So we've come to one of the most glorious weeks of the year, people- Notre Dame week! Even with all this team's shortcomings, there is triumph to be had in South Bend. And I'm absolutely buzzing; finding it difficult to concentrate on my work. I'm bringing it up with anyone who's even aware that there is such a game as football. Like a little kid a few days before his birthday. Or maybe more like a teenage boy waiting for his girlfriend to come home from a trip- I want ND bad! I keep slipping in and out of these pleasant daydreams of past games and wondering who this year will wind up being the hero of future daydreams.

Speaking of past heroes, perhaps none better than Anthony Davis. Fella racked up 6 TD's in '72, including 2 kickoffs to the house! In '74, he gets a score before the half to get us on the board, then takes the opening kickoff 2nd half all the way, to unleash the most magnificent thrashing of the Domers we've ever seen! ( Ok, now I'm tingling ) But perhaps what we need Saturday is for Marshawn to do a Ricky Bell, who went in to South Bend in '75 and ground out 165 workmanlike yards to keep us unbeaten. And I forbid anyone to speak of what transpired in the rest of the games that year.

Finally, as I believe I've mentioned on this board before, and Arledge astutely pointed out in his column this week, what game was Hyman Roth watching on TV when Michael came to visit him in Miami in GF1? USC vs. ND, baby!! A classic within a classic. As I tell my daughters- while they groan- there is something for everyone in The Godfather!

My hopes and spirits are high, my friends. And no, I'm not imbibing in spirits. Not yet, anyway.

So everyone sing it with me: Fight oooon, to victory...

He’s called himself Israel’s greatest friend, but his reaction to its greatest tragedy was to mock its prime minister and praise its enemy, Hezbollah, as “smart.”

Matt Lewis​

Senior Columnist
Updated Oct. 12, 2023 3:37PM EDT / Published Oct. 12, 2023 1:45PM EDT
OPINION

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Getty​

It’s about him. It’s always about him. In the wake of Hamas’ savage terrorist attack on Israel, former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump somehow found a way to make this all about him.

During a speech in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, Trump criticized Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, over a past perceived slight, and praised Hezbollah terrorists—who have been exchanging fire with the Israel Defense Forces on a second front in the North of Israel—as “smart.”

The context is important. We are just days removed from a terrorist attack that has been described as Israel’s 9/11. Babies were killed and their bodies desecrated. Women were raped. Elderly people were abducted. Hostages (including Americans) are missing. The nation is still mourning.

And, in the wake of all of this, Trump thinks this is a good time to dredge up an old indignity by the prime minister—someone he had previously lavished with praise and called a friend.

Trump’s reason for launching this verbal assault? He’s still angry about Israel’s refusal to participate in the 2020 killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, then head of Iran’s Quds Force.

“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing,” Trump said. (Note: Trump’s invocation of the words “never forget” is likely accidental, if extraordinarily insensitive. But what else would we expect from a man who adopted the “America First” slogan?)

Trump later added that, after the mission to take out Suleimani was successful, “Bibi tried to take credit for it.”
Translation: Never mind the terrorist attack, Trump is the real victim.

“Question: What would people say if Barack Obama praised an Islamic terror organization as ‘very smart’?”

Regardless of the merit of this (the veracity has yet to be confirmed), there is a time to air grievances and there is a time to comfort our friends. For any normal human being, this moment would call for the latter.

But who could be surprised? One of Trump’s first big political “scandals” came when he attacked John McCain, a former prisoner of war, for being captured. (When people tell you who they are, believe them.)

Of course, there’s more to Trump’s criticism of Bibi than meets the eye. There’s always more to the story when it comes to Trump.

Trump—who loves to praise evil strongmen like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un—wouldn’t publicly criticize Bibi were it not for another perceived slight.

This affront was much worse and borderline unpardonable: After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Netanyahu congratulated him.

If there’s one thing that really annoys Trump, it’s people who aren’t willing to perpetuate his big lie.

Say what you will about Bibi; he wasn’t about to let Trump’s reality distortion field force him to take sides against the man who was likely to be the next POTUS.

In Trump’s warped mind, though, Bibi should have been more loyal to Trump than he is to the truth… or Israel. “Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi... But I also like loyalty... Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake,” Trump was quoted as saying at the time, before adding: “I haven’t spoken to him since. F—- him.”

