https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/20/17031658/mitt-romney-trump-endorsement
"Observers online were quick to point out that Romney’s thanks and endorsement acceptance is quite a turnaround, given that he was a prominent anti-Trump voice in the 2016 election. Romney conjectured that Trump was hiding a “bombshell of unusual size” in his tax returns and called him a “phony” and a “fraud"."
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Mueller Corners Trump
Mueller Corners Trump:
"Trump and his family relied on massive bailouts of his failing business enterprises from Russian oligarchs close to the Kremlin. When he became a presidential candidate, the Russians treated him as an asset—a useful idiot, as Stalinists used to put it. And when the campaign finalists turned out to be Trump versus the hard-line Clinton, the Russians sought to destroy her and elect Trump. Trump, meanwhile, became the most pro-Russia president in U.S. history, refusing to breathe a word of criticism of Putin, behaving like the head of a client state. This much of the story is hidden in plain view. The details—Russian financing of Trump’s businesses, more campaign contacts—will be spelled out in further indictments. They will almost surely include members of Trump’s family. Mueller’s final report will look very much like a bill of impeachment. What’s astonishing is that this detailed report on Russian manipulation of a U.S. presidential election had to come from a special counsel. Under a normal administration, evidence of a foreign power meddling in a U.S. election would have prompted a presidential order for a full investigation, and retaliation. Instead, Trump mocked the whole idea and used his influence to block such inquiries by House and Senate panels, as well as resisting retaliation. Rather than looking deeply into Russian interference, the president redefined election integrity. He created a commission headed by Vice President Mike Pence and Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state best known for voter suppression, to investigate alleged voter fraud by immigrants and others not qualified to vote had helped Clinton win the national popular vote. This red herring was so preposterous that the commission collapsed of its own weight."
"Trump and his family relied on massive bailouts of his failing business enterprises from Russian oligarchs close to the Kremlin. When he became a presidential candidate, the Russians treated him as an asset—a useful idiot, as Stalinists used to put it. And when the campaign finalists turned out to be Trump versus the hard-line Clinton, the Russians sought to destroy her and elect Trump. Trump, meanwhile, became the most pro-Russia president in U.S. history, refusing to breathe a word of criticism of Putin, behaving like the head of a client state. This much of the story is hidden in plain view. The details—Russian financing of Trump’s businesses, more campaign contacts—will be spelled out in further indictments. They will almost surely include members of Trump’s family. Mueller’s final report will look very much like a bill of impeachment. What’s astonishing is that this detailed report on Russian manipulation of a U.S. presidential election had to come from a special counsel. Under a normal administration, evidence of a foreign power meddling in a U.S. election would have prompted a presidential order for a full investigation, and retaliation. Instead, Trump mocked the whole idea and used his influence to block such inquiries by House and Senate panels, as well as resisting retaliation. Rather than looking deeply into Russian interference, the president redefined election integrity. He created a commission headed by Vice President Mike Pence and Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state best known for voter suppression, to investigate alleged voter fraud by immigrants and others not qualified to vote had helped Clinton win the national popular vote. This red herring was so preposterous that the commission collapsed of its own weight."
Why Republicans and the US mainstream keep going in opposite directions
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/why-republicans-and-the-us-mainstream-keep-going-opposite-directions
"The public urged Republicans not to take away health care coverage from millions of Americans, and yet, GOP policymakers fought tooth and nail to do exactly that. The public then urged Republicans not to cut taxes for the wealthy and big corporations, only to have GOP policymakers again do the opposite. The same is true when it comes to policies the American mainstream actually likes. The public wants new measures, such as expanded background checks, to prevent gun violence. The public also wants protections for Dreamers. Republicans who control the levers of power don’t want either of these things, and so these goals are likely to go unmet. The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell makes the case today that it’s important to identify the nature of the problem with specificity. Dysfunctional Washington refuses to work out its differences to solve problems that matter to Americans. So say pundits and policy activists, perhaps hoping that diffuse criticism, rather than finger-pointing, will yield a government willing to govern. But the problem isn’t “Washington.” It isn’t “Congress,” either. The problem is elected officials from a single political party: the GOP. That seems more than fair. The next question is why Republican politicians, who ostensibly have to worry about the will of the electorate, are going in one direction while the American mainstream goes in another."
"The public urged Republicans not to take away health care coverage from millions of Americans, and yet, GOP policymakers fought tooth and nail to do exactly that. The public then urged Republicans not to cut taxes for the wealthy and big corporations, only to have GOP policymakers again do the opposite. The same is true when it comes to policies the American mainstream actually likes. The public wants new measures, such as expanded background checks, to prevent gun violence. The public also wants protections for Dreamers. Republicans who control the levers of power don’t want either of these things, and so these goals are likely to go unmet. The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell makes the case today that it’s important to identify the nature of the problem with specificity. Dysfunctional Washington refuses to work out its differences to solve problems that matter to Americans. So say pundits and policy activists, perhaps hoping that diffuse criticism, rather than finger-pointing, will yield a government willing to govern. But the problem isn’t “Washington.” It isn’t “Congress,” either. The problem is elected officials from a single political party: the GOP. That seems more than fair. The next question is why Republican politicians, who ostensibly have to worry about the will of the electorate, are going in one direction while the American mainstream goes in another."
