[guest post by JVW]

One of my favorite old-time expressions is the three-word phrase used as the title of this post. I find it very useful when you hear some news that really ought to be shocking, but instead just seems as though it is entirely to be expected. This weekend brought us a great example [bolded emphasis is mine]:

A Hamas commander in Lebanon who was killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight was an accredited member of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the embattled agency confirmed after his death.

Hamas’s Fateh Sherif and his family were killed in an airstrike at a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday. “Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamas’ terror activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives, as well as Hamas’ efforts in Lebanon to recruit operatives and acquire weapons.”

While leading terrorist activities, Sherif also headed the UNRWA teachers’ union in Lebanon. Though employed by the U.N. agency, Sherif was suspended without pay in March due to allegations involving “his political activities,” UNRWA told the Times of Israel in a statement.

At the time of the suspension, UNRWA told Reuters that Sherif had been suspended for three months after the U.N. agency was made aware of allegations about activities “that are in violation of the Agency’s regulatory framework governing staff conduct.”

Sherif’s suspension sparked widespread protests led by teachers outside UNRWA’s Beirut offices. Protesters demanded that he be reinstated.

I try to be a good civil libertarian — Lord knows that I try — but I do kind of hope that the FBI has somebody quietly looking into Randi Weingarten. Sorry, not sorry.

– JVW

[guest post by Dana]

Let’s go!

First news item

About President Zelensky’s meeting with the Senate:

Zelensky told the group Ukraine might not need extra funding from Congress if the U.S. lifts restrictions on its ability to use long-range weapons to strike inside Russia.

Both parties have been wary of allowing Zelensky to strike deep into Russia, worried it would shift the U.S. from a cold war to a hot war.

Still, Democrats and Republicans emerged from the meeting urging President Biden to grant Zelensky’s request to strike targets within Russia.

Here are the details of the latest military aid package to Ukraine.

President Zelensky has provided a victory plan to the U.S.:

The theory of victory is based on two assumptions. First, Russia cannot sustain its efforts for the long term, and sufficient disruption of the Kremlin’s capabilities will bring the Russians to the table to negotiate. Second, if the West commits to a rapid and major resupply effort for the Ukrainian military, accompanied by robust security guarantees, the Russians will be forced to recognize they cannot overwhelm Ukraine in a war of attrition.

The heart of the Ukrainian victory plan shifts the center of gravity from the battlefields of Eastern Ukraine to Russia’s war-making capabilities. Bringing an end to the conflict requires Ukraine to have the ability to disrupt and damage Russia’s ability to manufacture and deploy its arsenal before it reaches Ukraine.

It, therefore, requires not only Western permission to use NATO-supplied systems but also enough equipment to deliver swift and significant disruptive blows. It also asks for more precise Western security guarantees to raise the risks for Russia’s escalation calculus in the future.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen explains:

This is primarily a question about Russia and their imperial dreams…I think it is important in itself to talk about Russia, and not about Putin, because the way I see it is that he actually has a lot of support from Russian society for whatever he is doing…When you have this as a starting point — that there are unfortunately old-fashioned imperial dreams in Russia — then it’s more difficult to find a way out of this war, because it’s not primarily a question about Ukraine…Therefore we have to ensure that Ukraine wins this war.

And importantly:

Specifically, Frederiksen said, she wants Ukraine to be able to use long-range missiles to hit targets in Russia. “I don’t think it’s enough to deliver what is needed to protect themselves. They need to be able to push Russia back.” As Russian forces continue to advance despite the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, there’s a renewed urgency for that push, which is roiling the Biden administration and NATO.

Asked for her thoughts on why these restrictions on Ukraine’s use of weapons have remained in place, Frederiksen said: “I guess a part of it is a very modern way of thinking that there will be some kind of a solution to this war. But I don’t think it’s possible to win a war if you are not willing actually to win it.”

Second news item

Not a small number:

North Carolina’s State Board of Elections has removed 747,000 people from its list of registered voters within the last 20 months, officials announced Thursday in a press release.

The State Board of Elections in the release said the majority of those stripped from the rolls were deemed ineligible to be registered because they had moved within the state and did not register their new address, or because they did not participate in the past two federal elections, prompting an inactive status.

