News from the note…

A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.

This is an OPEN THREAD,  folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.

Hollywood director teases Cruz over toughness in new ad

A new political attack ad in the US Senate race in Texas from a famed filmmaker suggests that Ted Cruz should have taken President Donald Trump “out by the woodshed” if he wanted to be true to his campaign slogan, “Tough as Texas.”

The ad released Monday directed by Richard Linklater, known for the films “Dazed and Confused” and “Boyhood,” mirrors a notable scene in his 2011 dark comedy “Bernie” and features the same actor.

“Somebody left something on my door the other day that said, ‘Ted Cruz. Tough as Texas,'” actor Sonny Carl Davis says in the campaign ad before laughing.

“I mean, come on. If somebody called my wife a dog and said my daddy was in on the Kennedy assassination, I wouldn’t be kissing their ass,” Davis says, shown seated in a diner.

He continues, pointing a finger and leaning into the camera, “You stick a finger in their chest and give ’em a few choice words. Or you drag their ass out by the woodshed and kick their ass, Ted. C’mon, Ted.”

CNN

Billy Bush reflects on release of Trump ‘Access Hollywood’ tape two years later

Billy Bush is reflecting on the backlash two years after surfacing of the controversial “Access Hollywood” tape, in which then-reality star Donald Trump brags about groping and kissing women without their consent.
Bush took to Instagram on Sunday to look back on the two years since the video surfaced just one month before the 2016 presidential election.

“Two years ago today, my life went from order to chaos in a dramatic instant,” Bush wrote. “I accounted for my small part, while the President and my employer walked away and still haven’t accounted for their actions. These past couple years have been character building to say the least – anxiety attacks, fits of rage, feelings of betrayal and abandonment – and I have concluded that I am NOT extraordinary. Terrible things can happen at any moment to ANYONE.”

The former “Today” show co-host said the positive outcome of the scandal was that he developed more “empathy, humility and resilience” and learned how to “laugh even in the darkest hour.”

He also said he was grateful to God, his family and his supporters.

The Hill

Kamala Harris rides Kavanaugh rage in likely 2020 bid

Kamala Harris drew national attention for her combative questioning of Brett Kavanaugh before his confirmation to the Supreme Court.

Now she‘s reaping the benefit among the party grassroots as she campaigns for fellow Democrats and prepares for a likely presidential run.

One day after Kavanaugh’s nomination was confirmed, Harris on Sunday cast the Supreme Court hearings as a “sham and a disgrace,” urging Democrats to turn out in November while implicitly testing the party’s ability to push the controversy beyond the midterm elections.

“The bottom line is that they may have the power right now,” Harris said to cheers at an Ohio Democratic Party dinner. “But we need to take it back.”

Politico

Stormy Daniels on Michael Cohen: ‘I guess I forgive him’

Stormy Daniels said Monday her feelings toward Michael Cohen have softened after he admitted to working with President Donald Trump to keep her silent about their alleged affair, saying “I guess I forgive him.”

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said in an interview with Don Lemon on “CNN Tonight” that she harbored “ill will” for the President’s former attorney due to his work trying to keep her from speaking about her alleged affair with Trump. Trump denies having such an affair.

“I definitely think that I had a lot of ill will for him — towards him — but in the end, you know, he kinda did the right thing. He admitted that I wasn’t lying and that Trump had ordered him to do this. So in a way I guess I forgive him,” Daniels said.

CNN

Trump to discuss missing journalist with Saudis

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he plans to speak with Saudi Arabian officials about the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing a week ago.

Trump, speaking at the White House, said he did not know details about Khashoggi’s disappearance. Asked if he had spoken to officials in Saudi Arabia about Khashoggi, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “I have not. But I will be at some point.

“I know nothing right now. I know what everybody else knows – nothing,” Trump said.

Reuters

The Mueller Investigation Is Bigger Than Rod Rosenstein

Only a little over two weeks ago, in the wake of reports about remarksthe Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had made about the president’s fitness for office and an offer to secretly tape conversations with him, his job appeared to be on the line — along with the fate of the Russia investigation led by the special counsel Robert Mueller.

On Monday, President Trump said he has no plans to fire him, and many Americans may have breathed a sigh of relief. But while it’s true that his departure would have been cause for worry for those who seek to protect the independence and integrity of Mr. Mueller’s investigation, at this stage of the inquiry, even a replacement dead set on shutting it down would find such a maneuver nearly impossible to accomplish — and with each day that goes by, it becomes even harder.

New York Times