... the great wolf Fenris rose from the deep
April 27, 2018 8:14 AM Subscribe
German chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet with Trump today, as late night television analyses Trump's call-in to Fox & Friends (Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert) and Alexandra Petri evokes Ragnarök.
Echoing Doktor Zed from the start of the previous thread:
Please consider MeFi chat for hot-takes and live-blogging breaking news and the MetaTalk venting thread for catharsis and sympathizing. And please bear in mind the MetaTalk on expectations about U.S. political discussion on MetaFilter.posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:26 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
More from Trump's schedule for today (unofficial White House Dossier website):
10:30 am || Hosts a celebration for U.S. Olympians; North Portico
11:45 am || Meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
1:50 pm || Hosts a press conference with Merkel; East Room
2:40 pm || Hosts the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Association Scholarship Winners; Diplomatic Reception Room
posted by filthy light thief at 8:28 AM on April 27, 2018
10:30 am || Hosts a celebration for U.S. Olympians; North Portico
11:45 am || Meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
1:50 pm || Hosts a press conference with Merkel; East Room
2:40 pm || Hosts the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Association Scholarship Winners; Diplomatic Reception Room
posted by filthy light thief at 8:28 AM on April 27, 2018
I assume Merkel is coming here because a sizable number of Trump's posse would be arrested the moment they set foot on German soil? They're a bit less amused by holocaust denial and neo-nazis than we are here.
posted by Mayor West at 8:32 AM on April 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by Mayor West at 8:32 AM on April 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
Oooh, the leopards: I Joined the Tea Party to Drain the Swamp. Trump Isn’t Helping. Mr. Meckler, an activist based in Northern California, is a co-founder of the Tea Party movement.
I can't stop laughing, sorry.
posted by mumimor at 8:43 AM on April 27, 2018 [48 favorites]
I can't stop laughing, sorry.
posted by mumimor at 8:43 AM on April 27, 2018 [48 favorites]
@InternetEH [via Twitter]: haven't heard a peep about arming teachers since they started showing up en masse and surrounding capitol buildings
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [255 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [255 favorites]
Petri's piece is darkly hilarious: "This was not the kind of interview where if you just sat there long enough you would discover something new; it would simply get more and more alarming as it doubled back on itself, it would be an interview drawn by M.C. Escher or Salvador Dalí where you were trapped and circling around and around in a dream-landscape with a nightmare physics that bore no resemblance to reality and every clock in the studio melted."
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:56 AM on April 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:56 AM on April 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
I Joined the Tea Party to Drain the Swamp. Trump Isn’t Helping.
If I remember right, the Tea Party was named after a political movement protesting the unconscionably corrupt acts of an autocrat who placed himself above the law
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:57 AM on April 27, 2018 [59 favorites]
If I remember right, the Tea Party was named after a political movement protesting the unconscionably corrupt acts of an autocrat who placed himself above the law
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:57 AM on April 27, 2018 [59 favorites]
Oh please let this be effective. My schadensense might not be able to handle this much freude, but it would be worth it. So worth it.
Puerto Rico opens bid for statehood, enlists 5.6 million islanders in US (SLWashington Examiner).
posted by schadenfrau at 8:57 AM on April 27, 2018 [142 favorites]
Puerto Rico opens bid for statehood, enlists 5.6 million islanders in US (SLWashington Examiner).
In one of nearly a dozen media appearances, Rosselló threatened Wednesday night on "The Daily Show, " “If you go against the people of Puerto Rico, we will vote you out.”I don’t know enough about the politics of statehood in Puerto Rico, but I sure as hell like the idea of Puerto Ricans wielding enough political influence to maybe get some justice for the island.
...
“The call is for all Puerto Ricans to activate themselves during elections in the United States, no matter which political party they sympathize with or that they belong to no political party. The goal is for each Puerto Rican residing inside and outside the Island to serve as spokespeople for the causes that benefit Puerto Rico,” he said.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:57 AM on April 27, 2018 [142 favorites]
Apparently Puerto Rico could become a state via ordinary legislation. It seems unlikely to happen without a Democratic President and 60 Democratic Senators. But Puerto Ricans in the mainland can certainly make a tremendous impact in helping to achieve that situation.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:03 AM on April 27, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:03 AM on April 27, 2018 [42 favorites]
So the news today is that they come up with a deal for nuclear disarmament, weapon facilities are dismantled, international inspectors are put on site, in return economic sanctions are reduced and Trump now wants to take credit for his brilliant diplomacy.
Oops, sorry, I was referring to the Iran deal which Trump wants to blow up.
posted by JackFlash at 9:09 AM on April 27, 2018 [38 favorites]
Oops, sorry, I was referring to the Iran deal which Trump wants to blow up.
posted by JackFlash at 9:09 AM on April 27, 2018 [38 favorites]
> haven't heard a peep about arming teachers since they started showing up en masse and surrounding capitol buildings
That's because the news cycle moved on. Took a bit longer this time, but I also haven't heard any Parkland kids on TV for a week or so either. People pretended that this time things would be different, but from what I can tell, the outrage has subsided again, and our national preoccupation and attention has focused on Cosby, Brokaw, North and South Korean, Stormy Daniels, and whatever Meuller does today, since it's Friday.
There was also a Wafflehouse shooting, so there's a new shooting outrage.
We'll get back to being upset about kids being murdered when the next school shooting happens. We'll come up with dumb solutions like arming teachers with guns and souvenir baseball bats and rocks, and giving kids bulletproof blankets at $600 a pop, all while not being able to afford books.
I know I am being a cynic, but it really feels like this one is lost.
posted by cjorgensen at 9:09 AM on April 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
That's because the news cycle moved on. Took a bit longer this time, but I also haven't heard any Parkland kids on TV for a week or so either. People pretended that this time things would be different, but from what I can tell, the outrage has subsided again, and our national preoccupation and attention has focused on Cosby, Brokaw, North and South Korean, Stormy Daniels, and whatever Meuller does today, since it's Friday.
There was also a Wafflehouse shooting, so there's a new shooting outrage.
We'll get back to being upset about kids being murdered when the next school shooting happens. We'll come up with dumb solutions like arming teachers with guns and souvenir baseball bats and rocks, and giving kids bulletproof blankets at $600 a pop, all while not being able to afford books.
I know I am being a cynic, but it really feels like this one is lost.
posted by cjorgensen at 9:09 AM on April 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
Responding to Trump's tweet about the HPSCI's report—"Just Out: House Intelligence Committee Report released. “No evidence” that the Trump Campaign “colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.” Clinton Campaign paid for Opposition Research obtained from Russia- Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW!"—former CIA Director John Brennan tweets:
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:14 AM on April 27, 2018 [74 favorites]
A highly partisan, incomplete, and deeply flawed report by a broken House Committee means nothing. The Special Counsel’s work is being carried out by professional investigators—not political staffers. SC’s findings will be comprehensive & authoritative. Stay tuned, Mr. Trump....Meanwhile, the HPSCI's Minority Report has been posted and pulls no punches:
One year later, the Committee’s Majority has shattered its commitment by rushing to end its investigation prematurely, even as it continues to investigate President Donald Trump’s political opponents, our intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and diplomatic corps, and former members of the Administration of President Barack Obama.And then it begins to get angry...
In so doing, the Majority has not only failed to meet the mandate given to the HPSCI by the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader, but they have engaged in a systematic effort to muddy the waters, and to deflect attention away from the President, most recklessly in their assault on the central pillars of the rule of law. Their report, as with their overall conduct of the investigation, is unworthy of this Committee, the House of Representatives, and most importantly, the American people, who are now left to try to discern what is true and what is not.
The Majority’s report reflects a lack of seriousness and interest in pursuing the truth. By refusing to call in key witnesses, by refusing to request pertinent documents, and by refusing to compel and enforce witness cooperation and answers to key questions, the Majority hobbled the Committee’s ability to conduct a credible investigation that could inspire public confidence. The Majority’s conduct has also undermined Congress’ independent investigative authority. Their repeated deferrals to the White House allowed witnesses to refuse cooperation, and permitted the Administration to dictate the terms of their interaction with Congress, or evade congressional oversight altogether, setting a damaging precedent for future non-cooperation by this President and, possibly, by his successors.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:14 AM on April 27, 2018 [74 favorites]
From February: Gun control support surges in polls.
News coverage subsides, people's heartfelt opinions and motivations for voting are more sticky. And, sadly, we can count on plenty more massacres before November, and before future elections. Change in the long-term is possible.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:14 AM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
News coverage subsides, people's heartfelt opinions and motivations for voting are more sticky. And, sadly, we can count on plenty more massacres before November, and before future elections. Change in the long-term is possible.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:14 AM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
Third GOP retirement from the NY State Senate this week (Bonacic, SD-42). Trump 50-45, Obama 54-45.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:18 AM on April 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:18 AM on April 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
There was also a Wafflehouse shooting, so there's a new shooting outrage.
And a wafflehouse beating of a PoC. Guess when you're all over and open 24/7, notoriously even through natural disasters, you're gonna figure as a location in some shit.
posted by phearlez at 9:20 AM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
And a wafflehouse beating of a PoC. Guess when you're all over and open 24/7, notoriously even through natural disasters, you're gonna figure as a location in some shit.
posted by phearlez at 9:20 AM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump Called Fox & Friend to Yell About How Not Mad He Is
Like an irate sports fan on the horn with his favorite drive-time sports radio broadcast, Donald Trump called into the President Breakfast Hour this morning to yell about how not angry he is. In a rambling, very on-brand monologue, the president ranted about James Comey, the news media, the Department of Justice, the tilt of the Earth's axis, the Walgreen's that won't accept an expired coupon, and the New York subway system. It was another banner performance in this, the Golden Age of Rich, Powerful People Screaming About Being Persecuted.posted by kirkaracha at 9:23 AM on April 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
...
Anyway, another banner day in this terrible simulation of America, a land of many "customs." Between the president's "angry voicemail from your estranged step-dad" phone call and Kanye's "come on, deep down you knew this would happen" tweet storm, we need to put all communications in rice. Wifi routers, cellphones, the dial-up modem in the sunken place, all of it. Vow of silence in America. Shhh.
Trump told the Olympians that the Paralympics were hard to watch
FUCK YOU ♿️
posted by angrycat at 9:25 AM on April 27, 2018 [184 favorites]
FUCK YOU ♿️
posted by angrycat at 9:25 AM on April 27, 2018 [184 favorites]
I'm on mobile right now and can't listen to/watch it...is there a transcript somewhere? (and how does it handle the unintelligible screaming heh heh :)
posted by sexyrobot at 9:25 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sexyrobot at 9:25 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Washington Post published an annotated transcript of the Fox&Friends rant.
It's truly batshit insane, but oddly I think it's not being thought of as insane by the target audience. Would like to be proven wrong.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:29 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
It's truly batshit insane, but oddly I think it's not being thought of as insane by the target audience. Would like to be proven wrong.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:29 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
The Minority Report has an interesting email from NRA delegate Rick Erickson to Rick Dearborn, a longtime senior advisor to Jeff Sessions and a senior Trump campaign official:
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:31 AM on April 27, 2018 [50 favorites]
“Switching hats! I’m now writing to you and Sen. Sessions in your roles as Trump foreign policy experts / advisors. […] Happenstance and the (sometimes) international reach of the NRA placed me in a position a couple of years ago to slowly begin cultivating a back-channel to President Putin’s Kremlin. Russia is quietly but actively seeking a dialogue with the U.S. that isn’t forthcoming under the current administration. And for reasons that we can discuss in person or on the phone, the Kremlin believes that the only possibility of a true re-set in this relationship would be with a new Republican White House.”No wonder Republicans want to repeal the Logan Act.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:31 AM on April 27, 2018 [50 favorites]
Not sure if this has been talked about yet, but it does seem rather significant: Koreas agree to work toward peace and 'complete denuclearization'
Complete with a handshake on both sides of the DMZ
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:32 AM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Complete with a handshake on both sides of the DMZ
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:32 AM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Koreas agree to work toward peace and 'complete denuclearization'
My gut says this is all homework so when Trump shows up in June, Kim Jong-un says "okay, now remove the US troops and nukes from the peninsula or the deal is off".
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:35 AM on April 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
My gut says this is all homework so when Trump shows up in June, Kim Jong-un says "okay, now remove the US troops and nukes from the peninsula or the deal is off".
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:35 AM on April 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
@KatieBoWill: This appears to be new: Flynn and Flynn Jr. met with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in his private residence in D.C. in late 2015, a meeting that Flynn Jr. later described to the Russian embassy as "very productive." The meeting was apparently at Flynn's request.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:36 AM on April 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:36 AM on April 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
Koreas agree to work toward peace and 'complete denuclearization'
My gut says this is all homework so when Trump shows up in June, Kim Jong-un says "okay, now remove the US troops and nukes from the peninsula or the deal is off".
North Korea has never hidden that its definition of "denuclearization" includes removing all nuclear-capable forces, which includes essentially all U.S. Air Force and Navy combat assets currently assigned to U.S. Forces Korea.
posted by Etrigan at 9:39 AM on April 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
My gut says this is all homework so when Trump shows up in June, Kim Jong-un says "okay, now remove the US troops and nukes from the peninsula or the deal is off".
North Korea has never hidden that its definition of "denuclearization" includes removing all nuclear-capable forces, which includes essentially all U.S. Air Force and Navy combat assets currently assigned to U.S. Forces Korea.
posted by Etrigan at 9:39 AM on April 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Trump told the Olympians that the Paralympics were hard to watch
I was wondering about this so I found the official transcript and it sounds like he is referring to time constraints. Which would be understandable for any other president.
Of course I would not put it past him at all to be making some crass statement. Lord knows he has not shied away from it before in reference to people with disabilities.
posted by history_denier at 9:39 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
I was wondering about this so I found the official transcript and it sounds like he is referring to time constraints. Which would be understandable for any other president.
Of course I would not put it past him at all to be making some crass statement. Lord knows he has not shied away from it before in reference to people with disabilities.
posted by history_denier at 9:39 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
North Korea has never hidden that its definition...
Exactly. Which surprises me that this doesn't come up when the pundits ponder "why such a 180 from NK on the peace deal?"
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:40 AM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Exactly. Which surprises me that this doesn't come up when the pundits ponder "why such a 180 from NK on the peace deal?"
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:40 AM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Change in the long-term is possible.
And I feel like the Parkland students and their group are playing a long game. Their biggest push is to register 18 year olds to vote, to push Fall '18 candidates to deny the NRA access, and to elect pro gun-control candidates. That agenda takes more than a couple of months.
posted by anastasiav at 9:42 AM on April 27, 2018 [50 favorites]
And I feel like the Parkland students and their group are playing a long game. Their biggest push is to register 18 year olds to vote, to push Fall '18 candidates to deny the NRA access, and to elect pro gun-control candidates. That agenda takes more than a couple of months.
posted by anastasiav at 9:42 AM on April 27, 2018 [50 favorites]
I'm on mobile right now and can't listen to/watch it...is there a transcript somewhere? (and how does it handle the unintelligible screaming heh heh :)
This pair of images kind of sums it up. Before/after. The latter taken right before they hung up on him.
posted by scalefree at 9:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
This pair of images kind of sums it up. Before/after. The latter taken right before they hung up on him.
posted by scalefree at 9:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's only tea leaves at this point, but teen voter registration has been surging in several places. If they actually turn out to vote, this could make a large difference.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:50 AM on April 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:50 AM on April 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
If you can only read the transcript of yesterday's rant, I suggest making it all caps and eliminating spaces between words and punctuation. Maybe, just maybe that would give you a sense of how nonsensical it all was.
Both Seth Myers and Trevor Noah did a good job of recapping the crazy, and now I am eagerly awaiting the Australian, Norwegian, British and German comedic takes. Comedians around the world have been given the greatest gift.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:52 AM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Both Seth Myers and Trevor Noah did a good job of recapping the crazy, and now I am eagerly awaiting the Australian, Norwegian, British and German comedic takes. Comedians around the world have been given the greatest gift.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:52 AM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Sorry, didn't post the actual link. Here it is. Before/after,
posted by scalefree at 9:58 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:58 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
'Mass firing' at conservative site RedState
Multiple sources told CNNMoney that they believed conservative critics of President Trump were the writers targeted for removal.posted by T.D. Strange at 10:01 AM on April 27, 2018 [25 favorites]
"Insufficiently partisan" was the phrase one writer used in a RedState group chat.
"They fired everybody who was insufficiently supportive of Trump," one of the sources who spoke with CNNMoney said, adding, "how do you define being 'sufficiently supportive' of Trump?"
...
"Of those who make less under their contracts, they mostly tossed those who had been openly critical of the president," the source said. "It seems to have been a cost saving measure, but the deciding factor between any two people seems to have been who liked the president and who didn't."
Did Erik Erik Erikson already get purged or is he part of this one?
posted by scalefree at 10:04 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by scalefree at 10:04 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Wikipedia: In January 2014, RedState owner Eagle Publishing was acquired by Salem Media Group. In October 2015, Erickson announced he would be leaving the site by the end of the year to focus on his radio show.
Since it's Salem-owned, the only surprising thing is this didn't happen in 2016. I mean honestly, how profitable can a website be if your only pageviews are from David Brooks?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:06 AM on April 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
Since it's Salem-owned, the only surprising thing is this didn't happen in 2016. I mean honestly, how profitable can a website be if your only pageviews are from David Brooks?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:06 AM on April 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
Today in "did you dumbfucks learn nothing from 2016" news:
National Democrats are investing in the GOP Senate primary in West Virginia, hoping to secure the nomination for a controversial candidate that they believe incumbent [Joe Manchin] will have an easier time defeatingposted by zombieflanders at 10:07 AM on April 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
It worked out pretty well for Claire McCaskill in 2012.
Also, Blankenship has been badly trailing in several recent polls. Probably even West Virginians don't want to vote for an actual murderer.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:12 AM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Also, Blankenship has been badly trailing in several recent polls. Probably even West Virginians don't want to vote for an actual murderer.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:12 AM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Chrysostom: "It worked out pretty well for Claire McCaskill in 2012.
Also, Blankenship has been badly trailing in several recent polls. Probably even West Virginians don't want to vote for an actual murderer."
It's a perversion of the norms of the election process to use primaries this way. But tribalism trumps norms every time, as McConnell has demonstrated.
posted by TypographicalError at 10:21 AM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Also, Blankenship has been badly trailing in several recent polls. Probably even West Virginians don't want to vote for an actual murderer."
It's a perversion of the norms of the election process to use primaries this way. But tribalism trumps norms every time, as McConnell has demonstrated.
posted by TypographicalError at 10:21 AM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
From the Dept. of Unsurprising But Still Good News: Judge tosses Manafort civil suit challenging special counsel
posted by cudzoo at 10:24 AM on April 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by cudzoo at 10:24 AM on April 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
I'm surprised that RedState thinks this is a good business move. Their whole niche over the past two years has been that they're consistently willing to criticize Trump and Trumpism from a conservative perspective. What are they going to be now, recycled Breitbart?
posted by J.K. Seazer at 10:28 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 10:28 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Today in "did you dumbfucks learn nothing from 2016" news:
They're desperate. Manchin's basically a Republican but he's all they've got. They need to keep his seat to try to win back the Senate. To do that, the Democrats need to keep all of their current seats and then win two from the Republicans. If Manchin loses to a Republican, that means they'll need to take three R seats for a slim majority. Which would probably be Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee, all of which are somewhat competitive now, but would normally be out of their range.
posted by zarq at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
They're desperate. Manchin's basically a Republican but he's all they've got. They need to keep his seat to try to win back the Senate. To do that, the Democrats need to keep all of their current seats and then win two from the Republicans. If Manchin loses to a Republican, that means they'll need to take three R seats for a slim majority. Which would probably be Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee, all of which are somewhat competitive now, but would normally be out of their range.
posted by zarq at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
The tone of Trump's tweets continue to suggest that he single-handedly negotiated the end of Korea's nuclear program instead of the reality that it has fallen apart, its testing tunnel collapsed, with deadly radiation seeping over its border. How long will this denial persist? As he continues with these negotiations, giving North Korea everything it ever wanted, will we continually be asked to accept that this is all part of some "great deal" he put together?
Yes, it seemed like 5 minutes ago we would and should have agreed to just about anything to get the nuclear program stopped, but the reality of the situation just completely reversed itself. A "deal-maker" would be taking advantage of that to help mitigate the suffering of millions of people living under one of the harshest authoritarian regimes on the planet. Right? Because right now it seems like Trump is still pretending that North Korea has a nuclear program.
Why do I always feel like Trump knowledge about these crises are a day or two at least behind what the nightly comedy shows know?
posted by xammerboy at 10:33 AM on April 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
Yes, it seemed like 5 minutes ago we would and should have agreed to just about anything to get the nuclear program stopped, but the reality of the situation just completely reversed itself. A "deal-maker" would be taking advantage of that to help mitigate the suffering of millions of people living under one of the harshest authoritarian regimes on the planet. Right? Because right now it seems like Trump is still pretending that North Korea has a nuclear program.
Why do I always feel like Trump knowledge about these crises are a day or two at least behind what the nightly comedy shows know?
posted by xammerboy at 10:33 AM on April 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
There is a lot less downside risk in helping a Republican extremist win a primary for a legislative seat than for the presidency.
posted by LarsC at 10:33 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by LarsC at 10:33 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm surprised that RedState thinks this is a good business move. Their whole niche over the past two years has been that they're consistently willing to criticize Trump and Trumpism from a conservative perspective. What are they going to be now, recycled Breitbart?
The cynic in me assumes they were offered a huge wodge of "investment" from Mercer or the like to house clean any anti-Trump elements, and business success in terms of eyeballs has nothing to do with it.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:35 AM on April 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
The cynic in me assumes they were offered a huge wodge of "investment" from Mercer or the like to house clean any anti-Trump elements, and business success in terms of eyeballs has nothing to do with it.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:35 AM on April 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
Also, any Dem running against Blankenship gets an inside track to the "I support coal miners!" vote, since at that point the bar is not murdering them.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:35 AM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:35 AM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
If Manchin loses to a Republican, that means they'll need to take three R seats for a slim majority. Which would probably be Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee, all of which are somewhat competitive now, but would normally be out of their range.
Ahem. Texas. #TeamBeto.
posted by scalefree at 10:36 AM on April 27, 2018 [43 favorites]
Ahem. Texas. #TeamBeto.
posted by scalefree at 10:36 AM on April 27, 2018 [43 favorites]
Petri's riffs are wonderful:
...everyone on the panel stared into the camera with the hollow, shark-like gaze of people realizing that hell is empty and all the devils are here.
Nixon's wandering about the halls of the WH, talking to portraits of dead presidents now seem, well, charming.
posted by mule98J at 10:38 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
...everyone on the panel stared into the camera with the hollow, shark-like gaze of people realizing that hell is empty and all the devils are here.
Nixon's wandering about the halls of the WH, talking to portraits of dead presidents now seem, well, charming.
posted by mule98J at 10:38 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
I'm surprised that RedState thinks this is a good business move. Their whole niche over the past two years has been that they're consistently willing to criticize Trump and Trumpism from a conservative perspective.
They realized that their entire readership had consisted of a few dozen Nevertrump Republican pundits hired by media outlets and a few dozen more ever-hopeful centrist Democrats, and have decided to drop the charade and make some real money off the base.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:42 AM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
They realized that their entire readership had consisted of a few dozen Nevertrump Republican pundits hired by media outlets and a few dozen more ever-hopeful centrist Democrats, and have decided to drop the charade and make some real money off the base.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:42 AM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
To be perfectly honest, I have zero faith that Beto will beat Cruz. The Texas Organizing Project estimates that Republicans can expect 850,000 more voters than Progressive Democrats.
I hope he wins. Wouldn't bet the cattle ranch on it, though.
posted by zarq at 10:42 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
I hope he wins. Wouldn't bet the cattle ranch on it, though.
posted by zarq at 10:42 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Scott Pruitt Is Forced To Face Reality: his 6 hour hearing analyzed
posted by The Whelk at 10:45 AM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 10:45 AM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
News: @RepMeehan has resigned. Says he will pay back the $39,000 used for his office’s sexual harassment statement.
Meehan (R-PA) represents the famous "Goofy kicking Donald" 7th district.
posted by Etrigan at 10:46 AM on April 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
Meehan (R-PA) represents the famous "Goofy kicking Donald" 7th district.
posted by Etrigan at 10:46 AM on April 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
Canadians and/or hockey fans may be better able to sit through Trump's entire rant due to the immunity built up from watching Don Cherry's Coach's Corner segments. The similarities are remarkable.
posted by rocket88 at 10:46 AM on April 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by rocket88 at 10:46 AM on April 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
ANOTHER very short term special in PA, I guess.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
@Bernstein: Scooplet: Have heard from four good sources that Milo Inc. — Milo Yiannopoulos's post-Breitbart "talent factory" — has gone belly up.
posted by The Whelk at 10:49 AM on April 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 10:49 AM on April 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
@Bernstein: Scooplet: Have heard from four good sources that Milo Inc. — Milo Yiannopoulos's post-Breitbart "talent factory" — has gone belly up.
Politico: Yiannopoulos’ business implodes after death of crypto-billionaire (Matthew Mellon)
posted by zarq at 10:53 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
Politico: Yiannopoulos’ business implodes after death of crypto-billionaire (Matthew Mellon)
posted by zarq at 10:53 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
I wonder what the ETA is on Milo trying to reinvent himself as a progressive for attention and $$$.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:55 AM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 10:55 AM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
Mod note: A few deleted; let's not kick off into a back-and-forth over Dems are Repubs, Har Just Kidding, But Not, But Yes.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:57 AM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:57 AM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Trump-State Democrats Outpace GOP in Fundraising for Senate
posted by Artw at 11:04 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:04 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Politico: Yiannopoulos’ business implodes after death of crypto-billionaire (Matthew Mellon
There are some astounding details in there
posted by The Whelk at 11:08 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
There are some astounding details in there
posted by The Whelk at 11:08 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
YouTube: President Trump Hosts a Joint Press Conference with Chancellor Merkel of Germany
posted by zachlipton at 11:09 AM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:09 AM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Trump is referring to trade deficits not only by ignoring services, but by referring to specific industries, in this case car production. The President seems to believe that trade is not truly fair unless every country exports the same quantity of the same goods; for example, Switzerland should export as many cocoa beans as it imports.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:13 AM on April 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:13 AM on April 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
Christ, these joint press conferences are rough. It's just brutal and painful to watch Trump counterposed against An Actual World Leader like Merkel or Macron.
Merkel giving Trump a surprising amount of credit for the NK situation. Maybe she's taking the 'Macron is the TrumpWhisperer' media chatter to heart? (Not to mention the daft criticism of her own relationship with Trump, which never seems to take into account that Merkel is, well, a woman, and Trump is, well, Trump...)
posted by halation at 11:16 AM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Merkel giving Trump a surprising amount of credit for the NK situation. Maybe she's taking the 'Macron is the TrumpWhisperer' media chatter to heart? (Not to mention the daft criticism of her own relationship with Trump, which never seems to take into account that Merkel is, well, a woman, and Trump is, well, Trump...)
posted by halation at 11:16 AM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
There is a lot less downside risk in helping a Republican extremist win a primary for a legislative seat than for the presidency.
If you are doing this, in AD 2018, you are not on the side of the angels. If you are doing this while people are desperately trying to claw our country back from Trumpism, you do not care about the people who are being targeted by it.
Placing extremists and supporting extremists in primaries means voters are hearing extremist language. We have learned from Trump that it affects everyday hate crimes, the behavior of children in school, and makes communities fear.
If you are willing to increase that for partisan political gain, all I can say is may God forgive you because I and the others affected certainly will not.
posted by corb at 11:17 AM on April 27, 2018 [110 favorites]
If you are doing this, in AD 2018, you are not on the side of the angels. If you are doing this while people are desperately trying to claw our country back from Trumpism, you do not care about the people who are being targeted by it.
Placing extremists and supporting extremists in primaries means voters are hearing extremist language. We have learned from Trump that it affects everyday hate crimes, the behavior of children in school, and makes communities fear.
If you are willing to increase that for partisan political gain, all I can say is may God forgive you because I and the others affected certainly will not.
posted by corb at 11:17 AM on April 27, 2018 [110 favorites]
This is your regular reminder that Joe Manchin is facing a primary challenge from Paula Jean Swearingen, a progressive candidate with strong local ties to West Virginia who could actually be successful at peeling off some independents in the general election. Her campaign might be a long shot, but if you've got money and/or time to donate, I think this is a race that merits it.
posted by biogeo at 11:20 AM on April 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 11:20 AM on April 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
The House report is an utter joke, but this also looks new:
posted by zachlipton at 11:24 AM on April 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
(U) Michael Flynn: On July 15, 2016 retired Lieutenant General and Trump natioanl security advisor Michael Flynn forwarded an email to communications advisor [READCTED] in an attempt to connect a friend from the military with the campaign's social media operation. Flynn included the following editorial comment: "There are a number of things happening (and will happen) this election via cyber operations (by both hacktivists, nation-states and the DNC). This statement does not necessarily indicate non-public knowledge, and could have instead reflected commentary on then-current public events-including the mid-June attribution of the DNC hack to Russia by the security firm CrowdStrike, and the subsequent claim of credit by the then-unknown persona Guccifer 2.0.Flynn is casually tossing around the idea that there are "cyber operations" during the election, as if that's normal and not a crucial national security concern. And that parenthetical "(and will happen)" is curious if not damning—why does he know things will happen? Naturally, the report doesn't explore the implications of this.
posted by zachlipton at 11:24 AM on April 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
Oh hey remember when the NYC DSA shouted Milo and Chadwick out of a bar? Milo brought him there to fire him.
posted by The Whelk at 11:28 AM on April 27, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 11:28 AM on April 27, 2018 [39 favorites]
Artw: "Trump-State Democrats Outpace GOP in Fundraising for Senate"
Yeah, Dem fundraising has been pretty impressive. As we've talked about, there's definitely not a 1:1 between fundraising and votes. But it does serve as a proxy for voter enthusiasm, especially when it's mostly small-dollar donations. This is a confirmation of what polling has shown, which is that Dems are more enthused than Republicans.
Whether that translates into victory remains to be seen - you can still go out and vote for someone you are underwhelmed by - but it is a positive sign.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:32 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Yeah, Dem fundraising has been pretty impressive. As we've talked about, there's definitely not a 1:1 between fundraising and votes. But it does serve as a proxy for voter enthusiasm, especially when it's mostly small-dollar donations. This is a confirmation of what polling has shown, which is that Dems are more enthused than Republicans.
Whether that translates into victory remains to be seen - you can still go out and vote for someone you are underwhelmed by - but it is a positive sign.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:32 AM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump: "Ronnie Jackson, Admiral, Doctor is one of the finest men I have met in a long time. High quality. High quality family. I just met them."
He goes on to complain that these are "false accusations about a great man" and how mean Washington is. Says he called Jackson today and told him he's "an American hero": "you've exposed the system for some horrible things. I've had it happen to me with the Russian collusion hoax, it's a hoax, but I came into the job understanding that things happen, he didn't." He says they're "putting choice very very strongly" (more privatization of the VA).
I...I'm still stuck on the fact that he just called him "Ronnie Jackson Admiral Doctor."
He thinks most embassies are just a single story (yes, really) and is claiming he signed half his name on the paperwork to build a billion-dollar embassy in Jerusalem, but he stopped signing and called the ambassador, who told him they can do it for just $150K. Trump decided to make it $3-4-hundred-thousand instead.
posted by zachlipton at 11:34 AM on April 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
He goes on to complain that these are "false accusations about a great man" and how mean Washington is. Says he called Jackson today and told him he's "an American hero": "you've exposed the system for some horrible things. I've had it happen to me with the Russian collusion hoax, it's a hoax, but I came into the job understanding that things happen, he didn't." He says they're "putting choice very very strongly" (more privatization of the VA).
I...I'm still stuck on the fact that he just called him "Ronnie Jackson Admiral Doctor."
He thinks most embassies are just a single story (yes, really) and is claiming he signed half his name on the paperwork to build a billion-dollar embassy in Jerusalem, but he stopped signing and called the ambassador, who told him they can do it for just $150K. Trump decided to make it $3-4-hundred-thousand instead.
posted by zachlipton at 11:34 AM on April 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
Trump Merkel conference derailing into his usual number-tossing real estate deal bragging.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:34 AM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 11:34 AM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
He thinks most embassies are just a single story
We can't reasonably expect this President to know anything about multi-story buildings
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:36 AM on April 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
We can't reasonably expect this President to know anything about multi-story buildings
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:36 AM on April 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
zachlipton: I...I'm still stuck on the fact that he just called him "Ronnie Jackson Admiral Doctor."
Kind of like "Mister Senor Love Daddy"?
Kidding, but it makes me curious: behind the closed White House doors, is there actually that close a relationship among a president and their staff, or is there usually more social "distance" and formality?
posted by wenestvedt at 11:38 AM on April 27, 2018
Kind of like "Mister Senor Love Daddy"?
Kidding, but it makes me curious: behind the closed White House doors, is there actually that close a relationship among a president and their staff, or is there usually more social "distance" and formality?
posted by wenestvedt at 11:38 AM on April 27, 2018
Bredesen releases internal poll showing him leading in TN Senate 51-41 [MOE: +/- 4%].
posted by Chrysostom at 11:39 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:39 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Ronnie Jackson, Admiral, Doctor is one of the finest men I have met in a long time. High quality. High quality family. I just met them.
Of course he compliments his "high quality family." Not only is he a racehorse theory eugenicist, but Ronny had been so nice to him about when he said “he has incredible genes.” Just repaying the compliment about his pure racial bloodline, normal president stuff.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:41 AM on April 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
Of course he compliments his "high quality family." Not only is he a racehorse theory eugenicist, but Ronny had been so nice to him about when he said “he has incredible genes.” Just repaying the compliment about his pure racial bloodline, normal president stuff.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:41 AM on April 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
We can't reasonably expect this President to know anything about multi-story buildings
He knows all about them! Trump Tower has58 68 floors and Trump World Tower has 72 90!
posted by kirkaracha at 11:46 AM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
He knows all about them! Trump Tower has
posted by kirkaracha at 11:46 AM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
To close it out... @ddale8: Trump brings up his low popularity in Germany: "That means I'm doing a good job," he says, since he's fighting for the United States. Merkel seemed to give him the look she gives him.
I made you all a screenshot of the look.
posted by zachlipton at 11:47 AM on April 27, 2018 [66 favorites]
I made you all a screenshot of the look.
posted by zachlipton at 11:47 AM on April 27, 2018 [66 favorites]
He thinks most embassies are just a single story (yes, really) and is claiming he signed half his name on the paperwork to build a billion-dollar embassy in Jerusalem, but he stopped signing and called the ambassador, who told him they can do it for just $150K. Trump decided to make it $3-4-hundred-thousand instead.
In Jerusalem. One of the most contested cities in the world. There's a reason the expert-based design cost so much.
posted by scalefree at 11:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
In Jerusalem. One of the most contested cities in the world. There's a reason the expert-based design cost so much.
posted by scalefree at 11:48 AM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
I knew that look Merkel gave him looked familiar.
(twitter link to David Mack showing Angela Merkel of Germany side-by-side with Jim Halpert of the Office.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:59 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
(twitter link to David Mack showing Angela Merkel of Germany side-by-side with Jim Halpert of the Office.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:59 AM on April 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
The Hill: FIFA refers to ethics rules after Trump tweets on US World Cup bid
God, I hate this fucking timeline.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:00 PM on April 27, 2018 [124 favorites]
"The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup," Trump tweeted. "It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?"Straight-up mob language from Trump over the World Cup. And now he's getting ethics tips from FIFA of all places. FIFA.
God, I hate this fucking timeline.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:00 PM on April 27, 2018 [124 favorites]
Meanwhile, at the FCC, Ajit Pai is intentionally delaying his Net Neutrality repeal and no one knows why (Motherboard):
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:04 PM on April 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
More than four months after the Trump FCC formally voted to kill net neutrality, the rules remain on the books. And there’s every indication that the agency is intentionally delaying the final, killing blow—just to further help AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast.Pai's campaign to kill Net Neutrality have been marked with the hamfisted incompetence of the rest of the Trump administration, but he keeps trying. Meanwhile, over a hundred mayors across the US have taken the Cities Open Internet Pledge already, so check to see if yours has.
While numerous news outlets claimed net neutrality officially died this week, that’s not technically true. Before net neutrality rules can truly be scrubbed from the books, the repeal needs to not only be posted to the Federal Register, but the US Office of Management and Budget needs to sign off on the flimsy replacement protections proposed by the FCC.
But consumer advocates this week pointed out that the FCC appears to be intentionally delaying the final repeal via intentional, bureaucratic gridlock. [...]
So why is the Trump FCC stalling on formally killing rules it professes were devastating to the telecom sector?
The most popular theory is that ISPs and the FCC wanted more time to garner support for their effort to pass a bogus net neutrality law. A law they promise will “solve” the net neutrality feud once and for all, but whose real intention is to pre-empt tougher state laws, and block the FCC’s 2015 rules from being restored in the wake of a possible court loss.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:04 PM on April 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
There's a reason the expert-based design cost so much.
I can't decide whether the new US Embassy in Jerusalem being immediately reduced to rubble by Hamas would help or hinder the Trump agenda.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:05 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
I can't decide whether the new US Embassy in Jerusalem being immediately reduced to rubble by Hamas would help or hinder the Trump agenda.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:05 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Bredesen releases internal poll showing him leading in TN Senate 51-41 [MOE: +/- 4%].
This is fascinating. Garin has a pretty good track record according to 538.
posted by zarq at 12:07 PM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
This is fascinating. Garin has a pretty good track record according to 538.
Our survey data suggests that, not surprisingly given the polarization in American politics today, the Tennessee electorate is “settled” in to their Senate choices even this far out from November, meaning there is a low amount of persuadable voters. First, just 8% of Tennessee voters say they are undecided in the Senate election, and BOTH Bredesen (91% committed support) and Blackburn (91% committed support) voters are locked into supporting their respective candidates.Bredesen started out with a 5% lead and it has climbed slowly and steadily for the last 5 months. This in a state which Trump took with 61%(!) of the vote and where he still has a 50% approval rating! Anyone looking at the state on paper would think there was no way a Dem could win a Senate seat. But Bredesen was known for his bipartisan efforts as governor, so now we have a horse race.
posted by zarq at 12:07 PM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
Blackburn has long embodied the monied elements of Tennessee. Brentwood, the rich sections of the large cities, etc. These are the people who like Blackburn. So that doesn't help with the average Tennessean. Tennessee has such large bastions of liberal cities, that you really have to capture the entire rural market to do well. Alienating the country folk by siding with the people that legit probably have more money than Trump does not endear to the average Tennessean.
posted by Twain Device at 12:20 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Twain Device at 12:20 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Placing extremists and supporting extremists in primaries means voters are hearing extremist language. We have learned from Trump that it affects everyday hate crimes, the behavior of children in school, and makes communities fear.
The extremist language we all hear comes from the mainstream Republican party. It is baked into its platform. Championed by its candidates and elected officials. From the likes of Ted Cruz, for example. Or Mitch McConnell.
It's been that way for years. Trump was not the first Republican in existence to fearmonger about minorities, women's rights, the poor, gay rights, immigrants, Muslims and Democrats. They won't be the last.
posted by zarq at 12:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
The extremist language we all hear comes from the mainstream Republican party. It is baked into its platform. Championed by its candidates and elected officials. From the likes of Ted Cruz, for example. Or Mitch McConnell.
It's been that way for years. Trump was not the first Republican in existence to fearmonger about minorities, women's rights, the poor, gay rights, immigrants, Muslims and Democrats. They won't be the last.
posted by zarq at 12:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
So, has anyone else had the stomach to listen to his Fox and Friends rant?
I actually paused it during his caterwauling about the Justice Department to try and capture their dumb faces in ink, but the exercise wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be. They are exceedingly bland people.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 12:40 PM on April 27, 2018 [66 favorites]
I actually paused it during his caterwauling about the Justice Department to try and capture their dumb faces in ink, but the exercise wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be. They are exceedingly bland people.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 12:40 PM on April 27, 2018 [66 favorites]
Placing extremists and supporting extremists in primaries means voters are hearing extremist language ...
If you are willing to increase that for partisan political gain, all I can say is may God forgive you because I and the others affected certainly will not.
In West Virginia there are three Republican rivals for the Senate primary.
There's Evan Jenkins who is famous for saying "West Virginia is under attack from Barack Obama and a Democratic Party that our parents and grandparents would not recognize." He heartily supported Trump's DACA repeal. He supported Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. He opposes carbon cap and trade. He voted twice for Obamacare repeal. He is vehemently anti-abortion.
There's Patrick Morrisey who as state attorney general sued to block Obamacare and sued the EPA in many cases on behalf of Logan Coal, Murray Energy, National Mining, to repeal the Clean Power Plan and a dozen others. He filed briefs to overturn gun permit laws in New York and New Jersey. He is 100% anti-abortion with no exceptions. He filed suit to prevent sanctuary cities and sued to overturn DACA.
And then there's Blankenship.
All three of these are typical shitty Republicans with nary a hair's breadth of difference between them on policies. If I were a Democrat running against them, I'd rather take my chances against the one who murdered coal miners for profit.
They are all extremists and to imply that it is up to Democrats to support the Republican "moderates" is bullshit. Republicans need to clean their own house. Democrats first duty is to keep a Republican, any Republican, from winning.
posted by JackFlash at 12:54 PM on April 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
If you are willing to increase that for partisan political gain, all I can say is may God forgive you because I and the others affected certainly will not.
In West Virginia there are three Republican rivals for the Senate primary.
There's Evan Jenkins who is famous for saying "West Virginia is under attack from Barack Obama and a Democratic Party that our parents and grandparents would not recognize." He heartily supported Trump's DACA repeal. He supported Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. He opposes carbon cap and trade. He voted twice for Obamacare repeal. He is vehemently anti-abortion.
There's Patrick Morrisey who as state attorney general sued to block Obamacare and sued the EPA in many cases on behalf of Logan Coal, Murray Energy, National Mining, to repeal the Clean Power Plan and a dozen others. He filed briefs to overturn gun permit laws in New York and New Jersey. He is 100% anti-abortion with no exceptions. He filed suit to prevent sanctuary cities and sued to overturn DACA.
And then there's Blankenship.
All three of these are typical shitty Republicans with nary a hair's breadth of difference between them on policies. If I were a Democrat running against them, I'd rather take my chances against the one who murdered coal miners for profit.
They are all extremists and to imply that it is up to Democrats to support the Republican "moderates" is bullshit. Republicans need to clean their own house. Democrats first duty is to keep a Republican, any Republican, from winning.
posted by JackFlash at 12:54 PM on April 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
This is something I ran into. Just in case you were wondering whether Trump filled positions with "yes people," his deputy communications director is named Jessica Ditto.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:02 PM on April 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:02 PM on April 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
JackFlash: "They are all extremists and to imply that it is up to Democrats to support the Republican "moderates" is bullshit. Republicans need to clean their own house. Democrats first duty is to keep a Republican, any Republican, from winning."
Firstly, I am not asking you or anyone else to support Republican "moderates" (I agree with quotes, fwiw). I am asking people who are not Republicans to not vote for shitty Republican candidates in Republican primaries.
Secondly, I agree with the principle of keeping Republicans out of every office. However, Republicans as a group have a moral right to self-government, as far as I'm concerned. (That is, if you're willing to concede that they should exist at all...) And honestly, how do you expect Republicans to clean house if we fuck up their shit all the time? I mean, yes, maybe they won't, but if you believe in democracy, you're obligated to allow that chance.
posted by TypographicalError at 1:10 PM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Firstly, I am not asking you or anyone else to support Republican "moderates" (I agree with quotes, fwiw). I am asking people who are not Republicans to not vote for shitty Republican candidates in Republican primaries.
Secondly, I agree with the principle of keeping Republicans out of every office. However, Republicans as a group have a moral right to self-government, as far as I'm concerned. (That is, if you're willing to concede that they should exist at all...) And honestly, how do you expect Republicans to clean house if we fuck up their shit all the time? I mean, yes, maybe they won't, but if you believe in democracy, you're obligated to allow that chance.
posted by TypographicalError at 1:10 PM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
They are all extremists and to imply that it is up to Democrats to support the Republican "moderates" is bullshit.
Well, if I actually say or imply such a stupid thing, you can complain about it. Since I didn't, there's no need to quote me saying something else, is there?
You're creating a strawman to argue something I didn't say. Cut it out. Or make your point without quoting me.
Republicans need to clean their own house.
The comment I was replying to made it sound like one Republican is better than another, and only some of them are extremists. It also said we need to protect our children from hearing the bad ones. My point is that they're all extremists. One of the reasons I said so is that the person commenting was a very vocal Republican on this site during the election, so I thought it a counterpoint worth noting.
But no, Republicans do not "need to clean their own house." They have proven incapable of doing so. The general public needs to be taught when they are being pandered to, lied to and when fear is being used to scare them into voting a particular way. Educating them to respond differently when racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other hatreds are being used to manipulate them. The only way to do that is by pointing it out when it happens and running progressive candidates that don't.
Democrats first duty is to keep a Republican, any Republican, from winning.
The Democrats have a lot of "first duties." This is one of them. Another is that they shouldn't compromise the civil rights of women, minorities, the poor and others in order to get into office.
posted by zarq at 1:11 PM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Well, if I actually say or imply such a stupid thing, you can complain about it. Since I didn't, there's no need to quote me saying something else, is there?
You're creating a strawman to argue something I didn't say. Cut it out. Or make your point without quoting me.
Republicans need to clean their own house.
The comment I was replying to made it sound like one Republican is better than another, and only some of them are extremists. It also said we need to protect our children from hearing the bad ones. My point is that they're all extremists. One of the reasons I said so is that the person commenting was a very vocal Republican on this site during the election, so I thought it a counterpoint worth noting.
But no, Republicans do not "need to clean their own house." They have proven incapable of doing so. The general public needs to be taught when they are being pandered to, lied to and when fear is being used to scare them into voting a particular way. Educating them to respond differently when racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other hatreds are being used to manipulate them. The only way to do that is by pointing it out when it happens and running progressive candidates that don't.
Democrats first duty is to keep a Republican, any Republican, from winning.
The Democrats have a lot of "first duties." This is one of them. Another is that they shouldn't compromise the civil rights of women, minorities, the poor and others in order to get into office.
posted by zarq at 1:11 PM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
> They are all extremists and to imply that it is up to Democrats to support the Republican "moderates" is bullshit. Republicans need to clean their own house. Democrats first duty is to keep a Republican, any Republican, from winning.
You're arguing against helping moderates, but the original statement was:
There is a lot less downside risk in helping a Republican extremist win a primary for a legislative seat than for the presidency.
Democrats, of course, have no responsibility to help GOP moderates win primaries, but that's not what was put forth here, so to argue against it is beside the point. I don't think many Democrats are out there trying to help GOP extremists win primaries, but when there are credible reports of the party doing just that in West Virginia, I think it's wise to note the many ways it could backfire. There's a big difference between refusing to help a moderate, which is ethically and morally defensible, and helping an extremist, which is not.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:12 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
You're arguing against helping moderates, but the original statement was:
There is a lot less downside risk in helping a Republican extremist win a primary for a legislative seat than for the presidency.
Democrats, of course, have no responsibility to help GOP moderates win primaries, but that's not what was put forth here, so to argue against it is beside the point. I don't think many Democrats are out there trying to help GOP extremists win primaries, but when there are credible reports of the party doing just that in West Virginia, I think it's wise to note the many ways it could backfire. There's a big difference between refusing to help a moderate, which is ethically and morally defensible, and helping an extremist, which is not.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:12 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Why should Democrats help Republicans win anything? Republicans out-fundraise and out-spend Democrats by an order of magnitude. They have billionaires in their pocket. They can win their own damn elections or not. If Democrats want to elect moderates, they can help moderate Democrats win elections.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:14 PM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 1:14 PM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
NPR has an extraordinary story today about conservatives recognizing that they're losing the culture war no matter what, and they're angry about it!
How odd that a culture that refuses to respect others -- people of color, LGBTQ people, liberals, teachers, etc. etc. -- gets its feathers ruffled when their waning influence and deplorable opinions means no one else respects them, either.
The only way standing astride history yelling "stop" worked for William F. Buckley was get him a good living as a pundit; that model doesn't scale to conservatives in general.
posted by Gelatin at 1:16 PM on April 27, 2018 [95 favorites]
At the core of the problem for many American conservatives is a feeling that the culture war has been irrevocably lost to their ideological opponents.
"Politics is downstream from culture. And I do think that it's true that conservatives have lost in many ways the culture," said Matt Lewis, a conservative columnist for The Daily Beast who has previously worked for conservative outlets like The Daily Caller and Human Events.
He also said, "There is a sense on the right that is apocalyptic and fearful."
Earlier this month, Jesse Kelly, a writer for the mainstream conservative website The Federalist, wrote that Americans on the left and right can't get along anymore, that domestic unrest could be coming and that the best alternative course would be to just split the country up.
"We're just not on the same page on anything anymore. Rather than the constant fighting and before it gets really nasty, I think we should just go our separate ways," Kelly told NPR.
Kurt Schlichter, a columnist for the conservative Townhall.com, recently wrote a column speculating about whether there could be another civil war. He concluded there could be one and predicted how the left would lose a violent conflict if it came to it.
"We want to be treated with respect, and we will not tolerate anything less which is just unacceptable for this to continue. I'm tired of Hollywood spitting on us. I am tired of academia spitting on us. I'm tired of the news media spitting on us," he said.
How odd that a culture that refuses to respect others -- people of color, LGBTQ people, liberals, teachers, etc. etc. -- gets its feathers ruffled when their waning influence and deplorable opinions means no one else respects them, either.
The only way standing astride history yelling "stop" worked for William F. Buckley was get him a good living as a pundit; that model doesn't scale to conservatives in general.
posted by Gelatin at 1:16 PM on April 27, 2018 [95 favorites]
"We want to be treated with respect, and we will not tolerate anything less which is just unacceptable for this to continue. I'm tired of Hollywood spitting on us. I am tired of academia spitting on us. I'm tired of the news media spitting on us," he said."
This analysis from a tumblr blog seems to fit:
> Sometimes people use “respect” to mean “treating someone like a person” and sometimes they use “respect” to mean “treating someone like an authority”
> and sometimes people who are used to being treated like an authority say “if you won’t respect me I won’t respect you” and they mean “if you won’t treat me like an authority I won’t treat you like a person”
> and they think they’re being fair but they aren’t, and it’s not okay.
[I've seen this attributed to the tumblr stimmyabby but I can't find the original post]
posted by bluecore at 1:26 PM on April 27, 2018 [173 favorites]
This analysis from a tumblr blog seems to fit:
> Sometimes people use “respect” to mean “treating someone like a person” and sometimes they use “respect” to mean “treating someone like an authority”
> and sometimes people who are used to being treated like an authority say “if you won’t respect me I won’t respect you” and they mean “if you won’t treat me like an authority I won’t treat you like a person”
> and they think they’re being fair but they aren’t, and it’s not okay.
[I've seen this attributed to the tumblr stimmyabby but I can't find the original post]
posted by bluecore at 1:26 PM on April 27, 2018 [173 favorites]
If they don’t like America, they can leave. Isn’t that the line they ALWAYS use when liberals express opposition to the direction the country is going?
And the Tumblr quote also came directly to mind.
I also like Isaac Asimov:
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
Your ignorance is not just as good as our knowledge.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [50 favorites]
And the Tumblr quote also came directly to mind.
I also like Isaac Asimov:
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
Your ignorance is not just as good as our knowledge.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [50 favorites]
The guy who insists that the proper response to being disrespected for his deplorable stances is violence would be pathetically funny if some hadn't already put that opinion into practice.
posted by Gelatin at 1:30 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 1:30 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
What's hilariously ironic is that the Hollywood that "spits on them" gave them Reagan, Charlton Heston, Clint Eastwood, and every revisionistic American exceptionalist trope that they cling to as the real america.
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:35 PM on April 27, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:35 PM on April 27, 2018 [61 favorites]
They literally elected a reality television star for President.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:41 PM on April 27, 2018 [43 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 1:41 PM on April 27, 2018 [43 favorites]
Secondly, I agree with the principle of keeping Republicans out of every office. However, Republicans as a group have a moral right to self-government, as far as I'm concerned. (That is, if you're willing to concede that they should exist at all...) And honestly, how do you expect Republicans to clean house if we fuck up their shit all the time? I mean, yes, maybe they won't, but if you believe in democracy, you're obligated to allow that chance.
I used to believe this, but something switched in me, something deep and gut-level, watching Romney and then the Tea Party and then Republican state governments slowroll Obamacare, and then a year of Trump welded the switch in the NOPE position.
The US is a rigged democracy, the other side have an agenda that ends in totalitarianism and oligarchy, and frankly, in most places where its possible to game the rules, the Republicans either created the loophole or set about to systematically exploit it. If turning their weapons against them is expedient, sure. The Republicans do not have a moral right to self-government, because they are trying to take that right away from everyone but billionaires through raw power games.
We win moral superiority by not being assassins or terrorists and believing that democracy is the best form of government. We want the world to not be a Malthusian hellscape and we believe in active management to make it not so.
My caveats are these
1) Effectiveness. I think the DCCC funding Blankenship is a terrible f**king idea. Dude is a billionaire, let him spend his own money if he wants it so bad. The man has plenty of rope to hang himself and the rest of the Republican nominees in WV. He's a convicted felon and a murderer and a demonstrated history of putting his foot in his mouth. Save your powder for the general, DCCC.
2) When we take back power, we gotta fix the loopholes the Republicans put there. We get objectively better results when there aren't loopholes to buy influence. Nothing would kibosh this whole cycle of toxic conservative influence-buying than fixing the Citizens United loophole. Elections are stupid who's-got-more-money showmanship. Cut. that. out.
3) Loud demonstrations of respect and gratitude when the other side plays the game fair, loud denunciations and mocking when they don't, and media to amplify both. The Republicans have blatantly partisan media, and I'm sorry, but we need the same. If there was a liberal Fox, CNN and MSNBC would still get to be centrist and "unbiased", and we could all heap scorn on both sides. Being too good to play the media game gets us nowhere. If the DCCC wants to know where I think they should spend their money, it's on setting up a much more robust media arm. Too bad I'll never live to see it.
posted by saysthis at 1:43 PM on April 27, 2018 [29 favorites]
I used to believe this, but something switched in me, something deep and gut-level, watching Romney and then the Tea Party and then Republican state governments slowroll Obamacare, and then a year of Trump welded the switch in the NOPE position.
The US is a rigged democracy, the other side have an agenda that ends in totalitarianism and oligarchy, and frankly, in most places where its possible to game the rules, the Republicans either created the loophole or set about to systematically exploit it. If turning their weapons against them is expedient, sure. The Republicans do not have a moral right to self-government, because they are trying to take that right away from everyone but billionaires through raw power games.
We win moral superiority by not being assassins or terrorists and believing that democracy is the best form of government. We want the world to not be a Malthusian hellscape and we believe in active management to make it not so.
My caveats are these
1) Effectiveness. I think the DCCC funding Blankenship is a terrible f**king idea. Dude is a billionaire, let him spend his own money if he wants it so bad. The man has plenty of rope to hang himself and the rest of the Republican nominees in WV. He's a convicted felon and a murderer and a demonstrated history of putting his foot in his mouth. Save your powder for the general, DCCC.
2) When we take back power, we gotta fix the loopholes the Republicans put there. We get objectively better results when there aren't loopholes to buy influence. Nothing would kibosh this whole cycle of toxic conservative influence-buying than fixing the Citizens United loophole. Elections are stupid who's-got-more-money showmanship. Cut. that. out.
3) Loud demonstrations of respect and gratitude when the other side plays the game fair, loud denunciations and mocking when they don't, and media to amplify both. The Republicans have blatantly partisan media, and I'm sorry, but we need the same. If there was a liberal Fox, CNN and MSNBC would still get to be centrist and "unbiased", and we could all heap scorn on both sides. Being too good to play the media game gets us nowhere. If the DCCC wants to know where I think they should spend their money, it's on setting up a much more robust media arm. Too bad I'll never live to see it.
posted by saysthis at 1:43 PM on April 27, 2018 [29 favorites]
Like, the AI fearmongers, or Stephen Hawking warning about how aliens will conquer us, the conservatives' fears are a reflection on their own mindset. Conservatives fear the cultural shift because it means that those who were once marginalized and oppressed by them will be in power. And these cultural conservatives assume that those in power will turn right around and oppress the former majority in turn. See the recent articles linked here about racism and fear of loss of privileged status (i.e. racism) being the cause of and not symptom of "economic anxiety".
posted by runcibleshaw at 1:44 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by runcibleshaw at 1:44 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Earlier this month, Jesse Kelly, a writer for the mainstream conservative website The Federalist, wrote that Americans on the left and right can't get along anymore, that domestic unrest could be coming and that the best alternative course would be to just split the country up.
Haha, and lose that sweet, sweet blue-state money? LOL no, you don't get to have your authoritarian Arcadia. That didn't fly in the 1860's and it won't fly now. You're coming with us, kicking and screaming. You'll love the blue-state, big-government quality of life you'll have, trust me!
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 1:50 PM on April 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
I think the DCCC funding Blankenship
Sorry if I'm being That Guy, but the DCCC has nothing to do with this, or with any Senate race. The DCCC is the party committee that tries to get Democrats elected to the House. The Blankenship ads are being funded by an independent superPAC, Duty and Country.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:50 PM on April 27, 2018 [34 favorites]
Sorry if I'm being That Guy, but the DCCC has nothing to do with this, or with any Senate race. The DCCC is the party committee that tries to get Democrats elected to the House. The Blankenship ads are being funded by an independent superPAC, Duty and Country.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:50 PM on April 27, 2018 [34 favorites]
There's a big difference between refusing to help a moderate, which is ethically and morally defensible, and helping an extremist, which is not.
The point is that they are all extremists. I see nothing wrong with telling people that if they have to vote for a Republican in a primary that they vote for the one who most honestly reflects Republican values.
Blankenship kills a few coal miners with safety violations. His Republican opponents kill thousands of people by taking away their medical care but pretend they are not. The first is an obvious wolf and the others are more subtle wolves in sheep's clothing. Some people are unable to grasp subtlety, so offer them the real Republican thing. There's nothing dishonest about that.
I'm all for closed primaries but some people here are opposed. People can't argue for open primaries and then pretend there is some "moral rule" that means open primaries are really closed.
posted by JackFlash at 1:51 PM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
The point is that they are all extremists. I see nothing wrong with telling people that if they have to vote for a Republican in a primary that they vote for the one who most honestly reflects Republican values.
Blankenship kills a few coal miners with safety violations. His Republican opponents kill thousands of people by taking away their medical care but pretend they are not. The first is an obvious wolf and the others are more subtle wolves in sheep's clothing. Some people are unable to grasp subtlety, so offer them the real Republican thing. There's nothing dishonest about that.
I'm all for closed primaries but some people here are opposed. People can't argue for open primaries and then pretend there is some "moral rule" that means open primaries are really closed.
posted by JackFlash at 1:51 PM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Furthermore, if the Trump administration and groups like the Bundys are any indication, the right is decidedly disorganized and doesn’t have the stamina or the organizational capability for violent conflict. They have gun culture, okay, but what practical use is that, really? The alt-right and young white dudes making up today’s neo-Nazis have some technical proficiency among them, but they don’t have the psychological stamina to maintain their position against even continual opposition, much less overwhelming opposition. They don’t even show up to their own rallies. When faced with large counter-protests, they fade like cotton candy in the rain.
More than any of that, the culture of the right has devolved to a point where they can’t recognize reality and separate it from perception or fantasy. It depends on media reinforcement and an echo chamber without conflicting viewpoints. If you so much as turned off their power or disrupted their internet, they literally would not have an accurate framework of the real world.
And finally, they are extremely spread out geographically. Living in rural areas and small, isolated towns does not make one an effective conflict-winner when the majority of your opponents live in urban areas with all the technology and resources.
In practical terms, I suppose it would really depend on whether law enforcement or the military decided to throw their hat in the ring for the right. But barring that, there’s nothing about the right wing that demonstrates that they could sustain themselves as a society and every indication that they are utterly incapable of it. Every state with a predominantly conservative government is an economic disaster. There isn’t a single one that can point to its policies creating a thriving quality of life for its population.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:53 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
More than any of that, the culture of the right has devolved to a point where they can’t recognize reality and separate it from perception or fantasy. It depends on media reinforcement and an echo chamber without conflicting viewpoints. If you so much as turned off their power or disrupted their internet, they literally would not have an accurate framework of the real world.
And finally, they are extremely spread out geographically. Living in rural areas and small, isolated towns does not make one an effective conflict-winner when the majority of your opponents live in urban areas with all the technology and resources.
In practical terms, I suppose it would really depend on whether law enforcement or the military decided to throw their hat in the ring for the right. But barring that, there’s nothing about the right wing that demonstrates that they could sustain themselves as a society and every indication that they are utterly incapable of it. Every state with a predominantly conservative government is an economic disaster. There isn’t a single one that can point to its policies creating a thriving quality of life for its population.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:53 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Sorry if I'm being That Guy, but the DCCC has nothing to do with this, or with any Senate race. The DCCC is the party committee that tries to get Democrats elected to the House. The Blankenship ads are being funded by an independent superPAC, Duty and Country.
Super PACs are a completely corrupt loophole, come on.
posted by odinsdream at 5:53 AM on April 28 [+] [!]
Still, I completely messed that one up. That Guying totally appropriate here. [excuse about mornings and coffee but still, sorry]
posted by saysthis at 1:57 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Super PACs are a completely corrupt loophole, come on.
posted by odinsdream at 5:53 AM on April 28 [+] [!]
Still, I completely messed that one up. That Guying totally appropriate here. [excuse about mornings and coffee but still, sorry]
posted by saysthis at 1:57 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Super PACs are a completely corrupt loophole, come on.
No argument here. But I think it's worth being accurate about who is doing what. Especially when people like to say "the Democrats" as if every part of the party is centrally controlled and moves in lockstep, which is not at all true.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:57 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
No argument here. But I think it's worth being accurate about who is doing what. Especially when people like to say "the Democrats" as if every part of the party is centrally controlled and moves in lockstep, which is not at all true.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:57 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
and before it gets really nasty, I think we should just go our separate ways
Jessie Kelly, you absolute dumbshit, "going our separate ways" is EXACTLY how this gets really nasty.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 1:58 PM on April 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Jessie Kelly, you absolute dumbshit, "going our separate ways" is EXACTLY how this gets really nasty.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 1:58 PM on April 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Jessie Kelly is still around? His 2010 campaign against Giffords made my skin crawl.
posted by eckeric at 1:58 PM on April 27, 2018
posted by eckeric at 1:58 PM on April 27, 2018
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raises money for Representative candidates. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raises money for Senate candidates.
And they are only one source of fundraising among many. They are as analogous to the Democratic Party as the United Way is to charity fundraising. Large and well-placed organizations, to be sure, but definitely not the only avenue by which candidates receive funds or endorsements.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:02 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
And they are only one source of fundraising among many. They are as analogous to the Democratic Party as the United Way is to charity fundraising. Large and well-placed organizations, to be sure, but definitely not the only avenue by which candidates receive funds or endorsements.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:02 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
From the NRA delegate email to Session's aide:
Happenstance and the (sometimes) international reach of the NRA placed me in a position a couple of years ago to slowly begin cultivating a back-channel to President Putin’s Kremlin.
Putin's guys are so good the assets they recruit think they lucked into their good fortune to be part of the plot.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:04 PM on April 27, 2018 [65 favorites]
Happenstance and the (sometimes) international reach of the NRA placed me in a position a couple of years ago to slowly begin cultivating a back-channel to President Putin’s Kremlin.
Putin's guys are so good the assets they recruit think they lucked into their good fortune to be part of the plot.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:04 PM on April 27, 2018 [65 favorites]
Furthermore, if the Trump administration and groups like the Bundys are any indication, the right is decidedly disorganized and doesn’t have the stamina or the organizational capability for violent conflict. They have gun culture, okay, but what practical use is that, really? The alt-right and young white dudes making up today’s neo-Nazis have some technical proficiency among them, but they don’t have the psychological stamina to maintain their position against even continual opposition, much less overwhelming opposition. They don’t even show up to their own rallies. When faced with large counter-protests, they fade like cotton candy in the rain.
They're LARPers at heart. They want to roleplay being big, bad, soldiers of righteousness, but actually getting up at 5 AM to drill and train in all weathers? No, thank you, we'd rather sleep in and smoke weed and play Call of Duty. The sense of actual duty and discipline they would need to form a working movement like the Sons of Jacob in The Handmaid's Tale does not exist.
Preppers and right-wing wanna-be tough guys have this huge overlap because they are preparing for a fantasy world that does not and will not exist outside their own heads. In real time, communities undergoing disaster tend to pull together rather than fracture (there was a user on MeFi who posted their own experience of undergoing the Bosnian conflict).
There's a reason the military has boot camps/basic training. I surmise that one of the reasons for past authoritarian takeover success in other countries had to do with most of their young men having military training and a large percentage of veterans (who could train recruits at short notice) in the population. We don't have a draft, we don't have compulsory military service, veterans as a percent of the population are decreasing (and becoming less white and more female) -- unless there is a large-scale pulling together on the part of the police and military I don't think there is capacity for any martial law takeover on the part of the right.
It's bad enough that militarized police can do great damage to communities of color. But that has garnered resistance in the form of Black Lives Matter, and support for gun control is growing, not decreasing, and shows no signs of stopping.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:06 PM on April 27, 2018 [37 favorites]
They're LARPers at heart. They want to roleplay being big, bad, soldiers of righteousness, but actually getting up at 5 AM to drill and train in all weathers? No, thank you, we'd rather sleep in and smoke weed and play Call of Duty. The sense of actual duty and discipline they would need to form a working movement like the Sons of Jacob in The Handmaid's Tale does not exist.
Preppers and right-wing wanna-be tough guys have this huge overlap because they are preparing for a fantasy world that does not and will not exist outside their own heads. In real time, communities undergoing disaster tend to pull together rather than fracture (there was a user on MeFi who posted their own experience of undergoing the Bosnian conflict).
There's a reason the military has boot camps/basic training. I surmise that one of the reasons for past authoritarian takeover success in other countries had to do with most of their young men having military training and a large percentage of veterans (who could train recruits at short notice) in the population. We don't have a draft, we don't have compulsory military service, veterans as a percent of the population are decreasing (and becoming less white and more female) -- unless there is a large-scale pulling together on the part of the police and military I don't think there is capacity for any martial law takeover on the part of the right.
It's bad enough that militarized police can do great damage to communities of color. But that has garnered resistance in the form of Black Lives Matter, and support for gun control is growing, not decreasing, and shows no signs of stopping.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:06 PM on April 27, 2018 [37 favorites]
JackFlash: "The point is that they are all extremists. I see nothing wrong with telling people that if they have to vote for a Republican in a primary that they vote for the one who most honestly reflects Republican values. "
Why would a Democrat have to vote for a Republican in a Republican primary? It is not mandatory in any place that I know. It seems to me that a Democrat would have a choice to simply not vote for any extremist.
posted by TypographicalError at 2:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Why would a Democrat have to vote for a Republican in a Republican primary? It is not mandatory in any place that I know. It seems to me that a Democrat would have a choice to simply not vote for any extremist.
posted by TypographicalError at 2:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
In real time, communities undergoing disaster tend to pull together rather than fracture (there was a user on MeFi who posted their own experience of undergoing the Bosnian conflict).
That’s Dee Xtrovert, and her comment is here.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:21 PM on April 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
That’s Dee Xtrovert, and her comment is here.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:21 PM on April 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
and before it gets really nasty, I think we should just go our separate ways
I'm reading The City and The City right now, and I've got some ideas...
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:22 PM on April 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'm reading The City and The City right now, and I've got some ideas...
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:22 PM on April 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
NRA prepares for the big ugliness. < CNN on coming investigation into Torshin relationship.
"The skepticism among some NRA officials about the pair of gun-loving Russians may have been well-founded.
Torshin's years-long involvement with the NRA had all the hallmarks of a Russian influence operation, Russia experts said. Russian operatives often look to build relationships with polarizing groups -- on either end of the political spectrum -- to breed division and advance the Russian agenda.
"We could give them the benefit of the doubt and say this is just a natural interest and affinity; this guy Torshin and this woman Butina are just gun aficionados," said Alina Polyakova, a Russia expert and foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution.
But given Torshin's stature -- a former Russian senator and now a deputy head at the Russian central bank -- that is exceedingly unlikely, experts said.
"To me this seems like part and parcel of an influence operation," Polyakova said.
Torshin did not respond to requests for comment."
posted by rc3spencer at 2:22 PM on April 27, 2018 [32 favorites]
"The skepticism among some NRA officials about the pair of gun-loving Russians may have been well-founded.
Torshin's years-long involvement with the NRA had all the hallmarks of a Russian influence operation, Russia experts said. Russian operatives often look to build relationships with polarizing groups -- on either end of the political spectrum -- to breed division and advance the Russian agenda.
"We could give them the benefit of the doubt and say this is just a natural interest and affinity; this guy Torshin and this woman Butina are just gun aficionados," said Alina Polyakova, a Russia expert and foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution.
But given Torshin's stature -- a former Russian senator and now a deputy head at the Russian central bank -- that is exceedingly unlikely, experts said.
"To me this seems like part and parcel of an influence operation," Polyakova said.
Torshin did not respond to requests for comment."
posted by rc3spencer at 2:22 PM on April 27, 2018 [32 favorites]
LA Times, Trump administration aims to block California on fuel economy targets
The Trump administration is speeding toward all-out war with California over fuel economy rules for cars and SUVs, proposing to revoke the state's long-standing authority to enforce its own, tough rules on tailpipe emissions.posted by zachlipton at 2:22 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
The move forms a key part of the Environmental Protection Agency's fuel economy proposal, which the agency plans to submit to the White House for review within days.
The EPA plan would freeze fuel economy targets at the levels required for vehicles sold in 2020, and leave those targets in place through 2026, according to federal officials who have reviewed the plan. That would mark a dramatic retreat from the existing law, which aimed to get the nation's fleet of cars and light trucks to an average fuel economy of 55 miles per gallon by 2025.
@ReutersPolitics: BREAKING: Judge in Stormy Daniels' suit against Trump lawyer Michael Cohen orders 90-day stay in case due to 'large potential factual overlap' between it and criminal proceedings
posted by zachlipton at 2:25 PM on April 27, 2018 [53 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:25 PM on April 27, 2018 [53 favorites]
Jill Stein says she won’t fully comply with Senate Russia investigation
Stein also refused to hand over material relating to her campaign’s platform on Russia. It’s unclear what her platform on Russia was, although she not only claimed multiple times that NATO had “surrounded” Russia with nuclear weapons — even though less than 10 percent of Russia’s land border touches any NATO member-states — but further selected a vice presidential candidate who described the 2014 destruction of Flight MH17 over Ukraine as a false flag attack to make Russia look bad.posted by Atom Eyes at 2:42 PM on April 27, 2018 [57 favorites]
Jill Stein says she won’t fully comply with Senate Russia investigation
"Useful idiot" was way too generous an assumption.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:45 PM on April 27, 2018 [104 favorites]
"Useful idiot" was way too generous an assumption.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:45 PM on April 27, 2018 [104 favorites]
It looks like Merkel and Macron are playing good cop bad cop here. A friendship to remember and an enemy you can't forget. It's worth remembering that Germany's position in the EU gives Merkel a whole lot more options in a trade war.
posted by adept256 at 2:51 PM on April 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 2:51 PM on April 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
Just in case you were wondering whether Trump filled positions with "yes people," his deputy communications director is named Jessica Ditto.
As others have said before, "Go home, writers. You're drunk." Although one may feel that such statements are minimizing the real damage being done by this shambles of an administration, light-hearted gallows humor really does help me get through it all. That and regularly reading the MeFi ranting thread. Highly recommended.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:01 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
As others have said before, "Go home, writers. You're drunk." Although one may feel that such statements are minimizing the real damage being done by this shambles of an administration, light-hearted gallows humor really does help me get through it all. That and regularly reading the MeFi ranting thread. Highly recommended.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:01 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Tracking how many key positions Trump has filled so far
No nominee: 208
Awaiting nomination: 4
Formally nominated: 129
Approved: 315
posted by kirkaracha at 3:08 PM on April 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
No nominee: 208
Awaiting nomination: 4
Formally nominated: 129
Approved: 315
posted by kirkaracha at 3:08 PM on April 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
The cost of Donald Trump’s deserted government
Job vacancies are fast becoming a singular threat to President Donald Trump’s administration, with a record number of openings that stretch from low-level appointments to the secretary’s office at the Department of Veterans Affairs.posted by kirkaracha at 3:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
...
For millions of Americans, the consequences are real. Vacancies have stalled pay raises for thousands of federal workers. A mortgage rule to help home buyers has been stuck in limbo for more than a year. And the Internal Revenue Service is short bodies to push out regulations related to the new tax law, stymieing businesses.
...
Fifteen months into his term, Trump has sent fewer nominees to the Senate than his predecessors, and his musical-chairs management style has created openings even as he fills others.
...
“Right after the glow of the election victory, it’s easy to hire people into your White House. But with every passing month, it gets trickier,” said Brookings fellow Kathryn Dunn Tenpas. “And why would you, as a Republican on the outside looking in, want to work for an entity that chews up and spits out its employees?”
NYDN: The city of Seattle filed a motion Friday to vacate all convictions and drop all charges for marijuana possession for anyone arrested in the city between 1996 and 2010 — a move that would affect 542 people, according to officials.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:27 PM on April 27, 2018 [132 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:27 PM on April 27, 2018 [132 favorites]
Vanity Fair:
posted by Iridic at 3:27 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
...Talk of [John] Kelly being jettisoned is ramping up again. According to sources familiar with the situation, White House officials and Trump confidantes are currently discussing the possibility of moving Kelly to head the Department of Veterans Affairs. These people say that the collapse of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson’s nomination has created an opening for Trump to slide Kelly into the role. It would give Kelly a soft landing, while also having the benefit of putting a qualified official in charge of the sprawling department. “They’re looking for a place for Kelly to land that won’t be embarrassing for him,” one Republican briefed on the conversations said.Jörmungandr is uncoiling to meet Fenris.
...There has also been talk that Trump wouldn’t replace Kelly at all, instead relying on a coterie of deferential principals similar to the governance structure of the Trump Organization.
posted by Iridic at 3:27 PM on April 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
The government may be deserted, but it's the opposite on the bench: McConnell Cements a Legacy for Trump With Reshaped Courts
President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are rapidly filling U.S. federal courts with young conservatives who will shape American law for generations to come.
The Republican-led Senate confirmed Trump’s 15th appeals court nominee this week — more than the last five presidents at this juncture — with eight of the new judges in their 40s, and seven in their 50s. McConnell set the stage Thursday to confirm six more, one day after a committee voted to cut debate time, which if approved would further speed things up.
The court realignment is the product of the Senate Republican leader playing a long game by holding up then-President Barack Obama’s court nominees and then closely collaborating with Trump’s White House Counsel Don McGahn. Both men have made it a priority to advance judges ensconced in originalist legal thinking favored by the Federalist Society, which distrusts New Deal-era jurisprudence and seeks to limit the federal government’s ability to assert powers that aren’t explicitly enumerated in the Constitution.
...
Trump’s judges reverse the demographic diversity sought by Obama. A full 67 percent of his appellate court judges are white males, compared with 33 percent under Obama and 63 percent under President George W. Bush, according to data compiled by Russell Wheeler, a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution. Meanwhile, 76 percent of his district court jurists are white men, compared with 36 percent under Obama and 63 percent under Bush.
...
“If we lived in a normal time these nominations would be on the front page of every newspaper. They’d be the main story on every newscast,” she said. “There’s such an endless supply of outrages from this administration that it’s hard to get people to focus on the courts. And yet this is what Donald Trump is going to leave behind. It’s truly frightening.”
posted by zachlipton at 3:28 PM on April 27, 2018 [52 favorites]
The Republican-led Senate confirmed Trump’s 15th appeals court nominee this week — more than the last five presidents at this juncture — with eight of the new judges in their 40s, and seven in their 50s. McConnell set the stage Thursday to confirm six more, one day after a committee voted to cut debate time, which if approved would further speed things up.
The court realignment is the product of the Senate Republican leader playing a long game by holding up then-President Barack Obama’s court nominees and then closely collaborating with Trump’s White House Counsel Don McGahn. Both men have made it a priority to advance judges ensconced in originalist legal thinking favored by the Federalist Society, which distrusts New Deal-era jurisprudence and seeks to limit the federal government’s ability to assert powers that aren’t explicitly enumerated in the Constitution.
...
Trump’s judges reverse the demographic diversity sought by Obama. A full 67 percent of his appellate court judges are white males, compared with 33 percent under Obama and 63 percent under President George W. Bush, according to data compiled by Russell Wheeler, a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution. Meanwhile, 76 percent of his district court jurists are white men, compared with 36 percent under Obama and 63 percent under Bush.
...
“If we lived in a normal time these nominations would be on the front page of every newspaper. They’d be the main story on every newscast,” she said. “There’s such an endless supply of outrages from this administration that it’s hard to get people to focus on the courts. And yet this is what Donald Trump is going to leave behind. It’s truly frightening.”
posted by zachlipton at 3:28 PM on April 27, 2018 [52 favorites]
What exactly is the reasoning behind lifetime appointments? I mean, from a "this is a good idea because" point of view?
posted by maxwelton at 3:30 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by maxwelton at 3:30 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
What exactly is the reasoning behind lifetime appointments? I mean, from a "this is a good idea because" point of view?
posted by maxwelton at 3:30 PM on April 27 [+] [!]
I think the idea was to insulate them from passing political winds. With this new crowd, no worries. They will stay wedded to their partisan hackery until the day they die (see, e.g., Scalia, Tonino).
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:33 PM on April 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 3:30 PM on April 27 [+] [!]
I think the idea was to insulate them from passing political winds. With this new crowd, no worries. They will stay wedded to their partisan hackery until the day they die (see, e.g., Scalia, Tonino).
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:33 PM on April 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
Even outside of the current situation, I think there's a strong argument for limiting terms to say, 20 years.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:34 PM on April 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:34 PM on April 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
It would take a constitutional amendment to change it though, no? So, not going to happen in the forseeable future, where things are so broken that even passing annual budgets is nearly impossible. Would be nice (so would getting rid of the electoral college, if we're making wishes) but a lot of other things would have to change first before term limits for federal judges could be more than a distant dream.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:28 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:28 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm totally on Team Term-Limit. Life expectancy has changed a lot over the past 200 years, and while Trump is exploiting the system more blatantly, past administrations have also been increasingly weighing age more heavily in relation to experience for lifetime appointees. Age has always been a factor, but it needs to be lower on the list of qualifications.
posted by p3t3 at 4:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by p3t3 at 4:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 House:
** Odds & ends -- Retirements threatening GOP hold on NY Senate.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:30 PM on April 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
** 2018 House:
-- Walter: Why isn't the Dem lead on the generic ballot bigger?** 2018 Senate -- WV: Worth noting after our earlier discussion of this race, GOP-aligned PACs are dumping big bucks into trying to torpedo Blankenship's candidacy.
-- Cohn: Signs are pretty positive for Dems.
-- NY-22: GOP worried that Rep Tenney's extremism is jeopardizing an already iffy seat.
-- NJ-02: GOP publicly saying this seat (formerly LoBiondo) is probably lost.
-- PA-07 (old): Rep Meehan's sudden resignation means another special election for a district that is going to disappear. This one will probably also be scheduled on the same date as the general.
** Odds & ends -- Retirements threatening GOP hold on NY Senate.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:30 PM on April 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
From the "I don't get no respect" article:
The 2018 midterms are coming up in just a few months. Midterms are often about exciting your base and running against the other side.
Democrats are doing that by running against Donald Trump. Republicans may find that tapping into these feelings about losing power in society is the best way to motivate their base.
Evangelicals have gotten by with saying Trump's morals don't matter because he's giving them all the candy they've always wanted. I would like to see them open up a real culture war though, not just racism & spite masked as such, with him in the White House. He just can't play the part. He can barely get through most days pretending he understands the job let alone pretending he has any concept of piety, morality or ethics. It would fail miserably.
posted by scalefree at 4:53 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
The 2018 midterms are coming up in just a few months. Midterms are often about exciting your base and running against the other side.
Democrats are doing that by running against Donald Trump. Republicans may find that tapping into these feelings about losing power in society is the best way to motivate their base.
Evangelicals have gotten by with saying Trump's morals don't matter because he's giving them all the candy they've always wanted. I would like to see them open up a real culture war though, not just racism & spite masked as such, with him in the White House. He just can't play the part. He can barely get through most days pretending he understands the job let alone pretending he has any concept of piety, morality or ethics. It would fail miserably.
posted by scalefree at 4:53 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
CNN, Several White House medical unit staffers describe pressure to hand out meds. As I've said before, I have no problem with them handing out reasonable quantities of sleeping pills for foreign travel, but some of the stuff in this article goes well beyond that: one Obama official was given 20 Provigil tabs as a "parting gift" before they left the administration, antibiotics for both an official and his wife without an examination, prescriptions not written for the actual recipient, poor or non-existent recordkeeping, "one person described it as "standard practice" for parents to pick up Ambien for their children."
posted by zachlipton at 4:55 PM on April 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:55 PM on April 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
And to go with that, White House: No evidence that Ronny Jackson ‘wrecked’ a vehicle as president’s physician. He was involved in three "incidents in government vehicles" in five years (one where a bus hit his side mirror), but they say alcohol was not a factor.
Not sure why we're believing the White House, but here we are.
posted by zachlipton at 4:58 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Not sure why we're believing the White House, but here we are.
posted by zachlipton at 4:58 PM on April 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
It would take a constitutional amendment to change it though, no?
Not according to the op-ed:
Not according to the op-ed:
The plan has the advantage of potentially being achievable by statute, rather than requiring a constitutional amendment.posted by kirkaracha at 5:06 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
The government may be deserted, but it's the opposite on the bench: McConnell Cements a Legacy for Trump With Reshaped Courts
The theft of a SCOTUS seat is only part of it, McConnell denied Obama some 120 appointments by slow walking for years and then effectively shutting down the nomination process entirely for 18 months. They stole close to 1/12th of the federal judiciary from Democrats. And it's already paying dividends. Judges appointed by Trump are already cementing Republican control in perpetuity. Just today the 5th Circuit ruled against Texas' voter ID law, and the appointment of 3 Trumpjudges means there's almost no chance of an en banc review.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:10 PM on April 27, 2018 [46 favorites]
The theft of a SCOTUS seat is only part of it, McConnell denied Obama some 120 appointments by slow walking for years and then effectively shutting down the nomination process entirely for 18 months. They stole close to 1/12th of the federal judiciary from Democrats. And it's already paying dividends. Judges appointed by Trump are already cementing Republican control in perpetuity. Just today the 5th Circuit ruled against Texas' voter ID law, and the appointment of 3 Trumpjudges means there's almost no chance of an en banc review.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:10 PM on April 27, 2018 [46 favorites]
That should be ruled FOR Texas and against the challenge to the voter ID law.
Wouldn’t want to accidentally give false hope.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Wouldn’t want to accidentally give false hope.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
The Constitution's Article III has long been interpreted to grant judges life tenure. But the text actually has some leeway. It states that judges "shall hold their offices during good behaviour" and receive "a compensation, which shall not be diminished" while in office. The rest of the Supreme Court's structure, and what it means to "hold" the "office" of a Supreme Court justice, is left to Congress.
In the article's interpretation, that means that so long as you retain the title of justice and continue to draw a salary, you can be withdrawn from active duty on the Court by a statutory term limit. I'm dubious, but I don't see any alternative remedies.
posted by Iridic at 5:18 PM on April 27, 2018
In the article's interpretation, that means that so long as you retain the title of justice and continue to draw a salary, you can be withdrawn from active duty on the Court by a statutory term limit. I'm dubious, but I don't see any alternative remedies.
posted by Iridic at 5:18 PM on April 27, 2018
MetaFilter: Wouldn’t want to accidentally give false hope.
posted by reductiondesign at 5:23 PM on April 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by reductiondesign at 5:23 PM on April 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
Trump came up with a new way to spell it wrong: "House Intelligence Committee rules that there was NO COLLUSION between the Trump Campaign and Russia. As I have been saying all along, it is all a big Hoax by the Democrats based on payments and lies. There should never have been a Special Councel appointed. Witch Hunt!"
posted by zachlipton at 6:25 PM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:25 PM on April 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
It would take a constitutional amendment to change it though, no?
Not according to the op-ed:
At the very least, the word "potentially" is doing a LOT of work here. The authors of that article affirmatively recommend a constitutional solution, and say that the statute-only solutions present "close constitutional questions" and have serious pitfalls. On review of his law firm bio, the LA Times opinion author seems to deal with California state legal issues a lot more often than federal issues. I'm not a big fan of credentialism, but interestingly everyone involved seems to have a Northwestern connection - I'm guessing the LA Times opinion author studied with the HLR article authors during law school and believes he is citing their work favorably.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 6:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Not according to the op-ed:
The plan has the advantage of potentially being achievable by statute, rather than requiring a constitutional amendment.OK, with all due respect to Ben Feuer of the "California Appellate Law Group," there is no fucking way that revoking lifetime tenure could happen without a constitutional amendment. I've actually reviewed the underlying law review article before, last time it was linked here probably, and it doesn't really support that proposition, either.
At the very least, the word "potentially" is doing a LOT of work here. The authors of that article affirmatively recommend a constitutional solution, and say that the statute-only solutions present "close constitutional questions" and have serious pitfalls. On review of his law firm bio, the LA Times opinion author seems to deal with California state legal issues a lot more often than federal issues. I'm not a big fan of credentialism, but interestingly everyone involved seems to have a Northwestern connection - I'm guessing the LA Times opinion author studied with the HLR article authors during law school and believes he is citing their work favorably.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 6:29 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
There's an effort underway by conservative groups, spearheaded by Rick Santorum with support from Pence, to take yet another shot at repealing Obamacare (note: Washington Examiner link) as part of a last-ditch effort to give conservative voters a reason to turn out for the midterms:
posted by zachlipton at 6:50 PM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Politically, the now-defunct assessment had been that passing a health-policy overhaul would scare too much of the public in an election year, making it a nonstarter. The growing understanding, though, is that Republicans are already at risk of losing to a “blue wave” this fall anyway, and that bold action to energize conservative grassroots might be the only way to stop the wave.Note that when the article describes the plan as "still better than deficit-neutral," that translates to "will spend less money on health insurance for Americans." Oh, and they want way more health savings accounts, because everyone loves those, right?
The Left is going to be energized this fall regardless of what Congress does, and those parts of professional suburbia that just won’t vote for Republicans under Trump also aren’t going to become even more anti-GOP than they already are. Indeed, as this is exactly the demographic that suffers the most under Obamacare, it might be slightly less likely, not more, to oppose the GOP if Republicans do actually pass reform.
But giving conservative voters a “win” on Obamacare would surely drive up Republican turnout.
posted by zachlipton at 6:50 PM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
There's an effort underway by conservative groups, spearheaded by Rick Santorum with support from Pence, to take yet another shot at repealing Obamacare as part of a last-ditch effort to give conservative voters a reason to turn out for the midterms.
It's a bold strategy Cotton, let's see if it pays off for them.
Exit poll of AZ-08 voters by @ppppolls
- Health care was a top issue for 58%, not a top issue for 17%
- Voters sided w/ Tipirneni by 2 points on health care 45% - 43%
- 40% less likely to back Lesko because she supports GOP on health care. Only 33% more likely.
- 41% think best path forward is repeal, 54% say keep ACA and make fixes as necessary.
Exit poll of PA-18 voters by @ppppolls
- 52% said healthcare was either the most important issue or very important in their vote, and Conor Lamb won those voters 62-38
- 39% of voters in PA-18 supported Obamacare repeal, 53% opposed. Among independents- who Lamb won 58-41 - just 33% supported repeal efforts with 63% opposed.
- 41% of voters said Saccone’s support for GOP health care agenda made them less likely to vote for him to only 28% who said more likely. By contrast 48% of voters said Lamb’s health care positions made them more likely to vote for him, only 27% less likely
- Lamb beat Saccone 45-38 on which candidate voters thought was more in line with them on health care, and the advantage for Lamb extended to 50-34 with independents.
- PA-18 voters supported the Affordable Care Act 44-42 in a Trump +20 district.
posted by chris24 at 7:13 PM on April 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
It's a bold strategy Cotton, let's see if it pays off for them.
Exit poll of AZ-08 voters by @ppppolls
- Health care was a top issue for 58%, not a top issue for 17%
- Voters sided w/ Tipirneni by 2 points on health care 45% - 43%
- 40% less likely to back Lesko because she supports GOP on health care. Only 33% more likely.
- 41% think best path forward is repeal, 54% say keep ACA and make fixes as necessary.
Exit poll of PA-18 voters by @ppppolls
- 52% said healthcare was either the most important issue or very important in their vote, and Conor Lamb won those voters 62-38
- 39% of voters in PA-18 supported Obamacare repeal, 53% opposed. Among independents- who Lamb won 58-41 - just 33% supported repeal efforts with 63% opposed.
- 41% of voters said Saccone’s support for GOP health care agenda made them less likely to vote for him to only 28% who said more likely. By contrast 48% of voters said Lamb’s health care positions made them more likely to vote for him, only 27% less likely
- Lamb beat Saccone 45-38 on which candidate voters thought was more in line with them on health care, and the advantage for Lamb extended to 50-34 with independents.
- PA-18 voters supported the Affordable Care Act 44-42 in a Trump +20 district.
posted by chris24 at 7:13 PM on April 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
But giving conservative voters a “win” on Obamacare would surely drive up Republican turnout.
McCain may never vote again, and it's hard to see how anything has changed to move Murkowski or Collins into a full repeal vote, especially now that the "easy" win of repealing the individual mandate is already done. Plus they lost a Senate seat in Alabama since the last time.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
McCain may never vote again, and it's hard to see how anything has changed to move Murkowski or Collins into a full repeal vote, especially now that the "easy" win of repealing the individual mandate is already done. Plus they lost a Senate seat in Alabama since the last time.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
I mean, there's a reason you don't see McConnell's name anywhere near this thing: he's the guy who would actually have to get the votes. But bribery, and "we'll personally blame you for the loss of our majority" are powerful drugs. And a bit of kayfabe to try to bring out the base even without the votes could be part of this plan.
What we know is that midterm voters identify health care as one of their top concerns. And it's likely we'll have an announcement of huge premium hikes just before the midterms, increases that can easily be blamed on Republicans for failing to pay insurers. Those numbers will come out, and voters will be told to blame the party that's in control of all branches of government. Independents now have a favorable view of the ACA (55%). Democrats are going to win by making this about health care, not a national referendum on Trump, and Republicans have absolutely no answer.
So despite the lack of votes in the Senate, there's a reason they're so desperate to come up with something, or at least make it look good while they fake a few punches.
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on April 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
What we know is that midterm voters identify health care as one of their top concerns. And it's likely we'll have an announcement of huge premium hikes just before the midterms, increases that can easily be blamed on Republicans for failing to pay insurers. Those numbers will come out, and voters will be told to blame the party that's in control of all branches of government. Independents now have a favorable view of the ACA (55%). Democrats are going to win by making this about health care, not a national referendum on Trump, and Republicans have absolutely no answer.
So despite the lack of votes in the Senate, there's a reason they're so desperate to come up with something, or at least make it look good while they fake a few punches.
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on April 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'd bet a lot that there's going to be delay in releasing the 2019 premium numbers, regardless of the impact on the health system. If the blue wave looks inevitable, they're going to be desperate to stave it off, dragging out the bad news till after the midterm is ratfuckery 101.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:56 PM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:56 PM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
BuzzFeed, Chris Geidner, Trump Jr. And Emin Agalarov Stayed In Touch During The Transition
A direct line of communication between the Kremlin-connected Agalarov family and the Trump family was open during the transition after President Donald Trump’s presidential election, BuzzFeed News has learned.Aras Agalarov had "an expensive painting" sent to Trump Sr. the day after the Trump Tower meeting, apparently as a birthday gift. On November 28, 2016, Goldstone emailed Trump's assistant with a document "related to the Magnitsky Act." This reveals another lie in Don Jr's first statement about the Trump Tower meeting, which claimed there was no further contact:
The “first of a series” of text messages was sent between Emin Agalarov and Donald Trump Jr. two days after the 2016 election, a source familiar with the communications told BuzzFeed News.
The communications continued through at least December 2016, according to information made public Friday.
In Trump Jr.’s second statement after the news of the Trump Tower meeting came out in July 2017, he referenced the Magnitsky Act by name, and said of the brief meeting, “That was the end of it and there was no further contact or follow-up of any kind. My father knew nothing of the meeting or these events.”posted by zachlipton at 8:19 PM on April 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
Friday’s report from the Democrats makes clear there was follow-up — and precisely the follow-up Trump Jr. had told them to make at the meeting. In that second statement, Trump Jr. wrote that he had interrupted Veselnitskaya when she was talking about the sanctions law and told her “that her comments and concerns were better addressed if and when he held public office.”
Graff forwarded Golstone’s Nov. 28, 2016, email to Steve Bannon, then one of Trump’s closest advisers, that same day.
She added a short note to the top: “The PE [President Elect] knows Aras well. Rob is his rep in the US and sent this on. Not sure how to proceed, if at all. R.”
It's amazing that every statement they've made about the Trump Tower meeting has turned out to contain falsehoods that attempt to minimize its significance and their culpability. And we keep finding these lies nearly a year after the fact. For people who maintain they did nothing wrong, they sure tried to cover it up repeatedly.
posted by zachlipton at 8:22 PM on April 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 8:22 PM on April 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
Didn't Hope Hicks supposedly say at one point that there were some Don Jr. emails about the Trump Tower meeting that would never come out, or that they needed to make sure would never come out?
posted by chris24 at 8:29 PM on April 27, 2018
posted by chris24 at 8:29 PM on April 27, 2018
Ah sorry, that was Don Jr. emails before the meeting, not after. So much obstruction and treason to keep track of.
Mr. Corallo is planning to tell Mr. Mueller about a previously undisclosed conference call with Mr. Trump and Hope Hicks, the White House communications director, according to the three people. Mr. Corallo planned to tell investigators that Ms. Hicks said during the call that emails written by Donald Trump Jr. before the Trump Tower meeting — in which the younger Mr. Trump said he was eager to receive political dirt about Mrs. Clinton from the Russians — “will never get out.” That left Mr. Corallo with concerns that Ms. Hicks could be contemplating obstructing justice, the people said.posted by chris24 at 8:33 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Giuliani, in Meeting With Mueller’s Office, Is Said to Be Negotiating Trump Interview
We are not this lucky. Can we possibly be this lucky?
posted by scalefree at 8:44 PM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
We are not this lucky. Can we possibly be this lucky?
posted by scalefree at 8:44 PM on April 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
Those who have been following this clownshow for an endlessly long while will note with glee the name of the sender of the thank you note for the aforementioned painting: Meredith McIver.
Meredith! Haven't seen any signs of plagiarism yet though.
posted by zachlipton at 8:53 PM on April 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
Meredith! Haven't seen any signs of plagiarism yet though.
posted by zachlipton at 8:53 PM on April 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
Politically, the now-defunct assessment had been that passing a health-policy overhaul would scare too much of the public in an election year, ... Republicans are already at risk of losing to a “blue wave” this fall anyway, and that bold action to energize conservative grassroots might be the only way to stop the wave.
Maybe there are polls somewhere suggesting conservative support for repeal, but based on last year when they tried to repeal and they couldn't even get a majority because of all the outrage from their constituents, my guess is that "bold action to energize conservative grassroots" is spin-speak for bold action to procure campaign funds from donors and lobbyists. That seems to be the only demo that truly wants repeal anymore.
posted by p3t3 at 8:58 PM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Maybe there are polls somewhere suggesting conservative support for repeal, but based on last year when they tried to repeal and they couldn't even get a majority because of all the outrage from their constituents, my guess is that "bold action to energize conservative grassroots" is spin-speak for bold action to procure campaign funds from donors and lobbyists. That seems to be the only demo that truly wants repeal anymore.
posted by p3t3 at 8:58 PM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
The Republicans’ Desperate Obsession With Nancy Pelosi, Jeet Heer for The New Republic.
If the Republicans continue to throw darts at Pelosi, it may be because they have no alternative. Except in the most pro-Trump districts, Republicans can’t run wholeheartedly in praise of a historically unpopular president. And Republicans are much more reliant on negative partisanship than their opponents, defining themselves in opposition to Democrats rather than for a positive agenda.posted by ZeusHumms at 9:05 PM on April 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
What we know is that midterm voters identify health care as one of their top concerns. And it's likely we'll have an announcement of huge premium hikes just before the midterms, increases that can easily be blamed on Republicans for failing to pay insurers. Those numbers will come out, and voters will be told to blame the party that's in control of all branches of government.
Democratic pundits will tell voters that the premium increases are due to Trump and the Republicans' sabotage. Trump and the Republicans will tell voters that the premium increases are because Democrats' obstruction prevented Republican reforms of the failing Obamacare.
The media will say "Both sides!" And that will be that.
I will be surprised if Democrats are able to get much mileage from the increase in healthcare premiums. It might even work against them.
posted by JackFlash at 9:16 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Democratic pundits will tell voters that the premium increases are due to Trump and the Republicans' sabotage. Trump and the Republicans will tell voters that the premium increases are because Democrats' obstruction prevented Republican reforms of the failing Obamacare.
The media will say "Both sides!" And that will be that.
I will be surprised if Democrats are able to get much mileage from the increase in healthcare premiums. It might even work against them.
posted by JackFlash at 9:16 PM on April 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Giuliani, in Meeting With Mueller’s Office, Is Said to Be Negotiating Trump Interview
Goddamn it, no negotiating! Under oath, by subpoena if necessary, like Clinton had to do.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:24 PM on April 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
Goddamn it, no negotiating! Under oath, by subpoena if necessary, like Clinton had to do.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:24 PM on April 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
Goddamn it, no negotiating! Under oath, by subpoena if necessary, like Clinton had to do.
They subpoenaed Clinton because the actual investigation came up with basically no wrongdoing. Mueller doesn't really even need Trump's testimony, at this point USC 1001 lying charges would be superfluous piling on, the case for obstruction is already made just in public statements, and the collusion/RICO/actualfuckingtreason case doesn't need Trump either.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:02 PM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
They subpoenaed Clinton because the actual investigation came up with basically no wrongdoing. Mueller doesn't really even need Trump's testimony, at this point USC 1001 lying charges would be superfluous piling on, the case for obstruction is already made just in public statements, and the collusion/RICO/actualfuckingtreason case doesn't need Trump either.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:02 PM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
We are not this lucky. Can we possibly be this lucky?
Oh, we are this lucky. This is our fortune. Which one of you side-eyed the Monkey’s Paw?
posted by notyou at 10:06 PM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Oh, we are this lucky. This is our fortune. Which one of you side-eyed the Monkey’s Paw?
posted by notyou at 10:06 PM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
On the stay in the Stormy Daniels lawsuit -- I haven't seen this question addressed in any of the news stories I've read. Does the stay also put arbitration proceedings on hold until this is all resolved? Because that's at least a half win for Daniels right there, if so.
posted by msalt at 10:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by msalt at 10:17 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mueller doesn't really even need Trump's testimony
We have a precedent for what to do if a special counsel wants to question a president. I don't want the rules to be different for Republican presidents. Trump should have to testify under oath because we've established that's what we do, not due to whether or not Mueller needs his testimony.
I admit I want an A Few Good Men-style meltdown, but I'd settle for a Caine Mutiny. But I'm really fucking tired of the news treating it like it's up to Trump when the question has already been answered.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:18 PM on April 27, 2018 [42 favorites]
We have a precedent for what to do if a special counsel wants to question a president. I don't want the rules to be different for Republican presidents. Trump should have to testify under oath because we've established that's what we do, not due to whether or not Mueller needs his testimony.
I admit I want an A Few Good Men-style meltdown, but I'd settle for a Caine Mutiny. But I'm really fucking tired of the news treating it like it's up to Trump when the question has already been answered.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:18 PM on April 27, 2018 [42 favorites]
We used to have judicial opinions for Special Investigatons and the Executive’s requirements therein, but those rules were allowed to lapse after the Clinton Special Investigations, and one assumes so were the judicial opinions regarding the Executive, so we’ll probably need to re-litigate this stuff. It never ends.
posted by notyou at 11:09 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 11:09 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Talked with three different teachers tonight on a group hike. Apparently they’re ready to march on the state Capitol again Monday after the legislature voted themselves a Friday off, most likely to avoid the sea of red shirts. These teachers ain’t playing around.
posted by azpenguin at 11:55 PM on April 27, 2018 [49 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 11:55 PM on April 27, 2018 [49 favorites]
From NBC Nightly News: Russian lawyer who met with Kushner, Don Jr. admits to being an informant
But even more interesting, and amazing left out of the above clip (but shown on subsequent MSNBC programs) is another response during the same interview in which Veselnitskaya says something about being associated with a military unit with distant connections to the FSB. On The 11th Hour MSNBC's ex-Navy-intelligence pundit Malcolm Nance interpreted this as a blatant reference to the GRU, and said that Veselnitskaya taking the interview appears to be a message of some sort from Putin to the Trump administration.
posted by XMLicious at 12:28 AM on April 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
“I am a lawyer and I am an informant,” Natalia Veselnitskaya tells NBC News’ Richard Engel in an exclusive interview. She previously claimed she “wasn’t an agent for anyone” at her 2016 Trump Tower meeting.One Russian source (Google translate) transcribes her statement,
Но в интервью NBC она называет себя адвокатом и "информатором" Генпрокуратуры. "С 2013 года я поддерживала активные контакты с генеральной прокуратурой", - признает Весельникая. Это признание последовало за обнародованием электронной переписки Весельницкой с одним из руководящих сотрудников генпрокуратуры Сергеем Бочкаревым, которая касалась компании Дениса Кацыва Prevezon Holdings, обвинявшейся в нью-йоркском суде в отмывании денег. Весельницкая выступала адвокатом Prevezon Holdings.Remember how one of the Trump Jr.—Rob Goldstone emails mentioned that “the crown prosecutor of Russia” was offering “to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russian Federation”?⸻ But in an interview with NBC, she calls herself a lawyer and "informer" of the Prosecutor General's Office. “Since 2013, I've maintained active contacts with the Prosecutor General's Office,” Veselnikaya admits. This recognition was followed by the publication of electronic correspondence Veselnitskaya with one of the senior staff of the Prosecutor General's Office Sergei Bochkarev, which concerned the company Denis Katsyva Prevezon Holdings, accused of a New York court of money laundering. Veselnitskaya acted as a lawyer for Prevezon Holdings.
But even more interesting, and amazing left out of the above clip (but shown on subsequent MSNBC programs) is another response during the same interview in which Veselnitskaya says something about being associated with a military unit with distant connections to the FSB. On The 11th Hour MSNBC's ex-Navy-intelligence pundit Malcolm Nance interpreted this as a blatant reference to the GRU, and said that Veselnitskaya taking the interview appears to be a message of some sort from Putin to the Trump administration.
posted by XMLicious at 12:28 AM on April 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
Ah—I guess the Russian-language site I link to above, svoboda.org, is actually Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, funded by the U.S. government.
posted by XMLicious at 1:06 AM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by XMLicious at 1:06 AM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
North Korea has never hidden that its definition of "denuclearization" includes removing all nuclear-capable forces, which includes essentially all U.S. Air Force and Navy combat assets currently assigned to U.S. Forces Korea.
In other words, NK's terms are that the US pulls out of South Korea, which significantly reduces US forces in Southeast Asia. Such a reduction would send a clear signal regarding the US's ability to challenge further Chinese pressure in the region, and I doubt this would be acceptable to the US or its allies, particularly Japan.
Assuming the reports are correct, and NK's nuclear program is falling apart, this offer looks like NK giving away almost nothing at all in return for the US handing the region to China.
posted by daveje at 1:28 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
In other words, NK's terms are that the US pulls out of South Korea, which significantly reduces US forces in Southeast Asia. Such a reduction would send a clear signal regarding the US's ability to challenge further Chinese pressure in the region, and I doubt this would be acceptable to the US or its allies, particularly Japan.
Assuming the reports are correct, and NK's nuclear program is falling apart, this offer looks like NK giving away almost nothing at all in return for the US handing the region to China.
posted by daveje at 1:28 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is why KJU met with South Korea first & separately, I think. So he could shove a wedge in between us & SK, threatening to...err, blow up...the freshly won peace if we don't withdraw. He may be weird but he ain't stupid. Sadly, Trump is.
posted by scalefree at 1:44 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 1:44 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
Also why Kim met with China recently, I'm guessing, too.
posted by Rykey at 4:22 AM on April 28, 2018
posted by Rykey at 4:22 AM on April 28, 2018
Tom Nichols (NeverTrumper, Naval War College prof)
1/ I am not enough of an internal North Korea politics expert to know why Kim is doing what Kim's doing. But from a 30,000 foot IR perspective, I have just a couple of ideas.
2/ First, what does it cost Kim to do any of this? Nothing. He has faced down the United States, given Trump the finger, matched our rhetoric, and in return he's....kept his nuclear arsenal and gotten a summit out of it. A win by any definition for North Korea.
3/ Kim has solidified his family's legacy, and now it's time to get rid of those sanctions. So he placates China, and reaches out to SK...again, offering *nothing* in return but vague "one day, we'll all be 'denuclearized' together" promises.
4/ In one swoop, Kim has done all this:
- raised himself to "international leader" stature
- gotten the US to treat him like a peer
- kept his nuclear program
- cracked open the chance for ending at least some sanctions
- gotten the royal treatment in SK without involving the US
5/ If, on top of all this, he's ending his testing because he blew up his own testing site accidentally, than it's a great time to take a breather. So far, all I see here is gain for the North Koreans. The gain for everyone else is: no war in Korea, which is great.
6/ But to attribute this to tough US diplomacy strikes me as reversing causality. (Again, I'm willing to be shown evidence from Korea experts here.) NK has weathered the US storm with a defiant GFY on nukes. Now they can afford to look magnanimous.
7/ And since the US leadership and policies are so unstable, Kim's able to make the case that this should be an "in the family" arrangement in Asia that excludes the kooky Americans. That's how it seems to me, anyhoo.
ADD/ The Korea handshake is not nothing. But the irony is that Trump's unhinged behavior and nutty tweets may have been the space Kim need to look *reasonable* by comparison. In other words, Trump's claiming a win when in fact Kim is walking off with all the chips on the table.
posted by chris24 at 4:52 AM on April 28, 2018 [53 favorites]
1/ I am not enough of an internal North Korea politics expert to know why Kim is doing what Kim's doing. But from a 30,000 foot IR perspective, I have just a couple of ideas.
2/ First, what does it cost Kim to do any of this? Nothing. He has faced down the United States, given Trump the finger, matched our rhetoric, and in return he's....kept his nuclear arsenal and gotten a summit out of it. A win by any definition for North Korea.
3/ Kim has solidified his family's legacy, and now it's time to get rid of those sanctions. So he placates China, and reaches out to SK...again, offering *nothing* in return but vague "one day, we'll all be 'denuclearized' together" promises.
4/ In one swoop, Kim has done all this:
- raised himself to "international leader" stature
- gotten the US to treat him like a peer
- kept his nuclear program
- cracked open the chance for ending at least some sanctions
- gotten the royal treatment in SK without involving the US
5/ If, on top of all this, he's ending his testing because he blew up his own testing site accidentally, than it's a great time to take a breather. So far, all I see here is gain for the North Koreans. The gain for everyone else is: no war in Korea, which is great.
6/ But to attribute this to tough US diplomacy strikes me as reversing causality. (Again, I'm willing to be shown evidence from Korea experts here.) NK has weathered the US storm with a defiant GFY on nukes. Now they can afford to look magnanimous.
7/ And since the US leadership and policies are so unstable, Kim's able to make the case that this should be an "in the family" arrangement in Asia that excludes the kooky Americans. That's how it seems to me, anyhoo.
ADD/ The Korea handshake is not nothing. But the irony is that Trump's unhinged behavior and nutty tweets may have been the space Kim need to look *reasonable* by comparison. In other words, Trump's claiming a win when in fact Kim is walking off with all the chips on the table.
posted by chris24 at 4:52 AM on April 28, 2018 [53 favorites]
WaPo (Max Boot): Don’t let the Korea summit hype fool you. We’ve been here before
Also, there is disagreement on whether the testing site collapsed. Jeffrey Lewis, an arms control expert, talks about it here.
No, North Korea’s nuclear test mountain did not collapse.
posted by chris24 at 5:04 AM on April 28, 2018 [21 favorites]
The meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea was acclaimed as “historic.” The two leaders hugged, “smiled broadly, shook each other’s hand vigorously and toasted each other with glasses of champagne.” Reporters noted that the “opening formalities seemed surprisingly relaxed, exceeding the expectations of many people, including perhaps those of the principals themselves. The South Korean leader said we must “proceed together on a path of reconciliation and cooperation.” The North Korean leader replied that “you will not be disappointed.”
Sound familiar? It should, because the news coverage of the 2000 meeting between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang parallels the euphoria over Friday’s meeting in Panmunjom between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Il’s son. If anything, the 2000 meeting produced more tangible results: Not only declarations about ending the Korean War and uniting the two countries, but also concrete steps toward creating a joint South Korean-North Korean industrial park in Kaesong, allow South Korean tourists to visit the North, and to reunify families long divided by the demilitarized zone. Between 1998 and 2008, South Korea provided some $8 billion in economic assistance to North Korea in the hope that all of this aid would create a kinder, gentler regime. Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts.
And yet the Sunshine Policy, so widely heralded at the time, is now widely judged a failure. Despite North Korea’s promises, it did nothing to ease the repression of its populace or to end its nuclear and missile programs. It turned out Kim Dae-jung only achieved that “historic” 2000 summit by offering Kim Jong Il a $500 million bribe. Another summit was held in 2007, arranged by Moon Jae-in, then an aide to President Roh Moo-hyun, and it too was rapturously acclaimed. But the next year, a conservative government took power in Seoul and ended the Sunshine Policy. [...]
The two Koreas do not have the power to conclude a peace treaty because South Korea was not a party to the 1953 armistice. It was an agreement between the United States (acting on behalf of the United Nations Command), China and North Korea. If there is to be a peace treaty, it will involve those powers, not just South Korea.
Also, there is disagreement on whether the testing site collapsed. Jeffrey Lewis, an arms control expert, talks about it here.
No, North Korea’s nuclear test mountain did not collapse.
posted by chris24 at 5:04 AM on April 28, 2018 [21 favorites]
To all the pollyanna pundits out there hyping Trump's NK diplomacy, I'd like to ask two questions: First, when has North Korea ever kept its word following negotiations; second, when has Trump ever struck a deal that didn't eventually blow up in his face?
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:09 AM on April 28, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:09 AM on April 28, 2018 [16 favorites]
Walsh continues to show that he comes by his otherwise manifest vileness naturally and is not just a craven partisan.
Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom)
Sadly, I don't believe a thing the Republican House Intel Committee puts out. They're simply doing Trump's bidding.
I'd feel the same way if Hillary were Prez and the Dems controlled that Committee.
I'll wait for the only non-partisan findings: The Mueller probe.
posted by chris24 at 5:53 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom)
Sadly, I don't believe a thing the Republican House Intel Committee puts out. They're simply doing Trump's bidding.
I'd feel the same way if Hillary were Prez and the Dems controlled that Committee.
I'll wait for the only non-partisan findings: The Mueller probe.
posted by chris24 at 5:53 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
Walsh is serving his purpose: being one of the last Reasonable Men to hold up Mueller as the gold standard of investigation until he is sadly forced to change his mind because it turns out that Mueller once didn’t cross the street to spit on a picture of Bill Clinton so this is all hopelessly partisan.
posted by Etrigan at 6:00 AM on April 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 6:00 AM on April 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
The House Dems minority report is very well put together. It’s 98 pages long, so not exactly easily digestible, but they pretty expertly lay out every single item the committee failed to follow up on while laying out the cases for active measures, collusion, and obstruction of justice. Nothing new in there of course (though some of the NRA details were new to me), but overall I’m quite glad that there appear to be very competent Dems on that committee.
posted by Room 101 at 6:06 AM on April 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Room 101 at 6:06 AM on April 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
Did Erik Erik Erikson already get purged or is he part of this one?
He’s over at the Resurgent, and trying to soften the blow of the RedState purge:
He’s over at the Resurgent, and trying to soften the blow of the RedState purge:
@EWErickson I don't have the budget for it long term, but the firings at RedState were so sudden and unexpected that I've offered to put the writers on the Resurgent's payroll for now. Just sad to see.posted by corb at 6:07 AM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
If only everyone had the benefit of an Erick Erickson protecting them when they lose their job.
Hey... maybe the government could do it? We could pay for it with taxation!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:12 AM on April 28, 2018 [35 favorites]
Hey... maybe the government could do it? We could pay for it with taxation!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:12 AM on April 28, 2018 [35 favorites]
Not at all alarming: Trump sets Tester trap, calls for resignation (Axios). "President Trump tweeted this morning that Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, a red-state Democrat up for reelection, “should resign” because allegations he made against White House doctor Ronny Jackson, who withdrew as Trump’s nominee to head Veterans Affairs, "are proving false.”"
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:56 AM on April 28, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:56 AM on April 28, 2018 [14 favorites]
This excerpt was adapted from Dambisa Moyo’s new book, Edge of Chaos: Why Democracy Is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth—and How to Fix It.
posted by infini at 7:03 AM on April 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 7:03 AM on April 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
The more immediate News out of North Korea problem (as in right now today, not as in they still have nukes and could use them) is that Fox News and all of its poisonous cousins are reporting nothing else except how President Trump did the impossible and made all of this happen (How? What did he do? What has, in fact, happened? I guess FOX News viewers will never know), and how all of the presidents before him couldn't do it (Do what?), and therefore he is the Greatest Of All Time.
And every single person you know (or know by internet) who rides the Trump Tripe Transit System immediately swallowed it whole, and is now going to be even more insufferably wrong, if possible, forever.
posted by tzikeh at 7:36 AM on April 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
And every single person you know (or know by internet) who rides the Trump Tripe Transit System immediately swallowed it whole, and is now going to be even more insufferably wrong, if possible, forever.
posted by tzikeh at 7:36 AM on April 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
Kurt Schlichter, a columnist for the conservative Townhall.com, recently wrote a column speculating about whether there could be another civil war. He concluded there could be one and predicted how the left would lose a violent conflict if it came to it.
Just took a look at his body of work. He has a bunch of fiction & it's all uncomfortably reminiscent of The Turner Diaries, the racist novel about triggering a race war that inspired Tim McVey to blow up the Federal building in OK. Schlichter's stuff isn't as explicitly racist but I'm sure it's in there. Sometimes I despair of this grand experiment of ours.
posted by scalefree at 7:38 AM on April 28, 2018 [10 favorites]
Just took a look at his body of work. He has a bunch of fiction & it's all uncomfortably reminiscent of The Turner Diaries, the racist novel about triggering a race war that inspired Tim McVey to blow up the Federal building in OK. Schlichter's stuff isn't as explicitly racist but I'm sure it's in there. Sometimes I despair of this grand experiment of ours.
posted by scalefree at 7:38 AM on April 28, 2018 [10 favorites]
Schlichter is in the same category as Jack Posobiec, Mike Cernovich. He's a troll like them, just with a better resume. That he has a column at Townhall shouldn't lead anyone to believe he's not a racist, fascist extremist. (Townhall was founded by Heritage but now is owned by Salem and is practically Breitbart but with more "credible" writers.) And in fact, Schlichter was recruited into writing on politics by Andrew Breitbart.
Mediaite: 7 Most Insane Quotes About Killing Liberals in Kurt Schlichter’s ‘Second Civil War’ Fantasy Article
Gawker: Army Man's Erotic Tale About ISIS Is This Year's Greatest Work of Fiction
posted by chris24 at 8:43 AM on April 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
Mediaite: 7 Most Insane Quotes About Killing Liberals in Kurt Schlichter’s ‘Second Civil War’ Fantasy Article
Gawker: Army Man's Erotic Tale About ISIS Is This Year's Greatest Work of Fiction
Schlichter’s story, “What Defeating ISIS Would Look Like,” is right at home at the objectively bad right-wing viral site IJReview, where it has been deemed an “editor’s choice.” Its premise is simple: in the near future, Marco Rubio is elected president and annihilates the entire Syrian city of Raqqa, which ISIS uses as its de facto capital. It’s also home to about 200,000 civilians, who in this story are murdered by bombs. [...]And here you can see a Twitter search for the times he's used the word "racist", for examples of his sparkling wit and great intellect.“You will attack aggressively in order to destroy all ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria. You will kill all ISIS fighters who do not surrender. Your priority is the destruction of ISIS forces. The safety of civilians is secondary.” [...]
Americans leveled the towns, often using the napalm that had just been reintroduced into the American arsenal, and followed up with infantry.
posted by chris24 at 8:43 AM on April 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
I have to give Kurt props for squaring the circle here:
Why Democrats Would Lose the Second Civil War, Too
posted by scalefree at 8:48 AM on April 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
Why Democrats Would Lose the Second Civil War, Too
Do I think there will be a civil war? No, but there could be. This is the Age of Black Swans, and anything is possible – we could easily see the country split into red and blue. Civil war is unlikely, but never underestimate Democrat stupidity and hatred. The Schlichter family learned that lesson a century and half ago, the last time the Democrats decided to try to impose their hatred of basic human rights on the rest of the country, when an army of Democrats burned our family hometown.I'm sure many of his followers will be shocked to learn their ancestors were on the wrong side of the War of Northern Aggression. A few might even take exception to that idea.
posted by scalefree at 8:48 AM on April 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
Civil War schimvel War, all I know is that the parties at the Manhattan Commune will be lit
posted by The Whelk at 8:53 AM on April 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:53 AM on April 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
Azerbaijan: Site of unopened Trump-branded hotel is on fire
BAKU, Azerbaijan — A building in Azerbaijan that once was intended to be a Trump-branded hotel has caught fire.
Azerbaijani firefighters were on the scene of the fire at the 33-story building in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on Saturday afternoon. There were no reports of injuries.
No word yet if the 33 story building is actually 33 stories, or if it has sprinklers.
posted by I paid money to offer this... insight? at 8:57 AM on April 28, 2018 [18 favorites]
BAKU, Azerbaijan — A building in Azerbaijan that once was intended to be a Trump-branded hotel has caught fire.
Azerbaijani firefighters were on the scene of the fire at the 33-story building in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on Saturday afternoon. There were no reports of injuries.
No word yet if the 33 story building is actually 33 stories, or if it has sprinklers.
posted by I paid money to offer this... insight? at 8:57 AM on April 28, 2018 [18 favorites]
As I've said before, I have no problem with them handing out reasonable quantities of sleeping pills for foreign travel, but some of the stuff in this article goes well beyond that: one Obama official was given 20 Provigil tabs as a "parting gift" before they left the administration, antibiotics for both an official and his wife without an examination, prescriptions not written for the actual recipient, poor or non-existent recordkeeping, "one person described it as "standard practice" for parents to pick up Ambien for their children."
