https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-dark-twisted-failure-of-devin-nunes-w516668
"Someday, when Hollywood starts making movies and episodic dramas about this bizarre epoch in American history – that time when Russia installed a fat, orange-tinted fourth-grader in the White House, and "conservatives" cheered and plotted to keep him there – there will be a whole dog-kennel's worth of knaves to fill out any plot, from sweaty international man-of-mystery Paul Manafort to rosy-cheeked son-of-a-felon Jared Kushner. Screenwriters will be forced to pick and choose their villains; there will be far too many to pack into a script. But when it comes to comic relief, the choices (beyond Donald Trump himself) will be easy and universal: Failed-academic-in-a-Gilligan-hat Carter Page is guaranteed to become a stock character in the saga, as the eager stooge too dumb to be a spy. And Devin Nunes, the climate-denying mediocrity from Tulare, California, will take his place in the mythology as Trump and Putin's most useful idiot on Capitol Hill."
Sunday, February 18, 2018
The Plot Against America
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/paul-manafort-american-hustler/550925/
"All of Manafort’s hopes, of course, proved to be pure fantasy. Instead of becoming the biggest player in Donald Trump’s Washington, he has emerged as a central villain in its central scandal. An ever-growing pile of circumstantial evidence suggests that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian efforts to turn the 2016 presidential election in its favor. Given Manafort’s long relationship with close Kremlin allies including Yanukovych and Deripaska, and in particular his indebtedness to the latter, it is hard to imagine him as either a naive or passive actor in such a scheme—although Deripaska denies knowledge of any plan by Manafort to get back into his good graces. Manafort was in the room with Donald Trump Jr. when a Russian lawyer and lobbyist descended on Trump Tower in the summer of 2016, promising incriminating material on Hillary Clinton. That same summer, the Trump campaign, with Manafort as its manager, successfully changed the GOP’s platform, watering down support for Ukraine’s pro-Western, post-Yanukovych government, a change welcomed by Russia and previously anathema to Republicans. When the Department of Justice indicted Paul Manafort in October—for failing to register as a foreign agent, for hiding money abroad—its portrait of the man depicted both avarice and desperation, someone who traffics in dark money and dark causes. It seems inevitable, in retrospect, that Robert Mueller, the special counsel, would treat Manafort’s banking practices while in Ukraine as his first subject of public scrutiny, the obvious starting point for his investigation."
"All of Manafort’s hopes, of course, proved to be pure fantasy. Instead of becoming the biggest player in Donald Trump’s Washington, he has emerged as a central villain in its central scandal. An ever-growing pile of circumstantial evidence suggests that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian efforts to turn the 2016 presidential election in its favor. Given Manafort’s long relationship with close Kremlin allies including Yanukovych and Deripaska, and in particular his indebtedness to the latter, it is hard to imagine him as either a naive or passive actor in such a scheme—although Deripaska denies knowledge of any plan by Manafort to get back into his good graces. Manafort was in the room with Donald Trump Jr. when a Russian lawyer and lobbyist descended on Trump Tower in the summer of 2016, promising incriminating material on Hillary Clinton. That same summer, the Trump campaign, with Manafort as its manager, successfully changed the GOP’s platform, watering down support for Ukraine’s pro-Western, post-Yanukovych government, a change welcomed by Russia and previously anathema to Republicans. When the Department of Justice indicted Paul Manafort in October—for failing to register as a foreign agent, for hiding money abroad—its portrait of the man depicted both avarice and desperation, someone who traffics in dark money and dark causes. It seems inevitable, in retrospect, that Robert Mueller, the special counsel, would treat Manafort’s banking practices while in Ukraine as his first subject of public scrutiny, the obvious starting point for his investigation."
Mueller Has the Goods Now, and Trump Knows It
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a18212230/what-mueller-indictments-mean/
"Oh, they’re smart fellers, they are. The indictments were rolled out perfectly. It is now absolutely impossible for the president* to fire either Rosenstein or Mueller without the worst possible political consequences. By basing the indictments on federal election law, Mueller has framed the case so as also to include anyone who accepted this criminal help."
"Oh, they’re smart fellers, they are. The indictments were rolled out perfectly. It is now absolutely impossible for the president* to fire either Rosenstein or Mueller without the worst possible political consequences. By basing the indictments on federal election law, Mueller has framed the case so as also to include anyone who accepted this criminal help."
How much did Paul Ryan know about Russia's election interference and when did he know it?
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/16/1742050/-How-much-did-Paul-Ryan-know-about-Russia-s-election-interference-and-when-did-he-know-it
"Paul Ryan knew in 2016, before the election, that Russia was interfering and he knew very well the dangers that posed to our democracy. And right now, Ryan is doing his level best to help Nunes cover it up."
"Paul Ryan knew in 2016, before the election, that Russia was interfering and he knew very well the dangers that posed to our democracy. And right now, Ryan is doing his level best to help Nunes cover it up."
How much did Mitch McConnell know about Russian interference and when did he know it?
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/16/1742029/-How-much-did-Mitch-McConnell-know-and-when-did-he-know-it
"Now seems like a good time to revisit how Republican leadership in Congress knew about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in the summer and fall of that year. Specifically, the part about how intelligence officials briefed leadership about their knowledge of Russia's efforts to help Donald Trump, and how Senate Leader Mitch McConnell actively suppressed that information before the election."
"Now seems like a good time to revisit how Republican leadership in Congress knew about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in the summer and fall of that year. Specifically, the part about how intelligence officials briefed leadership about their knowledge of Russia's efforts to help Donald Trump, and how Senate Leader Mitch McConnell actively suppressed that information before the election."
Cracking the Shell
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/reports/2018/02/13/446576/cracking-the-shell/
"A foreign power can exploit systemic vulnerabilities—such as gaps in money laundering regulations, lack of corporate transparency, and insufficient anti-corruption controls—to undermine democratic institutions and influence elections anywhere around the world, including in the United States. Corroding a system from within through corruption and financial leverage has been a central part of the Kremlin playbook in Europe and in post-Soviet states. The 2016 U.S. presidential election is a useful lens through which to analyze how such methods could be deployed in the United States. Given the Kremlin’s preference for then-candidate Donald Trump, as determined in the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) assessment, it is imperative to consider how Trump’s longstanding business ties with a bevy of figures from Russia and the former Soviet Union could have been exploited in the context of the campaign. Since his rise to power nearly two decades ago, President Vladimir Putin has made a concerted effort to exercise control over Russia’s oligarchs, using their wealth and strategic enterprises to advance Russia’s national interests abroad. Over a similar period, Trump and the Trump Organization have become heavily intertwined with some of the same government-linked Russian business elites. There is evidence of vast amounts of Russian money tied up in Trump’s assets, money that has proven vital for Trump as he and his businesses have been shunned by conventional banks following multiple bankruptcies.3 Trump’s financial distress, coupled with his well-documented dubious approach to business partnerships, could have made him a compelling target for Russians seeking to influence the 2016 election. This report shows how otherwise prosaic business connections evolved during the presidential campaign and transition as figures representing the Kremlin’s interests sought to gauge the willingness of various Trump associates to work with them."
"A foreign power can exploit systemic vulnerabilities—such as gaps in money laundering regulations, lack of corporate transparency, and insufficient anti-corruption controls—to undermine democratic institutions and influence elections anywhere around the world, including in the United States. Corroding a system from within through corruption and financial leverage has been a central part of the Kremlin playbook in Europe and in post-Soviet states. The 2016 U.S. presidential election is a useful lens through which to analyze how such methods could be deployed in the United States. Given the Kremlin’s preference for then-candidate Donald Trump, as determined in the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) assessment, it is imperative to consider how Trump’s longstanding business ties with a bevy of figures from Russia and the former Soviet Union could have been exploited in the context of the campaign. Since his rise to power nearly two decades ago, President Vladimir Putin has made a concerted effort to exercise control over Russia’s oligarchs, using their wealth and strategic enterprises to advance Russia’s national interests abroad. Over a similar period, Trump and the Trump Organization have become heavily intertwined with some of the same government-linked Russian business elites. There is evidence of vast amounts of Russian money tied up in Trump’s assets, money that has proven vital for Trump as he and his businesses have been shunned by conventional banks following multiple bankruptcies.3 Trump’s financial distress, coupled with his well-documented dubious approach to business partnerships, could have made him a compelling target for Russians seeking to influence the 2016 election. This report shows how otherwise prosaic business connections evolved during the presidential campaign and transition as figures representing the Kremlin’s interests sought to gauge the willingness of various Trump associates to work with them."
'Follow the money': Ex-US Attorney reveals how Mueller's Russia indictments now lead to Trump's tax returns
'Follow the money': Ex-US Attorney reveals how Mueller's Russia indictments now lead to Trump's tax returns:
"Speaking with New Day host Victor Blackwell, ex-prosecutor Michael Moore, who served as a U.S. Attorney in Georgia, stated upfront the “key” to everything is money. “The key is we need to follow the money, follow the money, follow the money,” Moore explained. ‘I think at some point we’ll find out — that we look back and see that there was a reason that Russia wanted to have Trump elected president. I think that’s one of the reasons we don’t have his tax returns, he’s been holding that very tightly.” “I think that [former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper is right, probably that Mueller has that information and knows there’s a money trail that leads back from Russia to some folks very high up in the Trump administration,” he continued. “It’s likely that there are other things to drop,” Moore stated. “It’s not a complete story of the investigation. It only produces the evidence that is needed to charge these defendants with the crimes"."
"Speaking with New Day host Victor Blackwell, ex-prosecutor Michael Moore, who served as a U.S. Attorney in Georgia, stated upfront the “key” to everything is money. “The key is we need to follow the money, follow the money, follow the money,” Moore explained. ‘I think at some point we’ll find out — that we look back and see that there was a reason that Russia wanted to have Trump elected president. I think that’s one of the reasons we don’t have his tax returns, he’s been holding that very tightly.” “I think that [former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper is right, probably that Mueller has that information and knows there’s a money trail that leads back from Russia to some folks very high up in the Trump administration,” he continued. “It’s likely that there are other things to drop,” Moore stated. “It’s not a complete story of the investigation. It only produces the evidence that is needed to charge these defendants with the crimes"."
The Ghost of Fascism in the Age of Trump
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/43529-the-ghost-of-fascism-in-the-age-of-trump
"When the president states publicly that his political opponents have committed a treasonous act -- one that is punishable by death -- because they refused to offer up sycophantic praise, the plague of fascism is not far away. His call for unity takes a dark turn under such circumstances and emulates a fascist past in which the call for political unity transforms quickly into the use of force and exclusionary violence to impose the authority of a tyrannical regime. In Trump's world, the authoritarian mindset has been resurrected, bent on exhibiting a contempt for the truth, ethics and alleged human weakness. For Trump, success amounts to acting with impunity, using government power to sell or to license his brand, hawking the allure of power and wealth, and finding pleasure in producing a culture of impunity, selfishness and state-sanctioned violence. Trump is a master of performance as a form of mass entertainment. This approach to politics echoes the merging of the spectacle with an ethical abandonment reminiscent of past fascist regimes. As Naomi Klein rightly argues in No Is Not Enough, Trump "approaches everything as a spectacle" and edits "reality to fit his narrative." As the bully-in-chief, he militarizes speech while producing a culture meant to embrace his brand of authoritarianism. This project is most evident in his speeches and policies, which pit white working- and middle-class males against people of color, men against women, and white nationalists against various ethnic, immigrant and religious groups. Trump is a master of theater and diversion, and the mainstream press furthers this attack on critical exchange by glossing over his massive assault on the planet and enactment of policies, such as the GOP tax cuts, which are willfully designed to redistribute wealth upward to his fellow super-rich billionaires. Trump's alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels garners far more headlines than his deregulation of oil and gas industries and his dismantling of environment protections."
"When the president states publicly that his political opponents have committed a treasonous act -- one that is punishable by death -- because they refused to offer up sycophantic praise, the plague of fascism is not far away. His call for unity takes a dark turn under such circumstances and emulates a fascist past in which the call for political unity transforms quickly into the use of force and exclusionary violence to impose the authority of a tyrannical regime. In Trump's world, the authoritarian mindset has been resurrected, bent on exhibiting a contempt for the truth, ethics and alleged human weakness. For Trump, success amounts to acting with impunity, using government power to sell or to license his brand, hawking the allure of power and wealth, and finding pleasure in producing a culture of impunity, selfishness and state-sanctioned violence. Trump is a master of performance as a form of mass entertainment. This approach to politics echoes the merging of the spectacle with an ethical abandonment reminiscent of past fascist regimes. As Naomi Klein rightly argues in No Is Not Enough, Trump "approaches everything as a spectacle" and edits "reality to fit his narrative." As the bully-in-chief, he militarizes speech while producing a culture meant to embrace his brand of authoritarianism. This project is most evident in his speeches and policies, which pit white working- and middle-class males against people of color, men against women, and white nationalists against various ethnic, immigrant and religious groups. Trump is a master of theater and diversion, and the mainstream press furthers this attack on critical exchange by glossing over his massive assault on the planet and enactment of policies, such as the GOP tax cuts, which are willfully designed to redistribute wealth upward to his fellow super-rich billionaires. Trump's alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels garners far more headlines than his deregulation of oil and gas industries and his dismantling of environment protections."
Ex-Trump campaign aide Rick Gates is finalizing a plea deal based on what he told Mueller: report
Ex-Trump campaign aide Rick Gates is finalizing a plea deal based on what he told Mueller: report:
"A former adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is finalizing a plea deal and likely cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. CNN reported Thursday evening that Rick Gates, who was also a close business associate of one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort, will become the third person known to cooperate with Mueller. Gates has reportedly been in plea negotiations with prosecutors for roughly a month, and has had his “Queen for a Day” interview “in which a defendant answers any questions from the prosecutors’ team, including about his own case and other potential criminal activity he witnessed"."
"A former adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is finalizing a plea deal and likely cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. CNN reported Thursday evening that Rick Gates, who was also a close business associate of one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort, will become the third person known to cooperate with Mueller. Gates has reportedly been in plea negotiations with prosecutors for roughly a month, and has had his “Queen for a Day” interview “in which a defendant answers any questions from the prosecutors’ team, including about his own case and other potential criminal activity he witnessed"."
All The White Supremacists Running For Office In 2018
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-supremacists-running-for-office-2018_us_5a7da926e4b0c6726e1285c1?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
"Plus candidates who’ve said white supremacist things, hung out with white supremacists, or talked to anti-Semitic publications."
"Plus candidates who’ve said white supremacist things, hung out with white supremacists, or talked to anti-Semitic publications."
Trump is silent on the flu. Ebola? That was Obama's fault.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-silent-flu-ebola-obamas-fault-212834594.html
"During the deadly 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Donald Trump tweeted around 50 times in October alone that the spread of the disease showcased President Barack Obama’s failings. “Obama’s fault,” he said in one post. “Nothing works in our once great country anymore,” he fumed in another. He raged that Obama’s decision to send U.S. troops to Africa was “morally unfair.” He regularly denounced his predecessor’s refusal to impose a blanket ban on flights from the afflicted countries and mocked the official in charge of running the U.S. government response. He even managed swipes at Obama’s golfing and the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s website. Trump’s outspoken, grab-bag response to the Ebola outbreak that year — which infected 11 Americans and killed just two — stands in contrast to the president’s mute response this year to a severe flu epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that one out of 10 Americans who died last week succumbed to influenza or pneumonia (a common complication of the flu), a total of about 4,000. And 63 kids have died from influenza thus far this season, the agency says. Acting CDC Director Anne Schuchat told reporters that the intensity of this flu season to this point matches that of the 2009 outbreak that sickened some 60.8 million people in the United States, sent 274,000 of them to the hospital and claimed 12,469 lives."
