“Well first this audience can see that I am alive… I am on my way to being very well,”
— Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, quoted by Politico.
New Texas Law Eases Gun Restrictions
USA Today: “A bulk of gun law changes took effect in Texas on Sunday, loosening restrictions just one day after a mass shooting near Odessa and Midland left at least 5 people dead. The laws open more opportunities for Texans to have firearms and store ammunition in public places.”
“From churches to public schools to foster homes, the laws also loosen restrictions on where a firearm is permitted. The laws were already set to take effect Sept. 1 but come just one day after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 20 triggered a deadly shooting rampage.”
Trump Allies Plot War on Social Media
“President Trump’s campaign and key allies plan to make allegations of bias by social media platforms a core part of their 2020 strategy,” officials tell Axios.
“Look for ads, speeches and sustained attacks on Facebook and Twitter in particular, the sources say. The irony: The social platforms are created and staffed largely by liberals — but often used most effectively in politics by conservatives, the data shows.”
Can Warren Keep Up With Her Growing ‘Selfie’ Lines?
ABC News: “While other candidates frequently take photos with voters — with Sanders recently making a point to take ‘selfies with anyone who wants them’ at events where his schedule allows — Warren, without fail, has stayed until the end of the photo line after each of her events. As one senior campaign official noted, the process demands its own set of logistics: venues have to be booked out longer to account for the lines, certain staffers are known to be able to skillfully move the line along faster than others and there are concerns about how to best avoid germs given they touch so many strangers’ cell phones.”
“Asked whether increasing crowd sizes might force changes to the ‘selfie line’ strategy, a spokesperson for the Warren campaign declined to comment.”
“For now, the candidate is staying committed to the time-consuming process, which she’s told her staff and reporters that she finds ‘energizing.'”
Ocasio-Cortez Mocks Mostly Male ‘Straight Pride’ Parade
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called out participants in Boston’s “Straight Pride Parade,” saying it should have been called the “I-Struggle-With-Masculinity” parade, The Hill reports.
Said Ocasio-Cortez: “For men who are allegedly so ‘proud’ of being straight, they seem to show real incompetence at attracting women to their event.”
Anonymous Op-Ed Writer Still Unknown
Washington Post: “Outside of a tiny circle of insiders, no one knows who wrote the instantly viral op-ed column about President Trump that appeared in the New York Times last Sept. 5. Despite an informal White House investigation, plenty of outside sleuthing and a whole internet’s worth of guessing, his or her identity remains unknown.”
“History suggests this cannot last. Others who started out as anonymous in high-profile cases have eventually been revealed.”
Little Impeachment Push In GOP-Leaning Districts
New York Times: “Despite the efforts of pro-impeachment activist groups to transform August into a Tea Party-style series of grass-roots revolts that might force Democrats of all stripes to throw their support behind impeachment, the groundswell has yet to reach this politically crucial group of lawmakers in Republican-leaning districts. Instead, they are staying cautious and, in some cases, even trying to avoid mentioning the word, and many of their constituents — even impeachment supporters — appear willing, at least for now, to tolerate that reluctance.”
The Case for Voting for Any Democrat In 2020
Max Boot: “When asked earlier this month whether he could support Sens. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren if one became the Democratic presidential nominee, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg was noncommittal. I have the utmost respect for Bloomberg, whose fiscally conservative and socially liberal views closely mirror my own, but I will vote for any Democratic nominee, even Warren or Sanders, despite my profound disagreement with their far-left agendas.”
“If I needed any further confirmation, it came during the second half of August. This was by no means the worst period of the Trump presidency, but it nevertheless offers a snapshot of why President Trump cannot under any circumstances be reelected.”
Latest Tariff Hikes Take Effect In Trade War
“The United States and China went ahead with their latest tariff increases on each other’s goods Sunday, potentially raising prices Americans pay for some clothes, shoes, sporting goods and other consumer items in advance of the holiday shopping season,” the AP reports.
“The 15% U.S. taxes apply to about $112 billion of Chinese imports. All told, more than two-thirds of the consumer goods the United States imports from China now face higher taxes. The administration had largely avoided hitting consumer items in its earlier rounds of tariff hikes.”
Quote of the Day
“We don’t know how many have been killed. We don’t know the motivation. But here’s what we do know: This is fucked up.”
