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Corruption At The EPA – Pruitt And His Perks

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:28:36 +0000

4/3/2018

Ethics violations and corruption seem to be a trade mark of the Trump administration. Private Jets, $31,000 office tables, private security forces and sound-proof phone booths have all been part of the problem. Now, EPA Chief Scott Pruitt seems to have taken it one step further.

ABC News recently disclosed that Pruitt had been renting a Washington apartment for a terrific price. The problem is the property belongs to the wife of a high-profile oil and gas lobbyist who contributed to Pruitt’s political campaigns and has a liquefied natural gas producer as his client. Pruitt paid just $50.00 per night for the apartment where he often entertained industry guests.

In March 2017, the EPA approved a Natural Gas pipeline for a company represented by the apartment owners firm while Pruitt was living there. Was it a coincidence?

After living in the apartment almost for free, Pruitt became a big fan of liquefied natural gas, a product his landlord represents. He was such a huge fan, he jetted off to Morocco in December to pitch “the potential benefit of liquified natural gas imports on Morocco’s economy,” flying in first class with his private security and other staff. All the expenses for the trip were paid for by the US taxpayers.

Pruitt’s Morocco trip was one of his most expensive, but it wasn’t his only travel extravagance. Between military, charter, and first-class flights, Pruitt spent more than $168,000 on air travel in his first year in office, even when internal emails showed cheaper options were available.

Pruitt will not travel alone. Pruitt and his entourage, including aides and security staffers, racked up $90,000 in just one week last summer. He frequently travels from DC to Oklahoma (his home) on private charter flights.

Pruitt has surrounded himself with an unprecedented round-the-clock security detail that has accompanied him on trips to Disneyland and the Rose Bowl. CNN calculated that Pruitt’s security detail costs taxpayers $2 million per year, not including travel, training, and equipment.

Why would a person in charge of protecting our environment need to be protected from the public? The answer may be because he is doing exactly opposite of what he is supposed to be doing. Shortly after starting his new job, Pruitt spent $3,000 to sweep his office for surveillance bugs. He then spent $2,000 to install biometric locks with fingerprint readers. He also spent more than $42,000 to build a phone booth in his office. He hides his schedule from the public. His own employees need an escort to see him and aren’t allowed to take notes at meetings where they are required to leave all electronic devices, including cell phones, outside the meeting room.

Spending lavishly on travel is not necessarily a sign of corruption (though it is a sign of poor judgement). However, living in an apartment owned by a lobbyist whose job it is to influence you for almost no rent is a clear sign you have no moral judgement. Pruitt’s complete lack of ethical standards begs the question, just how low is the bar set by the President when it comes to ethics? Apparently lower than anybody thought.

The Washington Establishment will never rein in government spending, waste, fraud and abuse. A great thinker and outsider is needed.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2011

Trump Invites Putin To White House – What’s The Dress Code?

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 22:17:30 +0000

4/1/2018

In a surprising move, President Trump invited Russian President Putin to a White House visit.

Many Washington insiders were left scratching their heads upon learning that Trump just invited the Russian President to a visit, especially after Trump just threw out 60 Russian delegates.

It is widely accepted that Putin was directly involved in the conspiracy to influence American elections, that he ordered the murder of ex-Russian spies in Great Britain, and he is undertaking efforts to occupy both Syria and Ukraine.

In the Godfather Part 2, Michael Corleone said: “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”. This could be a brilliant move for Trump to keep Putin a bit closer to stem the growing deterioration between the US and Russia.

The real problem though is that most people think Putin is far smarter than Trump. Trump has stated that he asked Putin if he interfered in the 2016 US elections, and Putin told him that he did not. Trump took him at his word even though multiple US intelligence agencies did not.

Rex Tillerson (and others) have reportedly called Trump a “fucking idiot”, especially when it comes to international diplomacy. Trump has made statements indicating that he does not know how, or why NATO or the United Nations function. Putin would love nothing more than to see (or create) fractures in NATO alliances in Europe, where he has made moves to acquire new territory.

When Trump is left alone to speak off the cuff, as he did with Lester Holt shortly after firing James Comey, he makes tremendous blunders. Blunders that cause him many problems. If Trump does end up meeting with Putin, lets all hope he does so in a setting where he is not allowed to talk or make commitments that put America in peril.

Shulkin Fired as VA Cheif (via Trump Tweet)

Wed, 28 Mar 2018 23:38:35 +0000

3/28/2018

For the third time, President Trump fired a key member of his cabinet by twitter.

David Shulkin found out that he had been fired when he was made aware of a Trump Tweet.

Shulkin stated during Sunday interviews that he was surprised by his termination, as he had spoken with the President only a few hours earlier, and everything seemed to be fine. According to Shulkin, Trump gave no indication of any pending issues, or that he wasn’t happy with his performance.

….In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018

The White House originally claimed that Shulkin resigned his Secretary position, but Shulkin was adamant during Sunday talk shows that he did not, and would never have never resigned.

By firing Secretary Shulkin and naming a temporary successor, Trump violated the Vacancies Reform Act which requires the Deputy Secretary to fill the position. Had Shulkin actually resigned as reported by the White House, Trump would have been free to assign a replacement. But as previously stated, Shulkin did not resign and hence, Trump is not able to pick who runs the agency in the immediate future.

This may become a real problem if Trump’s pick, Robert Wilkie, actually assumes control of the VA. Anything action Wilkie may take could later be contested on grounds that he should never have been in charge in the first place. According to law, the Deputy Secretary should fill the void.

Shulkin has been the third of recent significant terminations by Trump via Twitter. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Advisor H.R, McMaster and Shulkin were notified a tweet was imminent, and then read of their ouster at the same time as millions of others found out.

Trump did not have the courage or courtesy to talk his former staff members to wish them well, or to thank them for their service.

800,000 March For Their Lives – Trump Goes to Florida

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 23:01:47 +0000

3/24/2018

An estimated crowd of over 800,000 marched on Washington to protest gun violence in America.

Organized by students of Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida, the March For Our Lives was duplicated all over the United States and parts of Europe, with millions marching in support of stricter gun regulations.

The march is reported to have eclipsed the Women’s March, which was held the day following President Trump’s inauguration. The Women’s March was thought to be the largest march on Washington in history, far eclipsing Trump’s inauguration.

Chants of “Vote Them Out” were widespread, referring to lawmakers who continue to take money from the NRA and refuse to toughen gun control laws.

While there were many impassioned speeches from student leaders, elected officials were in short supply, including the President. Apparently fearing heavy weekend traffic, the President decided to pass on the record-setting march and instead flew to his Florida resort for the weekend.

New National Security Advisor John Bolton Is A Nightmare

Fri, 23 Mar 2018 21:02:41 +0000

3/23/2018

In just over a year, John Bolton has become President Trump’s fourth National Security Advisor. He has a storied past, one that demonstrates a preference for confrontation rather than diplomacy and cooperation.

Bolton served as Ambassador to the United Nations under George Bush, where he was widely disliked at a time where Bush was trying to build alliances.

President Trump has often said he was against the war in Iraq. He has stated it was one of America’s biggest blunders. under President George W. Bush, Bolton was a chief advocate for the Iraq War. Worse, he can’t admit in hindsight the war was a huge mistake. “I still think the decision to overthrow Saddam [Hussein] was correct,” he told the Washington Examiner in 2015.

Perhaps drawing from his own experience as a failure in the negotiation process, Bolton prefers to strike first, and then try to negotiate. “I think obviously this needs to be done in a careful and prudent fashion,” Bolton said in 2008 of a strike on Iran. “But I think that the strategic situation now is that if we don’t respond, the Iranians will take it as a sign of weakness.” A year later in 2009, he added “A strike accompanied by effective public diplomacy could well turn Iran’s diverse population against an oppressive regime.”

About North Korea, in 2018 Bolton wrote a February 2018 Op-Ed segment in the Wall Street Journal titled “The Legal Case For Striking North Korea First.” One of his quotes was “It is perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current ‘necessity’ posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons by striking first.”

It’s thinking like this that led Richard Painter, the former chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, to blast the prospect of John Bolton replacing General H. R. McMaster as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser. “John Bolton was by far the most dangerous man we had in the entire eight years of the Bush Administration,” Painter tweeted last Friday. “Hiring him as the president’s top national security advisor is an invitation to war, perhaps nuclear war.”

Enough Already! Trump Addresses China Trade Deficit

Thu, 22 Mar 2018 22:35:02 +0000

3/22/2018

As he has done in the past, President Trump shook stock markets today when he announced efforts to reduce America’s trade deficit with China. The Dow was down 724 points by the end of the day.

“We have one particular problem, and I view them as a friend, I have tremendous respect for President Xi, we have a great relationship, they are helping us a lot in North Korea, and that’s China.”

Trump went on to say that the US has an annual $800 billion trade deficit, over half of which is with China. Trump said he has asked China to reduce the trade deficit by $100 billion in the next year, but will take steps to put additional tariffs in place in the next few weeks. Trump signed papers to put in place a section 301 trade action, which he hopes will reduce the trade deficit about $60 billion per year.

H.R. McMaster Fired As National Security Advisor

Thu, 22 Mar 2018 19:12:37 +0000

3/22/2018

Last week, both President Trump and his spokesperson, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, claimed that all was fine with the relationship betweet Trump and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. A week later McMaster is out of a job.

In what has become almost a weekly occurance, McMaster was fired from his senior position as part of the Trump staff. His departure follows other recently fired staff members and top aides including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. McMaster is scheduled to be replaced by John Bolton on April 9th.

McMaster, a former 3-star general, may have upset Trump last month when he said about Russians interferring in the 2016 elections “As you can see with the FBI indictment, the evidence is now really incontrovertible and available in the public domain”. Russians did interfere with elections

Last week Trump was questioned about news reports that McMaster might be the next one on the chopping block after the President fired Rex Tillerson by tweet. Trump responded “They wrote a story about staff changes that was very false, it was a very false story…a very exaggerated and false story.”

and from Sarah:

Just spoke to @POTUS and Gen. H.R. McMaster – contrary to reports they have a good working relationship and there are no changes at the NSC.

— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) March 16, 2018

Apparently stories were not false, and the President didn’t have such a good working relationship with McMaster.

Trump Congratulates Putin On Victory

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 23:28:40 +0000

3/21/2018

President Trump called out to Vladimir Putin to offer congratulations after his election victory this past weekend.

However, it was disclosed today that Trump's National security team instructed him NOT TO CONGRATULATE Putin for the win. It was leaked that the staff even put the instructions in bold letters "DO NOT CONGRATULATE", but Trump did it right off the bat anyways.

Before making calls to other dignitaries, presidents are supplied with a call sheet by advisers on the purpose of the call, and suggestions on what to say and not say. The call sheet also contains suggestions what else the president might bring up if there is time, or what things the other party might bring up and how to react to those topics. The idea is to keep the call on track and to be prepared for topics that may be brought up.

In his call to Putin, Trump either did not read the call sheet, or didn't care what his advisers thought.

Why did Trump's advisors, and almost all members of Congress believe the president shouldn't congratulate Putin?

Putin's win wasn't a victory for democracy, the election was fixed.
Putin had his opposition jailed multiple times
Putin had his opposition removed from the ballot
Russians opposed to Putin are beaten, poisoned, jailed and killed
Putin controls the state-run media, how it praises him and blasts the opposition
Great Britain has recently accused Putin of ordering the killing of a dissident in London
There is evidence that Putin oversaw the Russian meddling in the US elections

So why did he? Perhaps he didn’t read the call brief. Perhaps he felt that nobody will tell him what to do, and if they write “DO NOT DO ____” then that is exactly what he will do just out of spite.

So how did members of Congress react when they found out? Here’s a brief sample:

Senator John McCain went on to dismissed the election as a “sham” and said Trump “insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election to determine their country's future, including the countless Russian patriots who have risked so much to protest and resist Putin's regime.”

However, the White House was much more perturbed that the brief with "DO NOT CONGRATULATE" was leaked rather than the fact that Trump continues not to hold Putin accountable for his atrocities.

Sessions Fires #2 At FBI Andrew McCabe Hours Before Retirement

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 21:12:53 +0000

3/17/2018

At 10:00 PM last night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired Andrew McCabe. McCabe served as the FBI Deputy Director, second in charge at the bureau.

Sessions stated the primary reason for the termination was due to a “lack of candor”, questioning McCabe’s honesty. A particularly interesting take, especially coming from Sessions who has been less than candid himself (see video below). Many thought the termination was especially dickish of Sessions, considering McCabe’s retirement was only 26 hours away. McCabe served the FBI for 22 years under various presidents. However, his termination by Sessions left his pension in doubt.

McCabe refuted the allegations, stating “This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally,” McCabe said. “It is part of this Administration’s ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day. Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel’s work.”

Many believed Sessions felt pressure to terminate McCabe from Donald Trump, who reportedly despised McCabe. McCabe had defended James Comey’s reputation shortly after Trump fired Comey last year. Trump was reportedly seething after McCabe testified before the Senate Intelligence Hearing where he made statements directly contradicting Trump’s assertions about James Comey and his job performance at the FBI.

After Sessions announced McCabes termination, the President showed his joy and glee by releasing the following tweet:

Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI – A great day for Democracy. Sanctimonious James Comey was his boss and made McCabe look like a choirboy. He knew all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018

The President’s tweet may have added more ammunition to the argument that the President is obstructing justice by interfering with the FBI’s Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference of the 2016 elections. Every time the President fires or has people fired, gets involved or tries to influence the investigation, he is subject to charges of obstruction of justice.

McCabe stated he was “being singled out and treated this way because of the role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed” when the president fired Comey as FBI director.

Trump’s motivation for having McCabe fired seemed obvious to many people in Government, with former CIA Director John Brennan saying this about Trump: “When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history.”

Jeff Sessions claimed he fired McCabe in part because of his “lack of candor”. This video shows Sessions’ total lack of candor, honesty and transparency at a June 2017 Senate Hearing regarding Russian involvement in the 2016 elections. Sessions simply would not answer questions.

Trump Goes For Record: 5 Lies In 1 Tweet

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 18:19:17 +0000

3/19/2018

It was a record few thought could be broken. Five (5) lies (untruths) told in one tweet. If there was anybody who could do it, it would be Trump. He was the only man out there with the audacity to try. Five untrue statements and/or flat out lies.

Oddsmakers in Vegas had him down as a 3/2 favorite that he could do it. But there were doubters. “Five? Man, that’s a lot of lying in just a 280 characters” said Fred Green who was in Vegas watching the odds. “No way man, there’s just no way” Green’s friend Tim Miller blurted out. “My money is against him, no way a man can tell five lies in one tweet” Miller said,

And yet he did. President Trump was accomplished what no man had done before. He set the record of telling five lies in one tweet when he sent out this masterpiece about the Russian investigation:

The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!

Untruth #1 – The investigation started two months before Mueller was hired when FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that the FBI had already been investigating Trump’s campaign for its ties to Russia. Mueller was hired after the probe had already started. It was not initially a “Mueller probe”.

Untruth #2 – No crime? Mueller has charged 19 people with crimes. Of those, five have already pleaded guilty, including Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. His campaign manager Paul Manafort is facing many, many charges and Manafort’s best buddy is going to testify against him. No crime? People are going to prison for many years.

Untruth #3 – No Collusion? Says who? The investigation isn’t over, and Steve Bannon has already said that Donald Trump Jr. was treasonous in his actions when he met with the Russians in Trump Tower. Republicans on the house Intelligence Committee have said they found “no evidence”, but Democrats on the same committee have a different opinion. Time will tell, and the courts will decide.

Untruth #4 – Based on fake Dossier – Democrats and Republicans have admitted the original inquiry began with George Papadopoulos’ having a bar conversation with an Australian diplomat who claimed Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton. The Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent Peter Strzok. The investigation is not based on the dossier.

Untruth #5 – The FISA order to begin surveillance on Carter Page happened after Page left the campaign. It was not, as Trump claims, used for surveillance of his campaign.

Wow, so many false assertions and untrue statements packed into just one tweet. It takes a bold man to try such a feat, but perhaps that is why almost half of America voted for him. Because he is the best at what he does, and what he does is lie.

Kushner In Hot Water Over False Reports To NYC

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 01:12:03 +0000

3/18/2018

Jared Kushner is facing another scandal linked to his time as CEO of the family’s real estate empire. At the center of the latest scandal is Kushners’ apparent tendancy for deceit.

According to an investigation by the Associated Press published on Sunday, “The Kushner Cos. routinely filed false paperwork with the city of New York declaring it had zero rent-regulated tenants in dozens of buildings it owned across the city when, in fact, it had hundreds.”

The report notes that when the company, with Kushner at the helm, bought three apartment buildings in Queens in 2015, most of the tenants were protected from the arbitrary raising of rents by developers and efforts to force them out. Kushner’s company allegedly falsified construction permit applications by claiming the buildings had no rent–regulated tenants, the AP reported.

Former tenants of those buildings say they were subjected to constant harassment, including off–hours construction, and “banging, drilling, dust and leaking water.”

According to Housing Rights Initiative, a watchdog group that investigates real estate fraud and that conducted the research behind the AP report, “Kushner Cos. filed at least 80 false applications for construction permits in 34 buildings across New York City from 2013 to 2016, all of them indicating there were no rent-regulated tenants.”

Kushner also has a reputation for being a slumlord. An investigation last year by The New York Times and ProPublica found that Kushner’s companies had a habit of aggressively pursuing and hounding working–class tenants over minuscule amounts of rent and supposedly “broken” leases. The report also documented widespread neglect in the upkeep of units, including one woman who had maggots in her living room carpet and raw sewage coming out of her kitchen sink.

Last October, Maryland’s attorney general opened an investigation into Kushner Companies over insufficient maintenance, poor living conditions, and abusive debt collection, including trying to jail tenants who owed rent.

Kushner recently got into trouble in regards to his White House Security Clearance. He was not able to aquire a permanent clearance, perhaps in part because of his deceit. Kushner made repeated omissions and revisions of his SF-86 security clearance questionnaire. Charles Phalen, the director of the National Background Investigations Bureau, told lawmakers last monththat he had “never seen that level of mistakes.” Kushner reportedly had made over 100 errors or omissions on his questionnaire.

Great Britain Sure Putin Involved In Salisbury Poisoning

Sat, 17 Mar 2018 00:21:06 +0000

3/16/2018

Prime Minister of Britain Theresa May is incensed over the attempted murder of a former Russian Spy and his daughter on British soil. “It is highly likely that Russia was responsible” for the nerve-agent attack Ms. May said.

Boris Johnson, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, went even further, stating “our quarrel is with Putin’s Kremlin, and with his decision, and we think it is overwhelmingly likely that it was his decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the UK, on the streets of Europe, for the first time since the Second World War.”

On Wednesday, PM May announced the expullsion of 23 Russian diplomats over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, and his daughter. She vowed to crack down on Russian spies, corrupt elites and ill-gotten wealth in Britain.

May’s statement to Parliament came after Moscow ignored a British deadline to explain itself over the attack. “This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom,” Mrs. May said in an address to the House of Commons. “It must therefore be met with a full and robust response.”

May said Britain would suspend all high-level contacts with Russia, and would expel 23 Russian diplomats, who were given one week to leave. She described it as the biggest expulsion in more than 30 years, harkening back to a period in which Britain and the United States together faced down the Soviet Union.

“They have treated the use of a military-grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance,” Ms. May said of Russia. “Their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events. They have provided no credible explanation.”

British authorities identified the nerve agent used in the attack as Novichok, an especially dealdy poison developed by the Russians. Novichok is eight times more deadly than the nerve agent used in the West known as VX.

Melania – Clean Up Your Own House First

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 22:27:42 +0000

3/16/2018

First Lady Melania again stated her intentions to battle on-line bullying, the practice of using social media to insult and berate others.

The good news is that she doesn’t need to walk very far to confront her husband, one of the biggest bullies on social media. The bad news is that she hasn’t confronted him, won’t confront him, and if she did, he wouldn’t listen to her anyway.

The thought that Melania Trump wants to end social media bullying is laughable. It is absurd. Even the suggestion that she could, or would champion social bullying is hard to fathom. It’s like Eva Braun starting a anti-defamtion branch in Berlin in 1940. Her husband has absolutly no intention of changing his ways, and his ways are very bad on social media.

How bad is Donald Trump’s abuse of social media to bully others? Its so bad, the New York Times compiled a list of 425 times he used Twitter to insult or belittle others since he declared his candidacy. It doesn’t even cover all the nasty things he has said in the past. Their excellent article can be found here: NYT’s 425 Donald Trump Twitter Insults

And what about bullying in general? Isn’t bullying by other means just as bad? What about things people say over the radio. or during magazine interviews? Melania’s husbad has been one of the worst bullies in American history. Here a few of the things he has said about women, even about his own family Trump’s insults against women.

Melania needs to clean her own house before she tells others to clean it up. Get your husband to clean up his act, and perhaps people will take you a bit more seriously the next time you talk about bullying.

UPDATE 3/22/2018

Apparently Melania has made very little progress in her effort to combat on-line bullying. The President sent out this beuaty this morning:

Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn’t know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don’t threaten people Joe!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2018

How Biased Is Fox News? Just Watch

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 17:04:36 +0000

3/16/2018

They once billed themselves as “Fair and Balanced”, but more and more, Fox News has proven to contain some of the most biased political programing on TV.

A few years ago, they even stopped calling their programing “news” as it would infer that they would have some responsibility to be honest and non-partisan. Today they call their programing “political commentary”, a more accurate description based on their content.

But just how bad is Fox News? Just take a look at how they reacted to when Obama said he would be open to discussions with North Korea, and how they reacted after Trump announced he plans on meeting with Kim Un Jong.

Video by Now This News

Everything wrong with Fox News in one video pic.twitter.com/Ja6mualzju

— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) March 16, 2018

Trump Lied To Canada’s Trudeau On Purpose

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 22:45:16 +0000

3/15/2018

President Trump admitted today that he lied to Canada’s Prime Minister on purpose.

It wasn’t a simple mistake, or a slip of the tongue. It was a bold-face lie. Why? Because that is the essance of the American President. To lie, to just make things up as he goes along because that is what he is accustomed to doing.

What is even worse, Trump boasted about his lying at a recent fundraiser where he said the following:

“Trudeau came to see me. He’s a good guy, Justin. He said, ‘No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, please…Nice guy, good-looking guy, comes in — ‘Donald, we have no trade deficit.’ He’s very proud because everybody else, you know, we’re getting killed.

“… So, he’s proud. I said, ‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know. … I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong.’ You know why? Because we’re so stupid. … And I thought they were smart. I said, ‘You’re wrong, Justin.’ He said, ‘Nope, we have no trade deficit.’ I said, ‘Well, in that case, I feel differently,’ I said, ‘but I don’t believe it.’ I sent one of our guys out, his guy, my guy, they went out, I said, ‘Check, because I can’t believe it.’

In fact, the US runs a positive trade surplus with Canada every year. In 2016 it was $12.5 billion.

But after being called on the carpet, Trump couldn’t seem to let it go. Today he sent the following tweet, with no evidence or source to back up his false claim.

We do have a Trade Deficit with Canada, as we do with almost all countries (some of them massive). P.M. Justin Trudeau of Canada, a very good guy, doesn’t like saying that Canada has a Surplus vs. the U.S.(negotiating), but they do…they almost all do…and that’s how I know!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2018

Vanessa To Become First “Ex-Wife” Of Donald Jr.

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 20:54:39 +0000

3/15/2018

Vanessa Trump, soon to be the first ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., filed for divorce in New York on Wednesday.

Like his father, Donald Jr. was not able to hold a marriage together. It was suspected that Donald Jr., like his father, had an affair during his marriage. Donald Jr. has been linked to Aubrey O’Day who was a contestant on the Celebrity Apprentice where she met Donald Jr.

After the Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Jr. stayed with his wife, and the couple had two additional children together before deciding to end it. The couple had a total of five children, and were married in 2005.

President Donald Trump has been married three times, had children with each of his wives, and it is generally accepted that he cheated on all three of his wives.

Teacher and Safety Official Cause Two Accidental School Shootings In One Day

Wed, 14 Mar 2018 22:25:08 +0000

3/14/2018

President Trump wants to arm 600,000 teachers with concealed weapons to carry in the classrooms.

Many people believe the idea to arm teachers is misguided, some even believe it is idiotic. Trump apparently assumes all teachers are sane and mentally stable. He also believes that trained teachers won’t make mistakes and accidentally fire their weapons, possibly injuring or even killing innocent students.

During the past two weeks, Trump’s assumptions have been proven false. In Georgia, a mentally unfit teacher who was allowed to carry a handgun lost his mind, locked himself in a classroom and began shooting (Teacher With Gun Goes Nuts At School). Yesterday, a “trained” teacher and a safety official both accidently discharged their guns at school, injuring one innocent student.

Dennis Alexander, a reserve officer with the Sand City California Police Department, was teaching a lesson at Seaside High School when he pointed his gun into the ceiling and accidentally fired it, said Abdul Pridgen, the city’s police chief. The errant bullet ricocheted off the ceiling, sending out fragments that injured three students, including a 17-year-old who was struck in the neck. It’s unclear why the teacher was displaying the firearm. Alexander did not have authorization to bring a gun to the school, but apparently thought it was okay as he was a “trained safety expert”.

In a separate incident, a school resource officer at George Washington Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia, accidentally discharged a weapon while inside his office, according to the Alexandria Police Department. The officer who accidentally fired his weapon was not immediately identified, but police said he is a five-year veteran of the Alexandria Police Department. He was placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, officials said.

These incidents, along with others beg the question: What could possibly go wrong when guns are brought into a school? Just about anything.

Millions Of Students Walk Out To Support End Of Gun Violence

Wed, 14 Mar 2018 20:16:21 +0000

3/14/2018

Millions of students walked out of their classrooms today to support the end of gun violence. They walked out in support of the 17 people who were shot and killed last month in a Parkland Florida High School.

It is estimated that kids in over 3,000 schools from across America participated in the protest. Students participated from every state, hoping to send a message to lawmakers and to the NRA that gun violence needs to end. In many cases, the walkouts lasted 17 minutes, one minute for each shooting victim.

Some schools, like those in Cobb County Georgia, threatend students with suspension if they participated. Many parents in Cobb County supported the student’s walkout despite the schools threats. Campbell High in Cobb County sent out an announcement that said any students who chose to “disrupt the normal operation of a school may be subject to consequences.” But that didn’t stop the students from assembling, nor did it stop some teachers from giving its students their silent encouragement. “The school had 17 minutes of silence, and every minute they read the name of one of the victims and a fact about them,” Catie Parker, a 17-year-old student at Campbell, told CNN. “In the bus parking lot, we formed a silent circle with our posters and stood in solidarity for those 17 minutes.”

Tillerson Fired By Tweet

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 17:54:44 +0000

3/13/2018

President Trump is a coward. Not having the balls to tell the fourth highest ranking official in the US Government face-to-face that he was making a change, Trump instead sent a tweet that there was a new Secretary of State. That is how Rex Tillerson learned he was out of a job. No office visit, no call. He learned his fate the same time the rest of the world learned.

Tillerson was widely viewed as a rational person who may have brought stability to at least part of Trump’s cabinet. Unfortunately, either because of Tillerson, Trump, or the combination of both, the State Department is left in horrific condition. 60% of top-teir senior staff has resigned or retired since Trump has taken over. Trump has proposed a 29% cut in the department’s budget, and there are currently 39 Ambassador positions still left vacant. Many other significant positions have been left unfilled. Trump rejected Tillerson’s choice for second-in-command at the State Department soon after Tillerson arrived. Morale has been reported to be at an all-time low.

Last year Tillerson was reportedly to have called Trump a “fucking moron” behind closed doors. Tillerson never denied saying it.

Normally the loss of the fourth ranking person in the US Government would be an extremly significant occurance. In the Trump White House it seems to be just another drop in the outrageous bucket of Donald Trump.

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018

John McEntee – Another Trump Aide Fired For Security Reasons

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 09:03:57 +0000

3/13/2018

Yet another Trump aide was fired today, this time for “serious financial crimes”. John McEntee was escorted out of the White House by the Secret Service.

But do not shed a tear for the young 27-year-old. The personal aide to the President was immediately hired by the Trump Campaign as a Senior Adviser. The President apparently could not pass up hiring the “very best people”, even though they are accused of financial crimes so serious, they need to escorted from the White House grounds. Never mind we had to just fire him, lets hire him again!

Federal law enforcement officials later confirmed that McEntee was under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security for serious financial crimes. The Wall Street Journal reported that McEntee had problems relating to gambling and taxes that were an obstacle to his obtaining security clearance.

McEntee adds to the very long list of Trump aides and staff members who are either fired or forced to resign in disgrace. The Trump Administration has easily surpassed any previous record for staff turnover.

Stormy Daniels Lawsuit Explained & Why Trump’s Attorney Might Be Fired

Sun, 11 Mar 2018 03:08:39 +0000

3/10/2018

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive – Sir Walter Scott

Porn Star Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump’s attorney have weaved quite a web; one of deception, lies and innuendos. It is a complicated web, one which will require much untangling. However the web untangles, it has become apparently clear, and undeniable that the Porn Star was paid to keep certain activities under the covers.

Trump has said he would only hire the best to fill his White House staff. He may have blundered when he put his long-time attorney Michael Cohen in charge of this situation. Then again, part of the blame could be levied against Trump himself.

Daniels, Trump and Trump’s attorney were supposed to enter into the non-disclosure agreement about a month before the election. Daniels and Trump attorney Michael Cohen signed the agreement, and there is a space for Trump to do so as well. Initially, it seemed all parties were satisfied with the agreement. Daniels would receive $130,000 for her silence, and talk of an affair with a Porn Star would be kept out of the public eye during the rest of the campaign. But tick tock, the payment didn’t come as promised. Fearing Trump would never actually pay her, Daniels had her attorney send Trump’s attorney a notice that the payment would need to made immediately, or Daniels would consider the agreement null and void, and that she would be free to speak openly about their affair.

For whatever reason, perhaps on purpose, Trump didn’t make the payment. This left Cohen in a pickle. He had to quickly arrange to get Daniels paid from somewhere, or the gig would be up. Cohen has stated that he decided to pay Daniels himself, out of his own money to enforce the agreement. He has since claimed that he took money from his Home Equity Line Of Credit, and that he was not reimbursed by Trump, or the campaign. He didn’t claim he wasn’t reimbursed by somebody, just that it wasn’t Trump or his campaign.

Cohen made the payment to Daniels 11 days prior to the election. Cohen has since claimed that Trump knew nothing about his actions, or the payment to Daniels. If true, Cohen would be in all sorts of trouble, as we will address a bit later.

By taking the $130,000 Daniels may have determined the outcome of the election. Would it have mattered that Trump had an affair with a Porn Star? Probably not. It didn’t matter to Republicans that more than 18 women had accused him of sexual harassment, or that he was caught on tape bragging about grabbing women by the pussy. It simply didn’t matter, and Daniels claim would have been just one more chapter to the book that is Donald Trump.

In mid-January, The Wall Street Journal reported that Daniels received the money. Trump and Cohen denied any of it was true. Porn Star paid $130,000 To Hide Under Covers

As time went on, Daniels decided that perhaps she didn’t get the fair end of the stick. Fearing an outburst in early February, Cohen reportedly exercised part of the agreement and entered into arbitration where he was granted an injunction to keep Daniels quiet. Not satisfied with that decision, Daniels filed a lawsuit on March 8^th against the President and his attorney Cohen. The suit can be read in its entirety by following the link below.

Daniels and her attorney believe that the injunction produced during arbitration is bogus. Her filing suit also allows her to make the original agreement public for everybody to see. The release of the agreement (which Trump and his attorney originally denied existed) probably raised the blood pressure of at least one person in the White House (hint: she goes by FLOTUS).

So why can Stormy Daniels release the agreement, and why does she not need to follow it? Because she believes that Cohen violated the agreement, and she has legitimate claims that the agreement is null and void. When she was able to file suit, she was also legally able to disclose the agreement itself, which may have been 90% of what Trump wanted to keep secret. Her reasons for filing suit are as follows:

Donald Trump never signed the agreement. This matters – sometimes. It is thought that Trump may have not signed it on purpose, so he could deny knowledge of it. Normally everybody needs to agree and sign. However, Daniels accepted payment, and for a period of time abided by the terms of the agreement which demonstrates her acceptance.
When Cohen entered into arbitration, he did so in California. Unfortunately for him, he is not listed as being a member of the California Bar Association, a requirement to practice law in California. Any decisions made by an arbitrator on behalf of Cohen could be rejected by the courts. Update – As it turns out, Cohen did not file for the arbitration. Documents show an attorney for the Trump Organization based in California filed. This enabled the arbitration, but proves the Trump Organization is involved. It isn’t Just Cohen acting on his own.
When Cohen entered into arbitration, he is required to give due notice to the other party so that they can respond. According to Daniels complaint, Cohen did not follow this protocol, gain a reason for rejecting any decisions made by an arbitraitor. Update – The motion to arbitrate was filed on an emergency appeal, thus prior notification was not necessary, though why the arbitator thought it was an emergency is a mystery.
Cohen was not entitled to arbitration. According to the agreement, only Donald Trump can enter into arbitration with Daniels. Arbitration between Daniels and Cohen is not a remedy per the agreement. Hence any decision made by the arbitrator is not enforceable. Update – As an attorney for the Trump Oranization files for arbitration, this point is moot. However, the attorney, listed as a VP of the Trump organization did sign the papers on behalf of Trump. This would mean Trump is part of the agreement, and is being represented by counsel.
Cohen claims he acted alone, without Trump’s knowledge. Why he would then list Trump as a party to the agreement is a mystery. The law also requires him to keep his client (Trump) fully informed and aware of all actions against him. He is also required to keep his client informed of all actions to remedy any issues. To act without keeping Trump informed would almost certainly result in his disbarment. Either Cohen is lying, or his is facing the possibilty of not being able to practice law in the future.
Daniels offered to return the $130,000 for full release from the agreement. By offering to do so, Daniels demonstrated she may not be so confident in her other arguments, and that she is still bound by the agreement. Unfortunately for Trump, the cat was really out of the bag once her suit was filed.

Considering just about everybody of importantance who works for Trump is required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, this situation should have been routine. It was botched, and botched badly. In reality Trump may have had a hand in causing the problem when Daniels wasn’t paid right away. If she had been paid, then Cohen wouldn’t have needed to scramble to get her paid which lead to the papertrail for the Wall Street Journal to begin with. Will Trump tell Cohen “You’re fired!”? Only time will tell.

Filed Complaint Daniels v Trump

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner – Kim Jong Un

Fri, 09 Mar 2018 01:42:58 +0000

3/8/2018

Most of the White House, and most of America were caught off-gaurd this evening when South Korean security advisors announce President Trump had agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The announcement was held outside the White House after security adviser Chung Eui-yong had met with Trump.

It was reported that Trump exclaimed “I’ll do it” when presented with the offer for a meeting. Normally, a president would consult with his own security advisors and Secretary of State to formulate a measured response before accepting such an invitation. Trump did not do that. Subsequently, aides were left scambling to pkan the meeting, and to formulate objectives and possible conditions.

It was initially stipulated that the meeting be held “by May”, but within hours a White House spokesperson contridicted that expectation by stating the meeting would be held at “an appropriate time”. It is not currently known where, when or who would attend the meeting. Kim Jong Un has referred to Trump as a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard”.

Another Trump Adviser Resigns – Complete List So Far

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 03:11:02 +0000

3/6/2018

Gary Cohn, chief economic adviser of President Trump resigned this afternoon. Cohn’s resignation came after the president decided last week to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a decision Cohn opposed.

Cohn’s announcement came after Trump upped his tariff threats, stating that he may also impose a 25% tariff on European cars. “The EU has been particularly tough on the United States. They make it almost impossible to do business with them, and yet they send their cars and everything else back into the United States,” Trump said while standing next to the prime minister of Sweden. “We can put a tax of 25% on their cars and believe me they won’t be doing It for very long,” he said.

Cohn’s departure marks another day in the chaotic Trump White House. Internal fighting, rash and abrupt decision making and constant scandal has become a trademark of the Trump Administration. One by one, Trump’s aides, confidants and trusted allies have departed. Yet the President stated that for every departure, he has ten people waiting in line to take their place.

A current list of departures:

03/06/18 – Gary Cohn – Resigned – Top Trump Economic Adviser. A very significant departure, Cohn brought stability and rational thought to whatever there is to Trump’s economic policy.
02/28/18 – Hope Hicks – Resigned – White House Communications Director – Probably Trump’s most trusted and loyal aide. Her departure was a personal blow to the President.
02/27/18 – Josh Raffel – Resigned – White House Deputy Communications Director. Departure not significant.
02/07/18 – Rob Porter – Resigned in disgrace – White House Staff Secretary. Significant because it exposed that many White House staff members did not have permanent security clearance. Porter did not receive his because both of his ex-wives accused him of domestic violence.
12/13/17 – Omarosa Manigault Newman – Fired – White House Public Liason. Not significant. She was reportedly a pain in everybody’s rear.
12/08/17 – Dina Powell – Resigned – Deputy National Security Adviser. Somewhat significant.
09/29/17 – Tom Price – Resigned in disgrace – Health and Human Services Secretary. Very significant, ousted due to his love for chartering private jets at taxpayer expense.
08/25/17 – Sebastian Gorka – Resigned – Deputy Assistant with a specialty in natioanl security. Not very significant. Security clearance revoked. Ties to alt-right.
08/20/17 Keith Schiller – Resigned – Deputy Assistant – Not significant. Former personal body guard to the Trump family.
08/18/17 – Steve Bannon – Fired – Chief Strategist to the President – Very significant. Bannon is probably the main reason Trump was elected, but didn’t play well in the WH playground.
07/31/17 – Anthony Scaramucci – Fired – 11 day Communications Director – Significant. After getting others fired, “The Mooch” got the boot himself.
07/28/17 – Reince Priebus – Fired – Chief of Staff – Significant. Replaced by John Kelly.
07/25/17 – Michael Short – Resigned before being fired – Senior Assistant Press Secretary – Somewhat significant. Resigned by text after being told Scaramucci was about to fire him.
07/21/17 – Sean Spicer – Resigned – White House Press Secretary – Significant. Spicer immediately resigned upon learning Trump hired Scaramucci.
07/20/17 – Mark Corallo – Resigned – Spokesman for Trump’s private legal team – Significant because he reportedly resigned after hearing Hope Hicks suggest obstucting justice.
07/06/17 – Walter Shaub – Resigned – Director of the Office of Government Ethics – Significant. Couldn’t handle the ethic issues in the Trump Administration.
05/18/17 – Mike Dubke – Resigned – White House Communications Director – Significant. Resigned shortly after Comey firing.
05/09/17 – James Comey – Fired – FBI Director – Very significant. Comey’s firing was most likely the reason Justice Department assigned a special prosecutor to investigate Trump’s role in Russian meddling in the election.
05/05/17 – Angella Reid – Fired – Chief Usher – Significant in that she was the first women and the first African American to serve in that position. The WH would not give a reason for her firing.
03/30/17 – Katie Walsh – Resigned – Deputy Chief of Staff – Somewhat significant.
03/25/17 – Boris Epshteyn – Resigned – Assistant Communications Director – Somewhat significant.
02/13/17 – Michael Flynn – Fired – National Security Adviser – Very significant. Lied to VP Pence, involved with the Russians, plead guilty to multiple charges.
01/30/17 – Sally Yates – Fired – Attorney General – Significant. Fired after she refused to defend Trump’s travel ban.

Trump Hires “Only The Best People”, Sam Nunberg Proves It.

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 20:29:11 +0000

3/6/2018

As a candidate, Trump promised repeatedly that he would hire “only the best people”. If Sam Nunberg is Trump’s idea of the best, then the government is in grave danger.

Shortly after receiving his law degree in 2009, Sam Nunberg met and joined forces with campaign operative Roger Stone. In 2014, the two were working with Donald Trump, trying to keep him in the news for whatever reasons they could come up with. Nunberg convinced Trump to do an interview for BuzzFeed, which ended up being critical of Trump. Nunberg was dumped, only to have Trump hire him back in early 2015. Nunberg was fired later in 2015 when he posted on Facebook that President Obama was a “Socialist Marxist Islamo Fascist Nazi Appeaser” and referred to the Rev. Al Sharpton’s daughter as a nigger.

In 2016, Trump sued Nunberg for $10,000,000.00 for allegedly violating his non-disclosure agreement. The suit (one of over 3,500 involving the President) was settled out of court.

Nunberg was recently subpoenaed to appear in front of the Grand Jury investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Nunberg decided to take to the airwaves to declare that he would not cooperate, or supply emails with others associated with Trump’s campaign. Nunberg called the subpoena “ridiculous” and added “I think it would be funny if they arrested me”.

Nunberg went on TV and radio shows throughout the day, offering up these soon to be classic quotes:

“Do you think I would communicate with Carter Page?” “Carter Page is a scumbag…Carter Page was colluding with the Russians”.
“What my point is, is that I’m sick of this shit. I’m not having a meltdown. In fact, I’m the first person ever standing up for themselves.”
“Trump treated me like crap”
“Didn’t I say that Trump was a disloyal asshole tonight?”
“I despise him” Nunberg said about Trump.
In regards to Robert Mueller – “He’s not going to arrest me.” “You know how stupid it is if he arrests me? It’ll be the funniest thing. … I’ll make a spectacle out of it. No justice no peace!”

And after he was about half way through his day and had time to receive feedback about his earlier comments, Nunberg had this to say:

Regarding Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “She should stop talking shit.” “They’ve been putting out all day that I’m a drunk and a drug addict.”
“Sarah Huckabee wants to start debasing me? She’s a joke. Okay, fine, yeah she’s not attractive, she’s a fat slob, okay fine. But that’s not relevant. Her, her, the person she works for has a 30% approval rating.”
“Sarah should shut up frankly”. “Sarah should shut up, she’s a terrible Communications…”.
“Do you like how I said that she should shut her fat mouth?”
“My response is Chris Cillizza can go fuck himself and he dresses like shit”. CNN editor Chris Cillizza had described Nunberg as a “D-list” political talent who is not “sophisticated.”

Yes, President Trump sure has a knack for hiring “only the very best”. Sam Nunberg today proved that the President has hired only classy, intelligent people who posses the delicate sophistication required to sway the press to your point of view. Good job Mr. President!

Out Of The Blue, Trump Announces Trade War

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 01:31:13 +0000

3/5/2018

Seemingly without notice, President Trump on Thursday announced he plans on putting a tariff on imported steel and aluminum.

Neither the President nor his staff had mentioned the plan before Trump blurted out his intentions during a Thursday meeting. He plans to impose a 25% tariff on steel, and a 10% tariff on aluminum. His announcement caused the stock market to plunge, causing the Dow down over 525 points before rebounding to close 300 points down.

Many thought Trump’s sudden outburst was a result of a terrible week for the President. Trump saw his trusted son-in-law Jared Kushner lose his top-secret security clearance, Kushner being bashed in the press as foreign countries talked about manipulating him, trusted aide Hope Hicks resigned, the President himself was schooled by the NRA on due process, and more embarrassment came from cabinet members such as Ben Carson who ordered a $31,000 table for his HUD office. Perhaps the President thought he could distract the press from the other issues by making another bizarre statement.

It is rumored that Trump aide Peter Navarro put the bug in Trump’s ear to institute the tariffs. Navarro stated that he didn’t believe any nation would retaliate against the US. Almost immediately, US trading partners voiced their objections, with many threatening retaliation. The EU Trade Commission said they are investigating possible retaliation targets, and specifically suggested tariffs on Harley Davidson motor cycles, Levi jeans, and American whiskey.

While not mentioning specific targets, both Canada and China stated that they would also retaliate. Canada is by far the biggest source of steel to the US, exporting almost eight times more steel to the US than China.

Neither Trump or his aide Navarro seemed concerned on the potential loss of US jobs a trade war may cause. If other nations start to put tariffs on American agriculture products, US farms could lose billions in revenue and tens of thousands of jobs. China is the biggest buyer for the US soy crop. For six years, China has also been the biggest market for General Motors, far outpacing the sales of vehicles in the US. A tariff on US vehicles in China would be devastating to US car makers. In South Carolina, one in eleven workers depend on the seaports where thousands of ships come to load and unload goods. Over 187,000 jobs in South Carolina depend on trade at the ports.

Even though a sustained and elevated trade war would be devastating to the US economy, the President thinks a trade war would be good.

When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 2, 2018

Putin Says Russia Now Has Invincible Nuclear Weapons

Sat, 03 Mar 2018 01:07:11 +0000

3/2/2018

“The containment of Russia didn’t succeed, It’s time to recognize that reality. This isn’t a bluff” Said Russian President Vladimir Putin during his two hour state-of-the-union address in Moscow.

During the speech, Putin claimed that Russia had successfully tested a cruise missile that was propelled by a nuclear-powered engine. The missile will be able to fly close to the ground and follow an unpredictable flight path, rendering existing and future missile defenses “useless,” Putin said. He also said that in December, Russia had completed a multiyear testing cycle for an underwater, nuclear-powered drone. The successful tests, he said, “will allow the development of a complete new type of weapon — a strategic complex of nuclear arms with rockets fitted with a nuclear-propulsion engine.”

Top U.S. generals have issued warnings for months about the development and deployment of new Russian cruise missiles, urging Congress and the Pentagon to step up technology that could better defend against them. Cruise missiles hug the terrain, flying low and fast, allowing them to evade radar and missile defense systems that are designed to shoot down missiles that fly more slowly and at an arc.

Russia has developed new cruise missiles “with the capability to hold targets at risk at ranges we haven’t seen before,” Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, which is assigned to defend the continental United States, said in Senate testimony in mid-February.

President Trump, who comments on everything, had no comment.

After Another Trump Humiliation, Sessions Pushes Back

Fri, 02 Mar 2018 00:32:24 +0000

3/1/2018

Attorney General Jeff Sessions pushed back against President Donald Trump’s latest insult on Wednesday, after again being publicly humiliated by him.

Still consumed by the ongoing Russian investigation, Trump fumed over issues raised by the Republican memo, issues debunked by the release of the Democratic version. Sessions recused himself from the Russian investigation long ago, but the President has either forgotten this fact, or still resents the Attorney General for doing so.

Trump bashed Sessions over an investigation into alleged surveillance abuses, calling his approach “disgraceful” in one of his many tweets.

Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2018

The attorney general responded in a statement that the Justice Department “initiated the appropriate process that will ensure complaints against this department will be fully and fairly acted upon if necessary.”

“As long as I am the attorney general, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor, and this department will continue to do its work in a fair and impartial manner according to the law and Constitution,” Sessions said.

Sessions chose to respond to the President because his latest jab was more “in the weeds” and about process, said a source familiar with Sessions’ thinking.

Previous times, Trump has insulted Sessions when calling for the investigation of Hillary Clinton, but this time he called for Sessions to go after Justice Department attorneys, which was a bridge too far, said the source.

“There is a process, we are following that process,” the source added.

Teacher With Gun Goes Nuts In Georgia High School

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:54:53 +0000

2/28/2018

So much for President Trump’s idea of arming teachers. On Wednesday, a teacher armed with a handgun went off the rails and fired shots inside the high school where he was teaching.

Jesse Randall Davidson barricaded himself in an empty classroom as confused students tried to enter the room, police said. Davidson refused to let anybody enter, and when the principal put a key in the door in an attempt to enter, Davidson fired a shot from a handgun through an exterior window of the classroom. The school went into lockdown, and police quickly arrived and evacuated the immediate area around the classroom.

Davidson surrendered about 45 minutes after police arrived. When Davidson shot through the exterior window of the room, it didn’t appear he was aiming at any person, police spokesman Bruce Frazier said. Police later stated that Davidson would face charges of aggravated assault, carrying a weapon on school grounds, terroristic threats, reckless conduct, possession of gun during commission of a crime, and disrupting a public school. Curiously, Principal Steve Bartoo said Davidson was an “excellent teacher” who was “well thought of in our building.”

President Trump recently proposed arming teachers with guns in classrooms. However, the President may have falsely assumed that all teachers with guns were perfectly sane. Davidson proved that assumption wrong.

In 2016, Davidson told Dalton police that he had an online affair with a woman who refused to end contact with him, and two of his friends offered to “take care of her,” according to a 2016 officer incident report. Davidson said he agreed. Later when he asked if they scared her, the friends said it was worse than that, which he understood to mean that they killed her, the incident report said. The claims went unfounded. “It appears the subject may be delusional or have something else that had occurred that is causing to have these thoughts,” the report stated.

Davidson, who allegedly was on several medications for depression at the time, had just gotten out of the hospital when he spoke to police on March 21, 2016.

The teacher also had an incident near campus grounds in 2017. Claiming he didn’t feel well, Davidson called his son and mother to pick him up from the school building. School staff began looking for him throughout the school but found him almost a mile away sitting on a curb.

Davidson’s case exemplifies exactly why Trump’s idea of teachers carrying guns is flawed. Of the approximately 600,000 teachers Trump wants to arm, many of those are mentally unfit to carry a weapon. People who are mentally unstable may go from being “an excellent teacher” as Davidson’s principal described him, to an unhinged lunatic in mere minutes. What may result could be an unstable teacher who simply walks past all security with a fully loaded weapon to greet 30-40 students. Let’s hope sanity prevails and the thought of purposefully bringing more guns into a school goes out the window, just like Davidson’s bullet.

Trump Defies Constitution – Says Worry About Due Process Later

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:45:06 +0000

2/28/2018

Today the President said that police should take immediate action, take the guns, and worry about “due process” later.

During a meeting with congressional leaders about guns, Vice President Pence suggested that additional tools should be given to law enforcement to confiscate additional weapons from those who posed a risk, after going to court and going through the process (due process) to ensure nobody’s rights were trampled. The President listened, and then said he liked taking the guns first, and then go through due process second.

Taken as he said them, his statement suggests that the President wants to give police the authority to enter a home and to take guns (and/or other weapons) without a warrant, and without consent of the court. He said the court process takes too long, insinuating that police should do whatever they feel is necessary first, and then go back to the court later to see if it was okay.

His comments immediately alarmed just about everybody. Even Fox News commentators were incredulous Fox News on Trump Due Process. NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch just about had kittens. Republican Senator Pat Toomey said the President’s comments “took my breath away”.

Most of those familiar with the US Constitution agree that Trump’s plan would be a violation of the fourth amendment, and most likely the second amendment.

The fourth amendment states: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. In other words, the government just can’t come to your house and take things without a really good reason, and the court needs to issue a warrant first.

The second amendment states: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. In other words, people have the right to have guns.

What the President would like is to disregard the constitution, and have the police do whatever they want, whenever they wanted to do it.

Rest easy, it won’t happen. The President just doesn’t know the constitution or how it works.

No Hope For Trump, Fourth Communications Director Is Out

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:08:38 +0000

2/28/2018

A day after admitting she lies for the President, Hope Hicks resigned today as White House Communications Director.

Her announcement was probably a terrific blow to the President, as many viewed Hicks as one of his closest and most trusted confidants. She had been with him from almost the beginning of his campaign.

At only 29, Hicks had risen quickly in the Trump inner circle. Before Trump was elected, she had no governmental experience.

After her admission of lying to protect the President, many thought her departure was a mere formality. The White House can not have a Communication Director who lies, even in the Trump Administration which has been accused of setting records for the most lies.

Having held office for just over a year, Trump will be looking for his 5^th (or 6^th depending on how you count them) Director of Communications.

His Director of Communications:

Sean Spicer 45 Days
Mike Dubke 88 Days
Sean Spicer 49 Days
Anthony Scaramucci 10 Days
Hope Hicks 196 Days
?

Trump Won’t Give Order To Thwart Future Russian Election Interference

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:46:55 +0000

2/27/2018

US Cyber Command chief Adm. Mike Rogers told lawmakers on Tuesday that he has not been granted authority by President Trump to disrupt Russian election hacking operations where they originate.

Asked by Democratic Sen. Jack Reed if he has been directed by the President, through the defense secretary, to confront Russian cyber operators at the source, Rogers said “no I have not”.

Rogers stated that it is fair to say that with regards to Russia “we have not opted to engage in some of the same behaviors we are seeing”. “It has not changed the calculus or the behavior on behalf of the Russians,” Rogers said about the US response to Russia’s cyber threat to date. “They have not paid a price that is sufficient to change their behavior,” he added.

Reed also asked FBI Director Christopher Wray earlier this month whether the efforts to counter Russia’s election activities in 2018 had been directed by Trump. “Not as specifically directed by the President,” Wray responded during a hearing at the Senate Intelligence Committee.

On Tuesday, Rogers reiterated that he still views Moscow as a threat to the 2018 elections, a stance that is consistent with what he and other top national security officials told the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month. “We expect Russia to continue using propaganda, social media, false-flag personas, sympathetic spokesmen and other means to influence, to try to build on its wide range of operations and exacerbate social and political fissures in the United States,” Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats previously testified. “There should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 US midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations,” he said.

But that conclusion appears at odds with Trump’s repeated dismissals of Russian election meddling. Trump declared last week that “the facts” prove he’s been tougher on Russia than his predecessor President Obama. However, that doesn’t seem to be true, especially when it comes to punishing Russia for interfering in US elections.

Ben Carson’s HUD Assistant Demoted After Not Buying Him A $31,000 Table

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 23:47:48 +0000

2/27/2018

Senior official Helen Foster in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) claims she was demoted and replaced with a Donald Trump appointee after refusing to break the law by funding an expensive redecoration of HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s office.

Foster’s complaint letter stated that the day before Trump’s inauguration, Foster was asked by acting HUD director Craig Clemmensen to help Carson’s wife, Candy, obtain funds for the redecoration of her husband’s office suite. When Foster replied that there was a statutory limit of $5,000, Clemmensen allegedly told her that administrations had “always found ways around that in the past”.

Foster said she was told “$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair” after informing her bosses that $5,000 was the legal price limit for improvements to the HUD secretary’s suite at the department’s Washington headquarters. To exceed that limit was possible, but would require the approval of congress.

When she had not relented by 10 February, Foster was repeatedly told by Clemmensen “to ‘find money’ for Mrs Carson”. Foster said she complained to HUD’s budget director about being asked to break the spending limit.

Under Carson, HUD has agreed to spend $165,000 on “lounge furniture” for its Washington headquarters (in addition to the $31,000 dining set purchased for Carson’s office). Carson’s decor spending come as President Trump’s has proposed a cut of $6.8bn to HUD’s annual budget, or roughly 14% of its total spending, which would lead to reductions in programs designed to help poor and homeless Americans.

Foster also claimed that she faced retaliation for exposing a $10m budget shortfall, and for protesting when she was barred from handling a pair of sensitive freedom of information act (FOIA) requests relating to Trump apparently because she was perceived to be a Democrat.

A copy of a complaint letter filed by Foster to a watchdog for federal employees alleges that HUD violated laws protecting whistleblowers from reprisals. Foster is seeking a public apology, compensatory damages and reinstatement as HUD’s chief administrative officer.

“This is a long-time public servant who did well at her job, and now her reputation has been ruined,” said Foster’s attorney, Joseph Kaplan, who filed the complaint to the office of special counsel (OSC) last November.

Foster’s complaint said that shortly before the contentious incidents, her performance had been rated “excellent” in an annual review, and that she received bonus pay worth 12% of her salary as a reward.

Kushner Target of Foreign Governments For Manipulation

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 21:52:24 +0000

2/27/2018

The Washington Post’s Shane Harris reported that officials in four countries discussed ways to manipulate Jared Kushner, President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law.

Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter.

Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said.

It is unclear if any of those countries acted on the discussions, but Kushner’s contacts with certain foreign government officials have raised concerns inside the White House and are a reason he has been unable to obtain a permanent security clearance, the officials said.

H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report. The issue of foreign officials talking about their meetings with Kushner and their perceptions of his vulnerabilities was a subject raised in McMaster’s daily intelligence briefings, according to the current and former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Kushner’s interim security clearance was downgraded from the top-secret to the secret level, which should restrict the regular access he has had to highly classified information, according to administration officials.

Kushner Loses Top Security Clearance, Now Lower Than Secretary Who Addresses Envelopes

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 21:39:42 +0000

2/27/2018

The White House calligrapher now has greater access to sensitive information than White House adviser (and President Trump’s son-in-law) Jared Kushner.

Kushner’s security clearance was downgraded from top secret to secret, a huge cut to what information he has access to, including the President’s Daily Brief. The Daily Brief contains all top-secret information the President needs to know. Kushner has had access to the information for over a year.

Chief of Staff John Kelly rescinded Kushner’s clearance after it was discovered there were many White House staffers who were handling top-secret information without a permeant clearance. In early February, It was discovered that ousted Secretary Rob Porter had not received his permanent clearance due to domestic abuse charges. Jared Kushner has not received his clearance reportedly because of suspicious over-seas financial transactions.

Kushner had been operating under a temporary security clearance. Kelly mandated that if any staffer had applied for permanent clearance before last June, and still had not received it, they would lose their temporary status. Time was up.

Obviously, Kushner’s security situation would have been front-and-center to those in charge of processing applications. The fact that he couldn’t secure top-secret status implies there is something terribly wrong with his background. Kushner needed to make multiple ammendments to his application form, as it was pointed out time and time again he had left off required information. His inability to provide investigators with complete information left Fox News host Sheppard Smith to comment that other people who have done the same have wound up in prison.

The failure of Kushner to hold a top-secret security clearance is an embarrassment to the Trump Administration, as Kushner is considered to be one of Trump’s top aides. To put it in perspective, the White House calligrapher has top-secret clearance, and her primary job is to write invitations in fancy lettering to guests of the White House. A 2015 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that there were 1,363,483 government employees and contractors who held top-secret clearances.

White House Communication Director Says She Lies

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 21:30:16 +0000

2/27/2018

In a stunning admission, White House Director of Communications Hope Hicks told the House Intelligence panel today that she lies.

During a 9-hour question and (sometimes) answer session, Hicks said she sometimes tells “white lies” for President Trump. Initially, Hicks would not answer the question of whether she lied, but after consulting with her attorney for approximately 15 minutes, she said that she had.

Panel members then asked her if she had lied for other White House staff members, or for members of President Trump’s family. She refused to answer that question. She also refused to answer questions regarding the statement she had helped craft after it became known that Donald Trump Jr. had met with Russians in the Trump Tower during the campaign.

Because her attendance was voluntary, she didn’t have to answer questions if she didn’t want to. Upon refusing to answer questions, Democrats on the commission asked that she be immediately subpoenaed, which then would require her to answer questions. An immediate subpoena was used when the same panel questioned Steve Bannon when he initially refused to answer questions. However, for Hicks panel Republicans refused to invoke a subpoena, apparently satisfied with Hick’s refusal to answer questions for some reason.

The fact that a White House Communications Director would lie for the President was an astonishing revelation, which instantly obliterated any credibility she may have had with the press. Her admission may have subjected her to prosecution, as she took an oath to defend the constitution and she would “bear true faith and allegiance”. Lying to protect the President, no matter how trivial or insignificant she believed the lie to be, would be a violation of her duties and to the oath that she took.

