Monthly Archives: August 2022

NPR (8/5/22) revises Afghan history.

In the first part of a series of reports on Afghanistan, NPR host Steve Inskeep (Morning Edition, 8/5/22) interviewed current Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid. In introducing Yaqoob on air, Inskeep referenced Yaqoobs father, the former head of the Taliban, Mullah Muhammad Omar: He was the leader who refused to turn over Osama bin Laden in 2001, a refusal that led to the US attack.

In the online version of the article, NPR wrote: Omar also sheltered Osama bin Laden, and refused to turn over the Al Qaeda leader when the United States demanded him after 9/11.

This line that the Taliban refused to turn over Osama bin Laden, and that this led to the US attack, though part of the commonly accepted chronology of the war, is a gross distortion of history. The truth is almost the exact opposite: The Taliban repeatedly offered to give up Bin Laden, only rejecting George W. Bushs demands for immediate and unconditional acquiescence without discussion.

The series of events leading up to the US Afghanistan invasion were laid out recently in a Current Affairs essay by Nathan Robinson and Noam Chomsky (8/3/22), titled What Do We Owe Afghanistan?

Even before 9/11, the Talibanwho already had a deeply contentious relationship with Al Qaedarepeatedly signaled their willingness to work with the US in bringing Bin Laden to justice. Former Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil told Al Jazeera (9/11/11) that for years, they had used unofficial channels to present ways to resolve the Osama issue. One such proposal, Muttawakil said, was to set up a three-nation court, or something under the supervision of the Organization of the Islamic Conference [OIC].

Robert Grenier, former CIA station chief in Pakistan, confirmed US receipt of these proposals to Al Jazeera, but dismissed them as a ploy to be ignored. According to Grenier, the US did not trust the Taliban and their ability to conduct a proper trial.

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the US demanded that the Taliban immediately hand over Bin Laden. The Taliban responded by offering to put Bin Laden on trial if they were shown evidence of his involvement in the attacks. The US refused to share proof, rejecting any diplomatic option.

Bush announced, There are no negotiations, then proceeded to bomb Afghanistan, despite numerous warnings from both humanitarian organizations and anti-Taliban forces in the country that their actions would only hurt the Afghanistani people. Even after the bombs began to fall, the Taliban repeated their offers to give up Bin Ladeneven dropping the requirement for actual evidence. The US continued its onslaught, initiating the 20-year odyssey of occupation that unraveled last year.

Zbigniew Brzezinskis vision of the Grand Chessboard included a prospective pipeline across Afghanistan.

Its abundantly clear that US aims in the country transcended capturing Bin Laden and obtaining justice for 9/11 victims. Some, like Chomsky and Robinson, attributed the hasty invasion to Bushs personal bloodlust.

Others trace US policy in Afghanistan to longstanding geopolitical imperatives for military influence and control of the worlds natural resources. Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, architect of the Afghan Trap, wrote in his 1997 book The Grand Chessboard that Americas global primacy is directly dependent on how long and how effectively its preponderance on the Eurasian continent is sustained. The book even contained a map of a proposed pipeline through Afghanistan.

The Bush administrations ranks were pulled in large part from the neoconservative think tank, the Project for a New American Century. In PNACs now infamous 2000 document, Rebuilding Americas Defenses, the overtly imperial organization called for the establishment of forward-facing bases in Central Asia, calling these an essential element in US security strategy given the longstanding American interests in the region.

Of PNACs 25 founding members, ten went on to staff the Bush administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. The day before 9/11, the Bush administration had already made a decision to eventually attack Afghanistan, using Bin Laden as a pretext. On September 12, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz were trying to initiate a wider war by attacking Iraq, despite nothing linking Iraq to the attacks.

Nathan Robinson and Noam Chomsky (Current Affairs, 8/3/22) : Long before 9/11, the Taliban had reached out to the United States and offered to put Bin Laden on trial under the supervision of a neutral international organization.'

Whatever the Bush administrations motivations, its clear that the reality is a far cry from NPRs propagandistically simple formulation that the Taliban simply refused to hand over Bin Laden, and this is what led to the US attack on Afghanistan.

However, it should be noted that even in Inskeeps version of events, the US invasion would still be an unlawful and unnecessary act of aggression. As Chomsky and Robinson wrote in Current Affairs (8/3/22):

The 9/11 attacks could have been dealt with as a crime. This would have been sane and consistent with precedent. When lawbreaking occurs, we seek the perpetrators, rather than starting wars with unrelated parties.

If the Bush administration had wanted to defend Americans from another terrorist attack, it would have pursued the criminal network responsible for the original attack. Instead, it wanted vengeance, and launched an illegal war that killed thousands of innocent people.

NPRs historical framing is an attempt to paint the Taliban as prepared to defend Bin Laden to the death, and thus complicit or supportive of the 9/11 attacks. This inaccurate portrayal serves to retroactively justify the US assault on one of the poorest countries in the world.

Despite Biden withdrawing from Afghanistan after a brutal 20-year occupation, the US continues to attack the population today. Earlier this year, the Biden administration directly invoked the horrors of 9/11 to justify robbing the Afghans of $7 billion in central bank reserves. In some twisted form of justice, the Biden administration decided to keep the stolen funds and distribute half of it to families of 9/11 victims.

The other half was to be redistributed to Afghanistan in the form of humanitarian aid, though experts warn that this is far from a substitute for restarting the economy. This despite outrage from several 9/11 families over the violence committed in their name. As the Afghan economy collapses, nearly the entire country is being plunged into misery on a mass scale, and the US is intent on making it worse (FAIR.org, 2/15/22).

In future reporting, NPR should present a clearer picture of historical events to provide proper context for their listeners, and to avoid legitimizing the ongoing, massively destructive policies of the United States by promoting official state mythology.

ACTION ALERT: You can send a message to NPRs public editor here(or viaTwitter:@NPRpubliceditor). Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective. Feel free to leave a copy of your message in the comments thread of this post.

Featured image: NPR depiction (8/5/22) of a Taliban compound in Afghanistan (photo: Claire Harbage/NPR).

