Gov. Dunleavy's slash-and-burn approach to state budgeting has led residents to initiate a serious effort to recall him from office only eight months after he first took the oath. As of this date, proponents have gathered over 50,000 signatures, a pretty impressive show of strength in a state with a population of 735,000.

That in turn has now prompted the governor to throw under the bus State Budget Director Donna "Disaster Donna" Arduin, a right-wing ideologue who was the architect of the present budget shambles, and who was elevated to the post despite having lived in Alaska less than a month at the time of her appointment.

Keeping an eye on developments in this growing battle is worth far more than following the public pratfalls of former Gov. Sarah Palin's family. Alaska has been pretty loyal to the Republican Party, and if residents are unhappy with the present state of affairs there, it may be a hint that citizens in other Red states may not be far behind.

Where would we be without that.

Watching BeeBee bounce is great fun.  As is reading that if he loses he's going to jail.

Today's hackery: It is out there, so I must report--what I put out there.

"This was not a normal prorogation in the run-up to a Queen's Speech. It prevented Parliament from carrying out its constitutional role for five out of the possible eight weeks between the end of the summer recess and exit day on 31st October. Proroguing Parliament is quite different from Parliament going into recess. While Parliament is prorogued, neither House can meet, debate or pass legislation. Neither House can debate Government policy. [...] The Court is bound to conclude, therefore, that the decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification."

The Scottish Court had found that per the Tory government's own recorded deliberations, the Prime Minister's actual intent was to suppress parliamentary debate and action at a most critical juncture in the Brexit process, which was completely contrary to the formal reason he offered the Queen for Parliament's prorogation. And because only the Crown possesses the legal authority necessary to formally suspend or dissolve a sitting Parliament, one must not lie to Her Majesty about the true affairs of state.

When Whales Walked. A Journey Through Deep Time

AG Bill Barr reportedly "surprised and angry" at Trump-Ukraine phone call

After my weeks long trip down the memory hole thanks to my 50th class reunion this could not be more perfectly timed.  It's all about the 80s.  Only superficially about 80s slasher movies (which I was never a fan of) but the 80s.

Maybe it's a sign of our dark times that a show that involves so much s'more-side bloodshed can seem like light TV. Or maybe it's just the fact that after the last two seasons of American Horror Story reminded its viewers, with increasingly less subtlety, that they were already living in the darkest timeline, with or without the existence of the antichrist, that anything offering up simple gore without much psychological trauma is bubbly by comparison.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY
SEASON 9
Lead
B+
"Camp Redwood"
It seems like the showrunners got a note over the summer that the audience was having a hard time remembering the exact subtitle of each season, because this year's audience will never forget, at least at any point while watching the pilot, that the year, and season, is 1984. The `80s references come so hard and fast the start of the show almost reads like a sketch sending up `80s nostalgia, from the neon font introducing the cast to "Cruel Summer" playing within the first fifteen minutes.

AVClub

Adam Schiff has more leverage in the whistleblower case than is being reported. Will he use it?

Gordon's abrupt departure, with one week notice, was unusual. Trump then went on to the ill-fated nomination of Ratcliff, apparently to weaponize yet another institution, putting into place a toady.

Adam Schiff needs to put his sternly worded tweeting aside and get going on subpoenas.

In the New York state case seeking Trump's tax returns from his accounting firm, Barr states that Trump is not subject to the "criminal process".  Not only no indictment, but no investigations.

"Reports of a reliable whistleblower complaint regarding the President's communications with a foreign leader raise grave, urgent concerns for our national security.  We must be sure that the President and his Administration are conducting our national security and foreign policy in the best interest of the American people, not the President's personal interest.

"The Director of National Intelligence Inspector General, who was appointed by President Trump, has said that the complaint is both of `urgent concern and credible,' and its disclosure `relates to one of the most significant and important of the Director of National Intelligence's responsibilities to the American people.'

"The Administration's blocking of Acting DNI Joseph Maguire from providing Congress with the whistleblower complaint violates the federal statute, which unequivocally states that the DNI `shall' provide Congress this information.  If the President has done what has been alleged, then he is stepping into a dangerous minefield with serious repercussions for his Administration and our democracy.  The President and Acting DNI's stonewalling must end immediately, and the whistleblower must be provided with every protection guaranteed by the law to defend the integrity of our government and ensure accountability and trust.