The sophistication of Putin's trolls. And the Trump supporters who are fine with being duped
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/20/1742461/-The-sophistication-of-the-troll-farm-And-the-Trump-supporters-who-are-fine-with-being-duped
"the fact is, people like this were primed to believe falsehoods and to hate long before the Russians came along, by the Republican Party and the right-wing noise machine. The Russians are just taking advantage, to destroy America, and democracy."
"the fact is, people like this were primed to believe falsehoods and to hate long before the Russians came along, by the Republican Party and the right-wing noise machine. The Russians are just taking advantage, to destroy America, and democracy."
Trump helps put the spotlight back on his women accusers
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-helps-put-the-spotlight-back-his-women-accusers
"During the 2016 presidential campaign, a recording emerged of Donald Trump bragging years earlier about committing sexual assaults. The Republican said, among other things, that he kisses women he considers attractive – “I don’t even wait,” Trump claimed at the time – which he said he can get away with because of his public profile. “When you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump said on the recording. “You can do anything. Grab ‘em by the p—y.” When the Republican denied ever having done what he’d bragged about doing, 19 women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct. Trump dismissed his accusers as liars and vowed to sue them. While he never followed through, one of the women is now suing Trump."
"During the 2016 presidential campaign, a recording emerged of Donald Trump bragging years earlier about committing sexual assaults. The Republican said, among other things, that he kisses women he considers attractive – “I don’t even wait,” Trump claimed at the time – which he said he can get away with because of his public profile. “When you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump said on the recording. “You can do anything. Grab ‘em by the p—y.” When the Republican denied ever having done what he’d bragged about doing, 19 women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct. Trump dismissed his accusers as liars and vowed to sue them. While he never followed through, one of the women is now suing Trump."
America Is Under Attack and the President Doesn't Care
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/america-is-under-attack-and-the-president-doesnt-care/553667/
"The Russian attack in 2016 worked, yielding dividends beyond Vladimir Putin’s wildest hopes. The Russians hoped to cast a shadow over the Clinton presidency. Instead, they outright elected their preferred candidate. Americans once thought it was a big deal that Alger Hiss rose to serve as acting temporary secretary general of the United Nations. This time, a Russian-backed individual was installed in the Oval Office. From that position of power, Trump has systematically attempted to shut down investigations of the foreign-espionage operation that operated on his behalf. He fired the director of the FBI to shut it down. His White House coordinated with the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to misdirect the investigation. He mobilized the speaker of the House to thwart bipartisan investigations under broadly respected leadership. He has inspired, supported, and joined a national propaganda campaign against the Mueller investigation. And all the while, Trump has done nothing—literally nothing—to harden the nation’s voting systems against follow-on Russian operations. On Sunday, he publicly repudiated his own national-security adviser for acknowledging at the Munich Security Conference the most incontrovertible basics of what happened in 2016. It’s worth thinking about what a patriotic president would have done in Trump’s situation."
"The Russian attack in 2016 worked, yielding dividends beyond Vladimir Putin’s wildest hopes. The Russians hoped to cast a shadow over the Clinton presidency. Instead, they outright elected their preferred candidate. Americans once thought it was a big deal that Alger Hiss rose to serve as acting temporary secretary general of the United Nations. This time, a Russian-backed individual was installed in the Oval Office. From that position of power, Trump has systematically attempted to shut down investigations of the foreign-espionage operation that operated on his behalf. He fired the director of the FBI to shut it down. His White House coordinated with the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to misdirect the investigation. He mobilized the speaker of the House to thwart bipartisan investigations under broadly respected leadership. He has inspired, supported, and joined a national propaganda campaign against the Mueller investigation. And all the while, Trump has done nothing—literally nothing—to harden the nation’s voting systems against follow-on Russian operations. On Sunday, he publicly repudiated his own national-security adviser for acknowledging at the Munich Security Conference the most incontrovertible basics of what happened in 2016. It’s worth thinking about what a patriotic president would have done in Trump’s situation."
It’s Clear: Donald Trump Welcomes Russia’s Subversion of Our Democracy
https://www.thedailybeast.com/its-clear-donald-trump-welcomes-russias-subversion-of-our-democracy?ref=home
"Trump still promotes divisive anti-American propaganda messaging from the Kremlin, and continues to cover for Putin by misleading Americans about Russian interference. He has also worked to undermine new sanctions on Putin and his co-conspirators, months after begrudgingly signing them into law. If the past two years have taught us anything about Trump, it’s that the conventions of our Republic are of little value to him and quickly discarded when they impede his pursuit of power and wealth. Regardless, they remain critical to our freedom and we must be united in defending them."