Now, it is true that under Trump’s leadership, America moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. At Netanyahu’s urging, Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. And Trump also brokered the Abraham Accords—earning praise from this columnist (note: others argue that it contributed to Hamas’ attack).

But in typical Trumpian fashion, Trump assumes that these favors buy lifetime loyalty from Bibi, the nation of Israel, and even Jewish Americans.

Speaking of which, just last month, Trump “commemorated” Rosh Hashanah by sending out a flier on the Truth Social platform reminding “liberal Jews” of all he has done for Israel. He also added a note blaming them for having “voted to destroy America & Israel…”

Back to Trump’s latest comments this week: He didn’t just criticize Bibi for not being “prepared” for the attacks, he broadly criticized Israel’s intelligence failure that allowed last week’s Hamas terror attacks to succeed.

And—in a move reminiscent of him calling Putin’s propaganda “genius” and “savvy” as Russia invaded Ukraine—Trump also praised Hezbollah as “very smart” (not like everybody says).

(Question: What would people say if Barack Obama praised an Islamic terror organization as “very smart”?)

It’s tempting to dismiss Trump’s blather as laughable, but the stakes are high. At a time when Ukraine and Israel both face serious threats, should the leader of the free world be a thin-skinned and capricious president who puts his own ego above all else?

Does America really want four more years of chaos and a president who is harder on allies than dictators?

The good news is that Trump vowed to “stand with Israel 100 percent” and “not let them fail.” This is to say that he still considers himself a friend of Israel.

For Netanyahu, who now girds for what looks to be a grueling ground invasion and rescue mission, this may feel like cold comfort.

With friends like Donald Trump, who needs friends?

Jim Jordan keeps sending Fani Willis angry requests for information. The Georgia prosecutor keeps telling the GOP congressman how "ignorant" he appears.


Oct. 12, 2023, 8:28 AM CDT
By Steve Benen

As a legal matter, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could probably get away with ignoring the angry correspondence she receives from House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan. But as The Hill reported, the Georgia prosecutor keeps engaging with the far-right Ohio Republican, apparently eager to respond to his errors of fact and judgment.

“A charitable explanation of your correspondence is that you are ignorant of the United States and Georgia Constitutions and codes,” she wrote in response to a late September letter from Jordan asserting she must answer questions about the investigation. “A more troubling explanation is that you are abusing your authority as Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary to attempt to obstruct and interfere with a Georgia criminal prosecution.”

Click to expand...

For those just joining us, let’s revisit our earlier coverage and review how we arrived at this point.

After Willis indicted Donald Trump and a number of his associates in August, Jordan did what he always does: The far-right congressman launched an investigation into the investigation.

In fact, the Ohio Republican didn’t just express dubious concerns to Willis, he also directed the local prosecutor to hand over a series of documents and related information by Sept. 7.

It seemed quite possible that the Georgia district attorney might simply shrug her shoulders and put Jordan’s letter in the circular file, but Willis instead acknowledged the chairman’s deadline with a letter of her own, telling Jordan that his correspondence included “inaccurate information and misleading statements,” as part of an effort the district attorney characterized as improper interference in an ongoing criminal case.

Willis went on to tell the Judiciary Committee chairman, “Your letter makes clear that you lack a basic understanding of the law, its practice and the ethical obligations of attorneys generally and prosecutors specifically.”

Her pushback had the benefit of being true, but that didn’t stop him from sending another letter in late September, complaining about Willis’ “hostile response,” and giving her until Wednesday to provide him with alleged documents that he thinks might exist.

It led to the Fulton County district attorney’s latest response. “We have already written a letter — which I have attached again for your reference — explaining why the legal positions you advance are meritless,” she explained. “Nothing you’ve said in your latest letter changes that fact.”

At the heart of Jordan’s initiative is a conspiracy theory of sorts: The congressman and his allies apparently believe there are powerful federal officials who are secretly pulling the strings, helping orchestrate anti-Trump prosecutions across multiple jurisdictions. By way of evidence, the far-right chairman has pointed to ... nothing in particular.

But Jordan nevertheless keeps launching investigations, sending letters, making demands, and setting deadlines, hoping that someday, he might uncover imagined proof that almost certainly doesn’t exist.

