"POORLY INFORMED AND IMPULSIVE"

There's good John McCain and infuriating John McCain. This is the good one

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/mccain-regular-order-washington-post
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Friday argued for a return to “regular order” in Congress, describing it as an antidote to a President “who has no experience of public office, is often poorly informed and can be impulsive in his speech and conduct.”  “[W]e are not his subordinates,” McCain wrote in a Washington Post op-ed, referring to Donald Trump. “We don’t answer to him. We answer to the American people. We must be diligent in discharging our responsibility to serve as a check on his power. And we should value our identity as members of Congress more than our partisan affiliation.” . .

What he means by "regular order" https://www.vox.com/polyarchy/2017/9/1/16240672/john-mccain-serious-returning-regular-order

In what might be a key piece of evidence in any obstruction case against Trump, Mueller has the draft of a letter Trump wrote with his minion Stephen Miller, laying out his original rationale for firing Jim Comey. We don't know what's in it (yet), but it was so bad that his lawyer refused to let him use it -- hence the fig-leaf performance review of Comey written by Rod Rosenstein, which Trump originally said was the reason . . . until he himself said in an interview it was really because of Russia. You don't need Comey's testimony, and you don't need to believe Comey, to see that the Russia investigation WAS the reason Trump fired him. Case closed

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mueller-has-trump-letter-explaining-comey-firing
 
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/9/1/16241110/trump-comey-firing-letter 

The secret hour: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/stephen-miller-james-comey-and-the-mystery-of-the-secret-hou 

More: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/09/trump-reportedly-drafted-angry-letter-to-comey-before-firing.html
Reports: Trump Drafted Angry, Unsent Letter to Comey Before His Firing

[NB: For all those people, including VP Pence, who knew about this letter and the reasons laid out in it, it was a LIE when they said -- as Pence did -- that Comey was fired because of the Rosenstein review. They KNEW that wasn't true.] 

Trump's ongoing assault against Comey has reached the point of absurdity 

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/renewing-his-attacks-comey-trump-loses-the-plot 

How long will John Kelly put up with this crap?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/01/us/politics/john-kelly-trump.html?mcubz=1
Forceful Chief of Staff Grates on Trump, and the Feeling Is Mutual . . . President Trump was in an especially ornery mood after staff members gently suggested he refrain from injecting politics into day-to-day issues of governing after last month’s raucous rally in Arizona, and he responded by lashing out at the most senior aide in his presence. It happened to be his new chief of staff, John F. Kelly. Mr. Kelly, the former Marine general brought in five weeks ago as the successor to Reince Priebus, reacted calmly, but he later told other White House staff members that he had never been spoken to like that during 35 years of serving his country. In the future, he said, he would not abide such treatment, according to three people familiar with the exchange. . . .

Guess who "Patient Zero" is for uncontrolled access to Trump, feeding him trash news, and generally getting him riled up?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/john-kelly-pushing-out-omarosa-for-triggering-trump

Trump's budget director BRAGS publicly about how he fooled Trump into supporting a policy because Trump didn't know what he was talking about

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/1/1695330/-Trump-s-budget-director-brags-about-snowing-Trump-into-cutting-Social-Security 

Trump's DACA decision has been pushed back to Tuesday -- he was getting lots of heat over the issue, let's see if that makes him reconsider 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sanders-new-date-daca-deadline 

What he said, January 2017: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-undocumented-youth-shouldnt-be-worried/article/2613007
Trump: Undocumented youth 'shouldn't be worried' 

The pushback 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-01/u-s-ceos-urge-trump-to-keep-daca-dreamers-program-in-letter
U.S. CEOs Urge Trump to Keep DACA ‘Dreamers’ Program 

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/09/ryan-trump-should-leave-daca-alone/
Paul Ryan: Trump Should Leave DACA Alone 

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/09/how-higher-education-leaders-are-fighting-for-daca/538740/
How Higher-Education Leaders Are Fighting for DACA 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/tennessee-ag-flips-daca-lawsuit-threat
Tennessee Attorney General Backs Out Of DACA Lawsuit Threat  

Trump backs off his threat to shut down the government to get funding for The Wall 

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/09/trump-caves-on-border-wall-funding-demand.html 

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/09/wall-what-wall/ 

The end of "repeal and replace" . . . at least for this year

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/09/parliamentarian-deals-trumpcare-a-final-death-blow.html
On Friday, the Senate parliamentarian. . . Elizabeth MacDonough informed congressional Republicans that the reconciliation instructions that empower them to repeal Obamacare with 51 Senate votes will expire at the end of September. Any attempt to repeal Barack Obama’s signature law after this month would be subject to a filibuster . . . 