Other reasons for removal included death, felony convictions, out-of-state moves and personal requests for removal, the board said.

Note:

The presidential race in North Carolina remains on a knife’s edge. On Thursday, polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight had the two candidates separated by just 0.6 percentage points (Harris on 47.3 percent and Trump on 47.9 percent).

Third news item

Money, money,money:

Donald Trump’s latest money-making venture is selling limited edition gold watches, adding to a long list of collectibles the former president and reality TV star has promoted to his supporters.

Trump has continued his entrepreneurial tendencies throughout his political career, often using his popularity as a launch pad for a variety of products, both physical and digital. His latest offering, simply branded as “TRUMP Watches,” asks supporters of the Republican nominee to spend at least $499, to join “President Trump’s Watch Community.”

Additionally, a limited edition watch called the Trump Victory Tourbillion is available for $100,000, with only 147 being manufactured, a reference to Trump’s goal of becoming the 47th president.

A disclaimer on the watch website reads: “Trump Watches are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC uses the “Trump” name, image and likeness under a paid license agreement.”

The watches are the latest in a series of products sold by the former president. Earlier this week, Trump announced that he would also be selling a series of silver coins with his face on them, for $100 each.

The report states that Trump netted $300,000 off the “Trump Bibles” he was hawking. Additionally, he is said to have made between $100,000 and $1 million for his digital trading cards.

Fourth news item

NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted:

Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges out of the Southern District of New York, making him the first sitting mayor of New York City to face criminal prosecution.

Adams has denied any wrongdoing on his part and any knowledge of wrongdoing regarding a series of probes surrounding his administration. He says the charges are based on lies and that he won’t resign.

You can read the indictment at the link. China and Turkey appear frequently…

Meanwhile, Gov. Hochul is considering her options:

Gov. Kathy Hochul has begun to examine a long-dormant power that lets governors remove local officials such as New York City mayors, following Thursday’s indictment of Eric Adams.

Fifth news item

A grim ending…for the victims and the inmate sentenced to death for the killings:

Alan Eugene Miller was executed Thursday evening in Alabama, state officials said, making him the second inmate known to die by nitrogen hypoxia, a controversial method critics say is tantamount to torture.

Miller, 59, who was sentenced to death in 2000 for the 1999 killings of three men, was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. at a prison in Atmore, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said at a news conference.

Miller shook and trembled on a gurney for about two minutes, with his body at times pulling against restraints, according to The Associated Press, which had a reporter witness the procedure. The shaking and trembling was followed by about six minutes of periodic gulping breaths before he became still, the AP reported.

Sixth news item

Tucker Carlson’s circus act starring Roseanne Barr has come to town. Barr had some sort of fit as she crazily blathered on about Democrats, or maybe Haitians. I mean, who knows. When crazy comes to town, all bets are off:

It’s not just the dogs and the cats. There are full-on vampires, and everybody still thinks I’m crazy. But I’m not crazy. They’re full-on vampires. They love the taste of human flesh, and they drink human blood. They do. By the time we go in to vote for Trump, that he will open up everybody’s eyes and they will stop pretending to be asleep. You know what they say. You can’t wake people up that are pretending to be asleep. But I pray to God, please wake up. Even those who are pretending to be asleep with the irrefutable truth of what the worst people on this planet are really up to. They are really up to that. They’re doing it. There are so many victims. There are so many victims!

As Tucker Carlson’s tour rolls on, headliner Roseanne Barr tells a cheering audience that the elites are eating babies and are vampires who drink blood and love the taste of human flesh but Trump is going to stop it. pic.twitter.com/ohLDmCm1It

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 27, 2024

It’s both sad and frightening how much the audience applauds her insane comments.

Seventh news item

Talk about the nuttery that has infiltrated and co-opted the new political Right and the Evangelical Church:

J.D. Vance is doing a town hall on Saturday hosted by this guy https://t.co/5YqV3AaI3Z

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) September 27, 2024

Have a great weekend.