"During the deadly 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Donald Trump tweeted around 50 times in October alone that the spread of the disease showcased President Barack Obama’s failings. “Obama’s fault,” he said in one post. “Nothing works in our once great country anymore,” he fumed in another. He raged that Obama’s decision to send U.S. troops to Africa was “morally unfair.” He regularly denounced his predecessor’s refusal to impose a blanket ban on flights from the afflicted countries and mocked the official in charge of running the U.S. government response. He even managed swipes at Obama’s golfing and the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s website. Trump’s outspoken, grab-bag response to the Ebola outbreak that year — which infected 11 Americans and killed just two — stands in contrast to the president’s mute response this year to a severe flu epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that one out of 10 Americans who died last week succumbed to influenza or pneumonia (a common complication of the flu), a total of about 4,000. And 63 kids have died from influenza thus far this season, the agency says. Acting CDC Director Anne Schuchat told reporters that the intensity of this flu season to this point matches that of the 2009 outbreak that sickened some 60.8 million people in the United States, sent 274,000 of them to the hospital and claimed 12,469 lives."
GOP Takes Another Ruthless Step to Control Federal Courts @alternet
GOP Takes Another Ruthless Step to Control Federal Courts @alternet:
"Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans ended a century-old tradition Thursday that will accelerate the appointment of right-wing federal judges in purple and blue states, where they will preside over thousands of cases that will never reach the Supreme Court. The move, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley of Iowa, was the most egregious partisan intervention in the judiciary since Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked 2016 hearings on President Obama’s final Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, which would have given the court a center-left majority. (After the 2016 election, conservative Neil Gorsuch was appointed and confirmed.)"
"Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans ended a century-old tradition Thursday that will accelerate the appointment of right-wing federal judges in purple and blue states, where they will preside over thousands of cases that will never reach the Supreme Court. The move, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley of Iowa, was the most egregious partisan intervention in the judiciary since Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked 2016 hearings on President Obama’s final Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, which would have given the court a center-left majority. (After the 2016 election, conservative Neil Gorsuch was appointed and confirmed.)"
Voting Rights Roundup: GOP plots to destroy Arizona's independent redistricting commission yet again
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/16/1742070/-Voting-Rights-Roundup-GOP-plots-to-destroy-Arizona-s-independent-redistricting-commission-yet-again
"Republican legislators just won't give up in their fight gain the ability to engage in partisan gerrymandering by dismantling Arizona's independent redistricting commission. They recently advanced a proposed state constitutional amendment out of a state Senate committee that would dramatically reorganize the commission in a way that would render it toothless. If the voters approve this in a November ballot referendum, the commission would effectively be neutralized, giving the GOP-majority legislature the power to pass its own gerrymanders. This isn't the first time that Arizona Republicans have gone to extremes to fight for the ability to gerrymander, which we'll explain below. Back in 2000, voters approved a ballot initiative to create the commision itself after legislators gerrymandered decade after decade. This commission has two Republicans and two Democrats, who then pick a fifth unaffiliated tiebreaker. Most importantly, legislators and party officials themselves don't get to nominate who can serve on the commission, making this one of the very few in the country that can truly be deemed independent of legislative dominance. Independence from legislative control is critical because even when states create commissions where legislative leaders of both parties select an equal number of partisans, those commissioners are far more likely to engage in bipartisan incumbent-protection gerrymandering, while regular citizens often favor more competitive lines."
"Republican legislators just won't give up in their fight gain the ability to engage in partisan gerrymandering by dismantling Arizona's independent redistricting commission. They recently advanced a proposed state constitutional amendment out of a state Senate committee that would dramatically reorganize the commission in a way that would render it toothless. If the voters approve this in a November ballot referendum, the commission would effectively be neutralized, giving the GOP-majority legislature the power to pass its own gerrymanders. This isn't the first time that Arizona Republicans have gone to extremes to fight for the ability to gerrymander, which we'll explain below. Back in 2000, voters approved a ballot initiative to create the commision itself after legislators gerrymandered decade after decade. This commission has two Republicans and two Democrats, who then pick a fifth unaffiliated tiebreaker. Most importantly, legislators and party officials themselves don't get to nominate who can serve on the commission, making this one of the very few in the country that can truly be deemed independent of legislative dominance. Independence from legislative control is critical because even when states create commissions where legislative leaders of both parties select an equal number of partisans, those commissioners are far more likely to engage in bipartisan incumbent-protection gerrymandering, while regular citizens often favor more competitive lines."
Election Security in All 50 States
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/reports/2018/02/12/446336/election-security-50-states/
"Confirmation that votes were correctly counted cannot be provided unless a reliable auditable paper trail exists that can be checked against the official election outcome. Paper ballots that are tabulated by optical scanning machines and voter-verified paper records produced by DRE machines offer a record of voter intent, which will exist even if voting machines are attacked and data are altered."
"Confirmation that votes were correctly counted cannot be provided unless a reliable auditable paper trail exists that can be checked against the official election outcome. Paper ballots that are tabulated by optical scanning machines and voter-verified paper records produced by DRE machines offer a record of voter intent, which will exist even if voting machines are attacked and data are altered."
GOP Adviser: There Are NO Circumstances In Which GOP House Impeaches Trump
GOP Adviser: There Are NO Circumstances In Which GOP House Impeaches Trump:
"Emoluments Clause? psshhhht Being a Russian Operative? yawn Sharing intelligence with hostile nations? shrug Think about that. Without cringing, without apology, without acknowledgment of how incredibly democracy-destroying this is, a GOP adviser admits that the Republican Party will NEVER--under any circumstance--put the country over their party."
"Emoluments Clause? psshhhht Being a Russian Operative? yawn Sharing intelligence with hostile nations? shrug Think about that. Without cringing, without apology, without acknowledgment of how incredibly democracy-destroying this is, a GOP adviser admits that the Republican Party will NEVER--under any circumstance--put the country over their party."
This Trump tweet disproves Nunes’ claim that Papadopoulos never met the president
https://thinkprogress.org/photographic-proof-that-devin-nunes-has-no-idea-what-he-is-talking-about-f11df9085ecb/
"According to Papadopoulos’ guilty plea for lying to the FBI, during that meeting, he told the group — including Trump — that he had ongoing communications with Russians that would allow him to facilitate a meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin. The meeting is even described in Papadopoulos’ indictment"
"According to Papadopoulos’ guilty plea for lying to the FBI, during that meeting, he told the group — including Trump — that he had ongoing communications with Russians that would allow him to facilitate a meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin. The meeting is even described in Papadopoulos’ indictment"
The 20 Big Promises to Trump Voters That He's Broken in Just One Year
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/02/03/20-big-promises-trump-voters-hes-broken-just-one-year
"1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his new tax law does the opposite. By 2027, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the richest 1 percent will have got 83 percent of the tax cut and the richest 0.1 percent, 60 percent of it. But more than half of all Americans — 53 percent — will pay more in taxes. As Trump told his wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago just days after the tax bill became law, “You all just got a lot richer.” 2. He promised to close “special interest loopholes that have been so good for Wall Street investors but unfair to American workers,” especially the notorious “carried interest” loophole for private-equity, hedge fund, and real estate partners. You bought it. But the new tax law keeps the “carried interest” loophole. 3. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful.” You bought it. But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. (Just as well: His plan would have knocked at least 23 million Americans off health insurance, including many of you.) Instead, he’s doing what he can to cut it back and replace it with nothing. The new tax law will result in 13 million people losing health coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office."
"1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his new tax law does the opposite. By 2027, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the richest 1 percent will have got 83 percent of the tax cut and the richest 0.1 percent, 60 percent of it. But more than half of all Americans — 53 percent — will pay more in taxes. As Trump told his wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago just days after the tax bill became law, “You all just got a lot richer.” 2. He promised to close “special interest loopholes that have been so good for Wall Street investors but unfair to American workers,” especially the notorious “carried interest” loophole for private-equity, hedge fund, and real estate partners. You bought it. But the new tax law keeps the “carried interest” loophole. 3. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful.” You bought it. But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. (Just as well: His plan would have knocked at least 23 million Americans off health insurance, including many of you.) Instead, he’s doing what he can to cut it back and replace it with nothing. The new tax law will result in 13 million people losing health coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office."
Letter from Carter Page undercuts central thesis of Nunes memo
https://thinkprogress.org/former-trump-adviser-carter-page-bragged-he-was-an-adviser-to-the-kremlin-be4257b045df/
"The same year, Page has acknowledged a relationship with Victor Podobnyy, who was later charged with working as a Russian intelligence agent under diplomatic cover. In response to reports about Podobnyy’s activities he defended the alleged Russian spy and criticized Obama for prosecuting him. He even expressed sympathy for Podobnyy, the spy— whom he described as a “junior Russian diplomat.” In an email to the Guardian, Page complained that Obama had persecuted Podobnyy… and him “in accordance with Cold War traditions.” FBI surveillance of Page began, on and off, in 2013 — long before the Steele dossier and the 2016 presidential campaign."
"The same year, Page has acknowledged a relationship with Victor Podobnyy, who was later charged with working as a Russian intelligence agent under diplomatic cover. In response to reports about Podobnyy’s activities he defended the alleged Russian spy and criticized Obama for prosecuting him. He even expressed sympathy for Podobnyy, the spy— whom he described as a “junior Russian diplomat.” In an email to the Guardian, Page complained that Obama had persecuted Podobnyy… and him “in accordance with Cold War traditions.” FBI surveillance of Page began, on and off, in 2013 — long before the Steele dossier and the 2016 presidential campaign."
Devin Nunes’ Pathetic Memo Equates to Nothing More Than Breitbart-Style Trash
https://forwardprogressives.com/devin-nunes-pathetic-memo-equates-to-nothing-more-than-breitbart-style-trash/
"This is an official memo from the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, approved by Republicans, containing cherry-picked classified information that paints a misleading picture of events. It was specifically written as nothing more than a hyper-partisan piece of propaganda meant to slander U.S. intelligence and the FBI for no other purpose than to cover for a “president” who could very well be a criminal and a traitor."
"This is an official memo from the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, approved by Republicans, containing cherry-picked classified information that paints a misleading picture of events. It was specifically written as nothing more than a hyper-partisan piece of propaganda meant to slander U.S. intelligence and the FBI for no other purpose than to cover for a “president” who could very well be a criminal and a traitor."
Paul Ryan deletes tax bill tweet after being dragged for not understanding math
https://thinkprogress.org/paul-ryan-twitter-math-b62f5b897b70/
"In a tweet posted Saturday morning, Ryan praised the new tax law spearheaded by the Republican party. The Speaker of the House shared the story of a secretary at a Pennsylvania public high school who was “pleasantly surprised her pay went up $1.50 a week.” The total comes to $78 a year in savings and she told the Associated Press the savings will allow her to pay for an annual Costco membership. Ryan proudly shared this story on Twitter — only to be met with outrage and amusement. He deleted the tweet less than 3 hours later."
"In a tweet posted Saturday morning, Ryan praised the new tax law spearheaded by the Republican party. The Speaker of the House shared the story of a secretary at a Pennsylvania public high school who was “pleasantly surprised her pay went up $1.50 a week.” The total comes to $78 a year in savings and she told the Associated Press the savings will allow her to pay for an annual Costco membership. Ryan proudly shared this story on Twitter — only to be met with outrage and amusement. He deleted the tweet less than 3 hours later."
Paul Ryan and Devin Nunes Are Betraying the Constitution in the Service of Donald Trump
https://www.thenation.com/article/paul-ryan-and-devin-nunes-are-betraying-the-constitution-in-the-service-of-donald-trump/
"Ryan’s dereliction of duty is the more serious matter, as it betrays the most fundamental tenets of the Constitution. When the speaker chose to facilitate this bungling effort by Nunes to smear the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice on Trump’s behalf, the Wisconsin Republican signaled a willingness to make the House of Representatives an appendage of the White House. In so doing, Ryan abandoned the solemn oath he swore “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” Paul Ryan is not supporting the Constitution. He is shredding it. It is grotesque for the speaker to claim that he is aiding and abetting Nunes because “that brings us accountability, that brings us transparency, that helps us clean up any problem we have with [the Justice Department] and FBI”—as Ryan did Thursday in a crudely defensive and wildly dishonest attempt to deny his true intentions. Make no mistake: Paul Ryan has zero interest in accountability, transparency, or cleaning up problems with law-enforcement agencies and the investigative process. He has shown no interest in legitimate and necessary oversight of intelligence agencies. He has never been identified with the cause of civil liberties or with the defense of privacy rights. What Paul Ryan has been identified with is extreme partisanship and with the determination of congressional Republicans to defend Donald Trump—even if that defense comes at the cost of a system of checks and balances that was established 231 years ago to guard against precisely the abuses that are now occurring."
"Ryan’s dereliction of duty is the more serious matter, as it betrays the most fundamental tenets of the Constitution. When the speaker chose to facilitate this bungling effort by Nunes to smear the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice on Trump’s behalf, the Wisconsin Republican signaled a willingness to make the House of Representatives an appendage of the White House. In so doing, Ryan abandoned the solemn oath he swore “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” Paul Ryan is not supporting the Constitution. He is shredding it. It is grotesque for the speaker to claim that he is aiding and abetting Nunes because “that brings us accountability, that brings us transparency, that helps us clean up any problem we have with [the Justice Department] and FBI”—as Ryan did Thursday in a crudely defensive and wildly dishonest attempt to deny his true intentions. Make no mistake: Paul Ryan has zero interest in accountability, transparency, or cleaning up problems with law-enforcement agencies and the investigative process. He has shown no interest in legitimate and necessary oversight of intelligence agencies. He has never been identified with the cause of civil liberties or with the defense of privacy rights. What Paul Ryan has been identified with is extreme partisanship and with the determination of congressional Republicans to defend Donald Trump—even if that defense comes at the cost of a system of checks and balances that was established 231 years ago to guard against precisely the abuses that are now occurring."
The Nunes Memo Doesn't Reveal an Abuse of Power. It Is One.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/02/03/nunes-memo-doesnt-reveal-abuse-power-it-one
"Trump has demanded loyalty from Department officials and asked who they voted for. He fired FBI Director James Comey on false pretenses, after Comey ignored his requests to drop an investigation into former Trump advisor Michael Flynn. He ordered Mueller’s firing (although he later backed down). He expressed fury at Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, and pressured him to resign. And he has expressed bewilderment that he can’t direct the investigations conducted by, in his words, the “Trump Department of Justice.” The White House also surreptitiously enlisted Nunes in a previous attempt to discredit intelligence officials (remember the short-lived “unmasking” scandal?). In short, there is every indication that the Nunes memo was designed to present a misleading picture that can serve as a pretext to end the Mueller investigation. This is simultaneously an abuse of the classification system, a betrayal of the public trust, a violation of longstanding norms shielding the Justice Department from political forces and — quite possibly — attempted obstruction of justice."