The problem — that is, one of the problems — is that the prosecutors he’s tried to pressure know they can ignore him. As Jordan really ought to have learned after his foray into a separate case in Manhattan, the House Judiciary Committee doesn’t have jurisdiction to insert itself into criminal prosecutions at the state and local level.

The Judiciary Committee chairman nevertheless continues to believe otherwise. He also continues to be disappointed when prosecutors who have no reason to play along with his partisan crusades ignore his entreaties.

Donald Trump told Republicans to elect Jim Jordan as House speaker. Most of the GOP ignored him. It wasn't the first time.


Oct. 12, 2023, 1:39 PM CDT
By Steve Benen

It was about a week ago when Donald Trump thought it’d be a good idea to weigh in on the Republicans’ race for House speaker. The former president seemed to understand that there was a competitive contest underway, and he seemed eager to tip the scales.

It led him to publish this 164-word missive to his social media platform, which went into considerable detail into Rep. Jim Jordan’s wrestling career, before eventually endorsing the Ohio Republican’s leadership bid.

“He is STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment. Jim, his wife, Polly, & family are outstanding — He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”

Click to expand...

Five days later, GOP members held a closed-door, secret-ballot election to choose the party’s official nominee for speaker. The Trump-backed House Judiciary Committee chairman lost, finishing with roughly 45% of the vote from the Republican conference.

Or put another way, House Republicans heard Trump, knew exactly what he expected them to do, and most of them decided to go in a different direction.

There was some commentary yesterday about the nature of the process: GOP lawmakers could vote as they pleased because they knew no one, including Trump, would know precisely for whom they voted. Even if the former president reached out directly and asked members whether they followed his advice, he’d never know the difference.

And while there might be some truth to that, there’s also a larger context to keep in mind.

Trump intervened in the fight over government spending and directed House Republicans to shut down the government. Most GOP members ignored the advice and kept the government’s lights on.

Trump intervened in the fight over debt ceiling negotiations, and soon after, Republicans ignored his stated wishes.

Trump has told Senate Republicans to replace Mitch McConnell as the Senate minority leader, and they haven’t. Trump told the GOP majority in the Texas House not to impeach state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and they did.

In the last Congress, Trump told Republicans to reject a bipartisan infrastructure and a proposed overhaul of the Electoral Count Act. That reflected the wishes of many GOP lawmakers, but enough Republicans ignored the former president on these measures, too, and they passed into law.

The point is not that Trump is irrelevant in Republican politics. Obviously, he’s the party’s most dominant voice and the party’s leading presidential candidate by a wide margin. But there’s a myth in some circles that the former president can simply bark orders and watch GOP officials obediently follow his instructions.

In several notable instances, that’s just not the case.

President Trump ordered a game-changing U.S. military attack that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, among other military officials at Baghdad International Airport early Friday, the Pentagon confirmed.

Soleimani is the military mastermind whom Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had deemed equally as dangerous as Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In October, Baghdadi killed himself during a U.S. raid on a compound in northwest Syria, seven months after the so-called ISIS "caliphate" crumbled as the terrorist group lost its final swath of Syrian territory in March.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted after the attack "The US' act of international terrorism, targeting & assassinating General Soleimani—THE most effective force fighting Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al—is extremely dangerous & a foolish escalation."

He added that the U.S. "bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism."

In April 2019, the State Department announced Iran was responsible for killing 608 U.S. troops during the Iraq War. Soleimani was the head of the Iranian and Iranian-backed forces carrying out those operations killing American troops. According to the State Department, 17 percent of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 were orchestrated by Soleimani.

As recently as 2015, a travel ban and United Nations Security Council resolutions had barred Soleimani from leaving Iran.

Friday's Baghdad strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, a source told Fox News.

In all, at least seven people were killed and at least three rockets were fired, officials told The Associated Press. An official with the Popular Mobilization Forces said its airport protocol officer, Mohammed Reda, also died.

Hours after the attack was announced, President Trump tweeted a simple image of the American flag.

