The Daily Parker

Tom Friedman gives Joe Biden some good advice:

First, Biden should declare that he will take part in a debate only if Trump releases his tax returns for 2016 through 2018. Biden has already done so, and they are on his website. Trump must, too. No more gifting Trump something he can attack while hiding his own questionable finances.

And second, Biden should insist that a real-time fact-checking team approved by both candidates be hired by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates — and that 10 minutes before the scheduled conclusion of the debate this team report on any misleading statements, phony numbers or outright lies either candidate had uttered. That way no one in that massive television audience can go away easily misled.

Of course, Trump will stomp and protest and say, “No way.” Fine. Let Trump cancel. Let Trump look American voters in the eye and say: “There will be no debate, because I should be able to continue hiding my tax returns from you all, even though I promised that I wouldn’t and even though Biden has shown you his. And there will be no debate, because I should be able to make any statement I want without any independent fact-checking.”

We'll see. But really, Biden has no reason to debate Trump otherwise. (Note: I am a financial contributor to Joe Biden's campaign.)

In other news:

• The Atlantic's David Graham says the Mazars decision lets Trump run out the clock; Andrew Sullivan thinks it's still a good decision.
• French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Notre Dame's spire will be restored to its 19th-century design.
• Band of Bohemia, the only Michelin-starred brewery in the world (and a future stop on the Brews and Choos project) has closed temporarily while they work out some hostility.
• This afternoon Chicago will break a record for the longest stretch of 27°C days in a row (12), which has helped make Chicago's air dirtier than L.A.'s.

Back to coding.