Messy MAGA midterms.

Poor little rich boy. Jeff Bezos told CNBC that Donald Trump is a “more mature, more disciplined version of himself than he was in his first term.” How humiliating and degrading it must be to be that rich and that much of a suck up at the same time.

IN THE NEVADA CURRENT

North Las Vegas clash of the titans. Or something like that. Michael Lyle reports: North Las Vegas mayor race features city councilman and state legislator

Madcap militarist mayhem makes mess of MAGA midterm mojo. The relentless Republican gerrymandering improves their chances, but still probably won't be enough to overcome the fundamentals of the election (i.e., Trump needlessly wrecking the global economy on a whim). But even if it doesn't do the trick this year, over the long term, all the Republican gerrymandering jiggery-pokery will probably pay off for the Republicans, say the expert-texperts. Jonathan Shorman and Jacob Fischler report: Sagging poll ratings, soaring gas prices put GOP in a fix for keeping US House control

Can't be SAVEd. At this point it's not a realistic legislative initiative but an election talking point. Busy Mr. Shorman reports: Trump won’t give up on stalled SAVE America bill, as Dems prep election protections

James Madison is often referred to as the father of the U.S. Constitution. A decade after independence, the new nation was in a bit of an omnishambles tbh. Madison and Alexander Hamilton said hey let's get all the states together to fix some of the braindead nitwittery in the preposterous Articles of Confederation (except Madison and Hamilton phrased it differently). Oh, okay, said the states, some with more enthusiasm than others.

So they gather. And Madison and Hamilton more or less saunter in arm-in-arm with George Washington, who at the time was a living legend about whom no one would say a discouraging word (that would end when Washington became president, and Washington knew it, which is why he was reluctant to take the job ha ha). Oh by the way, Madison and Hamilton told the states, the Articles of Confederation totally suck so we're all going to come up with something else and Washington's on board so neener neener, m'kay? Except again, Madison and Hamilton phrased it differently. Hmm, I seem to be digressing.

Anyway, in Federalist No. 10, Madison wrote:  “No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause, because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity.” In the instance of the person discussed in this piece via The Conversation, there is no integrity left to corrupt, if there ever was. Still a good Madison quote though. And the piece is a good read:  When a judge in his own cause negotiates with himself

Good Luck