In an apparent effort to retrospectively validate Trump’s false claim that Hurricane Dorian endangered Alabama, Trump’s Oval Office hurricane update included what appeared to be a staffer’s magic marker expanding the hurricane zone to include Alabama. Kate Riga has the story.
In this week’s episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast, Kate, David and I look at the current state of the Democratic primary race – along with a bit of Biden war stories and Pence in Ireland. Listen here and subscribe!
Did you know that a whistleblower has come forward with evidence that Trump administration officials are interfering with the mandatory audits federal law requires for all Presidents and Vice Presidents? I didn’t either! Or at least I didn’t until I was talking to TPM’s Josh Kovensky and he mentioned it to me in passing. And yes, this is really true! (Josh wrote the story up here back on August 27th. Definitely read his analysis for a deeper look at the details.) On July 29th a federal employee came forward to the House Ways and Means Committee with “credible allegations” of possible misconduct tied to the mandatory audits of the President’s and Vice President’s taxes.
Why isn’t this a bigger deal?
Here’s the full text of the email from NOAA Acting Chief Scientist Craig McLean about Trump’s phony forecast and NOAA backing Trump up over its own meteorologists who were trying to set the record straight.
Dear Colleagues,
The fierce storm we know as Hurricane Dorian has concluded its ferocious path through the Bahamas and along the US East Coast. Many of you have contributed to the excellent science that has underpinned the forecasts and current understanding of storms such as this one, which accelerated quite rapidly in intensity. The storm also presented challenges in track which improved with enhanced observations. We know that our collective work, from the scientists in the aircraft penetrating the storm, to the scientists deploying the glider picket line, to the modelers and folks working the physics of the storms, across OAR and in our CI’s, and across all NOAA Lines, we are working the problem in order to give the NWS forecasters the best tools we possibly can to keep America and our neighbors safe. Thank you.
Remarkable development here in the Alabama imbroglio. The headline is that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, one of the most corrupt of President Trump’s Cabinet secretaries, threatened to fire NOAA leadership over the Alabama dispute. (I hesitate even call it a “dispute.”) What struck me more is that administration officials are putting out word that staffers at the Birmingham office of the National Weather Service were simply trying to embarrass the President rather than acting out of concern for public safety. In the Times’ words: “That official suggested the Twitter post by the Birmingham forecasters had been motivated by a desire to embarrass the president more than concern for the safety of people in Alabama.”
Today in CNBC sponsored content for the Elizabeth Warren campaign …
In addition to various other hucksterism and shadery, Trump’s website designer-turned campaign manager Brad Parscale has the boss’s knack for fabulism.
Pretty stunning development down in North Carolina. We’ll have more on it shortly. But North Carolina Republicans used the opportunity of a morning session, which was supposed to have no votes, to push through a surprise veto override of the state budget with barely half the legislators there. There are reports that a number of the Dems were at 9/11 commemorations. But that’s less clear. More to come shortly.
Take a moment to watch this video Rudy Giuliani tweeted this morning to commemorate 9/11. Even in the age of Trump, it’s disturbing. It ties the battle against the perpetrators of 9/11 with battles against Antifa or generic left-seeming protestors. Indeed, it basically says they are one and the same. Watch.
We have yet another poll where all of the major Democratic presidential candidates are beating President Trump in a head-to-head match-up. This one from ABC-WAPO — Biden (15), Sanders (9), Warren (7), Harris (7), Buttigieg (4). (I’m a Buttigieg fan but I’m not sure he warrants inclusion in this top group anymore.)