"Trump still promotes divisive anti-American propaganda messaging from the Kremlin, and continues to cover for Putin by misleading Americans about Russian interference. He has also worked to undermine new sanctions on Putin and his co-conspirators, months after begrudgingly signing them into law. If the past two years have taught us anything about Trump, it’s that the conventions of our Republic are of little value to him and quickly discarded when they impede his pursuit of power and wealth. Regardless, they remain critical to our freedom and we must be united in defending them."
EPA head’s woes just keep coming
https://thinkprogress.org/pruitt-israel-budget-travel-d7b69e4a88f4/
"The cancellation comes after a series of scandals and controversies surrounding Pruitt and his agency. Last week, the Washington Post reported that Pruitt had spent nearly $100,000 on first class and business travel last June, days after the White House withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement and all in his official capacity working for the federal government. That amount, obtained through months of receipts by the Environmental Integrity Project under the Freedom of Information Act, includes a $1641.43 first class seat from New York City to Washington, D.C. — a ticket six times more expensive than the seats purchased for two media aides who accompanied Pruitt. The New York Times reported on Sunday that Pruitt spent more than $107,000 on first class airfare and charted flights during the first six months of his tenure alone. That amount includes a $14,434 ticket for a charted EPA staff domestic flight, in addition to a Morocco trip to promote natural gas exports, something the EPA is not tasked with overseeing."
"The cancellation comes after a series of scandals and controversies surrounding Pruitt and his agency. Last week, the Washington Post reported that Pruitt had spent nearly $100,000 on first class and business travel last June, days after the White House withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement and all in his official capacity working for the federal government. That amount, obtained through months of receipts by the Environmental Integrity Project under the Freedom of Information Act, includes a $1641.43 first class seat from New York City to Washington, D.C. — a ticket six times more expensive than the seats purchased for two media aides who accompanied Pruitt. The New York Times reported on Sunday that Pruitt spent more than $107,000 on first class airfare and charted flights during the first six months of his tenure alone. That amount includes a $14,434 ticket for a charted EPA staff domestic flight, in addition to a Morocco trip to promote natural gas exports, something the EPA is not tasked with overseeing."
Donald Trump, a Playboy Model, and a System for Concealing Infidelity
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-a-playboy-model-and-a-system-for-concealing-infidelity-national-enquirer-karen-mcdougal
"One woman’s account of clandestine meetings, financial transactions, and legal pacts designed to hide an extramarital affair."
"One woman’s account of clandestine meetings, financial transactions, and legal pacts designed to hide an extramarital affair."
After indictments, Trump lashes out wildly (but not at Russia)
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/after-indictments-trump-lashes-out-wildly-not-russia
"The avalanche of bizarre tweets included all kinds of easily discredited falsehoods. What they did not include was (1) any acknowledgement of the fact that Russian operatives took steps to elect him; (2) any concern about the foreign attack on the United States; (3) any evidence that Russia should expect consequences for its crimes; or (4) any assurances that Trump intends to prevent similar attacks in the future. Indeed, the indictments came just a couple of days after the leaders of U.S. intelligence agencies told Congress that they fully expect Russia to try the same tactics again in 2018 and 2020 – though Trump hasn’t specifically directed them to mobilize in preparation for this likelihood. When it comes to congressional Democrats, American news organizations, Barack Obama, the FBI, Oprah, and federal scrutiny of the scandal, we see Donald Trump’s fury. When it comes to our Russian attackers, we see Donald Trump’s passivity. Confronted with powerful evidence of a foreign adversary launching a years-long intelligence operation to undermine our political system, the American president seems oddly detached, indifferent to the intervention, aside from petty efforts to spin the story as some kind of personal validation."
"The avalanche of bizarre tweets included all kinds of easily discredited falsehoods. What they did not include was (1) any acknowledgement of the fact that Russian operatives took steps to elect him; (2) any concern about the foreign attack on the United States; (3) any evidence that Russia should expect consequences for its crimes; or (4) any assurances that Trump intends to prevent similar attacks in the future. Indeed, the indictments came just a couple of days after the leaders of U.S. intelligence agencies told Congress that they fully expect Russia to try the same tactics again in 2018 and 2020 – though Trump hasn’t specifically directed them to mobilize in preparation for this likelihood. When it comes to congressional Democrats, American news organizations, Barack Obama, the FBI, Oprah, and federal scrutiny of the scandal, we see Donald Trump’s fury. When it comes to our Russian attackers, we see Donald Trump’s passivity. Confronted with powerful evidence of a foreign adversary launching a years-long intelligence operation to undermine our political system, the American president seems oddly detached, indifferent to the intervention, aside from petty efforts to spin the story as some kind of personal validation."
Trump budget would undo gains from conservation programs on farms and ranches
Trump budget would undo gains from conservation programs on farms and ranches:
"These programs affect about 50 million acres of land nationwide. They conserve millions of acres of wildlife habitat and provide ecological services such as improved water quality, erosion control and enhanced soil health that are worth billions of dollars."