Meh, who cares? The only way this is really offensive is the way it's offensive all across our culture - that there's one set of rules for one privileged group and another for everyone else. Modafinil/provigil is mostly harmless and plenty of people - particularly the 'brain hackers' out in Silicon Valley - use it regularly and with no real harm. It's not hard to get it on the internet from India. I've taken it myself and it's basically jitters-free caffeine. Antibiotic overprescription is also a problem but for our world, not based on one-off docs handing it out.
Take my opinion with a grain of salt, I suppose, since more often than not I consider prescription-only restrictions to be rent-seeking for physicians and pharma companies. If I was supreme leader you could get almost any of it if you just signed a waiver.
posted by phearlez at 9:32 AM on April 28, 2018 [11 favorites]
Meh, who cares? The only way this is really offensive is the way it's offensive all across our culture - that there's one set of rules for one privileged group and another for everyone else. Modafinil/provigil is mostly harmless and plenty of people - particularly the 'brain hackers' out in Silicon Valley - use it regularly and with no real harm. It's not hard to get it on the internet from India. I've taken it myself and it's basically jitters-free caffeine. Antibiotic overprescription is also a problem but for our world, not based on one-off docs handing it out.
Take my opinion with a grain of salt, I suppose, since more often than not I consider prescription-only restrictions to be rent-seeking for physicians and pharma companies. If I was supreme leader you could get almost any of it if you just signed a waiver.
posted by phearlez at 9:32 AM on April 28, 2018 [11 favorites]
Antibiotic overprescription is also a problem but for our world, not based on one-off docs handing it out.
yeah but a hundred thousand one-off docs handing out cipro like candy is part of what got us here. (that and antibiotics as growth boosters for meat animals and needless antibiotics in things like soaps.)
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 9:38 AM on April 28, 2018 [19 favorites]
yeah but a hundred thousand one-off docs handing out cipro like candy is part of what got us here. (that and antibiotics as growth boosters for meat animals and needless antibiotics in things like soaps.)
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 9:38 AM on April 28, 2018 [19 favorites]
Not at all alarming: Trump sets Tester trap, calls for resignation (Axios). "President Trump tweeted this morning that Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, a red-state Democrat up for reelection, “should resign” because allegations he made against White House doctor Ronny Jackson, who withdrew as Trump’s nominee to head Veterans Affairs, "are proving false.”"
Jeff Zeleny (CNN)
In response, a spokeswoman for @JohnnyIsakson, GOP chair of VA committee: “Senator Isakson has a great relationship with Senator Tester. He doesn’t have a problem with how things were handled. I don’t know for sure but highly doubt he’s seen the president’s tweets this morning.”
posted by chris24 at 10:14 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
Jeff Zeleny (CNN)
In response, a spokeswoman for @JohnnyIsakson, GOP chair of VA committee: “Senator Isakson has a great relationship with Senator Tester. He doesn’t have a problem with how things were handled. I don’t know for sure but highly doubt he’s seen the president’s tweets this morning.”
posted by chris24 at 10:14 AM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump’s Role in Midterm Elections Roils Republicans
Congressional and party leaders and even some Trump aides are concerned that the president’s boundless self-assurance about politics will cause him to ignore or undermine their midterm strategy.posted by T.D. Strange at 10:58 AM on April 28, 2018 [8 favorites]
...
Over dinner with the president and other Republican congressional leaders this month, Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, phrased his advice for the president in the form of a reminder: Mr. Trump should never forget his central role in the 2018 campaign, Mr. McConnell said, explaining that Republicans’ prospects are linked to what he says and does and underscoring that their one-seat advantage in the Senate was in jeopardy.
...
But Mr. Trump was not moved. “That’s not going to happen,” he said at different points during the evening, shrugging off the grim prognoses, according to multiple officials briefed on the conversation.
...
According to advisers, the president plans to hold a fund-raiser a week in the months to come and hopes to schedule regular rallies with candidates starting this summer.
NPR has an extraordinary story today about conservatives recognizing that they're losing the culture war no matter what, and they're angry about it!
Washington Monthly (David Atkins): Conservatives Will Never Get the Respect They Crave. They Don’t Deserve It
Washington Monthly (David Atkins): Conservatives Will Never Get the Respect They Crave. They Don’t Deserve It
...But at a certain level, this tired conservative whine is correct: the people who lead and create culture don’t respect them. Artists, actors, inventors, comedians, entrepreneurs, academics, musicians, journalists and professionals across almost all creative industries have no patience for what passes for modern conservatism. And why should they?posted by chris24 at 11:01 AM on April 28, 2018 [180 favorites]
Conservatism is fundamentally about preserving current in-group power structures and maintaining established social hierarchies. It keeps the powerful in power, and keeps the downtrodden underfoot. Insofar as government helps keep rich, powerful white men rich and powerful, conservatives love it and rally around the flag. Insofar as it helps equalize the balance of power, they despise it and want to drown it in a bathtub. This has always been the case for conservatism throughout history across the globe (replace “white” with “relevant regional powerful ethnic/religious majority” and it applies in all cases), and it has never been more true than of American conservatism today under Trump.
Promethean culture-bringers tend to stand in opposition to this ethic. Artists deconstruct and challenge paradigms of power. Inventors disrupt established orders. Comedians provide a softened way to speak harsh truths that would otherwise go unspoken. Academics poke holes in established doctrines and question the nature of accepted reality. Journalists afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. And so on. This is the process by which, slowly but surely, societies change and rights are wronged if only over generations. It’s the method that gives us the confidence to assert, despite frequent steps backward, that the moral arc of the universe does bend slowly toward justice. Conservatives and totalitarians of all political stripes frequently attempt to coopt culture bringers toward their own ends–and certainly some in these professions possess conservative political instincts and agendas–but even the tightest regimes aren’t proof against creative cultural subversion in pursuit of justice.
Like a classic Rodney Dangerfield character, conservatives feel like they can’t get no respect from the “liberal elites.” The more conspiratorial among them assert a grandiose plot to deny them their birthright, often with anti-Semitic overtones. But what really annoys them is that they aren’t taken seriously by the people who create and change culture. That’s where a large part of the sense of grievance comes from.
And they never will be. Culture is created mostly in urban environments, where traditions and ethnicities and influences mix and merge, often in conflict and often in cooperation, creating new understandings and new experiences. Goods and ideas are traded. People are more free to express their identity than elsewhere. Cities are also economic powerhouses. Large companies are centered there, picking the best possible talent. Artists congregate for inspiration. Universities absorb and interpret these influences free of old doctrines. [...]
And just what are these traditions the modern conservative wants respected? They’re very rarely stated out loud, and when they are it’s usually in code: family, God, country. But dig deeper and it’s the sort of deplorable stuff that no one involved in the creation of culture would ever want to countenance: that women should serve as obedient reproductive vessels; that white men are biologically and culturally superior to others; that the ability of corporate executives to get rich from polluting air and exploiting workers is a greater freedom than that of communities not to be poisoned and abused; that it’s the inherent right of powerful countries to bomb less powerful ones and steal their resources; that being rich is a sign of divine favor, and the poor deserve their plight; and so on.
These are bad ideas. They are deplorable. They appeal to our baser instincts, and they preserve the power of society’s abusers at the expense of its victims. In every case, the hindsight of history looks with displeasure on those who defended such things. And in every case, the heroes are not only the activists, but also the culture bringers who pushed slowly but surely to drag societies into a better place...
Breaking My Silence on RussiaGate, by Jill Stein
Concerns about foreign interference should not distract us from interference in plain sight originating from within our own borders. That includes the actions of the Democratic National Committee, which biased its party’s own primaries, effectively disenfranchising millions of Bernie Sanders’ voters[...] The actions of the Russian Internet Research Agency, on the other hand, appear to be the opposite of sophisticated and strategic [...] the Internet Research Agency may in fact be a “click-bait” factory intended to generate advertising revenue, and not an election meddling operation. The insignificant numbers of the Internet Research Agency’s social media posts – compared to the vastness of the social media universe – further diminishes the claim that it had significant impact on the election outcome. Facebook posts from the Internet Research Agency amounted to a mere 0.0004% of total Facebook content; Russian-associated tweets accounted for 0.02% of election related tweets, and Russian-linked Youtube videos had hit totals only in the hundreds, hardly the stuff of viral transmission. [...]
The letter we are releasing today [...] to the Senate Intelligence Committee details how their bipartisan investigation into our campaign – the flagship of an independent opposition political party – intrudes into First Amendment rights protecting freedom of speech and political liberty for all Americans. While we provided documents responsive to the Committee’s requests, we declined to provide Constitutionally protected materials, including the internal policy deliberations of our campaign, the flagship for an opposition political party. This request intrudes into the First Amendment rights of political and associational freedom that are critical to political liberty for all Americans.
Uh huh. To summarize: "Hillary cheated Bernie and the Democrats are the real baddies, Russia hardly did anything wrong, and we are not going to tell you about how we decided on our pro-Putin platform. Because of Free Speech." I for one am convinced.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:21 AM on April 28, 2018 [66 favorites]
Concerns about foreign interference should not distract us from interference in plain sight originating from within our own borders. That includes the actions of the Democratic National Committee, which biased its party’s own primaries, effectively disenfranchising millions of Bernie Sanders’ voters[...] The actions of the Russian Internet Research Agency, on the other hand, appear to be the opposite of sophisticated and strategic [...] the Internet Research Agency may in fact be a “click-bait” factory intended to generate advertising revenue, and not an election meddling operation. The insignificant numbers of the Internet Research Agency’s social media posts – compared to the vastness of the social media universe – further diminishes the claim that it had significant impact on the election outcome. Facebook posts from the Internet Research Agency amounted to a mere 0.0004% of total Facebook content; Russian-associated tweets accounted for 0.02% of election related tweets, and Russian-linked Youtube videos had hit totals only in the hundreds, hardly the stuff of viral transmission. [...]
The letter we are releasing today [...] to the Senate Intelligence Committee details how their bipartisan investigation into our campaign – the flagship of an independent opposition political party – intrudes into First Amendment rights protecting freedom of speech and political liberty for all Americans. While we provided documents responsive to the Committee’s requests, we declined to provide Constitutionally protected materials, including the internal policy deliberations of our campaign, the flagship for an opposition political party. This request intrudes into the First Amendment rights of political and associational freedom that are critical to political liberty for all Americans.
Uh huh. To summarize: "Hillary cheated Bernie and the Democrats are the real baddies, Russia hardly did anything wrong, and we are not going to tell you about how we decided on our pro-Putin platform. Because of Free Speech." I for one am convinced.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:21 AM on April 28, 2018 [66 favorites]
According to advisers, the president plans to hold a fund-raiser a week in the months to come and hopes to schedule regular rallies with candidates starting this summer.
Oh no, Bre'er Fox, that briar patch has too many thorns! Whatever you do, don't throw me in there! And that Fox News one looks even worse! I'll be just ripped to shreds!
posted by scalefree at 11:24 AM on April 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Oh no, Bre'er Fox, that briar patch has too many thorns! Whatever you do, don't throw me in there! And that Fox News one looks even worse! I'll be just ripped to shreds!
posted by scalefree at 11:24 AM on April 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Oh my God, Jill Stein. If you want the Green Party to be a "flagship for an opposition political party," maybe try running people in races that they can actually win, instead of just running a vanity candidate for President every four years. Otherwise, just shut up and go away.
posted by Weeping_angel at 12:17 PM on April 28, 2018 [76 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 12:17 PM on April 28, 2018 [76 favorites]
Remember when everyone gave Jill Stein money for recounts and she just pocketed it? She’s a scam artist through and through.
posted by Artw at 12:21 PM on April 28, 2018 [63 favorites]
posted by Artw at 12:21 PM on April 28, 2018 [63 favorites]
Remember when everyone gave Jill Stein money for recounts and she just pocketed it? She’s a scam artist through and through.
Did she just pocket it? I am totally willing to believe she did, but I would like to see some details if you've got them.
posted by Frowner at 12:56 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
Did she just pocket it? I am totally willing to believe she did, but I would like to see some details if you've got them.
posted by Frowner at 12:56 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
I believe she announced some plan to donate whatever was left after “expenses”, which were considerable (which is odd since she didn’t really do anything) and then nothing more was really heard of it.
posted by Artw at 1:04 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:04 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
Well...
posted by chris24 at 1:06 PM on April 28, 2018 [38 favorites]
Green Party nominee Jill Stein will receive $2 million in refunds after initial estimates were well above the final costs of the failed presidential recount attempts in three battleground states, according to officials.launch a new voter integrity group says the Russian asset.
Stein will use the leftover funds to launch a new voter integrity group.
posted by chris24 at 1:06 PM on April 28, 2018 [38 favorites]
Are there any Korea experts out there who can help me understand how important the US has been in the recent changes in tone between the countries, if at all? We pay a lot of attention to Trump, but my assumption has been that the shift (to the extent there has been one) has largely been the result of the election of Moon Jae-in.
If that's the case, and if there is meaningful, diplomatic progress, I think Trump will get a lot of largely undeserved credit - just as Obama or Bush would have if they had been in office at the time. That's not to say he might not still mess it up, though for the good of the world I would prefer if he didn't.
posted by tarshish bound at 1:14 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
If that's the case, and if there is meaningful, diplomatic progress, I think Trump will get a lot of largely undeserved credit - just as Obama or Bush would have if they had been in office at the time. That's not to say he might not still mess it up, though for the good of the world I would prefer if he didn't.
posted by tarshish bound at 1:14 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
Stein's statement is even worse than "Hillary cheated Bernie and the Democrats are the real baddies, Russia hardly did anything wrong." It goes all the way into "I can't tell the difference between a longtime figure and major financial supporter in Democratic politics working the party system to give herself an advantage in a primary and a foreign power that whose primary interests are a general weakening of US health/power and whose values are entirely inimical to those the green party ostensibly represents." And that's granting the assumption that anything Clinton's been shown to have done is actually cheat-y.
posted by wildblueyonder at 1:14 PM on April 28, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by wildblueyonder at 1:14 PM on April 28, 2018 [40 favorites]
Well but she believes she wasn't a Russian asset and at any rate isn't one now, so everybody can just chill.
posted by rhizome at 1:19 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 1:19 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
Conservatives Will Never Get the Respect They Crave. They Don’t Deserve It
posted by kirkaracha at 1:24 PM on April 28, 2018 [72 favorites]
[The average American conservative] goes to Twitter and he’s got some you know guy calling him [an] a-hole … this is sort of like a pervasive all-out attack if you’re a conservative.Have you ever considered---and I'm just spitballing here--maybe not acting like assholes?
posted by kirkaracha at 1:24 PM on April 28, 2018 [72 favorites]
Not an expert but I did live in Notheast China and South Korea from 2002-2013. In my opinion the 2007 crash and the poor response by America to it had the greatest effect, because that is when the conversation and planning in the region started to focus on a recentering of The world from America to China. The actions since the beginning of the Trump presidency have just confirmed that this process is inevitable to people in the region.
posted by wobumingbai at 2:02 PM on April 28, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by wobumingbai at 2:02 PM on April 28, 2018 [22 favorites]
By Stein's logic, she only knows about the actions she considers "disenfranchis[ement]" because someone else's rights were grossly violated, evidently by the same Russians she is otherwise eager to claim are harmless.
posted by kewb at 2:03 PM on April 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by kewb at 2:03 PM on April 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Have you ever considered---and I'm just spitballing here--maybe not acting like assholes?
I believe they consider that sort of request an attack on their First Amendment rights. For those among them claiming the mantle of religion, reading such a request officially counts as martyrdom.
posted by kewb at 2:05 PM on April 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
I believe they consider that sort of request an attack on their First Amendment rights. For those among them claiming the mantle of religion, reading such a request officially counts as martyrdom.
posted by kewb at 2:05 PM on April 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
Is Stein one of those dipshit leftists who still sees Lenin's beautiful dream alive in Putin's reactionary, minority-persecuting, gay-bashing authoritarian kleptocracy, just because they stand against whatever Washington is for and all evil comes from Washington? Or is she not even that idealistic?
posted by acb at 2:26 PM on April 28, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by acb at 2:26 PM on April 28, 2018 [11 favorites]
I’m pretty much putting Stein supporters in the same deplorable bin as Trump supporters at this point, in terms of overall harm to society.
posted by Behemoth at 2:31 PM on April 28, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by Behemoth at 2:31 PM on April 28, 2018 [25 favorites]
Two things we know as a fact;
1) Jill Stein took Russian money to go to Russia and sit at Putin's table (along with Michael Flynn) at the Russia Today gala dinner not long before the election (December 2015 IIRC?)
2) Green's provided the margin of victory for Trump in at least two key states in the 2016 election.
Most of the rest is speculation.
posted by msalt at 4:13 PM on April 28, 2018 [19 favorites]
1) Jill Stein took Russian money to go to Russia and sit at Putin's table (along with Michael Flynn) at the Russia Today gala dinner not long before the election (December 2015 IIRC?)
2) Green's provided the margin of victory for Trump in at least two key states in the 2016 election.
Most of the rest is speculation.
posted by msalt at 4:13 PM on April 28, 2018 [19 favorites]
3) Russians also tried to help Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein presidential campaigns
It turns out Donald Trump wasn’t the only candidate the Russians allegedly tried to help during the 2016 presidential campaign.posted by chris24 at 4:19 PM on April 28, 2018 [26 favorites]
A 37-page indictment resulting from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation shows that Russian nationals and businesses also worked to boost the campaigns of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Green party nominee Jill Stein in an effort to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton. [...]
On or about Nov. 3, 2016, just five days before the election, the Russians tried to boost Stein’s campaign by buying an ad to post on the Instagram account “Blacktivisit,” according to the indictment. The ad read in part: “Choose peace and vote for Jill Stein. Trust me, it’s not a wasted vote.”
3) Stein refused to cooperate with the Senate investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 election.
4) Stein repeatedly downplays her Russian contacts, much like Trump.
There's as much smoke around Stein as there is around Trump.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:20 PM on April 28, 2018 [38 favorites]
4) Stein repeatedly downplays her Russian contacts, much like Trump.
There's as much smoke around Stein as there is around Trump.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:20 PM on April 28, 2018 [38 favorites]
So this is A) apparently totally real & B) very very frightening. I give you Cursed-a-Lago, cursed images taken at Mar-a-Lago. I am not responsible for any nightmares you may have tonight. You have been warned. (not entirely real)
posted by scalefree at 4:26 PM on April 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 4:26 PM on April 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
Do I have to know who those people are to know what "cursed" refers to?
As for Stein, I'm still trying to figure out why she and Joy Reid should be interpreted differently.
posted by rhizome at 4:37 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
As for Stein, I'm still trying to figure out why she and Joy Reid should be interpreted differently.
posted by rhizome at 4:37 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
So no less an authority than Rep. Dana Rohrabacher says that Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin are "probably spies." It's really not a mystery what was going on here.
But the crowd at Trump's rally is chanting "NOBEL" at him when he mentions Korea, so here we are.
posted by zachlipton at 4:38 PM on April 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
But the crowd at Trump's rally is chanting "NOBEL" at him when he mentions Korea, so here we are.
posted by zachlipton at 4:38 PM on April 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
"I know things about Jon Tester that if I said them he would never be elected again."
Glad he's keeping Tester's terrible secrets close to the vest. Some information should be kept confidential, not like Ted Cruz's dad killing JFK.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:43 PM on April 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
Glad he's keeping Tester's terrible secrets close to the vest. Some information should be kept confidential, not like Ted Cruz's dad killing JFK.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:43 PM on April 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
Everyone has noticed and remarked on the fact Republican lawmakers seem to be resigning/retiring at higher-than-usual numbers these days. There's been lots of speculation as to the cause, including that some of them are being deservedly forced out, that others may want to get far away from the blast site before the "blue wave
bomb goes off and they're covered in fallout, or simply that with the success of billionaire tax cuts, the wholly bought members of Congress have accomplished their missions and now they're ready to collect their 30 pieces and slink off to the darkness whence they came.
But according to Rep. Mo Brooks (R), nope!! The real reason for the Republican mass exodus is death threats at the hands of the Evil Leftists! Seriously.
posted by xigxag at 4:50 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
bomb goes off and they're covered in fallout, or simply that with the success of billionaire tax cuts, the wholly bought members of Congress have accomplished their missions and now they're ready to collect their 30 pieces and slink off to the darkness whence they came.
But according to Rep. Mo Brooks (R), nope!! The real reason for the Republican mass exodus is death threats at the hands of the Evil Leftists! Seriously.
posted by xigxag at 4:50 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
This whole Nobel prize thing is one more Obama resentment chip. The idea of Trump winning the Nobel Peace Prize is to most sane people akin to that guy at the Phillies game who jammed his own fingers down his throat so that he could projectile vomit all over a fan who had asked him to rein his shit and the fan's child. That's what this idea of Trump and the Nobel is: hot dog beer projectile puke over Obama's legacy and anyone who supports it.
I mean, that's really all it is. It is the meanest spirited thing, this idea that this walking slurry of racism and ignorance is entitled to the Nobel. And when he doesn't get it, it'll go from the lust to projectile vomit over Obama's legacy to feeling persecuted because of the lack of projectile vomit on Obama's legacy.
posted by angrycat at 4:56 PM on April 28, 2018 [35 favorites]
I mean, that's really all it is. It is the meanest spirited thing, this idea that this walking slurry of racism and ignorance is entitled to the Nobel. And when he doesn't get it, it'll go from the lust to projectile vomit over Obama's legacy to feeling persecuted because of the lack of projectile vomit on Obama's legacy.
posted by angrycat at 4:56 PM on April 28, 2018 [35 favorites]
cursed images taken at Mar-a-Lago
I feel that these are being posted from the future, where they have been entered into evidence in court.
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:56 PM on April 28, 2018 [8 favorites]
I feel that these are being posted from the future, where they have been entered into evidence in court.
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:56 PM on April 28, 2018 [8 favorites]
@kylegriffin1 [VIDEO]: Trump now claims that Natalia Veselnitskaya is only saying she's an "informant" with ties to the Kremlin because Putin realized how hard Trump has been on Russia and he wants to make the U.S. more chaotic. (via Fox)
This is really really weird. He's so determined to say there's no collusion he seems to be saying Veselnitskaya is part of a Russian plot to cause chaos in the US, yet takes no responsibility for the resulting national security threat.
posted by zachlipton at 4:58 PM on April 28, 2018 [21 favorites]
This is really really weird. He's so determined to say there's no collusion he seems to be saying Veselnitskaya is part of a Russian plot to cause chaos in the US, yet takes no responsibility for the resulting national security threat.
posted by zachlipton at 4:58 PM on April 28, 2018 [21 favorites]
Do I have to know who those people are to know what "cursed" refers to?
"Cursed" images is a sort of meme "the kids" on "the internet" use to describe pictures that are weirdly creepy or off-putting. The opposite being a "blessed" image.
posted by threeturtles at 5:00 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
"Cursed" images is a sort of meme "the kids" on "the internet" use to describe pictures that are weirdly creepy or off-putting. The opposite being a "blessed" image.
posted by threeturtles at 5:00 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
Cursed-a-lago is like the other end of People of Wal-mart.
posted by valkane at 5:05 PM on April 28, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by valkane at 5:05 PM on April 28, 2018 [11 favorites]
As for Stein, I'm still trying to figure out why she and Joy Reid should be interpreted differently.
rhizome: the Joy Reid thread is here.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:13 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
rhizome: the Joy Reid thread is here.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:13 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
Didn’t somebody upthread say that Veselnitskaya doing the interview was a signal from Putin to Trump?
posted by gucci mane at 5:38 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 5:38 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
New Evidence of Obstruction of Justice in House Intelligence Committee Minority Report by Ryan Goodman at Just Security
FBI General Counsel and FBI Director’s chief of staff listened in on James Comey’s side of at least some phone conversations with the president, in which Mr. Trump reportedly engaged in efforts to alter the course of the Russia investigation.posted by OnceUponATime at 6:08 PM on April 28, 2018 [53 favorites]
...
Both the FBI Director and Deputy Director interpreted one of the president’s phone calls as threatening Comey if he did not lift the cloud of the Russia investigation.
New Evidence of Obstruction of Justice in House Intelligence Committee Minority Report
Called it.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:15 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
Called it.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:15 PM on April 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
Daniel Dale
Trump: "Any Hispanics in the room? Hispanic? Nah, not so many, that's okay."
---
Bueller? Bueller?
posted by chris24 at 6:18 PM on April 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump: "Any Hispanics in the room? Hispanic? Nah, not so many, that's okay."
---
Bueller? Bueller?
posted by chris24 at 6:18 PM on April 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump threatens to "close down the country" if he doesn't get more border wall funding in September.
No Bra'er Trump, not a government shutdown right before the midterms!
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:18 PM on April 28, 2018 [41 favorites]
No Bra'er Trump, not a government shutdown right before the midterms!
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:18 PM on April 28, 2018 [41 favorites]
Trump 'Totally Serious' About His Face On Mount Rushmore, South Dakota Republican Says
Not for the first time: Trump talks about being on Mount Rushmore, internet has a blast
posted by kirkaracha at 6:19 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
Not for the first time: Trump talks about being on Mount Rushmore, internet has a blast
posted by kirkaracha at 6:19 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump’s Reality Distortion Field Could Help Tank Republicans This Fall (B. Hart | NY Mag)
One of President Trump’s most bedrock character traits is his refusal to truly reckon with any piece of information that reflects poorly on him. This self-aggrandizing, reality-denying flavor of egotism has defined Trump for decades, through his roller-coaster business career and into political life. In recent months, it has sometimes veered into the straight-up delusional, as when he reportedly claimed last year that it wasn’t actually his voice on the Access Hollywood tape.posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:46 PM on April 28, 2018 [17 favorites]
Trump’s insistence that everything is going great was validated in unprecedented fashion when he won the presidency despite some of the strongest headwinds imaginable, shocking almost everyone — possibly including, on some deep level, himself.
But now, finally, the president’s unwavering confidence may finally be about to take a serious electoral toll.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that in the runup to the midterm elections this fall, President Trump is simply not listening to advisers and lawmakers who tell him what anyone can plainly see: Republicans are in deep trouble.
President Trump is privately rejecting the growing consensus among Republican leaders that they may lose the House and possibly the Senate in November, leaving party officials and the president’s advisers nervous that he does not grasp the gravity of the threat they face in the midterm elections.
Congressional and party leaders and even some Trump aides are concerned that the president’s boundless self-assurance about politics will cause him to ignore or undermine their midterm strategy. In battleground states like Arizona, Florida and Nevada, Mr. Trump’s proclivity to be a loose cannon could endanger the Republican incumbents and challengers who are already facing ferocious Democratic headwinds.
In election after election over the last year and a half, Democrats have vastly overperformed their expected vote share, largely thanks to animus toward the president. ...
Why wouldn't trump be confident? I honestly believe he thinks Russia will do what's needed to keep the SS Trump afloat: They threw the biggest election in the land to him, how hard could it be to throw a few smaller ones?
posted by maxwelton at 6:58 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 6:58 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
I wouldn't be at all shocked if his messaging to other elected officials is "nice office you've got here, shame if something crazy happened in the coming election, eh?"
(Which has the paranoid side of me wondering what, exactly, will the country do if this blue wave, which looks very real, turns out to just not quite garner enough votes in several races where even exit polling indicated that the (D) beat the (R).)
posted by maxwelton at 7:03 PM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
(Which has the paranoid side of me wondering what, exactly, will the country do if this blue wave, which looks very real, turns out to just not quite garner enough votes in several races where even exit polling indicated that the (D) beat the (R).)
posted by maxwelton at 7:03 PM on April 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
Why wouldn't Trump be confident, option B: he's a narcissist who got lucky once in politics so now he thinks he's the authority on the subject. You will never convince a guy like Trump that a single stroke of luck or accident of birth or outcome of privilege at one thing doesn't make him know more than a lifetime of experience and scholarship in that field.
posted by jason_steakums at 7:07 PM on April 28, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 7:07 PM on April 28, 2018 [34 favorites]
Why wouldn't trump be confident?
You’d have to read the rest of the linked article, maxwelton.
(I originally quoted much more, but trying not to clutter up the thread. Also, my phone now hangs forever trying to post/comment/edit on MeFi, so a warm thanks to all who’ve continued contributing to these threads in thoughtful ways. I’m here reading, if not posting or commenting, and grateful.)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:07 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
You’d have to read the rest of the linked article, maxwelton.
(I originally quoted much more, but trying not to clutter up the thread. Also, my phone now hangs forever trying to post/comment/edit on MeFi, so a warm thanks to all who’ve continued contributing to these threads in thoughtful ways. I’m here reading, if not posting or commenting, and grateful.)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:07 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
Russia will do what's needed to keep the SS Trump afloat: They threw the biggest election in the land to him
But they did not do it alone. If some of their 2016 Partners-in-electoral-crime in the Republican Party are openly pessimistic, then that's big news. Or it's a big fake-out, providing low expectations for the GOPutin Party to exceed.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
But they did not do it alone. If some of their 2016 Partners-in-electoral-crime in the Republican Party are openly pessimistic, then that's big news. Or it's a big fake-out, providing low expectations for the GOPutin Party to exceed.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
Michelle Wolf has been doing an incredibly vicious set at the WHCD (I don't know how anybody can possibly do the job, but I also have no earthly idea what purpose 80% of these attacks served and am really not a fan), and then closes by telling the assembled press they act like they secretly love Trump: "you helped create this monster, and now you're profiting off of him, and if you're going to profit off of Trump you should give him some money because he doesn't have any. Trump is so broke [Audience: how broke is he?] he grabs pussies because he thinks there might be loose change...Good night. Flint still doesn't have clean water!"
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on April 28, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on April 28, 2018 [36 favorites]
yeah vicious to the point of uncomfortableness. Her mini-chunk on Sarah Huckebee Sanders was brutal and SHS was literally sitting next to the podium on the dais.
posted by mmascolino at 7:55 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by mmascolino at 7:55 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
I agree it was vicious to the point of being uncomfortable but that's all this ridiculous charade deserves. Colbert tried the hah-hah but still uncomfortable approach and the WHCD kept chugging along. Probably because Bush didn't share Trump's antipathy for the press and could usually laugh along. So the charade continued. Maybe Wolf absolutely sticking in the shiv will finally do the job.
Because palling around with and pretending Sarah Sanders et al aren't the enemies of the free press and, by extension, the American people... that's not sustainable and does no one a service. I'm glad Wolf didn't play along and if anything I wish she'd gone harder. They don't deserve respect and neither does this ridiculous conceit that the press and the White House are not bitter antagonists. And I'm glad she reserved her last blast for the Press itself, pointing out that while they are now Trump's enemy, they created him and profit off him and they need to reckon with that.
She was speaking truth to power. It wasn't always very funny but it was almost all true.
posted by Justinian at 8:11 PM on April 28, 2018 [122 favorites]
Because palling around with and pretending Sarah Sanders et al aren't the enemies of the free press and, by extension, the American people... that's not sustainable and does no one a service. I'm glad Wolf didn't play along and if anything I wish she'd gone harder. They don't deserve respect and neither does this ridiculous conceit that the press and the White House are not bitter antagonists. And I'm glad she reserved her last blast for the Press itself, pointing out that while they are now Trump's enemy, they created him and profit off him and they need to reckon with that.
She was speaking truth to power. It wasn't always very funny but it was almost all true.
posted by Justinian at 8:11 PM on April 28, 2018 [122 favorites]
I agree, lalex. God forbid the Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda should be made uncomfortable.
It went beyond Colbert, I thought, as it was far more direct. His was brilliance but it had a facade of... respect for the institutions involved, maybe, even if the people were being shredded? This didn't. I'd say it was more like Stewart on Crossfire except it did entirely retain the joke format. So perhaps somewhere in between Stewart and Colbert.
posted by Justinian at 8:17 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
It went beyond Colbert, I thought, as it was far more direct. His was brilliance but it had a facade of... respect for the institutions involved, maybe, even if the people were being shredded? This didn't. I'd say it was more like Stewart on Crossfire except it did entirely retain the joke format. So perhaps somewhere in between Stewart and Colbert.
posted by Justinian at 8:17 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
I guess I'm not sure what the point of retaining the joke format was at this point. If you want to stand up there and say how much these people suck (and they do, indeed, suck very much and should be told that at every opportunity), just say it without the laughter. I don't want to laugh at Sarah Sanders; I want her gone. Nothing is funny about this anymore.
I can't quite put my finger on why, but this didn't feel like telling truth to power to me. Large potions just felt like attacking people who suck. And that's a perfectly fine thing to do, but they're not quite the same. Stewart on Crossfire was about 'stop because you're hurting America.' There was an intended purpose behind it. This just felt like a litany of personal attacks. And that just left me empty.
That ending though, "I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you," that's damn fine stuff.
posted by zachlipton at 8:37 PM on April 28, 2018 [17 favorites]
I can't quite put my finger on why, but this didn't feel like telling truth to power to me. Large potions just felt like attacking people who suck. And that's a perfectly fine thing to do, but they're not quite the same. Stewart on Crossfire was about 'stop because you're hurting America.' There was an intended purpose behind it. This just felt like a litany of personal attacks. And that just left me empty.
That ending though, "I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you," that's damn fine stuff.
posted by zachlipton at 8:37 PM on April 28, 2018 [17 favorites]
My favorite part was the venomous look on Kellyanne Conway's face when the camera panned to her after Wolf had just said, "You guys gotta stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie. If you don't give her a platform, she has nowhere to lie. It's like that old saying, 'If a tree falls in the woods...how do we get Kellyanne under that tree?' I'm not suggesting she gets hurt, just stuck."
posted by Lyme Drop at 8:44 PM on April 28, 2018 [73 favorites]
posted by Lyme Drop at 8:44 PM on April 28, 2018 [73 favorites]
Michelle Wolf called out Sarah Huckabee Sanders as a lying liar that lies. While looking at her about five feet away. I'm not sure what the fuss is about.
posted by wallabear at 8:51 PM on April 28, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by wallabear at 8:51 PM on April 28, 2018 [50 favorites]
Is the "intense criticism of her physical appearance" that Haberman references the joke about turning lies into perfect smoky eye shadow? That's the only thing I remember referencing SHS' appearance in any way. If so that's pretty weak sauce. One can certainly argue that even that small reference doesn't belong but it can't possibly be held to be "intense criticism of her physical appearance."
posted by Justinian at 8:52 PM on April 28, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:52 PM on April 28, 2018 [15 favorites]
I might be undercutting my point above here, but I don't care. You have to watch this video of Trump attempting to use an umbrella while getting off Air Force One.
posted by zachlipton at 8:52 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 8:52 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
My favorite part:
Wolf: "Trump is so broke..."
Audience partly responsible for current Hellworld, in monotone unison: "How broke is he?"
Wolf: "He had to borrow money from Russia and is now compromised and susceptible to blackmail and possibly responsible for the collapse of the Republic."
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:53 PM on April 28, 2018 [117 favorites]
Wolf: "Trump is so broke..."
Audience partly responsible for current Hellworld, in monotone unison: "How broke is he?"
Wolf: "He had to borrow money from Russia and is now compromised and susceptible to blackmail and possibly responsible for the collapse of the Republic."
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:53 PM on April 28, 2018 [117 favorites]
I was partial to Wolff saying that she would have gone and dragged Trump back to the dinner but apparently in Trump's America he's the only pussy you're not allowed to grab.
posted by Justinian at 8:54 PM on April 28, 2018 [58 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:54 PM on April 28, 2018 [58 favorites]
Loved it. It's a roast. They're fucking Nazis. I don't care if Goebbels and facilitators are upset. Burn it all down.
posted by chris24 at 8:55 PM on April 28, 2018 [71 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:55 PM on April 28, 2018 [71 favorites]
Eh, Wolf also compared SHS to Aunt Lydia from The Handmaid's Tale (played by Ann Dowd, 62) and to a softball coach, which I kinda took in context as code for butch. So yes, there were some definite digs at SHS's not being traditionally comely.
But everything else was utterly brutal in a much more appropriate way.
posted by Room 101 at 9:00 PM on April 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
But everything else was utterly brutal in a much more appropriate way.
posted by Room 101 at 9:00 PM on April 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
Oh, gotcha. I haven't seen THT yet so that went over my head. I assumed it had something to do with being a terrible misogynistic christofascist.
posted by Justinian at 9:02 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 9:02 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
Saying that Pence would love The Handmaid's Tale was worth the price of admission
posted by The Gaffer at 9:03 PM on April 28, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by The Gaffer at 9:03 PM on April 28, 2018 [36 favorites]
@mschlapp: (CPAC head)
My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us
@ashleyfeinberg:
replying to @mschlapp
yes, how dare these powerful elites pick on a simple... [checks notes] koch brothers lobbyist
@LOLGOP:
replying to @mschlapp
You guys haven’t stuck it to the elites this hard since you gave billionaires trillions in tax cuts
@ParkerMolloy:
replying to @mschlapp
Students walk out of VP's commencement speech: mocks them as “children fleeing from political speech that they disagree with,” also talks about the importance of “learning to listen to a different POV.”
A comedian says a joke that gave him the sads: [marches out, tells the world, safe space, etc]
posted by chris24 at 9:12 PM on April 28, 2018 [117 favorites]
My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us
@ashleyfeinberg:
replying to @mschlapp
yes, how dare these powerful elites pick on a simple... [checks notes] koch brothers lobbyist
@LOLGOP:
replying to @mschlapp
You guys haven’t stuck it to the elites this hard since you gave billionaires trillions in tax cuts
@ParkerMolloy:
replying to @mschlapp
Students walk out of VP's commencement speech: mocks them as “children fleeing from political speech that they disagree with,” also talks about the importance of “learning to listen to a different POV.”
A comedian says a joke that gave him the sads: [marches out, tells the world, safe space, etc]
posted by chris24 at 9:12 PM on April 28, 2018 [117 favorites]
The only thing wrong here is Wolf didn't go after the reporters present by name as well. Starting with Haberman.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:13 PM on April 28, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:13 PM on April 28, 2018 [32 favorites]
@MegKinnardAP: If the #WHCD dinner did anything tonight, it made the chasm between journalists and those who don't trust us, even wider. And those of us based in the red states who work hard every day to prove our objectivity will have to deal with it.
I don't care about the "civility" and "decency" complaints that are already pouring in from people who think Donald Trump is a decent human being, and the idea that the most powerful people in the country need to be protected from jokes made about them is stupid, but I am concerned about trust.
I realize that a great deal of right-wing complaints about the press are made in bad faith, and that great harm is being done when those bad faith complaints keep getting treated as legitimate grievances. But there is a propaganda-fueled nationwide crisis of trust in media right now that's destroying democracy and rendering the truth non-existent, and I've yet to see a compelling strategy of how we're even going to try to get out of that hole. I do feel like the DC press corps putting on tuxedos to listen to abortion jokes is primarily digging the trust hole deeper, and I'm not sure what benefit was gained from it.
posted by zachlipton at 9:15 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't care about the "civility" and "decency" complaints that are already pouring in from people who think Donald Trump is a decent human being, and the idea that the most powerful people in the country need to be protected from jokes made about them is stupid, but I am concerned about trust.
I realize that a great deal of right-wing complaints about the press are made in bad faith, and that great harm is being done when those bad faith complaints keep getting treated as legitimate grievances. But there is a propaganda-fueled nationwide crisis of trust in media right now that's destroying democracy and rendering the truth non-existent, and I've yet to see a compelling strategy of how we're even going to try to get out of that hole. I do feel like the DC press corps putting on tuxedos to listen to abortion jokes is primarily digging the trust hole deeper, and I'm not sure what benefit was gained from it.
posted by zachlipton at 9:15 PM on April 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't want to laugh at Sarah Sanders; I want her gone.
15 years ago, Tom Lehrer said (and I FPP'd it) "I don't want to satirise George Bush and his puppeteers, I want to vaporise them."(The interviewer notes: "he quickly adds: 'And that's not funny.'")
It must be noted (a) that after declining his invitation to this year's dinner, Trump scheduled a rally/fundraiser the same day and sent messages to his supporters that it would be "where the REAL people are".
(b) nobody (without a specific portfolio) has profited more from the Trump Presidency than Maggie "one b" Haberman.
(c) what were the Schlapps even doing at the dinner? Didn't they get Trump's (fundraising) message?
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:19 PM on April 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
15 years ago, Tom Lehrer said (and I FPP'd it) "I don't want to satirise George Bush and his puppeteers, I want to vaporise them."(The interviewer notes: "he quickly adds: 'And that's not funny.'")
It must be noted (a) that after declining his invitation to this year's dinner, Trump scheduled a rally/fundraiser the same day and sent messages to his supporters that it would be "where the REAL people are".
(b) nobody (without a specific portfolio) has profited more from the Trump Presidency than Maggie "one b" Haberman.
(c) what were the Schlapps even doing at the dinner? Didn't they get Trump's (fundraising) message?
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:19 PM on April 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
Sorry, but 'don't make jokes that make the Nazis mad' is a shitty shitty argument. Because that's what that boils down to. Don't like it, then end the fucking event. It's not our fault or Wolf's fault. The biggest reason we're here in the situation where we have to supposedly worry about the denigration of the press is the press's own dereliction of duty.
posted by chris24 at 9:20 PM on April 28, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 9:20 PM on April 28, 2018 [48 favorites]
Michelle Wolf treated the event like she was at a low rent locker room dumpster fire, and... well, what can you say? That's a fairly accurate picture of where the country's at, and it's not like she said anything more crass than our president has...
posted by xammerboy at 9:27 PM on April 28, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 9:27 PM on April 28, 2018 [14 favorites]
Even if you loathe the WHCD (which I totally can appreciate), everything’s weirder now that the President is too chickenshit to even attend. It’s like a roast, but the (primary) person being roasted lacks any sense of humor and isn’t even in the room.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:28 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:28 PM on April 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
I recall Colbert ended his WHCD with a few well-aimed critiques of the press people seated before him, but not nearly this harshly. I guess Wolf decided she had to go in harder to avoid getting 'ho-hummed' away.
And I've said it before and I'll say it again: if the Press (not the WHCs but their bosses) had treated Donald like the mid-level mobster that he has always been, he'd be in a Federal Prison instead of the White House today.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:37 PM on April 28, 2018 [28 favorites]
And I've said it before and I'll say it again: if the Press (not the WHCs but their bosses) had treated Donald like the mid-level mobster that he has always been, he'd be in a Federal Prison instead of the White House today.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:37 PM on April 28, 2018 [28 favorites]
holy shit i just watched it and that was the most savage wolf attack I've seen since The Neverending Story
i was watching in a state closely verging on panic and the it was very cathartic in the end. michelle wolf is a friggin boss.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:47 PM on April 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
i was watching in a state closely verging on panic and the it was very cathartic in the end. michelle wolf is a friggin boss.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:47 PM on April 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
Yeah, if anyone is more upset at Michelle Wolf's performance than they are at literally any given day of this White House, they need to reassess their priorities. And their sense of reality.
And good on her for calling the press out for enabling this shit.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:58 PM on April 28, 2018 [80 favorites]
And good on her for calling the press out for enabling this shit.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:58 PM on April 28, 2018 [80 favorites]
the great Wolf Michelle rose from the deep
posted by uosuaq at 10:00 PM on April 28, 2018 [73 favorites]
posted by uosuaq at 10:00 PM on April 28, 2018 [73 favorites]
Having a rewatch here and gut-busting laughing again.
posted by wallabear at 10:40 PM on April 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by wallabear at 10:40 PM on April 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
i mean, this is what michelle wolf does for a living. they knew who they were hiring. excellent work, too
posted by eustatic at 11:57 PM on April 28, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by eustatic at 11:57 PM on April 28, 2018 [8 favorites]
There were a few that got absolute silence. Have to go back & see which they were & whether I agree with the audience or not on those.
posted by scalefree at 12:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by scalefree at 12:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
looking back at colbert, I suppose that performance was one joke for the crowd for every joke at the crowd's expense, and he would switch back and forth. but, wolf was a writer for seth meyers, so
posted by eustatic at 12:08 AM on April 29, 2018
posted by eustatic at 12:08 AM on April 29, 2018
The Michelle Wolf video is five times better than I expected - especially toothsome/bone ravagingly sad were the cutaways to Kellyanne Conway and SH-S not laughing at jokes about them. Not laughing at all not smiling either. They weren’t funny jokes. Who hired this bitch? I’m making some calls.
Points also for mentioning how not-rich Trump is.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
Points also for mentioning how not-rich Trump is.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
Yeah, if anyone is more upset at Michelle Wolf's performance than they are at literally any given day of this White House, they need to reassess their priorities. And their sense of reality.
Indeed. Many of us are socialized to be more outraged at breaches of etiquette than breaches of justice.
posted by supercrayon at 1:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [79 favorites]
Indeed. Many of us are socialized to be more outraged at breaches of etiquette than breaches of justice.
posted by supercrayon at 1:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [79 favorites]
didn't know she was half norse, but: prescient fpp title, or what?
posted by progosk at 1:39 AM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by progosk at 1:39 AM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
C-SPAN's full video of this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner (start at about 31:30 to skip any Trump rally crap) and many previous WHCDs. In addition to Michelle Wolf they started off with a sequence from Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht &co.'s Our Cartoon President.
posted by XMLicious at 1:40 AM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by XMLicious at 1:40 AM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fuck that was great. Michelle Wolf was given the pulpit and she did exactly what she had to do - make rich comfortable people, uncomfortable. People like that live in a bubble where even when they fuck up they still get to hang out (Reince Preibus ffs - has he no shame?). She let them know that we know how shit they are and we don't forget.
posted by awfurby at 1:53 AM on April 29, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by awfurby at 1:53 AM on April 29, 2018 [23 favorites]
SHS got all the politeness she deserved. All of this "I can do something horrific, but it is impolite to directly state that I did so" can die in a fire.
posted by jaduncan at 3:13 AM on April 29, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 3:13 AM on April 29, 2018 [21 favorites]
@mschlapp: (CPAC head)You are at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. You are at the WHITE HOUSE Correspondent's Dinner. YOU ARE AT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT'S DINNER!
My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us
posted by Horkus at 3:31 AM on April 29, 2018 [50 favorites]
I don’t mind attacks on SHS for what she does, but I do hate attacks on her for what she looks like, because many awesome ladies also don’t meet trad beauty standards and fuck those standards. But attacks for being a liar, she deserves every one.
posted by corb at 3:33 AM on April 29, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by corb at 3:33 AM on April 29, 2018 [18 favorites]
SHS got all the politeness she deserved. All of this "I can do something horrific, but it is impolite to directly state that I did so" can die in a fire.
This. It's a game Republicans have played for ages, not just now in the Trump era (but absolutely more out in the open now). The do and/or say something outrageous, and when they are called on it, they pretend to be outraged that someone would say that about them. In the Guardian article about the roast, Spicer, of all people gives us this: It was absolutely disgusting. The idea that people clapped at that. It’s one thing to celebrate the first amendment but that, tonight, was one of the most disgusting and deplorable things I’ve ever heard in my life. The language, the references were way over the line.
What?? That little evil lying gnat was disgusted? Sorry, Spicer, you don't get to go there.
posted by mumimor at 3:34 AM on April 29, 2018 [38 favorites]
This. It's a game Republicans have played for ages, not just now in the Trump era (but absolutely more out in the open now). The do and/or say something outrageous, and when they are called on it, they pretend to be outraged that someone would say that about them. In the Guardian article about the roast, Spicer, of all people gives us this: It was absolutely disgusting. The idea that people clapped at that. It’s one thing to celebrate the first amendment but that, tonight, was one of the most disgusting and deplorable things I’ve ever heard in my life. The language, the references were way over the line.
What?? That little evil lying gnat was disgusted? Sorry, Spicer, you don't get to go there.
posted by mumimor at 3:34 AM on April 29, 2018 [38 favorites]
No one attacked SRS for her looks. That's a lie Maggie Habs made up to keep her access to Trump to continue her insipid "journalism."
posted by Yowser at 3:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [46 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 3:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [46 favorites]
I'm of the opinion that performing at the White House Correspondents' Dinner cannot particularly be classified as 'speaking truth to power', and the dismissive responses we're seeing from the media are why. The dinner is a light, comedy-focused event. Almost anything said there can be brushed off as a mean joke.
Speaking truth to power involves them being forced to recognise the truth. One of the reasons why Stewart on Crossfire was so effective was that it wasn't a format for jokes and you couldn't dismiss what he was saying as part of a performance. He was earnestly, disappointedly, telling the hosts - left and right - that their show did not justify its existence.
Next year, picket the fucking dinner.
posted by Merus at 3:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
Speaking truth to power involves them being forced to recognise the truth. One of the reasons why Stewart on Crossfire was so effective was that it wasn't a format for jokes and you couldn't dismiss what he was saying as part of a performance. He was earnestly, disappointedly, telling the hosts - left and right - that their show did not justify its existence.
Next year, picket the fucking dinner.
posted by Merus at 3:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
In an interview with the Guardian, Spicer, who quit as press secretary last summer, was visibly angry as he said: ‘It was absolutely disgusting. The idea that people clapped at that. It’s one thing to celebrate the first amendment but that, tonight, was one of the most disgusting and deplorable things I’ve ever heard in my life.‘
“...and I've heard myself say that Hitler didn't gas his own people so I really know disgusting and deplorable when I hear it!”
posted by XMLicious at 3:52 AM on April 29, 2018 [38 favorites]
Thanks for the link to the Guardian article, mumimor. I loved this quote:
One Democratic congressman told the Guardian he found Wolf’s speech “crass” and “vulgar”, but another defended her, observing: “What, Trump is president but suddenly there are boundaries now?”
posted by Bella Donna at 4:26 AM on April 29, 2018 [71 favorites]
One Democratic congressman told the Guardian he found Wolf’s speech “crass” and “vulgar”, but another defended her, observing: “What, Trump is president but suddenly there are boundaries now?”
posted by Bella Donna at 4:26 AM on April 29, 2018 [71 favorites]
Lawfare (Orin Kerr): Did Donald Trump Jr. Admit to Violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?
The recently-released Minority report of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) discloses a copy of an e-mail sent by Donald J. Trump Jr., on September 21, 2016, to a group of top Trump campaign officials. The e-mail is interesting because Trump may have confessed in it to committing a federal crime, specifically 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(2). It's just a misdemeanor based on the facts we know. But depending on the circumstances, the violation could also be a felony.posted by chris24 at 4:34 AM on April 29, 2018 [26 favorites]
Here are the law-nerd details.
We learned back in 2017 that Trump Jr. exchanged direct messages on Twitter with the Wikileaks account during the 2016 Presidential campaign. We knew that Wikileaks had sent Trump Jr. a message that included guessed login credentials of a default account on an about-to-launch anti-Trump website, and that Wikileaks encouraged him to visit the site. But we didn't know if Trump Jr. or anyone else had actually used the username and password. [...]
The Minority report reprints an e-mail from Trump Jr. in which he admitted to just that...
FBI shadows Russian MMA great Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator event in Chicago.
They appear to be casting a pretty wide net if they are chasing down leads from 10 years ago when Trump had a stake in a MMA league.
posted by srboisvert at 5:06 AM on April 29, 2018 [6 favorites]
They appear to be casting a pretty wide net if they are chasing down leads from 10 years ago when Trump had a stake in a MMA league.
posted by srboisvert at 5:06 AM on April 29, 2018 [6 favorites]
Jamil Smith (Rolling Stone)
If some in the press were as hemmed up by this @WhiteHouse’s open embrace of white supremacy, misogyny, mass incarceration, environmental pollution, corporate corruption, and defecation on the First Amendment as they are about what a comedian said, we might be getting somewhere. This @WhiteHouse gaslights the public and endangers the press. Its platform is a to-do list for those wanting to exacerbate inequality. Its @POTUS mocks and slanders with abandon. Its Cabinet is a rogues’ gallery. Let’s be as alarmed about that as some are about @michelleisawolf.
I’m all for not lowering myself to Trump’s level, but that isn’t what @michelleisawolf seems to have done. She called everyone out on their bullshit, and folks can’t deal. And the Flint thing was a masterstroke. That they are talking about her jokes and not that proves her point.
David Corn (Mother Jones)
Whatever one might think of Michelle Wolf's performance, it's clear that anyone who works for or supports Trump has no basis for complaining about vulgarity or personal insults. Your house is made of very thin glass.
posted by chris24 at 5:14 AM on April 29, 2018 [129 favorites]
If some in the press were as hemmed up by this @WhiteHouse’s open embrace of white supremacy, misogyny, mass incarceration, environmental pollution, corporate corruption, and defecation on the First Amendment as they are about what a comedian said, we might be getting somewhere. This @WhiteHouse gaslights the public and endangers the press. Its platform is a to-do list for those wanting to exacerbate inequality. Its @POTUS mocks and slanders with abandon. Its Cabinet is a rogues’ gallery. Let’s be as alarmed about that as some are about @michelleisawolf.
I’m all for not lowering myself to Trump’s level, but that isn’t what @michelleisawolf seems to have done. She called everyone out on their bullshit, and folks can’t deal. And the Flint thing was a masterstroke. That they are talking about her jokes and not that proves her point.
David Corn (Mother Jones)
Whatever one might think of Michelle Wolf's performance, it's clear that anyone who works for or supports Trump has no basis for complaining about vulgarity or personal insults. Your house is made of very thin glass.
posted by chris24 at 5:14 AM on April 29, 2018 [129 favorites]
Here are the law-nerd details.
Tl;dr: In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread. More white collar crimes such as using stolen/guessed credentials to log into the websites of political opponents, which are not a particularly big deal in context, are often not prosecuted at the federal level.
posted by jaduncan at 5:16 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
Tl;dr: In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread. More white collar crimes such as using stolen/guessed credentials to log into the websites of political opponents, which are not a particularly big deal in context, are often not prosecuted at the federal level.
posted by jaduncan at 5:16 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
Remember BBC Dad? Well, the reason he was on BBC is he's a North Korea expert. His thoughts on the idea Trump is responsible for the possible SK-NK rapprochement:
Retweeted Jonathan Cheng
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. First, there’s no actual evidence that Trumpian belligerence led to this, only a strong desire of Trump defenders to claim a ‘win.’ Yes, it might be the reason, but we don’t know, so let’s stop saying this as if it’s self-evidently true. It’s not.
Second, we did actually make a concession: POTUS agreed to meet the world’s worst human rights abuser in exchange for nothing, which experts in this area counseled against for decades. Let’s all cringe at the coming photos of the leader of the free world yukking it up w/ an orwelian gangster.
Third, US pressure is filtered through China through which NK’s trade and finance flow. So if Trump pressure worked, then be sure to thank China a lot. (Trump does deserve credit for pushing China a lot on NK.)
Fourth, US analysts, & politicians especially, constantly overrate how much others’ choices are driven by what we do. Our hegemony goes to our head. NK has a long record of doing whatever the hell it wants regardless of global opinion, so our default position should be that NK does what it does for internal reasons firstly. Not that it ignores international opinion, just that we should be cautious about ascribing foreign causation to an opaque regime we don’t understand well. So my sense is that Kim is bargaining primarily because he had the ability to nuke CONUS, so he can approach us from a position of strength. Now that nuclear deterrence with the US is assured - ie, now that the US will never launch an Iraq-style regime change war against NK, bc we don’t want them to nuke the US homeland in retaliation - they are safe to come and look for a deal.
Basically, they’re going shopping. So they’ll talk to anyone now - Moon, Trump, Abe, Xi, Putin, even the IOC. Why not? See what you can get for it. How can they cash out this hugely awesome capability? Naturally Trump thinks this is about him, but it’s not. Kim’s meeting with everyone now. And if no deal is forthcoming, then they just return to their defensive crouch and wait for the storm to blow over and everyone adjusts to a NK with nuclear weapons. We adjusted to Cultural Revolution China with nukes. We adjusted to Pakistan with nukes. Remember how everyone freaked out when Pakistan got nukes? A weak state wracked by Islamic fundamentalism? Despite the dire predictions, nothing happened, and in time everyone got exhausted and just gave up and adapted. I’d bet that’s NK’s model for the future: get a sweet deal or dig in and hold till the rest of us tire, get bored, get distractede, get bewitchedi by the latest Trump scandal, and gradually gets accepted as a de facto nuclear state. Yes, it will take longer, bc it’s NK, which is uniquely scary, but I’d guess we’ll adapt. END
ADDENDUM: Some readers have brought up that SoKo's ForMin credited Trump for bring NoKo to the table: South Korea credits Trump for opening door to talks with North. Ok. Perhaps. It's possible. But she doesn't really know either. A far more obvious explanation is that she is flattering Trump. Diplomats and leaders around the world have learned pretty quickly that the best way to keep on Trump's good side and avoid tariffs and US harping, is to flatter the president. Look at Abe. He's a master at that. The South Koreans were terrified last year that Trump was going to start a war. If flattering this affirmation-craving president is a way to avoid a national catastrophe that is good politics. END
posted by chris24 at 6:11 AM on April 29, 2018 [57 favorites]
@JChengWSJ: Mike Pence: "The fact that N. Korea has come to the table without the U.S. making any concessions speaks to the strength of President Trump’s leadership and is a clear sign that the intense pressure of sanctions is working."Robert E Kelly
Retweeted Jonathan Cheng
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. First, there’s no actual evidence that Trumpian belligerence led to this, only a strong desire of Trump defenders to claim a ‘win.’ Yes, it might be the reason, but we don’t know, so let’s stop saying this as if it’s self-evidently true. It’s not.
Second, we did actually make a concession: POTUS agreed to meet the world’s worst human rights abuser in exchange for nothing, which experts in this area counseled against for decades. Let’s all cringe at the coming photos of the leader of the free world yukking it up w/ an orwelian gangster.
Third, US pressure is filtered through China through which NK’s trade and finance flow. So if Trump pressure worked, then be sure to thank China a lot. (Trump does deserve credit for pushing China a lot on NK.)
Fourth, US analysts, & politicians especially, constantly overrate how much others’ choices are driven by what we do. Our hegemony goes to our head. NK has a long record of doing whatever the hell it wants regardless of global opinion, so our default position should be that NK does what it does for internal reasons firstly. Not that it ignores international opinion, just that we should be cautious about ascribing foreign causation to an opaque regime we don’t understand well. So my sense is that Kim is bargaining primarily because he had the ability to nuke CONUS, so he can approach us from a position of strength. Now that nuclear deterrence with the US is assured - ie, now that the US will never launch an Iraq-style regime change war against NK, bc we don’t want them to nuke the US homeland in retaliation - they are safe to come and look for a deal.
Basically, they’re going shopping. So they’ll talk to anyone now - Moon, Trump, Abe, Xi, Putin, even the IOC. Why not? See what you can get for it. How can they cash out this hugely awesome capability? Naturally Trump thinks this is about him, but it’s not. Kim’s meeting with everyone now. And if no deal is forthcoming, then they just return to their defensive crouch and wait for the storm to blow over and everyone adjusts to a NK with nuclear weapons. We adjusted to Cultural Revolution China with nukes. We adjusted to Pakistan with nukes. Remember how everyone freaked out when Pakistan got nukes? A weak state wracked by Islamic fundamentalism? Despite the dire predictions, nothing happened, and in time everyone got exhausted and just gave up and adapted. I’d bet that’s NK’s model for the future: get a sweet deal or dig in and hold till the rest of us tire, get bored, get distractede, get bewitchedi by the latest Trump scandal, and gradually gets accepted as a de facto nuclear state. Yes, it will take longer, bc it’s NK, which is uniquely scary, but I’d guess we’ll adapt. END
ADDENDUM: Some readers have brought up that SoKo's ForMin credited Trump for bring NoKo to the table: South Korea credits Trump for opening door to talks with North. Ok. Perhaps. It's possible. But she doesn't really know either. A far more obvious explanation is that she is flattering Trump. Diplomats and leaders around the world have learned pretty quickly that the best way to keep on Trump's good side and avoid tariffs and US harping, is to flatter the president. Look at Abe. He's a master at that. The South Koreans were terrified last year that Trump was going to start a war. If flattering this affirmation-craving president is a way to avoid a national catastrophe that is good politics. END
posted by chris24 at 6:11 AM on April 29, 2018 [57 favorites]
Leverage-creator and Crazification Factor–coiner Jon Rogers compares and contrasts the two performances from last night and the press's reactions to them:
Flint still doesn't have clean water!
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:18 AM on April 29, 2018 [61 favorites]
Look, the #WHCD should probably stop booking actual comedians. That shit's going to happen. That's a comedian's job. If the press isn't going to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted, somebody has to.And of course Trump went on Twitter this morning to brag about his "great evening" in Michigan ("The enthusiasm, knowledge and love in that room was unreal."), falsely boast about his poll numbers vs. Obama's, and criticize the WHCD he was too cowardly to attend ("a very big, boring bust...the so-called comedian really “bombed.”"). Best of all, he recommended for next year, the WHC hire the Fox hack who helped put a NJ GOP chapter into the red with his exorbitant speaking fees—grifters respect grift.
Of course prominent conservatives are going to freak out. That's what they do now. THAT'S THEIR JOB. Permanent huff. You could have the gentlest fucking goof on earth up there, and if a single barb drifted their way, there would be walk-outs.
There are people in that room who support a wildly incompetent morally monstrous child who's poisoning public discourse & derailing America's relationship with the world, is it too goddam much for just one night for somebody to not have to pretend that its okay? To NOT normalize?
Next year the #WHCD should skip the comedian and instead get treatment more in line with what they deserve -- like, say, shrimp cocktail left at room temperature for a day.
Let's focus on the real victims of the #WHCD , the poor people who have to return to their guaranteed jobs tomorrow at influential institutions where they shape the national priorities of both culture and politics with zero accountability, but who had a sad for a full half hour.
Tonight the President stood on stage in front of thousands and described how the Democrats were traitors who actively encouraged multinational crime gangs to come to America to murder your children and sell drugs. But Michelle fucking Wolf is the problem for insulting reporters.
We're never coming back from this. Not all the way.
Flint still doesn't have clean water!
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:18 AM on April 29, 2018 [61 favorites]
But there is a propaganda-fueled nationwide crisis of trust in media right now that's destroying democracy and rendering the truth non-existent, and I've yet to see a compelling strategy of how we're even going to try to get out of that hole.
(1) stop pretending there's just what people say and no real truth
(2) stop smooching nazis
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:26 AM on April 29, 2018 [25 favorites]
(1) stop pretending there's just what people say and no real truth
(2) stop smooching nazis
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:26 AM on April 29, 2018 [25 favorites]
@mschlapp: (CPAC head)
My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us
I thought Pence was the team's flouncer.
posted by ctmf at 6:34 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us
I thought Pence was the team's flouncer.
posted by ctmf at 6:34 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
What I found compelling about Michelle Wolf's presentation was the barely concealed anger. She is angry and she has good reasons to be angry. And for a lot of the elites sitting in that room, that anger is an embarrassment, regardless if they are media or congresspeople, and regardless if they are Republicans or Democrats. Almost all of those people have failed, and they know it. The Trump presidency is a huge failure of all US institutions. Everyone would like to point the blame at one place, but the reality is that everyone owns it. (And something similar is happening all over the world right now, it's not just the US, it's the reality we are all living).
posted by mumimor at 6:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [67 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 6:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [67 favorites]
What I found compelling about Michelle Wolf's presentation was the barely concealed anger.
Yes. Ending with a flat non-joke pointing out that Flint still doesn't have clean water was the most obvious statement that she actually means it. I feel like she had almost no distance between her comic persona and her, and that was exactly what made it great.
posted by jaduncan at 6:43 AM on April 29, 2018 [61 favorites]
Yes. Ending with a flat non-joke pointing out that Flint still doesn't have clean water was the most obvious statement that she actually means it. I feel like she had almost no distance between her comic persona and her, and that was exactly what made it great.
posted by jaduncan at 6:43 AM on April 29, 2018 [61 favorites]
It's absurd to pretend that comparing Sarah Huckabee Sanders to Aunt Lydia is commentary on her "looks." It's commentary on the fact that she's a woman who is complicit in defending and extending a christofascist patriarchy that viciously oppresses other women.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 6:49 AM on April 29, 2018 [122 favorites]
posted by the turtle's teeth at 6:49 AM on April 29, 2018 [122 favorites]
@MegKinnardAP: If the #WHCD dinner did anything tonight, it made the chasm between journalists and those who don't trust us, even wider. And those of us based in the red states who work hard every day to prove our objectivity will have to deal with it...
Greg Sargent (WaPo)
Retweeted Meg Kinnard
This is how the media ends up rewarding bad-faith right wing attacks on the press. There *is no point at which* right wing critics will *ever* concede that the press is behaving objectively. It's a sucker's game. Choose not to play it.
Greg Sargent
Here's the ultimate irony in this @michelleisawolf thing. Media's response today is to say, "we need to prove to Trump voters that we can be objective." But in pointing out how much the Trump WH lies, Wolf was saying what every media figure knows to be *objectively* true.
---
So surprised that Politico is just as craven and complicit as the NYT.
Kyle Cheney (Politico)
Michelle Wolf didn’t fail just because she was (spectacularly) one-sided. It was because she was unnecessarily cruel on a night the WHCA was trying to showcase decency and purpose. Undermined an otherwise meaningful night.
posted by chris24 at 6:54 AM on April 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
Greg Sargent (WaPo)
Retweeted Meg Kinnard
This is how the media ends up rewarding bad-faith right wing attacks on the press. There *is no point at which* right wing critics will *ever* concede that the press is behaving objectively. It's a sucker's game. Choose not to play it.
Greg Sargent
Here's the ultimate irony in this @michelleisawolf thing. Media's response today is to say, "we need to prove to Trump voters that we can be objective." But in pointing out how much the Trump WH lies, Wolf was saying what every media figure knows to be *objectively* true.
---
So surprised that Politico is just as craven and complicit as the NYT.
Kyle Cheney (Politico)
Michelle Wolf didn’t fail just because she was (spectacularly) one-sided. It was because she was unnecessarily cruel on a night the WHCA was trying to showcase decency and purpose. Undermined an otherwise meaningful night.
posted by chris24 at 6:54 AM on April 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
Max Fisher: Maybe these repeated WH Correspondent Dinner controversies suggest that the contradiction between celebrating a profession dedicated to imposing accountability, while also fostering bonhomie between that profession and the institution it monitors, is on some level irreconcilable? No one would be surprised if the “Annual Dinner of Banking Executives And Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Regulators” regularly erupted in awkwardness and controversy
David Atkins: It’s Time for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to End
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:56 AM on April 29, 2018 [20 favorites]
David Atkins: It’s Time for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to End
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:56 AM on April 29, 2018 [20 favorites]
Let's take a trip down memory lane to the days when Glenn Greenwald was occasionally worth reading and not an irredeemably compromised Russian patsy:
The very idea that there are etiquette standards for the WHCD - itself a vulgar celebration of Versailles sleaze - is the 2nd funniest thing I've heard today, the funniest being that the WHCD is about The First Amendment. The only "rule" for the WHCD should be self-annihilation.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:01 AM on April 29, 2018 [17 favorites]
The very idea that there are etiquette standards for the WHCD - itself a vulgar celebration of Versailles sleaze - is the 2nd funniest thing I've heard today, the funniest being that the WHCD is about The First Amendment. The only "rule" for the WHCD should be self-annihilation.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:01 AM on April 29, 2018 [17 favorites]
Gosh, Wolf's speech was really a horrible attack on decorum and dangerous to the First Amendment.
Brianna Sacks (Buzzfeed)
This Trump supporter repeatedly yelled at the press, calling media “degenerate filth” and to get out of his country after the Michigan rally concluded
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 7:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
Brianna Sacks (Buzzfeed)
This Trump supporter repeatedly yelled at the press, calling media “degenerate filth” and to get out of his country after the Michigan rally concluded
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 7:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
AV Club headline seems to sum it up:
Michelle Wolf speaks truth to assholes at tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner
It’s a minor point amongst many but “Fox News is here. Ladies, you know what that means: Cover your drink” is a good one.
posted by Artw at 7:18 AM on April 29, 2018 [71 favorites]
Michelle Wolf speaks truth to assholes at tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner
It’s a minor point amongst many but “Fox News is here. Ladies, you know what that means: Cover your drink” is a good one.
posted by Artw at 7:18 AM on April 29, 2018 [71 favorites]
Quinta Jurecic (Lawfare managing editor)
I see that today we will be arguing about feminist solidarity with Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Goodbye ... (pssst: the protection of victimized white womanhood has played an instrumental role throughout American history in upholding various systems of power and is not an uncomplicated thing)
posted by chris24 at 7:21 AM on April 29, 2018 [54 favorites]
I see that today we will be arguing about feminist solidarity with Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Goodbye ... (pssst: the protection of victimized white womanhood has played an instrumental role throughout American history in upholding various systems of power and is not an uncomplicated thing)
posted by chris24 at 7:21 AM on April 29, 2018 [54 favorites]
When SHS has that “I so wish all of you little children would just understand the majesty and grace of our lord and savior Donald J Trump” look on her face while swatting away facts and replacing them with lies she does look a lot like Aunt Lydia.
posted by Glibpaxman at 7:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by Glibpaxman at 7:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [23 favorites]
Proud to note the first time I called to kill the WHCD with fire on here was the 2011 thread on the blue. At that time I said, "No one will ever top Colbert", but Michelle Wolf was at least his equal. Let's get her a daily show.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:26 AM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:26 AM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
Geez, it's too bad that the WHCD isn't a safe space for the supporters of the pussy-grabber-in-chief. I'll take a knee to protest the way they were treated.
posted by nubs at 7:29 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by nubs at 7:29 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
You'll be happy to know that Mike Allen and Axios' thoughts on the WHCD are just as ridiculous as you'd imagine.
Some highlights:
Be smart: That creates a new hurdle for the White House Correspondents' Association to lure President Trump, who has snubbed the dinner the last two years.
Yes, being nice to the Nazis so the head Nazi attends your party is THE most important thing.
Why it matters: If the dinner can only attract liberal presidents and liberal comedians, the conclusion is inevitable.
Yes, if we piss off the Nazis, then we might no longer get our party.
She made several uses of a vulgarity that begins with "p," in an audience filled with Washington officials, top journalists and a few baseball legends (Brooks Robinson, Tony La Russa and Dennis Eckersley).
Oh no, she quoted the president in front of the president's staff and some athletes. I would think the players would be used to it, after all it's just locker room talk.
posted by chris24 at 7:30 AM on April 29, 2018 [98 favorites]
Some highlights:
Be smart: That creates a new hurdle for the White House Correspondents' Association to lure President Trump, who has snubbed the dinner the last two years.
Yes, being nice to the Nazis so the head Nazi attends your party is THE most important thing.
Why it matters: If the dinner can only attract liberal presidents and liberal comedians, the conclusion is inevitable.
Yes, if we piss off the Nazis, then we might no longer get our party.
She made several uses of a vulgarity that begins with "p," in an audience filled with Washington officials, top journalists and a few baseball legends (Brooks Robinson, Tony La Russa and Dennis Eckersley).
Oh no, she quoted the president in front of the president's staff and some athletes. I would think the players would be used to it, after all it's just locker room talk.
posted by chris24 at 7:30 AM on April 29, 2018 [98 favorites]
This culture war double standard makes me want to scream into the void eternally.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:32 AM on April 29, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:32 AM on April 29, 2018 [42 favorites]
Feminist author and Guardian columnist Jessica Valenti:
"I have spent years defending women on both sides of the aisle from sexist attacks & digs on their appearance. Michelle Wolf did neither - she rightly blasted Sanders' character & her penchant for lying to the American people. Saying Wolf's criticism was about Sanders' appearance is a way for conservatives to draw away attention from the fact that the press sec lies on the regular. That's it."
---
"We think free speech includes hearing Milo’s important perspective."
—Matt Schlapp
---
And a reminder that Schlapp was the one who told ex-RNC chair Michael Steele to basically get over it when a CPAC exec made racist comments about him in a speech there.
posted by chris24 at 7:42 AM on April 29, 2018 [70 favorites]
"I have spent years defending women on both sides of the aisle from sexist attacks & digs on their appearance. Michelle Wolf did neither - she rightly blasted Sanders' character & her penchant for lying to the American people. Saying Wolf's criticism was about Sanders' appearance is a way for conservatives to draw away attention from the fact that the press sec lies on the regular. That's it."
---
@mschlapp: My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of usAngus Johnston
"We think free speech includes hearing Milo’s important perspective."
—Matt Schlapp
---
And a reminder that Schlapp was the one who told ex-RNC chair Michael Steele to basically get over it when a CPAC exec made racist comments about him in a speech there.
posted by chris24 at 7:42 AM on April 29, 2018 [70 favorites]
This culture war double standard makes me want to scream into the void eternally.
For your convenience:
Metafilter: Screaming into the void eterenally
( link to Fucking-Fuck-X-The-Enfuckenating MetaTalk thread )
posted by mikelieman at 7:44 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
For your convenience:
Metafilter: Screaming into the void eterenally
( link to Fucking-Fuck-X-The-Enfuckenating MetaTalk thread )
posted by mikelieman at 7:44 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
A more serious take on the double standards we are dealing with: Amid the opioid epidemic, white means victim, black means addict
posted by mumimor at 7:44 AM on April 29, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 7:44 AM on April 29, 2018 [33 favorites]
@mschlapp: My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us
The word 'schlapp' means limp or floppy. 'Nuff said.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:47 AM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
The word 'schlapp' means limp or floppy. 'Nuff said.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:47 AM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
From November 2016, but appropriate this morning.
Saladin Ahmed
publicly disrespecting fascists is absolutely crucial to resistance as it lets others know that they are not alone with the monsters
posted by chris24 at 7:52 AM on April 29, 2018 [98 favorites]
Saladin Ahmed
publicly disrespecting fascists is absolutely crucial to resistance as it lets others know that they are not alone with the monsters
posted by chris24 at 7:52 AM on April 29, 2018 [98 favorites]
Meanwhile David Trone continues to try to buy a congressional seat in MD.
This shit should be illegal. I don't care if it's Tom Steyer or the Kochs, we need to curtail billionaire influence on politics, and if we get out of this Trump mess I really hope there'll be the political will to make it happen.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:02 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
This shit should be illegal. I don't care if it's Tom Steyer or the Kochs, we need to curtail billionaire influence on politics, and if we get out of this Trump mess I really hope there'll be the political will to make it happen.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:02 AM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
White House tree: Emmanuel Macron's sapling disappears
The White House hasn’t said anything about where it went; the speculation is that it’s in quarantine and/or awaiting replanting in the fall, which is supposed to promote better root development.
posted by notyou at 8:14 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
The White House hasn’t said anything about where it went; the speculation is that it’s in quarantine and/or awaiting replanting in the fall, which is supposed to promote better root development.
posted by notyou at 8:14 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
Maggie Haberman: That @PressSec sat and absorbed intense criticism of her physical appearance, her job performance, and so forth, instead of walking out, on national television, was impressive.
Michelle Wolf
Hey mags! All these jokes were about her despicable behavior. Sounds like you have some thoughts about her looks though? 😘
Peter Daou
TRY THIS: Now replace Sarah Sanders with Hillary Clinton in this @maggieNYT tweet and tell me if you could ever imagine a mainstream journalist saying it. EVER.
---
Mika Brzezinski: Watching a wife and mother be humiliated on national television for her looks is deplorable. I have experienced insults about my appearance from the president. All women have a duty to unite when these attacks happen and the WHCA owes Sarah an apology.
@hilzoy
I absolutely don't get this line of criticism at all. Some people's looks were disparaged. E.g.: "Mitch McConnell isn't here. He had a prior engagement. He's finally getting his neck circumcised." But Sanders wasn't one of them.
Quinta Jurecic (Lawfare)
"a wife and a mother" is a way to say that criticizing SHS is an incursion into the private, domestic space of the home and therefore off limits. but ... she's the White House press secretary
---
Daniel Dale: Trump warns Montana Sen. Jon Tester that he could ruin him: "I know things about Tester that I could say too. And if I said 'em, he'd never be elected again."
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
President says he has secret information on Senator which could destroy him. Press ignores. Comedian tells rude jokes. Press has a freak-out. What a world.
- There was a comedian who once made crude jokes about the Emperor Caligula and his court. Historians blame her for the death of civility that destroyed the empire.
posted by chris24 at 8:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [93 favorites]
Michelle Wolf
Hey mags! All these jokes were about her despicable behavior. Sounds like you have some thoughts about her looks though? 😘
Peter Daou
TRY THIS: Now replace Sarah Sanders with Hillary Clinton in this @maggieNYT tweet and tell me if you could ever imagine a mainstream journalist saying it. EVER.
---
Mika Brzezinski: Watching a wife and mother be humiliated on national television for her looks is deplorable. I have experienced insults about my appearance from the president. All women have a duty to unite when these attacks happen and the WHCA owes Sarah an apology.
@hilzoy
I absolutely don't get this line of criticism at all. Some people's looks were disparaged. E.g.: "Mitch McConnell isn't here. He had a prior engagement. He's finally getting his neck circumcised." But Sanders wasn't one of them.
Quinta Jurecic (Lawfare)
"a wife and a mother" is a way to say that criticizing SHS is an incursion into the private, domestic space of the home and therefore off limits. but ... she's the White House press secretary
---
Daniel Dale: Trump warns Montana Sen. Jon Tester that he could ruin him: "I know things about Tester that I could say too. And if I said 'em, he'd never be elected again."
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
President says he has secret information on Senator which could destroy him. Press ignores. Comedian tells rude jokes. Press has a freak-out. What a world.
- There was a comedian who once made crude jokes about the Emperor Caligula and his court. Historians blame her for the death of civility that destroyed the empire.
posted by chris24 at 8:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [93 favorites]
David Atkins: It’s Time for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to End
It should have ended in shame and embarrassment the night Colbert pantsed everybody for letting George W. Bush routinely pretend objective reality doesn't exist.
That it has continued since is a national disgrace that far outweighs anything Wolf may have said last night. Criticisms of her performance from the media and the right are an act of spectacular bad faith that only prove her point.
And Colbert's.
posted by Gelatin at 8:44 AM on April 29, 2018 [22 favorites]
It should have ended in shame and embarrassment the night Colbert pantsed everybody for letting George W. Bush routinely pretend objective reality doesn't exist.
That it has continued since is a national disgrace that far outweighs anything Wolf may have said last night. Criticisms of her performance from the media and the right are an act of spectacular bad faith that only prove her point.
And Colbert's.
posted by Gelatin at 8:44 AM on April 29, 2018 [22 favorites]
My wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us
Your wife works for the President of the United States. How elite is that? Even with this President.
posted by scalefree at 8:46 AM on April 29, 2018 [34 favorites]
Your wife works for the President of the United States. How elite is that? Even with this President.
posted by scalefree at 8:46 AM on April 29, 2018 [34 favorites]
For those arguing that Wolf attacked or didn't attack Huckabee-Sanders about her appearance, I think it boils down to her joke about her eye shadow and burning facst to make the ash for "her perfect smoky eye. Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's lies."
When I was listening to the stand-up act last night as it was broadcast, that line sounded not like "burning facts" but burning fat, which really felt like a personal attack. Once I realized that it was burning facts, I still felt like it was a shot on Huckabee-Sanders' appearance that wasn't necessarily called for and could be construed as an attack on a woman's appearance, her make-up skills, how she performs femininity, etc.
For the record, overall, I thought the performance was generally funny, and definitely scathing. There were a few clunkers that landed (the abortion joke about pushing/pulling it out and the joke about the malfunctioning airplane engine, for example), but overall it was a hard-hitting set.
I was surprised, however, that Huckabee-Sanders didn't say anything. As a stand-in for the president, I was expecting her to give a speech, take some shots at the press. I don't know why she was there sitting at the head table if she wasn't participating.
posted by sardonyx at 8:47 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
When I was listening to the stand-up act last night as it was broadcast, that line sounded not like "burning facts" but burning fat, which really felt like a personal attack. Once I realized that it was burning facts, I still felt like it was a shot on Huckabee-Sanders' appearance that wasn't necessarily called for and could be construed as an attack on a woman's appearance, her make-up skills, how she performs femininity, etc.
For the record, overall, I thought the performance was generally funny, and definitely scathing. There were a few clunkers that landed (the abortion joke about pushing/pulling it out and the joke about the malfunctioning airplane engine, for example), but overall it was a hard-hitting set.
I was surprised, however, that Huckabee-Sanders didn't say anything. As a stand-in for the president, I was expecting her to give a speech, take some shots at the press. I don't know why she was there sitting at the head table if she wasn't participating.
posted by sardonyx at 8:47 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Feminist author and Guardian columnist Jessica Valenti:
"I have spent years defending women on both sides of the aisle from sexist attacks & digs on their appearance. Michelle Wolf did neither - she rightly blasted Sanders' character & her penchant for lying to the American people. Saying Wolf's criticism was about Sanders' appearance is a way for conservatives to draw away attention from the fact that the press sec lies on the regular. That's it."
And just as importantly, about how the so-called "liberal media" covers for her by not pointing out when she lies.
posted by Gelatin at 8:48 AM on April 29, 2018 [21 favorites]
"I have spent years defending women on both sides of the aisle from sexist attacks & digs on their appearance. Michelle Wolf did neither - she rightly blasted Sanders' character & her penchant for lying to the American people. Saying Wolf's criticism was about Sanders' appearance is a way for conservatives to draw away attention from the fact that the press sec lies on the regular. That's it."
And just as importantly, about how the so-called "liberal media" covers for her by not pointing out when she lies.
posted by Gelatin at 8:48 AM on April 29, 2018 [21 favorites]
This Wolf backlash feels like a bunch of people desperately wanting to not live in interesting times.
posted by angrycat at 8:52 AM on April 29, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 8:52 AM on April 29, 2018 [23 favorites]
One Democratic congressman told the Guardian he found Wolf’s speech “crass” and “vulgar”, but another defended her, observing: “What, Trump is president but suddenly there are boundaries now?”
Decency in the face of indecency is not a thing that should be tolerated, just like tolerance of intolerance. Nazis get punched, authoritarians get their authority mocked.
posted by scalefree at 8:52 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
Decency in the face of indecency is not a thing that should be tolerated, just like tolerance of intolerance. Nazis get punched, authoritarians get their authority mocked.
posted by scalefree at 8:52 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
Fascinating focus group footage from Frank Luntz on NBC's MtPr this morning. Revealed that Dems and Republicans have splintered on even being able to discuss issues. Republicans don't want to be called out for supporting racists and racist policies, and Dems don't want to meet racists and racism halfway on policy.
posted by rc3spencer at 8:53 AM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 8:53 AM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
"I have spent years defending women on both sides of the aisle from sexist attacks & digs on their appearance. Michelle Wolf did neither - she rightly blasted Sanders' character & her penchant for lying to the American people. Saying Wolf's criticism was about Sanders' appearance is a way for conservatives to draw away attention from the fact that the press sec lies on the regular. That's it."
I think it's legit to point out that if a white conservative man had made the same joke about a liberal woman, it would've been interpreted as mysoginist. I think if you can't put yourself in the space where you realize that that would be true, you've got some wild partisan blinders on. The context matters a lot, but focussing on things like makeup is still something that raises red flags (cue a clip reel of all the news articles about women public figures that start with "Dressed in a sleek black skirt and white blouse..." etc.). Avoiding things like makeup when talking about a woman is a good strategy since it definitely allows people to misinterpret and is per-se sexist.
Still a good joke tho. SHS is a lying liar and that eyeshadow is a bit much.
posted by dis_integration at 8:55 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
I think it's legit to point out that if a white conservative man had made the same joke about a liberal woman, it would've been interpreted as mysoginist. I think if you can't put yourself in the space where you realize that that would be true, you've got some wild partisan blinders on. The context matters a lot, but focussing on things like makeup is still something that raises red flags (cue a clip reel of all the news articles about women public figures that start with "Dressed in a sleek black skirt and white blouse..." etc.). Avoiding things like makeup when talking about a woman is a good strategy since it definitely allows people to misinterpret and is per-se sexist.
Still a good joke tho. SHS is a lying liar and that eyeshadow is a bit much.
posted by dis_integration at 8:55 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mike Huckabee: "The WHCD was supposed to celebrate the 1st Amendment. Instead they celebrated bullying, vulgarity, and hate. They got all dressed up so they would look nicer when they had a hired gun savagely attack their guests. Do they really wonder why America has no respect for them? Sad!" [...] "The WHCD was supposed to celebrate the 1st Amendment. Instead they celebrated bullying, vulgarity, and hate. They got all dressed up so they would look nicer when they had a hired gun savagely attack their guests. Do they really wonder why America has no respect for them? Sad! [...] Sincere and heartfelt THANKS to @maggieNYT for having guts to publicly denounce the vicious vile attack on @PressSec at WHCD. @PressSec handled it professionally but I pray her kids never see that. I pray more they never bully another person like that. [...] Those who think that the tasteless classless bullying at the WHCD was an example of the 1st Amendment should never condemn bullying,bigoted comments, racist bile or hate speech. People should be free to speak but held accountable for it.
Also Mike Huckabee: It's not fair that ppl are criticizing Justice Ginsberg for skipping SOTU! Security concerns wouldn't allow her to bring CPAP machine into House Chamber.
Also Mike Huckabee: Had a colonoscopy today. My doctor was actually Russian. Now THAT is what I call RUSSIAN MEDDLING! They put me to sleep w/ same stuff Michael Jackon used. When I woke up, I MOON-walked right out of the hospital!
Also Mike Huckabee: For Cinco de Mayo I will drink an entire jar of hot salsa and watch old Speedy Gonzales cartoons and speak Spanish all day. Happy CdMayo!
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:56 AM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
Also Mike Huckabee: It's not fair that ppl are criticizing Justice Ginsberg for skipping SOTU! Security concerns wouldn't allow her to bring CPAP machine into House Chamber.
Also Mike Huckabee: Had a colonoscopy today. My doctor was actually Russian. Now THAT is what I call RUSSIAN MEDDLING! They put me to sleep w/ same stuff Michael Jackon used. When I woke up, I MOON-walked right out of the hospital!
Also Mike Huckabee: For Cinco de Mayo I will drink an entire jar of hot salsa and watch old Speedy Gonzales cartoons and speak Spanish all day. Happy CdMayo!
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:56 AM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
Fascinating focus group footage from Frank Luntz on NBC's MtPr this morning. Revealed that Dems and Republicans have splintered on even being able to discuss issues. Republicans don't want to be called out for supporting racists and racist policies, and Dems don't want to meet racists and racism halfway on policy.
I post many of the links I see here onto FB where my very Republican best friend growing up sees them. He made me promise not to discuss politics when I come home for visits & flat out asked me once if I thought he was a racist. Of course I said no, what else could I say?
posted by scalefree at 9:03 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
I post many of the links I see here onto FB where my very Republican best friend growing up sees them. He made me promise not to discuss politics when I come home for visits & flat out asked me once if I thought he was a racist. Of course I said no, what else could I say?
posted by scalefree at 9:03 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is so obviously a nice distraction for members of the press to ponder instead of Wolf's very valid criticisms of them. Haberman's motivation is also absurdly obvious, in my opinion—it's a game and positioning for access to the administration carried out with the veneer of civility.
That Haberman and other members of the press do not tweet in a tizzy every single day about the constant stream of actually vulgar and awful things Trump says and does speaks for itself.
posted by defenestration at 9:03 AM on April 29, 2018 [35 favorites]
That Haberman and other members of the press do not tweet in a tizzy every single day about the constant stream of actually vulgar and awful things Trump says and does speaks for itself.
posted by defenestration at 9:03 AM on April 29, 2018 [35 favorites]
This Wolf backlash feels like a bunch of people desperately wanting to not live in interesting times
Interesting times that they helped unleash. That's what they're refusing to come to terms with. This SHS kerfuffle is the only distraction they've been able to light upon.
@PressSec handled it professionally but I pray her kids never see that.
I don't pray, but I do hope her kids find some way to come to terms with the fact that their mother voluntarily supported an authoritarian hatemonger's hateful authoritarian regime by freely choosing to take a job that consists entirely of publicly lying for him; accepting the underlying truth of Wolf's statement seems far more painful than hearing the language Wolf chose to couch it in.
posted by halation at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [37 favorites]
Interesting times that they helped unleash. That's what they're refusing to come to terms with. This SHS kerfuffle is the only distraction they've been able to light upon.
@PressSec handled it professionally but I pray her kids never see that.
I don't pray, but I do hope her kids find some way to come to terms with the fact that their mother voluntarily supported an authoritarian hatemonger's hateful authoritarian regime by freely choosing to take a job that consists entirely of publicly lying for him; accepting the underlying truth of Wolf's statement seems far more painful than hearing the language Wolf chose to couch it in.
posted by halation at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [37 favorites]
Watch Michael Avenatti photobomb Kellyanne Conway on #WHCD red carpet [and SHS]
posted by scalefree at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
"No, but voting for racists makes you complicit in perpetuating racist policies. That's not any better."
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2018 [15 favorites]
"No, but voting for racists makes you complicit in perpetuating racist policies. That's not any better."
But then we would not be friends anymore. He still gets the message whether we admit it or not. It's not like I've stopped my posting & he keeps reading them.
posted by scalefree at 9:07 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
But then we would not be friends anymore. He still gets the message whether we admit it or not. It's not like I've stopped my posting & he keeps reading them.
posted by scalefree at 9:07 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Wolff is a black liberal woman. Trump’s chorus of enablers would have problems with anything she said, so why not go all out?
Fuck, I would have just screamed wordlessly into the mic for 20 minutes.
posted by bibliowench at 9:10 AM on April 29, 2018 [9 favorites]
Fuck, I would have just screamed wordlessly into the mic for 20 minutes.
posted by bibliowench at 9:10 AM on April 29, 2018 [9 favorites]
(Still, the Schlapps later attended NBC and MSNBC's after party.)
Sure, they had those tasty little shrimp pastries. They're to die for! Also, down with the elites.
posted by scalefree at 9:12 AM on April 29, 2018 [25 favorites]
Sure, they had those tasty little shrimp pastries. They're to die for! Also, down with the elites.
posted by scalefree at 9:12 AM on April 29, 2018 [25 favorites]
The eyeshadow thing is total beanplating, but making fun of something someone chooses to do to their own face is totally fair game and good grief this is all very stupid.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:12 AM on April 29, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 9:12 AM on April 29, 2018 [20 favorites]
I think if you can't put yourself in the space where you realize that that would be true, you've got some wild partisan blinders on.
Respectfully disagree.
"I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she's born with it; maybe it's lies."
'I actually really like Hillary. I think she's very resourceful. Like using slave labor in Haiti to make the perfect pantsuit. Maybe it's good design, maybe it's corruption.'
And Wolf said she has the perfect smoky eye. Which is complimentary and which is the proper term for it. If other people think her makeup is perhaps a bit much, that's not what Wolf said. It's a distinctive identifying trait of SHS like HRC's pantsuits.
posted by chris24 at 9:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [19 favorites]
Respectfully disagree.
"I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she's born with it; maybe it's lies."
'I actually really like Hillary. I think she's very resourceful. Like using slave labor in Haiti to make the perfect pantsuit. Maybe it's good design, maybe it's corruption.'
And Wolf said she has the perfect smoky eye. Which is complimentary and which is the proper term for it. If other people think her makeup is perhaps a bit much, that's not what Wolf said. It's a distinctive identifying trait of SHS like HRC's pantsuits.
posted by chris24 at 9:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [19 favorites]
The eyeshadow thing is total beanplating
And also a brilliant metaphor. I was stunned more by the great writing when I heard that.
posted by rc3spencer at 9:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
And also a brilliant metaphor. I was stunned more by the great writing when I heard that.
posted by rc3spencer at 9:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
Add slumlord to the ever-lengthening "Ways Sean Hannity is a Scumbag" list.
Sean Hannity raised rent by nearly 50% on blue-collar Georgia tenants in Michael Cohen-backed real estate venture
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:17 AM on April 29, 2018 [17 favorites]
Sean Hannity raised rent by nearly 50% on blue-collar Georgia tenants in Michael Cohen-backed real estate venture
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:17 AM on April 29, 2018 [17 favorites]
Myself, wanna know more about these press softball games SHS coaches. I wanna see Jim Acosta explaining to her how he missed the take-a-bribe sign.
posted by riverlife at 9:19 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by riverlife at 9:19 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
@michelleisawolf Why are you guys making this about Sarah’s looks? I said she burns facts and uses the ash to create a *perfect* smoky eye. I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials.
posted by scalefree at 9:20 AM on April 29, 2018 [63 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:20 AM on April 29, 2018 [63 favorites]
I don't know why she was there sitting at the head table if she wasn't participating.
She was thrown to the Wolf to create video footage of her sitting there stone faced so the Republican pundits could show it and wring their hands over the dignity of a mother being attacked. It will play well with the base.
posted by Candleman at 9:21 AM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
She was thrown to the Wolf to create video footage of her sitting there stone faced so the Republican pundits could show it and wring their hands over the dignity of a mother being attacked. It will play well with the base.
posted by Candleman at 9:21 AM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
@rolandscahill When people are more outraged at a smoky eye joke than the kids of Parkland being mocked, something is seriously wrong
posted by scalefree at 9:23 AM on April 29, 2018 [97 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:23 AM on April 29, 2018 [97 favorites]
The outrage outrages me. Trump wasn't at a roast and wasn't joking when he called women ugly, made fun of the handicapped, etc. Wolf came nowhere near the kind of disgusting comments Trump made on the campaign trail and continues to make as president.
And the outrage is such a played out game. Conway and Huckabee are outraged? I have never seen an interview with either of them where they are not outraged. Give me a break.
posted by xammerboy at 9:30 AM on April 29, 2018 [52 favorites]
And the outrage is such a played out game. Conway and Huckabee are outraged? I have never seen an interview with either of them where they are not outraged. Give me a break.
posted by xammerboy at 9:30 AM on April 29, 2018 [52 favorites]
scalefree: my very Republican best friend growing up... flat out asked me once if I thought he was a racist. Of course I said no, what else could I say?
"Yes."
Lying to racists about them "not" being racists to make them feel better results in only that: racists absolve themselves of being racist and continue on being racist and feeling good about it.
posted by tzikeh at 9:30 AM on April 29, 2018 [38 favorites]
"Yes."
Lying to racists about them "not" being racists to make them feel better results in only that: racists absolve themselves of being racist and continue on being racist and feeling good about it.
posted by tzikeh at 9:30 AM on April 29, 2018 [38 favorites]
Wolff is a black liberal woman.
Actually, no. There was a whole bit on the Daily Show about her being mistaken for black. I believe she is Jewish.
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 9:32 AM on April 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
Actually, no. There was a whole bit on the Daily Show about her being mistaken for black. I believe she is Jewish.
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 9:32 AM on April 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
Lying to racists about them "not" being racists to make them feel better results in only that: racists absolve themselves of being racist and continue on being racist and feeling good about it.
He knows it's a lie of convenience, he's not feeling good about it. And I get to continue to be the one hole in his information bubble & by extension those of everyone we grew up with who're also on FB. I'm sure he gets it on both sides, schoolmates asking why he stays friends with me.
posted by scalefree at 9:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
He knows it's a lie of convenience, he's not feeling good about it. And I get to continue to be the one hole in his information bubble & by extension those of everyone we grew up with who're also on FB. I'm sure he gets it on both sides, schoolmates asking why he stays friends with me.
posted by scalefree at 9:36 AM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
Michelle Goldberg (NYT)
The ❄️❄️❄️ response to @michelleisawolf is blowing my mind. If you're offended by a comedian mocking our sadistic rulers maybe shut up forever about college students and their safe spaces.
Mikel Jollett
Has anyone considered maybe the reason the press is so angry about Michelle Wolf is bc they know she was dead right about THEM? "He helped you sell your papers, books and TV. You helped created this monster and now you're profiting off of him."
LOLGOP
What if I told you you democracy is in more need of defense than your access to Sarah Sanders is.
ana marie cox
The most offensive line in Michelle Wolf’s routine was “Flint still doesn’t have clean water;” if something else she said bothers you more than that then maybe we shouldn’t trust your judgment about anything.
Robin Thede
There were two speeches last night:
- Michelle Wolf: “Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells lies”
- Trump: “Mexico is World War Z and I will shut the country down if Congress doesn’t pay for my wall”
Press Coverage - MICHELLE WOLF IS A MONSTER
@seb4466
If I were SHS I'd feel more offended by her defenders. If a woman these people considered beautiful received the same comments, these people would have rightly considered it an attack on lies. Their own thoughts are turning it into something else.
posted by chris24 at 9:39 AM on April 29, 2018 [122 favorites]
The ❄️❄️❄️ response to @michelleisawolf is blowing my mind. If you're offended by a comedian mocking our sadistic rulers maybe shut up forever about college students and their safe spaces.
Mikel Jollett
Has anyone considered maybe the reason the press is so angry about Michelle Wolf is bc they know she was dead right about THEM? "He helped you sell your papers, books and TV. You helped created this monster and now you're profiting off of him."
LOLGOP
What if I told you you democracy is in more need of defense than your access to Sarah Sanders is.
ana marie cox
The most offensive line in Michelle Wolf’s routine was “Flint still doesn’t have clean water;” if something else she said bothers you more than that then maybe we shouldn’t trust your judgment about anything.
Robin Thede
There were two speeches last night:
- Michelle Wolf: “Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells lies”
- Trump: “Mexico is World War Z and I will shut the country down if Congress doesn’t pay for my wall”
Press Coverage - MICHELLE WOLF IS A MONSTER
@seb4466
If I were SHS I'd feel more offended by her defenders. If a woman these people considered beautiful received the same comments, these people would have rightly considered it an attack on lies. Their own thoughts are turning it into something else.
posted by chris24 at 9:39 AM on April 29, 2018 [122 favorites]
I may have been wrong about this.
The North Korean Nuclear Test Site
The North Korean Nuclear Test Site
South Korea reports that Kim Jong Un has offered to close North Korea’s nuclear test site at Punggye-Ri in May. He says he will invite US and South Korean experts to examine the site before its demolition to see that it is still usable.posted by scalefree at 9:47 AM on April 29, 2018
Wolff is a black liberal woman.
Is this a joke that I’m just not getting?
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 9:49 AM on April 29, 2018
Is this a joke that I’m just not getting?
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 9:49 AM on April 29, 2018
Michelle Wolf on the Daily Show - Pulling a Rachel Dolezal
Whether Michelle Wolf is Jewish is up for debate. The Jewish Women's Archive seems to think not. But that's enough of this derail.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:50 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Whether Michelle Wolf is Jewish is up for debate. The Jewish Women's Archive seems to think not. But that's enough of this derail.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:50 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sean Spicer
Tonight’s #WHCD was a disgrace
Philip Lewis (HuffPost)
retweeted Sean Spicer
I was sitting at the table in front of you. You gave a standing ovation to the journalist who won an award for a story about your resignation. You looked like you were having a good time!
---
The Intercept: Muslim refugee admissions dropped 94 percent from January 2017 to November 2017, from 50 percent of all refugees entering the U.S. to less than 10 percent.
Judd Apatow
retweeted The Intercept
This is what people should be outraged about. A racist President and his PR people and GOP backers supporting lies and corruption.
posted by chris24 at 9:53 AM on April 29, 2018 [39 favorites]
Tonight’s #WHCD was a disgrace
Philip Lewis (HuffPost)
retweeted Sean Spicer
I was sitting at the table in front of you. You gave a standing ovation to the journalist who won an award for a story about your resignation. You looked like you were having a good time!
---
The Intercept: Muslim refugee admissions dropped 94 percent from January 2017 to November 2017, from 50 percent of all refugees entering the U.S. to less than 10 percent.
Judd Apatow
retweeted The Intercept
This is what people should be outraged about. A racist President and his PR people and GOP backers supporting lies and corruption.
posted by chris24 at 9:53 AM on April 29, 2018 [39 favorites]
TPM: House Intel Member Gowdy: ‘I Am Awaiting The Mueller Investigation’
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said Sunday that he places more faith in federal investigators’ conclusions on Russian election meddling than those of Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, of which he is a member.posted by chris24 at 10:01 AM on April 29, 2018 [16 favorites]
“The President, when he looks at your report, feels vindicated,” CBS’ “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan told Gowdy in an interview. “Are you saying he should not?”
“I want to be careful how I phrase this,” Gowdy responded. “No report— The best we can do is say what we’ve learned.”
“I can’t say what’s in the universe of witnesses we have not talked to,” he continued. “And I have always maintained I am awaiting the Mueller investigation. They get to use a grand jury. They have investigative tools that we don’t have.”
“Executive branch investigations are just better than congressional ones. So we found no evidence of collusion. Whether or not it exists or not, I can’t speak to, because I haven’t interviewed the full panoply of witnesses.”
>White House tree: Emmanuel Macron's sapling disappears
Hey! Finally a topic I'm qualified to talk about! It's true that fall would be a better time to plant a tree, spring would be the second-best. The problem is the phytosanitary certificate. Unless Macron planned this gift 6 months ago and had the tree in quarantine or bare-rooted in cold storage (which, to be honest, is possible. We've had a lot of practice in plant-giving since Japan gave us the cherry trees), then the tree needs to be quarantined. It's possible someone gave the OK for the ceremony and then put the tree somewhere safe.
posted by acrasis at 10:03 AM on April 29, 2018 [37 favorites]
Hey! Finally a topic I'm qualified to talk about! It's true that fall would be a better time to plant a tree, spring would be the second-best. The problem is the phytosanitary certificate. Unless Macron planned this gift 6 months ago and had the tree in quarantine or bare-rooted in cold storage (which, to be honest, is possible. We've had a lot of practice in plant-giving since Japan gave us the cherry trees), then the tree needs to be quarantined. It's possible someone gave the OK for the ceremony and then put the tree somewhere safe.
posted by acrasis at 10:03 AM on April 29, 2018 [37 favorites]
'Member Mifsud? Markedly missing, maybe murdered.
(from a couple weeks ago but I don't remember seeing it here)
Intercept. The Absent Professor: a key Trump-Russia intermediary has been missing for months, as the case for collusion grows stronger
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:09 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
(from a couple weeks ago but I don't remember seeing it here)
Intercept. The Absent Professor: a key Trump-Russia intermediary has been missing for months, as the case for collusion grows stronger
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:09 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
Just so everyone understands: Kim's nuclear program fell apart, literally. His testing area is a shambles and deadly nuclear radiation is seeping out of the testing area. It's so over, the one thing Kim probably can't do is continue it.
Kim's master is Xi. Xi can militarily crush North Korea at any time. Xi gives North Korea its daily operating expenses for things like food and shelter. Kim does not start negotiations or finish negotiations or make any decision about anything of consequence without Xi's approval.
The outcome Xi and Kim want is to basically make North Korea like China by restoring its economic independence and well-being without sacrificing its authoritarian rule. The possible reality of a North Korean uprising that leads to millions of people storming its border is Xi's nightmare, as is being drawn into some kind of global war on its behalf.
What I think is going to happen is that Trump will go over there and basically open up trade with the country in return for ending the nuclear program that has, in reality, already ended. Trump will come home and claim a great victory. North Koreans can look forward to likely centuries more of drudgery.
Clinton gave the Chinese the internet on a bet that they wouldn't be able to control it, and that once the country was open to free information and business their regime would crumble. It hasn't worked out like that. It turns out you can control the internet. It turns out you can have a capitalist economy run by dictators. That's the new reality Xi wants to bring to North Korea by playing Trump in a sucker's game that only he could fall far (given that it now requires pretending their nuclear program is still operational when it's just not).
posted by xammerboy at 10:09 AM on April 29, 2018 [15 favorites]
Kim's master is Xi. Xi can militarily crush North Korea at any time. Xi gives North Korea its daily operating expenses for things like food and shelter. Kim does not start negotiations or finish negotiations or make any decision about anything of consequence without Xi's approval.
The outcome Xi and Kim want is to basically make North Korea like China by restoring its economic independence and well-being without sacrificing its authoritarian rule. The possible reality of a North Korean uprising that leads to millions of people storming its border is Xi's nightmare, as is being drawn into some kind of global war on its behalf.
What I think is going to happen is that Trump will go over there and basically open up trade with the country in return for ending the nuclear program that has, in reality, already ended. Trump will come home and claim a great victory. North Koreans can look forward to likely centuries more of drudgery.
Clinton gave the Chinese the internet on a bet that they wouldn't be able to control it, and that once the country was open to free information and business their regime would crumble. It hasn't worked out like that. It turns out you can control the internet. It turns out you can have a capitalist economy run by dictators. That's the new reality Xi wants to bring to North Korea by playing Trump in a sucker's game that only he could fall far (given that it now requires pretending their nuclear program is still operational when it's just not).
posted by xammerboy at 10:09 AM on April 29, 2018 [15 favorites]
Usually I'm dismayed that the news of the day is immediately washed away by Trump saying something crazy, but I'll be glad when it happens to this WHCD conversation.
posted by diogenes at 10:14 AM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 10:14 AM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
xammerboy: to be clear, are you saying that there's conclusive agreement that North Korea's test site collapsed, and this claim that the collapse is not total by Jeffrey Lewis is wrong? How much North Korea's hand has been forced in offering peace is something that's pretty important to be sure about.
posted by ambrosen at 10:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by ambrosen at 10:15 AM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
“I can’t say what’s in the universe of witnesses we have not talked to,” he continued. “And I have always maintained I am awaiting the Mueller investigation. They get to use a grand jury. They have investigative tools that we don’t have.”
“Executive branch investigations are just better than congressional ones. So we found no evidence of collusion. Whether or not it exists or not, I can’t speak to, because I haven’t interviewed the full panoply of witnesses.”
The oscillating of pronouns from 'I' to 'we' is fascinating.
What me/we worry? "¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
posted by srboisvert at 10:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
“Executive branch investigations are just better than congressional ones. So we found no evidence of collusion. Whether or not it exists or not, I can’t speak to, because I haven’t interviewed the full panoply of witnesses.”
The oscillating of pronouns from 'I' to 'we' is fascinating.
What me/we worry? "¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
posted by srboisvert at 10:25 AM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
deadly nuclear radiation is seeping out of the testing area
Can we have a cite on this? Everything I've seen has either talked nebulously about "worries" over radiation or explicitly said that the Chinese government has reported no evidence of increased radioactive traces in samples taken at the border.
posted by XMLicious at 10:42 AM on April 29, 2018 [6 favorites]
It turns out you can control the internet. It turns out you can have a capitalist economy run by dictators.
Tim Snyder writes about this delusion that Americans suffered from that markets inevitably lead to freedom in "The Road to Unfreedom." In the context of the former Soviet Union...
Tim Snyder writes about this delusion that Americans suffered from that markets inevitably lead to freedom in "The Road to Unfreedom." In the context of the former Soviet Union...
Wild privatization was not at all the same thing as a market economy, at least as conventionally understood. Markets require the rule of law, which was the most demanding aspect of the post-Soviet transformations. Americans, taking the rule of law for granted, could fantasize that markets would create the necessary institutions. This was an error. It mattered whether newly independent states established the rule of law, and above all whether they managed a legal transition of power through free elections. In 1993, Yeltsin dissolved the Russian parliament and sent armed men against its deputies. He told his western partners that this was streamlining needed to accelerate market reforms, a version of events accepted in the American press. So long as markets were invoked, politicians of inevitability could see an attack on a parliament as a step towards democracy.It's a really good book that has helped make sense of how we got here, for me. I just finished it so let me indulge in one more big block quote...
"Russia enabled and sustained the fiction of “Donald Trump, successful businessman,” and delivered that fiction to Americans as the payload of a cyberweapon. The Russian effort succeeded because the United States is much more like the Russian Federation than Americans would like to think. Because Russian leaders had already made the shift from the politics of inevitability to the politics of eternity, they had instincts and techniques that, as it turned out, corresponded to emerging tendencies in American society. Moscow was not trying to project some ideal of their own, only to use a giant lie to bring out the worst in the United States.posted by OnceUponATime at 10:56 AM on April 29, 2018 [59 favorites]
...
The essence of Russia’s foreign policy is strategic relativism: Russia cannot become stronger, so it must make others weaker. The simplest way to make others weaker is to make them more like Russia. Rather than addressing its problems, Russia exports them; and one of its basic problems is the absence of a succession principle. Russia opposes European and American democracy to ensure that Russians do not see that democracy might work as a succession principle in their own country. Russians are meant to distrust other systems as much as they distrust their own.
...
America was crushed by Russia in the cyberwar of 2016 because the relationship between technology and life had changed in a way that gave an advantage to the Russian practitioners of active measures.
...
Politics is international, but repair must be local. The presidential campaign of 2016, the biography of Donald Trump, the anonymous businesses, the anonymous real estate purchases, the domination of internet news, the peculiarities of the Constitution, the astonishing economic inequality, the painful history of race—to Americans, all of this can seem like a matter of a special nation and its exceptional history. The politics of inevitability tempted Americans to think that the world had to become like the United States and therefore more friendly and democratic, but this was not the case. In fact, the United States was itself becoming less democratic in the 2010s, and Russia was working to accelerate the trend."
The outcome Xi and Kim want is to basically make North Korea like China by restoring its economic independence and well-being without sacrificing its authoritarian rule.
Also, to decouple Seoul from Washington (the demand for “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula, which would include a removal of nuclear-capable US forces, is part of that). The desired outcome would presumably include a totalitarian North Korea gradually harmonising with China and the South, with Chinese investment into the economy and the old-fashioned Stalinist system of control being replaced with more modern forms of totalitarianism based on algorithmic surveillance, and a Hong Kong-like South Korea, which is nominally a democracy, but with Beijing having power of veto over participation.
posted by acb at 10:58 AM on April 29, 2018 [9 favorites]
Also, to decouple Seoul from Washington (the demand for “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula, which would include a removal of nuclear-capable US forces, is part of that). The desired outcome would presumably include a totalitarian North Korea gradually harmonising with China and the South, with Chinese investment into the economy and the old-fashioned Stalinist system of control being replaced with more modern forms of totalitarianism based on algorithmic surveillance, and a Hong Kong-like South Korea, which is nominally a democracy, but with Beijing having power of veto over participation.
posted by acb at 10:58 AM on April 29, 2018 [9 favorites]
The oscillating of pronouns from 'I' to 'we' is fascinating.
“We may have committed some light treason.”
Meanwhile, in Handmaidgate:
@alexanderchee:
Sarah has decided she’s proud of the Aunt Lydia comparison, “that hard-working and fearless woman.”
posted by Artw at 11:01 AM on April 29, 2018 [21 favorites]
“We may have committed some light treason.”
Meanwhile, in Handmaidgate:
@alexanderchee:
Sarah has decided she’s proud of the Aunt Lydia comparison, “that hard-working and fearless woman.”
posted by Artw at 11:01 AM on April 29, 2018 [21 favorites]
More from the piece I linked to above. The author, Cheryl Rofer, is retired chemist with experience in nuclear policy.
The aftershocks could be the cavity collapsing in stages, or they could be the cavity and tunnels collapsing. Or it could be things happening in the rest of the mountain, as the jolt of the blast destabilizes things. It could be that the blast also fractured rock throughout the mountain. Landslides can be seen around the mountain, and its surface contours have been altered.posted by scalefree at 11:02 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
None of this is extraordinary for nuclear test sites. To say that it represents the mountain’s collapse is an exaggeration, as is the phrase “Tired Mountain Syndrome.”
A few articles have indulged in scare talk about radioactive material escaping from future tests. That would be a mostly local concern, if indeed the mountain is so fractured. There would be no point to another test where the chimney has formed, and North Korea has additional tunnels in other places in the mountain.
It’s likely that the North Koreans would find such an escape undesirable for other reasons. They have been extremely careful to contain their tests; escape of material would allow other countries insight into the design of their nuclear weapons.
US intelligence officials have said that the test site remains operational.
Closing the site would probably involve dynamiting the tunnel entrances. The tunnels could be opened in the future. North Korea destroyed the cooling tower for their plutonium reactor in 2008, in a similarly symbolic gesture. They built it back later.
Even if the test site were damaged, that is likely a small part of Kim’s calculation in offering a pause in testing, and even a closing of the test site. The larger factor is that he feels that he now has a deterrent against American and South Korean attack.
There's suddenly this narrative about the NK nuclear testing facilities being in shambles..how the hell would they have ever been truly re-useable? Wouldn’t it be safer to excavate a new tunnel for each test? Wouldn’t converting a sufficiently deep mine be a straightforward process?
As far as leaking radiation goes, remember that Central Asia, North America and Australia have seen hundreds of above ground tests, so a bit of leakage probably not a huge concern so long as the dear leader feels he's safely upwind.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:04 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
As far as leaking radiation goes, remember that Central Asia, North America and Australia have seen hundreds of above ground tests, so a bit of leakage probably not a huge concern so long as the dear leader feels he's safely upwind.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:04 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also, to decouple Seoul from Washington (the demand for “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula, which would include a removal of nuclear-capable US forces, is part of that).
And Trump will walk right into the trap: SecDef confirming that US military posture is on the Korean Peninsula is on the table for negotiations with Pyongyang. Major implications for US power and presence across the region. Got to wonder how Seoul & Tokyo will react.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:04 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
And Trump will walk right into the trap: SecDef confirming that US military posture is on the Korean Peninsula is on the table for negotiations with Pyongyang. Major implications for US power and presence across the region. Got to wonder how Seoul & Tokyo will react.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:04 AM on April 29, 2018 [10 favorites]
Seems Massachusetts is down to the Crazification limits: The Mass. Republican Party held its statewide nominating convention yesterday. Incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker, one of the few classic New England Republicans still alive, easily won the party nomination. But homophobe Scott Lively got 27.6% of the vote (676 delegates), which forces a primary in September (in Mass., both parties have a rule that anybody who gets at least 15% of the vote at a convention gets a primary). Lively is best known for a) helping Ugandans craft their strict anti-gay laws (although he denies calling for gays to be put to death) and b) for writing a book claiming it was gay Nazis who were responsible for the Holocaust (bonus fun fact: Lively started researching the book after he got tired of people calling him a Nazi). Lively also ran in 2018 as an independent; got almost 20,000 votes.
posted by adamg at 11:08 AM on April 29, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by adamg at 11:08 AM on April 29, 2018 [15 favorites]
Just to be clear, the North Korean test site is a mine shaft with some sensors. Digging a new mine shaft (if necessary) would not be the most difficult step in continuing their nuclear weapons development program.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:08 AM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:08 AM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
The desired outcome would presumably include a totalitarian North Korea gradually harmonising with China and the South, with Chinese investment into the economy and the old-fashioned Stalinist system of control being replaced with more modern forms of totalitarianism based on algorithmic surveillance, and a Hong Kong-like South Korea, which is nominally a democracy, but with Beijing having power of veto over participation.
If any country is suited for installation of a nationwide high-tech surveillance grid it's North Korea. We've seen in in Africa how communication technology can leapfrog generations in a previously flat, disconnected environment. I see no reason why the same can't be true of surveillance. As they work to unify North & South it could be used as a wedge to bring South Korea to heel with interoperability as the carrot.
posted by scalefree at 11:13 AM on April 29, 2018
If any country is suited for installation of a nationwide high-tech surveillance grid it's North Korea. We've seen in in Africa how communication technology can leapfrog generations in a previously flat, disconnected environment. I see no reason why the same can't be true of surveillance. As they work to unify North & South it could be used as a wedge to bring South Korea to heel with interoperability as the carrot.
posted by scalefree at 11:13 AM on April 29, 2018
@alexanderchee:
Sarah has decided she’s proud of the Aunt Lydia comparison, “that hard-working and fearless woman.”
I wish this was real but it's based on a parody Facebook page that is for some reason the top search on Facebook for SHS and not explicity marked as a parody.
posted by dis_integration at 11:19 AM on April 29, 2018 [22 favorites]
Sarah has decided she’s proud of the Aunt Lydia comparison, “that hard-working and fearless woman.”
I wish this was real but it's based on a parody Facebook page that is for some reason the top search on Facebook for SHS and not explicity marked as a parody.
posted by dis_integration at 11:19 AM on April 29, 2018 [22 favorites]
Digging a new mine shaft (if necessary) would not be the most difficult step in continuing their nuclear weapons development program.
If there's one thing the North Koreans are good at it's tunneling; there are several long tunnels, with underground troop complexes, running south of the border, including some rumoured to reach Seoul.
If reunification did happen, perhaps the Seoul tunnel could be reused for a Hyperloop system.
posted by acb at 11:46 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
If there's one thing the North Koreans are good at it's tunneling; there are several long tunnels, with underground troop complexes, running south of the border, including some rumoured to reach Seoul.
If reunification did happen, perhaps the Seoul tunnel could be reused for a Hyperloop system.
posted by acb at 11:46 AM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Here's a little blast from the past, the last "Where's bin Laden?" joke ever told, at the 2011 WHCD.
posted by scalefree at 11:49 AM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 11:49 AM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
NRA Convention Bans Guns To Protect Mike Pence
Guns will be barred during Vice President Mike Pence’s appearance at an upcoming National Rifle Association convention to protect his safety — prompting survivors of the Parkland school shooting in Florida to wonder why the gun group won’t agree to gun restrictions elsewhere to protect children.posted by zakur at 11:51 AM on April 29, 2018 [114 favorites]
Any discussion of N. Korea should include Russia; the ties run deep. Could they have been intermediaries?.
posted by adamvasco at 11:51 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by adamvasco at 11:51 AM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
If only there was a national gun fellowship that could take up the cause of the NRA & lobby to allow guns at their convention.
posted by scalefree at 11:54 AM on April 29, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 11:54 AM on April 29, 2018 [19 favorites]
Kim's master is Xi.
Yes and no. Notwithstanding any sanctions, there is a whole lot of illicit trade over North Korea's borders with China and Russia, not to mention on the high seas - by way of comparison, think about all the illicit border crossings and trade between Mexico and the US, with the world's richest nation to exercise control on one side. So realistically there is only so much China can do to control North Korea.
The alliance between China, Russia, and North Korea is a strategic one in that the obvious alternative to the status quo is the government of the South taking over a unified Korean peninsula, and neither China nor Russia wants an(other) land border with a staunch US ally. I believe at least China was quite fed up with Kim Jong Il and mainly only tolerated his regime for that reason (and the aforementioned difficulties in enforcing sanctions) - they were not actually particularly close, let alone a proper master / servant duo.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:03 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yes and no. Notwithstanding any sanctions, there is a whole lot of illicit trade over North Korea's borders with China and Russia, not to mention on the high seas - by way of comparison, think about all the illicit border crossings and trade between Mexico and the US, with the world's richest nation to exercise control on one side. So realistically there is only so much China can do to control North Korea.
The alliance between China, Russia, and North Korea is a strategic one in that the obvious alternative to the status quo is the government of the South taking over a unified Korean peninsula, and neither China nor Russia wants an(other) land border with a staunch US ally. I believe at least China was quite fed up with Kim Jong Il and mainly only tolerated his regime for that reason (and the aforementioned difficulties in enforcing sanctions) - they were not actually particularly close, let alone a proper master / servant duo.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 12:03 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
The NewYorker article linked above by infini is a must read. I can't find one quote to take out, just know that this is not just about how American eugenics inspired Hitler, but also about how the Nazis are very obviously inspiring the guy who had Hitler's speeches next to his bed.
posted by mumimor at 12:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 12:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [14 favorites]
The Facebook apology ad is running relentlessly during the NBA playoffs. Their message is basically, "remember how much you liked us before you learned what we really do?" And that's it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:18 PM on April 29, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:18 PM on April 29, 2018 [16 favorites]
I find all the nay-saying on the left about the apparent thaw on the Korean Peninsula a bit suspicious. Are we sure that we just don't want to allow our (domestic) political opponents a victory?