FAIRs work is sustained by our generous contributors, who allow us to remain independent. Donate today to be a part of this important mission.

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NPR Distorts History of US Invasion of Afghanistan - FAIR

When you look back through the archives of NBA history, some of the greatest players of all-time that you will pass by from generation-to-generation are Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird,Kareem Abdul-Jabbarand Wilt Chamberlain.

If you go back even further though to when the NBA was in its early days, you will stumble across a man by the name of Bob Cousy, someone who is oftentimes overshadowed by Bill Russell's greatness and dominance with the Boston Celtics.

One of the greatest point guards of all time, what Cousy did on the basketball court in the 1950s and early 1960s with Boston was remarkable and his achievements show this.

Cousy won six championships with the Celtics, five straight from 1959 to 1963, he was an All-Star for all 13 seasons of his career in Boston, he led the league in assists eight different times and in 1971, Cousy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

On this day in 1928, Bob Cousy was born in New York, New York and he grew up in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan's East Side during the Great Depression.

Beginning to play basketball when he was 13-years-old, Cousy broke his right hand at a young age after falling out of a tree, forcing him to learn how to play with his left hand and ultimately leading to the future Hall-of-Famer becoming ambidextrous.

This ended up being one of the greatest things that could have happened to Cousy simply because of the fact that he became dominant on the court utilizing both hands.

The game of basketball was much different when Bob Cousy was growing up and even when he made his first professional appearance with the Boston Celtics in 1950, but the concept of the game has remained the same since its creation.

Proving to be a crafty point guard who could find his open teammates and truly being one of the innovators of the point guard position in the NBA, Cousy made an immediate impact on the Celtics and helped them claim their first title in team history in 1956.

The trio of Hall-of-Fame head coach Red Auerbach, Hall-of-Famer Bill Russell and Hall-of-Famer Bob Cousy went on to win five of the next six titles together following Bostons first title in 1956 and following the 1962-63 season, Cousy retired. Russell and Auerbach continued their dynasty with other future Hall-of-Famers in John Havlicek, Sam Jones and Tom Heinsohn, as the Celtics won five of the next six titles following Cousys retirement.

While he did officially retire from the NBA in 1963 in a heartfelt moment in a packed Boston Garden, Bob Cousy did end up playing in seven games during the 1969-70 season while he was the head coach of the Cincinnati Royals. This franchise ultimately relocated to Sacramento and became what we now know as the Sacramento Kings in 1986.

A true pioneer of the game, Bob Cousy celebrates his 94th birthday today, reaching yet another milestone in what has been a remarkable life.

He is a Celtics legend, NBA legend and he continues to serve the community as a legend of life off-the-court.

Happy Birthday Mr. Cousy.

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On This Day In NBA History: August 9 - A Celtics Legend And Hall-Of-Famer Is Born - Sports Illustrated

Plans for the nomadic Museum of Jersey City History to take up permanent residency at the historic Apple Tree House on Academy Street are advancing at a rapid pace, according to Martin Pierce, president of the its board of directors.

Pierce said the City Council has authorized a $25,000 payment to the board as the first installment of a $100,000 contribution from the citys Office of Cultural Affairs to be used for general operating expenses. The balance will be paid after the MJCH board signs a lease with the city to occupy the Apple Tree House, he added.

In the meantime, Pierce said, the board is in the process of adopting by-laws and securing its 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt status to become eligible for charitable donations to help support the museum operation. Pierce was unable to say what the institutions annual operating budget would be, but he did say MJCH planned on tapping philanthropic grantors, corporate and individual donors, and eventually monies from a membership fee with the intent of being self-sustaining. The Dante Alighieri Society of Jersey City has already pledged $1,000 as the first such donor, he noted.

The 12-member board, which includes Mayor Steven Fulop as an ex-officio member, has been meeting every couple of weeks to lay the groundwork for the new enterprise.

Once the lease is signed, Pierce said, we plan to have our first exhibition, which were calling Frank Hague: Then and Today as we examine the former mayors legacy and themes associated with his mayoralty, such as viewing the Jersey City Medical Center as a municipal experiment with socialized medicine, (the former) Roosevelt Stadium as a federal Works Progress Administration project, and the H&M tubes as a major transportation advancement.

Optimistically, well open in late fall, certainly no later than Christmas, he added.

To help organize the event, the board has hired a pair of exhibition consultants: Claudia Ocello (Museum Partners Consultants), of Morristown, and Johanna Goldfeld (Exhibitista.com), of Brooklyn, to help design the Hague exhibition and others following.

Asked how the museum will function day-to-day, Pierce said: The city wants to see it open regularly during the week and on some weekends, and it wants us to engage with students. This is supposed to be a happening place with our doors swinging open for all residents.

To that end, the board is partnering with the Hudson County Heritage and Cultural Affairs Office and its program specialist Matthew Caranante to co-host a panel discussion on immigration in the county, which will take place Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.

The museum, housed for a century on the top floor of the Jersey City Public Librarys main branch on Jersey Avenue, was relocated to a new building nearby on Montgomery Street in 2001 but closed a decade later due to fiscal troubles and friction with the city. Its historical contents were dispersed.

Many of those materials, including glasswork, china, furniture, costumes, and artifacts, ended up at the Vorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Pierce said. Now, he pointed out, we can expect to see a flow of material back to the Jersey City Museum.

MJCH board members say theyre excited about the prospect of the museums reopening shedding light on the citys rich history not only for longtime residents but for the citys many newcomers as well.

And, said board member Paul Dennison, who doubles as board president of the Jersey City Theater Center, its vital that the museum portray Jersey City from multiple perspectives and not just from a political elite.

In that context, Dennison said, the museum must extend its borders to placeholders in the community and connect to its diversity and inclusiveness like a Ken Burns film that connects the dots of different parts of the community. We have to ensure that this space is inviting to people from all different walks of life and that requires we listen to different expectations.

For board member Jerome Choice, the museum will reflect the mosaic of the people in Jersey City and, because Jersey City is one of the most diverse cities in New Jersey, thats what makes this city great.

