Wednesday Reads

Posted: August 5, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: just because | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Good Day!!

I’m having difficulty understanding what is so terrible about the latest electoral wins by so-called “progressives” like NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, but I haven’t followed these candidates closely. It doesn’t seem as if the “mainstream” Democrats are doing much to deal with the threat of Trumpism. It seems part of the problem for the “establishment” Democrats is that these “progressives” are supported Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Another part of the problem is that Trump is calling them communists. But Trump is going to call anyone who opposes him a communist, so who cares?

Anyway, one of these “progressives” won a closely-watched primary in Michigan last night. Henry J. Gomez at NBC News: Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left.

Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s slugfest of a Democratic Senate primary, NBC News projects, clinching the nomination in a close race over Rep. Haley Stevens and establishing a Midwest beachhead for a progressive left on the march this midterm cycle.

Abdul El-Sayad

El-Sayed overcame a nearly $65 million onslaught of outside money and an establishment that had rallied around Stevens. Popular Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Stevens late last month — a move seen as a last-ditch effort to stop a rising El-Sayed.

El-Sayed, a former public health official, goes on to face former Rep. Mike Rogers, who claimed the Republican nomination without opposition Tuesday. Their race in November is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country, and it could determine which party controls the Senate.

Whoever wins will succeed Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat who decided against seeking a third term and endorsed Stevens in the primary.

Republicans have 53 seats in the chamber, and Democrats are going after some red states to flip the four seats they’d need to swing the majority. But Democrats also have to defend seats in several battleground states, including Georgia and Michigan.

Gomez quotes Trump’s remarks about El-Sayed yesterday,

Trump addressed El-Sayed’s primary performance during a Tuesday night interview on Fox News, arguing that candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America or its members will “ruin our country.”

“You go to these cities that are taken over by the socialists and the communists, they’re always filthy, dirty. They’re disgusting,” Trump claimed in the interview. He added, “Aside from crime, aside from all of the other problems — no jobs, no anything, no money — they’re always filthy, disgusting, dirty, and that’s what you’ll get.”

That’s pretty ridiculous, and really makes no sense. Have the Democrats noticed how unpopular Trump is?

Here’s a little more information about El-Sayad  from Jordyn Hermani at Michigan Bridge. It’s a long article that addresses everything you could ever want to know about the man. So check it out if you’re interested.

In other news, a Republican has decided not to run for reelection because of mistreatment of women, but it’s not Max Miller.

Mia McCarthy at Politico: Chuck Edwards says he will end reelection bid after censure recommendation.

Rep. Chuck Edwards announced Wednesday that he is dropping his re-election campaign, after the House Ethics Committee recommended a censure for inappropriate behavior with female staffers.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC)

“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term,” the North Carolina Republican said in a post on X. “Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America.”

The Ethics Committee this week said that Edwards engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” Edwards cooperated with the probe and did not challenge the findings, though his lawyers argued they did not rise to the level of censure.

His decision came after House GOP leaders and fellow North Carolina Republicans privately pushed for him to exit the race. Republicans in recent weeks were unsure whether Edwards could hold onto his seat.

Here’s a bit more detail about Edwards’ behavior from NBC News:Rep. Chuck Edwards drops re-election bid after censure recommendation over harassment claims.

“The Committee found that Representative Edwards violated the House Code of Official Conduct by failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers,” the Ethics Committee said in its 25-page report following a monthslong investigation into allegations against him.

The bipartisan panel said Edwards denied that any of his actions were intended to be sexual or romantic in nature. He cooperated with the investigation, according to the report.

The committee said it found no evidence that Edwards engaged in sexual activity with or propositioned any of his staffers. It also concluded that the allegations “do not implicate quid pro quo sexual harassment” or violate “the ‘letter’ of federal sexual harassment law.”

But the panel added that “his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such, including providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, sending notes regarding his effusive affection, and inviting them to other activities as a way to spend time together.”

Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller is refusing to end his campaign for reelection, even though his father-in-law Senator Bernie Moreno has called for him to step down.

Some background on the charges against Miller from an Aug. 4 story by Annie Karni at The New York Times: Max Miller, Accused of Abuse, Is Not Stepping Aside. Here’s What We Know.

Representative Max Miller, the Ohio Republican whose re-election campaign is in jeopardy amid allegations that he abused his ex-wife and toddler daughter, defiantly denied those claims on Sunday and refused to drop out of his race for a third term.

In a livestream that lasted about 20 minutes, Mr. Miller appeared agitated and at times seemed to be laboring to read from a script as he categorically denied the accusations by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno.

The lengthy public statement prompted Ms. Moreno’s father, Senator Bernie Moreno, also an Ohio Republican, to issue a public rebuke of Mr. Miller, saying for the first time after a yearslong legal battle that his son-in-law was not fit to serve in Congress.

The charges against Miller:

Mr. Miller and Ms. Moreno divorced in 2024 and have battled in court ever since in a custody battle that has included accusations of child abuse, stalking and the filing of restraining orders.

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH)

Ms. Moreno has said that Mr. Miller scalded her chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet at her body; held a gun to her head; pushed her against a wall and hit her head; and fractured their daughter’s collarbone and bruised her shoulder.