Gun Facts That Are Hard To Ignore

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:08:34 +0000

2/26/2018

Republicans say that passing any gun control laws would result in only the criminals having guns. The argument simply does not hold water, as every other advanced country in the world is able to control gun violence better than the United States. Simple logic dictates that if gun laws similar to those in Australia, Japan or Canada were passed in the United States, thousands of pointless murders could be avoided. The question is, do Americans have the courage to make a change and protect their children?

Below are some simple facts provided by the website Everytown.Org

To put the graph into perspective, The United States population is about 330 million. The population of Japan is about 128 million (slightly more than a third of the US population). The United States has about 13,000 gun murders per year, Japan averages about 10 (yes, that’s right, ten). Japanese law allows gun ownership, but residents must go through a day-long training and pass proficiency tests.

Some more fun gun facts:

In an average year in the US, 12,725 people are murdered by guns. An additional 21,635 people commit sucide by using a gun, there are 500 people killed by accident, and another 300 gun deaths that where the intent can not be determined. In all, the Unted States averages about 35,140 gun deaths per year.
On an Average day, 96 Americans are killed with guns.
For every one person killed by a gun, two more are injured by a gun.
Seven children and teens are killed with guns on an average day.
If a gun is present during a domestic violence situation, the chance of the women being killed increases 500%
600 women per year are shot to death in the United States by their intimate partners.
Black men are 13 times more likely to be shot and killed by a gun than white men.

Do American have the desire and courage to make a change?

Despite Bone Spurs, Trump Claims He Would Have Rushed In To Save Children

Mon, 26 Feb 2018 19:44:59 +0000

2/26/2018

President Trump claimed Monday that he would have rushed into the school during the shooting that occured two weeks ago at a Florida high school. The shooting killed 17 people. The President stated that deputy sherrifs “wern’t exactly Medal Of Honor winners” and then later called it “a disgrace” the way they performed.

“I really believe I’d run in, even if I didn’t have a weapon,” Trump said during a White House meeting with governors from across the country, adding that he thinks the governors assembled also would have rushed into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “You never know until you’re tested,” he added.

The President filed for, and received five deferments to serve his country during the Vietnam war. One of the deferments were for bone spurs he claimed to have, which kept him disabilitated. The President does not walk with a limp, and the bone spurs have not kept him from playing golf on almost a weekly basis. Trump’s Bone Spurs

Mexican President Cancels 2nd Meeting With “Deal Maker” Trump

Sun, 25 Feb 2018 17:30:23 +0000

2/25/2018

President Trump is 0-2 in his attempts to meet with the Mexican President, America’s most important neighbor to the South.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto called off tentative plans to visit the White House after another testy call with Trump earlier in the week. President Trump, self-proclaimed “Dealmaker” and author of “The Art Of The Deal”, was unable to even get a first meeting scheduled, the very first step of any negotiating process. This is the second time Trump botched a telephone call which resulted in the a breakdown of discussions with the Mexican President. Mexican President cancels trip after call with Trump.

This time, President Peña Nieto was considering an official trip to the White House in February or March but called off the plan after Trump refused to agree to publicly affirm Mexico’s position that it wouldn’t pay for a wall betwen the US and Mexico. The two presidents reportedly spoke by phone for nearly an hour last week, and neither would budge on the matter. For Mexico, the wall is considered offensive, and it is simply unacceptable for them to discuss the possibility of Mexico paying for it. For Trump, he pledged repeatedly during his campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall, a pledge that seems to be a big deal for his supporters.

“The problem is that President Trump has painted himself, President Peña Nieto and the bilateral relationship into a corner,” Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the US said. “Even from the get-go, the idea of Mexico paying for the wall was never going to fly. His relationship with Mexico isn’t strategically driven. It’s not even business; it’s personal, driven by motivations and triggers, and that’s a huge problem. It could end up with the US asking itself, ‘Who lost Mexico?’”

In January 2017, soon after Trump’s inauguration, the pair engaged in a highly publicized back-and-forth over payment for the wall. Trump signed an executive order to increase America’s deportation force and start its construction, which prompted Peña Nieto to deliver a video message promising to protect the Mexican people and immigrants and saying that Mexico wouldn’t pay for the wall. Trump responded on Twitter, daring Peña Nieto to call off the meeting, which he did.

Republican Memo Debunked by Release Of Democrat’s Version

Sat, 24 Feb 2018 18:30:15 +0000

2/24/2018

At one point, some Republicans thought the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling was on its last legs. Republican Devin Nunes had prepared a secret memo outlining how the investigation was unjust, biased, and grossly unfair to the President.

Republicans who had seen the memo claimed that it contained claims of official corruption so great, they eclipsed the atrocities of Nixon’s Watergate. Some thought it would lead to the end of the FBI as we know it. People would be fired, political corruption would be exposed, Hillary’s evil intentions would be laid bare for all to see. The whole Russian investigation was unjust, and based on lies the FBI gave the court.

Because information in the memo was classified, only the President was authorized to de-classify it and make it public.

Calls went out to Trump, Release The Memo! Show the world how corrupt the FBI and Justice Department is, show the world that they had no reason to start the investigation, show the world the investigation is a warrantless, “dark” hoax paid for by “Crooked” Hillary!

And so the President released the memo. And there was nothing.

The Republican memo produced by Devin Nunes was so leading, biased and incomplete, nobody (except Fox News) gave it any credibility. It was a bust of “cherried picked” points, worth forgetting in its entirety.

But the Democrats wanted to release their own version of events, one that supported the FBI and its investigation into Russian meddling. They submitted their version to the President, and he refused to release it. The Democrats went back to the FBI to to clarify what would need to be blacked out in order for it to be okay to release. After the additional blackouts, Congress released the memo, causing the President to have a twitter melt-down.

The Democratic version contains much of the same information as the Republican memo, but it also completes the context of much of the investigation and debunks the Republicans main argument.

Was there a reason for the courts to allow the investigation to begin, and after a period of time to continue? The answer is clearly yes, and the investigation continues today.

The argument of the Republican memo is petty. The FBI was not going to crumble even if they began an investigation based on faulty information (which they didn’t). That is what investigations are for, to find out what happened, and if people are doing things that are wrong, really wrong.

Readers who are interested in the exact details of the secret memos can read an excellent article published by the Washington Post. The article details the information of the memos. You can find the article here. What We Learned About The Memos

Rick Gates Pleads Guilty, Manafort In Trouble

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:06:50 +0000

2/23/2018

Rick Gates, a former top aide to President Trump’s campaign, pleaded guilty to two felonies on Friday and promised to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Gates and Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort were indicted in October on charges that they secretly worked on behalf of a pro-Russian political faction in Ukraine and laundered $4 million in payments through overseas bank accounts.

Prosecutors piled on another 32 counts this week, revealing another indictment accusing the two of lying to obtain millions of dollars in bank loans and of laundering more than $30 million through overseas accounts to pay for real estate and luxury goods while evading U.S. taxes.

Gates’ guilty plea and his promise to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation intensifies the legal pressure on Manafort, who participated in some of the activities that have drawn the attention of investigators, including a 2016 meeting between Trump’s son Donald Trump, Jr. and a Russian lawyer offering damaging information about his rival, Hillary Clinton.

He is the fifth person to plead guilty to a federal crime in Mueller’s investigation, and the third Trump campaign aide who has promised to cooperate with investigators. rosecutors also have secured guilty pleas from Trump’s former national security adviser Mike Flynn and a campaign foreign policy aide, George Papadopoulos, who admitted that he met with a person he thought was tied to the Russian government who was offering “dirt” on Clinton.

Gates’ plea ends weeks of legal anguish for the longtime business partner of Manafort. Gates’ lawyers had publicly sought permission to drop him as a client over “irreconcilable differences.”

Trump Says He Wants To Arm Teachers, Then Says It’s Fake News, Then Says He Wants To Arm Teachers Again

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 22:22:12 +0000

Florida House Refuses Assault Weapons Discussion, Talks Porn Instead

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:38:43 +0000

2/21/2018

The Republican-led Florida House of Representatives on Tuesday decisively blocked a move by Democrats to debate a ban on assault weapons in Florida, six days after a massacre that took 17 lives at a Broward County high school.

The bill (HB 219), which would ban the sale and possession of semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines like the kind used by confessed killer Nikolas Cruz, has been mired in a House subcommittee for months and has not been heard.

Later in the day, many of the same lawmakers discussed a bill that declares porn a public health risk. The bill calls for improved “education, research and policy changes to protect Floridians, especially teenagers, from pornography”.

“Has anyone had to bury their child because of pornography?” asked Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D), who sponsored the legislation seeking to ban assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines. Rep. Kionne McGhee (D), tried to bring the gun control bill to the floor, but failed in a 36-71 party-line vote.

State lawmakers shunned the measure less than a week after a 19-year-old shooter with an AR-15-style assault rifle killed 14 students and three faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Florida allows 18-year-olds to purchase semi-automatic weapons, as Cruz did more than a year before the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High on Valentine’s Day.

New Charges, New Pain For Paul Manafort And Rick Gates

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:18:56 +0000

2/21/2018

New charges have been filed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Rick Gates. The charges were put under seal by the court, hiding the details and nature of the charges.

Both Manafort and Gates have pleaded not guilty to previous charges. However, there were rumors that Gates was about to plead guilty last week, and would testify against Manafort. That plea has yet to be recorded. The new charges may reflect Gates decision not to plea guilty and to cooperate with the investigation. Their attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last week, prosecutors stated they had received new evidence that Manafort took part in “a series of bank frauds and bank fraud conspiracies” in connection with a loan he sought in 2016. Mueller’s team said Manafort obtained the loan using “doctored profit and loss statements” that overstated “by millions of dollars” the income of his consulting business.

The bank fraud allegations were disclosed in a bail-related court filing made public on Friday that did not contain any indication of what action, if any, Mueller’s team planned to take over the alleged fraud.

Washington Post Exposes Shady Immigration of Melania And Her Parents

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 19:19:13 +0000

2/21/2018

The Washington Post today exposed the shady history of Melania Trump’s immigration. It also suggested that Melania’s parents are in the United States as part of chain migration, the very policy the President is trying to end.

Chain migration is the practice of giving preferential immigration treatment to the family members of recent approved immigrants. Once an immigrant becomes naturalized, their family members can more easily apply for citizenship. The President has decried this policy, believing it opens the floodgates once one person is granted citizenship. The Washington Post is reporting that Melania Trump’s Slovenian parents are legal permanent residents of the United States and it appears they benefited from the same “chain migration”.

The Post also recounted that the President claimed that Melania would hold a press conference to document her immigration in August 2016. “Let me tell you one thing,” President Trump said. “She has got it so documented, so she’s going to have a little news conference over the next couple of weeks.” She never did. There are conflicting reports that indicate Melania worked in New York before she was legally able to do so. In 1996 Melania possesed a visitor visa which would have prohibited her from seeking employment. However, she reportedly earned in excess of $20,000 in modeling jobs during that time.

Four years later, Melania also “self-sponsored” herself during her application, a somewhat unusual situation considering she was supposed to be in the United States unemployed. According to her attorney, her application was based on that she was “a model of extraodinary ability”. She received her green card the next year, 2001.

The whole excellent article can be found here: The huge questions about Melania Trump’s immigration history nobody will answer

Florida Students Bash Trump, Senators And The NRA

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 20:21:12 +0000

2/20/2018

People around the country have had enough. They have had enough of the sensless killings tht the government does nothing about. In a recent poll, 62% of Americans said Trump is not doing enough to prevent mass shootings and 77% say Congress is doing an inadequate job on the issue.

During President Trump’s tenure, two records have been set for mass shootings. The first record is for the greatest number of Americans killed in a mass shooting when 58 people were killed at a Country/Western concert in Las Vegas in October 2017. The second occured last week, when a record number of 17 people were killed during a mass school shooting in Florida.

Students throughout Florida have started to express their outrage at the President, members of Congress, and the NRA. Below are some video clips of the ralley have have held, and their call for action to change gun laws.

Survey Says…..Trump Worst President Ever

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:52:59 +0000

2/19/2018

Donald Trump is America’s worst president, says a New York Times opinion piece that’s based on a survey of 170 members of the American Political Science Association’s Presidents and Executive Politics section.

The survey was conducted by Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at the University of Houston, and Justin S. Vaughn, an associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Idaho History and Politics at Boise State University.

Their op-ed, was posted Monday in the Times, showed Barack Obama faring much better than Trump. Obama shot into the top 10, up from 18th when a previous survey was conducted in 2014. Trump is listed last, dead last of all US Presidents.

The authors said the four years since the previous survey had other changes in rankings, with James Buchanan, who was at the helm as the United States careened into civil war, benefiting from the Trump era. Buchanan was dislodged from his position as our nation’s worst president by Trump.

The Washington Post went into a bit more detail as to the 10 worst Presidents. Their list, and the reason for their rankings can be found in this excellent article: 10 Worst Presidents

Parties And Golf More Important To Trump Than Victims Of Horrific Shooting

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 18:38:23 +0000

2/19/2018

President Trump took some time out of his busy schedule Friday to visit the hospital where survivors of the deadly school shooting are recovering.

“It’s very sad something like that could happen,” Mr. Trump said to reporters at the hospital, Broward Health North. In his remarks, the president focused on praising law enforcement officials and doctors; he hailed the speed of emergency medical workers as “record-setting.”

The president was at the hospital for approximately 35 minutes. Any visits he may have had with victims or their family were not disclosed to reporters, though he did have the time to pose for pictures with various hospital staff.

Apparently pressed for time, he quickly departed after 35 minutes to make the quick trip to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, where he was introduced to law enforcement officers and again had time to take a number of photos. Curiously, while taking photos the president thought it would be appropriate to use the “thumbs up” gesture in remembrance of the 17 people murdered at the school.

The President spent about 40 minutes at the Sheriff’s Office before leaving to make the short drive to his resort Mar-A-Lago.

At Mar-A-Lago, the President attended a “Studio 54” themed party. Studio 54 was a popular disco night club in New York City during the 80’s and the President was a frequent visitor. The party was attended by Mar-A-Lago members and political donors. It was estimated that Trump and his wife were at the party for over two hours, more than the combined time he spent with survivors and first responders.

The White House announced that out of respect for the dead and the mourners, the President would not be playing golf. Apparently, the President did not have too much respect, as he was out swinging the clubs two days later. While he was playing golf, the buriels of the first two shooting victims were taking place.

Trump US National Security Adviser – Russian Meddling “Incontrovertible”

Sat, 17 Feb 2018 23:21:55 +0000

2/17/2018

On January 7, 2017, the leaders of the US Intelligence Agencies delivered a report on how the Russians interferred with the presidential election of 2016 (National Intelligence Report on Russian Interference). Later in the year, FaceBook and Twitter both admitted and disclosed how the Russians used them to peddle influence to Americans.

Not wanting to admit the possibility that the Russians were responsible for his win, President Trump has denied the possibility that Russians meddled in the election. Following Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s indictment of 13 Russians, Trump’s own National Security Adviser, H.R. McMaster told attendees at a German security conference that there was no doubt Russians had interfered. “As you can see with the FBI indictment, the evidence is now really incontrovertible and available in the public domain”.

Earlier this week, even amid several intelligence officials expressing to a Senate panel that Russia had interfered in 2016 and had plans for 2018, Trump was still not convinced on the matter, according to three sources familiar with the President’s thinking.

In addition, President Trump has yet to enforce the penalties against Russia which were recently passed by Congress. Many people believe the President thinks to do so would be an admission that Russia has meddled. To admit that Russia has meddled would be an admission that there was a possibility that their interference affected the outcome of the election. Gauging the President’s past behavior, his ego will never allow him to admit that his election win was a result of anything besides America’s love for him.

Mueller Indicts 13 Russians For Election Violations – Its Not A Hoax

Sat, 17 Feb 2018 22:21:57 +0000

2/17/2018

President Trump no longer claims that Russian interference in the 2016 elections is a hoax. He no longer claims that it is a fabrication. Not after Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller today indicted 13 Russians for conspiracy to defraud the United States. The indictment lists in detail the activities of Russians doing their best to interfere in the elections. In addition, three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five defendants with aggravated identity theft.

Mueller did not appear to announce the charges. That duty was left to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein instead. "The defendants allegedly conducted what they called information warfare against the United States, with the stated goal of spreading distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general," Rosenstein said.

Mueller had convened a grand jury as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as well as any possible connections between Russia and Trump campaign associates.

The sweeping indictment describes in detail an unprecedented campaign by Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election, affirming the longstanding conclusions of the US intelligence community. It is at odds with President Donald Trump's repeated questioning of those conclusions, which has continued throughout his first year in office.

Beginning as early as 2014, the Russian organization Internet Research Agency began operations to interfere with the US political system, including the 2016 elections, according to the indictment.

The indictment mentions a February 2016 memo to Internet Research Agency staff telling them to post political content on US social media sites and "use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump — we support them)." The reference to Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who challenged Clinton for the Democratic nomination, shows that the Russian government decided early on to oppose Clinton. Twelve of the 13 defendants charged worked for the Internet Research Agency. Rosenstein said Friday that the indictment does not contain any allegations that any Americans knowingly participated in the activity.

The indictment does describe communications between unnamed Trump campaign officials and the Russian defendants (page 27). The three campaign officials, identified only as campaign officials 1, 2 and 3, were involved in the Trump campaign's Florida operation, the indictment says. On at least three occasions, as detailed in the indictment, American personas created by the defendants wrote to the campaign officials, in some instances about rallies they were organizing. In one instance, a Russian persona wrote to one Florida campaign official identifying 13 "confirmed locations" where they would be holding rallies in the state and asked the campaign to provide "assistance in each location," according to the indictment.

The full indictment can be found here: Indictment of 13 Russians

Rosenstein's Announcement:

Former Playboy Playmate Latest To Accuse Trump Of Cheating On Melania

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 22:49:06 +0000

02/16/2018

A former Playboy model who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006 detailed for the New Yorker her experience with the future president and the system by which he and his friends kept his affairs quiet.

The model, Karen McDougal, described a legal agreement—one she willingly signed but claims she did not fully understand—that silenced her. She also spoke of the affair, which she said began just a few months after Trump’s son Barron was born, and recounted behavior similar to that of affairs he reportedly had with other women around the same time. The New Yorker report, by Ronan Farrow, cites dozens of pages of documents supporting her account.

McDougal met Trump in 2006 at a pool party at the Playboy Mansion, she said. A man described as her friend provided an eight-page letter she wrote, in which she described the affair that followed:

Trump and McDougal began talking frequently on the phone, and soon had what McDougal described as their first date: dinner in a private bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. McDougal wrote that Trump impressed her. “I was so nervous! I was into his intelligence + charm. Such a polite man,” she wrote. “We talked for a couple hours – then, it was “ON”! We got naked + had sex.” As McDougal was getting dressed to leave, Trump did something that surprised her. “He offered me money,” she wrote. “I looked at him (+ felt sad) + said, ‘No thanks – I’m not ‘that girl.’ I slept w/you because I like you – NOT for money’ – He told me ‘you are special.’ ”

Afterward, McDougal wrote, she “went to see him every time he was in LA (which was a lot).” Trump, she said, always stayed in the same bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel and ordered the same meal—steak and mashed potatoes—and never drank.

McDougal recalled that Trump would often send her articles about him or his daughter, as well as signed books and sun visors from his golf courses.

While McDougal said Trump made efforts to hide public evidence of their affair—his bodyguard would escort her to his hotel rooms; she would buy plane tickets herself and he would then reimburse her—he didn’t try to hide her from his family.

In November 2016, just before the election, the Wall Street Journal reported that American Media Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer, paid $150,000 for rights to McDougal’s story. People who worked for the company told the New Yorker that the CEO and chairman of AMI, who was described as a personal friend of Trump’s, often bought stories to kill them, sometimes to protect the subject of the story and sometimes to hold the story as a sort of leverage over celebrities.

Trump To NRA – “I Will Not Let You Down”, Gets $30 Million In Support

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 22:33:42 +0000

2/16/18

Shortly before the presidential elctions of 2016, Candidate Trump promised members of the NRA he would not let them down. They then provided him with $30 million in campaign support and donations. His speach to them in May 2016:

17 Dead In America’s Deadliest School Shooting

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 03:40:28 +0000

02/14/2018

Another senseless mass shooting occurred today at one of America’s High Schools. 17 people, including both children and adults are dead as a result of the shooting.

Early reports indicate that a former disgruntled former student returned to the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., about 30 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale, and opened fire. In addition to the 17 killed, 13 are being treated at area hospitals for wounds.

This attack marks the 18^th school shooting in 2018, and the deadliest school shooting in American history. The deadliest mass shooting in American history happened in Trump’s first year when a shooter killed 58 people attending an October country-western music concert in Las Vegas.

Russia Aiming To Disrupt 2018 Mid-Term Elections, Trump Does Nothing

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 19:28:15 +0000

2/14/2018 – Excerpts from The Washington Post

Top U.S. intelligence officers were united in their opinion that Russia is continuing efforts to disrupt the U.S. political system and is targeting the 2018 midterm election, following its successful efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Their assessment stands in contrast to President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly voiced skepticism of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, Democrats demanded to know what the intelligence community is doing to counter Russia’s actions and whether Trump has given explicit directions to them to do so. “We cannot confront this threat, which is a serious one, without a whole-of-government response when the leader of the government continues to deny that it exists,” said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.

The disconnect between Trump and his senior-most intelligence advisers has raised concerns that the U.S. government will not be able to mount an effective plan to beat back Russian influence operations in the upcoming midterm election. And Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats said there is “no single agency in charge” of blocking Russian meddling, an admission that drew the ire of Democrats. “The fact that we don’t have clarity about who’s in charge means, I believe, we don’t have a full plan,” said Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chairman of the committee. He also said social media companies, whose platforms have been fertile turf for Russian bots seeking to stoke divisions among Americans, have been “slow to recognize the threat” and that “they’ve still got more work to do.”

Coats said that Russia will continue using propaganda, false personas and social media to undermine the upcoming election. “There should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts” to disrupt the 2016 presidential campaign “as successful and views the 2018 midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations,” said Coats, the leader of the U.S. government’s 17 intelligence agencies.

His assessment was echoed by all five other intelligence agency heads present at the hearing, including CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who two weeks ago stated publicly that he had “every expectation” that Russia will try to influence the coming election.

The intelligence community’s consensus on Russia’s intentions led Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to press officials on whether Trump has directed them to take “specific actions to confront and to blunt” Russian interference activities. FBI Director Christopher Wray said the bureau is undertaking “a lot of specific activities” to counter Russian meddling but was “not specifically directed by the president.”

Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, called Moscow’s election interference a “hoax” and dismissed investigations of it by Congress and by special counsel Robert Mueller as a political “witch hunt.”

Scores of Trump Staff Having Trouble Passing Security Checks

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 18:10:51 +0000

2/14/2018

One of President Trump’s allegations against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election was that she allegedly mishandled classified information which not only disqualified her for President, but was grounds for her imprisonment. An interesting statement considering more than 130 political appointees working in the Executive Office of the President did not have permanent security clearances as of November 2017, including the president’s daughter, son-in-law and his top legal counsel, according to internal White House documents.

The documents also show that 10 months into Trump’s administration, at least 85 political appointees in the White House, vice president’s office and National Security Council were working without permanent security clearances. About 50 appointees were operating with interim security clearances while serving in offices closely linked to the West Wing, such as the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Trade Representative and the White House executive residence.

White House officials who are listed as not having permanent security clearances as recently as this past November include Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior adviser; Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser; Dan Scavino, the president’s director of social media; and Christopher Liddell, assistant to the president for strategic initiatives; according to the documents.

A total of 34 people who started their government service on Jan. 20, 2017, the first day of the Trump presidency, were still on interim clearances in November. Among them are White House counsel Don McGahn, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah, who had only interim clearances to access the most sensitive government information, according to the documents.

Happy Valentine’s Melania, Trump Lawyer Admits Paying Porn Star Hush Money

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 23:45:25 +0000

2/13/2018

Happy Valentines Melania! President Trump’s personal lawyer admitted today that he wrote a check to Porn Star Stormy Daniels in the amount of $130,000 shortly before the Presidential election. The payment was reportedly hush money to keep Daniels from elaborating on her 2006 affair with Donald Trump the Porn Star reported in 2011.

In a carefully worded statement issued late Tuesday night, Michael Cohen said he used “my own personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000” to Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels real name). Cohen said that neither the “Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign” reimbursed him for the payment, but his statement does not address if Trump himself, or any other person associated with the President (i.e. Donald Jr.) had reimburssed the lawyer.

The admission came after a complaint was filed with the Federal Election Commission accusing Cohen of violating federal election laws. A watchdog group claimed that the Trump Campaign did not report the payment to Daniels as an expense. Federal law requires the campaign to report all payments made to entities or persons whereby the campaign would benefit. The watchdog group believes that any payment made to Daniels would have benfited the campaign as news of the affair would have hurt Trump’s chances of winning the election.

When The Wall Street Journal first reported the payment to the porn actress in mid-January, Cohen stated that both the President and Daniels denied the affair. Many law experts beleive that Cohen may have violated the terms of the agreement with Daniels by disclosing that he made a payment to her, hence Daniels may now be free to fully discuss the affair.

Russia Will Interfere With Next Elections, US Intelligence Says

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 22:55:38 +0000

2/13/2018

Three of the nation’s top intelligence officials said Tuesday that the U.S. has seen Russian activity aimed at meddling in the upcoming midterm elections.

“We have seen Russian activity and intentions to have an impact on the next election cycle,” CIA Director Mike Pompeo told the Senate intelligence committee.

National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and Adm. Mike Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency, agreed. They didn’t describe the activity, other than to say it was related to information warfare. “There should be no doubt that Russia perceives that its past efforts have been successful and views the 2018 midterm US elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations,” said Coats. “Frankly, the United States is under attack.”

Coats continued “We expect Russia to continue using propaganda, social media, false flag personas, sympathetic spokesmen, and other means to influence and try to build on its wide range of operations and exacerbate social and political fissures in the United States.”

“In the next year, Russian intelligence and security services will continue to probe U.S. and allied critical infrastructures, as well as target the United States, NATO, and allies for insights into U.S. policy,” the report said. “The 2018 U.S. midterm elections are a potential target for Russian influence operations.”

“Russians stepped up their game with cyber, in particular, in 2016,” Coats said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. His expectation: Russian interference in the midterm or in state elections. “We think it’s very likely because we don’t see a let up in efforts to do this,” Coats told the AP.

Tuesday’s report predicted Russian intelligence agencies will disseminate more false information over Russian state-controlled media and through fake online personas to spread anti-American views and exacerbate social and political divides in the United States.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo also has said he expects Russia will insert itself in the November midterms, in which Republicans and Democrats will vie for control of the House and Senate. “We will push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election won’t be great,” Pompeo recently told the BBC.

When asked by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) if Trump directed any of the intelligence heads present at the hearing to stop Russia from meddling, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated “not specifically directed by the president.”

Things In Trump’s Budget That Will Make You Angry

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 22:54:20 +0000

2/13/2018

President Trump released his budget for next year today. “This is a messaging document,” budget director Mick Mulvaney said during the release. Through the budget, it it clear where the President’s priorities lie. In all, Trump wants to cut $1.5 trillion in just about everything but defense (non-defense discretionary).

$700 billion by cutting out Obamacare.
$550 billion cut to medicare, healthcare to seniors, even though he promised no cuts to the program.
$250 billion cut to Medicaid, healthcare for poorer Americans.
$214 billion cut to food assistance for poorer Americans.
$178 billion in cuts to transportation funding for airports, highways and other transportation projects.
$47 billion in cuts to section 8 housing assistance that helps hundreds of thousands of American keep from being homeless.
$21 billion cut to The Budget for the Temporary Assistance (welfare).
$27 billion in cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So much for developing new vacines.
$3.6 billion in cuts to public schools
23% cut to the EPA. There goes clean water and air.
It cuts Head Start – Less help for poor kids in preschool.
It ends funding for the Social Services Block Grant, programs that assist vulnerable kids subject to neglect, abuse and exploitation
It ends student loan forgiveness for Americans who spend a decade working for nonprofits or in government jobs like teaching.
It ends Home Heating Assistance for elderly and low-income families.
It ends funding for the Space Station
It sells federal airports and power plants
It raises spending by $1 billion for private schools
It raises spending $2.5 billion to lock up undocumented immigrants (wants to be able to jail 47,000 per day)
It raises spending on border security and immigration enforcement by $5 billion (non-wall expenses).
It raises spending $18 billion to build the wall (wasn’t Mexico supposed to pay for the wall?)
It raises defense spending by $74 billion, to a total of $716 billion

The budget does not offer any new spending on school security or aid to the mentally ill, despite the increase in the number of school shootings.

Yes, the budget proposal does send a message. It cuts spending for Americans in need, cuts taxes for corporations, and increase spending on the military. Readers should note that as of 2017, America spends more on its military than the next eight countries combined.

Did John Kelly Know Of Wife Beatings And Not Care?

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:40:57 +0000

02/13/2018

Former White House Staff Secretary John Porter has been a wife beater for some time. He abused both of his ex-wives before he became Staff Secretary in the Trump White House. Trump’s Chief of Staff, John Kelly, almost certainly knew that there was an issue, but apparently didn’t care.

As Trump’s White House Staff Secretary, Porter was in charge of the handling of all documents that cross the President’s desk. That includes the handling of all top-secret documents. He has the ability to read and review the documents to ensure their authenticity and accuracy, and to make sure they are proper and in order for the president. It is imperative that the person holding this position passes and holds the highest security clearance. John Porter never received his permanent security clearance. He has been handling top-secret documents in the White House for over a year without having passed scrutiny.

The FBI is charged with performing background checks for security clearances. While an investigation is taking place, it is common procedure for the White House to grant temporary security clearance until the full report is completed.

In January of 2017, around the time Trump took office, the FBI acquired the photos of Porter’s ex-wife and her bruised face and black eye. It didn’t take long for the FBI to inform the White House of their findings.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that the FBI shared its initial findings with the White House in March of 2017. They provided a full report in July. Not happy with the findings, the White House asked the FBI to pursue the matter further. The FBI did additional follow up and provided that information to the White House in November 2017. With no further communication, the FBI closed the file in January 2018.

White House Spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders has stated that the White House has followed the same procedures in granting security clearances as previous administrations. However, an official who served in the Obama administration stated: “If we had allegations by a former spouse of domestic abuse, that would have been immediately disqualifying.” It wasn’t disqualifying for John Kelly or the Trump administration.

As Chief of staff, it is John Kelly’s responsibility to supervise all matters relating to White House Staff. It would be Kelly’s responsibility to ensure that staff entrusted to handle all top-secret documents have the proper credentials and security clearances. Kelly would have known when he took over as Chief of staff in July that the FBI had a problem with Porter, and he would have had full access to the report. Kelly has not stated he didn’t know about the FBI findings, to do so would indicate gross incompetence on his part.

If there was a known issue with a staff member not being able to pass security clearances, Kelly, along with White House Council would need to address it. In this case, there was a clear issue with Porter’s FBI file known to the White House in July. In November, knowing that his staff could not pass FBI scrutiny, Kelly and the White House were content to continue with the temporary security clearance.

In all likelihood, previous administrations would have immediately disqualified Ported for security reasons and would have replaced him. When the allegations first became public, Kelly said Porter was a man of “true integrity”. Knowledge of the wife beatings apparently did not influence Kelly’s opinion of his Staff Secretary.

Second Trump WH Staffer Resigns for Spouse Abuse

Sat, 10 Feb 2018 01:06:44 +0000

2/9/2018

A second member of the Trump administration has resigned after being accused of spouse abuse.

David Sorenson is the second administration official to resign this week over domestic abuse allegations. Sorensen’s job with the Council on Environmental Quality did not require a security clearance, but his background check was ongoing. The Washington Post first reported Sorensen’s resignation Friday evening, and reported that his ex-wife, Jessica Corbett, alleged that “he ran a car over her foot, put out a cigarette on her hand, threw her into a wall and grasped her menacingly by her hair while they were alone on their boat in remote waters off Maine’s coast, an incident she said left her fearing for her life.”

Corbett released a statement on Medium saying she stands by her allegations, saying her story is “messy, humiliating and tragic, but it’s my truth.”

Sorensen denied the allegations. “I have never committed violence of any kind against any woman in my entire life,” Sorensen wrote in a statement. “In fact, I was the victim of repeated physical violence during our marriage, not her,” he said, adding that he had consulted with an attorney and was “considering legal options to address her defamation.”

Sorensen alleged the incidents of what he called Corbett’s domestic violence and abusive behavior “are too many to recall,” but included several occasions when she punched him. He alleged she hit him with a “flurry of punches” on three occasions in a single day because he had asked if she would mind if he went to the gym before breakfast. He also alleged she attempted to block the driveway to prevent him from driving away after she had punched him in the face repeatedly after a fight, forcing him to pull the car forward over the lawn, and that she ran after the car and injured herself in the process. He showed photos of what he alleged was evidence of her violence against him, including one showing redness and a cut behind the left eye from what he said was a punch to the face in 2015 and another showing a scrape on left cheek from what he said was a punch to the face in July 2016.

Corbett told the Post in response to Sorensen’s allegations that her violence didn’t not go beyond slapping him, adding that several of the incidents involved alcohol and that she slapped him multiple times after he called her a vulgar term. “I know what he is saying is full of lies. The truth proves itself.”

According to the Post, Corbett told the FBI about her allegations during an October 2017 interview for a background check of Sorensen. The White House said in a statement that it had been made aware of the allegations before The Washington Post reached out regarding the story. “Before we were contacted by the media, we learned last night that there were allegations,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement Friday. “We immediately confronted the staffer, he denied the allegations and he resigned today.”

Who Doesn’t Love A Parade?

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 01:16:51 +0000

2/8/2018

Almost all kids love a parade. They get to see the local fire truck go by, clowns, and even an antique truck every now and then. If you are really lucky, The local beauty pageant winner will throw you a couple of pieces of candy. Yes, a parade can be a lot of fun for the little ones.

Not surprisingly, President Trump likes parades as well. The President wants a military-style parade to be held in Washington. Unfortunately for the President, not all adults agree with him.

According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, Sixty-one percent of voters disapprove of the parade which is estimated to cost about $30 million.

A defense official directly familiar with initial planning efforts said the proposed parade could interfere with military training schedules. “We don’t have troops and units sitting around waiting to do a parade,” the official added.

Other critics voiced their opinion that America is above such a display. Military parades are often associated with oppressive regimes and dictators such as communist Russia, emerging China and more recently, Noth Korea.

The retired U.S. Navy Seal credited with shooting al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in a 2011 raid called President Trump’s plan for a military parade “third world bulls***”. “We prepare. We deter. We fight. Stop this conversation,” Robert O’Neill said on Twitter this week.

O’Neill, a Trump supporter, then said in a tweet Friday, “I simply think a parade is a bad idea.” O’Neill was part of over 400 combat missions during his military career and received two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars with Valor.

The President was apparently inspired by last year’s Bastille Day celebration in Paris, which the President attended as a guest of French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump was awestruck by the colorful uniformed French troops marching down Avenue des Champs-Elysees with military tanks, armored vehicles, gun trucks and carriers — complete with fighter jets flying over the Arc de Triomphe and coloring the sky with streaks of blue, white and red smoke, the colors of the French flag.

Trump’s Hair – Worse Than Anybody Thought

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 01:06:10 +0000

02/08/2018

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Enough said.

WH Staffer Resigns Amid Abuse Charges By Two Ex-Wives

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 00:15:26 +0000

2/8/2018

Rob Porter, trusted Trump Aide in charge of all documents that filter through the Oval Office, resigned Wednesday after the second of his two ex-wives accused him of domestic violence.

Chief of Staff John Kelly, apparently did not consider the wife beating any reason to think less of Porter. “Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor, and I can’t say enough good things about him,” Kelly said after the allegations surfaced. Kelly later added “Every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation.”

The comments were not suprising considering how the the Trump Administration and the GOP have been dealing with similar allegations amongst themselves. The RNC recently stated it would let an investigation play out before returning money raised by its now-resigned former finance chair, Steve Wynn, who faces multiple sexual assault allegations.

Both of Porter’s ex-wives accused the Trump staffer of abuse.

Obamacare Still A Hit Despite Trump’s Efforts

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 00:23:16 +0000

2/7/2018

Nearly 11.8 million people signed up for Obamacare again this year, depite President Trump calling it “dead”.

An Associated Press count found that nationwide enrollment was about 3 percent lower than last year. California, with more than 1.5 million sign-ups, was the last state to report, announcing its numbers on Wednesday. Sixteen states actually increased their enrollment from last year, according to AP’s analysis.

Total enrollment remained remarkably stable despite Trump’s effort to discredit and kill the program. The Trump administration also cut the sign-up period in half, slashed the ad budget, and suddenly stopped a major subsidy to insurers, which triggered a jump in premiums.

Besides Trump’s efforts, people still signed up leading Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to declare “The Affordable Care Act and the landmark protections and affordable coverage it provides are here to stay.”

The Trump administration said it is preparing an official tally for release next month and would have no comment on AP’s analysis. Newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is a critic of the health law, but he has avoided directly antagonizing Democrats over it. The White House line remains that “Obamacare” should be repealed and replaced, but Republicans in Congress don’t have the votes.

Coal Ended Slavery Claims Trump EPA Nominee

Sun, 04 Feb 2018 00:54:30 +0000

2/3/18

Despite his promise to “drain the swamp” and to hire “the best and brightest”, President Trump recently nominated Kathleen Hartnet-White to lead the Council on Environmental Quality.

“Kathleen Hartnett-White is a conspiracy theorist and anti-science extremist who would threaten public health as the White House’s top environmental advisor,” Sara Chieffo, vice president of government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters, said in a statement.

Her views on the environment are so radical, the White House decided to withdraw her from nomination.

Hartnett-White said she was unsure if climate change is happening, and claims that the United States has “almost no real environmental problems.” In addition, Hartnett-White has argued that carbon dioxide levels are good for life on Earth, the shift to renewable energy amounts to “green folly” and “a false hope,” and that “carbon dioxide has none of the attributes of a pollutant.” She lambasted the Obama administration’s environmental policies as a “deluded and illegitimate battle against climate change,” railed against the Paris climate agreement and attacked Pope Francis’stance on global warming.

In 2014 she made the claim that fossil fuels are to thank for abolishing slavery. In a blog post Hartnett-White made the connection between “the abolition of slavery and humanity’s first widespread use of energy from fossil fuels.” “Fossil fuels dissolved the economic justification for slavery,” she wrote. “When the concentrated and versatile energy stored in fossil fuels was converted to mechanical energy, the economic limits under which all societies had formerly existed were blown apart.”

“White gets it exactly backwards,” critic Christopher Hooks wrote in the Texas Observer in 2014. “The fossil-fueled industrial revolution … made slavery more lucrative. It made slavery worse.” Hooks states that this is true in part because the hunger for raw materials in English factories and mills funded plantations in the American South and the subjugation of colonized peoples around the world.

Trump Releases Classified Republican Memo Bashing FBI Despite Warnings

Fri, 02 Feb 2018 19:58:14 +0000

2/2/2018

A memo produced by Republican staffers was supposed to contain proof that the FBI abused its surveillance authority while investigating the Trump Campaign ties to Russia. It didn’t.

Produced by the office of Republican Devin Nunes, the memo contained classified information and was widely criticzed for being biased and incomplete. In March of 2017, Nunes was accused of innapropriate behavior in regards to latenight meetings at the White House regarding the investigation. He later had to step down from overseeing the Russian hearings because he was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for possibly sharing classified intelligence with the White House.

The House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines to release the memo. Because it contains classified information, final approval to release it had to come from the President. Believing that the memo somehow inferred that he was being treated unfairly, Trump immediately released it.

Democrats blasted the memo as being incomplete, leaving out many key details so as to paint a one-sided picture. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, says the memo is based on cherry-picked information presented in a “profoundly misleading” way. “Rife with factual inaccuracies and referencing highly classified materials that most of Republican Intelligence Committee members were forced to acknowledge they had never read, this is meant only to give Republican House members a distorted view of the FBI,” Schiff said in a press statement.

FBI Director Christopher Wray had privately warned the White House against releasing the memo. Wray was hired by Trump as a replacement to James Comey who Trump had fired. As it became clear Wednesday that Wray’s request not to release the memo would fall on deaf ears, his agency issued a two-paragraph message expressing its concerns about the document.

“With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it,” the statement said. “As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”

For months, President Trump has attacked the Justice Department and the FBI saying the bureau’s reputation was “in tatters.”

A copy of the memo can be found here: Nunes Memo

EPA Chief Pruitt: Trump Would Be More Abusive To Constitution Than Obama

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:12:31 +0000

1/30/2018

EPA Chief Scott Pruitt gets reminded of what he thought of Candidate Trump. He is quoted on a Oklahoma radio show as saying “I believe that Donald Trump in the White House would be more abusive to the constitution than Barak Obama, and that’s saying a lot”.

A Year After Being In Office, Trump Fails To Fill 41 Abassador Positions

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 00:55:34 +0000

1/25/2018

The Trump administration’s vacancies on agency organization charts continue to place him months behind his predecessors in staffing up political leadership, according to new numbers from organizations tracking presidential appointees.

Less than 40 percent of 633 key positions had a nominee as of Jan. 13, according to the tracker maintained by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and The Washington Post, which released new agency numbers on Tuesday.

Many of the vacancies are in the State Department. Trump has failed to place Ambassadors to 41 countries. Many of the Countries are world power players, and have influence on current world matters. Some of the countries without Ambassadors include Germany, Australia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and South Korea.

Considering the part South Korea plays in relationship to Trump’s ongoing dilema with Kim Jong Un, it is almost derilect not to have an Ambassador to South Korea in place.

Trump Sets Record by Telling His 2000th Lie

Wed, 24 Jan 2018 21:21:41 +0000

1/10/2018

The Washington Post has done a wonderful job of tracking all of President Trump’s lies. Today they announced that he told his 2000th lie in only 355 days in office, by far a record of any President.

Even more disturbing than the total number of lies the President has told, is that the average number of lies per day is increasing. During his first 100 day in office the president told an average of 4.9 lies per day. After his first 100 days the average increased to more than 5.9 lies per day. You can see the entire list of lies as documented by the Washington Post here : Trump’s Ongoing Lie Record

Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity to commemorate the historic feat by making the following short video. Very Funny.

Trump Resorts Making Huge Profits From US Government

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 23:10:35 +0000

01/23/2018

President Trump loves to travel to his resorts. He likes the fluffy beds. He likes the chocolate cake. He likes the golf. But perhaps what he likes the most is that his resorts get to charge the US tax payers for his support staff to accompany him.

One would think that the President would waive fees his resorts charge to the agents who protect and support him, but he doesn’t. He charges them full fare.

Accounting of the different charges continue to pile up, and they are astounding. From the time he took office:

Through November 29, 2017, Secret Service spent $147,975 on golf carts at Trump resorts
Through August 2017, Secret Service paid $132,000 per month to rent space in Trump Tower to protect the private residence, more than twice the rate of any other lease in Trump Tower.
Mar-A-Lago charges government employees the full rate of $546.00 per night per room. The bills are in the thousands.

And the costs are not only to protect the President, but his children as well, even when they are traveling all over the world to their resorts. Eric made multiple trips to Europe last year to visit Trump golf courses there, each time the Secret Service tagged along and racked up thousands of dollars in hotel room costs. Secret Service hotel bills for an Eric Trump trip to Uruguay in January cost $97,000. The State Department paid over $15,000 for rooms in the Trump Vancouver property to escort the Trump children on a trip there.

Every time a Trump travels to a Trump property, the Secret service must follow them. It’s the law. It doesn’t matter if the resort is in the United States, Ireland, or wherever, the Secret Service must follow. And since the family stays at the resort, the Secret Service also must stay there. But the tax payers don’t get a break, not even a government employee discount. They need to pay the full rack price.

$147,975 just for the golf cart rentals to follow the president around as he plays golf. Imagine all the other costs they incur!

There Goes The Sun (And Jobs)! Trump Puts 30% Tariffs On Solar Panels

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 01:08:44 +0000

1/22/2018

President Trump yesterday imposed a 30% tariff on imported crystalline-silicon solar cells and modules, ignoring the industry’s request for a more thoughtful import licensing fee approach.

Trump tried to strike a balance between punishing China for importing low-cost solar panels and modules into the U.S. and trying to protect the domestic solar industry from massive job losses. Unfortunately, his approach will probably have the exact opposite effect.

Trump’s plan may place nearly one-third of the industry’s 260,000 employees at risk. There were 38,000 solar manufacturing jobs in the U.S. prior to this decision, only 2,000 of which made cells and panels. The other 36,000 who manufacture “metal racking systems, high-tech inverters, machines that improved solar panel output by tracking the sun and other electrical products” which may now be at risk. Other job cuts could come from installers, who may also take huge hits as the price of solar may become economically unattractive.

The President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, Abigail Ross Hopper, predicted the tariffs will lead to the loss of roughly 23,000 American jobs this year. As a comparison, there are approximately 50,000 total jobs in the coal industry. Trump is willing to risk the equivalent of almost half of all the coal industry jobs by implementing these tariffs.

Weather too Stormy for Melania in Davos?

Mon, 22 Jan 2018 21:34:30 +0000

1/22/2018

First Lady (but not first “Trump Lady”) decided not to accompany her husband to Davos this week, instead opting to visit a Washington museum and then travel to Florida. A White House communications director cited “scheduling and logistical issues” as the reason.

The unexpected announcement came 10 days after the Wall Street Journal reported a hush money payout to Porn Star Stormy Daniels. The payment was reportedly to keep the Porn Star quiet about a continuing affair Daniels had with the president shortly after Melania gave birth to their son Barron. The Wall Street Journal Story was published just a couple of hours before the first lady flew to Mar-a-Lago with the President, where she was not seen by the press pool the entire long weekend.

Since the article was published, The First Lady has not made any public appearances or made any public comment. The President has denied that he had the affair.

Donald Trump has not denied that he cheated on his first wife Ivana with his second wife Marla Maples, or that he cheated on his second wife Marla Maples with Melania. The President has been married three times, and has children from each of his three wives. During the election, the President did very well with Evangelical Christians.

Trump Keeps Government Open For Almost a Whole Year

Sun, 21 Jan 2018 02:48:57 +0000

1/20/2018 Satire.

Americans were cheering Trump’s latest achievement. Nobody thought he could do it. There were the naysayers who said he couldn’t go more than six months. The line in Vegas was eight months. But like the champion he is, the President beat the odds and kept the government open for almost an entire year.

“Trump’s the man!” said Larry Kruger to Fox News inside Ethel’s bakery in Tuscola Illinois. “I remember Hillary didn’t make it two months before the government shut down when she was in charge.” “And I’ll tell you what, it was because of those damn emails of hers, that’s why the government shut down under Hillary, the damn emails!”

When told by aides that he had exceeded just about everybody’s expectations, the President was grinning ear to ear. “I’m so great. Nobody is a better at keeping the government running like a well oiled machine than I am, believe me, nobody”.

The scene inside the White House was euphoric. It was like the Whole White House had just won the lottery. Kelly Ann Conway was jumping up and down on the couches in the oval office taking selfies. “Wow, never thought it could happen, he didn’t fuck it up for almost the entire year” said one aide who asked not to be identified. “We all knew that eventually he would do something like, well you know, fuck things up for the country, but we all thought he would do it almost immediately.” “For him to go almost a whole year, well that really says something about this President.”

Later in the day, the president addressed a group of farmers, and again the President made sure everybody knew how lucky the country is that he is so great. “Oh are you happy you voted for me, you are so lucky I gave you that privileged” the President said.

Trump says President should be fired for shutdown

Sat, 20 Jan 2018 03:51:26 +0000

01/19/2018

Donald Trump was asked by Fox News in 2013 “Who’s getting fired, who’s going to bear the brunt of the responsibility if indeed there is a shutdown of our government?” His answer – “…The top.. the president is the leader…”. Looks like President Trump should look in the mirror and say “You’re fired”. We won’t hold our breath.

World’s Approval of U.S. Leadership Drops to New Low

Fri, 19 Jan 2018 05:14:09 +0000

1/18/2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — One year into Donald Trump’s presidency, the image of U.S. leadership is weaker worldwide than it was under his two predecessors. Median approval of U.S. leadership across 134 countries and areas stands at a new low of 30%, according to a new Gallup report.

Trump’s First Year: Hard Times for U.S. Soft Power

The losses in U.S. leadership approval may have implications on U.S. influence abroad. With its stable approval rating of 41%, Germany has replaced the U.S. as the top-rated global power in the world. The U.S. is now on nearly even footing with China (31%) and barely more popular than Russia (27%) — two countries that Trump sees as rivals seeking to “challenge American influence, values and wealth.”

The most recent approval rating, based on Gallup World Poll surveys conducted between March and November last year, is down 18 percentage points from the 48% approval rating in the last year of President Barack Obama’s administration, and is four points lower than the previous low of 34% in the last year of President George W. Bush’s administration.

The recent drop in approval ratings is unrelated to the world’s being less familiar with the new U.S. administration. The global median who do not have an opinion about U.S. leadership in 2017 (23%) is similar to the 25% in the last year of the Obama presidency.

Instead, disapproval of U.S. leadership increased almost as much as approval declined. The 43% median disapproval, up 15 points from the previous year, set a new record as well, not only for the U.S. but for any other major global power that Gallup has asked about in the past decade.

Big Losses Are Among Close Allies, Few Gains

The relatively fragile image of U.S. leadership in 2017 reflects large and widespread losses in approval and relatively few gains. Out of 134 countries, U.S. leadership approval ratings declined substantially — by 10 percentage points or more — in 65 countries that include many longtime U.S. allies and partners.

Portugal, Belgium, Norway and Canada led the declines worldwide, with approval ratings of U.S. leadership dropping 40 points or more in each country. While majorities in each of these countries approved of U.S. leadership in 2016, majorities disapproved in 2017.

Majority Of National Park Service Advisory Panel Resigns in Disgust

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 20:59:43 +0000

1/16/2018

Most of the members of the National Park Service Advisory Board have tendered their resignation over frustrations with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, The Washington Post reports.

Nine of the 12 board members quit Monday night, citing Zinke’s refusal to convene the citizen advisory panel or discuss matters with it since he came into office last March. Zinke has drawn criticism for a number of his actions in the Interior Department, including silencing scientists about climate change.

Zinke has rejected numerous requests to meet with the advisory panel, which is required to meet twice a year, despite his efforts to review restructuring national parks. Departing board Chairman Tony Knowles told the Post that the panel has waited to work with Zinke but has been “frozen out.”

“We understand the complexity of transition but our requests to engage have been ignored and the matters on which we wanted to brief the new Department team are clearly not part of its agenda,” Knowles wrote in a letter to Zinke, which was obtained by the Post.

All nine panel members, who are not employees of the Interior Department but are citizens who have shown a commitment to the National Park Service, have terms set to expire in May. Their early departure leaves the government without a functioning body to designate national historic or natural landmarks.

Phil Francis, chairman of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, said in a news release that he understood the members’ frustration at the “complete lack of response” from the Interior secretary. “This discourteous and disrespectful treatment of the Board is inexcusable and, unfortunately, consistent with a decidedly anti-park pattern demonstrated by Secretary Zinke’s department.”

Ivana: Donald not a Racist, just confused

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 21:10:05 +0000

1/15/2018

Ivana Trump on Monday denied her ex-husband is racist after he reportedly called Haiti and African nations “shithole countries”.

“I don’t think Donald is racist at all,” the president’s first wife told “Good Morning Britain.” “Sometimes he says these things which are silly, or he doesn’t really mean them … but he’s definitely not racist, I’m sure of that.”

She went on to rationalize that he may say some things because he really doesn’t understand what his support staff is trying to explain to him. “He has so many people telling him left and right what to say and what not to say and things like that, and sometimes maybe it gets confusing,” she said.

Which is why the president’s tweeting is “not a bad idea,” she continued. “If he tweets, it’s out of his mouth,” she said. “Sometimes maybe it’s not clear, but at least it’s exactly what he thinks.”

Ivana Trump told the ITV network’s morning show that she didn’t think Trump “is going to do anything irrational,” adding “he’s a stable genius, definitely.” She went on to say he (Trump) “really isn’t that bad”.

Chuck Hagel, Former GOP Secretary of Defense calls Trump “An Embarrassment”

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 20:17:32 +0000

1/15/2018

Chuck Hagel, a former two time Republican Senator from Nebraska and Secretary of Defense decided to not pull any punches today when he said President Trump is “An Embarrassment”.

President Donald Trump has “intentionally divided the country and the world” said the former Secretary of Defense to the Lincoln Journal-Star for a story published this weekend. “The president is doing great damage to our country internationally,” said Hagel.

“He’s an embarrassment,” Hagel added, reacting specifically to comments Trump reportedly made last week in a closed-door meeting about Haiti, El Salvador and nations in Africa being “shithole” countries.

Hagel, who served as defense secretary under President Barack Obama, also criticized the way Trump has handled relationships with foreign allies and antagonists alike.

Trump’s decision to not sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement did “significant damage” to America’s influence in Asia, Hagel said. Referring to Trump’s taunting tweet about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s “nuclear button” being smaller than his own, Hagel said Trump was spouting “irresponsible kind of talk.”

Hagel has criticized Trump’s leadership before. Last May, he said Trump didn’t understand governing and needed to “listen and learn” but was “doing just the opposite.” “I hope he will take a different tack soon, before it’s too late, before he loses the credibility and the confidence to govern,” he told the Omaha World-Herald.

Months later, Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, said he was “offended” by Trump’s handling of a call to a widow of a soldier killed in Niger and the president’s accusations that Obama had not called the families of fallen soldiers when he was in office. “I’m offended by the way he’s handled it,” Hagel told USA Today at the time. “You just don’t use the families of the fallen to score political points, especially to take jabs at your predecessor. I’m very unhappy about this.”

Trump denies Wall Street Journal recorded quote

Sat, 13 Jan 2018 19:33:27 +0000

1/13/2018

President Trump again today decried "Fake News", and claimed the Wall Street journal misquoted him during a taped interview.

The discrepancy stems from a point in the interview where Trump talks about his relationships with world leaders. From the recording, it very clearly sounds as though he says "I have a a good relationship with Kim Jong Un", which clearly he does not.

When the Wall Street Journal reported his statement, Trump, denied he ever said it. Trump claims he said "I'd have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un", which implies that he currently doesn't (which is very true) but that he would have one if....

And the missing "if" in Trump's sentence is the problem with his denial. If Trump had said "I'd have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un if we had an opportunity to sit down together...." or if he said "I'd have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un if he would abandon his nuclear aspirations...." then it would be more plausible to believe his intent. But Trump didn't do that.

In fact, after listing all of the people he claims he has good relationships with (including Kim Jong Un), he continues his sentence "I have relationships with people, I think you people are surprised". It simply would not make sense for Trump to list the people he thinks he has good relationships with, include Kim Jong Un in that list, and then somehow not qualify his statement after naming Kim Jong Un.

Listen to the recording on the Wall Street Journal's Tweet:

Does this really matter? Not really. Was it probably a slip of the tongue? Probably. The only thing it goes to show is how trivial and massively insecure Trump is when it comes to how he thinks he is perceived. A normal President probably would have said "my mistake, I meant to say "I would have a good relationship..." and then go about their business because a simple misstatement usually means very little. In this case, nobody in their right mind believes Trump has a good relationship with Kim Jong Un. Yet Trump couldn't let it go, and this points to a flawed personality that many people are already concerned about.

A complete transcript of the Wall Street journal's interview with the President can be found here: Trump Wall Street Journal interview transcript

Offshore drilling opposed by almost all coastal Governors, Florida off the hook

Sat, 13 Jan 2018 04:54:04 +0000

1/12/2018

Nearly every coastal Governor affected by the Trump Administration’s recent announcement to expand offshore drilling has opposed the plan. Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott was so upset by the proposal, he demanded an immediate meeting with Interior Secretary Zinke. Soon after the meeting Zinke announced that drilling off the Florida coast is “off the table”.

Zinke released the following statement regarding Florida. “I have witnessed Governor Scott’s leadership through hurricane season and am working closely with him on Everglades restoration. He is a straightforward leader that can be trusted. President Trump has directed me to rebuild our offshore oil and gas program in a manner that supports our national energy policy and also takes into consideration the local and state voice. I support the governor’s position that Florida is unique and its coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver. As a result of discussion with Governor Scott and his leadership, I am removing Florida from consideration for any new oil and gas platforms.”

Other Governors did not have an opportunity to meet with Zinke, but had a lot to say about the proposed new drilling:

California, Oregon and Washington Governors in a joint statement – “For more than 30 years, our shared coastline has been protected from further federal drilling and we’ll do whatever it takes to stop this reckless, short-sighted action,”

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra added – “California is also ‘unique’ & our ‘coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver.’ Our ‘local and state voice’ is firmly opposed to any and all offshore drilling. If that’s your standard, we, too, should be removed from your list. Immediately.”

North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper – “Well, it’s interesting that six months ago I said that we don’t want offshore drilling off the North Carolina coast because of coastal tourism and the economy. 30, over 30 North Carolina cities and towns passed resolutions saying they didn’t want offshore drilling because of coastal tourism and their economy. And now the secretary of the interior has said that Florida is not going to have offshore drilling because of coastal tourism and the economy”. “As soon as I heard about the Florida decision, I asked for a meeting, or at least a telephone call, with Secretary Zinke.”

South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster – “We cannot afford to take a chance with our beauty, our majesty and the economic value and vitality of our wonderful coastline in South Carolina.”

New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christy – Sent a letter to Trump in August stating the Governor “strongly opposes any waters off our coastline being considered for inclusion in this leasing program.”

New Jersey Governor-elect Phil Murphy – “We must stand firm against any plan for fossil fuel exploration, drilling, or development off the Atlantic Coast — whether it be three miles, 30 miles, or 300 miles from New Jersey”.

Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan – Stated his administration would use “any viable legal claims, actions or suits against the US government to prevent” it.

Deleware Democratic Governor John Carney – “Drilling for oil and gas in the Atlantic off Delaware’s coast would create the risk of a catastrophic spill or other related disasters that would not only threaten our natural resources, but pose serious threats to Delaware’s economy. More than 60,000 jobs are tied, directly and indirectly, to tourism and recreation along our coastline. Coast-related activities contribute almost $7 billion to our economy. We also have an obligation to take steps to confront climate change, and this takes us in the wrong direction. Delaware is our country’s lowest-lying state, and the effects of sea-level rise pose significant risks. For all of these reasons, I continue to stand with Delawareans in opposing drilling off the coast of Delaware or elsewhere in the Atlantic, and we will continue to voice our opposition”.

Virginia Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe – Sent a request to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to be excluded from the plan.

Maine and Georgia are undecided. Mississippi, Alabama and Alaska Governors are for the expansion.

Porn Star paid $130,000 to keep affair with President Trump under the blanket

Sat, 13 Jan 2018 04:15:27 +0000

1/12/2018

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that longtime lawyer for President Trump Michael Cohen made a $130,000 hush payment to porn star Stormy Daniels one month prior to the 2016 presidential election. Daniels previously claimed to have had an affair with Trump while he was married to his current wife Melania, and shortly after Melania had given birth to their son Barron.

According to the Journal, the payment was made “as part of an agreement that precluded her from publicly discussing an alleged sexual encounter with Mr. Trump.” Daniels (given name: Stephanie Clifford) had reportedly been in talks with both ABC’s Good Morning America about going public with the allegations.

