NEW THINGS: @23:00, , 7/4/20

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With Beijing’s Military Nearby, U.S. Sends 2 Aircraft Carriers to South China Sea

Lara Jakes at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 5 hours ago

The deployment of an American aircraft carrier and its strike force is often used as a signal to deter adversaries. Deploying two at once is recognized as a significant show of force.

Gunboat diplomacy has not worked since 1918.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunboat_diplomacy

Trump Says He Will Create a Statuary Park Honoring ‘American Heroes’

Michael Crowley at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 5 hours ago

The executive order includes John Adams, Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. among those who would be honored. So would Billy Graham, Antonin Scalia and Ronald Reagan.

Trump's list is not acceptable.

At Mt. Rushmore and the White House, Trump Updates ‘American Carnage’ Message for 2020

Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 5 hours ago

His ominous remarks were a reflection of his political standing: trailing in the polls, lacking a booming economy or a positive message to campaign on, and leaning on culture wars to buoy his loyalists.

Trump should not be reelected.

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New Trump Appointee Puts Global Internet Freedom at Risk, Critics Say

Pranshu Verma and Edward Wong at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 17 hours ago

A battle involving Michael Pack and a U.S.-funded tech group revolves around software from Falun Gong, the secretive, anti-Beijing spiritual movement with pro-Trump elements.

The critics are correct.

How the Republican Convention Created Money Woes in Two Cities

Annie Karni, Rebecca R. Ruiz and Kenneth P. Vogel at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 17 hours ago

Donors are wondering why they gave to a Charlotte event that has mostly been scrapped. And Jacksonville fund-raisers find money is on hold because of concerns about the surge in virus cases.

Trump can spend some of his fortune. If he is lying again he deserves his fate.

Life on the Vice-Presidential Short List

Sydney Ember at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 17 hours ago

It’s exciting. It can also feel like a colonoscopy.

Others will be just as through.

Open Thread

Ian Welsh at Ian Welsh - 22 hours ago

As usual, feel free to use the comments to discuss topics unrelated to recent posts.

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

Kimberly Guilfoyle, Top Fund-Raising Official for Trump Campaign, Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Maggie Haberman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

She is the third person in proximity of President Trump known to have contracted the virus.

It is getting closer.

Virus Surges in Arizona, but the Rodeo Goes On

Elizabeth Williamson at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

A former state official called what has happened in Arizona “a story of missed opportunities.” Hospital beds in the state are filling up.

Arizona will care.

"Where there is no brain there is no pain."

New Administration Memo Seeks to Foster Doubts About Suspected Russian Bounties

Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt, Rukmini Callimachi and Adam Goldman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Criticized for its inaction, the Trump administration commissioned a new look at a months-old intelligence assessment. It emphasizes gaps.

Trump has long depended on legal loop holes.

Trump Uses Mount Rushmore Speech to Deliver Divisive Culture War Message

Annie Karni at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Down in the polls and failing to control a raging pandemic, the president cast himself as waging battle against a “new far-left fascism” that imperils American values and seeks to erase history.

I is his one note.

European Workers Draw Paychecks. American Workers Scrounge for Food.

Peter S. Goodman, Patricia Cohen and Rachel Chaundler at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

In the pandemic, the United States has relied on expanded unemployment benefits, while European governments have subsidized wages, avoiding a surge in joblessness.

It is socialism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

Immigration Officers Face Furloughs as Visa Applications Plunge

Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Emily Cochrane at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Nearly 70 percent of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees will be furloughed because the immigration processing fees that fund the agency have plummeted.

A self inflicted injury by the Republicans.

Mary Trump Fights Effort to Bar Publication of Her Book

Alan Feuer and Maggie Haberman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Mary Trump and her lawyer filed documents questioning the validity of the nondisclosure agreement she signed, saying it was based on fraud and was too broad to be enforced.

Prior restraint has no supporters.

Protesting U.S. Immigration Policies, Artists Aim for the Sky

Zachary Small at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

This Independence Day, 70 artists are having messages of solidarity and defiance typed in the sky to highlight the plight of immigrants held in detention centers.

"Free as beer."

How the Coronavirus Is Transforming July 4 in Los Angeles

Evan Nicole Brown at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

While the camaraderie that comes from attending fireworks and tailgates will be absent, technology may help new traditions take hold.

Virtual and virtuous.

Pence Postponed Arizona Trip After Secret Service Agents Showed Signs of Covid

Annie Karni at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

The agents’ conditions were among several virus-related factors that led the vice president to change his plans for a visit on Tuesday.

Pence is not as dumb as I would like.

Have Americans Warmed to Calls to ‘Defund the Police’?

Giovanni Russonello at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

As they learn more about it, voters have shown some receptiveness to the phrase, polling suggests. But they largely want to reinvest resources, not eliminate departments.

Not so much.

Joe Biden Supporters Are Worried About the Health Risks of Voting

Nate Cohn at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Could this tilt turnout in Trump’s direction and affect the election result?

They should worry and vote.

Biden Supporters Are More Worried About the Health Risks of Voting