesday, Matthew Evans, the assistant U.S. attorney in Minnesota in charge of the case, told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and other victims to prepare for Castro to be charged 'only with False Statements,' according to an email that was reviewed by ProPublica. That charge would likely carry a far less severe punishment [than would deprivation of rights charges] if he were convicted. 'This is being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney,' Evans wrote in a remarkably candid account of internal deliberations. 'I objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could. It wasn’t enough.'”

Alexandra Berzon, et al., of the New York Times: “An official who oversaw the vetting of ICE recruits ... [lodged] a formal whistle-blower complaint to the Office of Inspector General in the Department of Homeland Security..., cit[ing] an 'unprecedented lowering of standards' amid a hiring surge. The complaint ... underscores the rising worries about the suitability — as well as the tactics — of scores of agents who have been rapidly deployed across the country within the last year. It also outlines the extent to which ICE weakened its standards, and points to dissension among the upper reaches of the agency as it was pressed last year to carry out ... [Donald] Trump’s immigration crackdown.... The concerns in the August 2025 whistle-blower complaint exposed shortcuts in the agency’s preliminary vetting process. No credit checks. Fingerprints unconfirmed. Final job offers absent preliminary vetting.” The link is a gift link.

What if a substantial majority of American opposed building data centers in their communities, but Donald Trump wanted them built anyway? What to do? What to do? How about sneaking up on residents? ~~~

~~~ AP (published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle: "A plan by the Environmental Protection Agency could make it harder for the public to learn about and comment on proposed AI data centers that have sparked backlash in communities across the United States and transformed the midterm election landscape. The EPA proposal would eliminate a federal requirement that states notify the public and seek comment before issuing air pollution permits for data centers and other industrial facilities. States could still offer opportunities for public comment, but the EPA would no longer mandate them as a condition for states to grant permits. Critics say the move could thwart local residents from learning about proposed data centers or making their voices heard before projects are approved and construction begins. The move comes during a widespread backlash as tech giants build hundreds of massive server warehouses to fuel artificial intelligence and cloud computing."

Michael Gold of the New York Times: “A single vote on a routine measure that will never become law has touched off a firestorm of recriminations among House Democrats on Capitol Hill, offering a glimpse of simmering tensions within the party weeks before midterm elections.... The drama began Tuesday afternoon, when two of the most conservative Democrats in the House broke with their party to pave the way for votes on a slate of Republican bills. By Wednesday, it had mushroomed into a full-on furor featuring accusations of betrayal, demands for punishment for the defectors and a quiet but intense round of whispers about what the episode said about the leadership of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, who is in line to be speaker should his party win the majority in November.”

     ~~~ MB: Well, Hakeem, maybe the best thing for you to do in these circumstances is blame this unpleasant surprise on a woman. “Mr. Jeffries said he had been blindsided by the decision by the two lawmakers, Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, to side with Republicans on a procedural measure, and suggested that it had been the job of the chief vote-counter and No. 2 Democrat to be aware of such things. 'You’ll have to talk to Katherine,' he told reporters after the vote on Tuesday, referring to Representative Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts. (Ms. Clark later said that she had not been apprised.)” In fairness to Jeffries, Clark definitely should have “apprised” herself of the defections. That's what vote-counters do. In fairness to Clark, Jeffries' first instinct should not have been to throw her under the bus, as he did.

At Least Almost All House Democrats Got This Right. Sahil Kapur & Kyle Stewart of NBC News: "The House on Wednesday voted down a proposed constitutional amendment to keep the Supreme Court at nine seats, with the measure falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass. The vote was 212-206. All but one Democrat voted against it, as openness within the party to expand the high court by four seats grows.... Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina was the only Democrat who voted Wednesday with all Republicans in support of the proposed amendment. Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent from California who caucuses with Republicans, voted against it.... Along with a measure denouncing socialism, the Supreme Court resolution was part of a series of messaging votes House Republican leaders set up to make the case against Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you read this article, you might come away with the impression that Katherine Clark does not count votes; instead, she merely "suggests" how Democratic members should vote. That may seem very small-"d"-democratic, but it's not how reality works, is it?

Annals of “Journalism,” Ctd. Just Slip Out the Back, Jack. Kathianne Boniello of Mediaite: “Staffers of The Washington Post’s once vaunted opinion section are reportedly 'relieved' to see editor Adam O’Neal finally depart after a relatively brief tenure at the legendary outlet. ;O’Neal announced his departure earlier in the summer, and Status’ Natalie Korach reported the young editor has barely been around since. 'O’Neal practically slipped out the back door of The Post, drawing as little attention to his departure as possible, and winding down his presence at the K Street offices well before his official end date,' according to Korach.... 'He was a nightmare of a manager,' a [staffer told Korach], noting that toward the end, O’Neal had begun to clash with even some of the staffers he personally brought to the section.'”

⭐Emily Langer of the Washington Post: “Gloria Steinem, an organizer and activist who, perhaps more than anyone else, helped sustain the women’s movement through the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st, through battles over reproductive rights, economic equality, sexual harassment and other issues that affect the lives of millions of women, died Sept. 2 at her home in New York City. She was 92.” Steinem's New York Times obituary is here; this is a gift link. 

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Texas Senate Race. How Not to Promote a Political Candidate (or Speak About Anyone Publicly). Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump tried to hype up Texas GOP Senate nominee and state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a speech on Wednesday — but couldn't help but throw in jabs about his physical appearance."Ken Paxton, you might not like the way he dresses, and I say this, it's so insulting to him, but I might as well say it," said Trump. "You might not like the way he looks. You might not love his television interviews. But he was the best attorney general and that speaks a lot louder than the suit he's wearing that doesn't look so great or than anything, frankly.'... [Ron Filipkowski of Meidas Touch paraphrased:] 'He might be a corrupt useless slug, but he tried to help me steal the 2020 election so you probably should vote for him.'..."

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As the World Turns -- Older. Russell Contreras of Axios: "People 65 and older now outnumber children ages 5 and younger worldwide for the first time in recorded history, according to a new report by the U.S. Census.... A global plunge in fertility — demographers' term for the number of children being born — and increased longevity are creating a demographic inversion that's projected to deepen for decades. It's a trend that's shifting the historic balance between working-age people and older adults."

Ukraine/Russia, et al. Kim Barker, et al., of the New York Times: “Russia and Ukraine, in cities far from the front line, are waging an intensifying tit-for-tat air war that is bringing more pain to the populations of both countries than at any other point since the early months of the full-scale war launched by Moscow in 2022. With the front largely frozen, each side is using growing arsenals of missiles and drones to exact vengeance and to try to pummel the other into submission. In the most recent example, Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, has been under constant bombardment from Russian drones over the past few days, tormenting residents with nearly continual air-raid alerts. Still, there is no evidence that the escalation will weaken either country’s determination to fight on. Human suffering will only grow this winter, analysts say....” The link is a gift link.