NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY UPDATES

Kind of a Gimme For Me, I Gotta Admit ...

-While some polling is trying to make the 2024 Presidential race look like it is closing (now it's CNN breathlessly claiming a "super-tight!" race while attempting to claim post-debate that the Liberarians are now getting 2% and Putin-ette Green Party annoyance Jill Stein getting a full percent), it is good to be reminded that the Presidential campaigns (at least those with actual money) generally have the best polling going, what with their ability to identify previous voters and rolling averages to track turnout and such - and what they say and do are often reflections of where the actual race is. So using this thesis, what does that say about what each campaign is doing?

-For the race generally perceived to be the one with the most momentum, Kamala Harris this morning made some news while simultaneously sticking it to some of their critics. Continuing to eschew interviews with national outlets like CNN and the equally breathless no-the-race-is-REALLY-close (pleasetalktous!) New York Times, Harris did an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio (one of the so-called "Blue Wall states") and endorsed the ending of the filibuster for the purpose of passing a new law reinstating most of the protections previously given to women nationally under the Roe v. Wade decision. The news reflects the belief in her dominance in polling among women while seemingly holding a small but important edge in states she needs to get to 270 votes.

-On that score, we interrupt what the campaigns are doing to note that one warning sign was taken down in the last few days, as a Nebraska legislator announced he would not support changing the state's electoral law that would allow the NE district with the city of Omaha to use its electoral vote with the two other state votes - and NE's Governor then said he would not bring any such law change to a vote before November 5. That means that vote will likely stay Democratic - and in terms of 270 math, that vote + MI/PA/WI + known blue state locks would = HARRIS WINS!

-No question that was bad news for Republican nominee Old Weird Convicted Felon Ex-President Trump (R-apist), who (getting back to campaign behavior) has been doing what one guesses is what he believes he needs to do to counteract that dominant polling among women. And what that behavior is ... is ... hoo boy ...

-Recall over the weekend an all-cap screed in which Trump railed against what he painted as a country full of poor, sick, unhappy and uncontent women who literally cannot walk down a street without being in mortal danger (from domestic animal-eating dark-skinned hordes, no doubt) and therefore do nothing but think of abortion (and, presumably, needing to get them) and "promised" to make American women so safe and happy "YOU WILL NEVER THINK ABOUT ABORTION AGAIN!" Trump actually read that social media post in appearances in North Carolina (more on them in a sec) and Blue Wall PA - and in PA Trump doubled down on that statement in a way only Trump or other sexual predators dare to.

-Before a roaring crowd that also stood up at the 'promise' of mass deportations of pretty much anyone who was not perceived to be white and male (whether here legally or not) and also demanding the return to THE TONIGHT SHOW of Johnny Carson (who died in 2003), Trump "courted" that declining female vote by intoning through his sweat and face paint, "I will fix all of that, and fast ... Because I am your protector. I want to be your protector. ... As president, I have to be your protector." And to show how much he respects women, Trump went on to again call Harris "a very dumb person" while interjecting "I don't want to be rude!"

-Trump's attitude towards women in general and abortion in particular is also being reflected by other states and candidates. In Ohio, perceived to be a fairly safe Trump state with a critical Senate race, GOP challenger Bernie Moreno - a self-funded billionaire with a history of wage theft and a still-unexplained account on a gay hookup web site - pooh-pooed the notion that women would want, much less need, abortion rights, going so far in a speech yesterday to opine that "... especially for women that are like past 50, I'm thinking to myself, 'I don't think (abortion's) an issue for you.'" (THIS JUST IN: Moreno just called this "a joke." HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR!

-Moreno is in a tough race to beat incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, and now also is in a state where, thanks to the admitted lies of Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance, in the middle of a raging controversy involving Haitian immigrants in the Ohio city of Springfield - though agreeing with BFF Trump that all Haitian immigrants in Springfield, whether in the US legally or not, should be deported.

-Ah, well, at least we have North Carolina, where ultra-weird politically suicidal Republican Gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson steadfastly remains in the race after social media posts revealed he is a Nazi-loving, transsexual-porn-consuming, Martin Luther King-hating wannabe slave holder - and those are the posts that were for public consumption! The Republican Party has cut off funding from Robinson's campaign, three of his top four campaign workers have quit, the only person willing to work on his campaign is Jack Burkman - a man already convicted of fraud with fellow MAGAt troll Jacob Wohl - and Republicans desperate to try to get NC to forget Trump openly embraced Robinson's campaign by calling him "Martin Luther King on steroids!" in an effort to prevent Trump from losing the state under Robinson's scandals.

