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Trump Gotta Trump, Part I: Hurricane Helene

We really didn't want to write about this, at least not right now. People are suffering, and some of them are dying, due to Hurricane Helene. It feels vulgar to us to begin talking about the political implications of that. Unfortunately for us, vulgar is Donald Trump's stock in trade.

Trump might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knows enough to know two things: (1) He really needs to win North Carolina and Georgia in November, and (2) Helene is battering both states. So, he is working overtime to try to capitalize on this "opportunity," as he sees it.

To start, Trump announced yesterday morning that he was heading to Valdosta, GA, with a bunch of supplies for the people there. This is a little ham-fisted, in terms of trying to cash in on people's hardships. And, for just about everyone who heard the news, it brought to mind the tone-deaf visit to Puerto Rico, where he was "jump shotting" rolls of paper towels to people who had lost everything. That said, you can't fault him TOO much for bringing supplies to Georgians who need them.

Unfortunately, the supply delivery is also when Trump began going off the rails. It was not enough for him to simply engage in an act of charity and let that stand on its own. Nope, he had to go on the attack, explaining that the reason that he was also going to have to visit North Carolina, because of "reports that I'm getting about the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas." Later, the former president followed up on that by claiming that Georgia governor Brian Kemp could not get Joe Biden on the phone, because Biden was too busy sleeping.

Needless to say, this is nonsense. Kemp has already confirmed that he's been in touch with the White House, and has praised the Biden administration for its response. Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) has said the same. It's yet another example of Trump projecting, as refusing to help Democrats during a tragedy is exactly what HE would do. That's not speculation, it's based on his actual record, such as his refusal to declare California a disaster area (thus unlocking extra federal funding for cleanup) after the 2018 wildfires.

Later in the day yesterday, Trump changed tacks, and began attacking Biden and Kamala Harris for not visiting the states affected by the Hurricane. The obvious message (which he also used in East Palestine, OH, after hustling to the site of the train wreck there) is "I care, Biden and Harris don't." This is also nonsense. First, we would bet every dollar that we have that Trump does not care one damn bit, beyond what's in it for him (also see the next item). Beyond that, when high-profile people visit disaster sites, with their security details and entourage in tow, it's a huge disruption. So, the proper thing to do is to wait for the immediate crisis to subside. Biden will be visiting on Wednesday, and Harris has suspended her campaigning, is being briefed regularly by FEMA, and will be visiting later this week.

Finally, once Harris had taken to eX-Twitter to note that she is monitoring the situation, Trump tripled down with some conspiratorial thinking:

A Kamala Harris tweet talks about her interactions with FEMA, and shows a picture of her taking a call on Air Force Two. Trump has Truthed a screen cap of that, with the comment: 'Another FAKE and STAGED photo from someone who has no clue what she is doing. You have to plug the cord into the phone for it to work! Biden and Harris abandoned Americans in Afghanistan. They sacrificed Americans to an Open Border, and now, they have left Americans to drown in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and elsewhere in the South. Under this Administration, Americans always come last, because we have 'leaders' who have no idea how to lead!

All together now: This is nonsense.

Looking at all of this, we see how every bit of it is the characteristic response of Trump, going by his gut. We also think it's near-impossible that it will work to his benefit, politically. First, people who are actually on the scene are not going to buy into his lies about what is really going on. Second, surely they are going to resent being used as political props, and in such a crude and boorish manner.

We really, really didn't want to have to write all of that. It used to be that politics were left at the door in times of crisis, but not anymore, at least not by Donald Trump and his ilk (compare that to the response of Kemp, to take one example). In any case, we sincerely hope that any readers who are in the affected areas are safe and are doing as well as possible, under the circumstances. (Z)

Trump Gotta Trump, Part II: A Scandal in Slovenia?

These news stories have actually been lingering since last week; today just happens to be the day we got to them. That said, they are a pretty decent complement to the above item, as an illustration of the tendency of Donald Trump (and those in his orbit) to be Trump-first.

Let's start with the Donald himself, who has yet another new product for his sheep... er, supporters. Following on the heels of the Trump golden tennis shoes, and the Trump Bible, and the Trump sorta-cryptocurrency, and the Trump collectible coin, you can now own a... Trump watch.