Another board member, Heather Wahl, said she is excited to celebrate the history of our community. Founding artistic director of the Speranza Theater Company, which currently operates in the Tree House, Wahl added, from a theatrical perspective, think Williamsburg: Actors dressed in period costume can give historical tours and free performances at the historic Apple Tree House.

Read the rest here:

Museum of Jersey City History is One Step Closer to Reality - Jersey City Times

Back in spring training New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge rejected a very reasonable seven-year contract extension worth $213.5 million. It was a bold decision, no doubt about it, and Judge has responded this season by doing what seemed impossible: he's made himself more money. Some players would crack under that pressure. Judge hasn't. He's thrived.

Through Sunday's games Judge owns a .301/.389/.669 batting line and an MLB-leading 43 home runs. He also leads baseball in runs scored, RBI, total bases, OPS, OPS+, and both the FanGraphs and Baseball Reference versions of WAR. The race for the home run title isn't much of a race at all.

Here is the MLB home run leaderboard as of Aug. 9:

Judge homered Monday night against the Mariners, and he has now gone deep 11 times in 17 games played in the second half. He has more second-half homers than the Marlins. Literally the entire team.

Slugging 44 homers through 110 team games puts Judge on pace to hit 65 home runs this season (64.8, to be exact). We are now more than a week into August and Judge has maintained a home run pace that not only gives him a chance at 60 homers, but also a chance to set a new American League single-season record. That is still Roger Maris' 61 homers with the 1961 Yankees.

"I try not to, but people keep asking me that question," Judge told our Matt Snyder at the All-Star Game when asked whether he thinks about chasing 60 homers. "... I might have a better answer at the end of the year if it happens. If I get to that point, we can talk about it. Until then, it's just so hard. We're only halfway through. Only being halfway there, it's tough to talk about."

There is some wonderful symmetry in Judge's pursuit of Maris' AL home run record. Maris hit 61 homers 61 years ago in 1961. He also wore No. 9. Judge wears No. 99. The question is, can Judge actually break Maris' record? Or reach 60 homers in general? Here's what you need to know about Judge chasing Maris.

Before we go any further, I should note only eight times in MLB history has a player hit 60 home runs in a season, and six of the eight came during the so-called Steroid Era. What we're talking about Judge possibly doing doesn't happen often. Here are the eight 60-homer seasons in history:

Giancarlo Stanton made MLB's most recent run at 60 homers, going deep 59 times in his 2017 NL MVP season. That includes a truly mind-boggling stretch in which Stanton hit 30 homers in a 48-game span. Ryan Howard slugged 58 homers in his 2006 NL MVP season. Even in this homer-happy era, it is not often a player makes a real run at 60 dingers like Judge is this year.

While we're focused on how many home runs Judge will finish the season with, it's important to note we're discussing this because of what Judge has done to date. He was the 10th player in history to hit 43 homers through his team's first 109 games. Only three players (five instances) hit more. Here are the five:

Barry Bonds, 2001 Giants

50 (2.18 G per HR)

73 (2.22 G per HR)

Mark McGwire, 1998 Cardinals

46 (2.37 G per HR)

70 (2.31 G per HR)

Mark McGwire, 1996 Athletics

46 (2.37 G per HR)

52 (3.12 G per HR)

Babe Ruth, 1921 Yankees

46 (2.37 G per HR)

59 (2.59 G per HR)

Mark McGwire, 1999 Cardinals

44 (2.47 G per HR)

65 (2.49 G per HR)

McGwire's home run rate slipped significantly after his first 109 games in 1996. The others all more or less maintained their home run pace through the rest of the season. When you're chasing 60 homers, I reckon the first 30 are much easier to hit than the last 30 for many reasons, including fatigue. The hardest part of this chase is still in front of Judge.

"Aaron is cut out for this. If we're a month from now, six weeks from now, and he's knocking on the door of those kind of things, and we understand the attention that's going to come with that, I can't think of someone more equipped to handle it,"Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Newsday earlier this month. "I think you can start at the start of this year with all the talk centered around the contract and how that's affected him. He's built for this. I think anything you throw at him, whether he gets to a number or doesn't get to a number, I don't think that the circumstances and the pressure is going to be a reason he does or doesn't."

Judge needs to hit 17 home runs in New York's final 52 games to match Maris' AL record, meaning he needs 18 homers to break the record and 16 to reach 60.

Here are the paces Judge needs to maintain to reach those milestone totals:

62 homers (new AL single-season record)

18

2.89

61 homers (ties Maris' AL record)

17

3.06

60 homers (ninth 60-homer season ever)

16

3.25

Judge's current pace

--

2.50

If you're thinking big, Judge will need to hit a home run once every 1.93 games from here on out to match (not even beat) Bonds' single-season record of 73 home runs. As much fun as that chase would be, Judge won't get there. Unless Judge gets nuclear hot the next few weeks and catching Bonds become plausible, Maris' AL record is the only realistic target.

Judge certainly plays in the right home ballpark to make a run at 60 homers. Yankee Stadium is one of the most home run happy ballparks in the big leagues, though Judge isn't exactly padding his total with short right field porch cheapies. His 412-foot average home run distance is fifth-highest in baseball among players with at least 20 homers.

According to Statcast, Judge has hit only two home runs this season that would have been homers at Yankee Stadium and only Yankee Stadium: 364-footer vs. Shane McClanahan on June 15 and another 364-footer against Jonathan Heasley on July 30.

That home run against Heasley was Judge's 200th career homer. He reached 200 career homers in only 671 games, second fewest ever behind Ryan Howard (658).

It is no surprise Judge's career home run rate at home (one every 13.1 plate appearances) is higher than his home run rate on the road (one every 16.3 plate appearances). That works against Judge in his pursuit of Maris' AL record because the Yankees will play only 25 of their remaining 52 games at home. Here is the ballpark breakdown of those games 52 games:

Yankee Stadium

25

112

Fenway Park

5

107

Globe Life Field

4

96

RingCentral Coliseum

4

69

Angel Stadium

3

114

Rogers Centre

3

114

American Family Field

3

119

T-Mobile Park

2

92

Tropicana Field

3

89

What these numbers mean is Yankee Stadium inflates home runs by right-handed batters to 112 percent the league average. RingCentral Coliseum, on the other hand, suppresses righty homers to only 69 percent the league average. The higher the number, the more homer friendly the ballpark plays, at least when it comes to righty homers.

