Shoot the Messenger: An Army officer who works for the National Security Council testified before Congress yesterday that the so-called “transcript” of President Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine was edited to omit some significant things that were said. 

  Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman told investigators that the omissions included Trump’s claim that there were recordings of former Vice President Joe Biden discussing Ukraine corruption, and an explicit reference by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to Burisma Holdings, the energy company whose board employed Biden’s son Hunter. The omissions do not significantly alter the meaning of the call, but they support the theory that people in the White House think something was wrong there. The records of what Trump has described as a “perfect” phone call were moved to a top secret server.

  And even as the decorated veteran testified, President Trump attacked him as a “never Trumper” while others questioned the officer’s patriotism. They’ve gone immediately for character assassination.

  Vindman immigrated to the US from Ukraine at age 3, joined the Army right out of college, and was wounded in Iraq. But former Republican Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin suggested during a CNN interview yesterday that Vindman might have an inappropriate attachment to his country of birth. “He has an affinity, probably, for his homeland,” Duffy said. “It seems very clear that he is concerned for Ukrainian defense. I don’t know that he’s concerned for American policy, but his main mission was to make sure that the Ukraine [sic] got those weapons.”

  It is American policy, and part of Vindman’s job, to defend Ukraine. Trump tweeted, “Supposedly, according to the Corrupt Media, the Ukraine call ‘concerned’ today’s Never Trumper witness. Was he on the same call that I was? Can’t be possible! Please ask him to read the Transcript of the call. Witch Hunt!”

  The Trump defense is based not on what is true, but on who can win. “I have never in my life witnessed such resolution and anger,” Fox News host Sean Hannity said citing listener comments. “I believe that if the Democrats do this and impeach him, and they can, andhe’s not going to get convicted in the Senate — I believe that the people that voted for Trump in 2016 and probably many others are going to be willing to wait in line for a month” to vote for him in 2020.

Econ 101: The Federal Reserve is expected to lower interest rates for the third time this year, essentially juicing the economy on steroids as it strains under the weight of President Trump’s trade war with China and a general softening. Lowering interest rates too much gives the Fed little maneuvering room in a crisis.

The Fires This Time:  With thousands of acres already left scorched in California, the state is bracing today for a blast of hot Santa Ana winds that will feed the fall wildfires. Winds could get up to 70 or 80 mph. Dozens of homes have already burned in both Southern and Northern California.  

Rising Tide: Climate scientists predict that as climate change melts polar ice, a dramatically larger number of people will be living below the high tide mark. The new climate notes that while 110 million people worldwide live below the high-tide level protected by manmade structures, that number will rise to 150 million in 2050 and 190 million by 2100.

The Bulletin Board: George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign aide who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia investigation, filed paperwork to run for the House seat left vacant by the resignation of spicy California Democrat Katie Hill. Papadopoulos was sentenced to 14 days in prison so Californians would get a corrupt Congressman who’s already done his time. — Three gunmen killed three people and wounded nine in Long Beach, California last night. Police are looking for suspects. — Creating a major crack in the wall of amateurism, the NCAA voted to allow college athletes to make money off their name, image, and likeness. Currently in the phony amateurism of big time college sports, everyone from the college to coaches and the advertisers make money, but not the players.  

The Boys of October: In an odd World Series in which neither team has won a game at home, The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros play game seven tonight to determine the championship. Washington beat Houston 7-2 last night in Houston. It’s the first time in any major professional sport in which the road team has won the first six games of a championship.

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