"These programs affect about 50 million acres of land nationwide. They conserve millions of acres of wildlife habitat and provide ecological services such as improved water quality, erosion control and enhanced soil health that are worth billions of dollars."
Kentucky lawmaker borrows analogy from Koch-funded group to gain support for anti-solar bill
https://thinkprogress.org/kentucky-lawmaker-steals-alec-analogy-100343737a3d/
"A Kentucky state lawmaker borrowed from a Koch-funded group’s playbook in a recent speech arguing against renewable energy. Delivering a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives last week Kentucky Rep. Jim Gooch (R) hoped to garner support for legislation, backed by the state’s large electric utility monopolies, that would drastically slow growth in the state’s fledgling rooftop solar sector. In the speech, Gooch, who introduced the legislation in late January, used an unusual analogy that he borrowed from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing group described as a “corporate bill mill” by its critics. The Koch-funded ALEC drafts model legislation that is primarily aimed at maximizing corporate profits and abridging the rights and freedom of ordinary Americans."
"A Kentucky state lawmaker borrowed from a Koch-funded group’s playbook in a recent speech arguing against renewable energy. Delivering a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives last week Kentucky Rep. Jim Gooch (R) hoped to garner support for legislation, backed by the state’s large electric utility monopolies, that would drastically slow growth in the state’s fledgling rooftop solar sector. In the speech, Gooch, who introduced the legislation in late January, used an unusual analogy that he borrowed from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing group described as a “corporate bill mill” by its critics. The Koch-funded ALEC drafts model legislation that is primarily aimed at maximizing corporate profits and abridging the rights and freedom of ordinary Americans."
Last February, Trump signed a bill making it easier for people with mental illness to buy guns
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/15/17016036/trump-guns-mental-illness
"It did not attract a ton of attention at the time (nothing does these days) but about a year ago on February 28, 2017, Congress passed and Donald Trump signed a law revoking an Obama-era regulatory initiative that made it harder for people with mental illness to buy a gun."
"It did not attract a ton of attention at the time (nothing does these days) but about a year ago on February 28, 2017, Congress passed and Donald Trump signed a law revoking an Obama-era regulatory initiative that made it harder for people with mental illness to buy a gun."
After Parkland shooting, far-right media immediately starts pushing fake news
https://thinkprogress.org/after-parkland-far-right-media-starts-pushing-fake-news-c063120a8e48/
"This isn’t the first time that the Gateway Pundit has pushed fake, unsubstantiated rumors after a deadly shooting."
"This isn’t the first time that the Gateway Pundit has pushed fake, unsubstantiated rumors after a deadly shooting."
Exposing Our 'Populist' President as a Naked Plutocrat
Exposing Our 'Populist' President as a Naked Plutocrat:
"Even before he was sworn in last year, President Trump stripped off the populist garments he wore during his campaign and publicly bared his naked plutocratic essence by naming bankster Gary Cohn to be his top economic advisor. Wait... didn't candidate Trump promise working-class voters that he'd be Wall Street's worst nightmare, cracking down hard on greedy financial thieves whose scams and schemes are wrecking the middle class? Yes, but that was then. Now, President Trump has become Wall Street's wet dream. Cohn is one of five top economic officials our fake populist president brought into his government from just one of Wall Street's most abusive banks, Goldman Sachs. How many officials did he add to bring such legitimate voices as consumers, workers, and poor people to his policy making table? Zero. So, since if we don't have a seat at the table, we're on the menu! Sure enough, Trump and his crew of voracious corporate plutocrats are gorging themselves on new rules that further enrich America's already-rich elites at our expense. For example, they're reducing penalties for Wall Street fraud and gouging; eliminating the requirement that firms advising us on where to invest our savings have to act in our best interests, rather than their own; loosening the few protections we have against predatory lenders; raising the number of temporary, low-wage foreign workers that corporations can bring in to take our jobs; scrapping a rule requiring corporate giants to report their unequal pay to women; opening up Social Security to cuts and privatization; limiting fines on nursing home negligence that harm or even kill residents; eliminating funds for low-income heating and programs to protect kids from lead paint; repealing fracking rules that protect water and air quality; allowing for-profit, private colleges to gouge students; ending funding that provides legal services for poor people; and raising entrance fees at our national parks."