Trump says Iran isn't following the nuclear deal. The IAEA says it is 

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/08/defying-trump-iaea-iran-honor-nuclear-deal-military-sites.html

The August job numbers are down. Where's the bragging, Donald?

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/1/1694317/-August-unemployment-report-shows-weakness-Commander-in-Tweet-silent-about-his-job-creation-skills

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/01/trumps-economy-is-doing-slightly-worse-than-obamas/?utm_term=.5dd1030ec21b
Trump’s economy is doing (slightly) worse than Obama’s

Trump's approval numbers are getting worse

https://politicalwire.com/2017/09/01/trump-approval-slides-another-new-low-3/

What a sad, needy little man he is

https://politicalwire.com/2017/09/01/trump-calls-religious-leaders-thank/
“So, remember that one time when President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting and everyone at the table outdid themselves when it came to heaping praise on POTUS? Well, we got a similar situation today during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office in which Trump had a bunch of religious leaders surround him and profusely thank the president for his response to Hurricane Harvey.” [read on]

We asked just yesterday whether Trump was really going to donate $1 million of HIS OWN money to Hurricane Harvey cleanup efforts. That's already becoming an open question

https://thinkprogress.org/white-house-walks-back-trumps-promise-to-give-1-million-of-his-personal-money-to-harvey-victims-4691cf5e6dd6/

Another big WH departure coming

https://politicalwire.com/2017/09/01/longtime-trump-aide-will-leave-white-house/

Yes, the voting process in 2016 WAS hacked

http://www.salon.com/2017/09/01/the-2016-election-may-have-indeed-been-hacked-report/

The head of Trump's voter suppression committee is also a paid columnist for Breitbart

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kobach-paid-columnist-gig

Why? http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/kobach-finds-time-side-gig-right-wing-website

I think the Dems have some issues with ideological purity and litmus tests. Tim Ryan's idea about tax cuts may be a good one, or a bad one -- but we need room to have these discussions

http://www.salon.com/2017/09/01/tim-ryan-who-wanted-to-lead-democrats-in-congress-floats-corporate-tax-cuts/

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/09/01/tim-ryan-needs-a-lesson-in-regional-inequality/

Ho ho ho. The newest blonde on Fox World blurts out the obvious truth: their obsession with Hillary and her emails is all just a way of deflecting attention away from Trump's Russia troubles

http://www.salon.com/2017/09/01/tomi-lahren-fox-news-hillary-clinton/ 

Bonus item: TPM is regularly featured here -- this is a fascinating piece from its editor, Josh Marshall, about how online publishing has become totally dependent on Google

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-serf-on-googles-farm

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media. Thanks for helping to spread the word!

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SPLIT PERSONALITY

How can someone whose personality, world view, and entire political strategy are based on divisiveness, attacking enemies, and us/them dichotomies even PRETEND to want to be a "uniter"?

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/poll-us-majority-believes-trump-tearing-the-country-apart
Poll: U.S. majority believes Trump is ‘tearing the country apart’

Trump's defenders tell us that he is under a LOT of stress right now. So why don't we all just ease up on the poor guy?

http://www.salon.com/2017/08/31/donald-trump-is-under-a-lot-of-stress-right-now-and-you-should-feel-bad-for-him-friends-say/
On Wednesday a source close to President Trump told Politico that the president’s mindset over the past weeks — in which the president botched a statement condemning violence caused by neo-Nazis, held a half-baked rally in Texas while the state was flooded and then moved quickly to a ridiculous tax reform rally while the state was still underwater (while lying about being there “firsthand,” and has been moving the U.S. closer to a potential nuclear war with North Korea — has been “the worst it’s ever been.” The source added that the president isn’t properly respected or feared by Congress — whom he’s battled on Twitter constantly. The source added that the president — who used to routinely bash President Barack Obama — “feels like this is not what he signed up for, and his accomplishments are being underplayed.”

