More Senate Democrats signed up for the Iran deal today immediately after Dick Cheney said Iran could drop a nuke on the United States, because experienced politicians know the opposite of what Dick Cheney says is true. Hillary Clinton's campaign told the New York Times the candidate would show more "humor" and "spontaneity," though sources couldn't confirm when the spontaneity would occur. And Republicans are eyeing Friday, September 11th for the Iran vote, because the anniversary of the Munich Agreement isn't until the end of the month. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, September 8th, 2015:
DEMOCRATS LOOK READY TO FILIBUSTER IRAN DEAL VOTE - Seems like the same headline everyday lately, doesn't it? Ryan Grim and Jessica Schulberg: "In the face of two months of fierce campaigning by opponents of the Iran nuclear deal, 41 Democrats have said publicly they will nevertheless support it. The tally gives President Barack Obama enough backing to stop a GOP effort to undo the deal in the Senate, without needing to exercise a veto, if all of those backers support a filibuster." [HuffPost]
Subtle Republicans eyeing this Friday for Iran deal votes. Yes, the date is Sept. 11th.
EVERYONE EXCITED FOR A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN - Laura Barron-Lopez reports from Steny Hoyer's reporter meeting: "If we shut down government, it will be because you have willful Republicans who are prepared to take the government hostage to attain their ends. It will not be a stumble; it will be a considered objective, and a number of them have said so publicly. That is not John Boehner's objective." [HuffPost]
Guess which Republican presidential candidate loved the bailout and didn't mind the idea of nationalizing the banks back in 2009.
HARRY REID SAYS HURTFUL WORDS - Manu Raju: "Harry Reid ridiculed Donald Trump and the Republican presidential field Tuesday, saying candidates were 'scared' to confront the billionaire businessman because he's 'speaking to their hearts.'… 'Donald Trump is speaking for the Republican Party,' Reid said, sitting in the Lyndon B. Johnson room just off the Senate floor. 'Why do the Republicans who are running for president never criticize him on anything?' Told that Jeb Bush has been sharply critical of Trump, Reid shrugged and said: 'If he has, no one has noticed.'" Poor Jeb. [CNN]
LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR BETTER TREATMENT OF HUDDLED MASSES - Niels Lesniewski: "The State Department’s top Senate appropriator said Tuesday he would be willing to advance an emergency supplemental to address the crisis of Syrian refugees. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, said if the United States does not change course with respect to accepting refugees, the country might as well 'take the Statue of Liberty and tear it down.'" [Roll Call]
Haircuts: Marina Fang.
KENTUCKY CLERK SET FREE - She can go get her book deal now. Cristian Farias: "The federal judge who threw a renegade Kentucky clerk in jail for contempt of court last week ordered her release on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered the immediate release of Rowan County clerk Kim Davis, who spent the Labor Day weekend in detention following her repeated refusals to comply with an order to issue marriage licenses to eligible couples within her jurisdiction. The judge reached his decision after receiving a status report from the plaintiffs in the case -- same-sex couples who sued Davis after being refused marriage licenses following the Supreme Court's June ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. In the order, Bunning noted he was 'satisfied' that Davis' office was 'fulfilling its obligation to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples,' in accordance with Supreme Court precedent and an August order in which he forbade Davis from enforcing a 'no marriage policy' that effectively kept all couples -- gay and straight -- from obtaining marriage licenses." [HuffPost]
Yes, Judge Bunning is Jim Bunning's son.
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DICK CHENEY SO MAD - Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that President Barack Obama is responsible for directly equipping Iran with the capability to destroy the United States, calling the negotiated nuclear deal 'madness.'... 'This agreement will give Iran the means to launch a nuclear attack on the U.S. homeland,' Cheney said." [CNN]
Zach Carter and Akbar Shahid Ahmed went to the trouble of describing Cheney's characteristic wrongness.
'HILLARY CLINTON TO SHOW MORE HUMOR AND HEART' - But can she have it lol? Amy Chozick: "There will be no more flip jokes about her private email server. There will be no rope lines to wall off crowds, which added to an impression of aloofness. And there will be new efforts to bring spontaneity to a candidacy that sometimes seems wooden and overly cautious." HuffPost Hill welcomes these new efforts! [NYT]
Clinton also is doing another TV interview, this time with ABC News, which will air it tonight.
CLINTON STILL LEADING BY A LOT, BUT HERE COMES UNCLE JOE - All this talk Joe Biden seems to have some Democratic voters thinking, yes, I have heard of that man. Janie Velencia: "A Monmouth University poll released Tuesday finds that Clinton's support has dropped to 42 percent among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters; at the same time, Biden's support has increased to 22 percent. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is up 4 points and now sits closely behind Biden with 20 percent of the vote, placing the two in an essential tie, given the poll's 5.3 percent margin of error." [HuffPost]
Today's low-energy Jeb insult.