In response to the accusations, Cohen stated “These rumors have circulated time and again since 2011. President Trump once again vehemently denies any such occurrence as has Ms. Daniels.” The attorney also provided a letter dated Jan. 10, 2018, allegedly signed by Daniels, that denied any “sexual and/or romantic affair” with Trump or the receipt of any “hush money” from Trump.

However, In Touch magazine interviewed Stormy Daniels in 2011 where she described in detail her affair with Trump. Subsequent to the interview, Ms. Daniels took and passed a polygraph test. The account of her affair was corroborated by one of her good friends and supported by her ex-husband, both of whom also passed polygraph tests.

The entire In Touch interview, along with all of the sordid details can be found here: In Touch entire interview with Stormy Daniels

London’s (not) Calling, Trump not welcome and cancels trip

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 20:25:08 +0000

1/12/2018

London Mayor Sadiq Khan celebrated the news that President Trump would not be visiting the city, saying Trump had “got the message” from Londoners who “have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here.”

“It appears that President Trump got the message from the many Londoners who love and admire America and Americans but find his policies and actions the poor opposite of our city’s values of inclusion, diversity and tolerance,” Khan said in a statement Friday. “His visit next month would without doubt have been met by mass peaceful protests,” Khan continued, adding he hopes that Trump “also revisits the pursuit of his divisive agenda.”

Trump tweeted that he was cancelling his plans for the trip earlier today, but denied it was because of potential embarrassment. Instead, he blamed it on President Obama for making a bad deal on the new London embassy. In fact, the decision to move the London embassy was made by President Bush in 2008. The new embassy is larger, safer for US embassy workers, and is considered the most advanced embassy the US has. Because the US sold obsolete properties in London (including the previous embassy building) the US actually made money by building the new embassy. Last month, Ambassador Woody Johnson, who was appointed by Trump, called it a “bargain.”

Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018

Trump calls African countries a Shithole

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 20:02:11 +0000

1/12/18

President Trump yesterday voiced his objections about an immigration deal that would include protections for people from Haiti and some nations in Africa, demanding to know at a White House meeting why he should accept immigrants from “shithole countries” rather than from places like Norway, according to people with direct knowledge of the conversation.

Members of Congress from both parties attending the meeting were astounded and disturbed by the president’s remarks. Trump made the comments during a discussion of a bipartisan deal to give legal status to immigrants illegally brought to the United States as children (DACA), those with knowledge of the conversation said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the meeting.

When Mr. Trump heard that Haitians were among those who would benefit from the proposed deal, he asked whether they could be left out of the plan, asking, “Why do we want people from Haiti here?” The comments were in line with statements he made last year in a meeting with cabinet officials when he complained about admitting Haitians to the country, saying that they all had AIDS, as well as Nigerians, who he said would never go back to their “huts,” according to officials who heard the statements in person or were briefed on the remarks by people who had.

When the President’s comments became widely known last evening, the White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah did not dispute that Trump had made the comments. Instead Mr. Shah released a statement : “Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people”. “Like other nations that have merit-based immigration, President Trump is fighting for permanent solutions that make our country stronger by welcoming those who can contribute to our society, grow our economy and assimilate into our great nation.”

This morning, Trump denied he ever made the statements. However, llinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat who was in the Oval Office on Thursday during the meeting, spoke out publicly Friday morning to insist that the reporting of what Trump said (and about whom) was entirely accurate. “You’ve seen the comments in the press,” Durbin said at an event in Chicago. “I’ve not read one of them that’s inaccurate. To no surprise, the President started tweeting this morning, denying that he used those words. It is not true.”

https://youtu.be/LlboNw8ijHs

After watching Fox & Friends, Trump shows his ignorance about surveillance

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 20:38:29 +0000

1/11/2018

It’s not a surprise the President enjoys watching “Fox & Friends” in the mornings. However, by depending on “Fox & Friends” as his primary source of information and political outrage, the President shows his ignorance on major issues, including those involving our national security.

On Thursday, Judge Andrew Napolitano appeared on “Fox & Friends” and began to disparage the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which was due up for a vote in the House later in the day. “Mr. President, this is not the way to go,” he said at 6:47 a.m. ET. “Spying is valid to find the foreign agents among us. But it’s got to be based on suspicion, and not an area code.” Napolitano’s plea was supported by the on-screen graphic “House votes on controversial FISA ACT today.”

Upon watching this, Trump immediately took to Twitter to disparage the FISA which was coming up for a vote. Trump was apparently unaware that the White House Administration, and almost all Republicans were in favor of FISA. The White House had spent the previous five days promoting the FISA Act, and describing how important it was to the nation.

“House votes on controversial FISA ACT today.” This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018

When he sent his early morning message on Thursday, he quoted directly a banner graphic that had appeared on Fox News minutes earlier: The headline was punctuated by a direct-to-camera appeal by the conservative judge Andrew Napolitano against re-upping the surveillance program.

Just the night before, Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement in support of reauthorizing the legislation. “…The Administration urges the House to… preserve the useful role FISA’s Section 702 authority plays in protecting American lives.”

It was reported that Chief of Staff John Kelly’s phone began to ring from Republican lawmakers almost immediately after Trump’s tweet. The White House went into disaster repair mode, assuring Republicans that they could make the President understand the importance of the FISA.

House Speaker Paul Ryan took a phone call from the President about his tweet and the surveillance issue, a source familiar with their conversation said. It was reported that Ryan spent 30 minutes on the phone with Trump explaining the difference between domestic and foreign surveillance, and why the re-authorization of the Act was so crucial.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo, one of Trump’s most trusted advisers who regularly administers the presidential daily briefing, was in touch with the White House to discuss the tweet. A former Republican lawmaker who once declared that Trump’s tweets “help” his agency, Pompeo had made a forceful case for reauthorizing the FISA program during a television interview five days ago.

After speaking with (or being schooled by) both Paul Ryan and John Kelly, Trump seemingly reversed his position and tweeted:

With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018

Yes Mr. President, please get smart.

Trump doesn’t want to allow others to “lie and pour money in their bank accounts”

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 21:20:53 +0000

1/10/2018

Upset about the “Fake News” and the recently released tell-all book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”, today President Trump stated that he wants to strengthen US libel laws.

Widely considered the most dishonest liar to ever hold the office of President of the United States, many thought the President’s comments were laughable. The New York Times has chronicled many of Trump’s lies and misrepresentations in his first months of office (Trump Lies).

Does Trump lie? Absolutely, there is documented evidence. Does he profit from his lies? Many would say yes, if not directly then at least indirectly.

The best part of this video is the last 20 seconds where Trump says “We want fairness, you can’t say things that are false, knowingly false and, uh, be able to smile as money pours into your bank account”.

Trump Backtracks On His Willingness To Meet With Mueller

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 20:43:47 +0000

1/10/2018

Backtracking from his earlier statements, even those coming just a few days ago, President Trump is not so sure he will meet with Robert Mueller. The President has previously stated that he “100%” would be willing to meet with the Special Prosecutor to discuss the ongoing investigation of Russia in the 2016 election.

Trump’s schedule: Lots of time for Twitter and TV watching

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 00:12:47 +0000

1/7/2018

According to Jonathan Swan from Axios, Donald Trump’s daily schedule is filled with plenty of time for him to watch cable TV and to surf Twitter. Swan has contacts inside of the White House who has indicated Trump has two schedules; one schedule he makes semi-public and one he keeps semi-private. The semi-private is the one the staff runs off of, and the following are conclusions Swan has made from having access to that schedule.

President Trump is starting his official day much later than he did in the early days of his presidency, often around 11am, and holding far fewer meetings, according to copies of his private schedule shown to Axios. This is largely to meet Trump’s demands for more “Executive Time,” which almost always means TV and Twitter time alone in the residence, officials tell us.

The schedules shown to me are different than the sanitized ones released to the media and public.

The schedule says Trump has “Executive Time” in the Oval Office every day from 8am to 11am, but the reality is he spends that time in his residence, watching TV, making phone calls and tweeting.
Trump comes down for his first meeting of the day, which is often an intelligence briefing, at 11am.
That’s far later than George W. Bush, who typically arrived in the Oval by 6:45am.
Obama worked out first thing in the morning and usually got into the Oval between 9 and 10am, according to a former senior aide.

Trump’s days in the Oval Office are relatively short – from around 11am to 6pm, then he’s back to the residence. During that time he usually has a meeting or two, but spends a good deal of time making phone calls and watching cable news in the dining room adjoining the Oval. Then he’s back to the residence for more phone calls and more TV.

Take these random examples from this week’s real schedule:

On Tuesday, Trump has his first meeting of the day with Chief of Staff John Kelly at 11am. He then has “Executive Time” for an hour followed by an hour lunch in the private dining room. Then it’s another 1 hour 15 minutes of “Executive Time” followed by a 45 minute meeting with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. Then another 15 minutes of “Executive Time” before Trump takes his last meeting of the day — a 3:45pm meeting with the head of Presidential Personnel Johnny DeStefano — before ending his official day at 4:15pm.
Other days are fairly similar, unless the president is traveling, in which case the days run longer. On Wednesday this week, for example, the president meets at 11am for his intelligence briefing, then has “Executive Time” until a 2pm meeting with the Norwegian Prime Minister. His last official duty: a video recording with Hope Hicks at 4pm.
On Thursday, the president has an especially light schedule: “Policy Time” at 11am, then “Executive Time” at 12pm, then lunch for an hour, then more “Executive Time” from 1:30pm.

Trump’s schedule wasn’t always like this. In the earliest days of the Trump administration it began earlier and ended later. Trump would have breakfast meetings (e.g. hosting business leaders in the Roosevelt Room). He didn’t like the longer official schedule and pushed for later starts. The morning intelligence briefing ended up settling around 10:30am.

Aides say Trump is always doing something — he’s a whirl of activity and some aides wish he would sleep more — but his time in the residence is unstructured and undisciplined. He’s calling people, watching TV, tweeting, and generally taking the same loose, improvisational approach to being president that he took to running the Trump Organization for so many years. Old habits die hard.

In response to this article, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote:

“The time in the morning is a mix of residence time and Oval Office time but he always has calls with staff, Hill members, cabinet members and foreign leaders during this time. The President is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen and puts in long hours and long days nearly every day of the week all year long. It has been noted by reporters many times that they wish he would slow down because they sometimes have trouble keeping up with him.”

Trump proclaims himself as “Stable” and a “Genius” – proving he isn’t

Sun, 07 Jan 2018 00:17:21 +0000

It also recently became known that a Yale psychiatrist briefed a dozen lawmakers on Capitol Hill last month about Trump’s fitness to be president. Dr. Brandy X. Lee, edited The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President, another book about Trump containing testimonials from more than two dozen psychiatric experts who have assessed Trump’s mental state from afar.

Dr. Lee has never personally interviewed the President, and The American Psychiatric Association prohibits doctors from diagnosing public figure from afar, but Lee says she’s merely observing behavior that she believes deserves a diagnosis. “We’re saying we see a lot of concerning signs and that he needs to be evaluated and that once he is, then they can diagnose him,” Lee said in an interview.

Among the behaviors Lee singled out: She says that “verbal aggressiveness indicates physical aggressiveness is not far behind”; that Trump has a history of “boasting about sexual assault”; that he has “incited violence at rallies”; and that he is “taunting a hostile nation with nuclear power.”

Regardless if Trump has actually been (or needs to be) evaluated by a psychologist or not, his actions and words have concerned a great number of people, including those in his own party. Conservative Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, tweeted that (Vice President) Pence should be preparing himself to take power in accordance with the 25th Amendment “in case it’s suddenly needed.” CNN anchor Jake Tapper said on Tuesday “None of this normal, none of this acceptable, none of this, frankly, stable behavior,” referencing Trump’s latest Twitter outbursts.

Never in American history has a president felt it necessary to proclaim their mental stability or the level of their intellect. It's even rare for that to happen in dictatorships. Saying your "like, really smart" almost certainly proves you are not, and when the President of the United States has to tell you that “mental stability” is one of his “greatest assets” it’s pathetic and very worrying to those concerned about national security.

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House is Released

Sun, 07 Jan 2018 00:11:08 +0000

1/6/2018

President Trump lost his mind today when author Michael Wolff released his new book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

According to Michael Wolff, Trump agreed to give him access to the White House because he liked an article Wolff wrote about him in June 2016 for The Hollywood Reporter. Wolff said he conducted over 200 interviews with Trump and his associates including the senior staff and was allowed to witness events at the White House without his presence being managed.

The book highlights descriptions of Trump’s behavior, a White House in chaos, and derogatory comments about the Trump family by former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. Trump is depicted as being held in low regard by his White House staff, leading Wolff to state that “100% of the people around him” believe Trump is unfit for office.

Many of the most controversial quotes in the book came from Steve Bannon, the chief executive of the Trump campaign in its final months and White House Chief Strategist from January to August 2017. Bannon referred to the meeting during the presidential campaign of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner with Russian officials as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic,” described Ivanka Trump as “dumb as a brick”, and – referencing the Special Counsel investigation being led by Robert Mueller – said, “they’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.” Bannon also said that Mueller’s investigation would likely uncover money laundering involving Kushner from loans received by his family business from Deutsche Bank.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the book “trashy tabloid fiction” and “filled with false and misleading accounts. Trump later said that Bannon had lost his job and then “lost his mind”.

In response, Wolff stated in an interview later that day: “One of the things we have to count on is that Donald Trump will attack. […] My credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than perhaps anyone who has ever walked on Earth at this point.”

Trump dissolves voter fraud commission after finding no fraud

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 02:36:53 +0000

1/4/2018

President Trump on Wednesday dissolved the fraud commission that he set up to investigate his unverified claims of widespread voter fraud during the 2016 presidential election (see Trump fulfills promise to investigate voter fraud). Vice President Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a vocal supporter of voter ID laws, led the commission. It was made up of Republicans and Democrats.

The White House said Trump decided to disband the commission because several states failed to hand over voter information. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that “rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense,” Trump signed an executive order abolishing the panel and turning the matter over to the Department of Homeland Security. She failed to provide any evidence of any fraud that the commission may have found.

Trump did not comment on any findings the commission may have found, leading most analyst to conclude no fraud was found. Drawing from Trump’s past, the President is not shy in telling others when he has been proven correct. The commission was established months after Trump claimed, without citing evidence, that millions of people voted illegally in 2016, depriving him of a popular-vote victory over Hillary Clinton. Proving his wild claims about wide-spread voter fraud and the reasons he did not win the popular vote would have been something he would have probably mentioned once or fifty times had any fraud been found.

Rupert Murdoch reportedly called Trump a ‘f—ing idiot’

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 22:30:42 +0000

01/4/2018

Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Fox News, reportedly called President Donald Trump “a f—ing idiot” after a conversation the two men had to discuss Trump’s December 2016 meeting with Silicon Valley elite, according to the soon-to-be-released book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff.

Excerpts from the book were published Wednesday by The Guardian and New York magazine. In the New York excerpt, Wolff wrote that Trump called Murdoch following a transition meeting at Trump Tower with tech leaders, and Murdoch asked how the meeting went.

“Oh, great, just great,” Trump said. “These guys really need my help. Obama was not very favorable to them, too much regulation. This is really an opportunity for me to help them.”

“Donald,” Murdoch responded. “For eight years these guys had Obama in their pocket. They practically ran the administration. They don’t need your help.”

Murdoch suggested to Trump that taking a more liberal approach to the handling of H-1B visas, a program widely utilized by the tech industry and one it hoped Trump would not curtail, would be difficult to pull off while maintaining authenticity on his hard-line immigration rhetoric.

“We’ll figure it out,” Trump told Murdoch.

“What a fucking idiot,” Murdoch said, shrugging as he hung up the call.

Zinke announces largest offshore drilling expansion in US history

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 22:29:46 +0000

01/04/2018

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today announced his plans to to greatly expand the areas available for offshore oil and natural gas drilling, including all areas off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

As production of US oil is currently at an all time high, and prices are near historic lows, the Trump Administration somehow reasoned even more oil was needed.

In 1975 Congress passed a law forbidding the export of US produced oil. This came about shortly after the OPEC oil embargo which caused the US to go into a recession. For years the US did not produce enough oil to supply it”s demand, and the thought was that we needed to keep every drop to protect our interests.

For many reasons, US production of oil dramatically increased from 2005-2015. The discovery and development of new oil fields, as well as advancements in technology such as fracking dramatically increased output. The increase was so substantial that in late 2015 many in congress thought that production would soon exceed demand, and that exporting excess production would be justified. The exporting of US oil began in 2016 and has continued ever since.

In 2017 the US exported about 1.3 million barrels of oil every day, or about 15% of the total production. More oil is being produced than is consumed, and subsequently the price is at near historic lows.

Zinke’s announcement instantly came under fire. Environmentalists slammed the proposal as a giveaway to the oil industry. “The Trump administration’s dramatic expansion of offshore oil drilling is beyond reckless,” said Alex Taurel, deputy legislative director at the League of Conservation Voters. “Seaside communities, businesses, and elected officials from both parties have consistently opposed risky offshore drilling because of the grave threat it poses to their way of life, our climate, and local economies that rely on tourism and fishing,” he said. “This radical offshore drilling free-for-all is a clear example of politics over people, ignoring widespread local and state opposition,” said Diane Hoskins, campaign director at Oceana.

My Button is Bigger Than Yours

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 21:19:22 +0000

1/3/2018

On New Year’s Day, Kim Jong Un stated North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is a real threat and that he has a nuclear launch button on his desk at all times. Mr Kim said the entire US was within range of North Korean nuclear weapons, adding: “This is reality, not a threat.”

President Trump responded with the following tweet:

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

For the past 100 years, the United States has been one of, if not the most powerful nation in the world. In September of 1900, Teddy Roosevelt first used the African proverb “Walk softly and carry a big stick”. The meaning being to be modest and not boastful, but let your adversaries know you have the means to cause great damage. Besides prior to dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, US president have not boasted about our weapons or directly threatened other nations with their use. The strength of our military is well known, and has been proven often.

President Trump’s tweet showed his infantile nature. It was like a 5th grade boy showing his muscle on the school yard because nobody knew he had muscle. Trump has time and again proven he is not mature or refined, but this comment was dangerous and beyond childish. His tweet was condemned around the world.

North Korea’s official news agency responded to President Trump’s tweet describing it as the “spasm of a lunatic.”

“Trump’s bluff is regarded by the DPRK as just a spasm of a lunatic frightened by the might of Juche Korea and a bark of a rabid dog.” “The spasm of Trump in the new year reflects the desperate mental state of a loser who failed to check the vigorous advance of the army and people of the DPRK.”

Bannon: Donald Jr. Treasonous

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 20:03:54 +0000

01/03/2018

In a new book due to be released Wednesday, Steve Bannon is quoted as saying Donald Jr. was treasonous when he agreed to meet with Russians in an attempt to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. Bannon is the former Chief Strategist and confidant to Donald Trump.

In “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” author Michael Wolff quotes Steve Bannon as saying “The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor — with no lawyers. They didn’t have any lawyers”. “Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad s***, and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately.” Bannon also reportedly told Wolff: “They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.”

An attorney for Trump Jr. declined to comment, however the President had plenty to say about Bannon’s comments. “Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind,” Trump said. “Now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn’t as easy as I make it look. Steve had very little to do with our historic victory, which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country.”

In addition to stating Donald Jr. committed treason, Bannon also suggests that the President knew of the meeting in Trump Tower, and may have met with the Russians himself. “The chance that Don Jr. did not walk these Jumos up to his father’s office of the 26th floor is zero” Bannon reportedly states.

Bannon also reportedly told Wolff that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia is centered on money laundering, saying that the White House is “sitting on a beach trying to stop a Category Five” hurricane.

To date, Steve Bannon has not refuted any of the statements.

Trump’s Lie Of The Year 2017

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 01:24:36 +0000

All year long it has been repeatedly reported how the Russians did, in fact, meddle in the US elections. On January 6th of 2017, The Director of National Intelligence released a report compiled by the CIA, FBI and the NSA detailing the efforts of the Russians, and their desire to infiltrate and disrupt the elections (Trump Russian Interference Report). Facebook has admitted that Russian accounts posted millions of false stories intended to influence the election. Twitter has claimed that Russian accounts were responsible for over 2 million tweets/retweets of items damaging to the Democrats and favoring Donald Trump.

Just about every major US intelligence agency has indicated they believe the Russian Government, and Vladimir Putin specifically, conspired to influence the US election. There is no mystery that it happened, and how it happened. Yet the leader of the Free World continues to claim it is a hoax. This is his biggest, and most dangerous lie odf the year.

South Korea seizes Chinese ship after it transferred oil to North Korea

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 01:23:04 +0000

12/29/2017

South Korea has seized a Hong Kong-registered ship that allegedly transferred oil to a North Korean vessel in violation of United Nations sanctions.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the Lighthouse Winmore left the port of Yeosu in South Korea carrying refined oil which was then transferred to a North Korean ship in international waters on October 19. The US Treasury Department released satellite imagery in November of two ships allegedly performing an illegal ship-to-ship transfer in international waters on the same day. It identified one of the ships as a sanctioned North Korean vessel, the Rye Song Gang 1, but did not name the other. The UN Security Council on Thursday added the Rye Song Gan 1 and three other vessels to a list of ships banned from docking at ports worldwide for breaching North Korea sanctions.

South Korean officials could not confirm Friday whether the second ship was the Lighthouse Winmore. “UN Security Council sanctions prohibit the transfer of anything to a North Korean ship,” a South Korean Foreign Ministry official told CNN, adding the Lighthouse Winmore was seized when it re-entered Yeosu on November 24.

Upon learning of the news, President Trump tweeted his displeasure with China.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/946416486054285314

According to a senior State Department official, the US is aware of the situation. “We are aware that certain vessels have engaged in UN-prohibited activities, including ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum and the transport of coal from North Korea.” “We have evidence that some of the vessels engaged in these activities are owned by companies in several countries, including China.” “We condemn these acts and hope that any UNSC members, including China, work more closely together to shut down smuggling activities,” the official added, noting that the US urges “China to end all economic ties with DPRK, including tourism, and the provision of any oil or petroleum products, and expel all DPRK workers.”

The US Treasury Department announced in November that a series of North Korea shipping and trading companies had attempted to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer — likely of oil — to evade UN sanctions.

Putin Bars Opposition From Running For President

Mon, 25 Dec 2017 17:13:53 +0000

12/25/2017

Russian election officials under Vladimir Putin formally barred Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president, prompting calls from him for a boycott of next year’s vote.

The Central Election Commission decided unanimously that the anti-corruption crusader isn’t eligible to run.

Navalny is implicitly barred from running for office because of a conviction in a fraud case which has been viewed as political retribution. He could have run if he was given a special dispensation or if his conviction was cancelled. It is widely believed that the charges are baseless, and are simply a rue to prevent him from running. Without opposition, Putin is set to easily win a fourth term in office in the March 18 election.

Over the past year, Navalny has mounted a grassroots campaign which reached out to the most remote corners of Putin’s heartland. Navalny, 41 is the most serious challenger that Putin has faced in all his years in power.

In a pre-recorded video message that was released minutes after the Election Commission handed down the decision, Navalny called on his supporters to boycott the vote.

Trump, Haley blasted for threats

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 02:57:07 +0000

12/21/2017

John Brennan has served four Presidents in various intelligence rolls. He was the Director of the CIA. He served over seas. He knows a thing or two about diplomacy. Last week he heard just about enough from the Trump Administration and Nikki Haley, Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations.

The former CIA Director lashed out at the Trump administration on Thursday for its “outrageous” reaction to a United Nation General Assembly resolution condemning the U.S. for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “Trump Admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem is beyond outrageous,” Brennan wrote in his second-ever Twitter missive on Thursday.

Trump Admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem is beyond outrageous. Shows @realDonaldTrump expects blind loyalty and subservience from everyone—qualities usually found in narcissistic, vengeful autocrats.

— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) December 21, 2017

The U.N. on Thursday voted 128-9 to denounce the Trump administration’s Israel decision, despite warnings from the White House that countries who voted in favor of the nonbinding rebuke would risk losing foreign aid from the U.S.

Nikki Haley, apparently unaware of the right of every sovereign nation to vote as they see fit, stated “The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation”.

“We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit,” Haley continued.

The status of Jerusalem is a hotly contested topic amid Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as the city is a holy site for Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

US UN Ambassador Nikki Haley threatens allies: We’re taking names

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 02:36:27 +0000

12/20/2017

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, sent a letter to several UN member states ahead of a vote in the General Assembly on Thursday. In the letter, she warned that President Donald Trump had instructed her to make note of members’ votes on the resolution — then tweeted she would be “taking names” of members who did not vote in line with the United States. The vote is almost certainly going to show an embarrassing lack of support for Trump, and Israel’s desire to further their control of Jerusalem.

Haley’s letter, which was sent Wednesday, said “the President and the US take this vote personally.” Haley reiterated her position and intentions on Twitter soon afterward. “At the UN we’re always asked to do more & give more,” she tweeted. “So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us. On Thurs there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.”

The UN General Assembly will vote on a non-binding resolution that expresses “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.” The resolution, which was drafted by Egypt, had previously passed in the UN Security Council on Monday in a near-unanimous vote, in which the lone dissenting opinion came from the United States.

Although the resolution does not name the US directly, it is widely viewed as an indirect challenge to Trump’s decision earlier this month to announce the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem and to recognize the city as Israel’s capital.

****FOLLOW UP****

Nikki Haley needn’t bother taking names of who voted against Trump and Israel, it was almost unanimous at 128 to 9, with the United States and Israel being two of the nine who voted against. The other countries who also voted against the resolution were Togo, Micronesia, Guatemala, Nauru, Palau, Marshall Islands and Honduras.

Haley was apparently unaware of the right of every independent sovereign nation to vote as they see fit when she stated “The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation”.

Trump nominates perhaps most unqualified Judicial nominee in history

Mon, 18 Dec 2017 22:58:13 +0000

12/18/2017

Republican Senator John Kennedy took a stand against hiring unqualified Judges nominated by the Trump administration. In an embarrassing blow to Trump, the senator asked Mathew Peterson about his qualifications, and the answers provided stunning evidence of how little Trump cares about seating qualified Federal Judges.

Prior to his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Peterson was asked to complete a questionnaire regarding his qualifications. Peterson wrote in the questionnaire that he’d never appeared “in court due to the nature of my legal practice.” Why Trump and his staff thought he would make a good Judge is a mystery, unless you consider how Trump has come across his other nominees.

As it turns out, loyalty is far more important to the Trump administration than is a nominees actual ability to perform their job. One just needs to look at Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry as proof. Secretary Perry at one time wanted to eliminate the department he now oversees, and admitted just days before his Senate confirmation hearings that he didn’t even know what the Department of Energy did.

In regards to nominating Federal Judges, the Trump administration has kept up the same policies, and nearly all nominations are based on ideology rather than merit or experience. The man Trump has put in charge of finding nominees is White House Counsel Don McGahn.

It is not unusual for the White House counsel’s office to play a role in judicial nominees, but more as a tool for vetting than for nominating. That’s because there used to be more senatorial guardrails on the nomination process. McGahn has exerted an outsized influence over the nation’s judiciary. He has put loyal allies in key positions at the Department of Justice and he has taken the leading role in pushing nominees for the bench.

Petersen was his protege. The two served together at the FEC, during which time McGahn orchestrated and received a remarkable degree of ideological obedience. The three Republican members were lockstep on virtually all voting matters. When Trump won and plucked McGahn as his top lawyer (after having been the campaign’s counsel), the alliance continued. On page 40 of his questionnaire, Petersen admitted that he found out he was a candidate for the judicial vacancy after being “contacted by the White House Counsel’s Office.”

He’s not the only nominee with such an origin story.

Brett Talley, another infamous and failed judicial nominee, is the husband of McGahn’s chief of staff—a fact he failed to disclose on his own questionnaire. In addition, Talley was exposed as having blogged under a pseudonym about the KKK and chased ghosts around haunted properties in Alabama. McGahn’s deputy, Gregory Katsas, was nominated and confirmed to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. And Kyle Duncan, who was nominated to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, was pushed so hard by McGahn that it grated the senators considering his nomination.

Among them was Kennedy who said he had “first learned about Mr. Duncan’s nomination when I received a phone call, actually a series of phone calls from Mr. Don McGahn.” Those calls, Kennedy added, weren’t pleasant. And during the confirmation hearing, the bitterness clearly lingered. At one point, Kennedy challenged the nominee to prove that he was “the second coming of Justice Holmes or Justice Scalia, and not the second cousin of somebody who is politically connected in the Washington swamp.”

Sarah Palin’s son goes “Rogue”, says he’ll beat dad’s ass.

Mon, 18 Dec 2017 22:43:47 +0000

12/18/2017

The son of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was charged Monday with assault and burglary in a violent confrontation with his father in which the two men struggled over a handgun at his parents’ Alaska home, court records show.

According to the criminal complaint and supporting documents, Track Palin, 28, broke through a window of the house in Wasilla, Alaska, and scuffled with his father, Todd Palin, on Saturday night in a clash that stemmed from a family dispute over a truck.

The altercation left Todd Palin bloodied and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin visibly shaken, police said in an affidavit filed with the charging documents in state court. The incident marked the latest in a string of run-ins with the law by the politician’s elder son.

Track Palin, who is now barred by court order from further contact with his parents and two younger siblings who live with them, remained jailed on Monday in lieu of $5,000 bail. He was charged with a felony count of burglary with attempted injury and a misdemeanor assault count, according to court records.

Sarah Palin called police to report that her elder son was assaulting his father and “freaking out and was on some type of medication,” the police affidavit stated. Todd Palin later recounted the conflict started when his son called to say he was coming to the house to get a truck, and the father objected, prompting the son to threaten that he was en route “anyway to beat his ass,” the affidavit said.

The father armed himself with a pistol as he waited for his son to arrive, but ultimately, the affidavit said, “Todd decided he was not going to shoot his son” and was disarmed by the younger Palin as the two struggled.

Track Palin told police after his arrest, according to the affidavit, that his father had pointed the gun at him, and that the son goaded his father to shoot him. It said he admitted to drinking a few beers earlier that night. His involvement in a booze-fueled brawl at a family gathering in 2014 also drew wide attention. Authorities did not file criminal charges in the incident.

Trump staff turnover sets records

Sat, 16 Dec 2017 01:54:35 +0000

12/15/2017

Donald Trump’s first year in the White House has been tumultuous for his staff, resulting in massive turnover. Michael Flynn has put in a guilty plea. Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, and Anthony Scaramucci were pushed out. Sean Spicer is off working on a book. Omarosa Manigault, the former contestant on “The Apprentice”, was escorted out the door on Tuesday.

In addition, It has already been confirmed that Dina Powell, the deputy national-security adviser, will leave the White House early next year, and that Paul Winfree the deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and the director of budget policy, will head back to his old job at the Heritage Foundation after this week. Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, has signaled that he will leave the Administration once the fate of the Republican tax bill is decided. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose relationship with Trump has proved fraught, has long been rumored to be on the way out, with CIA Director Mike Pompeo discussed as a likely replacement.

In fact, during the president’s time in office his administration saw a 34 percent turnover rate among senior aides. The information comes from Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has spent years tracking White House turnover rates. According to her analysis, 21 of the 61 senior officials tracked have either resigned, been fired or been reassigned.

The rate of staff turnover during Trump’s administration has shown to be higher than that during former presidents’ first years in office. The turnover rate during former President Reagan’s first year in office — which was the second-highest first-year turnover rate in the last 40 years — was 17 percent in 1981. “Not only is the percentage double, the seniority of people leaving is extraordinarily high,” Kathryn Dunn-Tenpas said. President Obama experienced a 9 percent turnover after his first year.

“That’s unprecedented to me. The first year always seems to have some missteps on staffing, often because the skills that worked well running a campaign don’t always align with what it takes to run a government. In this case, it’s a president with no experience in government and people around him who also had no experience.”

So much for hiring the brightest and the best.

Simpsons mock Trump – Again

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 01:43:00 +0000

Another classic from the Simpsons

The other two videos can be found here: Simpsons Mock Trump

Donald Jr. gets hammered again on Twitter, this time on Net Neutrality

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 23:18:20 +0000

12/14/2017

Donald Jr. has once again proven he is not smart. He has held meetings with the Russians in order to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. For almost a year he was in touch with a "secret" WikiLeaks source hoping to receive stolen and/or illegal information. He has claimed to have "attorney/client immunity from providing information, when no such relationship exists.

Now, in apparent total ignorance, he makes a failed attempt to discredit others on a subject he knows little about. Twitter took it to him once again.

Net Neutrality Rules Repealed By Trump’s FCC Chief

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 21:25:01 +0000

12/14/2017

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today voted to repeal Net Neutrality rules put in place by the Obama Administration. The regulations prohibited broadband providers from blocking websites or charging for higher-quality service or certain content. The federal government will also no longer regulate high-speed internet delivery as if it were a utility.

Under the new rule, internet service providers will be free to practice blocking, throttling and paid prioritization as long as they disclose those practices as per a new transparency requirement. Further, states will not be able to override the stipulations of the new order with their own legislation. Any state laws that contradict the FCC’s newly enacted plan will be considered moot.

Americans overwhelmingly support net neutrality principles and opposed the efforts to repeal Obama’s FCC’s Internet rules, according to a recent nationwide poll on technology policy. The poll found 76.6% supported keeping the net neutrality rules that had been in place. The poll also found 90.9% of Americans thought internet service providers should not be allowed to block users from certain websites, slow them down, or be able to charge extra fees to reach them.

The three Republican members; Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Michael O’Rielly and Brendan Carr voted in favor of the proposal to repeal the rules, while both Democrat Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel voted against it.

In her dissent of the vote today, Commissioner Rosenworcel wrote, “Net neutrality is internet freedom. I support that freedom. I dissent from this rash decision to roll back net neutrality rules. I dissent from the corrupt process that has brought us to this point. And I dissent from the contempt this agency has shown our citizens in pursuing this path today. This decision puts the Federal Communications Commission on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the American public.”

Commissioner Clyburn opened her response to the proposal by saying, “I dissent. I dissent from this fiercely-spun, legally-lightweight, consumer-harming, corporate-enabling Destroying Internet Freedom Order.”

Donald Jr. refuses to answer questions about Russia, wrongly claims “Attorney-Client-Privilege”

Fri, 08 Dec 2017 00:39:21 +0000

12/7/2017

Donald Trump Jr. has refused to tell lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee about conversations he had with his father this summer about the now-infamous June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin.

Trump Jr. cited “attorney-client privilege” to avoid answering the lawmakers’ questions about the conversation, explaining that both his and President Trump’s lawyers were also on the phone call. But some lawmakers balked at that excuse. “I don’t believe you can shield communications between individuals merely by having an attorney present,” said Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee. “That’s not the purpose of attorney-client privilege.”

According to Ric Simmons, Law Professor at Ohio State University, The attorney-client privilege unequivocally does not apply in this case. “The purpose of the privilege is to encourage free and open communication between a lawyer and a client so that the lawyer will get the full story and be able to give accurate legal advice.” “Simply having a lawyer in the room does not make the communications privileged.”

This conversation fails these requirements on two counts. “First, the conversation was not a confidential communication between an attorney and a client — there were two people in the room, and it is inconceivable that the lawyer was representing both of those individuals as joint clients.” “The presence of any non-client in the room will mean that the communication is not privileged.” “Second, there is no evidence that these statements were made with the purpose of receiving legal advice,” (and hence is not privileged).

Diane Marie Amann, Law Professor at the University of Georgia holds a similar opinion. “Ordinarily, the presence of an additional non-lawyer is understood to signal that the client does not care about confidentiality, and thus the privilege is not considered to apply. To avoid testifying about the conversation in that case, the person might try to invoke some other legal doctrine, such as the privilege against self-incrimination.”

Renato Mariotti, former Federal Prosecutor also agrees that attorney-client privilege would not apply. “The general rule is that a conversation is not privileged if a third person is present for the conversation with an attorney and a client. Some courts have found that the privilege was not waived when a family member was present where the family member had a role in taking care of the client.”

Kellyanne Conway facing 2nd Ethics Violation

Fri, 08 Dec 2017 00:28:58 +0000

12/7/2017

In baseball, it’s three strikes and you’re out. Kellyanne Conway, White House Advisor to President Trump, is now facing her second strike.

The former director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, is filing a second complaint against White House counselor Kellyanne Conway for violating the Hatch Act in some of her statements regarding the Alabama Senate race.

“The willfulness of Conway’s violation and her openly expressed disdain for efforts to hold her accountable for complying with ethics requirements make clear that anything less than removal from the federal service or a lengthy unpaid suspension will not deter future misconduct on her part,” Shaub said in a statement Thursday.

The Hatch Act restricts federal employees from using their offices to campaign for or against political candidates.

In a separate statement, the Campaign Legal Center, where Shaub is a senior director, also claimed Conway should be removed from her position or given a “lengthy suspension without pay.”

The announcement follows Conway’s comments Wednesday, in which she affirmed President Trump’s endorsement of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore, who is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. “The only endorsement that matters in this race is President Trump’s,” Conway told CNN. “And he came out questioning the ideology and the vote of Doug Jones. He’ll be a reliable vote for tax hikes. He’ll be a reliable vote against border security. He’ll be a reliable vote against national security and keeping ISIS in retreat. He’ll be the reliable vote against the Second Amendment and against life.”

Shaub stated employees in lower positions have been penalized severely for less serious offenses.

Shaub’s initial complaint came last month, following one of Conway’s appearances on Fox News, condemning Jones, the Democrat in the Alabama special election race.

Trump Announces US Embassy In Israel Will Be Moved To Jerusalem

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 22:27:12 +0000

12/6/2017

Despite being warned by world leaders not to do so, President Trump today fulfilled a campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to move the US Embassy there in recognition.

The President’s move was met by warnings and ridicule by governments around the world. Just about every nation condemned the move, except for Israel. It is thought that the move will spark protests and possibly attacks around the world.

Following the announcement, Turkey threatened to sever relations with Israel. Saeb Erekat, the PLO negotiator, said that should the US go ahead with the move it would disqualify itself from “any role in any initiative towards achieving a just and lasting peace”. Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza strip, has threatened a new intifada. King Abdullah of Jordan cautioned that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would play into the hands of terrorists and enable them to “spread their ideologies”.

Israels attempt to have Jerusalem recognized as it’s capital is widely considered to be a land grab by most Arab countries. Currently, Jerusalem is a city that is open and claimed by many different groups and religions. The fear is that once Jerusalem is recognized as Israel’s capital, Israel will will a more legitimate claim to police and control the population of the city, an authority that isn’t fully recognized now. Jews, Christians and Muslims all lay claim to sites in the city. Muslims consider Jerusalem the third most significant location of their religion.

*****UPDATE*****

World opposition was so evident against Trump’s decision, a resolution condemning was passed in the United Nations with a vote of 128-9, with Israel and the US being two of the 9 countries opposed. Prior to the vote, the outcry against Trump’s policy was so clear that US UN Ambassador Nikki Haley threatened US allies to vote with the US. Only 7 countries did. (Haley Threatens UN).

Trump and Zinke Slash Millions of Acres From Our National Monuments

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 21:56:50 +0000

12/6/2018

On Monday President Trump slashed the size of two national monuments in Utah, the largest reduction of public-lands protection in U.S. history.

Trump’s actions shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by more than 1.1 million acres and more than 800,000 acres, respectively. The move sparked protests outside the White House and in Utah. The changes put the Trump administration into uncharted legal territory, as no president has sought to modify monuments established under the 1906 Antiquities Act in more than half a century.

His decision removes about 85 percent of the designation of Bears Ears and nearly 46 percent of that for Grand Staircase-Escalante, land that potentially could now be leased for energy exploration or opened for specific activities such as motorized vehicle use.

Trump told a rally in Salt Lake City that he came to “reverse federal overreach” and took dramatic action “because some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They’re wrong.” “They don’t know your land, and truly, they don’t care for your land like you do,” he said. “But from now on, that won’t matter.”

The Interior Department received more than 2.5 million comments on the plan, and they “overwhelmingly” said all of the monuments should remain unchanged. But Zinke attributed the extreme tilt to “a well-orchestrated national campaign organized by multiple groups.” “I don’t yield to public pressure,” Zinke said Tuesday.

In addition to the Utah sites, Zinke supports cutting Nevada’s Gold Butte and Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou, though the exact reductions are still being determined. He also would revise the proclamations for those and the others to clarify that certain activities are allowed.

The additional monuments affected include Northeast Canyons and Seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean; both Rose Atoll and the Pacific Remote Islands in the Pacific Ocean; New Mexico’s Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande Del Norte, and Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters.

Only 29% of Voters Approve of Trump Tax Plan

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 20:21:01 +0000

12/05/2017

Two new polls have bleak news for the GOP tax plan.

Just 29% of voters approve of the plan while 53% are opposed, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. Independents break against the plan, 54% to 27%. Among people making $50,000 to $100,000, just 35% approve.

The one group that approves: Republicans, 67% of whom support the overhaul. Just 6% of Democrats do.

The plan is a $1.5 trillion tax cut over a decade, but voters don’t think they’ll see much of that. In all, 41% expect to pay more and just 20% expect to pay less. An analysis from the Tax Policy Center yesterday found that 7% of households would pay more in 2019 while 75% would get tax cuts.

Most poll respondents said they thought the wealthy would be the biggest beneficiaries and that it wouldn’t lead to economic growth and job creation, countering the GOP’s arguments for the measure. Voters now say Democrats can do a better job handling tax policy, 47% to 39%, according to Quinnipiac.

The Gallup poll found similar levels of support, with just 29% in favor of the tax plan. Independent voters, according to Gallup, oppose the plan, 56% to 25%.

Among Republicans, 70% approve. Just 7% of Democrats do.

The Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,508 voters nationwide from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The Gallup poll was conducted Dec. 1-2 with 1,020 adults, ages 18 and older. For results based on the total sample, the sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Michael Flynn pleads guilty, will cooperate with investigation

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 23:41:09 +0000

12/01/2017

Michael Flynn, former national security adviser to President Trump, pleaded guilty Friday to a charge that he lied to FBI agents about prior contacts with Russia’s ambassador while serving in the White House. Prosecutors said in court Friday that Flynn had agreed to cooperate with authorities.

Flynn served as the president’s national security adviser until he resigned in February after admitting that he misled Vice President Pence and other White House officials about his communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

At least some of Flynn’s contacts with Russian officials had been coordinated with a “senior official of the presidential transition,” according to court documents Flynn signed.

A history of Flynn:

Flynn was fired because the Washington Post exposed that Flynn had lied to the Vice President. Flynn may have committed far worse crimes and misdemeanors. It is against the law for anyone other than a US official to negotiate with foreign governments on behalf of the United States. During his reported talks with the Russian Ambassador, he did just that. Furthermore, he apparently lied about his conversations with the Vice President and to the public. He also took illegal payments from foreign governments and failed to register or inform US authorities of his actions even after they told him that he needed to. The former General had his hand out to foreign entities, and they filled it for him. The depth of his corruption is still unknown, but following is a timeline of events that have happened so far.

In 2012, Flynn became director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, in charge of all military attachés and defense intelligence collection around the world. He started to have trouble in his new position almost immediately, and it has been said that his abrasive style didn’t enhance his ability to work and coordinate with other senior leaders.

Eighteen months later, in 2014, James Clapper told Flynn he had to go but could stay until his replacement could be vetted and confirmed.

Opened own consulting company

10/8 2014, the Defense Intelligence Agency sends a letter to Flynn, which says in part, “Accordingly, if you are ever in a position where you would receive and emolument from a foreign government or from an entity that might be controlled by a foreign government, be sure to obtain advance approval from the Army prior to acceptance.”

8/2015 Meets with Trump at Trump Tower in New York for the first time

12/2015 Paid $45k by Russia Today to speak at the state-owned television station’s 10^th-anniversary party. At the Gala, he was seated with Vladimir Putin. As a former military officer, it is against federal law to receive emoluments (compensation) from foreign powers. In addition, Flynn is required to register as a Foreign Agent, which he had not done at this time.

2/16/2016 Flynn begins to be an informal policy adviser to the Trump campaign

2/16/2016 Tweets fearing Muslims is rational

Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions… https://t.co/NLIfKFD9lU

— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 27, 2016

6/14/2016 Russian government hackers penetrated DNC servers, according to The Washington Post. The Russian government denied the charges.

7/20/2016 Flynn leads chants of “Lock Her Up!” at the Republican National Convention aimed at Hillary Clinton. “You know why we’re saying that? We’re saying that because if I, a guy who knows this business, if I did a tenth of what (Clinton) did I would be in jail today.”

9/25/16 Flynn states “When you are given immunity that means you’ve probably committed a crime”

9/27/2016 Trump states “If you’re not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for?”

10/7/2016 Government intelligence officials accuse Russians of the hacks for the first time. The director of national intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security say they have confidence that “the Russian government directed the recent compromises of emails from U.S. persons and institutions, including U.S. political organizations.

11/10/2016 During a face-to-face meeting behind closed doors, President Obama warns President Elect Trump about Michael Flynn and suggests Trump not hire him. Trump ignores the advice.

11/18/2016 With no vetting by the Trump Administration, Flynn accepts an offer from President-Elect Trump to act as National Security Adviser. Ignoring the fact that Flynn had been out of public service for two years and had been fired by Obama, Sean Spicer would later ask why they would need to vet a General who once held the highest security clearance?

12/9/2016 President Obama orders a review of foreign attempts to tamper with U.S. elections. Trump dismisses the CIA’s finding that the Russians sought to sway the election in his favor. “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”

12/16/2016 Obama says the Russian government, at the “highest levels,” initiated the hacks of emails, not voting machines. He vows to retaliate.

12/28/2016 Trump states in response to pending Russian sanctions “I think we ought to get on with our lives”.

12/29/2016 Obama announces the Russian sanctions, which include expelling 35 Russian diplomats and the closing of Russian compounds in Maryland and New York that had been suspected of spying. Trump insists the issue should be put to bed but agrees to meet with intelligence officials for a briefing. “It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things,” Trump says.

12/29/2016 Flynn speaks with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about the sanctions. The conversation may have violated the Logan Act, which forbids citizens who have no appointment or authority from the federal government from negotiating with foreign powers.

1/4/2017 Flynn notifies White House Counsel Donald McGahn that he is under investigation by the FBI for receiving secret and unreported funds from a Turkish corporation with ties to the Turkish government. Payments to Flynn are in excess of $500,000.

1/5/2017 (or about this time) Flynn Opposes Obama Administrations plan to arm the Kurds to help with the fight against ISIS. The plan is opposed by the Turkish government, and Flynn has received payments for his influence unbeknownst to the Obama Administration.

1/15/2017 Vice President Mike Pence appears on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and says Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak had nothing to do with the sanctions imposed by the Obama administration.

1/22/2017 Flynn is sworn in as National Security Advisor

1/24/2017 FBI interviews Flynn regarding his conversations with the Russians

1/26/2017 Acting Attorney General Sally Yates meets with White House Counsel Donald McGahn and informs him that the White House National Security Adviser and top White House officials (V.P. Pence) were publicly making statements about contacts with the Russians that the Russians knew to be incorrect. Subsequently, Flynn was in a position to be compromised by the Russians as they knew that Flynn had lied to the Vice President.

1/27/2017 At a follow-up meeting the day after being informed that Flynn could be compromised by his Russian contacts, White House Counsel McGahn asked Attorney General Yates “why does it matter to DOJ if one White House official lies to another White House official?” Yates then explained to Trump’s White House Counsel why lying to other White house staff was not in the best interest of the American public or the Trump administration.

1/30/2017 Trump fires Attorney General Yates

2/9/2017 The Washington Post reports that Flynn’s conversation with Kislyak in December did, in fact, discuss Russian sanctions, contrary to prior assertions by Flynn and Pence.

2/10/2017 An aide to Flynn states that Flynn “has no recollection of discussing sanctions” but that the National Security Advisor “couldn’t be certain that the topic never came up”.

2/13/2017 Hours after Kellyanne Conway states Trump has “full confidence” in Flynn, Flynn resigns in disgrace.

2/14/2017 Flynn claims he never talked about sanctions with the Russians “It wasn’t about sanctions. It was about the 35 guys who were thrown out,” “If I did, believe me, the FBI would be down my throat, my clearances would be pulled. There were no lines crossed.”

2/15/2017 The New York Times reports that records of intercepted calls show that “members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election.”

3/8/2017 Flynn retroactively files as a foreign agent (a person hired by a foreign government to represent them in the US) with the Justice Department. It is reported that he has earned more than $530,000 from just one of the many foreign entities from which he has taken payments.

3/30/17 Flynn asks for immunity in return for his testimony to federal and congressional investigators. His attorney states “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it should the circumstances permit…”

3/31/2017 In a surprise after his previous insinuations that people who ask for immunity must be guilty, Trump agrees that Flynn should ask for immunity.

Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2017

4/1/2017 The Senate Intelligence Committee rejects Flynn’s request for immunity.

4/25/2017 House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings announce that they are unable to find any documentation showing Flynn sought approval for his foreign government earnings, or that he reported them to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

4/27/17 The Pentagon Inspector General announced an investigation into whether Flynn had accepted money from foreign governments without the required approval.

4/28/2017 Senate Intelligence Committee request documents from Flynn regarding his communication with Russian officials. Flynn denies the request.

5/9/2017 Trump fires FBI chief Comey who is spearheading the investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election. This causes outrage on Capitol Hill as it appears Trump has fired the very person who is investigating him. Trump later calls Comey “a Showboat, a Grandstander”.

5/11/2017 Senate Intelligence Committee Subpoenas Michael Flynn’s documents regarding his interactions with Russian officials.

5/17/2017 Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints Robert Mueller as Special Prosecutor to investigate the Trump Campaign’s possible ties with Russia to influence the 2016 Presidential election.

5/22/2017 Flynn notifies Senate Intelligence Committee that he is invoking his 5th Amendment rights to remain silent so as to not incriminate himself. He will not be turning over documents pertaining to the investigation, nor will he be testifying before Congress.

5/22/2017 In addition to the new Special Prosecutor investigation, there are four congressional committees are currently investigating Russia’s ties to the election: the Senate Intelligence Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

5/23/2017 In response to Flynn’s notification that he will not be turning over records, the Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenas the records of two of Flynn’s companies. Since the companies are not protected by the 5th amendment, it is believed Flynn will turn over the records. The committee warned Flynn that he may be held in contempt of Congress if he fails to deliver the documents.

6/6/2017 Flynn turns over more than 600 pages of documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Most of the documents are related to his business and regard his interactions with foreign governments. Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, said the committee has ruled out considering Flynn’s request for immunity to testify before the committee.

11/23/2017 Flynn’s attorneys cut off communication with Trump’s legal team handling the Russian investigation. This suggests that Flynn may be considering cooperating with Robert Mueller, or may be negotiating some kind of a deal for immunity or reduced charges.

12/01/2017 Flynn pleads guilty of lying to the FBI and pledges cooperation with the special counsel investigating Russian intrusions into the 2016 presidential election.

Trump’s Fake News Award goes to Fox News

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 23:44:08 +0000

11/30/2017

This week President Trump proposed the creation of a “fake news trophy.” On Monday he tweeted:

We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2017

A new poll from conservative-leaning Rasmussen took up the challenge to see which news organization the public thought was the most dishonest. However, they did not take Trump’s suggestion not to include Fox News. The poll found that 40% of all voters thought Fox deserved the award for fake news.

Here’s the breakdown for the other outlets that voters picked:

25% said CNN deserved the fake news trophy
9% said MSNBC
4% said ABC
3% said CBS
2% said NBC

Another 6% picked a different outlet and 11% were undecided.

When he proposed the “fake news trophy,” Trump said it should go to the network that has the “most dishonesty, corrupt and/or distorted” coverage of him. Fox News took the prize.

Trump’s pick to run NOAA departs from administration, believes humans cause global warming

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 23:47:29 +0000

11/29/2017

Barry Meyers is a renegade. He is one of a very few Trump administration leaders who have the courage to declare that it is extremely likely human activity has caused global warming.

In his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday morning, Barry Myers, President Trump’s choice to run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said he agrees humans are the primary driver of recent climate change. Myers’s unqualified acceptance of mainstream climate change science represented the most surprising development at his hearing.

Myers’s unambiguous acceptance of the human role in climate change marks a clean break from other members of the Trump administration, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and Trump himself — all of whom have questioned the extent of human contributions.

Myers, the chief executive of the private weather forecasting company AccuWeather, was first questioned about human contributions to climate change by Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass). Markey asked Myers if he agreed with the climate science report released by 13 federal agencies earlier this month which stated it is “extremely likely” human activities are the dominant cause of recent climate warming. “I have no reason to disagree with the reports,” Myers said.

Markey pressed Myers further. “So you agree humans are the main cause of climate change?” he asked. Myers responded, “Yes.”

In a written response to questioning from Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Myers also said he accepted the federal report and a supportive statement from the American Meteorological Society “as the current state of the articulated science.”

Despite these authoritative reports, efforts to publicize climate change science research findings have been undermined at a number of federal agencies, probably reflecting the dismissive stance of their leadership. The EPA, for example, took down its climate change website and blocked researchers from presenting scientific results at a recent conference.

Sensitive to the issue of the suppression of science, several Democratic senators asked Myers if he would interfere with climate science research and its dissemination at NOAA. Myers was adamant that he would not as long as the work was peer-reviewed. “I fully support the ability of scientists to do their work unfettered,” Myers said in response to questioning from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). Meyers added “Quality, peer reviewed, scientific research, and the underlying data, to provide an ongoing narrative about our environment, which can offer the scientific basis for policy considerations and ongoing scientific discussion and advancement, are national assets that should be disseminated to the nation.”

Is Pocahontas as bad as Sambo?

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 20:42:46 +0000

11/27/2017

Today, at a presentation intended to honor Native Americans who served during WWII, President Trump took the opportunity to insult Senator Elizabeth Warren by referring to her as “Pocahontas”.

The veterans being honored were Navajo “Code Talkers”, who became valuable during WWII because their native language could not be deciphered by the Japanese.

It wasn’t the first time Trump had used the name to call out Warren. During the campaign, he often used the term to describe Warren who reportedly claimed Native American ancestory.

Trump’s use “Pocahontas” as an insult, especially in front of American heroes who have served our country, drew immediate criticism. Apparently blind that most would find it insulting and a slur, Trump and the White House defended the remarks. The White House has said the nickname is not a racial slur. The National Congress of Americans Indians disagreed, saying Trump used Pocahontas as a “slur to insult a political adversary.” The group asked Trump “to refrain from using her name in a way that denigrates her legacy.”

Some critics likened Trump’s use of “Pocahontas” to reference Warren akin to using the term “Sambo” to reference an African American.

To add insult to injury, Trump decided to meet with the Native Americans below a picture of Andrew Jackson. Jackson is known for his brutal treatment of Native Americans as president, famously signing the Indian Removal Act, which led to thousands of Native American deaths as tens of thousands were forced to relocate. Jackson’s nickname was “Indian Killer”.

https://youtu.be/czxeRqosuto

Kushner Not Turning Over Documents

Fri, 17 Nov 2017 02:11:51 +0000

11/16/2017

Jared Kushner is in hot water. He seems to be a bit forgetful when it comes to documents.

In addition to refusing to supply all the required documents for his security clearance, Jared Kushner has now been remiss in submitting all documents relating to Russia connections as requested by a Senate committee investigating Russian ties to the 2016 election. Inquiries are also being conducted by the special counsel Robert Mueller and the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Senators said that a disclosure of files to their committee by Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, “appears to have been incomplete” and was missing “documents that are known to exist but were not included”.

In a letter sent to Kushner’s attorney, Senators said that they knew of emails received by, and then forwarded by Kushner during the campaign that appear relevant to inquiries into alleged collusion between Moscow and Trump’s team.

“Other parties have produced September 2016 email communications to Mr Kushner concerning WikiLeaks which Mr Kushner then forwarded to another campaign official,” said senators Charles Grassley and Dianne Feinstein. “Likewise, other parties have produced documents concerning a ‘Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite’ which Mr Kushner also forwarded,” said the senators, who are the chairman and ranking member of the Senate judiciary committee. They also told Kushner’s attorney: “You also have not produced any phone records that we presume exist” in relation to several of their lines of inquiry.

Grassley and Feinstein disclosed in their letter to Lowell that Kushner was refusing to turn over certain documents that he believed “might implicate the president’s executive privilege”, which allows Trump to withhold some information from Congress.

WikiLeaks published emails hacked from Democrats during the 2016 campaign, causing chaos in the party as it worked to elect Hillary Clinton as president. US intelligence officials have said the emails were stolen by Russian operatives.

Details of the “backdoor overture” were not made clear in the senators’ letter. Kushner has denied reports that in the weeks after the election, he proposed setting up a secure communication channel between Trump’s team and Moscow to avoid snooping by the US before the inauguration.

Sergey Kislyak, the former Russian ambassador to the US, reportedly told his superiors in Moscow, during conversations intercepted by American intelligence, that Kushner had asked for the back channel during a meeting at Trump Tower last December.

Grassley and Feinstein said other people in contact with the committee had also turned over communications with Sergei Millian, the head of a Russian-American business group, which the senators knew had been copied to Kushner.

Could Donald Jr. be any dumber? The appalling truth about Jr. and WikiLeaks

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 01:04:32 +0000

11/14/2017

On September 20, 2016, during the height of last year’s presidential election, the WikiLeaks Twitter account sent a private direct message to Donald Trump Jr. “A PAC run anti-Trump site putintrump.org is about to launch,” WikiLeaks wrote. “The PAC is a recycled pro-Iraq war PAC. We have guessed the password. It is ‘putintrump.’ See ‘About’ for who is behind it. Any comments?”

Thinking he had somehow made a secret contact with somebody in the dark world of WikiLeaks, Trump Jr. responded the next morning. “Off the record I don’t know who that is, but I’ll ask around, Thanks.” Thus began a correspondence between Donald Jr. and WikiLeaks which lasted almost a year, until at least July 2017.

The messages show WikiLeaks, a radical transparency organization that the American intelligence community believes was chosen by the Russian government to disseminate the information it had hacked, actively soliciting Trump Jr.’s cooperation. WikiLeaks made a series of increasingly bold requests, including asking for Trump’s tax returns, urging the Trump campaign on Election Day to reject the results of the election as rigged, and requesting that the president-elect tell Australia to appoint Julian Assange ambassador to the United States.

Trump Jr., apparently enthralled at the prospect of working with a dark source, immediatly went to work on behalf of WikiLeaks. On the same day that Trump Jr. received the first message from WikiLeaks, he emailed other senior officials with the Trump campaign, including Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Brad Parscale, and Jared Kushner, telling them WikiLeaks had made contact. Kushner then forwarded the email to campaign communications staffer Hope Hicks. At no point during the 10-month correspondence does Trump Jr. rebuff WikiLeaks, which had published stolen documents and was known to be releasing information that benefited Russian interests.

Not only was Donald Jr. fulfilling the requests of some unknown person hiding behind a rogue entity, he did it all on Twitter’s open source. He also involved others in his actions, not once thinking that he could be putting his father, as well as other trusted staff and family members at risk. Discovering these communications would be easy, and eventually was.