"Even before he was sworn in last year, President Trump stripped off the populist garments he wore during his campaign and publicly bared his naked plutocratic essence by naming bankster Gary Cohn to be his top economic advisor. Wait... didn't candidate Trump promise working-class voters that he'd be Wall Street's worst nightmare, cracking down hard on greedy financial thieves whose scams and schemes are wrecking the middle class? Yes, but that was then. Now, President Trump has become Wall Street's wet dream. Cohn is one of five top economic officials our fake populist president brought into his government from just one of Wall Street's most abusive banks, Goldman Sachs. How many officials did he add to bring such legitimate voices as consumers, workers, and poor people to his policy making table? Zero. So, since if we don't have a seat at the table, we're on the menu! Sure enough, Trump and his crew of voracious corporate plutocrats are gorging themselves on new rules that further enrich America's already-rich elites at our expense. For example, they're reducing penalties for Wall Street fraud and gouging; eliminating the requirement that firms advising us on where to invest our savings have to act in our best interests, rather than their own; loosening the few protections we have against predatory lenders; raising the number of temporary, low-wage foreign workers that corporations can bring in to take our jobs; scrapping a rule requiring corporate giants to report their unequal pay to women; opening up Social Security to cuts and privatization; limiting fines on nursing home negligence that harm or even kill residents; eliminating funds for low-income heating and programs to protect kids from lead paint; repealing fracking rules that protect water and air quality; allowing for-profit, private colleges to gouge students; ending funding that provides legal services for poor people; and raising entrance fees at our national parks."
'The Swamp' scored big time as businesses jockeyed to cash in on Trump's tax giveaway
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/12/1740729/--The-Swamp-scored-big-time-as-businesses-jockeyed-to-cash-in-on-Trump-s-tax-giveaway
"The nonprofit group Public Citizen found that upward of 5,000 lobbyists swarmed the Capitol to make sure their clients profited from the GOP’s tax rewrite. Unfortunately, any American taxpayer who isn’t a millionaire or billionaire didn't have much leverage as Republicans picked the winners and losers of their tax overhaul. So most American taxpayers came out losers in that negotiation. But not corporate America or the top 1 percent—they did just peachy."
"The nonprofit group Public Citizen found that upward of 5,000 lobbyists swarmed the Capitol to make sure their clients profited from the GOP’s tax rewrite. Unfortunately, any American taxpayer who isn’t a millionaire or billionaire didn't have much leverage as Republicans picked the winners and losers of their tax overhaul. So most American taxpayers came out losers in that negotiation. But not corporate America or the top 1 percent—they did just peachy."
Donald Trump, Fox News, and the logic of alternative facts
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/9/16991410/trump-fox-nunes-fbi-warner-texts
"This is the logic of alternative facts, which is a strategy of base mobilization rather than persuasion. You don’t need to win the argument. You don’t need to even have the facts. All you need is to offer your side an alternative story in which to believe, a story that makes you sound trustworthy and your enemies untrustworthy. And over the past week, Fox News and Donald Trump have done exactly that."
"This is the logic of alternative facts, which is a strategy of base mobilization rather than persuasion. You don’t need to win the argument. You don’t need to even have the facts. All you need is to offer your side an alternative story in which to believe, a story that makes you sound trustworthy and your enemies untrustworthy. And over the past week, Fox News and Donald Trump have done exactly that."
Trump ‘rarely if ever’ reads his daily intelligence briefing
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-rarely-if-ever-reads-his-daily-intelligence-briefing
"Intelligence professionals have gone to great lengths to accommodate the president’s toddler-like attention span, preparing reports “with lots of graphics and maps.” National Security Council officials have even learned that Trump is likely to stop reading important materials unless he sees his name, so they include his name in “as many paragraphs” as possible. It’s against this backdrop that the Washington Post had this remarkable report this morning: For much of the past year, President Trump has declined to participate in a practice followed by the past seven of his predecessors: He rarely if ever reads the President’s Daily Brief, a document that lays out the most pressing information collected by U.S. intelligence agencies from hot spots around the world. Trump has opted to rely on an oral briefing of select intelligence issues in the Oval Office rather than getting the full written document delivered to review separately each day, according to three people familiar with his briefings. Sometimes, a report can be both important and not surprising in the least. The article added that he made clear months ago that he’s “not interested in reviewing a personal copy of the written intelligence report known as the PDB, a highly classified summary prepared before dawn to provide the president with the best update on the world’s events.” The president’s reluctance to read the intelligence materials, the article went on to say, “could hamper his ability to respond to crises in the most effective manner, intelligence experts warned.” Well, yes, that makes sense. The trouble is, Trump has a lot of cable news to watch and golf to play, so we’ll all have to adjust our expectations accordingly."
"Intelligence professionals have gone to great lengths to accommodate the president’s toddler-like attention span, preparing reports “with lots of graphics and maps.” National Security Council officials have even learned that Trump is likely to stop reading important materials unless he sees his name, so they include his name in “as many paragraphs” as possible. It’s against this backdrop that the Washington Post had this remarkable report this morning: For much of the past year, President Trump has declined to participate in a practice followed by the past seven of his predecessors: He rarely if ever reads the President’s Daily Brief, a document that lays out the most pressing information collected by U.S. intelligence agencies from hot spots around the world. Trump has opted to rely on an oral briefing of select intelligence issues in the Oval Office rather than getting the full written document delivered to review separately each day, according to three people familiar with his briefings. Sometimes, a report can be both important and not surprising in the least. The article added that he made clear months ago that he’s “not interested in reviewing a personal copy of the written intelligence report known as the PDB, a highly classified summary prepared before dawn to provide the president with the best update on the world’s events.” The president’s reluctance to read the intelligence materials, the article went on to say, “could hamper his ability to respond to crises in the most effective manner, intelligence experts warned.” Well, yes, that makes sense. The trouble is, Trump has a lot of cable news to watch and golf to play, so we’ll all have to adjust our expectations accordingly."