-—Dana

My latest discusses Liz Cheney’s endorsements of Kamala Harris and Ted Cruz’s opponent, and takes on those who criticize either or both. I discuss why she does not hyperfocus on her policy differences with Harris, and why she would endorse a Democrat for the U.S. Senate. I think the reasons are obvious. Sample:

She goes on to say, later in the interview:

[T]he Republicans have nominated somebody who – who, you know, is depraved. Somebody who shows us every day that—that, you know, he has tendencies and he’s willing to embrace things that are fundamentally a danger to—to this nation and to our Constitution. So, the choice, in my view, is not a close one.

Like me, Cheney places a lesser importance on mundane political policy issues like tax rates, and a greater importance on issues like: whether the person holding office was actually the person elected by the American people; or whether one candidate is a Putin-loving ignoramus who makes up a huge percentage of the things he says. (More about that below, in the section for paid subscribers.) The question is not about Harris or how well (or poorly) thought out Harris’s policies are. The point is that Trump is 50,000 times worse, in every way.

For paid subscribers, I discuss the issue of the fairness of the ABC moderators, and offer a different perspective: instead of focusing on who got fact-checked more, why not ask: who was allowed to tell more lies without any pushback? By that metric, the moderators were very unfair . . . to Harris.

Look again at the list of lies mentioned by Dale that I chose to reproduce here. The ones about the economy, and preparations for January 6, and tariffs, and so forth. Include the fabrications from his piece about a dozen recent Trump fabrications told over the past month that were repeated at the debate: stuff like Trump’s claim that Biden sent Harris sent to negotiate with Putin before the Ukraine war; or that Harris was the first candidate to drop out in the 2020 primary; or that everybody (including all legal scholars!) wanted Roe overturned.

One thing that they all have in common is that the ABC moderators never said a word about any of them. Unless you happened to watch Daniel Dale’s fact-check or read a fact-check online, you heard those things asserted at the debate and never heard a correction.

(Let a thousand ad hominems against Daniel Dale bloom.)

Read it here. Subscribe here.

[guest post by JVW]

Vice-President Kamala Harris wrongly claimed in her debate with former President Donald Trump that no U.S. troops were currently in active combat zones. Even her friendliest fact-checkers couldn’t let that whopper slide, despite the failure of the clearly biased moderators and her equally obtuse opponent to call out the falsehood in real time. While not as obnoxious as the earlier claim from her boss that no U.S. troops had been killed during his administration, the comment does represent some wishful thinking from a White House which believes it has been a much more forceful steward of U.S. foreign policy interests than can be reasonably determined from their performance over the last 44 months.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the same White House has bowed to reality and sheepishly announced that more troops are going to be sent into one of the hottest of combat zones:

The U.S. will send additional troops to the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah approaches all-out war, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The troops will be accompanied by a dozen war ships and fighter-jet squadrons, the Pentagon said. The announcement came just hours after the IDF carried out a widespread bombing campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, opening what appears to be a new phase of the long-running conflict.

The Biden/Harris Administration has grossly overestimated their ability to influence events in Gaza. They have fallen into the hopeless trap of proposing a ridiculously naïve truce, tailored more to the delicate political sensibilities among Democrat Party voters in the U.S. than to peace and security in the affected reason, only to have one side or the other reject their proposals. Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah this past week seems to emphatically confirm that the IDF and Mossad intend to expand their battle and take on Hamas’s nefarious allies in the region. No doubt this is giving the Biden/Harris/Walz political operatives a great deal of angina, but Tel Aviv is pointedly delivering the message that they are pursuing something more important than the approbation of American progressives.

We are coming up on one year since the atrocious Hamas attacks of October 7, and of course the anniversary coincides with the final month of what promises to be a very bitter and nasty election in the United States. Democrats have tried to gingerly straddle the line between their pro-Israel and anti-Zionist camps by declaring their support for “Israel’s right to defend itself,” but it seems that nobody in our incurious and complacent media has bothered to ask if that right includes proactively attacking terror groups inside of the enemy’s borders. My guess is that this question would sharply divide the Democrat caucus, and is thus something that this administration does not want to be called upon to answer. But perhaps it is time that they be required to spell it out, even though it doesn’t fit into the current preferred motif of “joy” and “vibes.”

– JVW

[guest post by Dana]

Let’s go!

First news item

In the midst of this past week’s news, including the war in Ukraine and Israel hitting terrorists with pagers, it’s more than jarring to see the man who wants to become the next leader of the free world post this:

I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!