Campus Anti-Semites Plot ‘Day Of Resistance’ In Support Of Hamas | The Daily Wire​

Brent Scher and Olga BenacerrafOct 10, 2023
Template for SJP’s pro-Hamas Day of Resistance protest / The Daily Wire

The largest network of campus anti-Israel groups is organizing a “Day of Resistance” on Thursday to rally support for the deadly Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, calling the murder of nearly 1,000 Israelis, including women and children, a “historic win for the Palestinian resistance.”

This morning's "Over/Under" re: USC v. N.D. is 63. Bet the House on the "Over".

Biden proposes a ban on "junk fees" — from concert tickets to hotel rooms

One of the more infuriating "innovations" of modern American capitalism are mysterious junk fees, also known as the "Because F*ck You, That's Why! Fee" on everything from concerts to airline tickets and even ordering takeout. Thankfully, President Biden is directing the FTC to crack down on the bogus practice and force sellers to put all their mandatory costs upfront. This is a huge deal, folks — these fees cost Americans up to $64 BILLION a year.

It's a great example of the quality-of-life improvements that you get from electing Democrats and something you will never, ever see from a Republican administration.

House Republican blowhard throws temper tantrum during White House briefing on Israel terrorist attack

Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden has made an unsavory name for himself around Capitol Hill for being a foul-tempered potty mouth, having drunkenly cursed out teenage pages on more than one occasion. For his latest act, the MAGA blowhard turned his ire on White House briefers. Van Orden interrupted to loudly complain that the briefing was "pathetic," then cursed out Rep. Dean Phillips for calling him out. Phillips said, “He was rude and attacked the presenters. I thought they had very substantive things to say. But he just had this blanket attack saying that ‘this is the worst information I've ever had...and basically attacking them for being incompetent,"

Just another example of the kind of professionalism and maturity we've come to expect from House Republicans.

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ISIS Flag Found Among Hamas Equipment After Kibbutz Attack, IDF Claims​

Dan Ladden-Hall​

News Correspondent
Published Oct. 12, 2023 9:17AM EDT

IDF​

An ISIS flag was found among Hamas gear inside a kibbutz attacked by militants over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces claimed Thursday. The IDF said a photo appearing to show the black-and-white flag was taken in the Sufa kibbutz—one of the communities targeted by Hamas during its unprecedented incursion into Israel on Saturday. Other images seemingly showing the same flag were posted on Telegram on Wednesday by a group sharing horrific images allegedly taken by first responders in areas around Gaza. The Telegram account claimed the flag was found in the vest of a Hamas militant, and that the gunmen had been armed with what looked like rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, and an anti-tank missile.

The House GOP 'chaos caucus' is turning our democracy into a laughing stock

Oct. 11, 2023, 1:14 PM CDT / Updated Oct. 11, 2023, 3:57 PM CDT
By Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Democrat representing Texas's 30th congressional district

From fighting voter suppression in the Texas House to calling out Republicans in the House Oversight Committee for their brazen lies, I have always been committed to protecting and amplifying the fight for democracy. Recently, I went viral for displaying a photo taken by federal authorities of our national defense secrets stacked up in Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago bathroom. In that moment, when I said Trump was keeping our national secrets “in the s------,” I was big mad. While Democrats were fighting to keep American families afloat and our government open for business, House Republicans were bringing about a sham impeachment inquiry, wasting government resources, legislative time and American tax dollars.

Since its inception, the 118th Congress, under the GOP majority, has been in a nonstop race to the bottom. It began with Kevin McCarthy giving up every concession to gain the speaker title — in a 15-round marathon vote — just for him to end up with absolutely nothing. This unraveling revealed that he wasn’t a skilled nor trusted negotiator, and certainly not a leader. It proved he could never hold a candle to his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, who governed with the same slim majority.

A country in disarray is truly our enemies’ dreams. This is a matter of national security and people need to wake up.
What exactly has the House GOP, better labeled as the “chaos caucus,” managed to accomplish in my first 10 months in office? They have panicked the markets, left Ukraine on edge, downgraded our credit rating and allowed the farm bill to lapse — causing uncertainty for farmers and SNAP recipients alike. Their biggest accomplishment has been bending the knee to a con man who has been held liable for sexual abuse: the twice-impeached, four-time indicted, 91-criminal-count-facing Donald Trump.

When the chaos caucus failed to do one of the basic jobs of Congress — fund the government by Sept. 30 — 99% of Democrats and only a little more than 50% of Republicans pulled together to avert a GOP-manufactured crisis.