In July 2016, on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks released emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee’s servers that spring. On October 3, 2016, WikiLeaks wrote again. “Hiya, it’d be great if you guys could comment on/push this story,” WikiLeaks suggested, attaching a quotefrom then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton about wanting to “just drone” WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. “Already did that earlier today,” Trump Jr. responded an hour-and-a-half later. “It’s amazing what she can get away with.”

On October 12, 2016, the account again messaged Trump Jr. “Hey Donald, great to see you and your dad talking about our publications,” (At a rally on October 10, Donald Trump had cheered “I love WikiLeaks!”). WikiLeaks continued “Strongly suggest your dad tweets this link if he mentions us.” WikiLeaks pointied Trump Jr. to the link wlsearch.tk, which it said would help Trump’s followers dig through the trove of stolen documents and find stories. 15 minutes after it was sent, Donald Trump himself tweeted “Very little pick-up by the dishonest media of incredible information provided by WikiLeaks. So dishonest! Rigged system!”

Two days later, on October 14, 2016, Trump Jr. tweeted the link WikiLeaks had provided him. “For those who have the time to read about all the corruption and hypocrisy all the @wikileaks emails are right here: http://wlsearch.tk/,” he wrote.

In communicating and cooperating with an unknown source to distribute and promote stolen information, Donald Trump Jr. proved how dumb he really is. To understand he did all of this on an open platform boggles the mind. His participation eventually drew the attention of the Congressional investigators who are looking into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Furthermore, Trump Jr.’s attorney has been forced to turn over thousands of documents regarding his contact with WikiLeaks. Coupled with the fact that Donald Jr. dragged Campaign Manager Manafort to a secret meeting with Russian operatives at Trump Tower, few could argue that Donald Jr. is truly dumb.

Trump Believes Putin Over US Intelligence Agencies

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 00:16:13 +0000

11/11/2017

“Every time he sees me he says I didn’t do that, and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” Trump told reporters. And thus Donald Trump has decided to trust the word of Vladimir Putin, over multiple US Intelligence agencies who are convinced Putin ordered interference in last year’s elections.

Trump made the comment after he and Putin met briefly at a summit in Vietnam on Saturday and agreed on a statement supporting a political solution for Syria. Putin reiterated the denials of interference, Trump said.

U.S. intelligence agencies compiled a report which found Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump have concluded Russians interfered to tip the election in Trump’s favour through hacking and releasing emails to embarrass Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and spreading social media propaganda. The entire report can be found here: US Intel Report Russian Medling

But hey, why trust your own Intelligence agencies over a known thug? Why trust the agencies whose sole purpose is to protect the interest of the United States? Why take the word of dedicated US citizens, when you can take the work of a former KGB agent?

US Now the only country in the world not in Paris climate accord

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 18:47:41 +0000

11/7/2017

President Donald Trump announced in June that the US would withdraw from the Paris climate accord. “We’re getting out,” he said. “And we will start to renegotiate and we’ll see if there’s a better deal. If we can, great. If we can’t, that’s fine.”

At the time, the US was not alone. Syria and Nicaragua also opted out. Syria was in the midst of civil war and was not present during the negotiations in 2015. Nicaragua protested that the accord did not go far enough to protect the environment and reverse the current trends.

On Tuesday, Syrian officials announced their intention to ratify the accord at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. “I confirm that the Syrian Arab Republic supports the implementation of Paris climate change accord, in order to achieve the desired global goals and to reflect the principles of justice and shared responsibility, but in accordance with the capabilities of each of the signatories,” Syria’s Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment M. Wadah Katmawi said. Katmawi added that developed countries, “in their capacity as the primary contributors to climate change, should live up to their legal and humanitarian responsibility” by offering technical and financial support to developing countries to help battle climate change.

The Syria People’s Assembly voted to approve ratification of the agreement last month.

Nicaragua recently announced its intent to join the agreement as well. In late October, Nicaraguan Vice President and first lady Rosario Murillo said the nation had submitted a “document of adhesion” to the United Nations to join the pact. “It is the only instrument we have in the world that allows us to unify intentions and efforts to face climate change and natural disasters,” she said of the agreement at the time.

With Syria and Nicaragua joining the accord, the US is now the only country in the world not willing to work together to formulate solutions. As a result, Trump is not invited “for the time being” to the climate change summit being hosted in December in Paris. Invitations are being sent first to countries that are “very active and particularly engaged” in climate change and will then extend an invitation to whoever the US government chooses to represent them.

At the opening of the UN Climate Change Confference, the US representative reaffirmed that “the administration’s position remains unchanged” on the agreement: the US will withdraw unless the terms of the agreement are renegotiated to be “more favorable to the American people.” At the time Trump announced the US’ withdrawal, the leaders of France, Italy and Germany indicated in a joint statement that the US could not unilaterally renegotiate the agreement. The UN body that facilitated the deal said it “cannot be renegotiated based on the request of a single party.”

The US trails only China as the worst emitter of CO2. In 2015, it released 5.1 million kilotons of carbon dioxide, more than all 28 European Union countries combined, and makes up almost a sixth of all global emissions.

Trump blames mass murders on mental health, yet made it easier for those with problems to buy guns

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 22:50:50 +0000

11/6/2017

Donald Trump signed a bill earlier this year that rolled back a regulation making it harder for people with mental illness to buy firearms. Yet he blamed the mass shooting at a Texas church on “a mental health problem”.

“One of his first actions as president trashed a new regulation that would have prevented potentially irresponsible and mentally incompetent people from being able to buy guns” said Peter Ambler, the executive director of Giffords, the gun control group started by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Ambler added, “Blaming mental health is a tactic straight out of the gun lobby’s playbook that’s meant to paralyze Congress. Donald Trump’s goal is to make people think our leaders don’t have the power to prevent gun violence.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed those remarks, stating, “Any link between mental health and gun violence in a particular situation cannot be used as an excuse for inaction on common sense gun violence measures.” “It is the height of hypocrisy for President Trump — who called the latest tragic mass shooting ‘a mental health problem at the highest level’ — to have rolled back a rule specifically designed to prevent some gun violence deaths,” Blumenthal added in a statement.

In February, just weeks into his presidency, Trump signed a bill eliminating an Obama regulation that made it more difficult for those suffering from mental illness to buy guns. The rule, which had been finalized in December 2016, added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs to the national background gun-check database. Had the rule fully taken effect, the Obama administration predicted it would have added about 75,000 names to the database.

Obama proposed the regulation in 2013 following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. At the time, the measure was hotly contested by gun rights advocates who said it infringed on Second Amendment rights. The National Rifle Association applauded Trump for signing the bill which made it easier for the mentally ill to buy guns. Chris Cox, the group’s chief lobbyist, said at the time that it marked “a new era for law-abiding gun owners, as we now have a president who respects and supports our arms.”

The mass shooting at the Texas church resulted in 26 dead including many children. This was proceeded last week by a shooter in Colorado who entered a Wal-Mart and killed three random customers, and the October 1st mass killing in Las Vegas resulting in 58 dead and 546 injured.

Trump the cause for much of Obamacare rate increases

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 02:47:29 +0000

11/01/2017

In April, Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he planned to use the powers of his office to jeopardize health-care access for millions of low-income people, while undermining America’s insurance markets — because he believed that voters would blame the ensuing chaos on the Democratic Party, leaving Chuck Schumer desperate to negotiate with the White House over Obamacare repeal.

Specifically, the president threatened to stop paying out the Affordable Care Act’s “cost-sharing reductions” — subsidies that defray the losses insurers suffer when they sell low-income Obamacare enrollees coverage at below-market rates. The Affordable Care Act requires health insurance companies to reduce deductibles and other forms of cost-sharing for eligible enrollees. The federal government has, until now, reimbursed the companies for the expense. The payments are worth $7 billion this year and $10 billion next year.

This month, Trump halted payments to health insurance companies serving low-income customers. Trump’s decision to cut off billions of dollars owed to health insurance providers caused those companies to substantially increase premiums to cover their losses. In doing so, the administration has jeopardized health-care access for low-income people, while undermining America’s insurance markets.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation studied documents that health insurance carriers submitted to regulators in 32 states and the District of Columbia. These documents detail price changes for health insurance policies and the justification for those changes.

Among those states, Trump’s action caused premium increases that range from 7 percent to 38 percent higher than they would have been for mid-level “Silver” health plans, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported. The analysis includes specific examples of how specific insurers dealt with Trump’s decision to deny their reimbursements, based on information they provided to state insurance agencies.

Health insurance companies and most state governments anticipated that Trump might cut off this funding and planned ahead to prevent major financial losses and further disruption to the market. Some states and their insurers opted to only add supplementary premium increases to Silver plans, because those are the ones consumers must choose to receive discounts on out-of-pocket costs. In some cases, those extra price increases only apply to Silver plans sold on exchanges, which are the only places to receive financial assistance, and not on Silver plans bought outside the exchanges. Other insurers spread the increased costs across all types of insurance ― Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum ― either only on the exchanges or on and off the exchanges.

Ironically, Trump actually increased federal spending when he ended those payments to insurance companies. Because premium subsidies rise when prices rise, those bigger subsidies will cost taxpayers $194 billion over the coming decade, the Congressional Budget Office projects.

A separate report published Wednesday outlined the overall landscape for health insurance prices on the exchanges next year in the 39 states that use the federally operated HealthCare.gov exchanges. Almost 6 million people, or 57 percent of exchange enrollees, qualified for cost-sharing reductions when they enrolled for 2017, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

For 2018, the average price increased 18 percent for Bronze plans, 34 percent for Silver plans, 16 percent for Gold plans and 24 percent for Platinum plans, according to the consulting firm Avalere Health. Across those 39 states, the average premium for a Silver plan ― by far the most popular option on the exchanges ― next year is $743, Avalere found. The average prices for Bronze, Gold and Platinum plans next year is $561, $831 and $1,125, respectively.

Is Jared Kushner the worst adviser in modern history?

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 23:42:45 +0000

11/2/2017

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide to Donald Trump said “Jared is the worst political adviser in the White House in modern history”. “I’m only saying publicly what everyone says behind the scenes at Fox News, in conservative media, and the Senate and Congress” Nunberg added. “Trump is at 33 percent in Gallup. You can’t go any lower. He’s fucked.”

According to two sources, Trump has complained to advisers about his legal team for letting the Mueller probe progress. Speaking to Steve Bannon on Tuesday, Trump blamed Jared Kushner for his role in decisions, specifically the firings of Mike Flynn and James Comey, that led to Mueller’s appointment, according to a source briefed on the call.

Of course it wasn’t Jared Kushner who sat in front of NBC News to explain why he fired Comey, and Jared doesn’t sit behind the desk in the oval office. But when things begin to fall apart, Trump has proven that he is not one to look in the mirror to find blame. It’s somebody else’s fault, and right now the failures of the administration seem to fall on Kushner’s shoulders.

Official White House Climate report paints a very grim picture

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 18:39:04 +0000

11/2/2017

A comprehensive climate report compiled by 13 US federal agencies paints a grim picture for the world’s climate outlook. The report concludes that evidence of global warming is stronger than ever and that more than 90% of it has been caused by humans.

The 477-page report released on Friday said it was “extremely likely” – meaning with 95 to 100% certainty – that global warming is man-made, mostly from carbon dioxide through the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. The report states “When it comes to rapidly escalating levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, there is no climate analog for this century at any time in at least the last 50 million years.”

It is the most comprehensive summary of climate science since 2013, showing a warming, worsening world. Despite fears by some scientists and environmental advocates, David Fahey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) and several authors said there was no political interference or censoring.

A link to the full report can be found by clicking here: 2017 Climate Science Special Report

The report warns of a worst-case scenario where seas could rise as high as eight feet by the year 2100, and details climate-related damage across the United States that is already unfolding as a result of an average global temperature increase of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900.

President Trump, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry have all questioned the extent of humans’ contribution to climate change. One of the EPA’s Web pages posted scientific conclusions similar to those in the new report until earlier this year, when Pruitt’s deputies had it removed.

By law, the government is required to produce the national assessment every four years. This time, the report is split into two documents, one that lays out the fundamental science of climate change and the other that shows how the United States is being affected on a regional basis. Combined, the two documents total over 2,000 pages.

“I think this report is basically the most comprehensive climate science report in the world right now,” said Robert Kopp, a climate scientist at Rutgers who is an expert on sea-level rise and served as one of the report’s lead authors.

It affirms that the United States is already experiencing more extreme heat and rainfall events and more large wildfires in the West, that more than 25 coastal U.S. cities are already experiencing more flooding, and that seas could rise by between 1 and 4 feet by the year 2100, and perhaps even more than that if Antarctica proves to be unstable, as is feared. The report says that a rise of over eight feet is “physically possible” with high levels of greenhouse-gas emissions but that there’s no way right now to predict how likely it is to happen.

Donald Jr. schooled on Twitter about Halloween socialism

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 22:43:38 +0000

10/31/2017

Donald Trump Jr. took time out today to steal half of his daughter's Halloween candy. In an attempt to make a point, Jr. used his daughter as a political pawn and was taken to school for doing so. His tweet about socialism fell on deaf ears, and twitter world reminded him of the privileged life he and his family live. The best responses from his tweet follow.

I’m going to take half of Chloe’s candy tonight & give it to some kid who sat at home. It’s never to early to teach her about socialism. pic.twitter.com/3ie9C0jv2G

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 31, 2017

Trump Lawyers claim Donald’s lies and defamation are just “Political Opinion”

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:38:13 +0000

11/1/2017

Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump’s reality television show “The Apprentice” filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump in January. In her lawsuit, Zervos accuses Trump of aggressively kissing her and groping her breasts during a 2007 meeting that took place when she was seeking a job at his company. Her lawsuit claims that he made defamatory statements by describing as liars women who came forward last year to accuse him of misconduct.

Marc Kasowitz, an attorney for Trump, said in a statement that there is “no merit” to her case, adding that it “is based on allegations of events that never occurred.”

In a new 36-page legal filing, Trump’s attorneys argue that previous legal cases have established “wide latitude” for political speech, and that Trump’s comments were effectively campaign rhetoric, coming in the context of the heated 2016 presidential campaign. “All of the Statements occurred on political forums — a campaign website, on Mr. Trump’s Twitter account, in a presidential debate, and at campaign rallies — where the listeners expect to hear public debate, taken as political opinion rather than a defamatory statement,” they argued.

The president’s lawyers further argued that Trump had a First Amendment right to call the claims by Zervos and other women false. They said that by accusing him of sexual misconduct to the media, Zervos was “explicitly soliciting” Trump to engage in the debate in an effort to affect the election. “This is a politically-driven action, brought against a sitting President for exercising his First Amendment right to speak on political and public matters concerning, among other things, his own qualifications for President, the media’s role in the election process, and the tactics of his opponent, Hillary Clinton,” his attorneys argued.

Trump’s attorneys also said that he did not specifically call Zervos a liar.

“Here, Mr. Trump was merely defending his character and qualifications for office from the false attacks Ms. Zervos leveled against him just a few weeks before the Presidential election,” they argued.

Trump’s attorneys again asked for the dismissal of Zervos’s suit, or a stay in the case while Trump is president, saying the claim is a civil action unrelated to his official duties as president.

Trump Campaign Manager Manafort first on Mueller hit list

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 23:08:44 +0000

10/30/2017

Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, was indicted today on 12 charges which could put him behind bars for decades.

The indictment was signed by Robert Mueller, who was named special prosecutor May 17. The indictment focuses on an entity first created by Manafort in 2005 for political consulting, called Davis Manafort Partners. In 2011, Manafort created DMP International (DMI) and began consulting, lobbying and public relations for Ukraine. The indictments also name Richard Gates, Manafort’s alleged partner in crime. Gates worked for both companies. It alleges that they received tens of millions of dollars for their Ukraine work, and to hide that income, they laundered the money through “scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships, and bank accounts.”

The indictment claims the two tried to launder more than $75 million in fees they received from various foreign entities. It also claims that Manafort and Gates did not register as Foreign Agents, which is required by US law when individuals represent foreign interests in the US. Failing to register as a Foreign Agent is a charge that disgraced former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn may also face.

Currently, the charges do not include collusion with the Russians to influence the 2016 Presidential elections. The White House and Trump supporters were quick to point out that the charges against Manafort were from activities prior to the Trump campaign. After considering the statements from the White House, many wondered how well Trump vetted the key people he hired to run his campaign, and how well he vetted his other governmental appointees.

While the charge of collusion was not included in this round of indictments, there is a possibility that other charges, including collusion, will follow. Many of Manafort’s clients were Russian or had Russian ties. Many of Manafort’s clients have dubious backgrounds and histories. Manafort’s attorneys denied the charges.

More than 18 Women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct/assault

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 01:43:50 +0000

10/27/2017

All women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct/harassment/assault are lying according to the White House.

The various claims about Trump’s inappropriate sexual behavior span three decades and include unwanted groping and kissing, entering backstage dressing areas of Trump-owned beauty pageants (a behavior he confirmed to Howard Stern). Ex-wife Ivana Trump once used the term raped when describing how Donald once treated her while they were married.

On Friday, the White House dismissed all the women who made the accusations as liars. Trump has continually denied all allegations, and has repeatedly called his accusers “liars”. Interestingly, today while facing a defamation lawsuit by one of his accusers, lawyers for Trump claimed that when Trump called his accusers liars it was only political opinion, and he wasn’t actually calling them liars because, well, that would be defamation.

It should be noted that nobody in the Trump camp has offered any other evidence to support that these women are liars. They have not provided any circumstances where these women have lied in the past, or that they have some other motivation to tell anything but the truth. Our president on the other hand, has been documented lying hundreds of times (as documented here by the New York Times: Trump Lies ).

So who are these awful women who are lying about our President? Remember, Trump and his attorneys have said all of these women are liars, except that the term liar is not really being used because it would be defamatory and cause Trump to be subject to litigation. Lets take a look!

Jill Harth
- When – 1992, 1993.
- Where – Atlantic City, Mar-A-Lago
- What happened – Harth and her then-boyfriend, George Houraney, entered into a business venture with Donald Trump which included holding an event at one of Trump’s Atlantic City casinos. While dining with Trump and her then boyfriend, Trump attempted to put his hands between her legs. Harth and Houraney visited Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida in January 1993 for a contract-signing celebration. Trump, according to Harth, offered her a tour before pulling her into the empty bedroom of his daughter Ivanka. “I was admiring the decoration, and next thing I know he’s pushing me against a wall and has his hands all over me. He was trying to kiss me. I was freaking out.” Harth says she desperately protested against Trump’s advances and eventually managed to run out of the room. She and her boyfriend left rather than stay the night, as they had intended. After she became engaged, Harth alleges, Trump began to stalk her.
Jessica Leeds
- When – Around 1980
- Where – On a plane
- What happened – Trump inappropriately touched her “like an octopus” during a flight from Connecticut to New York. According to Leeds, a flight attendant upgraded her to first-class, escorting her to an open seat next to Trump. Once they were airborne, Trump raised the seat divider, grabbed her chest, and attempted to move one of his hands up her skirt, she said. “I remember at one point looking over at the guy in the seat across the aisle, and his eyes were like bugging out of his head.”
Kristin Anderson
- When – 1992
- Where – Manhattan Nightclub
- What happened – At a crowded Manhattan nightspot Kristin was sitting with friends when the person on her right slid his fingers under her miniskirt, moved up her inner thigh and touched her vagina through her underwear. Anderson shoved the hand away, fled the couch and turned to take her first good look at the man who had touched her, she said. She instantly recognized him as Donald Trump. “He was so distinctive looking — with the hair and the eyebrows. I mean, nobody else has those eyebrows.” The episode, as Anderson described it, lasted no more than 30 seconds. Anderson said she and her companions were “very grossed out and weirded out” and thought, “Okay, Donald is gross. We all know he’s gross. Let’s just move on.” At the time of the incident, Trump was a big celebrity whose face was all over the tabloids and a regular presence on the New York club scene.
Cathy Heller
- When – 1997
- Where – Mar-A-Lago
- What happened – Heller has told many friends and family members this story over the years. Some 20 years ago she met Trump for the first and only time at a Mother’s Day brunch with her children, her husband, and her husband’s parents. Heller claims Trump grabbed her, went for a kiss, and grew angry with her as she twisted away. “Oh, come on,” she alleges that he yelled, before holding her firmly in place and planting his lips on hers. Heller’s husband and children, who were present during the event, have corroborated her account. Her allegation tracks closely what Trump claimed in a 2005 recording with Billy Bush. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful – I just start kissing them,” Trump said. “It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.” “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”
Temple Taggart McDowell
- When – 1997
- Where – Trump Tower
- What happened – Former Miss USA contestant Temple Taggart McDowell told NBC News that Donald Trump kissed her on the lips without her consent when she first met him in 1997 when she was 21 years old, and then again during a visit to New York City. She also told NBC that during the New York City visit her chaperone felt uncomfortable and did not want her alone with Trump. “I spoke to my chaperone after and I remember her saying she had felt uncomfortable to where she didn’t want me back there alone so one of the chaperones went with me back into his office.”
Karena Virginia
- When – 1998
- Where – US Open, Queens NY
- What happened – Virginia was waiting for a ride after the US Open in Queens when Trump, whom she had not met previously, approached her with a small group of other men. While commenting on her legs, then he grabbed her right arm. Virginia continued, “Then his hand touched the right side of my breast. I was in shock. I flinched. ‘Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know who I am?’ – that’s what he said to me. I felt intimidated and I felt powerless.”
Mindy McGillivray
- When – 2003
- Where – Mar-A-Lago
- What happened – McGillivray stated that in January 2003, when she was 23 years old, she was groped by Trump at his Mar-A-Lago estate. She said, “All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge. I think it’s my friend Ken Davidoff’s camera bag. That was my first instinct, when I turned around there’s Donald. He sort of looked away quickly.” Ken Davidoff, corroborated McGillivray’s account, saying he remembered her pulling him aside moments after the alleged incident to say “Donald just grabbed my ass!”
Rachel Crooks
- When – 2005
- Where – Elevator in Trump Tower
- What happened – n 2005, Rachel Crooks was a 22-year-old receptionist at a real estate investment and development company in Trump Tower. She says she encountered Trump in an elevator in the building one morning and turned to introduce herself. They shook hands, but Mr. Trump would not let go. Instead, he began kissing her cheeks, then directly on the mouth. “It was so inappropriate,” Crooks recalled in an interview. “I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.”
Natasha Stoynoff
- When – 2005
- Where – Mar-A-Lago
- What happened – Stoynoff, who wrote for People magazine, went to Trump’s Florida estate in December 2005 to interview him and his wife, Melania. While there, Trump gave Stoynoff a tour of the Mar-A-Lago estate. “We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat … I was stunned. Stoynoff composed herself and conducted the interview, after which she said Trump repeatedly told her, “We’re going to have an affair, I’m telling you.” On October 18, 2016, People produced six corroborating witnesses who said Stoynoff had recounted the incident to them around the time that it occurred.
Jessica Drake
- When – 2006
- Where – Lake Tahoe Golf tournament
- What happened – Drake claims that she was invited to meet with Trump, who was married at the time, at his hotel suite. As she was “uncomfortable going alone” she brought two friends. Drake recounted that “He grabbed each of us tightly, in a hug and kissed each one of us without asking permission.” Drake stated that she and her friends left the suite after 30–45 minutes. Shortly thereafter, Drake claims she received a phone call from Trump requesting that she join him for dinner and a party. When she declined, he offered her $10,000 and the use of his jet to fly back to LA if she accepted. She said she declined his offers.
Ninni Laaksonen
- When – 2006
- Where – David Letterman Show, NY
- What happened – Speaking to a Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, Laaksonen claimed that Trump groped her before an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. “Before the show we were photographed outside the building,” Laaksonen told the paper, “Trump stood right next to me and suddenly he squeezed my butt. He really grabbed my butt.” Someone later told Laaksonen that Trump liked her because she looked like his wife, Melania, when she was younger.
Summer Zervos
- When – 2007
- Where – The Beverly Hills Hotel
- What happened – Summer Zervos was a contestant on the 5th season of The Apprentice. Subsequently, she contacted Trump in 2007, about a job after the show’s completion, and he invited her to meet him at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Zervos has said that Trump was sexually suggestive during their meeting, kissing her open-mouthed, groping her breasts, and thrusting his genitals on her. She also has said that his behavior was aggressive and not consensual. Zervos said she still had dinner with Trump and later called him to inquire about getting a job.

Casandra Searles
- When – 2013
- Where – Miss USA contest
- What happened – Searles, Miss Washinton State of 2013, claims she was fondled by Trump during the Miss USA pageant of that year. Searles made Facebook postings that accused Trump of making unwanted advances. She said that he was “continually” groping her buttocks and had asked her to go “to his hotel room”. Searles called Trump a “misogynist” who “treated us like cattle” and “lined up so he could get a closer look at his property.” Other contestants from the same year, like Paromita Mitra of Mississippi, bolstered Searles recollection. Mitra commented, “I literally have nightmares about that process.

Multiple other Miss USA contestants – Mariah Billado, Bridget Sullivan, Tasha Dixon Samatha Holvey and others
- When – Various, mostly during Miss USA contests
- Where -Various
- What happened – Multiple accounts of Trump walking in dressing rooms without notice and unannounced to see and stare at naked contestants changing between events. Uncomfortable line inspections of contestants. People that work for him telling us to go fawn all over him, go walk up to him, talk to him.

Arizona GOP Senator Jeff Flake bashes Trump

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 22:51:14 +0000

10/24/2017

Jeff Flake has had enough. Today the Republican Senator from Arizona announced he would not seek re-election. “I couldn’t sleep at night having to embrace the president or condoning his behavior or being okay with some of his positions,” he said. “I just couldn’t do it — it was never in the cards.” Flake said he found himself appalled, again and again, by the president’s boorish behavior and penchant for picking personal fights — so much so that he felt compelled to publicly criticize Trump directly, in the press and in a best-selling book.

During his announcement, Flake absolutely lambasted President Trump. Flake talked about world leadership, and the lack thereof (4:30). Flake spoke that he would not be complicit with the president (6:00). He continued that he will not let political considerations compromise his principals (6:20).

Is Kelly tarnishing the proud uniform he once wore?

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 19:20:14 +0000

10/20/2017

Yesterday, John Kelly made another appearance at the White House press conference. He served with honor as a decorated Marine General. He is a Gold Star father, having lost his son in Afghanistan. As Chief of Staff to the president, he is a civilian.

Kelly made an attempt to come to the rescue of the president who has bungled handling the deaths of four soldiers earlier this month. In doing so, he tarnished his reputation. Kelly showed hypocrisy in his statements. He lamented the fall of things he thought were once sacred. He did not correct misstatements made by the president. Nor did he show sympathy towards, or apologize to the Johnson family for the sideshow caused by the president while they grieve their son’s death.

He did however sink to the level of his boss by attacking an elected U.S. Congresswoman. Her travesty? Doing the exact same thing Kelly had done, along with other White House staff members.

What is particularly sad is that so many people expected more from Kelly. A Gold Star father who has, until now, not politicized the death of his son. People thought that Kelly could be noble. They had hoped that he could rise above the chaos caused in the Trump administration and bring sanity to the White House. Yesterday he proved he was sinking to the same level, no longer capable of being a voice of reason and stability.

During Kelly’s appearance, he stated “You know, when I was a kid growing up a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred. Looked upon with great honor. That’s obviously not the case anymore, as we’ve seen from recent cases. Life was sacred. That’s gone. Religion. That seems to be gone as well. Gold Star families, I think that left in the convention over the summer. I just thought the selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die in the battlefield, I thought that might be sacred.”

What is unfortunate, and what Kelly failed to mention is that all of the things he once held sacred were destroyed by the person he serves.

Women held sacred? Did Kelly miss the snippet on the bus where Trump told of how he likes to grab women by the pussy? How about the 17+ women who have accused Trump of sexual assault? Perhaps a reminder of his three marriages, two of which he openly acknowledges infidelity, and is suspected of on the third? Not to mention all of the insulting tweets and comments he has made about women (click here for a partial list: The Women He Loves ).

Sanctity of religion? Perhaps Kelly was referring to the Constitution and the 1st amendment that grants all citizens the right to religious freedom. Trump has done his best to trample on that right. Does Kelly forget that during the campaign Trump called for an immediate ban of all Muslims entering the country?

Gold Star families sacred? One would hope, but again, not by Trump. Trump’s lashing out at the Gold Star family during the Democratic Convention was disgusting. Of all people, Kelly should recognize this. And yes John, the sacrifice men and women give to our country should be sacred, they should not be politicized in the way your boss does it. When Trump starts the conversation, he owns it. It was Trump that started the conversation when he mentioned Obama in the Rose Garden.

Kelly could have used the podium to ask for understanding for a failure of good intention, but he did not. He could have sympathized with the Johnson family, but did not. Instead he followed the playbook from his boss, and went on the attack. This is when Kelly tarnished himself and the position he once held. This is when honor went out the door for John Kelly.

“I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning and broken-hearted at what I saw a member of Congress doing, a member of Congress who listened in on a phone call from the president of the United States to a young wife… It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me.”

The hypocrisy of Kelly’s statement is stunning in itself. What was reported earlier, and confirmed by Kelly himself later, was that Kelly and other White House staff members were in the room when Trump made the call. Is the call sacred? Should it be solely between the president and the family? If so, what was Kelly doing eavesdropping? Who were the other staff members present, and why were they there? Does Kellyanne Conway need to listen in, and if so, why?

What Kelly also fails to mention during his attack of the Congresswoman is that she is a friend of the family and was traveling in a car with them at the time the president called. The mother put the call on speaker. What was Congresswoman supposed to do, jump out the window of a moving car? It wasn’t like she was in the White House and could walk out of the room like the president’s staff could.

Kelly is no longer the proud Marine General who served with honor to his country. He is a civilian. He has taken a civilian position to serve the president. It was once hoped that Kelly might be able to teach the president a thing or two about honor. It appears the president has taught Kelly a thing or two about sinking to new lows.

Bone spurs not keeping Trump from playing golf

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 23:34:42 +0000

10/19/2017

President Trump seems to have no problems playing a lot of golf these days. He doesn’t walk with a limp, nor does he show any pain while walking.

When he was younger, Donald J. Trump sought and received five deferments from serving the United States during the Vietnam war. Four were for attending college, one was for bone spurs in his heel.

Today, President Trump can not seem to remember all of the facts surrounding the problems with his bone spurs. In 1972, the problem was so great, it prohibited him from serving. Yet today he can not remember which foot had the problem, or which Doctor treated him and provided the letter for his deferment. He has been unable, or unwilling to supply a copy of the letter.

During the 2016 election, Trumps current physician reported that Trump had “no significant medical problems” in his medical history.

Bone spurs are real, can be quite painful and could legitimately preclude a young man from being able to walk the long distances necessary for a soldier. You would think that such an affliction would be memorable for the rest of your life. However, Donald Trump has very little memory of the painful condition that kept him from serving his country in the Vietnam War, nor has provided any witnesses who could remember that he walked in pain.

Fortunately for the president, after receiving no treatment, his bone spurs seemed to have melted away after the Vietnam war. He had no further incidents that required medical treatment.

That has certainly been good news for his ability to play golf. Trump has played more golf than any other president during the same amount of time in office.

A helpful website that tracks all of the President’s golf outings can be found here: Trump Golf Count

Out of embarrasment, the White House will not confirm or deny the exact number of times Trump has played golf. However, it is likely that he has played at least twice as many times as President Obama during the same time span. Trumped often criticized Obama for playing so much golf.

Can you believe that,with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf.Worse than Carter

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2014

As Warren Buffet once said about Trump during the election, ““Trump and his family have sacrificed nothing.”

Trump gives himself a perfect 10 out of 10 on Puerto Rico

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 22:52:34 +0000

10/19/2017

President Trump said he would give his administration a perfect “10” for its response to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.

His rating of a 10 came despite that even almost a month after Hurricane Maria made landfall, only 22% of the country has electricity and 28% of the people do not have access to clean water. About 78% of the hospitals are now open, but power is not reliable. Would the people of Texas rate the president a 10 if after a month 80% of them still did not have electricity?

Twelve days of silence about fallen soldiers, but plenty of time for golf

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 20:51:26 +0000

10/18/2017

On October 4th, four US Special Forces soldiers were ambushed and killed in Niger. The president, notably vocal on almost all topics was mute when it came to the nation’s loss. Silence on the deaths.

The next day, the first of the remains came home to Dover Air Force base in Delaware. Still, no comment came from the president, only silence. Over the weekend details of the conflict and the identities of the fallen soldiers were disclosed. The president was playing golf.

For the next week the president was silent on the deaths of the fallen. He did however have time to comment on “fake news”, “the calm before the storm”, the NFL, Bob Corker, North Korea, Puerto Rico and media bias. He played more golf over the the weekend.

On Monday, the president held a news conference in the Rose Garden and was asked about the fallen soldiers. He then made false statements about prior presidents and the protocol for reaching out to the surviving families.

https://youtu.be/ANoe2s6yJlI

Shortly following president Trump’s statements, representatives from the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations released statements refuting Trump’s assertions.

Trump would later drag his Chief of Staff John Kelly into the fray, suggesting Kelly did not receive a call from President Obama upon the death of his son who was killed fighting in Afghanistan. In fact, the Kelly’s soon attended a closed-door, White House breakfast host by President Obama and First lady Michelle to honor gold star families.

Yesterday, on October 17th, the White House confirmed that President trump had finally called the families of the four soldiers killed in action. In the 13 days since their deaths, Trump had found time to play golf five times at Trump National, Potomac Falls Golf Course:

10/7 9:56 AM
10/8 10:52 AM
10/9 11:55 AM
10/14 10:40 AM
10/15 10:38 AM

Check out all of Trump’s golf dates at TrumpGolfCount.com

“He knew what he signed up for” Trump tells Gold Star Johnson family

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 22:28:16 +0000

10/18/2017

Sgt. La David T. Johnson was killed in Niger on October 4th. Representative Frederica Wilson was with the fallen soldiers family when they received a call from President Trump.

Wilson had said that the Johnson family was “astonished” by Trump’s remarks during the call, which Wilson said she heard via a speakerphone while riding in a limousine with the Johnson family. “She was crying the whole time, and when she hung up the phone, she looked at me and said, ‘He didn’t even remember his name.’ That’s the hurting part.”

Wilson went on to say Trump “was almost like joking. He said, ‘Well, I guess you knew’ — something to the effect that ‘he knew what he was getting into when he signed up, but I guess it hurts anyway.’ You know, just matter-of-factly, that this is what happens, anyone who is signing up for military duty is signing up to die. That’s the way we interpreted it. It was horrible. It was insensitive. It was absolutely crazy, unnecessary. I was livid.”

Jones-Johnson, speaking to The Post via Facebook Messenger, declined to elaborate, but asked whether Wilson’s account of the conversation between Trump and the family was accurate, she replied: “Yes.”

“I didn’t say what that congresswoman said; didn’t say it all. She knows it,” Trump said when asked about the exchange by a reporter. Trump later tweeted:

Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2017

Still later, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the president did not record the call, nor did he have any proof to support his statement.

Ivanka and Donald Jr. Felony Fraud?

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 18:17:12 +0000

In the spring of 2012, Donald Trump’s two eldest children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., found themselves in a precarious legal position. For two years, prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office had been building a criminal case against them for misleading prospective buyers of units in the Trump SoHo, a hotel and condo development that was failing to sell. Despite the best efforts of the siblings’ defense team, the case had not gone away. An indictment seemed like a real possibility. The evidence included emails from the Trumps making clear that they were aware they were using inflated figures about how well the condos were selling to lure buyers.

The Trump SoHo was beleaguered from the start: Named for one of Manhattan’s trendiest neighborhoods, the development wasn’t really in SoHo, but located just west of it, near the entrance ramp to the Holland Tunnel. Zoning laws wouldn’t allow a residential tower at the location, so the Trumps fell back on an alternative: a “condo-hotel,” in which buyers got a hotel room rather than an apartment, and were legally prohibited from staying there more than 120 nights per year. Worse, the high-priced condos hit the market in September 2007, just as the global economy began to crater in what became the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Business was slow, but the Trump family claimed the opposite. In April 2008, they said that 31 percent of the condos in the building had been purchased. Donald Jr. boasted to The Real Deal magazine that 55 percent of the units had been bought. In June 2008, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, alongside their brother Eric, gathered the foreign press at Trump Tower in Manhattan, where Ivanka announced that 60 percent had been snapped up. “We’re in a very fortunate position,” she said, “where we have enough sales and now we are strategically targeting certain buyers.”

None of that was true. According to a sworn affidavit by a Trump partner filed with the New York attorney general’s office, by March of 2010, almost two years after the press conference, only 15.8 percent of units had been sold.

This was more than a marketing problem. The deal hinged on selling at least 15 percent of the units. By law, the sales couldn’t close with anything less. The Trumps and their partners would have had to return the buyers’ down payments.

Some buyers concluded that they’d been cheated. In August 2010, some sued the Trump Organization and others involved in the project in New York federal court. “This action seeks to redress the substantial and ongoing pattern of fraudulent misrepresentations and deceptive sales practices” by the Trumps and the other defendants, the suit charged. The plaintiffs argued that there’s a vast difference in value between a unit in a building that is 15 percent sold and one that is 60 percent sold. Their complaint accused the sellers, including the Trumps, of “a consistent and concerted pattern of outright lies.”

In one email, according to four people who have seen it, the Trumps discussed how to coordinate false information they had given to prospective buyers. In another, according to a person who read the emails, they worried that a reporter might be onto them. In yet another, Donald Jr. spoke reassuringly to a broker who was concerned about the false statements, saying that nobody would ever find out, because only people on the email chain or in the Trump Organization knew about the deception, according to a person who saw the email.

There was “no doubt” that the Trump children “approved, knew of, agreed to, and intentionally inflated the numbers to make more sales,” one person who saw the emails told us. “They knew it was wrong.”

In 2010, when the Major Economic Crimes Bureau of the D.A.’s office opened an investigation of the siblings, the Trump Organization had hired several top New York criminal defense lawyers to represent Donald Jr. and Ivanka. These attorneys had met with prosecutors in the bureau several times. They conceded that their clients had made exaggerated claims, but argued that the overstatements didn’t amount to criminal misconduct. Still, the case dragged on. In a meeting with the defense team, Donald Trump, Sr., expressed frustration that the investigation had not been closed. Soon after, his longtime personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz entered the case.

Kasowitz, who by then had been the elder Donald Trump’s attorney for a decade, is primarily a civil litigator with little experience in criminal matters. But in 2012, Kasowitz donated $25,000 to the reelection campaign of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., making Kasowitz one of Vance’s largest donors. Kasowitz decided to bypass the lower level prosecutors and went directly to Vance to ask that the investigation be dropped.

On May 16, 2012, Kasowitz visited Vance’s office at One Hogan Place in downtown Manhattan — a faded edifice made famous by the television show, “Law & Order.” Dan Alonso, the chief assistant district attorney, and Adam Kaufmann, the chief of the investigative division, were also at the meeting, but no one from the Major Economic Crimes Bureau attended. Kasowitz did not introduce any new arguments or facts during his session. He simply repeated the arguments that the other defense lawyers had been making for months.

Ultimately, Vance overruled his own prosecutors. Three months after the meeting, he told them to drop the case. Kasowitz subsequently boasted to colleagues about representing the Trump children, according to two people. He said that the case was “really dangerous,” one person said, and that it was “amazing I got them off.” (Kasowitz denied making such a statement.)

Vance defended his decision. “I did not at the time believe beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime had been committed,” he told us. “I had to make a call and I made the call, and I think I made the right call.”

Just before the 2012 meeting, Vance’s campaign had returned Kasowitz’s $25,000 contribution, in keeping with what Vance describes as standard practice when a donor has a case before his office. Kasowitz “had no influence and his contributions had no influence whatsoever on my decision-making in the case,” Vance said.

But less than six months after the D.A.’s office dropped the case, Kasowitz made an even larger donation to Vance’s campaign, and helped raise more from others — eventually, a total of more than $50,000. After being asked about these donations as part of the reporting for this article — more than four years after the fact — Vance said he now plans to give back Kasowitz’s second contribution, too. “I don’t want the money to be a millstone around anybody’s neck, including the office’s,” he said.

Kasowitz told us his donations to Vance were unrelated to the case. “I donated to Cy Vance’s campaign because I was and remain extremely impressed by him as a person of impeccable integrity, as a brilliant lawyer and as a public servant with creative ideas and tremendous ability,” Kasowitz wrote in an emailed statement. “I have never made a contribution to anyone’s campaign, including Cy Vance’s, as a ‘quid-pro-quo’ for anything.”

Last year, The New York Times reported the existence of the criminal investigation into the Trump SoHo project. But the prosecutor’s focus on Ivanka and Donald Jr. and the email evidence against them, as well as Kasowitz’s involvement, and Vance’s decision to overrule his prosecutors, had not been previously made public. This account is based on interviews with 20 sources familiar with the investigation, court records, and other public documents. We were not able to review copies of the emails that were the focal point of the inquiry. We are relying on the accounts of multiple individuals who have seen them.

Written by ProPublica

“I’m not going to blame myself”

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 23:41:38 +0000

10/16/2017

When asked about Steve Bannon and his war on Republicans, Trump explained that things are not getting done. Of course, and to no one’s surprise, Trump claimed it wasn’t his fault, but the fault of Republican Congressmen.

Trump’s statements made many people wonder: If things are not getting done, who is in charge to make sure they get done. Isn’t that part of the president’s responsibility?

There are two primary reasons why legislation doesn’t get passed by congress and eventually become law. First, it is crappy legislation that few support. Second, it is partisan legislation that is divisive between the two parties. In most cases (not always) a bill should have some basic merit, and be viewed by both parties as being beneficial to most Americans.

To date, Trump has not had any major legislative victories. His main goals, such as reforming healthcare, have been disasters, and the blame certainly fall on his shoulders.

In the case of healthcare, Trump promised great healthcare where everybody would be covered at lower prices and enjoy better benefits. The sad fact is that he didn’t (and probably still doesn’t) understand how healthcare works. He never attempted to reach across the aisle and build a coalition to address the problem. Hence, his solutions were strictly partisan with all Democrats voting against, and almost all Republicans voting for the proposed changes. Second, Trump had no idea what the solutions were, or what was coming out of congress as the bills were discussed and crafted behind closed doors. What emerged was terrible legislation that cut benefits and insured fewer people. Just about every major medical organization was against the proposed bills, including the AMA.

Despite his denials, Trump is the major reason things are not getting done in Washington. Perhaps if he stopped the personal attacks on Democrats and actually promoted legislation to improve the life of Americans (i.e. stopped cutting pollution regulations) then he could build consensus in the congress and get things done. Until then, little will change.

https://youtu.be/Y_VyKH7BY4U

Flynt puts $10 million bounty on Trump’s head

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 17:12:56 +0000

10/17/2017

Yesterday, Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine, offered a $10 million bounty on information that will lead to president Trump’s impeachment.

Flynt took out a full page ad in the Washington Post to promote his offer.

So I decided to do this…let's see what happens. pic.twitter.com/Xpy4qrwHU7

— Larry Flynt (@ImLarryFlynt) October 15, 2017

Apparently not impressed with Trump’s performance to date, Flynt wrote in Sunday’s ad “Impeachment would be a messy, contentious affair, but the alternative — three more years of destabilizing dysfunction — is worse.” “Both good Democrats and good Republicans who put country over party did it before with Watergate. We need to flush everything out into the open.”

In a follow up interview with The Post, Flynt said that he expected to receive information “within a few days,” adding he would disclose any “legitimate” details “right away.”

True to his word, Flynt updated the general public — albeit a bit ambiguously — on the tips he has received thus far. “Things are getting interesting,” he declared on Twitter. “Let me know if you got the goods!”

Trump ends subsidies for Obamacare, hurting middle class

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 20:57:37 +0000

10/13/2017

In yet another attempt to torpedo Obamacare, President Trump last night signed an executive order stopping payments to health insurers that help millions of middle-income Americans afford coverage.

The move comes two and a half weeks before open enrollment for 2018. the Department of Health and Human Services said it will immediately end these monthly payments, a move that could push premiums as much as 15 to 20 percent higher and prompt more insurers to withdraw from the marketplaces altogether.

With no premium payment subsidies to insurance companies, the possibility of millions of people not being able to afford insurance becomes real. Insurers will either need to raise premiums substantially, or withdraw insurance plans from the marketplace. The elimination of subsidies tend to hurt the middle class the most. Lower income citizens often qualify for medicaid (another Trump target), and upper income citizens tend not to qualify for the subsidies.

Trump’s move was immediately criticized by Democrats who were left wondering how this would help millions of Americans in need of affordable insurance.

Trump refuses to certify Iran nuclear deal

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 20:29:22 +0000

10/13/2017

President Trump declared Friday that the Iran nuclear deal is no longer in the national security interest of the United States, but stopped short of withdrawing from the Obama-era pact.

“I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said during a speech at the White House. “We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout,” he continued.

Trump has certified Iranian compliance twice before, but was reportedly livid over the prospect of doing so again. He has repeatedly condemned the agreement and declared Iran has violated its “spirit” with its non-nuclear behavior, including its support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad and militant groups Middle East as well as its ballistic-missile program. However, Trump has never been able to prove, or even suggest, that Iran has violated any specific part of the deal as it was written.

If Trump can prove any violation of the current deal, the UN sanctions will automatically “snap back” into place for 10 years, with the possibility of a five-year extension. Currently, Trump can not prove any violations and can only claim Iran has violated “the spirit” of the agreement.

The deal is not only between the United States and Iran, but with other nations as well. It was negotiated between Iran, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany. Any action Trump decides to take by himself does not necessarily nullify the agreement for the other parties, but it will separate the US from it’s allies even further. The EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said there had been “no violations” by Iran and insisted that the deal could not be renegotiated, even by the US.

In addition, European allies that helped broker the agreement have expressed concern with Trump’s approach. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May said in a joint statement that they “stand committed” to the deal, and that preserving the Iran deal “is in our shared national security interest.”

They went on to say “The nuclear deal was the culmination of 13 years of diplomacy and was a major step towards ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is not diverted for military purposes.” They note that the United Nations Security Council had unanimously endorsed the deal and that the International Atomic Energy Agency had confirmed Iran’s compliance with it.

“We encourage the U.S. administration and Congress to consider the implications to the security of the U.S. and its allies before taking any steps that might undermine the [deal], such as re-imposing sanctions on Iran lifted under the agreement,” they said.

Tax cuts have never paid for themselves, never will

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 23:03:00 +0000

The theory is simple: Cut taxes and people will have more money to spend. Increased spending will heat up the economy and create more jobs. This in turn will increase the number of incomes the government can tax, thereby offsetting the loss in tax revenue from the tax cut. The problem is that there is no proof that any previous tax cut has ever actually paid for itself in this manner. In reality, history tells us this theory is nonsense.

Tax cuts have been proposed by many presidents. It’s a popular concept for voters, most of who believe they are being taxed at an exorbitant rate. In fact, the tax rate is at its lowest rate in the past 70 years.

While proposing tax cuts, many presidents have used the false premise that the cuts will pay for themselves by stimulating the economy. Some have paying for the tax cuts by cutting spending, while others believed that by cutting revenue congress would be forced to cut spending. Unfortunately, just about every tax cut has resulted in an increase to the deficit.

Under president Reagan, the Tax Reform Act of 1986 reduced the top personal income tax rate from 50% to 28%, and the corporate tax rate from 46% to 34%. Yet there was no increase in the rate of economic growth in subsequent years and by 1990 the economy was in a deep recession. Concerted efforts by economists to find a growth effect from the 1986 act have failed to find any significant growth.

The flip-side of tax cut mythology is the notion that tax increases are an economic disaster. However president Clinton raised taxes in 1993 and the 1990’s was the most prosperous decade in recent memory. At 37.3 percent, aggregate real GDP growth in the 1990s exceeded that in the 1980s.

Despite huge tax cuts almost annually during the George W. Bush administration that cost the Treasury trillions in revenue, growth collapsed in the first decade of the 2000s. Real GDP rose just 19.5 percent, well below its ’90s rate.

We saw another test of the Republican tax myth in 2013, after President Barack Obama allowed some of the Bush tax cuts to expire, raising the top income tax rate to its current 39.6 percent from 35 percent. The economy grew nicely afterward and the stock market has boomed — up around 10,000 points over the past five years.

The details are still missing from Trump’s tax cut proposal (surprise, surprise). However, without actual cuts in spending, any tax revenue cuts will surely balloon the deficit even further. Thinking that an increase in the economy from a tax cut simply has never worked, and no economist has been able to prove otherwise. It’s a good story, don’t believe it.

Hillary should challenge Trump to an I.Q. test for charity

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 23:43:52 +0000

10/10/2017

Yesterday, President Trump took another swipe at belittling his his Secretary of State. When asked if he believed the Secretary called him a “fu*king moron” the president responded “I think it’s fake news, but if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests,” “And I can tell you who is going to win.”

The president seems to have an obsession with I.Q. tests, and his personal I.Q. score. However, like his tax returns and medical deferment to avoid the draft, Trump has never released his records to back up his claims.

Now if Christmas came early, and we got what we wanted, Hillary Clinton would have taken the opportunity to release something like this:

“So I hear Donald Trump wants to compare I.Q. scores with Rex Tillerson.” “I have a better idea.” “How about Donald and I take the same I.Q. test, and the loser donates $1 million to the winner’s favorite charity?” “I will meet him anywhere, at anytime for the test, the only condition is that he releases his score to the public.” “No hiding, no cover ups, time to put your money where your mouth is Donald.” “And by the way, if Donald scores above a 110, I will donate another $1 million to his favorite charity regardless of who wins.”

Oh why can’t Christmas come early this year!

Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest -and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure,it's not your fault

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2013

White House an “Adult Day Care” According to GOP Senator Bob Corker

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 18:47:21 +0000

10/10/2017

Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee tweeted that the White House has become an “Adult Day Care Center”, in response to the President’s morning attack on him.

It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.

— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 8, 2017

Earlier that day, Mr Trump had issued a series of tweets disparaging the Senator, who announced last month that he would not seek re-election in 2018.

Mr Corker, the head of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, has been critical of the President in the past. In August, he told an audience in his home state of Tennessee that Mr Trump “has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability, nor some of the competence, that he needs to demonstrate in order for him to be successful”.

Just last week, Mr Corker said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Staff John Kelly were the only people protecting the country from “chaos”.

Trump’s EPA chief wants more pollution

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 23:24:46 +0000

10/9/2017

Speaking Monday in the coal-mining state of Kentucky, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said he would be issuing a new set of rules overriding the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s drive to curb global climate change.

“The war on coal is over,” Pruitt declared, adding that no federal agency should ever use its authority to “declare war on any sector of our economy.” It was not immediately clear if Pruitt would seek to issue a new rule without congressional approval, which Republicans had criticized the Obama administration for doing.

For Pruitt, getting rid of the Clean Power Plan will mark the culmination of a long fight he began as the elected attorney general of Oklahoma. Pruitt was among about two dozen attorney generals who sued to stop Obama’s 2014 push to limit carbon emissions, stymieing the limits from ever taking effect.

Closely aligned with the oil and gas industry in his home state, Pruitt rejects the consensus of scientists that man-made emissions from burning fossil fuels are the primary driver of global climate change.

President Donald Trump, who appointed Pruitt and shares his skepticism of established climate science, promised to kill the Clean Power Plan during the 2016 campaign as part of his broader pledge to revive the nation’s struggling coal mines.

Obama’s plan was designed to cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions to 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The rule dictated specific emission targets for states based on power-plant emissions and gave officials broad latitude to decide how to achieve reductions.

The withdrawal of the Clean Power Plan is the latest in a series of moves by Trump and Pruitt to dismantle Obama’s legacy on fighting climate change, including the delay or roll back of rules limiting levels of toxic pollution in smokestack emissions and wastewater discharges from coal-burning power plants.

On Thursday, Trump nominated former coal-industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler to serve as Pruitt’s top deputy at EPA — one of several recent political appointees at the agency with direct ties to the fossil fuel interests.

Ivana says she is the real First Lady

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 22:29:37 +0000

10/9/2017

Ivana Trump says she doesn’t like to call the president at the White House. “I don’t really want to call him there, because Melania is there,” she said. “And I don’t want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that, because I’m basically first Trump wife. OK? I’m first lady.”

While Ivana apparently considers herself “First Trump Wife”, she says she really doesn’t want to go to Washington even though she would be very good there. “I would hate Washington. Would I straighten up the White House in 14 days? Absolutely. Can I give the speech for 45 minutes without teleprompter? Absolutely. Can I read a contract? Can I negotiate? Can I entertain? Absolutely. But I would not really like to be there. I like my freedom.”

Melania may not have taken the comments well. Responding though a spokesperson who said “There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise.”

Pence Publicity stunt cost taxpayers $250,000

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 18:21:17 +0000

10/9/2017

President Trump wanted to make a point, and he used Vice President Pence to make it. On Sunday, Pence performed a pre-orchestrated publicity stunt which ended up costing tax payers about $250,000.

In the recent flap about NFL players standing during the national anthem, Donald Trump has been very clear where he stands. He believes that kneeling or locking arms in a sign of unity is a disgrace to our flag. Not being shy about making a point, he apparently wanted the Vice President to make one as well.

Following the most recent mass shooting, the Vice President was in Las Vegas to further deny the need for any type of gun control. Pence then planned to take a government plane to Los Angeles California to fund raise for House Republicans who might be in danger of losing their next election because of their support for Trump. However, instead of just heading to California from Las Vegas (about a 20-30 minute flight), Trump and Pence thought it would be a good idea for Pence to take an 8 hour detour and fly all the way back to Indiana to attend Sunday’s NFL game between the Colts and the 49ers.

The stunt was pre-planned. Donald Trump admitted that he had told Pence in advance that if any player took a knee, the Vice President was to leave the game in apparent disgust. Because the 49er’s were the first team to take a knee and to raise the issue, and because players on the 49e’rs have taken a knee in every game so far this year, it was about a 99.9999% chance that the Vice President would be leaving the game after the anthem in apparent disgust. He was not going to watch the game, he knew he would be leaving.

I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017

Pence later stated “President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem.” “While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don’t think it’s too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem”.

According to most figures, the 8 hour detour on the government plane costs taxpayers about $250,000.

Tillerson: He’s a f*cking Moron

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 20:55:18 +0000

10/4/2017

Following a July 20th meeting with Trump and other top aides in July, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was overheard calling the president a “f*cking moron.”

The meeting was held a day following a similar meeting in the White House situation room, where it apparently became clear to those in attendance that Trump did not have a full grasp of US nuclear security policies that have been in place for over 70 years. At the Pentagon meeting, Trump was shown a slide which depicted the reduction of US nuclear warheads since the 60’s, when the US stockpile was at its peak. Trump indicated he wanted a bigger stockpile, not the bottom position on that downward-sloping curve.

According to the officials present, Trump’s advisers, among them the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were surprised. Officials briefly explained the legal and practical impediments to a nuclear buildup and how the current military posture is stronger than it was at the height of the buildup. Trump was apparently unaware of the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) held with the Soviet Union which led to treaties reducing the number of nuclear arms. Trump also apparently did not understand the global implications of increasing the US arsenal as it relates to NATO partners and other nuclear powers such as China, India and Pakistan.

The meeting was also attended by Vice President Mike Pence, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford, Vice Chairman Gen. Paul Selva, Undersecretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, Stephen Bannon, who was then Trump’s chief strategist, Jared Kushner who is a senior adviser to the president and Reince Preibus who was chief of staff. Not in attendance was Rick Perry, the brain trust Trump assigned to be in charge of the US nuclear arsenal.

Details of the July 20 meeting shed light on tensions among the president, members of his Cabinet and the uniformed leadership of the Pentagon stemming from vastly different world views, experiences and knowledge bases. The meeting was reported as being “difficult and tense” at times. It was soon after the meeting broke up that officials who remained behind hear Tillerson say that Trump is a “f*cking moron”.

GOP ends health insurance for 9 million children

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 22:08:31 +0000

10/1/2017

CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) is one of the few programs left in Congress that is considered truly bipartisan. It was originally co-sponsored by Orrin Hatch, a Republican, and the late Ted Kennedy.

CHIP covers the health insurance needs for 9 million US children. Senators Orrin Hatch and Ron Wyden introduced their bipartisan legislation to reauthorize CHIP, which would extend the program for five more years. Unfortunately, the deadline to re-authorize funding expired September 30th, without a vote coming to the floor of congress.

Most Democrats and Republicans agree that the program is a successful one. A huge majority of Americans—75 percent—polled by the Kaiser Family Foundationsaid that they thought it was “extremely” or “very” important to reauthorize CHIP before its funding ran out. Only 47 percent said the same about repealing and replacing Obamacare. As recently as a few weeks ago, GOP lawmakers celebrated CHIP’s achievements, swore to support it and even held it up as an example of a successful partnership between the federal government and states.

Though current authorization for spending has expired, states can use some of their unspent federal funding to continue their programs. Several states are expected to run out of money before the end of 2017, and most of the rest will run out by next summer. CHIP has been in this fix only one other time since it was established in 1997. In 2007, CHIP went weeks without funding authorization from Congress.

Utah has notified the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it plans to discontinue its CHIP program by the end of the year unless it receives more federal money. About 19,000 children are in the state’s CHIP program. Unless additional funding comes through soon, thousands and then million of children will be left uninsured.

As it stands now, it appears many in congress are happy to see our nation’s health insurance programs die.

Trump to Tillerson: Don’t Waste Time Negotiating With North Korea

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 19:58:12 +0000

10/1/2017

Today President Trump decided it was best to share his tactics on North Korea with the whole world.

…Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017

The tweets came a day after Tillerson told reporters that the US had direct contact with North Korea in regards to its nuclear and missile programs. It was assumed that Tillerson was leading the discussions with North Korea.

Trump has traded insults and threats with Kim Jong Un in recent weeks amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. Trump later tweeted that his White House predecessors, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, had all “failed” on North Korea by “Being nice to Rocket Man.” “So why would it work now?” he asked.

The President’s comments caught many people of guard, and may have erased any positive progress the Secretary of State may have made with the North Koreans. Many foreign policy experts wondered how Tillerson would be able to negotiate in good faith in the future, if the President was prone to undercut and trivialize his efforts. Some even speculated that Tillerson may consider resigning after being humiliated by Trump.

However, R.C. Hammond, an adviser to Tillerson, denied that his boss had been undercut by Trump’s tweets and rejected any suggestion that the secretary of state should resign. “Let’s resign the idea of resignation. The President just made it clear to the Kim regime the diplomatic offer on the table is cooling,” Hammond said on Twitter.

We are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency

Sat, 30 Sep 2017 00:37:31 +0000

9/29/2017

Carmen Yulín Cruz, mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan, pleaded with the White House for immediate aid.

“This is a ‘people are dying’ story,” she told CNN Friday morning. “Dammit, this is not a good news story,” Cruz said. “This is a people-are-dying story. This is a life or death story. . . . When you have people out there dying, literally scraping for food, where is the good news?” Her comments seemed intended to correct the record after acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke claimed Thursday afternoon that a “limited number of deaths that have taken place,” and overall, Puerto Rico was “a good news story.”