I mean, this is who millions of Americans want to be making critical decisions on their behalf? This is the person they want to be responsible for the nuclear codes and to represent us before the world? A small, petty man-baby who has told us that retribution and revenge against his perceived enemies will be a part of his focus if he ends up in the Oval Office? This immature man-baby who gets his feelings hurt because…a pop star endorsed his opponent?

Second news item

Kamala Harris warns anyone who might try to break into her house:

Vice President Harris said that if someone were to break into her house, they would get shot while talking with Oprah Winfrey about hot-button issues during a Thursday night campaign event.

“If somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot,” she said, laughing. “I probably should not have said that. My staff will deal with that later.”

Her comments came in response to when Winfrey brought up that she’s a gun owner. The vice president has publicly said that she is a gun owner, and she mentioned it again during the debate last week against former President Trump.

Harris also told Winfrey that she is for the Second Amendment: During the segment, Harris discussed her gun violence prevention platform, which involves pushing for an assault weapons ban and universal background checks.

I think for far too long on the issue of gun violence, some people have been pushing a really false choice to say you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away. I’m in favor of the second amendment, and I’m in favor of assault weapons bans, universal background checks, red flag laws.

Third news item

Judge shot and killed in chambers:

A judge in a rural Kentucky county was fatally shot in his courthouse chambers Thursday, and the local sheriff was charged with murder in the killing, police said.

The preliminary investigation indicates Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times following an argument inside the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines surrendered without incident.

The motive has not been reported, if known.

Fourth news item

Israel and Hezbollah:

The Israeli military continued to strike Hezbollah sites on Thursday, saying it hit approximately 100 rocket launchers.

In addition to the launchers, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it struck “additional terrorist infrastructure sites, consisting of approximately 1000 barrels that were ready to be used in the immediate future to fire toward Israeli territory.”

Each rocket launcher consists of a multi-barreled weapon that can fire unguided rockets.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Israel carried out at least 52 strikes in the south of Lebanon between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group earlier on Thursday said it launched at least 17 attacks on military sites in northern Israel.

Israel’s military has released instructions for the communities in several areas in northern Israel, instructing civilians to minimize movements in the areas to avoid gatherings and to stay close to shelters.

Fifth news item

Trump pre-emptively blames the Jews:

In remarks ostensibly focused on combating antisemitism, former President Donald Trump questioned why he lacks commanding support from Jewish voters and suggested that they would have “a lot to do” with a loss in November if their support for his campaign does not grow.

“I’m not going to call this a prediction, but, in my opinion, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss if I’m at 40%,” Trump said during a campaign event titled “Fighting Antisemitism in America,” citing an unnamed poll that he said showed him with two-fifths of Jewish voters’ support.

Sixth news item

Another monster:

A grand jury indicted rapper and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, according to a federal document unsealed Tuesday. The charges stem from 16 years of allegations and decades of rumors that Combs used his power to physically and sexually abuse women.

He was arrested on Monday evening and is being held without bail — a stunning chapter in the public life of a man who once ruled over the world of entertainment and celebrity.

The indictment accuses Combs of using his lifestyle, media and music companies to help orchestrate a widespread criminal enterprise. Participants in these criminal activities included Combs’s security, personal assistants and staff, according to the indictment. These associates helped Combs abuse, threaten, and coerce women and others to “fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” the court filing alleges.

The crimes Combs and his associates are accused of committing and covering up include sex trafficking, narcotics distribution, arson and kidnapping. Many of these alleged crimes took place at illegal sex parties that Combs referred to as “freak offs.”

During these parties, Combs allegedly threw objects at the victims and dragged them by their hair. His associates allegedly booked hotel suites, recruited male sex workers and distributed narcotics, including cocaine, methamphetamine and oxycodone, to coerce partygoers into sex, according to the indictment.

His staff allegedly monitored and arranged travel for victims and scheduled the delivery of IV fluids to help victims recover from the intense drug use and physical exertion — on his orders. These parties were also taped, and Combs used the footage to pressure his victims to stay silent, the court filing says.