There are two "styles" of Trump watches. The first is the "Fight! Fight! Fight!" style. It comes in several different colors, and at two different price levels. The higher price level is $799, and the various colors at that price level (mother of pearl, onyx gold tone, etc.) are allegedly limited to 1,000 (men's styles) or 500 (women's styles). The lower price level is $499, and the various colors levels at that price level are merely "limited." No number is given, we presume that means "limited to the exact number we manage to sell to the rubes... er, our customers."

The second "style" is the Tourbillion watch (Get it? It's not a Tourbillon, which is the correct term, it's a Tourbillion because Trump is allegedly a billionaire.) If you would be embarrassed to wear a Trump watch whose cost is only three figures—and who would blame you?—then this is the watch for you. There will allegedly be only 147 of them (presumably 47 because "president #47" and the additional 100 because "grift"), and they retail for a mere $100,000. That is not a typo.

Is there ANY possibility that the $100,000 watch is not some sort of scam? Yes, of course it's a scam in the sense that they're asking Patek Philippe prices for Donald-Trump-branded crap. But beyond that, this HAS to be a way to get around campaign finance laws, right? Like, "How many watches did you want, again, Mr. bin Salman? Thirty?" That said, all of this speaks to a guy who is nervous about his chances of winning, and is trying to grift while the grifting is good.

And speaking of grifters, let's move on to the only story in this item that isn't from last week. As most readers will have heard by now, baseball player Pete Rose died yesterday. He was a great, great player, but a bad, bad person. Most people know that he bet on baseball games in which he was involved as a manager, and was punished by being banned from baseball permanently. One can argue that the penalty is too harsh, but he knew that was the price when he chose to break the rules and, as they say "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." After being booted from baseball, Rose seized on pretty much any opportunity to make money off his name, most obviously signing copious numbers of baseballs with... whatever message the person wanted. (Z) saw him once, sitting at a table outside a collectibles shop in Las Vegas, with no takers. It was actually kind of depressing.

Anyhow, some of the schemes Rose participated in to profit off his name were pretty grifty. He was also an overall sleazeball, beyond his gambling and his moneymaking schemes. He cheated on his taxes, for example, and he got in deep trouble with the IRS. He also admitted, under oath, that he had a sexual relationship with an underage partner. That makes Rose a statutory rapist.

Trump, being a me-first guy, doesn't care about any of this (indeed, he probably admires the statutory rape). Here's the one and only thing that REALLY matters to the former President:

Two Pete-Rose-signed baseballs; one says 'MR. TRUMP, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN' and the other says 'VOTE TRUMP 2024'

Yep, Rose was a Trump supporter (which comes as zero surprise to anyone familiar with the man). And so, when the news of Rose's death broke yesterday, Trump sent this out on his boutique social media platform:
The GREAT Pete Rose just died. He was one of the most magnificent baseball players ever to play the game. He paid the price! Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago. Do it now, before his funeral! DJT

For those who do not follow baseball, there is no way Rose gets into the Hall of Fame before his funeral, or... anytime after his funeral. Shoeless Joe Jackson was Hall-of-Fame worthy, and was banned under similar circumstances 105 years ago, and he's still not in.

Of course, the grifty behavior in the Trump household is not limited to Donald. Melania Trump, who is the inspiration for the headline on this item, has picked up a trick or two over the years. She has made virtually no campaign appearances this year. However, she did speak to the Log Cabin Republicans... twice. And for this, she was paid handsomely: $237,500. That is enough to buy two Trump Tourbillion watches, with enough left over for a few hundred Trump Bibles. The scandal here, beyond the fact that Melania has to be paid six figures to campaign for her husband, is that nobody knows where the payment came from. If it was paid for by Trump 2024, that expense should be on the FEC paperwork. It hasn't been. If it was paid for by someone else, it's a campaign contribution, and should be declared as such. It hasn't been. Of course, this is a relatively minor offense in the vast constellation of Trumpy wrongdoing, so it's unlikely anything will come of it.

Finally, the first TMTG rat has abandoned ship. TMTG Co-founder Andy Litinsky, who was a contestant on The Apprentice and who held 7.5 million shares of the Trump social media venture, sold all but 100 shares last week. Trump is not only a me-first guy, he's good at attracting me-first guys. Thus far the price of the stock has held, and even gone up a little, despite the stock dump. This is probably because Trump has yet to sell any shares, giving investors hope he won't try to cash out, and thus crash the stock. Whatever happens, Litinsky is $100 million richer, and will be laughing all the way to the bank if (well, when) the stock does crash. (Z)

Giuliani Endorses Harris

No, not him. His daughter, Caroline Rose Giuliani, who yesterday published an op-ed that is equal parts sad and hopeful.