The good news: Judge will play 30 of the team's remaining 52 games in a good ballpark for righty homers. The bad news: the Yankees wrap up their season with four makeup games in Texas (that's one of the series postponed by the owners' lockout), so, if Judge is creeping up on 60 homers in the final week, he'll have to get it in a ballpark unfriendly to righty power hitters.

The other good news: I'm not entirely sure home run park factors apply to Judge. As noted earlier, his power is mammoth and only a few players have averaged more distance on their homers this season. He can hit the ball out of any part of any park. That said, to get 60 homers, Judge will need a few cheapies along the way. The schedule seems to work in his favor.

This is important. The Yankees have 52 games remaining but Judge almost certainly will not play all of them. The Yankees are all-in on load management, have been for years, and they rarely deviate from their rest schedule. In fact, Judge was out of the lineup last Wednesday even though the Yankees had an off-day Thursday. They used it as an opportunity to give him two straight days off his feet.

Judge has been perfectly healthy this season, not even a single day-to-day injury situation, and he has started 101 of his team's 109 games (he's pinch-hit four times). A similar pace would have Judge starting 49 of New York's final 52 games. Four fewer starts could really cut into his home run total! It could cost Judge a shot at Maris' AL record too.

The Yankees are a postseason lock and the ultimate goal is winning the World Series (Judge himself would tell you that), so they will do what they think is best to make sure the team is in the best position heading into October. That said, they are not oblivious to the home run chase and the potential history, especially since it'll put a lot of butts in the seats in September. How could the Yankees sit Judge at home in September?

My guess -- and I emphasize this is just a guess -- is the Yankees will revise their rest schedule a bit, and rather than give Judge full days off down the stretch, they'll give him more (potentially much more) time at DH. Judge's rest schedule is definitely a thing to monitor, particularly as we get into September and have a better idea of whether Judge really has a shot at Maris' AL record.

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Aaron Judge chasing home run history: Yankees star on pace to break Roger Maris' record; will he get there? - CBS Sports

Moving a nearly 200-year-old house would be an expensive and time-consuming process, but for the director of the Klein Historical Foundation, it was worth it to ensure a piece of local history could be restored and displayed for the community.

The Frank House, built in the 1840s, finally found a new home Tuesday after it was lifted from its foundations, loaded onto a truck and hauled down Spring Cypress Road in Klein to nearby Wunderlich Farm, where KHF director Steve Baird hopes generations of future schoolchildren will get to see what life was like in the area all those years ago.

The addition of the house widens the scope of history the museum covers by decades and offers even more insight into Kleins past.

This building allows us to extend our story a little bit further, Baird said. This gives us another piece to the puzzle.

Wunderlich Farm, built in the early 1890s, opened to the public in 1995 and has since served as a window into Kleins rural past at the turn of the century. Every year, tens of thousands of museum-goers, including 4,000 Klein ISD fourth graders on field trips, visit the farm for hands-on tours and demonstrations.

Baird, who began fundraising for the non-profit he leads in March 2021 and raised $95,000 for the relocation, is no stranger to moving buildings. The Wunderlich Farm grounds house a half dozen other historical homes and structures, including a once-segregated two-room schoolhouse that closed in 1966.

To move the Frank House, Baird contracted K. Nelson Services, the company he has used before to transport Wunderlich Farms other historic buildings.

The relocation involved splitting the house into thirds and lugging the parts down the road to the farm-turned-museum. Its complicated, Baird said, but he trusts the movers.

Once I have the money and Im ready to pull the trigger I just leave it to them, he said.

In a way, the Frank House perhaps symbolizes much of Kleins history in just one home.

The wooden house was built by a Scottish family, rented by a French family and then bought by a German family in the 1880s. The three nationalities are discussed extensively at Wunderlich Farm as some of the first European American settlers of the area in the first half of the 19th century.

The Frank family moved there in the 1880s and gave the house its name.

Although it's finally at Wunderlich Farm, Baird predicts it could take six months for the house to be walkable and another two or three years for it to be fully integrated into the museum.

With Houston weather the way it is, we knew it was only a matter of time until it completely fell apart, Baird said.

Extensive repairs will be needed to preserve the houses unique features and architecture, he added. Much of the house's wood panels and floorboards, some ridden with termites, will need to be either replaced or preserved. A new roof will also be installed.

The price tag for the top-to-bottom restoration? At least another $100,000, which Baird said he will begin fundraising soon. Erratic lumber prices could change that figure.

Just like the relocation, he believes the cost is worth it.

We want there to be a big to-do about it, Baird said. We want to make sure its all done right.

jhair.romero@chron.com

Originally posted here:

Nearly 200-year-old Klein house moved to nearby history museum - Houston Chronicle

For Immediate Release

August 9, 2022

Contact:

Mike Inacay or Manu Tupper (202) 224-3123

Schatz: Largest Climate Action In American History Includes First-Time-Ever Investment In Climate Resilience For Native Hawaiian Community

Inflation Reduction Act Contains $25 Million In Dedicated Funding For Native Hawaiian Climate Resilience

WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, released the following statement on funding for the Native Hawaiian community in the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed the Senate on Sunday.

For the first time ever, the federal government will directly support Native Hawaiian-led climate action, said Chairman Schatz. This historic funding recognizes the importance of Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge and stewardship in developing effective climate solutions, upholds the federal trust responsibility, and will help the Native Hawaiian community build on its existing climate resiliency work.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which Schatz voted to pass, provides $25 million to the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations at the Department of the Interior for Native Hawaiian climate resilience and adaptation activities.

Native Hawaiian-serving non-profits may also be eligible to receive additional funding from the bill for coastal community climate resilience, forest restoration and conservation, deployment of zero-emission technologies, and environmental and climate justice block grants.