I mean, it's probably fair to say that Trump will try to take more credit than he deserves, but this is the first time in my lifetime that an end to the permanent Mexican Standoff in Korea looks genuinely possible. I'm sure that North Korea won't turn into a liberal democracy or anything, but bringing the country more fully into the international community will at least open doors and allow its citizens more exposure to the outside world than they've had so far. Peace is almost always preferable to war, or to a permanent armed seige. It's a big step in the right direction, and one that I never expected to see.
I'd love to see a stable, peaceful North Korea, one with better standards of living for its citizens and better relations with the rest of the world; even if it's still viciously authoritarian, that looks like a big improvement over the status quo. I'll still welcome that if it comes during the Trump administration, even if I view it as more of a fluke than some kind of diplomatic masterstroke.
Am I missing something?
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:21 PM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
I mean, it's probably fair to say that Trump will try to take more credit than he deserves, but this is the first time in my lifetime that an end to the permanent Mexican Standoff in Korea looks genuinely possible. I'm sure that North Korea won't turn into a liberal democracy or anything, but bringing the country more fully into the international community will at least open doors and allow its citizens more exposure to the outside world than they've had so far. Peace is almost always preferable to war, or to a permanent armed seige. It's a big step in the right direction, and one that I never expected to see.
I'd love to see a stable, peaceful North Korea, one with better standards of living for its citizens and better relations with the rest of the world; even if it's still viciously authoritarian, that looks like a big improvement over the status quo. I'll still welcome that if it comes during the Trump administration, even if I view it as more of a fluke than some kind of diplomatic masterstroke.
Am I missing something?
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:21 PM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
Am I missing something?
In the best scenario, we are at an "only Nixon could go to China" situation. Which is good, and not good. China hasn't at all become a liberal democracy, but I think every single one of my Chinese friends would testify that the situation is better now than it was. China still kills more of its own citizens than most other countries, and imprisons more dissidents than even Russia. But life is better there than under the cultural revolution, and we all trade with them and get friends from there.
posted by mumimor at 12:28 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
In the best scenario, we are at an "only Nixon could go to China" situation. Which is good, and not good. China hasn't at all become a liberal democracy, but I think every single one of my Chinese friends would testify that the situation is better now than it was. China still kills more of its own citizens than most other countries, and imprisons more dissidents than even Russia. But life is better there than under the cultural revolution, and we all trade with them and get friends from there.
posted by mumimor at 12:28 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
re: Lying to racists about being racist when asked point blank "do you think I'm a racist?"
I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I've rehearsed saying, "I think we all have racist thoughts. I know I do. I try hard to notice them in myself and really challenge them, and make sure they don't turn into racist actions. I'd like to think you do the same. Do you?"
posted by kristi at 12:29 PM on April 29, 2018 [55 favorites]
I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I've rehearsed saying, "I think we all have racist thoughts. I know I do. I try hard to notice them in myself and really challenge them, and make sure they don't turn into racist actions. I'd like to think you do the same. Do you?"
posted by kristi at 12:29 PM on April 29, 2018 [55 favorites]
Am I missing something?
Pure Partisanship manipulating the brain? I dunno. I definitely don't feel good when Trump gets a win of any kind. But this seems like a good thing so far.
That being said, I doubt Trump had much to do with this, it seems like everything is coming from SK diplomacy. My real concern is that Trump will totally fuck it up by making absurd demands at the upcoming summit, like asking the Kim regime to give up their nukes, which they definitely will never do.
posted by dis_integration at 12:31 PM on April 29, 2018
Pure Partisanship manipulating the brain? I dunno. I definitely don't feel good when Trump gets a win of any kind. But this seems like a good thing so far.
That being said, I doubt Trump had much to do with this, it seems like everything is coming from SK diplomacy. My real concern is that Trump will totally fuck it up by making absurd demands at the upcoming summit, like asking the Kim regime to give up their nukes, which they definitely will never do.
posted by dis_integration at 12:31 PM on April 29, 2018
Sure mumior, but that seems like it was kind of always the best case scenario.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:31 PM on April 29, 2018
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:31 PM on April 29, 2018
I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I've rehearsed saying, "I think we all have racist thoughts. I know I do. I try hard to notice them in myself and really challenge them, and make sure they don't turn into racist actions. I'd like to think you do the same. Do you?"
I haven't given up on having that conversation. I'm biding my time & looking for the right opening. Just not on Facebook messenger.
posted by scalefree at 12:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
I haven't given up on having that conversation. I'm biding my time & looking for the right opening. Just not on Facebook messenger.
posted by scalefree at 12:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sure mumior, but that seems like it was kind of always the best case scenario.
Yeah, I agree, and if Trump somehow makes a deal with the Koreas, I'm all with applauding it. (though I hope to god he won't get a Nobel prize for it).
posted by mumimor at 12:40 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I agree, and if Trump somehow makes a deal with the Koreas, I'm all with applauding it. (though I hope to god he won't get a Nobel prize for it).
posted by mumimor at 12:40 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
This. A thousand times this.
@HaroldItz Michelle Wolf taught quisling journalists what the First Amendment looks like when you don’t care about access. #WHCD
posted by scalefree at 12:44 PM on April 29, 2018 [117 favorites]
@HaroldItz Michelle Wolf taught quisling journalists what the First Amendment looks like when you don’t care about access. #WHCD
posted by scalefree at 12:44 PM on April 29, 2018 [117 favorites]
BuzzFeed, The Justice Department Deleted Language About Press Freedom And Racial Gerrymandering From Its Internal Manual, in which Zoe Tillman fires up the Wayback Machine to find out what Sessions has been up to.
The press remains more concerned with Michelle Wolf's speech than whether DOJ cares about press freedom and racial gerrymandering.
posted by zachlipton at 12:54 PM on April 29, 2018 [60 favorites]
The press remains more concerned with Michelle Wolf's speech than whether DOJ cares about press freedom and racial gerrymandering.
posted by zachlipton at 12:54 PM on April 29, 2018 [60 favorites]
this is the first time in my lifetime that an end to the permanent Mexican Standoff in Korea looks genuinely possible.
We've been here before in 2000 and it fell apart and North Korea ended up with nukes.
Are we sure that we just don't want to allow our (domestic) political opponents a victory?
Max Boot who wrote the above is a lifelong Republican.
Robert Kelly, North Korea expert and SK-NK rapprochement skeptic is also a lifelong Republican.
As is Tom Nichols, who is also a skeptic.
Boot and Nichols are NeverTrumpers, but pretty much any sane foreign policy Rs are.
I hope peace comes and life improves for the NK people. But I don't trust Kim – he actually hasn't given up anything yet – and I don't trust Trump, he's a malevolent idiot.
posted by chris24 at 1:02 PM on April 29, 2018 [16 favorites]
We've been here before in 2000 and it fell apart and North Korea ended up with nukes.
Are we sure that we just don't want to allow our (domestic) political opponents a victory?
Max Boot who wrote the above is a lifelong Republican.
Robert Kelly, North Korea expert and SK-NK rapprochement skeptic is also a lifelong Republican.
As is Tom Nichols, who is also a skeptic.
Boot and Nichols are NeverTrumpers, but pretty much any sane foreign policy Rs are.
I hope peace comes and life improves for the NK people. But I don't trust Kim – he actually hasn't given up anything yet – and I don't trust Trump, he's a malevolent idiot.
posted by chris24 at 1:02 PM on April 29, 2018 [16 favorites]
Kim doesn't have anything to give up except the nukes, and he'd be an idiot to do that. I suppose signing a peace treaty could be viewed as a concession but, one, it's obviously purely symbolic (though a vital one!) and, two, the South gains as much from an official peace as the north.
So what could Kim concede here? I'm genuinely curious.
posted by Justinian at 1:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
So what could Kim concede here? I'm genuinely curious.
posted by Justinian at 1:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
China still kills more of its own citizens than most other countries, and imprisons more dissidents than even Russia.
The US really doesn't have a whole lot of room to judge other nations for imprisoning huge swaths of its populace or allowing the state to gun down civilians in broad daylight without consequence.
We do it more than Russia. More than China. By these metrics, we're the bad guys. Full stop.
posted by schmod at 1:07 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
The US really doesn't have a whole lot of room to judge other nations for imprisoning huge swaths of its populace or allowing the state to gun down civilians in broad daylight without consequence.
We do it more than Russia. More than China. By these metrics, we're the bad guys. Full stop.
posted by schmod at 1:07 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
That's... pretty close to Trump's defense of Putin being a killer. One reason China jails fewer people per capita than the USA is that they just kill them extra judicially instead. And let's not even talk about purely political prisoners.
The US justice system has brutal problems. It still isn't China or Russia.
posted by Justinian at 1:10 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
The US justice system has brutal problems. It still isn't China or Russia.
posted by Justinian at 1:10 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
Kim doesn't have anything to give up except the nukes, and he'd be an idiot to do that. I suppose signing a peace treaty could be viewed as a concession but, one, it's obviously purely symbolic (though a vital one!) and, two, the South gains as much from an official peace as the north.
So what could Kim concede here? I'm genuinely curious.
Well, if there is anything to learn from the breakdown of the Soviet Union, he has nothing and there is no secret conspiracy. NK is broke, the population are dying at catastrophic levels and there is no way out. Kim's main interest at this point would be to get out alive and still wealthy.
posted by mumimor at 1:10 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
So what could Kim concede here? I'm genuinely curious.
Well, if there is anything to learn from the breakdown of the Soviet Union, he has nothing and there is no secret conspiracy. NK is broke, the population are dying at catastrophic levels and there is no way out. Kim's main interest at this point would be to get out alive and still wealthy.
posted by mumimor at 1:10 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
So what could Kim concede here? I'm genuinely curious.
North Korea currently has 3 detained Americans and 4 detained South Koreans who have been held for 1 to 5 years.
They could also allow visitation to South Koreans. They could allow family reunification. They could also stop being (maybe) the worst human rights abusers in the world.
They could agree to no further nuclear tests and to limits on their ICBMs and nukes. (I agree with you that they won't give them up.)
posted by chris24 at 1:11 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
North Korea currently has 3 detained Americans and 4 detained South Koreans who have been held for 1 to 5 years.
They could also allow visitation to South Koreans. They could allow family reunification. They could also stop being (maybe) the worst human rights abusers in the world.
They could agree to no further nuclear tests and to limits on their ICBMs and nukes. (I agree with you that they won't give them up.)
posted by chris24 at 1:11 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
The US justice system has brutal problems. It still isn't China or Russia.
You're right it's much worse. More racist, more hypocritical, more capitalist. And growing in both.
posted by rc3spencer at 1:14 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
You're right it's much worse. More racist, more hypocritical, more capitalist. And growing in both.
posted by rc3spencer at 1:14 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Well it sounds as though he is willing to give up at least part of his nuclear program. He seems at least willing to cease further development. Possibly he feels like now that he actually has the nukes and rockets that he wants, he's in a position of strength from which he can bargain? Or perhaps he's decided that nukes or not, any kind of serious military action by him would result in him and his entire country being wiped off the face of the earth? Or perhaps he's always been personally ambivalent about the whole nukes thing but powerful factions of his inner circle which he had deemed it necessary to appease have been pushing for it, only now their influence has waned? Maybe he's even decided that the US has gone completely crazy and he'd better lower the stakes because who knows what will happen with such an erratic adversary. I mean, maybe Trump did have a role in precipitating this, albeit more by accident than design. Or maybe he just sees his country falling apart soon, and sees legitimization on the international stage as the only path toward maintaining his power.
It's really hard to know what his exact motivation is, but progress is progress. I'm not too concerned with what a bunch of pundits have to say, Republican or otherwise—pundits are usually wrong and there are so many of them, all trying to say something original, that you can find a few to back up almost any interpretation of public events. It looks to me like we're on the verge of peace, and if that happens it'll be a good thing.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:20 PM on April 29, 2018
It's really hard to know what his exact motivation is, but progress is progress. I'm not too concerned with what a bunch of pundits have to say, Republican or otherwise—pundits are usually wrong and there are so many of them, all trying to say something original, that you can find a few to back up almost any interpretation of public events. It looks to me like we're on the verge of peace, and if that happens it'll be a good thing.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:20 PM on April 29, 2018
What happened in East Germany was that the Soviet Union no longer supported the regime. I have no idea wether Gorbachov had thought about the consequences or not, but there was a domino effect, maybe one that already started with with Solidarity in Poland, and then first went slowly and then all at once.
The parallel here is that China said stop to NK last year, because they were going over the top. Without Chinese support, there is no way NK can sustain itself.
posted by mumimor at 1:26 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
The parallel here is that China said stop to NK last year, because they were going over the top. Without Chinese support, there is no way NK can sustain itself.
posted by mumimor at 1:26 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
No need for complex theories about what is motivating NK. Everyone in Asia has watched America cede it’s leadership role in Asia. China, South Korea and North Korea would all like stability and profit in the region. With America gone China, North Korea and South Korea can continue to make money and stop spending it on a situation that is a relic of America’s Cold War.
posted by wobumingbai at 1:29 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by wobumingbai at 1:29 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
If you think race does not factor into imprisonment in China, I've got some news about how dozens of ethnic minorities are treated in PRC.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:40 PM on April 29, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:40 PM on April 29, 2018 [50 favorites]
The difference is that East Germany still had social structures that were not dependent on totalitarian dictatorship; the culture and structure of society were sufficiently close to West Germany to allow easy integration into a less repressive system. When the repressive apparatus of a dictatorship collapses, if there are no more liberal norms for the society to fall back on, what results is chaos. Those who can, make out like bandits, as happened in the USSR. Meanwhile, ordinary people fall back on family/tribal structures and ancient hatreds and vendettas return. As such, while dictatorship is a bad thing (and one as brutal as North Korea is extremely bad) and freedom is good, suddenly dismantling the North Korean dictatorship and bringing in freedom would be more like explosive decompression.
posted by acb at 1:49 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by acb at 1:49 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
West German poured a fuck-rob of money into East Germany. That makes a big difference and stopped it being Russia. No idea if SK is in position to do that with NK to a sufficient degree that would help.
posted by Artw at 2:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 2:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
The difference is that East Germany still had social structures that were not dependent on totalitarian dictatorship; the culture and structure of society were sufficiently close to West Germany to allow easy integration into a less repressive system.
Sorry, this is not something I can recognize. East Germany had been under totalitarian regime since 1933, and 200.000 Germans reported to Stasi, the internal surveillance agency. I have several personal experiences, including having a Stasi roommate.
East Germany is still not fully integrated, in spite of Western Germany pouring tons of money in there, and a lot of Germany's issues with the far right are situated in the old East. That said, other issues contributed to the problems we see today in the former east block.
IMO, what happened in the former Soviet Union and several former East block nations was to a large extent deliberated by neo-conservatives and libertarians within the US government and the World Bank who made the whole region into a randian experiment. At the time I really wondered why the US Democrats and European Social Democrats didn't put up more of a fight, because in my view, they had great arguments. But in later conversations it became clear to me that they didn't think that themselves. Probably they were dumb, but here we are.
posted by mumimor at 2:07 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
Sorry, this is not something I can recognize. East Germany had been under totalitarian regime since 1933, and 200.000 Germans reported to Stasi, the internal surveillance agency. I have several personal experiences, including having a Stasi roommate.
East Germany is still not fully integrated, in spite of Western Germany pouring tons of money in there, and a lot of Germany's issues with the far right are situated in the old East. That said, other issues contributed to the problems we see today in the former east block.
IMO, what happened in the former Soviet Union and several former East block nations was to a large extent deliberated by neo-conservatives and libertarians within the US government and the World Bank who made the whole region into a randian experiment. At the time I really wondered why the US Democrats and European Social Democrats didn't put up more of a fight, because in my view, they had great arguments. But in later conversations it became clear to me that they didn't think that themselves. Probably they were dumb, but here we are.
posted by mumimor at 2:07 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
I think that North Korea has probably already made the best/most powerful nuclear weapons that they realistically are going to be able to make. I think Kim has realized this and has realized that further development would just be throwing good money after bad. He’s probably got a couple of them stashed somewhere (waiting for them to figure out their ICBM technology, which I haven’t heard ANY talk of them suspending), and doesn’t really need/want to waste money trying to figure out the better/stronger nuclear weapons. He’s got what he needs already.
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:10 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:10 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
Regarding both the WHCD and Fenris, Monster of the River Ván… When I watched Thor: Ragnarok, I found myself wishing the movie had eschewed everything “serious” because its overall tone was so committed to humor, which meant the rare grave moments (like the deaths of key characters) put it into an uncanny valley.
My reaction to Michelle Wolf’s speech was basically the opposite: I’m glad she brought on the venom, but I wish she had bothered even less with the joke-telling aspect, because what humor there was was spread so thin (apart from a few especially sharp jabs). Just twenty minutes of righteous invective would have hit the spot for me more. Obviously there are a ton of good reasons that didn’t happen (the venue, the inevitable sexist reaction, etc). I’m just one person and what she did was definitely correct for the context, so kudos to her. (Also, I suppose that Thor movie had to kill people off for plot reasons or whatever.)
Specific reactions: I cringed when she made a Hillary-failed-to-visit-State-X joke. That narrative needs to die ten years ago, and feeds into “Russia-gate is an excuse” (even though logically it shouldn’t because crimes are crimes).
I’m very, very glad she brought up Donald’s indebtedness. That’s a major fact that doesn’t get enough attention apart from inside-baseballers like us, because the “Trump means wealth” narrative is so entrenched for the American public. It stands in the way of people really grasping the nature of the scandals (e.g all the money laundering and associated leverage, which is a connection she specifically made).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:12 PM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
My reaction to Michelle Wolf’s speech was basically the opposite: I’m glad she brought on the venom, but I wish she had bothered even less with the joke-telling aspect, because what humor there was was spread so thin (apart from a few especially sharp jabs). Just twenty minutes of righteous invective would have hit the spot for me more. Obviously there are a ton of good reasons that didn’t happen (the venue, the inevitable sexist reaction, etc). I’m just one person and what she did was definitely correct for the context, so kudos to her. (Also, I suppose that Thor movie had to kill people off for plot reasons or whatever.)
Specific reactions: I cringed when she made a Hillary-failed-to-visit-State-X joke. That narrative needs to die ten years ago, and feeds into “Russia-gate is an excuse” (even though logically it shouldn’t because crimes are crimes).
I’m very, very glad she brought up Donald’s indebtedness. That’s a major fact that doesn’t get enough attention apart from inside-baseballers like us, because the “Trump means wealth” narrative is so entrenched for the American public. It stands in the way of people really grasping the nature of the scandals (e.g all the money laundering and associated leverage, which is a connection she specifically made).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:12 PM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
Politico, Ronny Jackson won’t return to old job as Trump’s physician. This as the White House continues to insist Jackson is innocent of everything and attacks Tester.
posted by zachlipton at 2:23 PM on April 29, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:23 PM on April 29, 2018 [26 favorites]
Politico, Ronny Jackson won’t return to old job as Trump’s physician.
So when he was "in talks to withdraw" from the VA nomination a few days ago, it was less "trying to keep my old job" and more "trying to fend off a court-martial."
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [18 favorites]
So when he was "in talks to withdraw" from the VA nomination a few days ago, it was less "trying to keep my old job" and more "trying to fend off a court-martial."
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [18 favorites]
Am I missing something?
I don't expect a peace treaty to be had, really. I expect it to break down in negotiations. But here's the thing: Kim Jong Un is working hard to build diplomatic bridges with China and South Korea. If the deal collapses, Kim isn't going to get the blame. If we had competent leadership the situation would be different. but this is like saying, Hey, we've always wanted to go to Mars, so what if the pilot is a Golden Retriever? Why all the skepticism? Is it just because he's a dog?
And that's if Trump doesn't give away whatever Kim asks for just so he can have a "win".
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
I don't expect a peace treaty to be had, really. I expect it to break down in negotiations. But here's the thing: Kim Jong Un is working hard to build diplomatic bridges with China and South Korea. If the deal collapses, Kim isn't going to get the blame. If we had competent leadership the situation would be different. but this is like saying, Hey, we've always wanted to go to Mars, so what if the pilot is a Golden Retriever? Why all the skepticism? Is it just because he's a dog?
And that's if Trump doesn't give away whatever Kim asks for just so he can have a "win".
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
Also, how much does anyone think this is going to convince Kim to disarm?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
Also, how much does anyone think this is going to convince Kim to disarm?
Yeah, North Korea has previously cited Libya as exactly the reason they need nukes. It's kinda *the* case study in 'give up nukes, get killed/overthrown.'
posted by chris24 at 3:53 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah, North Korea has previously cited Libya as exactly the reason they need nukes. It's kinda *the* case study in 'give up nukes, get killed/overthrown.'
posted by chris24 at 3:53 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
Former George W. Bush ethics lawyer ditches GOP, to seek U.S. Senate in Minn. as Democrat
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:56 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
Richard Painter, a longtime Republican who was chief ethics lawyer for George W. Bush's White House, intends to run for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota this year as a Democrat, according to a filing he made recently with federal elections officials.At least he's not running as an independent to play spoiler, but Minnesota needs to put Tina Smith back in that seat, we don't need reliable liberal votes picked off by a "centrist", even someone like Painter.
...
He announced last month that he was forming an exploratory committee ahead of deciding whether to run. At that time, he said that although he's a longtime Republican and served as chief ethics lawyer in George W. Bush's White House, he's unsure whether he would run as a Republican, Democrat or independent.
"I need to think about whether there's a place for me" in the GOP, he said at the time. "I'm going to be considering any and all options." He described himself as "a centrist in many ways — right up the middle." He said he has supported Democrats.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:56 PM on April 29, 2018 [30 favorites]
At least he's not running as an independent to play spoiler, but Minnesota needs to put Tina Smith back in that seat, we don't need reliable liberal votes picked off by a "centrist", even someone like Painter.
Minnesota MeFites: how strong is the Republican challenger? Last I heard, Tim Pawlenty was saving himself for Governor, and the Republican running is one Karin Housley - is she deep-pocketed or with any Kasich-like "I'm a reasonable Republican, moderates love me!" appeal? (I know the idea of Kasich as a "reasonable moderate" is laughable by any standards other than 2018 but here we are.)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 4:17 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Minnesota MeFites: how strong is the Republican challenger? Last I heard, Tim Pawlenty was saving himself for Governor, and the Republican running is one Karin Housley - is she deep-pocketed or with any Kasich-like "I'm a reasonable Republican, moderates love me!" appeal? (I know the idea of Kasich as a "reasonable moderate" is laughable by any standards other than 2018 but here we are.)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 4:17 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's kinda *the* case study in 'give up nukes, get killed/overthrown.'
Ukraine gave its nukes back to Russia after the USSR collapsed. That didn't work out so well for them either. South Africa voluntarily disarmed after apartheid ended and, while the successor state is still in place, it isn't exactly a glowing success story of peace, harmony, and prosperity.
Giving up your most powerful weapons doesn't have a very good track record.
posted by Justinian at 4:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [6 favorites]
Ukraine gave its nukes back to Russia after the USSR collapsed. That didn't work out so well for them either. South Africa voluntarily disarmed after apartheid ended and, while the successor state is still in place, it isn't exactly a glowing success story of peace, harmony, and prosperity.
Giving up your most powerful weapons doesn't have a very good track record.
posted by Justinian at 4:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [6 favorites]
Am I missing something?
Absolutely. The change is, South Korea has a liberal government again, just as they did in 2000 (when the current president was a major official involved in the peace talks that fell apart). Since then, conservative SK governments have had no interest in peace.
None of which has anything to do with Trump.
posted by msalt at 4:44 PM on April 29, 2018 [16 favorites]
Absolutely. The change is, South Korea has a liberal government again, just as they did in 2000 (when the current president was a major official involved in the peace talks that fell apart). Since then, conservative SK governments have had no interest in peace.
None of which has anything to do with Trump.
posted by msalt at 4:44 PM on April 29, 2018 [16 favorites]
WaPo, ‘Ready, shoot, aim’: President Trump’s loyalty tests cause hiring headaches. To summarize: "The FBI vet on Ronny Jackson wasn't done when Trump named him. Senior officials didn't know Rob Porter was even married. But a potential State hire was recently nixed for re-tweeting a 2016 tweet critical of Trump over Access Hollywood."
The failed nomination of Ronny L. Jackson, the president’s physician, to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs was the latest example of the sometimes haphazard way Trump unilaterally elevates people with whom he has a personal rapport.posted by zachlipton at 4:51 PM on April 29, 2018 [18 favorites]
Trump’s operating principle is “ready, shoot, aim, as opposed to ready, aim, shoot,” said one White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment candidly,
A Republican strategist who works closely with the West Wing was even more blunt: “The Trump White House vetting machine is an oxymoron. There’s only one answer — Trump decides who he wants and tells people. That’s the vetting process.”
...
The Office of Presidential Personnel, which is run by Johnny DeStefano, employs Katja Bullock, 75, who has worked in the same office during the past three Republican administrations. But the office has come under scrutiny since a Washington Post report revealed that it is as much a social hub as a rigorous operation, with young former campaign workers hosting happy hours, playing drinking games and smoking electronic cigarettes there.
He said he has supported Democrats.
Excellent. He's welcome to do so in the future. But that's no qualification to represent Democrats. If he truly wants that, he can start at the bottom and build up better bona fides than having worked for the less incompetent Bush.
posted by Candleman at 4:57 PM on April 29, 2018 [18 favorites]
Excellent. He's welcome to do so in the future. But that's no qualification to represent Democrats. If he truly wants that, he can start at the bottom and build up better bona fides than having worked for the less incompetent Bush.
posted by Candleman at 4:57 PM on April 29, 2018 [18 favorites]
It sounds like I was wrong and N. Korea's testing tunnel collapse is not a huge obstacle to them continuing their nuclear program. But I still don't think he's in anywhere near the negotiating position he was before the accident. I still think he has an agreement with Xi to negotiate peace, probably with a promise of economic support if it all works out.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think all of this signals North Korea may be at a breaking point, in which case giving them what they want would be a lot like shoring up East Germany's economy right before it fell apart. I wonder what games Russia and East Germany would have played had they been aware that technology was coming that would make surveillance infinitely cheaper and more scaleable.
The comparison with East Germany is a really good one. South Koreans still regard Northerners as lost countrymen and family. The economic vacuum I think is similar. The biggest employer in East Germany was the Stasi. 6 out of 10 East Germans were employed by them. If East Germany can get over that vacuum I think North Korea probably could too if given the chance.
I never understood why when Russia collapsed there wasn't a massive American influx of funding. Every carrot needed to induce Russia to move to being fully democratic should have been offered. They needed a lot of support privatizing previously centralized industries too. Ultimately, I think like Afghanistan and Iraq it was a case of Americans thinking the mission was accomplished much too early. Over and over again the U.S. seems incapable of thinking about the day after the regime falls.
Anyway, I don't know the right answer, but I find it concerning that every media story is basically "Kim wants x,y,z. Can Trump deliver it?" I'm not reading anyone talking about alternatives, other than Bolton, and his alternatives are crazy town.
posted by xammerboy at 5:11 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think all of this signals North Korea may be at a breaking point, in which case giving them what they want would be a lot like shoring up East Germany's economy right before it fell apart. I wonder what games Russia and East Germany would have played had they been aware that technology was coming that would make surveillance infinitely cheaper and more scaleable.
The comparison with East Germany is a really good one. South Koreans still regard Northerners as lost countrymen and family. The economic vacuum I think is similar. The biggest employer in East Germany was the Stasi. 6 out of 10 East Germans were employed by them. If East Germany can get over that vacuum I think North Korea probably could too if given the chance.
I never understood why when Russia collapsed there wasn't a massive American influx of funding. Every carrot needed to induce Russia to move to being fully democratic should have been offered. They needed a lot of support privatizing previously centralized industries too. Ultimately, I think like Afghanistan and Iraq it was a case of Americans thinking the mission was accomplished much too early. Over and over again the U.S. seems incapable of thinking about the day after the regime falls.
Anyway, I don't know the right answer, but I find it concerning that every media story is basically "Kim wants x,y,z. Can Trump deliver it?" I'm not reading anyone talking about alternatives, other than Bolton, and his alternatives are crazy town.
posted by xammerboy at 5:11 PM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
I never understood why when Russia collapsed there wasn't a massive American influx of funding.
As I understand it the American administration of the time was utterly high on the magic of market forces and sent a bunch of assholes to advise on how to fuck it up good and proper instead. And so Putin.
posted by Artw at 5:31 PM on April 29, 2018 [29 favorites]
As I understand it the American administration of the time was utterly high on the magic of market forces and sent a bunch of assholes to advise on how to fuck it up good and proper instead. And so Putin.
posted by Artw at 5:31 PM on April 29, 2018 [29 favorites]
I never understood why when Russia collapsed there wasn't a massive American influx of funding.
As I understand it the American administration of the time was utterly high on the magic of market forces and sent a bunch of assholes to advise on how to fuck it up good and proper instead. And so Putin.
Pretty much, palettes of money and experts and threats and god knows what was sent to make sure a Randian free market paradise of easily exploitable resources and then surprise! the mafia took over.
posted by The Whelk at 5:48 PM on April 29, 2018 [38 favorites]
As I understand it the American administration of the time was utterly high on the magic of market forces and sent a bunch of assholes to advise on how to fuck it up good and proper instead. And so Putin.
Pretty much, palettes of money and experts and threats and god knows what was sent to make sure a Randian free market paradise of easily exploitable resources and then surprise! the mafia took over.
posted by The Whelk at 5:48 PM on April 29, 2018 [38 favorites]
I mean, that was pretty much the plan from the beginning right? It's the plan for here too, explicitly.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
The young Kim Jong Un doesn't exactly seem to be as into the whole idea of "North Korea/Juche" thing as his father and grandfather were. I wonder how far South Korea could get with selling Kim the following package:
1) We'll set you, Kim Jong Un up as some kind of quasi-royal family within the new "Unified Korea", but you won't actually be running things. In exchange,
2) Unified Korea and ..
3) We kick out the United States. (I'm actually wondering about this one a lot right now, because Trump is just dumb enough and just racist enough to be tricked into the idea of removing the US military presence, and letting China "Hong Kong" the whole peninsula.)
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:06 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
1) We'll set you, Kim Jong Un up as some kind of quasi-royal family within the new "Unified Korea", but you won't actually be running things. In exchange,
2) Unified Korea and ..
3) We kick out the United States. (I'm actually wondering about this one a lot right now, because Trump is just dumb enough and just racist enough to be tricked into the idea of removing the US military presence, and letting China "Hong Kong" the whole peninsula.)
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:06 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thought experiment, of course, but why not? Kim Jong Un is amazingly cheap compared to the GDP of South Korea.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:19 PM on April 29, 2018
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:19 PM on April 29, 2018
I think it would be more likely to set up Kim Jong Un for life as a Troma film director.
posted by benzenedream at 6:32 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 6:32 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
6 out of 10 East Germans were employed by them.
Ummm? Not exactly. They had a huge network of informants who cooperated to a greater or lesser degree, and most certainly not all of them working on an ongoing and full time basis. Most of them were coerced into their assistance through blackmail, threats, etc. So that 60% is a bit overblown.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:32 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Ummm? Not exactly. They had a huge network of informants who cooperated to a greater or lesser degree, and most certainly not all of them working on an ongoing and full time basis. Most of them were coerced into their assistance through blackmail, threats, etc. So that 60% is a bit overblown.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:32 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Kim Jong Un up as some kind of quasi-royal family
That is a non-starter. With a cult of personality like the Kim line, they have to be supreme leader or they are nothing. Allowing North Koreans to no longer be under direct and complete control of the Kim dynasty completely dismantles the Kim dynasty.
Any 'liberalization' of relations (exchange of information/ people) between North and South Korea would be disasterous to the Kim regime - when N. Koreans as a population realizes how the Kim regime has been lying to them, well, it's pitchfork and torches for reals time.
Kim Jong Un wants money (mostly for him, but if its for his people [after Kim and his cronies gets their cut] that's still a win for him) and concession that he can continue to operate NK how it has always been operated.
posted by porpoise at 6:34 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
That is a non-starter. With a cult of personality like the Kim line, they have to be supreme leader or they are nothing. Allowing North Koreans to no longer be under direct and complete control of the Kim dynasty completely dismantles the Kim dynasty.
Any 'liberalization' of relations (exchange of information/ people) between North and South Korea would be disasterous to the Kim regime - when N. Koreans as a population realizes how the Kim regime has been lying to them, well, it's pitchfork and torches for reals time.
Kim Jong Un wants money (mostly for him, but if its for his people [after Kim and his cronies gets their cut] that's still a win for him) and concession that he can continue to operate NK how it has always been operated.
posted by porpoise at 6:34 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
I can't wait for the invention of perfect virtual reality, so we can just plug people like Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump into it while the rest of us go on with the business of improving things.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [14 favorites]
I think everyone is falling for the instant narrative saying that we will know if this is a good or bad deal when we don't have the details or even whether there will be a deal. The Chamberlain analogy is correct. You have to wait to see who played whom.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:04 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
I never understood why when Russia collapsed there wasn't a massive American influx of funding.
There was, and much of it flowed right on out of the old USSR. When I was selling real estate in Miami in the late 1990's and early 2000's I heard stories from my Broker about the community we specialized in. Russians came with cash, bought high end homes with the cash, then took out standard no documentation mortgage loans for 80% loan to value, then took out home equity lines of credit and/or second mortgages to get the remaining 20% of their purchase price out of the home and then they would disappear and the home would go into foreclosure. This happened multiple times in one community. It happened in several places in Dade and Broward Counties in the early 1990's.
posted by W Grant at 7:11 PM on April 29, 2018 [17 favorites]
There was, and much of it flowed right on out of the old USSR. When I was selling real estate in Miami in the late 1990's and early 2000's I heard stories from my Broker about the community we specialized in. Russians came with cash, bought high end homes with the cash, then took out standard no documentation mortgage loans for 80% loan to value, then took out home equity lines of credit and/or second mortgages to get the remaining 20% of their purchase price out of the home and then they would disappear and the home would go into foreclosure. This happened multiple times in one community. It happened in several places in Dade and Broward Counties in the early 1990's.
posted by W Grant at 7:11 PM on April 29, 2018 [17 favorites]
Well. This is weird. What happened to Emmanuel Macron's gift of a White House oak?
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
French President Emmanuel Macron brought it during his White House visit last week and, with cameras clicking, planted it with President Donald Trump on the South Lawn on Monday. But by the end of the week, photographs appeared to show that the tree had vanished.Snopes has no information, as yet.
It was replaced by grass, its whereabouts unknown.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:35 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Rosie M. Banks: "Minnesota MeFites: how strong is the Republican challenger? Last I heard, Tim Pawlenty was saving himself for Governor, and the Republican running is one Karin Housley - is she deep-pocketed or with any Kasich-like "I'm a reasonable Republican, moderates love me!" appeal?"
Yeah, Pawlenty is running for governor. I haven't heard too much about Housley, but her platform seems to be pitching her as quasi-moderate. She's a two term state senator, and lost the GOP nom for LG in 2014 (in MN, you run as a ticket with the gov candidate). I have not seen much that indicates that she's on an unstoppable rise to success, I'll put it that way.
It's terrific that Painter is not running an indy campaign. I think he probably would not have thrown the election to the GOP, but it was certainly a danger. In the Dem primary, Painter has pretty much zero chance in the convention (if he pursues that) and not much of one in the primary.
(for the record, I am not Minnesotan)
posted by Chrysostom at 7:39 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
Yeah, Pawlenty is running for governor. I haven't heard too much about Housley, but her platform seems to be pitching her as quasi-moderate. She's a two term state senator, and lost the GOP nom for LG in 2014 (in MN, you run as a ticket with the gov candidate). I have not seen much that indicates that she's on an unstoppable rise to success, I'll put it that way.
It's terrific that Painter is not running an indy campaign. I think he probably would not have thrown the election to the GOP, but it was certainly a danger. In the Dem primary, Painter has pretty much zero chance in the convention (if he pursues that) and not much of one in the primary.
(for the record, I am not Minnesotan)
posted by Chrysostom at 7:39 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
The assumption from my Twitter sources is that the oak had not completed its required quarantine and has to serve its time. A tweet said the French edition of Huffpost suggested that.
posted by Peach at 8:20 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Peach at 8:20 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
This is such a "and of course" thing to me. Like, nope, they couldn't just literally leave a tree be in this goddamn hell year.
Yup. Literally they can't even plant a tree and leave it there right without Trump having a spite fit. Most likely, anyway.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:23 PM on April 29, 2018
Yup. Literally they can't even plant a tree and leave it there right without Trump having a spite fit. Most likely, anyway.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:23 PM on April 29, 2018
Pretty much, palettes of money and experts and threats and god knows what was sent to make sure a Randian free market paradise of easily exploitable resources and then surprise! the mafia took over.
From what Bill Browder said in his interview on Preet Bharara's podcast, that was exactly the situation that precipitated the death of Magnitsky. Browder went in to make pots of money in the circus, Magnitsky was his lawyer, and presto! things changed.
posted by Peach at 8:24 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
I've said my piece on what I thought about Michelle Wolf's set, but the handwringing over it has gotten far, far worse (the word "handwringing" is now actually trending on DC twitter, it's that bad). The WHCA President put out a statement about how the event is supposed to honor civility and great reporting, "not to divide people." It's a sick joke that takes more offense at whether people were divided when whether the White House lies to the press and dreams of jailing journalists.
We were talking a bit last night about whether Wolf's set was speaking truth to power, and I've been thinking about a speech I saw Jake Tapper give last week that was about, well, speaking truth to power. In my view, Tapper has struck out to build himself a niche where he stands for neutrality and civility. He takes great care to ensure nobody would possibly know if he has any personal view at all on taxes or immigration or any other policy issue, going so far as to not vote in races he covers. But he will stand up and call it out when someone says something he views as indecent, whether that's Trump mocking a disabled reporter or retweeting anti-Muslim bigotry.
Tapper clearly takes great pride in this. But there's no attempt to grapple with the central contradiction: why is it inherently indecent to make fun of a disabled man but it's just policy to deport Dreamers or ban Muslims? Why is a vile retweet worthy of breaking neutrality and standing up to say "this is wrong," but legislation that would take away health insurance from millions of people is just a policy debate about which we must hear all sides? When Tapper and the WHCA are making a stand for civility or decency, they're putting concern about verbal attacks over policies that amount to actual violence against millions of people. And I can't wrap my head around a worldview where you believe it's a moral imperative to speak out when you think someone has said something awful, but not when someone wants to use the state to do something far worse to far more people.
For all the handwringing by the media over Wolf's set, I've yet to see anyone actually engage with what she said at the end, the bit that really cut deep about the assembled press helping create this monster. Nobody will even touch that one to try to refute it let alone grapple with it. And nobody cares that Flint doesn't have clean water. Because apparently everyone is more concerned about whether our tone is suitably decent than the indecency of poisoning a city.
p.s. almost nobody seems to have picked up on the (hopefully intentional) of homophone joke behind the Sarah Sanders bit. Here's the joke:
There's a "burned fat —> ashes —> lye —> lie" thing going on here.
posted by zachlipton at 8:26 PM on April 29, 2018 [46 favorites]
We were talking a bit last night about whether Wolf's set was speaking truth to power, and I've been thinking about a speech I saw Jake Tapper give last week that was about, well, speaking truth to power. In my view, Tapper has struck out to build himself a niche where he stands for neutrality and civility. He takes great care to ensure nobody would possibly know if he has any personal view at all on taxes or immigration or any other policy issue, going so far as to not vote in races he covers. But he will stand up and call it out when someone says something he views as indecent, whether that's Trump mocking a disabled reporter or retweeting anti-Muslim bigotry.
Tapper clearly takes great pride in this. But there's no attempt to grapple with the central contradiction: why is it inherently indecent to make fun of a disabled man but it's just policy to deport Dreamers or ban Muslims? Why is a vile retweet worthy of breaking neutrality and standing up to say "this is wrong," but legislation that would take away health insurance from millions of people is just a policy debate about which we must hear all sides? When Tapper and the WHCA are making a stand for civility or decency, they're putting concern about verbal attacks over policies that amount to actual violence against millions of people. And I can't wrap my head around a worldview where you believe it's a moral imperative to speak out when you think someone has said something awful, but not when someone wants to use the state to do something far worse to far more people.
For all the handwringing by the media over Wolf's set, I've yet to see anyone actually engage with what she said at the end, the bit that really cut deep about the assembled press helping create this monster. Nobody will even touch that one to try to refute it let alone grapple with it. And nobody cares that Flint doesn't have clean water. Because apparently everyone is more concerned about whether our tone is suitably decent than the indecency of poisoning a city.
p.s. almost nobody seems to have picked up on the (hopefully intentional) of homophone joke behind the Sarah Sanders bit. Here's the joke:
I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she's born with it; maybe it's lies. It's probably lies.
There's a "burned fat —> ashes —> lye —> lie" thing going on here.
posted by zachlipton at 8:26 PM on April 29, 2018 [46 favorites]
The French Ambassador confirms the tree has to go to quarantine and will be replanted after.
He's also already addressed the inevitable follow-up question about what's the point of quarantining it after you planted it once: "The roots were enclosed in a plastic protection."
I very much hope this completes your Sunday evening tree news.
posted by zachlipton at 8:28 PM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
He's also already addressed the inevitable follow-up question about what's the point of quarantining it after you planted it once: "The roots were enclosed in a plastic protection."
I very much hope this completes your Sunday evening tree news.
posted by zachlipton at 8:28 PM on April 29, 2018 [24 favorites]
This whole tree thing eerily reminds me of this episode of the delightful 80's political satire "Yes, Prime Minister," in which the French president gives the Queen a dog, but it has to be quarantined; but of course the dog/quarantine issue is just subtext for a larger (though equally silly) power struggle.
Politics is usually at least part farce and part tragedy, but recently those seem to be the only two flavors.
posted by tarshish bound at 8:30 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
Politics is usually at least part farce and part tragedy, but recently those seem to be the only two flavors.
posted by tarshish bound at 8:30 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
Caroline O. (Shareblue)
Media & society have a natural tendency to normalize those in power, by virtue of the fact that they are in power. This is what we're seeing as much of the WH press corps directs more outrage at criticism of the admin's lies than they've ever directed at the lies themselves. From the very beginning, most of the DC press corps treated Trump as just another candidate. Even their criticism of Trump is inherently rooted in the assumption that he is just another president, like the others. They've never stepped outside of that box. They criticize Trump for saying X or doing Y, but inherent in that criticism is the assumption that Trump actually cares about the norms he's violating or the institutions he's degrading. Each incident is framed as an isolated blow, rather than part of an intentional assault.
Possibly the worst part about the DC press corps' criticism of Michelle Wolf is that they're gaslighting the American people. They're doing the exact same thing Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, & the rest of the administration do on a daily basis. They're criticizing Wolf for something that never happened, and they're insisting that what we all saw with our own eyes is not what actually happened. I actually re-watched the entire thing today to make sure I wasn't going crazy. (I'm not).
Instead of focusing on the substance of Wolf's criticism — that Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a complicit oppressor on behalf of an authoritarian regime-in-the-making — they diverted America's attention to a joke about eyeshadow. The reason they're focusing on eyeshadow rather than the actual target of Wolf's criticism is because to acknowledge the substance of her joke would require them to confront the fact that they either lie, enable liars, or turn a blind eye to lies to maintain the access they need.
---
The WHCA President put out a statement about how the event is supposed to honor civility and great reporting, "not to divide people."
NYCSouthpaw
Little by little, people surrender willingly, and the authoritarians get what they could never have taken with their own strength.
Now it’s the official position of the White House Correspondents Association that it’s not only wrong but CONTRARY TO THE SPIRIT OF THE ORGANIZATION to point out Sarah Sanders’ lies in front of Sarah Sanders. That’s very sad.
posted by chris24 at 8:34 PM on April 29, 2018 [126 favorites]
Media & society have a natural tendency to normalize those in power, by virtue of the fact that they are in power. This is what we're seeing as much of the WH press corps directs more outrage at criticism of the admin's lies than they've ever directed at the lies themselves. From the very beginning, most of the DC press corps treated Trump as just another candidate. Even their criticism of Trump is inherently rooted in the assumption that he is just another president, like the others. They've never stepped outside of that box. They criticize Trump for saying X or doing Y, but inherent in that criticism is the assumption that Trump actually cares about the norms he's violating or the institutions he's degrading. Each incident is framed as an isolated blow, rather than part of an intentional assault.
Possibly the worst part about the DC press corps' criticism of Michelle Wolf is that they're gaslighting the American people. They're doing the exact same thing Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, & the rest of the administration do on a daily basis. They're criticizing Wolf for something that never happened, and they're insisting that what we all saw with our own eyes is not what actually happened. I actually re-watched the entire thing today to make sure I wasn't going crazy. (I'm not).
Instead of focusing on the substance of Wolf's criticism — that Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a complicit oppressor on behalf of an authoritarian regime-in-the-making — they diverted America's attention to a joke about eyeshadow. The reason they're focusing on eyeshadow rather than the actual target of Wolf's criticism is because to acknowledge the substance of her joke would require them to confront the fact that they either lie, enable liars, or turn a blind eye to lies to maintain the access they need.
---
The WHCA President put out a statement about how the event is supposed to honor civility and great reporting, "not to divide people."
NYCSouthpaw
Little by little, people surrender willingly, and the authoritarians get what they could never have taken with their own strength.
Now it’s the official position of the White House Correspondents Association that it’s not only wrong but CONTRARY TO THE SPIRIT OF THE ORGANIZATION to point out Sarah Sanders’ lies in front of Sarah Sanders. That’s very sad.
posted by chris24 at 8:34 PM on April 29, 2018 [126 favorites]
He's up late:
Headline: “Kim Prepared to Cede Nuclear Weapons if U.S. Pledges Not to Invade” - from the Failing New York Times. Also, will shut down Nuclear Test Site in May.
I understand that this conversation was sourced directly from Seoul and was widely reported. I'm going into logic-vapor-lock trying to figure out if he's just learning about this, or if he's just reflexively trashing the NYT because why not.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:37 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Headline: “Kim Prepared to Cede Nuclear Weapons if U.S. Pledges Not to Invade” - from the Failing New York Times. Also, will shut down Nuclear Test Site in May.
I understand that this conversation was sourced directly from Seoul and was widely reported. I'm going into logic-vapor-lock trying to figure out if he's just learning about this, or if he's just reflexively trashing the NYT because why not.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:37 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
South Korea was not a party to the original ceasefire, and can’t formally sign a peace treaty. Only the US can. And that’s why there’s no point blue-skying a bunch of nonsense about reunification; because as soon as ruTpm realizes he can extort South Korea in exchange for a treaty signature the whole thing will dissolve.
posted by um at 8:53 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by um at 8:53 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is really really weird. He's so determined to say there's no collusion he seems to be saying Veselnitskaya is part of a Russian plot to cause chaos in the US, yet takes no responsibility for the resulting national security threat.
Putin told Veselnitskaya to say she is working for the Kremlin ... but she is lying ... but how can she be lying if she's taking orders from Putin ... DANGER WILL ROBINSON LOGIC CIRCUITS OVERLOAD
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:01 PM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
Putin told Veselnitskaya to say she is working for the Kremlin ... but she is lying ... but how can she be lying if she's taking orders from Putin ... DANGER WILL ROBINSON LOGIC CIRCUITS OVERLOAD
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:01 PM on April 29, 2018 [8 favorites]
Brian Fallon (former HRC spokesman)
The overreaction to Michelle Wolf by DC journos desperate to prove their neutrality regarding Trump just proves what a shitshow the press coverage of the Dem nominee in 2020 is going to be.
posted by chris24 at 9:17 PM on April 29, 2018 [106 favorites]
The overreaction to Michelle Wolf by DC journos desperate to prove their neutrality regarding Trump just proves what a shitshow the press coverage of the Dem nominee in 2020 is going to be.
posted by chris24 at 9:17 PM on April 29, 2018 [106 favorites]
February 22, 2018.
"l'm delighted to announce 'Nice Lady' Michelle Wolf as our featured entertainer this year," said Margaret Talev, president of the WHCA. "Our dinner honors the First Amendment and strong, independent journalism. Her embrace of these values and her truth-to-power style make her a great friend to the WHCA. Her Pennsylvania roots, stints on Wall Street and in science and self-made, feminist edge make her the right voice now."
posted by chris24 at 9:29 PM on April 29, 2018 [45 favorites]
"l'm delighted to announce 'Nice Lady' Michelle Wolf as our featured entertainer this year," said Margaret Talev, president of the WHCA. "Our dinner honors the First Amendment and strong, independent journalism. Her embrace of these values and her truth-to-power style make her a great friend to the WHCA. Her Pennsylvania roots, stints on Wall Street and in science and self-made, feminist edge make her the right voice now."
posted by chris24 at 9:29 PM on April 29, 2018 [45 favorites]
I can't imagine anyone better to talk about Roy Cohn, Trump, Angels in America, and the Manhattan elite than Frank Rich, and fortunately we finally have just that: The Original Donald Trump. It's a great piece because it tries to explore not simply who Cohn was, but who is responsible for letting such horrible people maintain power for so long, and it's not the white working class of Ohio (what follows is from Rich's little summary):
Though much has been written about how Cohn taught Trump how to cheat, connive, and bully, it wasn’t until I saw Cohn again on stage in the new revival of Angels that I appreciated there was a less examined question raised by their symbiosis: How did men as outrageous as both Cohn and Trump flourish and gain power in New York for decades despite their vicious, even criminal, careers? Might there be Deplorables responsible who are not necessarily working-class, conservative, or even Republican, but are instead card-carrying elites in liberal Democratic Manhattan? That is the riddle I wanted to solve, and the story I was compelled to tell.It's so well-written. I'll give you a paragraph, but go read it:
For years it’s been a parlor game for Americans to wonder how history might have turned out if someone had stopped Lee Harvey Oswald before he shot JFK. One might be tempted — just as fruitlessly — to speculate on what might have happened if more of New York’s elites had intervened back then, nonviolently, to block or seriously challenge Trump’s path to power. They had plenty of provocation and opportunities to do so. Trump practiced bigotry on a grand scale, was a world-class liar, and ripped off customers, investors, and the city itself. Yet for many among New York’s upper register, there was no horror he could commit that would merit his excommunication. As with Cohn before him, the more outrageously and reprehensibly Trump behaved, the more the top rungs of society were titillated by him. They could cop out of any moral judgments or actions by rationalizing him as an entertaining con man: a cheesy, cynical, dumbed-down Gatsby who fit the city’s tacky 1980s Gilded Age much as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s more romantic prototype had the soigné Jazz Age of the 1920s. And so most of those who might have stopped Trump gawked like the rest of us as he scrambled up the city’s ladder, grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down.posted by zachlipton at 9:37 PM on April 29, 2018 [49 favorites]
The overreaction to Michelle Wolf by DC journos desperate to prove their neutrality regarding Trump just proves what a shitshow the press coverage of the Dem nominee in 2020 is going to be.
"Trump has been historically unpopular, divisive, and even unproductive--so why can't Democrats find an opponent who has never worn white after Labor Day? What's wrong with the Democratic Party? Are they no longer fit to lead?"
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:57 PM on April 29, 2018 [26 favorites]
"Trump has been historically unpopular, divisive, and even unproductive--so why can't Democrats find an opponent who has never worn white after Labor Day? What's wrong with the Democratic Party? Are they no longer fit to lead?"
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:57 PM on April 29, 2018 [26 favorites]
The coverage of Wolf is bullshit in the same way that the coverage of Clinton was bullshit. Women who speak their minds get nitpicked while powerful men get away with murder.
posted by medusa at 10:14 PM on April 29, 2018 [125 favorites]
posted by medusa at 10:14 PM on April 29, 2018 [125 favorites]
I listened to an interview on Crooked Media with the New Yorker reporter that wrote the article about the Cohen investigation heralding the end of the age of Trump. One of the parts I found really interesting was that in his opinion white collar crime is basically legal in America and especially if you are a billionaire individual versus a mega-corporation. No one looks into their crimes. The economy of New York city basically runs on them.
Since everyone in his economic bracket commits crimes right and left by default, the question of how does someone like Trump come to be, why does it seem like Flynn and everyone in Trump's orbit don't even bother hiding their crimes, is really systemic and applicable to a whole American white collar class of people. The interview also left me a little deflated, because I'd like to think Trump's going to be nailed for something really heinous, not something rampant.
Other interesting tid-bits from the interview: Very few people work in the Trump organization. Most of the deals are brokered by Trump family members directly. You also know Trump's laundering money because he's building buildings in strange locales where they could serve no other business purpose.
posted by xammerboy at 10:14 PM on April 29, 2018 [39 favorites]
Since everyone in his economic bracket commits crimes right and left by default, the question of how does someone like Trump come to be, why does it seem like Flynn and everyone in Trump's orbit don't even bother hiding their crimes, is really systemic and applicable to a whole American white collar class of people. The interview also left me a little deflated, because I'd like to think Trump's going to be nailed for something really heinous, not something rampant.
Other interesting tid-bits from the interview: Very few people work in the Trump organization. Most of the deals are brokered by Trump family members directly. You also know Trump's laundering money because he's building buildings in strange locales where they could serve no other business purpose.
posted by xammerboy at 10:14 PM on April 29, 2018 [39 favorites]
I thought Wolf's crassness was pointed. Like, it's time to stop pretending this whole thing isn't a shit show. The presidency, the White House Press corps, the media circus, all of it.
The one part I didn't like was the abortion joke. I don't think abortion is murder but I'm not that cavalier and cold about it either. It was almost a caricature of how a conservative would portray a liberal's thoughts about abortion. But then this could have been because the joke totally went over my head. I didn't get it at all.
posted by xammerboy at 10:22 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
The one part I didn't like was the abortion joke. I don't think abortion is murder but I'm not that cavalier and cold about it either. It was almost a caricature of how a conservative would portray a liberal's thoughts about abortion. But then this could have been because the joke totally went over my head. I didn't get it at all.
posted by xammerboy at 10:22 PM on April 29, 2018 [7 favorites]
At the beginning of her set she talked about liking the monkfish. Monkfish is usually called Chilean Sea Bass to make it sound more palatable. She was telling them she wasn't going to make this more palatable to them.
posted by dirigibleman at 10:36 PM on April 29, 2018 [58 favorites]
posted by dirigibleman at 10:36 PM on April 29, 2018 [58 favorites]
It says so much about the state of the press corps, and even more surprisingly, the conservative pundit class, and what they profess to care about that Sarah Sanders' eyeshadow has been the subject of a day's worth of beanplating, while I haven't seen a single tweet mention the abortion joke (one review called it unsuccessful and a groaner). I don't think 99% of America cares about the WHCD in any way shape or form, but a bunch of reporters putting on tuxedos to listen to abortion jokes is a straight-up caricature of the worst image some people have of Washington.
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
The reaction to Colbert in 2006 was the same, so that bodes well for Wolf. The WHCD Association was so cowed the guest the next year was Rich Little. I guess we have to wait a year to see if they've learned anything.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:01 PM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:01 PM on April 29, 2018 [11 favorites]
From that great Roy Cohn piece:
➽ Rupert Murdoch: Whenever Roy wanted a story stopped, item put in, or story exploited — i.e., Ferraro and her family — Roy called Murdoch. Roy was also Rupert’s attorney.
I had no idea Barbara Walters was Roy Cohn's beard:
Many of Walters' other friends were horrified that she would even talk to Cohn, but what Walters reveals for the first time in "Audition" is that Cohn somehow got a warrant for her father's arrest dismissed. He had failed to show up for a New York court date because the family was in Las Vegas at the time.
Jesus. Read the article, then go sharpen your pitchforks.
posted by benzenedream at 11:22 PM on April 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
➽ Rupert Murdoch: Whenever Roy wanted a story stopped, item put in, or story exploited — i.e., Ferraro and her family — Roy called Murdoch. Roy was also Rupert’s attorney.
I had no idea Barbara Walters was Roy Cohn's beard:
Many of Walters' other friends were horrified that she would even talk to Cohn, but what Walters reveals for the first time in "Audition" is that Cohn somehow got a warrant for her father's arrest dismissed. He had failed to show up for a New York court date because the family was in Las Vegas at the time.
Jesus. Read the article, then go sharpen your pitchforks.
posted by benzenedream at 11:22 PM on April 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
So, nothing kills a joke like explaining it, but since the Republicans and their allies in the media are deliberately trying to distract from Michelle Wolf's targeted critique of them by claiming the jokes about Sarah Huckabee Sanders are about her appearance, here goes. The transcript of her full set can be found here.
Wolf made four jokes about Sanders, but people only seem to be talking much about the first three of them. Frequently in comedy, when you have several jokes on a single topic, the jokes will be structured together in a fairly typical way. The first joke introduces the topic, the next jokes circle around the core conceit, and the final joke drives straight at the target. This is exactly what Wolf did in her set:
1. Sanders is like Aunt Lydia from "The Handmaid's Tale." Those making a big point of how offensive this was claim she must be making a comparison based on looks. Wolf doesn't directly flesh out this comparison so in and of itself this could be a possible interpretation, if not for the fact that it leads into the next three jokes.
2. Sanders is unpredictable and can be like a softball coach. Again, those claiming offense suggest she's calling Sanders butch. But that's not actually the logic of the joke. The verbatim joke is:
3. The makeup joke that has attracted the most commentary. Now we're closing in on the core target of this set of jokes. Sanders seems to effortlessly combine her lies in defense of the administration, which is the most overtly misogynistic administration we've had in recent history, with performative femininity. Those determined to find offense mostly suggest this has something to do with Sanders's looks, but it's not: this is about the way she chooses to present herself and how that relates to the job she does. Even some of the people claiming great offense at this reveal the same pattern that Wolf is mocking, when they claim that for Wolf to treat "a wife and mother" with such disrespect is unacceptable. Michele Wolf is saying that Sarah Huckabee Sanders uses her femininity in the service of misogyny. You might say that this is an overinterpretation, or at least an idiosyncratic interpretation, of the joke, but Wolf's final joke on Sanders makes the core logic of all four of them clear:
4. Her final joke strips away any ambiguity and goes straight to the point:
Now, I think there's plenty to be offended at in Michele Wolf's jokes about Sanders, depending on where you're coming from. Personally I think her attack is pretty much on point, but I can absolutely see things in her set that would bother reasonable people. But one thing she's definitely not doing is attacking Sanders's appearance, except that aspect of her appearance that Sanders chooses very deliberately, her performative traditional femininity, and only because of how Sanders uses it in service to misogynists.
(Thanks to my wonderful spouse for helping me to fully understand all of the above. She's an obsessive reader of the megathread, but rarely comments herself, and I thought this particular insight was worth sharing.)
posted by biogeo at 11:22 PM on April 29, 2018 [257 favorites]
Wolf made four jokes about Sanders, but people only seem to be talking much about the first three of them. Frequently in comedy, when you have several jokes on a single topic, the jokes will be structured together in a fairly typical way. The first joke introduces the topic, the next jokes circle around the core conceit, and the final joke drives straight at the target. This is exactly what Wolf did in her set:
1. Sanders is like Aunt Lydia from "The Handmaid's Tale." Those making a big point of how offensive this was claim she must be making a comparison based on looks. Wolf doesn't directly flesh out this comparison so in and of itself this could be a possible interpretation, if not for the fact that it leads into the next three jokes.
2. Sanders is unpredictable and can be like a softball coach. Again, those claiming offense suggest she's calling Sanders butch. But that's not actually the logic of the joke. The verbatim joke is:
Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I'm not really sure what we're going to get: you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams. "It's shirts and skins, and this time, don't be such a little bitch, Jim Acosta."In other words, Sanders sometimes behaves as a normal press secretary and gives a press briefing, sometimes acts like she's giving a normal press briefing but only spouts obvious lies, and sometimes eschews even the trappings of a normal press briefing and instead treats the journalists like a bunch of children that it's her unpleasant responsibility to manage. Her choice to compare Sanders to a softball coach is relevant to the core logic of the set, as we'll see, but it's pretty clear that what she's mocking is Sanders's unpredictability and willingness to lie and browbeat as part of her role as press secretary.
3. The makeup joke that has attracted the most commentary. Now we're closing in on the core target of this set of jokes. Sanders seems to effortlessly combine her lies in defense of the administration, which is the most overtly misogynistic administration we've had in recent history, with performative femininity. Those determined to find offense mostly suggest this has something to do with Sanders's looks, but it's not: this is about the way she chooses to present herself and how that relates to the job she does. Even some of the people claiming great offense at this reveal the same pattern that Wolf is mocking, when they claim that for Wolf to treat "a wife and mother" with such disrespect is unacceptable. Michele Wolf is saying that Sarah Huckabee Sanders uses her femininity in the service of misogyny. You might say that this is an overinterpretation, or at least an idiosyncratic interpretation, of the joke, but Wolf's final joke on Sanders makes the core logic of all four of them clear:
4. Her final joke strips away any ambiguity and goes straight to the point:
And I'm never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what's Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women?(My emphasis.) This is one hell of an attack, and in some ways I'm surprised this one doesn't seem to be getting more attention, but acknowledging this final joke, even to demonstrate outrage at it, would also have to acknowledge that Wolf's target isn't Sanders's appearance, it's her behavior. The central target of all four of Wolf's jokes is that Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a traitor to her gender. Sanders is like Aunt Lydia in that both are traitors to other women. Sanders is like a softball coach and uses that rare role of female power to support misogynists. Sanders lies with smoky eyes so that she can use performative femininity to bolster her job as the mouthpiece of misogynists. Sanders is the white woman version of an Uncle Tom.
Now, I think there's plenty to be offended at in Michele Wolf's jokes about Sanders, depending on where you're coming from. Personally I think her attack is pretty much on point, but I can absolutely see things in her set that would bother reasonable people. But one thing she's definitely not doing is attacking Sanders's appearance, except that aspect of her appearance that Sanders chooses very deliberately, her performative traditional femininity, and only because of how Sanders uses it in service to misogynists.
(Thanks to my wonderful spouse for helping me to fully understand all of the above. She's an obsessive reader of the megathread, but rarely comments herself, and I thought this particular insight was worth sharing.)
posted by biogeo at 11:22 PM on April 29, 2018 [257 favorites]
I just watched the Wolf thing, and it's like...
I didn't think it was that funny. There were definitely moments, i cracked up at Mike Pence being not gay and stormy eyes, but a lot of it consisted of her just saying things that are true. Like, no, nobody thinks Trump is good in bed, and Kellyanne Conway does have the perfect name for her job. Lol abortion if you're gonna do it really do it, I just heard a comedian being blasé and silly about something that's controversial, which is the oldest punchline ever. Also what's the deal with airline food.
Then I realized, ha-ha, the joke is that she has to say it to a room full of journalists.LOL people in Flint still drink cancer! They do!
Overall I liked it because yes, most conservative talking points are already punchlines. And now that they're horrified and disgusted, can we take back whining about free speech too? This is America dammit and I am disgusted that we can't just have a conversation about Huckabee's eyebrows of fact ashes and Trump's overcompensating for obvious impotence and lack of money. We need to hear both sides, and it's an assault on American freedom and dignity that we can't have this conversation without snowflake conservatives whining about a golden age when facts didn't matter, support the troops because what do you think they're fighting for.
posted by saysthis at 11:42 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
I didn't think it was that funny. There were definitely moments, i cracked up at Mike Pence being not gay and stormy eyes, but a lot of it consisted of her just saying things that are true. Like, no, nobody thinks Trump is good in bed, and Kellyanne Conway does have the perfect name for her job. Lol abortion if you're gonna do it really do it, I just heard a comedian being blasé and silly about something that's controversial, which is the oldest punchline ever. Also what's the deal with airline food.
Then I realized, ha-ha, the joke is that she has to say it to a room full of journalists.LOL people in Flint still drink cancer! They do!
Overall I liked it because yes, most conservative talking points are already punchlines. And now that they're horrified and disgusted, can we take back whining about free speech too? This is America dammit and I am disgusted that we can't just have a conversation about Huckabee's eyebrows of fact ashes and Trump's overcompensating for obvious impotence and lack of money. We need to hear both sides, and it's an assault on American freedom and dignity that we can't have this conversation without snowflake conservatives whining about a golden age when facts didn't matter, support the troops because what do you think they're fighting for.
posted by saysthis at 11:42 PM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's hard not to see the Cohn piece as an extension of Adam Davidson's great New Yorker story xammerboy was just discussing: we keep handing the country over to crooks and con men, make them suffer no consequences for the massive destruction and suffering they leave in their wake, and often bring them back around for second and third acts no matter how big their cons. We're bringing back the crooks responsible for the Iraq War and the Financial Crisis and giving them yet more power. This was the second truest thing George W. Bush ever said (the first is his commentary on Trump's inauguration):
We've spent decades letting ourselves get fooled by the same assholes.
posted by zachlipton at 11:47 PM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again
We've spent decades letting ourselves get fooled by the same assholes.
posted by zachlipton at 11:47 PM on April 29, 2018 [13 favorites]
Speaking of trees...I wonder what the reporters on the white house beat would think if they could see the forest their safe and leafy glen is part of. You know, the invasive bark-beetle-infested forest where those bits not being bulldozed are on fire.
But it's hard to argue they don't have a point about focusing on the jogger found on the glen's lawn, which is clearly signed "no running".
One tree on fire is a story, they tell me, but a whole forest of them burning is the new normal.
posted by maxwelton at 11:57 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
But it's hard to argue they don't have a point about focusing on the jogger found on the glen's lawn, which is clearly signed "no running".
One tree on fire is a story, they tell me, but a whole forest of them burning is the new normal.
posted by maxwelton at 11:57 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
Just read the whole thing.
Michael Hayden: The End of Intelligence
posted by scalefree at 12:10 AM on April 30, 2018 [48 favorites]
Michael Hayden: The End of Intelligence
We in the intelligence world have dealt with obstinate and argumentative presidents through the years. But we have never served a president for whom ground truth really doesn’t matter.Mr. Hayden is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
posted by scalefree at 12:10 AM on April 30, 2018 [48 favorites]
I'm starting to think the solution to the Syria problem we're headed for may be to make it go away. Syria, I mean.
@BenjaminNorton The US has repeatedly bombed Syria; Israel has illegally launched over 100 airstrikes on Syrian and ally targets, often violating Lebanese airspace. Turkey illegally invaded and is carving up north Syria, and Saudi and Qatar spent billions arming extremist Salafi death squads.
posted by scalefree at 12:31 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
@BenjaminNorton The US has repeatedly bombed Syria; Israel has illegally launched over 100 airstrikes on Syrian and ally targets, often violating Lebanese airspace. Turkey illegally invaded and is carving up north Syria, and Saudi and Qatar spent billions arming extremist Salafi death squads.
posted by scalefree at 12:31 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
>
Corroborating what anem0ne is saying here, my local PBS station has been showing this episode of NHK World's (Japanese national television) program Asia Insight. That page isn't showing me video unfortunately—maybe it's geo-locked or just not posted online—but here's the accompanying text:
South Koreans still regard Northerners as lost countrymen and family. The economic vacuum I think is similar.
Sorta. Younger generations think this but in the way conservatives think liberals are Americans.
Corroborating what anem0ne is saying here, my local PBS station has been showing this episode of NHK World's (Japanese national television) program Asia Insight. That page isn't showing me video unfortunately—maybe it's geo-locked or just not posted online—but here's the accompanying text:
N.Korean Defectors Become Company Presidents in S.Koreaposted by XMLicious at 12:40 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Each year, over one thousand defectors escape the restrictive nation of North Korea to seek a new life in the South. Even if they succeed, persistent discrimination against North Koreans prevents them from feeling truly accepted into the new society. In response, a handful of defectors have taken an ambitious approach: Starting their own companies, they seek social positions as company presidents that ensure respect from those around them. In this episode, we follow the North Korean entrepreneurs who have defied their former nation, justifying their new lives by emerging victorious in the business world.
I guess my disappointment with Wolf's set isn't that it was mean or disrespectful (wtf) or even not funny (it was). It's that calling out administration figures for being ridiculous is so unnecessary by now - we know. We know. They know. We all know.
I was hoping she would spend a lot more time on the media figures pretending not to notice or actively carrying water for these clowns. That's who needs to be humiliated into doing their fucking jobs. (Well both, but trumpists are un-shameable, so why bother?)
posted by ctmf at 1:35 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
I was hoping she would spend a lot more time on the media figures pretending not to notice or actively carrying water for these clowns. That's who needs to be humiliated into doing their fucking jobs. (Well both, but trumpists are un-shameable, so why bother?)
posted by ctmf at 1:35 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
Sorta. Younger generations think this but in the way conservatives think liberals are Americans.
Let’s not forget the nontrivial fraction of the young Korean left that are completely uncritical of the North, to the extent of throwing shade on defectors. While I think it’s healthy to push back against some of the more indiscriminate demonizing of the North right-wing governments in the South have always done (and in which the Trump administration has more recently indulged), I’ve honestly sometimes been taken aback by the naiveté some younger Korean activists display in blaming the North’s difficulties entirely on the US.
The juche regime is still, by any standard, a criminal enterprise. Kim is still responsible for starving, imprisoning, torturing and murdering his people in vertiginous numbers. You can recognize the real crimes against humanity and the Korean people committed by the South, both during and after the years of the military dictatorship, without excusing those of the North.
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:53 AM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
Let’s not forget the nontrivial fraction of the young Korean left that are completely uncritical of the North, to the extent of throwing shade on defectors. While I think it’s healthy to push back against some of the more indiscriminate demonizing of the North right-wing governments in the South have always done (and in which the Trump administration has more recently indulged), I’ve honestly sometimes been taken aback by the naiveté some younger Korean activists display in blaming the North’s difficulties entirely on the US.
The juche regime is still, by any standard, a criminal enterprise. Kim is still responsible for starving, imprisoning, torturing and murdering his people in vertiginous numbers. You can recognize the real crimes against humanity and the Korean people committed by the South, both during and after the years of the military dictatorship, without excusing those of the North.
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:53 AM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
Michelle Wolf has nothing to apologise for. Her critics do, though, Arwa Mahdawi/The Guardian
She's mostly saying what most of us are saying, but it's a nice piece to put up on FB if you have a lot of "friends" talking about "tone" there.
That said, trumpism is like a weird disease, spreading rapidly all over the world*, where nothing makes any sense any more and it's OK to say the most crazy lies and spout the most idiotic and/or hateful tweets. Now a bunch of semi-respectable journalists who aren't even all trumpists are tweet-lying about what Michelle Wolf said on live television, where everyone could see what she actually said. No problem. Except how can we then expect any of these journalists to hold anyone accountable anymore?
Like during the Bush years, only the comedians can be trusted to tell the truth, but as Jon Stewart said back then, that is not their job, at all. And the truth is not a joke.
*It seems the Danish PM has been involved in a drunken late-night twitter fight with two comedians, one of whom is in drag, which he could only loose because he is wrong (he tried to bully his wife's boss into not firing her and the tabloids got hold of the story). All fun, but not fun, people will still vote for his corrupt a** in what was formerly the least corrupt nation in the world.
posted by mumimor at 2:13 AM on April 30, 2018 [25 favorites]
She's mostly saying what most of us are saying, but it's a nice piece to put up on FB if you have a lot of "friends" talking about "tone" there.
That said, trumpism is like a weird disease, spreading rapidly all over the world*, where nothing makes any sense any more and it's OK to say the most crazy lies and spout the most idiotic and/or hateful tweets. Now a bunch of semi-respectable journalists who aren't even all trumpists are tweet-lying about what Michelle Wolf said on live television, where everyone could see what she actually said. No problem. Except how can we then expect any of these journalists to hold anyone accountable anymore?
Like during the Bush years, only the comedians can be trusted to tell the truth, but as Jon Stewart said back then, that is not their job, at all. And the truth is not a joke.
*It seems the Danish PM has been involved in a drunken late-night twitter fight with two comedians, one of whom is in drag, which he could only loose because he is wrong (he tried to bully his wife's boss into not firing her and the tabloids got hold of the story). All fun, but not fun, people will still vote for his corrupt a** in what was formerly the least corrupt nation in the world.
posted by mumimor at 2:13 AM on April 30, 2018 [25 favorites]
President Echo is up & at it again.
@MattGertz During the 6 am and 7 am hours, Fox & Friends weekend host Pete Hegseth floated the idea of Greg Gutfeld hosting the WHCD, saying Trump shouldn't go unless he does.
Left, Fox & Friends, 6:11 am
Right, Trump, 7:45 am
posted by scalefree at 2:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
@MattGertz During the 6 am and 7 am hours, Fox & Friends weekend host Pete Hegseth floated the idea of Greg Gutfeld hosting the WHCD, saying Trump shouldn't go unless he does.
Left, Fox & Friends, 6:11 am
Right, Trump, 7:45 am
posted by scalefree at 2:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
But there's no attempt to grapple with the central contradiction: why is it inherently indecent to make fun of a disabled man but it's just policy to deport Dreamers or ban Muslims?
Reading Comey's book, I came to the conclusion that he made the same mistake as Tapper -- so determined to remain "neutral" and "non-partisan" that he let himself be used. There is no virtue in being open minded toward arguments that are not offered in good faith. No point in debating with someone who knowingly lies, who doesn't correct those lies or apologize when called on them.
Then I realized that this was a point Fred Clark had made several times... Continuing to presume good faith in someone who has shown that they are insincere is a grave mistake.
It made me think of Elie Wiesel's line "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." That quote has a lot of implications I'm not very comfortable with, if I take it seriously (it's not very compatible with pacifism.) But in this context I can see the wisdom. The "neutrality" of the press and law enforcement definitely helped Trump, who leveled so many allegations he knew to be false, and got them treated by everyone as if they might be true.
It also made me think of this quote from Hillary Clinton's book "What Happened": "I came to see partisan politics as the most viable route in a democracy for achieving significant and lasting progress. Then, as now, plenty of progressive activists preferred to stand apart from party politics. Some saw both Democrats and Republicans as corrupt and compromised. Others were discouraged by repeated defeats."
It takes some courage to take sides on issues where half the population disagrees and will angrily attack you for your position. It does not require so much courage to be "non-partisan" and to take sides only on issues of decorum, which more people can agree on, and which have lower stakes.
posted by OnceUponATime at 4:13 AM on April 30, 2018 [61 favorites]
Reading Comey's book, I came to the conclusion that he made the same mistake as Tapper -- so determined to remain "neutral" and "non-partisan" that he let himself be used. There is no virtue in being open minded toward arguments that are not offered in good faith. No point in debating with someone who knowingly lies, who doesn't correct those lies or apologize when called on them.
Then I realized that this was a point Fred Clark had made several times... Continuing to presume good faith in someone who has shown that they are insincere is a grave mistake.
It made me think of Elie Wiesel's line "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." That quote has a lot of implications I'm not very comfortable with, if I take it seriously (it's not very compatible with pacifism.) But in this context I can see the wisdom. The "neutrality" of the press and law enforcement definitely helped Trump, who leveled so many allegations he knew to be false, and got them treated by everyone as if they might be true.
It also made me think of this quote from Hillary Clinton's book "What Happened": "I came to see partisan politics as the most viable route in a democracy for achieving significant and lasting progress. Then, as now, plenty of progressive activists preferred to stand apart from party politics. Some saw both Democrats and Republicans as corrupt and compromised. Others were discouraged by repeated defeats."
It takes some courage to take sides on issues where half the population disagrees and will angrily attack you for your position. It does not require so much courage to be "non-partisan" and to take sides only on issues of decorum, which more people can agree on, and which have lower stakes.
posted by OnceUponATime at 4:13 AM on April 30, 2018 [61 favorites]
Eric Boehlert (Shareblue)
btw, the NYT chief WH correspondent lashing out at comic for making fun of GOP administration clearly violates NYT twitter policy. I'm sure @deanbaquet will be handing out demerits soon....
also, NYT has yet to publish article on fact its chief WH correspondent sparked controversy by publicly siding w/ WH by attacking comic.....while she's under contract to write WH book
---
Yep, Haberman has a seven figure book deal to write about the Trump White House. Something she and the Times have neglected to mention as they jump to protect and coddle someone who has seemingly been confirmed as one of her main sources.
posted by chris24 at 4:46 AM on April 30, 2018 [119 favorites]
btw, the NYT chief WH correspondent lashing out at comic for making fun of GOP administration clearly violates NYT twitter policy. I'm sure @deanbaquet will be handing out demerits soon....
also, NYT has yet to publish article on fact its chief WH correspondent sparked controversy by publicly siding w/ WH by attacking comic.....while she's under contract to write WH book
---
Yep, Haberman has a seven figure book deal to write about the Trump White House. Something she and the Times have neglected to mention as they jump to protect and coddle someone who has seemingly been confirmed as one of her main sources.
posted by chris24 at 4:46 AM on April 30, 2018 [119 favorites]
Michelle Wolf’s Joke About Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ Eye Makeup Was Totally Fine
I haven't watched the bit, but it seems like there's criticism on the makeup part of the joke but the real butt of the joke being that Sanders constantly lies? Not challenged at all.
posted by like_neon at 5:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
I haven't watched the bit, but it seems like there's criticism on the makeup part of the joke but the real butt of the joke being that Sanders constantly lies? Not challenged at all.
posted by like_neon at 5:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
And I know people are sick of talking about this, but Kathy Griffin did a great tweetstorm going from A to Z on the bullshit of this whole "controversy." Too much to post here, but this article has a lot of it for the Twitter adverse.
HuffPo: Kathy Griffin Nails The Hypocrisy Of Critics Calling On Michelle Wolf To Apologize
posted by chris24 at 5:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
HuffPo: Kathy Griffin Nails The Hypocrisy Of Critics Calling On Michelle Wolf To Apologize
posted by chris24 at 5:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
In case there was any doubt about what this is really about.
Natasha Bertrand (Atlantic)
.@mschlapp on @CNN: “Journalists should not be the ones to say that the president or his spokesperson is lying.”
---
Jelani Cobb (New Yorker)
Been apparent for a long time that media liberalism, the kind that prizes civility above all else, is incapable of understanding the potentially mortal threat Trumpism represents. Your civility will not save you.
---
Mike Drucker (Full Frontal)
“Sarah Huckabee Sanders has perfect eye makeup.”
“I deeply hurt for all women in America who must suffer these types of comments every day.”
—
“We should murder any woman who ever gets an abortion.”
“Whoa whoa whoa don’t censor this guy, let’s hear what he has to say!”
posted by chris24 at 5:25 AM on April 30, 2018 [117 favorites]
Natasha Bertrand (Atlantic)
.@mschlapp on @CNN: “Journalists should not be the ones to say that the president or his spokesperson is lying.”
---
Jelani Cobb (New Yorker)
Been apparent for a long time that media liberalism, the kind that prizes civility above all else, is incapable of understanding the potentially mortal threat Trumpism represents. Your civility will not save you.
---
Mike Drucker (Full Frontal)
“Sarah Huckabee Sanders has perfect eye makeup.”
“I deeply hurt for all women in America who must suffer these types of comments every day.”
—
“We should murder any woman who ever gets an abortion.”
“Whoa whoa whoa don’t censor this guy, let’s hear what he has to say!”
posted by chris24 at 5:25 AM on April 30, 2018 [117 favorites]
@Maggie Haberman: That @PressSec sat and absorbed intense criticism of her physical appearance, her job performance, and so forth, instead of walking out, on national television, was impressive.
Katie Halper
I kinda feel that someone who laughed in Keith Ellison’s face when he suggested Trump would win the primary shouldn’t feel comfortable commenting on humor, etiquette or, actually, anything.
Katie Halper
I kinda feel that someone who laughed in Keith Ellison’s face when he suggested Trump would win the primary shouldn’t feel comfortable commenting on humor, etiquette or, actually, anything.
Ellison (July 2015): Trump has got some momentum. And I'd think we'd better be ready for the fact that he might be leading the Republican ticket.posted by chris24 at 5:33 AM on April 30, 2018 [28 favorites]
Stephanopoulos: I know you don't believe that.
Haberman (laughing uncontrollably, with pix): Sorry to laugh.
What's a puppet to do?
@AFP #BREAKING Putin, Macron in favour of keeping Iran nuclear accord: Kremlin
posted by scalefree at 5:33 AM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
@AFP #BREAKING Putin, Macron in favour of keeping Iran nuclear accord: Kremlin
posted by scalefree at 5:33 AM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
One might be tempted — just as fruitlessly — to speculate on what might have happened if more of New York’s elites had intervened back then, nonviolently, to block or seriously challenge Trump’s path to power. They had plenty of provocation and opportunities to do so. Trump practiced bigotry on a grand scale, was a world-class liar, and ripped off customers, investors, and the city itself. Yet for many among New York’s upper register, there was no horror he could commit that would merit his excommunication. As with Cohn before him, the more outrageously and reprehensibly Trump behaved, the more the top rungs of society were titillated by him. They could cop out of any moral judgments or actions by rationalizing him as an entertaining con man: a cheesy, cynical, dumbed-down Gatsby who fit the city’s tacky 1980s Gilded Age much as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s more romantic prototype had the soigné Jazz Age of the 1920s. And so most of those who might have stopped Trump gawked like the rest of us as he scrambled up the city’s ladder, grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down.
I think this interpretation is wrong. Trump path wasn't paved by people who were merely entertained or titillated by his excesses. It was paved by people who commited similar offenses but on a smaller scale who were afraid to call him on it lest they themselves be called out. That and bribes. Lots and lots of bribes. Which entangle both the giver and receiver in guilt.
posted by srboisvert at 5:37 AM on April 30, 2018 [24 favorites]
I think this interpretation is wrong. Trump path wasn't paved by people who were merely entertained or titillated by his excesses. It was paved by people who commited similar offenses but on a smaller scale who were afraid to call him on it lest they themselves be called out. That and bribes. Lots and lots of bribes. Which entangle both the giver and receiver in guilt.
posted by srboisvert at 5:37 AM on April 30, 2018 [24 favorites]
The only bigger joke than the WHCD is that the NYT has a twitter policy.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:42 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:42 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
Hey, in good news, awful UK home secretary Amber Rudd has resigned, de facto for lying about deportation targets, although the phrase "inadvertently misled" is how they're massaging it. (As you probably recall, AR called for a "hostile climate" for undocumented migrants and oversaw the crackdown on Caribbean British immigrants who'd been recruited to come to the UK to work in the sixties and had never gotten modern documents. So all those people were getting shipped back to countries they'd not lived in since the sixties, getting refused cancer treatment and access to the NHS generally, getting evicted - it's a different style of fucking over immigrants than Trump's, because it seemed to lean much more heavily on getting individual landlords and employers to turn Stasi, but much the same in spirit. )
Anyway, she's the true heir of Thatcher and while of course the 1% will never lack, at least she's not Home Secretary anymore.
posted by Frowner at 6:20 AM on April 30, 2018 [32 favorites]
Anyway, she's the true heir of Thatcher and while of course the 1% will never lack, at least she's not Home Secretary anymore.
posted by Frowner at 6:20 AM on April 30, 2018 [32 favorites]
‘Who the hell is this person?’ Trump’s Mar-a-Lago pal stymies VA project
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:37 AM on April 30, 2018 [69 favorites]
Bruce Moskowitz, an internist and friend of Trump confidant Ike Perlmutter, who advises the president informally on vet issues, objected to the $16 billion Department of Veterans Affairs project because he doesn’t like the Cerner Corp. software he uses at two Florida hospitals, according to four former and current senior VA officials. Cerner technology is a cornerstone of the VA project.This is why selling access to the President through his golf course is bad. One random private doctor in Florida can derail a $16 billion IT project because he doesn't like the interface. Now imagine that, only with Russian spies.
With the White House’s approval, Moskowitz has been on two or three monthly calls since November with the contracting team responsible for implementing the 10-year project, according to two former senior VA officials. Perlmutter, the Marvel Entertainment chairman, has also been on some of the calls, they said.
Many doctors and health IT experts are skeptical of the VA deal — especially after the problem-ridden implementation of a similar system at military hospitals. However, the involvement of Moskowitz and Perlmutter, which has not previously been reported, infuriated clinicians involved in the VA project, including former Secretary David Shulkin, according to one of the sources, a former senior VA official. Several officials said they thought contract negotiations had been wrapped up earlier this year and had no idea why the project was being held up.
“Shulkin would say, “Who the hell is this person who practices medicine in Florida and has never run a health care system?” said the source.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:37 AM on April 30, 2018 [69 favorites]
There's a Roy Cohn quote from Angels in America that should be quoted to those wringing their hands over the WHCD, "You want to be Nice, or you want to be Effective?"
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:45 AM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 6:45 AM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
Somebody's got a case of the Mondays. Also I don't think he gets to decide that.
@realDonaldTrump The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is DEAD as we know it. This was a total disaster and an embarrassment to our great Country and all that it stands for. FAKE NEWS is alive and well and beautifully represented on Saturday night!
posted by scalefree at 6:45 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is DEAD as we know it. This was a total disaster and an embarrassment to our great Country and all that it stands for. FAKE NEWS is alive and well and beautifully represented on Saturday night!
posted by scalefree at 6:45 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
He's right, just not for the reasons he thinks.
posted by cardboard at 6:48 AM on April 30, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by cardboard at 6:48 AM on April 30, 2018 [23 favorites]
Mika Brzezinski: Watching a wife and mother be humiliated on national television for her looks is deplorable. I have experienced insults about my appearance from the president. All women have a duty to unite when these attacks happen and the WHCA owes Sarah an apology.
So Haberman is protecting her million dollar book deal, and other reporters and outlets are protecting their sources and/or pissed that Wolf called out their bullshit enabling. Wonder why Mika is being intentionally obtuse about the joke and abetting fascism?
"I watch “Morning Joe” every morning. We now know that Mika and Joe are engaged. Congratulations, you guys. It's like when a Me Too works out."
Ah.
posted by chris24 at 6:52 AM on April 30, 2018 [22 favorites]
So Haberman is protecting her million dollar book deal, and other reporters and outlets are protecting their sources and/or pissed that Wolf called out their bullshit enabling. Wonder why Mika is being intentionally obtuse about the joke and abetting fascism?
"I watch “Morning Joe” every morning. We now know that Mika and Joe are engaged. Congratulations, you guys. It's like when a Me Too works out."
Ah.
posted by chris24 at 6:52 AM on April 30, 2018 [22 favorites]
the fact that the WHCD and its assorted defenders are way more upset and embarrassed by the fact a comedian did what she was invited to do than the fact that their insufferable annual neoliberalism-themed Wonk Prom arguably gave us Trump in the first place speaks volumes
like, i hope the dinner is finally dead, but it's still years too late
posted by halation at 6:59 AM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
like, i hope the dinner is finally dead, but it's still years too late
posted by halation at 6:59 AM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
Ike Perlmutter. His previous achievements include deciding Marvel comics shouldn’t publish the Fantastic Four, trying not to put women or black people in Marvel movies, and the failed Inhumans TV show.
posted by Artw at 7:03 AM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:03 AM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
Bruce Moskowitz, an internist and friend of Trump confidant Ike Perlmutter, who advises the president informally on vet issues, objected to the $16 billion Department of Veterans Affairs project because he doesn’t like the Cerner Corp. software he uses at two Florida hospitals, according to four former and current senior VA officials. Cerner technology is a cornerstone of the VA project.
To be fair, Cerner is terrible. But the solution to that is better funding for the VA, so they aren't stuck using Cerner because they can't afford Epic.
posted by robotdevil at 7:08 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
To be fair, Cerner is terrible. But the solution to that is better funding for the VA, so they aren't stuck using Cerner because they can't afford Epic.
posted by robotdevil at 7:08 AM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
Or not scrapping the VA's internal system that they spent billions to develop in the first place. But the specifics of the IT system aren't really the point, it's the process that allows one fucko with a Mar Largo membership to subvert the entire government decisionmaking apparatus by paying Trump directly.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:13 AM on April 30, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:13 AM on April 30, 2018 [40 favorites]
How Michelle Wolf Blasted Open the Fictions of Journalism in the Age of Trump
(Masha Gessen | The New Yorker)
(Masha Gessen | The New Yorker)
Wolf’s monologue—sharp, unflinching, and pointedly unfunny in places—called bullshit on the role laughter has been performing in Trump’s America. Over the last year and a half, much of the culture has sought relief in humor in much the same way as citizens of extremely repressive countries. Back in the early nineties, in her book “How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed,” the Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulić described laughter as the ultimate personal triumph over the daily humiliations of life under Communist rule. In today’s Russia, people make jokes about the fear Vladimir Putin inspires (he opens the fridge and the jellied meat begins to quake, but he reassures it by saying he is getting the yogurt) or the suicidal nature of Russian foreign policy (we’ll retaliate against American sanctions by bombing the Russian city of Voronezh), the same way that they used to joke about Leonid Brezhnev’s inability to talk or stay awake during official functions. Jokes serve a transparent purpose: they reclaim the power to define—and inhabit—reality. They also reclaim the goodness of laughter, for regimes weaponize laughter to mock their opponents, creating what the cultural theorist Svetlana Boym called “totalitarian laughter.” Its opposite is anti-totalitarian laughter.posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:55 AM on April 30, 2018 [102 favorites]
I recognize laughter in the age of Trump as though it were a cousin of anti-totalitarian laughter. It is the reaction to seeing act-based reality, as when “Saturday Night Live” essentially reënacts White House press conferences, or when late-night comedians offer up what amounts to straightforward reportage and analysis. The hunger for a reflection of reality is so desperate that, I have discovered repeatedly over the last year and a half, one can reliably get laughs simply by quoting Trump during a public talk. ...
Wolf’s routine burst the bubbles of civility and performance, and of the separation of media and comedy. It plunged the attendees into the reality that is, in the Trump era, the stuff of comedy. Through her obscene humor, Wolf exposed the obscenity of the fictions—and the fundamental unfunniness of it all. Her last line, the most shocking of her entire monologue, bears repeating: Flint still doesn’t have clean water.
Democrats lose ground with millennials - Reuters/Ipsos poll - Chris Khan, Reuters
The online survey of more than 16,000 registered voters ages 18 to 34 shows their support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about 9 percentage points over the past two years, to 46 percent overall. And they increasingly say the Republican Party is a better steward of the economy.posted by ZeusHumms at 8:22 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Although nearly two of three young voters polled said they do not like Republican President Donald Trump, their distaste for him does not necessarily extend to all Republicans or translate directly into votes for Democratic congressional candidates.
the crackdown on Caribbean British immigrants
I apolgize if this is a derail, but: No. They weren’t “immigrants.” As I understand it, the “Windrush generation” were and are citizens of the British Commonwealth and subjects of Her Majesty the Queen fully entitled to reside in the United Kingdom should they so choose. Treating them like immigrants, documented or otherwise, is at the heart of this whole racist debacle.
posted by adamgreenfield at 8:44 AM on April 30, 2018 [67 favorites]
I apolgize if this is a derail, but: No. They weren’t “immigrants.” As I understand it, the “Windrush generation” were and are citizens of the British Commonwealth and subjects of Her Majesty the Queen fully entitled to reside in the United Kingdom should they so choose. Treating them like immigrants, documented or otherwise, is at the heart of this whole racist debacle.
posted by adamgreenfield at 8:44 AM on April 30, 2018 [67 favorites]
I wish I could comb through the social media posts and other commentary from everyone -- Republican, Democrat, liberal, progressive, moderate, men, women, etc -- reacting with such performative horror over Wolf's (no relation) comments to see what they've said in the past when people -- and not just comedians -- have said truly vile and disgusting things about the physical appearance of Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Hillary Clinton, Serena Williams, Janet Reno, Elizabeth Warren, and various other women who aren't correctly (in their eyes) performing American femininity by being white and conservative.
And they increasingly say the Republican Party is a better steward of the economy.
Stuff like this and the South Korean President saying Trump deserves a Nobel for his role in the recent NK/SK developments makes me want to give up hope.
Republicans get such out-sized and unearned praise and rewards for every little thing they do; when a Democrat accomplishes something, it's dismissed as something that was easily accomplished or something for which their predecessor deserves more credit, etc.
It's disturbingly similar to the mediocre male/competent female dynamic in the workplace....
posted by lord_wolf at 8:45 AM on April 30, 2018 [36 favorites]
And they increasingly say the Republican Party is a better steward of the economy.
Stuff like this and the South Korean President saying Trump deserves a Nobel for his role in the recent NK/SK developments makes me want to give up hope.
Republicans get such out-sized and unearned praise and rewards for every little thing they do; when a Democrat accomplishes something, it's dismissed as something that was easily accomplished or something for which their predecessor deserves more credit, etc.
It's disturbingly similar to the mediocre male/competent female dynamic in the workplace....
posted by lord_wolf at 8:45 AM on April 30, 2018 [36 favorites]
@AFP #BREAKING Putin, Macron in favour of keeping Iran nuclear accord: Kremlin
Oh, great, now I have doubts about the accord. Sigh.
posted by Bovine Love at 8:46 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oh, great, now I have doubts about the accord. Sigh.
posted by Bovine Love at 8:46 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Treating them like immigrants, documented or otherwise, is at the heart of this whole racist debacle.
I'm sorry (and I apologize for the mistake) - I mistyped. I was trying to convey that they had moved to the UK from the commonwealth, not that they weren't citizens. I was thinking of all the various things Amber Rudd has done and I got them jumbled because I was thinking of all that "hostile climate" stuff. It's absolutely true that the Windrush generation are citizens and it's a disgrace to treat them otherwise.
posted by Frowner at 8:47 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm sorry (and I apologize for the mistake) - I mistyped. I was trying to convey that they had moved to the UK from the commonwealth, not that they weren't citizens. I was thinking of all the various things Amber Rudd has done and I got them jumbled because I was thinking of all that "hostile climate" stuff. It's absolutely true that the Windrush generation are citizens and it's a disgrace to treat them otherwise.
posted by Frowner at 8:47 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Daily 202: The Intercept breaks open Democratic squabbles as midterm elections approach - David Weigel with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve, WaPo
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:48 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
The website’s series of scoops on intra-Democratic arguments started with a sprawling and buzzy January story on how the DCCC was “throwing its weight behind candidates who are out of step with the national mood.”Emphasis theirs.
The publication's exposure of the family feud is playing into a narrative that Democrats' biggest risk to their goal of capturing the House majority in this year's midterm elections — with President Trump hanging around the GOP's neck — is themselves. That is, the progressive anti-Trump energy driving the party is leading to a plethora of messy Democratic primaries and some serious differences over how to approach them.
...
The Intercept’s punchy focus on Democratic politics is in large part the work of D.C. bureau chief Ryan Grim, who spent years running the HuffPost’s political team.
In an email, Grimm said that the Intercept's coverage “was fueled by the insight that the Bernie/Hillary divide exists on Twitter and in Washington but not in the real world,” and that the DCCC was barreling into primaries where all of the local party’s factions had already gotten behind a candidate. Grimm was referring to the endless ink spilled by Washington journalists about the 2016 primary rivalry between Hillary Clinton — then the establishment candidate — and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who waged a surprisingly strong primary challenge from the left.
...
“The thinking was that that would help explain to our audience why we were doing short items about individual races here and there,” said Grim. “We didn’t realize how much of a nerve it would strike. Immediately, other campaigns started reaching out saying, 'Hey, that’s happening here, too!' And with so many races happening, the chances of some really good stories emerging go way up.”
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:48 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Fmr. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro:
Obviously, Netanyahu's announcement tonight on the Iranian nuclear program is fully coordinated with the US side. The call with Trump yesterday and Pompeo's visit would have locked it in. Ironically, if he has clear evidence of an Iranian violation of the JCPOA, that could be used as a reason to stay in the deal and use the sanctions snapback. That's a way to toughen sanctions on Iran, but keep the Europeans (and even Russia and China) on board. If Trump wanted more time before exiting the JCPOA so he could work the North Korea negotiations without an immediate crisis in Iran distracting at the same time, that would be a pretty sophisticated play. But there is no doubt that is not the strategy. Netanyahu wants the JCPOA gone, as does Trump. In all likelihood, Trump will seize on Netanyahu's announcement to justify his decision (long since locked-in) to withdraw. Interesting question is how the Europeans will react, and if they will find this staging and the information presented credible. I recall in 2009 when Obama, Gordon Brown, & Francois Hollande revealed the existence of Iran's then-secret enrichment facility in Qom, it was a well-coordinated use of agreed-upon intelligence, & led all parties to sign up for tougher sanctions, including eventually UNSCR 1929. We'll see if tonight's revelations produce that kind of consensus. Not sure that is the priority, though. End.posted by T.D. Strange at 8:54 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
> Stuff like this and the South Korean President saying Trump deserves a Nobel for his role in the recent NK/SK developments makes me want to give up hope.
If the events of the past two years have *improved* Millennials' (as a group) opinion of the Republican party, then yeah, I don't know what to tell you or anyone else.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
If the events of the past two years have *improved* Millennials' (as a group) opinion of the Republican party, then yeah, I don't know what to tell you or anyone else.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker):
IRON MAN: You won’t get away with destroying the universe, Thanos.
MAGGIE HABERMAN: This is an attack on Thanos’ appearance! I can’t be convinced otherwise.
WHCA: We apologize to Thanos for the hero’s comments. While the universe is important, Thanos deserves the utmost respect
posted by salix at 9:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [82 favorites]
IRON MAN: You won’t get away with destroying the universe, Thanos.
MAGGIE HABERMAN: This is an attack on Thanos’ appearance! I can’t be convinced otherwise.
WHCA: We apologize to Thanos for the hero’s comments. While the universe is important, Thanos deserves the utmost respect
posted by salix at 9:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [82 favorites]
It's important not to over interpret single poll results, and reading down makes it pretty clear that poll is basically the same trend away from party identification we've been seeing for years:
Only 28 percent of those polled expressed overt support for Republicans in the 2018 poll - about the same percentage as two years earlier.
But that does not mean the rest will turn out to back Democrats, the survey showed. A growing share of voters between ages 18 and 34 years old said they were undecided, would support a third-party candidate or not vote at all.
You can't really interpret that as increased support for Republicans. You can read it as caution for increased turnout predictions, but turnout is always fickle, and we have lots of good other indicators that Democratic enthusiasm will be up in November, like all of the special results.
Wait for November for despair, if Democrats fail to retake the House, then its time for wailing and seriously considering your exit America plan. But not yet, and not based on a single poll.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:09 AM on April 30, 2018 [21 favorites]
Only 28 percent of those polled expressed overt support for Republicans in the 2018 poll - about the same percentage as two years earlier.
But that does not mean the rest will turn out to back Democrats, the survey showed. A growing share of voters between ages 18 and 34 years old said they were undecided, would support a third-party candidate or not vote at all.
You can't really interpret that as increased support for Republicans. You can read it as caution for increased turnout predictions, but turnout is always fickle, and we have lots of good other indicators that Democratic enthusiasm will be up in November, like all of the special results.
Wait for November for despair, if Democrats fail to retake the House, then its time for wailing and seriously considering your exit America plan. But not yet, and not based on a single poll.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:09 AM on April 30, 2018 [21 favorites]
Democrats lose ground with millennials - Reuters/Ipsos poll - Chris Khan, Reuters
The media is so desperate to tell a "Democrats in disarray!" story, it's pathetic. They haven't released the full cross-tabs, but here are some quotes from the article:
posted by melissasaurus at 9:10 AM on April 30, 2018 [62 favorites]
The media is so desperate to tell a "Democrats in disarray!" story, it's pathetic. They haven't released the full cross-tabs, but here are some quotes from the article:
Only 28 percent of those polled expressed overt support for Republicans in the 2018 poll - about the same percentage as two years earlier.So, Dems still winning 2/3 of the millenial vote, there isn't increasing support for the GOP, and the decrease in support for the Dems in favor of nonvoting/3rd party is among mostly white men. Also, current 18 year olds aren't millennials.
A growing share of voters between ages 18 and 34 years old said they were undecided, would support a third-party candidate or not vote at all.
Two years ago, young white people favored Democrats over Republicans for Congress by a margin of 47 to 33 percent; that gap vanished by this year, with 39 percent supporting each party.
The shift was especially dramatic among young white men, who two years ago favored Democrats but now say they favor Republicans over Democrats by a margin of 46 to 37 percent, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
posted by melissasaurus at 9:10 AM on April 30, 2018 [62 favorites]
As a millennial who has lost faith in the Democratic party over the past two years, I would bet that a huge portion of those polled are dissatisfied because they've moved to the left of the Democrats, not the right. And this squares with how the poll shows the same percentage of support for Republicans now as two years earlier.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:16 AM on April 30, 2018 [62 favorites]
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:16 AM on April 30, 2018 [62 favorites]
citizens of the British Commonwealth and subjects of Her Majesty the Queen fully entitled to reside in the United Kingdom should they so choose
Not true, actually; Commonwealth citizens do not have automatic right of abode in the UK. They're free of certain forms of immigration control and can vote in elections while UK-resident, but they have to go through normal immigration channels if they wish to reside permanently. Those who arrived prior to the enactment of the Immigration Act 1971 have the right to remain indefinitely, as the law then in place made citizens of the Commonwealth citizens of the UK and colonies; those who arrived after 1973 do not have the right to remain in the UK indefinitely (UK immigration law re Commonwealth citizens changed because of British accession to the EU in 1973). The so-called "Windrush generation" all arrived pre-1973, but I'd argue that their mistreatment is part of a larger and more general and cynical crackdown on immigration driven by Tory fear of the sentiments that led to Brexit (that's included things like, a few years back, vans like this one driving around British cities).
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 9:18 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Not true, actually; Commonwealth citizens do not have automatic right of abode in the UK. They're free of certain forms of immigration control and can vote in elections while UK-resident, but they have to go through normal immigration channels if they wish to reside permanently. Those who arrived prior to the enactment of the Immigration Act 1971 have the right to remain indefinitely, as the law then in place made citizens of the Commonwealth citizens of the UK and colonies; those who arrived after 1973 do not have the right to remain in the UK indefinitely (UK immigration law re Commonwealth citizens changed because of British accession to the EU in 1973). The so-called "Windrush generation" all arrived pre-1973, but I'd argue that their mistreatment is part of a larger and more general and cynical crackdown on immigration driven by Tory fear of the sentiments that led to Brexit (that's included things like, a few years back, vans like this one driving around British cities).
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 9:18 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
As a millennial who has lost faith in the Democratic party over the past two years, I would bet that a huge portion of those polled are dissatisfied because they've moved to the left of the Democrats, not the right.
The too-conservative-for-Republican strategy of grumbling about politicians, showing up for primaries, but still voting for Republicans has paid off very handsomely for conservatives electorally. I wonder whether too-left-for-Dems will follow a similar strategy.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:23 AM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
The too-conservative-for-Republican strategy of grumbling about politicians, showing up for primaries, but still voting for Republicans has paid off very handsomely for conservatives electorally. I wonder whether too-left-for-Dems will follow a similar strategy.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:23 AM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
I wonder whether too-left-for-Dems will follow a similar strategy.
If Stein voters had voted for Clinton, she would have won Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, which would have given her 273 electoral votes and the presidency.
If too-left-for-Dems didn't figure this out after Nader in 2000, and didn't learn their lesson in 2016, I have no hope for them. At this point I can only assume they're accelerationists.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:31 AM on April 30, 2018 [66 favorites]
If Stein voters had voted for Clinton, she would have won Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, which would have given her 273 electoral votes and the presidency.
If too-left-for-Dems didn't figure this out after Nader in 2000, and didn't learn their lesson in 2016, I have no hope for them. At this point I can only assume they're accelerationists.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:31 AM on April 30, 2018 [66 favorites]
Republican Senate Candidate, Who Has Called for Country 'Free From Jews,’ Could be Dianne Feinstein’s Challenger
posted by zarq at 9:32 AM on April 30, 2018 [10 favorites]
The man in question is Patrick Little, an extremist with hardline anti-Semitic views who is backed by David Duke and other far-right extremists. Little will be squaring off in a top-two primary with 10 other Republicans as well as Democrats and independents on June 5 for the chance to oppose veteran Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein. According to a recent poll, released last week, he very much has a chance of winning the right to face off with the incumbent.
A poll conducted by local ABC News affiliates along with the polling company Survey USA, suggested that Little is polling at 18 percent of the vote on the Republican ticket, a full 10 points ahead of his next strongest opponent. The 84-year-old Feinstein, who first entered office way back in 1992, at the start of Bill Clinton’s first term, remains a solid favorite to win the state—polling at 39 percent.
It’s unclear how predictive the poll will prove to be, or whether many Californians are intimately familiar with Little’s views, but the notion that he has any viability at all in the state is likely to raise alarm. Little has said he believes Jews should have no say over white non-Jews and wants to see them removed from the country altogether. On Gab, a social media site with large swaths of extremist users, he argues that the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, whose proprietors praise Adolf Hitler and have appeared to call for acts of violence against Jewish people, is too Jewish.
posted by zarq at 9:32 AM on April 30, 2018 [10 favorites]
The too-conservative-for-Republican strategy of grumbling about politicians, showing up for primaries, but still voting for Republicans has paid off very handsomely for conservatives electorally. I wonder whether too-left-for-Dems will follow a similar strategy.
The far right sector of the Republican Party is backed by Koch, Mercer, and other billionaires and superPACs. Sadly, there's no equivalent on the far left (and never will be). Far-right Republicans who grumble and vote are being rewarded by their politicians rapidly moving right, but their votes are not the primary reason the politicians are moving right.
If arch-capitalist third way style governance is the best the far left can hope to get, it's no surprise that many of them don't bother ratifying it with their votes.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:33 AM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
The far right sector of the Republican Party is backed by Koch, Mercer, and other billionaires and superPACs. Sadly, there's no equivalent on the far left (and never will be). Far-right Republicans who grumble and vote are being rewarded by their politicians rapidly moving right, but their votes are not the primary reason the politicians are moving right.
If arch-capitalist third way style governance is the best the far left can hope to get, it's no surprise that many of them don't bother ratifying it with their votes.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:33 AM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
I would bet that a huge portion of those polled are dissatisfied because they've moved to the left of the Democrats, not the right.
This is still an angle of attack for Republicans. If they can't get Millennials to vote Republican, they can still demoralize the opposition and suppress their interest in voting. It doesn't take much:
"The DCC is keeping your candidates from being nominated."
"Hillary shows the Democrats are no different from Republicans"
"Joy Reed shows the hypocrisy of the Democrats"
Expect a lot of similar stuff in the next six months, along with a lot of piling that shows Republicans gaining strength.
posted by happyroach at 9:34 AM on April 30, 2018 [26 favorites]
This is still an angle of attack for Republicans. If they can't get Millennials to vote Republican, they can still demoralize the opposition and suppress their interest in voting. It doesn't take much:
"The DCC is keeping your candidates from being nominated."
"Hillary shows the Democrats are no different from Republicans"
"Joy Reed shows the hypocrisy of the Democrats"
Expect a lot of similar stuff in the next six months, along with a lot of piling that shows Republicans gaining strength.
posted by happyroach at 9:34 AM on April 30, 2018 [26 favorites]
The Birth of Godly Trump, the Humble Teacher
"Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1948. If McNaughton loves Trump so much he should update his painting of Obama golfing during a nuclear attack.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:43 AM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
The paintings are of course at one level just comical schlock. Most levels, really. But what I want to focus on is the idealized Trump we find in these paintings, a sort of gentle teacher, humbly dispensing lessons, reprising various biblical motifs. This is needless to say, quite different from any actual Trump who has ever walked the earth. Even if you like, perhaps especially if you like Trump, he is the archetypical dominator of enemies. He’s a disruptor. He’s a lot of other things. But this is the most positive read. But here we have the creation of this alternative, godly Trump, which you actually see increasingly in various Christian art produced over the last year which incorporate Trump into scenes communing with or taking guidance from Jesus.Interactive version of McNaughton's One Nation Under God, featuring Jesus holding the Constitution. If you look closely, he seems to be pointing at the part that says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Thomas Jefferson's nearby, erecting "a wall of separation between Church & State." And James Madison, who said "religion & Gov will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together."
There’s only so much we can draw from [Jon] McNaughton’s painting, though the sales reproductions of his work and his growing fame on the Trumpist right give some indication of how much he resonates. This kind of hagiography is one small part of a story we are fools to miss. Even as President Trump in some ways losing grip over the Presidency, he is tightening his grip on the Republican party. He’s not losing ground on that front. His grip is intensifying and transforming what the core of the GOP is.
"Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1948. If McNaughton loves Trump so much he should update his painting of Obama golfing during a nuclear attack.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:43 AM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
The far right sector of the Republican Party is backed by Koch, Mercer, and other billionaires and superPACs. Sadly, there's no equivalent on the far left (and never will be).
You mean you've been commenting here without receiving your monthly check from George Soros? Join the union, you scab.
posted by biogeo at 9:53 AM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
You mean you've been commenting here without receiving your monthly check from George Soros? Join the union, you scab.
posted by biogeo at 9:53 AM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
Future debate question: "President Trump, what part has humility played in your success?"
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:54 AM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:54 AM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
If too-left-for-Dems didn't figure this out after Nader in 2000, and didn't learn their lesson in 2016, I have no hope for them. At this point I can only assume they're accelerationists.
In my own experience of hardcore third-party voters: not so much "accelerationists" (though there are some) as mostly white, all with at least middle-class families even if they are not, all with a lot of cultural capital and family safety nets, and all cite "principles" "I voted my conscience" etc. as a reason for third-party voting. So not people who are really going to suffer under a Trump or other Republican regime, because white and privileged. To them it's all about Their Principles and Their Conscience.
My state, California, is not a swing state, so a few Stein/Johnson/etc. voters (we still have the Peace and Freedom party on the ballot!) don't matter. But the Fuck Everyone Else I Got My Principles is eye-rolling.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
In my own experience of hardcore third-party voters: not so much "accelerationists" (though there are some) as mostly white, all with at least middle-class families even if they are not, all with a lot of cultural capital and family safety nets, and all cite "principles" "I voted my conscience" etc. as a reason for third-party voting. So not people who are really going to suffer under a Trump or other Republican regime, because white and privileged. To them it's all about Their Principles and Their Conscience.
My state, California, is not a swing state, so a few Stein/Johnson/etc. voters (we still have the Peace and Freedom party on the ballot!) don't matter. But the Fuck Everyone Else I Got My Principles is eye-rolling.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
Compare: ... the great wolf Fenris rose from the deep
to: How Michelle Wolf Blasted Open the Fictions of Journalism in the Age of Trump (Masha Gessen | The New Yorker)
Seriously, writers? Seriously?
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
to: How Michelle Wolf Blasted Open the Fictions of Journalism in the Age of Trump (Masha Gessen | The New Yorker)
Seriously, writers? Seriously?
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:56 AM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
the South Korean President saying Trump deserves a Nobel for his role in the recent NK/SK developments makes me want to give up hope.
That's not exactly what he said and the distinction is kinda important.
Elise Hu (NPR's Korea correspondent)
Moon's statement on Trump and the Nobel was in Korean -- a nuanced language and like any language, the context can affect the translation...
- Blue House confirmed this straight translation into English: “President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. The only thing we need is peace.”
- AFP is translating it this way: "President Trump can take the Nobel prize. All we need to take is peace," making more clear Moon was responding to a former winner's wife suggesting that MOON win the prize. AFP: Trump can have Nobel Peace Prize: S. Korea president
- Here it is in Korean: 노벨상은 도널드 트럼프 미 대통령이 받아야 하고 우리는 평화만 가져오면 된다
And again, he was responding to a letter from Kim Dae Jung's wife, which said Moon deserves a Nobel for the successful summit
posted by chris24 at 9:59 AM on April 30, 2018 [72 favorites]
That's not exactly what he said and the distinction is kinda important.
Elise Hu (NPR's Korea correspondent)
Moon's statement on Trump and the Nobel was in Korean -- a nuanced language and like any language, the context can affect the translation...
- Blue House confirmed this straight translation into English: “President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. The only thing we need is peace.”
- AFP is translating it this way: "President Trump can take the Nobel prize. All we need to take is peace," making more clear Moon was responding to a former winner's wife suggesting that MOON win the prize. AFP: Trump can have Nobel Peace Prize: S. Korea president
- Here it is in Korean: 노벨상은 도널드 트럼프 미 대통령이 받아야 하고 우리는 평화만 가져오면 된다
And again, he was responding to a letter from Kim Dae Jung's wife, which said Moon deserves a Nobel for the successful summit
posted by chris24 at 9:59 AM on April 30, 2018 [72 favorites]
AFP is translating it this way: "President Trump can take the Nobel prize. All we need to take is peace," making more clear Moon was responding to a former winner's wife suggesting that MOON win the prize. AFP: Trump can have Nobel Peace Prize: S. Korea president
And this is the reason that MetaFilter deserves every dime in subscription and more. Thanks chris24!!!
posted by Sophie1 at 10:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [67 favorites]
And this is the reason that MetaFilter deserves every dime in subscription and more. Thanks chris24!!!
posted by Sophie1 at 10:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [67 favorites]
In my opinion, people who are too-left-for-Dems, who refuse to vote strategically and steadfastly view their vote as a declaration of their purity and principles, and either give it to candidates who they are completely in line with or not at all, are definitely open to being easily exploitable as useful idealogues.
posted by defenestration at 10:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by defenestration at 10:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
This is still an angle of attack for Republicans. If they can't get Millennials to vote Republican, they can still demoralize the opposition and suppress their interest in voting. It doesn't take much:
"The DCC is keeping your candidates from being nominated."
"Hillary shows the Democrats are no different from Republicans"
"Joy Reed shows the hypocrisy of the Democrats"
Expect a lot of similar stuff in the next six months, along with a lot of piling that shows Republicans gaining strength.
I shouldn't be surprised, but nevertheless am a little, that the name Hillary Clinton is still, this far out from the election, such an effective wedge on the left. It's the stupidest goddamn thing to see, but you can see it in action every single day in progressive subreddits and the like. Thankfully, while you see anti-Hillary articles upvoted like crazy, top comments are often voices of reason saying "hey wtf are we doing", which makes me think astroturf, but still, that signal keeps getting boosted.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
"The DCC is keeping your candidates from being nominated."
"Hillary shows the Democrats are no different from Republicans"
"Joy Reed shows the hypocrisy of the Democrats"
Expect a lot of similar stuff in the next six months, along with a lot of piling that shows Republicans gaining strength.
I shouldn't be surprised, but nevertheless am a little, that the name Hillary Clinton is still, this far out from the election, such an effective wedge on the left. It's the stupidest goddamn thing to see, but you can see it in action every single day in progressive subreddits and the like. Thankfully, while you see anti-Hillary articles upvoted like crazy, top comments are often voices of reason saying "hey wtf are we doing", which makes me think astroturf, but still, that signal keeps getting boosted.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:04 AM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'm too left for the Dems but I still vote for them on harm reduction principles. People who think they can just roll their eyes and make a jerking-off motion at the political system of the biggest and most dangerous nation in the world are not doing so in good faith.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:12 AM on April 30, 2018 [110 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:12 AM on April 30, 2018 [110 favorites]
Netanyahu's giving a big multimedia presentation (in English) about Iran right now.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:15 AM on April 30, 2018
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:15 AM on April 30, 2018
For a palate-cleanser and some practical advice: Turning the Southwest Blue With Brown and Beautiful Millennials (Cristina Tzintzún and Manuel Pastor, The American Prospect):
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [22 favorites]
The possibility of that kind of progressive turnaround is illustrated by the arc of the state of California. In the early 1990s, the Golden State looked much like red-state America today: agitated by anti-immigrant sentiment, strained by the economic distress of deindustrialization, and riddled by political polarization (few remember that Rush Limbaugh actually got his bombastic start in talk radio in Sacramento just prior to that era of unease). Today’s California is very different, of course: protecting immigrants against federal overreach, raising (not cutting) taxes to provide services, and tackling disparities in education and the labor market.Note - I have lived in California all my life, and I do remember the Pete Wilson, Proposition 184 (three-strikes), Proposition 187 (anti-immigrant), Proposition 8 (anti-same-gender marriage) laws. And we had not just Rush, but Michael Savage, a notorious conservative bigot blowhard (who lived in actual San Francisco!). It took time - some 20-ish years to go from Wilson to Jerry Brown - but we did it, we turned blue and liberal, and if we can do it you can do it.
Getting there was a matter of demographic change, to be sure, but it was also the result of a great deal of work to change the electorate. Efforts by groups like California Calls lured new and occasional voters to the polls by combining community organizing with electoral mobilization—a strategy called “integrated voter engagement.” Such efforts have been crucial to winning state ballot measures to hike taxes on the well-off in both 2012 and 2016, and “de-felonize” drug use, effectively freeing many from state prison, in 2014.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [22 favorites]
In my opinion, people who are too-left-for-Dems, who refuse to vote strategically and steadfastly view their vote as a declaration of their purity and principles, and either give it to candidates who they are completely in line with or not at all, are definitely open to being easily exploitable as useful idealogues.
when I encounter these sort of arguments, I tend to go with, "You know, the real stuff of democracy is not what you do on voting day, it's what you do every day. The stands you take, the causes you support, the arguments you make, the agitations you pursue. Voting day is the one day you get ground level pragmatic and opt for the least evil option that has a chance of winning. Don't be a f***ing idiot."
posted by philip-random at 10:18 AM on April 30, 2018 [50 favorites]
when I encounter these sort of arguments, I tend to go with, "You know, the real stuff of democracy is not what you do on voting day, it's what you do every day. The stands you take, the causes you support, the arguments you make, the agitations you pursue. Voting day is the one day you get ground level pragmatic and opt for the least evil option that has a chance of winning. Don't be a f***ing idiot."
posted by philip-random at 10:18 AM on April 30, 2018 [50 favorites]
zachlipton: There's a "burned fat —> ashes —> lye —> lie" thing going on here.
dirigibleman: She was telling them she wasn't going to make this more palatable to them.
I was impressed before, but now I want to read the transcript to try and parse more nuanced and layered jokes.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:20 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
dirigibleman: She was telling them she wasn't going to make this more palatable to them.
I was impressed before, but now I want to read the transcript to try and parse more nuanced and layered jokes.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:20 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
melissasaurus: The media is so desperate to tell a "Democrats in disarray!" story, it's pathetic. They haven't released the full cross-tabs, but here are some quotes from the article
This is why I love MetaFilter - people trying to look at the actual data behind stories on stats.
Media literacy isn't just being critical of the story that is being told, but doing a bit of work to understand the details behind the packaged narrative. It means doing more than reading headlines, which is the problem with media super-saturation: all the outlets are vying for attention, so the less exciting details are often overlooked.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:30 AM on April 30, 2018 [25 favorites]
This is why I love MetaFilter - people trying to look at the actual data behind stories on stats.
Media literacy isn't just being critical of the story that is being told, but doing a bit of work to understand the details behind the packaged narrative. It means doing more than reading headlines, which is the problem with media super-saturation: all the outlets are vying for attention, so the less exciting details are often overlooked.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:30 AM on April 30, 2018 [25 favorites]
From @rtraister: Between reaction to Wolf - who was fucking devastating and brilliant- & those caping for Brokaw and not understanding Wapo piece (& Wolf's routine) as about whole systems that enact and cover up power abuses, I am learning a lot about how many Aunt Lydias there really are out there.