"Trump has demanded loyalty from Department officials and asked who they voted for. He fired FBI Director James Comey on false pretenses, after Comey ignored his requests to drop an investigation into former Trump advisor Michael Flynn. He ordered Mueller’s firing (although he later backed down). He expressed fury at Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, and pressured him to resign. And he has expressed bewilderment that he can’t direct the investigations conducted by, in his words, the “Trump Department of Justice.” The White House also surreptitiously enlisted Nunes in a previous attempt to discredit intelligence officials (remember the short-lived “unmasking” scandal?). In short, there is every indication that the Nunes memo was designed to present a misleading picture that can serve as a pretext to end the Mueller investigation. This is simultaneously an abuse of the classification system, a betrayal of the public trust, a violation of longstanding norms shielding the Justice Department from political forces and — quite possibly — attempted obstruction of justice."
Trump’s All-Out Attack on the Rule of Law
https://www.thenation.com/article/trumps-all-out-attack-on-the-rule-of-law/
"This is part of a broader pattern. Since taking office, Trump has targeted investigators, and other law-enforcement officials. He fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who had informed him of Gen. Mike Flynn’s vulnerability to potential Russian blackmail. He ousted US Attorney Preet Bharara in New York (along with all the other Obama-appointed US Attorneys), who had overseen New York real-estate fraud and money-laundering investigations. He demanded FBI Director James Comey’s political loyalty, asked Comey to go easy on Flynn, and then fired Comey over, as Trump famously said on national television, “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia.” He made inappropriate requests of CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and NSA Director Mike Rogers, seeking their help in winding down the FBI investigation. He pressured his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, not to recuse himself from the Russia inquiry, sharply criticized Sessions when he did, and then repeatedly slammed Sessions via Twitter and in media interviews, at one point indicating that he wanted Sessions gone. He repeatedly attacked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has overseen the Russia inquiry since Sessions’s recusal. Last week, reports surfaced that Trump wants to get rid of Rosenstein, too. And Trump has explicitly attacked the entire FBI, saying that it’s “in tatters”—which received strong pushback from the man Trump himself appointed to lead the bureau, Director Christopher Wray. Wray himself threatened to resign over Trump’s uncalled-for attacks against the now-departed Deputy Director McCabe. To most observers, Trump’s actions amount to a massive campaign to obstruct justice, one of the counts that Mueller is charged with looking into."
"This is part of a broader pattern. Since taking office, Trump has targeted investigators, and other law-enforcement officials. He fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who had informed him of Gen. Mike Flynn’s vulnerability to potential Russian blackmail. He ousted US Attorney Preet Bharara in New York (along with all the other Obama-appointed US Attorneys), who had overseen New York real-estate fraud and money-laundering investigations. He demanded FBI Director James Comey’s political loyalty, asked Comey to go easy on Flynn, and then fired Comey over, as Trump famously said on national television, “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia.” He made inappropriate requests of CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and NSA Director Mike Rogers, seeking their help in winding down the FBI investigation. He pressured his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, not to recuse himself from the Russia inquiry, sharply criticized Sessions when he did, and then repeatedly slammed Sessions via Twitter and in media interviews, at one point indicating that he wanted Sessions gone. He repeatedly attacked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has overseen the Russia inquiry since Sessions’s recusal. Last week, reports surfaced that Trump wants to get rid of Rosenstein, too. And Trump has explicitly attacked the entire FBI, saying that it’s “in tatters”—which received strong pushback from the man Trump himself appointed to lead the bureau, Director Christopher Wray. Wray himself threatened to resign over Trump’s uncalled-for attacks against the now-departed Deputy Director McCabe. To most observers, Trump’s actions amount to a massive campaign to obstruct justice, one of the counts that Mueller is charged with looking into."
Why Devin Nunes's Memo Would Never Hold Up in Court
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a16328815/nunes-memo-revelations/
"Don’t forget, Page was under surveillance in 2013, three years before the events at the heart of the Nunes memo. Earlier this week Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent, wrote at Just Security that she wanted to see five basic questions answered by the Nunes memo. The document, I suspect she will say, goes 0-5. It does not tell us what other evidence the feds have or had against Page. It doesn’t tell us anything about the circumstances that drew federal attention to Page to begin with. It doesn’t tell us that Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein was involved in 2016 in some vast conspiracy with other law enforcement officials to subvert the election chances of Donald Trump or improperly undermine his presidency. And it doesn’t tell us boo about Robert Mueller, the special counsel. If this is the best Trump and Nunes can come up with to derail the special counsel, I suspect they’ve failed. Good news for those of us hoping that someone, somewhere, pushes through Congressional obstruction and presidential obfuscation to get to the heart of what all of these Trump people were doing so often in the company of all those Russians. Another thing the Nunes memo doesn’t do? It didn’t accuse any federal law enforcement officials of breaking any laws or rules or procedures. The big winner in all of this, of course, is Vladimir Putin. What a week for him! On Monday, his man in Washington, Donald Trump, refused to impose those sanctions Congress voted overwhelmingly to impose on the Russians as punishment for their interference in our elections. And today the White House and Congressional Republicans made this reckless move to undermine the credibility of America’s intelligence and law enforcement communities. As Sen. John McCain, the ailing Republican from Arizona just put it, “if we continue to undermine our own rule of law, we are doing Putin’s work for him.” Indeed, Donald Trump and Devin Nunes are doing just that."
"Don’t forget, Page was under surveillance in 2013, three years before the events at the heart of the Nunes memo. Earlier this week Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent, wrote at Just Security that she wanted to see five basic questions answered by the Nunes memo. The document, I suspect she will say, goes 0-5. It does not tell us what other evidence the feds have or had against Page. It doesn’t tell us anything about the circumstances that drew federal attention to Page to begin with. It doesn’t tell us that Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein was involved in 2016 in some vast conspiracy with other law enforcement officials to subvert the election chances of Donald Trump or improperly undermine his presidency. And it doesn’t tell us boo about Robert Mueller, the special counsel. If this is the best Trump and Nunes can come up with to derail the special counsel, I suspect they’ve failed. Good news for those of us hoping that someone, somewhere, pushes through Congressional obstruction and presidential obfuscation to get to the heart of what all of these Trump people were doing so often in the company of all those Russians. Another thing the Nunes memo doesn’t do? It didn’t accuse any federal law enforcement officials of breaking any laws or rules or procedures. The big winner in all of this, of course, is Vladimir Putin. What a week for him! On Monday, his man in Washington, Donald Trump, refused to impose those sanctions Congress voted overwhelmingly to impose on the Russians as punishment for their interference in our elections. And today the White House and Congressional Republicans made this reckless move to undermine the credibility of America’s intelligence and law enforcement communities. As Sen. John McCain, the ailing Republican from Arizona just put it, “if we continue to undermine our own rule of law, we are doing Putin’s work for him.” Indeed, Donald Trump and Devin Nunes are doing just that."
How the Conspiracy-Nut Wing of the Republican Party Finally Took Over
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/02/right-wing-conspiracy-theories-from-the-1960s-to-today.html
"Looking back at that Republican history, it’s clear that the party’s reality-based Establishment was in charge from the 1960s through the ’80s, exploiting but marginalizing its useful idiots. It wasn’t until the age of right-wing talk radio and Fox News and Breitbart that the Establishment lost control, as crackpot habits of mind achieved dominance. Indeed, more and more of the reckless, hysterical conspiracist language of Trump’s frenzied defenders in the mainstream resembles that of the lunatic, fringe right from a half-century ago."
"Looking back at that Republican history, it’s clear that the party’s reality-based Establishment was in charge from the 1960s through the ’80s, exploiting but marginalizing its useful idiots. It wasn’t until the age of right-wing talk radio and Fox News and Breitbart that the Establishment lost control, as crackpot habits of mind achieved dominance. Indeed, more and more of the reckless, hysterical conspiracist language of Trump’s frenzied defenders in the mainstream resembles that of the lunatic, fringe right from a half-century ago."
President Trump and Concealing Evidence in the Russia Probe
https://www.justsecurity.org/51710/president-trump-concealing-evidence-russia-probe/
"Specifically, these new revelations show the President’s direct engagement with efforts to provide a false narrative about his campaign’s interactions with the Russians. In establishing Trump’s intent, it will be important to show what he knew when he asked FBI Director James Comey to go easy on Michael Flynn, when he asked senior intelligence officials to get Comey to drop the case, and when he later fired Comey. Trump might very well claim that as a presidential candidate and now President, he operates at such a high altitude and cannot be aware of all of the details of his campaign, the investigation, and the actions of his staff. These new revelations show, however, that when the President was literally flying at 30,000 feet, he was very much involved in the details of drafting a false statement about the particularities of a meeting between his campaign and the Russians."
"Specifically, these new revelations show the President’s direct engagement with efforts to provide a false narrative about his campaign’s interactions with the Russians. In establishing Trump’s intent, it will be important to show what he knew when he asked FBI Director James Comey to go easy on Michael Flynn, when he asked senior intelligence officials to get Comey to drop the case, and when he later fired Comey. Trump might very well claim that as a presidential candidate and now President, he operates at such a high altitude and cannot be aware of all of the details of his campaign, the investigation, and the actions of his staff. These new revelations show, however, that when the President was literally flying at 30,000 feet, he was very much involved in the details of drafting a false statement about the particularities of a meeting between his campaign and the Russians."
'Nothingburger' Doesn't Do This Memo Justice
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a16306229/nunes-memo-nothingburger/
"This Memo, Devin, isn’t even a good try. You and your staff have to be the laziest alleged obstructors of justice that I’ve ever seen. All it appears to be is a lame-ass defense of a self-important goofball Russophile named Carter Page. That’s all you got? This is a guy that got on the FBI radar in 2013, when the president* was still firing celebrities on his television show. The FBI found that Page had been actively cultivated by Russian intelligence as a possible asset. And now, your whole argument is that the FISA warrants were prompted by the Steele dossier and that Steele is a shtunk who was biased against the president*? For this, you needed a memo? For this, you needed a month’s worth of drama? For this, you needed to demolish the good faith between the intelligence community and the congressional committees designed to conduct oversight of that community? You couldn’t even get the date of David Corn’s breakthrough story in Mother Jones right. Hell, you could have saved us all the trouble and just done a couple of nights on Hannity to make that case. You’d have reached every single American that currently buys what you’re peddling. This is threadbare. This is shabby. This reveals absolutely nothing. All it does is damage."
"This Memo, Devin, isn’t even a good try. You and your staff have to be the laziest alleged obstructors of justice that I’ve ever seen. All it appears to be is a lame-ass defense of a self-important goofball Russophile named Carter Page. That’s all you got? This is a guy that got on the FBI radar in 2013, when the president* was still firing celebrities on his television show. The FBI found that Page had been actively cultivated by Russian intelligence as a possible asset. And now, your whole argument is that the FISA warrants were prompted by the Steele dossier and that Steele is a shtunk who was biased against the president*? For this, you needed a memo? For this, you needed a month’s worth of drama? For this, you needed to demolish the good faith between the intelligence community and the congressional committees designed to conduct oversight of that community? You couldn’t even get the date of David Corn’s breakthrough story in Mother Jones right. Hell, you could have saved us all the trouble and just done a couple of nights on Hannity to make that case. You’d have reached every single American that currently buys what you’re peddling. This is threadbare. This is shabby. This reveals absolutely nothing. All it does is damage."
The Russia Cover Up and Conspiring to Lie to Federal Authorities
https://www.justsecurity.org/51399/cover-lie-russia-trump-campaign-conspiracy-perjury-suborn/
"The Trump team long engaged in a concerted effort to lie about campaign contacts with Russians during the 2016 election. Of this all reasonable observers know. Even some Trump supporters bemoan such a strategy ever took place, but it happened. The term for it is a cover up. Senior Trump campaign officials did not just lie to the media and the public. They also lied to federal authorities or risked doing so. At least they were “chancing a very high risk for a perjury situation,” as White House counsel John Dean put it to President Richard Nixon in plotting the Watergate cover up. The list of associates who apparently took this path includes, in chronological order: Jeff Sessions, Jared Kushner, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, K. T. McFarland, and Donald Trump Jr. That list is just based on current public information, and may grow. (I’m also excluding from the list Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, who have been indicted for lying to federal authorities about their connections with Kremlin-linked Ukrainian parties). If you closely examine the record, the puzzle is whether the decision of so many of Trump campaign officials to chance a very high risk of perjury in covering up Russian contacts involved a tacit or explicit understanding on their parts to do so, and encouragement by the others—potentially including encouragement by the president himself. In a piece in the New York Times on Thursday, I put together the pieces of the puzzle, based on what we can infer from the circumstances and conduct of the relevant actors. Some points here to accompany that analysis: First, it is not just a crime to lie to federal authorities, but also a crime to encourage others to do so. The technical term is “suborning perjury.” If such actions involved a conspiracy, it would likely strengthen prosecutors’ tactical advantages."
"The Trump team long engaged in a concerted effort to lie about campaign contacts with Russians during the 2016 election. Of this all reasonable observers know. Even some Trump supporters bemoan such a strategy ever took place, but it happened. The term for it is a cover up. Senior Trump campaign officials did not just lie to the media and the public. They also lied to federal authorities or risked doing so. At least they were “chancing a very high risk for a perjury situation,” as White House counsel John Dean put it to President Richard Nixon in plotting the Watergate cover up. The list of associates who apparently took this path includes, in chronological order: Jeff Sessions, Jared Kushner, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, K. T. McFarland, and Donald Trump Jr. That list is just based on current public information, and may grow. (I’m also excluding from the list Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, who have been indicted for lying to federal authorities about their connections with Kremlin-linked Ukrainian parties). If you closely examine the record, the puzzle is whether the decision of so many of Trump campaign officials to chance a very high risk of perjury in covering up Russian contacts involved a tacit or explicit understanding on their parts to do so, and encouragement by the others—potentially including encouragement by the president himself. In a piece in the New York Times on Thursday, I put together the pieces of the puzzle, based on what we can infer from the circumstances and conduct of the relevant actors. Some points here to accompany that analysis: First, it is not just a crime to lie to federal authorities, but also a crime to encourage others to do so. The technical term is “suborning perjury.” If such actions involved a conspiracy, it would likely strengthen prosecutors’ tactical advantages."
Paul Ryan’s Dem Challenger Dismantles The Speaker For Being Trump’s Spineless Lapdog
https://www.politicususa.com/2018/02/03/paul-ryans-dem-challenger-says-speaker-protecting-trump.html
"Ryan and his colleagues will do anything to shield this president from accountability so long as it means he can continue to check off his anti-middle class agenda items. First, it was tax cuts for the wealthy. Soon, they will wage war on social programs in order to pay for those handouts. Paul Ryan has made a choice that his corporate agenda is more important than protecting the republic from an out-of-control president."
