NATIONAL SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DAY UPDATES

It Seems If You Need A Holiday To Be Doing This You May Have Issues A Mere Holiday Cannot Resolve ...

-And, speaking of situational awareness, we start with massive weather news and yet another so-called "Lifetime Weather Event." Hurricane Helene has just became a Category 3 hurricane and is gathering energy, with forecasters thinking it will rev up to a Cat 4 storm before pretty much squarely hitting Tallahassee, FL as a 500-mile-sized slow-moving storm - and yes, that's the record-setting part. At that point, it is believed hurricane-level winds will crawl through the entire state of Georgia on Friday. Four states have Hurricane and Flash-Flood Warnings, with 20-foot surges the National Weather Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are calling life-threatening.  

-This is not a weather Substack, it's a politics Substack - and, yes, there is a political connection to the storm, insofar as Project 2025, a blueprint for American apartheid that is the MAGA playbook-to-be should their preferred candidate, Old Weird Convicted Felon Ex-President Trump (R-apist), return to power, calls for closing the NWC and NOAA in favor of (what else?) privatizing weather forecasting and emergency preparedness and responses. (And as it is, it is noted that the flooding expected to take place as Helene hits land will hit Trump-supporting counties far harder, potentially making it harder for Trump supporters to cast ballots in what could be competitive states of GA, NC, and yes, FL. Ironic were it to come to pass, right?)

-With the severe weather coming, direct Presidential campaign news may take a bit of a back seat (certainly on cable news outlets), but also in the short term because of the blockbuster indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, charged with five federal crimes involving bribery, soliciting foreign officials for campaign contributions, and conspiracy to hide other crimes. Adams has naturally declared he is not guilty, but the direct indictment (and subsequent raid on the official home of the NYC Mayor, Gracie Manor, early this morning) against him comes on the heels of tens if not dozens of allies, cabinet officials, and aides being indicted, resigning, or reportedly testifying against Adams in the months since Adams beat Bill diBlasio to win the seat.

-Calls for Adams to resign are coming from former allies including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the who-asked-YOU Andrew Cuomo may be accelerating a reported effort to run for Mayor himself, and while there is no specific indication Trump will do so, a press conference has been called in New York City by Trump - and it's not much of a leap to wonder if Trump will declare Adams a family member of Comrade Kamala Harris who is being arrested because Adams could prove Harris was lying about working at McDonald's. (You can save this post to see how close my prediction gets!)

-Speaking of Harris, you may be hearing or remembering the rumblings from MAGAts as well as erstwhile Democratic allies wondering why oh WHY doesn't Kamala release more substantive plans about what she wants to do if she becomes President, as well as why oh WHY won't Kamala talk to Major Media News Outlets about ANYthing?! Well, in the last two days, Kamala has done both - first talking to WI Public Radio with her support of ending the filibuster in order to allow the abortion rights/restoration of ROE bill to be more easily passed, then with an extensive interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle in which she discussed in some detail her economic plans, her domestic policies, and even some additional legislative strategy. BUT, if this is the first you've heard of the interview and the policies (with far more specifics available on the Harris/Walz web site) - or why there has not been an equal pressing of her opponent for similar policies - well, welcome to IOKIYAR 2024!

-After that interview, Harris has spent the day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is completing a sweep of legislators looking for more military support (and greater autonomy to attack) in Ukraine's war against Russian aggression, completing a joint press appearance as of the writing of this Substack. This came after President Biden approved more military aid, which Zelenskyy has said will be used with what he calls "a plan to win" the war and to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiations table.

-It should be noted that Zelenskyy had also asked to meet Trump and MAGA puppet House Speaker Tim Johnson (R-Jay-EE-zuz!, LA) with both refusing and then criticizing Zelenskyy, with Trump going so far as to call Zeleneskyy a "salesperson," and again reiterating with fellow Putin-adoring running mate JD Vance, that a Trump Presidency means a Ukraine being given to Putin on a silver platter along with an invitation to roll through the rest of the old Iron Curtain.

-SLAVA UKRAINI!

-With early voting having begun in some states and more states opening voting in the days to come, attention again moves to Election Day and one of the tried-and-true election backbones: "get-out-the-vote" drives that include door knocking and old-school canvassing. For months, it has been clear Democrats in general and in the last few months Harris in particular had at worst a massive head start and at best a massive advantage in those departments. Democrats and the Presidential campaigns have invested heavily in field offices - while the Trump campaign has directly done little to none of the above, both a reflection of their pawning off similar actions to state parties in 2016 and 2020 and cronies refusing to fund state parties at all in 2024. In what some polling indicates to be a tight race, a concentrated GOTV effort can combine with enthused volunteers to make a huge difference.