According to court documents, their daughter at one point told Ms. Moreno, “Daddy kill you.”

Mr. Miller has denied the charges and leveled his own against Ms. Moreno. He has said without evidence that his wife suffers from “significant mental health challenges” and called her a liar, a stalker and a dangerous individual who has made him and their daughter unsafe.

In his appearance on Sunday, Mr. Miller also contended that Ms. Moreno’s claims were not credible because she at times made friendly overtures to him after the episodes of alleged abuse.

“If I had assaulted her,” he said, “would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?”

Of course that is not at all unusual behavior for an abuse victim. The response from Miller’s father-in-law:

Mr. Moreno broke his silence in an emotional and unequivocal post on social media that hinted at the personal toll the saga has taken on his family.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH)

“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Mr. Moreno wrote. He added, “I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”

He continued: “He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.”

Mr. Moreno, people close to him said, has been paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for the litigation against Mr. Miller, and had been held back from speaking out against him by his daughter.

Miller gave an interview to Jack Tapper, who actually did a very good job. Miller came across as a psychopathic monster. You can watch it at Raw Story

Michael Williams, Lauren Fox, and Aleena Fayaz at CNN: Rep. Max Miller defiant amid abuse allegations and scrutiny over release of ‘sensitive’ photo of child.

Rep. Max Miller remained defiant Tuesday, saying he will stay in his reelection race as he faces allegations of abuse and scrutiny over his attorney’s accidental release of a “sensitive” image of the Ohio Republican’s child.

“I’m going to continue to push. I am going to win this race,” Miller, who has denied his ex-wife’s allegations against him, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.”

The interview came as Miller is facing pressure — including from his former father-in-law, GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno — to drop his reelection bid. CNN reported Monday that allies of Donald Trump have been pushing the president to encourage Miller to drop out.

Miller told CNN that Trump called him Monday and said, “Maxie, it’s going to be a tough race.”

Trump, Miller said, added: “I don’t know if you’re going to be able to, you know, pull this one out.”

Read more at CNN.

Mychael Schnell at MSNOW: ‘The seventh level of hell’: GOP pressure mounts on Rep. Max Miller to quit.

The political pressure on Rep. Max Miller to abandon his reelection efforts is only intensifying, as allegations that the Ohio Republican abused his wife and young daughter begin to consume his campaign.

But the most damaging criticism — and potentially the most politically potent attacks — are now coming from someone who is ideologically in lockstep with Miller: his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio.

Emily Moreno

After months of keeping quiet about the family drama, Moreno broke his silence over the weekend, writing on X that Miller “should not serve in the House of Representatives” and should “seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”

On Tuesday, in a spirited conversation with reporters on Capitol Hill, Moreno doubled down — offering Democrats fresh ammunition against one of their top House targets.

“This is truly the seventh level of hell,” Moreno said. “This has been a horrific experience for my entire family.”

“This has been brutal beyond comprehension,” Moreno added, “and if there’s any minimum standard for being an elected official, as I said, he fails to meet that minimum basic standard.”

Moreno continued that he picked up his granddaughter from an Ohio police station over the weekend — the agreed-upon meeting spot — because “I don’t want my daughter interacting with this man.”

In one particularly emotional account, Moreno said Miller refused to hand over the toddler’s little blue bunny for 48 hours, leaving the two-year-old crying at night.

“This is the level of total and complete depravity,” Moreno said.

Miller denies the blue bunny incident.

Miller worked in the first Trump administration and had a relationship with White House communications director Stephanie Grisham. She accused him of abusing her, but of course Trump did nothing. This is from The Hill yesterday: Grisham files restraining order against Max Miller.

Stephanie Grisham, the White House communications director during President Trump’s first term, filed a restraining order against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) on Monday, amid allegations that Miller abused his ex-wife.

Grisham’s counsel, Mark S. Zaid, announced on social platform X that they filed for a temporary restraining order against Miller as part of an ongoing lawsuit.

The case began with an op-ed Grisham wrote in 2021 in the Washington Post that described an abusive relationship with an unnamed man. Miller filed a defamation suit against her shortly after the article was published, but the case was eventually dropped as both parties signed a nondisclosure agreement to not publicly disparage one another.

Grisham filed her new lawsuit after Miller said in a June interview with Spectrum News that any allegations should be taken seriously and it “should be noted” that an allegation against him “came out on the same day as somebody’s book launch and the other part.”

“My ex-wife was with me every single day during that time of my life in that election, and she, in her own words, will tell you that I never did any of those things,” he added.

I really believe that Trump is descending into psychosis. I don’t know if it dementia, Alzheimer’s, or side-effects of strokes, but he is seriously mentally ill. He seems not to have any ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

The latest example is Trump’s reaction to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop DOJ cases against people accused of damaging the reflecting pool.

Tyler Pager, Glenn Thrush, and Katie Rogers at The New York Times (gift article): Inside the Oval Office Showdown Between Trump and Jeanine Pirro.

Jeanine Pirro had had it up to here with Doug Burgum. The famously voluble U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia strode into the Oval Office late Monday with her future on the line and the interior secretary, whom she privately called an incompetent liar, in her cross hairs.