"Chairman Adam Schiff and the Intelligence Committee are to be commended for their strong leadership to ensure Congress is provided all the information so that we can fulfill our responsibility to protect the American people and our national security.  We will continue to follow the facts and explore every possible option to ensure the American people get the truth.  We would hope that Republicans would join us in supporting the Constitution."

But he's too busy fighting against Medicare for All today because apparently that's a bigger threat than the traitor in  the white house.

This is shades of Obama trying to be "the adult in the room". Didn't work then and is not gonna work now.

An assisted living facility worker now faces a charge of aggravated manslaughter after deputies say he fell asleep in a hot minivan from ingesting kratom in May and let the disabled man he was caring for die in the heat.

Russell then drove back to the living facility. But the kratom caused him to feel nauseated and drowsy, so deputies said he drove the van back home and parked it outside. Then he reclined the driver's seat and fell asleep. He left the vehicle turned off, Gualtieri said, and only cracked one window for air.

When he awoke two to three hours later, he was covered in sweat and found LaPointe non-responsive. He tried to revive LaPointe, the sheriff said, but couldn't. Then he went back inside his house to retrieve a gun and intended to take his own life, deputies said.

Abacus found that 76 percent of 1,929 Canadians interviewed from September 18 to 22 weren't bothered by seeing their prime minister in blackface or accepted his apology.

Canada does not have our paralyzing fear of race.  I love that.

The front door being left ajar doesn't seem to be a big deal so far. Before the trail there were reports/opinions that it was impossible for those doors not to shut and lock automatically, but that doesn't appear to be the case.  

More interesting, according to one witness, 15% of the residents at Jean's/Guyger's complex reporting trying to open the wrong unit by mistake.

My take so far is the defense is doing a good job of showing this tragic shooting was a mistake, not intentional while the prosecution is playing on emotion.  

Never a fan of the movies.  In fact I have never seen an entire one.

Wall Street Democratic donors warn the party: We'll sit out, or back Trump, if you nominate Elizabeth Warren

Sixth grade boys accused of pinning down black girl and cutting off her dreadlocks

I'd imagine most of TL has seen this story by now.

Going out on a limb, my gut says that this black 12 y/o sixth grader's story - that she got pinned down by the slide on the school playground at recess by 3 white male schoolmates who then cut her hair with scissors - will turn out to be false.

Her face has been spread worldwide. As upsetting as her story is if true, if it does indeed turn out to be false...

Privately, the president had often talked about fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench, stocked with snakes or alligators, prompting aides to seek a cost estimate. He wanted the wall electrified, with spikes on top that could pierce human flesh. After publicly suggesting that soldiers shoot migrants if they threw rocks, the president backed off when his staff told him that was illegal. But later in a meeting, aides recalled, he suggested that they shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down. That's not allowed either, they told him.

This article is based on interviews with more than a dozen White House and administration officials directly involved in the events of that week in March. They were granted anonymity to describe sensitive conversations with the president and top officials in the government.

Alligators, snakes and  steel spikes, what no laser beams?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday morning tore into Facebook following a report containing leaked audio from the company's top executive and founder.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed a question about Warren's plan to break up big tech companies during an internal Q&A session and expressed concern about the prospect. According to the leaked audio, obtained by The Verge, the social-media titan said: "If she gets elected president, then I would bet that we will have a legal challenge, and I would bet that we will win the legal challenge. And does that still suck for us? Yeah. I mean, I don't want to have a major lawsuit against our own government."

"On Wednesday night I attended the New York Film Festival and witnessed a cinematic masterpiece, the film that last month won the top prize as the Best Film of the Venice International Film Festival. It's called `Joker' -- and all we Americans have heard about this movie is that we should fear it and stay away from it. We've been told it's violent and sick and morally corrupt -- an incitement and celebration of murder. We've been told that police will be at every screening this weekend in case of `trouble.' Our country is in deep despair, our constitution is in shreds, a rogue maniac from Queens has access to the nuclear codes -- but for some reason, it's a movie we should be afraid of.

"I would suggest the opposite: The greater danger to society may be if you DON'T go see this movie. Because the story it tells and the issues it raises are so profound, so necessary, that if you look away from the genius of this work of art, you will miss the gift of the mirror it is offering us. Yes, there's a disturbed clown in that mirror, but he's not alone -- we're standing right there beside him.