If found guilty, this animal is right up there with Weinstein and Epstein…

Seventh news item

Oh, for godsake, just give Ukraine what it needs already!

The Biden administration still is not convinced that it should give Ukraine the authority to launch long-range missiles deeper into Russia, and U.S. officials say they are seeking more detailed information about how Kyiv would use the weapons and how they fit into the broader strategy for the war.

U.S. officials said they have asked Ukraine to spell out more clearly its combat objectives, as President Joe Biden prepares to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week.

Eighth news item

Go Ohtani!

Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to exceed 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season during the most spectacular game of a history-making career for the Los Angeles Dodgers star, going deep three times and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami Marlins…“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” Ohtani said. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad that it was going well today.”

Have a great weekend.

–Dana

I’ve been working on this post for weeks. By the way: the answer is yes. He’s right.

I’ll give my usual defense for the long time in between posts: this one is long. It’s about 9,000 words for free, discussing Jonah Goldberg’s attacks on David French’s New York Times piece explaining why he will vote for Kamala Harris. Then we have another 9,000 words for paid subscribers, on the issue of the great Bulwark/Dispatch Twitter feud between Steve Hayes and Sarah Longwell.

I want to introduce this post with an important passage from my Substack about my admiration for Steve Hayes and Jonah Goldberg:

I think it’s important for me to say something up front. I admire Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes (whose views I also criticize in this newsletter). I am going to take them on in this newsletter vigorously—and I am going to argue that their arguments about how people should view this election do not match up to the danger that Donald Trump poses. Before I do, I think it’s important to acknowledge that both of these men have been very vocal, for years, about Donald Trump and the threat he poses. They have spoken out despite knowing that their words would harm their income, their opportunities in conservative punditry, and even friendships.

I still remember the day I decided to subscribe to The Dispatch. I was reading a tweet from Goldberg talking about how he and Steve Hayes had decided to quit Fox News because they were offended at Tucker Carlson’s documentary about January 6, which was packed with lies. As I remember it, Goldberg emphasized that he and Steve Hayes had given up a lot of opportunities and had lost friends as a result of taking a stand against Trump and Trumpism. But they believed it was worth it to say what they believed. I thought a publication put out by people like that deserved my support. I still think I was right.

Even though I will argue in this piece that these folks’ arguments about the election have blind spots and are at times incoherent, I want to make sure that anyone reading this understands the context for my remarks. It is because I respect these men that I am pushing back against some of their current arguments. I hope my pushback, while vigorous, is accepted as fair, and as a constructive addition to the dialogue. That is the way I intend this piece to be seen, and I hope it is seen that way.

From the free portion of the newsletter, on Jonah Goldberg’s attack on David French for saying he is voting for Kamala Harris:

Let’s review two of Goldberg’s arguments that disturbed me the most:

• David French should not tell the world he is voting for Harris because that will open him up to stupid people saying “you asked for it” when Harris does bad things.

• As a conservative columnist, if you want to persuade conservatives not to vote for Trump, it’s best not to say you’re voting for Harris, because that will alienate conservatives and they won’t listen to you.

Both of these arguments boil down to this:

Do not say something you believe in, because your audience will react poorly to it.

I am disappointed by these arguments. You have to think about how your audience will react to what you say, of course. But you should never let it keep you from saying what you believe.

I was going to give a quote from the paid portion too, but the dog diarrheaed on the floor last night because somebody did not let them out, and then stepped in it and ran all over the house. So I’ll just say: read it here and subscribe here.

[guest post by Dana]

Let’s go!

First news item

One of the more ridiculous post-debate reactions:

Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway shared calls by her colleague at The Federalist, Sean Davis, for ABC News to lose its broadcasting license and its two presidential debate moderators to be “criminally charged.”

. . .

In the fallout, MAGA pundits and Trump himself have attacked ABC News and blamed the moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, as “biased.” On several occasions the pair fact-checked Trump — much to his frustration.

Among the critics of the moderators was Sean Davis — CEO of The Federalist, where Hemingway serves as editor-in-chief. On Wednesday, Davis unleashed on the moderators and ABC News in general.

. . .

Again, hours later, Hemingway retweeted an article also posted by Davis, written by journalist Beth Berlje, calling for ABC News to be federally prosecuted for “illegal contributions” to Harris’s campaign in the form
of debate bias.