More: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/31/16233496/trump-pentagon-afghanistan-transgender-ban-generals
Trump is at war with his own generals  

Let's talk about stress: Trump is about to end DACA, throwing hundreds of thousands of innocent kids into uncertainty about their futures

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/daca-aside-dreamers-will-remain-a-bargaining-chip.html

Trump resents Chief of Staff Kelly's attempts to rein him in, and has started going around him

https://politicalwire.com/2017/08/31/trump-bypasses-kelly-calling-bannon-others/
“Friends used to be able to call the White House and be patched directly through to Trump; now those calls are routed through Kelly and do not always make it to the president. Friends used to drop by the West Wing when they had time to kill, wandering to the Oval Office to say hello; now they must have an official appointment — and a clear reason — to visit.” “But Trump sometimes defies — and even resents — the new structure. He has been especially sensitive to the way Kelly’s rigid structure is portrayed in the media and strives to disabuse people of the notion that he is being managed. The president continues to call business friends and outside advisers, including former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, from his personal phone when Kelly is not around, said people with knowledge of the calls.”

More: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/08/31/aides-see-trump-kelly-on-a-collision-course/
Aides see Trump, Kelly on a collision course . . . “He’s having a very hard time,” one friend who spoke with Trump this week said of the president. “He doesn’t like the way the media’s handling him. He doesn’t like how Kelly’s handling him. He’s turning on people that are very close to him.”[read on]

An excellent question

http://prospect.org/article/how-long-can-republicans-ignore-russia-scandal
How Long Can Republicans Ignore the Russia Scandal?

More: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/08/trump_s_long_campaign_to_make_trump_tower_moscow_happen.html
Every time President Trump and his aides deny secret transactions with Russians, we find out later that they were lying. . . .

Now we learn that Mueller is working with the CRIMINAL DIVISION of the IRS. This puts together a three-sided assault: Mueller's team, Schneiderman's team from New York, and now the IRS. I will be interested to see what Trump does if/when Mueller cracks open his taxes. There must be some reason he has fought so hard to keep them hidden.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-mueller-enlists-the-irs-for-his-trump-russia-investigation

The Kushner Co. bought a high-rise in NY at a vastly inflated price, then realized they had a lemon and tried unsuccessfully to get rid of it. Now that Jared is part of the Trump administration the offers from other countries are rolling in. Wonder why?

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/an-update-from-the-kushner-swamp

More: http://www.salon.com/2017/08/31/jared-kushners-company-has-been-scouring-the-world-for-investors-report/ 
The Kushner Cos.’ bid to avoid losing 666 Fifth Avenue may have led to one of Jared Kushner’s most controversial moments in the ongoing Russia scandal enveloping the Trump administration. Roughly one month after his father-in-law was elected president, Kushner met on two occasions with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Kremlin-controlled VEB bank head Sergey Gorkov, even though he failed to disclose either meeting to the public or in his security clearance checks. While Kushner claimed that those meetings were solely focused on Kushner’s upcoming role as a presidential adviser, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff reports that both a Putin spokesman and VEB claim the meeting occurred to discuss the Kushner family’s real estate business. . . .

Why is the Russia investigation so focused on Paul Manafort?

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/31/16125776/paul-manafort-russia-trump-mueller

One word

https://politicalwire.com/2017/08/31/780221/
Paul Manafort’s notes from a controversial Trump Tower meeting with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign included the word “donations,” near a reference to the Republican National Committee, NBC News reports . . .

Donations? http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/nbc-news-reports-manafort-took-notes-on-donations-russian-lawyer 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/my-theory-on-manaforts-notes 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/08/31/a-very-intriguing-new-subplot-in-the-saga-of-donald-trump-jr-s-russia-meeting/?utm_term=.b1ba932e68c4
But perhaps the more significant development is how NBC reported that Manafort had taken those notes: On his smartphone . . . [read on]

Trump's lawyers trash Comey's credibility to Mueller as they try to pre-empt the obstruction of justice case

https://www.axios.com/trumps-lawyers-argue-against-obstruction-of-justice-to-mueller-2480027678.html 

More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-attorneys-lay-out-arguments-against-obstruction-of-justice-probe-to-mueller-1504207495 

[NB: I am not a lawyer, but their arguments look astonishingly weak. And do they really want to tell Mueller in advance what will be their main attack lines against the case?]  

Trump complains that US corporate tax rates are the highest in the developing world -- not if you look at what corporations actually pay

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/08/31/what-trump-doesnt-want-you-to-know-about-corporate-taxes/

More: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/31/16228766/trump-us-corporate-business-tax-reform-world

Trump says he witnessed the flood devastation in Texas "first hand." We know that's a lie

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/after-texas-visit-white-house-struggles-defend-trump-falsehood

Later: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/wh-clarifies-trump-statement-saying-saw-harvey-damage-first-hand
On Wednesday, the White House clarified what Trump meant by his statements, saying the President met with all the officials who witnessed the damage themselves.