(I've read HMT a few times, I guess I'm going to actually have to watch the new version, aren't I?)
posted by Sophie1 at 10:31 AM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
(I've read HMT a few times, I guess I'm going to actually have to watch the new version, aren't I?)
posted by Sophie1 at 10:31 AM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Michael Hayden: The End of Intelligence
We in the intelligence world have dealt with obstinate and argumentative presidents through the years. But we have never served a president for whom ground truth really doesn’t matter.
Mr. Hayden is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
This morning, NPR made a big deal of how unprecedented it was that former "spies" would speak publicly about political issues.
They did not make a big deal about how unprecedented it is to have POTUS publicly attack intelligence agencies for findings that are inconvenient to him politically -- or personally.
Indeed, the phrasing -- "President Trump has raised doubts about the intelligence agencies and their findings regarding Russia's meddling in the 2016 election" -- makes it sound as if Trump has legitimate and good-faith questions about the consensus of the US intelligence community, and not just stubborn refusal to believe information that undermines his ego and his legitimacy.
posted by Gelatin at 10:34 AM on April 30, 2018 [60 favorites]
We in the intelligence world have dealt with obstinate and argumentative presidents through the years. But we have never served a president for whom ground truth really doesn’t matter.
Mr. Hayden is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
This morning, NPR made a big deal of how unprecedented it was that former "spies" would speak publicly about political issues.
They did not make a big deal about how unprecedented it is to have POTUS publicly attack intelligence agencies for findings that are inconvenient to him politically -- or personally.
Indeed, the phrasing -- "President Trump has raised doubts about the intelligence agencies and their findings regarding Russia's meddling in the 2016 election" -- makes it sound as if Trump has legitimate and good-faith questions about the consensus of the US intelligence community, and not just stubborn refusal to believe information that undermines his ego and his legitimacy.
posted by Gelatin at 10:34 AM on April 30, 2018 [60 favorites]
filthy light thief: now I want to read the transcript to try and parse more nuanced and layered jokes.
... it's 2018, and I look forward to really getting into a WHCD transcript. To better appreciate the jokes.
To bring this back to current affairs of the world: As two Koreas shake hands, Hidden Cobra hackers wage espionage campaign -- North Korea ramps up espionage hacks that target the US and 16 other countries. (Dan Goodin for Ars Technica, April 27, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 10:40 AM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
... it's 2018, and I look forward to really getting into a WHCD transcript. To better appreciate the jokes.
To bring this back to current affairs of the world: As two Koreas shake hands, Hidden Cobra hackers wage espionage campaign -- North Korea ramps up espionage hacks that target the US and 16 other countries. (Dan Goodin for Ars Technica, April 27, 2018)
As Kim Jong Un became the first North Korean leader to step into South Korea, his generals continue to oversee teams of increasingly advanced hackers who are actively targeting the financial, health, and entertainment industries in the US and more than a dozen other countries. The so-called GhostSecret data reconnaissance campaign, exposed Tuesday by security firm McAfee, remains ongoing. It is deploying a series of previously unidentified tools designed to stealthily infect targets and gather data or possibly repeat the same type of highly destructive attacks visited upon Sony Pictures in 2014.The article goes on to treat this is "typical" cyber intelligence gathering, instead of cyber warfare. I'm not sure what to take from that, TBH.
Last month, McAfee reported finding Bankshot, a remote-access trojan attributed to Hidden Cobra—a so-called advanced persistent threat group tied to North Korea—infecting Turkish banks. In this week's report, the security firm said the same malware was infecting organizations all over the world. McAfee researchers also found never-before-seen malware that was infecting the same organizations. One tool included many of the capabilities of Bankshot, including its ability to compromise computers that connect to the SWIFT banking network and permanently wipe data from infected computers. The tool also had digital fingerprints found in Destover, the name given to malware that was used in the Sony Pictures intrusion.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:40 AM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
The annotated transcript of Wolf's speech has been posted a few times up page, but I'm doing it again here because you owe it to yourself to read it. It's amazing.
And the reaction from the press about what she said, from people like Maggie Haberman and Andrea Mitchell, is the more disheartening thing about the blowback. The president is a malignant narcissist, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kellyanne Conway are malignant liars, and Flint still doesn't have clean water. But sure, let's all take the time to say that SHS needs an apology for calling her Aunt Lydia and having a smoky eye made with burnt facts.
Stupidest timeline.
posted by mcstayinskool at 10:53 AM on April 30, 2018 [54 favorites]
And the reaction from the press about what she said, from people like Maggie Haberman and Andrea Mitchell, is the more disheartening thing about the blowback. The president is a malignant narcissist, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kellyanne Conway are malignant liars, and Flint still doesn't have clean water. But sure, let's all take the time to say that SHS needs an apology for calling her Aunt Lydia and having a smoky eye made with burnt facts.
Stupidest timeline.
posted by mcstayinskool at 10:53 AM on April 30, 2018 [54 favorites]
Max Fisher has some thoughts on the issues with Netanyahu's Iran presentation, which are also useful if you're catching up with what he said.
posted by zachlipton at 10:54 AM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:54 AM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** MN Senate special -- Mentioned yesterday, Richard Painter, W's ethics lawyer, is going to run for the Dem nomination in the special to fill out the rest of Franken's term. He had been mulling an independent run, which at least had a chance of putting a Republican in the seat. He's seen as having very little shot of getting the nomination, leaving appointed Dem Tina Smith in a pretty safe position.
** OH-12 special -- GOP in pitched battle over the nomination between mainstream and far right. The party is very concerned that the Dems could pick up this seat, after the recent PA and AZ results.
** 2018 Senate:
Two Florida state House special elections tomorrow
posted by Chrysostom at 10:59 AM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
** MN Senate special -- Mentioned yesterday, Richard Painter, W's ethics lawyer, is going to run for the Dem nomination in the special to fill out the rest of Franken's term. He had been mulling an independent run, which at least had a chance of putting a Republican in the seat. He's seen as having very little shot of getting the nomination, leaving appointed Dem Tina Smith in a pretty safe position.
** OH-12 special -- GOP in pitched battle over the nomination between mainstream and far right. The party is very concerned that the Dems could pick up this seat, after the recent PA and AZ results.
** 2018 Senate:
-- MO: Emerson poll has McCaskill and Hawley tied, 45-45 [MOE:+/- 4.2%]. Meanwhile, Hawley campaign is pushing an internal that has him up 47-46 [MOE:+/- 4%]. That's not very impressive for an internal that you're using to prove you are credible.** 2018 House:
-- IN: The three-way GOP primary is getting seriously ugly.
-- Vox round-up of all the vulnerable Dem seats.
-- Parts 2 & 3 of David Byler series of trying to construct a Senate model. Takeaway fact: Senate polls this far out are about 80% accurate of the election result.
-- WP: Dems now targeting rural districts in addition to suburbs.====
-- Enten: Specials spell trouble for GOP. (with funky web design).
-- More analysis of margins in specials from DKE.
Two Florida state House special elections tomorrow
posted by Chrysostom at 10:59 AM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
@ReutersPolitics: JUST IN: Stormy Daniels files defamation lawsuit against President Trump - court filing
Here's a copy of the complaint, via Michael Avenatti. The suit alleges Trump defamed her when he tweeted that she lied about the man who threatened her in 2011.
Trump is now discussing the "caravan" of asylum-seekers: "people don't realize what a big country Mexico is" and our border "has the worst laws." He's talking about how hard the wall will be to climb, despite the fact the people in question are here to present themselves and claim asylum.
posted by zachlipton at 11:00 AM on April 30, 2018 [41 favorites]
Here's a copy of the complaint, via Michael Avenatti. The suit alleges Trump defamed her when he tweeted that she lied about the man who threatened her in 2011.
Trump is now discussing the "caravan" of asylum-seekers: "people don't realize what a big country Mexico is" and our border "has the worst laws." He's talking about how hard the wall will be to climb, despite the fact the people in question are here to present themselves and claim asylum.
posted by zachlipton at 11:00 AM on April 30, 2018 [41 favorites]
Netanyahu's speech emulated a certain POTUS who also likes to use props and not answer questions. I guess we'll see how he liked it when it comes up on his TiVo tonight.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:08 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:08 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Now a bunch of semi-respectable journalists who aren't even all trumpists are tweet-lying about what Michelle Wolf said on live television, where everyone could see what she actually said. No problem.
Hardly for the first time. Recall that during the 2000 Presidential debates, the so-called "liberal media" had to make up for George W. Bush's telling obvious whoppers by running with bad-faith conservative commentary -- but I repeat myself -- that Al Gore "sighed" too much when Bush told said whoppers. The media's performance has not improved since, and here we are.
posted by Gelatin at 11:14 AM on April 30, 2018 [47 favorites]
Hardly for the first time. Recall that during the 2000 Presidential debates, the so-called "liberal media" had to make up for George W. Bush's telling obvious whoppers by running with bad-faith conservative commentary -- but I repeat myself -- that Al Gore "sighed" too much when Bush told said whoppers. The media's performance has not improved since, and here we are.
posted by Gelatin at 11:14 AM on April 30, 2018 [47 favorites]
Netanyahu's speech emulated a certain POTUS who also likes to use props and not answer questions.
How's the corruption case against him going?
posted by Artw at 11:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
How's the corruption case against him going?
posted by Artw at 11:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Republicans don't want to be called out for supporting racists and racist policies,...
This is an interesting example of cognitive dissonance on the part of Republicans. They've internalized the idea that racism is bad, even though they are racist. The way they reduce their dissonance is by believing wholeheartedly that their racism is not racism and really, really resent it when that fiction is identified.
One interesting aspect of this phenomenon is that they've redefined racism to be "discriminating against another 'race' (or other category) without good justification," and they feel they have good justification (lazy blacks, illegal Hispanics, terrorist Muslims, emotional women, etc.) for their racism/ethnism/xenophobia/sexism, so magically they aren't any of those things. In fact, by a happy coincidence, they've been fed those justifications for years by the very party that they reliably pull the lever for.
And here we are.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:16 AM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
This is an interesting example of cognitive dissonance on the part of Republicans. They've internalized the idea that racism is bad, even though they are racist. The way they reduce their dissonance is by believing wholeheartedly that their racism is not racism and really, really resent it when that fiction is identified.
One interesting aspect of this phenomenon is that they've redefined racism to be "discriminating against another 'race' (or other category) without good justification," and they feel they have good justification (lazy blacks, illegal Hispanics, terrorist Muslims, emotional women, etc.) for their racism/ethnism/xenophobia/sexism, so magically they aren't any of those things. In fact, by a happy coincidence, they've been fed those justifications for years by the very party that they reliably pull the lever for.
And here we are.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:16 AM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
Maggie Haberman embodies all the worst qualities of access journalism. She is exactly the type of reporter who looks at Trump and sees a great big golden egg rather than a fascist dumpster fire. Haberman was exactly the type of journalist called out by Wolf, which is why Haberman is making shit up rather than addressing content. Tell Trump to start buying full page ads again, rather than journalists, if he wants his thoughts directly repeated by the NYT.
posted by benzenedream at 11:18 AM on April 30, 2018 [63 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 11:18 AM on April 30, 2018 [63 favorites]
Wow, that complaint from Avenati/Clifford/Daniels -
Basically they think they have him in a double bind - by tweeting that Stormy's story about being threatened to keep away from/quiet about Trump in 2011 was a "total con job" and a lie, Trump either is lying because he was responsible for it (which they claim is the most likely scenario since no one/few people knew of the story at the time) or if he wasn't directly/indirectly behind the threat then he necessarily acted with "reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of his statement because he would have had no way of knowing."
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:23 AM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
Basically they think they have him in a double bind - by tweeting that Stormy's story about being threatened to keep away from/quiet about Trump in 2011 was a "total con job" and a lie, Trump either is lying because he was responsible for it (which they claim is the most likely scenario since no one/few people knew of the story at the time) or if he wasn't directly/indirectly behind the threat then he necessarily acted with "reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of his statement because he would have had no way of knowing."
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:23 AM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
Trump campaign has paid portions of Michael Cohen's legal fees: Sources (ABC News)
The Trump campaign has spent nearly $228,000 to cover some of the legal expenses for President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, sources familiar with the payments tell ABC News, raising questions about whether the Trump campaign may have violated campaign finance laws.posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:24 AM on April 30, 2018 [33 favorites]
Federal Election Commission records show three payments made from the Trump campaign to a firm representing Cohen. The “legal consulting” payments were made to McDermott Will and Emery — a law firm where Cohen's attorney Stephen Ryan is a partner — between October 2017 and January 2018.
scalefree: my very Republican best friend growing up... flat out asked me once if I thought he was a racist. Of course I said no, what else could I say?
I use some paraphrase of this: "We're all racist to some degree, but I tend to believe that someone not working to reduce the impact of racism and knowingly supporting policies that increase is deserving of the epithet. Only you know what's in your own heart."
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:25 AM on April 30, 2018 [30 favorites]
I use some paraphrase of this: "We're all racist to some degree, but I tend to believe that someone not working to reduce the impact of racism and knowingly supporting policies that increase is deserving of the epithet. Only you know what's in your own heart."
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:25 AM on April 30, 2018 [30 favorites]
Here's a copy of the complaint, via Michael Avenatti. The suit alleges Trump defamed her when he tweeted that she lied about the man who threatened her in 2011.
OMG. READ THIS! IIRC, suing someone for defamation is a really high hurdle to clear. Fucking 2018, and here we are.
OH, and he pulls in the publisher of the Daniels' article which in 2011 was not published. SUPPOSEDLY spiked because -- yes -- Michael Cohen threatened the publisher.
Discovery in this is going to be wild. Invest in Popcorn Futures.
posted by mikelieman at 11:27 AM on April 30, 2018 [35 favorites]
OMG. READ THIS! IIRC, suing someone for defamation is a really high hurdle to clear. Fucking 2018, and here we are.
OH, and he pulls in the publisher of the Daniels' article which in 2011 was not published. SUPPOSEDLY spiked because -- yes -- Michael Cohen threatened the publisher.
Discovery in this is going to be wild. Invest in Popcorn Futures.
posted by mikelieman at 11:27 AM on April 30, 2018 [35 favorites]
"l'm delighted to announce 'Nice Lady' Michelle Wolf as our featured entertainer this year," said Margaret Talev, president of the WHCA.
From Charles Pierce:
From Charles Pierce:
posted by kirkaracha at 11:28 AM on April 30, 2018 [83 favorites]Last night’s program was meant to offer a unifying message about our common commitment to a vigorous and free press while honoring civility, great reporting and scholarship winners, not to divide people. Unfortunately, the entertainer’s monologue was not in the spirit of that mission.Faced with an administration* and a president* dedicated to poisoning both the spirit and the institutions of free government, and faced with an administration* and a president* dedicated only to looting those institutions that it cannot destroy, the representatives of the elite political media, through the woman at the head of their formal association, Margaret Talev, have determined that bowing to the fauxtrage aimed at a comedian on behalf of the administration*’s paid liar is the proper way to respond to the weekend’s festivities.
--Margaret Talev
...
Think of how things have slid from the days when William Lloyd Garrison published his first issue of The Liberator in Boston in which Garrison wrote what I consider the essential statement of purpose for any country with a First Amendment.I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh as Truth, and as uncompromising as Justice. On this subject I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen—but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest—I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—and I will be heard. The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal and hasten the resurrection of the dead.Horribly uncivil, that. But vigorous, for sure, and proudly free.
Kim's master is Xi. Xi can militarily crush North Korea at any time. Xi gives North Korea its daily operating expenses for things like food and shelter. Kim does not start negotiations or finish negotiations or make any decision about anything of consequence without Xi's approval.
This is exactly the perspective of a Chinese undergraduate student I had dinner with Saturday night. He said that the Chinese people are keenly aware that Kim is mostly a puppet regime and that Xi uses him to further Chinese interests in the region. As long as Kim stays in his sandbox he can do whatever he wants, but when his antics start to affect China's interests either locally or globally, he has to watch his ass.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:35 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is exactly the perspective of a Chinese undergraduate student I had dinner with Saturday night. He said that the Chinese people are keenly aware that Kim is mostly a puppet regime and that Xi uses him to further Chinese interests in the region. As long as Kim stays in his sandbox he can do whatever he wants, but when his antics start to affect China's interests either locally or globally, he has to watch his ass.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:35 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Garrison's an interesting choice to bring up in a discussion of the First Amendment, since he was almost killed for his beliefs - by his fellow Bostonians:
The crowd broke down the door of the shop and found Garrison in the loft under planks that Campbell had piled over him. They tied a rope around his waist and lowered him out a second floor window down into the hands of the mob in Wilson's Lane. Most of his clothes were torn off. They began to drag him towards Boston Common, some shouting for tar and feathers, others for a hanging.posted by adamg at 11:35 AM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Acting Director of ICE Plans to Retire From Agency
Under Mr. Homan, ICE increased total arrests significantly. At the same time, the proportion of people arrested who didn’t have criminal convictions on their records increased.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:40 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Under Mr. Homan, ICE increased total arrests significantly. At the same time, the proportion of people arrested who didn’t have criminal convictions on their records increased.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:40 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is why I love MetaFilter - people trying to look at the actual data behind stories on stats.
Agreed. And if I may make a brief positive aside in the interest of elevating people's mood, another thing I love about MetaFilter is the willingness of commenters to acknowledge when they're wrong about something. I've been struck over the last several weeks how frequently that happens here, and how unusual that is in political discussions generally. If you ctrl-F any of the last several iterations of the US politics megathread for words like "wrong" and "mistake," you'll find in each of them a handful of comments saying things like "I was wrong" and "I made a mistake."
This is, to borrow an epithet from the previous Republican nightmare administration, a reality-based community. Even when I disagree with other commenters here, I respect and value you all for that.
posted by biogeo at 11:42 AM on April 30, 2018 [78 favorites]
Agreed. And if I may make a brief positive aside in the interest of elevating people's mood, another thing I love about MetaFilter is the willingness of commenters to acknowledge when they're wrong about something. I've been struck over the last several weeks how frequently that happens here, and how unusual that is in political discussions generally. If you ctrl-F any of the last several iterations of the US politics megathread for words like "wrong" and "mistake," you'll find in each of them a handful of comments saying things like "I was wrong" and "I made a mistake."
This is, to borrow an epithet from the previous Republican nightmare administration, a reality-based community. Even when I disagree with other commenters here, I respect and value you all for that.
posted by biogeo at 11:42 AM on April 30, 2018 [78 favorites]
Mental Wimp: One interesting aspect of this phenomenon is that they've redefined racism to be "discriminating against another 'race' (or other category) without good justification," and they feel they have good justification (lazy blacks, illegal Hispanics, terrorist Muslims, emotional women, etc.) for their racism/ethnism/xenophobia/sexism, so magically they aren't any of those things.
Yep. Even people like the Bell Curve Dude and his acolytes, which is racism distilled to a literal (bad) science, get defended as "not racist" because the racism isn't, like, a jumble of emotional impulses, but rather a set of justifications. (While at the same time, Donald Trump is called "not racist" by some because his apparent racism isn't some structured ideology, but rather the emotional-jumble kind. Win-win.)
Relatedly, just about the only argument I've ever encountered for why the Veselnitskaya meeting was not collusion/conspiracy is that getting dirt on one's opponents is something all politicians would do, so you can't blame them for it. Which is like saying that stealing a pie on the windowsill is not an act of "theft" if the pie smells good enough. Sheesh. If you want to call it "justifiable theft", fine (and good luck), but don't twist language like that.
Charles Pierce, quoted by kirkaracha:
Margaret Talev, have determined that bowing to the fauxtrage aimed at a comedian on behalf of the administration*’s paid liar is the proper way to respond to the weekend’s festivities.
...
Think of how things have slid from the days when William Lloyd Garrison published his first issue of The Liberator in Boston in which Garrison wrote what I consider the essential statement of purpose for any country with a First Amendment.
I don't really disagree with Pierce, but it's very silly to compare two individuals with non-comparable places in society and say "gosh, things have slid". Garrison wasn't the head of the White House Correspondents' Association, he was an extremist (with a good cause) and mostly alien to the establishment of his time. One may as well say (and, in my opinion, on slightly better ground) that things are dramatically better, because in the old days we had Robert E Lee whipping enslaved people but now we have Michelle Williams speaking truth to power.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:46 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Yep. Even people like the Bell Curve Dude and his acolytes, which is racism distilled to a literal (bad) science, get defended as "not racist" because the racism isn't, like, a jumble of emotional impulses, but rather a set of justifications. (While at the same time, Donald Trump is called "not racist" by some because his apparent racism isn't some structured ideology, but rather the emotional-jumble kind. Win-win.)
Relatedly, just about the only argument I've ever encountered for why the Veselnitskaya meeting was not collusion/conspiracy is that getting dirt on one's opponents is something all politicians would do, so you can't blame them for it. Which is like saying that stealing a pie on the windowsill is not an act of "theft" if the pie smells good enough. Sheesh. If you want to call it "justifiable theft", fine (and good luck), but don't twist language like that.
Charles Pierce, quoted by kirkaracha:
Margaret Talev, have determined that bowing to the fauxtrage aimed at a comedian on behalf of the administration*’s paid liar is the proper way to respond to the weekend’s festivities.
...
Think of how things have slid from the days when William Lloyd Garrison published his first issue of The Liberator in Boston in which Garrison wrote what I consider the essential statement of purpose for any country with a First Amendment.
I don't really disagree with Pierce, but it's very silly to compare two individuals with non-comparable places in society and say "gosh, things have slid". Garrison wasn't the head of the White House Correspondents' Association, he was an extremist (with a good cause) and mostly alien to the establishment of his time. One may as well say (and, in my opinion, on slightly better ground) that things are dramatically better, because in the old days we had Robert E Lee whipping enslaved people but now we have Michelle Williams speaking truth to power.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:46 AM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
FWIW, while that sort of thing does make me hate Pres. Moon for being such a goddamn spineless shit, it's very much 사대주의 (sadaejuui), which is a derogatory way of referring to the humiliating, meatloaf-eating, embarrassing, self-abasing kowtowing to a greater power that Moon's been doing. It works, I guess, with someone like Trump, but the cost is just. so. fucking. high.
Credit where due department: Though NPR's national political reporting is, generally, terrible in the way it bends over backwards to accommodate Republican bad faith, they have seemed to make a habit of pointing out, when mentioning a foreign leader praising Trump, that nearly every other country has figured out that's the way to Trump's good side.
"Hi, America, your president is easily manipulated by praise, sincere or otherwise. I'm Steve Inskeep and this is NPR." [fake]
posted by Gelatin at 11:47 AM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
Credit where due department: Though NPR's national political reporting is, generally, terrible in the way it bends over backwards to accommodate Republican bad faith, they have seemed to make a habit of pointing out, when mentioning a foreign leader praising Trump, that nearly every other country has figured out that's the way to Trump's good side.
"Hi, America, your president is easily manipulated by praise, sincere or otherwise. I'm Steve Inskeep and this is NPR." [fake]
posted by Gelatin at 11:47 AM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
A French journalist friend I met during my grad program for Korean studies retweeted the Reuters reporting as follows, "Very clever on the part of Moon Jae-in: It costs nothing, it makes Trump happy, and it ensures that this one stays focused and will make a little extra effort."
posted by spamandkimchi at 12:03 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by spamandkimchi at 12:03 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: I recently had a terrific meeting with a bipartisan group of freshman lawmakers who feel very strongly in favor of Congressional term limits. I gave them my full support and endorsement for their efforts. #DrainTheSwamp
@costareports: sources quite familiar w/ this meeting tell me that term limits for congressional *staffers* was discussed by some lawmakers. But the idea was shelved when someone pointed out it wouldn't be best to make that a Constitutional amendment.
What? I mean... What?
posted by zachlipton at 12:06 PM on April 30, 2018 [41 favorites]
@costareports: sources quite familiar w/ this meeting tell me that term limits for congressional *staffers* was discussed by some lawmakers. But the idea was shelved when someone pointed out it wouldn't be best to make that a Constitutional amendment.
What? I mean... What?
posted by zachlipton at 12:06 PM on April 30, 2018 [41 favorites]
How's the corruption case against him going?
Netanyahu's the primary suspect in three different corruption cases, not one.
He keeps being questioned by the police, but charges haven't yet been filed. Two members of his inner circle have been granted immunity from prosecution. The Israeli Attorney General asked the police last week to review whether evidence in the third case strengthens the first two. They are looking to establish a pattern by Netanyahu of influence peddling, bribery, graft and media manipulation.
His Israeli approval rating is high enough that this is probably not a wag the dog situation. He appears to genuinely believe that Iran is a threat to Israel's safety.
posted by zarq at 12:11 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Netanyahu's the primary suspect in three different corruption cases, not one.
He keeps being questioned by the police, but charges haven't yet been filed. Two members of his inner circle have been granted immunity from prosecution. The Israeli Attorney General asked the police last week to review whether evidence in the third case strengthens the first two. They are looking to establish a pattern by Netanyahu of influence peddling, bribery, graft and media manipulation.
His Israeli approval rating is high enough that this is probably not a wag the dog situation. He appears to genuinely believe that Iran is a threat to Israel's safety.
posted by zarq at 12:11 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
The coverage of Wolf is bullshit in the same way that the coverage of Clinton was bullshit. Women who speak their minds get nitpicked while powerful men get away with murder.
posted by medusa at 10:14 PM on April 29 [83 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
Contrast this with the wide latitude that SHS and Kellyanne Conway get when they use outrageous lies to support a powerful man. Imagine the press's excoriation if they were serving Hillary Clinton's administration...
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:14 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by medusa at 10:14 PM on April 29 [83 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
Contrast this with the wide latitude that SHS and Kellyanne Conway get when they use outrageous lies to support a powerful man. Imagine the press's excoriation if they were serving Hillary Clinton's administration...
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:14 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
zachlipton: What? I mean... What?
Hear what you want to hear, and repeat what you think you heard, except louder than those who know the truth. Ta-da! You have made a new, stronger truth!
posted by filthy light thief at 12:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hear what you want to hear, and repeat what you think you heard, except louder than those who know the truth. Ta-da! You have made a new, stronger truth!
posted by filthy light thief at 12:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
They've internalized the idea that racism is bad, even though they are racist. The way they reduce their dissonance is by believing wholeheartedly that their racism is not racism and really, really resent it when that fiction is identified.
There was a really striking example of this covered on The Daily Show recently. The linked clip describes a white family who made an extremely racist display with black mannequins and Confederate flags on their front porch. The family insists the display isn't racist, offering as justification "everybody hates everybody, it depends on what you hate." As Roy Wood Jr. says, "It's crazy that even people who admit that they're doing racism, don't want to be labeled as racist."
posted by biogeo at 12:17 PM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
There was a really striking example of this covered on The Daily Show recently. The linked clip describes a white family who made an extremely racist display with black mannequins and Confederate flags on their front porch. The family insists the display isn't racist, offering as justification "everybody hates everybody, it depends on what you hate." As Roy Wood Jr. says, "It's crazy that even people who admit that they're doing racism, don't want to be labeled as racist."
posted by biogeo at 12:17 PM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
Monkfish is usually called Chilean Sea Bass...
No, it's Patagonian toothfish that's relabeled that way.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:19 PM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
No, it's Patagonian toothfish that's relabeled that way.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:19 PM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
Mattis seems to imply that Bibi's presentation caught him by surprise, even though some were speculating that it was coordinated with the WH. There's a lot of talk that it's recycled old news meant to influence certain people.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 12:19 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 12:19 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
An oddly titled, but slightly illuminating, article from NPR: In Retirement, America's Spies Are Getting Downright Chatty (NPR, April 30, 2018)
Some former CIA and FBI spooks started speaking out in part to reassure the country in the light of the Snowden leaks, and others are now talking to support the reputation of their agencies against the slander of Trump. And then there's John Brennan, who is not prolific on Twitter, but under his best impression of Sam the Eagle as his user pic, he tweets against Trump (and sadly for Ronny Jackson, a terrific doctor and Navy officer, but not qualified for the job).
posted by filthy light thief at 12:26 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
Some former CIA and FBI spooks started speaking out in part to reassure the country in the light of the Snowden leaks, and others are now talking to support the reputation of their agencies against the slander of Trump. And then there's John Brennan, who is not prolific on Twitter, but under his best impression of Sam the Eagle as his user pic, he tweets against Trump (and sadly for Ronny Jackson, a terrific doctor and Navy officer, but not qualified for the job).
posted by filthy light thief at 12:26 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hear what you want to hear, and repeat what you think you heard, except louder than those who know the truth. Ta-da! You have made a new, stronger truth!
And/or uncompensated hearing loss; and/or mental incapacity.
The NYorker article on How American Racism Influenced Hitler has this bit:
posted by mikelieman at 12:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
And/or uncompensated hearing loss; and/or mental incapacity.
The NYorker article on How American Racism Influenced Hitler has this bit:
Ian Kershaw’s monumental two-volume biography (1998-2000) found a plausible middle ground between “strong” and “weak” images of Hitler in power. With his nocturnal schedule, his dislike of paperwork, and his aversion to dialogue, Hitler was an eccentric executive, to say the least. To make sense of a dictatorship in which the dictator was intermittently absent, Kershaw expounded the concept of “working towards the Führer”: when explicit direction from Hitler was lacking, Nazi functionaries guessed at what he wanted, and often further radicalized his policiesWhich I think the evidence supports this. Trump has no clue what direction the EPA should take, so Pruett does his worst. Substitute any policy, and I believe this model bears out.
posted by mikelieman at 12:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
LA Times, ICE held an American man in custody for 1,273 days. He’s not the only one who had to prove his citizenship, on the horrors of the immigration machinery locking up US citizens.
posted by zachlipton at 12:31 PM on April 30, 2018 [45 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 12:31 PM on April 30, 2018 [45 favorites]
Not true, actually; Commonwealth citizens do not have automatic right of abode in the UK. They're free of certain forms of immigration control and can vote in elections while UK-resident, but they have to go through normal immigration channels if they wish to reside permanently.
Eep! I stand corrected. Carry on!
posted by adamgreenfield at 12:42 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Eep! I stand corrected. Carry on!
posted by adamgreenfield at 12:42 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Maggie Haberman embodies all the worst qualities of access journalism. She is exactly the type of reporter who looks at Trump and sees a great big golden egg rather than a fascist dumpster fire.
Maggie Haberman is 45's Judith Miller
posted by duoshao at 12:43 PM on April 30, 2018 [35 favorites]
Maggie Haberman is 45's Judith Miller
posted by duoshao at 12:43 PM on April 30, 2018 [35 favorites]
With not a word written about the Trump administration's lack of action against the opioid epidemic*, municipalities are teaming up to take on the pharmaceutical industries (NPR, April 30, 2017 - audio only at the moment, transcript to come later). There's not much there, except the drug distributers' rep saying "don't look at us, it's the doctors' fault." A bit more information on the multi-municipality effort, as of December 10, 2017, focused on counties across Tennessee; cities and counties in Michigan were banding together, also back in Dec. 2017; and the Yurok tribe, from northern California, filed a Federal RICO case "against Titans of Pharmaceutical Industry," in March 2018.
* Meanwhile, Trump White House is months late on strategy on drugs despite opioid emergency (John Fritze for USA TODAY, April 27, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 12:46 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
* Meanwhile, Trump White House is months late on strategy on drugs despite opioid emergency (John Fritze for USA TODAY, April 27, 2018)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new numbers on the opioid crisis, saying the number of overdose visits to hospital emergency rooms soared last year, the latest evidence the nation's drug crisis is getting worse. APMay these industry titans get taken down by a thousand cuts, particularly if the government decides this is the best time for a laissez-faire approach to an epidemic that adds more than 46 deaths per day.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:46 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
As a millennial who has lost faith in the Democratic party over the past two years, I would bet that a huge portion of those polled are dissatisfied because they've moved to the left of the Democrats, not the right.
Are there any polls directly rather than inferentially measuring this? Specifically is anybody measuring growth of the DSA? 'Cause that would tell the tale.
posted by scalefree at 12:46 PM on April 30, 2018
Are there any polls directly rather than inferentially measuring this? Specifically is anybody measuring growth of the DSA? 'Cause that would tell the tale.
posted by scalefree at 12:46 PM on April 30, 2018
It's so weird that I hated these fuckers during the Bush years but they're moderately less horrible now.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:47 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by kirkaracha at 12:47 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Maggie Haberman has also done some worthwhile reporting on Trump and it would be good to resist the urge to make one journalist who happens to be a woman symbolic of everything we hate about the media's shitty symbiotic relationship to the current administration and just dunk on her reflexively all the damn time. It was weird when we were dropping references to how lame and awful Louise Mensch is every time Twitter came up even if it had nothing to do with her and Haberman is definitely on her way to becoming a watchword in the same way and it's always, always, always a woman, isn't that funny?
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:47 PM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:47 PM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
> It was weird when we were dropping references to how lame and awful Louise Mensch is every time Twitter came up even if it had nothing to do with her and Haberman is definitely on her way to becoming a watchword in the same way and it's always, always, always a woman, isn't that funny?
Pretty sure Haberman's reporting has something to do with Haberman.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:50 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
Pretty sure Haberman's reporting has something to do with Haberman.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:50 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
that Al Gore "sighed" too much when Bush told said whoppers.
Remember when the press went all gaga for Reagan's sighing and saying "There you go again..."? Good times, good times.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:50 PM on April 30, 2018 [21 favorites]
Remember when the press went all gaga for Reagan's sighing and saying "There you go again..."? Good times, good times.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:50 PM on April 30, 2018 [21 favorites]
Maggie Haberman has also done some worthwhile reporting on Trump and it would be good to resist the urge to make one journalist who happens to be a woman symbolic of everything we hate about the media's shitty symbiotic relationship to the current administration and just dunk on her reflexively all the damn time.
Maybe it's less about her being a woman and more about her having a million-dollar book contract to protect?
posted by Gelatin at 12:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [18 favorites]
Maybe it's less about her being a woman and more about her having a million-dollar book contract to protect?
posted by Gelatin at 12:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [18 favorites]
The DSA measures their membership growth, which has been booming.
posted by rc3spencer at 12:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 12:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
I agree that this criticism should be broader than any one reporter and especially any one woman (and many of Haberman's male colleagues have been just as bad, though not on the WHCD in particular) but it's not always a woman; the mantle of What's Wrong With Opinion Journalism is shared by Bret Stephens and Chris Cillizza, with a hard-charging Kevin Williamson threatening to overtake Bari Weiss in third.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [10 favorites]
It was weird when we were dropping references to how lame and awful Louise Mensch is every time Twitter came up...
Nope.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:53 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Nope.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:53 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Look, foreign investment in Iran, which was so wished for in this deal, never materialised due to the uncertainty created by the Trump government. No-one had the confidence when the POTUS was so against it. So it's as if they're still under sanctions, while Trump shit-talks the deal.
The only thing that happens if this deal is ended, is that Iran gets to start making nuclear weapons again.
That's the only thing that changes.
posted by adept256 at 12:55 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
The only thing that happens if this deal is ended, is that Iran gets to start making nuclear weapons again.
That's the only thing that changes.
posted by adept256 at 12:55 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
@Elizrael: The Knesset just passed a law allowing the Israeli PM & Defense Minister to declare war or carry out a military operation "in extreme circumstances" without consulting the rest of the ministers or even the (smaller) security cabinet.This isn't ominous at all. no siree. I mean, it's not as if the Israeli PM and Defense Minister have been spending the last couple months engaging in bigoted, violent rhetoric based on lies and stereotypes, right?
posted by zombieflanders at 12:59 PM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
It was weird when we were dropping references to how lame and awful Louise Mensch is every time Twitter came up...
Memory can be selective, but I only remember this being brought up as a caveat whenever someone linked to one of her "scoops."
posted by Behemoth at 1:00 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Memory can be selective, but I only remember this being brought up as a caveat whenever someone linked to one of her "scoops."
posted by Behemoth at 1:00 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Maggie Haberman is 45's Judith Miller
Nicely put. And Miller’s now an out alt-right shitbird.
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:00 PM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
Nicely put. And Miller’s now an out alt-right shitbird.
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:00 PM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
It can be simultaneously true that specific reporters like Haberman and Mensch frequently engage in bad behavior that deserves criticism and that there is an element of sexism in women being disproportionately selected as the current synecdoche for Bad Journalism.
posted by biogeo at 1:13 PM on April 30, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 1:13 PM on April 30, 2018 [31 favorites]
Am fully in favour of never mentioning Louise Mensch again, ever, under any circumstances.
posted by Artw at 1:21 PM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:21 PM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
NBC News, Kelly thinks he's saving U.S. from disaster, calls Trump 'idiot,' say White House staffers
posted by zachlipton at 1:24 PM on April 30, 2018 [40 favorites]
White House chief of staff John Kelly has eroded morale in the West Wing in recent months with comments to aides that include insulting the president's intelligence and casting himself as the savior of the country, according to eight current and former White House officials.Don't worry, the White House has anonymous spokespeople on staff to try to clean up the mess, er, by also providing further evidence of sexism?
The officials said Kelly portrays himself to Trump administration aides as the lone bulwark against catastrophe, curbing the erratic urges of a president who has a questionable grasp on policy issues and the functions of government. He has referred to Trump as "an idiot" multiple times to underscore his point, according to four officials who say they've witnessed the comments.
...
Current and former White House officials said Kelly has at times made remarks that have rattled female staffers. Kelly has told aides multiple times that women are more emotional than men, including at least once in front of the president, four current and former officials said.
And during a firestorm in February over accusations of domestic abuse against then-White House staff secretary Rob Porter, Kelly wondered aloud how much more Porter would have to endure before his honor could be restored, according to three officials who were present for the comments. He also questioned why Porter's ex-wives wouldn't just move on based on the information he said he had about his marriages, the officials said.
Some current and former White House officials said they expect Kelly to leave by July, his one-year mark. But others say it's anyone's guess. What's clear is both Trump and Kelly seem to have tired of each other.
The White House spokespeople said they haven't seen Kelly have a negative effect on the morale of women staffers. If anything, they said during meetings Kelly is the "bigger gentleman" who steps in when aides use foul language to note "a lady is present" and similarly says he shouldn't use foul language in front of a lady if he's used an expletive. The spokespeople, who would not speak for the record, said it's possible Kelly may have said women are more emotional than men, with one of them agreeing that "generally speaking, women are more emotional than men."There's also a portion where Kelly is quoted as telling lawmakers "he doesn't even understand what DACA is. He's an idiot." The White House spokespeople helpfully acknowledged Kelly may have said Trump doesn't know what he's talking about while denying he would have called him an "idiot."
posted by zachlipton at 1:24 PM on April 30, 2018 [40 favorites]
I mean, at least he wont be attending future WHCD's, writing a tell-all book, or getting a job at the Kennedy school once he leaves, right?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:27 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:27 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
May these industry titans get taken down by a thousand cuts, particularly if the government decides this is the best time for a laissez-faire approach to an epidemic that adds more than 46 deaths per day.
The municipalities suing the pharmaceutical companies are the government.
posted by JackFlash at 1:29 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
The municipalities suing the pharmaceutical companies are the government.
posted by JackFlash at 1:29 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
In one heated exchange between [Kelly and Trump] before February's Winter Olympics in South Korea, Kelly strongly — and successfully — dissuaded Trump from ordering the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula, according to two officials.
Kelly missed a bet. He should have told Trump they were withdrawn the next day, told him they were redeployed when Trump changed his mind a week later, and spent the whole time watching TV. Trump would have thought he's a genius.
posted by Gelatin at 1:44 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Kelly missed a bet. He should have told Trump they were withdrawn the next day, told him they were redeployed when Trump changed his mind a week later, and spent the whole time watching TV. Trump would have thought he's a genius.
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posted by Gelatin at 1:44 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
The problem is that Trump also spends his time watching TV.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:48 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:48 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Heh. In Doonesbury, Honey is told by Mao Zedong that the Great Wall must be dismantled, but then changes his mind a week later, so Honey tells him that she had people working all night to recreate the Wall exactly as it was before.
posted by Melismata at 1:49 PM on April 30, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 1:49 PM on April 30, 2018 [18 favorites]
Good, approved jokes for the White House Correspondents’ dinner 2019 (Alexandra Petri, WaPo)
Oh wow, when has there ever been a gathering like this? (This is a rhetorical question; anyone who yells “slightly before the French Revolution” will be removed.)posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:50 PM on April 30, 2018 [67 favorites]
They say that the Trump administration has eroded many of the cherished norms of democracy. But I saw Macdonald and Ornstein the other day, and they both looked fine! Norm Macdonald and Norm Ornstein. One is a comedian, and the other is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute! They’re named Norm, and they both look fine. There has been no erosion of America’s cherished Norms. All right!
Boy, these activist schoolchildren are just AWFUL. Demanding that teachers not be allowed to have arms. I don’t know about you, but without arms, how can a teacher write on the blackboard?
My wife!
You know why liberals are so worried about climate change? Because if it got any warmer, those snowflakes would melt! All right! We can all laugh together in this room!
Mike Huckabee, a 24 hour play in two parts
If you lack a sense of humor, get "offended" by slights you create, or just can't bring yourself to tolerate those you disagree with DO NOT watch my show 2nite!posted by kirkaracha at 1:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [12 favorites]
I don't have a William Lloyd Garrison quote but I have this:
"When you seeAbe Michelle at Freeport the WHCD, for God's sake tell him her to 'Charge Chester! charge!'... We must not be parrying all the while. We want the deadliest thrusts. Let us see blood follow any time he she closes a sentence."
posted by hyperbolic at 1:58 PM on April 30, 2018
"When you see
posted by hyperbolic at 1:58 PM on April 30, 2018
Good, approved jokes for the White House Correspondents’ dinner 2019 (Alexandra Petri, WaPo)
Alexandra Petri is a national treasure.
posted by acb at 2:05 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Alexandra Petri is a national treasure.
posted by acb at 2:05 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Hear what you want to hear, and repeat what you think you heard, except louder than those who know the truth. Ta-da! You have made a new, stronger truth!
To Trump things are true because they are useful. When they stop being useful they also stop being true.
posted by scalefree at 2:08 PM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
To Trump things are true because they are useful. When they stop being useful they also stop being true.
posted by scalefree at 2:08 PM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
Reading Comey's book, I came to the conclusion that he made the same mistake as Tapper -- so determined to remain "neutral" and "non-partisan" that he let himself be used.
I think Comey made the same mistake J. Edgar Hoover and other F.B.I directors have historically made to put the welfare of the F.B.I. before the good of the country. Comey's own story is that he found a Russian document claiming that the F.B.I. was under the control of Attorney General Loretta Lynch. He felt this was part of a disinformation campaign to discredit his agency, and to counter it, he made a public speech harshly condemning Clinton's use of a private email server as deeply irresponsible.
Comey's own story then is that he greatly exaggerated the importance of Hillary's actions to protect the reputation of the F.B.I. He not only put their reputation before the public's interest in the truth, he hobbled her candidacy. He greatly weakened what he thought would be her future Presidency with an issue that causes many people to this day to label her a criminal. Comey's thinking that Hillary would obviously become president doesn't excuse his actions. All he's said is that in order to protect the reputation of the F.B.I. he merely thought he was weakening an entire branch of government by tarnishing its chief officer.
Not only is this still crazy wrong, it's arguably a more damaging outcome than the Russians were hoping for by tarnishing the reputation of the F.B.I., and that's even if Hillary had won the presidency.
posted by xammerboy at 2:08 PM on April 30, 2018 [24 favorites]
I think Comey made the same mistake J. Edgar Hoover and other F.B.I directors have historically made to put the welfare of the F.B.I. before the good of the country. Comey's own story is that he found a Russian document claiming that the F.B.I. was under the control of Attorney General Loretta Lynch. He felt this was part of a disinformation campaign to discredit his agency, and to counter it, he made a public speech harshly condemning Clinton's use of a private email server as deeply irresponsible.
Comey's own story then is that he greatly exaggerated the importance of Hillary's actions to protect the reputation of the F.B.I. He not only put their reputation before the public's interest in the truth, he hobbled her candidacy. He greatly weakened what he thought would be her future Presidency with an issue that causes many people to this day to label her a criminal. Comey's thinking that Hillary would obviously become president doesn't excuse his actions. All he's said is that in order to protect the reputation of the F.B.I. he merely thought he was weakening an entire branch of government by tarnishing its chief officer.
Not only is this still crazy wrong, it's arguably a more damaging outcome than the Russians were hoping for by tarnishing the reputation of the F.B.I., and that's even if Hillary had won the presidency.
posted by xammerboy at 2:08 PM on April 30, 2018 [24 favorites]
NBC News, Kelly thinks he's saving U.S. from disaster, calls Trump 'idiot,' say White House staffers
White House chief of staff John Kelly has eroded morale in the West Wing in recent months with comments to aides that include insulting the president's intelligence and casting himself as the savior of the country, according to eight current and former White House officials.
No one survives sharing a space with Trump without losing their dignity and self-esteem. It's impossible. Kelly was obviously a vile person already, but he managed to keep the worst parts out of the public view.
posted by mumimor at 2:10 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
White House chief of staff John Kelly has eroded morale in the West Wing in recent months with comments to aides that include insulting the president's intelligence and casting himself as the savior of the country, according to eight current and former White House officials.
No one survives sharing a space with Trump without losing their dignity and self-esteem. It's impossible. Kelly was obviously a vile person already, but he managed to keep the worst parts out of the public view.
posted by mumimor at 2:10 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
So does DSA have a plank or policy regarding strategic voting? Would be very useful thing to have, no?
posted by scalefree at 2:10 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 2:10 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
NBC News, Kelly thinks he's saving U.S. from disaster, calls Trump 'idiot,' say White House staffers
Yes that's exactly who we need ready to step in & take over to save us. A general.
posted by scalefree at 2:13 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes that's exactly who we need ready to step in & take over to save us. A general.
posted by scalefree at 2:13 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
scalefree: "So does DSA have a plank or policy regarding strategic voting? Would be very useful thing to have, no?"
A quick google reveals this. Personal conversations with DSA members indicate that it's very much a personal decision, but you can rest assured that most people who have thrown in with them are interested in at least trying to work within the Democratic party.
posted by TypographicalError at 2:13 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
A quick google reveals this. Personal conversations with DSA members indicate that it's very much a personal decision, but you can rest assured that most people who have thrown in with them are interested in at least trying to work within the Democratic party.
posted by TypographicalError at 2:13 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
"I never gave anybody hell! I just told the truth and they thought it was hell."
-- Harry Truman
posted by kirkaracha at 2:14 PM on April 30, 2018 [28 favorites]
-- Harry Truman
posted by kirkaracha at 2:14 PM on April 30, 2018 [28 favorites]
So does DSA have a plank or policy regarding strategic voting? Would be very useful thing to have, no?
posted by scalefree at 2:10 PM on April 30 [+] [!]
Additional info to that provided by TypographicalError.
From DSA strategy document:
posted by scalefree at 2:10 PM on April 30 [+] [!]
Additional info to that provided by TypographicalError.
From DSA strategy document:
In the short term, we need to engage in electoral activity for several important reasons: to defend existing rights; to put forth new demands for social and economic justice that could change public conversations and thereby create openings for more fundamental structural reforms down the road; to attract new members to DSA and thereby build our capacity as an organization; and to build and sustain non-electoral activism. The nature of our electoral activism will vary based on local political conditions. But it will include supporting progressive and socialist candidates running for office, usually in Democratic primaries or as Democrats in general elections but also in support of independent socialist and other third-party campaigns outside the Democratic Party.posted by Mental Wimp at 2:17 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
Popehat has an analysis of the Trump defamation claim.
TL;DR: Don't ever get your hopes up about defamation standing up in court. The question for defamation in court basically boils down to "Is this a statement of fact that is provably false?" and it's not difficult to prove that Trump has never been within ten feet of a fact, false or otherwise. To my layperson's eyes what Trump said about Cheryl Jacobus seems defamatory, but that claim was easily dismissed.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:18 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
TL;DR: Don't ever get your hopes up about defamation standing up in court. The question for defamation in court basically boils down to "Is this a statement of fact that is provably false?" and it's not difficult to prove that Trump has never been within ten feet of a fact, false or otherwise. To my layperson's eyes what Trump said about Cheryl Jacobus seems defamatory, but that claim was easily dismissed.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:18 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
It takes some courage to take sides on issues where half the population disagrees and will angrily attack you for your position. It does not require so much courage to be "non-partisan" and to take sides only on issues of decorum, which more people can agree on, and which have lower stakes.
So, first and foremost, I want to thank some of the people who have broken down the Wolf jokes, most especially biogeo, whose excellent comment let me see that it was not in fact SHS's trad-femininity being attacked - I've seen a lot of those and so when I heard some of the early commentary about her being attacked for being butch I believed it, but was wrong to do so. Thanks Metafilter for setting me straight.
The issue of decorum, though, or more specifically, civility, is one that I think deserves a deeper dive than over the WHCD fracas, because it's an interesting thing that strikes really hard at two important, but competing interests. Because I very much disagree that the issue of decorum has lower stakes - I think it has enormous national stakes, just not the ones that the people talking about it are openly admitting. It's not so much about who we are as individuals - it's more as a temperature measurement of how much we can respect each other and coexist civilly as participants in a nation who at least trust that everyone is doing their best.
And so it matters that there's a breakdown in civility, because what that breakdown in civility is revealing is simply that we don't. We do not trust each other, and many of us have really good reasons not to trust each other, and that can't be won back by just papering it over and all of us agreeing not to say mean things in public. We have a breakdown in civility because we can no longer trust that everyone in the nation is attempting to reach roughly the same goals via different means or with different priorities.
And why this is a problem for us is because historically, when large segments of the population have decided that they can't trust large segments of the other half, it means violence - stochaistic violence at the very least, organized violence at the worst. I think it's no accident that William Lloyd Garrison was quoted - an excellent and amazing man, but one writing just before the American Civil War - at a time when it was abundantly clear even before the secession that large segments of America had enormously different goals and interests that could not be reconciled.
At the same time - we are already there, and there is another important American value, which is opposing tyranny and monstrousness whenever it exists, which is right the fuck now. If your free speech isn't to oppose this monstrous administration, I don't know what the hell you are saving it for. I believe that everyone has a moral responsibility to speak up now, to reassure the rest of the American population that this isn't a mass insanity and that something will exist after this.
So I suppose while I think there are competing interests and reasons to support civility and decorum in general, I think the other issue is more important right now but would still really love it if we could manage not to go into a shooting war.
posted by corb at 2:18 PM on April 30, 2018 [45 favorites]
So, first and foremost, I want to thank some of the people who have broken down the Wolf jokes, most especially biogeo, whose excellent comment let me see that it was not in fact SHS's trad-femininity being attacked - I've seen a lot of those and so when I heard some of the early commentary about her being attacked for being butch I believed it, but was wrong to do so. Thanks Metafilter for setting me straight.
The issue of decorum, though, or more specifically, civility, is one that I think deserves a deeper dive than over the WHCD fracas, because it's an interesting thing that strikes really hard at two important, but competing interests. Because I very much disagree that the issue of decorum has lower stakes - I think it has enormous national stakes, just not the ones that the people talking about it are openly admitting. It's not so much about who we are as individuals - it's more as a temperature measurement of how much we can respect each other and coexist civilly as participants in a nation who at least trust that everyone is doing their best.
And so it matters that there's a breakdown in civility, because what that breakdown in civility is revealing is simply that we don't. We do not trust each other, and many of us have really good reasons not to trust each other, and that can't be won back by just papering it over and all of us agreeing not to say mean things in public. We have a breakdown in civility because we can no longer trust that everyone in the nation is attempting to reach roughly the same goals via different means or with different priorities.
And why this is a problem for us is because historically, when large segments of the population have decided that they can't trust large segments of the other half, it means violence - stochaistic violence at the very least, organized violence at the worst. I think it's no accident that William Lloyd Garrison was quoted - an excellent and amazing man, but one writing just before the American Civil War - at a time when it was abundantly clear even before the secession that large segments of America had enormously different goals and interests that could not be reconciled.
At the same time - we are already there, and there is another important American value, which is opposing tyranny and monstrousness whenever it exists, which is right the fuck now. If your free speech isn't to oppose this monstrous administration, I don't know what the hell you are saving it for. I believe that everyone has a moral responsibility to speak up now, to reassure the rest of the American population that this isn't a mass insanity and that something will exist after this.
So I suppose while I think there are competing interests and reasons to support civility and decorum in general, I think the other issue is more important right now but would still really love it if we could manage not to go into a shooting war.
posted by corb at 2:18 PM on April 30, 2018 [45 favorites]
my very Republican best friend growing up... flat out asked me once if I thought he was a racist. Of course I said no, what else could I say?
You could say "Your outcomes are racist even if you aren't"
But then I live in Chicago where is there is an awful lot of accidentally perfectly racist outcomes from people who are not supposed to be conservatives.
posted by srboisvert at 2:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
You could say "Your outcomes are racist even if you aren't"
But then I live in Chicago where is there is an awful lot of accidentally perfectly racist outcomes from people who are not supposed to be conservatives.
posted by srboisvert at 2:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
A couple of my favorite quotes which directly address the calls for civility:
posted by Justinian at 2:29 PM on April 30, 2018 [55 favorites]
MLK: I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.
Elie Wiesel: We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.I also very much agree with Richard Morgan's bit in Altered Carbon about politics and civility, which I quoted in the Netflix threads, but as much as I like the quote I don't think I'm gonna quote him here next to MLK and Elie Wiesel because, well, sorry Richard Morgan.
posted by Justinian at 2:29 PM on April 30, 2018 [55 favorites]
So does DSA have a plank or policy regarding strategic voting? Would be very useful thing to have, no?
In addition to the resources others have linked, you might be interested in this recent episode of the socialist podcast The Dig, which is dry and technocratic enough to appeal to most MeFites: The DSA at the Ballot Box. Two members of the DSA’s National Electoral Committee have a nuanced conversation about the organization's electoral strategy and discuss how they promote pragmatic socialist electoral work as an essential addition to the day-to-day direct action that the DSA engages in around the country.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 2:31 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
In addition to the resources others have linked, you might be interested in this recent episode of the socialist podcast The Dig, which is dry and technocratic enough to appeal to most MeFites: The DSA at the Ballot Box. Two members of the DSA’s National Electoral Committee have a nuanced conversation about the organization's electoral strategy and discuss how they promote pragmatic socialist electoral work as an essential addition to the day-to-day direct action that the DSA engages in around the country.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 2:31 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
JackFlash: The municipalities suing the pharmaceutical companies are the government.
Except all "governments" aren't the same, even if they sometimes align and support similar goals. These municipalities are not a subset of the federal Trump administration, which has failed to do anything of substance with regard to the opioid epidemic. They represent a diverse set of policies, priorities and voices, at a more local level. Yes, there are some of the same influences, and voters, behind these local, regional and even state governments as exist at the federal level, but they appear to be more concerned about people dying and companies profiting off of addiction.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:31 PM on April 30, 2018
Except all "governments" aren't the same, even if they sometimes align and support similar goals. These municipalities are not a subset of the federal Trump administration, which has failed to do anything of substance with regard to the opioid epidemic. They represent a diverse set of policies, priorities and voices, at a more local level. Yes, there are some of the same influences, and voters, behind these local, regional and even state governments as exist at the federal level, but they appear to be more concerned about people dying and companies profiting off of addiction.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:31 PM on April 30, 2018
Following up on civility:
The Wolf at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner In the age of Trump, calls for civility are calls for servility
The Wolf at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner In the age of Trump, calls for civility are calls for servility
Calls for press-corps civility are in fact calls for servility, and should be received with contempt. Some might argue that insults do not deserve the same protection as investigative journalism, but that is a distinction without a difference. Anyone who wants to outlaw or apologise for the former will end up too timid to do the latter.posted by scalefree at 2:35 PM on April 30, 2018 [74 favorites]
In open societies, self-censorship—in the name of civility, careerism or access preservation—is a much greater threat to the media than outright repression. The only person owed an apology here is Ms Wolf, for being scolded by the very people who invited her to speak, and who purport to defend a “vigorous and free press.”
WHCA President Talev, she of the craven statement on Wolf, was so upset with Wolf's performance that she attended Wolf's after-party.
posted by chris24 at 2:40 PM on April 30, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 2:40 PM on April 30, 2018 [30 favorites]
In a rare break from the usual excellent analysis, emptywheel writes a sermon on hope.
Everyone gets involved in bitter tea sometimes, the physical and mental orgy of picayune matters that happen to cause big emotions. But with practice, bitter tea can involve us less, and we can get to the impossible and glorious task of being human.posted by kingless at 2:41 PM on April 30, 2018 [10 favorites]
Once when I was a child, my mother put all of this to me another way: You don’t work for the light. You work, and one day you find the light has been shining on you.
That piece is on emptywheel (blog), not by emptywheel (writer).
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 2:55 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 2:55 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
WHCA President Talev, she of the craven statement on Wolf, was so upset with Wolf's performance that she attended Wolf's after-party.
Pity she didn't go to the NBC/MSNBC after-party, she could have commiserated with the Schlapps. That's Matt standing behind Andrea Mitchell who also abhorred the speech: "comedian was worst since Imus insulted Clinton’s". Her opinion on the last has evolved; at the time (2011) she called it "saucy entertainment".
District 1 stands united - for itself.
posted by scalefree at 2:57 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
Pity she didn't go to the NBC/MSNBC after-party, she could have commiserated with the Schlapps. That's Matt standing behind Andrea Mitchell who also abhorred the speech: "comedian was worst since Imus insulted Clinton’s". Her opinion on the last has evolved; at the time (2011) she called it "saucy entertainment".
District 1 stands united - for itself.
posted by scalefree at 2:57 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
Erik Wemple, The president is seeking to destroy journalism. Now let’s debate dinner entertainment!: "The president of the United States is committed to undoing journalism, and the country’s top journalists are debating a dinner format."
James Downie, Trump was outrageous in Michigan. So where’s the outrage? Beyond Trump's second "Are there any Hispanics in the room?" moment, this happened, as I noted at the time, and it's wild this didn't register as a major story:
James Downie, Trump was outrageous in Michigan. So where’s the outrage? Beyond Trump's second "Are there any Hispanics in the room?" moment, this happened, as I noted at the time, and it's wild this didn't register as a major story:
Then there was Trump’s bizarre spin on the news that the Russian lawyer who met with Trump officials in the summer of 2016 was a self-described “informant” for the Russian government:CNN, White House correspondents think about changing dinner for Trump era, with the worst of all possible ideas:I guarantee you, I’m tougher on Russia, nobody ever thought. In fact, have you heard about the lawyer? For a year, a woman lawyer, she was like, ‘Oh, I know nothing.’ Now all of a sudden she supposedly is involved with government. You know why? If she did that, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the group said, ‘You know, this Trump is killing us. Why don’t you say that you’re involved with government so that we can go and make their life in the United States even more chaotic.’ Look at what’s happened. Look at how these politicians have fallen for this junk. Russian collusion — give me a break.Just . . . what? The president’s defense of his campaign team is that the person they were meeting with is taking orders from Putin? While it’s not Trump’s first attempt to spin away the investigation, he is certainly hitting a new level of twisted nonsense.
...
Perhaps the president’s remarks generated so little coverage because much of it was par for the course — a rambling diatribe of non-sequiturs, half-truths, boasts and outright lies. But if media outlets have a day and a half to spend hang-wringing over a comedian’s roast, surely they can squeeze in some horror at the president’s rhetoric. Pretending his words are now normal will get the country nowhere.
Lots of ideas are bouncing around, both among correspondents and outsiders:posted by zachlipton at 3:10 PM on April 30, 2018 [28 favorites]
-- Invite pair of comedians, one with a liberal bent and one with a conservative bent.
Lots of ideas are bouncing around, both among correspondents and outsiders:
-- Invite pair of comedians, one with a liberal bent and one with a conservative bent.
Dueling comedians sounds fun but only if everyone dresses in togas.
posted by vverse23 at 3:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
-- Invite pair of comedians, one with a liberal bent and one with a conservative bent.
Dueling comedians sounds fun but only if everyone dresses in togas.
posted by vverse23 at 3:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
Popehat say Ms. Daniels' case will likely get throw out because "Trump's tweet can only be taken as trash talk."
What about Sean Spicer's assertion that Tweets "are considered official statements by the president of the United States"? Has that been retracted?
posted by kirkaracha at 3:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
What about Sean Spicer's assertion that Tweets "are considered official statements by the president of the United States"? Has that been retracted?
posted by kirkaracha at 3:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
-- Invite pair of comedians, one with a liberal bent and one with a conservative bent.
Brilliant idea. Given equal time, side by side, they'll both be equally funny, right? That's how these things work.
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:21 PM on April 30, 2018 [12 favorites]
Brilliant idea. Given equal time, side by side, they'll both be equally funny, right? That's how these things work.
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:21 PM on April 30, 2018 [12 favorites]
Popehat say Ms. Daniels' case will likely get thrown out because "Trump's tweet can only be taken as trash talk."
It's trash-talk because his lips are moving. But he is the President of the United States and his trash can be tremendously damaging and should be subject to extra scrutiny in the case of defamation. Is "trash-talk" even a legal term? Shouldn't it be in Latin? Verba Ex Quisquiliarum
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:22 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's trash-talk because his lips are moving. But he is the President of the United States and his trash can be tremendously damaging and should be subject to extra scrutiny in the case of defamation. Is "trash-talk" even a legal term? Shouldn't it be in Latin? Verba Ex Quisquiliarum
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:22 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
zachlipton quoting James Downie: Just . . . what? The president’s defense of his campaign team is that the person they were meeting with is taking orders from Putin?
Huh, that problem at the core Donald's "explanation" of Veselnitskaya's new revelation flew right over my head when I first read it. I suppose it's because the man's native language is bullshit, so translating it into coherent arguments is a sort of idle exercise, like converting it to Morse code. Instead, I was subconsciously seeing how the explanation works from his perspective (something like: "almost everyone is out to get me, Donald Trump, so everyone — sneaky bastards those people are — arranged for this").
There's even an existing conspiracy theory (not yet Donald-endorsed but give it time) that the Trump Tower meeting was a kind of sting operation, because something something Veselnitskaya should have been kept out of the country by the Obama administration something. To which I say, obviously that's bonkers (as with the supposedly phony dossier, why wouldn't the Democrats publicize it in 2016???). But even if it were the case, it doesn't look super for the president's campaign to fall for a sting. If someone mischievously arranged for Donald Trump to fire bullets into a dummy that he thought was alive… he really shouldn't be president regardless of how questionable setting that up might be.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:37 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
Huh, that problem at the core Donald's "explanation" of Veselnitskaya's new revelation flew right over my head when I first read it. I suppose it's because the man's native language is bullshit, so translating it into coherent arguments is a sort of idle exercise, like converting it to Morse code. Instead, I was subconsciously seeing how the explanation works from his perspective (something like: "almost everyone is out to get me, Donald Trump, so everyone — sneaky bastards those people are — arranged for this").
There's even an existing conspiracy theory (not yet Donald-endorsed but give it time) that the Trump Tower meeting was a kind of sting operation, because something something Veselnitskaya should have been kept out of the country by the Obama administration something. To which I say, obviously that's bonkers (as with the supposedly phony dossier, why wouldn't the Democrats publicize it in 2016???). But even if it were the case, it doesn't look super for the president's campaign to fall for a sting. If someone mischievously arranged for Donald Trump to fire bullets into a dummy that he thought was alive… he really shouldn't be president regardless of how questionable setting that up might be.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:37 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
ABC, EXCLUSIVE: EPA whistleblower says Pruitt 'bold faced lied' to Congress
A whistleblower from the Environmental Protection Agency says that Administrator Scott Pruitt was "bold-faced lying" when he told members of Congress that no EPA employees were retaliated against for raising concerns about his spending decisions.posted by zachlipton at 3:42 PM on April 30, 2018 [43 favorites]
In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Kyra Phillips, former deputy chief of staff Kevin Chmielewski said he was "100 percent" forced out after raising concerns about Pruitt's spending on first-class travel.
Chmielewski said a manager called him into his office and said: "Hey — Administrator Pruitt either wants me to fire you or put you in an office so that he doesn't have to see you again,” Chmielewski told ABC News.
...
Chemeilewski also said that he isn't criticizing the administrator because he doesn't disagree with his political agenda. Chmielewski worked on President Donald Trump's campaign said he is still loyal to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. He said he thinks the president doesn't have the full story when it comes to Pruitt.
"I'm a pretty credible source. No one in this world can say that I'm not a Republican and no one in this world can say that I'm not the biggest fan of the president or the vice president," he said. "I would still go through a brick wall for the guy today, either one of them."
Trump: "I guarantee you, I’m tougher on Russia, nobody ever thought. In fact, have you heard about the lawyer? For a year, a woman lawyer, she was like, ‘Oh, I know nothing.’ Now all of a sudden she supposedly is involved with government. You know why? If she did that, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the group said, ‘You know, this Trump is killing us. Why don’t you say that you’re involved with government so that we can go and make their life in the United States even more chaotic."
Trump just gave everyone a textbook description of how kompromat works. The Russians set you up in a compromising situation to betray your country and then use the exposure of that betrayal at their convenience to advance their aims.
Trump is flat out admitting that he was compromised by the Russians. Now he's using the Marian Barry defense: "Bitch set me up."
posted by JackFlash at 3:48 PM on April 30, 2018 [47 favorites]
Trump just gave everyone a textbook description of how kompromat works. The Russians set you up in a compromising situation to betray your country and then use the exposure of that betrayal at their convenience to advance their aims.
Trump is flat out admitting that he was compromised by the Russians. Now he's using the Marian Barry defense: "Bitch set me up."
posted by JackFlash at 3:48 PM on April 30, 2018 [47 favorites]
I guarantee you, I’m tougher on Russia, nobody ever thought.
That is correct, Mr. Predisent. No one has ever thought that you are tougher on Russia.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
That is correct, Mr. Predisent. No one has ever thought that you are tougher on Russia.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
"I'm a pretty credible source. No one in this world can say that I'm not a Republican and no one in this world can say that I'm not the biggest fan of the president or the vice president," he said. "I would still go through a brick wall for the guy today, either one of them."
Sounds like a guy who smells blood in the water and is now lobbying for Pruitt's job.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:00 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
Sounds like a guy who smells blood in the water and is now lobbying for Pruitt's job.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:00 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
CNN, Manu Raju, Exclusive: Pence's doctor alerted WH aides about Ronny Jackson concerns last fall
Vice President Mike Pence's physician privately raised alarms within the White House last fall that President Donald Trump's doctor may have violated federal privacy protections for a key patient -- Pence's wife, Karen -- and intimidated the vice president's doctor during angry confrontations over the episode.posted by zachlipton at 4:01 PM on April 30, 2018 [29 favorites]
The previously unreported incident is the first sign that serious concerns about Ronny Jackson's conduct had reached the highest levels of the White House as far back as September -- months before White House aides furiously defended Jackson's professionalism, insisted he had been thoroughly vetted and argued allegations of misconduct amounted to unsubstantiated rumors.
NPR reporting: "Wolf's reaction to Republicans being upset about her making fun of Sarah's looks? 'Everyone who's heard my routines knows I don't pull any punches.'" Wow, NPR not only made it sound like she did it, but was in your face proud of doing it.
-------------
Similarly, how, how, how can Trump now claim that he's been harder on Russia than anyone else?
posted by xammerboy at 4:07 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
-------------
Similarly, how, how, how can Trump now claim that he's been harder on Russia than anyone else?
posted by xammerboy at 4:07 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
how, how, how can Trump now claim that he's been harder on Russia than anyone else?
Category error. Read my Hayden link above. Truth is not a thing that exists independent of utility in Trump's mind. Facts do not precede opinions to him, they follow them. "I want this to be true therefore it is true." The logical result of his narcissism is solipsism.
posted by scalefree at 4:17 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
Category error. Read my Hayden link above. Truth is not a thing that exists independent of utility in Trump's mind. Facts do not precede opinions to him, they follow them. "I want this to be true therefore it is true." The logical result of his narcissism is solipsism.
posted by scalefree at 4:17 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump Said He Didn't Discuss His "Shithole" Countries Comment With Nigeria's President.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:20 PM on April 30, 2018 [16 favorites]
"We didn't discuss it. You do have some countries that are in very bad shape and very tough places to live in," Trump said.Omarosa: President @MBuhari FYI he said it.
...
Standing next to Trump in the Rose Garden on Monday, [Nigerian President Muhammadu] Buhari steered clear of the drama, saying that he would not address the fact that the US president might have called his country a "shithole place" because he was not sure if it was true.
“I'm not sure about, you know, the validity or whether that allegation against the president was true or not," he said. "So the best thing for me is to keep quiet."
posted by kirkaracha at 4:20 PM on April 30, 2018 [16 favorites]
Truth is not a thing that exists independent of utility in Trump's mind. Facts do not precede opinions to him, they follow them. "I want this to be true therefore it is true." The logical result of his narcissism is solipsism.
If there are the things we do because we want to do them and the things we do because we want to have done them/be the kind of person who does them, Trump's unique genius is to decouple the latter from the former. The result is the prize without the actual hassle of working for it, something that is perhaps the event horizon of privilege elevated to its platonic ideal.
posted by acb at 4:24 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
If there are the things we do because we want to do them and the things we do because we want to have done them/be the kind of person who does them, Trump's unique genius is to decouple the latter from the former. The result is the prize without the actual hassle of working for it, something that is perhaps the event horizon of privilege elevated to its platonic ideal.
posted by acb at 4:24 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump's doctor may have violated federal privacy protections for a key patient -- Pence's wife, Karen
This I learned today. Pence's wife is officially known as SLOTUS.
posted by JackFlash at 4:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
This I learned today. Pence's wife is officially known as SLOTUS.
posted by JackFlash at 4:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
The White House is running very smoothly despite phony Witch Hunts etc. There is great Energy and unending Stamina, both necessary to get things done. We are accomplishing the unthinkable and setting positive records while doing so! Fake News is going “bonkers!”
Unthinkable: Accomplished
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [43 favorites]
The White House is running very smoothly despite phony Witch Hunts etc. There is great Energy and unending Stamina, both necessary to get things done. We are accomplishing the unthinkable and setting positive records while doing so! Fake News is going “bonkers!”
Unthinkable: Accomplished
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [43 favorites]
If I didn't know how well such vapid bullshit works on his base, I'd laugh at tweets like those.
posted by Rykey at 4:57 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 4:57 PM on April 30, 2018 [7 favorites]
We are accomplishing the unthinkable
no argument from me on this one
posted by halation at 4:59 PM on April 30, 2018 [54 favorites]
no argument from me on this one
posted by halation at 4:59 PM on April 30, 2018 [54 favorites]
It can be simultaneously true that specific reporters like Haberman and Mensch frequently engage in bad behavior that deserves criticism and that there is an element of sexism in women being disproportionately selected as the current synecdoche for Bad Journalism.
Mensch is not, and has never been, a professional journalist. She's not even pretending to be one. She was a right wing UK politican, now turned conspiracy moneygrabber.
Haberman ostensibly is one of our leading national journalists at the most prestigious paper in the country. And as the NYT White House beat reporter, she arguably has the most important and most prestigious pure journalism position in the entire country.
That is why she draws a disproportionate share of criticism for the failings of American national political journalism both writ large, and specific to her. She does nothing to abate those criticisms by responding with anger and defensiveness to her critics on twitter literally on a daily basis, as noted earlier today in flagrant violation of the NYT's alleged policy on use of social media. She both deserves greater scrutiny by virtue of her position, and specifically invites it through her actions, even apart from the actual content of her stories.
If you're looking for an example of a male practitioner of her brand of vapid access trumps all journalism, there's plenty of venom both here and in the broader left spectrum for people like David Gregory, Wolf Blitzer and Chris Cillizza.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:03 PM on April 30, 2018 [40 favorites]
Mensch is not, and has never been, a professional journalist. She's not even pretending to be one. She was a right wing UK politican, now turned conspiracy moneygrabber.
Haberman ostensibly is one of our leading national journalists at the most prestigious paper in the country. And as the NYT White House beat reporter, she arguably has the most important and most prestigious pure journalism position in the entire country.
That is why she draws a disproportionate share of criticism for the failings of American national political journalism both writ large, and specific to her. She does nothing to abate those criticisms by responding with anger and defensiveness to her critics on twitter literally on a daily basis, as noted earlier today in flagrant violation of the NYT's alleged policy on use of social media. She both deserves greater scrutiny by virtue of her position, and specifically invites it through her actions, even apart from the actual content of her stories.
If you're looking for an example of a male practitioner of her brand of vapid access trumps all journalism, there's plenty of venom both here and in the broader left spectrum for people like David Gregory, Wolf Blitzer and Chris Cillizza.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:03 PM on April 30, 2018 [40 favorites]
Chris Cillizza’s stupid tweet is equally stupid, we should acknowledge that.
posted by Artw at 5:32 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 5:32 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
NYT, Mueller Has Dozens of Inquiries for Trump in Broad Quest on Russia Ties and Obstruction
posted by zachlipton at 5:52 PM on April 30, 2018 [64 favorites]
Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russia’s election interference, has at least four dozen questions on an exhaustive array of subjects he wants to ask President Trump to learn more about his ties to Russia and determine whether he obstructed the inquiry itself, according to a list of the questions obtained by The New York Times.I've got to assume someone on the Trump legal side leaked this, presumably to try to ensure Trump doesn't sit down with Mueller, but wow if that list doesn't have questions about a lot of different types of crimes.
[Read the questions here.]
The open-ended queries appear to be an attempt to penetrate the president’s thinking, to get at the motivation behind some of his most combative Twitter posts and to examine his relationships with his family and his closest advisers. They deal chiefly with the president’s high-profile firings of the F.B.I. director and his first national security adviser, his treatment of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and a 2016 Trump Tower meeting between campaign officials and Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton.
But they also touch on the president’s businesses; any discussions with his longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, about a Moscow real estate deal; whether the president knew of any attempt by Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to set up a back channel to Russia during the transition; any contacts he had with Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime adviser who claimed to have inside information about Democratic email hackings; and what happened during Mr. Trump’s 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant.
posted by zachlipton at 5:52 PM on April 30, 2018 [64 favorites]
I've got to assume someone on the Trump legal side leaked this, presumably to try to ensure Trump doesn't sit down with Mueller, but wow if that list doesn't have questions about a lot of different types of crimes.
Or Trump himself sent them to a "friend" or several "friends" to ask for advice, and they sent them to the Times. If there is one thing we have learnt the last few months it is that Trump is the primary leaker from the White House. Heck, maybe Trump himself sent them directly to the Times, since nothing makes any sense. However, if the legal team is not completely moronic, which is obviously a fair question, they would have advised against leaking this.
posted by mumimor at 5:59 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Or Trump himself sent them to a "friend" or several "friends" to ask for advice, and they sent them to the Times. If there is one thing we have learnt the last few months it is that Trump is the primary leaker from the White House. Heck, maybe Trump himself sent them directly to the Times, since nothing makes any sense. However, if the legal team is not completely moronic, which is obviously a fair question, they would have advised against leaking this.
posted by mumimor at 5:59 PM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
I've noticed that most of Haberman's non-feigning stories about Trump have a co-author... probably how she explained herself when Donald made his critical "two b's" tweet about one of her co-written articles.
But the Frank Rich essay supported something I've been saying all along... Donald Trump does not require "normalizing"; he (with all his crimes) has been considered perfectly normal by the media, especially the New York media, all along.
And Michelle Wolf's biggest mistake (besides taking shots at the gathered media, which Colbert barely survived doing even with his white male privilege) was trying to write smart and giving those whose heads she went over easy ways to misinterpret her.
One thing we are learning from the Reign of Trump is how much deep dry rot is in the very core of America, and how long and difficult a process will be required to dig it out. He's not the cause, just a symptom, like the persistent cough that leads to a diagnosis of lung cancer.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:01 PM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
But the Frank Rich essay supported something I've been saying all along... Donald Trump does not require "normalizing"; he (with all his crimes) has been considered perfectly normal by the media, especially the New York media, all along.
And Michelle Wolf's biggest mistake (besides taking shots at the gathered media, which Colbert barely survived doing even with his white male privilege) was trying to write smart and giving those whose heads she went over easy ways to misinterpret her.
One thing we are learning from the Reign of Trump is how much deep dry rot is in the very core of America, and how long and difficult a process will be required to dig it out. He's not the cause, just a symptom, like the persistent cough that leads to a diagnosis of lung cancer.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:01 PM on April 30, 2018 [15 favorites]
John Paul Brammer
The issue is broader than the Sarah Huckabee Sanders joke. It’s that the reaction to it is indicative of how many in media are able to consider for her a humanity and interior they are not willing to consider for Black, Brown and LGBTQ people affected by Trump’s policies. I have seen media narratives that buy into the Trump administration’s assertion that we are pests, units, criminals with little pushback and, while there has been outrage, it has broadly not been based in our feelings or our capacity to suffer pain.
This selective empathy is not empathy at all. It is the prioritizafion of maintaining the status quo, the coddling of the powerful at the expense of the marginalized. The responses have been: "She is a mother, she is a wife, she is a human being." Mothers, wives, human beings are being rounded up, ripped from their families and sent away every day, and you have no such vehemence to spare for them.
posted by chris24 at 6:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [115 favorites]
The issue is broader than the Sarah Huckabee Sanders joke. It’s that the reaction to it is indicative of how many in media are able to consider for her a humanity and interior they are not willing to consider for Black, Brown and LGBTQ people affected by Trump’s policies. I have seen media narratives that buy into the Trump administration’s assertion that we are pests, units, criminals with little pushback and, while there has been outrage, it has broadly not been based in our feelings or our capacity to suffer pain.
This selective empathy is not empathy at all. It is the prioritizafion of maintaining the status quo, the coddling of the powerful at the expense of the marginalized. The responses have been: "She is a mother, she is a wife, she is a human being." Mothers, wives, human beings are being rounded up, ripped from their families and sent away every day, and you have no such vehemence to spare for them.
posted by chris24 at 6:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [115 favorites]
From the list of questions:
posted by zachlipton at 6:20 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
• What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?What does Mueller know? We know that Manafort offered Deripaska "private briefings" during the campaign, but outreach for assistance would be an entirely new ballgame.
This is one of the most intriguing questions on the list. It is not clear whether Mr. Mueller knows something new, but there is no publicly available information linking Mr. Manafort, the former campaign chairman, to such outreach. So his inclusion here is significant. Mr. Manafort’s longtime colleague, Rick Gates, is cooperating with Mr. Mueller.
posted by zachlipton at 6:20 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
Washington Post: Pentagon to determine whether Ronny Jackson will face investigation
Sic Semper Wraithannis
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:22 PM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
Sic Semper Wraithannis
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:22 PM on April 30, 2018 [14 favorites]
I've got to assume someone on the Trump legal side leaked this, presumably to try to ensure Trump doesn't sit down with Mueller
I agree that it likely came from Trump's side, but I can't wrap my head around any scenario where it was a good idea or good for Trump. (Although coming from Trump's side and being poor strategy certainly aren't mutually exclusive.)
posted by diogenes at 6:25 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
I agree that it likely came from Trump's side, but I can't wrap my head around any scenario where it was a good idea or good for Trump. (Although coming from Trump's side and being poor strategy certainly aren't mutually exclusive.)
posted by diogenes at 6:25 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Meanwhile, the Washington Post has a smaller scoop: Trump-allied House conservatives draft articles of impeachment against Rosenstein as ‘last resort’
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:27 PM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
Conservative House allies of President Trump have drafted articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who oversees the ongoing special counsel probe, setting up a possible GOP showdown over the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.After Nunes's attempt to leverage Comey's memos out of the DoJ blew up in the House Trumpists' faces, this seems like another Hail Mary from them, though the WaPost is happy to pass along the leak.
The document, which was obtained by The Washington Post, underscores the growing chasm between congressional Republican leaders, who have maintained for months that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III should be allowed to proceed, and rank-and-file GOP lawmakers who have repeatedly battled the Justice Department during the past year.
The draft articles, which one of its authors called a “last resort,” would be unlikely to garner significant support in Congress. But the document could serve as a provocative political weapon for conservatives in their standoff with Mueller and the Justice Department.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus — led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), a Trump confidant — finalized the draft in recent days. It came after weeks of disputes with Rosenstein over the Justice Department’s response to congressional requests for documents about the decisions and behavior of federal law enforcement officials working on the Russia investigation and other federal probes, including the investigation into 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s email server.
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:27 PM on April 30, 2018 [11 favorites]
@mawilner: #Israel operation findings “consistent with what the United States has long known,” White House says: “#Iran has a robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program that it has tried and failed to hide.”
@mawilner: The White House tells me it has corrected its statement: #Iran had, not has, a “robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program.”
JFC this is why you hire people that have perhaps read a book for fun in their lives
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [53 favorites]
@mawilner: The White House tells me it has corrected its statement: #Iran had, not has, a “robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program.”
JFC this is why you hire people that have perhaps read a book for fun in their lives
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:28 PM on April 30, 2018 [53 favorites]
The issue is broader than the Sarah Huckabee Sanders joke. It’s that the reaction to it is indicative of how many in media are able to consider for her a humanity and interior they are not willing to consider for Black, Brown and LGBTQ people affected by Trump’s policies.
Or just for Democrats.
Imagine this level of elite media outrage over comments about Clinton. Or imagine Mika or Andrea Mitchell calling for respect for Kirsten Gillibrand in 2020 because she's a mother. The very idea is absurd.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:33 PM on April 30, 2018 [34 favorites]
Or just for Democrats.
Imagine this level of elite media outrage over comments about Clinton. Or imagine Mika or Andrea Mitchell calling for respect for Kirsten Gillibrand in 2020 because she's a mother. The very idea is absurd.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:33 PM on April 30, 2018 [34 favorites]
@mawilner: The White House tells me it has corrected its statement: #Iran had, not has, a “robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program.”
The distinction is enormous here, and the White House put out blatantly false statements and let them persist for hours. We knew Iran had such a program. Experts, such as the Director of National Intelligence and IAEA, say they don't now. I'll let Andrea Mitchell take it away:
@mitchellreports: The problem with White House statement tonight on Iran: no argument that Iran HAD a nuclear program BEFORE JCPOA but DNI Coats testified in February Iran currently complying with nuclear deal. So did Pompeo at confirmation hearing 4/12. How do they explain discrepancy?
And if your concern is that Iran is going to secretly start such a program again, why would you possibly want to cancel the deal that allows inspectors to nose around and look for evidence of that?
posted by zachlipton at 6:34 PM on April 30, 2018 [22 favorites]
The distinction is enormous here, and the White House put out blatantly false statements and let them persist for hours. We knew Iran had such a program. Experts, such as the Director of National Intelligence and IAEA, say they don't now. I'll let Andrea Mitchell take it away:
@mitchellreports: The problem with White House statement tonight on Iran: no argument that Iran HAD a nuclear program BEFORE JCPOA but DNI Coats testified in February Iran currently complying with nuclear deal. So did Pompeo at confirmation hearing 4/12. How do they explain discrepancy?
And if your concern is that Iran is going to secretly start such a program again, why would you possibly want to cancel the deal that allows inspectors to nose around and look for evidence of that?
posted by zachlipton at 6:34 PM on April 30, 2018 [22 favorites]
Incidentally, the National Enquirer has thrown Michael Cohen under a bus on the cover of this week's issue, presumably on behalf of their old friend Donald Trump: Trump’s Top ‘Fixer’ — Payoffs & Threats Exposed. (I haven't seen them do a hit piece like this on someone from Trump's inner since they tried to kneecap Michael Flynn—about the time Mueller turned up the heat on him to plea bargain.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [13 favorites]
I eagerly await Trump tweeting answers/denials to some of Mueller's questions within 48 hours.
posted by chris24 at 6:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 6:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [17 favorites]
> The distinction is enormous here, and the White House put out blatantly false statements and let them persist for hours.
At other times, this would have been described as a feckless foreign policy. There would have been hearings and calls for resignations of the Secretary of State and senior staffers, or at least stern words about the rank incompetence on display.
In this timeline, though, it's just a collective shrug. I'm just glad the bombing hasn't started ... yet.
posted by RedOrGreen at 6:58 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
At other times, this would have been described as a feckless foreign policy. There would have been hearings and calls for resignations of the Secretary of State and senior staffers, or at least stern words about the rank incompetence on display.
In this timeline, though, it's just a collective shrug. I'm just glad the bombing hasn't started ... yet.
posted by RedOrGreen at 6:58 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Question 50. What was with that burger tweet
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:11 PM on April 30, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:11 PM on April 30, 2018 [12 favorites]
Looks like there are enough signatures to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in Idaho this fall.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:11 PM on April 30, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:11 PM on April 30, 2018 [37 favorites]
@mawilner: The White House tells me it has corrected its statement: #Iran had, not has, a “robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program.”
@tomgara: It's amazing that this exact distinction is the thing Iran hawks were trying to fudge around today, and the White House just crashed through it like the Kool-Aid man
posted by zachlipton at 7:19 PM on April 30, 2018 [33 favorites]
@tomgara: It's amazing that this exact distinction is the thing Iran hawks were trying to fudge around today, and the White House just crashed through it like the Kool-Aid man
posted by zachlipton at 7:19 PM on April 30, 2018 [33 favorites]
The Hill:
Senate Democrats are planning to take a first step next week toward forcing a vote to restore the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) net neutrality regulations.posted by Chrysostom at 7:21 PM on April 30, 2018 [54 favorites]
Democrats have been gathering signatures under the Congressional Review Act to force a vote to overturn the decision by the FCC to repeal the net neutrality rules. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) tweeted on Monday that Democrats will file the petition to force the vote on May 9. The vote could take place as soon as the week after.
[...]
It appears that Democrats may have the votes to win on the Senate floor. They currently have 50 votes in favor of the measure, including GOP Sen. Susan Collins (Maine).
If Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is absent from the Senate, that would be enough to win a Senate vote. McCain has been absent all year as he undergoes treatment for brain cancer.
I've got to assume someone on the Trump legal side leaked this, presumably to try to ensure Trump doesn't sit down with Mueller, but wow if that list doesn't have questions about a lot of different types of crimes.
"The questions fall into categories based on four broad subjects. They are not quoted verbatim, and some were condensed."
we live in interesting times
posted by lalochezia at 7:27 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
"The questions fall into categories based on four broad subjects. They are not quoted verbatim, and some were condensed."
we live in interesting times
posted by lalochezia at 7:27 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
The president*'s camp leaked the questionnaire because they're trying to crowd-source the answers.
It was only a few Scaramuccis ago that we heard about multiple failed attempts to find real legal representation.
posted by Dashy at 7:30 PM on April 30, 2018 [16 favorites]
It was only a few Scaramuccis ago that we heard about multiple failed attempts to find real legal representation.
posted by Dashy at 7:30 PM on April 30, 2018 [16 favorites]
He'll probably crib his answers from Fox and Friends tomorrow morning.
posted by jason_steakums at 7:34 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 7:34 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Question 50. What was with that burger tweet
I'm still on the case. The sands of time will slip through our fingers, more Trump scandals will come and go, but the whole time I will be here. Watching. Waiting.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:40 PM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
I'm still on the case. The sands of time will slip through our fingers, more Trump scandals will come and go, but the whole time I will be here. Watching. Waiting.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:40 PM on April 30, 2018 [27 favorites]
And, in the case of the burgers: Eating.
posted by SPrintF at 8:05 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 8:05 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
and what happened during Mr. Trump’s 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant.
Look, all of us, all human beings, are going to have to watch the pee tape
We need to just do it and get it over with, band-aid style
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:12 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
Look, all of us, all human beings, are going to have to watch the pee tape
We need to just do it and get it over with, band-aid style
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:12 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
Trump's doctor may have violated federal privacy protections for a key patient -- Pence's wife, Karen
Meanwhile Pruitt wants to rejigger the EPA so that people can't cite medical studies against pollutants without forcing the researchers to deeply violate patient privacy.
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:16 PM on April 30, 2018 [10 favorites]
Meanwhile Pruitt wants to rejigger the EPA so that people can't cite medical studies against pollutants without forcing the researchers to deeply violate patient privacy.
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:16 PM on April 30, 2018 [10 favorites]
In the latest EPA scandal du jour, Pruitt's agency granted a financial hardship waiver to CVR Energy Inc (CVI.N), an oil refinery owned by billionaire Carl Icahn and former adviser to President Donald Trump, exempting the Oklahoma facility from requirements under a federal biofuels law.
In addition, Andeavor (ANDV.N), one of America’s biggest refining companies, which reported about $1.5 billion in net profit last year, was also identified as having received hardship waivers from Trump’s EPA.
Having $1.5B in profits is a hardship, but we're residing the prices poor people pay for housing.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 9:52 PM on April 30, 2018 [44 favorites]
In addition, Andeavor (ANDV.N), one of America’s biggest refining companies, which reported about $1.5 billion in net profit last year, was also identified as having received hardship waivers from Trump’s EPA.
Having $1.5B in profits is a hardship, but we're residing the prices poor people pay for housing.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 9:52 PM on April 30, 2018 [44 favorites]
When Mueller questions Trump, his whole presidency will depend on whether or not he will get caught in a lie. If he is, that's some divine justice shit.
posted by xammerboy at 9:53 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by xammerboy at 9:53 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
“What efforts were made to reach out to Mr. Flynn about seeking immunity or possible pardon?”
Yeah, I don't see Trump being able to answer that one, considering Flynn has already told Mueller the answer. Trump's going to claim he can't be subpoena'd. The questions show what he's afraid of. Maybe Mueller is hoping for a public outcry?
posted by xammerboy at 10:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I don't see Trump being able to answer that one, considering Flynn has already told Mueller the answer. Trump's going to claim he can't be subpoena'd. The questions show what he's afraid of. Maybe Mueller is hoping for a public outcry?
posted by xammerboy at 10:15 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm still on the case. The sands of time will slip through our fingers, more Trump scandals will come and go, but the whole time I will be here. Watching. Waiting.
I read through the tweet thread. Any idea where that photo was taken? Exif data was blank. ( Now you have ME going down this rabbit hole... )
Maybe we should take this to MeMail?
posted by mikelieman at 10:28 PM on April 30, 2018
I read through the tweet thread. Any idea where that photo was taken? Exif data was blank. ( Now you have ME going down this rabbit hole... )
Maybe we should take this to MeMail?
posted by mikelieman at 10:28 PM on April 30, 2018
When Mueller questions Trump, his whole presidency will depend on whether or not he will get caught in a lie. If he is, that's some divine justice shit.
Assuming Dems take the house and Senate in 2018 and both are in an impeaching mood. Otherwise we're left with McConnell and Ryan voicing "serious concerns" while doing jack shit.
posted by benzenedream at 10:43 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Assuming Dems take the house and Senate in 2018 and both are in an impeaching mood. Otherwise we're left with McConnell and Ryan voicing "serious concerns" while doing jack shit.
posted by benzenedream at 10:43 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
When Mueller questions Trump, his whole presidency will depend on whether or not he will get caught in a lie.
I can't really see how. If Trump lies under questioning, it will be:
1) Fake news, never happened
2) Explained by SHS that her Orange Lord and Slaverer didn't understand the questions and/or answers
3) Clearly meant as a joke
4) Obviously trapping the Democrats in a game of 5D Go Fish
5) Moot as Boehner will refuse to bring articles to floor, citing Hastert Rule
6) Tweeted that Many People are Saying that If a Man is Fired After asking Questions, then a Man is No One and his Questions don't Count.
7) Decided to prospectively and/or retroactively pardon himself
8) Loudly declaimed that Hillary lost, worst loss ever, get over it, and by the way lock her up
9) Forgotten after another scandal that happens two hours later
posted by xigxag at 10:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [16 favorites]
I can't really see how. If Trump lies under questioning, it will be:
1) Fake news, never happened
2) Explained by SHS that her Orange Lord and Slaverer didn't understand the questions and/or answers
3) Clearly meant as a joke
4) Obviously trapping the Democrats in a game of 5D Go Fish
5) Moot as Boehner will refuse to bring articles to floor, citing Hastert Rule
6) Tweeted that Many People are Saying that If a Man is Fired After asking Questions, then a Man is No One and his Questions don't Count.
7) Decided to prospectively and/or retroactively pardon himself
8) Loudly declaimed that Hillary lost, worst loss ever, get over it, and by the way lock her up
9) Forgotten after another scandal that happens two hours later
posted by xigxag at 10:51 PM on April 30, 2018 [16 favorites]
Trump's going to claim he can't be subpoena'd. The questions show what he's afraid of.
Trump's lawyers will claim he can't be subpoena'd. Trump insists he's ready to sit down with Mueller, under oath, and rattle off his Alternative Facts until Mueller understands who's really in charge here. Trump is oblivious to the idea that what he says might not legally be the truth, and that he could be held accountable for lying. (And why would he know this? He's had a long career and always gotten away with it before.)
I expect it to happen (T testifying under oath) at some point; it'll be fun to watch how many Republicans abruptly realize they have better things to do than hold elected office that week. I am looking forward to seeing the resignation letters fall like confetti.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump's lawyers will claim he can't be subpoena'd. Trump insists he's ready to sit down with Mueller, under oath, and rattle off his Alternative Facts until Mueller understands who's really in charge here. Trump is oblivious to the idea that what he says might not legally be the truth, and that he could be held accountable for lying. (And why would he know this? He's had a long career and always gotten away with it before.)
I expect it to happen (T testifying under oath) at some point; it'll be fun to watch how many Republicans abruptly realize they have better things to do than hold elected office that week. I am looking forward to seeing the resignation letters fall like confetti.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
The list of topics that Mueller provided to the Trump team should scare the crap out of Trump and his legal team. He would be an absolute idiot to do anything but invoke the 5th. So I assume he'll answer all of it.
Ok more seriously I would expected a protracted legal battle to force Trump to testify followed by the 5th.
posted by Justinian at 11:09 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
Ok more seriously I would expected a protracted legal battle to force Trump to testify followed by the 5th.
posted by Justinian at 11:09 PM on April 30, 2018 [8 favorites]
For any sane client, I'd expect taking the 5th. I'm really not sure Trump's capable of that, especially since, AFAIK, "taking the fifth" doesn't prevent them from asking questions - you just get to repeat, over and over, "I invoke my right not to answer as indicated by the fifth amendment," or the short version, "Fifth again."
But you have to have the mental acuity to stick to that even when the question is really interesting or annoying, and I don't think the president would be able to repeat "I take the fifth... the fifth... the fifth..." if he's asked a lot of those questions. I bet he believes that saying "I don't know anything about that" is the same as taking the fifth.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:26 PM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
But you have to have the mental acuity to stick to that even when the question is really interesting or annoying, and I don't think the president would be able to repeat "I take the fifth... the fifth... the fifth..." if he's asked a lot of those questions. I bet he believes that saying "I don't know anything about that" is the same as taking the fifth.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:26 PM on April 30, 2018 [9 favorites]
It seems a consensus might be forming that the reason we’re seeing this extensive list of questions now is because a trump-Mueller sit down isn’t gonna happen without a subpoena.ave
It came from Team Trump, absolutely. Word is the questions were transmitted orally not written so it pretty much had to have.
posted by scalefree at 11:38 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
It came from Team Trump, absolutely. Word is the questions were transmitted orally not written so it pretty much had to have.
posted by scalefree at 11:38 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Roy Moore will not go away. He's filling a lawsuit against three women alleging a political conspiracy. I'm sure this will be good for his grifting but I'm guessing he'll drop the suit well before discovery begins.
posted by rdr at 11:39 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by rdr at 11:39 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]
Invite pair of comedians, one with a liberal bent and one with a conservative bent.
Comedy has a well-know liberal bias.
posted by msalt at 11:48 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Comedy has a well-know liberal bias.
posted by msalt at 11:48 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump's Razor, now with twice the crime!
Trump’s Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize Was Apparently Forged. Twice.
posted by scalefree at 11:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
Trump’s Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize Was Apparently Forged. Twice.
posted by scalefree at 11:54 PM on April 30, 2018 [19 favorites]
Roy Moore will not go away. He's filling a lawsuit against three women alleging a political conspiracy. I'm sure this will be good for his grifting but I'm guessing he'll drop the suit well before discovery begins.
It's like no-one ever told him that the truth is a valid defense, and that in civil court it's the preponderance of evidence that prevails, and he's going to have to show evidence of the defendant's claims' falsehood.
However this IS Alabama, so who knows what the local court rules are?
posted by mikelieman at 11:55 PM on April 30, 2018
It's like no-one ever told him that the truth is a valid defense, and that in civil court it's the preponderance of evidence that prevails, and he's going to have to show evidence of the defendant's claims' falsehood.
However this IS Alabama, so who knows what the local court rules are?
posted by mikelieman at 11:55 PM on April 30, 2018
Canaries, coalmine:
posted by Joe in Australia at 12:14 AM on May 1, 2018 [116 favorites]
Chaplains in the 101st Airborne Division have fired the longstanding Jewish lay leaders at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, allegedly without providing any reason, effectively ending Friday night Shabbat services for Jewish soldiers and their families.According to Army Times this is being taken seriously, which is good, but I just can't imagine this happening even a few years ago.
The two ranking chaplains also refused to support the Jews’ attempts to celebrate Passover on March 30, the first night of the eight-day long religious celebration, allegedly because it conflicted with Christians’ Good Friday observances and would save money during the installation’s four-day holiday.
posted by Joe in Australia at 12:14 AM on May 1, 2018 [116 favorites]
It's like no-one ever told him that the truth is a valid defense, and that in civil court it's the preponderance of evidence that prevails, and he's going to have to show evidence of the defendant's claims' falsehood.Apparently he had more important things to worry about when he was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. Twice.
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:51 AM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
One of the horrific things about the last 3-4 years for me has been the constant reminders that antisemitism is very, very much still a thing, and that some members of various faith groups genuinely hate Jews. It is quite horrific, and I'm not even Jewish.* This form of prejudice seems so oddly medieval.
* although my stepmother's mother ran away from Nazi Germany fast enough to avoid the fate of her more trusting family, friends and neighbours. It's a small world in that respect.
posted by jaduncan at 12:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [34 favorites]
* although my stepmother's mother ran away from Nazi Germany fast enough to avoid the fate of her more trusting family, friends and neighbours. It's a small world in that respect.
posted by jaduncan at 12:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [34 favorites]
I can't. I can't. I just can't. Where's the current "fucking fuck" thread? Because I can't.
Trump gaffes on attack aircraft sale to Nigeria
posted by scalefree at 1:00 AM on May 1, 2018 [27 favorites]
Trump gaffes on attack aircraft sale to Nigeria
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sought to trumpet last year’s $600 million deal for military aircraft previously blocked by the Obama administration over human rights concerns.Have I mentioned that I can't?
But Trump tripped up at their Rose Garden news conference, following the lead of a foreign reporter’s question about the turboprop A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft at the heart of the deal, repeatedly calling them “helicopters.”
“We make the best military equipment in the world, and our friends can now buy that equipment,” Trump said. This administration has championed a more transactional foreign policy, and Trump was in full dealmaker-in-chief mode.
Ironically, the Nigerian government did take delivery of foreign-made military helicopters on Monday, according to a Nigerian Air Force release: Two Mi-35M helicopter gunships from America’s strategic competitor, Russia.
“We love helicopters. He loves them more than I do,” Trump said of Buhari, who was standing beside him at a separate podium. “He likes buying helicopters, and they’re buying a lot of helicopters.”
posted by scalefree at 1:00 AM on May 1, 2018 [27 favorites]
Here's an excellent rebuttal on Netanyahu's absurd presentation, the one he dumbed down for Trump the moron. Loved the way it was presented: in English, not his native tongue; huge letters, lots of pictures but nothing new. All of the information in it is at least 3 years old. As pretexts for war go this is right up there with Colin Powell holding up a vial of "anthrax" at the UN.
Anyway, let's have an expert explain it for us. I give you Jeffrey Lewis aka Arms Control Wonk. It's a long thread, you can follows the rest of it on Twitter.
@ArmsControlWonk Let's go through Netanyahu's dog-and-pony show. As you will see, everything he said was already known to the IAEA and published in IAEA GOV/2015/68 (2015). There is literally nothing new here and nothing that changes the wisdom of the JCPOA. 1/10
posted by scalefree at 1:18 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Anyway, let's have an expert explain it for us. I give you Jeffrey Lewis aka Arms Control Wonk. It's a long thread, you can follows the rest of it on Twitter.
@ArmsControlWonk Let's go through Netanyahu's dog-and-pony show. As you will see, everything he said was already known to the IAEA and published in IAEA GOV/2015/68 (2015). There is literally nothing new here and nothing that changes the wisdom of the JCPOA. 1/10
posted by scalefree at 1:18 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
FWIW, CNN's article on the questions indicates that their sources say it's not a list of questions from Mueller but questions Trump's legal team anticipates might be asked based on conversations with Mueller's team. That makes total sense to me - I don't think we're anywhere close to the endgame that he'd be letting the specific questions slip yet.
posted by Candleman at 1:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Candleman at 1:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
FWIW, CNN's article on the questions indicates that their sources say it's not a list of questions from Mueller but questions Trump's legal team anticipates might be asked based on conversations with Mueller's team. That makes total sense to me - I don't think we're anywhere close to the endgame that he'd be letting the specific questions slip yet.
This amuses me greatly. The document should be titled "things we think our client might have exposure to".
posted by jaduncan at 2:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [38 favorites]
This amuses me greatly. The document should be titled "things we think our client might have exposure to".
posted by jaduncan at 2:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [38 favorites]
I thought the Super Tucano was Brazilian. Why is the US selling them?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:41 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:41 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
This selective empathy is not empathy at all. It is the prioritizafion of maintaining the status quo, the coddling of the powerful at the expense of the marginalized. The responses have been: "She is a mother, she is a wife, she is a human being." Mothers, wives, human beings are being rounded up, ripped from their families and sent away every day, and you have no such vehemence to spare for them.
Defense of SHS on the grounds of being a "mother, wife, and human being" is a pathetically obvious dodge from having to address Wolf's point that she's also the presidential press secretary who routinely lies to the press and holds them in obvious contempt.
posted by Gelatin at 2:50 AM on May 1, 2018 [29 favorites]
Defense of SHS on the grounds of being a "mother, wife, and human being" is a pathetically obvious dodge from having to address Wolf's point that she's also the presidential press secretary who routinely lies to the press and holds them in obvious contempt.
posted by Gelatin at 2:50 AM on May 1, 2018 [29 favorites]
I was digging around trying to remember some details about the Russia story (like who Dmitry Firtash is -- apparently the feds have "thousands of intercepts" of him) and I learned a couple of other new names to me, in the process. I apologize if these links where posted here at the time and I just missed them, but in case they weren't...
This story by Nicholas Fandos of the NYT was reported in December... In May of 2016 an N.R.A. activist named Paul Erickson wrote to Sessions' former chief of staff, who was then working in the Trump campaign, “Putin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr. Trump. He wants to extend an invitation to Mr. Trump to visit him in the Kremlin before the election. Let’s talk through what has transpired and Senator Sessions’s advice on how to proceed.”
This story by Natasha Bertrand for the Atlantic was published at the beginning of April: "A Suspected Russian Spy, With Curious Ties to Washington"
This story by Nicholas Fandos of the NYT was reported in December... In May of 2016 an N.R.A. activist named Paul Erickson wrote to Sessions' former chief of staff, who was then working in the Trump campaign, “Putin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr. Trump. He wants to extend an invitation to Mr. Trump to visit him in the Kremlin before the election. Let’s talk through what has transpired and Senator Sessions’s advice on how to proceed.”
This story by Natasha Bertrand for the Atlantic was published at the beginning of April: "A Suspected Russian Spy, With Curious Ties to Washington"
"Asked whether Manafort coordinated with [Sam] Patten and/or Kilimnik on Klitschko’s reelection campaign, a spokesman for Manafort said he had “nothing to add.”posted by OnceUponATime at 3:18 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
Patten describes himself as an “international political consultant” on his website, but he worked at the Oregon office of Cambridge Analytica’s parent company, SCL Group, helping to fine-tune the firm’s voter targeting operations in the runup to the 2014 midterm elections."
FWIW, CNN's article on the questions indicates that their sources say it's not a list of questions from Mueller but questions Trump's legal team anticipates might be asked based on conversations with Mueller's team.
Trump's attorneys leak their own attorney work product...so that he can can cite the leaks as evidence that the criminal investigation into his theft of an election is corrupt and should be shut down:
Trump's attorneys leak their own attorney work product...so that he can can cite the leaks as evidence that the criminal investigation into his theft of an election is corrupt and should be shut down:
So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see...you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!posted by T.D. Strange at 4:17 AM on May 1, 2018 [22 favorites]
I thought the Super Tucano was Brazilian. Why is the US selling them?
Looks like the American versions (and the Afghan ones passing through US ownership) are final-assembled and do avionics install in Jacksonville. Which isn't weird for US procurement; Beretta had to open a US factory to make service pistols.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:28 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
Looks like the American versions (and the Afghan ones passing through US ownership) are final-assembled and do avionics install in Jacksonville. Which isn't weird for US procurement; Beretta had to open a US factory to make service pistols.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:28 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
Defense of SHS on the grounds of being a "mother, wife, and human being" is a pathetically obvious dodge
Also worth noting is that a certain Democratic candidate for president meets that criteria, and—oops, wrong team, sorry. Carry on.
posted by Rykey at 4:57 AM on May 1, 2018 [39 favorites]
Also worth noting is that a certain Democratic candidate for president meets that criteria, and—oops, wrong team, sorry. Carry on.
posted by Rykey at 4:57 AM on May 1, 2018 [39 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: It would seem very hard to obstruct justice for a crime that never happened! Witch Hunt!
"Chief, someone broke into the police station and destroyed the evidence!"
"Damn it! Now we can't use the evidence to prove that a crime occurred, meaning that the guy who destroyed the evidence isn't guilty of obstruction of justice! Boys, we've been bamboozled by a master non-criminal."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
"Chief, someone broke into the police station and destroyed the evidence!"
"Damn it! Now we can't use the evidence to prove that a crime occurred, meaning that the guy who destroyed the evidence isn't guilty of obstruction of justice! Boys, we've been bamboozled by a master non-criminal."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion.
His reading comprehension is so low that he can't deduce that a question is about collusion if it doesn't contain that word.
posted by diogenes at 5:14 AM on May 1, 2018 [50 favorites]
His reading comprehension is so low that he can't deduce that a question is about collusion if it doesn't contain that word.
posted by diogenes at 5:14 AM on May 1, 2018 [50 favorites]
It would seem very hard to obstruct justice for a crime that never happened! Witch Hunt!
I still can't believe this man has a degree from any college.
posted by rc3spencer at 5:23 AM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
I still can't believe this man has a degree from any college.
posted by rc3spencer at 5:23 AM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
although my stepmother's mother ran away from Nazi Germany fast enough to avoid the fate of her more trusting family, friends and neighbours.
So how do you know when it's time? Is it when other countries start publicly announcing that they will give political asylum to Americans who migrate?
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:26 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
So how do you know when it's time? Is it when other countries start publicly announcing that they will give political asylum to Americans who migrate?
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 5:26 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
"What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?"
Seems pretty collusiony to me.
posted by chris24 at 5:29 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
Seems pretty collusiony to me.
posted by chris24 at 5:29 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
Mulvaney’s CFPB Considers Moving Staff to Basement. Or to Dallas.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:37 AM on May 1, 2018 [47 favorites]
The analysis put together by Mulvaney’s advisers lays out multiple ways to trim the budget over the next two years. Requiring CFPB staff “without a business need to work in an office” to stay home could save as much as $18.3 million, while shared desks might reduce expenditures by another $18.3 million.Hard to overstate how demoralizing this is to the professional attorneys that came on to the CFPB under Warren and Cordray. They're going to kill the agency one way or another.
...
Adding 70 work spaces in the basement of the CFPB’s main Washington building may save $16.6 million, and relocating staff to Dallas would decrease spending by $2.4 million. Other ideas in the one-page document include moving workers to offices in Northern Virginia or the Maryland suburbs, though doing so is actually estimated to increase costs.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:37 AM on May 1, 2018 [47 favorites]
So how do you know when it's time? Is it when other countries start publicly announcing that they will give political asylum to Americans who migrate?
When other countries announce they'll give asylum to refugees, it's too late. You have to leave before the country you're leaving decides it doesn't really want you to leave so much as just kill you or throw you in prison.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 5:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
When other countries announce they'll give asylum to refugees, it's too late. You have to leave before the country you're leaving decides it doesn't really want you to leave so much as just kill you or throw you in prison.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 5:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
You know it's really about insulting women's looks when they... [checks notes] ...insult two women's looks to express their outrage.
Ryan Reilly (HuffPo):
“The Debbie Wasserman Schultz doppleganger... attacked Sarah Huckabee Sander’s looks...” - Laura Ingraham tonight
posted by chris24 at 5:51 AM on May 1, 2018 [26 favorites]
Ryan Reilly (HuffPo):
“The Debbie Wasserman Schultz doppleganger... attacked Sarah Huckabee Sander’s looks...” - Laura Ingraham tonight
posted by chris24 at 5:51 AM on May 1, 2018 [26 favorites]
Mulvaney’s CFPB Considers Moving Staff to Basement. Or to Dallas.
The analysis put together by Mulvaney’s advisers lays out multiple ways to trim the budget over the next two years. Requiring CFPB staff “without a business need to work in an office” to stay home could save as much as $18.3 million, while shared desks might reduce expenditures by another $18.3 million.
...
Adding 70 work spaces in the basement of the CFPB’s main Washington building may save $16.6 million, and relocating staff to Dallas would decrease spending by $2.4 million. Other ideas in the one-page document include moving workers to offices in Northern Virginia or the Maryland suburbs, though doing so is actually estimated to increase costs.
Our racist right wing government has being doing this for some time. There are plenty advantages (as seen from their perspective):
1) even leftwing people in the boondocks love this, reasoning that if they have to live there, it's only fair that government officials must too. No regard of practicalities like where the meetings with politicians etc. actually take place. One tiny agency was sent to a remote island and now spend huge amounts of money on transportation every week.
2) most senior staff have family who work in the city, and thus are not really able to move. So they find new jobs voluntarily and can be replaced with junior people from small universities who are looking for a fast career track, and who are then very friendly towards their political masters.
3) the moving process in itself disrupts everything in the afflicted units radically for several months, even years, and inactivates vital functions that the administration hates but can't get rid of legally.
In other words, a kinder egg of hate and disruption.
I wonder who first thought of this. It can't be our stupid corrupt idiots.
posted by mumimor at 5:51 AM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
The analysis put together by Mulvaney’s advisers lays out multiple ways to trim the budget over the next two years. Requiring CFPB staff “without a business need to work in an office” to stay home could save as much as $18.3 million, while shared desks might reduce expenditures by another $18.3 million.
...
Adding 70 work spaces in the basement of the CFPB’s main Washington building may save $16.6 million, and relocating staff to Dallas would decrease spending by $2.4 million. Other ideas in the one-page document include moving workers to offices in Northern Virginia or the Maryland suburbs, though doing so is actually estimated to increase costs.
Our racist right wing government has being doing this for some time. There are plenty advantages (as seen from their perspective):
1) even leftwing people in the boondocks love this, reasoning that if they have to live there, it's only fair that government officials must too. No regard of practicalities like where the meetings with politicians etc. actually take place. One tiny agency was sent to a remote island and now spend huge amounts of money on transportation every week.
2) most senior staff have family who work in the city, and thus are not really able to move. So they find new jobs voluntarily and can be replaced with junior people from small universities who are looking for a fast career track, and who are then very friendly towards their political masters.
3) the moving process in itself disrupts everything in the afflicted units radically for several months, even years, and inactivates vital functions that the administration hates but can't get rid of legally.
In other words, a kinder egg of hate and disruption.
I wonder who first thought of this. It can't be our stupid corrupt idiots.
posted by mumimor at 5:51 AM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
It costs the secret service more than 18.3 million to provide protection for a weekend and a round of golf at the southern kremlin.
posted by cmfletcher at 6:01 AM on May 1, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 6:01 AM on May 1, 2018 [28 favorites]
I still can't believe this man has a degree from any college.
Between the Wolff book (10 Scaramuccis ago), and the Phone-a-Fox-and-Stunned-Friends screaming freakout (5 . . . days ago), it would likely be a good idea to consider that he's dangerously unfit for office and has been the whole time.
Any cursory review of his earlier-in-life interviews will show he's able to speak normally. Assholically, sure, but normally. Now - he's not able to speak (think?) normally. The founders were not envisioning a madness-of-king-george situation where we elected him (fraudulent) or where the balance-of-powers shrugged and ignored it (mcconnelled).
posted by petebest at 6:15 AM on May 1, 2018 [29 favorites]
Between the Wolff book (10 Scaramuccis ago), and the Phone-a-Fox-and-Stunned-Friends screaming freakout (5 . . . days ago), it would likely be a good idea to consider that he's dangerously unfit for office and has been the whole time.
Any cursory review of his earlier-in-life interviews will show he's able to speak normally. Assholically, sure, but normally. Now - he's not able to speak (think?) normally. The founders were not envisioning a madness-of-king-george situation where we elected him (fraudulent) or where the balance-of-powers shrugged and ignored it (mcconnelled).
posted by petebest at 6:15 AM on May 1, 2018 [29 favorites]
The founders were not envisioning a madness-of-king-george situation
I was thinking more of an Ubu Roi situation. Actually have been since spring of 2016.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:17 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
I was thinking more of an Ubu Roi situation. Actually have been since spring of 2016.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:17 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
“The Debbie Wasserman Schultz doppelgänger... attacked Sarah Huckabee Sander’s looks...” - Laura Ingraham tonight
Liz: Jack just say Jewish this is taking forever
posted by The Whelk at 6:21 AM on May 1, 2018 [104 favorites]
Liz: Jack just say Jewish this is taking forever
posted by The Whelk at 6:21 AM on May 1, 2018 [104 favorites]
It would seem very hard to obstruct justice for a crime that never happened! Witch Hunt!
Jeff Smith*
It's possible to commit felony obstruction of justice w/o the underlying act being a felony. #trustme
* Former Missouri state senator (D) convicted of 2 felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice for interfering with an FEC probe.
posted by chris24 at 6:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [58 favorites]
Jeff Smith*
It's possible to commit felony obstruction of justice w/o the underlying act being a felony. #trustme
* Former Missouri state senator (D) convicted of 2 felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice for interfering with an FEC probe.
posted by chris24 at 6:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [58 favorites]
“The Debbie Wasserman Schultz doppelgänger... attacked Sarah Huckabee Sander’s looks...” - Laura Ingraham tonight
Liz: Jack just say Jewish this is taking forever
The best thing I can say about Laura Ingraham's radio work is that at least you can't actually see the reflex fascist salute.
posted by jaduncan at 6:33 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
Liz: Jack just say Jewish this is taking forever
The best thing I can say about Laura Ingraham's radio work is that at least you can't actually see the reflex fascist salute.
posted by jaduncan at 6:33 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
FWIW, CNN's article on the questions indicates that their sources say it's not a list of questions from Mueller but questions Trump's legal team anticipates might be asked based on conversations with Mueller's team.
Whether Trump's team leaked questions direct from the special counsel's office or was just guessing at what Mueller will want to chat about, really great job on getting that until now publicly unknown Manafort line of inquiry out there. The best people.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:34 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
Whether Trump's team leaked questions direct from the special counsel's office or was just guessing at what Mueller will want to chat about, really great job on getting that until now publicly unknown Manafort line of inquiry out there. The best people.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:34 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
“We make the best military equipment in the world, and our friends can now buy that equipment,” Trump said.
"Now"? The US has been the world's leading arms dealer for years.
"Now"? The US has been the world's leading arms dealer for years.
When American firms dominate a global market worth more than $70 billion a year, you’d expect to hear about it. Not so with the global arms trade.posted by kirkaracha at 6:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
...
The numbers should stagger anyone. According to the latest figures available from the Congressional Research Service, the United States was credited with more than half the value of all global arms transfer agreements in 2014, the most recent year for which full statistics are available. At 14 percent, the world’s second largest supplier, Russia, lagged far behind. Washington’s leadership in this field has never truly been challenged. The US share has fluctuated between one-third and one-half of the global market for the past two decades, peaking at an almost monopolistic 70 percent of all weapons sold in 2011.
...
Though seldom thought of this way, the US political system is also a global arms distribution system of the first order. In this context, the Obama administration has proven itself a good friend to arms exporting firms. During President Obama’s first six years in office, Washington entered into agreements to sell more than $190 billion in weaponry worldwide—more, that is, than any US administration since World War II. In addition, Team Obama has loosened restrictions on arms exports, making it possible to send abroad a whole new range of weapons and weapons components—including Black Hawk and Huey helicopters and engines for C-17 transport planes—with far less scrutiny than was previously required.
Here's how The New York Times describes their source:
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:55 AM on May 1, 2018 [27 favorites]
[The questions were] read by the special counsel investigators to the president’s lawyers, who compiled them into a list. That document was provided to The Times by a person outside Mr. Trump’s legal team.The "disgraceful leaking" is coming from inside the White House.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:55 AM on May 1, 2018 [27 favorites]
The "disgraceful leaking" is coming from inside the White House.
John Barron, Esq.?
posted by rc3spencer at 7:00 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
John Barron, Esq.?
posted by rc3spencer at 7:00 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
It would seem very hard to obstruct justice for a crime that never happened! Witch Hunt!
Nixon Sees 'Witch-Hunt, Insiders Say #stupidWatergate
posted by kirkaracha at 7:01 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
Nixon Sees 'Witch-Hunt, Insiders Say #stupidWatergate
posted by kirkaracha at 7:01 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
John Barron, Esq.?
Did... did the President leak the list because it didn't have the word "collusion" in it? Is that what we're dealing with?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [37 favorites]
Did... did the President leak the list because it didn't have the word "collusion" in it? Is that what we're dealing with?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [37 favorites]
And hey, the the Daily Beast's Sam Stein observes, "Leaks about the Mueller team’s interactions with the Trump legal team seem to have picked up since Rudy joined the crew". With Trump's follow-up ranting about the leak of these questions, he argues that Team Trump's plan could be:
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:06 AM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
Step 1. leak the questionsRightwing noisemakers Hugh Hewitt and Sean Hannity are already banging the drum over these questions—which, to repeat, were collected and paraphrased by Trump's own lawyers, not the Special Counsel—as overly broad and potential perjury traps. This could be a prelude to attacking Mueller's integrity or simply the only way to get through to Trump that he shouldn't sit down for an interview unless he takes the Fifth repeatedly.
Step 2. claim the leak is a disgrace
Step 3…… argue that the Mueller probe is off the rails?
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:06 AM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
"What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?" --- Seems pretty collusiony to me.
Brian Beutler (Crooked Media)
It’s hard to read these Mueller questions and see how this story ends without several indictments stemming from collusion-related crimes.
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
Exactly. At least 12 or 13 questions are sharply directed at collusion. I don't understand meme that Mueller is only interested in obstruction.
posted by chris24 at 7:08 AM on May 1, 2018 [19 favorites]
Brian Beutler (Crooked Media)
It’s hard to read these Mueller questions and see how this story ends without several indictments stemming from collusion-related crimes.
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
Exactly. At least 12 or 13 questions are sharply directed at collusion. I don't understand meme that Mueller is only interested in obstruction.
posted by chris24 at 7:08 AM on May 1, 2018 [19 favorites]
Rightwing noisemakers Hugh Hewitt and Sean Hannity are already banging the drum over these questions—which, to repeat, were collected and paraphrased by Trump's own lawyers, not the Special Counsel—as overly broad and potential perjury traps.