In her interview, Cruz went on to say “I am begging, begging anyone who can hear us to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency.” The Miami Herald “confirmed that there are dozens of hurricane-related deaths and the number could rise to the hundreds.”

Cruz also pleaded with the federal government to remove “red tape” that is slowing down the relief efforts. “The FEMA people have their hearts in the right place,” she said of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But, “there is a bottleneck somewhere.” Cruz said it is critical to find an immediate solution: “People will die. People have died.”

Stocks at record highs

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 17:09:56 +0000

9/29/2017

Stock markets in the US reached record highs as the economy continues to grow. The markets continue the trend that began in 2009 under President Obama.

Despite a presidency which has seen its share of social turmoil, the stock market continues it’s surge upward. Does a president control the market? In truth, not much. Established economic policies and business failures have much more to do with what the market does than what a president does. The crash of 2008 wasn’t caused by George Bush as much as lax lending policies and insurance company abuses. And while Obama took important steps to lessen the damage and speed the recovery, the market wanted to recover. But the real story of today’s stock growth may be due to two other factors.

First, despite Trumps claims of unemployment rates as high as 42% (see this clip: Trump has no clue what the unemployment rate is) , it is nearing full employment, meaning that there is a whole lot of people with jobs right now. As more and more people are employed, more and more people contribute to their retirement plans. And what are the biggest investments inside retirement plans? Mutual funds, which almost all of them only buy stocks. The lower unemployment rate causes the stock market to go up because more retirement plans are buying stock.

Second, bond rates are low. Really, really low. This means that investors who want more that 1-2% return on their money need to look somewhere else besides bonds. The natural choice is the stock market, which offers easy entry, and for the past eight years a very good return. Low bond yields make stocks more attractive to many investors.

So with more people contributing to their retirement plans, and low bond yields not being so attractive, the stock market has seen a lot of buying.

Will this trend continue? Historically, there is a pull back of about 20-25% every 8-10 years, and we are due. In the short term, insurance companies may need to start selling some of their positions to fund claims caused by the recent hurricanes. But the biggest factor may be if the economy starts to see significant inflation. If inflation becomes a concern, then the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates to slow the economy. Higher interest means higher bond yields, and bonds will become more attractive than stocks to some investors. Nobody can predict where the market will be in 2-3 months, but today their is a lot of happiness on Wall Street.

EPA chief Scott Pruitt demands secret phone

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 20:53:36 +0000

9/26/2017

The Washington Post reported today that EPA chief Scott Pruitt will receive a private secure phone compartment built into his office. The cost to taxpayers is approximately $25,000.00

Typically, such soundproof booths are used to conduct hearing tests. But the EPA sought a customized version — one that eventually would cost several times more than a typical model — that Pruitt can use to communicate privately.

“They had a lot of modifications,” said Steve Snider, an acoustic sales consultant with the company, who worked with the agency on its order earlier this summer. “Their main goal was they wanted essentially a secure phone booth that couldn’t be breached from a data point of view or from someone standing outside eavesdropping.”

Needless to say, there hasn’t been a secret phone booth in the office of any previous administrator.

Scott Pruitt seems to be a bit paranoid when it comes to security, especially for the security of a department that is supposed to be fighting for clean air and water, not building a nuclear bomb.

Pruitt has tripled his security detail to 18 people to cover his around-the-clock needs. The coverage has required agents who would normally be investigating environmental crimes to leave their posts to provide protection. These agents have not been trained to provide security like the secret service.

In addition, Pruitt requires staff attending meetings to surrender any electronic devices (such as cell phones) outside of the meeting room. He tries not to use the EPA email, and he refuses to post his appointment schedule as past administrators have done.

Pruitt’s sense of secrecy itself raises questions. Why so secrete? Is he working for the people, or against them?

Get that son of a bitch off the field right now!

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 20:39:45 +0000

9/24/2017

At a rally in Alabama on Friday, President Trump showed his frustration towards athletes who kneel during the national anthem. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’” His comments were cheered at the rally, and the crowd followed by chanting USA! USA! USA! However, soon after the rally his comments were soon criticized by prominent players in the sports world including among others Steph Curry, Lebron James, Tom Brady and NFL owner Robert Kraft.

Trump’s comments were also criticized for being divisive, again taking a hard position on an issue and calling the opposition names, this time calling any NFL player who knelt a “son of a bitch”. Some NFL fans believe that a NFL game is not the forum to express political views, while others believe the players have the right to exercise their First Amendment rights when they can get the most exposure.

NASCAR, on the other hand, seemed to support the President’s position when several team owners threatened to fire any employee who didn’t respect the flag during the anthem. The NFL consists predominately of black athletes, while NASCAR has only had four black drivers in the past 56 years who have competed at the top level.

Is Trump going to divide the NFL audience, and will ratings take a huge hit because of the issue? Only time will tell, but Trump again has caused chaos and controversy.

Private Jets the norm for HHS Secretary Tom Price

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 19:53:40 +0000

9/24/2017

Government employees flying on private jets “is an example of fiscal irresponsibility run amok” according to Tom Price in an interview on CNBC 9/9/2009. But apparently, Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services forgot his own thinking as he charted himself private jets at least 24 times in recent months. The estimated cost to taxpayers is in excess of $400,000.

Federal law requires federal employees to travel on commercial flights unless no commercial flights are available. According to Mr. Price’s travel schedule, he has chartered private jets when commercial flights were available, including a trip to Georgia when he traveled to his private residence a day and a half before a scheduled meeting. Some flights were paired with visits to colleagues and family members.

In June, Price spoke at a physicians association conference in San Diego, where he vowed to wring out wasteful spending in the government’s health care programs. Getting ‘value’ for spending ‘is incredibly important,’ he said. Price took a private plane to get to the meeting, which was one stop on a five-state sprint of charter travel that cost $50,420. Ironically, the cabinet secretary who says we can’t afford to help Medicaid beneficiaries receive medical care is the same cabinet secretary who’s using taxpayer money to charter private jets for himself.

When his extensive use of private jets became widely known, Price stated he “has initiated an internal departmental review of the procedures and processes that we go through for official travel to determine whether there are any changes or reforms that are necessary.” Price isn’t the only official whose travels have raised questions. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin requested use of an Air Force jet for his honeymoon in Europe this summer. Additionally, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt flies home to Oklahoma at the government’s expense. When asked if he was going to fire Price, Trump responded “we’ll see.”

–UPDATE 9/28/2017-–

Secretary Price has agreed to repay part of the costs of the private jets. He has agreed to repay $52,000 (about 1/8th the total cost), which he apparently figures is what his one seat costs even though he chartered the entire jet. Critics decry that he should repay the expenses in full.

NBA Champion Warriors not welcome at Trump White House

Sat, 23 Sep 2017 19:27:45 +0000

9/23/2017

The day after Stephan Curry told reporters that he would rather not accept an invitation to visit the White House because of his objections to the current administration’s policies and rhetoric, Trump tweeted that he was revoking any invitation because of Curry’s remarks.

Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

For his part, Curry said that he had never set out to become a political figure and that he was surprised that the president had singled him out. “I don’t know why he feels the need to target certain individuals rather than others,” Curry, a two-time N.B.A. most valuable player, said at a news conference after the team’s first practice of the season. “I have an idea of why, but it’s kind of beneath the leader of a country to go that route. It’s not what leaders do.” Curry later added “I’ve played golf with President Obama, I’m pretty sure I won’t get a tee-time invite during this regime.”

Visiting the White House is a long standing tradition for sports champions. However, there had been some doubt as to whether the NBA champion Warriors would attend, as it is well known members of the team, including Curry and Coach Steve Kerr, have been critical of the President.

After leaning of Trump’s withdrawal, the team got together and issued the following statement:

“While we intended to meet as a team at the first opportunity we had this morning to collaboratively discuss a potential visit to the White House, we accept that President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited. We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them. We’re disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise.

In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion — the values that we embrace as an organization.”

The Warriors, including Curry and Kerr, were welcomed to the White House under President Obama.

Russia Targeted Election Systems In 21 States

Fri, 22 Sep 2017 21:46:17 +0000

9/22/2017

The Department of Homeland Security notified nearly half of the U.S. states that their election systems were targeted by Russian hackers in an attempt to influence the 2016 election. In most of the states, the hackers were engaged in activities like scanning. In other states, hackers attempted to infiltrate systems and failed, but in a small selection of states, with only Illinois confirmed so far, the election systems were compromised successfully. According to Homeland Security, none of these attempts were aimed at the systems that actually tabulate the votes themselves.

At least 21 states were the focus on these hacking attempts, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, as confirmed by the Associated Press and the states themselves. States like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin are among the swing statesconsidered critical to an electoral college victory last year. So far, other battleground states including Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire and North Carolina are not among those confirmed in the hacking attempt.

In a message to election officials in the state of Wisconsin, Homeland Security specified that the hack was conducted by “Russian government cyber actors.” The agency first confirmed the state-level hacking attempts toward the 21 states in June, informing the Senate Intelligence Committee. At that time, the states targeted by the operation were not made public.

After being called “Rocket Man”, Kim Jong-un calls Trump “Mentally Deranged”

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 22:05:14 +0000

9/21/2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called US President Donald Trump “mentally deranged” and said he would “pay dearly” for the recent threats against his country. In a rare statement directly attributed to the North Korean leader, Kim said on Friday that Trump is “unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country”, describing the president as “a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire”. Kim’s statement was a response to Trump’s combative speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, when Trump stated “Rocket Man is on a suicide mission”.

Trump warned Pyongyang that Washington would “totally destroy” North Korea if the US or its allies were attacked. North Korea says it needs a nuclear arms to protect it from an aggressive US, and the autocratic regime has made militarism a central part of its national ideology. North Korea’s stated objective is to be able to target the US mainland, and it has shown off advances in its nuclear weapons during Trump’s term with a September test of what it said was a miniaturized hydrogen bomb capable of being loaded onto a rocket.

Russia placed thousands of fake Facebook ads during election

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 21:21:15 +0000

9/21/2017

Despite President Trump’s claim that Russians influencing the election is “fake news”, today Facebook announced that it is a fact.

Facebook will turn over to Congress over 3,000 political ads taken out by Russins in an attempt to influence the 2016 election.

The company has been struggling for months to address the steadily mounting evidence that Russians manipulated the social media platform in their bid to tip the presidential election in favor of Republican Donald Trump. “I care deeply about the democratic process and protecting its integrity,” Zuckerberg said on Facebook Live, a video streaming service provided by the company. “Facebook’s mission is all about giving people a voice and bringing people closer together. Those are deeply democratic values, and we’re proud of them. I don’t want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy. That’s not what we stand for.” “We are in a new world,” Zuckerberg said.

Facebook has drawn particular attention in the weeks since it announced, on Sept. 6, that the Internet Research Agency, a notorious troll farm based in St. Petersburg, Russia, had purchased political ads through Facebook.

How did Facebook come to the conclusion that these ads were placed by Russians? Because they were paid for in rubles. The 3,000 ads identified by Facebook may just be the tip of the iceberg. Facebook actually doesn’t know how many ads were placed by Russians from fake accounts in the U.S.

Despite Trump’s constant denials about Russians, and their influence on the elections, more and more evidence seems to surface. This now confirms what every major American intelligence agency has already stated. Russians took deliberate and direct action to undermine the presidential campaign. The effect was to support Donald Trump and his view points on various topics. Did they actually have an effect? Were voters influenced by the ads? Nobody will ever know what extent the ads had on the election, but hopefully steps will be taken to eliminate the possibility in the future.

Trump’s pick to head NASA doesn’t believe in science

Wed, 06 Sep 2017 01:07:34 +0000

9/5/2017

President Trump has finally made his choice for NASA’s next chief, but the nominee has been met with opposition from scientists as well as politicians on both sides of the aisle.

The man nominated is Oklahoma congressman Jim Bridenstine, who would become the 13th administrator of the national space agency upon Senate approval. However, Republican senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Bill Nelson, both of Florida, home to NASA’s space center at Cape Canaveral, have criticized the appointment of someone as political and with a perceived lack of experience. Rubio said he and Nelson “share the same concerns” and worry Bridenstine’s “political baggage” would weigh him down in a GOP-led Senate that has grown increasingly resistant to Trump. NASA can’t afford that, Rubio said. “I just think it could be devastating for the space program. Obviously, being from Florida, I’m very sensitive to anything that slows up NASA and its mission,” Rubio said.

Bridenstine holds no scientific or engineering credentials. He also has testified in front of congress that there has been no global warming for the past five years despite the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary ( see: Federal Climate Report). Bridenstine has previously criticized the amount of money NASA spends on science research. In 2013, he sponsored a bill seeking to slash funding for research conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

To his credit, Bridenstine was Director of the planetarium in Tulsa. In Trump’s view, that apparently qualifies him to be in charge of a $20 billion dollar budget and to set the course for US space exploration for the foreseeable future.

Trump takes steps to end dream for DACA children

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 19:59:25 +0000

9/5/2017

The Trump White House announced the end of DACA on Tuesday. The Obama program had protected nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children from deportation.

The Department of Homeland Security will stop processing any new applications for the program as of Tuesday and rescinded the Obama administration policy, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. “I am here today to announce that the program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama administration is being rescinded,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday at the Justice Department.

Trump took the opportunity to blame President Obama for the problem, claiming Obama’s executive authority did not allow for such action. Trump then said “It is now time for Congress to act!” Because of past conflicting statements, it is unclear whether Trump wishes congress to enact DACA as law, or to end the program which would result in approximately 800,000 young undocumented immigrants being subject to deportation. In the past, Trump has said that all illegal immigrants must leave the country before being able to legally re-enter. He also said that “I have a great heart for these folks we’re talking about. A great love for them and people think in terms of children but they’re really young adults. I have a love for these people and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly.”

Trump said that winding down the program would be more considerate than letting the courts end it, but emphasized he stands by his “America First” agenda. “As I’ve said before, we will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion, but through the lawful Democratic process, while at the same time ensuring that any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve,” Trump said. “We must also have heart and compassion for unemployed, struggling and forgotten Americans.”

Trump’s strategy probably is to let congress come up with a plan for immigration reform. Once they do, he may use DACA as a bargaining chip to get congressional approval to fund the wall he so desperately wants.

Moscow Trump Tower sought during election

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 01:26:05 +0000

9/3/2017

During the presidential election, the Trump organization sought, and negotiated to build a Trump Tower in Russia new documents show. The negotiations went so far that Trump actually signed a letter of intent to move forward with the massive project. The evidence contradicts the president’s claim that he has no ties to Russia, and that he “stayed away” from business in Russia because he thought it would be a conflict of interest (see video below).

Trump’s attorneys have released emails and the actual letter of intent regarding the Moscow project. The Trump Tower in Russia would have given Trump’s company a $4 million upfront fee, no upfront costs, a percentage of the sales, and control over marketing and design. In addition, the deal included the opportunity to name the hotel spa after his daughter Ivanka.

A Trump organization document from October 2015 reveals the details of a 17-page letter of intent that set the stage for Trump’s attorney to negotiate a promising branding venture for Trump condominiums, a hotel and commercial property in the heart of Moscow. Trump signed the document later that month, according to Michael Cohen, his corporate attorney at the time. Cohen has publicly acknowledged discussing the deal with Trump on three occasions.

Felix Sater, a Russian-born former Trump business associate and mob-linked felon who figured prominently in development of the Trump SoHo property in New York, served as an intermediary in the Moscow venture, shuttling documents between Cohen and the Russian development firm he was hoping to partner with. In an email to Cohen, Sater wrote the project could “possibly fix relations between the countries by showing everyone that commerce and business are much better and more practical than politics.” He continued, “That should be Putin’s message as well, and we will help him agree on that message. Help world peace and make a lot of money, I would say that’s a great lifetime goal for us to go after.”

The preliminary agreement for the Moscow project was signed by Trump on or around October 28, 2015, according to a statement Cohen gave last week to Congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Also signing was Andrey Rozov, owner of I.C. Expert Investment Company, which would have been responsible for developing the property, which they hoped to build in the heart of Moscow. The general outlines of the potential deal, and its collapse, came to light in Cohen’s statement last week. Both parties agreed the property would be named Trump World Tower Moscow. According to the document, Trump World Tower Moscow would have featured about 250 luxury condominium units, 15 floors of hotel rooms, as well as space for commercial properties and offices. Trump’s company was explicitly given the option to “brand any or all portion of the spa or fitness facilities as ‘The Spa by Ivanka Trump’ or similar brand,” according to the document. And if they did name it after Trump’s daughter, then Ivanka or her designee would be given “sole and absolute discretion” to approve “all interior design elements of the spa or fitness facilities.” The project was abandoned in January of 2016 due to the partners inability to find suitable land.

Details of the deal provide evidence that Trump’s business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president. Trump has continuously denied he has any business in Russia, and that he “stayed away” from Russia due to the conflict of interest.

https://youtu.be/RLXbiGP3g3g

It’s Official: No evidence of wire tap at Trump Tower

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 00:37:03 +0000

9/3/2017

The Justice Department said in a court filing Friday evening that it has no evidence to support President Donald Trump’s assertion in March that his predecessor, Barack Obama, wiretapped the phones in Trump Tower before last year’s election. “Both FBI and NSD confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets,” the department’s motion reads. NSD refers to the department’s national security division.

The motion came in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by a group pushing for government transparency, American Oversight. On March 4, Trump tweeted: “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!” “How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process,” Trump also tweeted. “This is Nixon/Watergate.”

Then-FBI Director James Comey told Congress in March there was no evidence to support the contention that Trump Tower had been wiretapped. “We have no information to support those tweets,” he said at a House intelligence committee hearing. “The FBI and Department of Justice have now sided with former Director Comey and confirmed in writing that President Trump lied when he tweeted the former President Obama ‘wiretapped’ him at Trump Tower,” American Oversight said in a statement.

The Justice Department also said in the motion that it and the FBI “do not confirm or deny the existence” of any other records that are responsive to the group’s request, which was broader than the alleged wiretaps of Trump Tower.

A spokesman for Obama, Kevin Lewis, said at the time Trump tweeted the wiretapping allegations that the suggestion that Obama or any White House official ordered surveillance against Trump was “simply false.” “A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice,” Lewis said in a statement at the time. “As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false.”

Republican ex-Senator claims Trump most divisive president in history

Mon, 28 Aug 2017 00:36:13 +0000

8/24/2017

Former Missouri GOP senator John Danforth called President Trump “the most divisive president in our history” and warned Republicans not to let him tarnish the GOP’s image.

“Trump is always eager to tell people that they don’t belong here, whether it’s Mexicans, Muslims, transgender people or another group. His message is, “You are not one of us’,” wrote Danforth in the Washington Post. “And when he has the opportunity to unite Americans, to inspire us, to call out the most hateful among us, the KKK and the neo-Nazis, he refuses.” Danforth’s op-ed is a harshly worded rebuke from a GOP elder statesman, coming at a time when Trump is already under fire for his response to the racially charged violence in Charlottesville, where white supremacists rallied earlier this month.

Danforth, an ordained Episcopal priest and three-term senator, called on Republicans to “disassociate ourselves from Trump” and tell voters that “he does not represent what it means to be a Republican.” He suggested Republicans were at risk of losing their historical connection to Abraham Lincoln and the crusade to end slavery during the Civil War. “We are the party of the Union, and (Trump) is the most divisive president in our history,” Danforth wrote. “There hasn’t been a more divisive person in national politics since George Wallace.”

Trump pardons Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio

Sat, 26 Aug 2017 00:37:49 +0000

8/25/2017

President Donald Trump on Friday pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a judge’s order not to detain suspected undocumented immigrants.

A judge ruled on July 31 that Arpaio committed a crime by disobeying a court order to stop detaining suspected undocumented immigrants. In 2013, a judge found Arpaio and his deputies had engaged in racial profiling against Latinos, backing up the findings of a 2011 Justice Department report.

The American Civil Liberties Union said “Trump has chosen lawlessness over justice, division over unity, hurt over healing,” and called the pardon “a presidential endorsement of racism.”

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona criticized the pardon. He said in a statement that “no one is above the law” and that Arpaio was found guilty “for continuing to illegally profile Latinos living in Arizona based on their perceived immigration status in violation of a judge’s orders.” “The President has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions,” McCain said.

Republican Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake said of the pardon on Twitter: “I would have preferred that the President honor the judicial process and let it take its course.”

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat, called the pardon a “slap in the face” to the people of Maricopa County and said Arpaio “targeted and terrorized Latino families because of the color of their skin.” The NAACP called the pardon an “explicit embrace of the racist policing practices that leave communities fearful.”

Charities dump Mar-a-Lago out of embarrassment

Fri, 25 Aug 2017 23:39:41 +0000

8/24/2017

The President’s Mar-a-Lago resort is paying the price when the President makes idiotic comments.

Trump’s most recent comments in regards to the Charlottsville riots have caused at least 15 charities to cancel their plans to host events at the Florida resort.

On Sunday the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society announced it too would be moving its upcoming event away from the Trump property.

“We have an unyielding commitment to inspire people to act on behalf of wildlife and the natural world,” said Zoo CEO & President Andrew Aiken in a statement Sunday. “After thoughtful consideration by Zoo leadership, we have decided it is important that we not allow distractions to deter us from our mission and culture.”

The following organizations have decided to celebrate elsewhere:

The Cleveland Clinic
The American Cancer Society
American Friends of Magen David Adom
American Red Cross
The Salvation Army
Susan G. Komen
The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation
Palm Beach Preservation Foundation
Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society
Hearing the Ovarian Cancer Whisper
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Unicorn Children’s Foundation
Gateway for Cancer Research
Leaders in Furthering Education
Bethesda Hospital FoundationIn addition, a local United Way chapter chose Monday to move a reception planned for September at a Trump golf course in New Jersey.

Trump “Scary and Disturbing”, says James Clapper

Thu, 24 Aug 2017 23:27:22 +0000

8/24/2017

The former Director of National Intelligence viewed president Trumps behavior as “scary and disturbing”. He went on to say he thought Trump could be a threat to national security and his access to nuclear codes.

James Clapper has served many presidents, ranging from Kennedy to Obama, and has unique insights as to the inner workings of the White House, and the power a US President holds.

https://youtu.be/6AIywAkGGns

To avoid protesters, Trump to skip Kennedy Center honors

Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:50:41 +0000

8/20/2017

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will not attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December, the White House announced Saturday morning.

“The President and First Lady have decided not to participate in this year’s activities to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction,” a statement from the White House read.

The decision came after some honorees said they would boycott the White House reception. Dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade and television writer and producer Norman Lear said they would not be attending that part of the event. “In light of the socially divisive and morally caustic narrative that our existing leadership is choosing to engage in, and in keeping with the principles that I and so many others have fought for, I will be declining the invitation to attend the reception at the White House,” de Lavallade said last week.

Lear previously stated he would skip the White House reception in protest over the administration’s proposal to cut funding for the arts. Another honoree, musician and record producer Lionel Richie, said on NBC’s “Today” show last week that he was unsure whether he would go. Meanwhile, singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan and hip-hop artist and actor LL Cool J are both expected to attend this year’s festivities.

The White House’s announcement comes after a week of political instability following the racial unrest in Charlottesville last Saturday. A Kennedy Center official said this will be the fourth instance of a President not attending the event. President Jimmy Carter skipped it in 1979, President H.W. Bush in 1989 and President Bill Clinton in 1994. However, those presidents came during other years while they were in office, the official said.

Because science is fake, Trump ends committee on climate change

Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:23:52 +0000

8/20/2017

The Trump administration has decided to disband the federal advisory panel for the National Climate Assessment, a group aimed at helping policymakers and private-sector officials incorporate the government’s climate analysis into long-term planning.

The charter for the 15-person Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment — which includes academics as well as local officials and corporate representatives — expires Sunday. On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s acting administrator, Ben Friedman, informed the committee’s chair that the agency would not renew the panel. Chair Richard Moss said in an interview Saturday that ending the group’s work was shortsighted.

The National Climate Assessment is supposed to be issued every four years but has come out only three times since passage of the 1990 law calling for such analysis. The next one, due for release in 2018, already has become a contentious issue for the Trump administration. Administration officials are currently reviewing a scientific report that is key to the final document. Known as the Climate Science Special Report, it was produced by scientists from 13 different federal agencies and estimates that human activities were responsible for an increase in global temperatures of 1.1 to 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit from 1951 to 2010.

The decision to let the advisory committee’s charter lapse is not the first time that the Trump administration has dismissed scientific advisers. In May and June, the EPA came under fire for dismissing dozens of scientists who were serving on the its Board of Scientific Counselors, which advises the EPA’s research arm. And Trump has not chosen a presidential science adviser to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where a number of positions remain empty.

Trump disbands advisory councils following mass exodus

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 21:01:07 +0000

8/16/2017

President Trump formed advisory councils early in his administration. Some of America’s top business leaders were members of the councils, eager to offer advice on forming policy to foster American growth, creating jobs and rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure.

Unfortunately, many of the members have had a difficult time supporting Trump’s positions on everything from the environment to his statements regarding the KKK and White Nationalists following the deadly riots in Charlottesville. As a result, many of the members have resigned.

A White House advisory panel of top CEOs disbanded Wednesday after the backlash from President Trump’s latest tirade left the panel little choice, according to one member. “There was such a firestorm,” the member said “You don’t know what ‘s coming next, what he’s going to say or do next.”

The exodus was led by Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier who resigned Monday from the manufacturing council, saying, “As C.E.O. of Merck and as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against extremism.” On Monday and Tuesday, Trump bashed those who left his councils, tweeting almost immediately after the Merck chief resigned “For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!”

As it turns out, the president was apparently not able to find suitable replacements for the manufacturing council. And the the strategic forum, (separate from Trump’s manufacturing council), also saw seven defections during the week. The president and CEO of 3M, Inge Thulin, announced his resignation from the manufacturing council on Wednesday afternoon. “I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance” its goals — to achieve a United States that is “stronger, healthier and more prosperous for all people,” he said.

After seeing mass defections from his councils and not being able to find suitable replacements, Trump had no choice but to disband them. The alternative would have been an embarrassing continuation of business leaders publicly distancing themselves from the president.

Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017

***UPDATE***

A few days later, the president disbanded the infrastructure council. Trump formed the infrastructure council by executive order in March, but disbanded it even before it had a chance to meet.

Justice Department demands data on 1.3 million Trump protesters

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 00:35:40 +0000

8/15/2017

The Justice Department has demanded a web-hosting service hand over the IP addresses of more than 1.3 million visitors to a web site that organized protests of President Trump’s inauguration. Additionally, it requested contact information, email and photos of thousands of people.

The DOJ filed the motion July 20 against disruptj20.org, a self-described group of activists who planned “mass protests to shut down the inauguration of Donald Trump,” according to DreamHost, the Los Angeles-based web host that is legally fighting the government’s request. In its filing, the government claims the website “was used in the development, planning, advertisement and organization of a violent riot” on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

Violence and clashes with the police erupted in the nation’s capital that day as bands of protesters, some wielding crowbars and hammers and throwing bricks and trash containers, broke off from the peaceful protests as President Trump was sworn into office. The violence resulted in 217 arrests for rioting, injuries to six police officers and smashed store windows, ATMs and cars.

DreamHost, which filed arguments opposing the DoJ’s request on Aug. 11, called it “a strong example of investigatory overreach and a clear abuse of government authority”. “Typically, the government issues subpoenas to (DreamHost and other web services),” says Raymond Aghaian, author of the brief supporting DreamHost. “What is not common is requesting information about visitors to web sites… about political content… and free speech.” “This is problematic,” says Aghaian, a former federal prosecutor who says he has never seen such a request. “There are tremendous privacy issues.”

The filing, which includes a search warrant, has sparked a wave of protest from privacy advocates, who call it “chilling” and an effort by the government to intimidate online platforms that allow dissent. “Web services are often contacted for narrowly-tailored actions against 10 to 15 people for criminal activity, but this is particularly odd,” says Joseph Lorenzo Hall, chief technologist at Center for Democracy & Technology, a nonprofit organization that advocates for privacy and security online. “This is clearly an act of intimidation to punish platforms to allow dissent; it is antithetical to free speech,” Hall says.

Trump doubles down on Charlottesville comments

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 20:19:17 +0000

After a canned speech yesterday where he finally denounced the KKK and Nazi’s, Donald Trump held an impromptu press session where he doubled down on his previous comments. Trump again insisted both sides were to blame for the violence, and again suggested many on the right were simply trying to protest peacefully.

Video (below by Vice News) dispute Trump’s claims. On Friday night, members of the Nazi’s and KKK marched with Tiki torches shouting “Jews will not replace us” and “Blood and Soil” which is a Nazi chant from WWII. For most, this was not an example of peaceful people simply trying to express their views.

Trump’s speech was immediately criticized by just about everybody but Sean Hannity of Fox News, and David Duke, former KKK Grand Wizard. Democrats, Republicans and business leaders from across the country criticized the president for his remarks, lack of leadership, and his apparently inability to understand the differences between Nazi’s marching through the streets of US cities, and those that oppose them.

A synopsis of Trump’s speech, as described and dissected by Anderson Cooper of CNN

https://youtu.be/ON3EjK5DXPk

News footage from Vice News showing the Friday night Tiki torch march with chants.

Nazi and KKK just one of the sides in unlawful Charlottesville protest

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 23:28:41 +0000

Neo Nazis and KKK members clashed with protesters in Charlottesville Virginia on Saturday. The fighting resulted in one death and multiple injuries. Surprising just about everybody, President Trump did not condemn the actions of the Nazi’s and KKK members, many of whom came dressed in riot gear.

N. Korea has nuclear missile able to reach US, Trump has no plan

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 01:27:04 +0000

08/09/2017

North Korea now possesses a missile able to reach the US mainland, and a nuclear warhead small enough to be mounted to the missile.

On July 28th, North Korea tested yet another long range missile, it’s 14th missile test of the year. The missile was aimed mostly upward, and reached an altitude of 2300 miles. If the trajectory had been aimed towards the US, experts fear it may have been able to reach as far as Chicago or Detroit. Witnesses in Japan believe the missile may have burned up in the atmosphere upon reentry, which would have probably destroyed any warhead on the missile had it been carrying one. According to multiple sources familiar with the analysis of North Korea’s missile and nuclear program, US intelligence analysts have assessed that North Korea has produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead. The combination of both a long-range missile capable of reaching the US mainland and a miniaturized nuclear warhead places the US in an extremely dangerous situation.

While on vacation at his golf resort, Trump warned North Korea not to make any more threats against the United States or they will “face fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Hours after Trump spoke, and apparently in response to military exercises by the US earlier in the week, Pyonyang warned that it would carry out preemptive military strikes against the US, including the Pacific territory of Guam.

Experts worry Trump’s rhetoric could hurt the US by feeding North Korean insecurities and adding instability to an already tenuous situation. Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation, told CNN on Monday, “We have two inexperienced, impulsive presidents in control of these massive military machines,” “It’s one thing to make a mistake intentionally, its another thing to stumble into a conflict … either one — Kim Jong Un or Donald Trump — could miscalculate and let loose a war unlike anything we have seen since World War II.”

Good Boy! Trump ego stroked twice a day

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 00:42:37 +0000

8/9/2017

Vice News reported today that, twice a day since the beginning of the Trump administration, a special folder is prepared for the president to stroke his ego. The first document is prepared around 9:30 a.m. and the follow-up, around 4:30 p.m. Former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and former Press Secretary Sean Spicer both wanted the privilege of delivering the 20-to-25-page packet to President Trump personally, White House sources say.

These sensitive papers, described to VICE News by three current and former White House officials, don’t contain top-secret intelligence or updates on legislative initiatives. Instead, the folders are filled with screenshots of positive cable news chyrons (those lower-third headlines and crawls), admiring tweets, transcripts of fawning TV interviews, praise-filled news stories, and sometimes just pictures of Trump on TV looking powerful.

One White House official said the only feedback the White House communications shop, which prepares the folder, has ever gotten in all these months is: “It needs to be more fucking positive.” That’s why some in the White House ruefully refer to the packet as “the propaganda document.”

The process of assembling the folder begins at the Republican National Committee’s “war room,” which has expanded from 4 to 10 people since the GOP won the White House. A war room — both parties have one regardless of who’s in the White House — is often tasked with monitoring local and national news, cable television, social media, digital media, and print media to see how the party, its candidates or their opponents are being perceived.

Beginning at 6 a.m. every weekday — the early start is a longtime war room tradition — three staffers arrive at the RNC to begin monitoring the morning shows on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News as they scour the internet and newspapers. Every 30 minutes or so, the staffers send the White House Communications Office an email with chyron screenshots, tweets, news stories, and interview transcripts.

White House staffers then cull the information, send out clips to other officials, and push favorable headlines to a list of journalists. But they also pick out the most positive bits to give to the president. On days when there aren’t enough positive chyrons, communications staffers will ask the RNC staffers for flattering photos of the president.

“Maybe it’s good for the country that the president is in a good mood in the morning,” one former RNC official said.

Contacted by VICE News, Spicer disputed the nature of the folder. “While I won’t comment on materials we share with the president, this is not accurate on several levels,” he said in an email. Asked what about the story was inaccurate, Spicer did not respond. Another current White House official said that the idea for the twice-daily ego boost came from Priebus and Spicer, who competed to deliver the folder and be the bearer of the good news.

God gives Trump green light to take out Kim Jong Un

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 19:01:37 +0000

8/9/2017

Trump’s evangelical Baptist pastor, Robert Jeffress, has determined that God has given President Trump permission to attack North Korea, and to “take out” its leader Kim Jong Un.

“When it comes to how we should deal with evildoers, the Bible, in the book of Romans, is very clear: God has endowed rulers full power to use whatever means necessary — including war — to stop evil,” Jeffress said. “In the case of North Korea, God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un.” The biblical passage Romans 13 gives the government authority to deal with evildoers, Jeffress said. “That gives the government … the authority to do whatever, whether it’s assassination, capital punishment or evil punishment to quell the actions of evildoers like Kim Jong Un,” he said.

When asked if he wanted the president to embody Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount (where Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”) Jeffrerss responded “absolutely not”.

Many people question Trump’s choices when it comes to whom he associates with, and Jeffress is no stranger to controversy. On November 4, 2012, Jeffress declared that then President Obama WAS NOT the Anti-Christ because his poll numbers were not high enough. He said “One reason I know he’s not the Antichrist is the Antichrist is going to have much higher poll numbers when he comes. President Obama is not the Antichrist. But what I am saying is this: the course he is choosing to lead our nation is paving the way for the future reign of the Antichrist.”

Jeffress met with Trump last month in the Oval Office which included a blessing. Jeffress said that now health care is off the table, evangelicals are hoping for tax reform. Also in July, his church choir and orchestra performed a song called “Make America Great Again” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C., where Trump was in attendance.

Fire and Fury if North Korea keeps up threats

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 00:09:54 +0000

8/8/2017

At a luncheon today, it appeared that President Trump has had all that he could take when it came to threats from North Korea. Kim Jong Un’s regime recently suggested that they would conduct another missile test, this time targeting Guam, a US territory. The President made it quite clear he would tolerate no more threats, promising “Fire and Fury” like the world has never seen.

Trump administration tries to bury Federal Climate Report produced by 13 federal agencies

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 23:34:35 +0000

Fearing the Trump administration would bury the report, a group of federal scientists leaked a draft of a sweeping climate change report to the press. The 543 page report, produced by hundreds of scientists in 13 federal agencies, contradicts President Trump’s beliefs that global warming is a hoax. The report (normally) must be approved by the White House before it is released to the public. The deadline for approval was a week away.

The report is required by congress and was reportedly provided to the White House in January. Among it’s findings are:

Evidence for a changing climate abounds, from the top of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans.
Thousands of studies conducted by tens of thousands of scientists around the world have documented changes in surface, atmospheric, and oceanic temperatures; melting glaciers; disappearing snow cover; shrinking sea ice; rising sea level; and an increase in atmospheric water vapor.
Longer-term climate records indicate that average temperatures in recent decades over much of the world have been much higher than at any time in the past 1700 years or more.
Many lines of evidence demonstrate that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are primarily responsible for recent observed climate change.
Human activities are now the dominant cause of the observed changes in climate.
Temperatures globally have risen 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit since the mid-1800s. Much of that increase—1.2 degrees—has occurred since 1951. Of that warming, the draft says, there is at least a 95 percent likelihood that more than half could be attributed to human activity. It says there’s at least a 66 percent likelihood that all of it was caused by people.

The entire report can be found here: Federal Climate Change Report

Both President Trump and EPA chief Scott Pruitt have denied global warming. Trump once tweeted that he believed global warming was a myth created by the Chinese to better compete against the United States.

The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012

“Greatest Speech Ever” – Not according to Boy Scouts

Thu, 03 Aug 2017 00:00:46 +0000

8/2/2017

A few days ago, President Trump was criticized for a speech he gave at the annual Boy Scout Jamboree. In his speech, the president talked about how he won the electoral college and what mistakes the Clinton campaign made. The speech was so inappropriate, the Boy Scouts had to apologize (Boy Scouts apologize).

During an interview with the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, Trump claimed “I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful.” However, in responding to the president, the Boy Scouts stated “We are unaware of any such call.” The Boy Scouts specified that neither of the organization’s two top leaders — President Randall Stephenson and Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh — had placed such a call.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied on Wednesday that President Donald Trump made up a conversation he said he had in a phone call with the head of the Boy Scouts about his July 24 speech at the group’s national jamboree. “I wouldn’t say it was a lie,” Sanders told reporters at the daily briefing.

New plan would cut all immigration in half

Wed, 02 Aug 2017 23:35:39 +0000

08/02/2017

“It has not been fair to our people, to our citizens, to our workers,” Trump said as he endorsed legislation to curb legal immigration. This proposal “will reduce poverty, increase wages and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars,” said Trump.

The proposed legislation would reshape legal immigration to the US, cutting annual admissions in half and prioritizing education and skills rather than family ties in deciding who can enter the country. For decades, the US immigration system has prioritized family ties, believing they are important to social integration and economic success.

Flanked by Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia, Trump endorsed the bill they co-authored which would reduce the number of family members American citizens and legal residents can bring into the country and favor English-speaking and skilled workers. “This legislation demonstrates our compassion for struggling American families who deserve an immigration system that puts their needs first and that puts America first,” he said.

Called the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act or RAISE Act, the bill is modeled after Canadian and Australian immigration policies. The bill proposes a point system, whereby those seeking entry would be receive a score based on education or skills they posses. They higher their education or skill level, the greater chance they have of receiving a green card. Those applicants with little education or skills would have a lesser chance to immigrate. Applicants would also be required to speak English before entering the country.

Trump “fully outwitted” says top Russian

Wed, 02 Aug 2017 21:52:23 +0000

The White House is a “real dump” says Trump

Wed, 02 Aug 2017 21:18:34 +0000

8/2/2017

President Trump called the White House a “dump” according to golf journalist Alan Shipnuck.

Shipnuck published a report about Trump’s golfing in Sports Illustrated this week, which included the revelation that Trump called the president’s house a “real dump” compared to his New Jersey country club. The story recounts a scene in which Trump was chatting with some club members at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump reportedly told the members he visits the property so frequently because “That White House is a real dump.”

Shipnuck told Golf Magazine that a White House spokeswoman called him to demand a retraction for the statement but that he would not do so because he heard it from multiple people and that he believes they are credible sources. Shipnuck reported that eight or nine people heard Trump call the White House a dump. “It might be inconvenient for her boss and she might wish he didn’t say it, but it’s not a lie,” he said. “They definitely don’t waste any time trying to be charming or friendly, these people in the White House communications department,” he added. After the initial report was released, Trump took to Twitter to deny the claim, adding “I love the White House, one of the most beautiful buildings (homes) I have ever seen.”

14 States suing Trump’s decision to delay clean air laws

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 23:02:56 +0000

8/1/2017

14 states, including New York, have filed a lawsuit against the EPA after it delayed enacting tougher clean air air standards designed to fight smog. In early June, Scott Pruitt, Trump’s choice to lead the EPA, decided to delay implementation of the Obama administration’s 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards to Oct. 1, 2018.

Among the states that signed on to the lawsuit are California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington. However, the lawsuit is being led by New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Schneiderman called the decision by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to put off the regulation a violation of the Clean Air Act. Schneiderman said. “By illegally blocking these vital clean air protections, Administrator Pruitt is endangering the health and safety of millions.”

Scaramucci fired after 10 days on the job

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 00:51:58 +0000

7/31/2017

General John Kelly took over as Chief of Staff this morning, and it didn’t take long before “The Mooch” was fired and shown the door. Scaramucci technically hadn’t even started his job yet. His official start date was to be August 15th.

After what can only be described as a nightmare of embarrassing events, Scaramucci lost his job today. Scaramucci’s 10-day tenure at the White House as Director of Communications was the second shortest tenure for that position in history. Only one other Communications Director served a shorter term(Ronald Regan had a Communications Director who was a Hitler Youth, and when it was discovered, he was ousted). Scaramucci’s firing came after he publicly embarrassed fellow White House staff members and used vulgarities so obnoxious, network stations refused to repeat what he had said.

Not a popular member of the White house team, Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned upon learning Scaramucci had been hired. Both Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Senior Adviser Steve Bannon reportedly both vehemently protested his hiring. Yet, Trump hired him anyways, and allowed him to report to Trump directly instead of reporting to the Chief of Staff, which is the traditional protocol.

Scaramucci caused quite a bit of stir and chaos in the few days he was in his position, and apparently John Kelly can do without the distractions. Shortly after Kelly was sworn in, it was announced that Scaramucci would be leaving. No replacement has been announced at this time.

Trump plays a lot of golf – Can Americans get a mulligan?

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 17:46:58 +0000

7/31/2017

President Trump plays a lot of golf. A lot. While it is not surprising that he take some time off to relax, the amount of time he spends away from the White House at his properties is alarming. During his campaign, Trump also stated that he would have no time to play (see video below), and often criticized President Obama for doing so.

In a recent Washington Post article (WP - Trump played a lot of golf) it was disclosed that as of July 31st, Trump either played at, or at least visited his own golf properties 57 of the 193 days he has been president. That is almost 30% of the his days have been spent at his properties, most of the time playing golf. The Post goes on to calculate that Trump played golf once every 5.7 days, compared to Obama playing once every 8.8 days. Obama did not play golf during his first two months in office.

Considering Trump has achieved little in his first few months, perhaps he should at least take his own advice and invite a few Democrats to play some golf. Making a few new friends might help end some of the partisan gridlock engulfing Washington.

“Please don’t be too nice” Trump tells police officers

Sun, 30 Jul 2017 23:18:41 +0000

7/30/2017

Trump called gang members “animals” and praised law enforcement for being “rough” during a speech to law enforcement in Suffolk County on Friday. Apparently not in touch with the issue of police brutality that has gripped the nation during the past few years, Trump implied that police shouldn’t be too easy on alleged criminals.

Trump statements were quickly criticized after they were made public. Locally, the Suffolk County Police Department said in a statement “As a department, we do not and will not tolerate ‘rough(ing)’ up prisoners,”. Trump’s comments were also blasted in Boston, where a local police department stated its “priority has been and continues to be building relationships and trust with the community we serve. As a police department we are committed to helping people,not harming them.”

The Gainsville Florida Police Department posted the following on Facebook:

Earlier today, the President made remarks that seemed to endorse and condone police brutality. The President of the United States has no business endorsing or condoning cops being rough with arrestees and suggesting that we should slam their heads onto the car while putting them in. The men and women of GPD absolutely reject those remarks and will continue to serve and protect this great community with respect.

The President’s remarks today have set modern policing back and erased a lot of the strides we have made to build trust in our community, but we hope that each of you will recognize the work we have done to earn your trust. It’s certainly possible to enforce laws and arrest very bad folks and do it with respect. The men and women of GPD prove this on a daily basis.

YOUR Gainesville Police Department will continue to treat everyone with respect, no matter the circumstances. It is truly an honor to serve this community.

Priebus fired – shortest Chief of Staff tenure in history

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 23:22:19 +0000

7/28/2017

A day after being belittled by new Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has resigned. Priebus’s tenure as Chief of Staff is the shortest in US history. It was announced that General John Kelly will take over the position beginning Monday morning. General Kelly currently serves as Secretary of Homeland Security. It is unknown who is on the short list to fill his position.

Before he worked for the Trump Administration, Priebus was in charge of the Republican National Committee. The Chief of Staff normally is in charge of the President’s daily agenda, and serves as the gatekeeper to the President himself. A strong Chief of Staff should control access to the President and keep him/her on track to achieve their agenda. The blame for any White House chaos would normally fall on the shoulders of the Chief of Staff, but Trump has a tendency to do and say what he wants, anytime he wants. Many believe General Kelly will have a difficult time restoring order with a President who exhibits little self control.

Not counting multiple campaign managers and advisers, the Trump Administration has seen an unusually high degree of turnover, especially for the first six months. The following people have either been fired, or have resigned:

Attorney General Sally Yates 1/30/2017

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn 2/13/2017

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara 3/11/2017

Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Walsh 3/30/2017

FBI Director James Comey 5/9/2017

White House Communications Director Michael Dubke 5/30/2017

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer 7/26/2017

Chief of Staff Reince Priebus 7/28/2017

***UPDATE***

White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci 7/31/2017 (10 days), fired before he technically took over the position, which he was scheduled to do on August 15th.

Scaramucci rages against Priebus, Bannon

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 22:48:06 +0000

Newly appointed White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci needs a lesson in communications. In a obscenity-filled rant to The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza, Scaramucci crossed the boundary of rationality.

It began when Lizza received, and then tweeted information regarding Trump’s evening dinner plans with Scaramucci, the first Lady, Sean Hannity, and former Fox New executive Bill Shine. Scaramucci apparently felt the dinner plans were privileged information, and was not to be released by the White House staff. Enraged, he called Lizza to find the source of the news. Lizza refused to tell Scaramucci, and after threatening to fire the entire White House communications staff, Scaramucci aimed his anger at Reince Priebus. He stated “Reince is a fucking paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac,” “Oh, Bill Shine is coming in. Let me leak the fucking thing and see if I can cock-block these people the way I cock-blocked Scaramucci for six months.”

Scaramucci went on to tell Lizza that, unlike other senior officials, he had no interest in media attention. “I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own cock,” he said, speaking of Trump’s top strategist. “I’m not trying to build my own brand off the fucking strength of the President. I’m here to serve the country.”

If this all happened before the dinner, it’s a pretty safe bet that Scaramucci probably didn’t have a chance to relax, settle in, and enjoy a fine meal with pleasant guests at the White House that evening.

House, Senate pass new Russian sanctions that Trump can’t touch

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 21:12:18 +0000

7/27/2017

On Thursday the Senate passed legislation placing new sanctions on Russia and rebuking President Donald Trump in a bill that is now ready for him to sign. The bill gives Congress the ability to block Trump from easing sanctions against Moscow in the future without their consent. The bill also includes additional sanctions on Iran and North Korea.

The bill passed the Senate 98-2, and the House 419-3 on Tuesday. With such strong support from both Democrats and Republicans, it is extremely doubtful Trump would attempt to veto it. To do so would ultimately wind up a political embarrassment for the president, as congress clearly has the votes to override any veto attempt.

The bill intends to punish Russia for interference in the US election, its occupation of Crimea, continuing military presence in eastern Ukraine and various human rights abuses. Advocates of the bill want to impose sanctions on people involved in human rights abuses, suppliers of weapons to the government of Syria and those involved in computer hacking.

***Update*** Trump signs bill into law 8/2/2017

Boy Scouts apologize for Trump’s speech

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:48:52 +0000

7/27/2017

“I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree.” “We sincerely regret that politics were inserted into the Scouting program” said Michael Surbaugh, the Boy Scout’s chief. “It was never our intent” for the National Jamboree to become a venue for partisan political attacks.

Speaking to approximately 40,000 10-14 year old Boy Scouts, Trump decided it was a good venue to talk about his election victory, attack the free press, and criticized Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama. Trump went into detail about winning the electoral college, election map and the failures of Clinton campaign strategy in Maine, Wisconsin and Michigan. President Obama deferred attending jamborees during his term because of the Boy Scout’s ban on gay members, which has since been abolished.

Every sitting president for the past 80 years has been invited to speak at the jamboree. Until now, presidents have taken the time not to talk about politics to 10-14 year olds, but to extol the virtues of things like good citizenship and serving others. Trump did take the time to take a shot at his own administration stating “As the Scout Law says: ‘A Scout is trustworthy, loyal’ — we could use some more loyalty, I will tell you that.”

McCain’s thumbs down kills Trumpcare

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 19:20:19 +0000

7/27/2017

John McCain gave the thumbs down to Trumpcare late last night. After seven years of posturing and complaining about the Affordable Healthcare Act, Republicans could not pass a repeal, a replace, or a repeal and replace.

John McCain joined Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski to defeat the passing of the "skinny" repeal, which really wasn't a repeal. Many Republicans opposed the bill, which was intended as a stop-gap measure so they could develop a better bill with the House. McCain had clearly stated earlier that he would not vote for the bill "as is". Dejected, Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell said afterwards "it is time to move on".

McCain had stated earlier that he wanted the Senate to return to the previous way of doing business by holding open meetings, working across the aisle, and by making the process transparent to the public. McCain held his ground, and did not vote for a bill he did not believe in simply to pass it along so it could be fixed later. McConnell had tried his best to keep the bill secret until the last possible moment so that Senators, including Republicans, knew little about what they were voting for.

Seen as a huge loss for Trump, the President held little back in his tweets.

The “Mooch” picks a curious role model

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 18:39:44 +0000

07/27/2017

Newly appointed White House Director of Communications Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci, today took time to call CNN to talk about White House leaks. Scaramucci referred the White House staff to “stinking fish”, and implied that only he and the President don’t stink.

In reference to the White House staff, he went on to say “Why don’t you honor the job?” “Remember Joe Paterno? What would he say? Act like you’ve been there before. Act with honor and dignity and respect, and hold the confidence of the presidency and his office.”

As it happens, Joe Paterno, was fired from his job as head football coach at Penn State for failing to properly report defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of dozens of children. After his death, it was revealed that not only had Paterno failed to report the abuse, he had worked to actively cover up the abuse so that it didn’t disgrace Sandusky or the football program.

Some thought it strange that the new Director of Communications would cite a person who is known for covering up abuses of his organization as a role model of how his staff should act and behave. Was he implying the staff should consider it honorable and dignified to cover up illegal and immoral acts of the administration?

Did you know?

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 23:44:51 +0000

7/26/2017

Is it hard to believe 39% of Americans think President Trump is doing a good job? For some it is, others find it hard to believe his rating isn’t higher.

America can be a funny place, where people believe all sorts of things. Looking at the list, you have to wonder, why are people so stupid? Why don’t more people believe (fill in the blank)? Why do so many people believe (again, fill in the blank). It’s almost equally as shocking to learn what American know and don’t know.

Here are some of the amazing things about what we, as Americans, believe and what we don’t know

7% of Americans believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows.
29% of Americans can not find the Pacific Ocean on a map
11% of Americans can not find the United States on a map
42% of Americans attend church weekly, or almost weekly
24% of Americans believe the Bible is the literal word of God
26% believe the Bible is a book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man
69% of Americans believe there is a hell
42% of Americans believe that people are sometimes possessed by the devil
13% of Americans believed that Obama was the actual anti-Christ
38% of Americans believe God created humans within the past 10,000 years
57% of Americans believe in some sort of evolution, God guided or not
20% of Americans believe in reincarnation
55% of Americans believe the constitution specifically established a Christian nation
35% of Americans can not name one of the three branches of government, 36% can name all three
34% of Americans cannot name one of the five First Amendment rights
57% of Americans can not name one Supreme Court Justice – 43% can name at least one
10% of American college graduates believe Judge Judy is a member of the Supreme Court
35% of Americans believe homosexuality is a choice
42% of American adults live in a household with a gun
66% of American gun owners own more than one gun
89% of Americans (and 89% of gun owners) believe in preventing the mentally ill from purchasing a gun
32% of Americans believe the population of the United States is between one and two billion people
47% of Republicans believe Trump won the popular vote (he lost by 2.8 million)
29% of Americans believe Bigfoot, Sasquatch or Yeti exists somewhere on earth
20% of Americans believe the sun revolves around the earth
7% of Americans think the moon landings were faked
54% of Americans believe intelligent life exists somewhere other than earth
36% of Americans believe in UFO’s
21% of Americans think a UFO crashed in Roswell, and the Government covered it up
98% of climate scientists believe in global warming
91% of climate scientists believe global warming is mostly caused by human activity
71% of Americans believe global warming is happening, 13% don’t believe in global warming and 15% are not sure
58% of Americans believe global warming is mostly caused by human activity
41% of Americans believe in ESP
37% of Americans believe a house can be haunted
21% of Americans believe the living can communicate with somebody who has died
34% of Americans cannot name one of the five First Amendment rights
22% of Americans can name all five members of the Simpsons

Trump bans transgenders from military – reasons don’t seem to hold water

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 11:54:58 +0000

In his tweets, Trump claimed the reason transgender individuals are not being allowed was because of the "tremendous costs and disruption" their service causes. A recent study by the Rand Corporation determined that the additional costs to the military for transgender troops ranges between $2.4 -$8.4 million annually. As a comparison, the military spends $84 million, or at least 10 times more on erectile dysfunction medications such as Viagra. It is also equal to 1/20th - 1/80th of the cost of one F-35 fighter, and less than 0.0001% of the entire military budget. Tremendous costs?

The claim of disruption is also questioned, as nobody in the military has provided any studies or examples to support such claims. The Rand study found that "previous integration efforts and the experiences of foreign military's indicate a minimal likely Impact on force readiness." Eighteen other countries allow transgenders to serve in their military, including the UK, Germany, Israel, Australia, Canada, and France.

Trump didn't always express the same views. During the campaign, he claimed he would fight for the LGBT community.

Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2016

Soon after Trump's tweets, Senators and Congressmen from both parties spoke out against the new policy. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated "There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military -- regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so -- and should be treated as the patriots they are."

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago applies to hire 70 foreign workers

Sat, 22 Jul 2017 00:10:06 +0000

7/21/2017

President Trump wants to build a wall to keep foreigners out, unless they want to work for him at Mar-a-Lago.

During the White House’s “Made in America” initiative this week to promote American jobs and products, President Donald Trump’s businesses have again taken steps to hire foreign workers. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club and his golf course in Jupiter, Florida, filed documents to bring in additional foreign workers under the H-2B visa program, which allows foreigners to fill temporary non-agriculture jobs in the United States that supposedly cannot be filled by US workers.

Trump made boosting American jobs a central tenet of his presidential campaign and has continued to promote the idea of “Buy American and Hire American” during his time in office. This week, the White House is using “Made in America Week” to showcase the President’s tax and regulatory policies and priorities, and to spotlight companies and workers making products at home.

In April, he signed an executive order under that slogan in an effort “to create higher wages and employment rates for workers in the United States.” The jobs at Mar-a-Lago would pay a minimum of $10.33, $11.88 and $13.34 per hour.

After bashing him, Trump nominates Jon Huntsman as Ambassador to Russia

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 22:59:26 +0000

7/20/2017

Has enough water gone under the bridge? Apparently in the case of Jon Huntsman it has. Today President Trump nominated Huntsman as Ambassador to Russia despite criticizing his performance in 2012.

A Republican, Jon Huntsman, served as Ambassador to China during the Obama administration. Huntsman also served as Governor of the state of Utah, and Ambassador to Singapore. Huntsman has served in one capacity or another in every presidential administration since Ronald Regan.

Jon Huntsman called to see me. I said no, he gave away our country to China! @JonHuntsman

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2012

A total lightweight: @JonHuntsman continues to give the worst responses on China in the debates. I can see why (cont) http://t.co/YwKcaMf0

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2011

Spicer out – Scaramucci in as new WH Director of Communications

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 17:59:24 +0000

7/21/2017

Embattled White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tendered his resignation to President Trump today. It was rumored that Spicer resigned after learning of Trump’s appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House Communications Director. It was reported by the New York Times that during a conversation with Trump, Spicer “vehemently disagreed” with the decision to hire Scaramucci. It has also been reported that Scaramucci will report directly to Trump, and not to the Chief of Staff as Spicer did.

Scaramucci is a graduate of both Tufts University and Harvard law school. He previously worked for Goldman Sachs on Wall Street before forming his own hedge fund company. Scaramucci, AKA “The Mooch”, has not always been a fan of Trump, and even supported Hillary Clinton early in the election. During a 2015 Fox News appearance, Scaramucci called Trump a “hack politician” whose rhetoric is “anti-American and very, very divisive.” He also suggested Trump should “cut it out now” and “stop all this crazy rhetoric.” Perhaps as the new Communications Director, he can start the process.

Trump not happy with Jeff Sessions on Russia

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 20:01:11 +0000

7/20/2017

Donald Trump, during an interview with the "failing" New York Times, said "Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else." He went on "How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, 'Thanks, Jeff, but I'm not going to take you.' It's extremely unfair -- and that's a mild word -- to the President."

To many, that statement suggests that Trump wanted an Attorney General who would be in his back pocket to control the Russia issue. He did not want to appoint somebody who would stand aside and let somebody else control the investigation. Since Sessions recused himself, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as a Special Counsel to investigate Trump and his campaign.

Trump's public lashing of Sessions is curious to many who watch Washington for another reason. Trump seems to demand loyalty from those who work for him. He has written about loyalty in his books, saying it is one of the most critical qualities a person can have. What is puzzling to some, is how Trump can demand such loyalty from others, but is unwilling to offer it to his staff, as shown by his statements to the New York Times. To his credit, Sessions today refused to hit back or defend himself, stating only he "plans to continue to do so (act as AG) as long as that is appropriate".

**UPDATE** Trump has taken multiple shots at Jeff Sessions, including calling him "beleaguered". The day before, he tweeted it was sad that many Republicans were not being loyal to him, though there was not a reference to anything specific.

No clean air for you!

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 23:11:31 +0000

7/19/2017

Tuesday the House voted to pass a Republican-backed bill delaying implementation of Obama-era reductions in smog-causing air pollutants. The bill will delay the implementation of 2015 air pollution standards issued by the EPA for eight years. The bill will also make other changes that will weaken the Clean Air Act, including reviewing air-quality standards every ten years, instead of every five years which is now the policy.

More than a dozen major health organizations opposed the bill, including the National Medical Assn., the American Public Health Assn., and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The head of the American Lung Assn. called the industry-backed bill a “direct assault” on the right of Americans to breathe healthy air, and urged senators from both parties to reject it.

“The bill would delay lifesaving protections against ozone pollution, exposing Americans to unnecessary pollution levels that will lead to asthma attacks and premature deaths that could have been prevented,” said Harold P. Wimmer, the group’s national president and CEO.

House Republicans praised what they called common-sense legislation to protect American jobs. The GOP bill is supported by several pro-business groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, the American Chemistry Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Democrats for the most part oppose the bill. “This is a blueprint to Make America Sick Again,” said Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), mocking the Trump campaign slogan.

Iran abiding by deal Trump admits for 2nd time

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 22:26:48 +0000

7/18/2017

Today Trump had little choice but to admit that there is no evidence to support that Iran is doing anything in violation of it’s agreement with the United States. The President is required to report to congress quarterly on the status of the agreement and the possibility of non-compliance. This is the second time Trump has confirmed Iran’s compliance.