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SCHATZ: LARGEST CLIMATE ACTION IN AMERICAN HISTORY INCLUDES FIRST-TIME-EVER INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN COMMUNITY | The...

With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

President Joe Biden speaks to reporters as he emerges from his quarantine at the White House. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo

RECONCILIATION LATEST The overnight vote-a-rama is winding down and a final vote on the Inflation Reduction Act in the Senate will come this afternoon. The House is scheduled to return and take up the bill on Friday. Our sleep-deprived Hill team has all the latest details here

BIDEN ENDS QUARANTINE The president tested negative on an antigen test for the second day in a row, per a note from his doctor, which means JOE BIDEN is free to leave his 16-day isolation, which happened to coincide with the best stretch of his presidency so far. (This morning, Biden headed to his beach house in Rehoboth, natch.)

MEANWHILE, the president is about to make history.

Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act will make Biden one of the most legislatively successful presidents of the modern era. We once noted that the mismatch between the size of Bidens ambitions and his margins in Congress made it seem like he was trying to pass a rhinoceros through a garden hose. It ended up being more like a pony, but its still pretty impressive.

To wit:

American Recovery Act: $1.9 trillion

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: $550 billion

Chips and Science Act: $280 billion

Inflation Reduction Act: $700 billion

Thats a nearly $3.5 trillion agenda. The scope of the issues addressed is notable: the pandemic and its economic fallout, highways, bridges, broadband, rail, manufacturing, science, prescription drug prices, health insurance, climate change, deficit reduction and tax equity.

He also expanded NATO, passed a new gun safety law and passed a bill to address the effects of vets exposed to toxic burn pits. Five out of seven of these laws all but the two biggies, the ARP and IRA received significant Republican support.

Theres not much debate anymore over whether Biden has been a consequential president. In the long run, his first two years may be remembered as akin to LBJ when it comes to moving his agenda through Congress.

The current political question is how much it will matter in the short term.

Passing legislation is no guarantee of electoral victory. All modern presidents, with the exception of GEORGE W. BUSH after 9/11, saw midterm losses two years after being first elected regardless of how successful they were with Congress. For members facing reelection, voting with the president can just as easily be a political burden as a political boost. One study after the Democrats 2010 midterm drubbing suggested that the more a Democratic House member voted with BARACK OBAMA on his top priorities, the more likely they were to lose. Last year, Biden literally mailed checks to every American and he was repaid with lower approval ratings than any of his predecessors at this point.

In the spring, JOHN ANZALONE, Bidens pollster, told us the political environment for Democrats was the worst hes seen in 30 years. We talked to him this morning and his assessment has changed dramatically.

I dont feel like that today, he said. Three months ago, we were on the defensive and now were on the offensive.

First, he argued, was the burst of legislation. Part of the problem that Democrats had, he said, including the president, is this idea that we just couldnt get anything done. And the fact is we got something done.

This president has set up in a very short time period for Democratic frontline candidates something they didnt have a few months ago, he said. They were on the defensive on inflation and a host of other issues. And since then the president has helped with CHIPS and the Inflation Reduction Act and a compelling positive message: lowering drug prices, lowering energy prices, making America more energy independent, bringing the supply chain back from China, deficit reduction and making big companies pay their fair share.

Then theres the spate of new issues that werent as important earlier this year. Republicans are out of step on abortion, guns and Jan. 6, he said.

We put our last silver dollar in our slot machine and came up big, Anzalone said. And they were sitting there with a stack of chips and are down to just one. The turnaround is unbelievable.

He cautioned that the change was unlikely to show up in the polls this summer. (Indeed, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll has dismal numbers for Biden, including a 37% job approval.)

But between now and Election Day there will probably be $6 billion spent on communications, Azalone said. Democrats will spend about half of that. Thats a lot of money to explain what weve done for the American people.

In the WSJ, Karl Rove takes exception with the more upbeat Anzalonian view of the midterms. So Democrats are pumping this latest Build Back Better incarnation big time, hoping itll be the life raft they need, he writes. Rove thinks the bill can be easily picked apart and turned into an albatross. Retiring Illinois Rep. CHERI BUSTOS claims it gives her party the Big MO, while Virginia Rep. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER proclaimed it will change peoples lives. he writes. Such hyperbole wont save Democrats; voters will see that the promises dont match reality. But Rove also offers this warning: The Schumer-Manchin deal wont save the Democrats. But unhinged GOP candidates might.

Conservative columnist Henry Olsen agrees with pieces of the Anzo and Rove analyses. Tuesdays results in Kansas are a blinking red light for Republicans, he writes in WaPo, and the national GOP should try to take abortion off the table as quickly as possible. Like Rove, he fears that poor candidates mean that the GOP is blowing its chance to make the midterms a referendum on Democrats.

NYTs Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman argue that control of the upper chamber rests on whether Democratic candidates in crucial Senate races can continue to outpace the presidents unpopularity.

APs Seung Min Kim and Zeke Miller note a central irony in Bidens string of recent victories: Over five decades in Washington, Joe Biden knew that the way to influence was to be in the room where it happens. But in the second year of his presidency, some of Bidens most striking, legacy-defining legislative victories came about by staying out of it.

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Good Sunday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line and tell us what you think the IRA means for the midterms and for history: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

SUNDAY BEST

Sen. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) on the reconciliation process, on Fox News Sunday: Let me say this: Turning all these bills by reconciliation is not the right way to do it. The Republicans did it in 2017 on the tax bill, we are obligated to use this process because we can't get Republicans to work with us on fundamental issues, such as energy, climate and health care costs. But theyd be much better if we could have a process where we work together and had the richness of every member participating in the process, bipartisan process.

Rep. NANCY MACE (R-S.C.) on Congress role in abortion policy folliowing the overturning of Roe v. Wade, on NBCs Meet the Press: You know, Handmaid's Tale is not supposed to be a roadmap, right? This is a place where we can be in the center, we can protect life, and we can protect where people are on both sides of the aisle.