[NB: So, by "first hand" Trump actually meant "second hand." Got it, thanks!]

It's hard not to see the contrast here

http://www.salon.com/2017/08/31/after-trumps-heartless-harvey-response-pence-plays-consoler-in-texas/
The vice president met with survivors, and helped clear debris during his visit — things Trump could or did not

So, a little credit is due. Trump says he will donate a million dollars of "personal" money for Hurricane Harvey relief. I say, good for him. I just hope we aren't coming back in a few days to find out that the money is actually coming from his Foundation (ie, other people's money) or some similar shenanigan

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/white-house-trump-to-donate-a-million-dollars-harvey-aid

On the other hand: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/8/31/1695067/-Trump-pledges-1M-for-Harvey-4M-less-than-what-he-once-offered-for-Obama-s-birth-certificate
Donald Trump is pledging $1 million dollars for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts—exactly $4 million dollars less than when he offered Barack Obama $5 million for his birth certificate in 2012. . . . [read on]

Trump ratchets up his effort to sabotage Obamacare (then he'll say it "failed")

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/08/trump-cuts-obamacare-promotion-by-90/
Trump Cuts Obamacare Promotion By 90%

More: https://www.vox.com/health-care/2017/8/31/16236124/voxcare-trump-obamacare-enrollment-outreach
Trump’s next chance to undercut Obamacare is almost here

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/8/31/1694952/-Trump-administration-will-try-to-kill-Obamacare-through-malign-neglect
Trump administration will try to kill Obamacare through malign neglect

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of governors is trying to FIX Obamacare

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/8/31/1695012/-Bipartisan-group-of-governors-releases-recommendations-for-strengthening-Obamacare

This would set an interesting precedent: actually investigating a Trump official for exploiting a conflict of interest

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/duckworth-fbi-probe-icahn 

Trump's pardon of Sheriff Joe, his assault on transgender folks in the military, and his action on DACA are all sops to his far right support. Now it looks like David Clarke is going to be joining his administration

https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/like-arpaio-another-dogwhistle-to.html 
Joe Arpaio and David Clarke are the two most famous, sadistic law enforcement officers in the country. They're known for their brutality and defiance of the rule of law. Trump is rewarding both of them. . . . [read on] 

Will Trump's Arpaio pardon pass legal review?

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-controversial-arpaio-pardon-faces-new-legal-scrutiny 

The Trump voter suppression committee shows once again that it is not being transparent about its agenda

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-election-commission-apologizes-not-posting-public-docs 

The Trump admin is going to give a big boost to for-profit colleges (of course)

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/julian-schmoke-for-profit-colleges/538578

http://www.salon.com/2017/08/31/the-trump-administration-is-asking-an-ex-devry-university-official-to-monitor-higher-ed-fraud/

Paul Ryan's phony "postcard" tax return

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/08/thats-a-mighty-big-postcard-mr-ryan/

Looks like the Dems are going to lose a senator

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/08/31/bob-menendez-is-in-real-trouble/

In defense of identity politics

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/08/31/blaming-identity-politics-is-like-saying-all-lives-matter/

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2016/12/06/in-defense-of-identity-politics/?utm_term=.6d9828cafe52

http://signsjournal.org/currents-identity-politics/walters/

The rise of socialism as a factor in US politics

https://newrepublic.com/article/144492/socialism-america-needs-now

Medicare for all

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/the-left-has-made-it-savvy-for-dems-to-back-single-payer.html

Antifa violence helps the Right

http://crooksandliars.com/2017/08/punching-nazis-helps-nazis

Fox World is ALL OVER the "Clinton Server Scandal." Good for them!

https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/fox-is-on-it.html

Oh Christ

https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/ok-shes-just-messing-with-us-now.html
The Reverend Pat Robertson of the Christian Broadcasting Network asked Kellyanne Conway what characteristic of Trump stands out in her mind and you simply will never guess what she said. . . . [watch]

Bonus item: One thing for sure, we have better senses of humor than the white supremacists

http://www.salon.com/2017/08/31/pranksters-sneak-kkk-hoods-putin-postcards-into-racks-at-trump-tower-gift-shop/

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media. Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***