Dear Everybody:
Boy, Trump really shot himself in the foot this time. He badly wanted the state visit of China’s President Xi to be the big story, but instead it’s all about his press ban, which is getting to be a bigger story by the minute:
–Last night, at a little before 1 a.m., the judge hearing the case issued a temporary, 14-day injunction, demanding that CNN, Politico, and MS NOW be given back their press passes immediately and keep them while the case proceeds. He based the injunction only on due process, not on the merits of the news outlets’ arguments.
–The judge also said that Trump’s national security argument was bogus, that he had provided no support for his claims of national security–which is the only legitimate (sort-of) grounds they had.
–Their case was not helped by the fact that one of the cases they cited turned out to be information given them directly by the White House on deep background–by none other than JD Vance.
–One of Trump’s lawyers’ arguments was: “Access to the White House is a privilege, not a right.”
–Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance: “The idea that fundamental rights are a privilege to be granted or denied at the whim of the king is dangerous.”
–But this morning, when the reporters from all three outlets reported to the White House, they were denied entry and, in one case, had their badge taken away from them.
–So the judge ordered the Trump White House to respond by 12:30 p.m. today and explain why they haven’t restored the badges.
–So the boycott continues, and at this point, even Fox is not covering Trump’s and Xi’s speeches.
–Matthew Gertz: “It is bad that the White House demonstrates casual disregard for the rule of law.”
–The speeches aren’t going great, either. Trump is already having trouble staying awake. (Too bad the pool isn’t there to capture him snoozing away.)
Update: With only thirty minutes left before the judge’s deadline to respond to a request from the judge explaining why the administration defied his order, the White House lifted the ban and restored access to affected reporters by turning on their hard badges.
–It is unclear if the access change means that press pool operations are back to normal for now. A spokesman for CNN said, “It remains to be seen whether CNN is indeed going to be included in the network TV pool rotation, but for now, we are back on campus and ready to get back to work.”
–The Freedom of the Press Foundation wants judges to begin sanctioning DOJ lawyers who go after the press because Trump doesn’t like their coverage. They said the lawyers should e held in contempt. “It’s long past time for judges to start aggressively sanctioning DOJ lawyers when they make frivolous national security arguments to turn Trump’s petty grievances against the press into government policy.”
The visit with President Xi isn’t getting all that great a coverage either:
–Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for Xi, just like he did for Putin in Alaska, with shots of American servicemen on their knees spreading it out for the Chinese dictator. (Note; Xi did not even meet Trump at Beijing’s airport, let alone roll out a red carpet.)
–Ron Filipkowski: “Nobody kisses the asses of dictators and autocrats as eagerly and enthusiastically as Donald Trump.”
–Scott Kilihan: “I just love how the GOP is out there campaigning HARD against the Democrats with the ‘communist’ message while their leader rolls out the red carpet for every communist regime.”
–Trump gushed over Xi: “I met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit–Better than ever. Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL!”
–There was a flyover by two B-1 bombers, and when they flew over, Trump visibly winced in pain as Xi stood there unaffected. (Note: Dementia can cause sensory overload, so normal sounds seem unbearably loud. Whatever caused it, though, he looked like he was cowering and afraid of his own planes.)
–When the banned reporters were readmitted to the Oval Office, the Chinese reporters shoved them and even pushed some of them out of the room. Earlier, the White House and Chinese delegation fought on the south lawn regarding placement of official government cameras, and it was so bad that the Secret Service had to get involved. There was lots of shouting and raised voices as they refused to move for the Secret Service.
–Trump obviously approved. He joked about China having the “friendliest press corp.” He also noted that the Chinese reporters have to ask Xi for permission to speak. (Note: China is an authoritarian state that jails journalists and enforces media loyalty to the government, and that’s obviously what Trump would love to have here.)
–Trump told both Xi and, on an earlier occasion, Kim Jong Un, “The press. Aren’t they animals? They’re animals. They’re crazy. You have the right idea.”
–Erin Burnett: “He absolutely wants to have a presidency more on the side of dictators.”
–Len Kivi: “We have been saying this for a long time. Trump hates the press. And this proves it without a doubt.”
–Trump showed Xi his heliport and talked all about it while Xi remained stone-faced and did not say a word. When asked about what major issues the two of them had discussed, Trump said, “We had a great interest in granite. He likes granite. He’s an expert on stone. And he loves good granite. Thank you very much.”
–seasonedreason: “Granite, of course, is the rock solid foundation upon which all international relations are built.”
–Trump also showed Xi the photo of the autopen that he put up on the walkway of the White House and joked about it to him. “This is the autopen,” he said, laughing and patting Xi on the arm. “It’s Biden.” The people around them all laughed.
–Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul: “As an American, I find this so embarrassing. He calls it the people’s house, but he does not treat it as the people’s house…To treat him (Biden) with such disrespect is appalling. To force a foreign guest to participate in your ridicule of Biden is even worse.”
—(Note: My first reaction to all these awful stories was, “And this is what the reporters fought so hard to cover?” (even though I know there are major freedom of speech and of the press issues here) but then I decided this is EXACTLY why the press needs to have access to the president, so they can record every one of his disgusting and embarrassing actions so we can see him for what he is. A disgrace.)
–Steven Beschloss: “Donald Trump hates democracy. He hates free speech and a free press. He hates an independent judiciary and its commitment to justice and the rule of law. Yet he adores murderous dictators, particularly Putin. Who exactly is the enemy of the people?”
In related news, Trump posted an AI-altered photo on Truth Social of Xi’s arrival:
–The photo shows Xi and Trump standing in front of Xi’s plane with both wives and the honor guard (with their flags) edited out, Trump saluting while wearing only one black glove (he was actually wearing two), and someone who looks like Natalie Harp standing off to the side behind them.
–The photo has the words “Only Trump” written in Old German font (the same font the Nazis used) surrounded by stars, and there’s a jet flying overhead.
–But, wait, it gets weirder. Apparently the person actually standing there in that black dress was Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley, but whoever posted it (Natalie) altered it to make it look like her. The original photo was taken by Getty, and in it the woman looks very different and is wearing a different dress, bracelet, shoes, and the hair has been changed so it isn’t blowing in her face.
–Aaron Rupar: “So this story is WAY wilder than I thought. The Trump photo I flagged this morning because it includes Natalie Harp is based on the Getty photo…but there is one key difference–MONICA CROWLEY’S FACE HAS BEEN EDITED TO LOOK LIKE NATALIE HARP’S. WTF is going on here?”
Also, in related news, Trump’s dementia/madness/deteriorating condition gets more and more obvious with every appearance:
–Trump tried to walk down the red carpet and canted so sharply to one side that he knocked Melania clear off the carpet. This is not the first time that he has not been able to walk a straight line.
–At the airport he was wearing an overcoat and black leather gloves, even though it was 65 degrees out and nobody else was. Later on, in the Oval Office, his hand was bright red and looked raw wherever it wasn’t slathered with makeup.
–During Trump’s UN speech, there were several instances of the involuntary spasms people have been noticing, in which one arm jerks, he stops cold in the middle of what he’s saying, and then the other arm jerks. Plus, the grimace I mentioned earlier during the flyover.
–He slurred both in his UN speech and during the events with Xi.
–And now he has released a government-sponsored and taxpayer-funded ad that is a cross between a music video and a campaign ad for Trump (even though he’s not running for anything. Trump says, “America will never be a communist country,” and then rapid-fire images of Trump flash by while the song, “Love me,” plays in the background, and you hear the voice of Dana White (the guy who held the fight at the White House) saying, “He is the toughest, most resilient person I ever met and nothing is going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves.”
–Isaiah Martin: “Your tax dollars are paying for this propaganda while Trump says we have no money for health insurance.”
–Sara McGee for TX HD132: “This is fascist propaganda, period.”
–Quadcari: “This is exactly what I pictured in my head the first time I read 1984.”
In Ford’s Theater news;
–Trump’s lawyers used the story about Trump wanting to add his name to Ford’s Theater in their defense of Trump’s ban on news outlets, claiming it was fake news.
–Mrs. Betty Bowers: “Trump wants to attach his name to the legacies of Lincoln and Kennedy. I think he subconsciously is jealous of the fact that their deaths were mourned.”
In Ukraine news:
–Trump is now blaming Ukraine for the high oil and gas prices. He says the Iran War has nothing to do with it, that it’s all because they keep hitting Russian refineries and oil infrastructure, and he ordered them to stop.
–Reporter: “Why not ask Russia to stop targeting energy sites first?” Marco Rubio: “Well, how do you know we haven’t asked Russia to stop?”
–Trump also claimed that he had brokered a deal between Ukraine and Russia, and they had both agreed to stop. Trump: “Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do likewise! The World’s Diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran.”
–There was of course no such deal–the best chance Ukraine has of winning this war is to take out Russia’s ability to fight it by hitting their oil infrastructure–but Zelensky gamely stated Ukraine was ready for a mutual halt on energy and critical infrastructure strikes, provided the partners guarantee Russia would genuinely abide by the agreement. Russia promptly bombed Ukraine infrastructure, and the deal vanished as if it had never been, though not before the Moscow Stock Exchange had soared on the news.