A few hours earlier — in front of the cameras, from the Resolute Desk — President Trump had accused Ms. Pirro, an ally and friend from New York going back decades, of “folding like an umbrella” and “choking” after she withdrew charges against a man accused of destroying the lining of his beloved but shoddily renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Jeanine Pirro

Why was he so angry at her? Because Ms. Pirro had dared to publicly demolish one of his most cherished narratives, promoted by Mr. Burgum, that vandals — and not a contractor hired by the Interior Department to do a rushed job — had defaced a Washington landmark.

Mr. Trump raged against Ms. Pirro in private on Monday. Then he raged a little to reporters. Rumors she would be fired burbled through West Wing. Then he raged a little bit more before hosting a high-drama, face-to-face meeting with Ms. Pirro at the White House worthy of two decorated veterans of confrontational reality TV.

Mr. Burgum had been invited too, so Ms. Pirro came prepared. She entered the White House from the West Executive driveway in a bright red blazer that matched her fight-back mood, schlepping a white box containing evidence, plus a black box with documents, on wheels.

Waiting for her in the Oval Office, along with the president: Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and David Warrington, the White House counsel.

After about an hour of intense back-and-forth, Ms. Pirro emerged with her job intact, for now. Speaking to reporters during a trip to the West Coast on Tuesday evening, Mr. Trump said he had told Ms. Pirro he was “not happy” with her filing and was still weighing her future.

“I haven’t made a determination,” he said when asked if Ms. Pirro’s job was safe.

Of course, all the evidence in the world wouldn’t convince the Mad King. I don’t know if he truly believes his accusations of vandalism or not, but he acts as if he believes it. You can read the whole sorry story using the gift link above.

Tom Nichols agrees that Trump is out of touch with reality. He writes at The Atlantic (gift article): Trump’s Irrationality Is Dangerous.

Many Americans—and much of the rest of the world—have become inured to Donald Trump’s strange rants. When he shouts about sharks, when he drones on about his brilliant uncle, when he casually ponders violating the Constitution, his supporters try to dress his statements up as some kind of strategy: He’s not lost touch with reality, you see. He’s doing the weave, or he’s owning the libs. He’s fighting the fake news and flooding the zone. He knows what he’s doing.

These excuses have never really held much water. But his rant yesterday about the Reflecting Pool (speaking of things that don’t hold water) was a warning that the president has encased himself in the hard amber of irrationality that inevitably surrounds authoritarian leaders. He has become detached from reality—and that detachment is extremely dangerous.

The current state of the reflecting pool.

The Reflecting Pool mess is different from other Trump obsessions because it reveals just how immune to evidence and logic his beliefs have become, even when a trusted lieutenant wheels an entire box of supporting evidence into the Oval Office. In Trump’s world, nothing is ever innocent. If something went wrong, the fault must lie with Americans conspiring against him, not with a contractor who did shabby work. And so the boss put out the order: Find the criminals who destroyed my lovely pool.

The task of prosecuting this inane case fell to Jeanine Pirro, who has known Trump for more than three decades. She has long been one of his most loyal defenders on Fox News, and she was his personal choice for the job of U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia after the failed nomination of Ed Martin. She dutifully charged multiple people with vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, including the Olympic athlete David Hearn. But last week, she moved to drop the case after admitting that the pool’s condition was “the result of a botched installation” and not of criminal activity. Trump immediately turned on her. In a Truth Social post after Pirro’s filing, Trump said he disagreed “100%” with his old friend. “I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.”

This outburst, however, was merely a warm-up for a nearly 10-minute performance yesterday afternoon in the Oval Office that went well beyond Trump’s usual whining. Pirro, he said, “choked” under pressure from the court. She “made a mistake. It was vandalism.” He continued:

One of the things was, the Reflecting Pool hasn’t worked since 1922, because it always leaked. It always leaked from 1922. You know, it’s the largest, longest pool ever, all that. The concept is beautiful, but it always leaked because of the size, because of maintenance, whatever. But it was built in 1922, and from the day it was built, it was—it leaked. Biden spent $58 million. Barack Hussein Obama spent much more than that. He said, “I have an idea. Let’s take the river from, let’s take the water from the Potomac.” So they took the water from the Potomac, and it was putrid. It was putrid. It was a disaster. Biden was a disaster.

But how did Trump know that Pirro was wrong and he was right? “We have photographs or tapes,” he said, “like moving cameras, right? We have them where people are on the side, cutting it with a box knife.” Trump then admitted that he wasn’t “thrilled” with the work the contractor did, but “in addition, there was vandalism.” He complained about some damage to the grass nearby, but then came back to the pool, where “they took knives or cutters, and they cut the material—it’s material. And they put their hands and they pulled it.”

I watched the entire Oval Office rant and it was an embarrassment to the country. Not only did Trump make no sense, he had difficulty finding words. He looked awful and his voice sounded hoarse. He is truly losing it. Mark my words.

I’m going to end there. I’m sorry if this post is disorganized. I’m not feeling very well–headache and upset stomach. Take care everyone, and please share your thoughts in the comment thread.