-So a story in today's Guardian raised some interest. The Guardian reports that a SuperPAC named America PAC is attempting to step into the void of a Trump campaign by finally trying to assemble a GOTV vote for Trump. But even that group apparently is having issues, firing other private canvassing corporations it has hired in AZ and NV, instead hiring other politically-connected groups who do not appear to have nearly the number of canvassers Harris and the Democrats do. That America PAC is primarily funded by fellow oligarchical clown and proto-MAGAt Elon Musk may explain its ineptness and potential corruption, but at least there is some presence in those states to counteract Harris.

-Then again, Harris may be thinking ahead to. Also today, the Harris campaign announced a media buy for Democratic Senate candidates in Florida and Texas - at worst a sign that Democrats need to potentially counter possible MAGAGOP Senate flips in OH and MT, at best a sign that Harris is using their massive direct resource advantage to try to expand the electoral map beyond the "battleground states" in hopes that the post-Dobbs Democratic edge (which has not been shown in polling since 2020-22) could mean a more decisive Democratic victory.

-Yes, I hear all you BUT HILLARY AND 2016 flashbacks, to which I would counter that (a) Kamala is not Hillary (and Kamala doesn't have over 20 years of incessant attacks against her like Hillary did), (b) Trump 2024 is not Trump 2016 (one example: Trump's campaign appearances down to a fraction of what they were, along with 'crowds' that truly do begin to dissipate once Trump starts droning); and (3) 2016 is not 2024 (Trump is known, tired, old, repetitive, weird AF, and simply not liked - whereas Harris increasingly is, which is terrible news for Trump since one of his openly-announced strategies to "win" in 2024 was to make Harris as unliked as he is) (womp womp!). So, breathe ... and keep working ...

-And, back to that Kamala optimism down ballot, THIS JUST IN: the Texas Senate race between Democratic football hero Colin Allred and hated-by-everyone MAGAt Trump choad Ted Cruz (R-Cancun) has been changed from "Likely R" to "Lean R." While still a slog given the massive electoral corruption of the ultra-corrupt MAGAGOP in that state, it never hurts to keep an eye out ...

-We end with Morning Talk Show News, and two items: beloved Today Show co-host Hoda Kolb has announced she will step down from that chair at the start of 2025; and CBS has announced a talk show aimed at courting conservative women (THANK GOD that demographic is FINALLY being courted to!) to be co-hosted by already-cancelled-because-nobody-watched-them Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Megyn Kelly, apparently in an attempt to counter the perceived pinko liberal commie progressive Kamala-loving traitors of THE VIEW. Good luck to Koda, and sarcastic good luck to CBS ...

-On this date in 1580, Sir Francis Drake became the first European, if not the first human, to successfully circumnavigate the globe. On this date in 1949, the HOLLYWOOD sign began construction in Los Angeles (it started as HOLLYWOODLAND but got shortened after a fire). On this date in 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon met in the first televised Presidential debate. On this date in 1983, a boat from Australia became the first non-American boat in 132 years to win the America's Cup yacht race. And on this date in 2005, the Irish Republican Army stood down their arms.

-Debuts on this date: WEST SIDE STORY (1957), THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1962), OLIVER! (1968), THE BRADY BUNCH (1969), ABBEY ROAD (1969), THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975).

-Happy Birthday to St. Francis of Assisi, Ivan Pavlov, Martin Heidegger, George Gershwin, Bill France Sr., Jack Lalanne, Julie London, Philip Bosco, Donna Douglas, Kent McCord, Bryan Ferry, Andrea Dworkin, Christine Todd Whitman, Mary Beth Hurt, Lynn Anderson, Olivia Newton-John, Jane Smiley, Minette Walters, Cesar Rosas, Carlene Carter, Linda Hamilton, Melissa Sue Anderson, Jill Soloway, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, Shannon Hoon, Anthony Shadid, Jim Caviezel, Beto O'Rourke, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Serena Williams, Zoe Perry, James Blake, and Lilly Singh.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Daniel Boone, August Ferdinand Mobius, Levi Strauss, Bessie Smith, Bela Bartok, William Strunk Jr., Anna Magnani, Richard Mulligan, Robert Palmer, Tokyo Rose, Paul Newman, Gloria Stuart, Jacques Chirac, Commander Cody, and Brooks Robinson.

-Feed the Worms: Juan de Torquemada and Bill Wirtz bought it on this date.

-Brilliant poet and virulent anti-Semite T.S. Eliot and Winnie Mandela were born on this date. Tokyo Rose bought it on this date. You decide if they get a Happy Birthday/Rest in Peace or Power or if they Feeds the Worms.