The New York Times reported that President Trump had an hour-long meeting with his top national security advisers last week, including the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the White House National Security Advisor, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They all told the president the same thing: he needs to preserve the international nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump, however, reportedly spent 55 minutes of the 60-minute meeting “telling them he did not want to.”

There have been suggestions that the President actually doesn’t fully understand what the Iran deal is, or what it does. However, there is little doubt he doesn’t like it. During his campaign, he stated the Iran deal “poses a direct national security threat.” He later added that the international agreement “will go down as one of the dumbest and most dangerous misjudgments ever entered into in the history of our country.” and that “My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.” After securing the GOP nomination, he said the deal is likely to “lead to nuclear holocaust.”

Made in America week not so American for Trump businesses

Sun, 16 Jul 2017 22:14:35 +0000

07/16/2017

In a bit of hypocrisy, President Trump today kicked off “Made in America Week” which is meant to promote US manufacturing. What many people found ironic is that Trump, and his daughter Ivanka, have few of the products they sell in the United States, actually made in the United States. The Washington Post has reported that Ivanka Trump relies exclusively on manufacturers outside of the United States. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said it would be “inappropriate” for him to comment on the President’s own business.

Adding insult to injury, Trump’s Mar-A-Lago club in Florida applied this week to hire 70 foreign workers to work at the resort. Why not hire Americans? According to the application with the Department of Labor, the resort is unable to qualified Americans to fill the positions.

Trump Administration releases sensitive personal information of those worried about their privacy

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 20:19:01 +0000

7/14/2017

The Trump administration proved today that either they can’t be trusted with sensitive personal information, or they are sending a message to those who complain about their policies with a big F*** Y**.

Recently, the Trump panel investigating voter fraud requested that the states provide sensitive voter information for analysis. 44 states refused to do so, either in whole or in part, because of concerns regarding voter privacy (see: States fight voter info requests).

Today, the White House released all of the sensitive personal information of people who sent emails concerned about Trump’s attempt to secure personal information. The White House not only released the content of the emails that had been sent, they released everything contained in the emails. In some cases, the released information included the sender’s name, email address, home addresses, phone numbers, and places of employment.

Any information included from the people who sent the below emails was released, including their names, email addresses and home address.

“I respectfully request, as an American-born citizen legally eligible to vote for two decades, that you leave my voter data and history alone, do not publish it, and do nothing with it,”
“This request is very concerning, the federal government is attempting to get the name, address, birth date, political party, and social security number of every voter in the country.”
“You will open up the entire voting population to a massive amount of fraud if this data is in any way released,”
“DO NOT RELEASE ANY OF MY VOTER DATA PERIOD,”
“The request for private voter information is offensive,”

So is the Trump Administration really so stupid and insensitive to purposefully release the sensitive personal information of those citizens concern about the release of their personal information, or did they do it on purpose to irritate them further? Your guess is as good as ours.

Donald Trump Jr’s emails are the smoking gun

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 21:32:16 +0000

7/12/2017

Donald Trump Jr. today released emails proving his desire to receive damaging information on Hillary Clinton from sources inside the Russian government. It is against Federal Election Law for candidates or their campaign representatives to get something of value from a foreign national. The Jr. Trump released the emails shortly being notified by the New York Times that they were about to release them.

Since long before the election, the Trump campaign, including Donald Trump Jr., have vehemently denied any connection to Russia. The release of Donald Jr.’s emails today clearly show that Donald Jr. was contacted by Russians, who said that the Russian government had damaging information on Hillary. Donald Jr. then set a meeting with the Russian at Trump Tower, and responded “I love it”.

Legal experts, including former prosecutor and now US Representative Ted Lieu of California stated “Donald Trump Jr. clearly violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by conspiring to solicit something of value from a foreign national,” “And as a former prosecutor, I can tell you that conspiracy is very easy to prove. You just have to show he took an act in furtherance of the crime and in this case not only did he write an email back saying ‘I love it,’ getting the dirt on Hillary Clinton he also set up a meeting and showed up at the meeting. That more than completes the crime of conspiracy.”

While Donald Jr. clearly violated the law in the eyes of some legal experts, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort may not be far behind. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort both accompanied Donald Jr. to Trump Tower for the meeting after receiving the email chain with the subject “FW – Russia – Clinton – private and confidential”. They also received the entire email chain which described the claim of Russian government involvement. While they have not revealed what they knew, it would be a stretch to assume that either one blindly took the time to attend a meeting without knowing what it was about, or who it was with. This begs the question: If Donald Jr. and/or Jared Kushner are indicted and charge with federal crimes, will the President pardon them?

Below is an except from an interview with Donald Trump Jr. AFTER he had the meeting with the Russians. In the interview, he reacts to DNC claims that the Russians have been involved in the election. Donald Trump Jr’s. states that the Democrats make “lie after lie” and that the accusations are “disgusting”,”phony”, and “outrageous”.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. released copies of his emails with Rob Goldstone, a music publicist and acquaintance of Trump Jr., arranging a meeting with a “Russian attorney” to discuss potentially damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Below is a transcript of those emails, arranged in chronological order:

On June 3, 2016 at 10:36 AM, Rob Goldstone wrote:

Good morning

Emin just called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting.

The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father.

This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump—helped along by Aras and Emin.

What do you think is the best way to handle this information and would you be able to speak to Emin about it directly?

I can also send this info to your father via Rhona, but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first.

BestRob Goldstone

On June 3, 2016 at 10:53 AM, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:

Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?

Best,

Don

Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 at 12:40 PM

To: Donald Trump Jr.

Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential

Hi Don

Let me know when you are free to talk with Emin by phone about this Hillary info — you had mentioned early this week so wanted to try to schedule a time and day Best to you and family Rob Goldstone

On June 6, 2016 at 15:03, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:

Rob could we speak now?

From: Rob Goldstone

Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 3:37 PM

To: Donald Trump Jr.

Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential

Let me track him down in Moscow

What number he could call?

On June 6, 2016 15:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:

My cell thanks

On June 6, 2016 at 3:43 p.m., Rob Goldstone wrote:

Ok he’s on stage in Moscow but should be off within 20 Minutes so I am sure can call Rob

On Jun 6, 2016, at 16:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:

Rob thanks for the help.

On Jun 7, 2016, at 4:20 PM, Rob Goldstone wrote:

Don

Hope all is well

Emin asked that I schedule a meeting with you and The Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow for this Thursday.

I believe you are aware of the meeting — and so wondered if 3pm or later on Thursday works for you?

I assume it would be at your office.Best

Rob Goldstone

On Jun 7, 2016, at 5:16 PM, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:

How about 3 at our offices? Thanks rob appreciate you helping set it up.

On June 7, 2016, at 5:19PM, Rob Goldstone wrote:

Perfect… I won’t sit in on the meeting, but will bring them at 3 pm and introduce you etc.

I will send the names of the two people meeting with you for security when I have them later today.

best

Rob

On Jun 7, 2016, at 18:14, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:

Great. It will likely be Paul Manafort (campaign boss) my brother in law and me. 725 Fifth Ave 25th floor.

Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 10:34 AM

To: Donald Trump Jr.

Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential

Good morning,

Would it be possible to move tomorrow meeting to 4pm as the Russian attorney is in court until 3 i was just informed.

Best

Rob

On June 8, 2016, at 11:15, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:

Yes Rob I could do that unless they wanted to do 3 today instead … just let me know and ill lock it in either way.

From: Rob Goldstone

Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 11:18 AM

To: Donald Trump Jr.

Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential

They can’t do today as she hasn’t landed yet from Moscow 4pm is great tomorrow.

Best

Rob

From: Donald Trump Jr.

Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 12:03PM

To: Jared Kushner; Paul Manafort

Subject: FW: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential

Meeting got moved to 4 tomorrow at my offices.

Best,

Don

Criminal defense lawyers are in high demand by Trump Administration

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 20:12:25 +0000

When the pressure begins to mount, it’s sometimes wise to consult a lawyer. In the case of the Trump Administration, it seems everybody is hiring a lawyer. It’s so bad, even the lawyers are hiring lawyers. Many of the attorneys hired by administration staff specialize in criminal defense.

Donald Trump has so many lawyers, it’s hard to keep track of them all. He may have up to nine, with the following attorneys having been reported as representing the President. They include Donald McGahn, Robert Kelner, Sheri Dillon, John Dowd, Marc Kasowitz, Michael Bowe, Michael Cohen, Jay Sekulow, and Ty Cobb.
Trump lawyer Michael Cohen hired Stephen Ryan
Vice President Mike Pence hired Richard Cullen
Disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn hired Robert Kelner
Senior Adviser Jared Kushner is represented by Jamie Gorelick and Abbe Lowell
Attorney General Jeff Sessions hired Chuck Cooper
Former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort hired Reginald Brown
Donald Trump Jr. hired Alan Futerfas

IS driven out of Mosul

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 18:19:49 +0000

7/10/2017

Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, is back under government control after being lost to IS for the past three years. Iraqi forces declared “total victory”, but US advisers warned that there may be up to 200 remaining IS fighters in the city. Security is still tight, and nobody believes there still isn’t a threat, however the Iraqi flag is once again flying over the city. The city of Mosul is approximately the same size as Philadelphia.

American forces did not actively fight in the battle to take Mosul, but acted as advisers to the Iraqi army. The battle to retake Mosul began in October of 2016 under President Obama, and was completed under President Trump. The defeat of IS is continuing under President Trump, as they continue to lose ground and members.

The Islamist State (IS, and also known as ISIL and/or ISIS) was formed in 2013 as a branch of al-Qaida by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. in 2014 he led his followers to take the city of Fallujah, along with smaller cities in Western and Northern Iraq and parts of Syria. Iraqi forces put up little to no resistance as IS easily took control of vast regions of the country. To fund their expansion, IS took control of oil wells and production facilities in the area. As they expanded their territory, they also acquired vast amounts military equipment abandoned and captured from Iraqi forces. Much of the military equipment was provided to Iraq by American taxpayers.

In June of 2014, IS captured the crown jewel of Mosul, which was by far the largest city they had captured to date. Being radical Sunnis, they also declared their assault on top Shiite holy sites, which caused the top Shiite Cleric to call for Shiites to take up arms against the Sunni IS.

At the end of June 2014, IS declared the establishment of a ‘caliphate’ in its territories in Iraq and Syria. Al-Baghdadi is was declared the caliph. Al-Baghdadi made his first public appearance July 4th, when he delivered a Friday sermon in Mosul’s historic al-Nuri Mosque. He urged Muslims around the world to swear allegiance to the ‘caliphate’ and obey him as its leader. He also declared the al-Nuri Mosque the center of his caliphate. The al-Nuri Mosque was constructed in 1172, and had withstood 850 years of storms, wars and other unrest. It was destroyed by IS last month as IS began to flee the city.

The occupation of Mosul by IS during the past three years has been catastrophic. Tens of thousands were either killed in the fighting, or were simply murdered by IS. Anybody who was not Sunni was a target. The city is in ruins, and it is estimated that 900,000 people fled the city because of IS. Whether the citizens will return to Mosul remains to be seen, as there is little but ruins to return to.

Putin delighted Trump wants to share cyber security secrets with Russia

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 02:36:16 +0000

7/9/2017

President Trump met with Vladimir Putin on Friday, and today tweeted that the two of them discussed forming an "impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe".

The announcement was lauded by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who stated "The two leaders also acknowledged the challenges of cyber threats and interference in the democratic processes of the United States and other countries, and agreed to explore creating a framework around which the two countries can work together to better understand how to deal with these cyber threats". U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin added on ABC Sunday talk show "This Week" that the plan was "a very significant accomplishment for President Trump."

For the proposed cyber security unit to work, many experts believe the US would need to provide information to Russia on how the US currently defends against hacking. Sharing this information with the Russians would give the Russians secrets that they could then exploit for their own purposes. It would give the fox a guide to the hen house.

The announcement by the administration quickly came under fire by both Democrats and Republicans, with Senator John McCain stating "I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort since he’s doing the hacking.” Senator Lindsey Graham called Trump “literally the only person I know of who doesn't believe Russia attacked our election in 2016" and said he was “dumbfounded.” Graham added that Trump's plan was “not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close.” The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley went further saying, "...we can't trust Russia, and we won't ever trust Russia". Ambassador Haley's comments came after Putin had confirmed that Russia and the United States would work together on a number of different issues, including cyber security.

Promised damaging information on Clinton, Donald Jr. met with Russian lawyer

Sun, 09 Jul 2017 20:43:51 +0000

7/09/2017

In a stunning admission, Donald Trump Jr. stated to the New York Times that he met with Russian operatives in the hope of securing campaign information damaging to Hillary Clinton.

On July 9, 2016, Donald Trump Jr., along with campaign chief Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, held a meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian Lawyer Natalia Veselnitkaya. According to the New York Times, Trump Jr. was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet with the Kremlin-connected lawyer. Previously, Trump Jr. denied meeting with any Russian whereby he was representing the campaign. When Trump Jr. sets a meeting at the Trump Tower and invites the Campaign Manager to attend, it would be difficult for most people to assume it wasn’t about the campaign.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Definition of collusion – Secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose acting in collusion with the enemy

Does this support suspicions of collusion? If Donald Jr., Jared Kushner or Paul Manafort agreed to meet based on the belief that they would acquire political information on Hillary Clinton that they would use in the campaign, then yes it does. They would be working with the Russians to sway public opinion on the election.

According to Trump Jr., soon after meeting the Russian, “It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.” Trump said she then turned the conversation to adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act, an American law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers. The 2012 law so enraged President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that he halted American adoptions of Russian children. “It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting,” Trump Jr. said.

Whether the Russian actually provided Trump Jr., Kushner and Manafort information they would consider damaging to Hillary Clinton is almost irrelevant. The fact that they arranged a meeting at Trump Tower with the hope, and intent, of securing the damaging information is viewed by many to be just as damning.

US left out in the cold as Europe and Japan forge massive trade deal

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 22:17:36 +0000

7/6/2017

Rivaling in size of NAFTA, Japan and the European Union today announced a massive trade agreement that won’t include the United States. The agreement will encompass approximately 40% of all world trade. Under this agreement, European and Japanese exporters will gain an edge over American exporters in each other’s markets.

Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan, greeted the announcement as “the birth of the world’s largest free advanced industrialized economic zone.” “Japan and the European Union will hoist the flag of free trade high amidst protectionist trends,” Abe said in a news conference Thursday. The deal is in partial response to President Trump’s refusal to participate in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. On his third day in office, Trump withdrew the US from TPP negotiations, which was a huge blow to Abe and his party in Japan. Trump has accused China, Germany, Japan, South Korea and other countries of cheating on agreements with Washington. “The United States made some of the worst Trade Deals in world history. Why should we continue these deals with countries that do not help us?” Trump tweeted Wednesday.

The trade deal is a real loss for American agriculture in particular. Japan is the United States fourth largest consumer of agricultural products, and the deal will allow European farmers greater access with lower costs to Japan’s market. Tariffs on everything from pork, beef, fish, wine, dairy, chocolates and more will be significantly reduced, or eliminated altogether. For example, the current tariff on beef shipped from Europe to Japan is 38%, this will be reduced to 9% while tariffs on some pork and certain vegetable products will be eliminated entirely.

Auto exports between Japan and Europe will also see a huge boost. Europe will eliminate the 10% duty on imported Japanese cars, while Japan will eliminate barriers to importing European models. American manufacturers have complained about accessing the Japanese market for forty years. Not being part of the trade agreement will now make access even more difficult, if not impossible.

Even though losing the ability to trade fairly in 40% of the world market is a huge blow to the United States, an even bigger impact may be less obvious. The US is in jeopardy of losing its long-held status as the most influential trade rule-maker in the world. As Japan and Europe negotiate the terms of what may become the biggest free trade zone in the world, they’re going to be creating standards and precedents that will in turn influence rules and other free trade agreements around the world. In regards to agriculture, trade agreements can determine how beef and pork are raised and fed, what pesticides and herbicides can be used on crops, and which preservatives and additives can be used in packaged food. Safety standards for other products like automobiles can also be effected, including how strong a bumper needs to be, or how fast an airbag deploys. Instead of making the rules, the US will now need to comply with rules made by Japan and Europe if they have desire to sell goods in those markets.

The lesson for the US? If it pursues a protectionist path or decides not to negotiate trade deals, the rest of the world will carry on without it. In the process, its voice on how trade should be conducted will grow weaker.

North Korea launches ICBM as Trump waits for China

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 22:30:38 +0000

7/4/20147

President Trump stood by as North Korea conducted it's tenth missile test of the year. The total surpasses the entire number of tests conducted under Obama's two terms. Yesterday's launch was of an ICBM, which many analyst predict had the range to reach Alaska. A listing of the previous nine launches can be found here : - North Korea missile tests -

In fact, the launched missile was launched nearly vertical, and reached an altitude of 1,741 miles. The missile would have needed to be aimed more horizontally to reach its maximum range. None the less, this was a new missile configuration from what has been seen in the past. The test lasted 37 minutes, setting a new record for North Korea. North Korea continues unabated in developing a weapon system capable of threatening the United States mainland.

After almost six months in office, President Trump has not disclosed a strategy to deal with the North Korean threat. Instead, his tweets indicate that he is relying on China to solve the issue. China's trade with North Korea has actually increased 40% during the past quarter, and it appears China has little concern over North Korea's actions as it has not announced any new or potential sanctions against it's trading partner.

North Korea has not threatened China like they have the United States. North Korea has broadcast mock nuclear attacks against the United States, and have threatened US Navy submarines in that part of the world. The North Korean threat is primarily a threat to the United States, not to China. The question is whether Trump will confront the threat to the United States, or will he continue to stand by hoping China will take steps to protect us?

People who live in glass houses….. must quit the Justice Department

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 01:59:01 +0000

One of the Justice Department’s top corporate crime experts has resigned from the Justice Department, stating she cannot enforce ethics laws against companies while her own bosses in the Trump administration have been engaging in conduct that she would never tolerate in outside corporations.

Hui Chen, a former Pfizer and Microsoft lawyer who also was a federal prosecutor, had been the department’s chief compliance counsel. She left the department in June, and broke her silence about her move in a recent LinkedIn post that sounded an alarm about the Trump administration’s behavior.

“Trying to hold companies to standards that our current administration is not living up to was creating a cognitive dissonance that I could not overcome,” Chen wrote. “To sit across the table from companies and question how committed they were to ethics and compliance felt not only hypocritical, but very much like shuffling the deck chair on the Titanic. Even as I engaged in those questioning and evaluations, on my mind were the numerous lawsuits pending against the President of the United States for everything from violations of the Constitution to conflict of interest, the ongoing investigations of potentially treasonous conducts, and the investigators and prosecutors fired for their pursuits of principles and facts. Those are conducts I would not tolerate seeing in a company, yet I worked under an administration that engaged in exactly those conduct. I wanted no more part in it.”

The force is against Trump when it comes to voter info

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 23:38:02 +0000

7/1/2017

Forty four states have refused to fully cooperate with the Trump administration's request to provide voter registration information. The reasons primarily revolve around voter confidentiality issues, and state laws prohibiting the sharing of such information. At least one state makes some of the information available, but charges a fee to provide the information. Dismayed by the reaction, Trump questioned what the states were trying to hide, and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) offered up a funny retort.

President Trump acts not so Presidential

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 20:31:31 +0000

6/29/2017

President Trump resorted to his old tricks and insults earlier today. Apparently annoyed by criticism he received on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, Trump lashed out on Twitter about the hosts. Trump was quickly criticized for his tweets, but refused to remove them or address their intent. Senator Lindsay Graham was one of many Republicans critical of Trump’s tweets, and his apparent lack of self control on social media.

Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 29, 2017

Besides the obvious personal attacks, many believed Trump’s tweets were again sexist, as he attacked a woman for trying to improve her looks. Trump’s tweets have become more and more of a distraction for those in his own party, with many wondering why he needs the need to attack people on a personal level. Can Trump defend his decisions and opinions based on their merit, or does he need to sink to personal insults about a person’s physical appearance in order to feel he has won an argument?

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

…to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

On Friday, Joe Scarborough replied on the Morning Joe show that the President is not well. In addition, Scarborough claimed that he had received calls from three of Trump’s top aids requesting he apologize for his negative comments regarding Trump. In return, Trump would call the National Inquirer and spike an upcoming story about Scarborough. Scarborough said that he refused.

Trump’s behavior was a topic during his campaign. Many people questioned his maturity, temperament and ability to act in the manner deserving of the presidency. He responded “I can be more Presidential, if I want to be, I can be more Presidential than anybody. You know, when I have sixteen people coming at me from sixteen angles, you don’t want to be so Presidential. You have to win, you have to beat them back, right? And, but, I would say more Presidential, and I’ve said this a couple of times, more Presidential than anybody other than the great Abe Lincoln. He was very Presidential, right?

Trump’s comments about being presidential begin at minute 1:04

******UPDATE******

And the President continues….

Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2017

Trump produces the ultimate fake news, a fake Time cover with his picture

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 01:08:55 +0000

6/28/2017

Donald Trump complains about fake news on almost a daily basis. Yesterday it was disclosed that he, or somebody in his organization, went to the trouble of creating a fake Time Magazine cover to display at his properties. The Washington Post reported that the fake covers had been displayed at a minimum of five Trump properties, including Mar-A-Lago. Other sources put the count at eight properties.

According to Time Magazine, no issue was produced on the date that the fake cover displays. The fake cover boldly states “Trump is hitting on all fronts…Even TV!” Towards the bottom, the fake cover exclaims “The Apprentice is a television smash!” Today, Time Magazine asked the Trump Organization to remove the fake magazine covers. The Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

Many people found that after so many complaints about “Fake News”, it is extremely ironic that Trump himself would permit such an abuse of misperception. To make matters even worse, after decrying that the media is fake, he produces fake images using their trademarked artwork.

Read: Navy Commander says Trump greatest threat to democracy

Fake Time Magazine, cover, right, hung on Mar-a-Lago wall near entrance. @TB_Times @realDonaldTrump @TIMEMagUSA pic.twitter.com/xwMs6kisYH

— Scott Keeler (@SKeelerTimes) June 27, 2017

So they caught Fake News CNN cold, but what about NBC, CBS & ABC? What about the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost? They are all Fake News!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2017

Sorry folks, but if I would have relied on the Fake News of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, washpost or nytimes, I would have had ZERO chance winning WH

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017

Rick Perry getting “Psyched” for cheerleader season

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 00:16:03 +0000

6/28/2017 – On The Lighter Side – Satire

This week, staff at The Trump Chronicle had a chance to catch up with Energy Secretary Rick Perry. It wasn’t easy, but we finally found him wandering around the halls of the White House, apparently waiting for the President to call him in for whatever photo op might that present itself. The Secretary was in a great mood, almost giddy when we found him.

“I can’t wait, really, I just can’t wait” Rick Perry spouted. “What about?” our reporter asked. “The season, the season is just around the corner. It’s the best time of the year!” Perry said with glee. Confused and wondering exactly which season Perry was referring to, our reporter asked “and do you mean the Summer season Mr. Secretary?” Perry stopped and twirled around, “no, I mean the cheerleader season, of course!” Stopping to catch his breath, “I was pretty damn good in the day” Perry gushed, “and I think I can still get the crowd riled up”. Perry was a cheerleader for Texas A&M during his time at the football powerhouse.

“I plan on getting back into shape for the season” Perry stated. “Its going to be a long tough road, but I have a lot of extra hours to spend between now and the first game”. Asked if his recent assignment as Energy Secretary might interfere with the upcoming season, Perry replied “Hell no, I don’t know much about all that nuclear crap anyway.” “They got all the Poindexters in those tech labs figuring that stuff out. I could be gone for weeks, hell, even months and nobody would care.”

Reflecting back on his past time at the Texas A&M, Perry couldn’t help but get excited. “You know, I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed.” “I was real lucky I could study cows in college, if I had to learn something besides bullshit, well, I’d been in real trouble” Perry said with a chuckle. Perry continued, “But by the grace of God, Daddy got me in, and I made the cheer team on my third try.” “Those were the best days of my life, nothing to do, nothing to learn except cheerleading with my buds.”

When asked if being a cheerleader has helped him being in charge of the entire US nuclear arsenal, Perry stopped and got a glazed look in his eyes. “Well, no.” he responded. “I took a few class on cows, what the hell do you think I know about atoms and shit?” “I couldn’t even remember we had a Department of Energy until the Donald called me out of blue and asked me if I wanted to come to Washington.” “He told me not to worry about it, science is fake and nobody knows how any of this stuff really works.” “The next thing you know, I’m on a plane headed to…. uh, wait a minute, where did I go? Somewhere, someplace, I don’t know….oooppps.”

Ann Coulter blast Sean Hannity for blindly supporting Trump

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 23:04:50 +0000

6/28/2017

“He would endorse communism if Trump decided to implement the policies of ‘The Communist Manifesto,’” Ann Coulter wrote about Sean Hannity. “Sean Hannity, bless his heart, has the zeal of the late Trump convert,” Coulter wrote in a blog post.

Hannity, one of Fox News’ most popular nighttime personalities since Bill O’Reilly was fired for sexual harrasment, has been a vigorous supporter of President Trump. Hannity is widely known for his far-right views on politics, support of everything Trump, and his attacks on Obama, the Clintons, and just about every Democrat of significance.

Coulter slammed Hannity for defending Trump’s remarks last week about why he only hires “rich people” for his Cabinet, such as National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, who formerly served as the president of Goldman Sachs. At a campaign-style rally in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Trump told the crowd, “That’s the kind of thinking we want.’” “On his show last Thursday, he tried to get me to defend Trump’s ‘rich person’ remarks about Cohn. I wish you could see the segment …,” Coulter said, explaining that the show ran out of time. “With the zealotry of those who came late to the Trump party, Hannity fully endorsed Trump’s faith in Cohn, adding, ‘I never got a job from a poor man!” She continued.

Taking a play from the President’s playbook, Hannity did not defend his position, instead he attacked Coulter personally, claiming she had a tendancy to fall in and out love with many Republicans.

Is Tillerson at the end of his rope with the Trump administration?

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 20:34:14 +0000

6/28/2017

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson may be reaching the end of his rope with the Trump administration. Politico reported Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s frustrations with the White House have been building for months. Last Friday, they exploded.

From Politico

Unhappy that Johnny DeStefano, the head of the presidential personnel office, has continued to torpedo proposed nominees to senior State Department posts and for questioning his judgment, Tillerson apparently had had enough, and unloaded on DeStefano.

The episode stunned other White House officials gathered in chief of staff Reince Priebus’ office, leaving them silent as Tillerson raised his voice. In the room with Tillerson and DeStefano were Priebus, top Trump aide Jared Kushner and Margaret Peterlin, the secretary of state’s chief of staff.

The encounter, described by four people familiar with what happened, was so explosive that Kushner approached Peterlin afterward and told her that Tillerson’s outburst was completely unprofessional, according to two of the people familiar with the exchange, and told her that they needed to work out a solution.

“Colleagues are capable of frank exchanges,” said R.C. Hammond, a State Department spokesman, when asked about the disagreement. “Evaluating nominees did get off to a slow start, but it is now moving along at a pretty good clip.”

He has complained about White House attempts to push personnel on him; about the president’s tweets; and about the work conditions in a West Wing where he sometimes finds loyalty and competence hard to come by. Above all, the former ExxonMobil CEO, accustomed to having the final word on both personnel and policy in his corporate life, has balked at taking orders from political aides younger and less experienced than he is. “He went into this with a very negative attitude towards the White House,” said a former senior State Department official familiar with his thinking, who recounted that during the transition, Tillerson opposed a candidate proposed by Trump’s team simply on the grounds that Trump’s team was proposing him.

He has sometimes conducted talks with potential job candidates without telling the White House, said one person familiar with his actions. Tillerson has told senior officials that Trump promised him autonomy, and that he wanted it, according to people who have spoken to him.

“Rex is a 65-year-old guy who worked his way up from the bottom at Exxon, and he chafes at the idea of taking orders from a 38-year-old political operative,” said a former transition aide who worked closely with Tillerson.

DeStefano worked for years as a senior adviser to former House Speaker John Boehner before he joined the Trump administration, where he has struggled to fill thousands of jobs across the government, though the pace has quickened in recent weeks.

White House spokesman Michael Short blamed some of the staffing delays on “obstruction” from Senate Democrats and said that many diplomatic positions need careful vetting.

“The meeting was productive and there was consensus on the topic of staffing, which is moving forward more quickly,” Short added.

Where Tillerson is concerned, the frustration goes both ways. Many of his proposed nominees have been rejected by DeStefano’s Office of Presidential Personnel either because they are Democrats or because they are Republicans who were critical of Trump during the campaign. Though Brian Hook, the State Department’s director of policy planning, told associates several weeks ago that the department had several people in the pipeline, few have been announced since, and the White House continues to resist Tillerson’s choices.

He’s also faced resistance to leaning on civil servants. Tillerson has expressed his desire to nominate Susan Thornton, a career foreign service officer now serving as the acting assistant secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to take over the job in an official capacity — a move White House staffers have resisted, saying they want a political person in the role.

Trump campaign chairman received $17 million from pro-Russian political party

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 17:39:09 +0000

6/28/2017

Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, filed as a foreign agent today. The filing revealed that Manafort’s firm, DMP International, received $17.1 million between 2012 and 2014 from the Party of Regions, the pro-Russian former ruling party in Ukraine. Manafort resigned from Trump’s campaign when it was reported he had received undisclosed cash payments for his work in Ukraine.

According to the US government, a foreign agent is any person who acts on behalf of a “foreign principal” in a political manner in the United States. To be classified as a foreign agent, the person must be engaged in political or quasi-political activities on behalf of the foreign principal. The foreign principal can be a foreign country, political party or other interest wanting to influence policy or political opinion in the United States. A foreign agent is required to register before they represent a foreign entity, but there are few penalties not to do so. Subsequently, some foreign agents only register after it is discovered they received payments. Both Manafort and disgraced former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn registered as foreign agents retroactively, after they took payments.

It is unknown who Manafort tried to influence on behalf of the pro-Russia political party he represented. It is also unknown exactly what they expected for their $17 million in fees, but the fees were paid.

It is perfectly legal to be a paid foreign agent representing a foreign government or political party in the United States. Approximately 6,000 people have registered as foreign agents in the past 80 years since it became law to do so. What is not legal, or ethical, is to not register or make public that you are representing a foreign interest after you have been contracted to do so. Manafort’s retroactive registration, five years after he began, raises a lot of questions. Was Trump aware that Manafort received $17 million to represent a pro-Russian political party? If not, what vetting did Trump actually do on his most senior staff members? Did Manafort influence Trump’s thinking on Russia? What other influence did Manafort put forward while being paid by the foreign political party? We may never know what exactly Manafort did to earn $17 million from the pro-Russian political party, all we know is that Trump’s campaign had people at the highest level who were paid by a foreign entity to act politically on their behalf in the United States.

Around the world, Trump trusted less than Putin to do the right thing

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 22:49:26 +0000

6/27/2017

In a recently released Pew Center survey, respondents around the world had less confidence that Trump would do the right thing when it came to politics than other world leaders. The survey asked respondents how confident they were that four world leaders would do the right thing when it came to world affairs.

Angela Merkel of Germany rated the highest, with 42% of respondents having confidence that she would do the right thing. President Xi Jinping of China came in second at 28% having confidence, with Putin of Russia scoring ahead of Trump at 27%. Trump came in a disappointing fourth (and last) place at 22% of respondents having confidence he would do the right thing regarding world affairs.

The survey also showed that by country, Trump trailed Obama in every major country except for Israel and Russia. The entire survey can be found here: Pew Survey on leadership Please note there are multiple pages to the survey, page four shows results for confidence in the top world leaders.

Trump signs VA reform bill making it easier to fire poor employees

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 23:24:34 +0000

6/23/2017

President Trump today signed the Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 , which in part, is designed to speed up the process to discipline employees for misconduct and put more decision-making power in the hands of Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin. The act is in response to the 2014 VA scandals involving long wait times for medical care and attempts by VA employees to cover up the delays.

“For many years, the government failed to keep its promises to our veterans. We all remember the nightmare that veterans suffered during the VA scandals that were exposed a few years ago,” Trump said during remarks in the East Room of the White House. “Veterans were put on secret wait lists, given the wrong medication, given the bad treatments, and ignored in moments of crisis for them,” he said. “Many veterans died waiting for a simple doctor’s appointment. What happened was a national disgrace, and yet some of the employees involved in these scandals remained on the payrolls. Outdated laws kept the government from holding those who failed our veterans accountable.” “Today,” Trump said, “we are finally changing those laws.”

The law won bipartisan support in both the Senate and House, and comes after years of horror stories about the VA, including those that found dozens of veterans died or were seriously injured because of long wait times at hospitals across the country. Few, if any VA employees were fired after it became known that staff members had altered and falsified records about the agency’s performance, and the level of care given to US veterans.

The passage of this law fulfills one of the Presidents campaign promises to reform the troubled agency.

Supreme Court allows most of travel ban to start

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 19:08:49 +0000

2/26/2017

After being rejected by lower courts, the Supreme Court is allowing Trump’s travel ban to go into limited effect for a period of 90 days. Foreign nationals from six countries who lack any “bona fide relationship with any person or entity in the United States” will be banned. Those having formal relationships, such as those having family members in the US, foreign students accepted to US universities or an employee who has accepted a job with a company in the US, will still be able to travel to the US the court said.

The travel ban bars people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days (outside of the “bona fide” relationship exception). It could take effect in as little as 72 hours. Trump called the decision “a clear victory for our national security.” “As President, I cannot allow people into our country who want to do us harm,” he added in a statement. “I want people who can love the United States and all of its citizens, and who will be hardworking and productive.” Mysteriously, Saudi Arabia is not part of the travel ban, even though 19 of the 9/11 terrorists were from that country. In addition, Saudi Arabia practices and supports Wahhabism, the most extreme form of Islam. Two reports by the Department of Homeland Security that recently became public show that no domestic terror plot or attempt has been committed by anyone from the six nations now on the list.

The court ruling allows the ban until the court meets again in the Fall for further discussion. However, the ban is only for 90 days. It is unlikely that this particular ban will be in effect when the court is ready to discuss the topic again. What will Trump and the Justice department do? The reasoning for the ban was to give the administration time to investigate possible solutions to ensure terrorists are not able to enter the United States. As it happens, it has been more than 90 days since Trump signed the first executive order. Has the administration been doing nothing during that time? Could they have been investigating solutions since January? What does limiting people’s entrance actually allow them to do that they couldn’t do while people were coming in? Is it because of staffing, are the people working at the customs gates at JFK the actual people that will be pulled off their jobs to analyze data and develop our new security protocols? Probably not.

The significance of the Supreme Court ruling isn’t the banning of travelers for the next 90 days. The government isn’t going to be able to analyze anything differently than when people are arriving on daily flights. What the approval of the travel ban does do, is set the ground work for a six or twelve month extension of the ban for further research. When 90 days come and go, the administration will be able to claim that they either need additional time (an extension) or will propose a new ban based on the research. Trump will then claim that research has shown that the ban needs to be expanded to additional countries, or cover additional high-risk pools of people.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire – NYT lists every Trump lie

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 22:01:39 +0000

6/23/2017

The New York Times claimed today that President Trump told at least one lie every day during his first 40 days in office. The Times took a full page to publish all of the lies (they were aware of) that Trump has made since his inauguration. In the article, the Times noted how some of the lies contradicted themselves, and how Trump can’t seem to keep track of what he has said in the past (see section regarding China’s currency manipulation). When the Times publishes all of the lies, does that mean they print “fake news?”

You can click the link below to read the article.

New York Times list of Trump lies

Trump claims he did not make tapes at the White House

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 22:36:53 +0000

6/22/2017

After more than five weeks of not revealing whether he had made tapes or not, President Trump today came clean and tweeted that he did not. On May 12th, Trump had insinuated that he may have had made tapes of conversations he had with then FBI Director James Comey. Over the next five weeks, neither Trump nor his Press Secretary Sean Spicer, would confirm or deny that recording devices had been used in the White House. If tapes did exist, the President would have been required to turn them over to congress tomorrow.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

…whether there are "tapes" or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017

Trump now under investigation?

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 23:44:47 +0000

6/18/2017

On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation is widening its probe to include possible obstruction violations by President Trump. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team is interviewing a number of intelligence officials who are known to had conversations with Trump about the Russia investigation. Upon learning the news, Trump again Tweeted his apparent frustration.

I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017

Trump’s tweet appears to be in reference to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In May, Rosenstein wrote a memo criticizing the former FBI director James Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email case (Comey Termination letters) and laid out a case for Comey’s termination. Trump then fired Comey, and used the memo as justification. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also held up that memo to justify Comey’s firing. Rosenstein later hired Robert Mueller as special prosecutor to investigate Russia’s interference with the election. Ironically, Mueller was given the power to investigate other injustices that he may uncover during the course of his work, which apparently now circle back to the presidents potential obstruction of justice.

Trump’s tweet actually holds little water. Soon after Comey’s firing the president made it clear that Rosenstein’s memo had nothing to do with his decision to fire Comey, that he was going to do it anyway (Trump’s reason for firing Comey). In addition, Rosenstein himself may be asked to answer questions regarding if Trump (or Jeff Sessions) pressured him to write his memo in the first place.

During the past few months, Trump has gone out of his way to reiterate that former FBI Director Comey had told him that he was not personally under investigation. Comey confirmed he told the president as much when he testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. It seems a bit odd that Trump would give significance to the difference between his entire campaign (and many of his current staff) being investigated for wrongdoing, and he, himself being investigated. Is there much of a difference?

On Sunday, Trump’s attorney Jay Sekulow, appeared on many of the Sunday morning news shows to declare that the president was not under investigation. This was a complete contradiction of the president’s own tweet that declared that he was. Sekulow claimed that neither the president nor his staff had been notified that the president was under investigation. As it happens, there is no obligation of the special prosecutor to notify anybody as to whether they are under investigation. Given Mueller’s ability to investigate all possible wrongdoings, it would make sense that every person involved with the campaign, including the president, would be under investigation. You can see Sekulow’s bizarre interaction with Fox’s Chris Wallace below.

The truly sad thing is that Trump is self imploding. This issue isn’t in the press every day because of the Democrats. Trump is having his attorneys go on TV to talk about the investigation (and doing a terrible job of making excuses). While he may complain about the investigation being a witch hunt, Trump is doing everything he can to keep his name at the forefront of every news cycle, be it good news, bad news, or in this case, sad news.

Trump and Tillerson can’t agree on Qatar

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 23:47:52 +0000

6/15/2017

When President Trump traveled to Saudi Arabia, he discussed the Saudi’s responsibility in fighting terrorism. Last week, the Saudi’s took action against Qatar, claiming Qatar backed terrorist actions in the region. The riff between the two nations puts the United States in a difficult position, a position that President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson don’t seem to view in the same light.

The US and Qatar have had a long and prosperous military relationship. In all of the Middle East, the US’s largest military base is in Qatar. The Al Udeid Air Base is home to some 11,000 US military personnel. The US Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, provides US command and control of air power throughout Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and 17 other nations. Last week, the Saudis established a blockade of Qatar, thus affecting supplies to US military operations in the region. The Saudi’s were able to recruit Egypt, Bahrain and the U.A.E. to join them enforcing the embargo of Qatar.

During a press conference in the Rose Garden, Trump supported the actions of Saudi Arabia’s blockade, and stated “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.” However, just an hour before, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a different press conference and said “We call on the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Bahrain, and Egypt to ease the blockade against Qatar.” Tillerson continued “the blockade is hindering US military actions in the region and the campaign against ISIS.” So the President praised actions against Qatar, home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, while the Secretary of State called against the actions.

Further confusing the situation was the Pentagon’s decision a week later to sell Qatar $12 billion dollars worth of F-15 fighter jets. If Trump believes Qatar is a high level sponsor of terrorism, why would he sell arms to them?

What is the reason that Saudi Arabia believes Qatar backs terrorism? Perhaps part of it is due to Qatar’s relatively close relationship with Iran. Qatar and Iran share joint ownership of a massive gas field in the area, and Qatar has other business interests with Iran. Saudi Arabia is an adversary of Iran, and this may be an indirect way of making life a bit more difficult for Iran. Furthermore, compared to Saudi Arabia, Qatar is considered highly progressive, and they have been successful in promoting their country internationally. Qatar hosted the 2006 Asian Games, launched the Al Jazeera television network and will host the 2022 World Cup. The Al Jazeera news station often offers opposing view points to issues facing the Middle East, view points that often contrast to the ultra-conservative ideologies of the Saudi kingdom.

Trump’s statements on Qatar courtesy NBC News

UPDATE **** June 23, 2017

Saudia Arabia has listed 13 conditions to lifting the Qatar embargo

Curb diplomatic ties with Iran and close its diplomatic missions there. Expel members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and cut off any joint military cooperation with Iran. Only trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US and international sanctions will be permitted.
Sever all ties to “terrorist organisations”, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al-Qaida and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Formally declare those entities as terrorist groups.
Shut down al-Jazeera and its affiliate stations.
Shut down news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.
Immediately terminate the Turkish military presence in Qatar and end any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside Qatar.
Stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the US and other countries.
Hand over “terrorist figures” and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide any desired information about their residency, movements and finances.
End interference in sovereign countries’ internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship violates those countries’ laws.
Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatar’s prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups.
Pay reparations and compensation for loss of life and other, financial losses caused by Qatar’s policies in recent years. The sum will be determined in coordination with Qatar.
Consent to monthly audits for the first year after agreeing to the demands, then once per quarter during the second year. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance.
Align itself with the other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014.
Agree to all the demands within 10 days of it being submitted to Qatar, or the list becomes invalid.

Secretary of Defense declares North Korea is most dangerous threat

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 21:24:32 +0000

In prepared testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said “The most urgent and dangerous threat to peace and security is North Korea. North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them has increased in pace and scope,” “The regime’s nuclear weapons program is a clear and present danger to all, and the regime’s provocative actions, manifestly illegal under international law, have not abated despite United Nations’ censure and sanctions,” he added.

Mattis made these statements shortly after North Korea conducted their 10th missile test of the year, most recently a medium range cruise missile. North Korea’s testing of arms are at an all-time high, easily surpassing the rate of testing under Obama North Korea missile tests.

Upon questioning by Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ), Mattis said war with North Korea would be a “war like nothing we’ve seen since 1953.”“It would be a very, very serious war,” he added. Because Seoul South Korea is home to 25 million people, and is so close, a war with the North could be catastrophic. Citizens (including approximately 300,000 Americans) would be “within range of thousands of rockets, missiles and artillery pieces along the border.” “In that conflict, we will see casualties, unlike anything we’ve seen in 60 or 70 years, and many of those casualties will be in the first three, five, seven days of the war where all those people in the Greater Seoul area will be exposed to that North Korea threat that we will not be able to mitigate initially.”

Trump sued by D.C. and Maryland over emoluments conflict

Sun, 11 Jun 2017 20:36:06 +0000

6/11/2017

Washington, D.C. and Maryland’s Attorney General’s filed suit against President Trump Monday alleging he violated the Constitution by accepting millions of dollars in payments and benefits from foreign governments since becoming president in January. The lawsuit claims Trump violated two anti-corruption provisions in the Constitution regarding emoluments that prohibit the president from earning profits from businesses he owns, controls or prospers from.

The emoluments clause, which forbids government officials from accepting payments and gifts from foreign governments, raises the question of whether the president is allowed to continue collecting profits from a global Trump brand. Specifically, the clause states “No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

According to the suit, Trump has received payments or benefits from governments including China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Indonesia which have paid for rooms and events at Trump hotels or leased space in Trump buildings or, as in the case with China, have been granted valuable trademarks. The suit states “President Trump’s continued ownership interest in a global business empire, which renders him deeply enmeshed with a legion of foreign and domestic government actors violates the Constitution and calls into question the rule of law and the integrity of the country’s political system.”

For example, the Embassy of Kuwait switched its event from the Four Seasons hotel to the Trump International Hotel in D.C. Last month, the government of Turkey held a state-sponsored event at Trump’s hotel. And back in April, Georgia’s ambassador stayed at the hotel and tweeted about his experience.

Past presidents have either divested themselves from any business ownership, or have put their ownership in a blind trust whereby they are unaware of any ownership that they may have. Trump announced in January that he’d turn over his business dealings to his sons Eric and Donald Jr. (not divest). He also said he wouldn’t make any new business deals outside the U.S. while president. However, in a March 2017 interview with Forbes magazine, Eric Trump stated that he would keep his father updated on the business, thus implying that the president would be well informed in all aspects of his personal holdings.

Trump suggests the sun can pay for the wall

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 22:30:05 +0000

6/9/2017

President Trump met with top Republican lawmakers on Tuesday, and suggested adding solar panels to the wall with Mexico. The idea is that the electricity generated could be sold to pay for construction and maintenance of the wall, which has yet to receive funding.

Experts differ if the project would make economic sense, with one projecting the solar panels could generate enough electricity to pay off the wall in 20 years, while most experts have predicted that the added costs would never be paid off. The demand for electricity on the US side of the border is fairly low, so sales to Mexico where there is greater demand makes the most sense. Is this the way that Mexico could actually pay for the wall?

Another issue is that the solar panels would almost certainly be made outside of the United States in either China or Taiwan. With Trump withdrawing from the Paris Accord, China reaffirmed its place as the global leader when it comes to renewable energy, and especially solar. Having already built massive solar farms in the Gobi desert, China is the natural choice when it comes to expertise in solar power generation in projects of this size.

The fact that Trump may try to incorporate renewable energy in his plan to build a border wall is an ironic twist to his commitment to coal, and his past bashing of solar and wind projects.

How many more billions of dollars will @BarackObama continue to waste in these solar companies?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2011

In three years people won’t be building wind turbines anymore – they are obsolete & totally destroy the environment in which they sit.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2013

Trump feels vindicated by Comey’s testimony, others disagree

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 18:45:42 +0000

6/8/2017

Former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee today, reiterating many of the things stated in his prepared statement. Following Mr. Comey’s testimony, President Trump stated that he feels “complete vindication” from accusations that have made against him.

Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2017

The day after Comey’s testimony, Trump held a press conference in the White House Rose garden on a different topic, but could not resist addressing the testimony. Trump stated “Yesterday showed no collusion, no obstruction.” Trump later said he would testify under oath to deny Comey’s claims about their conversation, and added that Comey’s testimony was an “excuse by Democrats” who lost an election “they shouldn’t have lost.”

While the President and his supporters may feel vindicated, others wern’t so sure. Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on Sunday said he thinks there is evidence to start an obstruction of justice case against President Trump. “That’s an incredibly serious thing if people think that the president of the United States can tell heads of law enforcement agencies, based on his own whim or his own personal preferences or friendships, that they should or should not pursue particular criminal cases against individuals,” he said. “That’s not how America works.” The investigation into obstruction will continue through the special prosecutor.

While the president may feel vindicated, there are probably some things that should still concern him. Comey’s testimony did not shed light on many of the reasons the president and the White House have been under scrutiny.

What the president could feel good about:

Confirmation that he, personally, was not under FBI investigation at the time of his asking.
That Comey admitted to leaking aspects of their private conversations.

What the president shouldn’t feel good about:

That there was no confirmation or indication that his campaign staff, or current members of his administration were not under investigation for collusion.
That son-in-law and senior White House staff member Jared Kushner has recently been noted as a person of interest in regards to meetings with Russian operatives.
While James Comey deferred his opinion of whether Trump obstructed justice in his request regarding Michael Flynn, Comey doesn’t decide if charges should be brought, and that investigation is still pending.
That the Former FBI Director had no doubt that the Russian government, at the highest levels, interfered with the 2016 election.
That for the first time in US history, a former FBI Director called a sitting president a liar, and in Comey’s case, did it five times.
That for the first time in US history, an acting FBI Director had to alter his protocol in conversations with the president because he thought the president may lie about the conversations.
That no Senators refuted Comey’s statements, or offered evidence to contradict his statements.

The entire testimony can be seen via this link. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/Ngv0OOH3zuQ

Trump sinks to all time low in polls

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 04:54:47 +0000

Latest numbers from all polls

06/07/2017 -* Update*-

Trump poll numbers continue to crash. President Trump’s job approval rating has fallen to a new low, according to a poll released Wednesday. The new Quinnipiac University poll finds Trump has a job approval rating of 34 percent, compared to 57 percent who disapprove of the way the president is handling his job. In a poll released at the end of last month, 37 percent of respondents approved of the job the president was doing and 55 percent disapproved.

The new poll also finds 31 percent of voters think Trump did something illegal regarding his relationship with Russia. Another 29 percent of respondents think the president did something unethical, but not illegal, regarding his relationship with Russia. Thirty-two percent think the president did nothing wrong.

At this point in his presidency, Trump has the lowest approval ratings of any previous president, dating back to Harry S. Truman, the first president to have an approval poll taken near the beginning of their presidency. A comparison chart generated by fivethirtyeight.com shows on a daily basis how Trump compares to past presidents. You can click on the following link and scroll down to see it : Trump approval compared to past presidents Please note that fivethirtyeight.com’s approval rating is an average of seven polls listed on their site, and the Quinnipiac University poll (included in their average) will probably claim a higher or lower approval rating.

03/22/2017

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 37% — a new low, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday.

Most of his decline is due voters who are considered his “base”. Among Republicans, Trump’a approval rating sank from 91% to 81%, with similar declines among male, and white voters.

“Most alarming for President Donald Trump, the demographic underpinnings of his support, Republicans, white voters, especially men and those without a college degree, are starting to have doubts,” the assistant director of the poll, Tim Malloy, said in a statement. A large majority of those polled — 70%, did not believe Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that President Obama wiretapped his phones during the 2016 election. A claim that Trump still holds to even though there is absolutely no evidence to support it. The poll also reported 73% of voters said Trump and his administration made statements without supporting evidence “very often” or “somewhat often.” Voters also showed increasing doubt in Trump’s honesty and leadership, as 60% of respondents thought Trump was dishonest, compared with 55% in the March 7 poll.

Naturally, Trump has denounced low approval ratings as “fake news” and dismissed polls in January that showed he would be the lowest-rated incoming president in modern history.

Comey provides written statement before testimony

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 00:06:31 +0000

06/07/2017

A day before he is scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Former FBI Director James Comey released the prepared statement he plans to offer the committee before being questioned.

Contained in the prepared statement are detailed notes of nine instances where Comey and Trump interacted. The discussions regarded reports that Russia held compromising information on Trump, Michael Flynn’s involvement with Russia, and Trump’s demand for loyalty. The notes also described Trump’s desire to secure assurances that he himself, was not under investigation, an assurance Comey never offered. The opening statements give the impression that Comey was detailed in his notes regarding the interactions, and to whom and when he shared details of the interactions with others.

The statement gives the impression that Trump certainly expressed his hope that the Former FBI Director would let any investigation involving Michael Flynn go. Whether this constitutes an obstruction of justice is remains to be seen, but by simply voicing his wishes Trump ventured into questionable territory. The fact that Trump requested to speak with the Director alone is also troubling, and should not have happened. This fact was clear to Comey, who later requested AG Jeff Sessions never leave him alone with the president.

The statement also contained notes regarding Trump’s attempt for Comey to pledge his loyalty to the president. At a private dinner, Comey reports that Trump stated “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty”. In response, Comey noted he “didn’t move, speak, or change my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed. We simply looked at each other in silence.”

Interested readers can read the entire document here: Comey prepared statements

Trump backs out of Paris accord

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 23:30:20 +0000

“We’re getting out” Trump stated today from the White House Rose Garden, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”

190 out of 193 countries had signed on to the Paris agreement, intended to address global warming on a world scale. Now, only Syria, Nicaragua and the United States have decided not to join the effort that many believe is crucial to saving the planet. Syria did not join the accord as it is in the midst of a civil war that has displaced approximately 12 million of their residents. Nicaragua did not join the accord as they believe the reductions in greenhouse gasses was not stringent enough, and that countries should do more.

Some of the United States’ largest companies urged the President to remain in the accord. Those companies include Exxon Mobile (worlds largest company), Apple (worlds most valuable company), 3M, Bank of America, Facebook, Campbell Soup, Cargill, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Google, Morgan Stanley, Walmart, British Petroleum, Shell, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Cummins, Allianz, GAP, Adobe, Johnson Controls, Salesforce, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Tesla, The Hartford, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, Conoco Phillips, Levi Strauss, Mars, Hewlett Packard, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Virgin Group, Walt Disney, Unilever, Pacific Gas & Electric, Ingersoll Rand, and many others.

Trump disregarded full-page ads that were placed in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal by a consortium of the above companies urging the President to stay in the Paris accord. Many of the US companies believe staying in the Paris agreement will create jobs, create a level playing field, keep costs down, and generate economic growth by expanding markets for innovative technology to meet the goals.

The decision was almost universally denounced at home and across the globe, and risked that the Trump Administration would not be considered a leader in future world issues. The leaders of France, Germany and Italy said in a joint statement that they regretted the United States’ decision to withdraw from the accord, but affirmed “our strongest commitment” to implement its measures and encouraged “all our partners to speed up their action to combat climate change.”

Trump stated during his speech that the United States would be willing to rejoin the accord if it could obtain more favorable terms. The three European leaders said the agreement cannot be renegotiated, “since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economics.” French President Emmanuel Macron later said “I do respect this decision but I do think it is an actual mistake both for the U.S. and for our planet.”

Just about nobody can trust Donald Trump

Wed, 31 May 2017 02:36:21 +0000

It started just about as soon as he took office. The false claims about the crowd size at his inauguration really didn’t matter, but the Trump staff insisted on telling the lie. When the truth started to get in the way, they tried “alternative facts”. it wasn’t long before people in the Trump Administration started to lose credibility and trust, and started to lose it fast.

The issue isn’t whether Trump makes bold claims and big promises, a lot of politicians do. The issue isn’t that he makes generalized, ambiguous statements like “it will be great”, “everybody will be better off”, “it’s going to be fantastic, the best ever”. Most people understand that those are boasts and don’t carry much weight.

President Trump’s trust issues come down to far more serious matters. Matters that affect lives. Matters that affect relationships with our long-standing allies. Matters that determine America’s standing in the world, and how the rest of the world is shaped.

US courts and judges think Trump is a liar. President Trump’s immigration ban was recently turned down by the courts for the third time (Third time not a charm). In its first draft, the Executive Order was rejected by the courts because of an implied bias to discriminate against Muslims. The second version was cleaner and may have passed the courts had it not been for Trump’s previous rhetoric of calling for “a total ban on all Muslims from entering the United States” (Trump calls for Muslim ban). Even though the Trump Administration claimed that the ban had nothing to do with Muslims, the judges didn’t believe it, specifically citing Trump’s call to ban Muslims. The judges don’t believe Trump, and the result is a failed attempt to reign in immigration and to strengthen US security.

NATO can no longer trust Trump. On his recent trip to Europe, Trump admonished the members of NATO for not pulling their weight and refused to state that he supports Article 5. Article 5 is the soul of NATO. It states that an attack against one member is to be considered an attack against all members, and all members will fight for any one member. It is Article 5 that has stopped Russia from colonizing Europe country by country, it has stopped the spread of communism in Europe. For almost 70 years, America has been a steadfast member of NATO, and now Trump waivers in support. For almost 70 years America has fought to protect our allies from Communist aggression, and now Trump is willing to throw all the effort and dedication down the drain. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was so disappointed in the lack of support from Trump she declared Europe’s ability to rely on the US was “over, to a certain extent. This is what I have experienced in the last few days.” Europe “really must take our fate into our own hands”. NATO and Europe can no longer trust Trump as an ally in the continuous struggle against Russian interference and aggression.

Britain can’t Trust Trump. For two acts of blatant incompetence, Britain has had to admonish the Trump administration. The first being the Administrations claim that Obama may have used British resources to wiretap the Trump Tower (a claim so absurd Sean Spicer had to make a public apology). The second was the Administration’s leak of intelligence information the British offered regarding the terrorist attack in Manchester.

Israel can’t trust Trump. Earlier this month, Trump invited Russian diplomats to the Oval Office, where he divulged top secret information provided by an Israeli operative. While Trump did not specifically name the operative or Israel, the divulged information reportedly revealed enough information for the Russians to easily make the determination.

The Intelligence community can’t trust Trump. Shortly after the election, Trump criticized the US intelligence agencies for leaks and other alleged misdeeds. He then fired FBI Director James Comey, for reasons that still are not clear. His termination letter stated it was due to advice offered by the Department of Justice, but later Trump stated he had already decided to fire Comey for other reasons. Trump stated that the FBI is in disarray, is poorly led, and that FBI employees do not have confidence in leadership. These statements were refuted by both Director James Comey, and later by acting Director Andrew McCabe. Add Trump’s statement that it is his right to divulge secrets to anybody he wants to, and the sad truth is that people in the Intelligence agencies can’t trust what Trump says or does.

The military can’t trust Trump. During a telephone conversation with Philippine President Duterte on April 29th, Trump disclosed the location of two US nuclear submarines which were on patrol at the time. The whole point of submarines is to hide their location, a fact that Trump apparently didn’t understand. This obviously put American servicemen and women at great risk.

The Trump Administration can’t trust Trump. On any given issue, most administrations form a narrative that staff are instructed to adhere. The story is the story, and that’s what they stick to. Unfortunately, in this administration, Trump can’t stick to the story. He can’t be trusted. Time after time, his administration, (including Vice President Pence) will offer a position on an issue, only to have Trump sabotage what they have said. It destroys the credibility of the staff to have Trump contradict what they have stated. Sean Spicer can also not trust Trump. An avid Catholic, Spicer was scheduled to join Trump when he met the Pope, a thrill of a lifetime for any devout Catholic. At the last minute, Spicer was not allowed to attend, and Trump’s Jewish daughter, Jewish son-in-law, a former bodyguard, and social media adviser met the Pope instead.

Trump supporters can’t trust Trump. Trump’s promise for a Special Prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton? He changed his mind. Build a wall and have Mexico pay for it? Mexico isn’t going to pay for a wall. His promise of a Foolproof plan to defeat ISIS in a short amount of time? We’re still waiting. Even Trump supporters with blinders are slowly realizing that a lot of those big promises will never happen, but they were fun to talk about!

Seniors and the poor can’t trust Trump. After promising that his healthcare plan will be better for everyone, Trump’s proposed plan will cause 23 million Americans to lose their health coverage. Seniors who are able to keep it may not be able to afford it as their rates will skyrocket up to 700%. Trump’s budget also proposes cutting Medicaid coverage for the poor by $860 billion dollars after he stated repeatedly that he would not touch Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. By the way, his budget also cuts Social Security disability benefits.

The sad truth is that Trump can’t be trusted. Our allies can’t trust him. Our own government can’t trust him. Our citizens can’t trust him and sadly, the people most loyal to him, his staff, can’t even trust him. Sad.

Kushner is White House’s “Back Door Man”

Tue, 30 May 2017 20:42:39 +0000

5/30/2017

Is it appropriate for an ordinary American citizen to meet with Russian operatives and ask them to set up hidden communication channels with the Kremlin so that US intelligence can’t track the conversations? That is exactly what Jared Kushner tried to do in December, before Donald Trump took office in January.