So where are we now that a 45-day extension passed? Without a speaker, no bills can move. Time moves right along, but Congress is at a standstill. The chaos caucus failed to support Ukraine in our extension, which sent a dangerous message to our allies and our enemies. And within a week of the House speaker drama unfolding, the ongoing conflict in Israel escalated, as Hamas attacked Israel. How can anyone trust Republicans to solve our most complex issues around the border, national security, foreign affairs or the economy, when they literally can’t even choose a speaker or pass a budget?

We are all suffering as the House remains paralyzed by extremism and ineptitude. Financially supporting the self determination of democracies keeps the U.S. safer and protects the rest of the world. The chaos caucus has caused international embarrassment. Frankly, a country in disarray is truly our enemies’ dreams. This is a matter of national security and people need to wake up.

This chaos is the exact reason Republicans don’t want people to be “woke.” They know that an educated people is vital for our survival as a free people. Our freedom and rights derive from our founding principle of democracy. Imagine living in a place where you aren’t free at all: where you have no freedom of speech, no ability to select your government officials, no protections against brute government force and no economic opportunities.

The dysfunction in Congress puts our country and the rest of the world at risk. I cannot underscore the importance of electing serious people, based upon their dedication to our democracy. The safety of the United States, and the world is endangered, because of the former president, and now the chaos caucus. It is far past time for them to get the House in order for the good of not only our country, but for our allies around the world.

Zachariah Branch was returning punts in the early part of practice. All the cornerbacks of note were dressed.

We’ll perhaps learn more when we ask Lincoln after practice.

Jeff is out sick today and Matt is on his way to Vegas for P12 Media Day, so I’ll be there solo. Also, no First-and-10 from Tajwar this week — he had work conflicts with his job.

Plenty to come after practice, though.

Was that holder Will Rose who made that incredibly athletic save on that center for the end of game field goal? If that goes over his head, one of those fast guys rushing coming off the end would have scooped it up and scored, easy. Game over. I am surprised Riley hasn't mention that. Rose's reaction time was phenomenal!

This matches the highest preseason ranking for the Trojans ever -- they were also second prior to the 2017-18 season.

Matt is in Las Vegas and will have video from USC's turn at Pac-12 Media Day.

Here's the poll:

1. Arizona 303 (18 first-place votes)
2. USC 264 (4)
3. UCLA 249 (4)
4. Oregon 228
5. Colorado 210
6. Arizona State 148
7. Utah 139
8. Stanford 131
9. Washington 108
10. Washington State 94
11. Cal 67
12. Oregon State 42

Bernie Sanders: Israel’s Gaza Siege a ‘Serious Violation of International Law’​

Mark Alfred​

Breaking News Intern
Published Oct. 11, 2023 1:15PM EDT

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters​

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blasted the Israeli government in a lengthy statement on Wednesday after the country cut off food, water, electricity, and other supplies to Gaza in the wake of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel. The move “is a serious violation of international law and will do nothing but harm innocent civilians,” Sanders said in his statement. “The targeting of civilians is a war crime, no matter who does it.”

Sanders said the United States has “rightly” given support to Israel in the wake of Hamas’ attack but must insist its forces exercise restraint in Gaza. “Let us not forget that half of the 2 million people in Gaza are children,” Sanders said. “Children and innocent people do not deserve to be punished for the acts of Hamas.”

Turkish education official tells Israel's Netanyahu 'you will die'​

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws angry response after sharing video of Gaza airstrikes​

October 11, 2023 9:31am EDT
Video
A top official within Turkey’s Ministry of National Education has posted a message on X telling Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "One day they will shoot you too" and "You will die."

The inflammatory remarks by Nazif Yilmaz, a married father of three and deputy minister of the Turkish agency, was posted in response to a video Netanyahu shared on his account Tuesday appearing to show the Israeli military carrying out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

The same day, Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan raised concerns about the U.S. moving a carrier strike group closer to Israel following Hamas’ attacks on the country.

"What will the aircraft carrier of the U.S. do near Israel, why do they come? What will boats around and aircraft on it will do? They will hit Gaza and around, and take steps for serious massacres there," Erdogan said, according to Reuters.