–Daily Kos: “Hmmm. Do you suppose anyone used insider information to buy these stocks before the announcement?”
In other Ukraine news:
–Ukraine continued to blow up Russian oil and infrastructure, hitting Saratov and Kuibyshev oil refineries and the Labinsk oil depot.
–They hit a Russian ship armed with anti-ship missile systems.
–They hit Uralkim’s Azot plant, which makes ammonia and nitric acid for use in military armaments.
–They hit a chemical plant in Volgograd.
–Ukraine hit more Ozon (one of Russia’s Amazon-type chains) warehouses near Saratov. This is the seventh one they’ve destroyed.
–Ukraine smashed the Russian offensive to encircle Druzhkivka and halt the offensive in the Donbas. (Part of the reason they were able to do this was because Russia had taken a significant portion of its oil reserves prepared for the fall campaign and sent it to Moscow.)
–Russia is now hiding oil in various places to protect it from Ukrainian drones, but rebels are finding it and setting it on fire.
–A Russian lieutenant general, Lt. Gen. Sergei Michakov, was killed in a missile strike on the headquarters of Russia’s 51st Combined Arms Army. He ran a drug sales network among Russian troops on the front.
In Lauren Boebert’s latest scandal news:
–Boebert has unequivocally denied that she had a relationship with Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff. but today a letter emerged which Navarro-Ratzlaff’s husband had sent to her warning her that “There will be things exposed that would impact your current relationship” and could affect “whatever image you think you might have left.”
–Boebert also stated that she had never been involved in any “inappropriate relationship,” which seems like a stretch, given the whole “Beetlejuice” handjob thing.
In They’re All Crazy news:
–Former football coach and now GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville says the FAA is facing a huge crisis (and it’s not what you might think it is, like cutting air traffic controllers or hiring gamers to replace them):
–Tuberville said, in a speech on the Senate floor: “The pilot flying your plane could have a deranged fetish. Many airline pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community. Lord help us. It’s terrifying when you think about this. When you walk onto a commercial flight, it’s possible that the pilot flying your plane could have a deranged fetish of dressing up like an animal. You can’t make this up.”
In promising news (besides the fact that the GOP is running people like Tuberville):
–GOP pollster Pat Ruffini looked at several election cycles and concluded that in the summer, polls had consistently overstated Democratic strength relative to outcome on Election Day and predicted that in September and October the polls would begin to shift back to the GOP.
–Iowa conservative radio announcer Steve Deace says the GOP is facing “an electoral wildfire.” He says anyone in a +10 Trump district is now underwater. “If the environment is this bad in my home state, where Trump has been the most popular political figure over the last decade, I can’t imagine where it is everywhere else.”
–T Maysle: “What’s driving the GOP freakout over the last weeks or so is that the opposite is happening. Democratic leads are expanding…in Senate races, the generic ballot, (and) state races like governorships.”
–Stoliben reported on some Trump-supporting MAGA relatives: “My brother and sister-in-law are about to lose their 30-year-old business due to rising gas prices–they have an RV business…They have already told us they will not vote in November, due to their disgust.”
In historical news:
–Today’s the day in 1959 that nine African-American students tried to enroll in all-white Little Rock High School. The local cops said, “You’ll have to come through us first,” and President Eisenhower said, “Fine,” and sent federal troops to protect the students and get them safely enrolled and able to go to class.
In other news:
–Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent failed to disclose at least $100,000 worth of JP Morgan Chase stock owned by his husband. Bessent said the failure to report it was “inadvertent.”
–The Navy says 8 sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group attempted suicide.
–There’s another big hurricane–Hurricane Nolo–headed for Hawaii, and there’s a big nor’easter headed for New England this weekend.
In good news:
–Remember Judge Hannah Dugan, the judge who helped an immigrant escape from the ICE agents outside her courtroom and then was convicted of obstructing federal agents? Usually anyone who is convicted of a felony automatically loses their law license, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court just announced it will NOT suspend her law license.
–Trump killed a $7 billion dollar program to fund solar panels for low-income Americans, but there has just been a ruling to reinstate the program, saying that Trump had no authority to shut it down in the first place.
–Two Johnson City, Kansas residents–Carrie Schmidt and Kimberly Tivente–spearheaded a vote in a city council meeting on whether there could be a data center in the town. They won, and the issue will be on the ballot in November.
Best comment of the day, from stonykill: “Yup, we appear to be up by beaucoup runs and we’re about to enter the 9th inning. We’ve played a real good game to this point. But as the Wise Sage of St. Louis and Montclair (Yogi Berra) once observed, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Keep calm and carry on,
Connie Willis