-While all that is going on, the United Nations opens its new session this week amid a spiraling into chaos situation in the Middle East and new lobbying from Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On the Middle East, Israel's amping up of bombing raids in Lebanon in what they claim is an attack against Hezbollah that have already killed over 500 prompted President Biden to try to get Israel to back off. That is highly unlikely, especially amid reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the White House he will stop negotiating for a cease-fire in Gaza until after the 2024 election - a move some fear could be Netanyahu trying to do a solid for ally Donald Trump as the U.S. election looms.

-As for Zelenskyy, he is in the United States this week lobbying allies for increased and sustained military aid as well as permission to hit Russian targets using longer range missiles, both part of what he reports is a plan to, if not "win" his war with Russia, at least giving Ukraine a stronger position to negotiate a lasting peace to protect Ukraine from any further ambitions from Vladimir Putin. The diplomacy comes after a week that saw Ukraine hit several munitions locations in Russia, one of which created a 270-foot crater and triggered a second munitions site to be destroyed half a mile away from the shock waves of the initial attack (and an Estonian report that that single attack destroyed three months' worth of ammunition). It is known Putin is looking to draft more men to be cannon fodder in his attempt to hold on long enough for what he hopes would be a Trump victory that would all but likely mean a Russian victory due to Trump likely abandoning Ukraine. Trump and Zelenskyy may be meeting this week, by the way.

-SLAVA UKRAINI!

-THIS JUST IN: Judge Tanya Chutkan has denied Trump a motion to dismiss the case against Trump involving the January 6 insurrection and the Trumpist Supreme Court granting Trump Supreme Immunity from Anything Trump Sez He Did Cuz He Wuz Prezodint - and will allow Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to submit a 180-page report detailing the evidence that Trump's actions were actions he decidedly did while NOT as President, and therefore worthy of going to trial. Expect the filing and release of that report by Thursday.

-We close with weather news, and there are two words for today’s weather news: look out. The hurricane season has quieted down, but it is potentially about to rev up in a big way thanks to what is currently Tropical Storm Helene. The fear and expectation is that Helene will rapidly become a Category-3 level hurricane that at this point would track through the Gulf of Mexico before hitting the Florida panhandle and all the way up through GA, TN, and KY up into IN and even IL. Stay alert if you are in the path and be careful, because Jim Cantore's heading your way, too - and that's usually pretty hairy ...

-On this date in 1902, Fannie Farmer opened the first cooking school in the United States. On this date in 1934, Babe Ruth played his last game as a New York Yankee at Yankee Stadium. On this date in 1938, Don Budge became the first tennis Grand Slam champion. On this date in 1957, Federal troops helped Little Rock High School desegregate. And on this date in 1969, the trial of the Chicago 8 began.

-Debuts on this date: The Supreme Court (1789). National monuments (WY's Devils Tower, 1906), Honda Motor Company (1948), "Jailhouse Rock" (1957), the aircraft carrier ENTERPRISE (1960), The Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1964), 60 MINUTES (1968), NEVERMIND (1991), BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK (1991), BABEL (2012).

-Happy Birthday to John Marshall, Blind Lemon Jefferson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Audra Lindley, Jim McKay, Theresa Merritt, Fats Navarro, Anthony Newley, Jim Henson, John Mackey, Linda McCartney, Gerry Marsden, Gordon Clapp, Phil Hartman, Joseph P. Kennedy II, Brad Bird, Steve Whitmire, Nia Vardalos, Eddie George, Stephanie McMahon, Ramon Rodriguez, Drew Gooden, Ryan Briscoe, and Ben Platt.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Dr. Seuss, Mike Webster, Bill Nunn, Buckwheat Zydeco, Albert Innaurato, and Pharoah Sanders.

-Feed the Worms: the Ayatollah Khomeini, Konstantin Chernenko, Lou Dobbs, Mean Joe Greene and Kevin Sorbo entered Earth on this date.

-Steroid-enhanced baseballer Rafael Palmeiro was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.