Your daily reminder that in this context, "perjury traps" means "things Trump would lie about," with a side order of "because he's obviously guilty."
posted by Gelatin at 7:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
Your daily reminder that in this context, "perjury traps" means "things Trump would lie about," with a side order of "because he's obviously guilty."
posted by Gelatin at 7:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
This is Giuliani's 'hold my beer' moment for Trump's 3 Stooges legal team.
posted by rc3spencer at 7:35 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 7:35 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Because IANAL, I wonder: if it can be shown the leak was from the WH, and was attorney work product... does that mean they violated their own attorney-client privilege? And if so, would that go towards negating claims of privilege going forward?
posted by Kelrichen at 7:41 AM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Kelrichen at 7:41 AM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
My hypothesis for the point of all this is that they've tried to run him through these questions in private but crashed hard into the brick wall of President Toddler's attention span, and as a last resort they're hoping that he'll care more about them if he sees them on Fox & Friends.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:46 AM on May 1, 2018 [59 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:46 AM on May 1, 2018 [59 favorites]
It's going to go like this, isn't it?
Press: Why did you leak the question list
SHS: We did not. It's a terrible thing. The investigation is out of control
45: I did leak it. It was the best leak. NO COLLUSION.
posted by Devonian at 7:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [47 favorites]
Press: Why did you leak the question list
SHS: We did not. It's a terrible thing. The investigation is out of control
45: I did leak it. It was the best leak. NO COLLUSION.
posted by Devonian at 7:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [47 favorites]
It's going to go like this, isn't it?
Press: Why did you leak the question list
SHS: We did not. It's a terrible thing. The investigation is out of control
45: I did leak it. It was the best leak. NO COLLUSION.
There'll be a few rounds of "The president has been very clear that he didn't leak the question list" from SHS before he tweets it.
posted by Etrigan at 7:52 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Press: Why did you leak the question list
SHS: We did not. It's a terrible thing. The investigation is out of control
45: I did leak it. It was the best leak. NO COLLUSION.
There'll be a few rounds of "The president has been very clear that he didn't leak the question list" from SHS before he tweets it.
posted by Etrigan at 7:52 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
rc3spencer: I still can't believe this man has a degree from any college.
There are other concerns about his mental health, which would impair him now but would allow him to pass college courses in his youth. But that's an unnecessary tangent.
Back to your regularly scheduled news updates: Some 'Caravan Migrants' Allowed To Apply For U.S. Asylum (NPR, May 1, 2018)
tl;dr/l: of the 200 asylum seekers in San Diego, Eight migrants — three women, four children and an 18-year-old — who claimed to be fleeing violence in their home countries were allowed through the gate at the border separating Tijuana, Mexico, from San Diego on Monday evening, according to caravan organizers.
But that would be humane, and that's not how CBP operates in the time of Trump.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:01 AM on May 1, 2018 [25 favorites]
There are other concerns about his mental health, which would impair him now but would allow him to pass college courses in his youth. But that's an unnecessary tangent.
Back to your regularly scheduled news updates: Some 'Caravan Migrants' Allowed To Apply For U.S. Asylum (NPR, May 1, 2018)
tl;dr/l: of the 200 asylum seekers in San Diego, Eight migrants — three women, four children and an 18-year-old — who claimed to be fleeing violence in their home countries were allowed through the gate at the border separating Tijuana, Mexico, from San Diego on Monday evening, according to caravan organizers.
Reuters reports: "The first to enter were part of a small group from the caravan who Mexican officials let walk over a pedestrian bridge on Sunday and who have been camped at the San Ysidro gate ever since, when the CBP said the facility between Tijuana and San Diego was saturated. A larger group of about 150 people has not been let onto the bridge and was preparing for a second night sleeping in an open plaza on the Mexican side."CBP has some ugly policies in place that, if not reviewed critically, can make it seem like the delay is just part of their normal operating procedure
The San Ysidro facility can hold about 300 people, according to Pete Flores, the CBP’s San Diego field office director. The agency processed about 8,000 asylum cases from October to February, the equivalent of about 50 a day.The way that Guardian article is currently written is vague, possibly on purpose, if that language is coming from CBP. Are people held outside the CBP facilities and told to wait to come in? Or are they detained within? Either way,
Asylum seekers are typically held for up to three days at the border and then turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If they pass an initial screening, they may be detained or released into the US with ankle monitors.
“They have been well aware that a caravan is going to arrive at the border,” Nicole Ramos, an attorney working on behalf of caravan members, said at a news conference. “The failure to prepare, and failure to get sufficient agents and resources is not the fault of the most vulnerable among us. We can build a base in Iraq in under a week. We can’t process 200 refugees. I don’t believe it.”Again, a bureaucrat could say "look, we have limitations, sorry" and brush this off. Or they could say "we realized there would be an incoming group of asylum seekers, so we approved staff overtime in advance to process individuals and families currently at this facility, so we would have the necessary capacity."
But that would be humane, and that's not how CBP operates in the time of Trump.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:01 AM on May 1, 2018 [25 favorites]
would that go towards negating claims of privilege going forward?
Privilege and the work product doctrine is generally applied on a per document or per communication basis, that's why there's a "taint team" or special master right now, they have to review each and every document. Disclosing some work product publicly probably wouldn't effect future claims as to other future documents. And work product isn't necessarily waived by third party disclosure like a privileged communication would be, see this massive pdf for everything you could ever want to know about privilege, scroll down to p268-269 for what might be relevant here.
But there's still no good reason to leak your own speculation as to your client's potential criminal liability. Except for constructing a FOX News narrative about rogue witch hunts.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
Privilege and the work product doctrine is generally applied on a per document or per communication basis, that's why there's a "taint team" or special master right now, they have to review each and every document. Disclosing some work product publicly probably wouldn't effect future claims as to other future documents. And work product isn't necessarily waived by third party disclosure like a privileged communication would be, see this massive pdf for everything you could ever want to know about privilege, scroll down to p268-269 for what might be relevant here.
But there's still no good reason to leak your own speculation as to your client's potential criminal liability. Except for constructing a FOX News narrative about rogue witch hunts.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
What if Trump answered Mueller's questions with @swear_trek gifs?
Twitter | ThreadReader
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:08 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Twitter | ThreadReader
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:08 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
filthy light thief: An oddly titled, but slightly illuminating, article from NPR: In Retirement, America's Spies Are Getting Downright Chatty (NPR, April 30, 2018)
That was the segment from yesterday morning. The subsequent afternoon segment was just shy of a Trump puff piece: Ex-CIA Director On National Security, Post-Truth 'Assault On Intelligence'
You know, for balance.
(I know, to have both the interviewer and interviewee to be strongly against something comes across as preaching to the choir, or shouting into an echo chamber, but there's a difference between questioning an interviewee and normalizing abnormal behavior to allow the interviewee to push back.)
posted by filthy light thief at 8:09 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
That was the segment from yesterday morning. The subsequent afternoon segment was just shy of a Trump puff piece: Ex-CIA Director On National Security, Post-Truth 'Assault On Intelligence'
AILSA CHANG, NPR: But when you say the White House is causing great harm to the public's trust in the intel community, is that where all the blame should lie? I mean, you observe in your book there have been a lot of leaks from the intelligence community during this administration, many probably from career professionals. Along with that, you and several of your former colleagues have become some of Trump's most outspoken critics now. Can you blame the public if trust in the intel community is eroding when that community looks angry and fractured and willing to undermine this particular White House?That's right, intelligence leaks are what broke the public trust of the intel community, along with the mean words about Trump. Oh, but there's more...
CHANG: You talk about Trump's disparaging style. You have criticized him and his use of Twitter. He's gone really hard on Twitter after Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, calling him names like Little Rocket Man. But here we are. Kim Jong Un and President Trump are trying to figure out a date and place to meet face to face for the first time. What do you think now? Is Trump's Twitter diplomacy, his belligerent style actually working here?There's the set-up for a take-down, and there's the set-up to take sides, and this whole piece felt like former CIA Director Michael Hayden (on his book tour circuit) was against Trump, so Chang was taking sides with Trump.
You know, for balance.
(I know, to have both the interviewer and interviewee to be strongly against something comes across as preaching to the choir, or shouting into an echo chamber, but there's a difference between questioning an interviewee and normalizing abnormal behavior to allow the interviewee to push back.)
posted by filthy light thief at 8:09 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
But that would be humane, and that's not how CBP operates in the time of Trump.
I have no doubt things are worse now than under prior administrations, but to be completely fair, I’m not convinced “humane” is a word that has ever been routinely applied to describe CBP operations.
posted by nickmark at 8:18 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
I have no doubt things are worse now than under prior administrations, but to be completely fair, I’m not convinced “humane” is a word that has ever been routinely applied to describe CBP operations.
posted by nickmark at 8:18 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
The subsequent afternoon segment was just shy of a Trump puff piece
I wouldn't even go so far as to say it was "just shy;" you're quite right to point out that Alisa Chang spent the entire segment advocating for Trump's position. The equivalence she drew in the first question you cited might be forgivable naivete if someone had just woken up from sleeping since 1971, but it's inexcusable for someone as aware of what the public record about Trump has established as someone in Chang's job should be.
As for the second question, it's been pointed out on NPR that Kim got something he wanted, a meeting with the American president, for free with no preconditions. Trump's meeting is less a brilliant use of Twitter diplomacy than an impulsive own-goal on par with "do not congratulate." And again, Chang is presumably aware of such.
Michael Hayden is certainly deserving of pushback, but it doesn't have to take the form "assume Trump is correct." Shame on Chang and NPR.
posted by Gelatin at 8:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
I wouldn't even go so far as to say it was "just shy;" you're quite right to point out that Alisa Chang spent the entire segment advocating for Trump's position. The equivalence she drew in the first question you cited might be forgivable naivete if someone had just woken up from sleeping since 1971, but it's inexcusable for someone as aware of what the public record about Trump has established as someone in Chang's job should be.
As for the second question, it's been pointed out on NPR that Kim got something he wanted, a meeting with the American president, for free with no preconditions. Trump's meeting is less a brilliant use of Twitter diplomacy than an impulsive own-goal on par with "do not congratulate." And again, Chang is presumably aware of such.
Michael Hayden is certainly deserving of pushback, but it doesn't have to take the form "assume Trump is correct." Shame on Chang and NPR.
posted by Gelatin at 8:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
So as not to abuse the edit window, it's also beyond comprehension why Chang would frame a question about public distrust of the intelligence community stemming from its perceived opposition to Trump when Trump is historically unpopular and has been since taking office. It doesn't follow at all that being perceived as being opposed to Trump would make anyone other than Trump voters distrust the intelligence community, but that opposition is nearly as clearly partisan rejection of objective reality as Trump himself demonstrates on a daily basis.
Trump voters do not speak for all of us, and loyal Americans have been doing a pretty good job over the past couple of years of pointing that out. Including having nearly three million more of them voting for Hillary Clinton.
posted by Gelatin at 8:27 AM on May 1, 2018 [29 favorites]
Trump voters do not speak for all of us, and loyal Americans have been doing a pretty good job over the past couple of years of pointing that out. Including having nearly three million more of them voting for Hillary Clinton.
posted by Gelatin at 8:27 AM on May 1, 2018 [29 favorites]
The US has been the world's leading arms dealer for years.
And for some of us that is a giant stain on the national conscience, and it's infuriating that the president is crowing about it while the rest of American non-extraction-industry manufacture continues to see its safety-netless, soon-to-be-unemployable workers off-shored or replaced by robots.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:33 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
And for some of us that is a giant stain on the national conscience, and it's infuriating that the president is crowing about it while the rest of American non-extraction-industry manufacture continues to see its safety-netless, soon-to-be-unemployable workers off-shored or replaced by robots.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:33 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
@fullfrontalsamb
Hi @DennisDMZ! We know it normally takes three days but we took five minutes and wrote some jokes for you. How'd we do?
The callback is solid craftsmanship.
posted by Artw at 8:36 AM on May 1, 2018 [39 favorites]
Hi @DennisDMZ! We know it normally takes three days but we took five minutes and wrote some jokes for you. How'd we do?
The callback is solid craftsmanship.
posted by Artw at 8:36 AM on May 1, 2018 [39 favorites]
The best thing I can say about Laura Ingraham's radio work is that at least you can't actually see the reflex fascist salute.
You can hear her heels click through the gif
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:03 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
You can hear her heels click through the gif
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:03 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Pruitt update: Albert Kelly, the former banker who was banned from the profession after arranging a mortgage for the house that Pruitt bought at a $100,000 discount from a lobbyist (NB: no causal link between the two has been established) and then got a job overseeing reform of the federal Superfund program, has resigned.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:04 AM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
Oliver Darcy:
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:06 AM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
The Hill drops out of future White House Correspondents Dinners: “In short, there's simply no reason for us to participate in something that casts our profession in a poor light. Major changes are needed to the annual event.”Full letter from chairman James Finkelstein, self-acknowledged friend of Trump.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:06 AM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
Why Were Mueller’s Questions for Trump Leaked?
...why would someone close to Trump’s legal team want to release a road map of the president’s potential missteps? Here are the leading theories.posted by kirkaracha at 9:09 AM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
To Convince Trump Not to Do the Interview
...
To Convince the Public That Mueller Is Biased
...
To Convince Congress to Stop Mueller
NYC readies for May Day rallies for worker andi immigrant rights
Union Square at 4pm my friends and comrades, the theme is Workers Without Borders.
May Day rallies against austerity draw thousands all over the globe
posted by The Whelk at 9:15 AM on May 1, 2018 [31 favorites]
Union Square at 4pm my friends and comrades, the theme is Workers Without Borders.
May Day rallies against austerity draw thousands all over the globe
posted by The Whelk at 9:15 AM on May 1, 2018 [31 favorites]
Trump Says There’s No Evidence of Collusion. There Is So Much Evidence Already.
Of course, what Mueller knows about collusion and what the public knows about collusion are two different things. Even we mere civilians have access to a great deal of information on cooperation between the Trump campaign and Russia. Whether this body of information amounts to proof of collusion is something you could dispute if you took an especially stringent definition of the terms “proof” and “collusion.”posted by kirkaracha at 9:18 AM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
You might know that a man ran into a building with a gun, then a person was shot in the building, and then the man ran out. All this would be evidence he committed the murder, while perhaps falling short of proof. Proof is a very high standard to meet. But evidence of collusion? There’s simply no question that there is evidence. Lots and lots of it.
rc3spencer I still can't believe this man has a degree from any college.
One of the dirty secrets, that isn't really all that secret, about every major university and **especially** the really prestigious Ivy League schools, is that there are basically two universities. One exists to actually educate students and produce real graduates. The other exists to give pretend degrees to pretend students who are favored for one reason or another.
Being a high powered sportball player is one way to get into the pretend college track. Being rich and having powerful family and a history of donations to the university is another way to get in.
Mostly the scions of wealth and power go to the business school and get an MBA. It would be wrong to say that all MBA's are awarded basically as certificates that the recipient was rich and partied for six years, but a great many are.
George W Bush, not a noted mental giant, has an MBA basically because he was rich, his family was powerful, and the schools he went to give MBA's away to rich and powerful people who will stick around and shower them with cash.
Trump, you may note, went to the business school and got a BS in Economics. Which is kind of the same only he only he cut the partying short at four years instead of doing six to get an MBA.
It's shameful and revolting, but it's hardly something that began with Trump. To the children of the elites a "degree", usually an MBA, from an elite school is just part of being elite. It has nothing to do with mental achievement or education. Many top universities offer an MBA program with no thesis requirement, Bush the Younger took advantage of that, so they don't even have to pay some poor smart kid to write their thesis for them.
Really, given his wealth and his father's elite pretensions, the only way Trump could have not had a degree is if he'd dropped out of college. As long as he was willing to stick around Wharton was going to give him a degree even if he was incapable of signing his own name.
posted by sotonohito at 9:27 AM on May 1, 2018 [50 favorites]
One of the dirty secrets, that isn't really all that secret, about every major university and **especially** the really prestigious Ivy League schools, is that there are basically two universities. One exists to actually educate students and produce real graduates. The other exists to give pretend degrees to pretend students who are favored for one reason or another.
Being a high powered sportball player is one way to get into the pretend college track. Being rich and having powerful family and a history of donations to the university is another way to get in.
Mostly the scions of wealth and power go to the business school and get an MBA. It would be wrong to say that all MBA's are awarded basically as certificates that the recipient was rich and partied for six years, but a great many are.
George W Bush, not a noted mental giant, has an MBA basically because he was rich, his family was powerful, and the schools he went to give MBA's away to rich and powerful people who will stick around and shower them with cash.
Trump, you may note, went to the business school and got a BS in Economics. Which is kind of the same only he only he cut the partying short at four years instead of doing six to get an MBA.
It's shameful and revolting, but it's hardly something that began with Trump. To the children of the elites a "degree", usually an MBA, from an elite school is just part of being elite. It has nothing to do with mental achievement or education. Many top universities offer an MBA program with no thesis requirement, Bush the Younger took advantage of that, so they don't even have to pay some poor smart kid to write their thesis for them.
Really, given his wealth and his father's elite pretensions, the only way Trump could have not had a degree is if he'd dropped out of college. As long as he was willing to stick around Wharton was going to give him a degree even if he was incapable of signing his own name.
posted by sotonohito at 9:27 AM on May 1, 2018 [50 favorites]
This is super cool and also normal.
Trump doc says Trump bodyguard, lawyer 'raided' his office, took medical filesposted by Brainy at 9:33 AM on May 1, 2018 [65 favorites]
In February 2017, a top White House aide who was Trump's longtime personal bodyguard, along with the top lawyer at the Trump Organization and a third man, showed up at the office of Trump's New York doctor without notice and took all the president's medical records.
The incident, which Dr. Harold Bornstein described as a "raid," took place two days after Bornstein told a newspaper that he had prescribed a hair growth medicine for the president for years.
In an exclusive interview in his Park Avenue office, Bornstein told NBC News that he felt "raped, frightened and sad" when Keith Schiller and another "large man" came to his office to collect the president's records on the morning of Feb. 3, 2017. At the time, Schiller, who had long worked as Trump's bodyguard, was serving as director of Oval Office operations at the White House.
The surprising / disappointing thing about the Mueller questions (if that's what they are) is that I could have written those questions. They don't refer to events or knowledge outside the domain of anyone paying close-ish attention to the news. If we're hoping that Mueller knows something we don't, that's not implied by these questions.
On the other hand, the questions emphasize that we're a hair's breadth away from collusion already. The stuff we already know constitutes collusion, and the really bad stuff we know just needs some proof of Trump's direct involvement.
We're already at the point where seemingly everyone in the campaign but him was knowingly colluding with the Russians. If his knowing involvement is confirmed I would like to think the whole thing crumbles, Republican majority or not.
posted by xammerboy at 9:36 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
On the other hand, the questions emphasize that we're a hair's breadth away from collusion already. The stuff we already know constitutes collusion, and the really bad stuff we know just needs some proof of Trump's direct involvement.
We're already at the point where seemingly everyone in the campaign but him was knowingly colluding with the Russians. If his knowing involvement is confirmed I would like to think the whole thing crumbles, Republican majority or not.
posted by xammerboy at 9:36 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
If we're hoping that Mueller knows something we don't, that's not implied by these questions.
This question indicates new information: "What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:37 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
This question indicates new information: "What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:37 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
Or, you know, it's possible that Mueller knows as well as the rest of us that anything provided to the WH will be treated with faithless indiscretion & thus, the questions offered up ahead of time were scoped to things that are already known to the public at large.
posted by narwhal at 9:40 AM on May 1, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by narwhal at 9:40 AM on May 1, 2018 [23 favorites]
When you're playing against idiots, 2-d chess thinking is perfectly adequate.
posted by narwhal at 9:40 AM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by narwhal at 9:40 AM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
Why is Dr Bornstein revealing these crimes more than a year after the fact? I'm guessing he was hoping to reconcile with the Big Man, and to reap the benefits, but has run out of patience. Maybe he wants to remind Trump that he has a story to tell?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oh good, keeping the May Day theme and general The Death of Stalin vibe by introducing a Doctors Plot. Well done writers.
posted by Artw at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [26 favorites]
Trump doc says Trump bodyguard, lawyer 'raided' his office, took medical files
If true, this is massively illegal.
posted by Sophie1 at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
If true, this is massively illegal.
posted by Sophie1 at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
NY Post headline: OLD MAN BREAKS HIPAA
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:43 AM on May 1, 2018 [122 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:43 AM on May 1, 2018 [122 favorites]
The surprising / disappointing thing about the Mueller questions (if that's what they are) is that I could have written those questions. They don't refer to events or knowledge outside the domain of anyone paying close-ish attention to the news. If we're hoping that Mueller knows something we don't, that's not implied by these questions.
Maybe yes, maybe no.
The 7 most intriguing questions Robert Mueller wants to ask Trump
posted by scalefree at 9:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
Maybe yes, maybe no.
The 7 most intriguing questions Robert Mueller wants to ask Trump
1. “What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?”Those are just the questions. The reasons why they're intriguing are in the article.
2. “How was the decision made to fire Mr. Flynn on Feb. 13, 2017?”
3. “What did you think and do in reaction to the news that the special counsel was speaking to Mr. Rogers, Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Coats?”
4. “Did you discuss whether Mr. Sessions would protect you, and reference past attorneys general?”
5. “What did you think and what did you do in reaction to the news of the appointment of the special counsel?”
6. “What discussions did you have regarding terminating the special counsel, and what did you do when that consideration was reported in January 2018?”
7. “During a 2013 trip to Russia, what communication and relationships did you have with the Agalarovs and Russian government officials?”
posted by scalefree at 9:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
Obama, hell. I'd put Jimmy Carter up against Trump any day of the week. Dude's 93 & still building houses. Respect.
posted by scalefree at 10:13 AM on May 1, 2018 [92 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 10:13 AM on May 1, 2018 [92 favorites]
Add Dr. Harold Bornstein to the Basket Of Deplorable But Valuable Temporary Allies Against The Rise Of Neo-Fascism
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:14 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:14 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
Obama is very much alive
I know, what the hell's he talking about! Even Dubya seems to be doing okay, and I, too, think Carter will outlive Trump. I thought he was going to die of that cancer, but he seems to have brushed it off as easy as if it were a little flake of imaginary dander on the shoulder of a French potentate.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
I know, what the hell's he talking about! Even Dubya seems to be doing okay, and I, too, think Carter will outlive Trump. I thought he was going to die of that cancer, but he seems to have brushed it off as easy as if it were a little flake of imaginary dander on the shoulder of a French potentate.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
W. has a sub 25 minute 5k time. He's not even in the top half of living presidents with respect to his health and fitness.
posted by cmfletcher at 10:20 AM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 10:20 AM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
I just got a political survey call, focusing on California's upcoming primaries. They wanted to know all about my preferences for the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
I have never heard of this position. (Apparently it's currently held by Tom Torlakson, who can't run again. Name's familiar; that's the end of what I know about it.) The person doing the survey was nicely supportive of me frantically googling names and details so I could make answers that fit the questions.
Among the questions was: Of the two main candidates - Marshall Tuck (I) and Tony Thurmond (D), "which of them managed a failing school district?"
WTF?
There were several other slanted questions. I said I'm most likely to vote for Lily Ploski (again, whom I've never heard of, but in 30 seconds of googling I'm making decisions based on keywords from snippet articles), but since she's not a frontrunner, all the questions were about the other two.
Someone is gathering data to prove that one of them is An Awesome Upstanding Dude Who Will Create The Future Our Children Need, and the other is that rat-bastard who is funded by special interest money and doesn't care about children.
I did my part to say that the Democrat is the Awesome Dude and the "I" (... you don't run as R in California general elections if you can avoid it) is the money-hungry sociopath. A bit of searching supports this claim, so I don't feel guilty inventing opinions based on "lemme type that word you just mentioned into a search box mkay?" (I think she was happy to get any answers, rather than either "too busy; can't talk" or "... nope, no opinion on any of that; don't know anything about it.")
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:21 AM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
I have never heard of this position. (Apparently it's currently held by Tom Torlakson, who can't run again. Name's familiar; that's the end of what I know about it.) The person doing the survey was nicely supportive of me frantically googling names and details so I could make answers that fit the questions.
Among the questions was: Of the two main candidates - Marshall Tuck (I) and Tony Thurmond (D), "which of them managed a failing school district?"
WTF?
There were several other slanted questions. I said I'm most likely to vote for Lily Ploski (again, whom I've never heard of, but in 30 seconds of googling I'm making decisions based on keywords from snippet articles), but since she's not a frontrunner, all the questions were about the other two.
Someone is gathering data to prove that one of them is An Awesome Upstanding Dude Who Will Create The Future Our Children Need, and the other is that rat-bastard who is funded by special interest money and doesn't care about children.
I did my part to say that the Democrat is the Awesome Dude and the "I" (... you don't run as R in California general elections if you can avoid it) is the money-hungry sociopath. A bit of searching supports this claim, so I don't feel guilty inventing opinions based on "lemme type that word you just mentioned into a search box mkay?" (I think she was happy to get any answers, rather than either "too busy; can't talk" or "... nope, no opinion on any of that; don't know anything about it.")
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:21 AM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
Well, to be fair he has to stop to plein air paint whenever he sees a dog or himself reflected in a store window.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:22 AM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Don Pepino at 10:22 AM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
I thought he was going to die of that cancer, but he seems to have brushed it off as easy as if it were a little flake of imaginary dander on the shoulder of a French potentate.
Excellent callback. You should apply for Sam Bee's show! I see what I did there.
posted by scalefree at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
Excellent callback. You should apply for Sam Bee's show! I see what I did there.
posted by scalefree at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
MetaFilter: I see what I did there.
posted by scalefree at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [17 favorites]
Among the questions was: Of the two main candidates - Marshall Tuck (I) and Tony Thurmond (D), "which of them managed a failing school district?"
Given that it was evidently a push poll, let me guess: Stepped in to manage a failing school district and turned it around?
One unwelcome development of so many corporate villains in the Trump administration is that they're good at deploying reasonable-sounding explanations for their undesirable agenda (see the scheme to break up the CPB in the name of "saving taxpayer money," even as EPA chief Scott Pruitt sets a bunch on fire for his own aggrandizement).
posted by Gelatin at 10:31 AM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
Given that it was evidently a push poll, let me guess: Stepped in to manage a failing school district and turned it around?
One unwelcome development of so many corporate villains in the Trump administration is that they're good at deploying reasonable-sounding explanations for their undesirable agenda (see the scheme to break up the CPB in the name of "saving taxpayer money," even as EPA chief Scott Pruitt sets a bunch on fire for his own aggrandizement).
posted by Gelatin at 10:31 AM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
The surprising / disappointing thing about the Mueller questions (if that's what they are) is that I could have written those questions.
These aren't all the questions. They're the first round of questions. If you ask Trump the questions, then you can ask follow-up questions/note where he's lying.
Also, lawyers tend to ask questions that they already know the answers to.
Finally, all they have to do to get Trump to testify under oath is tell him Obama doesn't have the stones to.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:33 AM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
These aren't all the questions. They're the first round of questions. If you ask Trump the questions, then you can ask follow-up questions/note where he's lying.
Also, lawyers tend to ask questions that they already know the answers to.
Finally, all they have to do to get Trump to testify under oath is tell him Obama doesn't have the stones to.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:33 AM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
These aren't all the questions. They're the first round of questions. If you ask Trump the questions, then you can ask follow-up questions/note where he's lying.
It's not necessarily even the full first round. These were leaked by Trump, he could've just left a few out that were even more uncomfortable than the ones he had leaked.
posted by scalefree at 10:35 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
It's not necessarily even the full first round. These were leaked by Trump, he could've just left a few out that were even more uncomfortable than the ones he had leaked.
posted by scalefree at 10:35 AM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
Will Trump now retract his complaints about Hillary Clinton getting the debate questions in advance?
posted by kirkaracha at 10:38 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:38 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
Also, lawyers tend to ask questions that they already know the answers to.
And whether he asks questions about certain topics or not, Mueller (and team) presumably know a lot of answers from the cooperative guilty please they've already had, not to mention their raid on Manafort's home and other evidence (*cough*Russian money laundering*cough*).
Trump would be a fool to speak to Mueller in any form if he can avoid it. And yet he says he wants to.
posted by Gelatin at 10:44 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
And whether he asks questions about certain topics or not, Mueller (and team) presumably know a lot of answers from the cooperative guilty please they've already had, not to mention their raid on Manafort's home and other evidence (*cough*Russian money laundering*cough*).
Trump would be a fool to speak to Mueller in any form if he can avoid it. And yet he says he wants to.
posted by Gelatin at 10:44 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Mueller probe is important, but we also deserve to know whether or not the President is competent -- physically, mentally -- to serve, and also whether he's been honest about his health.
I expect one of the strategies at trial will be to claim incompetence. We'll have a court-ordered exam at that point.
posted by mikelieman at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
I expect one of the strategies at trial will be to claim incompetence. We'll have a court-ordered exam at that point.
posted by mikelieman at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm thinking about this whole "raid on his doctor" thing. It may be about most pure "L'état, C'est Moi" thing Trump has done in office & that's saying a lot. He put his personal thug on the White House payroll then while still employed there sent him to his personal physician's office to steal his property & presumably hand it over to him, all for personal reasons. Since we're doomed to live out Stupid Watergate is this the actual Stupid Watergare of Stupid Watergate? What was the lawyer there for, to say "I'm a lawyer so this isn't illegal"?
posted by scalefree at 10:50 AM on May 1, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 10:50 AM on May 1, 2018 [28 favorites]
That whirring sound? Richard Nixon turning over in his grave.
posted by scalefree at 10:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 10:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm trying to puzzle this out, because I'm no expert in journalistic ethics and protecting sources. But:
-someone on Trump's team leaks Mueller's questions to the press.
-Trump then claims the leak is from Mueller's side, and attempts to use it to discredit the investigation.
Is there not real, genuine public interest at this point in being very clear where the leak originated from? Trump and his team are using the media to try to create a narrative that is based on a fundamental lie that the member of the media who received the leak can blow wide open. Or does the duty to protect sources mean that this is one of those instances where those who play by the rules and follow their ethics are not only at a disadvantage, but can be played like this?
posted by nubs at 10:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
-someone on Trump's team leaks Mueller's questions to the press.
-Trump then claims the leak is from Mueller's side, and attempts to use it to discredit the investigation.
Is there not real, genuine public interest at this point in being very clear where the leak originated from? Trump and his team are using the media to try to create a narrative that is based on a fundamental lie that the member of the media who received the leak can blow wide open. Or does the duty to protect sources mean that this is one of those instances where those who play by the rules and follow their ethics are not only at a disadvantage, but can be played like this?
posted by nubs at 10:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
I expect one of the strategies at trial will be to claim incompetence.
A strategy of the defense? I don't see Trump ever agreeing to let his attorney(s) do that.
posted by zakur at 10:54 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
A strategy of the defense? I don't see Trump ever agreeing to let his attorney(s) do that.
posted by zakur at 10:54 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Longtime reader, first-time commenter.
ErisLordFreedom, Tony Thurmond is the former state assembly rep for the East Bay Area. He and his office were instrumental in helping me get my health insurance back when Blue Cross canceled it. IMO he’s a mensch.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 10:54 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
ErisLordFreedom, Tony Thurmond is the former state assembly rep for the East Bay Area. He and his office were instrumental in helping me get my health insurance back when Blue Cross canceled it. IMO he’s a mensch.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 10:54 AM on May 1, 2018 [56 favorites]
Is there not real, genuine public interest at this point in being very clear where the leak originated from?
The NYT said specifically that the leak isn't from Mueller's team and that it was from someone who received it from Trump's legal team. There's no need for them to burn their sources to rebut claims that Mueller is leaking.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:55 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
The NYT said specifically that the leak isn't from Mueller's team and that it was from someone who received it from Trump's legal team. There's no need for them to burn their sources to rebut claims that Mueller is leaking.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:55 AM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
Is there not real, genuine public interest at this point in being very clear where the leak originated from?
Funny you should ask...
Mueller's former assistant says grammatical errors prove leaked questions came from Trump
posted by scalefree at 10:56 AM on May 1, 2018 [78 favorites]
Funny you should ask...
Mueller's former assistant says grammatical errors prove leaked questions came from Trump
posted by scalefree at 10:56 AM on May 1, 2018 [78 favorites]
Given that it was evidently a push poll, let me guess: Stepped in to manage a failing school district and turned it around?
No, I think it was pointing at "who was so terrible at managing that their district was a complete failure?" ("Turned it around" was definitely not part of the question, although that might be part of the pitch they use later.)
There was also a question about who was supported by billionaire funding, and that one had an easy answer. And a question about "which of them is part of the problem in today's legislature" or something like that. "Part of the problem" was definitely part of the question. (I said I didn't know. I can google for whose policies I support quickly; I can't ID track records that fast.)
I politely did not ask, "do you have any options to the left of 'very liberal?' Because I've seen what passes as very liberal these days, and I'm not sure I want to vote for any of that."
It did seem like it was intended to be a conservative poll - the surveyor seemed slightly taken aback at "strongly disapprove" of the president, but kept going, and turned out to be pleasant to talk with. She seemed grateful to have found someone willing to have opinions even if I was googling for them on the spot. She complemented my typing speed.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:59 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
No, I think it was pointing at "who was so terrible at managing that their district was a complete failure?" ("Turned it around" was definitely not part of the question, although that might be part of the pitch they use later.)
There was also a question about who was supported by billionaire funding, and that one had an easy answer. And a question about "which of them is part of the problem in today's legislature" or something like that. "Part of the problem" was definitely part of the question. (I said I didn't know. I can google for whose policies I support quickly; I can't ID track records that fast.)
I politely did not ask, "do you have any options to the left of 'very liberal?' Because I've seen what passes as very liberal these days, and I'm not sure I want to vote for any of that."
It did seem like it was intended to be a conservative poll - the surveyor seemed slightly taken aback at "strongly disapprove" of the president, but kept going, and turned out to be pleasant to talk with. She seemed grateful to have found someone willing to have opinions even if I was googling for them on the spot. She complemented my typing speed.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:59 AM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
The discrepancy in current right-wing perceptions of Iran and North Korea, with respect to present and future nuclear capabilities, is just infuriating. It's gospel for them that Obama "gave Iran nukes" when the reality is very obviously the opposite of that, just because the agreement isn't everything-for-nothing.
It's like if some master art thief were put in federal prison and the narrative was "They let him go free!" because
(a) they gave him his bail money just for showing up in court -- free money for a criminal, can you believe it?
(b) he'll have a parole hearing in ten years -- ten years is nothing, man
(c) he still mutters in his sleep how much he hates art museums -- a true justice system would induce a total change of heart
(d) he isn't under 24-hour surveillance -- he could theoretically dig his way out of his cell with a spoon
and introducing (e) we found his blueprints for crimes he was planning to commit before he got arrested and tried, and surely that means he's already nabbed a Picasso right under the prison guards' noses
Meanwhile, when it comes to NK, they're hailing Donald as a success on the basis of Kim saying some words. (Which isn't nothing, and deserves serious kudos to the new South Korean administration, but is being treated by the base as total victory.)
And if (going by new leaks) Kelly had to stop him from unilaterally withdrawing all troops before the Olympics (!), then there's a solid possibility of an outcome with little to no means of confirming the reality of whatever nuclear wind-down NK claims it will do. But it won't matter, see, because Trump and Kim have such a "great relationship"! It won't matter where the June talks go (assuming they happen at all, there might be a conflict with Infrastructure Week), even if nobody signs anything. The MAGgots are going to say the problem is solved permanently, because Trump's word is bond and his sheer grit makes dictators quake. Gaaaaaahhhhh.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:00 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
It's like if some master art thief were put in federal prison and the narrative was "They let him go free!" because
(a) they gave him his bail money just for showing up in court -- free money for a criminal, can you believe it?
(b) he'll have a parole hearing in ten years -- ten years is nothing, man
(c) he still mutters in his sleep how much he hates art museums -- a true justice system would induce a total change of heart
(d) he isn't under 24-hour surveillance -- he could theoretically dig his way out of his cell with a spoon
and introducing (e) we found his blueprints for crimes he was planning to commit before he got arrested and tried, and surely that means he's already nabbed a Picasso right under the prison guards' noses
Meanwhile, when it comes to NK, they're hailing Donald as a success on the basis of Kim saying some words. (Which isn't nothing, and deserves serious kudos to the new South Korean administration, but is being treated by the base as total victory.)
And if (going by new leaks) Kelly had to stop him from unilaterally withdrawing all troops before the Olympics (!), then there's a solid possibility of an outcome with little to no means of confirming the reality of whatever nuclear wind-down NK claims it will do. But it won't matter, see, because Trump and Kim have such a "great relationship"! It won't matter where the June talks go (assuming they happen at all, there might be a conflict with Infrastructure Week), even if nobody signs anything. The MAGgots are going to say the problem is solved permanently, because Trump's word is bond and his sheer grit makes dictators quake. Gaaaaaahhhhh.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:00 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
foxy_hedgehog, a quick look at Thurmond's page and track record told me that "yep, I can support this guy." I'll look into the differences between him and Ploski, but but I can tell I'll be happy if Thurmond wins.
Also, I discovered that you can't (effectively) Google for "Thurmond" and any political keywords to find info about him; instead, you get links to pages about Strom.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:02 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also, I discovered that you can't (effectively) Google for "Thurmond" and any political keywords to find info about him; instead, you get links to pages about Strom.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:02 AM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
No, I think it was pointing at "who was so terrible at managing that their district was a complete failure?"
I'm sure that's what they meant to imply; my point is that "managed a failing school district" would also apply to someone in the situation I mentioned, however dishonest that portrayal may be. But since when have conservatives achieved office by being honest?
posted by Gelatin at 11:03 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm sure that's what they meant to imply; my point is that "managed a failing school district" would also apply to someone in the situation I mentioned, however dishonest that portrayal may be. But since when have conservatives achieved office by being honest?
posted by Gelatin at 11:03 AM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rolling Stone: Better Call Cohen: The Shady Cases of a Trump Lawyer's Personal Injury Practice
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:10 AM on May 1, 2018 [42 favorites]
A Rolling Stone investigation found that Cohen represented numerous clients who were involved in deliberate, planned car crashes as part of an attempt to cheat insurance companies. Furthermore, investigations by insurers showed that several of Cohen's clients were affiliated with insurance fraud rings that repeatedly staged "accidents." And at least one person Cohen represented was indicted on criminal charges of insurance fraud while the lawsuit he had filed on her behalf was pending. Cohen also did legal work for a medical clinic whose principal was a doctor later convicted of insurance fraud for filing phony medical claims on purported "accident" victims. Taken together, a picture emerges that the personal attorney to the president of the United States was connected to a shadowy underworld of New York insurance fraud, a pervasive problem dominated by Russian organized crime that was costing the state's drivers an estimated $1 billion a year.On the other hand, he was involved in on only "a tiny, tiny fraction" of the President's legal work, so this probably doesn't amount to anything
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:10 AM on May 1, 2018 [42 favorites]
"Seriously, when the going gets tough, you don't want a criminal lawyer, you want a criminal lawyer. Know what I'm sayin'?"
posted by kirkaracha at 11:13 AM on May 1, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:13 AM on May 1, 2018 [19 favorites]
Via Teen Vogue, my own wording: Georgia gubernatorial candidate threatens to murder teen with shotgun in campaign ad
Displays so many of the poisons in the heart of American conservatism: toxic masculinity, a twisted concept of paterfamilias, hatred of the young, gun fetishism while displaying extreme gun irresponsibility, threats of violence against those below one's station.
The only thing missing is making the teenage boy he's pointing a gun at non-white, but seeing as he's shown as trying to date Kemp's daughter that would require having Kemp murder him on screen with the shotgun. It'll probably be another election cycle or two before that becomes normal in campaign ads.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:17 AM on May 1, 2018 [44 favorites]
Displays so many of the poisons in the heart of American conservatism: toxic masculinity, a twisted concept of paterfamilias, hatred of the young, gun fetishism while displaying extreme gun irresponsibility, threats of violence against those below one's station.
The only thing missing is making the teenage boy he's pointing a gun at non-white, but seeing as he's shown as trying to date Kemp's daughter that would require having Kemp murder him on screen with the shotgun. It'll probably be another election cycle or two before that becomes normal in campaign ads.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:17 AM on May 1, 2018 [44 favorites]
@ZoeTillman: Q: What do you think is the most serious threat to the rule of law in America today?
Rosenstein [at Law Day event]: "I don't think there's any threat to the rule of law in America today," points to Trump's Law Day proclamation
thisisfine.gif
Counterpoint: Crimes are no longer a disqualification for Republican candidates
posted by zachlipton at 11:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
Rosenstein [at Law Day event]: "I don't think there's any threat to the rule of law in America today," points to Trump's Law Day proclamation
thisisfine.gif
Counterpoint: Crimes are no longer a disqualification for Republican candidates
posted by zachlipton at 11:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
I was a juror in a federal insurance fraud trail where the defendant faked car accidents and doctor's injury reports. We convicted him of multiple felonies.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Look, if it's appropriate to threaten your daughter's prom date with a gun, how is that not also appropriate to campaigning?
Obligatory Ron Howard Voice: It's not appropriate to either situation. You look like an insecure ass.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Obligatory Ron Howard Voice: It's not appropriate to either situation. You look like an insecure ass.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:19 AM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Holy cow. A walking talking Jimmy McGill was *this close* to becoming White House Chief of Staff.
What a world.
posted by notyou at 11:20 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
What a world.
posted by notyou at 11:20 AM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
The television character Tony Soprano was not designed to make the viewer struggle to decide whether he would make a superior President to the actual President
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:24 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:24 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
Trump's efforts to discredit Mueller investigation appear to be having some effect. New Monmouth poll finds 54% support continuing special counsel probe -- down from 60% two months ago. Six-point uptick in those who want probe to end, now at 43%
You know, I really don't like to think most of my countrymen are idiots, and I certainly don't like to say out loud that most of my countrymen are idiots. But if those polling numbers are true, well, then I don't see how I can avoid it: most of my countrymen are idiots.
posted by holborne at 11:27 AM on May 1, 2018 [76 favorites]
You know, I really don't like to think most of my countrymen are idiots, and I certainly don't like to say out loud that most of my countrymen are idiots. But if those polling numbers are true, well, then I don't see how I can avoid it: most of my countrymen are idiots.
posted by holborne at 11:27 AM on May 1, 2018 [76 favorites]
Displays so many of the poisons in the heart of American conservatism: toxic masculinity, a twisted concept of paterfamilias, hatred of the young, gun fetishism while displaying extreme gun irresponsibility, threats of violence against those below one's station.
I was going to go find some lyrics, but suffice to say that there's at least one country song (probably more) about threatening a boy with gun violence that is taking their daughter out on a date. Brian Kemp is playing directly to the base.
posted by Fleebnork at 11:29 AM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
I was going to go find some lyrics, but suffice to say that there's at least one country song (probably more) about threatening a boy with gun violence that is taking their daughter out on a date. Brian Kemp is playing directly to the base.
posted by Fleebnork at 11:29 AM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
McSweeney's - MORE APPROPRIATE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ ASSOCIATION DINNER JOKES FOR 2019
Good evening, and welcome to the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. After last year’s uproar, I’ve been instructed to use only dignified language and humor considered appropriate for our current cultural discourse.posted by chris24 at 11:30 AM on May 1, 2018 [133 favorites]
Low-IQ crazy Kellyanne Conway is here tonight. Kellyanne came to Mar-a-Lago three 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!
Sarah Huckabee Sanders has also graced us with her presence. She gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem.
I see Fox News in the back, which is a failing pile of garbage and the enemy of the American people. I never watch Sean Hannity, who I once called “the dumbest man on television!”
A few members of the Trump cabinet showed up this year, such as Liddle Jeff Sessions, who lied to Congress under oath. He is an untruthful slimeball. And there’s Mike Pence, who is weak, both physically and mentally. Don’t threaten gay people, Mike!
I’m so glad to see the Trump family represented. Let’s see, there’s Crooked Don Jr., who embarrassed himself and the country with his email lies. I refuse to call Ivanka Trump a bimbo, because that is not politically correct. And let’s not forget Eric, who should be forced to take an IQ test. Not very bright.
As for the First Lady, I did try and fuck Melania. She was married. I moved on her like a bitch. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. 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. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.
In closing, I will reserve my most civil words for the president himself, who has finally made an appearance at this dinner. Bad (or sick) guy!
Jill Stein says refusal to cooperate with Russia investigation is about ‘standing up on principle’
During a CNN interview on Tuesday, former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein defended her refusal to fully cooperate with the Senate’s investigation of Russian meddling, arguing that her decision not to turn over some campaign communications with representatives of the Russian government is a matter of “principle.” “What we didn’t turn over was material that basically protects the civil liberties of all Americans,” Stein said. “We’re standing up on a principle, and that is the principle that is part of the First Amendment — our right to, basically, freedom of association, and that needs to be protected.”
I'm glad Stein is standing up for our First Amendment right to freely associate with hostile foreign governments and receive our orders to suppress the vote to help elect an insane fascist dictator, that we might keep our kompromat from being revealed.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:37 AM on May 1, 2018 [51 favorites]
During a CNN interview on Tuesday, former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein defended her refusal to fully cooperate with the Senate’s investigation of Russian meddling, arguing that her decision not to turn over some campaign communications with representatives of the Russian government is a matter of “principle.” “What we didn’t turn over was material that basically protects the civil liberties of all Americans,” Stein said. “We’re standing up on a principle, and that is the principle that is part of the First Amendment — our right to, basically, freedom of association, and that needs to be protected.”
I'm glad Stein is standing up for our First Amendment right to freely associate with hostile foreign governments and receive our orders to suppress the vote to help elect an insane fascist dictator, that we might keep our kompromat from being revealed.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:37 AM on May 1, 2018 [51 favorites]
NYT: Two Top Aides to Scott Pruitt Quit the E.P.A. Unexpectedly
Those would be Albert Kelly who ran the Superfund program and Pasquale Perrotta, who was chief of security.
Some notes on Albert Kelly:
posted by notyou at 11:38 AM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
Those would be Albert Kelly who ran the Superfund program and Pasquale Perrotta, who was chief of security.
Some notes on Albert Kelly:
Mr. Kelly, widely known as Kell, was a longtime business associate of Mr. Pruitt’s in his home state of Oklahoma who previously had a banking career before being barred from working in the finance industry. Before joining the E.P.A. Mr. Kelly led an Oklahoma bank that issued a mortgage for a home purchased by Mr. Pruitt through a shell company registered to another business partner of Mr. Pruitt’s, Kenneth Wagner. Mr. Wagner now holds a senior position at the E.P.A.How in the world did even the quiescent GOP Senate approve a nominee as manifestly sketchy as Scott Pruitt?
posted by notyou at 11:38 AM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
Republicans would have elected a tapdancing llama if it had worn a sign around its neck reading "I WILL DESTROY THE EPA!"
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:40 AM on May 1, 2018 [54 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:40 AM on May 1, 2018 [54 favorites]
Bloomberg, Puerto Rico Workers Protest U.S. Plan to Slash Their Pensions
EmilyGorcenski: Oh good I'm glad we found a way to ship CS gas there but not working power transmission equipment.
posted by zachlipton at 11:43 AM on May 1, 2018 [72 favorites]
“We prefer to fight against the board rather than die in our homes without money,” Andres Miranda, vice president of the Federal Association of Pensioners and Retired People, said during the march. “If Rossello gives up on defending us, we will not. We will fight for what belongs to us.”Tear gas is flying
EmilyGorcenski: Oh good I'm glad we found a way to ship CS gas there but not working power transmission equipment.
posted by zachlipton at 11:43 AM on May 1, 2018 [72 favorites]
@JaxAlemany [CBS News]: .@KaciSokoloff just spoke w Dr. Harold Bornstein, who refused an interview but said that NBC's piece was "a pretty good story." Bornstein also said that he spoke to the NBC reporter “in the bathroom” of his office. He signed off with: "Sweetheart, this is watergate, goodbye!"
what?
posted by zachlipton at 11:44 AM on May 1, 2018 [53 favorites]
what?
posted by zachlipton at 11:44 AM on May 1, 2018 [53 favorites]
He signed off with: "Sweetheart, this is watergate, goodbye!"
Today's Moment of Dystopian Normalization Clarity: seeing yourself happy to have Dr. Benway/MegaJacoby return to the story.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [40 favorites]
Today's Moment of Dystopian Normalization Clarity: seeing yourself happy to have Dr. Benway/MegaJacoby return to the story.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:49 AM on May 1, 2018 [40 favorites]
Robert Mueller Likely Knows How This All Ends (Garrett M. Graff for Wired, May 1, 2018)
That link is to a QZ general timeline of events, which notes that CA was working with Brexit leave campaigners and Trump, but leaves out a key fact [that isn't tied to any specific time that I've seen] where Brad Parscale bragged about how directly Trump's team was working with Facebook, including having embedded, self-identified Republicans
posted by filthy light thief at 11:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [30 favorites]
The beginning of May marks the longest period of public silence from special counsel Robert Mueller’s team since his first charges last October—more than two months without any new plea deals, fresh indictments, or publicly “flipped” witnesses.But there's been plenty of activity, culminating with the leaked list of questions.
Taken as a whole, the leaked questions help shape and underscore some key takeaways (truncated here, more thoughts written up in the article):Meanwhile, in the health-of-our-social-networks: Mark Zuckerberg Says It Will Take 3 Years to Fix Facebook (Steven Levy for Wired, May 1, 2018)
1. Mueller always knows more than we think.
2. Mueller is building a bulletproof case.
3. There are more loose threads than ever.
4. We still don’t know the biggest, most important evidence. There’s an ever-growing pile of evidence that exists that hasn’t become public yet. That includes, obviously, the evidence that George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, and Rick Gates all traded to Mueller for their plea deals over the last seven months....
5. Mueller likely already knows how this story ends. Add up the four above points and it seems clear that Mueller might actually be relatively close to wrapping up the investigation. Given that the FBI raid on Michael Cohen’s office, stemming from an investigation by federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, was sure to provoke a reaction from President Trump—the investigative equivalent of kicking a hornet’s nest—it seems likely that Mueller and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who approved the raid, understood that one or both of them might be fired by the president in its wake. It seems likely that before they took such a provocative step on the case that they could see their way through to the investigation's end.
Zuckerberg recognizes the difficulty of remaking his systems to proactively catch harmful content. "I think this is about a three-year transition to really build up the teams, because you can't just hire thirty thousand people overnight to go do something," he says. "You have to make sure that they're executing well and bring in the leadership and train them. And building up AI tools—that's not something that you could just snap your fingers on either."Wait, what? You're a year into a three year process, but the fact that Cambridge Analytica were able to grab a TON of user information from Facebook through authorized channels only came to light for the public in March 2018?
But Zuckerberg says the three-year journey is already well under way. "The good news is that we started it pretty early last year. So we're about a year in. I think by the end of this year we'll have turned the corner on a lot of it. We'll never be fully done. But I do really think that this represents a pretty major shift in the overall business model and operating model of the company."
That link is to a QZ general timeline of events, which notes that CA was working with Brexit leave campaigners and Trump, but leaves out a key fact [that isn't tied to any specific time that I've seen] where Brad Parscale bragged about how directly Trump's team was working with Facebook, including having embedded, self-identified Republicans
“I wanted people who supported Donald Trump,” he says, adding that he calls the employees “embeds” and that they taught him everything about the technology.Yeah, so what was the trigger roughly a year ago that made Facebook look more closely at how they treated ads? Because it seemed like micro-targeting political ads was a key business feature they offered to any takers.
“I want to know everything you would tell Hillary’s campaign plus some,” Parscale says he told them.
Parscale also says he heard the Clinton campaign, which also used Facebook advertising extensively, did not use embeds and turned down Facebook’s offers to have employees essentially join the campaign.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:53 AM on May 1, 2018 [30 favorites]
Ryan Goodman (Just Security cofounder & co-EIC, former DoD Special Counsel)
Big Reminder
1. Most interesting Mueller Q is on "any outreach by...Paul Manafort to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign"
2. Recall CNN scoop Aug '17:
US intelligence intercepted Russians relaying "conversations with Manafort, encouraging help from the Russians".
Link to CNN Aug '17 piece on intercepts of Russian agents relaying "conversations with Manafort encouraging help from the Russians" and "their efforts to work with Manafort...to coordinate information that could damage Hillary Clinton's election prospects."
posted by chris24 at 11:54 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
Big Reminder
1. Most interesting Mueller Q is on "any outreach by...Paul Manafort to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign"
2. Recall CNN scoop Aug '17:
US intelligence intercepted Russians relaying "conversations with Manafort, encouraging help from the Russians".
Link to CNN Aug '17 piece on intercepts of Russian agents relaying "conversations with Manafort encouraging help from the Russians" and "their efforts to work with Manafort...to coordinate information that could damage Hillary Clinton's election prospects."
posted by chris24 at 11:54 AM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
Mark Zuckerberg Says It Will Take 3 Years to Fix Facebook
So, not in time for either the mid-terms or the 2020 presidential election, then? Quelle surprise.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:59 AM on May 1, 2018 [22 favorites]
So, not in time for either the mid-terms or the 2020 presidential election, then? Quelle surprise.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:59 AM on May 1, 2018 [22 favorites]
At this point, given how Bornstein, Trump, and Jackson have behaved, we effectively do not know anything about Trump's health.
Racist grandpa's in his 70's. He's overweight. He reportedly eats "one McDonald's meal a day consisting of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and a chocolate shake — a menu that would total at least 2,400 calories and more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium." He has rage issues. He doesn't exercise, except for waving his arms around at rallies and going golfing, an incredibly sedentary sport.
He doesn't smoke. That's about all he's got going for him.
He is obsessed with lying to make himself look better. It's probably safe to say reality is worse than any current estimations.
posted by zarq at 12:02 PM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
Racist grandpa's in his 70's. He's overweight. He reportedly eats "one McDonald's meal a day consisting of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and a chocolate shake — a menu that would total at least 2,400 calories and more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium." He has rage issues. He doesn't exercise, except for waving his arms around at rallies and going golfing, an incredibly sedentary sport.
He doesn't smoke. That's about all he's got going for him.
He is obsessed with lying to make himself look better. It's probably safe to say reality is worse than any current estimations.
posted by zarq at 12:02 PM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
what?
He thinks his office may be bugged but not his bathroom. Normally I'd say it's excessive paranoia & the mark of a crank but with this lot...?
posted by scalefree at 12:03 PM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
He thinks his office may be bugged but not his bathroom. Normally I'd say it's excessive paranoia & the mark of a crank but with this lot...?
posted by scalefree at 12:03 PM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
MSNBC [video]: WATCH: Sarah Huckabee-Sanders denies that Trump's personal doctor's offices were "raided." "As is standard operating procedure for a new president, the White House medical unit took possession of the president's medical records."
So why was Trump Organization Chief Legal Officer Alan Garten there? Surely it's not standard operating procedure for a lawyer from the President's private business to show up at the doctor's office.
posted by zachlipton at 12:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [34 favorites]
So why was Trump Organization Chief Legal Officer Alan Garten there? Surely it's not standard operating procedure for a lawyer from the President's private business to show up at the doctor's office.
posted by zachlipton at 12:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [34 favorites]
...and going golfing, an incredibly sedentary sport.
Even more sedentary if you take a golf cart like Trump does.
posted by PenDevil at 12:14 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
Even more sedentary if you take a golf cart like Trump does.
posted by PenDevil at 12:14 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
The sending of goons to illegally snatch medical files is a longstanding presidential tradition dating back to Taft's inauguration. These days the baseball-bats-with-nails-in-them are more metaphorical, but the ceremony still carries emotional weight
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:17 PM on May 1, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:17 PM on May 1, 2018 [39 favorites]
Rosenstein [at Law Day event]: "I don't think there's any threat to the rule of law in America today," points to Trump's Law Day proclamation
Oh look, he found a spine after all (about the Freedom Caucus drawing up articles of impeachment against him): "They can't even resist leaking their own drafts....I don't have anything to say about docs like that nobody has the courage to put their name on...I can tell you there have been people making threats privately and publicly against me, and I think they should understand by now that the Department of Justice will not be extorted..any threats are not going to effect our job."
posted by zachlipton at 12:25 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
Oh look, he found a spine after all (about the Freedom Caucus drawing up articles of impeachment against him): "They can't even resist leaking their own drafts....I don't have anything to say about docs like that nobody has the courage to put their name on...I can tell you there have been people making threats privately and publicly against me, and I think they should understand by now that the Department of Justice will not be extorted..any threats are not going to effect our job."
posted by zachlipton at 12:25 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
So why was Trump Organization Chief Legal Officer Alan Garten there?
Because Trump doesn't trust any of the White House lawyers with a job this sensitive. They might be tempted to obey the law & he couldn't take the risk.
posted by scalefree at 12:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
Because Trump doesn't trust any of the White House lawyers with a job this sensitive. They might be tempted to obey the law & he couldn't take the risk.
posted by scalefree at 12:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [10 favorites]
Mark Zuckerberg Says It Will Take 3 Years to Fix Facebook
So, not in time for either the mid-terms or the 2020 presidential election, then? Quelle surprise.
But Facebook *will* be ready to launch a dating service sooner than that, so.
I was just asked by Facebook if a post in the Illinois Birding Network group page contained hate speech. I suppose it depends on your opinion on whether rose-breasted grosbeak should be in Illinois. Hopefully nobody likes the Illinois Bird Network Nazis.
posted by srboisvert at 12:49 PM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
So, not in time for either the mid-terms or the 2020 presidential election, then? Quelle surprise.
But Facebook *will* be ready to launch a dating service sooner than that, so.
I was just asked by Facebook if a post in the Illinois Birding Network group page contained hate speech. I suppose it depends on your opinion on whether rose-breasted grosbeak should be in Illinois. Hopefully nobody likes the Illinois Bird Network Nazis.
posted by srboisvert at 12:49 PM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
I was just asked by Facebook if a post in the Illinois Birding Network group page contained hate speech.
Likely related to a bug this morning that led to people being asked 'is this hate speech y/n' about literally every post in their feed
move fast and break society and then break more things trying to fix society, i guess
posted by halation at 12:52 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
Likely related to a bug this morning that led to people being asked 'is this hate speech y/n' about literally every post in their feed
move fast and break society and then break more things trying to fix society, i guess
posted by halation at 12:52 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
Yep. Happened in my knitting and my beekeeping groups.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:54 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 12:54 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Everyone knows that knitters and beekeepers have been at war for decades.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:58 PM on May 1, 2018 [65 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:58 PM on May 1, 2018 [65 favorites]
“We’re standing up on a principle, and that is the principle that is part of the First Amendment — our right to, basically, freedom of association, and that needs to be protected.”
IANAL, but freedom of association is very far from an absolute liberty. When there's a crime committed, in particular, one's associations are obviously germane to a legal inquiry and can be the basis of a crime in itself (conspiracy, racketeering, and so on).
It's no surprise to me, though, that a lot of people didn't know better about what they probably thought of as just oppo research. There's the criminal stuff and there's the geopolitical stuff -- there's some overlap, but that this all gets conflated together tends to confuse people and obfuscate some important points. Namely, that discounting one side of this doesn't make the problem of the other side go away.
With regard to Dr. Bornstein, if there wasn't a HIPAA release provided to him, that's a problem...for him. But shouldn't he already be in violation for disclosing to a reporter the meds he prescribed to Trump?
About the Freedom Caucus DoJ impeachment draft -- I keep being amazed at the audacity of the argument that DoJ misled the FISA court because of the Steele dossier when A) it's a matter of court record that the investigation long pre-dated the dossier and, B) nothing in the dossier I'm aware has ever been disproven while, on the contrary, it keeps being validated. (Yeah, I know: the strategy is that it's all about the pee tape being self-evidently not credible and using that to impugn the credibility of everything and anything else. It's just so blatantly dishonest and, also, it's foolish to stake your claim on the basis that there's something just too outrageous for Trump to have done.)
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:00 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
IANAL, but freedom of association is very far from an absolute liberty. When there's a crime committed, in particular, one's associations are obviously germane to a legal inquiry and can be the basis of a crime in itself (conspiracy, racketeering, and so on).
It's no surprise to me, though, that a lot of people didn't know better about what they probably thought of as just oppo research. There's the criminal stuff and there's the geopolitical stuff -- there's some overlap, but that this all gets conflated together tends to confuse people and obfuscate some important points. Namely, that discounting one side of this doesn't make the problem of the other side go away.
With regard to Dr. Bornstein, if there wasn't a HIPAA release provided to him, that's a problem...for him. But shouldn't he already be in violation for disclosing to a reporter the meds he prescribed to Trump?
About the Freedom Caucus DoJ impeachment draft -- I keep being amazed at the audacity of the argument that DoJ misled the FISA court because of the Steele dossier when A) it's a matter of court record that the investigation long pre-dated the dossier and, B) nothing in the dossier I'm aware has ever been disproven while, on the contrary, it keeps being validated. (Yeah, I know: the strategy is that it's all about the pee tape being self-evidently not credible and using that to impugn the credibility of everything and anything else. It's just so blatantly dishonest and, also, it's foolish to stake your claim on the basis that there's something just too outrageous for Trump to have done.)
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:00 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
Rosenstein [at Law Day event]: "I don't think there's any threat to the rule of law in America today," points to Trump's Law Day proclamation
"Rod is a survivor," as Comey said of him. But in Rosenstein's particular position and place in history, being a survivor isn't the worst thing he could be.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:02 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
"Rod is a survivor," as Comey said of him. But in Rosenstein's particular position and place in history, being a survivor isn't the worst thing he could be.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:02 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Here's a clip of Dr Bornstein discussing the situation. Let's just say he does not acquit himself very well. I have questions & I think you will too.
@riotwomenn More weird Trump.
Dr. Harold Bornstein, Trump's doctor for 30 yrs +, says that in Feb 2017, Trump's personal bodyguard, a top lawyer at the Trump org & a 3rd dude raided Bornstein's office without notice, taking all trace of Trump including photos & Trump’s medical records.
posted by scalefree at 1:28 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
@riotwomenn More weird Trump.
Dr. Harold Bornstein, Trump's doctor for 30 yrs +, says that in Feb 2017, Trump's personal bodyguard, a top lawyer at the Trump org & a 3rd dude raided Bornstein's office without notice, taking all trace of Trump including photos & Trump’s medical records.
posted by scalefree at 1:28 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
They didn't take the photo.
NBC: A framed 8x10 photo of Bornstein and Trump that had been hanging on the wall in the waiting room now lies flat under a stack of papers on the top shelf of Bornstein's bookshelf. Bornstein said the men asked him to take it off the wall.
posted by zarq at 1:50 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
NBC: A framed 8x10 photo of Bornstein and Trump that had been hanging on the wall in the waiting room now lies flat under a stack of papers on the top shelf of Bornstein's bookshelf. Bornstein said the men asked him to take it off the wall.
posted by zarq at 1:50 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
The parallels between Nixon and Trump are certainly uncanny, as someone upthread mentioned.
In that spirit here's a pretty darn decent podcast on Watergate from Slate.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 1:58 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
In that spirit here's a pretty darn decent podcast on Watergate from Slate.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 1:58 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
White House ignores executive order requiring count of civilian casualties in counterterrorism strikes
The Trump administration has chosen to ignore an executive order that requires the White House to issue an annual report on the number of civilians and enemy fighters killed by American counterterrorism strikes.posted by zachlipton at 1:58 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
The mandate for the report, which was due May 1, was established by former president Barack Obama in 2016 as part of a broader effort to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding drone operations in places such as Yemen, Somalia and Libya. The White House has not formally rescinded the Obama-era executive order but has chosen not to comply with some aspects of it.
“The executive order that requires the civilian casualty report is under review” and could be “modified” or “rescinded,” a White House spokesman said. The White House declined to say who is conducting the review, how long it has been ongoing and when it is expected to be completed.
...
A separate requirement, imposed as part of last year’s defense budget, requires the Pentagon to submit to Congress by May 1 a list of all U.S. military operations that caused civilian deaths. It’s unclear whether the Pentagon, which did not respond to requests for comment, will meet that federally mandated requirement.
This is interesting, from the NBC piece:
posted by zarq at 1:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [78 favorites]
Bornstein said that Trump cut ties with him after he told the New York Times that Trump takes Propecia, a drug for enlarged prostates that is often prescribed to stimulate hair growth in men. Bornstein told the Times that he prescribed Trump drugs for rosacea and cholesterol as well.Bornstein doesn't seem all that familiar with HIPAA. It's a total(!) breach of medical trust to tell people what medications your patient is taking. It's insane that he would think otherwise.
The story also quotes Bornstein recalling that he had told Rhona Graff, Trump's longtime assistant, "You know, I should be the White House physician."
After the story ran on February 1, 2017, Bornstein said Graff called him and said, "So you wanted to be the White House doctor? Forget it, you're out.' "
Two days after the story ran, the men came to his office.
"I couldn't believe anybody was making a big deal out of a drug to grow his hair that seemed to be so important. And it certainly was not a breach of medical trust to tell somebody they take Propecia to grow their hair. What's the matter with that?"
posted by zarq at 1:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [78 favorites]
Loony left minor report A brief thread of photos of the NYC May Day March getting started
posted by The Whelk at 2:00 PM on May 1, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 2:00 PM on May 1, 2018 [12 favorites]
"And it certainly was not a breach of medical trust to tell somebody they take Propecia to grow their hair. What's the matter with that?"
That's the part I thought made him sound bad in the clip I posted.
posted by scalefree at 2:09 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
That's the part I thought made him sound bad in the clip I posted.
posted by scalefree at 2:09 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
That's the part I thought made him sound bad in the clip I posted.
I didn't like him describing the raid as being raped.
posted by zarq at 2:20 PM on May 1, 2018 [43 favorites]
I didn't like him describing the raid as being raped.
posted by zarq at 2:20 PM on May 1, 2018 [43 favorites]
You know who else had his goons break into a doctor's office?
posted by kirkaracha at 2:21 PM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 2:21 PM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
I have a feeling the makers of Propecia are not exactly thrilled about this particular endorsement.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:22 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:22 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
I politely did not ask, "do you have any options to the left of 'very liberal?' Because I've seen what passes as very liberal these days, and I'm not sure I want to vote for any of that."
I'd be tempted to choose "centrist" or "slightly right of center" since what's considered "left of liberal" these days used to be considered dead center prior to the last few decades of Overton window fuckery (see RomneyCare -> ObamaCare -> socialist plot).
posted by duoshao at 2:30 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'd be tempted to choose "centrist" or "slightly right of center" since what's considered "left of liberal" these days used to be considered dead center prior to the last few decades of Overton window fuckery (see RomneyCare -> ObamaCare -> socialist plot).
posted by duoshao at 2:30 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
"As is standard operating procedure for a new president, the White House medical unit took possession of the president's medical records."
My understanding is that in Australia and the UK, medical records belong to the doctor, not the patient. For instance, when a medical practice is sold, a good part of the value is the patient list and medical history. I suppose data privacy legislation may have changed this to some degree, in that patients may have the right to, e.g., view some records or require that they be destroyed, but the underlying ownership hasn't changed.
Are things different in the US? Is a patient allowed to demand all copies of their records, including the originals? Is a patient ever entitled to seize them? Are there special laws about records regarding a President?
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:32 PM on May 1, 2018
My understanding is that in Australia and the UK, medical records belong to the doctor, not the patient. For instance, when a medical practice is sold, a good part of the value is the patient list and medical history. I suppose data privacy legislation may have changed this to some degree, in that patients may have the right to, e.g., view some records or require that they be destroyed, but the underlying ownership hasn't changed.
Are things different in the US? Is a patient allowed to demand all copies of their records, including the originals? Is a patient ever entitled to seize them? Are there special laws about records regarding a President?
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:32 PM on May 1, 2018
WHO OWNS YOUR MEDICAL RECORD?
Within the health information management industry, there is often great confusion as to who actually has ownership over an original copy of a medical record: the physician or the patient? The physician is creating the records; however, he or she is creating them based on the happenings of a patient, so the question remains... who actually owns the original medical record?posted by scalefree at 2:35 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
Most would guess the patient takes ownership; however, this is not entirely the case. The physical medical record actually belongs to the physician who created it and the facility in which the record was created. The information gathered within the original medical record is owned by the patient. This is why patients are allowed a COPY of their medical record, but not the original document. Every healthcare facility is required by law to maintain the original medical record of patient that receives care and must safeguard it from loss, damage, alteration, and unauthorized use. The original medical record is considered a legal document and may not be removed from the facility's premises without a court order.
These days the baseball-bats-with-nails-in-them are more metaphorical, but the ceremony still carries emotional weight
Westminster has the Usher of the Black Rod, and Washington has this.
posted by acb at 2:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Westminster has the Usher of the Black Rod, and Washington has this.
posted by acb at 2:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
That's for US. Relevant law is HIPAA Privacy Rule.
posted by scalefree at 2:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 2:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
Laura Hudson at The Verge has a thoroughly-sourced tutorial on how to achieve the Sarah Huckabee Sanders smoky eye look.
Step 1: Primerposted by sgranade at 2:37 PM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
While it might be tempting to skip this step, primer ensures that your smoky eye will stay locked in and won’t smear or settle into fine lines as the day or night wears on. It’s always important to lay a solid foundation for your work — by carefully patting primer over your lids and under your eyes, or consistently eroding the basic notion of truth — before moving into the next steps of this process.
It's Pruitt O'Clock!
WaPo: Lobbyist helped broker Scott Pruitt’s $100,000 trip to Morocco
WaPo: Lobbyist helped broker Scott Pruitt’s $100,000 trip to Morocco
A controversial trip to Morocco by Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt last December was partly arranged by a longtime friend and lobbyist, who accompanied Pruitt and his entourage at multiple stops and served as an informal liaison at both official and social events during the visit.posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:37 PM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
CNN: Robert Mueller asks for 2 more months before Michael Flynn sentencing
I guess this is Bob telling us that we have until early July to enjoy our innocence before we all have to watch the tape.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:38 PM on May 1, 2018 [47 favorites]
I guess this is Bob telling us that we have until early July to enjoy our innocence before we all have to watch the tape.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:38 PM on May 1, 2018 [47 favorites]
CNN had another report, clearly from White House/Trump Org sources, that said Bornstein got all flustered and couldn't get his photocopier to work and ended up handing the original records to Schiller. And I can certainly believe that Dr. Bornstein is the type of person to have an inoperative photocopier.
But the really suspicious bit is the timeline. You'd think that the White House Physician would want copies of the President's medal records sometime before the inauguration. If that wasn't done, that's something else Dr. Jackson should be investigated for. But this apparently happened in February, just after Bornstein broke confidentiality and blabbed about the Propecia. And the Trump Organization's lawyer was present, and I'll go out on a limb and assume he didn't join the military, rise to high levels in the military's medical system, and be invited to join the White House Medical Unit.
posted by zachlipton at 2:45 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
But the really suspicious bit is the timeline. You'd think that the White House Physician would want copies of the President's medal records sometime before the inauguration. If that wasn't done, that's something else Dr. Jackson should be investigated for. But this apparently happened in February, just after Bornstein broke confidentiality and blabbed about the Propecia. And the Trump Organization's lawyer was present, and I'll go out on a limb and assume he didn't join the military, rise to high levels in the military's medical system, and be invited to join the White House Medical Unit.
posted by zachlipton at 2:45 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
In today's truly insane shit from Trump supporters... Kanye thinks slavery was "a choice."
Thank god a staffer there called him out on this shit and noted there are actual real-world consequences to what he's doing. But even so, I just... I can't. I just can't. What in the actual hell.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:46 PM on May 1, 2018 [26 favorites]
Thank god a staffer there called him out on this shit and noted there are actual real-world consequences to what he's doing. But even so, I just... I can't. I just can't. What in the actual hell.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:46 PM on May 1, 2018 [26 favorites]
Mod note: A few deleted. Friendly reminder, aiming for fewer one-liner riffing type comments.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:49 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:49 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Today in “primary challenges are unequivocally good and we need way more of them” news: Feinstein drops opposition to legal pot, giving legal marijuana a new ally
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [59 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [59 favorites]
Mod note: Aaaaand several comments deleted. Sorry. much as I get the frustration about this kind of thing, launching into a big sidebar about how people should feel about hypothetically watching the hypothetical pee tape isn't gonna to be a productive use of our electrons.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
In addition to the problem with giving them the original records, I'm kind of curious what it would take to meet the threshold of coercion to get Bornstein off the hook if he gave them the records without a HIPAA release. I suppose the letter from the WH physician might have included the release, but anything's possible with this bunch.
It seems to me, though, that calling attention to this is about 90% likely to cause trouble for Bornstein and 0% trouble for Trump (personally, anyway).
Bornstein is emblematic of all of Trump’s relationships. Many people self-select for being easily compromised and, when not, are almost always compromised by the association eventually, anyway.
I feel like there must be some Svengali-like talent he wields in his personal relationships -- it sounds like he's capable of being charming and flattering and leads people to believe that's the "real" Trump, gets them to disregard reports to the contrary, and then leverages the sunk-cost fallacy to string them along when they begin to have doubts. Oh, wait: I've just described conmen and abusers. Of course I have.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
It seems to me, though, that calling attention to this is about 90% likely to cause trouble for Bornstein and 0% trouble for Trump (personally, anyway).
Bornstein is emblematic of all of Trump’s relationships. Many people self-select for being easily compromised and, when not, are almost always compromised by the association eventually, anyway.
I feel like there must be some Svengali-like talent he wields in his personal relationships -- it sounds like he's capable of being charming and flattering and leads people to believe that's the "real" Trump, gets them to disregard reports to the contrary, and then leverages the sunk-cost fallacy to string them along when they begin to have doubts. Oh, wait: I've just described conmen and abusers. Of course I have.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:59 PM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
In today's truly insane shit from Trump supporters... Kanye thinks slavery was "a choice."
I'm having a lot of trouble accepting that what he said is what he meant. He's spoken out against racism and the abuse/murder of African-Americans in many ways and forums, both in his work and in various appearances, including after Charleston. I can't wrap my mind around the idea that he would be victim-blaming slaves for slavery. Even given his monumental ego, his public, narcissistic persona and his blatant attempts at self-promotion -- it's a bridge too far.
He has to know blaming slaves for their own slavery is an attitude that will both deeply hurt and offend millions of people. It's inconceivable that he wouldn't.
I don't know how to reconcile all that with his words.
posted by zarq at 3:04 PM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm having a lot of trouble accepting that what he said is what he meant. He's spoken out against racism and the abuse/murder of African-Americans in many ways and forums, both in his work and in various appearances, including after Charleston. I can't wrap my mind around the idea that he would be victim-blaming slaves for slavery. Even given his monumental ego, his public, narcissistic persona and his blatant attempts at self-promotion -- it's a bridge too far.
He has to know blaming slaves for their own slavery is an attitude that will both deeply hurt and offend millions of people. It's inconceivable that he wouldn't.
I don't know how to reconcile all that with his words.
posted by zarq at 3:04 PM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
If Bornstein genuinely cared that he was coerced into giving up the records, he would have reported that to HHS immediately. He's not ignorant of HIPAA. CMS makes you reup that training periodically.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:05 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:05 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
The real reason Mueller hasn’t called Ivanka Trump. The special counsel seems to be leaving the president's children for last.
That someone so close to the major events under scrutiny would not be interviewed is unusual, former prosecutors and Justice Department lawyers said. But Mueller’s decision to steer clear of the first daughter – at least for now – is a signal of his “don’t poke the bear until you have to” strategy.posted by scalefree at 3:06 PM on May 1, 2018 [32 favorites]
Since we're doomed to live out Stupid Watergate is this the actual Stupid Watergate of Stupid Watergate?
"Stupid Watergate" might be redundant. The original Watergate burglars were caught because a security guard found some duct tape on the latches of the doors leading from the parking garage to the offices so the doors couldn't lock. He removed the tape and went about his business, and they taped the latches again. Then he got suspicious and called the cops.
One of the burglars was a locksmith who had already successfully picked the locks at the Watergate.
The burglars had a spotter posted in a Howard Johnson’s across the street, but he didn't warn them because a) he was engrossed by Attack of the Puppet People on TV and b) the officer in the patrol car that should normally have responded was at a bar getting drunk and trying to get laid so plainclothes officers drove up without sirens.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [50 favorites]
"Stupid Watergate" might be redundant. The original Watergate burglars were caught because a security guard found some duct tape on the latches of the doors leading from the parking garage to the offices so the doors couldn't lock. He removed the tape and went about his business, and they taped the latches again. Then he got suspicious and called the cops.
One of the burglars was a locksmith who had already successfully picked the locks at the Watergate.
The burglars had a spotter posted in a Howard Johnson’s across the street, but he didn't warn them because a) he was engrossed by Attack of the Puppet People on TV and b) the officer in the patrol car that should normally have responded was at a bar getting drunk and trying to get laid so plainclothes officers drove up without sirens.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [50 favorites]
He's not ignorant of HIPAA
Counterpoint: Bornstein today to CNN: "I couldn't believe anybody was making a big deal out of a drug to grow his hair that seemed to be so important. And it certainly was not a breach of medical trust to tell somebody they take Propecia to grow their hair. What's the matter with that?"
We can go with "has a reckless disregard for" instead of "ignorant of" if you'd like.
posted by zachlipton at 3:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Counterpoint: Bornstein today to CNN: "I couldn't believe anybody was making a big deal out of a drug to grow his hair that seemed to be so important. And it certainly was not a breach of medical trust to tell somebody they take Propecia to grow their hair. What's the matter with that?"
We can go with "has a reckless disregard for" instead of "ignorant of" if you'd like.
posted by zachlipton at 3:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
zarq: He's spoken out against racism and the abuse/murder of African-Americans in many ways and forums, both in his work and in various appearances, including after Charleston. I can't wrap my mind around the idea that he would be victim-blaming slaves for slavery... I don't know how to reconcile all that with his words.
I think I can (although IANA Kanye expert): Black Lives Matter and associated ideas are becoming more widely accepted over time, and that makes him less special if he continues to express them. To be clear, ego isn't his sole motivation — he was probably more sincere before than he is now.
(I wouldn't be surprised if a specific motivator is jealousy of Colin Kaepernick in particular — I don't think anyone before had quite that iconic position, in the American public mind, when it came to the current movement.)
fluttering hellfire: If Bornstein genuinely cared that he was coerced into giving up the records, he would have reported that to HHS immediately.
Rightly or otherwise, he thought his office was wiretapped by agents connected to the president, so he was probably reluctant to consider contacting a different agency of the same executive branch.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:21 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think I can (although IANA Kanye expert): Black Lives Matter and associated ideas are becoming more widely accepted over time, and that makes him less special if he continues to express them. To be clear, ego isn't his sole motivation — he was probably more sincere before than he is now.
(I wouldn't be surprised if a specific motivator is jealousy of Colin Kaepernick in particular — I don't think anyone before had quite that iconic position, in the American public mind, when it came to the current movement.)
fluttering hellfire: If Bornstein genuinely cared that he was coerced into giving up the records, he would have reported that to HHS immediately.
Rightly or otherwise, he thought his office was wiretapped by agents connected to the president, so he was probably reluctant to consider contacting a different agency of the same executive branch.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:21 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
So, prediction time. Assuming things don't fall apart & something meaningful does come of NK/SK/US summiting (very big if), it's Moon who will get the Peace Prize no matter what he says about "Trump can have it". The Nobel committee aren't idiots, they know Trump's a narcissist who means great harm to the world. Same of Kim. And when he does Trump will of course absolutely lose his marbles because it's HIS HIS HIS. He'll lash out at several targets of opportunity, just whoever's in his orbit at the time. It'll be ugly & childish & embarrassing & frightening. I'll make a further prediction & say Moon offers the actual medal to him as a pacifier as well as some kind of statement about a joint win. It'll probably work, grudgingly at first. And then after some time preening with his new toy we'll be off to the next crisis.
posted by scalefree at 3:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 3:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
Is it possible that Kanye West doesn't care about black people who aren't Kanye West?
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
I don't know how to reconcile all that with his words.
I'm not at all interested in apologizing for Kanye, and deeply put off by those who do. Watching that clip, though, I had two thoughts. First, it's heavily edited, so I'm not sure if broader context would explain anything or not. Second: he emphasizes his "free thinking" an awful lot.
He reminds me so much of all the contrarian edgelord types I've known who say something volatile or controversial just to make the point that they're "free-thinking" or "independent." Not bound by conventional wisdom or whatever. I've seen that shit before: dudes get wildly upset if you challenge their ridiculous statements. And they don't argue it in any frame of reality, either.
I get the impression that's what he's really about. For him, it's not over whatever point he's trying to make about slavery or Trump at all. And watching his face when he gets taken to task? This really strikes me as a guy who isn't challenged often at all. He's surrounded by too many yes-people. And he's blind to the harm his bullshit is causing by virtue of his huge platform. He wants to show he's different and pat himself on the back for it and get others to praise him for it, too. Kinda like a lot of other Trump supporters.
Telling me 2+2=5 doesn't show me you're a free thinker, but it sure does tell me something else important about how you think.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [32 favorites]
I'm not at all interested in apologizing for Kanye, and deeply put off by those who do. Watching that clip, though, I had two thoughts. First, it's heavily edited, so I'm not sure if broader context would explain anything or not. Second: he emphasizes his "free thinking" an awful lot.
He reminds me so much of all the contrarian edgelord types I've known who say something volatile or controversial just to make the point that they're "free-thinking" or "independent." Not bound by conventional wisdom or whatever. I've seen that shit before: dudes get wildly upset if you challenge their ridiculous statements. And they don't argue it in any frame of reality, either.
I get the impression that's what he's really about. For him, it's not over whatever point he's trying to make about slavery or Trump at all. And watching his face when he gets taken to task? This really strikes me as a guy who isn't challenged often at all. He's surrounded by too many yes-people. And he's blind to the harm his bullshit is causing by virtue of his huge platform. He wants to show he's different and pat himself on the back for it and get others to praise him for it, too. Kinda like a lot of other Trump supporters.
Telling me 2+2=5 doesn't show me you're a free thinker, but it sure does tell me something else important about how you think.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [32 favorites]
VanLathen's The Red Pill podcast "Kanye West Emergency Episode - Wake Up, Mr. West'
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:31 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:31 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
While the headlines are dominated by flaming dumpsters, the damage continues. On the Washington Post site right now, the top three headlines look like this:
Lobbyist helped arrange Scott Pruitt’s $100,000 trip to Morocco
Malfeasence, naked corruption, waste of taxpayer dollars ...
Trump lashes out as questions in Mueller probe published
A president under investigation, going all Hamlet on us as he fumes over firing the Special Counsel appointed due to his firing of his FBI director.
And then, below that:
Trump’s former health secretary: Americans will pay more because GOP weakened Obamacare
posted by RedOrGreen at 3:31 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
Lobbyist helped arrange Scott Pruitt’s $100,000 trip to Morocco
Malfeasence, naked corruption, waste of taxpayer dollars ...
Trump lashes out as questions in Mueller probe published
A president under investigation, going all Hamlet on us as he fumes over firing the Special Counsel appointed due to his firing of his FBI director.
And then, below that:
Trump’s former health secretary: Americans will pay more because GOP weakened Obamacare
Tom Price said people buying insurance on government-run marketplaces will face higher prices because the tax law repealed the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. ... Price left his position at HHS in September after Politico reported on his use of taxpayer-funded charter flights.It's just layers of corruption all the way down, as they loot the public treasury.
posted by RedOrGreen at 3:31 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
The Hill, Peter Sullivan, Trump officials abruptly pull back from decision on Medicaid lifetime limits, in which they were about to announce they were rejecting Kansas's astonishingly cruel proposal to limit Medicaid benefits to just three years in someone's life, but cancelled that announcement "due to internal administration disagreements."
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
I don't know how to reconcile all that with his words.
It reminds me of Marilyn Manson. One moment, the shock-rocker was the most sensible voice on the Mike Moore documentary about school shootings, and then, a few years later, he was all I AM THE BEAST GRAR HAIL SATAN GIVE ME ALL THE ABSINTHE. From this, one can only conclude that being a celebrity must be a potent neurotoxin.
posted by acb at 3:35 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
It reminds me of Marilyn Manson. One moment, the shock-rocker was the most sensible voice on the Mike Moore documentary about school shootings, and then, a few years later, he was all I AM THE BEAST GRAR HAIL SATAN GIVE ME ALL THE ABSINTHE. From this, one can only conclude that being a celebrity must be a potent neurotoxin.
posted by acb at 3:35 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
Metafilter: I can certainly believe that [metafilter] is the type of person to have an inoperative photocopier.
Politico: FCC’s O’Rielly broke federal law at CPAC
posted by saysthis at 3:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [46 favorites]
Politico: FCC’s O’Rielly broke federal law at CPAC
Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly violated federal law by advocating for the reelection of President Donald Trump during CPAC in February, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.It's nice to see the Hatch Act flexing its muscles. Now use it all the time.
Asked about a future FCC potentially reversing the agency's rollback of net neutrality rules, O'Rielly said, “What we can do is make sure as conservatives that we elect good people to both the House, the Senate and make sure that President Trump gets reelected."
With those words, O'Rielly violated the Hatch Act, which forbids most federal officials from engaging in partisan advocacy, OSC’s Erica Hamrick wrote in a letter today to the Project on Government Oversight.
O'Rielly told OSC he was just trying to answer the question by offering what he saw as "the only sure way to prevent regulatory ping-pong." Hamrick, however, said his words still amounted to illegal advocacy, as he "did in fact have an answer to the moderator’s question that was not partisan — legislative action by the Senate," yet still made the comment about reelecting Trump.
OSC only issued a warning but cautioned O'Rielly that it would deem another violation "willful and knowing," which could subject him to penalties ranging from further reprimand to removal from office.
posted by saysthis at 3:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [46 favorites]
CNN, House conservatives push Sessions, Rosenstein to disclose key details in probes, in which the Freedom Caucus demands to see the unredacted memo detailing the scope of Mueller's investigation and wants to know whether Sessions had any involvement in approving the Cohen raid.
@RepMarkMeadows: If he believes being asked to do his job is ‘extortion,’ then Rod Rosenstein should step aside and allow us to find a new Deputy Attorney General—preferably one who is interested in transparency
The use of the word "us" in there is fascinating, seeing as Meadows, as a member of the House, would have no involvement in finding or confirming a new Deputy Attorney General. Could it have something to do with the fact he talks to Trump routinely? And presumably would like to know all the details about the Mueller investigation so he can tell Trump about it?
posted by zachlipton at 3:42 PM on May 1, 2018 [43 favorites]
@RepMarkMeadows: If he believes being asked to do his job is ‘extortion,’ then Rod Rosenstein should step aside and allow us to find a new Deputy Attorney General—preferably one who is interested in transparency
The use of the word "us" in there is fascinating, seeing as Meadows, as a member of the House, would have no involvement in finding or confirming a new Deputy Attorney General. Could it have something to do with the fact he talks to Trump routinely? And presumably would like to know all the details about the Mueller investigation so he can tell Trump about it?
posted by zachlipton at 3:42 PM on May 1, 2018 [43 favorites]
Mod note: Folks, the Kanye subthread seems to have wound down - let’s let it go peacefully. Thanks.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 3:44 PM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 3:44 PM on May 1, 2018 [9 favorites]
@mkraju: "He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter," Bornstein said on Tuesday of the letter he signed saying Trump would be the “healthiest” person ever elected as POTUS. "I just made it up as I went along."
No kidding.
posted by zachlipton at 4:15 PM on May 1, 2018 [66 favorites]
No kidding.
posted by zachlipton at 4:15 PM on May 1, 2018 [66 favorites]
Something tells me Dr. Bornstein will soon be joining Carter Page, Sam Nunberg, and Randy Credico in MSNBC's Cavalcade of Batshit Cranks.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:30 PM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:30 PM on May 1, 2018 [20 favorites]
That someone so close to the major events under scrutiny would not be interviewed is unusual, former prosecutors and Justice Department lawyers said. But Mueller’s decision to steer clear of the first daughter – at least for now – is a signal of his “don’t poke the bear until you have to” strategy.
True, but it's also easier to trap someone in lying to the feds if you have the testimony of full retinue of other witnesses already in hand. Testifying last is the worst position to be in -- the full picture and confirmed details are already known.
posted by Capt. Renault at 4:37 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
True, but it's also easier to trap someone in lying to the feds if you have the testimony of full retinue of other witnesses already in hand. Testifying last is the worst position to be in -- the full picture and confirmed details are already known.
posted by Capt. Renault at 4:37 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
ELECTION RESULT
GOP HOLD in Florida House 39:
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem underperformance of about 5 points.
vs 2016 HD-39 result margin: Dem improvement of about 1 point.
(Florida House partisan balance in next update)
posted by Chrysostom at 4:47 PM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
GOP HOLD in Florida House 39:
Tomkow [R] 61.9%Margin changes compared to previous races:
Shirah [D] 38.1%
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem underperformance of about 5 points.
vs 2016 HD-39 result margin: Dem improvement of about 1 point.
(Florida House partisan balance in next update)
posted by Chrysostom at 4:47 PM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
my very Republican best friend growing up... flat out asked me once if I thought he was a racist. Of course I said no, what else could I say?
Framing racism in terms of emotion is a tool for protecting the oppressive system and the people who reap its benefits. To white Americans, the word racist means, "I feel personal animosity, fear, or other ill will when it comes to people who aren't white." This is a very convenient definition. If you pass that test, congratulations -- you are not racist! Please accept this complimentary fig leaf and go about your business.
Negative feelings make it easier for people to really double down on active bigotry. But positive feelings or simple indifference also play a part in oppression: they allow the beneficiaries of racism to keep trundling along under the soothing illusion that justice is being served, that society is fair, that there's nothing wrong with this picture and people really seem to be making such a damn *fuss* over nothing, don't they? Funny enough, it's that *fuss* that seems to be coaxing a lot of white Americans back toward the outright racial hostility that many of us assumed was on the wane. Because the fuss -- from Colin Kaepernick, from Black Lives Matter, from friggin' Star Wars including a black protagonist -- is threatening the integrity of the cherished illusion.
One of the keenest ironies in this situation is that many white Americans are so committed to maintaining the illusion of a just society that when its injustices are pointed out to them, they reflexively edge closer and closer to the very racial resentment that they so stringently disavow.
Here are some facts: black people are incarcerated at 5x the rate of white people; the median wealth of a black household in 2013 was $1,700 compared to the white median of $117,000; black public school students living in poverty get 34% less funding than white public school students experiencing the same levels of poverty; et cetera. For each of these facts, the just-world response will boil down to, "that must be their fault -- there must be something wrong with them -- they didn't do _____, and maybe if they did _____ this would stop happening."
Start with the notion that there are really only two explanations for racial inequality: the system is unjust, or it's their fault. If I profess not to feel any ill will toward people of color, and if I am then informed of these facts about racial disparity, and if my response boils down to, "no, society is fair and all of these awful problems are their fault" -- then to put it in the very mildest terms, I certainly seem to be passing some serious judgments on a group of people toward whom I claim to harbor no ill feelings.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 4:55 PM on May 1, 2018 [118 favorites]
Framing racism in terms of emotion is a tool for protecting the oppressive system and the people who reap its benefits. To white Americans, the word racist means, "I feel personal animosity, fear, or other ill will when it comes to people who aren't white." This is a very convenient definition. If you pass that test, congratulations -- you are not racist! Please accept this complimentary fig leaf and go about your business.
Negative feelings make it easier for people to really double down on active bigotry. But positive feelings or simple indifference also play a part in oppression: they allow the beneficiaries of racism to keep trundling along under the soothing illusion that justice is being served, that society is fair, that there's nothing wrong with this picture and people really seem to be making such a damn *fuss* over nothing, don't they? Funny enough, it's that *fuss* that seems to be coaxing a lot of white Americans back toward the outright racial hostility that many of us assumed was on the wane. Because the fuss -- from Colin Kaepernick, from Black Lives Matter, from friggin' Star Wars including a black protagonist -- is threatening the integrity of the cherished illusion.
One of the keenest ironies in this situation is that many white Americans are so committed to maintaining the illusion of a just society that when its injustices are pointed out to them, they reflexively edge closer and closer to the very racial resentment that they so stringently disavow.
Here are some facts: black people are incarcerated at 5x the rate of white people; the median wealth of a black household in 2013 was $1,700 compared to the white median of $117,000; black public school students living in poverty get 34% less funding than white public school students experiencing the same levels of poverty; et cetera. For each of these facts, the just-world response will boil down to, "that must be their fault -- there must be something wrong with them -- they didn't do _____, and maybe if they did _____ this would stop happening."
Start with the notion that there are really only two explanations for racial inequality: the system is unjust, or it's their fault. If I profess not to feel any ill will toward people of color, and if I am then informed of these facts about racial disparity, and if my response boils down to, "no, society is fair and all of these awful problems are their fault" -- then to put it in the very mildest terms, I certainly seem to be passing some serious judgments on a group of people toward whom I claim to harbor no ill feelings.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 4:55 PM on May 1, 2018 [118 favorites]
Dammit, correction on those FL HD-39 numbers:
1 point underperformance vs 2016 prez.
5 point improvement on 2016 HD-39 race.
(I missed a county)
posted by Chrysostom at 4:58 PM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
1 point underperformance vs 2016 prez.
5 point improvement on 2016 HD-39 race.
(I missed a county)
posted by Chrysostom at 4:58 PM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
Is "Active Measures" the Documentary That Will Take Down Trump?
Trailer
posted by growabrain at 5:34 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trailer
posted by growabrain at 5:34 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
WaPo is now reporting the source of the softball questions: Jay Sekulow, making the president*'s tweets about them all that more obviously lies.
And oh yeah, "breaking" (WaPo would rather your attention go to this part, but yawn): Mueller raised the possibility of a subpoena for our dear leader back in March.
posted by Dashy at 5:37 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
And oh yeah, "breaking" (WaPo would rather your attention go to this part, but yawn): Mueller raised the possibility of a subpoena for our dear leader back in March.
posted by Dashy at 5:37 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Is "Active Measures" the Documentary That Will Take Down Trump?
Masha Gessen's Rule for Survival #3: "A Documentary Will Definitely Save You"
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:40 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
Masha Gessen's Rule for Survival #3: "A Documentary Will Definitely Save You"
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:40 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
From that WaPo article:
In the wake of the testy March 5 meeting, Mueller’s team agreed to provide the president’s lawyers with more specific information about the subjects that prosecutors wished to discuss with the president. With those details in hand, Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow compiled a list of 49 questions that the team believed the president would be asked, according to three of the four people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly. The New York Times first reported the existence of the list.posted by Dashy at 5:44 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
I don't think it's entirely a yawn. There's a coordinated campaign here to try to make Mueller look unreasonable by claiming the investigation has gone all over the place and Mueller has to be stopped because, look, he's not even asking about collusion (narrator: he is). And there's a good case that Trump's lawyers are trying to manipulate him through the press to convince him not to volunteer for an interview. Mueller threatening a subpoena says something about how far along he is in his investigation. Threatening to issue a subpoena for the President is a pretty huge step.
posted by zachlipton at 5:45 PM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 5:45 PM on May 1, 2018 [13 favorites]
ELECTION RESULT
Dem HOLD in Florida House 114:
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem underperformance of about 10 points.
vs 2016 HD-114 result margin: Dem improvement of about 2 points.
GOP lead in the Florida House is unchanged on the day's results: 76-41 (3 vacancies).
=> If you're wondering, Clinton's performance was an anomaly here - Obama had won by less than a point, and the district frequently goes GOP downballot. Florida watchers are saying this is a good Dem performance.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:50 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
Dem HOLD in Florida House 114:
Fernandez [D] 50.1%Margin changes compared to previous races:
Vargas [R] 46.7%
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem underperformance of about 10 points.
vs 2016 HD-114 result margin: Dem improvement of about 2 points.
GOP lead in the Florida House is unchanged on the day's results: 76-41 (3 vacancies).
=> If you're wondering, Clinton's performance was an anomaly here - Obama had won by less than a point, and the district frequently goes GOP downballot. Florida watchers are saying this is a good Dem performance.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:50 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
Is "Active Measures" the Documentary That Will Take Down Trump?
Since the trailer doesn't actually reveal anything new I'm gonna go ahead and say no.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:06 PM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Since the trailer doesn't actually reveal anything new I'm gonna go ahead and say no.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:06 PM on May 1, 2018 [15 favorites]
Hm. It seems we have a significant divergence between the NYT and WaPo stories about the Mueller questions. From the NYT article we have Mueller providing a list of questions to the Trump team:
One extra interesting detail from the WaPo article:
posted by mhum at 6:10 PM on May 1, 2018 [59 favorites]
When Mr. Mueller’s team relayed the questions, their tone and detailed nature cemented Mr. Dowd’s view that the president should not sit for an interview. Despite Mr. Dowd’s misgivings, Mr. Trump remained firm in his insistence that he meet with Mr. Mueller. About a week and a half after receiving the questions, Mr. Dowd resigned, concluding that his client was ignoring his advice.However, the WaPo article says that Mueller only provided broad subject areas and it was Sekulow who actually drafted the questions:
After investigators laid out 16 specific subjects they wanted to review with the president and added a few topics within each one, Sekulow broke the queries down into 49 separate questions, according to people familiar with the process.In terms of sourcing, NYT says they were provided the list by "a person outside Mr. Trump’s legal team," and as far as I can tell that seems to be their only sourcing. The WaPo article, as I've quoted, sources their info to three out of of four people who are "familiar with the encounter," where "the encounter" is the March 5 meeting where Mueller brings up the possibility of subpoena, and an unspecified number of "people familiar with the process."
One extra interesting detail from the WaPo article:
The president and several advisers now plan to point to the list as evidence that Mueller has strayed beyond his mandate and is overreaching, they said.I mean, if I'm reading this correctly, this seems like the WaPo telling the NYT, "you're being played, friend-o, and we have on-the-record receipts."
“He wants to hammer that,” according to a person who spoke to Trump on Monday.
posted by mhum at 6:10 PM on May 1, 2018 [59 favorites]
House Democrats say Pruitt sought to open an EPA office in his hometown of Tulsa, complete with a conference room, secure parking space, and a SCIF, because I guess one $43,000 phone booth wasn't enough for him.
posted by zachlipton at 6:11 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:11 PM on May 1, 2018 [24 favorites]
Since the trailer doesn't actually reveal anything new I'm gonna go ahead and say no.
What's already known publicly is already pretty damning. If someone can lay it out clearly and simply for those who don't follow this avidly, it would go a long way towards counteracting the administration's silly spin that some folks are probably currently convinced by (e.g. the 49 questions don't include the word collusion, so that means there wasn't any).
posted by duoshao at 6:19 PM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
What's already known publicly is already pretty damning. If someone can lay it out clearly and simply for those who don't follow this avidly, it would go a long way towards counteracting the administration's silly spin that some folks are probably currently convinced by (e.g. the 49 questions don't include the word collusion, so that means there wasn't any).
posted by duoshao at 6:19 PM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
WaPo telling the NYT, "you're being played, friend-o, and we have on-the-record receipts."
More of this please. WaPo could have a daily section dedicated to calling out the NYT for being stenographers for the bad guys.
posted by diogenes at 6:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [58 favorites]
More of this please. WaPo could have a daily section dedicated to calling out the NYT for being stenographers for the bad guys.
posted by diogenes at 6:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [58 favorites]
And they aren't being played. They know exactly what they are doing, and they continue to do it for "access" and page views.
posted by diogenes at 6:34 PM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 6:34 PM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
Regardless of who wrote the questions, according to both the Times and the Post Trump's team has had the questions for almost two months. And they were leaked shortly after Rudy "Noun-Verb-9/11" joined the team. The president doth protest too much, methinks.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 6:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
The president and several advisers now plan to point to the list as evidence that Mueller has strayed beyond his mandate and is overreaching, they said.
Yeah, good luck with that. Rosenstein’s order appointing the special counsel says:
(b) The Special Counsel is authorized to conduct the investigation confirmed by then-FBI Director James 8. Corney in testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on March 20, 2017, including:A Few Cheers For The Appointment Of A Special Counsel
(i) any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and
(ii) any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation; and
(iii) any other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R. § 600.4(a).
(c) If the Special Counsel believes it is necessary and appropriate, the Special Counsel is authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters.
Section 600.4(a) of the Code of Federal Regulations is among the provisions related to the appointment of a special counsel. In addition to providing that a special counsel’s jurisdiction is established by the Attorney General, section 600.4(a) provides that the Special Counsel has jurisdictionposted by kirkaracha at 6:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [8 favorites]
“to investigate and prosecute federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, the Special Counsel’s investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses.”
...
Section 600.(4)(a), which is referenced in Rosenstein’s order, would seemingly allow the special counsel to investigate efforts to obstruct the Russia-related investigation, since obstruction of justice is specifically enumerated as something a special counsel has authority to investigate.
...
But the order's other grant of authority to the special counsel is so broad (particularly the portion authorizing the counsel to look into matters “that arose or may arise directly from the investigation” specifically identified in the order) that some have suggested the counsel's authority extends to routine violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by Trump organizations.
Dowd went on the record with AP about Mueller threatening a subpoena, though I was always assuming it was him. Dowd quit over a month ago, specifically citing disagreements over whether Trump should answer questions as the reason for his resignation. Now that he's quit, he's trying to run a smear campaign to keep Trump from agreeing to testify.
posted by zachlipton at 6:40 PM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:40 PM on May 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
And they aren't being played. They know exactly what they are doing, and they continue to do it for "access" and page views.
Maybe. But no matter what we think of the NYT, I believe there's still an institutional bias against putting out plainly false things under their own bylines; instead, they'd prefer to hew to the journalistic convention of putting the false things into the mouths of spokespeople and/or anonymous sources so they can truthfully print stuff like "a senior White House official said 'X'", where X is transparently false, because it is definitely true that someone did say X whether or not X itself is true. In this case, I don't see any of this kind of hedging in the NYT. Repeatedly, they put the questions themselves as originating from Mueller himself without any buffer of "so-and-so said" or "according to so-and-so" type of phrases.
posted by mhum at 6:44 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Maybe. But no matter what we think of the NYT, I believe there's still an institutional bias against putting out plainly false things under their own bylines; instead, they'd prefer to hew to the journalistic convention of putting the false things into the mouths of spokespeople and/or anonymous sources so they can truthfully print stuff like "a senior White House official said 'X'", where X is transparently false, because it is definitely true that someone did say X whether or not X itself is true. In this case, I don't see any of this kind of hedging in the NYT. Repeatedly, they put the questions themselves as originating from Mueller himself without any buffer of "so-and-so said" or "according to so-and-so" type of phrases.
posted by mhum at 6:44 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
But that characterization of the questions' origin is in unresolvable tension with WaPo's. Given the difference in sourcing, and the potential that the person "outside Trump's legal team" is Dowd who as just mentioned is interested in casting Mueller as an overreacher, I'd tend to trust the Post.
But speaking of the Times, here's a fun little nugget from their story about the EPA aide resignations:
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:53 PM on May 1, 2018 [43 favorites]
But speaking of the Times, here's a fun little nugget from their story about the EPA aide resignations:
Mr. Pruitt, who is the subject of 11 federal investigations, is now seeking to establish a legal defense fund, according to four people familiar with his plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not directly involved with setting up the fund. These people said they expect Mr. Pruitt to operate the fund privately, with no E.P.A. affiliation.Gee, YOU THINK?
....
Mr. Rizzi also said the creation of such a fund could cause further headaches for Mr. Pruitt should energy companies or other industries regulated by the E.P.A. contribute to it. “These funds raise a lot of uncertainties in the tax area and the ethical area,” he said.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:53 PM on May 1, 2018 [43 favorites]
But that characterization of the questions' origin is in unresolvable tension with WaPo's.
Indeed, that's what I was hinting at with the "getting played" phrasing (and assuming that the WaPo's multiple sources are better than the NYT's probably sole source). Basically, it seems that the NYT's source straight up lied to them about the exact origin of the questions and they fell real hard for it. If they had hedged their article with more "according to a person with knowledge of the situation" type stuff, I think they would find it much less embarrassing, even though the ultimate effect would still be the same -- i.e.: to get this lying source's spin and agenda into the paper of record.
posted by mhum at 7:05 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Indeed, that's what I was hinting at with the "getting played" phrasing (and assuming that the WaPo's multiple sources are better than the NYT's probably sole source). Basically, it seems that the NYT's source straight up lied to them about the exact origin of the questions and they fell real hard for it. If they had hedged their article with more "according to a person with knowledge of the situation" type stuff, I think they would find it much less embarrassing, even though the ultimate effect would still be the same -- i.e.: to get this lying source's spin and agenda into the paper of record.
posted by mhum at 7:05 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Kevin Drum: Has Israel Stopped Sharing Intel With the Trump Administration?
A few weeks ago I heard Ronen Bergman speak to a group of about 50 people, mostly Israelis. He is Israel’s leading national security journalist, and recently published an incredible book called Rise and Kill First, a history of the Israeli security services. He wouldn’t get into details about what Trump told the Russians during that Oval Office meeting, but he said it was “much worse” than what is “publicly” known, and that Trump essentially revealed the “crown jewels” of Israeli intelligence operational methods in Syria. He said the Israeli intelligence community is absolutely livid; has come to the conclusion that the administration is “chaotic” and absolutely cannot be trusted with any sensitive information; and will not reveal to the Americans any information unless it doesn’t care whether such information is publicly known.posted by T.D. Strange at 7:26 PM on May 1, 2018 [88 favorites]
Now that [Dowd has] quit, he's trying to run a smear campaign to keep Trump from agreeing to testify
Is that because he loves the President, or because he loves not being in jail?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:38 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Is that because he loves the President, or because he loves not being in jail?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:38 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Let's see how things are going with Dr. Bornstein. NYT, Trump’s Onetime Physician Says Trump Aides Raided His Office, Describing a Year of ‘Torture’:
Amusing as this all is, the President, who made a scandal out of Hillary Clinton's health during the campaign, has now not received any kind of medical examination from a trustworthy doctor.
posted by zachlipton at 7:48 PM on May 1, 2018 [42 favorites]
In a brief phone call with The Times on Tuesday, Dr. Bornstein did not elaborate on what he told NBC except to say that his earlier interviews with a reporter for the newspaper had caused him “torture for more than a year.” He demanded an apology and a large donation in his name to Tufts University, where he completed medical school. The Times declined both requests.He apparently asked the Times to make a large donation to Tufts back when he talked to them last year too.
Amusing as this all is, the President, who made a scandal out of Hillary Clinton's health during the campaign, has now not received any kind of medical examination from a trustworthy doctor.
posted by zachlipton at 7:48 PM on May 1, 2018 [42 favorites]
Amusing as this all is, the President, who made a scandal out of Hillary Clinton's health during the campaign, has now not received any kind of medical examination from a trustworthy doctor.
It also means he is going to run out of whatever drugs he takes soon.
Indeed, that's what I was hinting at with the "getting played" phrasing (and assuming that the WaPo's multiple sources are better than the NYT's probably sole source). Basically, it seems that the NYT's source straight up lied to them about the exact origin of the questions and they fell real hard for it. If they had hedged their article with more "according to a person with knowledge of the situation" type stuff, I think they would find it much less embarrassing, even though the ultimate effect would still be the same -- i.e.: to get this lying source's spin and agenda into the paper of record.
See? The source has to be Trump himself. Otherwise it would be routine to hedge the article.
posted by mumimor at 8:13 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
It also means he is going to run out of whatever drugs he takes soon.
Indeed, that's what I was hinting at with the "getting played" phrasing (and assuming that the WaPo's multiple sources are better than the NYT's probably sole source). Basically, it seems that the NYT's source straight up lied to them about the exact origin of the questions and they fell real hard for it. If they had hedged their article with more "according to a person with knowledge of the situation" type stuff, I think they would find it much less embarrassing, even though the ultimate effect would still be the same -- i.e.: to get this lying source's spin and agenda into the paper of record.
See? The source has to be Trump himself. Otherwise it would be routine to hedge the article.
posted by mumimor at 8:13 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
Amusing as this all is, the President, who made a scandal out of Hillary Clinton's health during the campaign, has now not received any kind of medical examination from a trustworthy doctor.
Exactly. It was always COMPLETELY obvious that Trump dictated that doctor's letter - I mean, "healthiest president ever"? "All the tests were positive"? So in that sense this confirmation is small potatoes. Yet the situation is still appalling and unacceptable.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 8:26 PM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
Exactly. It was always COMPLETELY obvious that Trump dictated that doctor's letter - I mean, "healthiest president ever"? "All the tests were positive"? So in that sense this confirmation is small potatoes. Yet the situation is still appalling and unacceptable.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 8:26 PM on May 1, 2018 [16 favorites]
See? The source has to be Trump himself. Otherwise it would be routine to hedge the article.
Someone on Fox just said his WH sources say Trump leaked it so everybody would be on the same page. Maybe Kanye can write a song called No Collusion & they can all learn to sing it in harmony.
posted by scalefree at 8:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
Someone on Fox just said his WH sources say Trump leaked it so everybody would be on the same page. Maybe Kanye can write a song called No Collusion & they can all learn to sing it in harmony.
posted by scalefree at 8:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [11 favorites]
I've had a secret bingo space reserved for "on drugs" since 2015.
Bornstein is just... it's just another example of this stew of malfeasance and just inexplicable mind-gibbering weirdness that surrounds Trump and that everyone is apparently just like *shrug* sounds legit, and it makes me feel like I'm on drugs.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [32 favorites]
Bornstein is just... it's just another example of this stew of malfeasance and just inexplicable mind-gibbering weirdness that surrounds Trump and that everyone is apparently just like *shrug* sounds legit, and it makes me feel like I'm on drugs.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:27 PM on May 1, 2018 [32 favorites]
Wait, did Bornstein's letter actually say "all the tests were positive"?
posted by runcibleshaw at 8:31 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by runcibleshaw at 8:31 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dr. Jen Gunter annotated and tore apart Bornstein's letter.
posted by adamg at 8:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by adamg at 8:36 PM on May 1, 2018 [14 favorites]
Yes, yes it did, and if you go find Tehhund, there's an outside chance you'll find him at the exact several hundred posts somewhere in megathread #godknowshowmany where we talked at length about exactly what he might have tested positive for.
I'm so tired of this all.
posted by Dashy at 8:38 PM on May 1, 2018 [35 favorites]
I'm so tired of this all.
posted by Dashy at 8:38 PM on May 1, 2018 [35 favorites]
Amusing as this all is, the President, who made a scandal out of Hillary Clinton's health during the campaign, has now not received any kind of medical examination from a trustworthy doctor.
Where are the democrats on this? Why isn't TRUMP'S HEALTH IN QUESTION the big headline right now? He just had a very public breakdown on Fox and now we have confirmation that the last medical exam Trump had was from a doctor who was unstable at best, and the one before the inauguration was literally forged and dictated by Trump himself who then ordered that a crime be committed to cover up the evidence.
Do we not have anyone on our side who wants to maybe bring this up???
posted by mmoncur at 9:24 PM on May 1, 2018 [79 favorites]
President Trump has made 3,001 false or misleading claims so far
posted by scalefree at 9:30 PM on May 1, 2018 [64 favorites]
In the 466 days since he took the oath of office, President Trump has made 3,001 false or misleading claims, according to The Fact Checker’s database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement uttered by the president.He's lying nearly twice as much now as when he started. How is that possible?
That’s an average of nearly 6.5 claims a day.
When we first started this project for the president’s first 100 days, he averaged 4.9 claims a day. Slowly, the average number of claims has been creeping up.
Indeed, since we last updated this tally two months ago, the president has averaged about 9 claims a day.
posted by scalefree at 9:30 PM on May 1, 2018 [64 favorites]
He's lying nearly twice as much now as when he started. How is that possible?
And that's not even counting the constant yammering of "no collusion! no collusion!" which has yet to be verified as false.
He's panicking. He's unhappy, and lonely, and people are not doing what he tells them to do, and he's constantly being told that people hate him, and all of the threats and bribe offers that worked to get him out business trouble are not working here. So he's doubling down on what's always worked before: insisting that he knows what's really going on, and saying loudly, "THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING," in the hopes that other people will quietly agree, at least in public.
He forgot that (1) everything he says is being recorded and discussed, not like reality TV where it goes through an editor first, and (2) he can't fire the public.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:00 PM on May 1, 2018 [28 favorites]
And that's not even counting the constant yammering of "no collusion! no collusion!" which has yet to be verified as false.
He's panicking. He's unhappy, and lonely, and people are not doing what he tells them to do, and he's constantly being told that people hate him, and all of the threats and bribe offers that worked to get him out business trouble are not working here. So he's doubling down on what's always worked before: insisting that he knows what's really going on, and saying loudly, "THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING," in the hopes that other people will quietly agree, at least in public.
He forgot that (1) everything he says is being recorded and discussed, not like reality TV where it goes through an editor first, and (2) he can't fire the public.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:00 PM on May 1, 2018 [28 favorites]
I personally prefer the definitely-not-previously-dictated claim of Ronny Jackson that if Trump hadn't eaten hamburgers he could have lived to 200 and has incredibly good genes.
posted by jaduncan at 1:33 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
"I told the president if he'd had better diet over the last 20 years he could have lived to 200 years old. The answer is he has incredibly good genes, it’s just the way God made him.I also now assume that he has cardiac issues related to weight/cholesterol.
He had great findings across the board but his cardiac health stood out. Hands down he is in the excellent range.
He continues to enjoy the significant long-term cardiac and overall health benefits that come from a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol."
posted by jaduncan at 1:33 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
Kevin Drum: Has Israel Stopped Sharing Intel With the Trump Administration?
Probably not, if you think about it. "Intelligence" covers an awfully wide range of things, some of which are automated, and Israel isn't going to stop, e.g., sharing day-to-day intercepts just because they're irritated. Also, I don't suppose Israel is sharing information purely out of a sense of disinterested altruism. They want the US's intervention in Syria to be effective, for instance, and they certainly don't want to be blamed for withholding information if anything goes wrong. That being said, I bet they're being more cautious, and I wouldn't be surprised if US officials use a degree of self-censorship to keep sensitive information away from theSieve President. Trump reportedly receives his briefings on slips of cardboard, printed in large letters, so I don't think keeping things from him would be difficult.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:06 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Probably not, if you think about it. "Intelligence" covers an awfully wide range of things, some of which are automated, and Israel isn't going to stop, e.g., sharing day-to-day intercepts just because they're irritated. Also, I don't suppose Israel is sharing information purely out of a sense of disinterested altruism. They want the US's intervention in Syria to be effective, for instance, and they certainly don't want to be blamed for withholding information if anything goes wrong. That being said, I bet they're being more cautious, and I wouldn't be surprised if US officials use a degree of self-censorship to keep sensitive information away from the
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:06 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
A thought/question: there is no way Trump can handle being questioned along the lines of what has been laid out here. One thing is that he can't not lie. Another that he is incompetent and doesn't have a grasp of where it is going, even if he spoke the truth where he could and claimed the fifth for the rest, he wouldn't know what was what. Third, those are many questions, how long would it take to get through them all with follow ups? One or two whole days? He doesn't have the stamina.
Anyway what I thought is that for this to not end in a conspiracy theory Dolkstoss style, some of this questioning needs to be in public and televised. Not because it would be great entertainment, though it would, but because otherwise the Trumpists will believe that the deep state engaged in an evil plot to take down their hero. Some of them still will, obviously, but I think a lot of Republican voters who haven't really engaged will be shocked to see the reality of Trump's crimes.
And this is important regardless of what happens with the Russia investigation. Trump is far more crooked than Nixon was, and as I understand it, a president Pence can't just pardon him out of the stuff he did before he was president? Or what? Trump is probably going to jail at some point, and it really needs to be clear to all those who adore him that he is a criminal, or there will be far too interesting times.
posted by mumimor at 2:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
Anyway what I thought is that for this to not end in a conspiracy theory Dolkstoss style, some of this questioning needs to be in public and televised. Not because it would be great entertainment, though it would, but because otherwise the Trumpists will believe that the deep state engaged in an evil plot to take down their hero. Some of them still will, obviously, but I think a lot of Republican voters who haven't really engaged will be shocked to see the reality of Trump's crimes.
And this is important regardless of what happens with the Russia investigation. Trump is far more crooked than Nixon was, and as I understand it, a president Pence can't just pardon him out of the stuff he did before he was president? Or what? Trump is probably going to jail at some point, and it really needs to be clear to all those who adore him that he is a criminal, or there will be far too interesting times.
posted by mumimor at 2:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
From last night, Isakson continues to support Tester.
Manu Raju (CNN)
GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson says to @GaryTuchmanCNN that Trump's statement is "false" that Ronny Jackson allegations of misconduct were wrong. He says our story from last night about Pence's doctor raising concerns about Jackson "corroborates" allegations.
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 3:20 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Manu Raju (CNN)
GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson says to @GaryTuchmanCNN that Trump's statement is "false" that Ronny Jackson allegations of misconduct were wrong. He says our story from last night about Pence's doctor raising concerns about Jackson "corroborates" allegations.
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 3:20 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
as I understand it, a president Pence can't just pardon him out of the stuff he did before he was president?
He could, if they were Federal crimes. The president can't pardon state crimes, which is what you may be thinking of.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:47 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
He could, if they were Federal crimes. The president can't pardon state crimes, which is what you may be thinking of.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:47 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
America's huge success in cutting smog at risk of being eroded, experts warn - Oliver Milman, Guardian
posted by ZeusHumms at 5:04 AM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
Scientists and public health experts say Trump administration’s bid to undo pollution rules are ‘extremely counterintuitive and worrying’Never take anything for granted.
...
US scientists and public health officials have warned that the stunning improvements [in air quality] in American cities have already [started] to slow and are even in danger of reversing. They point to diminishing returns from existing regulations and the Trump administration’s zeal in demolishing recent rules designed to improve air quality and combat climate change.
“The actions of this administration are extremely counterintuitive and worrying,” said Christine Todd Whitman, who was administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under president George W Bush. “Time will be lost, pollution will be increased and lives will be endangered. It’s not that we will turn into Beijing or Delhi tomorrow but people take clean air for granted now and we can’t slide back to the smogs we once had.”
posted by ZeusHumms at 5:04 AM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
@mkraju: "He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter," Bornstein said on Tuesday of the letter he signed saying Trump would be the “healthiest” person ever elected as POTUS. "I just made it up as I went along."
That fits in with Trump's style, all right.
(Though it's important also to remember that a lot of Trump's cronies are not -- the erosion of environmental and consumer protection, just as two examples, also fit right in with the agendas of those he appointed to run those departments, and others.)
posted by Gelatin at 5:30 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
That fits in with Trump's style, all right.
(Though it's important also to remember that a lot of Trump's cronies are not -- the erosion of environmental and consumer protection, just as two examples, also fit right in with the agendas of those he appointed to run those departments, and others.)
posted by Gelatin at 5:30 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Finns to troll Trump: http://www.projecttrumpmore.com/.
Like Rushmore, but on an iceberg, with a livestream of him melting.
Story on The Independent with more details.
posted by Buntix at 5:32 AM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
Like Rushmore, but on an iceberg, with a livestream of him melting.
Story on The Independent with more details.
posted by Buntix at 5:32 AM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
From last night, Isakson continues to support Tester.