"Ryan and his colleagues will do anything to shield this president from accountability so long as it means he can continue to check off his anti-middle class agenda items. First, it was tax cuts for the wealthy. Soon, they will wage war on social programs in order to pay for those handouts. Paul Ryan has made a choice that his corporate agenda is more important than protecting the republic from an out-of-control president."
How They Spin: Every Lie Matt Schlapp Told About The Memo Ahead Of Its Release Is Now Exposed
How They Spin: Every Lie Matt Schlapp Told About The Memo Ahead Of Its Release Is Now Exposed:
"his early morning appearance is a stellar illustration of how Republicans lied to everyone ahead of the actual release of the Nunes Nothingburger Memo."
"his early morning appearance is a stellar illustration of how Republicans lied to everyone ahead of the actual release of the Nunes Nothingburger Memo."
Trump’s mental health affects us all: “Pathology attracts pathology”
https://www.salon.com/2018/02/03/trumps-mental-health-affects-us-all-pathology-attracts-pathology/
"Donald Trump is a petit-fascist and aspiring despot. His desire for total control and power requires that he subvert democratic norms and procedures. Unfortunately, the American people have already become numb to Trump's assault on democracy."
"Donald Trump is a petit-fascist and aspiring despot. His desire for total control and power requires that he subvert democratic norms and procedures. Unfortunately, the American people have already become numb to Trump's assault on democracy."
Over 7,000 lobbyists pressured Congress on taxes in 2017
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/3/1737651/-Over-7-000-lobbyists-pressured-Congress-on-taxes-in-2017
"It's not exactly a surprise, then, that Republicans were hell-bent on passing new tax laws benefiting corporate interests"
"It's not exactly a surprise, then, that Republicans were hell-bent on passing new tax laws benefiting corporate interests"
Trump puts public, workers at risk as he tries again to eliminate nation’s chemical safety agency
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-eliminate-chemical-safety-agency-76e59a801270/
"The agency is charged with investigating major chemical fires, explosions, leaks, and other accidents."
"The agency is charged with investigating major chemical fires, explosions, leaks, and other accidents."
Monday, February 12, 2018
The Kremlin Is Back, and U.S. Elections Aren’t Ready
The Kremlin Is Back, and U.S. Elections Aren’t Ready:
"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson already sees signs that Russia is trying to interfere in the 2018 midterms, he told Fox News this week. Tillerson’s disclosure came on the heels of an equally bleak assessment from CIA Director Mike Pompeo last month. Asked by the BBC whether Russia would target the U.S. midterms, Pompeo replied: “Of course. I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that.” One might expect such high-level warnings to spur action on Capitol Hill, where foreign election interference has historically alarmed both parties. Instead, Republicans have become so consumed with protecting Trump from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe that they’ve effectively scuttled several common-sense bills that would help secure the nation’s elections."
"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson already sees signs that Russia is trying to interfere in the 2018 midterms, he told Fox News this week. Tillerson’s disclosure came on the heels of an equally bleak assessment from CIA Director Mike Pompeo last month. Asked by the BBC whether Russia would target the U.S. midterms, Pompeo replied: “Of course. I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that.” One might expect such high-level warnings to spur action on Capitol Hill, where foreign election interference has historically alarmed both parties. Instead, Republicans have become so consumed with protecting Trump from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe that they’ve effectively scuttled several common-sense bills that would help secure the nation’s elections."
Trump Turns GOP Into a Conspiracy of Dunces
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-gop-a-conspiracy-of-dunces
"Secret societies, government agents of dubious loyalties, dark cabals who work from shadowy bureaucracies seeking to overthrow the president of the United States, sinister masterminds exercising fell powers to serve a diabolical conspiracy, occult powers that shift the levers of control in mysterious ways—no, it’s not X-Files fan fiction or some modern-day Lovecraft reboot. It’s today’s GOP. The Republican Party’s head-first dive into breathless conspiratorial fantasies in defense of Donald Trump is a brand-defining moment as the Party of Lincoln morphs into the Party of LaRouche. Listening as members of Congress, the Fox News/talk-radio world and the constellation of batsh*t-crazy people drawn to Esoteric Trumpism adopt increasingly baroque theories to protect The Donald isn’t just depressing; it’s tragic. A diseased slurry of fake news, post-Truth Trumpism, and Russkie agitprop infects the Republican Party. It’s an ebola of wild-eyed MK-ULTRA paranoiac raving, spreading to every organ of the Republican body politic."
"Secret societies, government agents of dubious loyalties, dark cabals who work from shadowy bureaucracies seeking to overthrow the president of the United States, sinister masterminds exercising fell powers to serve a diabolical conspiracy, occult powers that shift the levers of control in mysterious ways—no, it’s not X-Files fan fiction or some modern-day Lovecraft reboot. It’s today’s GOP. The Republican Party’s head-first dive into breathless conspiratorial fantasies in defense of Donald Trump is a brand-defining moment as the Party of Lincoln morphs into the Party of LaRouche. Listening as members of Congress, the Fox News/talk-radio world and the constellation of batsh*t-crazy people drawn to Esoteric Trumpism adopt increasingly baroque theories to protect The Donald isn’t just depressing; it’s tragic. A diseased slurry of fake news, post-Truth Trumpism, and Russkie agitprop infects the Republican Party. It’s an ebola of wild-eyed MK-ULTRA paranoiac raving, spreading to every organ of the Republican body politic."
The White House copied its assigned homework on Russia from the Kremlin website
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-administration-outsources-russia-policy-to-forbes-magazine-95d0eda1becd/
"For months, Russian higher-ups had been shaken by the prospect of being named by the U.S. as a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As stipulated by the unwieldy 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the Trump administration had some 180 days to detail those voices who held sway with the Kremlin – and who would suddenly face the prospect of individual sanctions. And all of them, according to the Moscow Times, were “doing everything possible to keep their names off the list.” The deadline for the White House’s findings came yesterday – as did, late at night, the administration’s final list of politicians, oligarchs, and industrialists deemed of importance. But instead of any concern rippling through Moscow, there now seems, at first blush, a sense of relief. Because while there are some 114 officials and 96 business figures named, it appears that the administration put little research into their list, and effectively outsourced their work to both Forbes and the Kremlin website. According to the released list – a separate, related memo remains classified – U.S. officials determined who would be on the list “based on objective criteria related to individuals’ official position in the case of senior political figures, or a net worth of $1 billion or more for oligarchs.” But as a Treasury Department official told BuzzFeed, the unclassified list stemmed directly from Forbes’ ranking of the richest businessmen in Russia. And per the Washington Post, the list of officials “appears copy-pasted from … the Kremlin directory of officials available on its English-language website"."
"For months, Russian higher-ups had been shaken by the prospect of being named by the U.S. as a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As stipulated by the unwieldy 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the Trump administration had some 180 days to detail those voices who held sway with the Kremlin – and who would suddenly face the prospect of individual sanctions. And all of them, according to the Moscow Times, were “doing everything possible to keep their names off the list.” The deadline for the White House’s findings came yesterday – as did, late at night, the administration’s final list of politicians, oligarchs, and industrialists deemed of importance. But instead of any concern rippling through Moscow, there now seems, at first blush, a sense of relief. Because while there are some 114 officials and 96 business figures named, it appears that the administration put little research into their list, and effectively outsourced their work to both Forbes and the Kremlin website. According to the released list – a separate, related memo remains classified – U.S. officials determined who would be on the list “based on objective criteria related to individuals’ official position in the case of senior political figures, or a net worth of $1 billion or more for oligarchs.” But as a Treasury Department official told BuzzFeed, the unclassified list stemmed directly from Forbes’ ranking of the richest businessmen in Russia. And per the Washington Post, the list of officials “appears copy-pasted from … the Kremlin directory of officials available on its English-language website"."
Trump, Russia, Election. Quid, Pro, Quo.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a15924593/trump-russia-election-quid-pro-quo/
"On Monday, when President* Trump was fitting the employees of the Department of Justice for their armbands, he also was supposed to sign a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia"
"On Monday, when President* Trump was fitting the employees of the Department of Justice for their armbands, he also was supposed to sign a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia"
Breaking, shocker, but no surprise: Trump refuses to enforce Russia sanctions
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/29/1737006/-Breaking-but-no-shocker-Trump-refuses-to-enforce-Russia-sanctions
"Interesting that this happened on the same day Andrew McCabe was forced out. It’s basically throwing down the gauntlet to Congress. “I don’t have to follow your orders even if you vote 98-2… how you gonna make me?” It seems we have a constitutional crisis and not even on only one front. Nunes & gang on the House Intelligence Committee have voted to release the Nunes-authored memo (and of course keep the Dem side silenced) to give cover to Trump shutting down the Mueller investigation. If the Senate wants to maintain any power in the face of Trump’s powermongering, it had better draw a line in the sand right now."
"Interesting that this happened on the same day Andrew McCabe was forced out. It’s basically throwing down the gauntlet to Congress. “I don’t have to follow your orders even if you vote 98-2… how you gonna make me?” It seems we have a constitutional crisis and not even on only one front. Nunes & gang on the House Intelligence Committee have voted to release the Nunes-authored memo (and of course keep the Dem side silenced) to give cover to Trump shutting down the Mueller investigation. If the Senate wants to maintain any power in the face of Trump’s powermongering, it had better draw a line in the sand right now."
Year one of the Trump administration: Normalizing itself by working for the top 1 percent
Year one of the Trump administration: Normalizing itself by working for the top 1 percent
"Protecting Wall Street is a common theme in the first year of the Trump presidency. Besides his Fed picks, Trump has also installed Mick Mulvaney as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Mulvaney is a long-time enemy of the CFPB, and has already rolled back regulations protecting borrowers from the worst abuses of payday lenders. As a congressman from South Carolina, Mulvaney ranked ninth among all his peers in how much money he raised from the payday lending industry. Their investment has paid off well. Besides the regulatory rollbacks, Mulvaney also released a memo to CFPB staff informing them that the Bureau exists to “serve” these and other financial institutions. The attack on regulations that bolster the economic security of working Americans is another common theme in the first year of the Trump presidency. His administration has, for example, delayed key provisions of the fiduciary rule and signaled its intention to weaken it further. While “fiduciary rule” sounds wonkish, it’s not. It’s a rule that simply states that financial advisors are not allowed to cheat their clients by doing things like steering their money into vehicles that provide low rates of return to the clients but high fees to the advisors. It is the rock-bottom lowest standard that one could imagine for an industry that exists to help working Americans manage their financial decisions. Conflicted advice that steered money to financial vehicles that generated high fees for advisors rather than high returns for savers costs Americans about $17 billion each year. This is $17 billion transferred directly from working Americans to Wall Street firms. The fiduciary rule was designed to stop this transfer, but the Trump administration is working hard to make sure it continues. Aside from the fiduciary rule, the Trump administration has also made clear its intention to undermine the improved threshold defining who is automatically entitled to overtime pay."
"Protecting Wall Street is a common theme in the first year of the Trump presidency. Besides his Fed picks, Trump has also installed Mick Mulvaney as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Mulvaney is a long-time enemy of the CFPB, and has already rolled back regulations protecting borrowers from the worst abuses of payday lenders. As a congressman from South Carolina, Mulvaney ranked ninth among all his peers in how much money he raised from the payday lending industry. Their investment has paid off well. Besides the regulatory rollbacks, Mulvaney also released a memo to CFPB staff informing them that the Bureau exists to “serve” these and other financial institutions. The attack on regulations that bolster the economic security of working Americans is another common theme in the first year of the Trump presidency. His administration has, for example, delayed key provisions of the fiduciary rule and signaled its intention to weaken it further. While “fiduciary rule” sounds wonkish, it’s not. It’s a rule that simply states that financial advisors are not allowed to cheat their clients by doing things like steering their money into vehicles that provide low rates of return to the clients but high fees to the advisors. It is the rock-bottom lowest standard that one could imagine for an industry that exists to help working Americans manage their financial decisions. Conflicted advice that steered money to financial vehicles that generated high fees for advisors rather than high returns for savers costs Americans about $17 billion each year. This is $17 billion transferred directly from working Americans to Wall Street firms. The fiduciary rule was designed to stop this transfer, but the Trump administration is working hard to make sure it continues. Aside from the fiduciary rule, the Trump administration has also made clear its intention to undermine the improved threshold defining who is automatically entitled to overtime pay."
Workers’ health, safety, and pay are among the casualties of Trump’s war on regulations: A deregulation year in review
Workers’ health, safety, and pay are among the casualties of Trump’s war on regulations: A deregulation year in review:
"Regulations establish the rules of the game and assure important protections for working people. Corporations and wealthy special interests have demonstrated that—if there’s nothing stopping them—they will do what they can to squeeze out more profits for themselves, even if it means jeopardizing workers’ health and safety and retirement funds. The Great Recession is proof that it is dangerous to assume that corporations and Wall Street will police themselves. American workers deserve a fair system—with rules that serve their interests as opposed to deregulating to rig the system so that corporate interests can rake in ever-larger profits at the expense of workers. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have spent an enormous amount of time and political capital in their first year in control doing exactly that—by painting regulations as the “problem.” It is time to end this deception and return to defending the rules that protect workers, consumers, and public health."
"Regulations establish the rules of the game and assure important protections for working people. Corporations and wealthy special interests have demonstrated that—if there’s nothing stopping them—they will do what they can to squeeze out more profits for themselves, even if it means jeopardizing workers’ health and safety and retirement funds. The Great Recession is proof that it is dangerous to assume that corporations and Wall Street will police themselves. American workers deserve a fair system—with rules that serve their interests as opposed to deregulating to rig the system so that corporate interests can rake in ever-larger profits at the expense of workers. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have spent an enormous amount of time and political capital in their first year in control doing exactly that—by painting regulations as the “problem.” It is time to end this deception and return to defending the rules that protect workers, consumers, and public health."
How many ways will Trump obstruct justice before Republicans admit he's hellbent on obstruction?
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/29/1736906/-How-many-ways-will-Trump-obstruct-justice-before-Republicans-admit-he-s-hellbent-on-obstruction
"Trump's all-out assault on the rule of law is as stunning as it is scary. He fired Comey over the Russia investigation. He ordered Comey's replacement fired. When he couldn't get that, he began a campaign to systematically oust the people standing in his way—the top three law enforcement officials in the country, two of whom are Republicans and his very own appointees. Trump has now succeeded in forcing out the third (who was longer heading the FBI) and looks to be knocking down the door of the second in command so he can finally appoint someone who will be amenable to axing the special counsel he began railing against on the very day he was appointed. Republicans are responding in one of two ways—they're either doing Trump's bidding on unseating Rosenstein or expressing close-to-zero urgency about passing legislation to protect Mueller's appointment. The zero-urgency crowd—like GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins—better wake up and smell the coffee. How many more ways does Trump have to obstruct justice before they admit that he's deliberately trying to obstruct justice? By the time Trump succeeds in ousting Mueller, their present-day passivity will prove complicit in the collapse of our nation’s rule of law. And the United States will truly find itself locked in the jaws of a tyrant."