Roughly half of the piece is a blistering condemnation, not of her father, but of Donald Trump and what he's done to her father. She says she still loves her father, and although she does not use this exact word, she writes about him like someone who's lost a family member to a cult:

As Rudy Giuliani's daughter, I'm unfortunately well-suited to remind Americans of just how calamitous being associated with Trump can be, even for those who are convinced he's on their side. Watching my dad's life crumble since he joined forces with Trump has been extraordinarily painful, both on a personal level and because his demise feels linked to a dark force that threatens to once again consume America. Not to disregard individual accountability in the slightest, but it would be naive for us to ignore the fact that many of those closest to Trump have descended into catastrophic downward spirals. If we let Trump back into the driver's seat this fall, our country will be no exception.

The younger Giuliani also notes that a second Trump presidency might be seen as a good thing for her dad (you know, pardons and the like), but in her view, Trump's ultimate defeat is the only way his spell over her father might be broken.

The other half of the op-ed is an affirmative case for Kamala Harris. For example:

Even though the last few years have been some of the most difficult of my life on a personal level, I'm grateful to live in a country that came together once before to fire a burgeoning tyrant. Watching Harris reignite the torch that Biden selflessly passed to her has filled me with optimism and pride. She has the experience, intelligence, and fortitude to lead us to a brighter future, and seeing her hold Trump accountable in the debate only further confirms her ability to defend us from our most dangerous enemies, domestic and foreign. But even with all the incredible momentum the Harris/Walz ticket has generated, we still have to work hard to ensure a victory for our future. We live in a two-party system, and no candidate will appeal to every voter on every issue.

Bringing the two halves of the piece together, Giuliani concludes: "Take it from me, Trump destroys everything he touches. I saw it happen to my family. Don't let it happen to yours, or to our country. Kamala Harris will guide us into a brighter future, but only if we unite behind her."

This weekend, we answered a question about whether endorsements really matter. And we said that we believe they still do, in some cases, such as when an endorsement is unexpected, given the person's background. We'd say that Rudy Giuliani's daughter, coming out against the candidate/"benefactor"/cult leader of her father would be in that category.

And, as long as we're on the subject, former Arizona senator Jeff Flake (R) also endorsed Harris yesterday. We're not dialed in to Arizona politics, but we suspect that Flake's opinion still carries some weight with the state's "McCain Republicans." After all, the two men served together, and shared a similar outlook. Needless to say, in a state that's projected to be close, every little bit matters. (Z)

It's D-Day

Debate Day, that is. Tonight's meeting between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz will be, very possibly, the last debate of the cycle. It's going to be hosted by CBS, and hosted by that network's star personnel Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan. Not only will CBS televise the event, so too will ABC, CNN, Fox, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, C-SPAN, PBS, NewsNation and BBC. You can stream it on CBS 24/7, the other outlets will also stream it on their various online platforms.

We don't have much to say that we haven't already said, so let's get to the fun stuff. First, here are the "bingo squares" we've chosen for the debate:

From Tim Walz: From J.D. Vance: From Anyone (Moderators Included):

If it's in quotes, it has to be the exact word or phrase. If it's not in quotes, then the general subject/item just has to be raised.

If you want to play bingo at home, here are cards.

For our reader game, we're going to take a slightly different approach, just to mix things up. You get to pick six items. Each item is worth 10,000 points. However, the 10,000 points will be divided among all the readers who correctly choose the item. So, the optimal pick is something that you think will come up, but that you believe other readers DON'T think will come up. That entry form is here.

Reader B.J. in Arlington, MA reminds us:

The EV chat space on Slack will once again be open for live discussion during today's debate (and also on every other day; there is a small amount of discussion from a group of regulars on a daily basis). The discussion during the most recent debate was ... more fun than the one before it! You can join by visiting this link.

The chat space has multiple separate channels. The main ones are: If you have any technical questions about using Slack, post them in #general or wherever you find yourself and someone will help you out.