Tea Party Leader and Trump Campaign Chairman Pleads Guilty to Prostituting Kids, plus Other Crimes
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/9/1740165/-Tea-Party-Leader-and-Trump-Campaign-Chairman-Pleads-Guilty-to-Prostituting-Kids-plus-Other-Crimes
"FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 9, 2018) – Today, Attorney General Andy Beshear announced that former Campbell County District Judge Timothy Nolan has pleaded guilty to numerous felony charges, including human trafficking of adults, promoting human trafficking of minors and unlawful transaction with minors. As part of his plea agreement with prosecutors from Beshear’s Special Prosecutions Division, Nolan pleaded guilty to 21 counts against 19 victims and prosecutors’ recommended sentences totaling 20 years in prison. Nolan will remain in custody at the Campbell County Detention Center pending his sentencing March 29, 2018, at 9 a.m. Nolan, 71, of California, Ky., a former local school board member, was originally charged in a criminal complaint by the Campbell County Police Department for crimes that occurred between 2010 and 2017. That complaint alleged that Nolan committed human trafficking with a minor by subjecting a child under age 18 to engaging in commercial sexual activity. He was later indicted on 28 felony counts and two misdemeanor counts."
"FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 9, 2018) – Today, Attorney General Andy Beshear announced that former Campbell County District Judge Timothy Nolan has pleaded guilty to numerous felony charges, including human trafficking of adults, promoting human trafficking of minors and unlawful transaction with minors. As part of his plea agreement with prosecutors from Beshear’s Special Prosecutions Division, Nolan pleaded guilty to 21 counts against 19 victims and prosecutors’ recommended sentences totaling 20 years in prison. Nolan will remain in custody at the Campbell County Detention Center pending his sentencing March 29, 2018, at 9 a.m. Nolan, 71, of California, Ky., a former local school board member, was originally charged in a criminal complaint by the Campbell County Police Department for crimes that occurred between 2010 and 2017. That complaint alleged that Nolan committed human trafficking with a minor by subjecting a child under age 18 to engaging in commercial sexual activity. He was later indicted on 28 felony counts and two misdemeanor counts."
The Republicans Have Made an Art of Shrinking Democracy, Gerrymandering a Case in Point
The Republicans Have Made an Art of Shrinking Democracy, Gerrymandering a Case in Point:
"Republican legislators have vigorously and successfully used underhanded tactics to gain majorities in statehouses and Congress, even when the majority of statewide votes are Democratic. Although the GOP employs many strategies to suppress non-white voting, its most successful tool has been gerrymandering. After the national Census, state legislatures are responsible for carving up state legislative and congressional districts. In 2010, the cast was set, according to a revealing article in Salon about the way in which Republicans worked to ensure a majority in most statehouses and in Congress: It [the redistricting strategy] proved more effective than any Republican dared dream. Republicans held the U.S. House in 2012, despite earning 1.4 million fewer votes than Democratic congressional candidates, and won large GOP majorities in the Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina state legislatures even when more voters backed Democrats. By diluting the Democratic vote in several districts, while drawing the district lines to include more Republicans, an artificial majority can be created that mocks democracy."
"Republican legislators have vigorously and successfully used underhanded tactics to gain majorities in statehouses and Congress, even when the majority of statewide votes are Democratic. Although the GOP employs many strategies to suppress non-white voting, its most successful tool has been gerrymandering. After the national Census, state legislatures are responsible for carving up state legislative and congressional districts. In 2010, the cast was set, according to a revealing article in Salon about the way in which Republicans worked to ensure a majority in most statehouses and in Congress: It [the redistricting strategy] proved more effective than any Republican dared dream. Republicans held the U.S. House in 2012, despite earning 1.4 million fewer votes than Democratic congressional candidates, and won large GOP majorities in the Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina state legislatures even when more voters backed Democrats. By diluting the Democratic vote in several districts, while drawing the district lines to include more Republicans, an artificial majority can be created that mocks democracy."