Before Trump became President, and before Kushner had any authority or legal right to do so, Kushner met with Russian operative Sergey Kislyak in Trump Tower in an attempt to set up back-channel communications with the Russians, through Russian facilities. It is against US Federal law for an ordinary citizen to negotiate or transact business on behalf of the United States with a foreign government. Well after these meetings, while Kushner was applying for his security clearance he failed to mention these meetings with the Russians, just like he failed to mention his meeting with the head of a Russian bank which has direct ties to Vladimir Putin and Russian spy services.

Why would Kushner, or other future members of the Trump Administration, try to set up a secretive communication channel? What purpose would it serve? To whom’s advantage was it, and why did they feel a need to keep their conversations from other US officials? Nobody in the White House has answered those questions yet.

Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly appeared on both ABC News’ “This Week”, and NBC’s “Meet the Press” and gave this assessment of Kushner’s reported outreach to Russia:

“It’s both normal, in my opinion, and acceptable. Any way that you can communicate with people, particularly organizations that are maybe not particularly friendly to us is a good thing…. [I]t’s not a bad thing to have multiple communication lines to any government.”

However Republican Senator John McCain, when asked what he thought of the news regarding Kushner stated “I don’t like it”. “I know that some administration officials are saying ‘well, that’s standard procedure.’ I don’t think it’s standard procedure prior to the inauguration of the president of the United States by someone who is not in an appointed position.”

Furthermore, Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, was asked where something like this falls “on a scale of ‘always’ to ‘never.’” McFaul responded, “Never. I’ve never heard of anybody asking to come to our embassy from Russia to communicate with people back here in the United States, or vice versa.”

N. Korea conducts 9th missile test of 2017, more than under Obama’s two terms

Sun, 28 May 2017 22:07:04 +0000

During Obama’s two terms as President, North Korea conducted eight missile tests and attempted four satellite launches. During Trump’s first six months, they have conducted nine missile tests, and have shown no signs of slowing down.

Trump has tweeted many times about North Korea and China’s ability to control them. Trump implied that the reason that China hasn’t influenced North Korea is because China didn’t respect American leadership. President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping April 6th, 2017, yet North Korea has conducted five missile tests since that time. Perhaps Trump didn’t impress the Chinese President?

North Korea is reliant on China. China could solve this problem easily if they wanted to but they have no respect for our leaders.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2013

North Korea can't survive, or even eat, without the help of China. China could solve this problem with one phone call-they love taunting us!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 5, 2013

Under President Trump, the North Koreans have conducted the following missile tests, one more than under all of Obama’s two terms:

Feb 11, 2017 – Successful solid fuel intermediate range missile traveled 310 miles

Mar 5 – Five missiles, four traveled more than 600 miles, one failed

Mar 21- Failed mobile launch test, exploded within seconds of launch

Apr 4 – Failed launch of KN-17 missile, 34 miles

Apr 15 – Failed launch of KN-17 missile, exploded shortly after launch

Apr 28 – Failed launch KN-17 missile, 21 miles

May 14 – Successful KN-17 launch, 435 miles, altitude of 1,245 miles

May 21 – Successful solid fuel KN-15 launch, 300 miles

May 28 – Successful short range missile test, six minute duration

After each test, North Korea increases its capability of striking the United States with a nuclear warhead. While it is believed that they don’t currently have the capability, they have shown that they are committed to continued development until they do. It is unknown how long it will take North Korea to mate a nuclear weapon with a missile capable of reaching US soil, but some have estimated they may have the technology within three years.

President Trump has not asked Congress for permission to engage North Korea militarily. He did state that he was sending an aircraft carrier towards North Korea after the April 15th missile test. At this time, Trump has not announced that he has any definitive plan in regards to dealing with the threat from North Korea.

Merkel: Europe can’t depend on Trump

Sun, 28 May 2017 21:50:06 +0000

5/28/2017

In a sad dose of reality, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated Europe “really must take our fate into our own hands”, “This is what I have experienced in the last few days”. This coming after recent meetings involving President Trump during his trip to Europe.

Trump’s statements over several days made it clear to just about everybody that America’s long standing support for NATO and a free Europe might be coming to an end under his administration. Trump refused to support NATO’s Article 5 which promotes unity in defense of all members. Because of this and Trump’s other statements, Merkel had no choice but to come to the conclusion that it would be in Europe’s best interest to look after themselves.

Trump’s failure to win over America’s long standing allies was a disappointment for many in Europe, and the United States. Even some of the most Conservative Republicans were not impressed, with Bill Kristol tweeting:

Merkel's comments today are a reminder that Trump's failures are, while he's president, also America's failure, and damage America.

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 28, 2017

Only time will tell if Europe is indeed alone in it’s common defense against Russian aggression and other threats. This may result in serious consequences for the United States, which one day in the future may call on other nations to join in a common fight. Sending a signal that we are no longer interested in defending their freedom, it will be a tough sell to convince them to fight for ours.

Trump doesn’t understand how NATO works financially

Sun, 28 May 2017 02:44:48 +0000

5/27/2017

Donald Trump appears to need a lesson on how NATO works, at least financially. From his statements, it appears he believes that NATO sends out bills and member countries are responsible for making a payment.

“This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States. And many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years and not paying in those past years.” (Trump at NATO headquarters 2/25/2017).

While there are some small payments that are made for administrative purposes, the bulk of agreed spending is on each member nation’s own military. In 2014, members agreed to spend 2% or more of their GDP on their own military, and they have until 2024 to meet that goal. The 2% is to their own individual military, and payments for the 2% are not made to NATO or the United States. Currently, only five of the 28 member nations meet or exceed the goal. The United States, as a percentage of GDP and by simple dollars, by far spends the most on its military at 3.6%.

Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

…vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

Member nations don’t owe for back payments, or for previous shortfalls as they would only owe the money to their own military. And despite what Trump has tweeted, money isn’t “beginning to pour in”, as there is no place for it to pour into.

Many NATO countries have agreed to step up payments considerably, as they should. Money is beginning to pour in- NATO will be much stronger.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2017

Should all member nations spend a fair and equal amount on their military so that each is prepared to defend any member should the need arise? Absolutely, but it is spending on their own military that is at issue, not past due payments to a central organization. Since the goal has a due date of 2024, current shortfalls by any member is not unfair to the people of the United States.

What percentage of US military spending can be applied to the protection of Europe from Russian aggression is difficult to calculate. However, it has been clear form 1945 that it has been in the United States’ best interest to keep Europe and South East Asia free from communist rule. The United States’ alliance with NATO is critical to the security of the United States, and to the rest of the free world.

Simpson’s mock Trump

Fri, 26 May 2017 19:57:50 +0000

In the second short involving President Trump, Fox released “125 Days” which imagines Donald Trump being visited by the ghost of Richard Nixon. Note which song Pence is whistling as he scratches off “Vice” from his name plate. Is this a sign to come?

And this is the first “100 Days” of the Trump Presidency according to the Simpsons.

FBI begins to focus in on Jared Kushner, Trump Adviser and son-in-law

Fri, 26 May 2017 19:10:32 +0000

5/25/2017

Not letting up in its’ investigation into potential criminal conduct in relation to Russia, the FBI has turned some of its focus towards Jared Kushner, Trump’s Adviser and son-in-law. Kushner is known to have met with the Russians in Trump Tower during the election, and may have further knowledge as to how other staff, such as disgraced former General Michael Flynn, may have interacted with the Russians during that time.

Kushner’s attorney said her client is willing to talk to the FBI if asked. “Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry,” said Jamie Gorelick, his attorney. This is a departure from the attitude of Michael Flynn, who has refused to provide documents, has stated he will plead the 5th if summoned to testify, and has asked for immunity from prosecution.

Republican John Boehner: Trump Presidency “a complete disaster”

Fri, 26 May 2017 18:57:10 +0000

5/26/2017

Former Speaker of the House and third in-line to the Presidency John Boehner, yesterday described just about everything about the Trump presidency a disaster. The Ohio Republican said Trump has handled national security and foreign policy issues well, but added: “Everything else he’s done (in office) has been a complete disaster,”

“He’s still learning how to be president,” Boehner said in remarks Wednesday at a global energy conference hosted by KPMG, a major accounting firm. Boehner told the audience that Trump did the best he could in pushing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. But he suggested the president’s approach was wrong-headed. Trump should have worked to “repair” the law, not scrap it, Boehner said.

Third time not a charm for Trump travel ban

Thu, 25 May 2017 21:20:13 +0000

5/25/2017

President Trump’s hope of banning people from terror prone countries took another blow today, as the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 10-3 to uphold a lower courts decision that barred the travel ban.

Trump’s first attempt was rejected by the courts as it included reference to Muslims. The courts decided that barring immigrants based on their religion was in violation of the Constitution, which ensures religious freedom. The Trump administration then re-drafted the executive order, removing any mention of religion. The second attempt was also rejected by a court in Hawaii, prompting Attorney Jeff Sessions to say “I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the president of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and Constitutional power.” During his campaign, Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States Trump Calls for ban on Muslim immigrants. The first second court determined that it could not ignor Trump’s previous statements as for the reason he wished to initiate a ban, and hence also found the second version in violation of the Constitution. The administration then appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

In the majority decision, Chief Judge Roger Gregory of the 4th Circuit wrote that changes made to the revised travel ban removing any mention of religion did not fix the fact that the order unfairly and illegally targets Muslims. “From the highest elected office in the nation has come an executive order steeped in animus and directed at a single religious group,” the court said in a 79-page opinion, accompanied by several concurrences and dissents.

The administration will now need to decide to either drop efforts to adopt the ban, or appeal to the Supreme Court for a ruling. If submitted to the Supreme Court, the court could decide either to hear arguments, or not hear arguments. If they decide not to hear the case, then the Appeal’s Court verdict would stand.

Trump shoves NATO diplomat so he can be in front of photo op

Thu, 25 May 2017 20:45:25 +0000

In a clear sign he always wants to be front-and-center, President Trump pushed and shoved his way to the front of a group of diplomats who were about to be photographed. The group was meeting in Brussels to discus issues regarding NATO.

British Intelligence stops sharing information after Trump Administration’s leaks

Thu, 25 May 2017 20:30:23 +0000

5/25/2017

Two weeks ago, Trump shared top secret intelligence with Russian officials in the White House, which potentially put Israeli operatives at risk. Yesterday, it was disclosed that In April Trump divulged the secret location of two US nuclear submarines to Philippine President Duerte, putting the US submarines at risk. Today, the Trump Administration leaked British Intelligence to the press regarding the bombing in Manchester. The leak so upset the British Intelligence community, they have placed an immediate stoppage of sharing intelligence with the United States until such time they are confident that the information will be kept secure.

President Trump is currently in Europe to meet with the members of NATO. After the announcement by British officials, British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to have a conversation with Trump that she should never should need to have. “She expressed the view that thee intelligence sharing relationship we have with the U.S. is hugely important and valuable, but that the information that we share should be kept secure,” a British government source said. The decision to stop sharing police information with U.S. agencies was an extraordinary step for Britain, which is usually at pains to emphasize its “special relationship” with the United States. “This is until such time as we have assurances that no further unauthorized disclosures will occur,” said a counter-terrorism source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump responded to the intelligence ban by stating “The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling.” “I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Curiously, Trump tweeted the following about Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton should not be given national security briefings in that she is a lose cannon with extraordinarily bad judgement & insticts.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2016

Carrier of Indiana to begin their layoffs in July – Jobs still going to Mexico

Thu, 25 May 2017 20:23:32 +0000

5/25/2017

In December, President Elect Trump gushed that Carrier was keeping 1,100 jobs at the Carrier plant in Indiana from going to Mexico. Trump’s statements were a bit misleading, which has caused some to wonder if Trump lied to them.

What Trump didn’t say was that, while Carrier planned to keep 1,100 jobs in Indiana, only about 730 of those were in jeopardy of ever leaving. The $7 million tax break given to Carrier was to keep the 730 jobs, not 1,100. Still, being able to keep 730 good jobs in Indiana was an accomplishment, just not as big as Trump had people believe.

Carrier has always been completely forthright with the number of jobs staying, and the number of jobs leaving for Mexico. On December 6th, Carrier made clear that 553 jobs from the plant were still being relocated to Mexico (leaving 1,100 workers behind). In addition, 700 jobs from the United Technologies plant (Carrier’s parent company) were also going to Mexico. That meant 1,253 jobs were still going to Mexico, a fact that Trump failed to bring up, or to mention. Now, Carrier has announced that it will cut 632 jobs from its Indiana plant by the end of the year.

Did Trump lie during his December 5th visit to the plant? Technically no, but he didn’t tell the whole truth either. He didn’t say he saved 730 jobs (a very good thing), and he didn’t say that 1,253 jobs were still headed south of the border. The lack of complete truth have left many disappointed people in the state of Indiana.

The final score is 23 million

Wed, 24 May 2017 23:28:30 +0000

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Offiice today released its finding on Trumpcare, also known as the AHCA. The final verdict is that 23 million fewer Americans will be covered by the plan in its’ current form. The plan will also decrease the deficit by $119 billion over the next ten years. Premiums are expected to go up 20% in 2018, 5% in 2019 and then remain steady for the next few years after that. A significant portion of the premium savings will be coming from a reduction in benefits, as the AHCA allows for the elimination of many of the essential benefits now required under Obamacare.

Paul Ryan, Republican Speaker of the House couldn’t have been happier, stating “the American Health Care Act achieves our mission: lowering premiums and lowering the deficit.” Lowering the deficit certainly makes sense as if you are subsidizing 23 million fewer plans, especially plans that are not as good, you will be paying less for them.

Change in premiums are dependent on where you live, your age, and income. Poor, elderly people are expected to take the biggest hit, with some premiums for people in their 60’s increasing over $10,000 per year (that’s not a $10,000 premium, that’s an increase of $10,000 over current premiums).

A recent poll performed by ABC\The Washington Post released April 25, 2017 found that 61% of Americans do not want to replace Obamacare, they want to fix what is wrong with it. Only 37% said that Obamacare should be replaced.

Is having 23 million more American without health insurance a beautiful picture?

Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2017

Trump’s proposed budget breaks campaign promises

Tue, 23 May 2017 21:09:51 +0000

5/23/2017

The level of cuts to medicaid surprised even most Republicans when Trump’s new budget proposal was released today. Medicaid provides coverage for more than 70 million Americans, primarily low income seniors, children, adults and people with disabilities.

Flaws in common accounting practices were immediately exposed in the budget, and it isn’t exactly clear what the total amount of the cuts will be as the budget counts cuts twice in some places. The budget lists a savings in medicaid of $839 billion over 10 years from changes in the system (block grants). It also lists savings of $1.25 trillion on line 666 from the elimination of Obamacare. Many advocacy groups claim that even the lesser number will result in tragic cuts to healthcare for the people who need it most.

During his campaign, Trump made many claims that he would not touch Medicare, Social Security or Medicaid, including during at his announcement as a candidate The Announcement (minute 43:45)

I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2015

Trump’s budget director Mick Mulvaney called the budget compassionate for the taxpayers, and that they would “no longer measure compassion by the number of programs or the number of people on those programs, but by the number of people we help get off of those programs.” The budget also reduces spending on food stamps and school lunch programs by $192 billion, so the Trump Administration must think that increasing hunger is somehow compassionate.

Other changes to the budget were not surprising as they included the following:

Military Spending Up 10.1%

Department Homeland Security Up 6.8% (The Wall)

Department of Veterans Affairs Up 5.8%

Environmental Protection Agency Down 31.4%

Department of State and foreign aid Down 29.1%

Department of Labor Down 19.8%

Corps of Engineers Down 16.3%

Department of Education Down 13.5%

HUD Down 13.2%

Department of Transportation Down 12.7%

Department of Interior Down 10.9% (National Parks and forests)

The budget also proposes the elimination of dozens of programs and agencies that are intended to increase the health, education and welfare of citizens in multiple ways. The full list and the reasoning behind the cuts can be found here Budget cuts and reforms

Despite earlier comments, Trump receives warm welcome in Saudi Arabia

Sat, 20 May 2017 21:45:56 +0000

5/20/2017

President Trumps has said and supported some very unflattering comments about Saudi Arabia, a deeply religious Muslim country. Besides his previous comments, the Saudi’s rolled out the red carpet and welcomed the President warmly. The meeting resulted in Trump’s promise to sell approximately $110 billion in arms to the kingdom.

For some perspective, Saudi Arabia considers itself as “the home of Islam”. The city of Mecca is located in Saudi Arabia, and all able-bodied Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage to the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Saudi Arabia has adopted the Quran as their constitution. The running of all aspects of the kingdom and society is based on the Quran. Because of religious beliefs, paper money was not allowed until 1951, television in 1965, and education of females was not allowed until 1964. It is punishable by death to distribute any non-Muslim religious materials such as a bible, or to convert from Islam to any other religion.

With such strong religious beliefs, it is curious why the kingdom would welcome Trump after he has made and supported the following rhetoric. Could it be because they want to buy the best military arms in the world, or is it because they believe he is such a good friend to the Muslim religion?

"@Silverfoxgranny: #SaudiArabia Saudi Arabia are nothing but mouth pieces, bullies, cowards. They have the money, but no guts"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2014

While he was there, we wonder of Trump had the following conversation with the king:

Tell Saudi Arabia and others that we want (demand!) free oil for the next ten years or we will not protect their private Boeing 747s.Pay up!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2014

Trump may have gotten many of his views on Muslims from Michael Flynn, the disgraced National Security Adviser Trump had to fire who posted the following video to twitter during Trump’s campaign:

Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions… https://t.co/NLIfKFD9lU

— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 27, 2016

Representative Green of Texas calls for Trump’s impeachment on House floor

Wed, 17 May 2017 23:42:07 +0000

5/17/2017

The day following revelations that President Trump may have obstructed justice by requesting that an investigation concerning Michael Flynn be let go, Texas Representative Al Green took the house floor and called for Trump’s impeachment. This set the record for the fastest time an official call has been made to impeach any President. “This is about my position. This is about what I believe. And this is where I stand. I will not be moved. The President must be impeached,” Green stated.

DOJ Assigns Special Prosecutor to Investigate Trump Campaign’s Ties to Russia

Wed, 17 May 2017 20:38:24 +0000

5/17/2017

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special prosecutor to oversee the investigation into possible Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election.

Rosenstein stated that his decision “is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted.” But, he said “based upon the unique circumstances, the public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command.”

Rosenstein’s written order states that Mueller will conduct an investigation into “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump,” along with “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.”

Trump and the White House staff found out about the order about an hour before the public announcement. Trump responded by saying “As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know ― there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity,”. “I look forward to this matter concluding quickly. In the meantime, I will never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to the future of our country.”

Mueller will have all the authority of a U.S. attorney to conduct his investigation. He will also be able to choose members of his team and request a budget from the Justice Department. It is not yet known if Mueller will keep the FBI agents currently working the investigation.

As the choice for Special Prosecutor, Mueller won high praise from both Republicans and Democrats. Mueller ran the FBI prior to Comey, and served for twelve years earning a reputation as completely non-partisan, honest, direct, and unwavering.

New York Times report Comey Memos – Proof against Trump?

Wed, 17 May 2017 00:13:12 +0000

5/16/2017

President Donald Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down his bureau’s investigation into Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a request that Comey documented in a memo, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The news came one week after Trump suddenly fired Comey from his position as FBI Director which set off a firestorm in Washington. The FBI has been probing whether Trump campaign representatives, including Flynn, colluded with Russian operatives to influence the US presidential election. Trump had stated in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt days after the termination that he was thinking about “this Russia thing” when he decided to fire Comey.

Trump made the request during a meeting with Comey in the Oval Office in February, one day after Flynn stepped down as national security adviser, according to the New York Times. NBC News, CNN, and the Washington Post also corroborated the Times’ reporting.

The White House denied that Trump asked Comey “to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn.”

“The president has the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies, and all investigations,” the White House said in a statement. “This is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the president and Mr. Comey.”

Comey supposedly wrote the unclassified memo as “part of a paper trail” documenting what he saw as Trump’s improper attempts to influence the probe, according to the Times. The newspaper did not obtain a copy of the memo, but cited two unnamed sources who read it. An unnamed associate of Comey’s also read parts of the memo to a Times reporter.

According to the New York Times and CNN, Comey visited the Oval Office on Feb. 14 to brief Trump and other senior officials including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Vice President Mike Pence. When the briefing was over, Trump asked everybody to leave except for Comey, and then made his request. The Times reported that Trump said to Comey, “I hope you can let this go,” “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump said, as quoted in the report. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

The two unnamed sources told the Times that Comey similarly documented every phone call and meeting he had with Trump, although some of those materials are classified. Comey shared the memo about Trump’s request regarding the Flynn investigation with close associates and senior officials at the FBI, according to the Times’ report. The Washington Post also reported that Comey also shared the memo with a select circle at the Justice Department.

According to Comey’s account, Trump made the request to quash the Flynn probe about two weeks after a dinner where he reportedly asked Comey to pledge loyalty to him. Comey declined to pledge anything but “honesty,” the New York Times reported last week, citing sources close to the ousted FBI director. While the White House denied these allegations, Trump later said he did not think it would be inappropriate to ask an FBI director for “loyalty.” “I don’t think it would be a bad question to ask,” Trump said, though he insisted he “didn’t ask that question.”

If memos do exist documenting Trump’s urging of the FBI to “let go” an investigation into Flynn, then it could be viewed that the President was interfering with an active investigation, which could lead to obstruction of justice charges, or even impeachment.

Trump gives Russians top-secret classified information

Tue, 16 May 2017 01:30:39 +0000

According to the Washington Post, during his meeting with Russian officials at the White House President Trump volunteered top secret information. It was later learned that the secret information was given to US intelligence by the Israelis. The information the president disclosed jeopardizes the relationships that US intelligence agencies has with its allies, along with disclosing the identity of friendly undercover foreign agents who risked their lives to secure the information.

The information is so sensitive, immediately following the meeting Trump’s counterterrorism adviser, Tom Bossert, called the CIA and National Security Agency to report the breach. The intelligence relates to what is known as a special access program, or SAP, which covers some of the most classified information and is protected with unique access and security protocols.

Hillary Clinton should not be given national security briefings in that she is a lose cannon with extraordinarily bad judgement & insticts.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2016

The next day Trump tweeted that he had every right to disclose classified material, which is technically correct. The President may share any secrets with anybody he wants to. However, when he does he risks that US allies will no longer work collaboratively with US intelligence agencies, and the secrets he is so willing to share will not be available in the future. Sharing secrets with the Russians is reckless and irresponsible, but he has every right to do it.

As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017

Complete story (so far) of Michael Flynn

Mon, 15 May 2017 21:43:54 +0000

Michael Flynn is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who was the eighteenth director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the first national security advisor appointed by President Donald Trump. Flynn served as the twenty-fifth national security advisor from January 20, 2017, to February 13, 2017. He was forced to resign after the Washington Post reported he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about the nature and content of his discussions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. Flynn’s 24-day tenure as national security advisor is the shortest in the history of the office.

Flynn was fired because the Washington Post exposed that Flynn had lied to the Vice President. In truth, Flynn may have committed far worse crimes and misdemeanors. It is against the law for anyone other than a US official to negotiate with foreign governments on behalf of the United States. During his reported talks with the Russian Ambassador, he did just that. Furthermore, he apparently lied about his conversations with the Vice President and to the public. He also took illegal payments from foreign governments and failed to register or inform US authorities of his actions even after they told him that he needed to. The former General had his hand out to foreign entities, and they filled it for him. The depth of his corruption is still unknown, but following is a timeline of events that have happened so far.

Eighteen months later, in 2014, James Clapper told Flynn he had to go but could stay until his replacement could be vetted and confirmed.

Opened own consulting company

8/2015 Meets with Trump at Trump Tower in New York for the first time

2/16/2016 Flynn begins to be an informal policy adviser to the Trump campaign

2/16/2016 Tweets fearing Muslims is rational

Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions… https://t.co/NLIfKFD9lU

— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 27, 2016

6/14/2016 Russian government hackers penetrated DNC servers, according to The Washington Post. The Russian government denied the charges.

9/25/16 Flynn states “When you are given immunity that means you’ve probably committed a crime”

9/27/2016 Trump states “If you’re not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for?”

11/10/2016 During a face-to-face meeting behind closed doors, President Obama warns President Elect Trump about Michael Flynn and suggests Trump not hire him. Trump ignores the advice.

12/16/2016 Obama says the Russian government, at the “highest levels,” initiated the hacks of emails, not voting machines. He vows to retaliate.

12/28/2016 Trump states in response to pending Russian sanctions “I think we ought to get on with our lives”.

1/15/2017 Vice President Mike Pence appears on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and says Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak had nothing to do with the sanctions imposed by the Obama administration.

1/22/2017 Flynn is sworn in as National Security Advisor

1/24/2017 FBI interviews Flynn regarding his conversations with the Russians

1/30/2017 Trump fires Attorney General Yates

2/9/2017 The Washington Post reports that Flynn’s conversation with Kislyak in December did, in fact, discuss Russian sanctions, contrary to prior assertions by Flynn and Pence.

2/10/2017 An aide to Flynn states that Flynn “has no recollection of discussing sanctions” but that the National Security Advisor “couldn’t be certain that the topic never came up”.

2/13/2017 Hours after Kellyanne Conway states Trump has “full confidence” in Flynn, Flynn resigns in disgrace.

3/31/2017 In a surprise after his previous insinuations that people who ask for immunity must be guilty, Trump agrees that Flynn should ask for immunity.

Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2017

4/1/2017 The Senate Intelligence Committee rejects Flynn’s request for immunity.

4/27/17 The Pentagon Inspector General announced an investigation into whether Flynn had accepted money from foreign governments without the required approval.

4/28/2017 Senate Intelligence Committee request documents from Flynn regarding his communication with Russian officials. Flynn denies the request.

5/11/2017 Senate Intelligence Committee Subpoenas Michael Flynn’s documents regarding his interactions with Russian officials.

12/01/2017 Flynn pleads guilty of lying to the FBI and pledges cooperation with the special counsel investigating Russian intrusions into the 2016 presidential election.

Michelle Obama asks of the Trump Administration “What is wrong with you?”

Sat, 13 May 2017 22:38:57 +0000

Michelle Obama asks “What is wrong with you?” “Think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap.”

One of the former first lady’s signature legacies was an effort to reduce childhood obesity by encouraging healthier eating and more exercise. Earlier this month, Donald Trump’s administration took steps to undo these efforts.

At the Partnership for a Healthier America summit in Washington, Ms. Obama wondered “This is where you really have to look at motives, you know. You have to stop and think: why don’t you want our kids to have good food at school? What is wrong with you?” The remarks received cheers and applause from the audience.

She continued “And why is that a partisan issue? Why would that be political? What is going on? You know, now that’s up to moms. Moms, think about this. I don’t care what state you live in. Take me out of the equation. Like me, don’t like me, but think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap. Why would you celebrate that? Why would you sit idly and be OK with that? “Because here’s the secret: if somebody is doing that, they don’t care about your kid, and we need to demand everyone to care deeply about kids. That’s all we have. So we should be driving this and every elected official on this planet should understand: don’t play with our children. Don’t do it.”

Along with the change for school lunches, the Trump administration also postponed rules instructing restaurants, grocery stores, and other outlets to put calories counts on their menus, begging Ms. Obama to further question ‘What is going on?’ Because this just isn’t that complicated, you know. Just tell me what’s in my food. Why is that a problem? So you have to ask yourself, what’s going on because I don’t get it. I don’t understand it.”

After daily disasters, Trump suggests doing away with W.H. press briefings

Fri, 12 May 2017 20:51:17 +0000

In response to criticism surrounding the Trump administration’s inability to deliver a consistent message, President Trump suggested throwing in the towel and doing away with live press briefings.

…Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

In a statement, the White House Correspondents Association said ending the daily briefing “would reduce accountability, transparency, and the opportunity for Americans to see that, in the U.S. system, no political figure is above being questioned.”

Of course the W.H. staff isn’t accurate, why would you expect them to be?

Fri, 12 May 2017 20:07:05 +0000

In response to the ever-changing stories that have been coming out of the White House, President Trump tweeted today that his staff can’t be counted on to be accurate. Most Administrations carefully craft a message to the important news of the day, and staffers are instructed to keep to the narrative. While the Trump administrative staff can seem to stick to the same story, the President cannot. Apparently not caring what message his staff has already tried to promote, Trump seems fine going rogue and putting his own spin on whatever situation is at hand. Today he basically said don’t trust what the staff says because I may say something different.

As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

Trump Threatens Comey With Tapes

Fri, 12 May 2017 19:58:49 +0000

In an early morning Tweet, President Trump warned former FBI Director James Comey that he better hope that there were no “tapes” of their conversation before he went to the press. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer later refused to answer questions seeking to confirm or deny that President Trump secretly records his conversations. The last known occurrence of a President secretly recording conversations was of President Richard Nixon during the early 1970’s.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

Trump gives new reason for firing Comey

Thu, 11 May 2017 23:50:23 +0000

President Trump said he was going to fire former FBI Director James Comey anyway, recommendations didn’t matter. Calling Comey a Showboat and Grandstander, President Trump said he was going to fire FBI Director James Comey regardless of the Deputy Attorney General’s recommendation during an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt. These statements were in direct conflict with his termination letter ( Comey Termination letter) and the reasons given by White House staff and Vice President Pence. The admission that the termination letter was not accurate gave greater support to those who believe Comey’s firing was due to the FBI’s investigation into the Trump’s campaign suspected collusion with the Russians to influence the election.

During the interview, Trump also discussed Comey telling him that the President was not under investigation on three separate occasions. Trump further admitted to asking Comey that if it were possible, could he tell him if he was under investigation. Some pundits wondered if this could be considered obstruction of justice or even potential witness tampering. While inappropriate, most believe it didn’t cross the line.

Not under investigation – Found at minute 2:20

Trump meets with Russians at White House

Thu, 11 May 2017 23:17:27 +0000

In an apparent slap in the face to the FBI, President Trump welcomed two Russian diplomats into the Oval Office the day after he fired the FBI Director investigating possible collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia. The American press was not allowed into cover or take photographs of the event, only Russian news agencies were allowed into the Oval Office. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak were both welcomed by Trump at the request of Vladimir Putin to discuss unknown issues. Both soon to be disgraced General Michael Flynn and soon to be Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with Kislyak before Trump took office. Both Flynn and Sessions initially denied the meetings (even though Sessions met with Kislyak in Session’s own office). Both later confessed to having met with the Russian Ambassador.

Trump fulfills promise to investigate voter fraud

Thu, 11 May 2017 23:10:55 +0000

President Trump signed an executive order today to establish a commission to review alleged voter fraud in the American election system. Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach were announced today as the Chair and Vice Chair of the bipartisan “Presidential Commission on Election Integrity.”

Following the 2016 election, Trump claimed widespread voter fraud explained why former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by almost 3 million votes. To date, neither Trump nor his team has provided any evidence to substantiate claims of fraud. However, Trump campaign staffer Brandon Hall was found guilty and convicted of ten counts of election fraud in Michigan in November 2016, so the commission shouldn’t need to look very far.

'Presidential Executive Order on the Establishment of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity'
➡️https://t.co/bk8RvTq25p pic.twitter.com/zfu80enoWH

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2017

DeVos Booed at Commencement Ceremony

Wed, 10 May 2017 22:52:54 +0000

Hoping for cheers, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos instead got jeers and boos at her commencement speech at Bethune-Cookman University. As soon as she began to speak, the crowd erupted in boos that lasted for more than five minutes, and many of the students turned their back on DeVos in protest.

An unpopular and baffling choice as a commencement speaker, the university drew approximately 60,000 thousand signatures in protest of DeVos the week prior to commencement. Calls were also made for the university president, Edison Jackson to resign, including a call from the Florida chapter of the NAACP.

Trump Fires FBI Director James Comey

Wed, 10 May 2017 22:52:47 +0000

President Trump set off a political firestorm on Tuesday by firing FBI Director James Comey. Only one other FBI Director has ever been fired by a President. The letter of termination references recommendations from both the Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Administration staff, including V.P. Pence, Adviser Kellyanne Conway, and Assistant White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders confirmed that the basis for the termination was because of the recommendations from the Department of Justice. Huckabee also claimed that the rank and file in the FBI had lost confidence in their Director. Appearing before Congress the next day, Associate FBI Director Andrew McCabe testified that contrary to the statements made by the White House, Director Comey enjoyed broad support in the FBI and that he personally holds him in the highest regards.

Trump’s letter can be found here: Comey Termination Letter

Many people viewed the timing of the firing as suspect, as Director Comey oversaw the investigation into the possible collusion between the Trump Campaign and various Russians during the 2016 presidential election, and had just recently requested more funds for the investigation. Arguments that the firing could be considered an Obstruction of Justice were discussed on various news shows. If Comey’s firing was because of his actions in regards to his investigation into Hillary Clinton use of a private email server, then why didn’t Trump fire him as soon as he became President? and Attorney General Jeff Sessions had even praised Comey for his actions during the Clinton investigation, as seen in this video clip:

In a curious side note, Director Comey was in California at the time Trump instructed his bodyguard to deliver the letter. Comey was not reachable by Trump’s bodyguard and subsequently learned of his termination by watching television news.

Trump told not to trust Flynn, keeps him in charge of nation’s top secrets anyway

Tue, 09 May 2017 21:03:21 +0000

Despite being advised by President Obama, and former Attorney General Sally Yates that disgraced former General Michael Flynn should not hold the post of National Security Adviser, President Trump kept him in his position for an additional 18 days. Trump released Flynn only after it became public that Flynn had lied to Vice President elect Pence in regards to his contact with Russian operatives.

Ms. Yates told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Monday “We wanted to tell the White House as quickly as possible,” “To state the obvious: You don’t want your national security adviser compromised with the Russians.” Ms. Yates’s testimony, along with a separate revelation Monday that President Barack Obama had warned Trump not to hire Flynn, offered a more complete public account of Flynn’s catastrophic fall from one of the nation’s most important security positions. It also raised doubts about Trump’s judgment in keeping Mr. Flynn in place despite obvious Justice Department concerns. White House officials have not fully explained why they waited so long. “I don’t have any way of knowing what, if anything, they did,” Ms. Yates said. “If nothing was done, then certainly that would be concerning.”

On Jan. 26, Ms. Yates said, she called the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, regarding “a very sensitive matter” that they could discuss only in person. Later that day, at the White House, she warned McGahn that White House officials were making statements “that we knew not to be the truth.” Yates said she explained to McGahn how she knew Flynn’s statements were untrue, though she did not go into details Monday, citing concerns about sensitive information.

Apparently not concerned if honesty or truth matters in the Trump administration, McGahn asked at a second meeting the next day “Why does it matter to D.O.J. if one White House official lies to another White House official?”

Looking for a scapegoat as to why he appointed Flynn in the first place, President Trump tweeted

General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration – but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017

Thus Donald Trump apparently rationalized that despite Obama having fired Flynn in 2014, and that Obama personally advising him from having Flynn hold the post, Flynn would be just fine being in control of the nations top secrets, especially those involving Russia.

Trumpcare II passes House, Trump hosts victory party in Rose Garden

Fri, 05 May 2017 21:32:34 +0000

Republican House members again boarded buses for a trip to the White House to celebrate the passing of the ACHA (Trumpcare) Friday. After failing to garner enough votes in late March, Republicans were able to circle the wagons and pass the American Health Care Act. After a rough first 100 days which saw few victories, Trump was finally able to smile ear-to-ear as one of his signature promises took the first step to become law.

After passing the House of Representatives, the bill will move to the Senate for approval. If passed there, it will move to the President’s desk for his signature to become law. If the bill does not sail through the Senate as-is, then the Senate has the option of writing their own version of the bill. Members of the House and the Senate would then meet to work out the differences between the two separate versions, and to develop a compromised plan. If successful, the compromised bill would then be voted on again by both chambers, and if passed, would then move to the President”s desk for signature.

After passage in the House on Thursday, many Senators openly doubted passage of the bill in it’s current form, and many thought a total rewrite may need to be done. While the House approval was certainly in the direction President Trump wanted to move, like many bills, it still has a long way to go before it becomes law.

Middle East Peace Is “Not as Difficult as People Have Thought” says Trump

Wed, 03 May 2017 23:53:44 +0000

5/3/2017

During a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Trump made dubious comments about the Middle East peace process. Confident he can create a new tack for history in the region, Trump stated “We want to create peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We will get it done.” Trump continued “We will be working so hard to get it done. I think there is a very good chance and I think we will.” “It is something that I think is frankly, maybe, not as difficult as people have thought over the years.”

Every President since Jimmy Carter has spent considerable time and effort trying to resolve conflicts in the Middle East. Either the President has no clue as to what his talking about, or he has a special touch that no other President has possessed.

Trump Calls For Government Shutdown

Tue, 02 May 2017 21:14:52 +0000

No US President has ever called for the shutdown of their own government, until now. In another inexplicable first, Donald Trump called for the September shutdown of the US government.

Apparently unhappy that he needs to work with others, Trump tweeted the following this morning:

The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there! We….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2017

either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good "shutdown" in September to fix mess!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2017

Of course, this comes just days after he ripped the Democrats for threatening to do the same thing:

As families prepare for summer vacations in our National Parks – Democrats threaten to close them and shut down the government. Terrible!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2017

It has been proven that Mr. Trump is poor at history. He thought Andrew Jackson was alive during the Civil War (he died 16 years before). He didn’t understand why there was a Civil War. He thought Frederick Douglas was still alive (he died in 1895). He doesn’t remember what a terrible beating Republicans took when Newt Gingrich shut down the government, ensuring Bill Clinton’s second term. And apparently, he doesn’t remember that Republicans again reversed course in 2013 after only 16 days of causing a shutdown because of tremendous public outcry.

Shutting down the government is extremely unpopular. For a President to suggest that he wants to shut down his own government would be political suicide for just about anybody, but this is Trump. Perhaps he wants to spend more time on the golf course?

Trump seems to love the world’s worst dictators and lunatics

Tue, 02 May 2017 00:38:25 +0000

5/1/2017

Trump has, or wants to meet with the craziest people on earth, and have some over to the White House to visit.

Today, President Trump announced “I would be honored to do it” in reference to meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. For years, the 27 year old dictator has provoked the world community in attempt to gain recognition and favor attention. Until now, the world understood the pubescent attempts, and for the most part ignored them. In contrast to previous Democratic and Republican Presidents, Trump decided to offer Kim Jong Un exactly what he wanted, an opportunity to meet and negotiate issues with the leader of the free world. The offer has come after Kim Jong Un has announced his wishes to use nuclear bombs against the United States, has shown mock videos of attacks against Washington D.C and US carriers, and has threatened to sink US nuclear submarines.

Just two days before, in a move that surprised just about anybody in favor of basic human rights, Trump invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House. According to Amnesty International, under Duterte over 7,000 Filipinos have been killed by the police in his war against drugs. Police officers are paid for kills, and not for arrests, hence few trials are held for suspected drug users (not only dealers, all drug users). Duterte has claimed he has personally carried out many of the killings himself, and has claimed he has personally pushed people out of helicopters. In addition, upon learning of a woman who was gang raped and later killed, Duterte stated that because the woman was so beautiful, it was a shame that the Mayor couldn’t have been the first to rape her (Duterte himself was Mayor of the Town at the time).

Trump has already welcomed Egypt’s military dictator, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to the White House in April, even though Sisi killed at least 900 people in a single day and routinely tortures his opponents. Trump has continuously praised Vladimir Putin as a strong leader, even though it is well know that he has murdered his opponents and dissidents. Going back a bit further, Trump praised Saddam Hussein and said he wished his brutal regime was still in power.

And of course, Trump welcomed the Motor City Madman Ted Nugent to the White House last week. The many stories surrounding Nugent are legendary. Perhaps one of the most colorful is his recorded interview where he talked about how he likes to sit naked on his sofa watching Megyn Kelly on Fox News while cleaning his weapon. Classy.

What is Donald Trump is trying to accomplish by inviting thugs, killers, dictators and lunatics to the White House? Trump claims that despite his admission of murder, Duterte has very high poll numbers. “You know he’s very popular in the Philippines,” Trump said. “He has a very high approval rating in the Philippines.” Perhaps Trump is fishing for advice on how to raise his poll numbers. With any luck, he won’t discover that Stalin and Moa had almost 100% approval ratings.

Trump: “I don’t stand by anything”

Mon, 01 May 2017 19:21:48 +0000

5/1/2017

During an interview with John Dickerson of CBS, the President was discussing his relationship with President Obama, and his claim that Obama was “sick and bad”. When Dickerson pressed Trump on his comments and asked the President if he stood by them, he replied “I don’t stand by anything”. Apparently the President admitted that he can not stand by his own words. Sad.

His comment comes around 37 seconds into the clip.

https://youtu.be/fs4KTZwEluI

About Face! NATO now not obsolete

Mon, 24 Apr 2017 22:53:01 +0000

What is most scary about Donald Trump’s announcement about NATO is that for a long time, he had absolutely no problem spouting off about something he had no idea about. After more than a year of claiming NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was obsolete, he recently proclaimed that it is no longer obsolete. In an interview with the Associated Press, Trump declared that his previous boisterous statements were made due to his ignorance. He said that NATO was obsolete because he didn’t know what it did.

They had a quote from me that NATO’s obsolete. But they didn’t say why it was obsolete. I was on Wolf Blitzer, very fair interview, the first time I was ever asked about NATO, because I wasn’t in government. People don’t go around asking about NATO if I’m building a building in Manhattan, right? So they asked me, Wolf . . . asked me about NATO, and I said two things. NATO’s obsolete — not knowing much about NATO, now I know a lot about NATO — NATO is obsolete, and I said, “And the reason it’s obsolete is because of the fact they don’t focus on terrorism.” You know, back when they did NATO there was no such thing as terrorism.

The fact is NATO has never been obsolete. NATO was formed 67 years ago to protect much of Europe and the free world from the threat of Soviet aggression. It has done its job, and it has done its job well. Furthermore, NATO does indeed fight terrorism, and has for many years.

However, truth didn’t stopped Trump from making his ignorant comments.

Following the March 22, 2016 terrorist attacks in Brussels, Trump tells ABC News he thought NATO was “obsolete”, and “NATO was done at a time you had the Soviet Union, which was obviously larger — much larger than Russia is today,” he said, adding that the alliance should be “readjusted to take care of terrorism.”

April 2, 2016 — Trump doubles down on NATO criticism at a Racine, WI campaign rally, but admits he’s only a recent study on the NATO topic:

“I said here’s the problem with NATO: it’s obsolete. Big statement to make when you don’t know that much about it, but I learn quickly.”

January 15, 2017 — in a joint interview, post-election, pre-inauguration, with the Times of London and Germany’s Bild, Trump reflects on his “obsolete” comment, but insists he was both correct and vindicated:

“I took such heat, when I said NATO was obsolete. It’s obsolete because it wasn’t taking care of terror. I took a lot of heat for two days. And then they started saying Trump is right.”

However, once Trump actually sat down and met with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and learned what NATO does, Trump declared “I said it was obsolete, it is no longer obsolete”.

Many people would conclude that it is pretty scary that we elected a President who can have such strong opinions on topics he knows so little about. Most rational people would defer opinion until they had a bit more knowledge, but not Trump. His casual, off-the-cuff ignorant statements caused concern for millions of US allies in Europe. Many people believe his, and Secretary of States Rex Tillerson’s casual statements about Assad in Syria led to Assad using chemical weapons on his own people, resulting in the deaths of innocent children. It’s time Trump acts like a President and realizes that no matter how stupid and ignorant his comments may be, they carry weight and they have ramifications. Millions of lives depend on what he says. He needs to realize it.

Trump's crazy talk on women – a history

Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:41:49 +0000

Some of Trumps most outrageous statements about women are listed below. We’re sure there are more, and we will continue adding to the list as they become available.

Subject – Ivana Trump, First wife, Former fashion model

“$1 a year plus all the dresses she can buy.” How Trump paid his wife’s salary when he put her in charge of the Plaza Hotel (New York Times)
“I would never buy Ivana any decent jewels or pictures. Why give her negotiable assets?” Trump during the early years of his marriage to Ivana (Vanity Fair)

Subject – Ivanka Trump, Daughter

“She does have a very nice figure. I’ve said that if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.” Trump later said this comment was a joke. (The View)
“My daughter, Ivanka, she’s 6 feet tall, she’s got the best body” Howard Stern
“Yeah, she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father . . .’” Rolling Stone, September 2015
Don’t you think my daughter’s hot? She’s hot, right? Trump asked the reigning Miss Universe about his daughter Ivanka, then 16 (New York Times)

Subject – Barbara Res, Construction Manager for Trump

“Not Her” Trump sent back Res who was supposed to take lunch orders because she wasn’t pretty enough (New York Times)
“You like your candy” Trump’s remark on a construction executive Res who’d gained weight working for him (New York Times)

Subject – Jill Harth, Pageant Promoter

“Are you sleeping with her?” Trump stared at a pageant promoter throughout a meeting and then asked her boyfriend and co-worker if she was sexually available. (Harth says Trump later sexually assaulted her; Trump claims Harth pursued him.) (New York Times)

Subject – Pageant Contestants

“Suck your stomach in. Suck your gut in.” How Trump commented on the body of a beauty pageant contestant Jodie Seal, Miss Australia 1996 (Interview with Inside Edition)
“Tell me, who’s the most beautiful woman here? … I don’t care if she’s sweet. Is she hot?” How Trump addressed the Miss Universe contestants, according to Carrie Prejean’s book. (New York Times)
“We’ve tried diet, spa, a trainer, incentives. … Forget it, the way she’s going she’d eat the whole gymnasium.” Trump on Alicia Machado when she gained weight as 1996 Miss Universe (Newsweek )
“She was the worst we ever had, the worst, the absolute worst, she was impossible. She gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem.” Trump after Clinton mentioned Alicia Machado (Fox News)
“Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate?” (Twitter)

Subject – Princess Diana of Wales

“I have only one regret in the women department — that I never had the opportunity to court Lady Diana Spencer … a dream lady.” (The Art of the Comeback)
She had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin – the whole thing. … She was crazy, but these are minor details. Trump on The Howard Stern Show discussing how much he’d like to sleep with Princess Diana, who had died three years earlier (BuzzFeed)

Subject – Apprentice Staff

“You mean the one with the [gesture to indicate breasts]” How Trump referred to contestant Kristi Frank whom he was deciding whether to fire on The Apprentice. “He didn’t even know her name,” producer Katherine Walker said. (Associated Press)
“It’s certainly not groundbreaking news that the early victories by the women on The Apprentice were, to a very large extent, dependent on their sex appeal.” (Esquire)
“There is a beautiful woman behind that camera, so I only want to look at that.” How Trump would talk about camera operator Rebecca Arndt on The Apprentice (Associated Press)
“Who’s the most beautiful on the women’s team?” Trump to male contestants on The Apprentice, according to Mahsa Saeidi-Azcuy, a woman who competed (New York Post)
“It must be a pretty picture. You dropping to your knees.” Trump’s response when told that contestant Brande Roderick, former Playboy Playmate, was so desperate to stay on the show she’d gotten on her knees to plead (Mediaite)

Subject – Kim Kardashian

“She’s really a nice person. She’s gotten a little bit large. I don’t think you should dress like you weigh 120 pounds.” Trump on Kim Kardashian during her pregnancy (Showbiz Tonight)
“Does she have a good body? No. … Does she have a fat ass? Absolutely.” Trump on Kim Kardashian during her pregnancy (The Howard Stern Show)
“Well, absolutely. [Her butt] is record-setting. … In the old days, they’d say she has a bad body.” Trump on Kim Kardashian’s looks (The Howard Stern Show via Entertainment Tonight)

Subject – Gail Collins, New York Times columnist

“The Face of a Dog!” Trump’s response to a column in Newsday calling him a “financially embattled thousandaire” (New York Times)
“There are many editorial writers that are good, some great, & some bad. But the least talented of all is frumpy Gail Collins of NYTimes.” (Twitter)

Subject – Golf Club Staff

“I want you to get some good looking hostesses here. People like to see good looking people when they come in.” How Donald Trump hired waitresses for his golf club according to Sue Kwiatkowski, restaurant manager at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes until 2009 (Los Angeles Times)
“How’s my favorite girl. … Are you still happily married?” How Trump would greet waitress Maral Bolsajian, who described herself as a “grown woman in her 40s,” at his golf club (Los Angeles Times)
“See, you don’t have to go to Hollywood to find beautiful women. … Do you like Jewish men?” How Trump introduced another waitress to a table of guests at his golf club (Los Angeles Times)

Subject – Nancy O’Dell, Co-Host of Access Hollywood

“I did try and fuck her. She was married. I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. … I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there and she was married… Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything.” Trump commenting on O’Dell to her co-host Billy Bush on leaked audio from Access Hollywood (Washington Post)

Subject – Rosie O’Donnell

“I feel sorry for Rosie’s new partner in love whose parents are devastated at the thought of their daughter being with @Rosie — a true loser.” (Twitter)
“Rosie O’Donnell is disgusting — both inside and out. If you take a look at her, she’s a slob. How does she even get on television? If I were running The View, I’d fire Rosie. I’d look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, ‘Rosie, you’re fired.’ We’re all a little chubby but Rosie’s just worse than most of us. But it’s not the chubbiness — Rosie is a very unattractive person, both inside and out.” (Jezebel)
“Rosie’s a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie.” (People)
“Can you imagine the parents of Kelli … when she said, ‘Mom, Dad, I just fell in love with a big, fat pig named Rosie’? Can you imagine the expression on their face?” How Trump talked about Rosie O’Donnell’s relationship with her fiancé during their ongoing feud (Fox News)
“She came to my wedding. She ate like a pig. And — I mean, seriously, the wedding cake was — was — it was, like, missing in action.” Trump to Larry King in 2007 (Larry King Live)
“Rosie is crude, rude, obnoxious and dumb — other than that I like her very much!” (Twitter)
“Sorry, @Rosie is a mentally sick woman, a bully, a dummy and, above all, a loser. Other than that she is just wonderful!” (Twitter)

Subject – Arianna Huffington, Editor in Chief, Huffington Post

“Arianna Huffington is unattractive, both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man — he made a good decision.” (Twitter)
“Why is it necessary to comment on .@ariannahuff looks? Because she is a dog who wrongfully comments on me.” (Twitter)
“How much money is the extremely unattractive (both inside and out) Arianna Huffington paying her poor ex-hubby for the use of his name?” (Twitter)

Subject –Megyn Kelly, Former Fox News Host

“I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!” (Twitter)
“She is so average in every way, who the hell wants to woo her!” (Twitter)
“You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.” Trump after Megyn Kelly moderated the Republican debate (CNN)

Subject – Actors- Singers – Personalities

“She’s been with so many guys she makes me look like a baby, OK. … And, I just don’t even find her attractive.” Trump criticizing Angelina Jolie (Larry King Live)
“Angelina Jolie is sort of amazing because everyone thinks she’s like this great beauty. And I’m not saying she’s an unattractive woman, but she’s not a beauty, by any stretch of the imagination. I really understand beauty. And I will tell you, she’s not — I do own Miss Universe. I do own Miss USA. I mean I own a lot of different things. I do understand beauty, and she’s not.” How Trump described Angelina Jolie to Larry King in 2007 (Jezebel)
“A person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a 10.” Trump on The Howard Stern Show, rating the beauty of Nicollette Sheridan on ABC‘s Desperate Housewives (BuzzFeed)
“Would you go out with Marcia Cross, or would you turn gay, Howard?” Trump on The Howard Stern Show, rating the beauty of the actors on ABC‘s Desperate Housewives (BuzzFeed)
“She hasn’t remained very loyal to him, has she? So when he had plenty of money, she liked him, but then after that, not as good, right?” Trump in an Access Hollywood interview commenting on Anne Hathaway, whose ex-boyfriend had just been arrested on fraud charges (ABC News)
“While @BetteMidler is an extremely unattractive woman, I refuse to say that because I always insist on being politically correct.” Trump and Bette Midler started a Twitter feud in 2012 that led Trump to attack her appearance (Twitter)
“@BetteMidler talks about my hair but I’m not allowed to talk about her ugly face or body — so I won’t. Is this a double standard?” Trump and Bette Midler started a Twitter feud in 2012 that led Trump to attack her appearance (Twitter)
When Beyoncé was thrusting her hips forward in a very suggestive manner, if someone else would have done that it would have been a national scandal. I thought it was ridiculous. … I thought it was not appropriate. Trump comments on Beyoncé’s 2013 Super Bowl performance on The Howard Stern Show (The Howard Stern Show)
“@cher should spend more time focusing on her family and dying career.” (Twitter)
“I promise not to talk about your massive plastic surgeries that didn’t work.” Trump after Cher referred to his trademark hairstyle as a “rug.” “It’s mine,” he tweeted. (Twitter)
“@tedcruz must be doing something right if @cher, sadly rated the 4th ugliest celebrity according to @listverse, is attacking him.” (Twitter)
“You wouldn’t have your job if you weren’t beautiful. It’s very sad, isn’t it?” Trump explaining to reporter Maria Ngo why beauty is important in beauty pageants (VegasNet TV)
“Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?” Trump comments to a Rolling Stone reporter about Carly Fiorina’s appearance on TV (Rolling Stone)
“Sadly, she’s no longer a 10.” Trump to the New York Times’s Maureen Dowd regarding Heidi Klum, one of the world’s top models, while trying to explain that he can be diplomatic (New York Times)
“I think Gloria would be very very impressed with [my penis].” Trump on TMZ after Gloria Allred sued him on behalf of a transgender woman barred from the Miss Canada pageant. Allred had said Trump didn’t have to show his genitals to prove his sex. (TMZ)
“You’re disgusting, you’re disgusting.” How Trump reacted to lawyer Elizabeth Beck saying she needed to breastfeed, according to her deposition (Trump disputes her version of events) (CNN)
“No need to ‘spill the beans’ the images are worth a thousand words.” Trump retweeting an unattractive photo of Heidi Cruz (Twitter)
“Sarah Jessica Parker voted “unsexiest woman alive” – I agree. She said “it’s beneath me to comment on the potential Obama charitable gift.” What’s really beneath her? (Twitter)
“What do you think of Lindsay Lohan? There’s something there, right? … She’s probably deeply troubled, and therefore great in bed. How come the deeply troubled women — deeply, deeply troubled — they’re always the best in bed?” “You don’t want to be with ’em for the long term, but for the short term, there’s nothing like it.” (Howard Stern 12/14/2004)

After saying it was a terrible idea, Trump attacks Syria

Thu, 06 Apr 2017 23:00:36 +0000

What I am saying is stay out of Syria.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2013

Trump had a long held opinion about Syria, The United States should stay out. That is why so many people were surprised when he ordered an attack against a Syrian airbase. The attack included 59 cruise missiles targeting the airbase from where the Syrian government launched a chemical attack against their own people. The Trump administration gave previous warning to the Russians, and little actual damage was done to the airbase as it was fully functional within 48 hours of the attack.

Trump did not follow up the attack, nor did he lay out a strategy for dealing with President Assad. In a about face from previous comments made just the week before, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that “It would seem Assad should no longer lead Syria”, thus joining the sentiment shared by U.S. United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley .

In many wars, the enemy of our enemy is usually our friend. Not so in Syria, which makes the situation there extremely complicated. While Assad has proven to be a horrendous dictator, attacking his own people with chemical weapons and attacking civilian hospitals, he is fighting against ISIS rebels who wish to take over Syria and make it a radical Islamist state. Obviously it is not in the best interest of the United States if Assad is defeated and ISIS takes over Syria, but Assad has proven he will stop at nothing to remain in power, even if it means killing or displacing millions of the Syrian civilian population.

Here are some of his tweets on the subject. As a reminder, Trump was at his golf resort while he ordered the attack. We wonder if he has made the call to get the Arab League to pay yet.

AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA – IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013

We should not attack Syria but if they make the stupid move to do so, the Arab League,whose members are laughing at us, should pay!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013

President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your "powder" for another (and more important) day!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2013

"@gretawire: PresObama is not busy talking to Congress about Syria..he is playing golf …go figure"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2013

Don't attack Syria – an attack that will bring nothing but trouble for the U.S. Focus on making our country strong and great again!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2013

Even Lebowski is confused

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 22:42:01 +0000

On March 31st, President Trump proclaimed April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Nobody thought the best way to kick off National Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month would be to praise somebody accused of sexual harassment. But that is exactly what President Trump did this week, taking time to defend his friend Bill O’Reilly from Fox News. O’Reilly has recently settled out of court with five women who have accused him of sexual harassment.

Most people expected the President would send a message, extolling the need to protect women, children and men from sexual harassment in the workplace. Instead, (despite O’Reilly paying $13 million in damages to settle out of court) Trump defended O’Reilly, stating ” I don’t think Bill did anything wrong. I think he’s a person I know well — he is a good person.” It’s like Trump coming out against athletes using performance enhancing drugs, and then stating how much he liked and admired Lance Armstrong for everything he accomplished.

Some people were astounded that Trump would even announce a Sexual Awareness Month, as the President himself is no stranger to sexual harassment accusations. During the 2016 campaign, an Access Hollywood tape surfaced in which Trump boasted about his ability to sexually assault women, saying he can “grab ’em [women] by the pussy” because he’s a celebrity. After the tape surfaced, more than a dozen women publicly accused Trump of sexually assaulting, groping, or otherwise harassing them over the course of his several decades in public life. He then defended himself by insinuating that the women were too ugly for him to sexually assault. The whole episode confused many people, especially Lebowski (The Dude), who reportedly said “I just don’t get it man”.

Tillerson waives Human Rights issue in order to sell more F-16’s to Bahrain

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 23:21:10 +0000

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today informed Congress that the State Department will proceed with a $5 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain despite their dismal record on human rights. The sale was initially proposed during the Obama Administration, but was put on hold until the Bahrain government could demonstrate progress in improving human rights issues within their country.

Critics have expressed concern that not only will the decision give Bahraini leaders a free hand to continue a domestic crackdown on dissent, but it will embolden them abroad. The jets that Washington have approved will likely be used in the air campaign the Bahraini military is waging in Yemen in support of the Saudi-led coalition.

“There is no worse time for them to remove the conditions of the F-16 deal,” Sayed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy stated. “This move will have a catastrophic impact not only in Bahrain but also in the region.” “The Trump administration is giving Bahrain the thumbs up to continue its intensified crackdown. People are being tortured, sentenced to death and executed in Bahrain,” he continued.

Earlier this month, the Bahraini parliament approved military court trials for civilians in a bid to combat unrest.

Here’s What Congress Just Allowed ISPs to Sell Without Your Consent

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 20:57:42 +0000

Financial and Medical information, Social Security numbers, Web browsing history, and your Children’s information are among the types of private consumer information that Congress voted on Tuesday to allow your internet service provider (ISP) to sell to the highest bidder without your permission, prompting outrage from privacy watchdogs. Trump signed the bill into law on April 3rd.

The House action, which was approved 215-205 by Republicans along party lines, represents another defeat of landmark Federal Communications Commission rules that were passed in 2016. The rules, which were set to go into effect later this year, would have required broadband providers to obtain “opt-in” consent before using, sharing, or selling private consumer data. Now, ISP’s can collect your data and sell it at will. The type of personal information they can now collect and sell without your permission include:

Precise Geo-location of where you are located
Your Financial information
Your Social Security number
Your Health and Medical information
Information regarding your children
Your Web browsing history
Your App usage history
The content of your communications

It is unclear how ISP’s will sell the consumer information, but by combining your physical location with your recent browsing history and cell phone number, it’s now not beyond their ability to begin texting you advertisements for product near your location. The previous rule adopted under Obama required that consumers opt-in to allow the collection of such data. Now under Trump, all consumer data is free game and consumers no longer have a choice if their data is collected, or to whom it is sold or how it is used.