On how abortion issues will affect the midterms: I do think that it will be an issue in November if were not moderating ourselves. We can't go to the far corners of the right or the far corners of the left. More from Myah Ward

Taiwanese Ambassador BI-KHIM HSIAO on whether Taiwan shared U.S. concerns about Speaker NANCY PELOSIs trip, on CBS Face the Nation: We have been living under the threat from China for decades. And we cannot let their ongoing threats define our desire to make friends internationally. The risks are not posed by Taiwan, nor are they posed by the United States. The risks are posed by Beijing.

NIKKI HALEY on whether shell run in 2024 on Fox News Sunday: MARGARET THATCHER said, If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman. We should not take our eyes off of 2022. If we don't win in 2022, there won't be a 2024. So we need to stay humble, disciplined and win that. And then if there's a place for me, Ive never lost a race. Im not going to start now. More from David Cohen

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TOP-EDS: A roundup of the weeks must-read opinion pieces.

Biden

DONALD TRUMP

After Roe

SCOTUS

Pelosis trip to Taiwan

The ZAWAHRI strike

BIDENS SUNDAY The president is in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and has nothing on his public schedule.

VP KAMALA HARRIS SUNDAY The VP has nothing on her public schedule.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes on a building in Gaza City on Sunday, Aug. 7. | Hatem Moussa/AP Photo

1. MAJOR SUNDAY READ: The September cover story of The Atlantic is Caitlin Dickersons blockbuster investigation of the creation and implementation of Trumps family-separation policy. The nearly 30,000-word article, We Need to Take Away Children, spans forty-one pages of the magazine and is one of the longest reported pieces The Atlantic has ever published. Dickerson spent 18 months on it, conducted over 150 interviews and reviewed thousands of pages of government documents. Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeff Goldberg calls it a heartbreaking and damning story. (The piece is also published in Spanish here.)

It is easy to pin culpability for family separations on the anti-immigration officials for which the Trump administration is known, Dickerson writes. But these separations were also endorsed and enabled by dozens of members of the governments middle and upper management: Cabinet secretaries, commissioners, chiefs, and deputies who, for various reasons, didnt voice concern even when they should have seen catastrophe looming; who trusted the system to stop the worst from happening; ... who assumed that someone else, in some other department, must be on top of the problem; who were so many layers of abstraction away from the reality of screaming children being pulled out of their parents arms that they could hide from the human consequences of what they were doing.

Former DHS Secretary KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, who for months tried to stop the policy but ultimately became the face of it, tells Dickerson that she regrets signing the order to implement it: Frankly, I wish I hadnt.

2. RECONCILIATION READ: How the Private-Equity Lobby Won Again, by WSJs Julie Bykowicz in Washington and Miriam Gottfried in New York: Private-equity industry lobbyists have worked hard to keep the status quo. They say they know private equity has an image problem. So they have worked to persuade lawmakers to think not of the New York and San Francisco investment managers, but of the local businesses throughout America those managers fund, such as medical practices, small manufacturers and auto-repair businesses. Private-equity advocates say that because fund managers help form the backbone of the economy, they deserve lower tax rates.

3. THE MAN FOR THE MOMENT? Biden Is an Uneasy Champion on Abortion. Can He Lead the Fight in Post-Roe America? by NYTs Michael Shear: Inside the West Wing, President Biden has made it clear that he is uncomfortable even using the word abortion, according to current and former advisers. In speeches and public statements, he prefers to use the word sparingly, focusing instead on broader phrases, like reproductive health and the right to choose, that might resonate more widely with the public. Mr. Biden, a practicing Catholic who has drawn on his faith to shape his political identity, is now being called on to lead a fight he spent decades sidestepping and many abortion rights advocates worry that he may not be the right messenger for the moment.

Post Roe, some in GOP wage uphill battle to offer families more support, by WaPos Jeff Stein and Leigh Ann Caldwell

The post-Kansas mood: Some South Carolina Republicans pause at abortion ban brink, by APs Jeffrey Collins

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4. THE TRUMP EFFECT: Trump wins CPAC straw poll in Dallas, by CNNs Michael Warren: Among the attendees who voted, 69% said they preferred Trump, with 24% saying they would prefer Florida Republican Gov. RON DESANTIS. When asked about who they would prefer if Trump did not run for president, 65% of respondents said they preferred DeSantis, while 8% said they would support DONALD TRUMP JR.

Trump is trying to mold the GOP governor field and found a favorite in Kari Lake, by Meridith McGraw

5. PRIMARY COLORS: Liz Cheney Is Ready to Lose. But Shes Not Ready to Quit, by NYTs Jonathan Martin in Cheyenne, Wyo.: Polls show [Rep. LIZ] CHENEY losing badly to her rival, HARRIET HAGEMAN, Mr. Trumps vehicle for revenge, and the congresswoman has been all but driven out of her Trump-loving state, in part because of death threats, her office says. Yet for Ms. Cheney, the race stopped being about political survival months ago. Instead, shes used the Aug. 16 contest as a sort of a high-profile stage for her martyrdom and a proving ground for her new crusade. The money line: In a state where Mr. Trump won 70 percent of the vote two years ago, Ms. Cheney might as well be asking ranchers to go vegan.

Inside the race to replace Congress' first quadriplegic and its effect on disability rights, by Katherine Tully-McManus: Rep. JIM LANGEVIN is retiring after more than two decades as a champion for access and equity. The Republican who's leading the battle to replace him says his legacy isn't at risk.

6. TENSIONS OVER TAIWAN: White House resists Congress bipartisan bid to overhaul U.S.-Taiwan relations, by Andrew Desiderio: After warning Pelosi that her travel plans could provoke China only to see the speaker make the trip anyway and lawmakers in both parties cheer her on the Biden administration is now trying to make changes to a bipartisan bill that would overhaul longstanding U.S.-Taiwan policy in favor of a more aggressive posture.

7. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS WATCHING: Drivers could soon see average gas prices hit $3.99 per gallon, by CBS Allison Elyse Gualtieri

8. GRIPPING READ: The Excruciating Echo of Grief in Uvalde, with writing from NYT's Rick Rojas and Edgar Sandoval, videos by Emily Rhyne and photographs by Tamir Kalifa and Callaghan OHare: The community buried 21 people after the Robb Elementary School massacre. In the weeks that followed, the aftershocks only compounded the agony.

9. MEDIAWATCH: Rachel Maddow Gives Her First Interview As She Steps Back From The Nightly Grind And Revs Up For Her Next Act, by Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo, with quite the photo of Maddow chopping wood in a forest and an opening scene with the two ice-fishing in Western Massachusetts. On her new megadeal: Its potentially higher risk, higher reward, right? I think, writ large, if they ended up with, like, a hit award-winning podcast, and a hit movie, and a docuseries, and a serial TV show, and Im covering the State of the Union, and some of the time Im doing The Rachel Maddow Show, thats probably a better deal for them long-run than me just doing TRMS and killing myself and not being able to do anything and, ultimately, having a shorter career because Im burning myself out. Like, Im not becoming a painter.

Roger Waterstalked politics with CNNs Michael Smerconish, including why the Pink Floyd co-founder, now 78 years old, tells fans on his current solo tour of the U.S. that if they hate politics they can F off to the bar. (Waters comes to D.C. to play the Capital One Arena on Aug. 16.)

WHAT PLAYBOOKERS ARE READING: A roundup of the most-clicked links from the past week in Playbook.

1.Jon Stewartsresponse to Tucker Carlson calling him too short to date.

2.Trumpsmessage for Biden after his rebound Covid case.

3. Inside the wild Bedminster lobbying spree that led to Trumps double Missouri endorsement, by Alex Isenstadt

4. Matt Gaetz and the R word: Floridas Democratic primary takes bitter detour, by Gary Fineout

5. A Netflix show starring Keri Russell stirs buzz among U.S. diplomats, by Nahal Toosi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Mary Miller (R-Ill.) Robert Mueller Axios Jonathan Swan and Sara Fischer Larry Sabato of the U.Va. Center for Politics (7-0) Reasons Nick Gillespie Ron Christie CNNs Matt Dornic and Dan Merica Andrew Gradison The Atlantics Scott Stossel Allyn Brooks-LaSure Matt Mazonkey of Airbus Alisa Wolking Jordan Heiliczer of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association POLITICOs Maura Forrest Agency IQs Bennie Johnson Jenn Lore London Bruce Friedrich of the Good Food Institute Juven Jacob of Rep. Anthony Browns (D-Md.) office Kimberly Ellis of Monument Advocacy Washington Examiners Breanne Deppisch Alex Kahan Commerces Caitlin Legacki Defense Threat Reduction Agencys Ryan Callanan Tamika (Day) Mason of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburns (D-S.C.) office Tom McClusky Wesley Derryberry of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Andrew DeSouza Kirsten Borman Dougherty Matt Lehner Ryan Pettit Kellie Chong Daryn (Frischknecht) Sirrine MSNBCs Hollie Tracz H.W. Brands Alan Keyes Susan Feeney of GMMB former Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor Martina McLennan of Sen. Jeff Merkleys (D-Ore.) office Brenton Temple Daniel Heuer of Voters of Tomorrow

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POLITICO Playbook: The politics of making history- POLITICO - POLITICO

Buff Bradley still has the photo.

It's of his late father, Fred, in the winner's circle of Dade Park in 1938, soaking in the Henderson, Ky., venue that would become Ellis Park as well as the catalyst behind a life's work. It was at the Pea Patch where Fred Bradley fell in love with Thoroughbred racing, a passion that gave rise to his family's Indian Ridge Farm in Frankfort where he and his son worked to produce the kind of horses that would allow them to experience all the peaks and valleys of this mercurial industry.

In his decades as an owner and breeder, having one of his homebreds prevail in the biggest stakes race at his adopted home track was on par with any aspiration Fred Bradley could have conceived. Hence, when the chestnut filly out of his mare Deputy Doll stepped into the Ellis Park starting gate for the Grade 3 Gardenia Stakes 11 years ago and proceeded to saunter her way into the same winner's enclosure her owner used to visit as a kid, it held more than the obvious level of significance.

My dad grew up at Ellis Park, that was his home track and then when (the Gardenia) became their signature race, it was a race we always looked at, recalled Buff Bradley, who retired from training last year to become Associate of Sales Development at Keeneland. It's their biggest race down there and the fact it's now named after our champion mare, that does feel pretty good. It's special to me becausethat's what started it all for all of us,

More than a decade after Groupie Doll announced herself as one of the best female sprinters of her generation, the race that now bears her moniker will be contested for the eighth time at Ellis Park on Aug. 14, 2022. In 2015, the track announced it was renaming the Gardenia in honor of the Bradleys' champion following a career that saw her annex consecutive editions of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) en route to earning Eclipse Awards for divisional honors in 2012 and 2013.

Before she became known as a four-time Grade 1 winner and the only horse to win two runnings of the Filly & Mare Sprint, Groupie Doll was the pretty daughter of Bowman's Band that Buff Bradley held high hopes for even though her first career start didn't exactly inspire confidence.

Following her debut at Churchill Downs on June 4, 2011, an eighth-place run going five furlongs on the turf, Fred Bradley gently suggested to his son that maybe they should consider dropping the filly in for a claiming tag in her next start. What Buff Bradley had seen from Groupie Doll in the mornings, however, told him that first outing should be forgiven. After breaking her maiden next time out on the Churchill main track, she proceeded to continuously raise the bar on every expectation placed upon her copper shoulders.

In her third career start and first visit to Ellis Park, she ran her rivals off their feet during an 8 1/2-length triumph in a seven-furlong allowance test that July. When the decision was made to try her against older mares the following month in the one-mile Gardenia, it spoke to the level of confidence the Bradleys had faith that subsequently went through the roof when she galloped to a three-length triumph that day.