The Growing Danger of Ecosystem Collapse and Trump's War on Nature
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/43471-the-growing-danger-of-ecosystem-collapse-and-trump-s-war-on-nature
"At the very moment of frightening decline of planetary ecosystems and accelerating climate change, Trump, his regime and cohorts in Congress, have launched a scorched-earth campaign against the environment -- a war on nature. Trump and his ilk aren't like Nero fiddling as Rome burned; they're stoking the inferno with whole forests. They have purged climate change from government websites, while denying its existence. They've chastised scientists for raising the connections of last summer's hurricanes to warming oceans. Trump has ordered the Clean Power Plan scrapped, is moving to pull the US out of the Paris climate agreement and has called for drastic cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget, especially targeting programs to deal with climate change. This administration loves fossil fuels and hates renewable energy so much it announced a plan on February 1 to cut research on renewables 72 percent. The EPA and Interior Department have been turned into shameless instruments of environmental destruction. Scientists and officials in the EPA, the Interior Department and the National Park Service have been forced out, let go, blocked from advising or have resigned in protest. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the last remaining truly pristine wilderness areas left on the planet, is now open for drilling, a provision snuck through in the Republican tax bill. Bears Ears and Grand-Escalante National Monuments -- with all their archaeological and cultural treasures, and particularly precious to Indigenous people -- have been gutted and eviscerated. Now Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Trump and Republicans in Congress have their sights set on more monuments and national lands to pry open for extractive interests. In January, the regime declared almost all US coastal regions open for drilling. There is no regulation to protect land, water, air, wildlife or people's health that these eco-destroyers are bound to respect."
"At the very moment of frightening decline of planetary ecosystems and accelerating climate change, Trump, his regime and cohorts in Congress, have launched a scorched-earth campaign against the environment -- a war on nature. Trump and his ilk aren't like Nero fiddling as Rome burned; they're stoking the inferno with whole forests. They have purged climate change from government websites, while denying its existence. They've chastised scientists for raising the connections of last summer's hurricanes to warming oceans. Trump has ordered the Clean Power Plan scrapped, is moving to pull the US out of the Paris climate agreement and has called for drastic cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget, especially targeting programs to deal with climate change. This administration loves fossil fuels and hates renewable energy so much it announced a plan on February 1 to cut research on renewables 72 percent. The EPA and Interior Department have been turned into shameless instruments of environmental destruction. Scientists and officials in the EPA, the Interior Department and the National Park Service have been forced out, let go, blocked from advising or have resigned in protest. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the last remaining truly pristine wilderness areas left on the planet, is now open for drilling, a provision snuck through in the Republican tax bill. Bears Ears and Grand-Escalante National Monuments -- with all their archaeological and cultural treasures, and particularly precious to Indigenous people -- have been gutted and eviscerated. Now Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Trump and Republicans in Congress have their sights set on more monuments and national lands to pry open for extractive interests. In January, the regime declared almost all US coastal regions open for drilling. There is no regulation to protect land, water, air, wildlife or people's health that these eco-destroyers are bound to respect."
If the Russians Got into Voting Machines, I Fear for the Republic
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a16758812/russia-hack-voting-machines-2016/
"We are inching ever closer to the revelation that the actual vote totals were hacked—some very smart people are already there, by the way—and, once that happens, I don’t know where we go from there. The Republican Party already has shown it will tolerate all manner of jacking around with the franchise in pursuit of power and its benefits for the Republican donor class."
"We are inching ever closer to the revelation that the actual vote totals were hacked—some very smart people are already there, by the way—and, once that happens, I don’t know where we go from there. The Republican Party already has shown it will tolerate all manner of jacking around with the franchise in pursuit of power and its benefits for the Republican donor class."
Retired major general torches 'wannabe banana republic strongman' Trump for military parade plan
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/7/1739486/-Retired-Major-General-torches-wannabe-banana-republic-strongman-Trump-for-military-parade-plan
"Major General (Ret) Paul Eton lit into Trump. Donald Trump has continually shown himself to have authoritarian tendencies, and this is just another worrisome example. For someone who just declared that it was ‘treasonous’ to not applaud him, and for someone who has, in the past, admired the tactics of everyone from Saddam Hussein to Vladmir Putin, it is clear that a military parade isn’t about saluting the military—it is about making a display of the military saluting him. The military is not Donald Trump’s to use and abuse this way. Our military is the very best in the world—they are not to be reduced to stagecraft to prop up Donald Trump’s image. Any commander in chief who respects the traditions of the military would understand that. Unfortunately, we do not have a commander in chief, right now, as much as we have a wannabe banana republic strongman."
"Major General (Ret) Paul Eton lit into Trump. Donald Trump has continually shown himself to have authoritarian tendencies, and this is just another worrisome example. For someone who just declared that it was ‘treasonous’ to not applaud him, and for someone who has, in the past, admired the tactics of everyone from Saddam Hussein to Vladmir Putin, it is clear that a military parade isn’t about saluting the military—it is about making a display of the military saluting him. The military is not Donald Trump’s to use and abuse this way. Our military is the very best in the world—they are not to be reduced to stagecraft to prop up Donald Trump’s image. Any commander in chief who respects the traditions of the military would understand that. Unfortunately, we do not have a commander in chief, right now, as much as we have a wannabe banana republic strongman."