Also, we have an insta-poll if you care to weigh in once the debate is over. It is here.

Let's get ready to rumble! (Z)

CNN to "Experiment" with Paywall

After CNN canned Chris Licht, they brought in Mark Thompson to right the ship. And he's certainly been putting his stamp on the outlet's operations. A couple of months ago, he laid off over 100 people, including several known "names" (like TV/movie critic Brian Lowry). More recently, he's been moving CNN.com towards a paywall model. The site began requiring people to register to see articles about 6 weeks ago, and now it's planning to start charging for access to articles (after a few freebies each month).

CNN plans to start at an "inexpensive" price. Officially, the reason for this is to "gauge demand," but it's also to get people's credit card numbers, so they hopefully don't worry about it when the price goes up. A sizable number of subscription-based outlets have used this same "ramp up" approach, from Netflix to Disney+ to The Athletic. CNN.com currently receives about 440 million unique visitors per month; Thompson thinks he can convert that into $1 billion in annual revenue. That would be quite the monetization rate for a product that people are used to getting free. In other words, good luck with that.

The primary reason we are interested in this is that CNN's cable channel is dying, and won't be able to support the overall operation much longer. This is not about CNN, per se (at least, it's largely not about CNN), it's about the demise of the whole cable TV business model. For those cable (and, for that matter, broadcast) channels that hope to survive long-term, they are either going to have to find new sources of revenue, or they are going to have to sell themselves direct-to-consumer as part of streaming services (like Max, which is owned by the same parent company as CNN is).

We wonder—and we can't find anyone who has written about this—what this all means for Fox's cable channel. They haven't particularly found ways to monetize the Fox "News" brand, beyond the cable channel. The Fox empire has been broken up, so there may not be a great streaming opportunity out there for them. And Fox's audience is quite old, and not necessarily eager to embrace new technologies. Sure, there are young conservatives out there, but they are mostly doing podcasts and social media, not Fox content. Between the upcoming challenges for the Fox business model, and the succession struggle among the children of Rupert Murdoch, the channel could go into a steep decline a lot sooner than might have been expected, say, 5 years ago. (Z)

Georgia on My Mind, Part I: Abortion Is Legal Again (For Now)

Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney has been handling a case filed in Georgia by several activist groups, including the Reproductive Justice Collective, Sistersong Women of Color, and others, that sought to overturn the restrictive ban that was adopted in 2019 and that took effect after the Dobbs decision. Yesterday, McBurney issued his ruling, finding that... the plaintiffs are absolutely right.

The ruling is pretty thorough, but McBurney's central finding is that the abortion ban violates women's right to privacy, which is enshrined in the state constitution. He notes that if the state could demonstrate a compelling interest in setting aside women's privacy, then the law might be valid, but concluded that the state did not do so. He also made a point of noting the discriminatory nature of the law:

It is generally men who promote and defend laws like the LIFE Act, the effect of which is to require only women—and, given the socio-economic and demographic evidence presented at trial, primarily poor women, which means in Georgia primarily black and brown women—to engage in compulsory labor, i.e., the carrying of a pregnancy to term at the government's behest

That part could well have been written by Planned Parenthood. In case you are wondering, however, McBurney is no wild-eyed liberal. He was appointed to the bench by a Republican (then-governor Nathan Deal).

With the ruling, abortions will be available up to the point of fetal viability (approx. 20 weeks). Georgia will join Virginia as the two Southern states that have relatively permissive abortion laws. So, there is sure to be an influx of women from other states (Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, etc.) seeking abortion care.

The state will undoubtedly appeal the decision; what will be interesting to see is how quickly they do so. If state AG Christopher Carr files right now, that kinda puts abortion on the ballot in November, and could drive up turnout among Democrats. Depending on how concerned he is about the prospects of Republicans up and down the ballot, Carr might hold off until, say, November 6. (Z)

Georgia on My Mind, Part II: Democrats Sue Brian Kemp

As long as we are on the subject of Georgia officials, and lawsuits (in fact, lawsuits in Fulton County Superior Court), a group of Georgia Democrats has sued Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) over the shenanigans perpetrated by the Georgia Board of Elections.