We always liked her and even before she ever ran the first time, we thought she would be a nice enough filly, said Bradley, who trained Groupie Doll and campaigned her along with his father and partners Carl Hurst and Brent Burns. The first time she ran was on the turf and she looked like deer in the headlights, she was just kind of like 'What's going on here.' I remember my day saying after the race 'You can drop her if you want to because I didn't see much,' and I said, 'Yeah, but I see it every day. She's going to get another shot.' And obviously the rest is history.

We knew that she was moving forward leaps and bounds obviously (heading into the Gardenia). I never like thinking too far ahead but we had already thought about that race when she won the non-winners of two and won impressively. And she was the only 3-year-old in the race that year too.

It would be eight months after her Gardenia triumph before Groupie Doll would earn another stakes victory, but when she did have another high-end breakthrough it came in eye-opening fashion. In April 2012, she notched the first of her four top-level wins when she captured the Madison Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, besting a field that included 2011 champion female sprinter Musical Romance.

That triumph kicked off a run of five straight victories for Groupie Doll, a streak that culminated with her first Breeders' Cup heroics at Santa Anita Park and only ended when Stay Thirsty edged her by the narrowest of nostrils in that November's Cigar Mile Handicap (G1).

She would go to the sidelines for nearly eight months at the conclusion of her 2011 championship campaign and when she did resurface, the Gardenia was again tapped as the spot for the Bradleys to showcase their stable star to the masses. Whereas she emerged from her first Gardenia run with questions about how good she could possibly be, however, her third-place finish in the 2013 edition of the race sparked some whispers that maybe her heralded form was now missing a step.

Just as he was insistent after her career debut that there was more there than the result suggested, Buff Bradley exited that Gardenia as emboldened as ever.

I think we were disappointed for about five minutes, he said. She hadn't even walked up to the top of the stretch before going back to the barn and we just kind of caught ourselves and said, 'Hey she made her run, she showed us that she's back.' The initial blow of not winning maybe caught us right there because you're expecting to win, you want to win. But we caught our heads and got really positive again real quickly. We knew that race was going to move her forward.

I had people just questioning me that maybe she'd lost a step, maybe she's not as good. I said let me tell you, this filly couldn't be any better than she is right now.

Three starts later, Bradley didn't need to convince anyone of how exceptional Groupie Doll was. She returned to Santa Anita and again departed with Breeders' Cup hardware having bested future champion Judy the Beauty by a half-length for her second Filly & Mare Sprint crown.

In the days that followed, another whirlwind of emotion would hit her connections when Groupie Doll was sold to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for $3.1 million at the 2013 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. She would retire after a final career victory in the Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) in February 2014, providing the Bradleys with one last image of her in the winner's circle and giving Fred Bradley full realization of a dream that first manifested at the Western Kentucky track he called home.

You know, when she won the Breeders' Cup, that was my relief. I felt like I could breathe, Buff Bradley said. I knew that she had done what we wanted her to do. I knew what she could do, and I just wanted her to prove it.

Read more:

History, Family, And Groupie Doll: Buff Bradley Reflects On Impact Of Ellis Park - Horse Racing News - Paulick Report

Tayshaun Prince #22, Richard Hamilton #32, Chauncey Billups #1 and Lindsey Hunter #10 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The Detroit Pistons are one of the more storied teams in NBA history, especially if youre one of those fans that only counts the seasons following the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, as the Pistons are sixth in ring count in that time.

While there have been mistakes made and underwhelming seasons, the Pistons still won three of the most underrated championships in NBA history.

They also had plenty of great teams that didnt win titles, as the Pistons were very close on several occasions.

During this time, they have put together some great teams with great players on said teams. Although, many of these players are still waiting on the Hall of Fame nod. Once again, still rooting for you Chauncey!

Lets take a dive into the top-5 Detroit Pistons teams of all time.

Following the success that the Detroit Pistons had in the 2004, there were huge shoes to fill in the 2004-05 season. These shoes were most definitely filled as they would go on to make the Finals in their second consecutive season, falling short against the great San Antonio Spurs dynasty.

This was a team led by Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, and Hall of Famer Ben Wallace that would win 54 games in the regular season before winning the Eastern Conference and losing to the Spurs in seven games.

This is the season that the Detroit Pistons set the franchise record for most wins in a season at 64 behind new head coach Flip Saunders, the coach that almost got the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Finals two years before.

Once again headed by the trio of Chauncey Billups, Hamilton, and Wallace, this team was one to be reckoned with as they rolled through the regular season and beat a young LeBron James in the second round only to meet the Dwyane Wade and Shaquille ONeal duo that would go on to win the championship.

Read the rest here:

Detroit Pistons: Top five teams in franchise history - Piston Powered

BALTIMORE -- Drumming circles, cooking classes and dance performances are all on the schedule for a group of West Baltimore kids participating in a free summer enrichment program at The University of Maryland, Baltimore's Community Engagement Center.

Put on by Moving History, the program is designed to teach African culture and history and culture through hands-on immersive experiences.

"There's so many different types of learners," said Moving History director Breai Michele.

Over the course of several weeks, students will learn about the African diaspora during a cooking class, and how the Mali Empire used drums to communicate at long distances.

"If you're sitting in history class with a book talking about those things it's a little different than sitting down and learning the rhythms and understanding that this rhythm comes from a place," explained Michele, "embodying education is a really powerful way to really have a deep experience of the lesson."

The students will also participate in dance, step and voice classes. Soon-to-be 8th grader Cortly Witherspoon is really enjoying both cooking and drumming.

"It's a different thing when you're just being shown it. But when you actually get to do it, it's a fully immersive experience," said Witherspoon.

A fully immersive experience that Michele believes has the power to bring people together.

"If we can have people who love and respect themselves and in turn have people who are maybe outside of the community come in to learn and know and love that community because they've danced or played music or they've made art or they've made food. I really do think that we can have a more tightly woven community of people who are caring for one another," said Michele.

The summer program is just about over but Moving History offers programs throughout the school year.

Sean Streicher joined the WJZ news team as a reporter in the summer of 2019.

View post:

Moving History's summer program takes a hands-on approach to teaching African culture - CBS Baltimore