WATCH: Putin opposition leader says he can show Paul Manafort’s links to the Kremlin
WATCH: Putin opposition leader says he can show Paul Manafort’s links to the Kremlin:
"Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, posted a video on Thursday claiming to prove ties between onetime Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the Kremlin, the Moscow Times reports. In the video, Navalny traces Manafort’s link to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, whom the opposition leader alleged acted as an intermediary between the former Trump associate and associates of Putin. Deripaska is the Russian metal tycoon who was offered “private briefings” by Manafort two weeks before then-candidate Trump secured the Republican nomination. Manafort had a $10 million annual contract with Deripaska before he was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation."
"Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, posted a video on Thursday claiming to prove ties between onetime Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the Kremlin, the Moscow Times reports. In the video, Navalny traces Manafort’s link to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, whom the opposition leader alleged acted as an intermediary between the former Trump associate and associates of Putin. Deripaska is the Russian metal tycoon who was offered “private briefings” by Manafort two weeks before then-candidate Trump secured the Republican nomination. Manafort had a $10 million annual contract with Deripaska before he was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation."
The Trump administration refused to enact election-related sanctions on Russia. Fox News barely covered it.
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/02/08/trump-administration-refused-enact-election-related-sanctions-russia-fox-news-barely-covered-it/219317
"Over the course of nine days, Fox News devoted less than 10 minutes to the news that President Donald Trump’s administration refused to enact sanctions on Russia, which Congress mandated last year with overwhelming bipartisan support in response to Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections."
"Over the course of nine days, Fox News devoted less than 10 minutes to the news that President Donald Trump’s administration refused to enact sanctions on Russia, which Congress mandated last year with overwhelming bipartisan support in response to Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections."
Jeff Sessions Says Marijuana Fuels the Opioid Epidemic. Study After Study Finds the Opposite.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/02/jeff-sessions-says-marijuana-fuels-the-opioid-epidemic-study-after-study-finds-the-opposite/
"The latest study, published by the RAND Corporation this week, found that states that allowed liberal access to marijuana through legally protected dispensaries saw reduced deaths from opioid overdoses. States that legalized the drug but didn’t allow dispensaries didn’t see the same pattern."
"The latest study, published by the RAND Corporation this week, found that states that allowed liberal access to marijuana through legally protected dispensaries saw reduced deaths from opioid overdoses. States that legalized the drug but didn’t allow dispensaries didn’t see the same pattern."
Rex Tillerson Says Russia Is Already Trying To Meddle In 2018 Midterms
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tillerson-russia-meddling-2018-midterms_us_5a7a9512e4b0d0ef3c0a9610?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
"He said the U.S. is no more prepared now than it was before the 2016 presidential election to prevent Russian interference."
"He said the U.S. is no more prepared now than it was before the 2016 presidential election to prevent Russian interference."
Republicans Trying to Preserve Their Power Are Resorting to a Desperate New Strategy: Judicial Branch Coups @alternet
Republicans Trying to Preserve Their Power Are Resorting to a Desperate New Strategy: Judicial Branch Coups @alternet:
"There’s a larger pattern here that can also be seen in the attacks on law enforcement and the legal process in Washington by President Trump and his loyalists in Congress, who continue to impugn the ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia. Constitutional boundaries long considered red lines not to be crossed—because they relate to the separation of powers, and governing checks and balances—are being breached. What’s emerging is a growing wave of attacks on the judiciary by hyper-partisan Republicans who feel the courts are impeding their power and agenda. The first signs of this dynamic may have been the refusal by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to consider President Obama’s final Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, during Obama’s last year in office. The latest drama to feature the prospect of a judicial coup—removing five of seven state Supreme Court justices—is in Pennsylvania. This is the only state in 2018 where court rulings on extreme Republican-led gerrymandering are poised to see new U.S. House districts created that would lead to fairer elections—and likely Democratic pickup of several seats. Last month was North Carolina. This month it’s Pennsylvania. Where the next GOP attack on the judiciary will come is an open question. But you can be sure it will come. When a political party is cornered and feeling desperate, it will resort to desperate measures like judicial coups."
"There’s a larger pattern here that can also be seen in the attacks on law enforcement and the legal process in Washington by President Trump and his loyalists in Congress, who continue to impugn the ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia. Constitutional boundaries long considered red lines not to be crossed—because they relate to the separation of powers, and governing checks and balances—are being breached. What’s emerging is a growing wave of attacks on the judiciary by hyper-partisan Republicans who feel the courts are impeding their power and agenda. The first signs of this dynamic may have been the refusal by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to consider President Obama’s final Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, during Obama’s last year in office. The latest drama to feature the prospect of a judicial coup—removing five of seven state Supreme Court justices—is in Pennsylvania. This is the only state in 2018 where court rulings on extreme Republican-led gerrymandering are poised to see new U.S. House districts created that would lead to fairer elections—and likely Democratic pickup of several seats. Last month was North Carolina. This month it’s Pennsylvania. Where the next GOP attack on the judiciary will come is an open question. But you can be sure it will come. When a political party is cornered and feeling desperate, it will resort to desperate measures like judicial coups."
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