Sen. Isakson has Parkinson's disease. He was just re-elected in 2016, and everyone assumes this will be his last term as he has been hospitalized multiple times since then. People in Georgia generally think of him as "the good senator" (Sen. Perdue being the evil senator from hell). It's nice to see him ever so slightly putting country before party here.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Sen. Isakson has Parkinson's disease. He was just re-elected in 2016, and everyone assumes this will be his last term as he has been hospitalized multiple times since then. People in Georgia generally think of him as "the good senator" (Sen. Perdue being the evil senator from hell). It's nice to see him ever so slightly putting country before party here.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
China's Xi begins his messaging to North Korea. < Al Jazeera
posted by rc3spencer at 5:39 AM on May 2, 2018
posted by rc3spencer at 5:39 AM on May 2, 2018
I think a lot of Republican voters who haven't really engaged will be shocked to see the reality of Trump's crimes.
There is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that's not how any of this works. If you want to change people's minds, be on the winning side; no-one wants to be wrong, so if it appears as if they are wrong, they'll update their memories so that they had strong concerns about Trump all along.
posted by Merus at 5:43 AM on May 2, 2018 [66 favorites]
There is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that's not how any of this works. If you want to change people's minds, be on the winning side; no-one wants to be wrong, so if it appears as if they are wrong, they'll update their memories so that they had strong concerns about Trump all along.
posted by Merus at 5:43 AM on May 2, 2018 [66 favorites]
Sen. Isakson has Parkinson's disease. ... It's nice to see him ever so slightly putting country before party here.
There are noatheists Republicans in foxholes terminal stages.
posted by Etrigan at 5:46 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
There are no
posted by Etrigan at 5:46 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
I was just watching Morning Joe and guest General Hayden, former NSA head and present to promote his recent book The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies. Hayden made the point that not enough attention has been devoted to what the Russians got out of the Trump Tower meeting via standard, competent tradecraft: a very soft initial approach but informed by we know not what. He summarized their gleanings as learning that 1) the Trump campaign was interested in and willing to deal; 2) and were unbothered by information with blatant Russian provenance; 3) and that, contrary to campaign law fundamentals, they would take the matter to the FBI and fInally, 4) due to 3) the Russians acquired another piece of kompromat.
The latter point made me wonder whether any of the little pieces we've learned were actually revealed by the Russians, presumably as a way to keep Trump et al in line, e.g., "See what a shitstorm resulted from the revelation of this one meeting? Just imagine how awful it will be when we releasethe pee tape [$BigKompromat]."
posted by carmicha at 5:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [16 favorites]
The latter point made me wonder whether any of the little pieces we've learned were actually revealed by the Russians, presumably as a way to keep Trump et al in line, e.g., "See what a shitstorm resulted from the revelation of this one meeting? Just imagine how awful it will be when we release
posted by carmicha at 5:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [16 favorites]
Where are the democrats on this? Why isn't TRUMP'S HEALTH IN QUESTION the big headline right now?
This is where having a media mouthpiece comes in so handy. The role of Fox News is frequently to say the tactless shit that would be unseemly when coming from a politician's mouth (except for Trump who wouldn't know tact if it peed on Obama's bed) that nonetheless serves the party's messaging and goals. So, Fox can go on and on forever and ever about HILLARY CLINTON TOTES DYING RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES and then Republican politicians can tweet out some mealy-mouthed "She's probably fine gosh I sure do wish we were talking about the issues right now instead [narrator: he does not wish that]" non-statement that gets forgotten 30 seconds after it drops. The politician gets to sound vaguely adult and serious at whisper-level while there is simultaneously a klaxon blaring NEENER NEENER YOUR CANDIDATE IS BASICALLY THE WALKING DEAD HA HA SUCKERS!!!
If we had a Fox News on our side, it would be talking about nothing but the health and fitness to serve of the President, all day every day non-stop, and Chuck and Nancy could tweet out "Gosh, we think there's more important things for the American people to be worrying about or something *mumble*".
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:58 AM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
This is where having a media mouthpiece comes in so handy. The role of Fox News is frequently to say the tactless shit that would be unseemly when coming from a politician's mouth (except for Trump who wouldn't know tact if it peed on Obama's bed) that nonetheless serves the party's messaging and goals. So, Fox can go on and on forever and ever about HILLARY CLINTON TOTES DYING RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES and then Republican politicians can tweet out some mealy-mouthed "She's probably fine gosh I sure do wish we were talking about the issues right now instead [narrator: he does not wish that]" non-statement that gets forgotten 30 seconds after it drops. The politician gets to sound vaguely adult and serious at whisper-level while there is simultaneously a klaxon blaring NEENER NEENER YOUR CANDIDATE IS BASICALLY THE WALKING DEAD HA HA SUCKERS!!!
If we had a Fox News on our side, it would be talking about nothing but the health and fitness to serve of the President, all day every day non-stop, and Chuck and Nancy could tweet out "Gosh, we think there's more important things for the American people to be worrying about or something *mumble*".
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:58 AM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
... we have confirmation that the last medical exam Trump had was from a doctor who was unstable at best, and the one before the inauguration was literally forged and dictated by Trump himself...
It was presumably quite convenient for Trump to discover that Jackson was pre-compromised. Have to wonder if he was actively leveraged via a combo of blackmail and bribery to produce the statement he did, or whether it was just working towards the fuhrer. You'd think the former would potentially be a bit illegal.
posted by Buntix at 6:07 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
It was presumably quite convenient for Trump to discover that Jackson was pre-compromised. Have to wonder if he was actively leveraged via a combo of blackmail and bribery to produce the statement he did, or whether it was just working towards the fuhrer. You'd think the former would potentially be a bit illegal.
posted by Buntix at 6:07 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
@mkraju: "He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter," Bornstein said on Tuesday of the letter he signed saying Trump would be the “healthiest” person ever elected as POTUS. "I just made it up as I went along."
I'm not well versed in it, but wouldn't this be in violation of NYS Education Department licensing standards regarding Practicing with negligence, Practicing with incompetence, and/or Failing to maintain patient records for six years?
posted by mikelieman at 6:08 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'm not well versed in it, but wouldn't this be in violation of NYS Education Department licensing standards regarding Practicing with negligence, Practicing with incompetence, and/or Failing to maintain patient records for six years?
posted by mikelieman at 6:08 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
From last night, Isakson continues to support Tester.
Sen. Isakson has Parkinson's disease. He was just re-elected in 2016, and everyone assumes this will be his last term as he has been hospitalized multiple times since then.
Just once, I would really like to see any kind of backbone from a Republican who is actually up for reelection at some point.
posted by saturday_morning at 6:16 AM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
Sen. Isakson has Parkinson's disease. He was just re-elected in 2016, and everyone assumes this will be his last term as he has been hospitalized multiple times since then.
Just once, I would really like to see any kind of backbone from a Republican who is actually up for reelection at some point.
posted by saturday_morning at 6:16 AM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
REPUBLICANS VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO LOOK REPUBLICAN Pacific Standard
. . .see also hoisting, Hamlet, petards, racists, and the sad weird mechanism that is US politics.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:24 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
. . .see also hoisting, Hamlet, petards, racists, and the sad weird mechanism that is US politics.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:24 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Did Trump Bribe Ukraine to Stop Cooperating With Mueller?
Ukraine, Seeking U.S. Missiles, Halted Cooperation With Mueller Investigation
Ukraine, Seeking U.S. Missiles, Halted Cooperation With Mueller Investigation
”In every possible way, we will avoid irritating the top American officials,” Mr. Ariev said in an interview. “We shouldn’t spoil relations with the administration.”posted by T.D. Strange at 7:01 AM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
RedOrGreen: Lobbyist helped arrange Scott Pruitt’s $100,000 trip to Morocco
Malfeasence, naked corruption, waste of taxpayer dollars ...
...
It's just layers of corruption all the way down, as they loot the public treasury.
With Pruitt so keen to re-brand EPA tokens (NY Times, April 11, 2018), perhaps we could go with more truth, honesty and transparency, he could go for Environment Pillaging Agency. Or rebrand the whole Trump presidency under The New EPA (Extensive Pillaging Administration).
posted by filthy light thief at 7:05 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Malfeasence, naked corruption, waste of taxpayer dollars ...
...
It's just layers of corruption all the way down, as they loot the public treasury.
With Pruitt so keen to re-brand EPA tokens (NY Times, April 11, 2018), perhaps we could go with more truth, honesty and transparency, he could go for Environment Pillaging Agency. Or rebrand the whole Trump presidency under The New EPA (Extensive Pillaging Administration).
posted by filthy light thief at 7:05 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
I made a misleading typo in my comment, about ten up, describing General Hayden’s remarks. It should have read: 3) and that, contrary to campaign law fundamentals, they would NOT take the matter to the FBI... Carmicha regrets the error.
posted by carmicha at 7:11 AM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 7:11 AM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
Where are the democrats on this? Why isn't TRUMP'S HEALTH IN QUESTION the big headline right now?
This is where having a media mouthpiece comes in so handy.
This is where the Democrats forget that they don't have a plan to have one - they just get lucky sometimes.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:20 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is where having a media mouthpiece comes in so handy.
This is where the Democrats forget that they don't have a plan to have one - they just get lucky sometimes.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:20 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm not well versed in it, but wouldn't this be in violation of NYS Education Department licensing standards regarding Practicing with negligence, Practicing with incompetence, and/or Failing to maintain patient records for six years?
Wait, do you mean to imply that Trump's obviously incredibly sketchy Dr. Feelgood quack might not be quite on the up-and-up?
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Wait, do you mean to imply that Trump's obviously incredibly sketchy Dr. Feelgood quack might not be quite on the up-and-up?
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oh, and for those wondering if the questions are going to be coming from Muller's team - not any time soon:
posted by jaduncan at 7:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [63 favorites]
Trump Lawyers Said to Lack Security Clearance Amid Mueller TalksSo yeah. Nobody on the Trump legal team can get the really detailed Russia-related questions, because they cannot legally be told them.
Donald Trump’s current team of lawyers lacks the security clearances needed to discuss sensitive issues related to a possible presidential interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Trump’s former lead lawyer John Dowd had been the only member of the president’s personal legal team with a security clearance, the people said. When Dowd quit in March over disagreements with Trump on legal strategy, Jay Sekulow became the lead lawyer on the investigation and is still waiting for his clearance.
posted by jaduncan at 7:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [63 favorites]
To be fair to Democrats, "what if Fox news but liberal" has been tried in various forms and MSNBC is the closest thing to that that ever actually succeeded. A bunch of anti-authoritarians aren't quite as disposed as a bunch of Fascists to unquestioningly absorb every word uttered by the teevee people. I'm as fire-breathing as the next megathread denizen, but the closest I can handle is Crooked Media podcasts and even though I like them a lot (I AM GOING TO LOVETT OR LEAVE IT TOMORROW NIGHT! AMA!) I don't listen to every single show because, like, I don't get whatever endorphin hit that Fox News junkies get from having anger and fear poured into their head-holes for hours a day. (I am angry and I am afraid but these are not pleasant! I'd like them to stop! This is not a fun ride for me!) I don't think I'm unusual amongst my fellow Dems.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [84 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [84 favorites]
Liberal TV News will never be as popular as Fox, and the reason is the same as why we love watching The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc.
Shitty sociopathic people are simply more entertaining.
posted by rocket88 at 7:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Shitty sociopathic people are simply more entertaining.
posted by rocket88 at 7:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Egregious Personal Aggrandizement
posted by Myeral at 7:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Myeral at 7:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Extremely petty Leftist update : Proud Boy sees sign he doesn’t like, it doesn’t go well
posted by The Whelk at 7:53 AM on May 2, 2018 [95 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:53 AM on May 2, 2018 [95 favorites]
Proud Boy sees sign he doesn’t like, it doesn’t go well
He tries so hard!
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:55 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
He tries so hard!
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:55 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
Why not fire breathing Leftist news, your boss is stelaling from you! You’re owed better! Life doesn’t have to be miserable? You nothing to loose but your chains! Let us gather in the spirit of community!
posted by The Whelk at 7:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [37 favorites]
How Trump’s ‘Fake News’ Obsession Started a Global Plague of Censorship (Daily Beast)
- "The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists counts at least 21 journalists around the world who are in jail expressly for publishing what governments have deemed to be 'fake or fictitious news.'"
To be fair to Democrats, "what if Fox news but liberal" has been tried in various forms and MSNBC is the closest thing to that that ever actually succeeded.
Fox News literally has daily talking points distributed to on-air talent to make sure everybody's on the same page with the propaganda of the day. If that's what it takes to win I'll be sad about it but I'll let us lose.
posted by scalefree at 7:59 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fox News literally has daily talking points distributed to on-air talent to make sure everybody's on the same page with the propaganda of the day. If that's what it takes to win I'll be sad about it but I'll let us lose.
posted by scalefree at 7:59 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
A Rigged System - They don’t want to turn over Documents to Congress. What are they afraid of? Why so much redacting? Why such unequal “justice?” At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!
This reads like something he either didn't write himself or had help in editing, which is alarming.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:01 AM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
A Rigged System - They don’t want to turn over Documents to Congress. What are they afraid of? Why so much redacting? Why such unequal “justice?” At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!
This reads like something he either didn't write himself or had help in editing, which is alarming.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:01 AM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
Gregg Sargent: Team Trump thinks he’s winning his showdown with Mueller.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:03 AM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:03 AM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
(What I am saying is make me an anchor on your Red Roses Report)
posted by The Whelk at 8:04 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:04 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
Why not fire breathing Leftist news, your boss is stelaling from you! You’re owed better! Life doesn’t have to be miserable? You nothing to loose but your chains! Let us gather in the spirit of community!
Sadly unlikely to take hold on a medium that requires either ad support or the backing of interested billionaires. Not saying there isn't an audience for it, but one of the frustratingly self-perpetuating things about capitalism is that there's little room in the marketplace of ideas for an idea about burning down the market and building something better from the ashes.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:05 AM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Sadly unlikely to take hold on a medium that requires either ad support or the backing of interested billionaires. Not saying there isn't an audience for it, but one of the frustratingly self-perpetuating things about capitalism is that there's little room in the marketplace of ideas for an idea about burning down the market and building something better from the ashes.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:05 AM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
I mean, we’re not saying Don’t seize the means here
posted by The Whelk at 8:21 AM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:21 AM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
"what if Fox news but liberal"
Yeah, they've got the scaremongering, hate-filled, base-enraging news media machine and we've got the comedy.
posted by jontyjago at 8:26 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah, they've got the scaremongering, hate-filled, base-enraging news media machine and we've got the comedy.
posted by jontyjago at 8:26 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah, they've got the scaremongering, hate-filled, base-enraging news media machine and we've got the comedy.
Oddly “Michelle Wolf goes to far!!!” probably didn’t need to be a talking point distributed from a centeral hierarchy in “liberal” media because they are all very well trained.
posted by Artw at 8:31 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Oddly “Michelle Wolf goes to far!!!” probably didn’t need to be a talking point distributed from a centeral hierarchy in “liberal” media because they are all very well trained.
posted by Artw at 8:31 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
GOP retirement watch:
#1: NY state Sen Tom Croci (R-SD-03) retiring. District went 51-45 Trump, 55-45 Obama. GOP currently only controls the Senate by 1 vote (a Dem who caucuses with them); this is the FOURTH GOP retirement in a Dem-winnable district in the last two weeks.
#2: Florida state Senate president Joe Negron (R-SD-25) retiring. District went Trump 54-42 (districts were redrawn since 2012). Half of the Senate is up this fall, GOP controls by 7.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
#1: NY state Sen Tom Croci (R-SD-03) retiring. District went 51-45 Trump, 55-45 Obama. GOP currently only controls the Senate by 1 vote (a Dem who caucuses with them); this is the FOURTH GOP retirement in a Dem-winnable district in the last two weeks.
#2: Florida state Senate president Joe Negron (R-SD-25) retiring. District went Trump 54-42 (districts were redrawn since 2012). Half of the Senate is up this fall, GOP controls by 7.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Proud Boy sees sign he doesn’t like, it doesn’t go well.
Oh man, I needed that. Seattle, I love you so much.
posted by loquacious at 8:38 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oh man, I needed that. Seattle, I love you so much.
posted by loquacious at 8:38 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
In Which Proud Boy Insists He Is Not Proud Boy
posted by Fleebnork at 8:40 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Fleebnork at 8:40 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
PA Governor Tom Wolf sets the date for the Meehan (PA-7) special election to be the same as the Nov. 6th General. The winner of the special will only be in office for the two months remaining in Meehan's term, and then the winner of the new PA-5 will take over. But, it probably means that the winner of the new PA-5 will be seated early as they're likely to be the winner of the PA-7 special election. (This gives me a headache, and I'm only voting in these elections.)
posted by gladly at 8:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by gladly at 8:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is where having a media mouthpiece comes in so handy.
This is where the Democrats forget that they don't have a plan to have one - they just get lucky sometimes.
Sometimes I wonder if Democratic politicians were as bamboozled as Republicans by the latter's decades-long marketing campaign to establish the myth of the "liberal media." It seems at times as if Democrats genuinely expect the media to have their backs, or at least be interested in reporting facts.
Hillary Clinton may well have paid a price for her distrustful relationship with the media, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that her suspicions -- especially of the New York Times -- were unfounded.
posted by Gelatin at 8:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [22 favorites]
This is where the Democrats forget that they don't have a plan to have one - they just get lucky sometimes.
Sometimes I wonder if Democratic politicians were as bamboozled as Republicans by the latter's decades-long marketing campaign to establish the myth of the "liberal media." It seems at times as if Democrats genuinely expect the media to have their backs, or at least be interested in reporting facts.
Hillary Clinton may well have paid a price for her distrustful relationship with the media, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that her suspicions -- especially of the New York Times -- were unfounded.
posted by Gelatin at 8:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [22 favorites]
Why not fire breathing Leftist news, your boss is stelaling from you! You’re owed better! Life doesn’t have to be miserable? You nothing to loose but your chains! Let us gather in the spirit of community!
Last I checked the Daily Worker/People’s Weekly were reduced to pressing copies of their papers on undergrads in student unions in exchange for donations, before giving up print entirely.
It’s hard to imagine this succeeding where CurrentTV and AirAmerica failed, but I’d like to be proven wrong.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:42 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Last I checked the Daily Worker/People’s Weekly were reduced to pressing copies of their papers on undergrads in student unions in exchange for donations, before giving up print entirely.
It’s hard to imagine this succeeding where CurrentTV and AirAmerica failed, but I’d like to be proven wrong.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:42 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's the name of a right-wing Stupid Militia.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
gladly: "PA Governor Tom Wolf sets the date for the Meehan (PA-7) special election to be the same as the Nov. 6th General. The winner of the special will only be in office for the two months remaining in Meehan's term, and then the winner of the new PA-5 will take over. But, it probably means that the winner of the new PA-5 will be seated early as they're likely to be the winner of the PA-7 special election. (This gives me a headache, and I'm only voting in these elections.)"
Yeah, this was expected for the specials. One thing to note is that, in PA, special candidates are picked by the party, so they'll probably intentionally pick the same candidate as in the general for new PA-05. But they don't *have* to do that.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yeah, this was expected for the specials. One thing to note is that, in PA, special candidates are picked by the party, so they'll probably intentionally pick the same candidate as in the general for new PA-05. But they don't *have* to do that.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fire-breathing leftist podcasts like Chapo Trap House, Discourse Collective, Delete Your Account, No Cartridge, The Dig, Feminist Killjoys, PhD, Street Fight... These are what's really hot in leftist media right now. Podcasts are the pamphlets of the 21st century. Low barrier to entry, low cost, easy access, high listenership.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 8:49 AM on May 2, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 8:49 AM on May 2, 2018 [44 favorites]
Was about to say...huh? Everyone has given up on print. Need a better argument.
posted by Melismata at 8:52 AM on May 2, 2018
posted by Melismata at 8:52 AM on May 2, 2018
Pence hails Joe Arpaio as a "tireless champion of the rule of law."
Aside from the fact that Arpaio is a piece of shit who has only ever been interested in laws as a way to screw his enemies, this is pretty dumb from an electoral standpoint. If the AZ Senate candidate is McSally, the GOP have a good shot at holding the seat. If it's Arpaio, they are very likely done for.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:54 AM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
Aside from the fact that Arpaio is a piece of shit who has only ever been interested in laws as a way to screw his enemies, this is pretty dumb from an electoral standpoint. If the AZ Senate candidate is McSally, the GOP have a good shot at holding the seat. If it's Arpaio, they are very likely done for.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:54 AM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
Pence hails Joe Arpaio as a "tireless champion of the rule of law."
To certain conservatives, "law and order" has a definite meaning, and it has nothing to do with justice.
posted by Gelatin at 8:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [74 favorites]
To certain conservatives, "law and order" has a definite meaning, and it has nothing to do with justice.
posted by Gelatin at 8:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [74 favorites]
"Rule of Law" in the mouths of white supremacists is another dogwhistle for violent repression of people of color, which was certainly Joe Arpaio's raison d'etre
posted by Existential Dread at 8:57 AM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
posted by Existential Dread at 8:57 AM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
Pence hails [convicted criminal] as a "tireless champion of the rule of law."
posted by jaduncan at 9:01 AM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 9:01 AM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
If we’re talking fire breathing podcasts I’m going to recommend this episode of Season Of The Bitch, the all lady left podcast with activist and scholar Jane McAlevey for really putting into historical context the labor struggles of today and providing has to combat it (hint, it’s the same stuff that worked 90yesrs ago, the sit down strike was created for a reason)
I have always maintained a strict no newspaper policy for the left although Democratic Left, The House organ of DSA, is getting s facelift and redesign (and may include some original cartoons by someone you all know and love hint it’s me)
posted by The Whelk at 9:01 AM on May 2, 2018 [40 favorites]
I have always maintained a strict no newspaper policy for the left although Democratic Left, The House organ of DSA, is getting s facelift and redesign (and may include some original cartoons by someone you all know and love hint it’s me)
posted by The Whelk at 9:01 AM on May 2, 2018 [40 favorites]
Fire-breathing leftist podcasts like Chapo Trap House, Discourse Collective, Delete Your Account, No Cartridge, The Dig, Feminist Killjoys, PhD, Street Fight... These are what's really hot in leftist media right now. Podcasts are the pamphlets of the 21st century. Low barrier to entry, low cost, easy access, high listenership.
This is a good point - there are podcasts for just about everything now (decluttering! astrology! cats!) - and a lot of people are getting their news from them, or from the Internet, now. TV and radio seem to be mostly for older people and/or rural people without good internet access. I get all my news from Vox.com, washingtonpost.com, etc., and only check TV news like CNN occasionally (or when it's inflicted on me like at the gym).
I think the kind of people who are more likely to watch TV all the time are now the kind of people likely to vote R and be susceptible to hate-filled propaganda like Fox in the first place. When I hear about people being brainwashed by Fox I hear that the TV is on as a constant background noise, not "this program is on and I want to watch it." Which is incomprehensible to me - I like my peace and quiet, and I like to pick and choose what I want to listen to when, so podcasts are ideal.
So I agree that the Dem base is just not the kind to be reached by a TV news propaganda arm. Fox news watchers are a TV audience in the first place.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:07 AM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
This is a good point - there are podcasts for just about everything now (decluttering! astrology! cats!) - and a lot of people are getting their news from them, or from the Internet, now. TV and radio seem to be mostly for older people and/or rural people without good internet access. I get all my news from Vox.com, washingtonpost.com, etc., and only check TV news like CNN occasionally (or when it's inflicted on me like at the gym).
I think the kind of people who are more likely to watch TV all the time are now the kind of people likely to vote R and be susceptible to hate-filled propaganda like Fox in the first place. When I hear about people being brainwashed by Fox I hear that the TV is on as a constant background noise, not "this program is on and I want to watch it." Which is incomprehensible to me - I like my peace and quiet, and I like to pick and choose what I want to listen to when, so podcasts are ideal.
So I agree that the Dem base is just not the kind to be reached by a TV news propaganda arm. Fox news watchers are a TV audience in the first place.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:07 AM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
TV is different from print is different from audio.
I do agree that podcasting is where it's at for new media for all the reasons already described but it's not a mass format yet. There's relatively low barrier for creators but a higher barrier for consumers. You have to have a smartphone. You have to have wifi or lots of data (I'm currently being throttled by my provider until tomorrow which means that unless I remember to download my podcasts before I leave home or my office, they aren't on the menu for me). You have to know what podcasts even are, which I assure you my parents do not. My husband has tried to set up his parents with some history podcasts and they just don't get the concept. The pull model of media is fundamentally different from the push model that everyone prior to Gen X grew up with. My parents canceled Netflix after the initial 3 months I gifted them because they couldn't figure out what to do with it. They want their TV to tell them what is on right now do you want to watch it y/n, they do not want their TV to be like "So, what do you feel like watching tonight?" And podcasts are sorta like that too. You have to already know what you want and then go get it.
There are eleven-billionty finely-segmented political podcasts out there. There are 3 national cable news channels, one of which is a 24-hour single-minded messaging megaphone for Fascists. Chapo just can't compete with that at this time.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
I do agree that podcasting is where it's at for new media for all the reasons already described but it's not a mass format yet. There's relatively low barrier for creators but a higher barrier for consumers. You have to have a smartphone. You have to have wifi or lots of data (I'm currently being throttled by my provider until tomorrow which means that unless I remember to download my podcasts before I leave home or my office, they aren't on the menu for me). You have to know what podcasts even are, which I assure you my parents do not. My husband has tried to set up his parents with some history podcasts and they just don't get the concept. The pull model of media is fundamentally different from the push model that everyone prior to Gen X grew up with. My parents canceled Netflix after the initial 3 months I gifted them because they couldn't figure out what to do with it. They want their TV to tell them what is on right now do you want to watch it y/n, they do not want their TV to be like "So, what do you feel like watching tonight?" And podcasts are sorta like that too. You have to already know what you want and then go get it.
There are eleven-billionty finely-segmented political podcasts out there. There are 3 national cable news channels, one of which is a 24-hour single-minded messaging megaphone for Fascists. Chapo just can't compete with that at this time.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
Remember that Trump started the whole health debate by claiming that Hillary had dementia, and meanwhile the guy is so out of shape he can't even walk for a couple blocks with other world leaders during one of his first international meetings, instead riding behind them in a golf cart.
posted by xammerboy at 9:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 9:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
I want to add, that the sites I like such as Vox all have writers who also do podcasts, so if I'm checking out a story, chances are I'll find a podcast as well. Liberal websites act as an open system (here's a podcast, for further reading check here, links to scholarly papers, etc.) but TV news like Fox is not going to refer its listeners to podcasts, let alone anything published in an actual academic journal. TV news functions as a closed system for a captive audience.
Liberals, by and large, are not the kind of captive audience that conservatives are. Nor are we driven by fear and ignorance. That's good (fear and ignorance are Very Bad Things) but that means we won't be as susceptible to propaganda nor will we crawl over broken glass to vote because of fear and hate.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Liberals, by and large, are not the kind of captive audience that conservatives are. Nor are we driven by fear and ignorance. That's good (fear and ignorance are Very Bad Things) but that means we won't be as susceptible to propaganda nor will we crawl over broken glass to vote because of fear and hate.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Someone should challenge Trump to jog...hell, let's just say 400 metres, without stopping, on live TV. Tell him Bill Clinton did it, so it should be a snap for history's healthiest President.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
...and then there's the Globe and the Enquirer - pamphlets you're almost forced to stare at while standing in line at the grocery store. I sometimes wonder, if someone took a copy when they started shopping and it wound up crumpled behind the soda bottles, would a store manager be likely to jeapordize a couple hundred bucks worth of food sales by getting upset at someone over that? It seems to me if this happened a lot, it wouldn't make sense to keep them on display.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:37 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:37 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
Dennis Miller hasd cancelled his joke on Kanyes advice.
posted by Artw at 9:43 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:43 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
The Daily 202: Trump's big gambit has paid off — at least for him. Michael Scherer, WaPo
THE BIG IDEA: When it comes to electoral politics, this is not normal long ago became the new normal. The latest transgression by the transgressor in chief just doesn’t seem to move the needle. (Send a bodyguard to raid a doctor’s office? Yawn.) Barring something major, like firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, it’s not clear the daily outrages have much more downside. And that’s good news for President Trump, who needs the upside of outrage to stay afloat.posted by ZeusHumms at 9:46 AM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
Though many who work in Washington are wary of saying it, Trump’s big gambit has so far paid off — at least for him. He broke onto the scene as a political punchline making an argument no one else dared: He would gain more from breaking political, democratic and social norms than he would lose. To put it another way, losers behave like elites. Winners speculate baselessly about President Barack Obama’s birth certificate.
...
... when Democratic strategists try to figure out how to go beyond those already driven to the streets by anger toward Trump, things quickly get complicated. Research by the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA has consistently pointed to the limits of targeting the spectacle of Trump. “I don’t think Stormy Daniels is going to produce one additional vote in almost any race that we run in 2018,” says Guy Cecil, who is overseeing the digital spending for the outside House and Senate Democratic groups this year. “We need to put a whole new set of issues in front of people.”
To highlight just how counterintuitive this can be for partisans, Cecil points to focus groups Priorities did with “Color of Change” in late 2017.
“Overusing Donald Trump with black millennials is not only not effective, it actually decreases their likelihood to turnout and vote,” he says. “For 70 percent of our black millennials in ad testing and online panels, the fact that Donald Trump won, that he was the reaction to the first black president, is a sign that the whole system is rigged against them, that in fact their vote doesn’t actually contain power.”
That means Democrats need to bring something new to the table.
Politico, Van Jackson, What Kim Jong Un Wants From Trump
What Kim wants is utterly at odds with decades of U.S. policy toward North Korea. Maybe that’s OK given the abysmal failure of that policy, which saw the Kim regime attain its dream of acquiring nuclear weapons while keeping its people in appalling conditions. America’s past positions are certainly not something Trump is beholden to. More disconcertingly though, there hasn’t been any meaningful public discussion about aspects of North Korea policy other than denuclearization, such as human rights protections or the long-term merits of the U.S. troop presence in South Korea. Without a serious public debate, Trump could saunter into a meeting with Kim and unwittingly trade away American interests that were long assumed to be important but simply never discussed. In return, because of what Kim’s goals are, Trump will inevitably not get the denuclearization he seeks, and it is unclear if something less or different is acceptable to the United States.posted by zachlipton at 9:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
How acceptable, for instance, is a peace treaty if North Korea makes only symbolic progress toward denuclearization? Is an arms control solution—which would leave North Korea the ability to strike regional targets but not U.S. territory—acceptable? Is American strategy in Asia—which necessitates a forward military presence in places like South Korea—more or less of a priority than achieving denuclearization? In short, what alternative futures in Korea most and least serve U.S. interests? There’s no sign that Trump has wrestled with these questions.
And even if Americans disagree about the answers to questions like these—and I suspect they do—the absence of any meaningful discussion about them makes it entirely likely that Trump and Kim reach a deal that’s good for each of them personally but not good for the United States. It’s plausible, for example, that Kim and Trump could agree to a peace treaty ending the Korean War and a commitment to rollback North Korea’s nuclear arsenal so that it no longer includes ICBMs but does allow Kim to retain some nukes. That would do significant damage to the credibility of U.S. alliances in the region, turning them into the depreciating asset—or increasing liability—that Trump always viewed them as anyway.
Fox News is a C&C (command and control) server for a human botnet of people who haven't applied the NoWhitePower patch.
The way you deal with C&C servers is to either block them from a network, or take them over. If George Soros was really the Leftist Lex Luthor he is made out to be, his priorities would be (a) bankrupt Rupert Murdoch, and leave him sobbing in a ditch (b) buy Fox News and pivot it to talking about actual middle class concerns, and the 70% of stuff most people approve of despite partisan leanings. People watching Fox are addicted to the 1-minute Hate of Others! but the Others don't have to be local immigrants, they could just as easily be Oligarchs and Foreign Meddlers.
posted by benzenedream at 9:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
The way you deal with C&C servers is to either block them from a network, or take them over. If George Soros was really the Leftist Lex Luthor he is made out to be, his priorities would be (a) bankrupt Rupert Murdoch, and leave him sobbing in a ditch (b) buy Fox News and pivot it to talking about actual middle class concerns, and the 70% of stuff most people approve of despite partisan leanings. People watching Fox are addicted to the 1-minute Hate of Others! but the Others don't have to be local immigrants, they could just as easily be Oligarchs and Foreign Meddlers.
posted by benzenedream at 9:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
From my experience, conservatives love podcasts as long as they're broadcast on AM radio stations.
posted by mcdoublewide at 9:53 AM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by mcdoublewide at 9:53 AM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
Mr. Flood’s hiring has not been made final, the people cautioned, noting Mr. Trump’s practice of reneging on personnel decisions after they are reported in the press.
Whoa cjelli you were right to bold the fact that it’s bonkers that people explicitly say “we can’t trust that the president won’t change his mind immediately on this” although one would think at that point the responsible thing for the reporter would be not to print it.
posted by winna at 9:55 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Whoa cjelli you were right to bold the fact that it’s bonkers that people explicitly say “we can’t trust that the president won’t change his mind immediately on this” although one would think at that point the responsible thing for the reporter would be not to print it.
posted by winna at 9:55 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
That means Democrats need to bring something new to the table.
What, like livable wages and accessible healthcare, maybe? Undoing racist policies? Maybe a federal jobs guarantee or legalization of marijuana and expansion of voting rights?
Democrats offer positive stuff all the time. The problem isn't a lack of "things to vote for rather than against." Rather, the challenge is in finding a way to overcome a media that doggedly refuses to pay attention to issues and new initiatives when they could instead focus all their cameras on a dumpster fire.
They didn't give Trump's empty podium endless screen time because Clinton lacked for policy proposals. This is a tired, bullshit argument made by pundits who don't want to be accountable for themselves.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:00 AM on May 2, 2018 [123 favorites]
What, like livable wages and accessible healthcare, maybe? Undoing racist policies? Maybe a federal jobs guarantee or legalization of marijuana and expansion of voting rights?
Democrats offer positive stuff all the time. The problem isn't a lack of "things to vote for rather than against." Rather, the challenge is in finding a way to overcome a media that doggedly refuses to pay attention to issues and new initiatives when they could instead focus all their cameras on a dumpster fire.
They didn't give Trump's empty podium endless screen time because Clinton lacked for policy proposals. This is a tired, bullshit argument made by pundits who don't want to be accountable for themselves.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:00 AM on May 2, 2018 [123 favorites]
From my experience, conservatives love podcasts as long as they're broadcast on AM radio stations.
Another example of "press button, receive propaganda". The woman who directed The Brainwashing of My Father says that his transformation into a right-wing crank came because he had a long commute and he just clicked the radio on and accepted whatever was coming through the speaker rather than putting the thought into, say, going to the library and getting audio books out, or figuring out what podcasts are, or any of the other alternatives that take time and consideration beyond just pushing the "on" button.
posted by soren_lorensen at 10:03 AM on May 2, 2018 [33 favorites]
That means Democrats need to bring something new to the table.
Republicans. Specifically GOP Congressional leadership. McConnell, Ryan, the lot. Trumpists hate em, Democrats hate em. What's not to love? A two prong messaging campaign; one prong keeps Dem voters engaged by focusing on Trump & the other prong sways Republicans by hammering away at GOP leadership which they already hate paired with already popular across the board Dem policies without emphasizing the Dem origin. We could do worse.
posted by scalefree at 10:09 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
Republicans. Specifically GOP Congressional leadership. McConnell, Ryan, the lot. Trumpists hate em, Democrats hate em. What's not to love? A two prong messaging campaign; one prong keeps Dem voters engaged by focusing on Trump & the other prong sways Republicans by hammering away at GOP leadership which they already hate paired with already popular across the board Dem policies without emphasizing the Dem origin. We could do worse.
posted by scalefree at 10:09 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
There's relatively low barrier for creators but a higher barrier for consumers. You have to have a smartphone.
I've listened to thousands of hours of podcasts, and never used my smartphone once for that purpose. Maybe this makes me crazy and/or impossibly backward, but I listen using my desktop computer and attached speakers, usually while I'm doing some other task, either online or off. Am I unusual in this regard?
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 10:10 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
I've listened to thousands of hours of podcasts, and never used my smartphone once for that purpose. Maybe this makes me crazy and/or impossibly backward, but I listen using my desktop computer and attached speakers, usually while I'm doing some other task, either online or off. Am I unusual in this regard?
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 10:10 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
That means Democrats need to bring something new to the table.
Something positive and concise to run towards would be good.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:12 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Something positive and concise to run towards would be good.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:12 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
As literally just mentioned: What, like livable wages and accessible healthcare, maybe? Undoing racist policies? Maybe a federal jobs guarantee or legalization of marijuana and expansion of voting rights?
posted by Chrysostom at 10:13 AM on May 2, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:13 AM on May 2, 2018 [36 favorites]
Dennis Miller hasd cancelled his joke on Kanyes advice
Man, talk about jokus interruptus.
Miller's quip abstention has produced more blue balls than a Spalding factory in Smurf Village, babe!
Comedy fans are walking around hunched over like Kubrick's prehistoric man with a bad case of sciatica.
It's so bad people are offering Carrot Top five bucks to finish them off in the alleyway, cha-cha!
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:16 AM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
Man, talk about jokus interruptus.
Miller's quip abstention has produced more blue balls than a Spalding factory in Smurf Village, babe!
Comedy fans are walking around hunched over like Kubrick's prehistoric man with a bad case of sciatica.
It's so bad people are offering Carrot Top five bucks to finish them off in the alleyway, cha-cha!
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:16 AM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
Yeah, the world of possibilities really breaks open when you take into account Chomsky's "The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum."
posted by rhizome at 10:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 10:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
Am I unusual in this regard?
Not to me, same here. Listening on my phone seems weird to me.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Not to me, same here. Listening on my phone seems weird to me.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
legalization of marijuana
So I know this will be on the ballot in some places and Medicaid expansion in others. When will we know a final list of ballot measures in the different states for November?
posted by C'est la D.C. at 10:18 AM on May 2, 2018
So I know this will be on the ballot in some places and Medicaid expansion in others. When will we know a final list of ballot measures in the different states for November?
posted by C'est la D.C. at 10:18 AM on May 2, 2018
scaryblackdeath: "What, like livable wages and accessible healthcare, maybe? Undoing racist policies? Maybe a federal jobs guarantee or legalization of marijuana and expansion of voting rights?"
It's worth noting that while these are broadly Democratic positions, not all of them are Democratic Party positions. It's a party with a big enough tent to accept forced-birth advocates and drug warriors. Democrats are obviously better, but these leftist positions aren't planks.
posted by TypographicalError at 10:19 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's worth noting that while these are broadly Democratic positions, not all of them are Democratic Party positions. It's a party with a big enough tent to accept forced-birth advocates and drug warriors. Democrats are obviously better, but these leftist positions aren't planks.
posted by TypographicalError at 10:19 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
That means Democrats need to bring something new to the table.
Honestly, 'the table' is the problem, at this point. Because 'the table' is controlled by the media. The ad-supported, increasingly-owned-by-wealthy-conservative-activist-investors media. Democrats don't need to come up with something new; they need to come up with a new way of being heard. Get angry. Flip the table.
(ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻
(admittedly, podcasts aren't gonna be the answer, and i don't know what will be, but 'hope that well-crafted policy is somehow shiny enough to distract, for once, a bunch of well-coiffed idiots who earn their bread and butter by maintaining their breathless 24h both-sides narrative' is an even longer shot than it was in 2016)
posted by halation at 10:19 AM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
Honestly, 'the table' is the problem, at this point. Because 'the table' is controlled by the media. The ad-supported, increasingly-owned-by-wealthy-conservative-activist-investors media. Democrats don't need to come up with something new; they need to come up with a new way of being heard. Get angry. Flip the table.
(ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻
(admittedly, podcasts aren't gonna be the answer, and i don't know what will be, but 'hope that well-crafted policy is somehow shiny enough to distract, for once, a bunch of well-coiffed idiots who earn their bread and butter by maintaining their breathless 24h both-sides narrative' is an even longer shot than it was in 2016)
posted by halation at 10:19 AM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
Red State: Does Socialism Have a Future in Texas? (Gus Bova, Texas Observer)
Ever since the record-breaking storm hit Houston, the local DSA chapter, which has around 300 members, has gone out nearly every weekend to perform free “muck and gut” operations for Houstonians in need. The group crowdfunded more than $125,000 for the work, donating a large chunk to an immigrant rights’ nonprofit and doling out assistance to families at $200 a pop — on top of buying tools and a 2001 Ford Ranger. The group has worked on more than 50 houses so far. ...posted by mcdoublewide at 10:25 AM on May 2, 2018 [47 favorites]
Unlike the tea party, which eventually faded at the grassroots level, DSA hopes to bolster the left over the course of years. DSA National Director Maria Svart said that while mutual aid can’t address America’s systemic problems, it can build social bonds within and beyond the organization. “What our groups are doing is putting down roots,” Svart said. “We’re providing a place where people can be together, recognize what’s happening and move to action together.”
Mutual aid can also be a tactic for reaching people otherwise scared off by the word “socialism,” argued Allie Cohn, a national leader from Knoxville, Tennessee. “There are certain areas of the country where you have to show people who you are, more than tell them,” she said.
>"What, like livable wages and accessible healthcare, maybe? Undoing racist policies? Maybe a federal jobs guarantee or legalization of marijuana and expansion of voting rights?"
>It's worth noting that while these are broadly Democratic positions, not all of them are Democratic Party positions.
Perhaps you should read the official Democratic Party Platform. You will see every one of those items above prominently displayed.
This is the sort of ignorance about the Democratic Party that leads to cynical apathy and Donald Trump.
posted by JackFlash at 10:26 AM on May 2, 2018 [97 favorites]
>It's worth noting that while these are broadly Democratic positions, not all of them are Democratic Party positions.
Perhaps you should read the official Democratic Party Platform. You will see every one of those items above prominently displayed.
This is the sort of ignorance about the Democratic Party that leads to cynical apathy and Donald Trump.
posted by JackFlash at 10:26 AM on May 2, 2018 [97 favorites]
Democrats are obviously better, but these leftist positions aren't planks.
False. The official 2016 Democratic Party Platform specifically included many of these items as planks. The DNC and the Clinton campaign had numerous policy documents and statements related to this platform, providing great detail in what and how their priorities were. The fact that people don't know that these were part of the official party platform is thanks to the utter failure of our news media, which opted to focus on the horse race and the Donald Trump Outrage Du Jour instead of substantive policy analysis. Democrats desperately tried to talk about their platform throughout the campaign, but no one wanted to listen.
posted by biogeo at 10:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [65 favorites]
False. The official 2016 Democratic Party Platform specifically included many of these items as planks. The DNC and the Clinton campaign had numerous policy documents and statements related to this platform, providing great detail in what and how their priorities were. The fact that people don't know that these were part of the official party platform is thanks to the utter failure of our news media, which opted to focus on the horse race and the Donald Trump Outrage Du Jour instead of substantive policy analysis. Democrats desperately tried to talk about their platform throughout the campaign, but no one wanted to listen.
posted by biogeo at 10:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [65 favorites]
Was going to make the same point as soren_lorensen and cjelli above re: audience and the difference between push and pull models of media consumption. You need to get your message in front of people, and most people are relatively passive consumers of news.
One surprising print success in the UK is the "freesheet" tabloid newspapers that are shoved into the hands of commuters as they get onto trains and buses: Metro, The London Evening Standard and City AM. These are all advertiser-supported, profitable businesses that tend pretty right-wing, like most of the rest of the UK media landscape. There's absolutely no reason why you couldn't produce a profitable centre-left, broadly pro-EU version. Just report the news in a few pages of cheap newsprint, stick in a few celeb stories, some sport, a sodoku, a crossword and some adverts, and do that without demonising immigrants or jobseekers or single mothers or trade unions. I can't believe it would be that hard, and if I were back in the UK I'd be giving it serious thought.
Also, I can't see anything preventing the model from working in urban centres in the US.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 10:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
One surprising print success in the UK is the "freesheet" tabloid newspapers that are shoved into the hands of commuters as they get onto trains and buses: Metro, The London Evening Standard and City AM. These are all advertiser-supported, profitable businesses that tend pretty right-wing, like most of the rest of the UK media landscape. There's absolutely no reason why you couldn't produce a profitable centre-left, broadly pro-EU version. Just report the news in a few pages of cheap newsprint, stick in a few celeb stories, some sport, a sodoku, a crossword and some adverts, and do that without demonising immigrants or jobseekers or single mothers or trade unions. I can't believe it would be that hard, and if I were back in the UK I'd be giving it serious thought.
Also, I can't see anything preventing the model from working in urban centres in the US.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 10:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Red State: Does Socialism Have a Future in Texas? has its own thread.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Ask Joe Manchin if he’s read the party platform. The official Democratic platform is a far cry from Democratic governance in practice, and that’s what people remember.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
Honestly, 'the table' is the problem, at this point. Because 'the table' is controlled by the media. The ad-supported, increasingly-owned-by-wealthy-conservative-activist-investors media. Democrats don't need to come up with something new; they need to come up with a new way of being heard. Get angry. Flip the table.
They need to rethink how they communicate to the American people.
They need better marketing, better branding, better advertising. They need to not rely so much on the media to get their points across and try to win hearts and minds. They need to run candidates who aren't bullshit artists, aren't corrupt garbage fires and who focus on Americans' basic needs for good education, job opportunities, health care, etc.
Most of all, they need simple, easy-to-understand messages, easy-to-fulfill promises and legislation. No political party has ever done that consistently. The individual politicians that do usually get elected. Outsiders who look in at the system and say, "This is what's wrong" get attacked by their own party. That needs to stop.
posted by zarq at 10:30 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
They need to rethink how they communicate to the American people.
They need better marketing, better branding, better advertising. They need to not rely so much on the media to get their points across and try to win hearts and minds. They need to run candidates who aren't bullshit artists, aren't corrupt garbage fires and who focus on Americans' basic needs for good education, job opportunities, health care, etc.
Most of all, they need simple, easy-to-understand messages, easy-to-fulfill promises and legislation. No political party has ever done that consistently. The individual politicians that do usually get elected. Outsiders who look in at the system and say, "This is what's wrong" get attacked by their own party. That needs to stop.
posted by zarq at 10:30 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Perhaps you should read the official Democratic Party Platform.
They need to run candidates who aren't bullshit artists, aren't corrupt garbage fires
I'd be happy if enough current Democratic representatives actually read it.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:32 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
They need to run candidates who aren't bullshit artists, aren't corrupt garbage fires
I'd be happy if enough current Democratic representatives actually read it.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:32 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
it's a small miracle that West Virginia has a Democratic senator at all. we're not getting a firebreathing lefty Democrat in that seat and it's bizarre to laser-focus on Manchin as emblematic of everything that's wrong with the party.
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:33 AM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:33 AM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
JackFlash: "This is the sort of ignorance about the Democratic Party that leads to cynical apathy and Donald Trump."
And this is the sort of amazing condescension that drives leftists away.
posted by TypographicalError at 10:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
And this is the sort of amazing condescension that drives leftists away.
posted by TypographicalError at 10:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
What, those goalposts? No, no, I meant the goalposts over there!
posted by biogeo at 10:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 10:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [22 favorites]
The Democratic party platform and policy positions on campaign websites are a fart in a tornado. Persuadable voters (and more importantly, occasional and non-voters) don't look them up and don't trust them to be serious statements of importance and intent when they are known. Relentlessly harping on one's goal and not being afraid to delegitimize opposition to it does better.
posted by The Gaffer at 10:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by The Gaffer at 10:34 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
Can we not take the seventy trillionth ride on the We Need All The D Legislators Humanly Possible, Even If They're Conservative vs. Lockstep Party Unity Is More Important Than Numbers merry-go-round?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:36 AM on May 2, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:36 AM on May 2, 2018 [41 favorites]
at some point, leftists need to recognize that voting in the most leftward electable candidate is in their best interests even if that candidate contains ideological impurities, rather than acting like shy woodland creatures who need to be gently coaxed into voting for the least loathsome candidate and ready to scatter into the undergrowth at the first sign of somebody on the internet snarking at them
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:38 AM on May 2, 2018 [55 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:38 AM on May 2, 2018 [55 favorites]
It’s not condescension to point out an obvious misstatement about a specific fact about the Democratic Party. It takes 2 seconds to google “Democratic Party platform” before typing out a post and making sure that what one is about to claim is actually accurate.
We already have one party that resists being informed. It’s totally okay to find out that you were wrong about something, and to change your position once you’ve found out the facts. What we definitely don’t need are people who continue to perpetuate incorrect information when the facts are there to be seen.
posted by Autumnheart at 10:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [51 favorites]
We already have one party that resists being informed. It’s totally okay to find out that you were wrong about something, and to change your position once you’ve found out the facts. What we definitely don’t need are people who continue to perpetuate incorrect information when the facts are there to be seen.
posted by Autumnheart at 10:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [51 favorites]
Remind me how many times we've gone back and forth about are-the-Democrats-and-specifically-Joe-Manchin-progressive-enough, is it five zillion or seven zillion
posted by saturday_morning at 10:44 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by saturday_morning at 10:44 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
That's neither accurate nor helpful, prize bull octorok. Many leftists do regularly turn out to vote for the less loathsome candidate in the general, and that's an insulting way to drop in your non sequitur.
posted by The Gaffer at 10:44 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by The Gaffer at 10:44 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
The Democratic party platform and policy positions on campaign websites are a fart in a tornado.
There are in fact two different (if related) issues being hashed out here, and your objection is to one answer not suiting for the other question. One thing people have said is that "The Democrats don't stand for anything motivating", and these particular planks in the platform give the lie to that objection. People have been saying this specifically about the party's position, so pointing at the party platform is a pretty reasonable response to this allegation.
The other issue, and the one you'd like to engage with, is "How can Democrats communicate all the good things they stand for?" That's well worth doing, but it's not a question the platform itself was designed to answer. It is frustrating how little the mainstream media focuses on Democratic policy positions, but that's something to be worked around on a messaging level. We have all these good ideas, and how can we share them effectively with people? Most people resist engagement with politics (or anything else, he says while cynically grading exams in which students whom he's been projecting enthusiasm at for months devote mere minimum attention to interesting concepts), and tend not to care about them unless you personalize it. This is harder than it looks, and I'm willing to believe some candidates and organizations are trying.
posted by jackbishop at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
There are in fact two different (if related) issues being hashed out here, and your objection is to one answer not suiting for the other question. One thing people have said is that "The Democrats don't stand for anything motivating", and these particular planks in the platform give the lie to that objection. People have been saying this specifically about the party's position, so pointing at the party platform is a pretty reasonable response to this allegation.
The other issue, and the one you'd like to engage with, is "How can Democrats communicate all the good things they stand for?" That's well worth doing, but it's not a question the platform itself was designed to answer. It is frustrating how little the mainstream media focuses on Democratic policy positions, but that's something to be worked around on a messaging level. We have all these good ideas, and how can we share them effectively with people? Most people resist engagement with politics (or anything else, he says while cynically grading exams in which students whom he's been projecting enthusiasm at for months devote mere minimum attention to interesting concepts), and tend not to care about them unless you personalize it. This is harder than it looks, and I'm willing to believe some candidates and organizations are trying.
posted by jackbishop at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
Hi everyone i set up a new thread here where we can talk about "That One Democrat: Left Enough?" to our hearts content please enjoy enjoy!
posted by Tevin at 10:47 AM on May 2, 2018 [77 favorites]
posted by Tevin at 10:47 AM on May 2, 2018 [77 favorites]
the outliers aren't worth paying much attention to.
They are when the margin in the Senate is extremely close, as it is now. Those outliers represent votes for Republican cabinet nominees and legislation that would not have gone through if the Democrat sitting in their seat were more in lock-step with their party. For example, Manchin voted for Scott Pruitt.
We shouldn't point to him as representative of the Democratic party, I agree. But we can't just ignore what he's done.
posted by zarq at 10:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
They are when the margin in the Senate is extremely close, as it is now. Those outliers represent votes for Republican cabinet nominees and legislation that would not have gone through if the Democrat sitting in their seat were more in lock-step with their party. For example, Manchin voted for Scott Pruitt.
We shouldn't point to him as representative of the Democratic party, I agree. But we can't just ignore what he's done.
posted by zarq at 10:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
We have non-mainstream media at our fingertips, though. What if everyone reading this who has a Facebook and/or Twitter account posted a link to the Democratic Party platform page? That’d probably hit a ton of eyeballs right off the bat.
posted by Autumnheart at 10:49 AM on May 2, 2018
posted by Autumnheart at 10:49 AM on May 2, 2018
@RealAlexJones: Tune in to today's broadcast for an Infowars exclusive featuring @KanyeWest & @RealCandaceO‼️
All this is really undermining Ye's chances in the primary
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
All this is really undermining Ye's chances in the primary
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
Will Sommer [via Twitter]: Pretty sure this is just Infowars duping us — remind when they claimed to have the Nunes memo, then it turned out to be a years-old, public file? — but hard to rule out anything these days.
There we go: Alex Jones says Candace Owens will be on Infowars talking about Kanye, but doesn't say Kanye himself will appear.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:00 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
There we go: Alex Jones says Candace Owens will be on Infowars talking about Kanye, but doesn't say Kanye himself will appear.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:00 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
There are in fact two different (if related) issues being hashed out here, and your objection is to one answer not suiting for the other question. One thing people have said is that "The Democrats don't stand for anything motivating", and these particular planks in the platform give the lie to that objection. People have been saying this specifically about the party's position, so pointing at the party platform is a pretty reasonable response to this allegation.
Well, no. The platform is a statement about the party's positions, but it's a hell of a lot more progressive than what actual elected democrats seem to work on and what leadership prioritizes.
For example: "Democrats believe your zip code or census tract should not be a predictor of your health, which is why we will make health equity a central part of our commitment to revitalizing communities left behind."
That's some strong stuff! Can we say there's a good faith effort towards that, given that anything even in that arena would involve stepping on medical insurer's toes but hard?
"America’s economic inequality problem is even more pronounced when it comes to racial and ethnic disparities in wealth and income. It is unacceptable that the median wealth for African Americans and Latino Americans is roughly one-tenth that of white Americans . . . Democrats believe it is long past time to close this racial wealth gap."
Holy shit! That's some real reform right there. Would any reasonable observer characterize elected Democrats, as a group, as earnestly trying to do that?
"Democrats believe that no bank can be too big to fail and no executive too powerful to jail."
How's this one going?
The other issue, and the one you'd like to engage with, is "How can Democrats communicate all the good things they stand for?" That's well worth doing, but it's not a question the platform itself was designed to answer. It is frustrating how little the mainstream media focuses on Democratic policy positions, but that's something to be worked around on a messaging level. We have all these good ideas, and how can we share them effectively with people? Most people resist engagement with politics (or anything else, he says while cynically grading exams in which students whom he's been projecting enthusiasm at for months devote mere minimum attention to interesting concepts), and tend not to care about them unless you personalize it. This is harder than it looks, and I'm willing to believe some candidates and organizations are trying.
You're eliding the gap between this aspirational, inside-baseball policy document and what Democratic politicians as a group work towards.
posted by The Gaffer at 11:02 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
Well, no. The platform is a statement about the party's positions, but it's a hell of a lot more progressive than what actual elected democrats seem to work on and what leadership prioritizes.
For example: "Democrats believe your zip code or census tract should not be a predictor of your health, which is why we will make health equity a central part of our commitment to revitalizing communities left behind."
That's some strong stuff! Can we say there's a good faith effort towards that, given that anything even in that arena would involve stepping on medical insurer's toes but hard?
"America’s economic inequality problem is even more pronounced when it comes to racial and ethnic disparities in wealth and income. It is unacceptable that the median wealth for African Americans and Latino Americans is roughly one-tenth that of white Americans . . . Democrats believe it is long past time to close this racial wealth gap."
Holy shit! That's some real reform right there. Would any reasonable observer characterize elected Democrats, as a group, as earnestly trying to do that?
"Democrats believe that no bank can be too big to fail and no executive too powerful to jail."
How's this one going?
The other issue, and the one you'd like to engage with, is "How can Democrats communicate all the good things they stand for?" That's well worth doing, but it's not a question the platform itself was designed to answer. It is frustrating how little the mainstream media focuses on Democratic policy positions, but that's something to be worked around on a messaging level. We have all these good ideas, and how can we share them effectively with people? Most people resist engagement with politics (or anything else, he says while cynically grading exams in which students whom he's been projecting enthusiasm at for months devote mere minimum attention to interesting concepts), and tend not to care about them unless you personalize it. This is harder than it looks, and I'm willing to believe some candidates and organizations are trying.
You're eliding the gap between this aspirational, inside-baseball policy document and what Democratic politicians as a group work towards.
posted by The Gaffer at 11:02 AM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
Cambridge Analytica has shut down all its US offices, for pretty obvious reasons. Zuckerberg has not received a formal summons to come and explain himself over the CA mess, but he might.
I'm not sure there's reason to invest much hope in Facebook or other social media as a media alternative for Democrats, though. Facebook (and social media generally) are terrible platforms for journalism. "As any journalist can tell you, the best answer to the question “what happened?” is not why don’t you ask a bunch of your friends what they think, organize their views along a spectrum, and then decide where to plant yourself." And with no gatekeeping, pages and links that purport to be run by Democrats or to inform voters about Democratic stances on policy could easily be faked, either maliciously or for lulz, by state actors or random trolls. We saw it happen in 2016 and it continues to happen now.
posted by halation at 11:02 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm not sure there's reason to invest much hope in Facebook or other social media as a media alternative for Democrats, though. Facebook (and social media generally) are terrible platforms for journalism. "As any journalist can tell you, the best answer to the question “what happened?” is not why don’t you ask a bunch of your friends what they think, organize their views along a spectrum, and then decide where to plant yourself." And with no gatekeeping, pages and links that purport to be run by Democrats or to inform voters about Democratic stances on policy could easily be faked, either maliciously or for lulz, by state actors or random trolls. We saw it happen in 2016 and it continues to happen now.
posted by halation at 11:02 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
CNN had another report, clearly from White House/Trump Org sources, that said Bornstein got all flustered and couldn't get his photocopier to work and ended up handing the original records to Schiller. And I can certainly believe that Dr. Bornstein is the type of person to have an inoperative photocopier.
posted by zachlipton at 5:45 PM on May 1
I can easily see Dr. Bornstein getting flustered however in the NBC News report linked above, the photocopier was in use that morning.:
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:03 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 5:45 PM on May 1
I can easily see Dr. Bornstein getting flustered however in the NBC News report linked above, the photocopier was in use that morning.:
Another man, Trump Organization chief legal officer Alan Garten, joined Schiller's team at Bornstein's office, and Bornstein's wife, Melissa, photocopied his business card.I would really like to see the NY Bar Association looking in to this. Trump's lawyer seems to have behaved very unethically and probably broke at least one law.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:03 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
And this is the sort of amazing condescension that drives leftists away.
I don't think I can really respond to this directly in a productive way, so I'll just note that this instantly sent my blood pressure through the roof, and judging from prize bull octorok's and Autumnheart's responses, I suspect I'm not the only one. If I really believed you that pointing out a basic fact, with a citation, along with a fairly benign observation of its consequence, was something that "leftists" would see as "amazing condescension," sufficient to drive them away from engaging in the political process, I would write them off instantly as a lost cause. Fortunately I don't believe that; plenty of leftists here on MetaFilter who engage regularly in the US Politics thread keep us apprised of their own and others' productive, pragmatic engagement with the political process to change it and shape the Democratic party to their own vision of it. (I'm thinking in particular of The Whelk's regular "Loony Left Updates".) But I had to take several deep breaths and remind myself of that fact after reading this.
posted by biogeo at 11:08 AM on May 2, 2018 [43 favorites]
I don't think I can really respond to this directly in a productive way, so I'll just note that this instantly sent my blood pressure through the roof, and judging from prize bull octorok's and Autumnheart's responses, I suspect I'm not the only one. If I really believed you that pointing out a basic fact, with a citation, along with a fairly benign observation of its consequence, was something that "leftists" would see as "amazing condescension," sufficient to drive them away from engaging in the political process, I would write them off instantly as a lost cause. Fortunately I don't believe that; plenty of leftists here on MetaFilter who engage regularly in the US Politics thread keep us apprised of their own and others' productive, pragmatic engagement with the political process to change it and shape the Democratic party to their own vision of it. (I'm thinking in particular of The Whelk's regular "Loony Left Updates".) But I had to take several deep breaths and remind myself of that fact after reading this.
posted by biogeo at 11:08 AM on May 2, 2018 [43 favorites]
John Dingell, 91-year-old former US Congressman [via Twitter]:
I’ve now lived through two completely unrelated Ty Cobb retirements. The latter was infinitely more hilarious than the former. Nice mustache, pal.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:11 AM on May 2, 2018 [61 favorites]
I’ve now lived through two completely unrelated Ty Cobb retirements. The latter was infinitely more hilarious than the former. Nice mustache, pal.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:11 AM on May 2, 2018 [61 favorites]
I would really like to see the NY Bar Association looking in to this. Trump's lawyer seems to have behaved very unethically and probably broke at least one law.
I just learned that complaints to the NY Education Department about licensed physicians needs to be sent in by mail on a 4 page form. I am now printing this form, but probably won't get it out in the mail until tomorrow. I think the public record bears out: Practicing with negligence, Practicing with incompetence, and/or Failing to maintain patient records for six years.
At least they'll have the opportunity to investigate.
posted by mikelieman at 11:13 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
I just learned that complaints to the NY Education Department about licensed physicians needs to be sent in by mail on a 4 page form. I am now printing this form, but probably won't get it out in the mail until tomorrow. I think the public record bears out: Practicing with negligence, Practicing with incompetence, and/or Failing to maintain patient records for six years.
At least they'll have the opportunity to investigate.
posted by mikelieman at 11:13 AM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
NY GOV
link to tweet from Harry Enten, with a screenshot of a QU poll: Cuomo's lead cut in half... As Nixon down now only 22 (was in the 40s).
posted by mikepop at 11:18 AM on May 2, 2018 [25 favorites]
link to tweet from Harry Enten, with a screenshot of a QU poll: Cuomo's lead cut in half... As Nixon down now only 22 (was in the 40s).
posted by mikepop at 11:18 AM on May 2, 2018 [25 favorites]
Nathan Peterman started a game for an NFL playoff team, by choice (not by injury).
Nathan Peterman played terribly.
Ergo, we can cite Nathan Peterman to illustrate that NFL quarterbacks are terrible, and playoff teams just shouldn’t even bother to throw the ball.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:27 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Nathan Peterman played terribly.
Ergo, we can cite Nathan Peterman to illustrate that NFL quarterbacks are terrible, and playoff teams just shouldn’t even bother to throw the ball.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:27 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
NY GOV
link to tweet from Harry Enten, with a screenshot of a QU poll: Cuomo's lead cut in half... As Nixon down now only 22 (was in the 40s).
It seems worth pointing out that among Dems who answered the three-way governor question which included a R the split was 64/24/1 Cuomo/Nixon/Molinaro with 11% "Don't Know"
This 40% deficit among Dems seems more important for the outcome of the primary than he much closer three way race . . . I don't think ive read anything reliable suggesting she would stay in if she lost the Dem nomination - the WFP party line would theoretically allow her on the ballot but it would also mean (and may already mean) the functional death of the WFP going forward.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
link to tweet from Harry Enten, with a screenshot of a QU poll: Cuomo's lead cut in half... As Nixon down now only 22 (was in the 40s).
It seems worth pointing out that among Dems who answered the three-way governor question which included a R the split was 64/24/1 Cuomo/Nixon/Molinaro with 11% "Don't Know"
This 40% deficit among Dems seems more important for the outcome of the primary than he much closer three way race . . . I don't think ive read anything reliable suggesting she would stay in if she lost the Dem nomination - the WFP party line would theoretically allow her on the ballot but it would also mean (and may already mean) the functional death of the WFP going forward.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:28 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
John Dingell quoted by Atom Eyes: I’ve now lived through two completely unrelated Ty Cobb retirements. The latter was infinitely more hilarious than the former. Nice mustache, pal.
Assuming this was his intended joke (rather than a reference to some other retirement by the mustached lawyer): John Dingell Jr was indeed alive (at several months old) when the baseball-playing, more famous, also-racist Ty Cobb announced his retirement.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Assuming this was his intended joke (rather than a reference to some other retirement by the mustached lawyer): John Dingell Jr was indeed alive (at several months old) when the baseball-playing, more famous, also-racist Ty Cobb announced his retirement.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:29 AM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
In small good news, I wrote 100 postcards last fall for Djuna Osborne, who was running for VA State Assembly. She lost that race, but turned right around and yesterday won a seat on the Roanoke City Council. I'll take a tiny victory.
posted by lauranesson at 11:32 AM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
posted by lauranesson at 11:32 AM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
Shouldn't, like, Ukraine be kind of pissed off at the Russians? I be confused.
posted by Melismata at 11:39 AM on May 2, 2018
posted by Melismata at 11:39 AM on May 2, 2018
Afternoon Stories for Wed May 2nd (C-SPAN links)
The Statement (2018)
Scurrilous Southern Lawyer speaks to the country. Is this business as usual or will there be a surprise? PG. Jeff Sessions
The Educators Reception (2018) 4:30pm EST
Demagogue talks to pedagogues. TV-MA. Donald Trump.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:40 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
The Statement (2018)
Scurrilous Southern Lawyer speaks to the country. Is this business as usual or will there be a surprise? PG. Jeff Sessions
The Educators Reception (2018) 4:30pm EST
Demagogue talks to pedagogues. TV-MA. Donald Trump.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:40 AM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Do parties tend to do platforms in midterm years? My understanding is that they do them at the national conventions (having written them ahead of time) and then ignore for 4 years.
I remember the unofficial “Contract with America” from 1994, but I also remember it was an outlier.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
I remember the unofficial “Contract with America” from 1994, but I also remember it was an outlier.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:41 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Imagine Hillary had sex with a porn star when Chelsea was a baby and paid him hush money during her campaign and then the porn star sued Hillary and then Sean Hannity’s head finally exploded. (McSweeney's, obviously)
posted by hydropsyche at 11:46 AM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 11:46 AM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
Melismata: Shouldn't, like, Ukraine be kind of pissed off at the Russians? I be confused.
Sure, but they're not about to jeopardize (what they see as) their own interests for the sake of either a grudge or justice in general. They want those American missiles (I assume because of fear of Russia more than anything), and they believe that means not displeasing the Trump people (by not working with the Mueller people).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
Sure, but they're not about to jeopardize (what they see as) their own interests for the sake of either a grudge or justice in general. They want those American missiles (I assume because of fear of Russia more than anything), and they believe that means not displeasing the Trump people (by not working with the Mueller people).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:48 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
I remember the unofficial “Contract with America” from 1994, but I also remember it was an outlier.
It's worth noting that while the effect of the so-called "Contract With America" on the election is disputed, Republicans did pass a number of its provisions, few of them good.
We should also remember that it doesn't matter a pile of fetid dingo's kidneys what legislation the Democrats promise to pass; with Trump holding the veto pen, the Democrats won't be able to implement their agenda unless Trump agrees.
Except, of course, investigating the corruption and treason he, much of his Cabinet, and many other Republicans embody.
posted by Gelatin at 11:49 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's worth noting that while the effect of the so-called "Contract With America" on the election is disputed, Republicans did pass a number of its provisions, few of them good.
We should also remember that it doesn't matter a pile of fetid dingo's kidneys what legislation the Democrats promise to pass; with Trump holding the veto pen, the Democrats won't be able to implement their agenda unless Trump agrees.
Except, of course, investigating the corruption and treason he, much of his Cabinet, and many other Republicans embody.
posted by Gelatin at 11:49 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Cambridge Analytica and SCL are shutting down all operations.
This seems highly suspicious for a Blackwater/Xi situation. Or moving operations to a nonextradition country. Like Russia.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
This seems highly suspicious for a Blackwater/Xi situation. Or moving operations to a nonextradition country. Like Russia.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
I usually call it "Contract On America."
posted by kirkaracha at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [13 favorites]
Do parties tend to do platforms in midterm years?
They aren't all big stuffy things like official platforms, but yes indeed, the parties do roll out policy plans and statements for the midterms.
Back in 2006 the Democrats plumped theirs as a "New Direction for America," with fun stuff like a boost to the minumum wage, making college tuition tax deductible, and eliminating subsidies to oil and gas companies. Good times!
posted by notyou at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
They aren't all big stuffy things like official platforms, but yes indeed, the parties do roll out policy plans and statements for the midterms.
Back in 2006 the Democrats plumped theirs as a "New Direction for America," with fun stuff like a boost to the minumum wage, making college tuition tax deductible, and eliminating subsidies to oil and gas companies. Good times!
posted by notyou at 11:51 AM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
Melismata Shouldn't, like, Ukraine be kind of pissed off at the Russians? I be confused.
I think the answer is that they are pissed at the Russians, but believe that keeping on America's good side (which due to the truly awful and wrong unchecked powers the President has means keeping on Trump's good side) is critical to their national interest.
And right now the quickest way to get on Trump's shit list is to cooperate with Mueller. By publicly thumbing their noses at Mueller (ideally they'd get it mentioned on Fox & Friends that they have) they hope to stay in Trump's good graces and keep the US holding at least some vague line against further Russian aggression against them.
I don't like it because I want to see Trump hit with all the shit Mueller can hit him with, but I think it's a rational decision on Ukraine's part.
Naturally telling Mueller to fuck off doesn't guarantee that Trump will have Ukraine's back, I doubt the government of Ukraine is foolish enough to believe that Trump can be trusted. But it does mean that Trump is less likely to phone up Putin and say 'hey, wanna fuck over Ukraine with me?'
Given that the US government, thanks again to the incredibly foolhardy and negligent decision to put so much decision making power in any single person's hands, is now proven to be utterly faithless and untrustworthy when it comes to any formal treaties or agreements, the only real hope any nation has for getting US protection is toadying up to Trump.
In a few days Trump will exit the Iran deal, breaking faith again on a bargain the US made and others foolishly thought would be kept. Why? Because Iran won't toady to him. If they'd lavished Trump with praise, feted his sons, offered special deals for Trump Tower Tehran, then Trump would be Iran's best friend right now. Ukrainian leadership knows this, so they toady.
Same with Moon. It's revolting to see, but shamelessly laying unearned and ludicrous praise on Trump is his only hope for the US not to ratfuck his deal with the DPRK. If there were any investigtions helpful to Mueller going on in Korea I'll guarantee you that Moon would have halted them long ago. He figured out very early that Trump's Huttlike demand for false praise is the key to having a chance of being on his good side.
posted by sotonohito at 11:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
I think the answer is that they are pissed at the Russians, but believe that keeping on America's good side (which due to the truly awful and wrong unchecked powers the President has means keeping on Trump's good side) is critical to their national interest.
And right now the quickest way to get on Trump's shit list is to cooperate with Mueller. By publicly thumbing their noses at Mueller (ideally they'd get it mentioned on Fox & Friends that they have) they hope to stay in Trump's good graces and keep the US holding at least some vague line against further Russian aggression against them.
I don't like it because I want to see Trump hit with all the shit Mueller can hit him with, but I think it's a rational decision on Ukraine's part.
Naturally telling Mueller to fuck off doesn't guarantee that Trump will have Ukraine's back, I doubt the government of Ukraine is foolish enough to believe that Trump can be trusted. But it does mean that Trump is less likely to phone up Putin and say 'hey, wanna fuck over Ukraine with me?'
Given that the US government, thanks again to the incredibly foolhardy and negligent decision to put so much decision making power in any single person's hands, is now proven to be utterly faithless and untrustworthy when it comes to any formal treaties or agreements, the only real hope any nation has for getting US protection is toadying up to Trump.
In a few days Trump will exit the Iran deal, breaking faith again on a bargain the US made and others foolishly thought would be kept. Why? Because Iran won't toady to him. If they'd lavished Trump with praise, feted his sons, offered special deals for Trump Tower Tehran, then Trump would be Iran's best friend right now. Ukrainian leadership knows this, so they toady.
Same with Moon. It's revolting to see, but shamelessly laying unearned and ludicrous praise on Trump is his only hope for the US not to ratfuck his deal with the DPRK. If there were any investigtions helpful to Mueller going on in Korea I'll guarantee you that Moon would have halted them long ago. He figured out very early that Trump's Huttlike demand for false praise is the key to having a chance of being on his good side.
posted by sotonohito at 11:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Shouldn't, like, Ukraine be kind of pissed off at the Russians? I be confused.
Yes but they depend on American hardware to fight their battles with them. Trump's extorting their silence to Mueller by threatening to withhold that hardware, anti-tank missiles. It's a powerful motivator & powerfully corrupt. Which shines a spotlight on this question Mueller wanted to ask of Trump:
posted by scalefree at 11:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yes but they depend on American hardware to fight their battles with them. Trump's extorting their silence to Mueller by threatening to withhold that hardware, anti-tank missiles. It's a powerful motivator & powerfully corrupt. Which shines a spotlight on this question Mueller wanted to ask of Trump:
“What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?”Given this new information it opens up a new line of questioning about how Trump notified Ukraine of the extortion & also makes us wonder what Mueller may already know from intercepts.
posted by scalefree at 11:56 AM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
This seems highly suspicious for a Blackwater/Xi situation.
The CamAn rogues' gallery are setting up a new company, Emerdata.
posted by skymt at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
The CamAn rogues' gallery are setting up a new company, Emerdata.
posted by skymt at 11:57 AM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
against the Russia witch hunt
For everybody who thought Michelle Wolf went too far.
posted by rhizome at 12:00 PM on May 2, 2018 [91 favorites]
For everybody who thought Michelle Wolf went too far.
posted by rhizome at 12:00 PM on May 2, 2018 [91 favorites]
Ty Cobb released a statement claiming "The bulk of the work was done. It’s easier for me to leave now" (because they've produced documents and WH staff have been interviewed). The statement also discusses the "real sacrifice" Cobb has made: "I have postponed many orthopedic procedures and basically been living in an attic."
I hope his orthopedist isn't Dr. Bornstein.
posted by zachlipton at 12:07 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
I hope his orthopedist isn't Dr. Bornstein.
posted by zachlipton at 12:07 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
I was discussing the Bornstein story this morning with my husband. Aside from the actual charge of burglary, there doesn't seem to be anything illegal about what Trump did when he supplied false information on his health to the American electorate. My husband argued that it was caveat emptor and the voters should have judged the document as the joke that it was because of the wording. I'm not convinced. It feels like fraud to me. It was not Trump on stage merely being his boastful self but a faked document that was masquerading as an official health report. This would be no different from Trump releasing a doctored tax return or a bank statement that was a complete fabrication.
Where is the line during an election? Should we be mistrustful of everything candidates say, every document they release? Is there anyway of holding candidates accountable to their words? If I buy something that is falsely advertised, I can return it or I can bring a lawsuit but what about my vote? If the candidate falsely advertises their positions, their health, or their background and I give them my vote, why is there no recourse when I have been cheated?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
Where is the line during an election? Should we be mistrustful of everything candidates say, every document they release? Is there anyway of holding candidates accountable to their words? If I buy something that is falsely advertised, I can return it or I can bring a lawsuit but what about my vote? If the candidate falsely advertises their positions, their health, or their background and I give them my vote, why is there no recourse when I have been cheated?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 12:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
For everybody who thought Michelle Wolf went too far.
[...]
That's the silence of the elite Washington Press Corps stenographers in response to SHS's typically dishonest and contemptuous statement, proving that Wolf was right on target.
posted by Gelatin at 12:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [47 favorites]
[...]
That's the silence of the elite Washington Press Corps stenographers in response to SHS's typically dishonest and contemptuous statement, proving that Wolf was right on target.
posted by Gelatin at 12:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [47 favorites]
Sarah Sanders isn't in that position to lie convincingly.
She's up on that podium to say "Fuck you" in every non-profane way she can, every day. It's not about deception. It's about undisguised contempt, and that's exactly why Trump wants her there.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:10 PM on May 2, 2018 [101 favorites]
She's up on that podium to say "Fuck you" in every non-profane way she can, every day. It's not about deception. It's about undisguised contempt, and that's exactly why Trump wants her there.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:10 PM on May 2, 2018 [101 favorites]
This seems highly suspicious for a Blackwater/Xi situation.
The CamAn rogues' gallery are setting up a new company, Emerdata.
Incredible. With the BK, is it possible they could walk away from any residual financial responsibility to staff, vendors, and other creditors, as well?
posted by notyou at 12:11 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
The CamAn rogues' gallery are setting up a new company, Emerdata.
Incredible. With the BK, is it possible they could walk away from any residual financial responsibility to staff, vendors, and other creditors, as well?
posted by notyou at 12:11 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Where is the line during an election?
There are no lines anymore. If there ever were any.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:12 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
There are no lines anymore. If there ever were any.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:12 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's like the Salem Witch Trials if the defendants had voluntarily pleaded guilty to conspiracy and breaching the Foreign Agents Registration Act
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:14 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:14 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
The World Famous: "Since the news media is not really supposed to be the PR arm of any particular political party or candidate, I'd be a lot more comfortable with blaming the DNC's failure to make people aware of its platform on the DNC and its Presidential candidate."
I'm not. She talked about this stuff in every speech. The news media was more interested in emails and showing an empty Trump podium.
The media should not be an arm of any party. It should, however, be interested in presenting the positions that a party is advocating. It manifestly failed to do so.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:15 PM on May 2, 2018 [68 favorites]
I'm not. She talked about this stuff in every speech. The news media was more interested in emails and showing an empty Trump podium.
The media should not be an arm of any party. It should, however, be interested in presenting the positions that a party is advocating. It manifestly failed to do so.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:15 PM on May 2, 2018 [68 favorites]
It's not a witch hunt if there are actual witches.
I think i read that on a politics thread on the Blue, but it was dozens of Scaramuccis ago
posted by Mayor West at 12:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
I think i read that on a politics thread on the Blue, but it was dozens of Scaramuccis ago
posted by Mayor West at 12:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
If the candidate falsely advertises their positions, their health, or their background and I give them my vote, why is there no recourse when I have been cheated?
Did you vote for Trump? I think anyone with standing to bring an actual suit would have their case dismissed on the grounds that libs were triggered and therefore they got exactly what they wanted.
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Did you vote for Trump? I think anyone with standing to bring an actual suit would have their case dismissed on the grounds that libs were triggered and therefore they got exactly what they wanted.
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
lauranesson: "In small good news, I wrote 100 postcards last fall for Djuna Osborne, who was running for VA State Assembly. She lost that race, but turned right around and yesterday won a seat on the Roanoke City Council. I'll take a tiny victory."
Thanks for pointing this out! Democrats retook control of Roanoke City Council.
(pedantry: Virginia's lower house is called the House of Delegates)
posted by Chrysostom at 12:18 PM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Thanks for pointing this out! Democrats retook control of Roanoke City Council.
(pedantry: Virginia's lower house is called the House of Delegates)
posted by Chrysostom at 12:18 PM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
mikepop: "NY GOV
link to tweet from Harry Enten, with a screenshot of a QU poll: Cuomo's lead cut in half... As Nixon down now only 22 (was in the 40s)."
Here's the actual poll, Cuomo up 50-28.
Pretty much what I would expect so far - Cuomo is not beloved, and Nixon has been expanding her name recognition, so the gap is narrowing. The real question is if she can take it to the next level. You might remember Zephyr Teachout did unexpectedly well, but still lost to Cuomo 63-33 in the 2014 Dem primary. Primary is Sept 13, so Nixon still has some time, but she's got a ways to go.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
link to tweet from Harry Enten, with a screenshot of a QU poll: Cuomo's lead cut in half... As Nixon down now only 22 (was in the 40s)."
Here's the actual poll, Cuomo up 50-28.
Pretty much what I would expect so far - Cuomo is not beloved, and Nixon has been expanding her name recognition, so the gap is narrowing. The real question is if she can take it to the next level. You might remember Zephyr Teachout did unexpectedly well, but still lost to Cuomo 63-33 in the 2014 Dem primary. Primary is Sept 13, so Nixon still has some time, but she's got a ways to go.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Ooh, thanks for the correction, Chrysostom. I promise I wrote it right on the postcards.
posted by lauranesson at 12:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by lauranesson at 12:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Kevin Drum nails it: Just another day at the office for the fuckwit-in-chief.
...What is now known to the general public is that Israel had succeeded in placing a listening device in an ISIS safe house deep in Syria, at great risk, and was listening in on everything ISIS was planning from that location. Trump revealed this intelligence to Kislyak and Lavarov during that infamous Oval Office meeting in which he also bragged about firing James Comey the day before. His revelation essentially blew the intelligence operation; the listening device the Israelis had placed went dead shortly after.posted by y2karl at 12:25 PM on May 2, 2018 [92 favorites]
Axios, Exclusive: Facebook commits to civil rights audit, political bias review
Foreign Affairs, The Pentagon's Transparency Problem:
posted by zachlipton at 12:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
The conservative bias advising partnership will be led by former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, along with his team at Covington and Burling, a Washington law firm.Ted Cruz stirred up this crap a couple years ago, and Facebook has been running so scared ever since. And no matter what this "audit" turns up, the bad faith complaints about liberal bias will continue. See also "the War on Christmas": facts have never once slowed down the right-wing "we're being persecuted" complex. I'm kind of figuring Facebook has to know something about their engagement metrics by political orientation that have them terrified here.
Kyl will examine concerns about alleged liberal bias on Facebook, internally and on its services. They will get feedback directly from conservative groups and advise Facebook on the best way to work with these groups moving forward.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy think tank, will convene meetings on these issues with Facebook executives. Last week the group brought in tech policy expert Klon Kitchen to host an event with Facebook's head of global policy management, Monika Bickert.
Foreign Affairs, The Pentagon's Transparency Problem:
But perhaps the most consequential change has been an unstated decision to offer significantly less information to the American people on where, and for what purpose, U.S. troops are in combat overseas. With Trump’s encouragement, the Pentagon has transitioned from its Obama-era policy of applying public caps on deployed forces, set by the White House, to quietly controlling its own force management levels. The DOD has welcomed this newfound autonomy, using it to ramp up operations without requesting permission from the White House. And in the absence of any public fanfare surrounding its moves, it has generally kept information on troop movements close to the vest. As a result, official U.S. troop levels are no longer a poor but still useful proxy for Washington’s strategy and commitment—and no alternative has yet filled in the void.NYT (last week but missed it), Federal Agencies Lost Track of Nearly 1,500 Migrant Children Placed With Sponsors, which, yep, pretty much as bad as the headline sounds:
A top official with the Department of Health and Human Services told members of Congress on Thursday that the agency had lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children it placed with sponsors in the United States, raising concerns they could end up in the hands of human traffickers or be used as laborers by people posing as relatives.AP, Melania Trump’s Parents Visit Federal Building With Immigration Attorney. Good for them. If they're becoming citizens, I applaud them and wish them all the best. I wonder if they plan to use any potential new citizenship to vote for their son-in-law, who rails against "chain migration."
The official, Steven Wagner, the acting assistant secretary of the agency’s Administration for Children and Families, disclosed during testimony before a Senate homeland security subcommittee that the agency had learned of the missing children after placing calls to the people who took responsibility for them when they were released from government custody.
posted by zachlipton at 12:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [21 favorites]
re:media, parties, platforms, public As true as ever: (Chomsky)
"The major media-particularly, the elite media that set the agenda that others generally follow-are corporations “selling” privileged audiences to other businesses. It would hardly come as a surprise if the picture of the world they present were to reflect the perspectives and interests of the sellers, the buyers, and the product. Concentration of ownership of the media is high and increasing. Furthermore, those who occupy managerial positions in the media, or gain status within them as commentators, belong to the same privileged elites, and might be expected to share the perceptions, aspirations, and attitudes of their associates, reflecting their own class interests as well. Journalists entering the system are unlikely to make their way unless they conform to these ideological pressures, generally by internalizing the values; it is not easy to say one thing and believe another, and those who fail to conform will tend to be weeded out by familiar mechanisms."
From Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies
“If the media were honest, they would say, Look, here are the interests we represent and this is the framework within which we look at things. This is our set of beliefs and commitments. That’s what they would say, very much as their critics say. For example, I don’t try to hide my commitments, and the Washington Post and New York Times shouldn’t do it either. However, they must do it, because this mask of balance and objectivity is a crucial part of the propaganda function. In fact, they actually go beyond that. They try to present themselves as adversarial to power, as subversive, digging away at powerful institutions and undermining them. The academic profession plays along with this game.”
From Lecture titled "Media, Knowledge, and Objectivity," June 16, 1993
posted by rc3spencer at 12:28 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
"The major media-particularly, the elite media that set the agenda that others generally follow-are corporations “selling” privileged audiences to other businesses. It would hardly come as a surprise if the picture of the world they present were to reflect the perspectives and interests of the sellers, the buyers, and the product. Concentration of ownership of the media is high and increasing. Furthermore, those who occupy managerial positions in the media, or gain status within them as commentators, belong to the same privileged elites, and might be expected to share the perceptions, aspirations, and attitudes of their associates, reflecting their own class interests as well. Journalists entering the system are unlikely to make their way unless they conform to these ideological pressures, generally by internalizing the values; it is not easy to say one thing and believe another, and those who fail to conform will tend to be weeded out by familiar mechanisms."
From Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies
“If the media were honest, they would say, Look, here are the interests we represent and this is the framework within which we look at things. This is our set of beliefs and commitments. That’s what they would say, very much as their critics say. For example, I don’t try to hide my commitments, and the Washington Post and New York Times shouldn’t do it either. However, they must do it, because this mask of balance and objectivity is a crucial part of the propaganda function. In fact, they actually go beyond that. They try to present themselves as adversarial to power, as subversive, digging away at powerful institutions and undermining them. The academic profession plays along with this game.”
From Lecture titled "Media, Knowledge, and Objectivity," June 16, 1993
posted by rc3spencer at 12:28 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Maybe I'm just cranky, but I could really get behind a national nomenclature normalization bill. No more commonwealths, or parishes, or state assemblies, or what have you. Just call things what they are: states, counties, and state house or state senate. Life has enough complications, no need to add a bunch of semi-random terms to state governments.
Mind, I also think we should call the Department of Defense the Department of War, the FBI the Internal Spies, the CIA the External Spies, and the NSA the Telecom Spies.
Simplicity and honesty please.
posted by sotonohito at 12:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
Mind, I also think we should call the Department of Defense the Department of War, the FBI the Internal Spies, the CIA the External Spies, and the NSA the Telecom Spies.
Simplicity and honesty please.
posted by sotonohito at 12:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
@JonLemire: I just reached Dr. Harold Bornstein on the phone and identified myself as a reporter. His response:
“Oh, you’re a reporter? Well, go back and report on how your toilet bowl works.”
He then hung up.
posted by zachlipton at 12:32 PM on May 2, 2018 [36 favorites]
“Oh, you’re a reporter? Well, go back and report on how your toilet bowl works.”
He then hung up.
posted by zachlipton at 12:32 PM on May 2, 2018 [36 favorites]
Kyl will examine concerns about alleged liberal bias on Facebook, internally and on its services. They will get feedback directly from conservative groups and advise Facebook on the best way to work with these groups moving forward.
I mean if the GOP is on board setting up non-shareholder advisory boards for private companies why not some for every other member of the Fortune 500.
posted by PenDevil at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
I mean if the GOP is on board setting up non-shareholder advisory boards for private companies why not some for every other member of the Fortune 500.
posted by PenDevil at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
Kyl will examine concerns about alleged liberal bias on Facebook, internally and on its services. They will get feedback directly from conservative groups and advise Facebook on the best way to work with these groups moving forward.
I realize reality is broken and nothing makes sense anymore, but I still can't wrap my head around the chain of logic that leads from "Facebook's algorithms and policies were abused to help elect Donald Trump president" to "we need to hire Republicans to audit the system for pro-Democrat bias!"
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [65 favorites]
I realize reality is broken and nothing makes sense anymore, but I still can't wrap my head around the chain of logic that leads from "Facebook's algorithms and policies were abused to help elect Donald Trump president" to "we need to hire Republicans to audit the system for pro-Democrat bias!"
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [65 favorites]
Kyl will examine concerns about alleged liberal bias on Facebook,
Wait, what?
Facebook? The company that permits porn, but bans breastfeeding pictures?
We're talking about the same Facebook, right? The one that gives black activists temporary bans for being even slightly grumpy in their posts, but permits actual, literal, calls for lynching from white supremacists?
They're investigating it to see if it has a bias **AGAINST** conservatives?
Up is down.
posted by sotonohito at 12:36 PM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
Wait, what?
Facebook? The company that permits porn, but bans breastfeeding pictures?
We're talking about the same Facebook, right? The one that gives black activists temporary bans for being even slightly grumpy in their posts, but permits actual, literal, calls for lynching from white supremacists?
They're investigating it to see if it has a bias **AGAINST** conservatives?
Up is down.
posted by sotonohito at 12:36 PM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
sotonohito: "Maybe I'm just cranky, but I could really get behind a national nomenclature normalization bill. No more commonwealths, or parishes, or state assemblies, or what have you. Just call things what they are: states, counties, and state house or state senate. Life has enough complications, no need to add a bunch of semi-random terms to state governments."
You're cranky.
In any case, the Virginia House of Delegates first met in 1776, I think they have first dibs on what they want to be called.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:38 PM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
You're cranky.
In any case, the Virginia House of Delegates first met in 1776, I think they have first dibs on what they want to be called.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:38 PM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
Didn't Facebook scrap their news curation teams prior to the 2016 election season (and replace with apparently gameable algorithms) in response to conservative complaints about liberal bias?
*googles it to jog memory loose*
They did! And they were gamed straight away then, too.
posted by notyou at 12:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
*googles it to jog memory loose*
They did! And they were gamed straight away then, too.
posted by notyou at 12:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
Politico, White House adviser pitching Trump on a Kanye summit
posted by zachlipton at 12:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [16 favorites]
The White House is exploring plans to host multiple summits on race between prominent athletes and artists and President Donald Trump, according to the outside adviser spearheading the effort.I...I was told Republicans want athletes and actors and musicians to just dance and stay out of politics, but oh my in a world where horrible ideas come out of the White House all the time, is this a really horrible idea.
Cleveland pastor Darrell Scott, one of the president’s most prominent black allies, says the idea of bringing in artists and athletes to hash out their differences with Trump has gotten a boost from last week’s lovefest between the president and Kanye West. Scott is set to meet Thursday with Trump at the White House about the summit proposal.
The plans remain preliminary and no dates have been set, though Scott expressed confidence the summits would go forward and that Trump would attend.
posted by zachlipton at 12:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [16 favorites]
Maybe I'm just cranky, but I could really get behind a national nomenclature normalization bill. No more commonwealths, or parishes, or state assemblies, or what have you. Just call things what they are: states, counties, and state house or state senate. Life has enough complications...
The Massachusetts Turnpike was just told to finally start renumbering their exits (to be mileage markers rather than just sequential numbers), years after they were supposed to, and they still haven't set a date yet for doing so. States don't always like doing what the feds tell them to (fortunately).
posted by Melismata at 12:43 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Massachusetts Turnpike was just told to finally start renumbering their exits (to be mileage markers rather than just sequential numbers), years after they were supposed to, and they still haven't set a date yet for doing so. States don't always like doing what the feds tell them to (fortunately).
posted by Melismata at 12:43 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Humanities: "The Strange Politics of Gertrude Stein"
posted by Apocryphon at 12:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Apocryphon at 12:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
West Virginia Senate candidate using faked video of opponent to show him shaking hands with Clinton, rather than Trump.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 12:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [16 favorites]
They don’t want athletes to “stick to sports”, they want black athletes and entertainers to know their proper place and not challenge the structures of white supremacy. And that extends to white entertainers and celebrities not challenging the plutocracy or Republican economics.
If LeBron, or Colin Kaepernick, or Jimmy Kimmel had said stupid shit like slavery is a choice or worn MAGA hats like Kanye, they’d be getting the same reaction Kanye is right now for triggering the libs. Republicans don’t really care about “staying in your lane” or whatever is the supposed rationale, they want to silence racial justice and progressive economic positions and prevent influential voices from participation in advocacy for them.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [48 favorites]
If LeBron, or Colin Kaepernick, or Jimmy Kimmel had said stupid shit like slavery is a choice or worn MAGA hats like Kanye, they’d be getting the same reaction Kanye is right now for triggering the libs. Republicans don’t really care about “staying in your lane” or whatever is the supposed rationale, they want to silence racial justice and progressive economic positions and prevent influential voices from participation in advocacy for them.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [48 favorites]
Shockingly, the WV candidate in question is not Don Blankenship. It's good to have a reminder that even if he's the worst of the six people in that primary, they're all pretty goddamn terrible.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
With Cobb now confirmed out and Flood in, the Washington Post pulled a few interesting quotes from Giuliani about Team Trump's aggressive new legal strategy:
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
In an interview with The Post, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani—now serving as Trump’s lead personal attorney dealing with the special counsel — said the president did not force Cobb to leave.And Flood's on board with this:
“It was just time for him to go, but he’s still going to be available to us,” Giuliani said.
He added that Jay Sekulow, another member of Trump’s legal team, “had the most to do with it.”
“Jay felt that he needed someone that was more aggressive,” Giuliani said. “That’s not a criticism of Ty, but it’s just about how we’re going to do this.”[...]
Giuliani said the president and the White House need a “more aggressive” approach as the special counsel pressures Trump for a sit-down interview. He said that Trump’s legal team is going to push Mueller to demonstrate what evidence he has and limit his questions for the president.
“Some people have talked about a possible 12-hour interview,” he said, adding: “That’s not going to happen — I’ll tell you that. It’d be, max, two to three hours around a narrow set of questions.”
Flood appears willing to take a more adversarial approach to the special counsel than Cobb, who advised Trump that cooperating with the probe would help bring it to a rapid conclusion.Buckle up, folks, it's about to get rough(er). Unlike Dowd and Cobb, Giuliani and Flood are clearly ready to go on the offensive against the Special Counsel, especially on the media front.
For his part, Flood “feels strongly that this whole investigation is essentially an attempt to undermine an election,” said a person familiar with his views who requested anonymity to describe private conversations. “He doesn’t like the idea of an independent counsel.”
Another person familiar with the legal team said Flood’s selection came in part because the investigation had reached a pivot moment. Cobb had led the White House’s efforts to produce documents in response to requests from Mueller. Now, the White House is anticipating a possible legal showdown over a presidential interview.
“You had the discovery phase, and now you’re entering the litigation phase,” said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. “Who do you want on your side if Mueller decides to subpoena the president? You want to have your wartime consigliere. Emmet is a quintessential wartime consigliere.”
Flood also has strong ties with a number of other lawyers key to the case. He is close to White House counsel Donald McGahn and with McGahn’s attorney, Bill Burck, who also represents other key current and former White House staffers. He also has a good relationship with Abbe Lowell, who represents Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
Since the news media is not really supposed to be the PR arm of any particular political party or candidate, I'd be a lot more comfortable with blaming the DNC's failure to make people aware of its platform on the DNC and its Presidential candidate.
Cable News Chose to Air Footage of Trump's Empty Podium Instead of Clinton's Union Speech, as Clinton discussed her plans to raise incomes for working families.
There were over twelve times as many top-100-linked stories about Trump as about Clinton. The overwhelming majority of these stories about Trump were negative, but all of the stories about Clinton were negative.
Asking the news media not to abandon its responsibility to discuss substantive issues in favor of sensationalist non-stories like Clinton's emails or whether or not Trump will start speaking within the next 30 minutes is not asking them to be the PR arm for a particular political party or candidate. And I don't know what the DNC or its candidate are supposed to do to make people aware of its platform when everyone refuses to listen.
You know whose fault this all is, really? It's not Clinton's. It's not the DNC's. It's not James Comey's. It's not Putin's. It's not even Trump's. Hell, it's not even the fault of the journalists, really. It's ours.
The twisted priorities of the American people favor celebrity over experience, conflict over consensus, ignorance over knowledge, scandals over solutions. We watch reality TV instead of TV about reality, we seek wealth instead of welfare, we dream of power instead of peace. Donald Trump is almost a perfect avatar of everything that is worst in the American psyche. The image we see reflected in Trump's Mirror is actually our own.
Yes, all of us here on MetaFilter are horrified at what we see there, and more Americans than not rejected this reflection of their own worst impulses made flesh before them. But not enough of us. Too many Americans looked at the funhouse mirror version of themselves and decided they liked what they saw. And even those of us who hate what we see there? It still obsesses us. We click links to stories about the Trump shitshow, we share them with friends, we click refresh on our favorite community websites again and again and again, hoping desperately that by joining together in anger, we'll purge ourselves of the stain. But even these acts feed the beast, as media executives, whose primary legal obligation is to earn profit for their stockholders, realize the only way to do so is to give us more of what we demand. "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS[...]. The money's rolling in. This is fun."
We made this monster. I don't know how to kill it. I don't think anyone does. But stop blaming them for failing when they try.
posted by biogeo at 12:53 PM on May 2, 2018 [115 favorites]
Cable News Chose to Air Footage of Trump's Empty Podium Instead of Clinton's Union Speech, as Clinton discussed her plans to raise incomes for working families.
There were over twelve times as many top-100-linked stories about Trump as about Clinton. The overwhelming majority of these stories about Trump were negative, but all of the stories about Clinton were negative.
Asking the news media not to abandon its responsibility to discuss substantive issues in favor of sensationalist non-stories like Clinton's emails or whether or not Trump will start speaking within the next 30 minutes is not asking them to be the PR arm for a particular political party or candidate. And I don't know what the DNC or its candidate are supposed to do to make people aware of its platform when everyone refuses to listen.
You know whose fault this all is, really? It's not Clinton's. It's not the DNC's. It's not James Comey's. It's not Putin's. It's not even Trump's. Hell, it's not even the fault of the journalists, really. It's ours.
The twisted priorities of the American people favor celebrity over experience, conflict over consensus, ignorance over knowledge, scandals over solutions. We watch reality TV instead of TV about reality, we seek wealth instead of welfare, we dream of power instead of peace. Donald Trump is almost a perfect avatar of everything that is worst in the American psyche. The image we see reflected in Trump's Mirror is actually our own.
Yes, all of us here on MetaFilter are horrified at what we see there, and more Americans than not rejected this reflection of their own worst impulses made flesh before them. But not enough of us. Too many Americans looked at the funhouse mirror version of themselves and decided they liked what they saw. And even those of us who hate what we see there? It still obsesses us. We click links to stories about the Trump shitshow, we share them with friends, we click refresh on our favorite community websites again and again and again, hoping desperately that by joining together in anger, we'll purge ourselves of the stain. But even these acts feed the beast, as media executives, whose primary legal obligation is to earn profit for their stockholders, realize the only way to do so is to give us more of what we demand. "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS[...]. The money's rolling in. This is fun."
We made this monster. I don't know how to kill it. I don't think anyone does. But stop blaming them for failing when they try.
posted by biogeo at 12:53 PM on May 2, 2018 [115 favorites]
If LeBron, or Colin Kaepernick, or Jimmy Kimmel had said stupid shit like slavery is a choice or worn MAGA hats like Kanye, they’d be getting the same reaction Kanye is right now for triggering the libs. Republicans don’t really care about “staying in your lane” or whatever is the supposed rationale, they want to silence racial justice and progressive economic positions and prevent influential voices from participation in advocacy for them.
Notice how the best they have for policy analysis is sussing out whether liberals are against something. They do want to limit discourse, because they can't honestly advocate for their positions -- "serfdom for all but the 1%" not beign a popular position -- and they don't really have anything else. So they have to limit acceptable discourse, appeal to tribalism, and do what they can to keep the Overton window where it is, because liberal policies -- even formerly shared ones like a clean environment, now ceded by the Republicans -- are generally popular.
Which is why the media did Republicans such a favor by not discussing the Democratic platform. After all, policy is haaaaard and booooring. Feh.
posted by Gelatin at 12:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Notice how the best they have for policy analysis is sussing out whether liberals are against something. They do want to limit discourse, because they can't honestly advocate for their positions -- "serfdom for all but the 1%" not beign a popular position -- and they don't really have anything else. So they have to limit acceptable discourse, appeal to tribalism, and do what they can to keep the Overton window where it is, because liberal policies -- even formerly shared ones like a clean environment, now ceded by the Republicans -- are generally popular.
Which is why the media did Republicans such a favor by not discussing the Democratic platform. After all, policy is haaaaard and booooring. Feh.
posted by Gelatin at 12:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Buckle up, folks, it's about to get rough(er). Unlike Dowd and Cobb, Giuliani and Flood are clearly ready to go on the offensive against the Special Counsel, especially on the media front.
Which is a remarkable tacit admission that they don't really believe the media is liberal, knowing they can count on the media's laziness and addiction to he-said, she-said storylines to provide false equivalence between a straight-arrow prosecutor who is amassing evidence -- much of it also in the public domain -- about the treason and corruption of the President and his cronies, and the mouthpieces for the subjects of said investigation, who are clearly motivated to say anything to get off the hook.
posted by Gelatin at 12:59 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Which is a remarkable tacit admission that they don't really believe the media is liberal, knowing they can count on the media's laziness and addiction to he-said, she-said storylines to provide false equivalence between a straight-arrow prosecutor who is amassing evidence -- much of it also in the public domain -- about the treason and corruption of the President and his cronies, and the mouthpieces for the subjects of said investigation, who are clearly motivated to say anything to get off the hook.
posted by Gelatin at 12:59 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Is Flood known for being one of "the best people"? Most of the top tier lawyers have noped out of taking Trump as a client.
posted by Fleebnork at 1:03 PM on May 2, 2018
posted by Fleebnork at 1:03 PM on May 2, 2018
KC Star: Greitens lied about charity donor list and misused it, allegations in report say
posted by Chrysostom at 1:18 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 1:18 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
Josh Marshall: NBC/Nicole Wallace reporting that McGahn considering leaving White House and that Flood may actually be his replacement as opposed to a replacement for Cobb. More soon.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:22 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:22 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Is Flood known for being one of "the best people"? Most of the top tier lawyers have noped out of taking Trump as a client.
My understanding (based on skimming some Twitter commentary) is that Flood is actually a legitimate and credible lawyer. Here's a Vox article about him.
posted by mhum at 1:22 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
My understanding (based on skimming some Twitter commentary) is that Flood is actually a legitimate and credible lawyer. Here's a Vox article about him.
posted by mhum at 1:22 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
The CamAn rogues' gallery are setting up a new company, Emerdata.
Emerdata's paperwork lists Rebekah Mercer's address as Cambridge Analytica's New York office, in case you're wondering how not at all subtle this is going to be.
posted by zachlipton at 1:23 PM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
Emerdata's paperwork lists Rebekah Mercer's address as Cambridge Analytica's New York office, in case you're wondering how not at all subtle this is going to be.
posted by zachlipton at 1:23 PM on May 2, 2018 [52 favorites]
It ain’t his first POTUS impeachment rodeo, so probably the right guy at this desperate time for trump
On the other hand, Trump isn't really vulnerable to impeachment, unless a bunch of Senate Republicans decide at last to put country before party -- fat chance. (Or they could come to believe that sticking with the sinking SS Trump is a sure path to electoral disaster in 2020, but Trump is likely to remain popular with the Republican base -- that is, the ultra-wealthy.)
Trump is likely vulnerable not only to a raft of Federal crimes -- and I'm eyeing the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act with a certain fondness -- but also state crimes for which no one is likely to be in a position to pardon him, such as money laundering and racketeering charges in New York State, evidence for which it's likely Mueller, if not the NY state prosecutor, already has.
posted by Gelatin at 1:26 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
On the other hand, Trump isn't really vulnerable to impeachment, unless a bunch of Senate Republicans decide at last to put country before party -- fat chance. (Or they could come to believe that sticking with the sinking SS Trump is a sure path to electoral disaster in 2020, but Trump is likely to remain popular with the Republican base -- that is, the ultra-wealthy.)
Trump is likely vulnerable not only to a raft of Federal crimes -- and I'm eyeing the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act with a certain fondness -- but also state crimes for which no one is likely to be in a position to pardon him, such as money laundering and racketeering charges in New York State, evidence for which it's likely Mueller, if not the NY state prosecutor, already has.
posted by Gelatin at 1:26 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Israel had succeeded in placing a listening device in an ISIS safe house deep in Syria, at great risk, and was listening in on everything ISIS was planning from that location. Trump revealed this intelligence to Kislyak and Lavarov during that infamous Oval Office meeting in which he also bragged about firing James Comey the day before. His revelation essentially blew the intelligence operation; the listening device the Israelis had placed went dead shortly after.
Is ISIS an enemy of America with whom we are engaged militarily? And would divulging important and sensitive intelligence which the enemy then acted upon be considered giving aid and/or comfort to that enemy? Asking for a friend.
posted by Justinian at 1:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [62 favorites]
Is ISIS an enemy of America with whom we are engaged militarily? And would divulging important and sensitive intelligence which the enemy then acted upon be considered giving aid and/or comfort to that enemy? Asking for a friend.
posted by Justinian at 1:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [62 favorites]
>The conservative bias advising partnership will be led by former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, along with his team at Covington and Burling, a Washington law firm.
Oh, you mean Jon "Not Meant to be a Factual Statement" Kyl?
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Oh, you mean Jon "Not Meant to be a Factual Statement" Kyl?
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
A forgery no longer. A group of House Republicans has nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 1:46 PM on May 2, 2018
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 1:46 PM on May 2, 2018
Emmet Flood may be a fine lawyer, but he’s still gonna have Trump as a client.
posted by rc3spencer at 1:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 1:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Summer Zervos, Trump Accuser, Subpoenas ‘The Apprentice’ Recordings
Summer Zervos, a former contestant on “The Apprentice” who accused President Trump of sexual assault, is seeking records to prove that he defamed her by calling her a liar.posted by zachlipton at 1:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
A lawyer for Ms. Zervos, who is suing Mr. Trump for defamation in New York, said on Wednesday that subpoenas had been issued both to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which owns archives of the reality show, and to the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Ms. Zervos says he groped her in 2007.
...
In the subpoena issued Wednesday, Ms. Wang asked M.G.M. to turn over all documents, video or audio that feature Ms. Zervos or Mr. Trump talking about Ms. Zervos. The subpoena also seeks any recording in which Mr. Trump speaks of women “in any sexual or inappropriate manner.”
kirkaracha: "Stupid Watergate" might be redundant.
I posit here instead that Watergate has set a threshold for "stupid," in that Watergate itself was stupid. To be the "Stupid Watergate" is to sink below that threshold.
Back to the politics of the day:
saysthis: Politico: FCC’s O’Rielly broke federal law at CPAC
It's nice to see the Hatch Act flexing its muscles. Now use it all the time.
But did they? To me, it sounded like a police warned a drunk driver "just don't do it again, or I might fine you, or take away your license. What'll it be? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Now get home safely, ya hear?"
From NPR this morning: RNC's Spring Meeting Will Focus On Upcoming Midterm Elections, in which John Whitbeck, chairman of Virginia's Republican Party, states that "If the Democrats take the House, they will impeach this president. And it's coming, if they have the majority," after NPR quoted Ted Cruz of Texas, who said earlier this year that Democrats will, quote, "crawl over broken glass to vote in November," and then Whitbeck said "Democrats are on fire right now to vote, and we're going to have to turn out more voters on our side."
While I'm irked that Rachel Martin wouldn't spend time with Whitbeck to delve into the divide on why Republicans who aren't quitting but are running in Congressional races are happy to run on "Trump's accomplishments," while the Dems will impeach the president, because that seems like a pretty substantial gap in perception, Whitbeck did get into the fun territory of calling the lazy, racist Republicans who don't normally vote "Trump voters," those fine individuals who "come because the president activates them and makes them enthusiastic."
Again, I'm annoyed that Martin didn't push to ask "what does Trump have that is missing from the standard Republican platform to, as you say, are activated by the president?" [Side note - that language sounds a lot like these "Trump voters" are in fact sleeper agents, waiting for their signal to rise up and vote. Very ominous, if you ask me. /veggieburger {joking/not joking} ]
Ah, but Martin did push back! Against Whitbeck's "rejection of her premise" that the Tax Scam was just a give-away for corporations and hurting the (mythical) surge of Trump voters who are in the "bottom rung of middle class or working class," Whitebeck said:
tl;dr: NPR didn't give away this 5 minutes to GOP talking points, for once. So, good job there.
But the bigger take-away: the at least some in the GOP are pretty sure Trump will be impeached if the Dems win, and they're either confident enough in this statement, or think it's a way to rile up their base, that they're saying this out loud on NPR.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
I posit here instead that Watergate has set a threshold for "stupid," in that Watergate itself was stupid. To be the "Stupid Watergate" is to sink below that threshold.
Back to the politics of the day:
saysthis: Politico: FCC’s O’Rielly broke federal law at CPAC
...
OSC only issued a warning but cautioned O'Rielly that it would deem another violation "willful and knowing," which could subject him to penalties ranging from further reprimand to removal from office.
It's nice to see the Hatch Act flexing its muscles. Now use it all the time.
But did they? To me, it sounded like a police warned a drunk driver "just don't do it again, or I might fine you, or take away your license. What'll it be? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Now get home safely, ya hear?"
From NPR this morning: RNC's Spring Meeting Will Focus On Upcoming Midterm Elections, in which John Whitbeck, chairman of Virginia's Republican Party, states that "If the Democrats take the House, they will impeach this president. And it's coming, if they have the majority," after NPR quoted Ted Cruz of Texas, who said earlier this year that Democrats will, quote, "crawl over broken glass to vote in November," and then Whitbeck said "Democrats are on fire right now to vote, and we're going to have to turn out more voters on our side."
While I'm irked that Rachel Martin wouldn't spend time with Whitbeck to delve into the divide on why Republicans who aren't quitting but are running in Congressional races are happy to run on "Trump's accomplishments," while the Dems will impeach the president, because that seems like a pretty substantial gap in perception, Whitbeck did get into the fun territory of calling the lazy, racist Republicans who don't normally vote "Trump voters," those fine individuals who "come because the president activates them and makes them enthusiastic."
Again, I'm annoyed that Martin didn't push to ask "what does Trump have that is missing from the standard Republican platform to, as you say, are activated by the president?" [Side note - that language sounds a lot like these "Trump voters" are in fact sleeper agents, waiting for their signal to rise up and vote. Very ominous, if you ask me. /veggieburger {joking/not joking} ]
Ah, but Martin did push back! Against Whitbeck's "rejection of her premise" that the Tax Scam was just a give-away for corporations and hurting the (mythical) surge of Trump voters who are in the "bottom rung of middle class or working class," Whitebeck said:
I think this tax cut helps all Americans. But I think what those people are looking for is a message from the GOP that we're going to follow through on the promises that were made in 2016. And the president has kept his promises. He's done what he said he was going to do. Deregulation, foreign policy successes, border security.Instead of questioning what sort of foreign policy successes Trump is claiming or how he has done anything different at the border (he's done a lot to crack down on immigrants living within the United States, but Arrests along Mexico border drop sharply under Trump, new statistics showed in Dec. 2017, and recently Trump teased impending 'strong action' on border security in early April 2018, while more recently Trump floating September shutdown for 'border security' and the government at large if Congress did not meet his funding demands for border security, but I digress), Martin countered and said
Republican Senator Marco Rubio was interviewed by The Economist recently and said, quote, "there is no evidence whatsoever that the money's been massively poured back into the American economy." [She skipped over the beginning of that quote -- "There is still a lot of thinking on the right that if big corporations are happy, they’re going to take the money they’re saving and reinvest it in American workers,” he says. “In fact they bought back shares, a few gave out bonuses....”]So Whitback pivots a bit:
Well, the American worker's going to be voting on the fact that the economy is doing well. Consumer confidence is high. Everything, all the indicators of a good, solid economy. Job creation. All the things that we look at are all there.(Rubio himself tried to pivot, possibly in part because he voted for the tax scam)
tl;dr: NPR didn't give away this 5 minutes to GOP talking points, for once. So, good job there.
But the bigger take-away: the at least some in the GOP are pretty sure Trump will be impeached if the Dems win, and they're either confident enough in this statement, or think it's a way to rile up their base, that they're saying this out loud on NPR.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
The signatories to the Nobel letter are:
Del. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa
Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
Rep. Drew Ferguson of Georgia
Rep. Luke Messer of Indiana
Rep. Steve King of Iowa
Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina
Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
Rep. Jim Renacci of Ohio
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina
Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee (She is running for TN governor)
Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee
Rep. Brian Babin of Texas
Rep. Michael Burgess of Texas
Rep. Pete Olson of Texas
Rep. Evan Jenkins of West Virginia
Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia
posted by zarq at 1:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Del. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa
Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
Rep. Drew Ferguson of Georgia
Rep. Luke Messer of Indiana
Rep. Steve King of Iowa
Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina
Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
Rep. Jim Renacci of Ohio
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina
Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee (She is running for TN governor)
Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee
Rep. Brian Babin of Texas
Rep. Michael Burgess of Texas
Rep. Pete Olson of Texas
Rep. Evan Jenkins of West Virginia
Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia
posted by zarq at 1:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
As fun as it is to have the same debates over & over, I think it's pretty conclusively evident that the media is precisely at fault for failing to propagate the Democratic Party's planks, whether coming from a party website or a Democratic candidate's mouth:
Read this (Columbia Journalism Review: Don’t blame the election on fake news. Blame it on the media. Duncan J. Watts and David M. Rothschild DECEMBER 5, 2017)
Source (Partisanship, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Online Media and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, August 16, 2017, Authored by Rob Faris, Hal Roberts, Bruce Etling, Nikki Bourassa, Ethan Zuckerman, Yochai Benkler, )
There's even a handy bar chart to visually depict just what the media chose to focus on during the run up to the election. (Hint: more sentences were printed discussing Trump's "policy positions" on immigration than Clinton's actual policy positions on trade, immigration, & jobs combined. An exercise for the reader: how likely is it that a policy wonk like Clinton has less to say about these issues than a man who confuses health insurance with life insurance & whose positions are so loosely held as to be nonexistent?)
This is not because the media is "doing the right thing" by refusing to regurgitate party propaganda as The World Famous suggests. This is patently absurd anyway as the media oftentimes does regurgitate party propaganda (fun side game: guess which party's!), devoid of further research, reporting, fact-checking, etc. I refuse to post the myriad examples of them doing just that evident in this single post's comments alone. (Ok, fine- a gimme: NYT running a "scoop" that Mueller's team leaked questions about the investigation later discovered to be a bit of theater planted by the WH). If there is debate about this, I esteem the debate "faithless."
We can go back and forth all day long (and certainly will, forever & forever in this neverending omnishambles of fractal Scaramuccis) about any number of things the Democratic Party should or shouldn't do. However, the fact that whatever the Democratic Party decides to do or not do will have exactly zero bearing on what the media decides to fixate on is pretty well documented & ironclad.
Seriously.
This tiny sliver of a debate is over.
Let's argue about literally anything else. But let's not pretend that "if only the Democrats would focus on the ${one_right_thing}, the media would help that ${one_right_thing} reach voters' attention."
posted by narwhal at 1:58 PM on May 2, 2018 [92 favorites]
Read this (Columbia Journalism Review: Don’t blame the election on fake news. Blame it on the media. Duncan J. Watts and David M. Rothschild DECEMBER 5, 2017)
Source (Partisanship, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Online Media and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, August 16, 2017, Authored by Rob Faris, Hal Roberts, Bruce Etling, Nikki Bourassa, Ethan Zuckerman, Yochai Benkler, )
There's even a handy bar chart to visually depict just what the media chose to focus on during the run up to the election. (Hint: more sentences were printed discussing Trump's "policy positions" on immigration than Clinton's actual policy positions on trade, immigration, & jobs combined. An exercise for the reader: how likely is it that a policy wonk like Clinton has less to say about these issues than a man who confuses health insurance with life insurance & whose positions are so loosely held as to be nonexistent?)
This is not because the media is "doing the right thing" by refusing to regurgitate party propaganda as The World Famous suggests. This is patently absurd anyway as the media oftentimes does regurgitate party propaganda (fun side game: guess which party's!), devoid of further research, reporting, fact-checking, etc. I refuse to post the myriad examples of them doing just that evident in this single post's comments alone. (Ok, fine- a gimme: NYT running a "scoop" that Mueller's team leaked questions about the investigation later discovered to be a bit of theater planted by the WH). If there is debate about this, I esteem the debate "faithless."
We can go back and forth all day long (and certainly will, forever & forever in this neverending omnishambles of fractal Scaramuccis) about any number of things the Democratic Party should or shouldn't do. However, the fact that whatever the Democratic Party decides to do or not do will have exactly zero bearing on what the media decides to fixate on is pretty well documented & ironclad.
Seriously.
This tiny sliver of a debate is over.
Let's argue about literally anything else. But let's not pretend that "if only the Democrats would focus on the ${one_right_thing}, the media would help that ${one_right_thing} reach voters' attention."
posted by narwhal at 1:58 PM on May 2, 2018 [92 favorites]
So who is going to be departing the White House next? My prediction is: McGahn, Kelly. I believe that the President has some bad blood with McGahn, Kelly.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:59 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:59 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Chrysostom: West Virginia Senate candidate using faked video of opponent to show him shaking hands with Clinton, rather than Trump.
odinsdream: That's a stretch of a description. It's a cookie-cutter negative ad, with a cleverly-placed photo collage. This isn't like, video of him shaking hands with someone he didn't, in an After Effects mocap sense, or anything of the sort.
Eh, yes and no. There really is a faked image (not video) of the handshake. There are also various word-boxes covering parts of the screen, and they serve the purpose of plausible deniability for the charge of lying with Photoshop so one could argue it's a mere "collage" not meant to actually look like what it clearly looks like.
To put it another way, if I saw the image fresh, didn't know it was Republican-or-equivalently-evil in origin, and couldn't read the words... I'd assume the source was exactly the event it depicts. There's nothing to indicate I ought to think otherwise.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:13 PM on May 2, 2018
odinsdream: That's a stretch of a description. It's a cookie-cutter negative ad, with a cleverly-placed photo collage. This isn't like, video of him shaking hands with someone he didn't, in an After Effects mocap sense, or anything of the sort.
Eh, yes and no. There really is a faked image (not video) of the handshake. There are also various word-boxes covering parts of the screen, and they serve the purpose of plausible deniability for the charge of lying with Photoshop so one could argue it's a mere "collage" not meant to actually look like what it clearly looks like.
To put it another way, if I saw the image fresh, didn't know it was Republican-or-equivalently-evil in origin, and couldn't read the words... I'd assume the source was exactly the event it depicts. There's nothing to indicate I ought to think otherwise.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:13 PM on May 2, 2018
Melismata do you have any more info on that? It's been 10 minutes and nothing.
posted by Brainy at 2:26 PM on May 2, 2018
posted by Brainy at 2:26 PM on May 2, 2018
the media oftentimes does regurgitate party propaganda (fun side game: guess which party's!)
The game is to use the media for propaganda, so I'm going to say "everybody's." Whether the media has any defenses against this or is a willing participant are separate questions.
posted by rhizome at 2:28 PM on May 2, 2018
The game is to use the media for propaganda, so I'm going to say "everybody's." Whether the media has any defenses against this or is a willing participant are separate questions.
posted by rhizome at 2:28 PM on May 2, 2018
The French Ambassador has taken to arguing with random people on Twitter about the binding nature of international agreements, in case you were somehow under the impression that things in 2018 were fine. We're even calling each other names in this one.
posted by zachlipton at 2:29 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:29 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
If we're talking about the harassment scandal surrounding Massachusetts state senator Stanley Rosenberg, Google News tells me that a bunch of reports dropped a few hours ago.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Oh. Oops. Never mind *slinks away*
posted by Melismata at 2:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 2:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Silly me, I thought it was a typo of Rosenstein.
posted by Brainy at 2:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Brainy at 2:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
The French Ambassador has taken to arguing with random people on Twitter about the binding nature of international agreements, in case you were somehow under the impression that things in 2018 were fine. We're even calling each other names in this one.