"Trump's all-out assault on the rule of law is as stunning as it is scary. He fired Comey over the Russia investigation. He ordered Comey's replacement fired. When he couldn't get that, he began a campaign to systematically oust the people standing in his way—the top three law enforcement officials in the country, two of whom are Republicans and his very own appointees. Trump has now succeeded in forcing out the third (who was longer heading the FBI) and looks to be knocking down the door of the second in command so he can finally appoint someone who will be amenable to axing the special counsel he began railing against on the very day he was appointed. Republicans are responding in one of two ways—they're either doing Trump's bidding on unseating Rosenstein or expressing close-to-zero urgency about passing legislation to protect Mueller's appointment. The zero-urgency crowd—like GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins—better wake up and smell the coffee. How many more ways does Trump have to obstruct justice before they admit that he's deliberately trying to obstruct justice? By the time Trump succeeds in ousting Mueller, their present-day passivity will prove complicit in the collapse of our nation’s rule of law. And the United States will truly find itself locked in the jaws of a tyrant."
Republicans Are Using The "Secret Memo" To Cynically Manipulate Frightened Trump Voters
https://thedailybanter.com/2018/01/secret-memo-fearmongering/
"In other words, Republicans are building a case for the removal of Rod Rosenstein so his replacement (chosen by Trump, of course) will either shut down or hamstring the Russia probe that threatens to end Trump's presidency. Remember, Jeff Sessions can't do it because he's recused himself from anything having to do with the Russia probe and neither he nor Trump can fire Rosenstein without opening themselves to obstruction of justice charges. Trump, in turn, can't fire Sessions because he's doing everything Trump's white nationalist base could ever dream of as America's first Neo-Confederate Attorney General. Therefore, a case against Rosenstein has to be fabricated. But, knowing that any such case would collapse upon the most cursory of examinations, Republicans are laying the necessary groundwork for their easily manipulated followers to accept any "evidence" no matter how transparently fake. After all, once they "know" for a fact that Rosenstein is guilty of...something, they'll never actually have to even see the evidence. If you think this is hyperbole, you're wildly overestimating the mental fortitude of white Republican voters. Millions of them still literally believe Hillary Clinton personally ordered the military to stand down in Benghazi and even reports from Republicans themselves saying that never happened cannot dissuade them. By dangling this "Secret Memo" in front of white Republican voters, the GOP is giving the propaganda machine of the right time to get them used to the idea of Trump firing Rosenstein to shield himself from investigation. By triggering their Pavlovian persecution response, they will believe literally anything they're told as long as it conforms their belief that they're the victim of liberal dirty tricks. It's a deeply cynical manipulation of a political movement eager to be manipulated. The worst part is that's it's not even clear that if white Republicans voters understood they were being manipulated in such a crass and obvious fashion that they would even care."
"In other words, Republicans are building a case for the removal of Rod Rosenstein so his replacement (chosen by Trump, of course) will either shut down or hamstring the Russia probe that threatens to end Trump's presidency. Remember, Jeff Sessions can't do it because he's recused himself from anything having to do with the Russia probe and neither he nor Trump can fire Rosenstein without opening themselves to obstruction of justice charges. Trump, in turn, can't fire Sessions because he's doing everything Trump's white nationalist base could ever dream of as America's first Neo-Confederate Attorney General. Therefore, a case against Rosenstein has to be fabricated. But, knowing that any such case would collapse upon the most cursory of examinations, Republicans are laying the necessary groundwork for their easily manipulated followers to accept any "evidence" no matter how transparently fake. After all, once they "know" for a fact that Rosenstein is guilty of...something, they'll never actually have to even see the evidence. If you think this is hyperbole, you're wildly overestimating the mental fortitude of white Republican voters. Millions of them still literally believe Hillary Clinton personally ordered the military to stand down in Benghazi and even reports from Republicans themselves saying that never happened cannot dissuade them. By dangling this "Secret Memo" in front of white Republican voters, the GOP is giving the propaganda machine of the right time to get them used to the idea of Trump firing Rosenstein to shield himself from investigation. By triggering their Pavlovian persecution response, they will believe literally anything they're told as long as it conforms their belief that they're the victim of liberal dirty tricks. It's a deeply cynical manipulation of a political movement eager to be manipulated. The worst part is that's it's not even clear that if white Republicans voters understood they were being manipulated in such a crass and obvious fashion that they would even care."
Who Has More to Gain by Lying: Trump or Mueller?
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a15914698/mueller-investigation-is-trump-lying/
"When it comes to obstruction of justice and lying, we are sailing again into unchartered waters. And that’s not just because we don’t yet know precisely where Mueller and company are going to land when their investigation is done. Alan Dershowitz aside, earnest professors and practitioners who have spent their careers studying the intersection of law and politics are struggling for clarity today because no administration, not even the Harding administration, has ever been as manifestly corrupt as this one. And not just corrupt, but corrupt without evident remorse. What’s happening is new. And new things mean old precedents may or may not apply. We don’t need to wait for Mueller’s report for proof of this. There is plenty already in the public record to support such a conclusion. The president lies so much, in such reckless ways, about so many material things, and we uneasily joke about it. His attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has ginned up so many different stories about his Russian contacts that he might be a more suitable candidate for an obstruction charge than his boss. Jared Kushner? Donald Trump, Jr.? They may end up being indicted for misconduct that has nothing to do with the Trump team’s Russian collusion. If Mueller were to write a report that focused only on the financial and ethical conflicts swirling through the White House, it might be enough to sustain criminal charges or even impeachment proceedings. In normal circumstances, these people would have been fired or forced to resign for the ways in which they have sullied the credibility of their administration. Instead, the White House remains publicly defiant even as it crumbles from within. In its simplest form, the story from here comes down to these simple questions: Who are you going to believe, who is more likely to act with honor and integrity, who has more to gain by lying, Donald Trump or Robert Mueller?"
"When it comes to obstruction of justice and lying, we are sailing again into unchartered waters. And that’s not just because we don’t yet know precisely where Mueller and company are going to land when their investigation is done. Alan Dershowitz aside, earnest professors and practitioners who have spent their careers studying the intersection of law and politics are struggling for clarity today because no administration, not even the Harding administration, has ever been as manifestly corrupt as this one. And not just corrupt, but corrupt without evident remorse. What’s happening is new. And new things mean old precedents may or may not apply. We don’t need to wait for Mueller’s report for proof of this. There is plenty already in the public record to support such a conclusion. The president lies so much, in such reckless ways, about so many material things, and we uneasily joke about it. His attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has ginned up so many different stories about his Russian contacts that he might be a more suitable candidate for an obstruction charge than his boss. Jared Kushner? Donald Trump, Jr.? They may end up being indicted for misconduct that has nothing to do with the Trump team’s Russian collusion. If Mueller were to write a report that focused only on the financial and ethical conflicts swirling through the White House, it might be enough to sustain criminal charges or even impeachment proceedings. In normal circumstances, these people would have been fired or forced to resign for the ways in which they have sullied the credibility of their administration. Instead, the White House remains publicly defiant even as it crumbles from within. In its simplest form, the story from here comes down to these simple questions: Who are you going to believe, who is more likely to act with honor and integrity, who has more to gain by lying, Donald Trump or Robert Mueller?"
Striving for 'Best Plutocracy Money Can Buy,' Koch Brothers Plan to Dump $400M in 2018 Midterms
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/28/striving-best-plutocracy-money-can-buy-koch-brothers-plan-dump-400m-2018-midterms
"Fresh off the passage of tax legislation that could net them over a billion dollars a year in additional profits, the oil moguls Charles and David Koch have now set their sights on the 2018 midterms, during which they are reportedly planning to spend around $400 million promoting right-wing candidates and priorities. The news came as the Kochs and others within their sprawling network of deep-pocketed donors and politicians were preparing to gather for a secretive weekend conference in Indian Wells, California."
"Fresh off the passage of tax legislation that could net them over a billion dollars a year in additional profits, the oil moguls Charles and David Koch have now set their sights on the 2018 midterms, during which they are reportedly planning to spend around $400 million promoting right-wing candidates and priorities. The news came as the Kochs and others within their sprawling network of deep-pocketed donors and politicians were preparing to gather for a secretive weekend conference in Indian Wells, California."
The Power Behind the Throne Is ‘Fox & Friends’
https://www.thenation.com/article/the-power-behind-the-throne-is-fox-friends/
"Future historians will summarize what happened to early-21st-century America simply by noting that the Cardinal Richelieu of our time is Steve Doocy. It is bad enough that the president of the United States, with limitless access to expertise and the institutional knowledge of a vast bureaucracy at his disposal, chooses instead to turn to cable news. Morning shows are a necessary evil. Viewers need the news sugarcoated in a way that will not lead to despair. So it is, at its best, news with the edges polished. The delivery is caffeinated, unbearably upbeat, and rapid. It is news for people who can’t handle the news quite so early in the day. But Trump doesn’t just watch any morning cable; he turns to Fox & Friends, the “News for Dummies” show on a news network already substantially oriented toward dummies. For the unfamiliar, Fox & Friends is the morning show for the authoritarian-follower personality type that runs daily at 6 am Eastern time. It combines chirpiness with the endless reserves of anger and perceived victimhood that defines the Fox News brand. The hosts—Brian Kilmeade, Steve Doocy, and Ainsley Earhardt—are, to put it mildly, not quite the McLaughlin Group. Doocy exists in a state of permanent, total exasperation. Think of Chandler on Friends at his most overwrought, and that is Steve Doocy, always. Kilmeade’s schtick is a jockish “regular Joe” who just doesn’t understand and makes constant appeals to “common sense.” His résumé includes a stint in the early 1990s as a commentator for the UFC, back when UFC matches could be held only in certain jurisdictions and resembled human cockfights. Earhardt knows not to talk when the men are talking. Her role is to be the homecoming queen who married the quarterback (both literally true in her case), but doesn’t let that stop her from feeling marginalized, victimized, and, unceasingly, vituperatively angry. These people have substantial influence over the president’s policy agenda and day-to-day priorities."
"Future historians will summarize what happened to early-21st-century America simply by noting that the Cardinal Richelieu of our time is Steve Doocy. It is bad enough that the president of the United States, with limitless access to expertise and the institutional knowledge of a vast bureaucracy at his disposal, chooses instead to turn to cable news. Morning shows are a necessary evil. Viewers need the news sugarcoated in a way that will not lead to despair. So it is, at its best, news with the edges polished. The delivery is caffeinated, unbearably upbeat, and rapid. It is news for people who can’t handle the news quite so early in the day. But Trump doesn’t just watch any morning cable; he turns to Fox & Friends, the “News for Dummies” show on a news network already substantially oriented toward dummies. For the unfamiliar, Fox & Friends is the morning show for the authoritarian-follower personality type that runs daily at 6 am Eastern time. It combines chirpiness with the endless reserves of anger and perceived victimhood that defines the Fox News brand. The hosts—Brian Kilmeade, Steve Doocy, and Ainsley Earhardt—are, to put it mildly, not quite the McLaughlin Group. Doocy exists in a state of permanent, total exasperation. Think of Chandler on Friends at his most overwrought, and that is Steve Doocy, always. Kilmeade’s schtick is a jockish “regular Joe” who just doesn’t understand and makes constant appeals to “common sense.” His résumé includes a stint in the early 1990s as a commentator for the UFC, back when UFC matches could be held only in certain jurisdictions and resembled human cockfights. Earhardt knows not to talk when the men are talking. Her role is to be the homecoming queen who married the quarterback (both literally true in her case), but doesn’t let that stop her from feeling marginalized, victimized, and, unceasingly, vituperatively angry. These people have substantial influence over the president’s policy agenda and day-to-day priorities."
Sometimes, White House Staff Have a Legal Duty to Disobey the President
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/43373-sometimes-white-house-staff-have-a-legal-duty-to-disobey-the-president
"Last June, Donald Trump ordered White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, according to the New York Times. McGahn threatened to resign rather than fire Mueller, so Trump backed down. Trump had given McGahn an illegal order. The president was asking the White House Counsel to conspire with him to obstruct justice. McGahn knew he had a legal duty to refuse an illegal order, even if it was the president doing the ordering."
"Last June, Donald Trump ordered White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, according to the New York Times. McGahn threatened to resign rather than fire Mueller, so Trump backed down. Trump had given McGahn an illegal order. The president was asking the White House Counsel to conspire with him to obstruct justice. McGahn knew he had a legal duty to refuse an illegal order, even if it was the president doing the ordering."
"The Art of the Lie": New Report Details Trump's Year Bereft of Integrity, Accountability
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/29/art-lie-new-report-details-trumps-year-bereft-integrity-accountability
"Describing the president as "a nonstop, habitual, and compulsive liar," the report cites a Washington Post analysis that found Trump made an average of 5.9 false or misleading claims a day during his first year at the White House. With his year-long display of disregard for the truth, the report says, Trump "has undermined the right of citizens to know what their government is doing and to work from a common base of information. He has subverted our nation's credibility and effectiveness on the world stage." Further, his "insistence on repeatedly telling lies and his inability to distinguish between truth and fiction has endangered our constitutional system of government," it adds. Another example of failures in term of his administration's integrity and accountability are his web of conflicts of interests. "Because Trump remains the financial beneficiary of his business operations, his conflicts of interest as president are pervasive," the report notes. Problematic conflicts of interests extend also to Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, both of whom have White House positions. Like Donald, "Kushner and Ivanka Trump have also failed to fully divest from their respective business interests," the report states. Such problems are manifested in the president's cabinet as well. In fact, it is "rife with ethics problems and conflicts of interests," the report says. It notes, for example, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's potential conflicts of interests from his continued role as president of Steven T. Mnuchin, Inc, which manages some of his investments. The public is in the dark because his investments have not been disclosed, the publication notes. Another problem with the cabinet heads is that they "are methodically deconstructing the agencies" they run. EPA head Scott Pruitt is a prime example, though Betsy DeVos seems to be on similar mission of government destruction, the report argues."
"Describing the president as "a nonstop, habitual, and compulsive liar," the report cites a Washington Post analysis that found Trump made an average of 5.9 false or misleading claims a day during his first year at the White House. With his year-long display of disregard for the truth, the report says, Trump "has undermined the right of citizens to know what their government is doing and to work from a common base of information. He has subverted our nation's credibility and effectiveness on the world stage." Further, his "insistence on repeatedly telling lies and his inability to distinguish between truth and fiction has endangered our constitutional system of government," it adds. Another example of failures in term of his administration's integrity and accountability are his web of conflicts of interests. "Because Trump remains the financial beneficiary of his business operations, his conflicts of interest as president are pervasive," the report notes. Problematic conflicts of interests extend also to Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, both of whom have White House positions. Like Donald, "Kushner and Ivanka Trump have also failed to fully divest from their respective business interests," the report states. Such problems are manifested in the president's cabinet as well. In fact, it is "rife with ethics problems and conflicts of interests," the report says. It notes, for example, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's potential conflicts of interests from his continued role as president of Steven T. Mnuchin, Inc, which manages some of his investments. The public is in the dark because his investments have not been disclosed, the publication notes. Another problem with the cabinet heads is that they "are methodically deconstructing the agencies" they run. EPA head Scott Pruitt is a prime example, though Betsy DeVos seems to be on similar mission of government destruction, the report argues."
New emails reveal Scott Pruitt was personally involved in erasing climate data from EPA website
https://thinkprogress.org/scott-pruitt-epa-webiste-0b4f50ef76c4/
"Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was personally involved in the purging of information from the agency’s website in the early months of the Trump administration, according to documents obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)."
"Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was personally involved in the purging of information from the agency’s website in the early months of the Trump administration, according to documents obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)."
Trump Proves Record-Level Ignorance Regarding Ice Caps, Climate Crisis
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/29/trump-proves-record-level-ignorance-regarding-ice-caps-climate-crisis
"NOAA's latest Arctic Report Card—a government-generated document that anybody (even the president) can read—showed that rates of Arctic warming and sea ice decline are now at levels not seen in 1,500 years."
"NOAA's latest Arctic Report Card—a government-generated document that anybody (even the president) can read—showed that rates of Arctic warming and sea ice decline are now at levels not seen in 1,500 years."
Here’s how the Mercer family’s climate denial funding influenced Trump
https://thinkprogress.org/mercers-climate-denial-influenced-trump-fa45a181fff2/
"Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, powerful conservative donors with close ties to the Trump administration, donated millions of dollars to climate science denial groups, newly released 2016 tax filing details show."
"Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, powerful conservative donors with close ties to the Trump administration, donated millions of dollars to climate science denial groups, newly released 2016 tax filing details show."
Far-right media pundits are now calling for a police state
https://www.salon.com/2018/01/29/far-right-pundits-are-now-calling-for-the-death-of-trumps-opponents/
"Some of Trump’s critics feared he might become a dictator. On the radical right, his fans are now hoping he will"
"Some of Trump’s critics feared he might become a dictator. On the radical right, his fans are now hoping he will"
Maine Republicans want to cut the minimum wage passed by voters in 2016
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/24/1735712/-Maine-Republicans-want-to-cut-the-minimum-wage-passed-by-voters-in-2016
"Maine's minimum wage was set by its voters, who in 2016 passed a bill raising the minimum wage a little at a time until reaching $12 an hour in 2020. The current minimum wage is $10 an hour … but instead of allowing it to go up as the voters intended, Republican legislators are looking to drag it back down."
"Maine's minimum wage was set by its voters, who in 2016 passed a bill raising the minimum wage a little at a time until reaching $12 an hour in 2020. The current minimum wage is $10 an hour … but instead of allowing it to go up as the voters intended, Republican legislators are looking to drag it back down."
Sunday, February 11, 2018
It’d be great if Trump were right about the economy, but he’s not
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/itd-be-great-if-trump-were-right-about-the-economy-hes-not
"Neither of these claims is accurate. Economic growth in 2017 – Trump’s first year in office – wasn’t bad at 2.3%, but GDP growth was better in 2010, 2014, and 2015. What’s more, while the president apparently hopes everyone has forgotten his campaign vows, GDP growth wasn’t just slower than it was across much of Barack Obama’s second term, it’s also short of Trump’s misguided promises. As for job numbers, while I enjoyed the “since my election” feint – Trump wants credit for the jobs created in the months before he took office – the simple reality is that job growth fell to a six-year low in 2017. To date, the White House hasn’t even tried to explain this development. At Davos, the president also pointed to the stock market and stock prices six times, failing to note that Wall Street growth was actually more robust under Obama. In the same speech, Trump added, “The world’s largest company, Apple, announced plans to bring $245 billion in overseas profits home to America. Their total investment into the United States economy will be more than $350 billion over the next five years.” No, actually, it won’t. As Vox explained, “What Apple actually promised was to make $30 billion in domestic capital investments, most of which will be data centers, offices, and Apple Store real estate upgrades rather than actual manufacturing facilities. The $350 billion measure is a rough five-year estimate of Apple’s total ‘contribution’ to the American economy. If you’re playing Infinite Golf on your iPhone and make an in-app purchase, that contributes to GDP. Since the contribution is routed through Apple, your spending becomes part of the Apple contribution to the American economy. It’s a semi-fake measure that’s basically a long-winded way of saying that Apple is a very big company"."
"Neither of these claims is accurate. Economic growth in 2017 – Trump’s first year in office – wasn’t bad at 2.3%, but GDP growth was better in 2010, 2014, and 2015. What’s more, while the president apparently hopes everyone has forgotten his campaign vows, GDP growth wasn’t just slower than it was across much of Barack Obama’s second term, it’s also short of Trump’s misguided promises. As for job numbers, while I enjoyed the “since my election” feint – Trump wants credit for the jobs created in the months before he took office – the simple reality is that job growth fell to a six-year low in 2017. To date, the White House hasn’t even tried to explain this development. At Davos, the president also pointed to the stock market and stock prices six times, failing to note that Wall Street growth was actually more robust under Obama. In the same speech, Trump added, “The world’s largest company, Apple, announced plans to bring $245 billion in overseas profits home to America. Their total investment into the United States economy will be more than $350 billion over the next five years.” No, actually, it won’t. As Vox explained, “What Apple actually promised was to make $30 billion in domestic capital investments, most of which will be data centers, offices, and Apple Store real estate upgrades rather than actual manufacturing facilities. The $350 billion measure is a rough five-year estimate of Apple’s total ‘contribution’ to the American economy. If you’re playing Infinite Golf on your iPhone and make an in-app purchase, that contributes to GDP. Since the contribution is routed through Apple, your spending becomes part of the Apple contribution to the American economy. It’s a semi-fake measure that’s basically a long-winded way of saying that Apple is a very big company"."
Trump’s lawyers explore ways to avoid Mueller interview
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-lawyers-explore-ways-avoid-mueller-interview
"In other words, people in the president’s orbit are fearful that he’ll lie – because that tends to be his standard move in every situation."
"In other words, people in the president’s orbit are fearful that he’ll lie – because that tends to be his standard move in every situation."
Saturday, February 10, 2018
‘Embarrassing’: Devin Nunes’ Home Paper Rips Him to Shreds for ‘Ridiculous’ Anti-FBI Conspiracies @alternet
‘Embarrassing’: Devin Nunes’ Home Paper Rips Him to Shreds for ‘Ridiculous’ Anti-FBI Conspiracies @alternet:
"The editorial noted the timing of Nunes’ secret memo, which coincided with reports special counsel Robert Mueller is honing in on possible obstruction of justice by the president, having interviewed former FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Jeff Session last week. “Nunes of Tulare is sheltered in a relatively safe Republican district, and may believe he will pay no political price for unfairly attacking law enforcement and protecting Trump,” the Fresno Bee wrote. “But his performance as chairman of the highly sensitive House Intelligence Committee has been nothing short of embarrassing"."
"The editorial noted the timing of Nunes’ secret memo, which coincided with reports special counsel Robert Mueller is honing in on possible obstruction of justice by the president, having interviewed former FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Jeff Session last week. “Nunes of Tulare is sheltered in a relatively safe Republican district, and may believe he will pay no political price for unfairly attacking law enforcement and protecting Trump,” the Fresno Bee wrote. “But his performance as chairman of the highly sensitive House Intelligence Committee has been nothing short of embarrassing"."
Russian trolls moved 340,000 Americans up the ladder of engagement
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/01/26/russian-trolls-moved-340000-americans-ladder-engagement/219183
"Last night, The Washington Post revealed that Russian trolls “got tens of thousands of Americans to RSVP” to local political events on Facebook. We’ve known since last September that Russian trolls employed this tactic and often created dueling events at the same location and time, probably to incite violence or increase tension within local communities. But it is only now we’re learning the scale of that engagement. Per the Post, “Russian operatives used Facebook to publicize 129 phony event announcements during the 2016 presidential campaign, drawing the attention of nearly 340,000 users -- many of whom said they were planning to attend"."
"Last night, The Washington Post revealed that Russian trolls “got tens of thousands of Americans to RSVP” to local political events on Facebook. We’ve known since last September that Russian trolls employed this tactic and often created dueling events at the same location and time, probably to incite violence or increase tension within local communities. But it is only now we’re learning the scale of that engagement. Per the Post, “Russian operatives used Facebook to publicize 129 phony event announcements during the 2016 presidential campaign, drawing the attention of nearly 340,000 users -- many of whom said they were planning to attend"."
Former Bush Ethics Czar Slams ‘Scumbag’ Trump Defenders Trying to Slander Mueller (Video)
https://forwardprogressives.com/former-bush-ethics-czar-slams-scumbag-trump-defenders-trying-to-slander-mueller-video/
"It points to the absurdity behind all of this anti-FBI/anti-Mueller rhetoric we’re seeing from Trump, the conservative media, the GOP, and their supporters. There’s nothing “liberal” about any of this! Here’s the roster: James Comey, FBI director fired by Trump. (Republican) Robert Mueller, special counselor appointed by Rod Rosenstein. (Republican) Rod Rosenstein, deputy attorney general appointed by Trump. (Republican) Christopher Wray, current head of the FBI appointed by Trump. (Republican) Jeff Sessions, attorney general appointed by Trump. (Republican) The Department of Justice, staffed with people chosen by Trump. (Republicans) The House and Senate, majority controlled by Republicans."
"It points to the absurdity behind all of this anti-FBI/anti-Mueller rhetoric we’re seeing from Trump, the conservative media, the GOP, and their supporters. There’s nothing “liberal” about any of this! Here’s the roster: James Comey, FBI director fired by Trump. (Republican) Robert Mueller, special counselor appointed by Rod Rosenstein. (Republican) Rod Rosenstein, deputy attorney general appointed by Trump. (Republican) Christopher Wray, current head of the FBI appointed by Trump. (Republican) Jeff Sessions, attorney general appointed by Trump. (Republican) The Department of Justice, staffed with people chosen by Trump. (Republicans) The House and Senate, majority controlled by Republicans."
Trump Asked the Guggenheim for a Van Gogh, so They Offered Him a Gold Toilet
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a15902556/trump-guggenheim-gold-toilet/
"when Trump’s administration reached out to New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to borrow a Van Gogh, the museum countered with an offer of a solid-gold toilet that had been used by an estimated 100,000 museum visitors."
"when Trump’s administration reached out to New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to borrow a Van Gogh, the museum countered with an offer of a solid-gold toilet that had been used by an estimated 100,000 museum visitors."
Donald Trump's mouth has cost U.S. 40,000 jobs and $4.6 billion in lost tourism
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/27/1735663/-Donald-Trump-s-mouth-has-cost-U-S-40-000-jobs-and-4-6-billion-in-lost-tourism#read-more
"It's not often that a single man's piehole can cost 40,000 jobs. You have to be either very bad at your job or just very, very loud, but fortunately for Donald Trump those are the two things he excels at."
"It's not often that a single man's piehole can cost 40,000 jobs. You have to be either very bad at your job or just very, very loud, but fortunately for Donald Trump those are the two things he excels at."
How the GOP Rigs Elections
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/gop-rigs-elections-gerrymandering-voter-id-laws-dark-money-w515664
"This isn't just a problem in Wisconsin. Following the 2010 elections, Republicans had full control of the redistricting process for state legislative and U.S. House seats in 21 states, compared with eight states for Democrats. Republicans now hold as many as 22 additional House seats because of gerrymandering, according to an analysis by the Associated Press – nearly the same margin as the 24 seats Democrats need in order to take back the House. During the 2012 elections, Democratic House candidates won 1.4 million more votes nationally than Republicans, but the GOP won 33 more seats."
"This isn't just a problem in Wisconsin. Following the 2010 elections, Republicans had full control of the redistricting process for state legislative and U.S. House seats in 21 states, compared with eight states for Democrats. Republicans now hold as many as 22 additional House seats because of gerrymandering, according to an analysis by the Associated Press – nearly the same margin as the 24 seats Democrats need in order to take back the House. During the 2012 elections, Democratic House candidates won 1.4 million more votes nationally than Republicans, but the GOP won 33 more seats."
Trump’s latest interview shows he’s not really the president
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/26/16936802/trump-not-really-president
"President Donald Trump’s first non-Fox television interview in a long time, conducted with CNBC’s Joe Kernen from Davos, Switzerland, is in many respects weirdly devoid of substance. And much of the substance that’s there consists of misstatements of fact. But lurking in that is an important insight: Trump is holding the office of president, but he’s not doing the job of president. He seems to have no real idea what’s going on, even with his own signature policy moves. Some of his misstatements have the color of propaganda, but often he seems to be caught up in other people’s propaganda or even to have misunderstood his own talking points. He’s disengaged from the details of big questions like NAFTA — “I may terminate NAFTA, I may not,” he says profoundly. He can’t even describe his own negotiating positions in the immigration standoff accurately. Listening to him talk is interesting from an entertainment perspective (he did once host a popular television show), but it conveys no information about the world, the American government, or the Trump administration’s policies. If Kernen wanted to help his viewers understand what’s going on, he’d have been better off interviewing someone else."
"President Donald Trump’s first non-Fox television interview in a long time, conducted with CNBC’s Joe Kernen from Davos, Switzerland, is in many respects weirdly devoid of substance. And much of the substance that’s there consists of misstatements of fact. But lurking in that is an important insight: Trump is holding the office of president, but he’s not doing the job of president. He seems to have no real idea what’s going on, even with his own signature policy moves. Some of his misstatements have the color of propaganda, but often he seems to be caught up in other people’s propaganda or even to have misunderstood his own talking points. He’s disengaged from the details of big questions like NAFTA — “I may terminate NAFTA, I may not,” he says profoundly. He can’t even describe his own negotiating positions in the immigration standoff accurately. Listening to him talk is interesting from an entertainment perspective (he did once host a popular television show), but it conveys no information about the world, the American government, or the Trump administration’s policies. If Kernen wanted to help his viewers understand what’s going on, he’d have been better off interviewing someone else."
Top EPA official gets second chance to deregulate toxic air pollution
https://thinkprogress.org/epa-weakens-toxic-pollution-controls-f28dcab8d218/
"On Thursday, the EPA issued a guidance memorandum drafted by Wehrum’s office that significantly relaxes regulations governing the release of extremely toxic mercury, arsenic, and lead pollution by industrial facilities."
"On Thursday, the EPA issued a guidance memorandum drafted by Wehrum’s office that significantly relaxes regulations governing the release of extremely toxic mercury, arsenic, and lead pollution by industrial facilities."
Fox & Friends’ Reaction to NYT Report is Completely Ridiculous (Video)
https://forwardprogressives.com/fox-friends-reaction-to-nyt-report-is-completely-ridiculous-video/
"It’s no secret that Fox & Friends, as well as most of Fox News, has become nothing more than Donald Trump’s own version of state-run media. The morning show, in particular, is a main source for Trump’s almost daily Twitter meltdowns as he spends hours every day obsessing over what’s said about him on cable news. Following a report from The New York Times that Trump wanted to order the firing of Robert Mueller last June, despite calling reports at the time that he was considering it “fake news,” Fox & Friends reaction to all of this was essentially, “Who cares?” “Apparently the president of the United States last June wanted to fire Robert Mueller because the president felt that he had a bunch of conflicts of interest, could not adequately be the special counsel,” co-host Steve Doocy said. Fellow co-host Pete Hegseth, who was filling in for regular Brian Kilmeade, played a clip of Trump calling the story “fake news,” then tried to downplay the seriousness of the story by saying “all of this reporting is based on four people who are told of the matter — and it also screams of a leak from the special counsel.” The problem for both Doocy and Hegseth is that their own network has confirmed this story. So while both seemed to attack the credibility of The New York Times, they seemed to conveniently gloss over the fact that Fox News is standing behind the story as well. Third co-host Ainsley Earhardt ended the segment by literally asking their viewers if they “even care” that this “president” tried to fire a second person in a matter of weeks linked to investigations into whether or not he, or his campaign, committed crimes. “Alright, well, the president says that’s fake news, it happened last June, it’s something we have to tell you have about because it’s a headline on The New York Times,” Earhardt said. “What do you think about that, do you even care?” Amazing, isn’t it?"