Trumpcare sunk

Fri, 24 Mar 2017 19:11:10 +0000

In what can only be considered a horrific blow to the new administration, House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled President Trump’s healthcare bill from the floor just before the vote was to occur. Since no vote was taken, it is impossible to determine exactly how large of a defeat it would have been, with estimates ranging from five to thirty votes. What was clear at the time was there wern’t enough votes for passage, and instead of seeing how bad it was going to be, Trump had Ryan pull the bill.

For the past few days Trump campaigned hard for votes needed to pass the bill. With no Democrats voting for the bill, Trump need almost all of the Republicans to be in favor. However, there was disagreement from both the hard right conservatives in the Republican party who felt that the bill didn’t go far enough in repealing Obamacare, and the moderate Republicans who felt it went to far. Members of both factions caused the bill to fail, and Trump stated afterwards it was time to move on.

So why did the bill fail and who is to blame? On Meet the Press, Chuck Todd pointed out that most significant bills take months if not years to finally get passed. This bill had only 17 days from the day it was rolled out until the the vote date which was arbitrarily set. Many felt rushing the bill to a vote instead of working out the bugs, negotiating and building consensus was to blame. If true, then the finger points to Paul Ryan. Some believe the hard right faction is to blame, as they tend to vote “no” on everything regardless the benefit to the citizens.

But the real person to blame is Trump. Even though he worked hard before the vote deadline to convince hesitant Republicans, he did not make any attempt to reach across the isle to win over any Democrats. He literally wrote the book on deal making, and he couldn’t make this deal. The reason for this is because in reality, the bill was terrible. If he had designed a bill that was better than Obamacare, one that lowered cost while providing the same or better coverage, he could have gotten just about every vote in the house. But this bill wasn’t better than Obamacare. It would cause 24 million people to lose their healthcare, the doctors hated it (AMA), the elderly hated it (AARP), and the hospitals and nurses hated it. It was a bad bill that Trump had no choice but try to slam through. After seven years of boasting and complaining, Trump and the Republicans had to fulfill their promise to do better, and they couldn’t. By not fulfilling his promise to present a better plan that everybody would love, Trump is to blame for this failure.

Trump sinks to all time low in polls

Thu, 23 Mar 2017 16:54:53 +0000

03/23/2017

03/22/2017

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 37% — a new low, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday.

Most of his decline is due voters who are considered his “base”. Among Republicans, Trump’a approval rating sank from 91% to 81%, with similar declines among male, and white voters.

Naturally, Trump has denounced low approval ratings as “fake news” and dismissed polls in January that showed he would be the lowest-rated incoming president in modern history.

Tillerson snubs NATO, chooses Russia instead

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 01:23:25 +0000

In a bizarre show of non-support, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson opted this week to forego the annual NATO meeting and visit Russia and his friend Putin instead. The United States is a founding member of the 28 member NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) that was formed in 1949 to defend against fascism and communism. After WWII, it became apparent Russia had aspirations of forcing communism upon Europe, and the United States, along with key other key allies of WWII formed NATO to defend against the Russian aggression. The United States had been a steadfast supporter of NATO until the Trump administration.

The former US Ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul, tweeted in disbelief about Tillerson’s decision to skip NATO but go to Russia, saying incredulously that it had to be “fake news.” The senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel of New York, said he “cannot fathom” the decision, which will “shake the confidence of America’s most important alliance.”

Trump has already worried NATO allies by referring to the Western security alliance as “obsolete” and by pressing other members to meet their commitments to spend at least 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense.

No evidence of Trump wiretap – multiple sources say

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 22:58:37 +0000

3/17/2017

Over the past few days, multiple reports have been emerging that there is no evidence that President Obama, or any US intelligence agency, wiretapped Trump Tower, Donald Trump, or his campaign in any way.

3/5 Director of National Intelligence James Clapper – “For the part of the national security apparatus that I oversaw as DNI, there was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, as a candidate, or against his campaign,”
3/15 House Intelligence Committee – Chairman Devin Nunes with Ranking Democrat Adam Schiff “To date, I’ve seen no evidence that supports the claim that President Trump made that his predecessor had wiretapped he and his associates at Trump Tower,”
3/16 Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr – “We have not seen any evidence that there was a wiretap or a (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court order against Trump Tower or somebody in Trump Tower.”
3/17 Fox News Shep Smith (reportedly the source of Trump’s information) – “Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind, that the now president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way, full stop.”
3/20 House Intelligence Committee Chairman (Again) – “Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction,”
3/20 FBI Director James Comey – “With respect to the president’s tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets,” “We have looked carefully inside the FBI.”

Will Trump supply evidence? To date he steadfastly refuses to admit that he was wrong. He continues to insist that he was right and that he has been vindicated (mysteriously) in some small way. The sad truth is that Trump is not gracious enough, or big enough to admit that he made a mistake. To do that would require courage, self reflection, and humility; traits that up to this point, Trump has failed to exhibit.

UK demands and receives apology from Trump Administration

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 23:27:32 +0000

The United States has made an official apology to Britain for bizarre claims Barack Obama may have used UK spies at GCHQ to listen to Donald Trump‘s calls. The White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, personally apologized after he repeated the claim in an official briefing, triggering a major diplomatic incident. Without any confrmation, Spicer repeated a false story reported on Fox News. It prompted a rare and furious response from GCHQ, which is Britain’s high-tech global listening post that monitors communications around the world.

The rebuke from GCHQ said: ‘Recent allegations made by media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct ‘wire tapping’ against the then President Elect are nonsense. They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored.’

Intelligence sources said both Mr Spicer and General McMaster, the US National Security Adviser, have now apologised over the claims. Britain’s ambassador to the United States Sir Kim Darroch spoke directly to Mr Spicer about the incident. It was made clear to the Trump Administration that Britain does not spy on it’s allies. Why Spicer would insult and falsely accuse one of America’s closets allies is a mystery.

Trump: Unemployment rates are phony, then real

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 07:18:39 +0000

The numbers are wrong, claims Donald Trump. In this quick video produced by the Huffington Post, Trump is all over the map when it comes to unemployment numbers. Of course, after months and months of claiming that the unemployment numbers are fake and can’t be trusted, Trumps first month’s numbers came out on March 10th and they were good. All of a sudden, they are real and not fake. Go figure.

Did Jeff Sessions perjure himself about Russians?

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 00:49:56 +0000

During his confirmation hearing, Sessions falsely told Congress that he “did not have communications with the Russians” during the 2016 presidential campaign, when in fact he did. As a matter of fact, Sessions met with the Russian Ambassador in Session’s own office. Accusations of perjury also stem from a written statement Sessions submitted in response to a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy, about whether he ever discussed the 2016 election with any Russian officials. Sessions’ answer to that question was just one word: “No.” He implicitly defended that response at a press conference Thursday by saying he didn’t remember talking to the ambassador about the campaign.

If that sounds like an open-and-shut case of perjury, one needs to realize one thing; that perjury requires an intent to mislead, and prosecutors must prove the accused “willfully” made a statement he knew to be untrue. Sessions later claimed he was confused and should have slowed down during questioning. Hence, even though he admits his statement wasn’t true, he claimed that he wasn’t intentionally providing false testimony.

Trump claims Obama tapped his phones in Trump Tower

Sat, 04 Mar 2017 23:19:55 +0000

3/4/2017

Providing no evidence, President Trump today called President Obama “sick” and “low” for having his wires tapped in Trump Tower.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

If true, this could be the biggest scandal to hit Washington since Watergate. It would tarnish Obama’s reputation almost as bad as the break-ins did to Nixon.

I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Presidents can not order wiretaps on American citizens. Presidents can not interfere with ongoing criminal investigations. If Obama had influenced the FBI or somehow convinced the CIA to place a wiretap on Trump, then Obama could be in some serious trouble.

Trump signs bill reversing Obama rule to ban gun purchases by mentally ill

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 04:29:38 +0000

President Trump killed a regulation that would have tightened gun background checks, signing a bill to undo one of Obama’s executive actions following the San Bernardino shootings in 2015.

The Obama administration rule required the Social Security Administration to submit records of mentally disabled people to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the FBI database used to determine whether someone can buy a firearm under the 1993 Brady Bill.

The rule would have applied to about 75,000 people who were “adjudicated as a mental defective” and who had applied for Social Security benefits, and had a mechanism to notify those affected so they could appeal. But congressional Republicans said the rule could ensnare people who had mental health issues but otherwise were competent to own a gun.

Trump’s pick to replace Flynn turns down offer

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 21:59:36 +0000

2/18/2017

President Trump’s first choice to replace Michael Flynn has turned down the job. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned in disgrace after it was learned that he lied to Vice president Pence regarding his contact with Russian operatives during the election. Trump had hoped to hire Robert Harward, a former Navy SEAL and deputy commander of U.S. Central Command under President Obama.

It was reported by The Washington Post, CBS News and The Financial Times that Harward turned down the offer in part because of his concerns that he would not have full say over the composition of his staff. It was reported that Trump insisted that Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland be allowed to stay on, and Harward refused to retain the former Fox News analyst and Flynn hire. Harward, currently a senior executive at Lockheed Martin, also cited the apparent lack of organization within the Trump White House, FT and CNN reported.

Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated – says Trump

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 19:23:24 +0000

2/27/2017

“It’s going to be so easy” Donald Trump told people who attended his rally in Sanford Florida October 25th, 2016. Repealing and replacing Obamacare was supposed to be his first priority, but Trump has learned that healthcare is a bit more complicated than what he once thought. Today, Trump stated “Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated”. In reality, probably 20-30 million people who are doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, healthcare billing companies, care providers and equipment providers, researchers, just about everybody in the insurance industry, industry experts, and even other politicians who have given the slightest amount of thought to the issue during the past eight years knew healthcare was a complicated issue.

After admitting that he has no clue as to how complicated healthcare is, Trump decided to show true leadership and suggest that he, and Republicans in Congress, should do nothing in the next couple of years to assist citizens in need of healthcare. “We can blame it on Democrats and President Obama, let it implode, don’t do anything” he said.

**UPDATE** An April 25, 2017 ABC/Washington Post poll said 79% of respondents want Trump to make Obamacare work instead of letting it fail.

Trump “Greatest threat to democracy” says Commander of bin Laden raid

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 21:45:07 +0000

2/24/2017

Former Navy SEAL and four-star Admiral, William McRaven, recently stated that Donald Trump’s description of the media as “the enemy of the American people,” is the “greatest threat to democracy” he’s ever seen. McRaven was the Commander who oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. He knows a thing or two about threats to democracy.

McRaven retired from the military in 2014. On Tuesday, he was invited to speak at his alma mater, The University of Texas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. “We must challenge this statement and this sentiment that the news media is the enemy of the American people,” McRaven said, according to the Daily Texan. “This sentiment may be the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime.” “To be a good leader, you have to be a good communicator,” he added. “As a leader, you have to communicate your intent every chance you get, and if you fail to do that, you will pay the consequences.”

In a subsequent blog post, McRaven elaborated on the threats he’s seen over six decades, including the Cold War, the Vietnam War and terrorism. “In my sixty years, most of the serious threats to our nation have come from the outside,” he wrote.

“While at times, these external pressures encouraged some within our government to adopt a barricade mentality — hiding information from the public, acting secretly outside the bounds of the law, and encouraging behavior that had an extralegal feel to it — never has the government openly challenged the idea of a free press.”

He added: “The news media have not always been kind to me. However, I can tell you — as someone who has been to 90 countries and spoken to the press in almost all of them — the United States has the finest press corps in the world, bar none.”

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

Trump turned down by pick to replace Flynn

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 00:23:36 +0000

President Trump’s pick to replace former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn turned down the job today. Trump had offered the position to Robert Harward, a former navy SEAL and deputy commander of U.S. Central Command. Harward, 60, had been widely reported as the favorite to replace former general Michael Flynn, who resigned Monday in disgrace after misleading Vice President Pence about the nature of his conversations with the Russian ambassador.

The Washington Post, CBS News and The Financial Times reported that Harward turned down the position in part because of concerns that he would not have full say over the composition of his staff. It was reported that Trump insisted that Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland be allowed to stay on, and Harward refused to retain the former Fox News analyst and Flynn hire.

Harward, currently a senior executive at Lockheed Martin, also cited the apparent lack of organization within the Trump White House, FT and CNN reported. His decision came after watching Trump’s press conference regarding Flynn’s firing.

Melissa McCarthy plays Sean Spicer on SNL

Thu, 16 Feb 2017 01:09:55 +0000

If you thought Alec Baldwin plays a good Trump, you will absolutely love Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer.

5/13/2017

4/15/2017

2/12/2017

2/5/2017

Judge blocks Trump’s travel ban

Sun, 05 Feb 2017 00:27:45 +0000

02/04/2017

After a week of chaos regarding the immediate implementation of Trump’s travel ban, Federal Judge James Robart upheld the temporary stay preventing its implementation. The travel ban is not in place at this time.

Trump’s travel ban went into effect immediately upon his signature. The White House staff did not give adequate warning to TSA or other agencies as to how to implement the ban. No training or instruction was given in advance, resulting in thousands of people being stranded at airports around the world with no idea if they would be allowed to travel to the United States or not. Many of the detained travelers held valid green-cards, which should have allowed them to travel, but they too were detained.

Thousands of people across the United States went to airports to protest the day following Trump’s signature. On January 29th, Federal Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order blocking parts of the executive order. Yesterday, Federal US District Judge James Robart upheld the temporary restraining order, effectively killing Trump’s travel ban. The White House quickly responded, calling the order “outrageous” and vowing to appeal. “At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file an emergency stay of this outrageous order and defend the executive order of the President, which we believe is lawful and appropriate,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement.

Why you might not want a membership at a Trump golf course

Thu, 02 Feb 2017 01:35:22 +0000

The Trump organization just lost a class-action lawsuit over golf memberships, and now must pay 65 members almost 6 million dollars. After hearing the claims of the members about how they were treated, many people may never join a Trump golf course.

The sordid story revolves around the Trump National Jupiter Golf Club in Jupiter Florida. In 2012, Trump bought the financially troubled course from the Marriott Corporation for only $5 million. That would have been a steal for just the Real Estate itself. However, part of the deal was that Trump also had to assume the liability of about $50 million dollars of refundable deposits put down by the club’s members.

Existing members signed up under the Marriott Corporation had the ability to resign from the club, and get their refundable deposits back. However, the golf club didn’t need to instantly let members resign, they could make members wait until a new member joined the club before they had to return the original members deposit. That meant that members needed to be added to a resignation list, and had to wait perhaps years before a new member signed up. Under the Marriott rules, members wanting to resign needed to remain as members until a replacement could be found, and were responsible for paying their annual membership dues until they were able to resign. While they waited and paid their dues, they were able to use the club and the facilities as full paying members.

For whatever reason, Trump didn’t want those members who wanted to resign at the club. Trump instituted a new rule, barring those on the list from using the club. “As the owner of the club, I do not want them to utilize the club nor do I want their dues,” he wrote in a letter to members. Then, a few months later, he began charging them dues anyway — even though, as his son Eric testified, paying with no access to the club “would violate a fundamental rule of life,” the judge noted.

Members understandably were upset, and said Trump was unfairly changing the rules of their membership contracts. They filed a class action lawsuit. Their lawyer, Brad Edwards, says Trump essentially revoked their memberships while still requiring them to pay their dues and keeping their deposits.

The judge found that the golf course had effectively revoked the membership of those on the resignation list but had failed to return deposits that ranged from $35,000 to $210,000. He ordered the club to return $4,849,000 in deposits, plus $925,010 in interest. Of course, the Trump Organization did not agree with the ruling, and has appealed. It has been almost five years since the lawsuit was filed. It is unlikely that the members who wish to resign will see their deposits returned anytime soon, if ever.

What happened to the secret plan to defeat ISIS?

Sat, 28 Jan 2017 02:11:29 +0000

“All I can tell you it is a foolproof way of winning, and I’m not talking about what some people would say, but it is a foolproof way of winning the war with ISIS.” That was the claim Trump made to Fox News during a May 2015 interview. “Unfortunately, I’ll probably have to tell at some point, but there is a method of defeating them quickly and effectively and having total victory.”

Donald Trump has long assured us that he has a very real, and very good, plan to defeat the Islamic State. However, disclosing the details would ruin the advantage over the enemy. He has been talking about this secret plan for more than a year. He has said it was “foolproof” and “absolute” in its effectiveness.

During a June 2015 interview with the Des Moines Register editorial board, he offered a different reason for keeping the plan under wraps. He feared that his opponents would steal the idea, and he wouldn’t get the credit. “The problem with politics is if I tell you right now, everyone else is going to say, ‘Wow, what a great idea.’ You’re going to have 10 candidates go and use it, and they’re going to forget where it came from, which is me. But no, I have an absolute way of defeating ISIS.”

So where is the secret, foolproof plan that will ensure total victory? He has not announced how he is going to share the plan with his Generals, or how long it might take to implement it. He did however instruct his Generals to come up with their own way to defeat ISIS and deliver the plan to him in 30 days.

Trump signs executive order for 90 day travel ban

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 23:17:16 +0000

01/27/2017

Today President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” which immediately suspends for a period of least 90 days the admission of nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen into the United States. The executive order states that the travel ban applies to nationals of the seven named countries who seek entry into the U.S. as refugees, visa holders or immigrants. The ban does not apply to diplomats or government officials of the seven named countries.

Additionally, the executive order suspends the visa interview waiver program, which allows consulates to waive the visa interview requirement for certain applicants renewing their visa stamps at the consulate. The executive order does not affect the Visa Waiver Program, which provides for visa-free admission for citizens of certain counties in Europe and others not deemed to be a risk for visa overstays or security issues.

The executive order also directs the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence to evaluate the government’s access to information needed for the vetting process and, based on that review, to recommend additional countries that should be included in the travel ban.

Trump incensed about crowd reports

Sat, 21 Jan 2017 00:56:17 +0000

Newly sworn President Trump took issue with news reports about the number of people who attended his inauguration, complaining that the news media used photographs of “an empty field” to make it seem as if his inauguration did not draw many people. Continuing his campaign theme regarding fake news, Trump said of the news media “We caught them in a beauty, and I think they’re going to pay a big price.”

Sean Spicer, the newly appointed White House Press Secretary, said that Mr. Trump had drawn “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration,” a statement that photographs clearly show to be false. Mr. Spicer said photographs of the inaugural ceremonies were deliberately framed “to minimize the enormous support that had gathered on the National Mall,” although he provided no proof of either assertion. “These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong,” Mr. Spicer said.

Mr. Spicer also incorrectly claimed that ridership on Washington’s subway system was higher than on Inauguration Day in 2013. In reality, there were 782,000 riders that year, compared with 571,000 riders this year, according to figures from the Washington-area transit authority. Mr. Spicer contended that security measures had been extended farther down the National Mall this year, preventing “hundreds of thousands of people” from viewing the ceremony. But the Secret Service said the measures were largely unchanged this year, and there were few reports of long lines or delays.

Commentary about the size of his inauguration crowd made Mr. Trump increasingly angry on Friday, according to several people familiar with his thinking. And on Saturday, Mr. Trump told his advisers that he wanted to push back hard on “dishonest media” coverage — mostly referring to a Twitter post from a New York Times reporter showing side-by-side frames of Mr. Trump’s crowd and Mr. Obama’s in 2009. But most of Mr. Trump’s advisers urged him to focus on the responsibilities of his office during his first full day as president.

Bush uses the "S" word

Sat, 21 Jan 2017 07:07:37 +0000

During eight years as President, George W. Bush certainly saw some weird things. However, even he was taken back by some of the statements Trump made during his inauguration. According to New York Magazine, three separate sources claim to overhear former President Bush say “That was some weird shit” after leaving the ceremony.

Bush attended the ceremony with his wife Laura Bush as well as former president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, and former president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton.

Trump thundered against the political elites in the audience, asserting that they had failed the American people.

Trump sworn in as 45th President

Sat, 21 Jan 2017 02:23:21 +0000

1/20/2017

Donald Trump is sworn in as the nations 45th President. Following is his inauguration speech.

69 Congressmen refuse to attend Trump’s inauguration

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 03:43:22 +0000

In a stunning act of defiance, 69 Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen have stated they will not attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration. Trump has promised he can build bridges, but apparently he has a lot of work to do if he wants to bring Washington together.

The list:

Alabama (1)
Rep. Terri A. Sewell (AL)

Arizona (2)
Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ)
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ)

California (16)
Rep. Karen Bass (CA)
Rep. Tony Cardenas (CA)
Rep. Judy Chu (CA)
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA)
Rep. Jared Huffman (CA)
Rep. Barbara Lee (CA)
Rep. Ted Lieu (CA)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA)
Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (CA)
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA)
Rep. Mark Takano (CA)
Rep. Juan Vargas (CA)
Rep. Maxine Waters (CA)
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA)

Florida (3)
Rep. Darren Soto
Rep. Frederica S. Wilson
Rep. Alcee Hastings

Georgia (1)
Rep. John Lewis (GA)

Illinois (5)
Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (IL)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL)
Rep. Mike Quigley (IL)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL)
Rep. Bobby Rush (IL)

Kentucky (1)
Rep. John Yarmuth (KY)

Maine (1)
Rep. Chellie Pingree

Maryland (2)
Rep. Anthony Brown
Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD)

Massachusetts (2)
Rep. Katherine Clark
Rep. Michael Capuano (MA)

Michigan (1)
Rep. John Conyers

Minnesota (1)
Rep. Keith Ellison

Mississippi (1)
Rep. Bennie Thompson

Missouri (1)
Rep. William Lacy Clay

New Hampshire (1)
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (NH)

New Jersey (2)
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (NJ)
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ)

New York (7)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY)
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY)
Rep. José E. Serrano (NY)
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (NY)
Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (NY)
Rep. Grace Meng (NY)

North Carolina (2)
Rep. Alma Adams (NC)
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (NC)

Ohio (1)
Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (OH)

Oregon (3)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR)
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (OR)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR)

Pennsylvania (4)
Rep. Brendan Boyle (PA)
Rep. Robert Brady (PA)
Rep. Mike Doyle (PA)
Rep. Dwight Evans (PA)

Tennessee (1)
Rep. Steve Cohen (TN)

Texas (4)
Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX)
Rep. Al Green (TX)
Rep. Filemon Vela (TX)

Virginia (3)
Rep. Don Beyer (VA)
Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA)
Rep. A. Donald McEachin (VA)

Washington (2)
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA)
Rep. Adam Smith (WA)

Wisconsin (1)
Rep. Mark Pocan (WI)

Rep. John Lewis – Trump isn’t a legitimate president

Sun, 15 Jan 2017 03:09:50 +0000

While Staing that he will not be attending President-elect Trump’s inauguration, Congressman John Lewis also called into question whether Trump deserved to be president.

The Democratic from Georgia stated on “Meet The Press” that he believed Russia’s hacking helped Trump in the 2016 race making Trump an illegitimate president. “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.” Lewis called it a “conspiracy” and added “That’s not right. That’s not fair. That’s not the open democratic process.”

In typical Trump fashion, the President-elect lashed out at Lewis via Twitter

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to……

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

British Agent Claims Trump subject to Blackmail (Golden Showers)

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 02:51:46 +0000

Ex-British Secret Agent Christopher Steele, considered credible by US intelligence agencies, recently disclosed that Russian contacts claim to have incriminating evidence against Donald Trump. The evidence includes alleged video of Trump spending time with Moscow prostitutes, and enjoying in lewd sex acts by the prostitutes including “golden showers”. Trump has denied the accusations, and has called it “fake news”. He also claims that he hasn’t been to Russia in over 10 years, despite of his own tweet confirming his travels to Moscow in 2013, which is the date mentioned in the dossier.

I just got back from Russia-learned lots & lots. Moscow is a very interesting and amazing place! U.S. MUST BE VERY SMART AND VERY STRATEGIC.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2013

Donald Trump Jr. has stated that the Trump organization sees a lot of money pouring in from Russia, and that the Russians make up “a disproportional cross-section of a lot of their assets.” If the Russians wanted to put somebody under their thumb, who better to trap than a sex crazed billionaire?

Attached is the entire dossier, containing all of the sordid details.

Trump Intelligence Allegations

National Intelligence Report Spells Out How Russia Interfered With Elections

Sun, 08 Jan 2017 02:16:38 +0000

01/07/2017

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Friday released its declassified report on Russia’s efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

The report (Trump Russian Interference Report) comes a day after top intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the issue. During the hearing, Clapper said the intelligence community has grown more “resolute” in its assessment that Russian intelligence was involved in the hacks aimed at the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. On Friday, Clapper, Rogers, FBI Director Jim Comey, and CIA Director John Brennan briefed President-elect Donald Trump on the classified evidence linking Russia to the hacks and the leaking of the swiped emails.

According to the report, Russia’s 2016 presidential election influence effort was its boldest to date in the United States. Moscow used a multi-faceted approach to undermine confidence in our free election process. Russia’s activities included efforts to discredit Secretary Clinton and to publicly contrast her unfavorably with President Trump. This Russian effort included the weaponization of stolen cyber information, the use of Russia’s English-language state media as a strategic messaging platform, and the mobilization of social media bots and trolls to spread disinformation and amplify Russian messaging.

Trump shames Congress not to gut ethics watchdog

Wed, 04 Jan 2017 01:47:20 +0000

1/3/2017

Trump called out his fellow Republicans for proposing to curb the powers of the independent ethics panel as their first move of the year. Monday night, House Republicans voted 119-74 during a closed-door meeting in favor of Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s proposal, which would place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics under the control of those very lawmakers. The proposal would have made it almost impossible for the ethics group to investigate House members for wrongdoing. The full House was set to vote on the plan Tuesday, part of a larger package of House rules changes. After Trump’s tweets, the House reconsidered, and left the ethic committee in place.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/816298944456232960

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/816300003442495488

Trump declares “It won’t happen” regarding North Korea

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 00:17:00 +0000

President Elect Trump today declared “It won’t happen” in reference to North Korea’s continued attempts of developing a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States.

North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017

For years, North Korea’s leadership have dreamed of being a world player, and a world power. To that end, they have tested nuclear weapons in underground facilities, and have tested missiles capable of reaching more than 1,000 miles. While it will be some time before thy have a missile that can reach the mainland of the United States, their efforts have gone unchecked.

Under Bush and Obama administrations, no military action was taken against North Korea as they continued to develop their weapon systems. Economic sanctions were the tool of choice. Unfortunately, sanctions have had little to no effect on North Korean leadership. Some believed that China held the key to influencing North Korea, as China was just about the only country still engaged with them economically. It has since been divulged that Russia has been in negotiations to work on projects within North Korea and to provide energy resources to them.

North Korea has a history of issuing provocative threats to its nearby neighbors and to the US. Recently, North Korea said of Australia, “If Australia persists in following the US’ moves to isolate and stifle North Korea … this will be a suicidal act of coming within the range of the nuclear strike of the strategic force of North Korea.” While North Korea’s threats are nothing new, they certainly exemplify their inability to interact with other nations in a rational way. It’s this irrational behavior that concerns many analysts who wonder, just how unstable is the North Korean leadership? Currently, the greatest threat from North Korea is the unstable thinking and not their weapons. That could quickly change if development is allowed to continue.

President Trump has not announced a formal strategy to deal with the threat of a nuclear North Korea. Nor has he proposed any additional or sanctions. During Obama’s eight years in office, North Korea conducted eight missile tests and attempted four satellite launches. Trump has bragged that he is the ultimate deal maker. Can he make a deal with North Korea to stop the tests? Can he bring peace to the peninsula when other Presidents have failed, or will they continue to develop their weapons to the point of actually becoming a threat?

Sons Donald Jr. and Eric to sell access to Dad for $1 million at “Opening day 2017”

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 23:01:20 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr. have launched a nonprofit group that is selling access to their father as well as hunting trips with themselves as part of an inauguration fundraising party. The Trump sons are listed as directors for the Opening Day Foundation, a nonprofit formed in Texas last week, according to its certificate of formation.

The foundation — organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, meaning it won’t be required to disclose its donors — is throwing what looks to be a massive fundraiser in Washington the day after Trump’s inauguration. Called “Opening Day 2017,” the event will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center the evening of Jan. 21.

The invitation lists several packages for donors, including the $1 million “Bald Eagle” that includes a private reception and photo opportunity for 16 guests with President Trump, along with a “Multi-day hunting and/or fishing excursion for 4 guests with Donald Trump, Jr. and/or Eric Trump.” Other packages include the $500,000 “Grizzly Bear” which provides a private reception for eight guests with Trump as well as a multi-day hunting or fishing excursion with Eric or Donald Jr. The “Elk,” package is priced at $250,000, includes an autographed guitar by one of the event’s performers as well as an Outfitter’s Pro Package with commemorative custom details and 20 VIP guest tickets. At $100,000, “Marlin” secures eight VIP tickets and an Outfitter’s Pro Package, among other perks.

“Opening Day is your opportunity to play a significant role as our family commemorates the inauguration of our father, friend and President Donald J. Trump. Join us as we celebrate the great American tradition of outdoor sporting, shooting, fishing and conservation,” the invitation says.

Trump criticized Hillary Clinton on more than occasion, claiming that she often instituted pay-to-play for access for large donors. The Trump sons are taking it one step further, blatantly advertising the packages and fully describing what access donors will have to the new president.

Trump calls out Boeing for cost of new AF-1

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 22:28:39 +0000

Claiming the costs are out of control, President Elect Trump tweeted that he might cancel future plans to buy two new Air Force Ones from Boeing. The current estimated cost for two presidential 747’s is $4.2 billion dollars, or $2.1 billion per plane. In reality, the actual final cost of the project for two Boeing 747’s had not been determined by the Pentagon. Earlier in 2016, Boeing was awarded a $170 million dollar contract to “determine the capabilities” of a new Presidential jet based on an existing 747-800 platform which has been flying since 2010. For comparison, Boeing sells a brand new 747-800 to its airline customers for about 357 million, less than 1/5^th the cost of the estimated price of one Presidential plane.

The Pentagon says the current fleet “faces capability gaps, rising maintenance costs, and parts obsolescence as it reaches the end of its planned 30-year life-cycle.” Some critics wonder if this is the case, then why would they choose the aging 747 frame for aircraft they hope to last 30 years as opposed to a newer platform such as the 787?

Regardless of the future decision, the fact that Trump has started to look out for American taxpayers is a very good sign.

Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016

Trump saves 1,100 jobs at Indiana’s Carrier plant for $7 million in tax breaks

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 20:48:06 +0000

12/05/2016

After making jobs a hot topic in Indiana during the campaign, President elect Trump announced a plan to save 1,100 jobs at the Carrier manufacturing plant in Indiana. The jobs were scheduled to be filled in Monterrey Mexico, where the minimum wage is $3.90/hr. Carrier is owned by parent company United Technologies. The plant makes parts for heating and air conditioning.

Trump said to the crowd of workers “But I will tell you that United Technologies and Carrier stepped it up and now they’re keeping — actually the number’s over 1,100 people, which is so great, which is so great.” “And by the way, that number is going to go up substantially as they expand this area, this plant,” Trump said. “The 1,100 is going to be a minimum number.”

While Carrier did confirm that 1,100 jobs were going to remain in Indiana, not all of those were scheduled to be relocated. The number of jobs saved by the deal is actually 730, which is still a significant number. Unfortunately, 1,253 jobs would still go to Mexico (553 from the carrier plant and 700 from a similar United Technologies plant).

There was a cost to saving the jobs. The state of Indiana conceded $7 million in tax breaks over ten years to retain the 730 jobs. Each job saved costs other Indiana residents $9,589.

During his announcement for President, Trump claimed that he would be the greatest jobs President God ever created (Greatest jobs President God created). Can he negotiate and persuade to keep more jobs and grow the economy? Time will tell, but he is off to a good start.

After saying he never settles, Trump to pay $25 million to settle suit against Trump University

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 22:12:25 +0000

After stating many times that he doesn’t settle cases, Donald Trump today agreed to settle the case against Trump University for a whopping $25 million. The suit was filed as a class action suit with 5,000 plaintiffs. When settled, the list of plaintiffs grew to over 6,000. Trump’s first response to the suit was to counter-sue the lead plaintiff, which was thrown out of court. BTW – The BBB denied ever giving a “A” rating to Trump University.

… “We have a 98 percent approval rating from the people who took the course. We have an “A” from the Better Business Bureau. And, people like it. Now, he’s saying they didn’t learn. We have many, many people that will be witnesses. Again, I don’t settle cases. I don’t do it because that’s why I don’t get sued very often, because I don’t settle, unlike a lot of other people.”

When questioned about the suit during the Republican debate, Trump had this to say:

Megyn Kelly Forced to Hire Bodyguards

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 00:50:22 +0000

11/17/2016

“Every time Trump acted up it was like he flipped a switch, instantly causing a flood of intense nastiness,” Kelly stated. Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s new book details several accounts of her tenuous interactions with Donald Trump before he was elected president, ultimately requiring her to hire bodyguards for her and her family.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Kelly described how her professional relationship with Trump started to go downhill when Kelly aired a segment on Trump’s divorce from Ivana Trump. According to the Former Fox host, The Daily Beast had published a story on rape allegations Ivana made during the divorce, which she later fully recanted, so Kelly invited the journalist on her show “to give him a hard time” because the story was 30 years old. Kelly, for her part, said she was doing Trump “a favor” because “nobody was telling the other side.”

But Trump didn’t like it at all. “He said, ‘That’s it. you’re a disgrace, you outta be ashamed of yourself,’ and then he said, ‘I almost unleashed my beautiful Twitter account against you, and I still may,’” Kelly recalled of a conversation she had with Trump. “And that was four days before the presidential debate, at which I knew I was going to open with a tough question about women — not about Ivana Trump — but about women. So going in, I had some nerves because I had a feeling he wouldn’t like it.”

And she was right. Trump didn’t like that at all, either. It was after that now-famous encounter — and Trump’s subsequent “blood coming out of her wherever” comment — that led Kelly to get a security detail. “We had security guards the whole year,” she told Cooper. “I mean, the threat level just got so high that it was impossible not to take that seriously. And you know, it’s not like I was walking around actively believing that somebody was gonna necessarily try something, but it was high enough that we had to take it seriously.”

There was, however, a moment, which is outlined in Kelly’s new book, “Settle for More,” when a Fox executive told the Trump campaign, “It would not be good for you if Megyn Kelly is killed.” Of that, Kelly had this to say:

So Michael Cohen, who is Trump’s top lawyer and an executive vice president for the Trump

Organization, had retweeted “let’s gut her” about me, at a time when the threat level was very high, which he knew, and Bill Shine, an executive vice president at Fox, called him up to say, “You gotta stop this. We understand you’re angry, but this — she’s got three little kids, she’s running around New York.”

He didn’t much care. And what Bill Shine said to Michael Cohen was, “Let me put it to you in terms you can understand: ‘If Megyn Kelly gets killed, it’s not gonna help your candidate.’”

To those who have criticized her for not making public the threats Trump made against her until after Election Day, Kelly told Cooper she is confident none of it would have made a difference.

“I mean, do you think if the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape didn’t make a difference and the 12 female accusers didn’t make a difference and the Khan family and Judge Curiel — none of that mattered — that my, he mentioned his ‘beautiful Twitter account,’ was gonna be a game changer?” Kelly asked. “[I] didn’t want to make it any more about me. Trump kept trying to make the story about me, and the story was about him.”

“I felt like a human being who had been dropped into a shark tank,” she added. “And there were passersby looking in, slightly horrified at what was going on. And all I wanted to do last year was get myself out of the shark tank.”

https://youtu.be/9i-Lkq1btP0

Trump wins electoral college after calling it “disgusting injustice”

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 20:14:54 +0000

11/8/2016

After believing President Obama won the 2012 election by winning the electoral college, but not the popular vote, Donald Trump went on a Twitter rampage decrying the electoral system. In fact, President Obama won both the popular vote (by about 5 million votes) and the electoral college 332 vs. 206.

At the time, Trump thought winning by the electoral system was so unjust, he Tweeted the following messages. He victory in 2016 was by the very same electoral system, as he lost the popular vote by about 3 million votes. The margin set a record for any President election, no other President had lost the popular vote by such a wide margin ans still won the election.

Tweets deleted by Trump after he won the electoral college:

He (Obama) lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in this country! (Nov 6, 2012)
The phoney (misspelled) electoral college made a laughing stock out of our nation. The loser won! (Nov 6, 2012)
More votes equals a loss...revolution! (Nov 7, 2012)

And those tweets ranting against the electoral college that he did not delete:

Trump Wins Election

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 02:26:24 +0000

It could fairly be described as one of the biggest upsets in Presidential election history. On November 8th, Donald Trump overcame horrendous public opinion and defied all odds to become the next President of the United States.

How did he do it? How did he overcome insurmountable obstacles to defeat Hillary Clinton? There are a few theories of how he managed to win, and we will investigate the most probable theories in order to try to figure it out. Love him or hate him, he achieved a huge upset that nobody predicted, not even Trump himself.

Before we delve into how he did it, it is important to define exactly what he won.

Trump Clinton

Electoral College 306 (57%) 227 (42%)

Popular Vote 62,984,825 (46%) 65,853,516 (48%)

It is estimated that only 54.7% of eligible voters actually voted in the election. Shortly after the election, Trump claimed that he would have won the popular vote by a wide margin, had it not been for millions of fraudulent votes. Part of his claim was that all of the supposed fraudulent votes were cast for Hillary Clinton, and none went to him. He provided no support or evidence of his claims, and earlier in the year Mr. Trump’s own lawyers wrote: “All available evidence suggests that the 2016 general election was not tainted by fraud or mistake,”. When your own lawyers state there was no fraud, it’s difficult to keep pressing the issue, but Trump did anyway, pledging he would sign an executive order to investigate the fraud.

This was a solid win for Trump. It wasn’t a landslide, and more people actually voted for Clinton, but because of how we run elections Trump won, and it wasn’t really that close.

The American people, for the most part, dislike the job the government is doing. Congress has a pathetic 18% approval rating. Most recent Presidents have an approval rating well below 50%. Even though there are almost 22 million people employed by government in the US, nothing ever gets done, and nobody is held accountable. There had been at least eight years of gridlock in Washington, and many people felt it was time for a change.

Leading up to election day, there was a lot not to like about Trump. He was brash and boorish, he insulted just about every other Republican candidate. He had a long history of childish and abusive behavior. He (his companies) went bankrupt, he didn’t always pay his contractors. He was involved in 3,500 lawsuits and used the courts as a way to intimidate others. A dozen women accused him of sexual harassment, and he was caught on tape bragging about sexually abusing women. He has been married three times and has been accused of cheating all on three of his wives. He insulted the entire country of Mexico. He waged a war against the Muslim religion. He insulted American war heroes like John McCain. He called Mitt Romney a “stone cold loser”. He said our Generals don’t know much. And of course, he made wild promises about the wall, healthcare, a secret plan to defeat ISIS, and winning so much that Americans would become tired of winning. There were reasons for women not to like him. There were reasons for Evangelicals not to like him. There were reasons for Republicans who supported their party not to like him. There were reasons for immigrants not to like him. There were enough reasons for just about every American to dislike something about Donald Trump.

So how does a candidate that has at least one thing about them that people dislike get elected? When there is a least one thing about the candidate that people like even more than the thing they dislike. All Trump had to do was to get people to like one thing about him. One thing that they liked more than all the things they may have disliked.

Many people were tired of a do-nothing government that never got anything done, and Trump had a history of getting things done. Trump literally wrote the book on making deals. Could he break the gridlock in Washington and get the country moving again? He said he could, he said he was the best, and many people believed him. Other supporters liked that he was going to finally address illegal immigration, something that other politicians barely mentioned. Many people believed him when he claimed to know exactly how to defeat ISIS, that he had a foolproof plan. Perhaps it was his promised to repeal and replace Obamacare with something that would be great, something everybody would love. Trump offered many bold and great promises that people could cling to, and Clinton did not.

Clinton did not propose any great changes in policy or practice. Perhaps it was out of respect to Obama that she rarely implied things were not as good as they could be, or that change was needed. Clinton promised more of the same. More of the same gridlock, more of the same immigration policy, more of the same health care, more of the same regulations, and more of the same everything.

Trump was successful in convincing people things were horrible and in terrible shape. According to Trump, things were so bad, only he could fix them. No other politician had the skill set necessary to do it. He needed to convince people that he would be their savior, and he did.

In the end, most Trump voters claimed that there was one thing that stood out about Trump that they could cling to. It may have been immigration and building a wall, it may have been healthcare, it may have been jobs, but Trump voters could almost always point to one thing that Trump said he would change that they liked. All the other stuff just didn’t really matter much. As long as he came through on the one thing that mattered to them, they could accept the other things. Clinton didn’t offer anything new. Clinton only offered an option not to vote for Trump, and that is really why Trump won.

So what will happen in 2020? It’s obvious that Trump will claim that the world is much better off than it was, that he overcame terrific hurdles (since everything was so bad), and nobody could have done better starting with such a mess. In addition, things are great in 2019 and nobody could make them better. Choosing any other politician will take us back to the dark days before he took office, total failure. It will be fun to hear him say it.

Trump ties Ted Cruz’s father to JFK Assassination

Sun, 23 Oct 2016 22:25:56 +0000

10/23/2016

During an interview on “Fox and Friends”, Donald Trump asserted that Ted Cruz’s father was somehow connected to the assassination plot to kill JFK. The National Inquirer had posted a picture of a man standing next to Lee Harvey Oswald, who appears to look similar to Ted Cruz’s father in his passport photo. The newspaper claimed a photo expert stated that the two photos looked similar. Donald Trump took the story from the National Inquirer and ran with it, touting it as anything but “Fake News”.

The photo expert, Mitch Goldstone, president and CEO of ScanMyPhotos, later called Trump’s unqualified assertion that it is Cruz’s father “stupid.”

https://youtu.be/zYbNxd4nUHA

Debate, 3rd Presidential, Oct 19, 2016

Wed, 19 Oct 2016 02:58:23 +0000

Trump says he will have his Attorney General investigate Clinton

Sun, 09 Oct 2016 22:08:00 +0000

10/9/2016

During the second Presidential debate, Donald Trump threatens to have his Attorney General appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton if he is elected. His remark later became highly criticized, as no US President had ever before threatened an opponent with prosecution.

While some Trump supporters dismissed the Republican nominee’s remarks as a joke, members of both parties said such behavior would blatantly contradict the ideals of a democratic government. The jailing of political opponents has long been decried as antidemocratic throughout the world.

“Winning candidates don’t threaten to put opponents in jail. Presidents don’t threaten prosecution of individuals. Trump is wrong on this,” said Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush.

“Be afraid of any candidate who says he will order DOJ/FBI to act on his command,” said Eric Holder, who served as Attorney General under President Obama. “This is dangerous/so is @realDonaldTrump-he’s not qualified.”

Debate, 2nd Presidential, Oct 9, 2016

Sun, 09 Oct 2016 02:55:43 +0000

Access Hollywood Bus Ride

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 23:15:07 +0000

When you are a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy, you can do anything….

And so said Donald Trump during his famous bus ride with Billy Bush. In 2005, Trump was on a way to a guest TV appearance when he revealed his attempt to get a married woman to sleep with him, and how he basically assaults women without repercussion.

Would this be the end of Trump’s campaign? For anybody else it probably would have been the end. If it had been released about two weeks later, Trump may never had recovered, but he had a month for people to think about it, and in the end not even this would stop him. What Donald Trump knew was that all of his publicity is good publicity. The more outrageous it was, the more people talked about it, and that was good for him. It doesn’t matter if his statements are true or false, if they are racist, bigoted or offensive, if they get his face on TV for a few minutes more, it was good for him.

What is really amazing is that this tape had little to no effect on one of his core group of supporters, the Evangelicals. In terms of family values, Donald Trump may as well be the Anti-Christ for Evangelicals. He has been married three times, has children from three different women, tries to seduce married women, grabs women by their pussys… and yet this is the candidate they support? What this election proved is that many voters have a much deeper commitment to their party, than they do to a candidate. The candidate can be the exact opposite of what a voter believes in, but if they belong to the same party, then that’s all that matters.

Access Hollywood Tape Released

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 21:32:22 +0000

“When you are a star they let you do it, you can do anything, grab them by the pussy, anything…”

And so said Donald Trump in his famous bus ride with Billy Bush. Would this be the end of Trumps campaign? For just about anybody else, it would have been, but not for Trump. The one thing Trump knows is that the more outrageous his statements, the more publicity he gets, and in his case there doesn’t seem to be any bad publicity. It doesn’t matter if what he says is true or false, it doesn’t matter if it is racist, bigoted or offensive. All that matters is that it is reported and it gets his face on the television for a few more minutes.

What is significant about the release of this tape is not necessarily that Trump said something that is offensive to at least half of the population, it’s that his supporters didn’t care. The bus segment is without doubt, the most sexually offensive documentation of a presidential candidate ever. Yet it despite his three marriages, despite what he has said about women, core Trump supporters such as Evangelicals and Bible Thumpers still supported him. Apparently family values don’t matter after all.

Alec Baldwin appears as Trump on SNL

Sat, 01 Oct 2016 20:18:30 +0000

Alec Baldwin performs multiple times as Donald Trump, much to Trump’s irritation.

Just tried watching Saturday Night Live – unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016

5/20/2017

https://youtu.be/70i8gTb3fZQ

5/13/2017

4/15/2017

4/8/2017 Baldwin as both Bill O’Reilly and Trump

3/11/2017

2/25/2017

2/12/2017

2/5/2017

1/15/2017

12/4/16

https://youtu.be/tI3g_laToxE

11/20/2016

11/6/2016

https://youtu.be/hxH6bKNPBIA

10/23/2016

10/16/2016

10/9/2016 – Baldwin appears at minute 1:50

https://youtu.be/5sYGjoUcusM

10/1/2016

1/24/2016 Tina Fey and Darrell Hammond as Trump

10/4/2015 – Played by Taren Killam

Debate, 1st Presidential, Sept 26, 2016

Mon, 26 Sep 2016 02:47:12 +0000

Trump urges Russia to hack Clinton’s emails

Wed, 27 Jul 2016 00:57:05 +0000

Donald Trump invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails on Wednesday, asking one of America’s longstanding geopolitical adversaries to find “the 30,000 emails that are missing” from the personal server she used during her time as secretary of state.

“I will tell you this, Russia: If you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the Republican nominee said at a news conference in Florida. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

https://youtu.be/gNa2B5zHfbQ

Melania Trump plagiarizes Michelle Obama

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 21:18:31 +0000

7/19/2016

Claiming “I wrote it, with as little help as possible”, Melania Trump first denied the fact that parts of her speech were plagiarized. The next day, Trump campaign staff also denied plagiarism until in-house staff speech writer, Meredith McIver, came clean. “This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama,” McIver wrote. “No harm was meant.”

McIver explained that she asked Melania about her inspirations and the message she wanted to convey during her July 18 prime-time speech at the convention in Cleveland, where her husband officially because the Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday.

Is Trump Putin’s Wet Dream?

Sat, 16 Jul 2016 22:34:03 +0000

Vladimir Putin has dreams. Dreams of a renewed Russia raising from the ashes of communism to a place of world domination. Dreams where he is loved and hailed as the Russian savior, the one who brought back world respect for Russia. In his dreams, Russia becomes the world’s leading power where he is able to do whatever he wants, and he is not questioned or criticized. He is loved.

Dreams don’t always come true, but if Putin could make his dream come true, how would he do it? What would need to happen? Is it possible? Could the stars align in such a way that he could control the world? Yes, he controls the press in Russia, he can control what the people there think, but the United States has always been a problem. The free press, the CIA, and the Presidents have always been in the way. They report to the world about human right violations. They brag about how their elections are fair. They brag about their free press and the right to free speech. If Russia invades Afghanistan, Crimea or even start to make inroads into the Ukraine, the United States always causes problems. How can Putin dominate the world with the US tattletales always around? If only, if only there was a way to change that….

The first thing Russia would need to do is to get somebody in the US on their side. Who would this be…. Ideally it would be a person that isn’t too smart. They would need to think they were smart, they would need to think they are one of the smartest people, but in reality they couldn’t really be the sharpest tool in the shed. They would need to be easily manipulated. Somebody that you could tell something to, and they would believe it right away regardless if it was true or not. Perhaps if they saw something on TV on a news show (like the President wire tapped their home, or UFO’s are invading) and instantly thought it was true. Yes, that is they type of person Russia would want. This person would also need to have followers who were equally as gullible, eager to soak in every big claim and promise without question. He would need to be able to make huge claims, and have his followers believe him.

If Russia could find such a person, what would Putin want him to do? How could this person best help restore Russia’s rightful place in world the hierarchy? Well, in Putin’s dream, he starts to make a wish-list. Of course this isn’t going to come true, we all know that. It’s just a wish-list in Putin’s dream.

First, we want our new friend to discredit this whole notion about a free press. Americans and people all over the world think everything in the New York Times or the Washington Post is true, and that’s a real problem if we need to do a few things that we don’t want to get out. Those pesky News channels like CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS etc are a real problem as well. Kill a few people of the opposition? It’s only a problem if people read about it and believe it. Our new American friend needs to discredit the press, call it “Fake News”. We’ll have him tell people over and over that they can’t trust their own media. Once his followers believe it, they won’t trust what anybody tells them except for him. He will be their only source of “Real News”, nobody else can be trusted.

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

Second, He needs to tell them that they can’t trust their own government. They are so high-and-mighty. The CIA, FBI, the whole intelligence community needs to be suspect. Yes, these agencies have been trusted to keep the Americans safe and to foil us in the past, but that’s exactly why we need the Americans not to trust them. If we can get our friend to discredit their intelligence agencies, discrediting the rest of their government will be easy!

The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by "intelligence" like candy. Very un-American!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

What other things would I wish for? How about the American election system? If we can get people to wonder if there is fraud, then it doesn’t really matter who gets elected. Americans will think there is something crooked going on and that no elected official is legitimate. This could really hurt them, this could actually ruin them! Fair and honest elections are the entire foundation of democracy! Could we even dream of some idiot saying it’s a fraud? Perhaps not, but maybe, just maybe….

Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2016

And their justice system, it makes me sick. Whatever happened to the good old days when we could just make people disappear, or send them to the gulag for “re-education”? If we can make the American justice system look bad, like their judges aren’t legitimate, then our system will look a lot better. We can say “hey look, the American system is just as bad, why are you complaining about ours?”

The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017

And what would make me really, really happy? If our new friend told everybody how smart I am, especially after telling them that their own Generals can’t be very smart! Oh oh, now I’m really getting excited!

Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2016

Whats that? Vladimir is coming out of his sleep? Just have him roll over, we don’t want him to wake up yet! There’s still so much to dream about. Even if we could get some idiot to undermine the United States, there is still NATO that would stand in our way. They have been keeping us from colonizing Europe for over 65 years. We can’t do anything while they still are united against us. America is a problem, but NATO is still here, unless…

N.A.T.O. is obsolete and must be changed to additionally focus on terrorism as well as some of the things it is currently focused on!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2016

But how, how could Russia find such a tool? How could we find somebody to undermine democracy, the independent free press, the American Justice system, the CIA and NATO? Is there such a person out there that wouldn’t realize the damage they are doing to their own country? Could we find somebody who doesn’t care? Or is it better to blackmail this person, put them in a compromising position? If they come to Moscow, perhaps we could provide them some local entertainment, put on a “golden” show. Or maybe, just maybe this buffoon is already out there, just waiting for us….

Okay, Vladimir is waking up now. He has a smile on his face, he must of had a very nice dream. By the way, what’s that wet spot about?

Obama wasn't/was born in the US

Thu, 24 Mar 2016 02:56:52 +0000

The issue of whether President Obama was born in the United States began during his first run for office. It was initially brought up by Democrats, mostly by those who supported Hillary Clinton. Clinton never accepted the issue, and publicly stated many times that she believed President Obama was born in the US. Though he was not running for office himself, Donald Trump brought up the issue again during the second election cycle. It was an issue few believed in, but Trump persisted in raising suspicion and doubt to such an extent, Obama ultimately had the state of Hawaii release his full long-form birth certificate.

Trump considered it a victory that he could create so much doubt and suspicion in the press and by the voters. It was a victory that he could get the President of the United States to cave-in and provide documentation that he was, in fact, a US citizen. As Trump speak, this was “big league”. However, after the birth certificate was released, Trump still wanted to remain in the spotlight. Even after almost everybody else was satisfied that President Obama was a citizen, Trump continued to cause doubt and suspicion.

Trump has continued to use this tactic, and it continues to be effective for him. Make outlandish claims to raise doubt and suspicion, and have others waste their time defending the actual truth. Hillary Clinton’s email server, Ted Cruz’s father part of the JFK assassination, intelligence agencies can’t be trusted, the elections are rigged, all the major news sources are fake news, Obama wiretapping Trump Tower; all examples of Trumps ability to create doubt and suspicion.

Below is an excellent summation of Trump’s birther claims produced by CNN.

Debate, 12th Republican, Mar 10th, 2016

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 09:07:43 +0000

Debate, 11th Republican, Mar 3, 2016

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:05:12 +0000

Debate, 10th Republican, Feb 25, 2016

Thu, 25 Feb 2016 09:02:33 +0000

Debate, 9th Republican, Feb 13, 2016

Sat, 13 Feb 2016 08:54:16 +0000

Debate, 8th Republican, Feb 6, 2016

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 08:51:52 +0000

https://youtu.be/M6qOCaYZ5w4

Debate, 7th Republican, Jan 28, 2016

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 08:45:03 +0000

Donald Trump Decides not to participate in this debate.

“I could shoot somebody in the middle of 5th Avenue and not lose any voters” Trump boasts

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 21:39:04 +0000

1/24/2016

Claiming he has the most loyal voter base, Donald Trump claimed that he could shoot somebody on 5th Avenue (in New York) and he wouldn’t lose any votes. Whether that is actually true remains to be seen, and hopefully will never be proven. However, voters, especially older voters, have proven to be extremely loyal to their party, regardless of who the candidate is.

******* UPDATE ******* A revealing video of Donald Trump disparaging women was released shortly before the election (Access Holywood tape). Despite universal condemnation, Trump was elected as President a few weeks later. His base remained loyal, and apparently did not care about his lack of morals, ethics or beliefs towards women. It was reported over 88% of Republicans still voted for Trump, while 89% of Democrats voted for Hillary Clinton.

Debate, 6th Republican, Jan 14, 2016

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 08:20:45 +0000

Debate, 5th Republican, Dec 15th, 2015

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 08:14:12 +0000

Trump calls for total ban on Muslims entering the US

Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:08:34 +0000

During a political rally, Donald Trump called for a total ban on allowing Muslims from entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure what the hell is going on.

Trump says he would kill the families of terrorists

Wed, 02 Dec 2015 22:45:50 +0000

12/2/2015

On “Fox and Friends”, Donald Trump said that one of the best ways to stop terrorists is to kill their families. “The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. They care about their lives, don’t kid yourself. When they say they don’t care about their lives, you have to take out their families,” Trump said.

Trump said he would “knock the hell out of” ISIS, and criticized the U.S. for “fighting a very politically correct war.”

Did Trump mock reporter with disability? Maybe, maybe not

Thu, 26 Nov 2015 20:58:10 +0000

11/26/2015

During a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump decided to make fun of a reporter who happens to suffer from a disability. Trump has denied that he meant to mock the reporter because of his disability. Times reporter Serge Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a congenital condition affecting the joints. Trump further claimed that he has never met Kovaleski, however, it has been reported that Trump has met the reporter on 12 different occasions.

In Trump’s defense, there are a few other instances of Trump acting flustered or not being able to control himself physically while describing different people or situations (as seen in the video below). The one of him talking about Ted Cruz was done after his impression of the reporter, and some believe he intentionally acted that way in an attempt to persuade people that he commonly acts that way. There are three other instances dating back to 2005 where he did act that way, but curiously he has not acted that way since the beginning of 2016.

There hasn’t been any film or video of any other president, or presidential candidates acting in such a matter in the past 100 years. If Trump wasn’t mocking the reporter, then his actions certainly depart from what most Americans expect of a potential president.

Trump claims he watched thousands of Muslims cheers as WTC towers fell

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 22:58:22 +0000

11/21/2015

During a political rally in Birmingham Alabama, Donald Trump called for surveillance of certain Muslim Mosques. It would appear from his comments that he does not trust some Muslim populations, as he believes thousands cheered during the attacks against the twin towers in New York City. Mr. Trump was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos the next day.

GS – You raised some eyebrows yesterday with comments you made at your latest rally. “You know, the police say that didn’t happen and all those rumors have been on the Internet for some time. So did you misspeak yesterday?”

DT – “It did happen. I saw it.”

GS – “You saw that…”

DT – It was on television. I saw it.

GS – “…with your own eyes?”

DT – “George, it did happen.”

GS – “Police say it didn’t happen.”

DT – “There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations. They were cheering as the World Trade Center came down. I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it, but there were people cheering as that building came down — as those buildings came down. And that tells you something. It was well covered at the time, George. Now, I know they don’t like to talk about it, but it was well covered at the time. There were people over in New Jersey that were watching it, a heavy Arab population, that were cheering as the buildings came down. Not good.”

https://youtu.be/pP1bSHjcSEQ

And a few days later….

I know more about ISIS than the Generals do

Thu, 12 Nov 2015 09:46:10 +0000

This clip says it all.

Debate, 4th Republican, Nov 10, 2015

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 08:10:42 +0000

Debate, 3rd Republican, Oct 28, 2015

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 07:07:47 +0000

Debate, 2nd Republican, Sept 16, 2015

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 06:47:53 +0000

https://youtu.be/WYeyFI7zUzw

Debate, 1st Republican August 6, 2015

Thu, 06 Aug 2015 06:51:11 +0000

Want Lindsay Graham’s phone number? Here it is…

Tue, 21 Jul 2015 19:53:23 +0000

A day after Lindsey Graham call Donald Trump a “Jack Ass” for saying John McCain wasn’t a war hero, Trump reverted to being the world’s most famous five year old and released Graham’s private phone number to the world. Here’s the clip, enjoy!

Trump says McCain not a war hero, then changes tune

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 03:25:54 +0000

Donald Trump announces John McCain is not a war hero, and then corrects himself by implying he is a war hero only because he was captured. Trump goes on to say that he likes people who aren’t captured.

See it here from The Wall Street Journal.

Trump Announces Candidacy

Tue, 16 Jun 2015 07:41:32 +0000

06/16/2015 – Trump Tower, New York

During his speech, he references Mexico: “When do we beat Mexico at the border? They’re laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they’re killing us economically.” He continued “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

Later, Trump says that he will be the greatest job creator God ever created. Trump also states that he would place a 35% tax on every car Ford builds in Mexico and imports to the United States. Trump also releases his Summary of Net Worth with a value of $8.738 billion

Min — Mexico 2:10, Obamacare 7:30, Greatest Job creator 16:10, China 18:45, Ford 24:00, Financial summary 35:00