Second news item

Give the Ukrainians what they need:

. . . officials in Washington, London and Kyiv have in recent days discussed expanding the area inside Russia that Ukraine can hit with American and British-made weapons. They’ve also discussed how to prevent additional cross-border attacks by Russia, including the U.S. agreeing to allow Ukraine to use U.K. long-range missiles that contain American parts to strike inside Russia.

The current conversations between Washington and Kyiv mark a significant change in tenor from the ones the two countries held earlier this summer. And it signals the Biden administration may be ready to finally agree to Kyiv’s requests to enable Ukraine’s military to more forcefully defend itself and to make more aggressive moves inside Russia.

Third news item

Punished for tasting freedom:

Video has emerged from North Korea showing handcuffed teenagers being publicly denounced for the crime of enjoying foreign films and music, in a further sign of the regime’s fear of the “malignant tumour” of imported culture.

Clips broadcast on South Korean television show teenage girls with heads bowed in some kind of tribunal. One of them, whose name and school are identified on screen, stands weeping in front of a microphone as she makes her confession, before being roughly led away by uniformed soldiers.

The film, which appears to be an official production distributed as a warning, describes her as one of “several students who watched and distributed impure publications and propaganda materials, including puppet television dramas” — a term used to refer to South Korean television.

. . .

In a second clip, a young soldier confesses to similar crimes. “Using my mobile phone, I watched 15 American movies, 17 South Korean puppet movies and 127 videos and listened to about 160 puppet songs,” he says.

Fourth news item

Judge makes abortion legal in North Dakota:

A North Dakota judge struck down the state’s abortion ban — one of the strictest in the U.S. — Thursday, ruling that residents “have a fundamental right to choose abortion” before the fetus is viable.

“The North Dakota Constitution guarantees each individual, including women, the fundamental right to make medical judgments affecting his or her bodily integrity, health, and autonomy, in consultation with a chosen health care provider free from government interference,” Romanic wrote in the opinion.

“This section necessarily and more specifically protects a woman’s right to procreative autonomy – including to seek and obtain a pre-viability abortion,” the judge said.
Romanic also ruled that the law violates the state’s constitution because it’s too vague in defining exceptions to the ban.

Fifth news item

Afghan women refuse to be silenced by little chickenshits calling themselves men:

Across the internet, Afghan women are committing what would be a crime in their homeland, ruled by the Taliban: They’re singing, like Fatima Etimadi, 34, and her girlfriends, belting out this defiant tune, a little out of tune:

“The flower will unfurl, revealing a spring of freedom,” they chant. “I sing the anthem of freedom, again, again, freedom.” In the video posted online, Etimadi wears a headscarf. Her friends have unfussy short hair.

“Every day, the Taliban seeks new ways to restrict women,” Etimadi tells NPR in an interview. “They’re making women die while they’re alive.”

. . .

They may not leave their homes unless it’s urgent. There’s no clear definition of “urgent” and presumably, that is decided by patrolling officials from the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue, whose job it is to enforce this sweeping law. When they do venture outside their homes, they must always have a male guardian. They cannot raise their voices in public. Even if they are speaking in their home, they must not do so in a way that could be overheard by strangers. Also: No laughing. No speaking loudly. No singing. Even in private gatherings.

As one 20-year old Afghan woman put it: “The Taliban are turning women into nameless, anonymous shadows,” says Fahim. “A tool, to be used and kept at home, a machine for making babies.”

Sixth news item

Birds of a feather flock together:

[Laura] Loomer was photographed travelling aboard Trump’s private jet to the presidential debate, and accompanied him and top members of his campaign team on Wednesday to events commemorating the September 11 attacks in New York and Pennsylvania.

Of course we all know that Loomer has called 9/11 an inside job. . .

But is she helping Trump or is she helping Harris?

Democrats have been quietly cheering Loomer’s involvement, believing she is making Republicans uncomfortable by drawing away from potentially effective conservative lines of attack on vote-winning issues like immigration.

The Harris campaign made the connection between the two clear, sharing on one of its platforms a video of Trump speaking highly of Loomer at a recent rally, where he described her as a “fantastic person” and “great woman”.