"It’s no secret that Fox & Friends, as well as most of Fox News, has become nothing more than Donald Trump’s own version of state-run media. The morning show, in particular, is a main source for Trump’s almost daily Twitter meltdowns as he spends hours every day obsessing over what’s said about him on cable news. Following a report from The New York Times that Trump wanted to order the firing of Robert Mueller last June, despite calling reports at the time that he was considering it “fake news,” Fox & Friends reaction to all of this was essentially, “Who cares?” “Apparently the president of the United States last June wanted to fire Robert Mueller because the president felt that he had a bunch of conflicts of interest, could not adequately be the special counsel,” co-host Steve Doocy said. Fellow co-host Pete Hegseth, who was filling in for regular Brian Kilmeade, played a clip of Trump calling the story “fake news,” then tried to downplay the seriousness of the story by saying “all of this reporting is based on four people who are told of the matter — and it also screams of a leak from the special counsel.” The problem for both Doocy and Hegseth is that their own network has confirmed this story. So while both seemed to attack the credibility of The New York Times, they seemed to conveniently gloss over the fact that Fox News is standing behind the story as well. Third co-host Ainsley Earhardt ended the segment by literally asking their viewers if they “even care” that this “president” tried to fire a second person in a matter of weeks linked to investigations into whether or not he, or his campaign, committed crimes. “Alright, well, the president says that’s fake news, it happened last June, it’s something we have to tell you have about because it’s a headline on The New York Times,” Earhardt said. “What do you think about that, do you even care?” Amazing, isn’t it?"
Fracking companies won’t have to disclose chemicals thanks to Trump administration rollback
https://thinkprogress.org/fracking-repeal-consequences-4362a9587bfe/
"The regulations, finalized under the Obama administration, would have required companies that frack on federal lands to, among other things, disclose the chemicals used in their operations."
"The regulations, finalized under the Obama administration, would have required companies that frack on federal lands to, among other things, disclose the chemicals used in their operations."
Good Riddance, Sam Brownback
Good Riddance, Sam Brownback:
"As governor, Brownback even had the chutzpah to openly lobby U.S. senators in the halls of the Capitol to follow his tax-cutting lead. Unfortunately, national Republicans have done just that, implementing a federal tax plan that largely mirrors that of Kansas: steep cuts for the rich and businesses, a massive loophole for LLCs, and, of course, no way to pay for it except for magical amounts economic growth. So while Kansas may finally be free of Brownback, the entire country will also be saddled with his economic legacy for years to come. Tax Cuts for the rich. Deregulation for the powerful. Wage suppression for everyone else. These are the tenets of trickle-down economics, the conservatives’ age-old strategy for advantaging the interests of the rich and powerful over those of the middle class and poor."
"As governor, Brownback even had the chutzpah to openly lobby U.S. senators in the halls of the Capitol to follow his tax-cutting lead. Unfortunately, national Republicans have done just that, implementing a federal tax plan that largely mirrors that of Kansas: steep cuts for the rich and businesses, a massive loophole for LLCs, and, of course, no way to pay for it except for magical amounts economic growth. So while Kansas may finally be free of Brownback, the entire country will also be saddled with his economic legacy for years to come. Tax Cuts for the rich. Deregulation for the powerful. Wage suppression for everyone else. These are the tenets of trickle-down economics, the conservatives’ age-old strategy for advantaging the interests of the rich and powerful over those of the middle class and poor."
Which Fox News Host Had the Best Meltdown Over the Mueller Bombshell?
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a15892307/fox-news-trump-fire-mueller/
"The political world is now divided into people who deal with objective reality and are genuinely concerned with the future of this country—and, on the other side, the president's brownshirts. Just check out how the hosts of Fox and Friends, who spend each morning whispering sweet nothings in the president's ear, tried to process this."
"The political world is now divided into people who deal with objective reality and are genuinely concerned with the future of this country—and, on the other side, the president's brownshirts. Just check out how the hosts of Fox and Friends, who spend each morning whispering sweet nothings in the president's ear, tried to process this."
San Jose mayor quits Trump broadband panel: 'The administration is in the pocket of the telecom industry'
San Jose mayor quits Trump broadband panel: 'The administration is in the pocket of the telecom industry':
"The mayor of San Jose, California quit a Federal Communications Commission advisory panel on broadband internet Thursday — and blasted the Trump administration on his way out the door. As The Mercury News reported, Mayor Sam Liccardo quit the FCC broadband advisory board because he believes the panel serves the telecom industry over the public."
"The mayor of San Jose, California quit a Federal Communications Commission advisory panel on broadband internet Thursday — and blasted the Trump administration on his way out the door. As The Mercury News reported, Mayor Sam Liccardo quit the FCC broadband advisory board because he believes the panel serves the telecom industry over the public."
The Trumpy Awards, Round Four: Worst Corporate Giveaway
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/01/25/trumpy-awards-round-four-worst-corporate-giveaway
"Donald Trump has handed control of our government to giant corporations. The CEO class may find him to be a “buffoon,” but they’re happy with the favors he’s raining down on Big Business and quite happy to normalize his corporate extremist policies. Trump has appointed a Cabinet stuffed with billionaires and corporate executives, and put in place second- and third-tier appointees drawn overwhelmingly from the corporate sector. Collectively, they are delivering for the corporate sector, bigly – but with harsh consequences for the rest of us. Today’s Trumpy nominations are for Worst Corporate Giveaway."
"Donald Trump has handed control of our government to giant corporations. The CEO class may find him to be a “buffoon,” but they’re happy with the favors he’s raining down on Big Business and quite happy to normalize his corporate extremist policies. Trump has appointed a Cabinet stuffed with billionaires and corporate executives, and put in place second- and third-tier appointees drawn overwhelmingly from the corporate sector. Collectively, they are delivering for the corporate sector, bigly – but with harsh consequences for the rest of us. Today’s Trumpy nominations are for Worst Corporate Giveaway."
Incorrect Fox News Headline Draws Even More Attention to Burger King's Pro-Net Neutrality Viral Video
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/25/incorrect-fox-news-headline-draws-even-more-attention-burger-kings-pro-net
"The Internet freedom advocacy group Fight for the Future was among the many online observers who attempted to draw Fox News' attention to a significant mistake in its online headline about a video made by Burger King that went viral on Thursday. The headline was referring to an advertisement in which Burger King waded into the net neutrality debate—one that remains confusing to many Americans—by using the fast food chain's Whopper hamburgers to illustrate the "fast lanes" and "slow lanes" that critics warn will be forced upon internet users following the FCC's decision last month to repeal of net neutrality rules. The video is not "slamming" net neutrality, but rather gives viewers a sense of what would happen to their ability to use the Internet as they're accustomed to using it, following the FCC's vote in December."
"The Internet freedom advocacy group Fight for the Future was among the many online observers who attempted to draw Fox News' attention to a significant mistake in its online headline about a video made by Burger King that went viral on Thursday. The headline was referring to an advertisement in which Burger King waded into the net neutrality debate—one that remains confusing to many Americans—by using the fast food chain's Whopper hamburgers to illustrate the "fast lanes" and "slow lanes" that critics warn will be forced upon internet users following the FCC's decision last month to repeal of net neutrality rules. The video is not "slamming" net neutrality, but rather gives viewers a sense of what would happen to their ability to use the Internet as they're accustomed to using it, following the FCC's vote in December."
Trump Wanted a Van Gogh. Instead, the Guggenheim Offered Him a Gold Toilet Called 'America'
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/26/trump-wanted-van-gogh-instead-guggenheim-offered-him-gold-toilet-called-america
"The Guggenheim declined President Donald Trump's request to borrow a Vincent Van Gogh painting, instead offering to loan him an 18-karat gold, fully functional toilet called "America," according to an email obtained by the Washington Post."
"The Guggenheim declined President Donald Trump's request to borrow a Vincent Van Gogh painting, instead offering to loan him an 18-karat gold, fully functional toilet called "America," according to an email obtained by the Washington Post."
Donald Trump Was the Inevitable Result of Republicanism
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a15886291/trump-republican-prion-disease/
"The damage done by this presidency* can’t be swept out of the national memory the way the damage done by the last Republican president has been. The Republican Party has to be purged of the prion disease, all of it. Because the prion disease has sickened the entire nation now. The progress of the disease is now so advanced that the Republican powers within the national legislature are unable to check the powers of a president* that a good portion of the country believes shouldn’t be within 200 miles of the White House, a form of ideological enfeeblement that may be the final stages of the disease. That there are people who were involved in the disease’s earlier stages who are unnerved now seems to me to be yet another manifestation of it."
"The damage done by this presidency* can’t be swept out of the national memory the way the damage done by the last Republican president has been. The Republican Party has to be purged of the prion disease, all of it. Because the prion disease has sickened the entire nation now. The progress of the disease is now so advanced that the Republican powers within the national legislature are unable to check the powers of a president* that a good portion of the country believes shouldn’t be within 200 miles of the White House, a form of ideological enfeeblement that may be the final stages of the disease. That there are people who were involved in the disease’s earlier stages who are unnerved now seems to me to be yet another manifestation of it."
Doomsday Clock Now '2 Minutes to Midnight' as Trump Drives Up Nuclear and Climate Threats
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/25/doomsday-clock-now-2-minutes-midnight-trump-drives-nuclear-and-climate-threats
"In response to rising nuclear tensions and concerns about inadequate action to address the climate crisis, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Thursday the hands of the Doomsday Clock have been moved and it is now just two minutes midnight, a signal to the world that international scientists and policy experts are increasingly worried about the likeliness of global catastrophe. "In 2017, world leaders failed to respond effectively to the looming threats of nuclear war and climate change, making the world security situation more dangerous than it was a year ago—and as dangerous as it has been since World War II," said a statement from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The Bulletin was established decades ago by creators of the atomic bomb and aims to keep the world informed "about threats to the survival and development of humanity from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies in the life sciences"."
"In response to rising nuclear tensions and concerns about inadequate action to address the climate crisis, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Thursday the hands of the Doomsday Clock have been moved and it is now just two minutes midnight, a signal to the world that international scientists and policy experts are increasingly worried about the likeliness of global catastrophe. "In 2017, world leaders failed to respond effectively to the looming threats of nuclear war and climate change, making the world security situation more dangerous than it was a year ago—and as dangerous as it has been since World War II," said a statement from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The Bulletin was established decades ago by creators of the atomic bomb and aims to keep the world informed "about threats to the survival and development of humanity from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies in the life sciences"."
Doomsday Clock Moves Closer To Midnight; George Schultz Sounds Alarm
Doomsday Clock Moves Closer To Midnight; George Schultz Sounds Alarm:
"Asked by Senator Jean Shaheen about the development of "small" nuclear arms here and overseas, Schultz took off: A nuclear weapon is a nuclear weapon. You use a small one; then you go to a bigger one. Nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons, and we need to draw the line there. One of the alarming things to me is this notion we can have something called a small nuclear weapon, which I understand the Russians are doing, and somehow that is usable. Your mind goes to the idea that nuclear weapons become usable, and then we are really in trouble because a big nuclear -- can wipe out the world. I have a great friend in San Francisco, William Swing, the retired Episcopal Bishop of California, and he started something terrific called United Religion Initiative. He made a statement about a year ago. I tried to get him to publish it, but he would not do it. He said When you put your hand on the Bible and swear to be President of the United States, that is the least of it. When you put your hand on the nuclear button, and you can start something that might kill a million people, you are not president anymore. You are God. And who are we to say we are God? These weapons are immoral, as President Reagan said many times. And we need to get rid of them. This goes so far in the face of everything Donald Trump has said about nuclear weapons, it isn't a subtle suggestion. Trump shouldn't play God with nukes. Period."
"Asked by Senator Jean Shaheen about the development of "small" nuclear arms here and overseas, Schultz took off: A nuclear weapon is a nuclear weapon. You use a small one; then you go to a bigger one. Nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons, and we need to draw the line there. One of the alarming things to me is this notion we can have something called a small nuclear weapon, which I understand the Russians are doing, and somehow that is usable. Your mind goes to the idea that nuclear weapons become usable, and then we are really in trouble because a big nuclear -- can wipe out the world. I have a great friend in San Francisco, William Swing, the retired Episcopal Bishop of California, and he started something terrific called United Religion Initiative. He made a statement about a year ago. I tried to get him to publish it, but he would not do it. He said When you put your hand on the Bible and swear to be President of the United States, that is the least of it. When you put your hand on the nuclear button, and you can start something that might kill a million people, you are not president anymore. You are God. And who are we to say we are God? These weapons are immoral, as President Reagan said many times. And we need to get rid of them. This goes so far in the face of everything Donald Trump has said about nuclear weapons, it isn't a subtle suggestion. Trump shouldn't play God with nukes. Period."
As Mueller Closes In, Paranoia Spreads in the White House @alternet
As Mueller Closes In, Paranoia Spreads in the White House @alternet:
"We've had presidents investigated before. We've had them interfere with law enforcement and fire independent officials. But this level of flat-out lunacy from the party in power is something altogether different."
"We've had presidents investigated before. We've had them interfere with law enforcement and fire independent officials. But this level of flat-out lunacy from the party in power is something altogether different."
Bypassing Major Networks, 1.6 Million Tune In for Sanders 'Medicare for All' Town Hall
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/24/bypassing-major-networks-16-million-tune-sanders-medicare-all-town-hall
"Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) town hall on Medicare for All drew more than one million online viewers in addition to the hundreds of attendees who packed an auditorium at the U.S. Capitol to capacity. Speaking with multiple panels featuring single-payer healthcare advocates and experts—including Dr. Don Berwick, who oversaw Medicare and Medicaid under President Barack Obama—Sanders moderated a nearly two-hour discussion about the failures of the current U.S. healthcare system and how its costs and outcomes compare to those in countries with universal healthcare."
"Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) town hall on Medicare for All drew more than one million online viewers in addition to the hundreds of attendees who packed an auditorium at the U.S. Capitol to capacity. Speaking with multiple panels featuring single-payer healthcare advocates and experts—including Dr. Don Berwick, who oversaw Medicare and Medicaid under President Barack Obama—Sanders moderated a nearly two-hour discussion about the failures of the current U.S. healthcare system and how its costs and outcomes compare to those in countries with universal healthcare."
