NEW THINGS: @20:20, , 7/23/10

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In Remarks to Young Supporters, Trump Falsely Calls Elections a ‘Rigged Deal’

Katie Rogers at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 22 minutes ago

President Trump also said that Representative Rashida Tlaib acted like a “crazed lunatic” while protesting at a 2016 Trump campaign event.

Trump has done his best to be truthful in this.

Trump Sues New York and Congress to Shield His State Tax Returns

Nicholas Fandos and Jesse McKinley at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 22 minutes ago

President Trump’s personal lawyers sued to block the House Ways and Means Committee chairman from obtaining his state tax returns under a recent New York State law.

The cream of the jest would be taxes honorably paid.

Trump's returns will be made public.

Is Turkey Going To Exit NATO?

Ian Welsh at Ian Welsh - 2 hours ago

Turkey has NATO’s second largest army. Turkey recently bought Russian s-400 air and missile defense systems. The US had warned that if Turkey did so, it would not be able to have F-35 fighters. Of course, part of this is that Turkish companies producing parts also lost those contracts. The companies will be compensated by […]

A NATO exit looks likely to Ian Welsh.

I am less certain.

9/11 First Responders Fund Clears Senate and Heads to Trump

Emily Cochrane at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 2 hours ago

Congress gave final approval to legislation that would extend lifetime compensation to emergency workers who became ill after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Trump has trouble making his mark.

Barr Revives Encryption Debate, Calling on Tech Firms to Allow for Law Enforcement

Katie Benner at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

The attorney general, reopening the conversation on security vs. privacy, said that encryption and other measures effectively turned devices into “law-free zones.”

Only a one time pad cannot be broken.

The dark web makes tracing difficult but not impossible.

There is only momentary privacy on the web.

A dead drop is really the best we can do.

The Times and Blogger serve but the data rate is low.

Sooner is better. As soon as you can is best.

Associate of Michael Flynn Is Found Guilty of Secretly Lobbying for Turkey

Adam Goldman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

The ruling could reverberate against Mr. Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser, who had agreed to testify in the case before backing out.

His conviction is a surprise to me.

House Democrats Offer an Alternative to the Green New Deal

Lisa Friedman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 4 hours ago

The influential group of lawmakers is calling for net-zero emissions in the United States by 2050. Supporters of the Green New Deal say that's not enough.

Net zero now is not enough.

What can be achieved is better than nothing.

Key Aide Will Appear Alongside Mueller During Hearings

Nicholas Fandos at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

A top aide to Robert S, Mueller III will sit next to the former special counsel at Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing, an unusual arrangement sought by Mr. Mueller.

Mueller is treating his testimony as a trial.

Mark Esper Confirmed as Trump’s Defense Secretary

Helene Cooper at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

Mr. Esper, a former soldier and lobbyist for Raytheon, takes over at the Pentagon after its longest period without a permanent leader.

He is no worse than other Trump apointees.

Al Franken Has Regrets. Kirsten Gillibrand Does Not.

Lisa Lerer and Shane Goldmacher at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

“There is no prize for someone who tries to hold accountable a powerful man who is good at his day job,” Ms. Gillibrand said after Mr. Franken spoke out about his resignation.

My doubts are meaningless.

Why Elizabeth Warren Says ‘Persist’ Instead of ‘Glass Ceiling’

Jessica Bennett at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

‘Shake the table.’ ‘Break things.’ These are the metaphors of a new generation of political candidates.

May the best person triumph.

Trump Relies on Populist Language, but He Mostly Sides With Corporate Interests

Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 6 hours ago

President Trump’s inflammatory appeals to white working-class voters have not been matched by legislative accomplishments aimed at their financial well-being.

Yes.

Were U.S. Diplomats Attacked in Cuba? Brain Study Deepens Mystery

Benedict Carey at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 8 hours ago

“Something happened to the brain” of diplomats who reported odd ailments, brain-imaging study suggests. But the cause is still unclear.

No advance in understanding a real incident.

Joe Biden Wants to Take America Back to a Time Before Trump

Michael Steinberger at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 8 hours ago

Is that what Democrats want?

I do not want peace with Trump's supporters.

Biden, Scrutinized for Crime Bill, Unveils Plan to Reduce Mass Incarceration

Katie Glueck at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 12 hours ago

Joe Biden, whose record on criminal justice has cast a shadow over his campaign, cited incarceration’s toll on poor communities and people of color.

Put it in the platform.

Emails Show DeVos Aides Pulled Strings for Failing For-Profit Colleges

Erica L. Green and Stacy Cowley at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 14 hours ago

A House committee has a trove of documents that show top Education Department officials trying to prop up a for-profit chain as it careened toward collapse.

The Education Department needs a house cleaning.

Robert Mueller’s Testimony Is Tomorrow. Here’s What You Need to Know.

Adam Goldman and Nicholas Fandos at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 14 hours ago

After two years of silence and one brief public statement, the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, will finally sit for prolonged questioning at two House hearings on Wednesday.

Read about it after the fact.

Sherrod Brown Is the Only Democrat in America Not Running for President

Trip Gabriel at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 14 hours ago

Mr. Brown, a senator from Ohio, decided not to run in 2020, but on debate night he thought: ‘I could have done that better.’

Democrats are deciding.

On Politics: Trump’s ‘Go Back’ Attacks May Help Him

NYT > U.S. > Politics - 19 hours ago

Voters in a part of the state that swung for Mr. Trump in 2016 have largely overlooked his recent attacks on four congresswomen.

Trumps base is fossilized.

Justice Dept. Letter Warns Mueller to Stay in ‘Boundaries’ of His Report

Katie Benner at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 21 hours ago

In a letter, the department told the former special counsel not to “discuss the conduct of uncharged third parties” like President Trump when he testifies before Congress.