What is there to say? Two racist, conspiracy nutters drawn to one another? Makes perfect sense. If Trump selecting Loomer as an advisor, companion, or both, doesn’t alarm Republicans, from Party leaders down to voters, then nothing will. This is just more evidence of Trump’s lack of judgment and how easily manipulated he is. No matter from whom the flattery comes – even a lying, racist, conspiracy theorist and hateful bigot – his ear is theirs. Unfortunately, brutal villains and masters of manipulation like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un and Xi are all too aware of how easily flattered Trump is. . . This is not an insignificant matter.

UPDATE: Trump was asked about Laura Loomer today, and he responded:

Laura has been a supporter of mine, just like a lot of people are supporters, and she’s been a supporter of mine. She speaks very positively of the campaign. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a she’s a free spirit.

Trump on Loomer: Laura has been a supporter of mine, just like a lot of people are supporters, and she's been a supporter of mine. She speaks very positively of the campaign. Laura has to say what she wants. She's a she's a free spirit. pic.twitter.com/ZEH9wKMKWS

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 13, 2024

Have a good weekend!

—Dana

[guest post by Dana]

From Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. attorney general and counsel to President G.W. Bush:

The American presidency is the most powerful position in the world. Of course, our constitution and laws, as well as institutions such as Congress and our courts, act as guardrails to that power. The law provides the certainty of accountability and fundamental fairness. Yet it is the president’s integrity, honesty and respect for our institutions that may be the most important and reliable check on abuses of power.

As the United States approaches a critical election, I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump — perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation — eyes a return to the White House. For that reason, though I’m a Republican, I’ve decided to support Kamala Harris for president.

…

Power is intoxicating and based on Trump’s rhetoric and conduct it appears unlikely that he would respect the power of the presidency in all instances; rather, he would abuse it for personal and political gain, and not on behalf of the American people.

In a nutshell, and so well said. Read the whole thing.

—Dana

[guest post by Dana]

The debate between Vice-President Kamala Harris and the former president, Donald Trump, is happening tonight:

Tonight’s debate is set to start at 9 p.m. ET and will last for 90 minutes with two commercial breaks. It will be held in Philadelphia — a deep-blue Democratic city — at the National Constitution Center. Pennsylvania is considered a key battleground state in the 2024 election cycle.

The rules for tonight’s debate:

No live audience in the debate room, nixing any opportunity for cheers or jeers during the event.

The candidates will not give an opening statement.

Moderators will be the only ones to ask questions.

Candidates will have two minutes to answer a question, with a two-minute rebuttal, as well as another minute to follow up for clarification. Microphones will only be switched on for the candidate who is answering a question.

A coin flip determined the order of closing statements, which will be two minutes per candidate, as well as the placement of the candidates’ podiums on stage. Trump won the toss, and he chose to give the last closing statement. Harris chose to have her podium appear on the right side of the screen (stage left).

For the duration of the debate, candidates will stand behind their respective podium. They will not be able to have props or pre-written notes with them. Each candidate will be given a pad of paper, a pen and a bottle of water.

There will be two commercial breaks. During that time campaign staff cannot interact with their candidate.

Pre-debate polling:

Decision Desk HQ Presidential Forecast (9/9):

Probabilities:
🟦 Harris: 54% (-2 since last week)
🟥 Trump: 46%

Electoral College Forecast:
🟦 Harris: 226
🟥 Trump: 219
🟨 Tossups: 93

Average Electoral Vote Projection:
🟦 Harris: 276
🟥 Trump: 262

Tossups:
🟨 Pennsylvania: 52%…

— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) September 9, 2024

P.S. I received this text message tonight:

—Dana

UPDATE: Garry Kasparov spoke for me last night:

I can’t vote in the US but I am honored to live here and have always admired it. I don’t much care for Harris or many of her policy positions. But even more after seeing Trump tonight, I look forward to vehemently disagreeing with her for four years as US president.

Trump is unfit and always has been. He proved it in office and is only worse now. I’m pretty conservative, but he’s not. He’s the clearer and greater threat to America and American values than the progressive mush that Harris has in her baggage.