8 Things We Now Know That Happen (and That Don't Happen) When We Legalize Marijuana @alternet
8 Things We Now Know That Happen (and That Don't Happen) When We Legalize Marijuana @alternet:
"5. States with legal marijuana have lower rates of opioid-related harm. In Colorado, an upward trend in overdoses began to decline after 2014, the first year of retail pot sales in the state. Other positive indicia come from medical marijuana states, which report a nearly 25 percent drop in overdose death rates, a 23 percent reduction in opioid addiction-related hospitalizations and a 15 percent reduction in opioid treatment admissions. 6. Marijuana tax revenues are big—and bigger than predicted. Legalization states have collected more than a billion dollars in pot tax revenues—and that's not counting the monster market in California, where recreational sales just began this month. Likewise, slow roll-outs of taxed and regulated marijuana commerce in Maine and Massachusetts mean no tax dollars have yet been generated there. In the states that do have legal pot sales, overall sales and tax revenues quickly exceeded initial estimates. 7. Marijuana tax dollars are going for good things. Like $230 million to the Colorado Department of Education in two years to fund school construction, early literacy, school health, and bullying prevention programs. Likewise, schools in Oregon get 40 percent of the pot taxes and schools in Nevada will get $56 million in wholesale pot tax revenues. Oregon also allocates 20 percent of pot taxes for alcohol and drug treatment, while Washington kicks in 25 percent. In Washington state, 55 percent of pot tax revenues fund basic health plans."
"5. States with legal marijuana have lower rates of opioid-related harm. In Colorado, an upward trend in overdoses began to decline after 2014, the first year of retail pot sales in the state. Other positive indicia come from medical marijuana states, which report a nearly 25 percent drop in overdose death rates, a 23 percent reduction in opioid addiction-related hospitalizations and a 15 percent reduction in opioid treatment admissions. 6. Marijuana tax revenues are big—and bigger than predicted. Legalization states have collected more than a billion dollars in pot tax revenues—and that's not counting the monster market in California, where recreational sales just began this month. Likewise, slow roll-outs of taxed and regulated marijuana commerce in Maine and Massachusetts mean no tax dollars have yet been generated there. In the states that do have legal pot sales, overall sales and tax revenues quickly exceeded initial estimates. 7. Marijuana tax dollars are going for good things. Like $230 million to the Colorado Department of Education in two years to fund school construction, early literacy, school health, and bullying prevention programs. Likewise, schools in Oregon get 40 percent of the pot taxes and schools in Nevada will get $56 million in wholesale pot tax revenues. Oregon also allocates 20 percent of pot taxes for alcohol and drug treatment, while Washington kicks in 25 percent. In Washington state, 55 percent of pot tax revenues fund basic health plans."
Understanding the fake historian behind America’s religious right
https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/1/25/16919362/understanding-the-fake-historian-behind-americas-religious-right
"as a dominionist, Barton is among those who believe the ultimate goal for American government should be a Christian theocratic state, which is necessary to properly usher in the apocalyptic End Times. Dominionism takes many forms, from the “hard dominionism” of R.J. Rushdoony, which advocated for a pure theocracy, to the “softer” Seven Mountains movement associated with Ted Cruz, among others, in which Christians are encouraged to take over the “seven mountains” of culture as a whole, from arts to education to government. Nevertheless, its fundamental principle is the same: Christians must work toward a theocratic state in which Christians are in control. Or, as current congressional candidate (and fellow Barton enthusiast) Rick Saccone said in an interview last year with Pastors Network of America, God wants Christians “who will rule with the fear of God in them, to rule over us"."
"as a dominionist, Barton is among those who believe the ultimate goal for American government should be a Christian theocratic state, which is necessary to properly usher in the apocalyptic End Times. Dominionism takes many forms, from the “hard dominionism” of R.J. Rushdoony, which advocated for a pure theocracy, to the “softer” Seven Mountains movement associated with Ted Cruz, among others, in which Christians are encouraged to take over the “seven mountains” of culture as a whole, from arts to education to government. Nevertheless, its fundamental principle is the same: Christians must work toward a theocratic state in which Christians are in control. Or, as current congressional candidate (and fellow Barton enthusiast) Rick Saccone said in an interview last year with Pastors Network of America, God wants Christians “who will rule with the fear of God in them, to rule over us"."
Fox hypes bogus FBI 'secret society' dozens of times -- then goes silent after it's revealed as a joke
Fox hypes bogus FBI 'secret society' dozens of times -- then goes silent after it's revealed as a joke:
"Fox News on Thursday ceased discussion about an alleged anti-Trump “secret society” in the FBI after the notion was revealed as a joke."
"Fox News on Thursday ceased discussion about an alleged anti-Trump “secret society” in the FBI after the notion was revealed as a joke."
Don’t let Trump’s solar tariff scare you. There’s an easy trick to beat it.
https://thinkprogress.org/avoid-trump-solar-power-price-hike-001a1e017e22/
"Ironically, whether or not people use the quote aggregators, Trump’s new tariff won’t actually hurt China very much. But the price hike will hurt both U.S. consumers and businesses, while risking tens of thousands of good paying jobs for solar installers. What’s more, it will disproportionately hurt the workers and consumers of the emerging solar markets in red states like Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia."
"Ironically, whether or not people use the quote aggregators, Trump’s new tariff won’t actually hurt China very much. But the price hike will hurt both U.S. consumers and businesses, while risking tens of thousands of good paying jobs for solar installers. What’s more, it will disproportionately hurt the workers and consumers of the emerging solar markets in red states like Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia."
Remember the Fourth Amendment?
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a15873562/baltimore-cops-trial/
"There is, at the moment, an amazing trial going on in Baltimore. It is being covered very well by a Baltimore Sun reporter named Joshua Fenton. It involves that city’s police force and something called the Gun Trace Task Force, which is another one of those “special squads” that are set up in urban police forces and that usually go very badly sideways. According to what’s coming out in the trial, the GTTF went very badly sideways."
"There is, at the moment, an amazing trial going on in Baltimore. It is being covered very well by a Baltimore Sun reporter named Joshua Fenton. It involves that city’s police force and something called the Gun Trace Task Force, which is another one of those “special squads” that are set up in urban police forces and that usually go very badly sideways. According to what’s coming out in the trial, the GTTF went very badly sideways."
Ex-ambassador appalled that Trump has given security clearances to felons and foreign agents
Ex-ambassador appalled that Trump has given security clearances to felons and foreign agents:
"Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul told MSNBC on Wednesday that he has “no idea how” President Donald Trump’s administration has given out security clearances to foreign agents and people convicted of felonies."
"Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul told MSNBC on Wednesday that he has “no idea how” President Donald Trump’s administration has given out security clearances to foreign agents and people convicted of felonies."
After Spending $20 Million to Pass #GOPTaxScam, Koch Bros to Save More Than $1 Billion This Year
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/24/after-spending-20-million-pass-goptaxscam-koch-bros-save-more-1-billion-year
"The Koch groups spent over $20 million promoting the tax bill that ultimately became law, according to a fact sheet they provided to the Wall Street Journal. Their efforts included town halls, door-to-door canvassing, and television ads—not to mention direct lobbying—in favor of the tax cuts. Now that the bill is law, they’ve pledged to spend millions more promoting it to the public in an effort to protect the members of Congress who voted for it."
"The Koch groups spent over $20 million promoting the tax bill that ultimately became law, according to a fact sheet they provided to the Wall Street Journal. Their efforts included town halls, door-to-door canvassing, and television ads—not to mention direct lobbying—in favor of the tax cuts. Now that the bill is law, they’ve pledged to spend millions more promoting it to the public in an effort to protect the members of Congress who voted for it."
Month After Getting $3.5 Billion Tax Break From Trump, Bank of America Hikes Fees on Poorest Customers
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/23/month-after-getting-35-billion-tax-break-trump-bank-america-hikes-fees-poorest
"Consumer advocates and banking customers are expressing outrage after an announcement by the Bank of America that it would begin charging fees to account-holders who maintain low balances. The decision, announced Monday, comes a month after the Republican tax law gave the bank an expected $3.5 million tax break, and less than a week after it posted $2.4 billion profits in the last quarter of 2017."
"Consumer advocates and banking customers are expressing outrage after an announcement by the Bank of America that it would begin charging fees to account-holders who maintain low balances. The decision, announced Monday, comes a month after the Republican tax law gave the bank an expected $3.5 million tax break, and less than a week after it posted $2.4 billion profits in the last quarter of 2017."
Public records show how much House Republican will gain from the tax law he repeatedly lied about
https://thinkprogress.org/denham-tax-bill-profits-6dcf2e6adf5e/
"Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) has repeatedly lied about the effects of the GOP’s tax plan — a plan from which he stands to handsomely benefit, according to public records."
"Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) has repeatedly lied about the effects of the GOP’s tax plan — a plan from which he stands to handsomely benefit, according to public records."
Alabama GOP votes to end special elections instead of vowing not to nominate perverts
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/24/1735603/-Alabama-GOP-votes-to-end-special-elections-instead-of-vowing-not-to-nominate-perverts
"Call it the Sore Losers Law if it passes. Maybe the lesson Alabama Republicans should take from their December loss is not “let’s change the law to prevent elections” but “let’s not nominate and then stand by men who sexually assault teenage girls.” Just a thought."
"Call it the Sore Losers Law if it passes. Maybe the lesson Alabama Republicans should take from their December loss is not “let’s change the law to prevent elections” but “let’s not nominate and then stand by men who sexually assault teenage girls.” Just a thought."
Sean Hannity Is Now a Favorite Weapon of Russian Trolls Attacking America
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/01/sean-hannity-is-now-a-top-weapon-for-russian-trolls-attacking-america/
"Former FBI special agent Clint Watts pointed out Tuesday that attacks on the FBI have been increasing as the Russian investigation continues to accelerate. After reports Tuesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and James Comey had been interviewed by Mueller’s team, Watts tweeted: “Interviews are getting closer to the top & suddenly attacks by @GOP on FBI have increased.” The 600 Kremlin-linked live Twitter accounts that Hamilton 68 monitors are separate from the 2,752 accounts Twitter revealed last fall that were operated before the 2016 presidential election by the Russian Internet Research Agency. Last Friday, Twitter updated that number to 3,814 IRA-linked accounts—plus more than 50,000 automated bot accounts linked to the Russian government. Twitter says it is sending emails to 677,000 users to notify them that they interacted with the Russian accounts. Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who has been involved in the Trump-Russia investigation via the Judiciary Committee, called on Mueller in December to “clean house” of partisans. Cornyn tweeted Saturday that Twitter had notified him that he had shared content from or followed known Russian accounts."
"Former FBI special agent Clint Watts pointed out Tuesday that attacks on the FBI have been increasing as the Russian investigation continues to accelerate. After reports Tuesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and James Comey had been interviewed by Mueller’s team, Watts tweeted: “Interviews are getting closer to the top & suddenly attacks by @GOP on FBI have increased.” The 600 Kremlin-linked live Twitter accounts that Hamilton 68 monitors are separate from the 2,752 accounts Twitter revealed last fall that were operated before the 2016 presidential election by the Russian Internet Research Agency. Last Friday, Twitter updated that number to 3,814 IRA-linked accounts—plus more than 50,000 automated bot accounts linked to the Russian government. Twitter says it is sending emails to 677,000 users to notify them that they interacted with the Russian accounts. Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who has been involved in the Trump-Russia investigation via the Judiciary Committee, called on Mueller in December to “clean house” of partisans. Cornyn tweeted Saturday that Twitter had notified him that he had shared content from or followed known Russian accounts."
'Those words are sedition': Malcolm Nance says Fox's Lou Dobbs is a traitor for declaring 'war' on the FBI
'Those words are sedition': Malcolm Nance says Fox's Lou Dobbs is a traitor for declaring 'war' on the FBI:
"Malcolm Nance, a former Naval intelligence officer, suggested on Wednesday that Lou Dobbs was a traitor to the United States after the Fox Business host argued that conservatives should declare “war” on the FBI."
"Malcolm Nance, a former Naval intelligence officer, suggested on Wednesday that Lou Dobbs was a traitor to the United States after the Fox Business host argued that conservatives should declare “war” on the FBI."
Watchdog Demands Answers On Trump Campaign's Alleged Payment to Adult Film Star Stormy Daniels
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/23/watchdog-demands-answers-trump-campaigns-alleged-payment-adult-film-star-stormy
"Two government watchdog groups have pushed this week to make public details about two $130,000 payments that were reportedly made by President Donald Trump's associates within weeks of the 2016 presidential election. Common Cause demanded that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigate reports that Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, created a private limited liability company to secretly sent a $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford—also known under her pseudonym as an adult film star, Stormy Daniels—in October 2016, weeks before Trump was elected. According to the Wall Street Journal, the payment was made to keep Daniels from disclosing an alleged sexual encounter with Trump."
"Two government watchdog groups have pushed this week to make public details about two $130,000 payments that were reportedly made by President Donald Trump's associates within weeks of the 2016 presidential election. Common Cause demanded that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigate reports that Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, created a private limited liability company to secretly sent a $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford—also known under her pseudonym as an adult film star, Stormy Daniels—in October 2016, weeks before Trump was elected. According to the Wall Street Journal, the payment was made to keep Daniels from disclosing an alleged sexual encounter with Trump."
'Don’t ever preach to me again!': Ex-GOP chair tells evangelicals who still support Trump to 'shut the hell up!'
'Don’t ever preach to me again!': Ex-GOP chair tells evangelicals who still support Trump to 'shut the hell up!':
"Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele blasted Family Research Council president Tony Perkins for giving President Donald Trump a “mulligan” on paying hush money to former adult film star."
"Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele blasted Family Research Council president Tony Perkins for giving President Donald Trump a “mulligan” on paying hush money to former adult film star."
Trump attacks CNN after man threatens to murder CNN employees for ‘fake news’
https://thinkprogress.org/trumps-attacks-on-cnn-are-inspiring-death-threats-0ea0b64f7255/
"On Monday, an Atlanta TV station broke news that a man faces up to two decades in prison for allegedly threatening to murder CNN employees. According to court documents, the man — a 19-year-old from Nori, Michigan named Brandon Griesemer — allegedly made more than 20 calls to CNN over a two day period about a week ago. During one of them, Griesemer told a CNN operator that the network is “fake news.” In others, he made racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic comments. On another occasion Griesemer said, “Fake news. I’m coming to gun you all down. F*** you, f***ing n*****s.” Griesemer was arrested after an investigation traced the call back to a house he shares with his parents."
"On Monday, an Atlanta TV station broke news that a man faces up to two decades in prison for allegedly threatening to murder CNN employees. According to court documents, the man — a 19-year-old from Nori, Michigan named Brandon Griesemer — allegedly made more than 20 calls to CNN over a two day period about a week ago. During one of them, Griesemer told a CNN operator that the network is “fake news.” In others, he made racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic comments. On another occasion Griesemer said, “Fake news. I’m coming to gun you all down. F*** you, f***ing n*****s.” Griesemer was arrested after an investigation traced the call back to a house he shares with his parents."
Mike Pence laughably defends Trump against credible reports of an affair with a porn star
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/22/1735000/-Mike-Pence-laughably-defends-Trump-against-credible-reports-of-an-affair-with-a-porn-star
"Mike Pence is an avowed evangelical and Christian crusader who just can’t seem to stop outright lying and covering up for Donald Trump, probably the least Christian person to occupy the White House in modern history."
"Mike Pence is an avowed evangelical and Christian crusader who just can’t seem to stop outright lying and covering up for Donald Trump, probably the least Christian person to occupy the White House in modern history."
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