THE BOEHNER ERA IS PERPETUALLY ABOUT TO END - Does John Boehner want to keep putting up with all this crap? Does his conference want him to? Maybe not. Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan: "Figures in his close-knit circle of allies are starting to privately wonder whether he can survive an all-but-certain floor vote this fall to remain speaker of the House. And, for the first time, many top aides and lawmakers in the House do not believe he will run for another term as House leader in 2017. The Boehner era might be coming to an end, they say." [Politico]
More bad news for for Iowa's #brand.
JON STEWART: LOBBYIST? The former host of "The Daily Show" to press lawmakers to extend benefits for 9/11 first responders. Michael McAuliff: "Stewart will be taking a different, more direct tack to help the heroes of 9/11 now that he's out from behind his studio desk. He plans to put his feet to work along with his mouth, and walk the halls of Congress next Wednesday, Sept. 16, with about 100 responders while they make personal appeals to members. Their goal is to help renew the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which starts phasing out next month." [HuffPost]
Friendly reminder: Stephen Colbert debuts as host of CBS's "The Late Show" tonight, and one of his first guests will be Jeb Bush.
WELCOME TO CAMPAIGN AD SEASON - What better way to fight Donald Trump -- who gets tons of TV time for free -- than by spending some billionaire's money on TV time? Igor Bobic: "The 30-second spot, entitled 'I've Delivered,' touts Bush's 1999-2007 gubernatorial record and also takes a subtle jab at some of his rivals in the race for the White House. 'We have an important choice to make about the direction of our country. If you want more D.C. politicians or more self-promoters, you've got options,' Bush says in the ad.." Oh snap! [HuffPost]
LEFTIST MEDIA CONSPIRACY UNDERGOES STAFFING CHANGE - The New York Times Washington bureau -- best known for failing to vet Barack Hussein Obama in 2008 -- has a new boss. Dylan Byers: "New York Times Washington bureau chief Carolyn Ryan will step down and be replaced by current Washington Editor Elisabeth Bumiller, the Times said on Tuesday." [Politico]
More: The Los Angeles Times fired its publisher today after just a year on the job
Still more: The president of the Washington Post is leaving.
MILLIONS FOR FREDDIE GRAY'S FAMILY - Baltimore reportedly is settling with the family of Freddie Gray, whose death in police custody this year sparked major protests in Charm City and elsewhere, for $6.4 million. Yvonne Wenger and Mark Puente: "The settlement -- which is expected to be approved at Wednesday's meeting of the city's spending panel -- will be paid out over two years, according to the mayor's office….The payment is larger than the total of more than 120 other lawsuits brought against the police department for alleged brutality and misconduct since 2011." [Baltimore Sun]
REPUBLICANS SOMEHOW SHOCKED THE CHICKENS ARE COMING HOME TO ROOST - Donald Trump is the logical conclusion of decades of dog-whistling race-baiting, and it's bumming out the people who know how to straddle the line better. Jonathan Martin: "Since he entered the race in June with a declaration that Mexican immigrants were rapists and drug traffickers, Mr. Trump has given voice to conservative activists’ unease with America’s changing demography. But his attack last week on Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail set off a new, more intense wave of anger from Republicans who say they believe that Mr. Trump’s widely covered provocations are becoming toxic for a party struggling to appeal to nonwhite voters." [NYT]
GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT, AT LONG LAST - Obama let the Duke basketball team into his home, and even said nice things about them. So gross. Samantha Lachman and Ashley Alman: "Obama honored the Duke basketball program at the White House Tuesday for winning the NCAA championship in April. As he stood next to Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Obama drew some comparisons between the vitriol he's faced as president and the intense hostility Duke inspires in its opponents." [HuffPost]
BARF - This is like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of horrible public figures. "Tom Brady grabbed some non-Deflategate headlines last week when a hat bearing Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, 'Make America Great Again,' was spotted in his locker following the team’s final preseason game. On Tuesday morning Brady spoke with Boston sports talk station WEEI, which asked about the hat and got him to confirm that it is his. Brady added that he considers the real-estate magnate/reality star/presidential candidate a friend." [Sports Illustrated]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - A lifeguard chair from Rehoboth Beach swam all the way to the Outer Banks.
COMFORT FOOD
- Dog can't see in front of box he's holding, keeps walking into stuff.
- Really angry guy tries really hard to take away a Code Pink person's banner, does not succeed.
- Tardigrades are really not bad.
TWITTERAMA
@JoeDunman: 5-4 majority in Obergefell = invalid ruling by "five lawyers." 5-4 majority in Hobby Lobby = unquestioned law of the land.
@Lizzs_Lockeroom: RT if the Patriots spied on you too
@SI_DougFarrar: If I had to pick between Obama birthers and Patriots truthers right now, I'd flip a coin.
@EliseFoley: No more Bachelor until January! I'm going to have to seek out drama and rejection in my own life instead.
@pattonoswalt: Dear Hilary Clinton's aides: Announcing she plans to show "more heart and humor" is what you say about a Terminator you've reprogrammed.
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