As for “Comrade Kamala,” allow me a Lloyd Benson moment. MAGA, I know Communism. I grew up under Communism and fought against it and despise it in all its vile, soul-crushing forms. And MAGA, Kamala Harris is no Communist.

It demeans the horror of Communism to use it every time a liberal politician talks about taxes or health care, or even un-American ideas like price controls & censorship. I blasted Bernie Sanders in 2016, but even he’s just a weak tea Socialist, not a would-be totalitarian.

I’m very concerned about the future of a US that produces such weak candidates. I’m disgusted by a far left that attacks American history and values. But America can always be better, that is its unique glory. Improve it, don’t tear it all down. And please vote!

Harris’s policy flip-flops are much less damaging for that American future than Trump’s consistent contempt for constitutional norms. She’s inconsistent. He’s consistently corrupt. He’s also decaying badly, and incompetent corruption isn’t better than competent.

I blasted Obama’s foreign policy for eight years but never doubted he and his supporters would leave power peacefully.

Side note: “Trump, a would-be autocrat, using Orban, an actual autocrat, as a character reference is too perfect. As with his praise for Xi and Putin as “strong,” his naked envy of their unaccountable power is one of his few sincere expressions.”

[guest post by JVW]

Remember the Democrats demanding that $80 billion in additional money be allocated to the IRS over a ten-year period so that all of those super-wealthy tax-cheats can be tacked down and forced “to pay their fair share”? They got most of what they wanted in the end, and despite the Biden Administration’s claims that the money would be used for technology modernization and for “taxpayer services,” over half the money ($45.6 billion) went to “tax enforcement” (read: hiring new agents, lawyers, and bureaucrats) and another huge chunk ($25.3 billion) went to “general operations” (read: new office buildings, travel budgets, etc.).

But hey, at least the IRS recouped tens of billions of dollars in the first couple of years, suggesting that this program will pay for itself in short order, right? Yeah, not so much:

The IRS in February 2024 launched an initiative to pursue 125,000 high-income, high-wealth taxpayers who have not filed taxes since 2017. [. . .] In the first six months of this initiative, nearly 21,000 of these wealthy taxpayers have filed, leading to $172 million in taxes being paid.

The IRS in the fall of 2023 launched a new initiative using Inflation Reduction Act funding to pursue high-income, high-wealth individuals who have failed to pay recognized tax debt, with dozens of senior employees assigned to these cases. This work is concentrated on taxpayers with more than $1 million in income and more than $250,000 in recognized tax debt. The IRS was previously unable to collect from these individuals due to a lack of resources. After successfully collecting $38 million from more than 175 high-income, high-wealth individuals last year, the IRS expanded this effort last fall to around 1,600 additional high-income, high-wealth individuals. Nearly 80% of these 1,600 millionaires with delinquent tax debt have now made a payment, leading to over $1.1 billion recovered. This is an additional $100 million just since July, when Treasury and IRS announced reaching the $1 billion milestone.

So there you have it: in the first year this $80 billion “investment” over ten years has yielded gains of about $1.3 billion. Let’s say that number manages to grow at a robust 35% annually in years 2 through 10. That would only yield a net ten-year return of $76 billion, still below the money allocated for this ridiculous undertaking. And who among us expects the amount recouped to grow by 35% a year for a whole decade?

Democrats of course pinky-promised that this initiative would only apply to those with annual incomes of over $400,000 per year. How long do you think it will be until the IRS, desperate to justify the huge windfall which thus far has failed to show any kind of return on investment, will start going after the taxpayers making over $250,000 and, if they can get away with it, eventually pretty much anyone making $100,000 or even less?

And so the next ridiculous promise from the donkey party is to tax unrealized gains. But honestly, dear taxpayer, we are only gonna do that for the very rich, so those of you middle class folks who through years of careful budgeting and avoiding frivolous purchases may have built yourself a nice little portfolio have nothing to worry about. For now.

In our insipid political climate, both sides are proposing middle class tax “relief” and expanded child credits, with no real plan for dealing with our continuing annual $2 trillion deficits and $35 trillion federal debt. One side insists that these tax cuts will unlock so much economic activity that they will pay for themselves; the other side claims that they can offset the cost of these tax cuts by making others back-fill the sums. Both of them are full of bullstuff.

– JVW