Open Thread for November 3, 2017

“Republican lawmakers are unveiling the most sweeping rewrite of the tax code in decades, outlining a plan to cut taxes for corporations, reduce them for middle-class families and tilt the United States closer, but not entirely, toward the kind of tax system long championed by businesses,” the New York Times reports.

“The House plan, released after weeks of internal debate, conflict and delay, is far from final and will ignite a legislative and lobbying fight as Democrats, business groups and other special interests tear into the text ahead of a Republican sprint to get the legislation passed and to President Trump’s desk by Christmas.”

Washington Post: “The release of the proposal accelerates a frantic political effort that could impact almost every American household and business. In a number of cases, the tax plan cuts back on tax benefits for families and individuals while expanding tax benefits for companies.”

Axios has a good summary of what’s included in the proposal.

Josh Marshall: The House has finally released its tax reform bill. It includes a raft of provisions which should under normal circumstances amount to political suicide for any blue state politician. Punishment for blue states is hardly unexpected. But there are quite a few Republican Reps in California, New York, New Jersey and other states. And the NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) isn’t even on board with the bill yet. They are the quintessential GOP tax-cutting lobby. Hard to imagine they don’t eventually support some iteration of the bill. But that and other signs makes me think that even doing something as easy as getting Republicans to vote for a massive tax cut may prove difficult.

“Republicans say doubling down on investigating Hillary Clinton is a smart strategy in the coming months as the cloud from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation looms over the White House,” The Hill reports.  “Even though Clinton does not hold public office anymore, they say she remains the one person who can rally the Republican base and unify a splintered party constantly bickering with itself. And the Republicans making this pitch aren’t just the Breitbart News crowd.”

Said GOP strategist Susan Del Percio: “It may not be the best policy strategy, it certainly is a good political strategy. When it comes to the president, he must always have an enemy to punch at. It’s actually a pretty safe strategy.”

President Trump talked to radio host Larry O’Connor about his campaign pledge to lock Hillary Clinton up. Said Trump: “The saddest thing is that because I’m the President of the United States I’m not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department, I’m not supposed to be involved with the FBI, I’m not supposed to be doing the kinds of things I would love to be doing and I’m very frustrated by it. I look at what’s happening with the Justice Department, why aren’t they going after Hillary Clinton with her emails and with the dossier and the kind of money?”

2 winners and 3 losers from the Republican tax bill https://t.co/DQuDJ4hY45

— Vox (@voxdotcom) November 2, 2017

“The Justice Department has identified more than six members of the Russian government involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee’s computers and swiping sensitive information that became public during the 2016 presidential election,” the Wall Street Journal reports.  “Prosecutors and agents have assembled evidence to charge the Russian officials and could bring a case next year, these people said. Discussions about the case are in the early stages.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told CNN that she believes that the DNC was “rigged” in favor of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 primary.  Warren called that “a real problem.”

She added: “But what we’ve got to do as Democrats now, is we’ve got to hold this party accountable.”

Republicans wanted to design a tax cut that would not disappear after 10 years like the Bush tax cuts. They failed. https://t.co/T6Mwh7KARo pic.twitter.com/UIKsxuEfEw

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) November 2, 2017

“Former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page privately testified that he mentioned to Jeff Sessions he was traveling to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign — as new questions emerge about the attorney general’s comments to Congress about Russia and the Trump campaign,” CNN reports.

“Sessions’ discussion with Page will fuel further scrutiny about what the attorney general knew about connections between the Trump campaign and Russia — and communications about Russia that he did not disclose despite a persistent line of questioning in three separate hearings this year.”

Jared Kushner “has turned over documents in recent weeks to special counsel Robert Mueller as investigators have begun asking in witness interviews about Kushner’s role in the firing of FBI Director James Comey,” CNN reports.

“Their questions about Kushner signal that Mueller’s investigators are reaching the President’s inner circle and have extended beyond the 2016 campaign to actions taken at the White House by high-level officials. It is not clear how Kushner’s advice to the President might relate to the overall Russia investigation or potential obstruction of justice.”

To this day, neo-Confederate spin on the Civil War significantly shapes how Americans understand their past. https://t.co/H1160Tj2WZ pic.twitter.com/zeddQxGMqU

— The New Republic (@NewRepublic) November 2, 2017

Politico: “Pelosi told lawmakers at a Democratic leadership meeting soon after that she had reached out to the Democratic megadonor to tell him that his $10 million ad campaign was a distraction.”

“Pelosi is eager to show her party can govern — in contrast to the chaos surrounding Trump — and believes that a reputation as the ‘No Drama Democrats’ is key to taking back the House in 2018 and whisking her backing into the speaker’s chair.”

“While not an official slogan, Pelosi has discussed the strategy broadly in recent leadership and caucus meetings, urging members to avoid talk of impeachment and resist taking Trump’s bait on whatever topic is dominating his Twitter feed that day.”

“Russian operatives targeted users on Facebook by race, political preference, religion and interests such as gun ownership, according to advertising data released by lawmakers as part of congressional investigations into Russian manipulation on social media around the U.S. election,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The new data show the sophistication of the Russian effort to hit precise groups of people to amplify specific, simmering tensions within the U.S.”

Politico: The social media ads Russians wanted Americans to see.

"What if we find out Trump is guilty and just can’t do anything about it?"

I think about this literally every day. https://t.co/Nh01lcYc0j

— Paul Beakley (@PaulBeakley) November 2, 2017

Washington Post: “Paul Manafort keeps three U.S. passports with different identification numbers and submitted 10 passport applications in as many years, the office of special counsel Robert Mueller disclosed in a new court filing Tuesday arguing that Manafort poses a significant flight risk.”

Ta-Nehisi Coates: “On Monday, the retired four-star general and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly asserted that ‘the lack of an ability to compromise lead to the Civil War.’ This was an incredibly stupid thing to say. Worse, it built on a long tradition of endorsing stupidity in hopes of making Americans stupid about their own history. Stupid enjoys an unfortunate place in the highest ranks of American government these days. And while one cannot immediately affect this fact, one can choose to not hear stupid things and quietly nod along.”

“For the past 50 years, some of this country’s most celebrated historians have taken up the task of making Americans less stupid about the Civil War. These historians have been more effective than generally realized. It’s worth remembering that General Kelly’s remarks, which were greeted with mass howls of protests, reflected the way much of this country’s stupid-ass intellectual class once understood the Civil War. I do not contend that this improved history has solved everything. But it is a ray of light cutting through the gloom of stupid. You should run to that light. Embrace it. Bathe in it. Become it.”

The diversity visa is the only way for many people to try to immigrate to the US. Here's who can apply: https://t.co/YBufqk0vlK pic.twitter.com/YrD035qQH7

— Vox (@voxdotcom) November 2, 2017

Donald Trump “did not dismiss the idea of arranging a meeting with Russia’s president when it was suggested in a meeting with his campaign foreign policy advisers last year, according to a person in the room,” CNN reports.

“The idea was raised by George Papadopoulos as he introduced himself at a March 2016 meeting of the Republican candidate’s foreign policy advisers.”