What's worse is that the ambassador is wrong.
Fuck this time line. Fuck the writers.
posted by ocschwar at 2:41 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
What's worse is that the ambassador is wrong.
Fuck this time line. Fuck the writers.
posted by ocschwar at 2:41 PM on May 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
This comment is from over 10 milliScaramuccis ago now, but when Ty Cobb bows out with the comment that:
"I have postponed many orthopedic procedures"
does anyone else think that's code for "the mob hasn't kneecapped me yet"?
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:41 PM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
"I have postponed many orthopedic procedures"
does anyone else think that's code for "the mob hasn't kneecapped me yet"?
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:41 PM on May 2, 2018 [17 favorites]
Fuck this time line. Fuck the writers.
PSA: MetaTalk has a thread for that! Fucking Fuck X - The Enfuckenating
posted by mikelieman at 2:49 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
PSA: MetaTalk has a thread for that! Fucking Fuck X - The Enfuckenating
posted by mikelieman at 2:49 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
does anyone else think that's code for "the mob hasn't kneecapped me yet"?
What I want to know is why he's living in an attic. What's that even about? Is he holed up there with a shotgun? Is he too poor to afford anything better? Is it somehow related to his sciatica? I just can't make heads or tails of it.
posted by scalefree at 3:10 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
What I want to know is why he's living in an attic. What's that even about? Is he holed up there with a shotgun? Is he too poor to afford anything better? Is it somehow related to his sciatica? I just can't make heads or tails of it.
posted by scalefree at 3:10 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
@rhizome, I would disagree & cite my previous links as evidence that if the left had pushed their propaganda as successfully as the right through the mouthpiece of the media, those charts would look much more "balanced." When so much ink is spilled on a "scandal" (where there's smoke, there's fire!) that ends up being a bunch of Republicans running a smoke machine, while so little ink is spent on actual crimes and allegations that have proven themselves to be true, how can you claim that "everybody's" propaganda is propagated? Beyond that, what lies & half truths have the Democrats even pushed? The Overton Window is so far right, what counts as "propaganda" on the part of the Democratic Party (these days) is any position with adherence to a shared, causal reality!†
Whether or not this is a game that Democrats refuse to play (due to a higher ethical code or because they lack the skill) or can't play (because the interests of the left are antagonistic to the interests of the moneyed interests that drive the media) are certainly debates (with sub-debates) waiting to be had.
So sure, the media is ready & willing to be used by any group unscrupulous enough to do so. I'll grant that potential. Aside from "protecting their own interests," I'd say the media has very little defense against or aversion to paid influence.
But that is quite different than saying that in this real world where we can look back at the things the media has actually reported that "everyone" is gaming the system.
If I wasn't clear that I meant "guess which party's propaganda gets foisted?" according to recent history (let's say- oh, since Obama's election) vs. theoretically "which party might choose to foist their propaganda?," I apologize.
It is absolutely true that the media is for sale and that everyone's money is welcome.*
It is also absolutely true that one party in particular is taking the media up on that offer far more often and to far more detriment than the other.
†Yes, yes, yes, Obama used drones & Guantanamo wasn't shut down & big banks never saw punishment for their crimes, etc., etc., etc. But this wasn't propaganda from the left vs. truth from the right. The right has been acting faithlessly 100% of the time while the left has glossed some bad decisions. My point stands, however, that thanks to the rightward gallop of the Overton Window, most propaganda, especially in the last couple of years has come from the right. Hell, you can pretty much tell what "Democratic" policies are extolled via "propaganda" with a simple litmus test: is it an attempt to swerve toward the "center?" That is, it a departure from the self-professed planks of the party?
* within limits- media won't take your money to run ads saying that they're the worst. Extrapolate from that what other things they'd politely decline to print.**
** with enough money, though, you might be able to convince a media outlet to run ads excoriating that very media outlet. As I said: debatable sub-debates abound.
posted by narwhal at 3:14 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Whether or not this is a game that Democrats refuse to play (due to a higher ethical code or because they lack the skill) or can't play (because the interests of the left are antagonistic to the interests of the moneyed interests that drive the media) are certainly debates (with sub-debates) waiting to be had.
So sure, the media is ready & willing to be used by any group unscrupulous enough to do so. I'll grant that potential. Aside from "protecting their own interests," I'd say the media has very little defense against or aversion to paid influence.
But that is quite different than saying that in this real world where we can look back at the things the media has actually reported that "everyone" is gaming the system.
If I wasn't clear that I meant "guess which party's propaganda gets foisted?" according to recent history (let's say- oh, since Obama's election) vs. theoretically "which party might choose to foist their propaganda?," I apologize.
It is absolutely true that the media is for sale and that everyone's money is welcome.*
It is also absolutely true that one party in particular is taking the media up on that offer far more often and to far more detriment than the other.
†Yes, yes, yes, Obama used drones & Guantanamo wasn't shut down & big banks never saw punishment for their crimes, etc., etc., etc. But this wasn't propaganda from the left vs. truth from the right. The right has been acting faithlessly 100% of the time while the left has glossed some bad decisions. My point stands, however, that thanks to the rightward gallop of the Overton Window, most propaganda, especially in the last couple of years has come from the right. Hell, you can pretty much tell what "Democratic" policies are extolled via "propaganda" with a simple litmus test: is it an attempt to swerve toward the "center?" That is, it a departure from the self-professed planks of the party?
* within limits- media won't take your money to run ads saying that they're the worst. Extrapolate from that what other things they'd politely decline to print.**
** with enough money, though, you might be able to convince a media outlet to run ads excoriating that very media outlet. As I said: debatable sub-debates abound.
posted by narwhal at 3:14 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
It appears China has stopped buying soybeans from the US altogether because of trade fight
posted by scalefree at 3:20 PM on May 2, 2018 [67 favorites]
China canceled a net 62,690 metric tons of U.S. soybean purchases in the two weeks ended April 19, the Bloomberg article pointed out, citing USDA data for the current marketing year.How much does 62,690 metric tons of soybeans cost? I'm glad you asked. According to Farm Bureau it costs about $14 billion. Trade wars are fun!
posted by scalefree at 3:20 PM on May 2, 2018 [67 favorites]
NYT, Protest in Puerto Rico Over Austerity Measures Ends in Tear Gas
The story is also told in longer form by PBS Frontline: Blackout In Puerto Rico
posted by zachlipton at 3:25 PM on May 2, 2018 [30 favorites]
The demonstrators gathered to oppose school closings, university tuition increases and potential cuts to pensions and other benefits. As the island rebuilds in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the economy and prompted an exodus of Puerto Ricans left with few options, the protesters said they feared that looming austerity measures would decimate what remained of the island’s middle class and force even more residents to leave.NPR, How FEMA Failed To Help Victims Of Hurricanes in Puerto Rico Recover, in which a grocer becomes an amateur lineman in a desperate attempt to finally restore electricity while a FEMA official makes excuses.
“We’re overwhelmed,” said Carlos Cofiño, a 20-year-old political science student, as he prepared to march. “We need to express our indignation and let the government know that there are people who are suffering.”
The story is also told in longer form by PBS Frontline: Blackout In Puerto Rico
posted by zachlipton at 3:25 PM on May 2, 2018 [30 favorites]
"It appears China has stopped buying soybeans from the US altogether because of trade fight"
Some of you may not obsessively follow ag news, but there are a couple of indexes that measure the confidence of farmers in the ag economy (here's one), and since Trump announced the trade war they are down, down, down. Farmers think their crop prices are about to tank, and we're starting to hear some reporting suggesting they're already starting to postpone equipment purchases in anticipation.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:32 PM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
Some of you may not obsessively follow ag news, but there are a couple of indexes that measure the confidence of farmers in the ag economy (here's one), and since Trump announced the trade war they are down, down, down. Farmers think their crop prices are about to tank, and we're starting to hear some reporting suggesting they're already starting to postpone equipment purchases in anticipation.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:32 PM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
I live in Iowa and I am happy to inform you that it is a Swing State with Two Republican Senators and Three Republican Representatives and Shitloads Of Soybeans! Fun times.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
Could it be said that these farmers are experiencing economic anxiety?
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [49 favorites]
A forgery no longer. A group of House Republicans has nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
They can nominate all they like. I just don't think the Nobel committee will be that receptive.
posted by scalefree at 3:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
They can nominate all they like. I just don't think the Nobel committee will be that receptive.
posted by scalefree at 3:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Meanwhile, let's all support this middle school girl who flipped Matt Gaetz the bird during his photo op with them when she runs for president someday.
posted by TwoStride at 3:53 PM on May 2, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by TwoStride at 3:53 PM on May 2, 2018 [41 favorites]
To be fair Trump has done about as much to earn a Nobel at this point as Obama did when he won it for basically not being George W. Bush, right before he escalated the war in Afghanistan and in the middle of not stopping drone attacks on civilians for 8 years. On the scale of bad shit, if something even halfway decent comes out of the meeting with Kim Jong Un, sure, let Trump have a Peace Prize too. It's shiny and might distract him from firing Mueller for a few more days.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Melismata: Shouldn't, like, Ukraine be kind of pissed off at the Russians? I be confused.
The current Ukrainian government is not particularly angry:
The current Ukrainian government is not particularly angry:
...[Poroshenko's] performance is quite good—not as a democrat but as an autocrat. “He is not doing badly, despite what Russians and Washington believe,” said one opposition strategist. “He has consolidated enormous wealth and influence, and basically has cut oxygen to the opposition. At this point no one can stand up to him, which is a big difference from all twenty-five years of Ukraine’s independence.” If that is the case, Poroshenko and Putin may just continue to chat, spar a bit, and discuss business, while looking for a way out that will preserve the systems that have brought them both great wealth. [NYRB]posted by CCBC at 4:00 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Trump fucked up selling soybeans to China? Oh well, it's probably not an incredibly yuge market for them or anything.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:04 PM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 4:04 PM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
> KC Star: Greitens lied about charity donor list and misused it, allegations in report say
Here is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch take. and the actual Missouri House Committee report.
This is the end of Mr. Greitens time in office and most probably the beginning of his time in prison. The only question is exact timing for both pieces of that.
The report gives pretty ironclad evidence of two separate but related felonies:
And this is without even getting to the affair, blackmail, duct-taping to exercise equipment, abusive/rape-y behavior, etc etc etc., that have been all over the new for the past several months.
These two allegations are just complete slam dunks all on their own and are not intertwined with the affair/abuse/blackmail allegations at all.
It will be quite interesting to see this play out.
I've said before that my clear impression is that Greitens has decided to ride this out to the bitter end, and I haven't seen anything yet to make me believe he has changed his mind about that.
But what will he see as "the end"? I personally see it as inevitable now. And certainly when we know for sure there are votes to impeach in the House. And even more certainly when the Senate appoints the seven "eminent jurists" who will hear the case. But maybe he will out-wait all of that and pray for a positive decision from the judges.
Meanwhile, Republican party leaders in the state are desperate to have him resign ASAP to avoid further damage to the party. They are threatening to withhold all legislation from Greitens so as to avoid tainting any bill with his signature. Other political forces are in play as well.
posted by flug at 4:05 PM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
Here is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch take. and the actual Missouri House Committee report.
This is the end of Mr. Greitens time in office and most probably the beginning of his time in prison. The only question is exact timing for both pieces of that.
The report gives pretty ironclad evidence of two separate but related felonies:
- #1. Stealing a donor list.
Greitens personally directed his secretary to give the charity donor list (~500 donors who had given $1000 or more, the campaign eventually raised about $2 million from the contacts) to the people running his political campaign for use on political fundraising.
The report documents in great detail how Greitens did not have the authorization to use the list for this purpose and in fact had signed an agreement saying he would not do so.
- #2. Lying and covering up about the source of the stolen list on an official report. After Greitens assumed office, an ethics complaint was filed about the donations that resulted from using this list. Greitens' campaign filed an amended campaign finance report that admitted to using the list but giving a completely false account of how the list was acquired. Greitens' campaign director at the time (who now leads the 501c4 "dark money" organization that Greitens founded after winning the governorship to support his work, policies, etc) had a conversation with a previous campaign leader in which he asked him if he could use his name on the amended report as a campaign leader at the time. Instead of doing that, the amended report actually represented the previous campaign leader as the person who had donated the list to the campaign--a completely false statement. On the report, Greitens electronically signed below the statement, “I certify that this report, comprised of this cover page and all attached forms, is complete, true, and accurate” when in fact very substantial evidence is produced showing everything of substance in the settlement agreement between Greitens and the Missouri Ethics Commission was untrue.
And this is without even getting to the affair, blackmail, duct-taping to exercise equipment, abusive/rape-y behavior, etc etc etc., that have been all over the new for the past several months.
These two allegations are just complete slam dunks all on their own and are not intertwined with the affair/abuse/blackmail allegations at all.
It will be quite interesting to see this play out.
I've said before that my clear impression is that Greitens has decided to ride this out to the bitter end, and I haven't seen anything yet to make me believe he has changed his mind about that.
But what will he see as "the end"? I personally see it as inevitable now. And certainly when we know for sure there are votes to impeach in the House. And even more certainly when the Senate appoints the seven "eminent jurists" who will hear the case. But maybe he will out-wait all of that and pray for a positive decision from the judges.
Meanwhile, Republican party leaders in the state are desperate to have him resign ASAP to avoid further damage to the party. They are threatening to withhold all legislation from Greitens so as to avoid tainting any bill with his signature. Other political forces are in play as well.
posted by flug at 4:05 PM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
Iowa, home to those poor, poor soybean farmers, just passed the nation's most restrictive abortion ban, so yeah, i got nuthin' but tiny violins for them if their economy tanks.
posted by OHenryPacey at 4:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 4:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: “This isn’t some game. You are screwing with the work of the president of the United States.” John Dowd, March 2018. With North Korea, China, the Middle East and so much more, there is not much time to be thinking about this, especially since there was no Russian “Collusion.”
If you're wondering where that quote comes from, it's from yesterday's Washington Post story about the subpoena threat. Except there, it's attributed to Dowd via two anonymous sources. Fascinating how everything is fake news until he likes what he reads.
I do think that in all the fake news drama, the press has largely glossed over where he might have gotten the idea fake news exists: he used to make it up. He'd call up reporters as John Barron and they'd willingly go along with the scam because it served everyone's interests. He got himself the "best sex I ever had" headline. He's been creating fake news his entire life, and reporters have been printing it for him.
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on May 2, 2018 [55 favorites]
If you're wondering where that quote comes from, it's from yesterday's Washington Post story about the subpoena threat. Except there, it's attributed to Dowd via two anonymous sources. Fascinating how everything is fake news until he likes what he reads.
I do think that in all the fake news drama, the press has largely glossed over where he might have gotten the idea fake news exists: he used to make it up. He'd call up reporters as John Barron and they'd willingly go along with the scam because it served everyone's interests. He got himself the "best sex I ever had" headline. He's been creating fake news his entire life, and reporters have been printing it for him.
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on May 2, 2018 [55 favorites]
Iowa, home to those poor, poor soybean farmers, just passed the nation's most restrictive abortion ban, so yeah, i got nuthin' but tiny violins for them if their economy tanks.
Obama won Iowa in both 2008 and 2012, and Kerry lost in 2004 by less than a percentage point. You do realize that a lot of the people who will be harmed by a tanked economy are the same people currently being harmed by their state's onerous abortion laws?
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:36 PM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
Obama won Iowa in both 2008 and 2012, and Kerry lost in 2004 by less than a percentage point. You do realize that a lot of the people who will be harmed by a tanked economy are the same people currently being harmed by their state's onerous abortion laws?
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:36 PM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
"Dennis Miller has cancelled his joke on Kanye's advice."
Write a sentence that captures the immediate zeitgeist.
posted by srboisvert at 4:36 PM on May 2, 2018 [55 favorites]
Write a sentence that captures the immediate zeitgeist.
posted by srboisvert at 4:36 PM on May 2, 2018 [55 favorites]
"What, like livable wages and accessible healthcare, maybe? Undoing racist policies? Maybe a federal jobs guarantee or legalization of marijuana and expansion of voting rights?"
>Perhaps you should read the official Democratic Party Platform. You will see every one of those items above prominently displayed.
Living wages, universal healthcare, undoing racist policy, expanding voting rights, yes. Legalization of marijuana, federal jobs guarantee, no. But many Democrats are stumping for marijuana legalization and the federal jobs guarantee. If I had to guess both of those will become platform planks soon.
posted by xammerboy at 4:43 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
>Perhaps you should read the official Democratic Party Platform. You will see every one of those items above prominently displayed.
Living wages, universal healthcare, undoing racist policy, expanding voting rights, yes. Legalization of marijuana, federal jobs guarantee, no. But many Democrats are stumping for marijuana legalization and the federal jobs guarantee. If I had to guess both of those will become platform planks soon.
posted by xammerboy at 4:43 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
In small good news, I wrote 100 postcards last fall for Djuna Osborne, who was running for VA State Assembly. She lost that race, but turned right around and yesterday won a seat on the Roanoke City Council. I'll take a tiny victory.
Oh, wow, I also wrote 100 postcards for her, and this makes me super happy. She seemed like the kind of person you want involved in politics. Thanks for sharing.
posted by threeturtles at 4:45 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Oh, wow, I also wrote 100 postcards for her, and this makes me super happy. She seemed like the kind of person you want involved in politics. Thanks for sharing.
posted by threeturtles at 4:45 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
I wrote for Djuna, too! Thank you for sharing this good news!
posted by greermahoney at 4:56 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 4:56 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
@mkraju: Michael Caputo, just interviewed by Bob Mueller’s team, told me: “It’s clear they are still really focused on Russia collusion. ... They know more about the Trump campaign than anyone who ever worked there.” He didn’t want to discuss specifics
He added: ”The Senate and the House are net fishing,” Caputo said. “The special counsel is spearfishing. They know what they are aiming at and are deadly accurate.”
I'm not really understanding what Caputo is doing here, but as Brian Beutler notes, this really doesn't sound like it supports the claims of "no collusion" and "witch hunt."
posted by zachlipton at 5:02 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
He added: ”The Senate and the House are net fishing,” Caputo said. “The special counsel is spearfishing. They know what they are aiming at and are deadly accurate.”
I'm not really understanding what Caputo is doing here, but as Brian Beutler notes, this really doesn't sound like it supports the claims of "no collusion" and "witch hunt."
posted by zachlipton at 5:02 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
VICELAND Is Sending Tom Arnold on a Hunt for More Trump Tapes
And here's Tom Arnold tweeting a picture of him hanging out with Felix Sater: Spent the day at my Funny & kind friend Felix Sater’s beautiful LI home. We shared stories about NY real estate, our mutual friend, visiting our mutual friend on the set of the Apprentice, Russia & video tapes.
posted by zachlipton at 5:16 PM on May 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
On Wednesday, VICELAND announced it's dropping THE HUNT FOR THE TRUMP TAPES WITH TOM ARNOLD, set to air later this year. The host will draw on his high-profile network of celebrity friends, entertainment executives, and crew members he's met over more than 35 years in showbiz to dig for evidence on Trump's most incriminating moments—and, being a comedian and all, he'll have a little fun along the way. He'll be backed up by a handful of experienced journalists, and—aside from trying to uncover the tapes themselves—he'll look into the companies and tycoons who have allegedly fought to keep the damning recordings a secret.Arnold has been making claims about the Apprentice tapes for years, Vice is not exactly the most reliable organization, and turning this into entertainment is just inappropriate, but here we are.
And here's Tom Arnold tweeting a picture of him hanging out with Felix Sater: Spent the day at my Funny & kind friend Felix Sater’s beautiful LI home. We shared stories about NY real estate, our mutual friend, visiting our mutual friend on the set of the Apprentice, Russia & video tapes.
posted by zachlipton at 5:16 PM on May 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
Iowa, home to those poor, poor soybean farmers, just passed the nation's most restrictive abortion ban, so yeah, i got nuthin' but tiny violins for them if their economy tanks.
Obama won Iowa in both 2008 and 2012, and Kerry lost in 2004 by less than a percentage point. You do realize that a lot of the people who will be harmed by a tanked economy are the same people currently being harmed by their state's onerous abortion laws?
I see this reply on Mefi every time a comment is made holding a state accountable for the shitty shitty things its elected officials do. officials elected by the people of Iowa. sure, i'm sympathetic to the good folks who maybe went door to door canvasing during the last election, or worked for GOTV, or actually tried not to let bad stuff happen to them and their neighbors, but, just like I don't have any pity for trump voters getting the shaft by trump policies, i sure don't have pity for Iowa farmers who suck the teat of the dept of agriculture and then vote to cut taxes, or are looking forward to price of their crops bottom out if the chinese decide to play hardball because they voted for our idiot in chief and his trade war. no pity at all.
posted by OHenryPacey at 5:28 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Obama won Iowa in both 2008 and 2012, and Kerry lost in 2004 by less than a percentage point. You do realize that a lot of the people who will be harmed by a tanked economy are the same people currently being harmed by their state's onerous abortion laws?
I see this reply on Mefi every time a comment is made holding a state accountable for the shitty shitty things its elected officials do. officials elected by the people of Iowa. sure, i'm sympathetic to the good folks who maybe went door to door canvasing during the last election, or worked for GOTV, or actually tried not to let bad stuff happen to them and their neighbors, but, just like I don't have any pity for trump voters getting the shaft by trump policies, i sure don't have pity for Iowa farmers who suck the teat of the dept of agriculture and then vote to cut taxes, or are looking forward to price of their crops bottom out if the chinese decide to play hardball because they voted for our idiot in chief and his trade war. no pity at all.
posted by OHenryPacey at 5:28 PM on May 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
You’re aware that soybean farmers didn’t all vote for Trump, right?
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 5:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 5:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump's net job disapproval in the RCP Average is in single digits for the first time since May of 2017.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:45 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:45 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
I googled "how did iowa farmers vote in 2016" and I am not swayed
posted by OHenryPacey at 5:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 5:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
It appears China has stopped buying soybeans from the US altogether because of trade fight
It's not just soybeans. @robindbrant (BBC China correspondent): STORY: as @POTUS trade team arrives in Beijing for talks @BBCNews understands #china authorities have temporarily suspended import/export ops of @Ford at Tianjin port. Putting pressure on auto makers.
posted by zachlipton at 5:54 PM on May 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
It's not just soybeans. @robindbrant (BBC China correspondent): STORY: as @POTUS trade team arrives in Beijing for talks @BBCNews understands #china authorities have temporarily suspended import/export ops of @Ford at Tianjin port. Putting pressure on auto makers.
posted by zachlipton at 5:54 PM on May 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
I googled "how did iowa farmers vote in 2016"
And then you didn't bother to actually read the link, the first few words of which say: "A new nationwide poll..."
posted by neroli at 6:00 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
And then you didn't bother to actually read the link, the first few words of which say: "A new nationwide poll..."
posted by neroli at 6:00 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
VICELAND Is Sending Tom Arnold on a Hunt for More Trump Tapes
Sam Harris has said on his podcast that he knows for a fact that whats-his-name ( i can't recall the guys name- guy who's in charge at the network or Apprentice whatever) has audio of Trump using the N word. Harris has publicly implored him to release it.
posted by Liquidwolf at 6:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Sam Harris has said on his podcast that he knows for a fact that whats-his-name ( i can't recall the guys name- guy who's in charge at the network or Apprentice whatever) has audio of Trump using the N word. Harris has publicly implored him to release it.
posted by Liquidwolf at 6:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mark Burnett
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:11 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:11 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
I would really like to see the NY Bar Association looking in to this. Trump's lawyer seems to have behaved very unethically and probably broke at least one law..............
I just learned that complaints to the NY Education Department about licensed physicians needs to be sent in by mail on a 4 page form.
Can someone ELI5 why the NY Education Department is overseeing physicians? It is not the first post in this thread where I have seen it mentioned, so I am assuming (this timeline) true?
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 6:16 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Regulated professions are regulated at the state level, and some states house their professional boards in the state DOE. Others have a separate exec branch, others have something through, like, consumer affairs. Just a bureaucratic artifact, basically.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 6:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Snarl Furillo at 6:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
Snarl Furillo
Thanks!
Filed under TIL. When I think DOE, I think high schools and lower. How interesting.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 6:44 PM on May 2, 2018
Thanks!
Filed under TIL. When I think DOE, I think high schools and lower. How interesting.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 6:44 PM on May 2, 2018
Guiliani is on Hannity going full authoritarian:
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:45 PM on May 2, 2018 [92 favorites]
1. On Hannity, Giuliani says that Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't say publicly that he wasn't a target of the investigation. Giuliani added that he thought the Lester Holt interview went well.So uhh, that last one is going to be in a court filing tomorrow.
2. Giuliani says he wants Trump's answers to Mueller's questions be submitted via audio tape.
3. Giuliani just now: "I know James Comey and I know President Trump....sorry Jim, I know you're a liar..you're a disgraceful liar."
4. Giuliani: "Comey should be prosecuted for leaking confidential FBI information."
Giuliani is referring to Comey giving the unclassified portion of his Trump memos to a friend and former FBI colleague to leak to the NYT
5. Hannity to Giuliani: “Is Robert Mueller setting a perjury trap for the President?”
6. Hannity says he wants the “Hillary standard” for Trump’s potential Mueller interview...”she didn’t have to go under oath.”
One doesn’t need to go under oath to be charged with lying to federal investigators.
7. "I believe that Sessions and Rosenstein should end this investigation, in the interest of justice." - Giuliani just now.
8. Re parameters of Mueller interview, Giuliani says "I'm not going to let Trump be treated worse than Clinton.." and then he adds "or Hillary Clinton"
Giuliani referring to Clinton's interview with the Special Counsel Ken Starr and HRC's interview with FBI agents.
9, Giuliani just now... "I'm sorry Hillary, I know you didn't win...but you're a criminal...you have to go to jail."
10. Hannity quotes Comey saying "Hillary Clinton deeply respects the rule of law..."
Giuliani pauses and says re Comey "this is a very perverted man."
11. Giuliani just now "Sessions shouldn't have appointed Rosenstein"
Not sure of the genesis and how Rosenstein ended up on the list of candidates, but it was Trump as POTUS, not Sessions, that nominated Rosenstein.
12. WOW. Giuliani just said that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000.
"he didn't know the specifics of it, he knew the general arrangement."
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:45 PM on May 2, 2018 [92 favorites]
This whole thing is incredible. Rudy just also established corrupt intent for obstruction:
Giuliani on Fox says Trump “fired Comey because Comey would not—among other things—say that he wasn't a target of the investigation.
“He is entitled that. Hillary Clinton got that, and he couldn't get that.
“So he fired him, and he said I’m free of this guy.”
That's not new, Trump himself said it. But it's new coming from the president's own lawyer. This entire interview is going straight into evidence in every pending and future case.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [66 favorites]
Giuliani on Fox says Trump “fired Comey because Comey would not—among other things—say that he wasn't a target of the investigation.
“He is entitled that. Hillary Clinton got that, and he couldn't get that.
“So he fired him, and he said I’m free of this guy.”
That's not new, Trump himself said it. But it's new coming from the president's own lawyer. This entire interview is going straight into evidence in every pending and future case.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [66 favorites]
Uh, so that last one means the argument that Daniels agreement was with the LLC and not Trump himself (hence the lack of signatures) is now inoperative?
Too bad that suit has been stayed.
Hoo boy. Giuliani coming out swinging.
posted by notyou at 6:52 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Too bad that suit has been stayed.
Hoo boy. Giuliani coming out swinging.
posted by notyou at 6:52 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
"I had to kill Bob Morton because he made a mistake."
posted by rhizome at 6:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 6:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Giuliani coming out swinging.
If I can mix metaphors, it sounds like some own goals so far. I am perplexed by the strategy here, but I'm learning I'm not the target audience for whatever is going on; I'm guessing this is to fire up the base and inoculate them by trying to make Clinton into more of a villain than Trump?
posted by nubs at 7:02 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
If I can mix metaphors, it sounds like some own goals so far. I am perplexed by the strategy here, but I'm learning I'm not the target audience for whatever is going on; I'm guessing this is to fire up the base and inoculate them by trying to make Clinton into more of a villain than Trump?
posted by nubs at 7:02 PM on May 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
If only anyone, the press, Congress, the FBI, held Trump to the "Hillary standard."
posted by Tsuga at 7:05 PM on May 2, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by Tsuga at 7:05 PM on May 2, 2018 [30 favorites]
So... I'm told that Flood is a good attorney who actually knows what he's doing.
I was expecting that this meant pretty soon he'd get tired of dealing with President Toddler and quit in disgust, but was Giuliani **trying** to make him quit with that interview?
To me the most astonishing thing about the Trump presidency is how Trump and his people so routinely go on various public platforms and confess to crimes. And then... nothing happens. I'm not sure what amazes me the most, the fact that Trump and his people are so foolhardy they go on TV and brag about committing crimes, or despite the President and his people bragging about their crimes nothing happens.
Maybe Flood won't quit because he figures under the new standards that apply to Trump (and will never, ever, apply to a Democratic politician) he can win despite the people he's working with confessing to crimes on TV?
posted by sotonohito at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
I was expecting that this meant pretty soon he'd get tired of dealing with President Toddler and quit in disgust, but was Giuliani **trying** to make him quit with that interview?
To me the most astonishing thing about the Trump presidency is how Trump and his people so routinely go on various public platforms and confess to crimes. And then... nothing happens. I'm not sure what amazes me the most, the fact that Trump and his people are so foolhardy they go on TV and brag about committing crimes, or despite the President and his people bragging about their crimes nothing happens.
Maybe Flood won't quit because he figures under the new standards that apply to Trump (and will never, ever, apply to a Democratic politician) he can win despite the people he's working with confessing to crimes on TV?
posted by sotonohito at 7:07 PM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
I am perplexed by the strategy here
Rudy hasn't practiced real law in 30 years, I'm skeptical there's any actual legal strategy here at all. Either he doesn't know that what he's saying is killing multiple criminal defenses, or he doesn't care because they expect a full Trumpist takeover of DOJ in the near future. I'm betting the later. It's all political power play, he's laying more groundwork to fire Mueller and daring anyone to stop it. No one has yet, and we know Republicans never will. It's not a bad bet.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [39 favorites]
Rudy hasn't practiced real law in 30 years, I'm skeptical there's any actual legal strategy here at all. Either he doesn't know that what he's saying is killing multiple criminal defenses, or he doesn't care because they expect a full Trumpist takeover of DOJ in the near future. I'm betting the later. It's all political power play, he's laying more groundwork to fire Mueller and daring anyone to stop it. No one has yet, and we know Republicans never will. It's not a bad bet.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [39 favorites]
"Funneled" is my favorite part. Followed closely by Hannity going "Oh, I did not know that."
Shimon Prokupecz (CNN)
Rudy Giuliani, says on “paying some Stormy Daniels” that the money was “Funneled through a law firm, and the president repaid it.”
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 7:12 PM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
Shimon Prokupecz (CNN)
Rudy Giuliani, says on “paying some Stormy Daniels” that the money was “Funneled through a law firm, and the president repaid it.”
VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 7:12 PM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
I'm guessing this is to fire up the base and inoculate them by trying to make Clinton into more of a villain than Trump?
Yes, this. And to force more polarization along the familiar lines.
posted by notyou at 7:13 PM on May 2, 2018
Yes, this. And to force more polarization along the familiar lines.
posted by notyou at 7:13 PM on May 2, 2018
We made this monster. I don't know how to kill it. I don't think anyone does. But stop blaming them for failing when they try.
I don't think Americans are unique in their propensity to love clickbait fact-free garbage that confirms their deepest and worst biases. But I do think we have a press that is so cowed by a political party that for decades has been accusing them of bias that they've become accustomed to overcorrecting to the other side and presenting straight up conspiracy theory as fact in an attempt to show balance.
I feel like we could do a few things that would help:
- bring back the Fairness Doctrine (or something similar)
- net neutrality
- strong and well-funded public television
- media ownership caps
- promotion and consumption (by all of us) of media outlets that are minority-owned and/or have a strong minority representation amongst their reporters
Almost all of these things start with our lawmakers. Elections are important.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:15 PM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
I don't think Americans are unique in their propensity to love clickbait fact-free garbage that confirms their deepest and worst biases. But I do think we have a press that is so cowed by a political party that for decades has been accusing them of bias that they've become accustomed to overcorrecting to the other side and presenting straight up conspiracy theory as fact in an attempt to show balance.
I feel like we could do a few things that would help:
- bring back the Fairness Doctrine (or something similar)
- net neutrality
- strong and well-funded public television
- media ownership caps
- promotion and consumption (by all of us) of media outlets that are minority-owned and/or have a strong minority representation amongst their reporters
Almost all of these things start with our lawmakers. Elections are important.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:15 PM on May 2, 2018 [23 favorites]
@BigAlDell
Rudy Giuliani is the Michael Cohen of Alan Dershowitzes
John Dingell
Never thought I’d ever want Rudy Giuliani to keep talking.
John Dingell
Noun, verb, $130,000.
posted by chris24 at 7:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [83 favorites]
Rudy Giuliani is the Michael Cohen of Alan Dershowitzes
John Dingell
Never thought I’d ever want Rudy Giuliani to keep talking.
John Dingell
Noun, verb, $130,000.
posted by chris24 at 7:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [83 favorites]
To me the most astonishing thing about the Trump presidency is how Trump and his people so routinely go on various public platforms and confess to crimes. And then... nothing happens. I'm not sure what amazes me the most, the fact that Trump and his people are so foolhardy they go on TV and brag about committing crimes, or despite the President and his people bragging about their crimes nothing happens.
Maybe Flood won't quit because he figures under the new standards that apply to Trump (and will never, ever, apply to a Democratic politician) he can win despite the people he's working with confessing to crimes on TV?
posted by sotonohito at 11:07 AM on May 3 [+] [!]
I went a'ramblin last night and I got to thinking. Here in our hellish panopticon future, where everything is seen and everybody can get 15 minutes of fame, the ability to say hellishly outrageous and untrue things and get away with it may, unfortunately, be one of the few credible ways of indicating that you have power beyond visibility. "I'm the kind of guy who can get away with it, watch me prove it" might be some sort of sick job qualification for president.
I was drunk. But I had the thought and it seems germane.
posted by saysthis at 7:21 PM on May 2, 2018 [32 favorites]
Maybe Flood won't quit because he figures under the new standards that apply to Trump (and will never, ever, apply to a Democratic politician) he can win despite the people he's working with confessing to crimes on TV?
posted by sotonohito at 11:07 AM on May 3 [+] [!]
I went a'ramblin last night and I got to thinking. Here in our hellish panopticon future, where everything is seen and everybody can get 15 minutes of fame, the ability to say hellishly outrageous and untrue things and get away with it may, unfortunately, be one of the few credible ways of indicating that you have power beyond visibility. "I'm the kind of guy who can get away with it, watch me prove it" might be some sort of sick job qualification for president.
I was drunk. But I had the thought and it seems germane.
posted by saysthis at 7:21 PM on May 2, 2018 [32 favorites]
Rudy Giuliani is like the addled king of saying the quiet part out loud. Remember when he outed Trump for "asking me how to do a Muslim ban legally"?
It's as if he's so delighted to have some bit of "insider" gossip to share to look like a big man, that he doesn't realize people can, you know, hear him when he talks at a TV camera.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [22 favorites]
It's as if he's so delighted to have some bit of "insider" gossip to share to look like a big man, that he doesn't realize people can, you know, hear him when he talks at a TV camera.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [22 favorites]
Adam Serwer: Everybody was wondering if Cohen was gonna flip on Trump but it kind of seems like the opposite happened
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
I am perplexed by the strategy here
I think it is the criminal and corruption version of a gish gallop. You overwhelm investigators and prosecutors with so many possible pieces of evidence that it will be impossible to gather it all up into an orderly coherent narrative in anything less than 3 years.
posted by srboisvert at 7:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
I think it is the criminal and corruption version of a gish gallop. You overwhelm investigators and prosecutors with so many possible pieces of evidence that it will be impossible to gather it all up into an orderly coherent narrative in anything less than 3 years.
posted by srboisvert at 7:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Adam Serwer: Everybody was wondering if Cohen was gonna flip on Trump but it kind of seems like the opposite happened.
More like Rudy just flipped them both off.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:25 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
More like Rudy just flipped them both off.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:25 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Associated Press:
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:26 PM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
President Donald Trump’s new lawyer Rudy Giuliani says the president repaid attorney Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.RON HOWARD: It was campaign money.
Trump had told reporters that he was not aware of the payment and that he didn’t know where Cohen had gotten the money.
Giuliani made the revelation during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.”
He also says the payment “is going to turn out to be perfectly legal” because “that money was not campaign money.”
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:26 PM on May 2, 2018 [35 favorites]
@yashar: 16. Laura Ingraham is playing the clip right now from Air Force One where Trump says he had no idea about the payment contradicting what Giuliani just said on Hannity.
17. Laura Ingraham just now: They have to clarify this..this is a problem (the contradiction).
You know you’ve really screwed up when it’s so bad even Laura Ingraham wants an explanation
posted by zachlipton at 7:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [69 favorites]
17. Laura Ingraham just now: They have to clarify this..this is a problem (the contradiction).
You know you’ve really screwed up when it’s so bad even Laura Ingraham wants an explanation
posted by zachlipton at 7:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [69 favorites]
Imagine being Hannity and maybe being key to bringing down the president he worships
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [24 favorites]
Adam Serwer (Atlantic)
1. Cohen said he wasn’t reimbursed
2. Trump said he didn’t know about the payment Giuliani now says he reimbursed, or why it was made
3. White House denied the affair multiple times
4. Cohen better hope he didn’t tell the feds what he’s been telling everyone else
posted by chris24 at 7:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
1. Cohen said he wasn’t reimbursed
2. Trump said he didn’t know about the payment Giuliani now says he reimbursed, or why it was made
3. White House denied the affair multiple times
4. Cohen better hope he didn’t tell the feds what he’s been telling everyone else
posted by chris24 at 7:27 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
He also says the payment “is going to turn out to be perfectly legal” because “that money was not campaign money.”
RON HOWARD: It was campaign money.
As various legal beagles just said on MSNBC, if Trump paid back the $130k over the course of months as Rudy claimed and didn't include interest, it was definitely a campaign contribution for Cohen to front that payment.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:28 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
RON HOWARD: It was campaign money.
As various legal beagles just said on MSNBC, if Trump paid back the $130k over the course of months as Rudy claimed and didn't include interest, it was definitely a campaign contribution for Cohen to front that payment.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:28 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
Guliani's resolution of the contradictions will be: yes the president and Cohen both lied, because they had to, because it looks bad. But is isn't bad, only the LYING FAKE NEWS MEDIA thinks it's bad to pay for a mistress's silence, because in reality the president has an absolute right to do whatever the hell he wants, whenever he wants, and sometimes he has to stretch the truth, all because a few dingbats haven't caught up to that and still insist on holding such gods as Trump to mortal standards.
At least, if I felt my job were solely to cater to the president's current emotions with no long-term concerns, that's the angle I'd try.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
At least, if I felt my job were solely to cater to the president's current emotions with no long-term concerns, that's the angle I'd try.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
Worth noting that John Edwards was criminally charged with pretty much these exact same facts, and got off because they couldn't prove he knew about the hush payments. And Rudy 9/11 just said Trump knew.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:34 PM on May 2, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:34 PM on May 2, 2018 [50 favorites]
Via Kyle Griffin: [Michael] Avenatti tells @TheLastWord he hopes Giuliani is not suggesting the Cohen reimbursement took place over several months to avoid $10K+ payments to avoid reporting those payments: “That’s a serious, serious problem. It’s a violation of federal law. It’s a criminal act to do that.”
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [67 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [67 favorites]
Laura Ingraham just now: They have to clarify this..this is a problem (the contradiction).
Oh! I can clarify it! The President of the United States is a notorious criminal fraudster.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:38 PM on May 2, 2018 [73 favorites]
Oh! I can clarify it! The President of the United States is a notorious criminal fraudster.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:38 PM on May 2, 2018 [73 favorites]
Hannity says he wants the “Hillary standard” for Trump’s potential Mueller interview...”she didn’t have to go under oath.”
11 hours under oath for the Bullshitghazi Hearing, dudes.
Re parameters of Mueller interview, Giuliani says "I'm not going to let Trump be treated worse than Clinton.." and then he adds "or Hillary Clinton"
Whoops! Ken Starr subpoenaed Bill Clinton, and Bill Clinton had to testify under oath. I want Trump to be treated the same.
WOW. Giuliani just said that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000.
"So was the president lying when he said he didn't reimburse Cohen, or are you lying now?"
posted by kirkaracha at 7:40 PM on May 2, 2018 [60 favorites]
11 hours under oath for the Bullshitghazi Hearing, dudes.
Re parameters of Mueller interview, Giuliani says "I'm not going to let Trump be treated worse than Clinton.." and then he adds "or Hillary Clinton"
Whoops! Ken Starr subpoenaed Bill Clinton, and Bill Clinton had to testify under oath. I want Trump to be treated the same.
WOW. Giuliani just said that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000.
"So was the president lying when he said he didn't reimburse Cohen, or are you lying now?"
posted by kirkaracha at 7:40 PM on May 2, 2018 [60 favorites]
Via Kyle Griffin: [Michael] Avenatti tells @TheLastWord he hopes Giuliani is not suggesting the Cohen reimbursement took place over several months to avoid $10K+ payments to avoid reporting those payments: “That’s a serious, serious problem. It’s a violation of federal law. It’s a criminal act to do that.”
This is the part where I started laughing loud enough to disturb the neighbors.
posted by Ellen Alleyne at 7:44 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
This is the part where I started laughing loud enough to disturb the neighbors.
posted by Ellen Alleyne at 7:44 PM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
Republicans used to get really worked up about lying to the American people.
"Lying to the American people is a clear betrayal of trust. There is no question that this is an impeachable offense." -- Ann Coulter, 1998
posted by kirkaracha at 7:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [30 favorites]
"Lying to the American people is a clear betrayal of trust. There is no question that this is an impeachable offense." -- Ann Coulter, 1998
The President would seek to win at any cost. If it meant lying to the American people. If it meant lying to his Cabinet. If it meant lying to a federal grand jury. If it meant tampering with witnesses and obstructing justice. If it meant falsely branding a young woman with the scarlet labels of liar and 'stalker.' The name of the game was winning. Winning at any cost.-- Mitch McConnell, 1999
Using the powers and influence of the office of President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has engaged in conduct that resulted in misuse and abuse of his high office, impaired the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, and contravened the authority of the legislative branch and the truth-seeking purpose of a coordinate investigative proceeding.-- US Congress, Articles of Impeachment #4, 1998
posted by kirkaracha at 7:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [30 favorites]
This is why republican congresshumans and senators are retiring. Yeah. Rudy has not been a relevant policy maker, counsel, or even pundit for a while now.
posted by vrakatar at 7:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by vrakatar at 7:48 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't know... this is like episode #13784 of Surely This, and I'm feeling less and less hopeful.
posted by Behemoth at 7:52 PM on May 2, 2018 [47 favorites]
posted by Behemoth at 7:52 PM on May 2, 2018 [47 favorites]
I'm feeling less and less hopeful.
They've already told us. Trump himself has said that he faces impeachment if the GOP loses the House in November.
That's it. That's the tell. Vote some of these bastards out and they'll dump Trump.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
They've already told us. Trump himself has said that he faces impeachment if the GOP loses the House in November.
That's it. That's the tell. Vote some of these bastards out and they'll dump Trump.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
And the error isn't even "Trump paid him back."
Think Progress: In first TV appearance as Trump’s new lawyer, Giuliani makes serious legal error
Think Progress: In first TV appearance as Trump’s new lawyer, Giuliani makes serious legal error
Giuliani offered a new — and contradictory — explanation for why Trump fired Comey. This is problematic when the goal of Trump’s lawyers is to provide Mueller with a consistent, and legal, explanation for the firing.posted by chris24 at 7:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [22 favorites]
Early in the interview, Giuliani said that Trump fired James Comey as FBI director because “Comey would not — among other things — say that he wasn’t a target of the investigation.” Giuliani said Trump was “entitled to that.”
Giuliani’s statement not only confirms that Comey was fired because he refused to publicly clear Trump in the Russia investigation, but also directly contradicts two other explanations for Comey’s firing offered by Trump.
According to Giuliani, Trump told NBC’s Lester Holt in an interview shortly after Comey’s firing that “I did it because I felt I had to explain to the American people that their president was not the target of the investigation.”
That is not, however, what Trump told Holt. Trump told Holt that he fired Comey because of his frustration with the existence of the entire Russia investigation, which he believed was an excuse concocted by Democrats who lost the election... In the interview with Holt, Trump did not mention Comey’s refusal to state publicly that he was not a target of the investigation.
Trump’s answer in the Holt interview, in turn, contradicted the official explanation for Comey’s firing. Officially, Trump fired Comey for the reasons laid out in a memo written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The memo criticizes Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Specifically, Rosenstein said Comey was too harsh to Clinton and should not have criticized her publicly when he announced that charges would not be filed.
On Hannity, Giuliani made the exact opposite argument. “Hillary, I know you’re very disappointed you didn’t win. But you’re a criminal. Equal justice would mean you should go to jail,” Giuliani said.
It’s a well-received talking point on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News. But Giuliani’s failure to tell a consistent story, particularly about Comey’s firing, could create much bigger problems for Trump down the road.
As far as I can tell, the entire "Hillary didn't go under oath" thing is about her being interviewed by the FBI... who never questions people under oath, for the same reasons your local police don't. (And they have the additional power that lying to them is a felony anyway.) So yeah, a Moon Law argument.
Meanwhile, another valuable insight from Alexandra Erin (in a live-updating tweet thread):
He goes on TV, he blows up Cohen's story, undermines the current legal strategy... but there's also another angle here and it's one that's far less about calculation.
In Trump's orbit, and Giuliani's in his orbit, this is just how things are *done* now.
Everybody's performing for the world's smallest focus group. Everybody's playing to the audience of one. And that audience likes chaos, shocking swerves, suspense, cliffhangers, big reveals, drama.
Trump never wants to go to prison (it's shameful and boring, a place for losers). But if he could arrange for a combination of The Truman Show and The Fugitive where the world watches him evade the cops 24 hours a day, week after week… and somehow he does it by playing golf and yelling at people? Perhaps while committing more crimes, for the hell of it? That would be his paradise.
(And yeah, we appear to be living in just that right now… but there's a lot of hope to be had in how self-sabotaging this impulse of his can become.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:04 PM on May 2, 2018 [31 favorites]
Meanwhile, another valuable insight from Alexandra Erin (in a live-updating tweet thread):
He goes on TV, he blows up Cohen's story, undermines the current legal strategy... but there's also another angle here and it's one that's far less about calculation.
In Trump's orbit, and Giuliani's in his orbit, this is just how things are *done* now.
Everybody's performing for the world's smallest focus group. Everybody's playing to the audience of one. And that audience likes chaos, shocking swerves, suspense, cliffhangers, big reveals, drama.
Trump never wants to go to prison (it's shameful and boring, a place for losers). But if he could arrange for a combination of The Truman Show and The Fugitive where the world watches him evade the cops 24 hours a day, week after week… and somehow he does it by playing golf and yelling at people? Perhaps while committing more crimes, for the hell of it? That would be his paradise.
(And yeah, we appear to be living in just that right now… but there's a lot of hope to be had in how self-sabotaging this impulse of his can become.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:04 PM on May 2, 2018 [31 favorites]
Rudy tonight also called the FBI "stormtroopers" if you think their whole Blue Lives Matter bullshit is anything but bullshit.
posted by chris24 at 8:12 PM on May 2, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:12 PM on May 2, 2018 [33 favorites]
Giuliani trying to fix it, sort of, talking to the WSJ:
----
@PhilipRucker: This is obvious, but still should be said: Giuliani’s reveal that Trump repaid Cohen $130,000 for hush money to Stormy Daniels renders the repeated denials to the American people from POTUS and his press secretary false and untrue.
@swin24: One WH official’s simple response to Q seeking thoughts on Rudy Giuliani’s comments on Hannity tonight: “was he supposed to do that” actual lol
@brianstelter: W.H. spokesman @hogangidley45, on Fox, asked about Rudy's revelation that Trump reimbursed Cohen: "This is ongoing litigation," thus, no comment. Then he tried to say it again, but misspoke twice: "This is ongoing legislation."
Fun fact: there's a deputy press secretary with the unfortunate name of Hogan Gidley.
Still, in terms of long-term repercussions, I'm sure Mueller's team was taking notes on the fact that Giuliani just offered a new explanation for Comey's firing, and it conflicts with the previous couple stories.
posted by zachlipton at 8:13 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
Speaking to the Journal on Wednesday, Mr. Giuliani said: “He paid him back. No campaign finance violations, no crime of any kind. Michael had discretion to solve these.”What kind of law practice is Giuliani running where he thinks it's normal to make settlements (and there was no case here, just hush money) without so much as mentioning it to your client first?
Asked whether the fact that Mr. Trump had repaid his lawyer conflicted with the president’s previous statements that he was unaware of the payment, Mr. Giuliani said it was “not [an] issue.”
“Cohen was his lawyer and had discretion to settle, as I have had for clients ultimately paying for it,” Mr. Giuliani said.
He said Mr. Trump was “probably not aware” of the payment at the time it was made. “Remember October 2016, hardly will recall any of that in detail. I don’t remember it clearly either,” he said.
----
@PhilipRucker: This is obvious, but still should be said: Giuliani’s reveal that Trump repaid Cohen $130,000 for hush money to Stormy Daniels renders the repeated denials to the American people from POTUS and his press secretary false and untrue.
@swin24: One WH official’s simple response to Q seeking thoughts on Rudy Giuliani’s comments on Hannity tonight: “was he supposed to do that” actual lol
@brianstelter: W.H. spokesman @hogangidley45, on Fox, asked about Rudy's revelation that Trump reimbursed Cohen: "This is ongoing litigation," thus, no comment. Then he tried to say it again, but misspoke twice: "This is ongoing legislation."
Fun fact: there's a deputy press secretary with the unfortunate name of Hogan Gidley.
Still, in terms of long-term repercussions, I'm sure Mueller's team was taking notes on the fact that Giuliani just offered a new explanation for Comey's firing, and it conflicts with the previous couple stories.
posted by zachlipton at 8:13 PM on May 2, 2018 [18 favorites]
When John Kelly was named White House Chief of Staff, the head of the Secret Service sent him an email, now obtained by FOIA: "Congratulations, I think."
posted by zachlipton at 8:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [70 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 8:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [70 favorites]
I love how long it takes in the interview for Rudy to figure out how monumentally he just boned himself
Hannity is trying to steer him out and he's so smug because he thinks he's scoring
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:19 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Hannity is trying to steer him out and he's so smug because he thinks he's scoring
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:19 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Trump's net job disapproval in the RCP Average is in single digits for the first time since May of 2017.
While it's still in low double digits on 538 it's definitely as low as it has been in a long, long time. Once again I am simply dumbfounded at people who can look at the last year and be like "At first I didn't approve of the guy but given everything that has happened let me just say, 'More Please!'"
posted by Justinian at 8:21 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
While it's still in low double digits on 538 it's definitely as low as it has been in a long, long time. Once again I am simply dumbfounded at people who can look at the last year and be like "At first I didn't approve of the guy but given everything that has happened let me just say, 'More Please!'"
posted by Justinian at 8:21 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hannity is trying to steer him out and he's so smug because he thinks he's scoring
I need Hannity's reaction to be my ringtone! If you listen closely, you can actually hear the penny drop in his tiny cranium.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
I need Hannity's reaction to be my ringtone! If you listen closely, you can actually hear the penny drop in his tiny cranium.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:24 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
From twitter: Who knows if Trump hired Russian Hookers to pee on a bed...
But we do know that Trump hired Rudy Giuliani to shit the bed on live TV.
posted by supercrayon at 8:25 PM on May 2, 2018 [68 favorites]
But we do know that Trump hired Rudy Giuliani to shit the bed on live TV.
posted by supercrayon at 8:25 PM on May 2, 2018 [68 favorites]
Giuliani to Hannity: "[Trump] didn't know about the specifics of it, as far as I know, but he did know about the general arrangement that Michael would take care of things like this like I take care of things like this for my clients. I don't burden them with every single thing that comes along. These are busy people."
Seems like there might be a lot more to investigate when it comes to Giuliani's clients.
posted by zachlipton at 8:26 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Seems like there might be a lot more to investigate when it comes to Giuliani's clients.
posted by zachlipton at 8:26 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
One thing about Guiliani throwing Cohen under the bus... even more likely that Cohen flips.
posted by chris24 at 8:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 8:31 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
What is going on with Ben Sasse. That's his official twitter page? his bio is "we are both dragon energy"?
posted by Justinian at 8:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 8:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Roberta Costa: Giuliani tells me he just spoke w / POTUS. Tonight by phone. President "very pleased," Giuliani says. He says they discussed his revelation of the reimbursements long in advance. Does not expect to be fired. Insists his remarks on FNC were approved by Trump. Story TK.
What? This is terrible damage control. There's absolutely no way this was the plan.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
What? This is terrible damage control. There's absolutely no way this was the plan.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:37 PM on May 2, 2018 [19 favorites]
"We are both dragon energy" is what Kanye tweeted about Trump. I have no idea if Sasse is trying to say something about how he feels about Trump or what, but Sasse gave up Twitter at the end of last year. It's pretty damn weird.
posted by zachlipton at 8:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 8:39 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hi it's me from the past. What do you think about Ben Sasse quoting Kanye's twit abt Trump dragon energy?
[incoherent void howl]
In other news, more lifetime judge appts. beholden to and remarked upon by no one! Hoo. Ray.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:44 PM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
[incoherent void howl]
In other news, more lifetime judge appts. beholden to and remarked upon by no one! Hoo. Ray.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:44 PM on May 2, 2018 [12 favorites]
I've been pondering tonight's events, and former Mayor and current Personal Lawyer to the President of the United States Rudy Giuliani's voluntary use of the money-laundering-tinged word "funneled" to describe his client's financial decisions vis-à-vis a porn star he definitely did not have an affair with, and I've decided that medical advances must surely have progressed to the point that Rudy Giuliani and Kanye West are able to launch a reality TV edition of classic action movie Face/Off, in which their roles as protector or aggressor of the neo-Fascist POTUS are reversed. Ratings will be through the roof!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:52 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:52 PM on May 2, 2018 [11 favorites]
Back to the China/soybeans thing for a moment - of the 30 House districts most reliant on soybeans, 25 are GOP-held; all 30 voted for Trump.
Worth noting that several of these were seen as vulnerable to being flipped even before this. Top eight:
Worth noting that several of these were seen as vulnerable to being flipped even before this. Top eight:
IA-04 - Steve Kingposted by Chrysostom at 9:06 PM on May 2, 2018 [31 favorites]
KS-01 - Roger Marshall
NE-03 - Adrian Smith
MN-07 - Collin Peterson
SD-AL - Kristi Noem
IL-18 - Darin LaHood
ND-AL - Kevin Cramer
IA-01 - Rod Blum
Good grief, Giuliani. This isn't just stupid, it's stupid raised to the power of stupid.
posted by medusa at 9:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by medusa at 9:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
So anyway, Happy Infrastructure Week, everybody!
posted by triggerfinger at 9:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [76 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 9:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [76 favorites]
Russia: hey guys we can control U.S. elections
China: HOLD MY BEER
posted by medusa at 9:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [38 favorites]
China: HOLD MY BEER
posted by medusa at 9:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [38 favorites]
I really doubt she would, but Rudy also potentially opened himself up to some liability tonight.
Harold Itzokoff:
Rudy Giuliani called Hillary Clinton “a criminal” on tv tonight. I hope she sues his ass off.
posted by chris24 at 9:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
Harold Itzokoff:
Rudy Giuliani called Hillary Clinton “a criminal” on tv tonight. I hope she sues his ass off.
posted by chris24 at 9:17 PM on May 2, 2018 [46 favorites]
The Times has a transcript of the Stormy bit of the interview (sadly not the Comey portion, which should be at least as newsworthy). This bit is fascinating:
Costa is tweeting bits of his interview with Giuliani:
Meanwhile, Giuliani is still not shutting up, and continues his media tour with John Roberts (Fox News): Rudy Giuliani told me that while @realDonaldTrump reimbursed Cohen for the $130k SD payment, POTUS didn’t know what the money was used for. Giuliani says Cohen merely told the President he had “expenses” for which POTUS reimbursed him.
Haberman's got the $35K bit: $35k a month totaling $460k or $470k, for Stormy and, as Trump often says, “other things.” Unclear what other jobs Giuliani referred to that Cohen was paid for. He said he doesn’t think Trump knew that the money was reimbursement for Stormy till recently.
Uh, I want to know what the "other things" were.
posted by zachlipton at 9:18 PM on May 2, 2018 [27 favorites]
GIULIANI: Everybody was nervous about this from the very beginning. I wasn’t. I knew how much money Donald Trump put into that campaign, and I said, “$130,000? He could do a couple of checks for $130,000.”The transcript actually seems to be wrong here though. To my ear, the video sounds like Giuliani said "Cohen's retainer for thirty-five thousand." Which means he knew the repayment was being divided up into little pieces and called other things.
When I heard of Cohen’s retainer for $130,000, he was doing no work for the president. I said, “Well, that’s how he’s repaying it, with a little profit and a little margin for paying taxes for Michael.
Costa is tweeting bits of his interview with Giuliani:
Q: The president’s not angry with you? He was aware you’d bring it up?That "oh, yeah, yeah. sure sure" does not give me confidence this was a well-thought out plan. And if they really planned to announce this in a coordinated fashion, they would have given Hannity a heads up instead of shocking him, and given the White House spokespeople a heads up so they weren't blindsided.
A: “Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. He was well-aware that at some point when I saw the opportunity, I was going to get this over with.”
Q: You spoke about this w/ him in recent days?
A: “Probably 4 or 5 days ago"
[...]
Q: So you won’t be fired for saying this?
A: “No! no! no! I’m not going to get fired (laughs). But if I do, I do. It wouldn’t be the first time it ever happened. But I don’t think so, no. (laughs)”
[...]
Q: Has the president been speaking to Cohen recently?
A: “No. No. No. I don’t think so. I talk to Cohen’s lawyers, Jay talks to Cohen’s lawyers. But we try to make – both Jay and I know Cohen very well. And we both like him. He trusts us. So, no he hasn’t been talking to him"
Meanwhile, Giuliani is still not shutting up, and continues his media tour with John Roberts (Fox News): Rudy Giuliani told me that while @realDonaldTrump reimbursed Cohen for the $130k SD payment, POTUS didn’t know what the money was used for. Giuliani says Cohen merely told the President he had “expenses” for which POTUS reimbursed him.
Haberman's got the $35K bit: $35k a month totaling $460k or $470k, for Stormy and, as Trump often says, “other things.” Unclear what other jobs Giuliani referred to that Cohen was paid for. He said he doesn’t think Trump knew that the money was reimbursement for Stormy till recently.
Uh, I want to know what the "other things" were.
posted by zachlipton at 9:18 PM on May 2, 2018 [27 favorites]
@Popehat: Protip for federal criminal defense lawyers: when discussing a case on live television, make every effort to avoid accusing your client of money laundering.
posted by teraflop at 9:20 PM on May 2, 2018 [115 favorites]
posted by teraflop at 9:20 PM on May 2, 2018 [115 favorites]
Stonekettle:
Somewhere right now, oiled War Boys are spray painting the smokey eye onto Sarah Huckabee Sanders in preparation for tomorrow's mad battle on the Fury Road while she chugs vodka from a bag made of boiled scrotum leather and screams, I WILL RIDE ETERNAL, SHINY AND CHROME!posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:33 PM on May 2, 2018 [43 favorites]
Remember: every official and ally who goes on TV to defend Trump has a core audience of one. All other reactions are secondary. We've seen this again and again. Giuliani's first priority is to make the boss feel like someone is defending him--even if the defense is stupid and does more harm than good. All else is secondary.
We also know of close coordination between Hannity and Trump. So did Giuliani go off the rails on answers Hannity thought he would get in advance? Did they both fuck this up somehow?
What I'm left wondering here is whether this was arranged before or after they came to a deal with Flood? Or is that deal still not official yet? 'cause part of me wonders if this isn't the result of Giuliani seeing a new lawyer coming onto the scene to take charge, and in a panic he said, "Look, lemme go on Hannity tonight. I'll fix this. Let me show you what I can get done. I've got this."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:34 PM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
We also know of close coordination between Hannity and Trump. So did Giuliani go off the rails on answers Hannity thought he would get in advance? Did they both fuck this up somehow?
What I'm left wondering here is whether this was arranged before or after they came to a deal with Flood? Or is that deal still not official yet? 'cause part of me wonders if this isn't the result of Giuliani seeing a new lawyer coming onto the scene to take charge, and in a panic he said, "Look, lemme go on Hannity tonight. I'll fix this. Let me show you what I can get done. I've got this."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:34 PM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
RE Trump and Kanye, I completely agree they are both a drag on energy.
posted by darkstar at 9:34 PM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 9:34 PM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
Somewhere right now, oiled War Boys are spray painting the smokey eye onto Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Maggie Haberman and the entire NYT staff are very concerned this tweet crossed the line now let's spend the next 48 hours attacking the author because absolutely nothing else of importance is happening in the entire world except this one joke.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:35 PM on May 2, 2018 [31 favorites]
Maggie Haberman and the entire NYT staff are very concerned this tweet crossed the line now let's spend the next 48 hours attacking the author because absolutely nothing else of importance is happening in the entire world except this one joke.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:35 PM on May 2, 2018 [31 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** PA specials -- Gov Wolf has, as expected, scheduled the special elections for old PA-07 and old PA-15 will be held concurrently with the regular general election in November.
** 2018 House:
** PA specials -- Gov Wolf has, as expected, scheduled the special elections for old PA-07 and old PA-15 will be held concurrently with the regular general election in November.
** 2018 House:
-- CO-05: Federal court has put incumbent Lamborn back on the GOP primary ballot, after he had earlier failed to get enough qualifying signatures.** 2018 Senate:
-- Wasserman: Dems at risk of getting locked out of the top two in several House districts. | Another Dem drops out of CA-48, in an effort to avoid this.
-- Morris: Does the generic ballot or special elections tell the tale?
-- Enten: House leans toward Dem control, but is by no means a sure thing.
-- Byler: Why 7 points is probably about the lead Dems need in the generic ballot.
-- Virginia results in 2016 vs 2017 indicate that 2018 Dem turnout should be up sharply.
-- Weekly look in at the 538 generic ballot average shows D+7.8 (46.8/39.0).
-- 538: This is the worst class of Senate seats for Democrats, who are very fortunate they are hitting in a pro-Dem environment.** Odds & ends:
-- WV: GOP primary next week, and no one really knows who is going to win.
-- Vox: The six GOP seats Dems have any shot at flipping.
-- NV: Heller's approval rating shows that demographics aren't automatically destiny.
-- Dems running in every state legislative district in Michigan.posted by Chrysostom at 9:46 PM on May 2, 2018 [40 favorites]
-- Internal poll has Florida's felon enfranchisement amendment with 74% approval (needs 60%).
-- Governing mag: Democrats Poised to Eat Into GOP's Lead in State Legislatures
-- NY gov: Quinnipiac poll has Cuomo up on Nixon, 50-28. Cuomo is at 54/39 job approval.
-- Louisiana's GOP secretary of state has quit amidst a sexual harassment scandal. He's the second GOP SOS to resign recently, following Wyoming's.
@chrisgeidner: Giuliani tells me Trump agreed to pay Cohen $35,000 a month over a year-long period that began in the 1st quarter of 2017 & carried into 2018. That is how the $130K was repaid, Giuliani says, adding, "I'm almost certain that there wasn't an itemized bill."
Yes, I'm sure there was a very well-thought out plan by which they ensured nothing in this statement wasn't an admission to campaign finance violations and other crimes. Surely nobody would be so stupid so as to commit the incredible act of malpractice of saying this stuff without knowing exactly how it's all legal, right?
----
NYT, Trump Assails Justice Dept., Siding With House Conservatives in Dispute:
posted by zachlipton at 9:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [58 favorites]
Yes, I'm sure there was a very well-thought out plan by which they ensured nothing in this statement wasn't an admission to campaign finance violations and other crimes. Surely nobody would be so stupid so as to commit the incredible act of malpractice of saying this stuff without knowing exactly how it's all legal, right?
----
NYT, Trump Assails Justice Dept., Siding With House Conservatives in Dispute:
A former federal law enforcement official familiar with the department’s views said that Mr. Rosenstein and top F.B.I. officials have come to suspect that some lawmakers were using their oversight authority to gain intelligence about that investigation so that it could be shared with the White House.They've "come to suspect" that? Really? Here I was thinking the President's allies in Congress were vigorously demanding the investigation's most sensitive information for non-nefarious reasons, but gosh, those feds have cracked the case. Seriously, if this was a Clinton story, there'd be calls to lock up every Democrat in Congress for interfering with a federal investigation.
posted by zachlipton at 9:51 PM on May 2, 2018 [58 favorites]
A former federal law enforcement official familiar with the department’s views
its mccabe or comey
posted by Justinian at 10:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
its mccabe or comey
posted by Justinian at 10:09 PM on May 2, 2018 [6 favorites]
chris24: "Rudy Giuliani called Hillary Clinton “a criminal” on tv tonight. I hope she sues his ass off."
Wouldn't you just get assholes on twitter coming out of the woodwork to tell the litigious woman how dumb she was, like happened with Stormy Daniels and her defamation lawsuit?
posted by TypographicalError at 10:12 PM on May 2, 2018
Wouldn't you just get assholes on twitter coming out of the woodwork to tell the litigious woman how dumb she was, like happened with Stormy Daniels and her defamation lawsuit?
posted by TypographicalError at 10:12 PM on May 2, 2018
Lawfare: Can the Presidency Trump a Special Counsel Subpoena?
The possibility that Special Counsel Robert Mueller might issue a subpoena to President Trump to compel him to testify before a federal grand jury has, understandably, provoked questions: Can the President be forced to testify if he refuses to give Mueller an interview voluntarily? What has the Supreme Court said on the subject? And if the staring match between Team Trump and Team Mueller becomes litigation, who is likely to win?posted by kirkaracha at 10:12 PM on May 2, 2018 [15 favorites]
The bottom line, in our view, is that Mueller would probably prevail if and when a battle over a grand-jury subpoena makes its way into court. But it is not a sure thing, and the president has plausible arguments available to him that a court would have to work through before enforcing a subpoena for his testimony.
...
It’s hard to see how the courts could contend that the President must answer a civil complaint from Paula Jones but then contend that he need not answer a criminal investigative subpoena from a grand jury issued at the behest of the United States Department of Justice.
...
... based on the law as it stands today, we think it unlikely that the the president could successfully oppose a facially valid subpoena for grand jury testimony.
The president, of course, could refuse to comply with a subpoena even after it has been upheld by the Supreme Court. As the story goes, President Nixon seriously contemplated such a course after the Supreme Court ruled against him in July 1974. In such a circumstance, the ultimate question would not be up to the courts, but rather to Congress. Nixon eventually concluded that defying the Supreme Court would only hasten his impeachment. Whatever else may be said about the law and politics of such a confrontation, we hope we never have to find out whether the current president would see things the same way.
Not to sound all "This is great news... for Donald Trump!!!", but I wonder if this isn't a deliberate and cynical ploy by Giuliani. They know Mueller and the SDNY team have them dead to rights on obstruction, campaign finance violations, money laundering, etc., and there's no way to lie their way around that in court. So why not get out ahead of the legal bombshells by casually admitting to these crimes on national television like it's no big deal, normalizing it all to the base and laying the groundwork to paint the inevitable charges as witch-hunting based on old news? Wasn't that the motivation for Don Jr. posting his own incriminating emails on the Trump Tower meeting to Twitter before the NYT could break the story? It suggests they've given up winning legally and are just going to directly attack the justice system in an all-out PR/culture war once the gears really start grinding on them.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:43 PM on May 2, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 10:43 PM on May 2, 2018 [50 favorites]
It could be they know Mueller already probably knows about the payments given what he's found in Cohen's offices, in which case it's an attempt at damage control. It's a strange world when the better bet is that the President and his lawyer are probably just crazy.
posted by xammerboy at 10:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 10:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Rudy's still talking:
We're talking about Donald Trump here. The man doesn't pay his own debts, so surely he didn't pay $420,000 just to settle a $130,000 debt.
posted by zachlipton at 11:06 PM on May 2, 2018 [25 favorites]
In a conversation with BuzzFeed News, Giuliani later said that Cohen, Trump's longtime personal lawyer, “had complained to some people” after the 2016 election that he’d not been fully paid by Trump. At some point — Giuliani said he did not know when or where specifically — Cohen met with Trump and told him of his complaint. Giuliani said that Trump told Cohen, “We’ll cover your expenses,” and agreed to pay him $35,000 a month “out of his personal funds” over the course of a year-long period that began in the first few months of 2017 and has since ended.So I'm sure Melania is thrilled to have her name mentioned as part of this. And given who we're talking about here, I'm very much not buying his closing argument that boils down to 'they would have done the legal thing.' This also opens up a thousand more questions about what "expenses" the remaining $290K were intended to cover, if SDNY doesn't already know.
“It clearly was a payment to reimburse expenses,” Giuliani said — adding the caveat, “I’m almost certain that there wasn’t an itemized bill.”
“This is like petty cash [to Trump],” Giuliani said. In addition to repaying the $130,000, the arrangement gave Cohen “enough left over for him to profit in [2017].” If Trump paid Cohen $35,000 a month for a year, as Giuliani said, that would be a total of $420,000.
...
Giuliani maintained late Wednesday that Cohen “never talked about it” with Trump when he made the settlement due to the busy nature of the final weeks of the campaign.
“Michael saw an opportunity to settle it for not very much money, and he took it,” Giuliani said. Calling it “a payment to remove personal embarrassment to Melania [Trump],” Giuliani said, “I don't think they thought about it as a campaign thing” — although he acknowledged that others might disagree.
Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine, noted that, despite Giuliani's claims, "Cohen would have still made an illegal loan to the campaign" if it is determined that the payment was related to the campaign. In those circumstances, Trump, also could be in violation of campaign finance laws "for not reporting the expenditure (and the repayment of the loan),” Hasan said.
In his remarks to BuzzFeed News, Giuliani appeared ready to argue on that issue, noting at one point, “If the main reason was the campaign, they would have paid it out of the campaign.”
We're talking about Donald Trump here. The man doesn't pay his own debts, so surely he didn't pay $420,000 just to settle a $130,000 debt.
posted by zachlipton at 11:06 PM on May 2, 2018 [25 favorites]
Prediction: Sunday's Last Week Tonight is going to feature John Oliver in absolute meltdown over how, surely, this time he gets to press the "WE GOT HIM!" button.
posted by Major Clanger at 11:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Major Clanger at 11:08 PM on May 2, 2018 [10 favorites]
The uninsured rate is rising — but only for Republicans
Sarah Kliff highlights a couple of very interesting graphs from a study released by the Commonwealth Fund.
The first graph is rather peculiar. It shows that since Trump, the number of uninsured has gone up sharply, but only for lower income people (below 250% of poverty level). It hasn't changed much for higher income people. This is peculiar because lower income people who enroll in the ACA exchanges qualify for highly subsidized premiums and cost sharing reductions -- very cheap or almost free insurance -- but they seem to be the ones dropping out.
But there is a second graph that might explain this peculiar anomaly. The increase in uninsured is only among those who identify as Republicans. For Democrats there is even a slight reduction in the uninsured.
This suggests that it is only poor, perhaps lower education, Republicans who are losing their insurance. It seems that they are swallowing Trump's propaganda about the "failure" of Obamacare and failing to sign up for almost free health insurance. To make matters worse, Republican states are cancelling their outreach programs that help people enroll in Obamacare. The study indicates that 40% to 50% of the uninsured are either unaware of the exchanges or else don't even bother to look because they don't think they can afford them, even though they qualify for big subsidies.
In contrast Democratic states have very robust advertising and navigator assistance to encourage low income people to sign up and their enrollments are steady under Trump.
This is a real tragedy brought about by Trump and his Republican enablers' deliberate sabotage in order to keep their Republican base ignorant and poor. Economic anxiety -- it's not a bug, it's a feature.
posted by JackFlash at 11:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [84 favorites]
Sarah Kliff highlights a couple of very interesting graphs from a study released by the Commonwealth Fund.
The first graph is rather peculiar. It shows that since Trump, the number of uninsured has gone up sharply, but only for lower income people (below 250% of poverty level). It hasn't changed much for higher income people. This is peculiar because lower income people who enroll in the ACA exchanges qualify for highly subsidized premiums and cost sharing reductions -- very cheap or almost free insurance -- but they seem to be the ones dropping out.
But there is a second graph that might explain this peculiar anomaly. The increase in uninsured is only among those who identify as Republicans. For Democrats there is even a slight reduction in the uninsured.
This suggests that it is only poor, perhaps lower education, Republicans who are losing their insurance. It seems that they are swallowing Trump's propaganda about the "failure" of Obamacare and failing to sign up for almost free health insurance. To make matters worse, Republican states are cancelling their outreach programs that help people enroll in Obamacare. The study indicates that 40% to 50% of the uninsured are either unaware of the exchanges or else don't even bother to look because they don't think they can afford them, even though they qualify for big subsidies.
In contrast Democratic states have very robust advertising and navigator assistance to encourage low income people to sign up and their enrollments are steady under Trump.
This is a real tragedy brought about by Trump and his Republican enablers' deliberate sabotage in order to keep their Republican base ignorant and poor. Economic anxiety -- it's not a bug, it's a feature.
posted by JackFlash at 11:30 PM on May 2, 2018 [84 favorites]
The problem, as always, is that you have Trump's lawyers admitting to actual crimes committed by Trump, and no-one is pressing charges. Mueller is not the only person at the FBI.
In fact it's probably better if someone else does it because whoever does it first will be painted as partisan.
posted by Merus at 11:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
In fact it's probably better if someone else does it because whoever does it first will be painted as partisan.
posted by Merus at 11:55 PM on May 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Not signing up for subsidized Obamacare is insane. How do you help people who won't take help when you literally hand it to them?
It also makes me angry. Do you know how much I'm paying for Obamacare? I'm a single guy. I have no dependents. I'm paying like 700 a month. Just for me. With no subsidies. And these idiots are dropping out? Give me your goddamn subsidies then, I'll take it happily.
So I am both saddened and enraged.
posted by Justinian at 11:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
It also makes me angry. Do you know how much I'm paying for Obamacare? I'm a single guy. I have no dependents. I'm paying like 700 a month. Just for me. With no subsidies. And these idiots are dropping out? Give me your goddamn subsidies then, I'll take it happily.
So I am both saddened and enraged.
posted by Justinian at 11:57 PM on May 2, 2018 [28 favorites]
Not signing up for subsidized Obamacare is insane. How do you help people who won't take help when you literally hand it to them?
Break them out of their information bubble. As for practical ways of achieving that, I'm thinking little radios strapped to cats broadcasting the audio of Rachael Maddow.
posted by scalefree at 12:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Break them out of their information bubble. As for practical ways of achieving that, I'm thinking little radios strapped to cats broadcasting the audio of Rachael Maddow.
posted by scalefree at 12:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
> below 250% of poverty level
PercentagesHowDoTheyWork.gif
posted by stonepharisee at 12:45 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
PercentagesHowDoTheyWork.gif
posted by stonepharisee at 12:45 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not signing up for subsidized Obamacare is insane. How do you help people who won't take help when you literally hand it to them?
For some people, even a small amount may be something they want to avoid if they’re extremely low income. Yes, it’s better in the long run to pay the small amount, but like - if you’re choosing between paying the electric bill now or paying for healthcare you may or may not wind up needing, a lot of people are going to want to roll the dice and keep the electricity on.
posted by corb at 12:50 AM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
For some people, even a small amount may be something they want to avoid if they’re extremely low income. Yes, it’s better in the long run to pay the small amount, but like - if you’re choosing between paying the electric bill now or paying for healthcare you may or may not wind up needing, a lot of people are going to want to roll the dice and keep the electricity on.
posted by corb at 12:50 AM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
Uh, I want to know what the "other things" were.
Coincidentally, the plaintiff in Doe v. Trump and Epstein, who appeared to be prevailing on the claim that Donald J. Trump raped her in 1994, when she was 13, withdrew her lawsuit at about the same time Cohen was writing checks to Daniels.
posted by mikelieman at 1:07 AM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
Coincidentally, the plaintiff in Doe v. Trump and Epstein, who appeared to be prevailing on the claim that Donald J. Trump raped her in 1994, when she was 13, withdrew her lawsuit at about the same time Cohen was writing checks to Daniels.
posted by mikelieman at 1:07 AM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
For some people, even a small amount may be something they want to avoid if they’re extremely low income. Yes, it’s better in the long run to pay the small amount, but like - if you’re choosing between paying the electric bill now or paying for healthcare you may or may not wind up needing, a lot of people are going to want to roll the dice and keep the electricity on.
I understand that, but it doesn't explain the D/R difference among people at the same income level?
posted by mumimor at 1:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
I understand that, but it doesn't explain the D/R difference among people at the same income level?
posted by mumimor at 1:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
> below 250% of poverty level
PercentagesHowDoTheyWork.gif
If poverty line is $100, 250% of it is $250 so anything below that. Or did you mean something else & I misunderstood?
posted by scalefree at 1:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
PercentagesHowDoTheyWork.gif
If poverty line is $100, 250% of it is $250 so anything below that. Or did you mean something else & I misunderstood?
posted by scalefree at 1:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
US Teacher of the Year stages silent protest as Trump awards prize Made my morning.
posted by night_train at 1:39 AM on May 3, 2018 [57 favorites]
posted by night_train at 1:39 AM on May 3, 2018 [57 favorites]
My favorite part of the Giuliani defense is that Trump is so busy that he can't remember every $130,000 payoff he makes to every porn star.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 2:00 AM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 2:00 AM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
The composition in the current banner picture on Trump's twitter account is amazing. Tiny Donald, sitting among giants.
posted by ltl at 2:43 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by ltl at 2:43 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Economic anxiety -- it's not a bug, it's a feature.
This is true for so much of it. Who refused to put more money into shoring up the economy? Voted to make Bush's tax cuts permanent? Gave away the surplus? And on and on... The entire economy languished because the fiscal stimulus wasn't enough. The root cause of the problem was clear, and should have been fixed. The only reason it wasn't seemed to be to hurt democrats politically. Is it sadder that people can be that spiteful or that it worked?
posted by xammerboy at 3:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is true for so much of it. Who refused to put more money into shoring up the economy? Voted to make Bush's tax cuts permanent? Gave away the surplus? And on and on... The entire economy languished because the fiscal stimulus wasn't enough. The root cause of the problem was clear, and should have been fixed. The only reason it wasn't seemed to be to hurt democrats politically. Is it sadder that people can be that spiteful or that it worked?
posted by xammerboy at 3:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Politicians Don’t Need New Ideas by Krugman, so NYTimes
posted by mumimor at 3:09 AM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
I’m not saying that politicians shouldn’t be open to new thinking and evidence about policy. But a political party isn’t like Apple, which needs to keep coming up with glitzier products to stay ahead of Android. There are huge problems with U.S. policy on many fronts, but very few of these problems come from lack of good new ideas. They come, instead, from failure to act on what we already know – and, for the most part, have known for a long time.Healthcare and the environment are examples used in the comment. And apropos of the comment above there is also a bit of nice snark about the Republicans.
posted by mumimor at 3:09 AM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
El Presidente is tweetin' - "Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA."
That's a lot of commas.
posted by PenDevil at 4:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
That's a lot of commas.
posted by PenDevil at 4:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are........very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,.........despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.
He is on a roll this morning!
posted by stonepharisee at 4:19 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
He is on a roll this morning!
posted by stonepharisee at 4:19 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
That is not Trump writing, commas or not.
posted by mumimor at 4:24 AM on May 3, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 4:24 AM on May 3, 2018 [36 favorites]
So, three tweets total, and given the legal language and those commas, it's extremely obvious that someone else wrote it all but added flourishes to suggest a Genuine Trump Original (no threading, a few — too few! — random capitalized Nouns, and misspelling "role" as "roll").
There's an old joke about a horse reading the New Yorker "but don't get excited, he only reads the cartoons", like we don't all know it's still far outside the expected ability level and we're looking for the guy who propped the horse's front legs on the coffee table. In reality, Donald might not even have been in the same room as the actual tweeter.
(We're supposed to believe that a man who constantly invents New Initialisms, using his capitalization style, and then expects you to grasp the NIs from context would have said, in lowercase *coughs fancily* "known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA")
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:25 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
There's an old joke about a horse reading the New Yorker "but don't get excited, he only reads the cartoons", like we don't all know it's still far outside the expected ability level and we're looking for the guy who propped the horse's front legs on the coffee table. In reality, Donald might not even have been in the same room as the actual tweeter.
(We're supposed to believe that a man who constantly invents New Initialisms, using his capitalization style, and then expects you to grasp the NIs from context would have said, in lowercase *coughs fancily* "known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA")
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:25 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Also, if they are already awake, Ms Clifford and her smart-ass lawyer must be rolling around laughing right now.
posted by mumimor at 4:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 4:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
WaPo has a complete transcript up.
And they have this, which is from before the tweets but still applicable.
Trump repaying the Stormy Daniels money doesn’t mean there were no campaign finance violations
And they have this, which is from before the tweets but still applicable.
Trump repaying the Stormy Daniels money doesn’t mean there were no campaign finance violations
...It’s not entirely clear what Giuliani is claiming happened. Over the course of the interview, he told Hannity that Trump repaid Cohen through a monthly $35,000 retainer over a series of months “when he was doing no work for the president,” an amount that Giuliani said included “a little profit and a little margin for paying taxes for Michael.” Later, he speculated that the money might have been paid out of “law firm funds.” Regardless, Giuliani said, it didn’t matter for legal purposes.posted by chris24 at 4:30 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
According to Lawrence Noble, senior director and general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, that’s true: How the payment was made doesn’t affect the legality.
There was still almost certainly a campaign finance violation.
“We still have the same question: What was the purpose of this,” Noble said when we spoke by phone Wednesday evening. We’ve noted in the past that the question of whether the payment was meant to aid Trump’s candidacy is central to campaign finance considerations — and that it’s hard to argue that this payment wasn’t related to the campaign.
“If the purpose of this was to stop [Daniels] from hurting the campaign,” Noble continued, “then what you have is Cohen made a loan to the campaign. And it was an excessive loan because lending the campaign money is a contribution. It was an excessive contribution until it’s repaid.”
Trump, he said, can make contributions of any size to his own campaign. (Giuliani alluded to this, too.) But the campaign can’t just take loans of any size from anyone without reporting them as long as Trump pays them back later. If that were legal, there would be no point in having campaign finance laws: Candidates could accept giant loans, not report them, and pay them back after the election had ended. (The Wall Street Journal reports that the repayment occurred after the campaign.) By not reporting a loan from Cohen meant to aid the election of Donald Trump, the campaign would have violated the law. Had Cohen not been repaid, the violation was his own, as an agent of the campaign making a contribution to it of that size...
Once again we're looking at the question of who is even the president of the United States? Literally, who is the president? Because the tweets this morning are admitting to unequivocal criminal violations of campaign finance. If Trump didn't write or dictate them, and Scavino or whoever did, did he admit it? Can he claim in court that literally he never said that, Scavino did? While at the same time DOJ has already argued in the DACA and other cases that tweets are official statements?
The twitter account is much more the President than Trump's actual words in public these days, because he barely speaks on the record. We don't know who writes those tweets. We literally do not know who is doing the job of President of the United States.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [65 favorites]
The twitter account is much more the President than Trump's actual words in public these days, because he barely speaks on the record. We don't know who writes those tweets. We literally do not know who is doing the job of President of the United States.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [65 favorites]
Giuliani determined to shoot everyone's foot he can find. On Fox and Friends right now.
posted by rc3spencer at 4:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 4:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
A review of Daniel's performance last night at Blush strip club in Pittsburgh.
posted by octothorpe at 4:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by octothorpe at 4:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Can he claim in court that literally he never said that, Scavino did? While at the same time DOJ has already argued in the DACA and other cases that tweets are official statements?
Courts have repeatedly used his tweets against him in decisions. So it appears for legal purposes, they basically equate to official statements.
posted by chris24 at 4:44 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
Courts have repeatedly used his tweets against him in decisions. So it appears for legal purposes, they basically equate to official statements.
posted by chris24 at 4:44 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
The twitter account is much more the President than Trump's actual words in public these days, because he barely speaks on the record. We don't know who writes those tweets. We literally do not know who is doing the job of President of the United States.
This, in a nutshell, is everything I find most dismaying about the Trump administration. I've dealt with con-men/artists and this is absolutely par for the course: a lot of hand wavy bullshit until you settle out of the situation or go to court.
So please, courts/justice, grind exceeding fine a little faster.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:44 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
This, in a nutshell, is everything I find most dismaying about the Trump administration. I've dealt with con-men/artists and this is absolutely par for the course: a lot of hand wavy bullshit until you settle out of the situation or go to court.
So please, courts/justice, grind exceeding fine a little faster.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:44 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
It's nice that Giuliani is making an ass out of himself, but I realized this morning that I expect Mueller to be fired. I think I've been feeling this way for a while, and now I've come to accept it as a probability.
I just don't see how in any way Trump's recent efforts are a strategy that does not somehow incorporate the Divine Right of Kings as a premise. You don't get the Press Secretary calling the special counsel's efforts a witch hunt, employ Rudy Giuliani, and have him go out there and shit over the few legitimate legal handholds Trump has if you don't have in your back pocket some idea of the investigation being something you can box up and put away.
I really believe this. It's not even 2-d chess to argue that the President is above the law. It's an ideological position that the dumbest fascist could get behind.
I'm deeply worried, friends.
posted by angrycat at 4:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
I just don't see how in any way Trump's recent efforts are a strategy that does not somehow incorporate the Divine Right of Kings as a premise. You don't get the Press Secretary calling the special counsel's efforts a witch hunt, employ Rudy Giuliani, and have him go out there and shit over the few legitimate legal handholds Trump has if you don't have in your back pocket some idea of the investigation being something you can box up and put away.
I really believe this. It's not even 2-d chess to argue that the President is above the law. It's an ideological position that the dumbest fascist could get behind.
I'm deeply worried, friends.
posted by angrycat at 4:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
The twitter account is much more the President than Trump's actual words in public these days, because he barely speaks on the record. We don't know who writes those tweets. We literally do not know who is doing the job of President of the United States.
According to Sean Spicer back in the ancient times of 2017 when he was Ye Olde Town Crier, all tweets from @realDonaldTrump are considered as if they alighted directly from the mouth of El Presidente Supremo.
posted by PenDevil at 4:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
According to Sean Spicer back in the ancient times of 2017 when he was Ye Olde Town Crier, all tweets from @realDonaldTrump are considered as if they alighted directly from the mouth of El Presidente Supremo.
posted by PenDevil at 4:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
...and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,.....despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair...
Josh Marshall (TPM)
Remember, Stormy apparently used graphic descriptions of the President in her 60 minutes interview to confirm that she had in fact had sex with the President. 60 cut those, considering them not relevant and salacious. Seem more relevant now.
posted by chris24 at 4:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
Josh Marshall (TPM)
Remember, Stormy apparently used graphic descriptions of the President in her 60 minutes interview to confirm that she had in fact had sex with the President. 60 cut those, considering them not relevant and salacious. Seem more relevant now.
posted by chris24 at 4:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.
I love how even his lawyers can't spell.
posted by chris24 at 4:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
I love how even his lawyers can't spell.
posted by chris24 at 4:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
Rudy doing cleanup in aisle F&F this morning, confirms it's campaign related. Keep talking Rudy!
Kyle Griffin (MSNBC)
Giuliani makes a link back to the campaign:
GIULIANI: ...Imagine if that came out on Oct. 15, 2016, in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton?
Q: So to make it go away, they made this deal?
GIULIANI: Cohen didn't even ask. Cohen made it go away. He didn't even ask.
posted by chris24 at 5:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
Kyle Griffin (MSNBC)
Giuliani makes a link back to the campaign:
GIULIANI: ...Imagine if that came out on Oct. 15, 2016, in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton?
Q: So to make it go away, they made this deal?
GIULIANI: Cohen didn't even ask. Cohen made it go away. He didn't even ask.
posted by chris24 at 5:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
Remember: every official and ally who goes on TV to defend Trump has a core audience of one. All other reactions are secondary. We've seen this again and again. Giuliani's first priority is to make the boss feel like someone is defending him--even if the defense is stupid and does more harm than good. All else is secondary.
The charge of the not very bright brigade.
posted by srboisvert at 5:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
The charge of the not very bright brigade.
posted by srboisvert at 5:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
Rudy doing cleanup in aisle F&F this morning, confirms it's campaign related.
And why this matters...
Slate: Rudy Giuliani May Have Just Implicated President Trump In Serious Campaign Finance Violations
And why this matters...
Slate: Rudy Giuliani May Have Just Implicated President Trump In Serious Campaign Finance Violations
With that state of affairs, Cohen looked like he could be in legal trouble, because someone cannot make a $130,000 in-kind contribution to a federal campaign. The big question before tonight was whether the payment was campaign related. If it was wholly personal, as in made to help Trump’s marriage but not his campaign, then Cohen would be off the hook.posted by chris24 at 5:12 AM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
The case drew parallels to John Edwards’ trial for accepting similar in-kind contributions. DOJ could not get a conviction, likely because there was no smoking gun evidence indicating that payments to Edwards’ mistress were campaign related and not aimed at saving his marriage. The Edwards precedent may be one of the reasons U.S. attorneys from the Southern District of New York raided Cohen’s office and hotel where he was staying: they may have been looking for documentary evidence of his state of mind to determine whether Cohen’s payment was more about Melania or Wisconsin.
But if Cohen made the payment alone and neither Trump nor anyone in the campaign knew anything about it, Trump and the campaign officials would have done nothing wrong. Yes, they have to report contributions and expenditures on federal campaign reports (where they certify they are making truthful statements). But if these campaign officials knew nothing of the contribution, they did nothing wrong. (Cohen might still be on the hook, though, if it could be proven that he did it to support the campaign.)
Now, thanks to Giuliani, the picture looks considerably different. If what Giuliani says is true, and if the payments were made to help the campaign and not (just) to help Trump personally, the campaign may be implicated in illegal activity. If Trump knew that Cohen was advancing him a $130,000 loan for campaign purposes, that would have to be reported by the campaign, as would the payments Giuliani said Trump made in installments to Cohen. These would be campaign expenditures that the committee has to keep track of. As Philip Bump notes, if the Trump Organization facilities were used to help make these payments, then there may be additional campaign violations related to the use of corporate resources for campaigns.
Although many campaign finance violations are handled just as fines, as Giuliani seemed to suggest in his Hannity interview Wednesday night, that’s not true for willful violations of campaign finance law, especially those implicating the public interest. Those can lead to criminal liability. If there was an unreported six-figure loan to the campaign to pay off someone who had an affair with a presidential candidate, with repayments facilitated through corporate resources, that seems like a serious enough violation to merit review by the Justice Department.
Prom Political Wire: "Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) “warned that Democratic gains in November’s congressional elections could make it impossible to get anything accomplished and expose President Trump’s administration to more aggressive oversight,” Bloomberg reports.
Again: The Speaker of the House of Representatives complains that Democrats will subject the President to Congressional oversight.
(He also warns about "gridlock," which is laughable considering how little this Congress has accomplished with Republican in the nominal majority but with a fractious Tea Party caucus that Ryan himself is retiring because he can't control.)
posted by Gelatin at 5:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
Again: The Speaker of the House of Representatives complains that Democrats will subject the President to Congressional oversight.
(He also warns about "gridlock," which is laughable considering how little this Congress has accomplished with Republican in the nominal majority but with a fractious Tea Party caucus that Ryan himself is retiring because he can't control.)
posted by Gelatin at 5:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
Kellyanne's husband with the subtweet.
George Conway (@gtconway3d)
https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/handling-loans-debts-and-advances/personal-loans-candidate/ …
George Conway (@gtconway3d)
https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/handling-loans-debts-and-advances/personal-loans-candidate/ …
Not considered the candidate's personal fundsposted by chris24 at 5:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [27 favorites]
Personal gifts and loans
If any person, including a relative or friend of the candidate, gives or loans the candidate money “for the purpose of influencing any election for federal office,” the funds are not considered personal funds of the candidate even if they are given to the candidate directly. Instead, the gift or loan is considered a contribution from the donor to the campaign, subject to the per-election limit and reportable by the campaign. This is true even if the candidate uses the funds for personal living expenses while campaigning.
Matthew Yglesias (Vox)
The exculpatory story is that the president hands out hush money so frequently that his attorney has carte clanche to cut six-figure payoff checks on his behalf without checking with the client.
Sam Stein (DailyBeast/MSNBC)
In an attempt to insist no campaign finance laws were violated, Rudy is outlining a pretty straightforward violation of campaign finance law: a knowing, (now) admittedly campaign-related, payment by Trump that was never reported to the FEC.
Daniel W. Drezner (waPo)
I’d like to think that Ty Cobb is having a sumptuous breakfast in bed this morning, sipping a mimosa and chuckling to himself as he watches the news.
posted by chris24 at 5:45 AM on May 3, 2018 [69 favorites]
The exculpatory story is that the president hands out hush money so frequently that his attorney has carte clanche to cut six-figure payoff checks on his behalf without checking with the client.
Sam Stein (DailyBeast/MSNBC)
In an attempt to insist no campaign finance laws were violated, Rudy is outlining a pretty straightforward violation of campaign finance law: a knowing, (now) admittedly campaign-related, payment by Trump that was never reported to the FEC.
Daniel W. Drezner (waPo)
I’d like to think that Ty Cobb is having a sumptuous breakfast in bed this morning, sipping a mimosa and chuckling to himself as he watches the news.
posted by chris24 at 5:45 AM on May 3, 2018 [69 favorites]
Kellyanne's husband with the subtweet.
I am so confused. What's his angle in this? Why tweet out a tweet that basically says "lookee here at this law that Trump totally just broke?"
posted by obliviax at 5:47 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
I am so confused. What's his angle in this? Why tweet out a tweet that basically says "lookee here at this law that Trump totally just broke?"
posted by obliviax at 5:47 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
I am so confused. What's his angle in this? Why tweet out a tweet that basically says "lookee here at this law that Trump totally just broke?"
Despite being a very rightwing attorney (He represented Paula Jones against Clinton, worked closely with Ann Coulter and Drudge in the 90s, and dated Laura Ingraham before marrying Kellyanne), he has been consistently going after Trump on Twitter. In March, he deleted a bunch when it looked like Kellyanne was going to be named Communications Director. He then tweeted more. And then Kellyanne went off on CNN when asked about them.
Maybe he's like Joe Walsh; he comes by his terribleness the old fashioned way, truly bad beliefs, not craven partisanship. Lawful evil.
posted by chris24 at 5:54 AM on May 3, 2018 [36 favorites]
Despite being a very rightwing attorney (He represented Paula Jones against Clinton, worked closely with Ann Coulter and Drudge in the 90s, and dated Laura Ingraham before marrying Kellyanne), he has been consistently going after Trump on Twitter. In March, he deleted a bunch when it looked like Kellyanne was going to be named Communications Director. He then tweeted more. And then Kellyanne went off on CNN when asked about them.
Maybe he's like Joe Walsh; he comes by his terribleness the old fashioned way, truly bad beliefs, not craven partisanship. Lawful evil.
posted by chris24 at 5:54 AM on May 3, 2018 [36 favorites]
I just don't see how in any way Trump's recent efforts are a strategy that does not somehow incorporate the Divine Right of Kings as a premise.
Er, let's cut off the last 13 words of that sentence. This is not Nixon circling the wagons and shouting defiance here. This is a mad king of whims and his squabbling courtiers each trying to impose their own particular slant on things. If there were a conscious effort towards tyranny, they'd have a specific narrative. Maybe not a specific narrative that made sense or exonerated them, but still, something to impose on people and dare them to challenge. This is just chaos. It's what happens when everyone throws their favorite ideas at the wall and sees what sticks without bothering to consult with each other.
Actually, if his various courtiers were at all aligned, I figure they would have long since locked him in his office, taken away his phone, and just taken to issuing their own pronunciamentos in his name. There's a time-honored tradition of forming a clandestine coalition regency when kings become too insane (or dead, in the case of Qin Shi Huang) to rule effectively. Good thing none of these assholes trust each other.
posted by jackbishop at 5:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Er, let's cut off the last 13 words of that sentence. This is not Nixon circling the wagons and shouting defiance here. This is a mad king of whims and his squabbling courtiers each trying to impose their own particular slant on things. If there were a conscious effort towards tyranny, they'd have a specific narrative. Maybe not a specific narrative that made sense or exonerated them, but still, something to impose on people and dare them to challenge. This is just chaos. It's what happens when everyone throws their favorite ideas at the wall and sees what sticks without bothering to consult with each other.
Actually, if his various courtiers were at all aligned, I figure they would have long since locked him in his office, taken away his phone, and just taken to issuing their own pronunciamentos in his name. There's a time-honored tradition of forming a clandestine coalition regency when kings become too insane (or dead, in the case of Qin Shi Huang) to rule effectively. Good thing none of these assholes trust each other.
posted by jackbishop at 5:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Despite being a very rightwing attorney (He represented Paula Jones against Clinton, worked closely with Ann Coulter and Drudge in the 90s, and dated Laura Ingraham before marrying Kellyanne), he has been consistently going after Trump on Twitter.
Oh, huh, TIL. So hard to keep track of all the subtle shades of terrible dudes in the vortex around Trump.
posted by obliviax at 5:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Oh, huh, TIL. So hard to keep track of all the subtle shades of terrible dudes in the vortex around Trump.
posted by obliviax at 5:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
I just want to call out a fact in the whole Guliani rolling disaster that might get overlooked.. On Fox & Friends this morning, he specifically said "Imagine if that had come out on October 15, 2016".
Remember 0xFCAF's great little analysis?
Those payments started on October 17th, 2016.
Great job, 0xFCAF!
Furthermore, Caroline O. (@RVAWonk) calls out an additional thing that happened on Oct 15, that may be related. That was the day the Goldman Sachs/Podesta email dump from WikiLeaks happened.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 5:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [90 favorites]
Remember 0xFCAF's great little analysis?
Those payments started on October 17th, 2016.
Great job, 0xFCAF!
Furthermore, Caroline O. (@RVAWonk) calls out an additional thing that happened on Oct 15, that may be related. That was the day the Goldman Sachs/Podesta email dump from WikiLeaks happened.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 5:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [90 favorites]
He's been doing stuff like this for a while. I suspect he's just bitter that he wasn't given a job in the Trump administration. It would be way too generous to assume that he's standing on principle.
posted by parallellines at 5:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by parallellines at 5:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
I suspect he's just bitter that he wasn't given a job in the Trump administration.
Definitely a good possibility. He was up for Solicitor General but Noel Francisco was nominated instead. And funny thing, if Rosenstein is fired, the Solicitor General would then be in charge of the Mueller investigation.
posted by chris24 at 6:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Definitely a good possibility. He was up for Solicitor General but Noel Francisco was nominated instead. And funny thing, if Rosenstein is fired, the Solicitor General would then be in charge of the Mueller investigation.
posted by chris24 at 6:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
These agreements are........very common among celebrities and people of wealth.
Haha. I love this part of today’s tweetstorm. What you people need to understand is that people like me — fabulously wealthy famous people — make these kinds of arrangements all the time.
“Make sure you get the stuff about fame and wealth in there Rudy. Great wealth.”
posted by notyou at 6:15 AM on May 3, 2018 [29 favorites]
Haha. I love this part of today’s tweetstorm. What you people need to understand is that people like me — fabulously wealthy famous people — make these kinds of arrangements all the time.
“Make sure you get the stuff about fame and wealth in there Rudy. Great wealth.”
posted by notyou at 6:15 AM on May 3, 2018 [29 favorites]
that certainly helps Judge Otero, I guess, in deciding whether the case can go forward in spite of Cohen pleading the 5th, since we now know that there is another key witness who can attest to the facts that Cohen won't be talking about. Maybe Trump can schedule his California deposition for the same week as his Mueller interview.
Is this is the stayed litigation? Judge Otero can just lift the stay now, and Avenetti can amend his complaint and subpoena him for a deposition, right? With the Paula Jones precedent, even though Trump would fight it, his attorney (Rudy) did want the "Clinton Standard", right?
Does this really end with Trump suing every lawyer he's had for malpractice?
posted by mikelieman at 6:25 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Is this is the stayed litigation? Judge Otero can just lift the stay now, and Avenetti can amend his complaint and subpoena him for a deposition, right? With the Paula Jones precedent, even though Trump would fight it, his attorney (Rudy) did want the "Clinton Standard", right?
Does this really end with Trump suing every lawyer he's had for malpractice?
posted by mikelieman at 6:25 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
GIULIANI: ...Imagine if that came out on Oct. 15, 2016, in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton?
Q: So to make it go away, they made this deal?
GIULIANI: Cohen didn't even ask. Cohen made it go away. He didn't even ask.
TRUMP [or someone]: Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.
I mean, if you read these in chronological order, it's a fucking gobsmacking admission that substantially increases Trump and Cohen's civil and criminal jeopardy. Just like their malice and terribleness, their self-incriminating idiocy has no bottom.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:30 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
Q: So to make it go away, they made this deal?
GIULIANI: Cohen didn't even ask. Cohen made it go away. He didn't even ask.
TRUMP [or someone]: Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.
I mean, if you read these in chronological order, it's a fucking gobsmacking admission that substantially increases Trump and Cohen's civil and criminal jeopardy. Just like their malice and terribleness, their self-incriminating idiocy has no bottom.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:30 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
Does this really end with Trump suing every lawyer he's had for malpractice?
. . . using even worse, less competent lawyers, or possibly going pro se.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
. . . using even worse, less competent lawyers, or possibly going pro se.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Found Conway's angle. He's looking to be the attorney that Trump uses to sue all the other attorneys.
posted by cmfletcher at 6:33 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 6:33 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
These agreements are........very common among celebrities and people of wealth.
"You know, like Bill Cosby, Jimmy Saville, what's his nut from That 70s Show..."
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 6:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
"You know, like Bill Cosby, Jimmy Saville, what's his nut from That 70s Show..."
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 6:38 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
Further evidence Trump didn't write that series of comma-laden tweets; per @TrumpsAlert he "liked" it.
posted by carmicha at 6:39 AM on May 3, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 6:39 AM on May 3, 2018 [41 favorites]
@matthewamiller: Current Trump lawyer competence standings: McGahn > Cobb > Kasowitz > Sekulow > Dowd > Cohen > Giuliani
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
I mean, if you read these in chronological order, it's a fucking gobsmacking admission that substantially increases Trump and Cohen's civil and criminal jeopardy.
Absolutely this. Mikey was certain to be -- at a minimum -- disbarred for his role in this, just going by his own cover story. Now Donny's own team has thrown Mikey under the bus, and put him at real risk of going to jail. They've made an enemy of a man who is cornered and who knows where all the bodies are buried (maybe not on this, but on many, many other matters).
That's... not the best strategy. If Mikey goes down (and he will, it's just a question of how far), he's taking people with him, intentionally or not.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Absolutely this. Mikey was certain to be -- at a minimum -- disbarred for his role in this, just going by his own cover story. Now Donny's own team has thrown Mikey under the bus, and put him at real risk of going to jail. They've made an enemy of a man who is cornered and who knows where all the bodies are buried (maybe not on this, but on many, many other matters).
That's... not the best strategy. If Mikey goes down (and he will, it's just a question of how far), he's taking people with him, intentionally or not.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Does this really end with Trump suing every lawyer he's had for malpractice?
What if the Battle of Bosworth Field, but with lawyers
posted by saturday_morning at 6:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
What if the Battle of Bosworth Field, but with lawyers
posted by saturday_morning at 6:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
It's only 10 am and already shaping up to be an outstanding National Day of Prayer.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
...a good start!
posted by Cookiebastard at 6:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Cookiebastard at 6:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
Re tweets as statements by trump, they should, at a minimum, be admissible (over a hearsay objection) as "adoptive admissions" by a party to a lawsuit, in federal and most state courts. The "he adopted it" showing isn't that hard when it's his account, but it sure is helpful when he also likes the tweet.
posted by mabelstreet at 7:18 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by mabelstreet at 7:18 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Sean Spicer Says President Trump Considers His Tweets 'Official' White House Statements
When asked at a press briefing whether Trump’s tweets qualify as official statements on behalf of the White House, Spicer said that he “is the President of the United States, so they’re considered official statements by the President of the United States.”
That was back in the ancient mists of 2017 so not sure if it still applies today.
posted by PenDevil at 7:24 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
When asked at a press briefing whether Trump’s tweets qualify as official statements on behalf of the White House, Spicer said that he “is the President of the United States, so they’re considered official statements by the President of the United States.”
That was back in the ancient mists of 2017 so not sure if it still applies today.
posted by PenDevil at 7:24 AM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
You must be truly desperate to come to me for help.
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [68 favorites]
posted by Definitely Not Sean Spicer at 7:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [68 favorites]
For some people, even a small amount may be something they want to avoid if they’re extremely low income. Yes, it’s better in the long run to pay the small amount, but like - if you’re choosing between paying the electric bill now or paying for healthcare you may or may not wind up needing, a lot of people are going to want to roll the dice and keep the electricity on.
This makes no sense. If you are of low income (below 138% of poverty level) then you get absolutely free Medicaid.
Unless you are in a Republican state that refused free federal funds for Medicaid expansion out of pure spite and hate for poor people.
Even in Republican states that implemented Medicaid expansion, there is a disturbingly high percentage who don't sign up for free Medicaid because Republicans are actively discouraging sign ups by failing to inform people of their benefits or putting in new, illegal, hoops to jump through like drug testing and work requirements.
Poor people are being screwed royally by Republicans in order to keep the "wrong people" from getting benefits, yet we hear about "economic anxiety". Racism -- it's a hell of a drug.
posted by JackFlash at 7:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [43 favorites]
This makes no sense. If you are of low income (below 138% of poverty level) then you get absolutely free Medicaid.
Unless you are in a Republican state that refused free federal funds for Medicaid expansion out of pure spite and hate for poor people.
Even in Republican states that implemented Medicaid expansion, there is a disturbingly high percentage who don't sign up for free Medicaid because Republicans are actively discouraging sign ups by failing to inform people of their benefits or putting in new, illegal, hoops to jump through like drug testing and work requirements.
Poor people are being screwed royally by Republicans in order to keep the "wrong people" from getting benefits, yet we hear about "economic anxiety". Racism -- it's a hell of a drug.
posted by JackFlash at 7:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [43 favorites]
I feel like we could do a few things that would help:
- bring back the Fairness Doctrine (or something similar)
- net neutrality
- strong and well-funded public television
- media ownership caps
- promotion and consumption (by all of us) of media outlets that are minority-owned and/or have a strong minority representation amongst their reporters
Almost all of these things start with our lawmakers. Elections are important.
posted by triggerfinger at 19:15 on May 2
I agree with all of these thing, which require a fucking lot of work. When it comes to media coverage, a lot of companies sidestep media coverage to talk to their customers directly. That seems to be what DSA is doing and it is brilliant. Also, we need local communication strategies to give people in local voting districts reasons to vote based on community interests.
Mainstream media will never, ever save us, not nationally and probably not locally. But local issues can be way more motivating to help get out the vote than national issues. For all kinds of reasons. So I would love to see more local communications, more PR, more voting slate cards, more everything. Including ongoing demonstrations that the Democratic Party (the progressive arm, at least) cares about communities and shows that through actions doesn't keep those actions a secret.
posted by Bella Donna at 7:43 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
- bring back the Fairness Doctrine (or something similar)
- net neutrality
- strong and well-funded public television
- media ownership caps
- promotion and consumption (by all of us) of media outlets that are minority-owned and/or have a strong minority representation amongst their reporters
Almost all of these things start with our lawmakers. Elections are important.
posted by triggerfinger at 19:15 on May 2
I agree with all of these thing, which require a fucking lot of work. When it comes to media coverage, a lot of companies sidestep media coverage to talk to their customers directly. That seems to be what DSA is doing and it is brilliant. Also, we need local communication strategies to give people in local voting districts reasons to vote based on community interests.
Mainstream media will never, ever save us, not nationally and probably not locally. But local issues can be way more motivating to help get out the vote than national issues. For all kinds of reasons. So I would love to see more local communications, more PR, more voting slate cards, more everything. Including ongoing demonstrations that the Democratic Party (the progressive arm, at least) cares about communities and shows that through actions doesn't keep those actions a secret.
posted by Bella Donna at 7:43 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
@nytimes: Breaking News: President Trump reversed his position on a payment to the porn actress Stormy Daniels, confirming that he reimbursed his lawyer for it.
This is one of those increasingly frequent moments when I wish Twitter ratios worked like voodoo dolls.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:50 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
This is one of those increasingly frequent moments when I wish Twitter ratios worked like voodoo dolls.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:50 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
"Reversed his position" on a payment he made. On a matter he said he never knew about.
Jesus Christ at the lengths they'll go to avoid saying the words 'Trump lied.'
posted by sporkwort at 7:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [91 favorites]
Jesus Christ at the lengths they'll go to avoid saying the words 'Trump lied.'
posted by sporkwort at 7:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [91 favorites]
@"real" "Donald" "Trump": Mr. Cohen [...] entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth.
OK.
The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair
So... "I'm the victim of felony extortion and have been coerced into paying thousands of dollars in ransom to avoid the damage of false sexual accusations, but it's no biggie, it happens to everyone down at the golf club."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [49 favorites]
OK.
The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair
So... "I'm the victim of felony extortion and have been coerced into paying thousands of dollars in ransom to avoid the damage of false sexual accusations, but it's no biggie, it happens to everyone down at the golf club."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [49 favorites]
"reversed his position" aka "changed his story" aka "admits he was previously lying"
Come on, headline writers.
posted by mikepop at 8:00 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
Come on, headline writers.
posted by mikepop at 8:00 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
Maybe if we're really lucky the WaPo will drop the hammer and give us a "Misled"
posted by saturday_morning at 8:01 AM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by saturday_morning at 8:01 AM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
I want some reporter to ask: what is going to be your next explanation 24 hours from now?
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:04 AM on May 3, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:04 AM on May 3, 2018 [21 favorites]
Look, it's a good thing when people are comfortable updating their views on the issues when new evidence arises. For instance, changing one's mind on tariff policy after talking to economists, or accepting the overwhelming data that confirms biological evolution as a fact, or re-considering whether or not you did crimes on account of your lawyer just said on TV that you did crimes.
(Now, if we're going to take the president's defense seriously, one obvious question: supposing Daniels just made the whole thing up, does that mean Trump pays literally anybody who claims an affair or similar scandal? Is he really vulnerable to wholly-made-up blackmail? If not, what determines his decision on whether to pay for someone's silence?)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
(Now, if we're going to take the president's defense seriously, one obvious question: supposing Daniels just made the whole thing up, does that mean Trump pays literally anybody who claims an affair or similar scandal? Is he really vulnerable to wholly-made-up blackmail? If not, what determines his decision on whether to pay for someone's silence?)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
Boston Globe has "changes story," which is a nice little dig I think.
posted by Melismata at 8:09 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 8:09 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
> Via Kyle Griffin: [Michael] Avenatti tells @TheLastWord he hopes Giuliani is not suggesting the Cohen reimbursement took place over several months to avoid $10K+ payments to avoid reporting those payments: “That’s a serious, serious problem. It’s a violation of federal law. It’s a criminal act to do that.”
Just a fun reminder that structuring, even for legitimate transfers of money, is illegal in its own right. Like, If you had a fantastic garage sale and made $20,000 cash, but your best friend said they heard $10k+ deposits are a hassle, so you decide to make things easier on everyone and just make 3 smaller deposits - BAM. You "shall be fined in accordance with title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both."
Huh. Upon looking up the exact penalty, there's this extra clause:
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:11 AM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
Just a fun reminder that structuring, even for legitimate transfers of money, is illegal in its own right. Like, If you had a fantastic garage sale and made $20,000 cash, but your best friend said they heard $10k+ deposits are a hassle, so you decide to make things easier on everyone and just make 3 smaller deposits - BAM. You "shall be fined in accordance with title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both."
Huh. Upon looking up the exact penalty, there's this extra clause:
(2)Enhanced penalty for aggravated cases.—How much was that payment again?
Whoever violates this section while violating another law of the United States or as part of a pattern of any illegal activity involving more than $100,000 in a 12-month period shall be fined twice the amount provided in subsection (b)(3) or (c)(3) (as the case may be) of section 3571 of title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:11 AM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
top comedy from Max Burns on Twitter
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:22 AM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:22 AM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
"Reversed his position" on a payment he made. On a matter he said he never knew about.
This is really disgusting, not even for it's cowardice, but for implicitly endorsing the dangerous trend of treating facts as negotiable.
If they just wanted to be cowardly, using "seemingly contradicted his earlier statements" is non-accusatory but doesn't drag us into the "reality originates from Trump's perception" zone.
posted by duoshao at 8:22 AM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
This is really disgusting, not even for it's cowardice, but for implicitly endorsing the dangerous trend of treating facts as negotiable.
If they just wanted to be cowardly, using "seemingly contradicted his earlier statements" is non-accusatory but doesn't drag us into the "reality originates from Trump's perception" zone.
posted by duoshao at 8:22 AM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
New lawyer, new spontaneous confessions of guilt and corrupt intent.
These are like anti-lawyers. Antila?
posted by BS Artisan at 8:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
These are like anti-lawyers. Antila?
posted by BS Artisan at 8:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
top comedy from Max Burns on Twitter
The best one is visual but for those not on the Twits:
The day the hot takes died...
Ty Cobb grounds out to alt-right field.
R
U
D
YOU JUST ADMITTED IT MORON
posted by Sophie1 at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
The best one is visual but for those not on the Twits:
The day the hot takes died...
Ty Cobb grounds out to alt-right field.
R
U
D
YOU JUST ADMITTED IT MORON
posted by Sophie1 at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is really disgusting, not even for it's cowardice, but for implicitly endorsing the dangerous trend of treating facts as negotiable.
I agree, but it ain't a trend, it's a way of life for him. This is the US President, here and now.
posted by rhizome at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
I agree, but it ain't a trend, it's a way of life for him. This is the US President, here and now.
posted by rhizome at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
For what it's worth, "reversed his position" (which, yes, is really shameful) is just in the text alert. The headline on the homepage is: "President Trump directly contradicted his statement on the payment to the porn actress, confirming he reimbursed his lawyer."
posted by neroli at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by neroli at 8:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
So... "I'm the victim of felony extortion and have been coerced into paying thousands of dollars in ransom to avoid the damage of false sexual accusations, but it's no biggie, it happens to everyone down at the golf club."
The best part about this admission of Trump's is, that even if it's 100% true, which it most definitely is not, he's still admitting to at least 2 separate crimes: namely, illegal use of a loan to his campaign, and structuring of payments to avoid declaring them to the IRS.
posted by dis_integration at 8:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
The best part about this admission of Trump's is, that even if it's 100% true, which it most definitely is not, he's still admitting to at least 2 separate crimes: namely, illegal use of a loan to his campaign, and structuring of payments to avoid declaring them to the IRS.
posted by dis_integration at 8:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
They still won’t say “lied”.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [20 favorites]
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug: Just a fun reminder that structuring, even for legitimate transfers of money, is illegal in its own right... You "shall be fined in accordance with title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both."... Upon looking up the exact penalty, there's this extra clause: "... any illegal activity involving more than $100,000 in a 12-month period"... How much was that payment again?
Now I wonder if the $130k number was set that high specifically because it would have to be structured. As in, back in November 2016, Stormy and/or her legal team were hoping the Trump people would commit crimes to pay the hush money, or -- remember what timeline we're in -- Cohen (who all evidence suggests has been mobbed up for basically his whole life) set it at that because of the perverse thrill he gets from structuring. Or if not a thrill, just old habits.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:32 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
Now I wonder if the $130k number was set that high specifically because it would have to be structured. As in, back in November 2016, Stormy and/or her legal team were hoping the Trump people would commit crimes to pay the hush money, or -- remember what timeline we're in -- Cohen (who all evidence suggests has been mobbed up for basically his whole life) set it at that because of the perverse thrill he gets from structuring. Or if not a thrill, just old habits.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:32 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
And in other Trump news
@Farenthold is in the courtroom
BREAKING: NYC judge rules against @realdonaldtrump’s company, says NYC bldg called “Trump Place” has right to take down its signs.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:32 AM on May 3, 2018 [27 favorites]
@Farenthold is in the courtroom
BREAKING: NYC judge rules against @realdonaldtrump’s company, says NYC bldg called “Trump Place” has right to take down its signs.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:32 AM on May 3, 2018 [27 favorites]
If they just wanted to be cowardly, using "seemingly contradicted his earlier statements" is non-accusatory but doesn't drag us into the "reality originates from Trump's perception" zone.
Just to prove your point, NPR used phrasing like that this morning.
(Memo to NPR and others: Saying "Not-x" doesn't "seem to contradict" x, it does contradict x.)
posted by Gelatin at 8:33 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Just to prove your point, NPR used phrasing like that this morning.
(Memo to NPR and others: Saying "Not-x" doesn't "seem to contradict" x, it does contradict x.)
posted by Gelatin at 8:33 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
In which Monica Lewinsky buries Marco Rubio in a shallow grave. Because the day isn't weirdly delightful enough yet.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:33 AM on May 3, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:33 AM on May 3, 2018 [56 favorites]
I'm really surprised that Krugman's lesson from the last 5 years or so is that politicians don't need to create new policy. I don't think Bernie was suggesting anything new, but his popularity certainly came from pushing more leftist policy - guaranteed healthcare and a living wage. Free tuition wasn't even on the map. Gay marriage and now marijuana legalization and possibly guaranteed work were populist policy whose popularity took the Democrats completely by surprise. The lesson from the last five years is that Democrats need to better understand where their constituents are at, be ballsier, and start throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks.
Hillary wanted to include in her platform a guaranteed income, similar to what Alaskans get from taxing oil, but couldn't figure out how to talk about it. I think that idea could have galvanized her campaign.
posted by xammerboy at 8:34 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hillary wanted to include in her platform a guaranteed income, similar to what Alaskans get from taxing oil, but couldn't figure out how to talk about it. I think that idea could have galvanized her campaign.
posted by xammerboy at 8:34 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hillary wanted to include in her platform a guaranteed income, similar to what Alaskans get from taxing oil, but couldn't figure out how to talk about it. I think that idea could have galvanized her campaign.
