The BBJ has the scoop. …

Boston’s Juliet Kayyem is outraged by the latest assassination attempt. … It’s time the Biden administration ups the security surrounding Trump to presidential, or at least vice presidential,  levels. … Besides the obvious holes in security and the impact of the assassination attempt on the body politic, I’m concerned about conspiracy theories that unfairly tie the Ukrainian government to this. It’s going to happen, you just know it, fanned by Russia. … 

Update – Trump should be outraged. But not this type of outraged. His remarks are totally irresponsible.

This is a great explainer piece about how so many Haitian immigrants ended up in Springfield, Ohio. It’s a mostly just-the-facts-ma’am type of story by the NYT, setting aside the odious non-factual claims by Donald Trump et gang that Haitian immigrants are feasting on family pets in Springfield. If you’re looking for reporting that confirms all of your ideological prejudices, left or right, you’ll find the piece a little uncomfortable at times. For instance:

— It was private employers who hired thousands of Haitians and encouraged them to spread the word within Haitian immigrant circles about available jobs in Springfield, Ohio. I think it’s very safe to say that in Ohio, more than a few of those employers are rock-solid Republicans. In general, employers are playing a huge under-reported role in the nation’s immigration saga, a role Trump supporters conveniently don’t mention much.

— Springfield, with a population of less than 50,000, has seen an influx of 12,000 to 20,000 Haitians of late. This is far more than the “thousands” suggested in prior MSM stories. It’s simply a crushing, overwhelming number that would freak out officials in any town in the U.S., not just Springfield. (Picture the influx happening in Brookline, Mass. Can you imagine the uproar?)  

— The article clearly shows that jobs and affordable housing attracted Haitians to Springfield, making them classic immigrants pursuing the American Dream. But they’re also immigrants, unlike generations past, who are entitled by law, via the Temporary Protected Status statute, to all government services and benefits, from health-care to food stamps to schooling for their children. This is mostly what’s overwhelming town resources. 

— The article notes that “most” Haitians in Springfield are there legally. But that begs the questions: 1.) what percentage are not there legally?  2.) how many arrived illegally but were later declared legal via Biden administration fiat under TPS?  

Fyi: Scott Van Voorhis has a good post on this general issue (see “Will history repeat itself? Mainstream media and progressives underestimate the voters anger and anxiety over illegal immigration”). But with their racist tropes about immigrants chowing down on Fido and other family pets, Trump et gang have clearly crossed a line (yet again).

Northeastern’s empire, which already encompasses London, New York, Oakland and other satellite locations, keeps expanding. The BBJ has the details. …

Massachusetts State Police’s training academy is once again the center of controversy. The agency — which over the years has been accused of running overly harsh and at times crude training programs that have clearly contributed to record high dropout rates – has announced that State Police trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia died after suffering a “medical crisis during a defensive tactics training and became unresponsive,” according to a report at NBC Boston.

But then there’s this: “Delgado’s family said their loved one suffered a broken neck, missing teeth and severe brain damage and are now demanding accountability as well as an explanations to what went on inside the walls of the academy.” An unnamed friend is quoted by NBC as saying: “I’m ashamed of MSP, and I feel like they need to thoroughly investigate this and justice needs to be brought because its not okay how they’re treating these troops.”  

So … here we go again? The Healey administration needs to get to the bottom of this. … I’ve previously argued (scroll down to June 26) that maybe, just maybe, the State Police’s long and sad history of scandal after scandal just might be tied to who and how they hire. As I wrote in June: “The bottom line: the agency has prioritized brawn over brains for years, no matter how much they deny that’s the case.”

Update – The ‘defensive tactics training’ cited by the State Police was actually a required boxing exercise, CBS reports.

Doesn’t Laura Loomer remind you of Melisandre in Game of Thrones? … The resemblances are striking (in appearance and in roles). … And if that isn’t a meme-worthy comparison, I don’t know what is. 

Update – Others are seeing the same eerie resemblances. 

I’m a big supporter of helping Ukraine. But not this. It’s an escalation too far. … How can this be decisive without launching deliberately damaging strikes against Russia? … Putin is threatening war with the West. He’s always threatening wider war. But this is definitely different. … Second link via John Ellis’s News Items.

David Van Voorhis, aka Statman at Scott Van Voorhis’s newsletter, has a fascinating analysis (scroll to bottom) on post-debate polling in general, raising key points people should consider in the wake of Tuesday’s presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris: 1.) Trump has a record of losing presidential debates by an average of 23 percent, so Tuesday night’s performance statistically wasn’t too off from the norm. 2) results from the last 21 presidential debates since 1996 suggest Harris could see a bump of 1 to 1.5 percent in post-debate polls. 3.) quoting polling guru Nate Siliver, Van Voorhis says it may take a week or two to get accurate post-debate polling. …

Definitely read his full analysis. A 1 to 1.5 percent bump for Harris sounds about right to me, btw.

This is interesting. From WaPo: “Nearly every state-led effort to ban food waste analyzed by researchers appears to be failing — except one, according to a new study. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, singled out Massachusetts for reducing the amount of food that gets tossed in the trash.”

Not sure if I agree with everything Jedediah Britton-Purdy proposes, but he’s right to say Kamala Harris has to develop a more substantive, detailed economic plan. … As I noted yesterday morning after the debate: “The flowery platitudes aren’t working.” … I still think my $1,000-for-every-American (or most Americans) idea is a winner. It won’t solve inflation, but it will ease its impact. Voters will love it.