What is going on here is that the plaintiffs are trying to put pressure on the pressure points made available by the Georgia state Constitution. Under state law, citizens can file an ethics complaint against any public official. The Governor is then supposed to hold a hearing, at which evidence is presented. Should the official or officials under scrutiny be found guilty of ethics violations, they can be removed. If the plaintiffs can make that happen, then they hope a non-Trumper replacement or replacements would repeal the new rules designed to create chaos.

We don't know why Kemp didn't hold the hearing he was supposed to hold. Maybe he thinks that the plaintiffs are grasping at straws, and it's a waste of time. Alternatively, he doesn't appear to be too happy about the doings of the Elections Board, but he's also planning a run for the U.S. Senate in 2026. It could be that he decided the optics are better if this does not appear to be coming from him, and that he's only proceeding involuntarily.

We are hardly familiar with the nuances of Georgia law, but it looks to us like the plaintiffs here have way too many hurdles to clear in way too short a time. That said, various Democratic organs, including the DNC and the Democratic Party of Georgia, have two other lawsuits in progress. Those are not seeking to remove the Election Board members, merely to secure a court order keeping the state from implementing the new "hand counting of ballots" rule. So, the blue team is taking multiple bites at the apple, even if it IS technically the Peach State. (Z)

Georgia on My Mind, Part III: It Was 100 Years Ago Today

Today, Jimmy Carter becomes the first U.S. president to live to 100 years of age. He's outlived the #2 president on the list, George H.W. Bush, by almost 6 years (and counting). Carter has also set a record for the longest lived post-presidency, at nearly 44 years (and counting). On that list, Carter is 12 years ahead of #2 Herbert Hoover, and is 20 years ahead of the next living president, Bill Clinton.

It's remarkable to think how different was the world into which Carter was born. Some of the events of that year:

Carter was born into a poor family, and lived without electricity or running water until he was a teenager. That was not unusual in the days before the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. Because the Carters were poor, he was born in a hospital. That may seem counterintuitive, but back then, hospitals tended to be unclean and kind of dangerous (because of risk of infection; penicillin was 4 years from being invented when Carter was born). So, in that era, wealthy and middle-class people could afford to bring a doctor or midwife to their homes to aid in delivery. Only poor people had to schlep to a hospital for assistance. Consequently, Carter is the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital. Feel free to use that fact to win some bar bets.

As a centenarian, and one who commenced end-of-life care nearly 2 years ago, Carter isn't exactly going to be whooping it up today. However, he is going to have a gathering with his family, and his hometown of Plains will be holding some events. There was also a concert held in his honor a couple of weeks ago; it raised $1.2 million for the Carter Center. As regards birthday gifts, we only know about one: Led by country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, thousands of Habitat for Humanity volunteers are building 30 homes for low-income people in St. Paul, MN, this week. Given what we know of Carter, we imagine that there is no gift he would appreciate more.

There is at least one more milestone left in Carter's life. He's expressed the wish that he would like to be able to cast a ballot for Kamala Harris. If he's going to do that via absentee ballot, he will have to wait until October 7. If he's going to vote early in person, he will have to wait until October 15. Despite his precarious health, we think he'll make it. Thereafter, it would not be too surprising if he decides it's time to go and be with Rosalynn again.

In any event, happy birthday, Mr. President! (Z)

Today's Presidential Polls

Yet another poll suggesting Florida might be in reach for the Democrats. Wow. (Z)

State Kamala Harris Donald Trump Start End Pollster
Alaska 43% 52% Sep 26 Sep 28 Alaska Survey Research
California 58% 36% Sep 12 Sep 25 USC
Florida 46% 50% Sep 25 Sep 26 PPP
North Carolina 47% 49% Sep 23 Sep 26 East Carolina U.
Rhode Island 52% 38% Sep 15 Sep 19 Embold Research
Texas 46% 51% Sep 25 Sep 26 PPP

Click on a state name for a graph of its polling history.

Today's Senate Polls

That California poll is probably on target, but it IS from USC, so be cautious.

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz should officially start sweating. (Z)

State Democrat D % Republican R % Start End Pollster
California Adam Schiff 56% Steve Garvey 37% Sep 12 Sep 25 USC
Florida Debbie Mucarsel-Powell 44% Rick Scott* 47% Sep 25 Sep 26 PPP
Texas Colin Allred 46% Ted Cruz* 47% Sep 25 Sep 26 PPP

* Denotes incumbent


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