— Beto O’Rourke, tweeting about the latest mass shooting in Texas.
2020 Electoral Map Could Be Smallest In Years
Dan Balz: “Just four states are likely to determine the outcome in 2020. Each flipped to the Republicans in 2016, but President Trump won each by only a percentage point or less. The four are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida. Many analysts point to Wisconsin as the single state upon which the election could turn.”
“Shifting demographics, the growing urban-rural divide and the gap between white voters with and without college educations have helped to create an electoral map unlike those of the recent past. So too have Trump’s unique profile, messaging and appeal.”
Use my interactive Electoral Vote Map to test your own assumptions.
Yet Another Mass Shooting
Washington Post: “Five people were killed and another 21 were injured in the West Texas cities of Odessa and Midland after a gunman fled a traffic stop, hijacked a mail truck and opened fire indiscriminately on officers and civilians as he sped down Interstate 20 and Highway 191, police said.”
Both Parties See Control of the Senate as Pivotal
New York Times: “As Republicans assess President Trump’s uncertain re-election chances, they see maintaining control of the Senate as their last line of defense against the prospect of Democrats controlling both the House and the White House. Democrats view gaining the Senate as a way to stymie Mr. Trump should he win a second term. And they say that winning the White House only to have Sen. Mitch McConnell remain in charge of the Senate would stifle any legislative effort to undo the effects of the Trump presidency.”
“Strategists for both parties and independent analysts currently give Republicans the edge in narrowly holding on to the Senate given the small universe of highly competitive races. But the distinct possibility of wild cards adding to an already volatile atmosphere was underscored this week by the news that Sen. Johnny Isakson will retire at the end of the year. His departure unexpectedly put another seat in play and gave Democrats a second pickup opportunity in a state they believe is trending increasingly blue.”
No Incumbent President Has Polled as Poorly as Trump
Harry Enten: “I went all the way back to World War II era in the Roper Center archive to see how presidents were polling at this point against their eventual challengers. I selected the worst poll for the incumbent if there was more than one poll taken in order to give Trump the most generous comparison. In years in which no polls were taken in August the year before the election (i.e. when the last poll for 2020 was conducted), I chose the poll taken closest to this point.”
“What’s clear is the vast majority of incumbents were ahead at this point in the campaign: nine of the 11 were ahead. And for the average incumbent, they led their eventual challenger by 12 points at this point.”
“Only two of 11 incumbents in past years, Jimmy Carter in 1979 and Barack Obama in 2011, were behind at this point. They were down by 4 points and 1 point respectively to their eventual challengers (Ronald Reagan and Mitt Romney).”
Hong Kong Protests Turn Violent
“Hong Kong police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons on Saturday, while protesters launched Molotov cocktails, as anti-government demonstrations that have roiled the territory for months once again turned violent,” NBC News reports.
“Police fired round after round of tear gas as protesters took cover behind umbrellas between the local headquarters of China’s People’s Liberation Army and government HQ. Protesters also pointed lasers and threw bricks at police.”
BBC: “Hong Kong police used water cannon to fire blue-colored water at protesters who defied a police ban and marched through the city. The colored liquid is traditionally used to make it easier for police to identify protesters.”
North Korea Berates Pompeo
A senior North Korean diplomat on Saturday berated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his comments describing North Korean behavior as “rogue” and warned that Pyongyang’s hopes for talks with Washington are fading, the AP reports.
“North Korea is extremely sensitive to outside criticism about its authoritarian leadership. It has also repeatedly expressed displeasure about a months-long stalemate in negotiations and ramped up testing of short-range ballistic missiles and rocket artillery in recent weeks in an apparent effort to build bargaining leverage.”
Quote of the Day
“I will not speak ill of a sitting president. I’m not going to do it… He’s an unusual president, our president is. And I think that especially with the – just the rabid nature of politics today we’ve got to be careful. We could tear this country apart.”
— Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, in a CBS News interview.
Trump Is Fine Without Permanent FEMA Head
“Hurricane Dorian is forecast to make landfall in Florida without a Senate-confirmed FEMA administrator to oversee relief efforts — and President Trump says he’s OK with that,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “Acting gives you great flexibility that you don’t have with permanent When I like people, I make them permanent, but I can leave acting for a long period of time.”