This veers dangerously into relitigating the primary territory but her account isn't that she didn't know how to message on it (which she also didn't, Alaska For America? come on), but that they were too concerned about how to "pay for it", whatever the fuck that means. Absurd deficit anxiety, which is not grounded in reality (we can literally spend all the money we want, on anything we want! we're the richest nation in human history), which never trips up Congress when it passes military spending budgets, or trips ups republicans when they increase the deficit by 1.5 trillion for tax cuts for the rich, apparently was the problem.
posted by dis_integration at 8:42 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
This veers dangerously into relitigating the primary territory but her account isn't that she didn't know how to message on it (which she also didn't, Alaska For America? come on), but that they were too concerned about how to "pay for it", whatever the fuck that means. Absurd deficit anxiety, which is not grounded in reality (we can literally spend all the money we want, on anything we want! we're the richest nation in human history), which never trips up Congress when it passes military spending budgets, or trips ups republicans when they increase the deficit by 1.5 trillion for tax cuts for the rich, apparently was the problem.
posted by dis_integration at 8:42 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
"how to pay for it" is part of the messaging, and true or not, "we can literally spend all the money we want" might not have gone over so great
posted by prize bull octorok at 8:46 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 8:46 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
@chrisgeidner: Giuliani tells me Trump agreed to pay Cohen $35,000 a month over a year-long period that began in the 1st quarter of 2017
$420,000 over a year -- after Stormy's check, that leaves $290,000. Meaning two more slightly-larger-than-Stormy scandals he was also paying off.
posted by msalt at 8:47 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
$420,000 over a year -- after Stormy's check, that leaves $290,000. Meaning two more slightly-larger-than-Stormy scandals he was also paying off.
posted by msalt at 8:47 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
As in, back in November 2016, Stormy and/or her legal team were hoping the Trump people would commit crimes to pay the hush money
There's been evidence to suggest that Stormy's lawyer at the time was actually conspiring with Cohen. So it could even be that Cohen was stocking up a bit of blackmail material on Trump, except that would indicate a degree of competence and planning that's not really been on display.
I suppose it's barely even worth mentioning that of course the rich and famous don't pay off people making false accusations as that would be an open invitation to every scammer and grifter on the planet that they were easily parted with their money.
If it was paid off at $35k a month that makes it even more dumb that they laundered $130k from the campaign in October, although I guess that was just before the election and the expenses would be harder to hide after...
posted by Buntix at 8:51 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
There's been evidence to suggest that Stormy's lawyer at the time was actually conspiring with Cohen. So it could even be that Cohen was stocking up a bit of blackmail material on Trump, except that would indicate a degree of competence and planning that's not really been on display.
I suppose it's barely even worth mentioning that of course the rich and famous don't pay off people making false accusations as that would be an open invitation to every scammer and grifter on the planet that they were easily parted with their money.
If it was paid off at $35k a month that makes it even more dumb that they laundered $130k from the campaign in October, although I guess that was just before the election and the expenses would be harder to hide after...
posted by Buntix at 8:51 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
xammerboy: I think Krugman was talking about the insistence that politicians' ideas be brand new, e.g a UBI wouldn't count precisely because Alaska has something similar. He mentioned universal health care as an example: It's a solved problem, and our leaders don't need to do more than copy other countries (with all the ancillary USA-specific wonky details, of course). Some pundits discuss Democrats' (but not Republicans') ideas as if total originality is a must, the way a student needs to avoid plagiarism, because something something "fresh" and "inspired", and that's what Krugman was dismissing.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
$420,000 over a year
And I'm sure properly declared to the IRS.
posted by chris24 at 8:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
And I'm sure properly declared to the IRS.
posted by chris24 at 8:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
There are about four policy planks I’d say are no longer risky and have majority support : gun control, immigration reform/path to citizenship, marijuana legalization, and Medicare For All. That should be considered like, the bare bones going forward. If someone wanted to run or say, create a national policy platform around that, I’d mix in a very aggressive gerrymandering/voting access focus (automatic registration, voting by mail, restoring voting rights to convicts, etc) and an eye to electing reformist DAs. Add in about four more more marginal but still not unsupported ideas like a job guarantee, social housing, debt jubilees, and you’ve got a good progressive platform that reflects majority support.
This isn’t hard, the people know what they want. Hire me to write your positions Average Democrat, I can drag you *gently* along to the left where the populace is.
posted by The Whelk at 8:53 AM on May 3, 2018 [90 favorites]
This isn’t hard, the people know what they want. Hire me to write your positions Average Democrat, I can drag you *gently* along to the left where the populace is.
posted by The Whelk at 8:53 AM on May 3, 2018 [90 favorites]
FWIW I stand by my analysis that Trump used campaign money to reimburse Cohen.
This is at least the fourth version of events given to us by Trump or Trump associates? We have no reason whatsoever to believe this revision when the evidence to the contrary is staring us in the face. Stop listening to the obvious lies and start looking at the basic facts on the ground.
One thing we've seen over and over again is that Trump or his minions tell an obvious lie, the media feigns breathtaking credulousness, and then later we "find out" that the obvious lie was a lie.
It was an obvious lie that Trump had a secret plan to defeat ISIS, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Trump's doctor wrote that letter, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Trump had the biggest inauguration crowds ever, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that millions of people voted illegally, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Trump fired Comey because Comey treated Clinton unfairly, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Cohen paid this money out of the goodness of his heart, and here we are, wow.
We can stop acting surprised. When they tell you obvious lies, they're lies. Tomorrow morning SHS is going to get in front of reporters and say it's going to snow in Los Angeles in August and September will roll around and we'll be like "WOW it didn't snow! Much surprise! So lie!".
posted by 0xFCAF at 8:56 AM on May 3, 2018 [98 favorites]
This is at least the fourth version of events given to us by Trump or Trump associates? We have no reason whatsoever to believe this revision when the evidence to the contrary is staring us in the face. Stop listening to the obvious lies and start looking at the basic facts on the ground.
One thing we've seen over and over again is that Trump or his minions tell an obvious lie, the media feigns breathtaking credulousness, and then later we "find out" that the obvious lie was a lie.
It was an obvious lie that Trump had a secret plan to defeat ISIS, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Trump's doctor wrote that letter, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Trump had the biggest inauguration crowds ever, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that millions of people voted illegally, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Trump fired Comey because Comey treated Clinton unfairly, and here we are, wow.
It was an obvious lie that Cohen paid this money out of the goodness of his heart, and here we are, wow.
We can stop acting surprised. When they tell you obvious lies, they're lies. Tomorrow morning SHS is going to get in front of reporters and say it's going to snow in Los Angeles in August and September will roll around and we'll be like "WOW it didn't snow! Much surprise! So lie!".
posted by 0xFCAF at 8:56 AM on May 3, 2018 [98 favorites]
Given Rudy's long and storied history of stomping on his own dick while wearing track cleats, can Trump's hiring him be anything but a "please 25th Amendment me out of here" cry for help?
posted by delfin at 8:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by delfin at 8:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
@chrisgeidner: Giuliani tells me Trump agreed to pay Cohen $35,000 a month over a year-long period that began in the 1st quarter of 2017
Michael Cohen became RNC Deputy Finance Chair in April 2017. Are we sure Trump used his own money to repay his attorney?
posted by notyou at 8:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Michael Cohen became RNC Deputy Finance Chair in April 2017. Are we sure Trump used his own money to repay his attorney?
posted by notyou at 8:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
he [Guiliani] told Hannity that Trump repaid Cohen through a monthly $35,000 retainer over a series of months “when he was doing no work for the president,” an amount that Giuliani said included “a little profit and a little margin for paying taxes for Michael
A little margin for paying taxes? This is weird, because if the $130,000 Cohen paid was a business transaction, as they claim, then it would be tax deductible as a business expense and there would be no taxes. Cohen would pay out the $130,000 as a business expense on behalf of a client which would completely offset the $130,000 income he received from Trump. No taxes.
The fact that Cohen was paying income taxes on his $130,000 from Trump, as Guiliani claims, implies that the $130,000 Cohen paid to Daniels wasn't a deductible business expense. It was an non-deductible campaign contribution -- for which Trump reimbursed him. That's illegal. Worse, Trump paid him a profit as a reward for his illegal contribution.
posted by JackFlash at 9:00 AM on May 3, 2018 [63 favorites]
A little margin for paying taxes? This is weird, because if the $130,000 Cohen paid was a business transaction, as they claim, then it would be tax deductible as a business expense and there would be no taxes. Cohen would pay out the $130,000 as a business expense on behalf of a client which would completely offset the $130,000 income he received from Trump. No taxes.
The fact that Cohen was paying income taxes on his $130,000 from Trump, as Guiliani claims, implies that the $130,000 Cohen paid to Daniels wasn't a deductible business expense. It was an non-deductible campaign contribution -- for which Trump reimbursed him. That's illegal. Worse, Trump paid him a profit as a reward for his illegal contribution.
posted by JackFlash at 9:00 AM on May 3, 2018 [63 favorites]
Well, this doesn't violate the constitution..
Breaking: President Trump has signed an executive order establishing a “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative." The initiative will also serve as a watchdog to ensure faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and that their "religious liberty" is not compromised. Federal agencies that don’t already have faith centers must establish a liaison to the new White House initiative. - via NPR[real]
posted by Sophie1 at 9:01 AM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
Breaking: President Trump has signed an executive order establishing a “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative." The initiative will also serve as a watchdog to ensure faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and that their "religious liberty" is not compromised. Federal agencies that don’t already have faith centers must establish a liaison to the new White House initiative. - via NPR[real]
posted by Sophie1 at 9:01 AM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
The Whelk: "This isn’t hard, the people know what they want. Hire me to write your positions Average Democrat, I can drag you *gently* along to the left where the populace is."
One thing to keep in mind is that people do not always vote in alignment with their stated positions.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
One thing to keep in mind is that people do not always vote in alignment with their stated positions.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
@chrisgeidner: Giuliani tells me Trump agreed to pay Cohen $35,000 a month over a year-long period that began in the 1st quarter of 2017
Friendly reminder: We still don't know how Trump's inauguration committee spent their surplus funds.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [36 favorites]
Friendly reminder: We still don't know how Trump's inauguration committee spent their surplus funds.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [36 favorites]
The initiative will also serve as a watchdog to ensure faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and that their "religious liberty" is not compromised.
The Satanic Temple is going to have a field day with this one.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 9:05 AM on May 3, 2018 [117 favorites]
The Satanic Temple is going to have a field day with this one.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 9:05 AM on May 3, 2018 [117 favorites]
Those idiots forgot how process savvy the Satanists/Church of Satan are.
posted by Slackermagee at 9:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by Slackermagee at 9:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [31 favorites]
This 'faith-based' type intiative by executive order is nearly an american presidential tradition in the 21st century already.
"The creation of the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative follows the initiatives of previous administrations that created similarly named offices to foster partnerships between the government and religious organizations.
President Obama launched the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, whose work ranged from fighting the Ebola and Zika viruses to feeding schoolchildren nutritious meals in the summertime.
That office, along with similar ones in 13 federal agencies, followed President George W. Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The White House said agencies and executive departments that do not have such offices will have a designated liaison to the new initiative."
posted by rc3spencer at 9:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
"The creation of the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative follows the initiatives of previous administrations that created similarly named offices to foster partnerships between the government and religious organizations.
President Obama launched the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, whose work ranged from fighting the Ebola and Zika viruses to feeding schoolchildren nutritious meals in the summertime.
That office, along with similar ones in 13 federal agencies, followed President George W. Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The White House said agencies and executive departments that do not have such offices will have a designated liaison to the new initiative."
posted by rc3spencer at 9:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Damn it.
posted by Slackermagee at 9:07 AM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Slackermagee at 9:07 AM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
One thing to keep in mind is that people do not always vote in alignment with their stated positions.
And we call those people liars, and what do we do with liars? We vote them out. (Or, in the present case and discussion, embroil them in legal battles for the rest of thier lives?)
posted by The Whelk at 9:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
And we call those people liars, and what do we do with liars? We vote them out. (Or, in the present case and discussion, embroil them in legal battles for the rest of thier lives?)
posted by The Whelk at 9:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Bloomberg:
A third top EPA official is leaving the agency amid intensifying scrutiny of Administrator Scott Pruitt’s travel, spending and condo rental.posted by Chrysostom at 9:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Associate Administrator Liz Bowman, the top public affairs official at the Environmental Protection Agency, is leaving to become a spokeswoman for Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa.
[...]
As the associate administrator for public affairs, Bowman has been on the front lines of the EPA’s sometimes rocky relations with the news media, and at times she delivered sharp critiques of reporters covering the agency. Bowman also was tasked with making strategic communications decisions and coordinating EPA responses to the deluge of damaging revelations against Pruitt that began in late March.
Bowman is one of several political appointees who arrived at the EPA from the American Chemistry Council, a trade group representing Dow Chemical Co., BASF SE and Monsanto Co.
Those idiots forgot how process savvy the Satanists/Church of Satan are.
If only there was some commonly known principle about the Devil's relationship to details.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [101 favorites]
If only there was some commonly known principle about the Devil's relationship to details.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:08 AM on May 3, 2018 [101 favorites]
The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair.
IANAL, but if Daniels was extorting money, that would seem to be a crime. And if he's paying her off to keep the extortion out of the papers, wouldn't that be covering up the crime, making him an accessory after the fact?
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 9:09 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
IANAL, but if Daniels was extorting money, that would seem to be a crime. And if he's paying her off to keep the extortion out of the papers, wouldn't that be covering up the crime, making him an accessory after the fact?
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 9:09 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
This 'faith-based' type intiative by executive order is nearly an american presidential tradition in the 21st century already.
From the article you linked rc3spencer:
Johnnie Moore, a minister and public relations consultant who serves as an unofficial spokesman for a group of evangelicals that often advises Trump, said the new initiative takes an approach different from the previous ones.
"Ordering every department of the federal government to work on faith based partnerships — not just those with faith offices — represents a widespread expansion of a program that has historically done very effective work and now can do even greater work," he said.
posted by Sophie1 at 9:10 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
From the article you linked rc3spencer:
Johnnie Moore, a minister and public relations consultant who serves as an unofficial spokesman for a group of evangelicals that often advises Trump, said the new initiative takes an approach different from the previous ones.
"Ordering every department of the federal government to work on faith based partnerships — not just those with faith offices — represents a widespread expansion of a program that has historically done very effective work and now can do even greater work," he said.
posted by Sophie1 at 9:10 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
(We're supposed to believe that a man who constantly invents New Initialisms, using his capitalization style, and then expects you to grasp the NIs from context would have said, in lowercase *coughs fancily* "known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA")
The tweets as a whole assume the perspective of a person other than the writer actually exists. That's not something Trump the narcissist is capable of. I'm gonna say Rudy, he's conniving like that.
posted by scalefree at 9:14 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
The tweets as a whole assume the perspective of a person other than the writer actually exists. That's not something Trump the narcissist is capable of. I'm gonna say Rudy, he's conniving like that.
posted by scalefree at 9:14 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
$130,000 sounds like a lot of money, but someone in Trump's shoes who wasn't such a savvy dealmaker would have easily paid tens if not hundreds of thousands more in response to such blatantly false extortion threats. But our President makes the best deals.
posted by AndrewInDC at 9:14 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by AndrewInDC at 9:14 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Those idiots forgot how process savvy the Satanists/Church of Satan are.
Yep, one of my favorite parts about the Friendly Atheist podcast is that they almost always have a news item or two about how savvy non-Christian religions use these bones thrown to the Christian right to remind people that if they're are serious about "faith-based" initiatives, they might note that Christianity may not be their sole beneficiary.
posted by Rykey at 9:23 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Yep, one of my favorite parts about the Friendly Atheist podcast is that they almost always have a news item or two about how savvy non-Christian religions use these bones thrown to the Christian right to remind people that if they're are serious about "faith-based" initiatives, they might note that Christianity may not be their sole beneficiary.
posted by Rykey at 9:23 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Michael Cohen became RNC Deputy Finance Chair in April 2017. Are we sure Trump used his own money to repay his attorney?
I couldn't find any direct evidence of how much that position is paid. Job websites like glassdoor.com say the RNC pays around $50,000 for most of its jobs, though CareerBliss lists a "Financial Representative" job there that pays $110,000. Hopefully Mueller will look at that job as another form of payment.
posted by msalt at 9:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
I couldn't find any direct evidence of how much that position is paid. Job websites like glassdoor.com say the RNC pays around $50,000 for most of its jobs, though CareerBliss lists a "Financial Representative" job there that pays $110,000. Hopefully Mueller will look at that job as another form of payment.
posted by msalt at 9:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rykey: savvy non-Christian religions use these bones thrown to the Christian right to remind people that if they're are serious about "faith-based" initiatives, they might note that Christianity may not be their sole beneficiary.
Something tells me this administration will have little problem saying out loud "We intend for Christianity to be the sole beneficiary." Though perhaps not to the point of defending such a policy in court.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
Something tells me this administration will have little problem saying out loud "We intend for Christianity to be the sole beneficiary." Though perhaps not to the point of defending such a policy in court.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
> And we call those people liars, and what do we do with liars? We vote them out. (Or, in the present case and discussion, embroil them in legal battles for the rest of thier lives?)
Maybe I'm missing some nuance of the conversation here, but I interpreted Chrysostom's point as being about voters not voting in line with their stated positions, meaning that assessing small-D democratic support for those positions at the ballot box involves a lot more than conducting opinion polls on each issue.
Since your argument was fundamentally about appealing to voters, I think this needs to be addressed in a meaningful way before we assume that just meeting the people where they're at in opinion polls will lead to electoral success. Gun control in particular is squarely in the category of "not a vote-changing issue" for most people, and depending on the details, can become a liability in certain otherwise-winnable districts. I personally think it's an issue that's important enough to risk some seats for, but there are a lot of variables to consider. I wish the country's voting base were such that simply giving them candidates that have my ideal positions on issues were enough to gain a congressional majority, but it's quite clear that's not the case. Taking control of Congress in 2018 is going to be about running the left-most candidates that can win each district, not about staking out a one-size-fits-all slate of positions that we expect all candidates to support just because those positions happen to gain a bare majority in some nationwide opinion polls.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Maybe I'm missing some nuance of the conversation here, but I interpreted Chrysostom's point as being about voters not voting in line with their stated positions, meaning that assessing small-D democratic support for those positions at the ballot box involves a lot more than conducting opinion polls on each issue.
Since your argument was fundamentally about appealing to voters, I think this needs to be addressed in a meaningful way before we assume that just meeting the people where they're at in opinion polls will lead to electoral success. Gun control in particular is squarely in the category of "not a vote-changing issue" for most people, and depending on the details, can become a liability in certain otherwise-winnable districts. I personally think it's an issue that's important enough to risk some seats for, but there are a lot of variables to consider. I wish the country's voting base were such that simply giving them candidates that have my ideal positions on issues were enough to gain a congressional majority, but it's quite clear that's not the case. Taking control of Congress in 2018 is going to be about running the left-most candidates that can win each district, not about staking out a one-size-fits-all slate of positions that we expect all candidates to support just because those positions happen to gain a bare majority in some nationwide opinion polls.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Giuliani to Hannity:
“Jared is a fine man, you know that, but men are, you know, disposable."
From The Maltese Falcon.
Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) speaking to Wilmer (Elisha Cook, Jr.) just before Gutman agrees to frame him for murder.
Kasper Gutman: I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, it's possible to get another.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:35 AM on May 3, 2018 [28 favorites]
“Jared is a fine man, you know that, but men are, you know, disposable."
From The Maltese Falcon.
Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) speaking to Wilmer (Elisha Cook, Jr.) just before Gutman agrees to frame him for murder.
Kasper Gutman: I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, it's possible to get another.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:35 AM on May 3, 2018 [28 favorites]
Maybe I'm missing some nuance of the conversation here, but I interpreted Chrysostom's point as being about voters not voting in line with their stated positions, meaning that assessing small-D democratic support for those positions at the ballot box involves a lot more than conducting opinion polls on each issue.
That is indeed what I meant. Lots of things poll well, and then people don't vote for candidates who espouse those things. This is something we need to confront.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:40 AM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
That is indeed what I meant. Lots of things poll well, and then people don't vote for candidates who espouse those things. This is something we need to confront.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:40 AM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
USA Today: Navy no longer will announce when a commander is fired for misconduct
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:44 AM on May 3, 2018 [54 favorites]
The Navy has been reeling from the fallout of the “Fat Leonard” scandal, a bribery scheme that has ensnared top officers and civilians. For years, defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis lavished money, prostitutes, pricey meals, booze and lodging on sailors from the 7th Fleet in exchange for classified information he used to gouge the Navy for servicing its ships.Per the article, this puts the Navy in line with practices of the other services. It's also a reminder of how many other four-alarm fires aren't getting the attention they deserve because of the bigger dumpster-firestorm that is this White House. The Fat Leonard scandal is a massive leadership crisis for the Navy and the Pentagon but these days something like that doesn't even get on the front page.
Francis, who owned Glenn Defense Marine Asia, has pleaded guilty to defrauding the government of tens of millions of dollars and is cooperating with authorities. More than 17 senior Navy and Pentagon officials have pleaded guilty to criminal misconduct. The Navy has established an office to determine whether hundreds of Navy officers who allegedly received something of value should be prosecuted. The office already has adjudicated more than 300 cases, according to the Pentagon inspector general.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:44 AM on May 3, 2018 [54 favorites]
Kellyanne's husband with the subtweet.
My personal theory is that George and Kellyanne Conway have a deal worked out about this, where George needs to keep his biglaw partnership and clients and social status, so he gets to wink-wink-this-is-all-a-game-to-me on Twitter. He gets to show everyone he's still connected enough to reality to know his wife tells lies for a living; she calls it sexist to ask her about it in the unlikely event someone brings it up.
Also, this happened this morning:
@ElizLanders: Giuliani says on Fox & Friends that Kim Jong Un is releasing 3 American prisoners today in North Korea.
Why the hell is Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, acting as a spokesman on foreign policy matters? And if this happens, I fear Trump may meet Kim and, in gratitude, cut a deal where he offers to build North Korea more nuclear weapons on our dime.
Finally, let's just sum it all up. @mkraju: In a matter of 48 hours, we’ve learned the president of the United States deceived the American public about his health in the 2016 campaign and about engaging in a scheme to pay off a porn star to silence her during the campaign
If the Times covered this with Clinton rules, the headline would be: Trump Repeatedly Lies to American People, Possibly Breaking Law
posted by zachlipton at 9:46 AM on May 3, 2018 [68 favorites]
My personal theory is that George and Kellyanne Conway have a deal worked out about this, where George needs to keep his biglaw partnership and clients and social status, so he gets to wink-wink-this-is-all-a-game-to-me on Twitter. He gets to show everyone he's still connected enough to reality to know his wife tells lies for a living; she calls it sexist to ask her about it in the unlikely event someone brings it up.
Also, this happened this morning:
@ElizLanders: Giuliani says on Fox & Friends that Kim Jong Un is releasing 3 American prisoners today in North Korea.
Why the hell is Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, acting as a spokesman on foreign policy matters? And if this happens, I fear Trump may meet Kim and, in gratitude, cut a deal where he offers to build North Korea more nuclear weapons on our dime.
Finally, let's just sum it all up. @mkraju: In a matter of 48 hours, we’ve learned the president of the United States deceived the American public about his health in the 2016 campaign and about engaging in a scheme to pay off a porn star to silence her during the campaign
If the Times covered this with Clinton rules, the headline would be: Trump Repeatedly Lies to American People, Possibly Breaking Law
posted by zachlipton at 9:46 AM on May 3, 2018 [68 favorites]
Why the hell is Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, acting as a spokesman on foreign policy matters?
The president thinks job titles are just hats that he should be allowed to swap around at will. A person who's telling him he's doing great, and offering to make his detractors shut up, gets assigned whatever tasks he likes.
A big part of his frustration has been handing out cabinet positions and other staff roles like trophies, and then getting upset when he discovers the person trying to do that job instead of just doing whatever would help Trump most today.
The annoying thing is that the news media are accepting this bullshit, instead of saying, "One of Trump's lawyers had some opinions on this, but we don't have a statement from someone in the state department."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 9:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
The president thinks job titles are just hats that he should be allowed to swap around at will. A person who's telling him he's doing great, and offering to make his detractors shut up, gets assigned whatever tasks he likes.
A big part of his frustration has been handing out cabinet positions and other staff roles like trophies, and then getting upset when he discovers the person trying to do that job instead of just doing whatever would help Trump most today.
The annoying thing is that the news media are accepting this bullshit, instead of saying, "One of Trump's lawyers had some opinions on this, but we don't have a statement from someone in the state department."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 9:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
Why the hell is Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, acting as a spokesman on foreign policy matters?
And Rudy doesn’t have a security clearance...surely they’re not mishandling classified information! As long as he learned it over a .gov email address I’m sure it’s fine.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [21 favorites]
And Rudy doesn’t have a security clearance...surely they’re not mishandling classified information! As long as he learned it over a .gov email address I’m sure it’s fine.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:57 AM on May 3, 2018 [21 favorites]
Washington Post's Robert Costa @costareports:
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [48 favorites]
WH aide is bewildered this AM by Giuliani but says many on staff now feels like they’re not in control of the situation. Aide says POTUS and Giuliani are “running” their own strategy and have a generational rapport and shared grievances/perspectives....Incidentally, this is what a gerontocracy looks like when senescence sets in.
You know who’s not bewildered? The president’s closest friends. Couple of them tell me this is typical Trump: disrupt everything, confuse critics who abide by norms, and most importantly play down a vulnerability by ratcheting up the swagger — and if possible don’t do it directly
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [48 favorites]
HuffPo, Democratic Midterm Momentum Has ‘Stalled,’ Top Party Pollster Warns
The memo added, “Voters, especially Democratic voters, are genuinely struggling in this economy. They remain in pain because rising costs outpace any pay increases.”BuzzFeed, Midwestern Democrats Want The National Party To Stop The Trump-Russia Talk
The trio wrote that Democratic “momentum has stalled” in recent months because the party has failed to focus on “the economic and health care battles that most engage anti-Trump voters,” and because “Republican base voters, especially white working-class men, could finally point to a signature conservative policy achievement in the new tax cut law.”
The Democratic National Committee’s drumbeat of messaging on Trump and his relationship with Russia is wearing thin with some Democrats in purple states — particularly in the Midwest, where people on the ground say voters are uninterested and even turned off by the issue. The suit exposes a gap, they say, between the party’s strategy nationally and what Midwest Democrats believe will win elections in their state.posted by zachlipton at 9:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
“The DNC is doing a good job of winning New York and California,” said David Betras, the Democratic county party chair in Mahoning County, Ohio, home to Youngstown. “I’m not saying it’s not important — of course it’s important — but do they honestly think that people that were just laid off another shift at the car plant in my home county give a shit about Russia when they don’t have a frickin’ job?”
Trump and Russia, Betras said, is the “only piece they’ve been doing since 2016. [Trump] keeps talking about jobs and the economy, and we talk about Russia.”
@JesseRodriguez: NBC News EXCLUSIVE: Feds had a wiretap up on Michael Cohen; details live now on @MSNBC
Here's the web version of the story. Unclear how long the wiretap has been up, but "At least one phone call between a phone line associated with Cohen and the White House was intercepted, the person said." And we already know they were in his email before the search warrant was executed.
And oh my god is this man a gigantic idiot:
Here's the web version of the story. Unclear how long the wiretap has been up, but "At least one phone call between a phone line associated with Cohen and the White House was intercepted, the person said." And we already know they were in his email before the search warrant was executed.
And oh my god is this man a gigantic idiot:
After the raid, members of Trump's legal team advised the president not to speak to Cohen, according to a person familiar with the discussion.posted by zachlipton at 10:04 AM on May 3, 2018 [52 favorites]
Two sources close to Trump's newest attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, say he learned that days after the raid the president had made a call to Cohen, and told Trump never to call again out of concern the call was being recorded by prosecutors.
Ken Dilanian, NBC News: Boom. Exclusive: Feds tapped Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's phones
Link to the story
Apparently there was a wiretap on Cohen's phones in the weeks leading up to the raids.
posted by sporkwort at 10:04 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Link to the story
Apparently there was a wiretap on Cohen's phones in the weeks leading up to the raids.
posted by sporkwort at 10:04 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
I fully expect Trump to promote this story as proof that the investigation is a partisan witch hunt. Wiretaps are, after all, a bad thing and serve no lawful purpose.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:06 AM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
Oh Lordy there are tapes.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:11 AM on May 3, 2018 [67 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:11 AM on May 3, 2018 [67 favorites]
The president thinks job titles are just hats that he should be allowed to swap around at will. A person who's telling him he's doing great, and offering to make his detractors shut up, gets assigned whatever tasks he likes.
Clearly defined roles & lines of authority & communication are just ways of getting in the way of letting Trump the narcissist order whoever he wants to do whatever he wants at any given moment. He truly lives in the moment every single moment, making & remaking decisions in each moment.
posted by scalefree at 10:11 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Clearly defined roles & lines of authority & communication are just ways of getting in the way of letting Trump the narcissist order whoever he wants to do whatever he wants at any given moment. He truly lives in the moment every single moment, making & remaking decisions in each moment.
posted by scalefree at 10:11 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
The trio wrote that Democratic “momentum has stalled” in recent months because the party has failed to focus on “the economic and health care battles that most engage anti-Trump voters,” and because “Republican base voters, especially white working-class men, could finally point to a signature conservative policy achievement in the new tax cut law.”
What the hell? That's all that Democrats have been focusing on. Fighting to keep Republicans from taking away healthcare. Fighting to keep Republicans from giving tax cuts to the rich and corporations. Fighting for a real infrastructure program to provide jobs. Fighting to save the EPA and to save clean air and clean water. Fighting to save the CFPB to protect people against criminal bankers and payday lenders.
This quote is nuts.
posted by JackFlash at 10:16 AM on May 3, 2018 [51 favorites]
What the hell? That's all that Democrats have been focusing on. Fighting to keep Republicans from taking away healthcare. Fighting to keep Republicans from giving tax cuts to the rich and corporations. Fighting for a real infrastructure program to provide jobs. Fighting to save the EPA and to save clean air and clean water. Fighting to save the CFPB to protect people against criminal bankers and payday lenders.
This quote is nuts.
posted by JackFlash at 10:16 AM on May 3, 2018 [51 favorites]
New Monmouth poll:
Dems lead by 8 in the generic House ballot 49-41.
GOP tax plan is basically the same as last two months at 40-44: However, there is now an 11 point gap between those who strongly approve (18%) and strongly disapprove (29%), which is a bit larger than the 6-7 point gap in prior polls.
posted by chris24 at 10:21 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Dems lead by 8 in the generic House ballot 49-41.
GOP tax plan is basically the same as last two months at 40-44: However, there is now an 11 point gap between those who strongly approve (18%) and strongly disapprove (29%), which is a bit larger than the 6-7 point gap in prior polls.
posted by chris24 at 10:21 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm a lawyer (though not a criminal lawyer). Getting a wiretap is extremely difficult. Getting one for a lawyer, who will routinely be having privileged conversations, seems pretty incredible. Getting one for the president's lawyer? When it's clear that everyone's eyes will be on it and any mistakes will be attacked by the full force of the White House and congress?
I try to take with a grain of salt all the reports about how we don't know everything. But this seems like a very clear signal that there is serious information we're missing about Michael Cohen. No wiretap like this would be sought lightly. No judge would sign off on it lightly. I can't imagine that FEC violations related to the Stormy Daniels payoff would be enough alone. (Though I guess, what do I know?)
Personally, it feels like the biggest news since Don Jr. published his emails about the Russia meeting.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 10:23 AM on May 3, 2018 [120 favorites]
I try to take with a grain of salt all the reports about how we don't know everything. But this seems like a very clear signal that there is serious information we're missing about Michael Cohen. No wiretap like this would be sought lightly. No judge would sign off on it lightly. I can't imagine that FEC violations related to the Stormy Daniels payoff would be enough alone. (Though I guess, what do I know?)
Personally, it feels like the biggest news since Don Jr. published his emails about the Russia meeting.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 10:23 AM on May 3, 2018 [120 favorites]
This quote is nuts.
I don't want to be all cockeyed optimist here, but I don't really see that this contention about fading Dem momentum is based on any actual objective facts.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 AM on May 3, 2018 [27 favorites]
I don't want to be all cockeyed optimist here, but I don't really see that this contention about fading Dem momentum is based on any actual objective facts.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 AM on May 3, 2018 [27 favorites]
This quote is nuts.
It’s blaming Democrats for the media again. It’s fucking CNN showing Trump’s empty podium while Clinton gave an actual policy speech, and then blaming Clinton for not communicating her ideas to voters.
It’s fucking garbage. If Democrats want to get their economic message across, they’re going to have to do it themselves. Stop bitching and start sending your candidates out to talk to voters in the districts they hope to represent.
My god this is infuriating.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:26 AM on May 3, 2018 [89 favorites]
It’s blaming Democrats for the media again. It’s fucking CNN showing Trump’s empty podium while Clinton gave an actual policy speech, and then blaming Clinton for not communicating her ideas to voters.
It’s fucking garbage. If Democrats want to get their economic message across, they’re going to have to do it themselves. Stop bitching and start sending your candidates out to talk to voters in the districts they hope to represent.
My god this is infuriating.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:26 AM on May 3, 2018 [89 favorites]
Personally, it feels like the biggest news since Don Jr. published his emails about the Russia meeting.
Oh Lord I had somehow forgotten about that. He published them himself!
Man did I need that laugh
posted by schadenfrau at 10:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
Oh Lord I had somehow forgotten about that. He published them himself!
Man did I need that laugh
posted by schadenfrau at 10:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
“The DNC is doing a good job of winning New York and California,” said David Betras, the Democratic county party chair in Mahoning County, Ohio, home to Youngstown. “I’m not saying it’s not important — of course it’s important — but do they honestly think that people that were just laid off another shift at the car plant in my home county give a shit about Russia when they don’t have a frickin’ job?”
We heard basically this in winter/spring of 2006. By midsummer this year, national Dems will have rolled out their Legislative Agenda With a Catchy Hopeful Name, featuring a collection of bread and butter policy issues (some of which are undergoing trial ballooning at the moment -- Jobs Guarantee, Basic Income, Medicare for All, etc), same as in 2006.
Stay focused.
posted by notyou at 10:28 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
We heard basically this in winter/spring of 2006. By midsummer this year, national Dems will have rolled out their Legislative Agenda With a Catchy Hopeful Name, featuring a collection of bread and butter policy issues (some of which are undergoing trial ballooning at the moment -- Jobs Guarantee, Basic Income, Medicare for All, etc), same as in 2006.
Stay focused.
posted by notyou at 10:28 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Another piece saying Rudy's new version of why Trump fired Comey is actually worse for Trump than the Cohen Stormy payment. TL;DR not only did he confirm it was related to Russia, he confirmed a big part of Comey's story/memos; that Trump asked Comey - and some of the other intelligence heads - to clear the cloud over him regarding Russia.
WaPo (Greg Sargent): Giuliani’s other big admission may be even worse for Trump
posted by chris24 at 10:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
WaPo (Greg Sargent): Giuliani’s other big admission may be even worse for Trump
posted by chris24 at 10:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
Stop bitching and start sending your candidates out to talk to voters in the districts they hope to represent.
They ARE out there. The candidates aren't generated in some lab in the DC suburbs. Candidates live in their districts and are currently mostly trying to get the party nomination. Once nominated, they'll try to win the general.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [41 favorites]
They ARE out there. The candidates aren't generated in some lab in the DC suburbs. Candidates live in their districts and are currently mostly trying to get the party nomination. Once nominated, they'll try to win the general.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:31 AM on May 3, 2018 [41 favorites]
As a New Yorker this is a fantastic day
Like I am genuinely sorry we’ve foisted our biggest dipshits on the world at large, and I would love it if, when they’re done incriminating themselves, we could have them back so we can punish them ourselves
But in the meantime...ooooh man is this satisfying. Maybe they can even raise Ed Koch from the dead so he can fuck himself over on live television.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:32 AM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
Like I am genuinely sorry we’ve foisted our biggest dipshits on the world at large, and I would love it if, when they’re done incriminating themselves, we could have them back so we can punish them ourselves
But in the meantime...ooooh man is this satisfying. Maybe they can even raise Ed Koch from the dead so he can fuck himself over on live television.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:32 AM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
Legislative Agenda With a Catchy Hopeful Name, featuring a collection of bread and butter policy issues (some of which are undergoing trial ballooning at the moment -- Jobs Guarantee, Basic Income, Medicare for All, etc), same as in 2006.
Guns, too. Pollsters may have forgotten about the guns. Know who's not likely to forget? All the younger people who registered to vote specifically as a result of the push after Parkland. Also the Democrats who will be running ads on it come the fall.
Realistically, nothing is going to happen with gun legislation before the mid-terms. But you can bet your ass this is gonna be a big deal again before November.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:34 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Guns, too. Pollsters may have forgotten about the guns. Know who's not likely to forget? All the younger people who registered to vote specifically as a result of the push after Parkland. Also the Democrats who will be running ads on it come the fall.
Realistically, nothing is going to happen with gun legislation before the mid-terms. But you can bet your ass this is gonna be a big deal again before November.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:34 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Is it fair use to take old NRA/GOP ads claiming Democrats want to take your guns and just, you know, pay to have them air again?
posted by schadenfrau at 10:37 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by schadenfrau at 10:37 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
If Democrats want to get their economic message across, they’re going to have to do it themselves. Stop bitching and start sending your candidates out to talk to voters in the districts they hope to represent.
If I had a nickel for every person who's asked me "Why don't Democrats talk about this stuff more?" while I am standing on their front stoop talking about this stuff right at their actual face, I'd have a shitload of nickels.
posted by Etrigan at 10:40 AM on May 3, 2018 [119 favorites]
If I had a nickel for every person who's asked me "Why don't Democrats talk about this stuff more?" while I am standing on their front stoop talking about this stuff right at their actual face, I'd have a shitload of nickels.
posted by Etrigan at 10:40 AM on May 3, 2018 [119 favorites]
Hell, you might put yourself into a Trump tax cut bracket if you had that many nickels.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:43 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:43 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
One question is where does a white-shoe lawyer like Emmet Flood fit in all this?
Trump fired his other lawyers because they weren't aggressive enough in defending him in the press. Trump wants his Roy Cohn back, a dirty street fighter who will lie, threaten and intimidate anyone who gets in the way of his client. That's where Guiliani comes in. He's Trump's new Roy Cohn, although much dumber.
Emmet Flood is much too smart to jump into the middle of this shit pile. I'm guessing he is there for one narrow reason -- to litigate the constitutionality of a Mueller subpoena. That's the sort of thing these high-rent lawyers relish -- a high-minded prestigious debate over the constitution. They don't care which side they are hired to argue, it's intellectual entertainment either way. It's just a bonus to get paid for it.
posted by JackFlash at 10:45 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
Trump fired his other lawyers because they weren't aggressive enough in defending him in the press. Trump wants his Roy Cohn back, a dirty street fighter who will lie, threaten and intimidate anyone who gets in the way of his client. That's where Guiliani comes in. He's Trump's new Roy Cohn, although much dumber.
Emmet Flood is much too smart to jump into the middle of this shit pile. I'm guessing he is there for one narrow reason -- to litigate the constitutionality of a Mueller subpoena. That's the sort of thing these high-rent lawyers relish -- a high-minded prestigious debate over the constitution. They don't care which side they are hired to argue, it's intellectual entertainment either way. It's just a bonus to get paid for it.
posted by JackFlash at 10:45 AM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
This letter is to certify Donald Trump’s continued robust good health, genius-plus level intellect, and physical perfection. As America’s healthiest President (and many people are saying) the healthiest human being in the world, Mr. Trump is a golden Adonis, a specimen of masculinity so perfect that in the annals of medical science we have been unable to find anyone who can rival him
posted by growabrain at 10:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 10:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Here's a little headline from CNN that perfectly encapsulates something about 2018.
Trump, Giuliani strategizing leaves White House in the dark
At any time for the past 100 years, an editor would see the headline "The President and his adviser's strategizing leaves White House in the dark" and assume it was some kind of typographical error. "The President is the White House", they would say. "Unless you're talking about the building itself. The metonym refers to the President. The President can't leave the President in the dark."
In 2018, everyone knows what this headline means, because the man elected as President is so manifestly incapable of being accurately referred to as The White House, a term which has referred to men who are interested in things other than the wealth and fame of their immediate family.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:53 AM on May 3, 2018 [66 favorites]
Trump, Giuliani strategizing leaves White House in the dark
At any time for the past 100 years, an editor would see the headline "The President and his adviser's strategizing leaves White House in the dark" and assume it was some kind of typographical error. "The President is the White House", they would say. "Unless you're talking about the building itself. The metonym refers to the President. The President can't leave the President in the dark."
In 2018, everyone knows what this headline means, because the man elected as President is so manifestly incapable of being accurately referred to as The White House, a term which has referred to men who are interested in things other than the wealth and fame of their immediate family.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:53 AM on May 3, 2018 [66 favorites]
Guns, too. Pollsters may have forgotten about the guns.
Giffords' gun safety group targets vulnerable GOPers as 'bought' by NRA
Giffords' gun safety group targets vulnerable GOPers as 'bought' by NRA
The new round of digital ads will play in the most competitive races in the country, and all are likely to be influenced heavily by suburban swing voters.posted by kirkaracha at 10:58 AM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
chris24: WaPo (Greg Sargent): Giuliani’s other big admission may be even worse for Trump
An excerpt that helped me understand a point of distinction I hadn't before:
In saying this, Giuliani appears to have thought that he was exonerating Trump. Giuliani was saying Trump didn’t fire Comey to obstruct the investigation into Trump campaign collusion with Russian sabotage of our election, but rather because Comey didn’t publicly clear him, which Giuliani believes Trump was “entitled to.”
In other words, we're supposed to see "Publicly exonerate me" as just this arbitrary whim the president is allowed to have, which, although Russia-related in a general sense, has nothing to do with the process of administering justice, so it's not obstruction. Like if he wanted Comey to tell the world that Donald smelled like chocolate raspberries, and fired him for not complying. Unprofessional, but not illegal. (Except Giuliani naturally wants us to also see it as totally professional and strong leadership.) That's a stretch to say the least.
“It seems that Giuliani is trying to suggest that Trump did not obstruct justice when he fired Comey,” Barbara McQuade, a former prosecutor and current law professor at the University of Michigan, told me. “But in fact he may just be building the case against him. Even demanding that Comey make a public statement that Trump is not under investigation would itself potentially be obstruction of justice.” McQuade added that insisting on such a public statement constitutes “interfering in the investigation.”
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
An excerpt that helped me understand a point of distinction I hadn't before:
In saying this, Giuliani appears to have thought that he was exonerating Trump. Giuliani was saying Trump didn’t fire Comey to obstruct the investigation into Trump campaign collusion with Russian sabotage of our election, but rather because Comey didn’t publicly clear him, which Giuliani believes Trump was “entitled to.”
In other words, we're supposed to see "Publicly exonerate me" as just this arbitrary whim the president is allowed to have, which, although Russia-related in a general sense, has nothing to do with the process of administering justice, so it's not obstruction. Like if he wanted Comey to tell the world that Donald smelled like chocolate raspberries, and fired him for not complying. Unprofessional, but not illegal. (Except Giuliani naturally wants us to also see it as totally professional and strong leadership.) That's a stretch to say the least.
“It seems that Giuliani is trying to suggest that Trump did not obstruct justice when he fired Comey,” Barbara McQuade, a former prosecutor and current law professor at the University of Michigan, told me. “But in fact he may just be building the case against him. Even demanding that Comey make a public statement that Trump is not under investigation would itself potentially be obstruction of justice.” McQuade added that insisting on such a public statement constitutes “interfering in the investigation.”
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:02 AM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's just a bonus to get paid for it.
Good luck with that!
posted by parm=serial at 11:04 AM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
Good luck with that!
posted by parm=serial at 11:04 AM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
This is interesting and seems like a much bigger deal than the Cohen payments [SL Vox]
"We know Trump told Comey to “let go” of [Michael] Flynn while admitting that he knew Flynn had lied to the FBI. But Giuliani further confirmed this corrupt purpose when he said on Fox News that Trump “fired Comey because Comey would not say that he wasn’t a target of the investigation. He’s entitled to that. Hillary Clinton got that. And he couldn’t get that. So he fired him. And then he said, ‘I’m free of this, guys.’” This is one more piece of evidence of “corrupt intent,” the mental state required by federal obstruction statutes."
Is this also a part of the strategy to "admit and spin" per the article?
posted by Tevin at 11:05 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
"We know Trump told Comey to “let go” of [Michael] Flynn while admitting that he knew Flynn had lied to the FBI. But Giuliani further confirmed this corrupt purpose when he said on Fox News that Trump “fired Comey because Comey would not say that he wasn’t a target of the investigation. He’s entitled to that. Hillary Clinton got that. And he couldn’t get that. So he fired him. And then he said, ‘I’m free of this, guys.’” This is one more piece of evidence of “corrupt intent,” the mental state required by federal obstruction statutes."
Is this also a part of the strategy to "admit and spin" per the article?
posted by Tevin at 11:05 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
New York magazine, Every Contradictory Thing Team Trump Said About Stormy Daniels
posted by kirkaracha at 11:12 AM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
The president’s advisers have always denied that he had a relationship with Daniels, but they’ve made references to previous statements that don’t exist, and contradicted themselves on what Trump knew about Cohen’s $130,000 payment. On Wednesday night, Rudy Giuliani offered an entirely new story, saying Trump may not have known what Cohen was up to at the time, but he’s subsequently paid him back in monthly installments.Also from New York magazine: "Giuliani basically confirmed that he leaked Mueller’s questions for Trump."
Here’s how Trump’s story has changed on some key questions.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:12 AM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
Josh Marshall quotes an anonymous source (purportedly an expert about anti-corruption enforcement) about the implications of both the Giuliani spin on Stormy Daniels and the Cohen wiretap. This quote is particularly good:
Trump is a major real estate developer in NY who has openly bragged about his ability to cut through red tape and get politicians in his pocket. We now have serious SDNY public corruption prosecutors and FBI agents in possession of a massive amount of electronic data from his bagman. They likely already have all of his financial records as well. And Rudy has now given them the roadmap for how Trump may have laundered bribes through Cohen as purported legal fees or retainer payments.
Time to breathe in a paper bag.
posted by johnny jenga at 11:16 AM on May 3, 2018 [47 favorites]
Trump is a major real estate developer in NY who has openly bragged about his ability to cut through red tape and get politicians in his pocket. We now have serious SDNY public corruption prosecutors and FBI agents in possession of a massive amount of electronic data from his bagman. They likely already have all of his financial records as well. And Rudy has now given them the roadmap for how Trump may have laundered bribes through Cohen as purported legal fees or retainer payments.
Time to breathe in a paper bag.
posted by johnny jenga at 11:16 AM on May 3, 2018 [47 favorites]
Also from New York magazine: "Giuliani basically confirmed that he leaked Mueller’s questions for Trump."
That would make the NYT's direct claim that the Trump legal team were not involved look problematic. Either it was actually Trump or there's some cutout who might talk.
posted by jaduncan at 11:19 AM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
That would make the NYT's direct claim that the Trump legal team were not involved look problematic. Either it was actually Trump or there's some cutout who might talk.
posted by jaduncan at 11:19 AM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
somebody should get a message to Rudy
He needs to stop messing around and think of his (and his client's) future. He's creating problems in town, and if he doesn't straighten right out, people could wind up in jail.
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:20 AM on May 3, 2018 [114 favorites]
He needs to stop messing around and think of his (and his client's) future. He's creating problems in town, and if he doesn't straighten right out, people could wind up in jail.
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:20 AM on May 3, 2018 [114 favorites]
The puzzling prominence of the Twitter-famous Krassenstein brothers
Federal raids, pyramid schemes, and questionable practices stalk the Twitter celebrity twins.
Some of these dudes' tweets have been cited a few times in these threads, so this is a good reminder to be ever vigilant against amplifying the unsourced, breathless "reportage" of hashtag-resistance self-promoters like Louise Mensch and Eric Garland.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
Federal raids, pyramid schemes, and questionable practices stalk the Twitter celebrity twins.
Some of these dudes' tweets have been cited a few times in these threads, so this is a good reminder to be ever vigilant against amplifying the unsourced, breathless "reportage" of hashtag-resistance self-promoters like Louise Mensch and Eric Garland.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:27 AM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
Also from New York magazine: "Giuliani basically confirmed that he leaked Mueller’s questions for Trump."
The WaPo made this clear yesterday: the questions were written by the president*'s lawyer Jay Sekulow. The list of questions is not Mueller's questions.
NY Mag: just another fucking stenographer of of the kaleidoscopic propaganda.
{returns to screaming into the void}
posted by Dashy at 11:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
The WaPo made this clear yesterday: the questions were written by the president*'s lawyer Jay Sekulow. The list of questions is not Mueller's questions.
NY Mag: just another fucking stenographer of of the kaleidoscopic propaganda.
{returns to screaming into the void}
posted by Dashy at 11:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
prize bull octorok I. Can't. Stop. Laughing.
cuz I'm old I guess.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
cuz I'm old I guess.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:29 AM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
Dial it back, that sentence in its entirety reads "In response to Hannity’s first softball — what’s the status of the Russia investigation — Giuliani basically confirmed that he leaked Mueller’s questions for Trump (which were actually composed by the president’s attorneys) as part of an effort to paint the special counsel as unfairly biased."
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:30 AM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:30 AM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
If I had a nickel for every person who's asked me "Why don't Democrats talk about this stuff more?" while I am standing on their front stoop talking about this stuff right at their actual face, I'd have a shitload of nickels.
Just took a look at my neighborhood's nextdoor.com. We're having a state rep primary where the Guy From The Local Political Family Never-Before-Challenged Dem Incumbent is being primaried from the left. The incumbent is refusing to participate in a League of Women Voters forum. He's "too busy" but also on the downlow told LWV to not tell anyone that he's refusing to do it even though he's absolutely refusing to do it. ANYWAY, it's hit the papers here now, with the receipts, and a local organizer put it on nextdoor.
Seen in a 60+-reply thread on the topic of an upcoming election: "I hate how everything is so political now."
And then a bunch of people saying that calling this guy out on his shitty issues (and he's superduper extra shitty) is "attacking this nice man" etc.... I don't know how you talk to people about issues when you're not allowed to talk about the issues lest it become "too political." Dealing with the average voter is like coaxing a deer in the woods. You can't come on too strong or you'll seem like you are "attacking" or "too political" but you can't talk around shit either or everyone will complain that the platforms and issues are just unknowable how can we decide why don't they talk about these things etc...
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:34 AM on May 3, 2018 [47 favorites]
somebody should get a message to Rudy
Rudy can’t fail. He can only be failed.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
Rudy can’t fail. He can only be failed.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
"Here's how it will work, Rudy. You leak the questions Suckolow gave me, and then on Twitter tomorrow I'll say the whole Russia thing is a disgrace. And no collusion."
"Can't lose, Mr President."
posted by notyou at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
"Can't lose, Mr President."
posted by notyou at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
That would make the NYT's direct claim that the Trump legal
Problematic is an understatement. If they got the questions from Guliani, and we know he was their source for Clinton leaks during the campaign, and then lied about it not coming from the Trump legal team, that’s actively aiding the presidents ongoing obstrution of justice.
The NYT cannot be trusted with anonymous sourcing. Anything with no name attached by an NYT writer should be assumed made up or planted.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Problematic is an understatement. If they got the questions from Guliani, and we know he was their source for Clinton leaks during the campaign, and then lied about it not coming from the Trump legal team, that’s actively aiding the presidents ongoing obstrution of justice.
The NYT cannot be trusted with anonymous sourcing. Anything with no name attached by an NYT writer should be assumed made up or planted.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:41 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
I love that when I try to click YouTube links to watch the White House Press Briefing live, I get a message saying "This video is unavailable with Restricted Mode enabled. To view this video, you will need to disable Restricted Mode."
The US government is NSFW.
posted by nickmark at 11:42 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
The US government is NSFW.
posted by nickmark at 11:42 AM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
You guys remember that Jade Helm hysteria from way back in 2015?
Well, about that...
AUSTIN — Former CIA director Michael Hayden said Thursday during a television interview that the 2015 Jade Helm controversy in Texas was an early example of Russian efforts to spread misinformation in the United States.
Well, about that...
AUSTIN — Former CIA director Michael Hayden said Thursday during a television interview that the 2015 Jade Helm controversy in Texas was an early example of Russian efforts to spread misinformation in the United States.
Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe as part of a book tour, Hayden, a retired Air Force four-star general who also ran the National Security Agency, said Russians fueled the distrust over the military training exercise in an attempt to influence the American public.posted by Atom Eyes at 11:44 AM on May 3, 2018 [101 favorites]
"There was an exercise in Texas called Jade Helm 15 that Russian bots and the American alt-right media convinced most — many — Texans was an Obama plan to round up political dissidents," Hayden said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott then directed the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercise.
"At that point, I'm figuring the Russians are saying, 'We can go big time,' and at that point I think they made the decision, 'We're going to play in the electoral process,' " Hayden said
Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe as part of a book tour, Hayden, a retired Air Force four-star general who also ran the National Security Agency, said Russians fueled the distrust over the military training exercise in an attempt to influence the American public.
aka Homeland Season 7.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:47 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
aka Homeland Season 7.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:47 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
The NYT cannot be trusted with anonymous sourcing. Anything with no name attached by an NYT writer should be assumed made up or planted.
You know who else thinks that...?
posted by neroli at 11:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
You know who else thinks that...?
posted by neroli at 11:49 AM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
The WaPo made this clear yesterday: the questions were written by the president*'s lawyer Jay Sekulow. The list of questions is not Mueller's questions.
Sure, we knew that already, but I don't think we knew for sure that Giuliani leaked them.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Sure, we knew that already, but I don't think we knew for sure that Giuliani leaked them.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:52 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
The NYT cannot be trusted with anonymous sourcing. Anything with no name attached by an NYT writer should be assumed made up or planted.
I've been coming around to the idea that stories, from anywhere, that lean heavily on unnamed sources probably shouldn't be trusted. Readers are asked to trust that the reporter values their reputation as an honest, reliable journalist enough that they will not allow themselves to in turn be lied to, misled, or duped by anonymous voices. And that's before getting into questions about whether or not a reporter isn't somehow compromised. Or even competent enough to recognize a lie or a plant.
posted by notyou at 11:53 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
I've been coming around to the idea that stories, from anywhere, that lean heavily on unnamed sources probably shouldn't be trusted. Readers are asked to trust that the reporter values their reputation as an honest, reliable journalist enough that they will not allow themselves to in turn be lied to, misled, or duped by anonymous voices. And that's before getting into questions about whether or not a reporter isn't somehow compromised. Or even competent enough to recognize a lie or a plant.
posted by notyou at 11:53 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
If one of Trump's legal team called me and offered Mueller's questions for publication, I really don't think I would publish them as definitely Mueller's questions as well as an analysis of Mueller's investigation based on those questions. In fact, I don't think I would go for publishing them at all. Where was common sense when the Times decided to do this?
posted by xammerboy at 11:54 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 11:54 AM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
A Message to You, Rudy
Stop your fooling around
Time you straighten right out
Better think of your future
Else you'll wind up in jail
Rudy
A message to you, Rudy
A message to you
Rudie Can't Fail
How you get a rude and a reckless?
Don't you be so crude and feckless
You been drinking brew for breakfast
Rudie can't fail
posted by kirkaracha at 11:54 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Stop your fooling around
Time you straighten right out
Better think of your future
Else you'll wind up in jail
Rudy
A message to you, Rudy
A message to you
Rudie Can't Fail
How you get a rude and a reckless?
Don't you be so crude and feckless
You been drinking brew for breakfast
Rudie can't fail
posted by kirkaracha at 11:54 AM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
After watching that press briefing, I’ve concluded Michelle Wolf was far too soft on Sarah Sanders. She had the gall to say "I would always advise against giving false information. As a person of human decency, I do my best to give correct information."
posted by zachlipton at 11:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [35 favorites]
I think people should approach all sources -- named and unnamed -- with some skepticism, and ask who benefits by getting this information out in public. But anonymous sources have been responsible for a LOT of what the public has learned about the incompetence and mendaciousness of Trumpworld. And, Cthulhu willing, they'll be responsible for a lot more. To dismiss anything without a named source as a priori untrustworthy is to play right into the hands of the people shouting "fake news" at everything they don't like.
posted by neroli at 11:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by neroli at 11:59 AM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
Also from New York magazine: "Giuliani basically confirmed that he leaked Mueller’s questions for Trump."
Ive read the linked article and the Hannity/Giuliani transcript and I just don’t see where they’re getting this. What am I missing?
(Sorry if I’m missing something obvious. I’m not well today, and my head being fuzzy is just one of my issues at the mo.)
posted by greermahoney at 12:04 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ive read the linked article and the Hannity/Giuliani transcript and I just don’t see where they’re getting this. What am I missing?
(Sorry if I’m missing something obvious. I’m not well today, and my head being fuzzy is just one of my issues at the mo.)
posted by greermahoney at 12:04 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
The ploy Rudy describes seems like another play direct from the Mafia playbook. I pay my lawyer in small regular monthly payments, so that I can claim I don't know what he's doing, and there's no way to tie my payments to any specific service. Oh, and anything he does for me is covered by privilege at the same time.
There is no reason to do this other than to hide criminal acts. None. I am so tired of billionaires setting up these double-blinds, sending money to the Cayman islands, etc. There needs to be a department in the U.S. set up specifically to stop business or legal practices that have no practical purpose other than to evade the law.
If we've learned anything from Trump, it's how disgustingly easily and common it is to pervert the system if you're rich. This reminds me of the interview with the New Yorker reporter who seemed honestly taken aback when asked how he knew Trump was involved in criminal activities: "Well, he's rich, he's in real-estate, and he lives in New York." That's all he needed to know to be 100% percent sure, no doubt, no hesitation, that Trump was dirty.
There's a criminal class in this country for whom it's so routine and normal to break the law they not only no longer bother hiding it, they explain what they've done like it's a justified defense.
posted by xammerboy at 12:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [71 favorites]
There is no reason to do this other than to hide criminal acts. None. I am so tired of billionaires setting up these double-blinds, sending money to the Cayman islands, etc. There needs to be a department in the U.S. set up specifically to stop business or legal practices that have no practical purpose other than to evade the law.
If we've learned anything from Trump, it's how disgustingly easily and common it is to pervert the system if you're rich. This reminds me of the interview with the New Yorker reporter who seemed honestly taken aback when asked how he knew Trump was involved in criminal activities: "Well, he's rich, he's in real-estate, and he lives in New York." That's all he needed to know to be 100% percent sure, no doubt, no hesitation, that Trump was dirty.
There's a criminal class in this country for whom it's so routine and normal to break the law they not only no longer bother hiding it, they explain what they've done like it's a justified defense.
posted by xammerboy at 12:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [71 favorites]
To dismiss anything without a named source as a priori untrustworthy is to play right into the hands of the people shouting "fake news" at everything they don't like.
Fair.
I'm thinking less "a priori untrustworthy" and more "who benefits by getting this information out in public" along with "how does this fit with other things we reliably know."
posted by notyou at 12:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Fair.
I'm thinking less "a priori untrustworthy" and more "who benefits by getting this information out in public" along with "how does this fit with other things we reliably know."
posted by notyou at 12:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Slate: Rudy Giuliani May Have Just Implicated President Trump In Serious Campaign Finance Violations
Waiting for the day when Giuliani gets thrown in jail for the rest of his life, for [i really don't care why. It just needs to happen.]
posted by zarq at 12:18 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
Waiting for the day when Giuliani gets thrown in jail for the rest of his life, for [i really don't care why. It just needs to happen.]
posted by zarq at 12:18 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
Waiting for the day when Giuliani gets thrown in jail for the rest of his life, for [i really don't care why. It just needs to happen.]
I will gladly serve as a character witness during sentencing just to bring up all of the First Amendment violations for which he was tried and found guilty while still in office as mayor.
(I really, really, REALLY don't like that guy)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [46 favorites]
I will gladly serve as a character witness during sentencing just to bring up all of the First Amendment violations for which he was tried and found guilty while still in office as mayor.
(I really, really, REALLY don't like that guy)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [46 favorites]
That *might* be a useful strategy but it *isn't* what happened here.
It's both. The idea is that the money Cohen used to pay Daniels was part of a "retainer" fund that Trump makes available to his lawyer for doing whatever work needs to be done in his capacity as Trump's personal attorney, and the money laundering happened after the fact, when Cohen told Trump "hey, I had to pay out $120,000 from the retainer to settle a thing" and had to be made whole.
You may ask, "wait a minute, so what's the difference between Cohen's taking money from that retainer as pay for services rendered, and using it to cover a business expense that's being paid on Trump's behalf?" The answer is a shrug emoji and possible search warrant.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
It's both. The idea is that the money Cohen used to pay Daniels was part of a "retainer" fund that Trump makes available to his lawyer for doing whatever work needs to be done in his capacity as Trump's personal attorney, and the money laundering happened after the fact, when Cohen told Trump "hey, I had to pay out $120,000 from the retainer to settle a thing" and had to be made whole.
You may ask, "wait a minute, so what's the difference between Cohen's taking money from that retainer as pay for services rendered, and using it to cover a business expense that's being paid on Trump's behalf?" The answer is a shrug emoji and possible search warrant.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
Giuliani calls for Sessions to 'step in' on Cohen investigation
posted by zarq at 12:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
“I am waiting for the Attorney General to step in, in his role as defender of justice, and put these people under investigation,” Giuliani said, reacting to an NBC News report that phones belonging to Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal attorney, had been tapped by investigators.This will end well.
The former New York City mayor argued that the reported wiretapping of Cohen, if true, was a blatant transgression of attorney-client privilege.
Giuliani, who joined President Trump’s personal legal team about two weeks ago, predicted that Trump would share his anger at the reported wiretapping, though he said he had not yet spoken to the president about it.
posted by zarq at 12:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
What Guiliani is confirming is that Cohen is Trump's bag man for bribery. When Guiliani says that Trump "included a little profit and a little margin for paying taxes for Michael" he is describing exactly how a bag man works.
If Cohen were doing legitimate legal work, he would report payments on behalf of a client as a business expense and then recover payment from the client and owe no taxes. But Cohen is concealing these bribery payments so he unfortunately has to pay taxes on the income he receives from Trump because he doesn't have a legitimate expense on his books to offset it. The "little margin for taxes" is known as grossing up a payment to cover for the taxes incurred for non-deductible income. So Guiliani has implicated Cohen in financial structuring crimes.
But further, Guiliani says that Trump paid Cohen back with monthly retainers. This means that Trump likely deducted these payments on his tax return as legal fees. That is tax evasion. You can no more deduct money paid to a porn star than you can to your housekeeper. That's personal spending, not a deductible business expense.
So it seems that Guiliani has implicated both Trump and Cohen in illegal structuring of payments and tax evasion.
Cohen acting as Trump's bag man, not just for silence but in the service of crooked real estate deals, has probably been going on for years. It's textbook racketeering. That is why Trump is absolutely freaked out about the raid on Cohen's office. That's why Mueller was able to convince a judge to take the extraordinary step of issuing a warrant for a lawyer's office.
It's racketeering. Cohen is going down and hopefully will take Trump with him.
posted by JackFlash at 12:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [153 favorites]
If Cohen were doing legitimate legal work, he would report payments on behalf of a client as a business expense and then recover payment from the client and owe no taxes. But Cohen is concealing these bribery payments so he unfortunately has to pay taxes on the income he receives from Trump because he doesn't have a legitimate expense on his books to offset it. The "little margin for taxes" is known as grossing up a payment to cover for the taxes incurred for non-deductible income. So Guiliani has implicated Cohen in financial structuring crimes.
But further, Guiliani says that Trump paid Cohen back with monthly retainers. This means that Trump likely deducted these payments on his tax return as legal fees. That is tax evasion. You can no more deduct money paid to a porn star than you can to your housekeeper. That's personal spending, not a deductible business expense.
So it seems that Guiliani has implicated both Trump and Cohen in illegal structuring of payments and tax evasion.
Cohen acting as Trump's bag man, not just for silence but in the service of crooked real estate deals, has probably been going on for years. It's textbook racketeering. That is why Trump is absolutely freaked out about the raid on Cohen's office. That's why Mueller was able to convince a judge to take the extraordinary step of issuing a warrant for a lawyer's office.
It's racketeering. Cohen is going down and hopefully will take Trump with him.
posted by JackFlash at 12:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [153 favorites]
In the wake of Giuliani's media blitz, Team Trump is balancing damage control and washing their hands of this mess, the Washington Post reports: ‘I Was Going To Get This Over With’: Inside Giuliani’s Explosive Stormy Daniels Revelation
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:32 PM on May 3, 2018 [68 favorites]
He may have had a strategy, but Rudolph W. Giuliani hatched it almost entirely in secret.Welcome to your first day on Team Trump, Emmet Flood! 🍿
The White House counsel had no idea. Neither did the White House chief of staff, nor the White House press secretary, nor the new White House lawyer overseeing its handling of the Russia investigation.
They watched, agog, as Giuliani, the president’s recently installed personal attorney, freestyled on live television Wednesday night about the president’s legal troubles and unveiled an explosive new fact: that Trump reimbursed his longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels to ensure her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.[...]
Aides and advisers to the president — who were scrambling Thursday morning to manage the fallout of Giuliani’s interview with Sean Hannity, a Trump-friendly Fox News Channel host — expressed a mixture of exasperation and horror. One White House official texted a reporter a string of emoji characters in response, including a tiny container of popcorn.
A second White House official, who like most others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, said of the president, “His story is obviously not consistent anymore.”[...]
But Trump’s sensitivity over the Daniels matter led Giuliani to be one of the only people fully read into the plan for the former mayor to attempt to swat away the matter on Fox News, a White House official said, leaving many other aides bewildered about what could come next.
“Rudy and Trump are talking by phone, and others aren’t in the loop,” one senior White House official said.
Neither White House counsel Donald McGahn nor Emmet Flood, the White House attorney recently hired to handle the Russia investigation, knew that Trump had reimbursed Cohen before Giuliani revealed it, according to a person familiar with their knowledge.
McGahn and Flood also were not informed in advance of Giuliani’s plan to disclose the repayment information in his Fox interview, nor were other senior aides in the White House. The communications and media staff run by press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not book Giuliani’s appearance on Hannity’s show and were not involved in helping him strategize his talking points.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:32 PM on May 3, 2018 [68 favorites]
Did Giuliani leak the Cohen wiretap info, too?
posted by notyou at 12:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by notyou at 12:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
There are always new lows to reach. Behold: A Pruitt Aide's Attack on Zinke Angers the White House, in which a member of Pruitt's press team tried to plant negative stories about Sec. of the Interior Zinke, to deflect press coverage from his boss.
posted by Ella Fynoe at 12:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Ella Fynoe at 12:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
The former New York City mayor argued that the reported wiretapping of Cohen, if true, was a blatant transgression of attorney-client privilege.
Presumably they used a Taint Tapping Team.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:37 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Presumably they used a Taint Tapping Team.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:37 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
A Pruitt Aide's Attack on Zinke Angers the White House
Pruitt v Zinke: Dawn of Justice
"Whoever Wins... Also Really Sucks"
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
Pruitt v Zinke: Dawn of Justice
"Whoever Wins... Also Really Sucks"
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
Did Giuliani leak the Cohen wiretap info, too?
That doesn't appear to be the case, although NBC is reporting that Giuliani warned Trump after the raid not to contact Cohen because the lawyer's phone would almost certainly be tapped. The analyst in that clip also notes that to obtain a wiretap, the FBI would have had to present very strong evidence to a judge of an ongoing crime. Not a crime that had happened before, but something that was still happening. Also, the judge would likely have been given evidence that a filter team (as East Manitoba notes) was on the wiretap.
posted by zarq at 12:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
That doesn't appear to be the case, although NBC is reporting that Giuliani warned Trump after the raid not to contact Cohen because the lawyer's phone would almost certainly be tapped. The analyst in that clip also notes that to obtain a wiretap, the FBI would have had to present very strong evidence to a judge of an ongoing crime. Not a crime that had happened before, but something that was still happening. Also, the judge would likely have been given evidence that a filter team (as East Manitoba notes) was on the wiretap.
posted by zarq at 12:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yes, my comment was very insightful
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:47 PM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:47 PM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
Just in case Maggie Haberman's suck-up quisling status weren't confirmed in the eyes of Mefites, this is exchange should remove all doubt:
The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey @jdawsey1: "'We give the very best information we have at the time,' Sarah Sanders says, when asked why the White House and Trump often say things that are not accurate."
Maggie Haberman @maggieNYT: "Sometimes folks in the White House know what they’re saying is false. Other times Trump - or someone else - has told them something untrue."
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey @jdawsey1: "'We give the very best information we have at the time,' Sarah Sanders says, when asked why the White House and Trump often say things that are not accurate."
Maggie Haberman @maggieNYT: "Sometimes folks in the White House know what they’re saying is false. Other times Trump - or someone else - has told them something untrue."
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
At this point I almost suspect that Giuliani has some antique beef with Trump going back to Manhattan in the 1980's, Trump has no idea, and Giuliani is exploiting Trump's trust in him to inflict maximum damage on him.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:00 PM on May 3, 2018 [51 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:00 PM on May 3, 2018 [51 favorites]
Michigan's new Medicaid work requirement proposal is a compelling depiction of the end state of Atwater's Southern Strategy: absurdly racist policy made to look abstract. Dylan Scott, How Medicaid work requirements can exempt rural whites but not urban blacks.
The plan is already heartlessly cruel. If you don't work at least 29 hours/week, you can be locked out of Medicaid for an entire year. But there's a relief valve if your county has high unemploylment. How that works out in practice:
More from the Detroit Free Press: Here's why Michigan Medicaid work requirements will kill people
posted by zachlipton at 1:01 PM on May 3, 2018 [87 favorites]
The plan is already heartlessly cruel. If you don't work at least 29 hours/week, you can be locked out of Medicaid for an entire year. But there's a relief valve if your county has high unemploylment. How that works out in practice:
But the Michigan plan comes with a twist: People who live in counties with higher unemployment rates — above 8.5 percent — are exempted from the requirement. That is likely to lead in practice, as Kaffer observes, to rural whiter counties, where unemployment is higher, getting a break from these work requirements while urban areas with a higher share of black residents would still be subjected to them. Which means that black Medicaid enrollees would be more likely to lose their health insurance.So Wayne County, home to Detroit, has a 5% unemployment rate (Detroit has a much higher unemployment rate inside the city limits, but the proposed policy would only look at the county level). It also has a 14.5% black unemployment rate. The counties that have high overall unemployment rates are super-white rural counties. They get to keep their health insurance, but people living in Detroit or Flint get kicked out, and aren't even eligible to get it back for a year.
More from the Detroit Free Press: Here's why Michigan Medicaid work requirements will kill people
posted by zachlipton at 1:01 PM on May 3, 2018 [87 favorites]
I think it's pointless to speculate about the identity of leakers.
We have a large swarm of rich, power-glutted white men who love to tell anyone in earshot what they've gotten away with this week.
We have a larger swarm of less-rich men and women who want to undermine the parts of the current regime that are keeping them from joining the first group.
We have an even larger swarm of friends, partners, and business associates who are investing in popcorn shares, and would be happy to throw out a new tidbit whenever sales are low.
And we have an absolutely huge swarm of underpaid, underappreciated staffers who have access to damn near everything because none of Group 1 can be bothered to follow security procedures and they love to order other people to do all their fetch-and-carry work, which in a modern office includes copy-and-print work.
This whole damn administration is nothing but a giant sieve.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:02 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
We have a large swarm of rich, power-glutted white men who love to tell anyone in earshot what they've gotten away with this week.
We have a larger swarm of less-rich men and women who want to undermine the parts of the current regime that are keeping them from joining the first group.
We have an even larger swarm of friends, partners, and business associates who are investing in popcorn shares, and would be happy to throw out a new tidbit whenever sales are low.
And we have an absolutely huge swarm of underpaid, underappreciated staffers who have access to damn near everything because none of Group 1 can be bothered to follow security procedures and they love to order other people to do all their fetch-and-carry work, which in a modern office includes copy-and-print work.
This whole damn administration is nothing but a giant sieve.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:02 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Ok so we're doing this. House chaplain rescinds resignation after furor over his ouster by Ryan
So, uh, happy National Day of Prayer!
posted by zachlipton at 1:04 PM on May 3, 2018 [85 favorites]
In a two-page letter, Conroy informed Ryan that he gave in to pressure from the speaker’s staff when he agreed in mid-April to resign, believing that Ryan had the power to fire him, but the chaplain now believes he was pressured into the resignation for lack of cause.@pdmcleod: You know who else disappeared for a few days before making a dramatic return?
“I have never been disciplined, nor reprimanded, nor have I ever heard a complaint about my ministry during my time as House chaplain,” Conroy wrote Thursday.
So, uh, happy National Day of Prayer!
posted by zachlipton at 1:04 PM on May 3, 2018 [85 favorites]
A second White House official, who like most others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, said of the president, “His story is obviously not consistent anymore.”
Possibly the LMFAOest bit (so far) of an extremely LOL day. "You know, I'm starting to feel as if the President may not be 100% forthright sometimes."
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:04 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
Possibly the LMFAOest bit (so far) of an extremely LOL day. "You know, I'm starting to feel as if the President may not be 100% forthright sometimes."
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:04 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
At this point I almost suspect that Giuliani has some antique beef with Trump going back to Manhattan in the 1980's, Trump has no idea, and Giuliani is exploiting Trump's trust in him to inflict maximum damage on him.
Someone I work with is rather insistent on the point that Giuliani is actually a brilliant lawyer, or at least was one in the 80s, to the point that my co-worker would pit him against Mueller in terms of "he knows what he's doing". He grants that Giuliani's ego may have started to trip him up in recent years, but is fairly certain that Giuliani knows what he's doing.
I was inclined to come in here and ask for evidence to the contrary, but this kind of 3-dimensional chess also fits.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:05 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Someone I work with is rather insistent on the point that Giuliani is actually a brilliant lawyer, or at least was one in the 80s, to the point that my co-worker would pit him against Mueller in terms of "he knows what he's doing". He grants that Giuliani's ego may have started to trip him up in recent years, but is fairly certain that Giuliani knows what he's doing.
I was inclined to come in here and ask for evidence to the contrary, but this kind of 3-dimensional chess also fits.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:05 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Of all of the things that have been speculated upon in these threads, did we really just speculate that Rudy Giuliani would be the hero of this story?
posted by Sophie1 at 1:07 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 1:07 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed a request for 70 blank subpoenas in the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday, where former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is facing charges including tax fraud and failing to report foreign bank accounts.
The two-page filing reveals that each subpoena recipient must appear in the Alexandria courthouse on July 10 to testify in the case.
A subplethora. Remember how Mueller wanted to delay Flynn's sentencing until early July?
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:09 PM on May 3, 2018 [54 favorites]
The two-page filing reveals that each subpoena recipient must appear in the Alexandria courthouse on July 10 to testify in the case.
A subplethora. Remember how Mueller wanted to delay Flynn's sentencing until early July?
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:09 PM on May 3, 2018 [54 favorites]
And yet Trump decided that he was the perfect person to be his lawyer.
posted by Melismata at 1:09 PM on May 3, 2018
posted by Melismata at 1:09 PM on May 3, 2018
> There's a criminal class in this country for whom it's so routine and normal to break the law they not only no longer bother hiding it, they explain what they've done like it's a justified defense.
This is pretty much the mental image I get whenever one of Trump'slawyers law-talkin' guys gets up on camera and makes a hash of things:
"That was a right-pretty speech, sir. But I ask you, what is a contract?"
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:10 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
This is pretty much the mental image I get whenever one of Trump's
"That was a right-pretty speech, sir. But I ask you, what is a contract?"
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:10 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
@politiCOHEN_: BREAKING: special counsel robert mueller’s team just filed a request for 70 blank subpoenas in alexandria VA, where paul manafort is on trial on charges including bank fraud; story TK
So that's fun.
As an amusing sidenote, someone recently brought to my attention the fact that there's a health care lawyer with the unfortunate name of Michael Cohen, and I think it would be amusing if a reporter went through state bar directories, looked for other lawyers named Michael Cohen, and wrote a story about how irritating it is to share a name and profession with this guy.
posted by zachlipton at 1:10 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
So that's fun.
As an amusing sidenote, someone recently brought to my attention the fact that there's a health care lawyer with the unfortunate name of Michael Cohen, and I think it would be amusing if a reporter went through state bar directories, looked for other lawyers named Michael Cohen, and wrote a story about how irritating it is to share a name and profession with this guy.
posted by zachlipton at 1:10 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
I want Paul Ryan's legacy to be The Catholic Who Tried To Fire A Catholic Chaplain For Issuing A Prayer About Helping The Poor And Failed
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [117 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [117 favorites]
Someone I work with is rather insistent on the point that Giuliani is actually a brilliant lawyer, or at least was one in the 80s, to the point that my co-worker would pit him against Mueller in terms of "he knows what he's doing".
Giuliani hasn't stood up to litigate in a courtroom in decades.
posted by rhizome at 1:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Giuliani hasn't stood up to litigate in a courtroom in decades.
posted by rhizome at 1:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
"Rudy is secretly maneuvering to take down trump" is silliness on a par with "trump is intentionally trying to tank the election because he's secretly besties with Hillary."
posted by Atom Eyes at 1:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 1:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
Oh my god. From Father Conroy's letter unresigning: "your Chief of Staff, Jonathan Burks, came to me and informed me that you were asking for my letter of resignation. I inquired as to whether or not it was "for cause," and Mr. Burks mentioned dismissively something like "maybe it's time that we had a Chaplain that wasn't a Catholic. He also mentioned my November prayer and an interview with the National Journal Daily."
I was just thinking that what the House of Representatives needed right now was open religious war.
posted by zachlipton at 1:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [86 favorites]
I was just thinking that what the House of Representatives needed right now was open religious war.
posted by zachlipton at 1:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [86 favorites]
each subpoena recipient must appear in the Alexandria courthouse on July 10 to testify in the case
July 10 is my son's birthday. Perhaps I should bake him a really, really, REALLY big cake.
posted by anastasiav at 1:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
July 10 is my son's birthday. Perhaps I should bake him a really, really, REALLY big cake.
posted by anastasiav at 1:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
Just in case Maggie Haberman's suck-up quisling status weren't confirmed in the eyes of Mefites, this is exchange should remove all doubt
I don't see that as at all suck-up. In addition to being a completely believable statement, it's just more acknowledgement that it's a complete fuster-cluck in there. It's also demonstrably true at several points; I don't remember the specifics but there were occasions during Spiceytime when the WH would put out papers to do one thing and Trump would just upend the whole fucking thing in a tweet.
I got plenty of problems with Haberman but that tweet doesn't seem egregious to me.
If I had a nickel for every person who's asked me "Why don't Democrats talk about this stuff more?" while I am standing on their front stoop talking about this stuff right at their actual face, I'd have a shitload of nickels.
I will send you a nickel for every time you respond with "what Democrat has two thumbs and is right on your stoop telling you about it right now, motherfucka?" But let's batch it up weekly so transfer fees don't kill us, k? (NO STRUCTURING NO STRUCTURING YOU'RE THE STRUCTURING)
posted by phearlez at 1:16 PM on May 3, 2018 [28 favorites]
I don't see that as at all suck-up. In addition to being a completely believable statement, it's just more acknowledgement that it's a complete fuster-cluck in there. It's also demonstrably true at several points; I don't remember the specifics but there were occasions during Spiceytime when the WH would put out papers to do one thing and Trump would just upend the whole fucking thing in a tweet.
I got plenty of problems with Haberman but that tweet doesn't seem egregious to me.
If I had a nickel for every person who's asked me "Why don't Democrats talk about this stuff more?" while I am standing on their front stoop talking about this stuff right at their actual face, I'd have a shitload of nickels.
I will send you a nickel for every time you respond with "what Democrat has two thumbs and is right on your stoop telling you about it right now, motherfucka?" But let's batch it up weekly so transfer fees don't kill us, k? (NO STRUCTURING NO STRUCTURING YOU'RE THE STRUCTURING)
posted by phearlez at 1:16 PM on May 3, 2018 [28 favorites]
Giuliani hasn't stood up to litigate in a courtroom in decades.
Litigating in a courtroom, my co-worker argued, is not a requirement for an understanding of the law itself. He seems to be pointing exclusively to Giuliani's RICO Act Trial in the 80s, claiming that it was Giuliani's understanding of the law that allowed him to figure out a) how racketeering even worked, and b) how one could bring someone up on charges for same.
I'm dubious, but don't know enough about law to be able to contest his point.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Litigating in a courtroom, my co-worker argued, is not a requirement for an understanding of the law itself. He seems to be pointing exclusively to Giuliani's RICO Act Trial in the 80s, claiming that it was Giuliani's understanding of the law that allowed him to figure out a) how racketeering even worked, and b) how one could bring someone up on charges for same.
I'm dubious, but don't know enough about law to be able to contest his point.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Of all of the things that have been speculated upon in these threads, did we really just speculate that Rudy Giuliani would be the hero of this story?
Perhaps in the sense that Gollum is a hero in Lord of the Rings?
posted by nubs at 1:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [41 favorites]
Perhaps in the sense that Gollum is a hero in Lord of the Rings?
posted by nubs at 1:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [41 favorites]
It seems obvious that a good compromise would be having a chaplain representing a faith held by none of the Representatives. Sikh. Zoroastrian. Juche. Satanist.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:18 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:18 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
Mr. Burks mentioned dismissively something like "maybe it's time that we had a Chaplain that wasn't a Catholic. He also mentioned my November prayer and an interview with the National Journal Daily."
I actually might admire Burks a little if he had gone ahead and just called him a Papist.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
I actually might admire Burks a little if he had gone ahead and just called him a Papist.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Rudy's "claim" to fame at SDNY was fucking up the Gotti case - twice. Furthermore, it was his successor who nailed Gotti, in part because (unlike Rudy) he believed that you can go after lawyers acting criminally.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
Giuliani does not seem compos mentis. This is not whatever dimensional chess. He and Trump are having an unglued, very public, folie a deux.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:21 PM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:21 PM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
Two Dementianal Chess
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:22 PM on May 3, 2018 [142 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:22 PM on May 3, 2018 [142 favorites]
Njah, I have a lot of work meeting with Giuliani-type guys and while I won't say if they have always been corrupt and ignorant, they certainly are now.
If it isn't already evident, there has been so much corruption in NY over the ages that few politicians are untainted. Giuliani is not a person I'd imagine would be innocent here.
posted by mumimor at 1:24 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
If it isn't already evident, there has been so much corruption in NY over the ages that few politicians are untainted. Giuliani is not a person I'd imagine would be innocent here.
posted by mumimor at 1:24 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
Conroy knows why he was fired. Everyone knows why he was fired.
posted by zarq at 1:25 PM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
What was the real story? Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill, reported: “Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., and Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., both pointed to a prayer that Conroy delivered on the tax overhaul as the reason he was asked to leave. Jones said he spoke with Conroy and he confirmed that, saying the only intended meaning of the prayer was that the tax bill should help everyone.” Another D.C. publication, The Hill, has highlighted interviews with members of Congress and congressional aides who have offered similar takes on the issue — including the observation by a Democratic lawmaker “that the speaker took issue with a prayer on the House floor that could have been perceived as being critical of the GOP tax-cut bill.”
That Nov. 6 prayer, which was offered by Conroy as consideration of the tax bill was ramping up, made gentle reference to the wealth divide in the United States. “May all members be mindful that the institutions and structures of our great nation guarantee the opportunities that have allowed some to achieve great success, while others continue to struggle,” said Conroy. “May their efforts these days guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.”
posted by zarq at 1:25 PM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
It's still an image in a tweet, but here is Father Conroy's full unresignation letter.
posted by zachlipton at 1:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
I made a mis-statement above when I said that Mueller got the warrant to search Cohen's office. It is actually the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney's office, specifically the public corruption department. This is an important distinction.
Mueller acquired evidence that tipped him off to possible corruption by Cohen and Trump so he turned over the investigation to the U.S. Attorney. This is the FBI and U.S. Attorney's case, not Mueller's. It is an entirely separate investigation from the Russian collusion so the idea that dismissing Mueller will save Trump is misplaced.
When Guiliani says "“We think it’s going to turn out to be untrue because it would be totally illegal. You can’t wiretap a lawyer, you certainly can’t wiretap his client who’s not involved in the investigation. No one has suggested that Trump was involved in that investigation" he is conflating the Mueller's Russia investigation and the U.S. Attorney's investigation.
Trump may not be directly implicated in the Russian investigation (yet), but he most certainly is implicated in the racketeering investigation. Racketeering between a lawyer and client is not protected by client-attorney privilege. And with sufficient cause, wiretapping of a lawyer and client would not be unheard of.
Surely Guiliani, who once was the U.S. Attorney in that same office and who prosecuted Mafia figures knows this. He is just blatantly lying and blustering for his boss. Roy Cohn would be proud.
posted by JackFlash at 1:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
Mueller acquired evidence that tipped him off to possible corruption by Cohen and Trump so he turned over the investigation to the U.S. Attorney. This is the FBI and U.S. Attorney's case, not Mueller's. It is an entirely separate investigation from the Russian collusion so the idea that dismissing Mueller will save Trump is misplaced.
When Guiliani says "“We think it’s going to turn out to be untrue because it would be totally illegal. You can’t wiretap a lawyer, you certainly can’t wiretap his client who’s not involved in the investigation. No one has suggested that Trump was involved in that investigation" he is conflating the Mueller's Russia investigation and the U.S. Attorney's investigation.
Trump may not be directly implicated in the Russian investigation (yet), but he most certainly is implicated in the racketeering investigation. Racketeering between a lawyer and client is not protected by client-attorney privilege. And with sufficient cause, wiretapping of a lawyer and client would not be unheard of.
Surely Guiliani, who once was the U.S. Attorney in that same office and who prosecuted Mafia figures knows this. He is just blatantly lying and blustering for his boss. Roy Cohn would be proud.
posted by JackFlash at 1:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
Surely Guiliani, who once was the U.S. Attorney in that same office and who prosecuted Mafia figures knows this. He is just blatantly lying and blustering for his boss. Roy Cohn would be proud.
He also called his former colleagues stormtroopers.
posted by zarq at 1:28 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
He also called his former colleagues stormtroopers.
posted by zarq at 1:28 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
give me a break, baby!
So Rudy is George Costanza? That explains a lot.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:32 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
So Rudy is George Costanza? That explains a lot.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:32 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
Adam Parkhomenko (Clinton advisor)
Attorney Solomon Wisenberg on CNN re: Giuliani’s strategy: looks like a “murder-suicide”
posted by chris24 at 1:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [51 favorites]
Attorney Solomon Wisenberg on CNN re: Giuliani’s strategy: looks like a “murder-suicide”
posted by chris24 at 1:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [51 favorites]
>Giuliani does not seem compos mentis. This is not whatever dimensional chess. He and Trump are having an unglued, very public, folie a deux.
Could we avoid please speculation of Giuliani's (or Trump's or Kanye's, etc) relative mental state or healthiness?
posted by Tevin at 1:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Could we avoid please speculation of Giuliani's (or Trump's or Kanye's, etc) relative mental state or healthiness?
posted by Tevin at 1:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Giuliani does not seem compos mentis. This is not whatever dimensional chess. He and Trump are having an unglued, very public, folie a deux.
That settles it, when the movie of this administration gets made I want Michael Shannon to play Trump and Ashley Judd to play Rudy Giuliani.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
That settles it, when the movie of this administration gets made I want Michael Shannon to play Trump and Ashley Judd to play Rudy Giuliani.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
He also called his former colleagues stormtroopers.
I'm still 50/50 on whether or not that was a compliment.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
I'm still 50/50 on whether or not that was a compliment.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
OMG, Michael Shannon would be perfect as Trump. He is absolutely the best actor alive if you need someone in a state of constant fury (I was sold on going to see The Shape Of Water as soon as he started shouting and threatening people in the trailer).
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:38 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:38 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Someone I work with is rather insistent on the point that Giuliani is actually a brilliant lawyer, or at least was one in the 80s, to the point that my co-worker would pit him against Mueller in terms of "he knows what he's doing".
Giuliani hasn't stood up to litigate in a courtroom in decades.
The ever-present question in the law biz is "But what have you done for me lately?" So he was a beast in the 80s. Great. But what good is he now, and to me?
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:38 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Giuliani hasn't stood up to litigate in a courtroom in decades.
The ever-present question in the law biz is "But what have you done for me lately?" So he was a beast in the 80s. Great. But what good is he now, and to me?
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:38 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Perhaps in the sense that Gollum is a hero in Lord of the Rings?
Since Andy Serkis is used to playing inhuman villains, I’m sure he’ll do a fine job inhabiting the role of Giuliani in the eventual decology of movies covering the first third of 2018.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:40 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
Since Andy Serkis is used to playing inhuman villains, I’m sure he’ll do a fine job inhabiting the role of Giuliani in the eventual decology of movies covering the first third of 2018.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:40 PM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]
Oh my god everything is getting more and more stupid. Between "it can't be obstruction of justice if there was no collusion", "we didn't use campaign funds so it can't be a campaign finance violation", and "it's illegal to wiretap a lawyer" we really are maybe in the "you cannot arrest a husband and wife for the same crime" territory of bizarrely incorrect legal theories of the worst fucking attorneys.
posted by mhum at 1:41 PM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by mhum at 1:41 PM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
Two Dementianal Chess
That should totally be the caption for this photo!
posted by duoshao at 1:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
That should totally be the caption for this photo!
posted by duoshao at 1:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
We’re definitely going to hear Guliani or someone else on the Trump legal team claim the gold fringe on the flag means it’s an admiralty court before this is over.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
My interpretation is that the President lacks any non-maritime authority, due to his gold fringe
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [47 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [47 favorites]
Yeah I think at the point when a public figure is breaking laws and forging documents to hide their health status from the public, it is ok to ask why.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [56 favorites]
"maybe it's time that we had a Chaplain that wasn't a Catholic.
Anti-Catholicism is a white nationalist deep cut. They are going old-school, guys.
posted by Anonymous at 1:53 PM on May 3, 2018
Anti-Catholicism is a white nationalist deep cut. They are going old-school, guys.
posted by Anonymous at 1:53 PM on May 3, 2018
I wonder if Trump and his merry crew of criminals can still envision a future wherein they actually manage to circumvent *all* of the innumerable scandals, controversies, impeachable offences and/or federal crimes they're embroiled in and find themselves totally In The Clear, like a boat floating out into calm ocean waters after battling the rapids of a raging river.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Conroy Letter, converted to text and thrown into g'docs, suitable for copy-pasting phrases.
Tweet with images, for comparison.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
Tweet with images, for comparison.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm going to Lovett or Leave It in 2 hours and have been at work testing an upgrade to our production system and EVERYTHING HAPPENS SO MUCH AND WHAT IF LOVETT CALLS ON ME* AND I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWERS?!!? Anyone want to sum it all up for me?
*I am in merch, like a dweeb
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:58 PM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
*I am in merch, like a dweeb
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:58 PM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
I wonder if Trump and his merry crew of criminals can still envision a future wherein they actually manage to circumvent *all* of the innumerable scandals, controversies, impeachable offences and/or federal crimes they're embroiled in and find themselves totally In The Clear, like a boat floating out into calm ocean waters after battling the rapids of a raging river.
Condemned to rule over the policy dumpster fire they created.
posted by jaduncan at 1:58 PM on May 3, 2018
Condemned to rule over the policy dumpster fire they created.
posted by jaduncan at 1:58 PM on May 3, 2018
It's important to remember, in order to get the full depth of Paul Ryan's craven spinelessness, that he himself is Catholic.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:58 PM on May 3, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:58 PM on May 3, 2018 [31 favorites]
"There's a criminal class in this country for whom it's so routine and normal to break the law they not only no longer bother hiding it, they explain what they've done like it's a justified defense."
If you ever represent a white-collar criminal, one of the hardest parts about it is that they're so convinced that what they did is fine and that the crime will go away if they just explain it that it's very very difficult to keep them from incriminating themselves by talking.
It's pretty funny to watch it happen to the White House.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:05 PM on May 3, 2018 [71 favorites]
If you ever represent a white-collar criminal, one of the hardest parts about it is that they're so convinced that what they did is fine and that the crime will go away if they just explain it that it's very very difficult to keep them from incriminating themselves by talking.
It's pretty funny to watch it happen to the White House.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:05 PM on May 3, 2018 [71 favorites]
Can confirm Giuliani is a member in good standing of the Moon Lawyer Bar.
posted by Noted Moon Lawyer at 2:06 PM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by Noted Moon Lawyer at 2:06 PM on May 3, 2018 [19 favorites]
To see the sheer level of Paul Ryan's fit with the Catholic church, merely picture him having a policy discussion with Pope Francis. Or indeed Jesus.
posted by jaduncan at 2:06 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 2:06 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Oops.
@justinsink: whoa: NBC is correcting its wiretap story on MSNBC right now, saying it was not a wiretap on Cohen phone. Says it was instead a log of phone calls known as a "pen register," so couldn't listen in
As I understand it, the legal standard to get a pen register is lower than that required for a wiretap.
posted by zachlipton at 2:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
@justinsink: whoa: NBC is correcting its wiretap story on MSNBC right now, saying it was not a wiretap on Cohen phone. Says it was instead a log of phone calls known as a "pen register," so couldn't listen in
As I understand it, the legal standard to get a pen register is lower than that required for a wiretap.
posted by zachlipton at 2:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
Anti-Catholicism is a white nationalist deep cut. They are going old-school, guys.
Old-school indeed.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [84 favorites]
Old-school indeed.
I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor or degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes" When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy.-- Abraham Lincoln
posted by kirkaracha at 2:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [84 favorites]
zachlipton: "@pdmcleod: You know who else disappeared for a few days before making a dramatic return?"
Lenin?
posted by Chrysostom at 2:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
Lenin?
posted by Chrysostom at 2:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
Here's James Martin, SJ: Speaker Ryan forgot something about Pat Conroy, SJ. It's the same thing that some cardinals forgot about Pope Francis: Jesuits aren't pushovers.
(I am still no fan of the Catholic Church, but man, when Team Jesuit gets stroppy, I really want to smoke a cigarette, and I really HATE smoking. )
posted by maudlin at 2:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [43 favorites]
(I am still no fan of the Catholic Church, but man, when Team Jesuit gets stroppy, I really want to smoke a cigarette, and I really HATE smoking. )
posted by maudlin at 2:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [43 favorites]
As I understand it, the legal standard to get a pen register is lower than that required for a wiretap.
It's completely different. Whoever first reported the story made a serious error. Pen register won't show you the content of the communications, which is what was so incredible about the first report. Pen register barely qualifies as news.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 2:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
It's completely different. Whoever first reported the story made a serious error. Pen register won't show you the content of the communications, which is what was so incredible about the first report. Pen register barely qualifies as news.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 2:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
As an amusing sidenote, someone recently brought to my attention the fact that there's a health care lawyer with the unfortunate name of Michael Cohen, and I think it would be amusing if a reporter went through state bar directories, looked for other lawyers named Michael Cohen, and wrote a story about how irritating it is to share a name and profession with this guy.
A few years ago, my boss's boss was a pretty good guy - smart, friendly, experienced, cared about doing good work and making sure the people who worked for him had what they needed in order to do good work. All-around good dude. He left the company about four years ago, worked at a different company for a while, and eventually found himself working for the Office of the Attorney General in the state of Arkansas and last year was named deputy AG. His name is Charles Harder; he goes by Chuck. He is not this Charles Harder.
posted by nickmark at 2:20 PM on May 3, 2018
A few years ago, my boss's boss was a pretty good guy - smart, friendly, experienced, cared about doing good work and making sure the people who worked for him had what they needed in order to do good work. All-around good dude. He left the company about four years ago, worked at a different company for a while, and eventually found himself working for the Office of the Attorney General in the state of Arkansas and last year was named deputy AG. His name is Charles Harder; he goes by Chuck. He is not this Charles Harder.
posted by nickmark at 2:20 PM on May 3, 2018
Phil Murphy continuing to kick butt in New Jersey, signs expansive paid sick leave law.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:22 PM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:22 PM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
Yesterday, Spokane, WA teacher Mandy Manning (here is her education blog) was awarded teacher of the year. She took the opportunity to deliver a handful of letters from refugee students to Mr. Trump. She also engaged in a "silent protest" by wearing a number of political badges supporting good causes.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
NBC is correcting its wiretap story on MSNBC right now, saying it was not a wiretap on Cohen phone. Says it was instead a log of phone calls known as a "pen register," so couldn't listen in
You can't make mistakes like this!
posted by notyou at 2:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
You can't make mistakes like this!
posted by notyou at 2:33 PM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
Blankenship goes after McConnell’s ‘China family’ in new ad
Speaking of large adult sons, Don Jr. would like to know how much his wife's marinara sauce fortune is worth as part of his divorce proceedings.
posted by zachlipton at 2:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
West Virginia GOP Senate hopeful Don Blankenship is amping up his racial attacks on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with a new ad declaring, “Swamp captain Mitch McConnell has created millions of jobs for China people.”Don Jr., who I shout into the void: is supposed to be off running the business and not involved in politics, just endorsed not-Blankenship in a tweet.
“While doing so, Mitch has gotten rich,” Blankenship adds. “In fact, his China family has given him tens of millions of dollars.”
McConnell’s wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, is Chinese American. Her father is chairman of a shipping company.
Speaking of large adult sons, Don Jr. would like to know how much his wife's marinara sauce fortune is worth as part of his divorce proceedings.
posted by zachlipton at 2:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
You can't make mistakes like this!
Yeah, that's a huge error and I hope they tell us how it was made. I don't expect they will. But I'd like to know if their sources burned them or if whoever made the initial reporting simply misunderstood.
posted by Justinian at 2:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
Yeah, that's a huge error and I hope they tell us how it was made. I don't expect they will. But I'd like to know if their sources burned them or if whoever made the initial reporting simply misunderstood.
posted by Justinian at 2:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
OK so the Cohen wiretap was not a wiretap but a Dialed Number Recorder (DNR), also called a "pen register". As the name suggests it records the numbers of incoming & outgoing calls & times but not the contents of the calls. There's a huge difference, especially when the President is potentially involved. Here's an updated piece that confirms that.
Feds monitored Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's phones
Feds monitored Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's phones
The calls are logged by a machine called a pen register, which records the number of the phone that made the call and the number that received it, but does not record the contents of any conversation. NBC News initially reported that Cohen’s phone lines had been wiretapped, meaning a judge had given investigators approval to listen to phone calls. Three senior U.S. officials now dispute that, saying the monitoring of the calls was limited to a log of calls.posted by scalefree at 2:38 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Incidentally the name Pen Register goes all the way back to the days of telegraphs when intercepting them actually used a mechanical arm device with a pen on the end of it that wrote the logs on a roll of paper.
posted by scalefree at 2:43 PM on May 3, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 2:43 PM on May 3, 2018 [29 favorites]
when Team Jesuit gets stroppy, I really want to smoke a cigarette,
Most of my family has been educated by Jesuits, and this is why I can confidently assure you that when Team Jesuit gets stroppy, it is time to get out of the way and grab a bag of popcorn, because they answer to no one but God, Pope Francis, and Father General Sosa, and none of those are known for backing down.
posted by corb at 2:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
Most of my family has been educated by Jesuits, and this is why I can confidently assure you that when Team Jesuit gets stroppy, it is time to get out of the way and grab a bag of popcorn, because they answer to no one but God, Pope Francis, and Father General Sosa, and none of those are known for backing down.
posted by corb at 2:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
okay can we recalibrate what is today's big news then is it all the blank subpoenas or what
posted by angrycat at 2:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 2:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
"China people"? "China family"? It's like he's losing the ability to speak as he gets more and more racist.
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
NBC also had that "scoop" many centuries ago about Candidate Trump ordering Flynn to open communications with Russia, except it turned out to be President-Elect Trump instead. That doesn't speak well for their vetting and editing.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
@TimAlberta: Vice President Pence tells CBN he has "lost count of the number of times that the president has nudged me, or nudged another member of the cabinet and said 'Let's start this meeting with prayer.'"
I'm sure we can all agree this sounds exactly like the Donald Trump we've all come to know.
posted by zachlipton at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2018 [81 favorites]
I'm sure we can all agree this sounds exactly like the Donald Trump we've all come to know.
posted by zachlipton at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2018 [81 favorites]
To give Pence the benefit of the doubt, the question of whether one can count to zero is an interesting philosophical conundrum.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [87 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [87 favorites]
Holy heck, FIFTH GOP Senator retiring from New York state Senate, all districts within reason for Dem pickups. William Larkin, SD-39: Trump 50-46, Obama 53-46.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:55 PM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:55 PM on May 3, 2018 [25 favorites]
Paul Ryan statement: "I have accepted Father Conroy's letter and decided he will remain in his position as Chaplain of the House."
Always bet on the Jesuits.
posted by zachlipton at 2:57 PM on May 3, 2018 [63 favorites]
Always bet on the Jesuits.
posted by zachlipton at 2:57 PM on May 3, 2018 [63 favorites]
Fun fact: Jerry Brown almost became a Jesuit priest before he decided politics was more his path.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 3:10 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 3:10 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Or another way of looking at it: how many of those prayers end up being 90/10 praise for Trump/God, in that order?
posted by Green With You at 3:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Green With You at 3:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
NBC also had that "scoop" many centuries ago about Candidate Trump ordering Flynn to open communications with Russia, except it turned out to be President-Elect Trump instead. That doesn't speak well for their vetting and editing.
That was ABC.
posted by melissasaurus at 3:22 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
That was ABC.
posted by melissasaurus at 3:22 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Speaking of large adult sons, Don Jr. would like to know how much his wife's marinara sauce fortune is worth as part of his divorce proceedings.
Fucking Trumps. They’re all fucking pimps.
posted by valkane at 3:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fucking Trumps. They’re all fucking pimps.
posted by valkane at 3:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
"I have accepted Father Conroy's letter and decided he will remain in his position as Chaplain of the House."
Mighty nice of you to make that decision you apparently have no authority to make under the rules.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
Mighty nice of you to make that decision you apparently have no authority to make under the rules.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:23 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
@TimAlberta: Vice President Pence tells CBN he has "lost count of the number of times that the president has nudged me, or nudged another member of the cabinet and said 'Let's start this meeting with prayer.'"
That's not Donald Trump praying. This is Donald Trump praying.
posted by scalefree at 3:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
That's not Donald Trump praying. This is Donald Trump praying.
posted by scalefree at 3:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sanders, when asked again about making falsehoods from the White House, said: "I would always advise against giving false information as a person of human decency."
Or, as scaryblackdeath put it: She's up on that podium to say "Fuck you" in every non-profane way she can, every day. It's not about deception. It's about undisguised contempt, and that's exactly why Trump wants her there.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
Or, as scaryblackdeath put it: She's up on that podium to say "Fuck you" in every non-profane way she can, every day. It's not about deception. It's about undisguised contempt, and that's exactly why Trump wants her there.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
guys I don't know if you actually watched the Blankenship ad but it is required
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:27 PM on May 3, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:27 PM on May 3, 2018 [48 favorites]
Yea, verily, in the ancient days it was engraved upon the tablets that Donald Trump's great wealth meant he would be immune to pressure from vested interests, but now there arises a soothsayer, Giuliani by name, who preaches that Trump succumbed to an importunate actress because wealthy people are particularly susceptible to pressure. And although all true believers know this to be true, yet some are troubled and ask "Lord, how shall we then answer those who say he was pressured unto death by by a foreign power over similar accusations, those involving a certain Pee Tape?" And answer came there none.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:27 PM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:27 PM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]
@TimAlberta: Vice President Pence tells CBN he has "lost count of the number of times that the president has nudged me, or nudged another member of the cabinet and said 'Let's start this meeting with prayer.'"
I'm sure we can all agree this sounds exactly like the Donald Trump we've all come to know.
I'm sure this is a dumb rhetorical question, but do any of these people of faith ever question why he never leads the prayers himself? A very cursory search for "donald trump leading prayer" doesn't show anything about the man himself doing it. Maybe I'm misremembering, but didn't GWB lead prayers at some types of functions (not cabinet meetings, but like prayer breakfasts or whatever)?
posted by bonje at 3:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm sure we can all agree this sounds exactly like the Donald Trump we've all come to know.
I'm sure this is a dumb rhetorical question, but do any of these people of faith ever question why he never leads the prayers himself? A very cursory search for "donald trump leading prayer" doesn't show anything about the man himself doing it. Maybe I'm misremembering, but didn't GWB lead prayers at some types of functions (not cabinet meetings, but like prayer breakfasts or whatever)?
posted by bonje at 3:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump on God:
posted by Iridic at 3:38 PM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
"Well I say God is the ultimate. You know you look at this?" Trump said, motioning toward an oceanfront golf course that bears his name. "Here we are on the Pacific Ocean. How did I ever own this? I bought it 15 years ago. I made one of the great deals they say ever. I have no more mortgage on it as I will certify and represent to you. And I was able to buy this and make a great deal. That's what I want to do for the country. Make great deals. We have to, we have to bring it back, but God is the ultimate. I mean God created this, and here's the Pacific Ocean right behind us. So nobody, no thing, no there's nothing like God."Trump on the Bible:
"There's so many things that you can learn from it (the Bible). Proverbs, the chapter 'never bend to envy.' I've had that thing all of my life where people are bending to envy."The phrase "never bend to envy" does not occur in the Bible. The interviewer accepts the campaign's explanation that Trump was glossing Proverbs 24: Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
Trump also compares the Bible to a great movie.
"I don’t like to use this analogy, but like a great movie, a great, incredible movie. You’ll see it once it will be good. You'll see it again. You can see it 20 times and every time you'll appreciate it more. The Bible is the most special thing."
posted by Iridic at 3:38 PM on May 3, 2018 [39 favorites]
Did David Lynch direct that? Did I just get hypnotized?
Did Blankenship call McConnell 'Cocaine Mitch'?
posted by box at 3:39 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Did Blankenship call McConnell 'Cocaine Mitch'?
posted by box at 3:39 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
While holding two small girls.
I want an extended edit where Mike Gravel arrives and throws a rock at him.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:39 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
I want an extended edit where Mike Gravel arrives and throws a rock at him.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:39 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
GWB, hell, Barack Obama frequently led prayers at certain functions. Remember when he sang Amazing Grace at Emmanuel AME? This of course doesn't matter to Christian Nationalists like Pence. Obama is a black liberal, ergo he's a heathen, ergo he never showed any signs of faith. Trump is a white Republican with wealth and status, ergo he's a Christian, ergo he is a pious man. Actual professions of faith have nothing to do with it. If you polled them, I'm pretty sure a high fraction of Trumpists would tell you, with absolute sincerity, that they've seen him lead prayers at public functions numerous times, because that's just the kind of thing they're sure he does.
posted by biogeo at 3:43 PM on May 3, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 3:43 PM on May 3, 2018 [28 favorites]
Vice President Pence tells CBN he has "lost count of the number of times that the president has nudged me, or nudged another member of the cabinet and said 'Let's start this meeting with prayer.'
Like I was saying, obvious lies. Literally no one believes this; anyone who claims to be believing it is obviously only pretending to do so to suit their political ends.
Matt Yglesias went into this a while back on The Weeds podcast - Evangelical Christians are absolutely eager and willing to eat a total crock of shit (Trump is a devout Christian!) to further their own ends. The NRA is willing to eat a total crock of shit (Trump loves guns!) to further their own ends. National Right To Life endorsed Trump even though everyone fucking knows he's payed off at least one affair-conceived abortion in his time.
The right, and especially the far right, is very much willing to play dumb and bite the bullet to endorse candidates that marginally further their interests.
Meanwhile on the left, for example, the DSA couldn't write a "Dump Trump" endorsement article without shitting all over Clinton in the process, despite recognizing the extreme threat of a Trump administration.
posted by 0xFCAF at 3:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [31 favorites]
Like I was saying, obvious lies. Literally no one believes this; anyone who claims to be believing it is obviously only pretending to do so to suit their political ends.
Matt Yglesias went into this a while back on The Weeds podcast - Evangelical Christians are absolutely eager and willing to eat a total crock of shit (Trump is a devout Christian!) to further their own ends. The NRA is willing to eat a total crock of shit (Trump loves guns!) to further their own ends. National Right To Life endorsed Trump even though everyone fucking knows he's payed off at least one affair-conceived abortion in his time.
The right, and especially the far right, is very much willing to play dumb and bite the bullet to endorse candidates that marginally further their interests.
Meanwhile on the left, for example, the DSA couldn't write a "Dump Trump" endorsement article without shitting all over Clinton in the process, despite recognizing the extreme threat of a Trump administration.
posted by 0xFCAF at 3:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [31 favorites]
Did Blankenship say 'Cocaine Mitch'?
Yep. Not the first time. A few years ago, some drugs were found on a ship owned by McConnell's father-in-law. What this has to do with anything, let alone who should represent the state of West Virginia, is indeed a great question.
I am duty bound by the invocation of his name to mention at this point, and any point he is mentioned, that Blankenship was sentenced to a year in prison for violating mine safety regulations after 29 coal miners died in an explosion at his mine.
posted by zachlipton at 3:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
Yep. Not the first time. A few years ago, some drugs were found on a ship owned by McConnell's father-in-law. What this has to do with anything, let alone who should represent the state of West Virginia, is indeed a great question.
I am duty bound by the invocation of his name to mention at this point, and any point he is mentioned, that Blankenship was sentenced to a year in prison for violating mine safety regulations after 29 coal miners died in an explosion at his mine.
posted by zachlipton at 3:44 PM on May 3, 2018 [37 favorites]
(This, of course, setting aside the question entirely of whether it's appropriate for a sitting president to lead sectarian prayers in public at all.)
posted by biogeo at 3:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 3:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm sure this is a dumb rhetorical question, but do any of these people of faith ever question why he never leads the prayers himself?
No. They're not standing behind Mr. "Two Corinthians" for his displays of public piety.
They're behind him as the avatar of cultural "Christianity" white identity. He's Republican Jesus Triggering the Libs; not Biblical Jesus.
He performs the barest required rituals to keep up the pretense, just like they do. But it's about the White Identity.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
No. They're not standing behind Mr. "Two Corinthians" for his displays of public piety.
They're behind him as the avatar of cultural "Christianity" white identity. He's Republican Jesus Triggering the Libs; not Biblical Jesus.
He performs the barest required rituals to keep up the pretense, just like they do. But it's about the White Identity.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
Trump can't even get through someone else's prayer without peeking. Or voting. Or an eclipse. Let's face it, Donald Trump is a peeker.
posted by scalefree at 3:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 3:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
National Review (David French): An Open Letter to Trump’s Evangelical Defenders
...We are not told, however, to compromise our moral convictions for the sake of earthly relief, no matter how dire the crisis. We are not told to rationalize and justify sinful actions to preserve political influence or a popular audience. We are not told that the ends of good policies justify silence in the face of sin. Indeed — and this message goes out specifically to the politicians and pundits who go on television and say things they do not believe (you know who you are) to protect this administration and to preserve their presence in the halls of the power — there is specific scripture that applies to you:posted by chris24 at 3:53 PM on May 3, 2018 [70 favorites]
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
The president of the United States has paid hush money to a porn star — apparently to cover up a tryst that occurred shortly after the birth of his son. And that’s hardly his only affair. More than a dozen women have accused him of sexual assault or some form of sexual harassment. He has been caught lying, repeatedly and regularly. Yet there are numerous Christians of real influence and prominence who not only won’t dare utter a negative word about the president, they’ll vigorously turn the tables on his critics, noting the specks in his critics’ eyes while ignoring the sequoia-sized beam in their own.
I’m sorry, but you cannot compartmentalize this behavior, declare that it’s “just politics,” and take solace that you’re a good spouse or parent, that you serve in your church and volunteer for mission trips, or that you’re relatively charitable and kind in other contexts. It’s sin, and it’s sin that is collapsing the Evangelical moral witness.
We live in a time of profound existential pain. Americans are dying deaths of despair at such a rate that our nation’s life expectancy is actually decreasing. Reality is revealing the moral rot at the heart of the sexual revolution. Christians have answers for this crisis. We have a message that can renew hearts and transform lives. But there are now millions — millions — of our fellow citizens who despise us not because we follow Christ (the kind of persecution we expect) but because all too many fellow believers have torched their credibility and exposed immense hypocrisy through fear, faithlessness, and ambition.
Soon enough, the “need” to defend Trump will pass. He’ll be gone from the American scene. Then, you’ll stand in the wreckage of your own reputation and ask yourself, “Was it worth it?” The answer will be as clear then as it should be clear now. It’s not, and it never was.
(Double. Get out of my head Chris)
posted by zachlipton at 3:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
“Swamp captain Mitch McConnell has created millions of jobs for China people.”
让中国再次伟大
posted by kirkaracha at 3:59 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
让中国再次伟大
posted by kirkaracha at 3:59 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
The other day (or week, or minute, who can even tell), I was browsing Wikipedia for details of the history of the two parties' political/racial realignment. I was stunned to see that in 1976, Jimmy Carter won the entire South. I had assumed that after Goldwater and Nixon, the country's white/Southern/conservative/Christian contingent would have gotten the memo on which side their bread was now buttered, and maybe he and Ford would split that region, but no, he swept the former Confederacy. All my follow-up research suggested came down to Carter's genuine Baptist faith, plus a sense of moral betrayal over Watergate and the pardon.
I still can't believe those words even as I write them. True, it's possible that black civil rights wasn't considered an issue in that particular contest, but! Just 40 years ago, Southern Christians apparently decided which politician earned their support based on actual moral conduct and actual devoutness, rather than working backwards to infer what those things surely "must" be from party affiliation and/or degree of animosity to non-whites. Insofar as one prefers to imagine history as constant linear progress, it's kind of depressing to think that today's Donald Trump would likely have sunk hard in 1976, but there you go.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
I still can't believe those words even as I write them. True, it's possible that black civil rights wasn't considered an issue in that particular contest, but! Just 40 years ago, Southern Christians apparently decided which politician earned their support based on actual moral conduct and actual devoutness, rather than working backwards to infer what those things surely "must" be from party affiliation and/or degree of animosity to non-whites. Insofar as one prefers to imagine history as constant linear progress, it's kind of depressing to think that today's Donald Trump would likely have sunk hard in 1976, but there you go.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
Soon enough, the “need” to defend Trump will pass. He’ll be gone from the American scene. Then, you’ll stand in the wreckage of your own reputation and ask yourself, “Was it worth it?” The answer will be as clear then as it should be clear now. It’s not, and it never was.
Why erstwhile Presidential Candidate David French is a fringe member of today's Republican party. Their actual calculus is that, yes, it was all worth it, because they got Gorsuch and countless other rightwing judges to impose their minority will on the majority for another 50 years.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
Why erstwhile Presidential Candidate David French is a fringe member of today's Republican party. Their actual calculus is that, yes, it was all worth it, because they got Gorsuch and countless other rightwing judges to impose their minority will on the majority for another 50 years.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
I've been chewing on that David French column too (thanks for posting it Chris). He still indulges in a Christian persecution fantasy (someone in the comments suggests that "without the election of Donald J. Trump, the practice of religion might have been restricted to praying in our closets," which is fascinating given that Clinton is more religious than most people I know) and blames "moral rot" for the ills of society. The actual moral rot in society can be summed up the the GOP tax bill, saddling young people with unsustainable debt to give massive tax cuts to the richest boomers. The actual moral rot in society can be summed up by the signature GOP policy aim of the last decade is an effort to take away health insurance from millions of people.
But more central to his argument, nobody will seriously ever ask "was it worth it?" That's assuming an intent to act in good faith that has never actually existed. There is no "Evangelical moral witness" to collapse, and I'm not convinced there ever seriously has been. It's always been a con. It's always been about power and saying the right things to obtain it and maintain proximity to it.
French gives the whole game away when he complains about being persecuted for being Christian. He's indulging in another variant of the same hypocrisy he decries. It's still the same grift; he just happens to dislike Trump.
posted by zachlipton at 4:13 PM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
But more central to his argument, nobody will seriously ever ask "was it worth it?" That's assuming an intent to act in good faith that has never actually existed. There is no "Evangelical moral witness" to collapse, and I'm not convinced there ever seriously has been. It's always been a con. It's always been about power and saying the right things to obtain it and maintain proximity to it.
French gives the whole game away when he complains about being persecuted for being Christian. He's indulging in another variant of the same hypocrisy he decries. It's still the same grift; he just happens to dislike Trump.
posted by zachlipton at 4:13 PM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
Cocaine Mitch McConnell sounds like the name of a 70s LA studio musician.
posted by Lyme Drop at 4:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by Lyme Drop at 4:15 PM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
Let’s not forget that the evangelical reaction to the Roy Moore paedophile accusations was “that’s perfectly normal” - they have a culture of weird creepy sex attitudes, and Trumps behaviour is only different from the numerous evangelical leads who have been busted for sex stuff in that he’s never done the pantomime act of asking for forgiveness.
posted by Artw at 4:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Artw at 4:17 PM on May 3, 2018 [17 favorites]
Because it's been 0 days since the last Pruitt - no, Zinke - no, both! scandal. President Borgia's Cardinals are turning on each other.
A Pruitt Aide's Attack on Zinke Angers the White House. A press staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency attempted to distract from his boss’s troubles by planting stories that would reflect poorly on the secretary of the interior.
A Pruitt Aide's Attack on Zinke Angers the White House. A press staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency attempted to distract from his boss’s troubles by planting stories that would reflect poorly on the secretary of the interior.
As Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt faces a seemingly endless stream of scandal, his team is scrambling to divert the spotlight to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. And the White House isn’t happy about it.posted by scalefree at 4:27 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
In the last week, a member of Pruitt’s press team, Michael Abboud, has been shopping negative stories about Zinke to multiple outlets, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the efforts, as well as correspondence reviewed by The Atlantic.
“This did not happen, and it’s categorically false,” EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox said.
The stories were shopped with the intention of “taking the heat off of Pruitt,” the sources said, in the aftermath of the EPA chief’s punishing congressional hearing last week. They both added, however, that most reporters felt the story was not solid enough to run. On Thursday, Patrick Howley of Big League Politics published a piece on the allegations; he did not respond to request for comment as to his sources.
Abboud alleged to reporters that an Interior staffer conspired with former EPA deputy chief of staff Kevin Chmielewski to leak damaging information about the EPA, as part of a rivalry between Zinke and Pruitt. The collaboration, Abboud claimed, allowed the Interior staffer to prop up Zinke at the expense of Pruitt, and Chmielewski to “get back” at his former boss.
Jimmy Carter won the entire South.
Carter carried 10 of the 11 states of the old Confederacy; the outlier was Virginia, which is probably the most Democratic-leaning today.
More on 21st century South.
posted by rc3spencer at 4:31 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Carter carried 10 of the 11 states of the old Confederacy; the outlier was Virginia, which is probably the most Democratic-leaning today.
More on 21st century South.
posted by rc3spencer at 4:31 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
There is no "Evangelical moral witness" to collapse, and I'm not convinced there ever seriously has been. It's always been a con.
However many prominent Evangelical leaders haven chosen to pervert their faith, I am extremely uncomfortable with condemnation of all participants in a faith group, per Pew, that contains one quarter of Americans, as a “con”, especially at a time where religious division is being exploited by voices of hate.
posted by corb at 4:32 PM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
However many prominent Evangelical leaders haven chosen to pervert their faith, I am extremely uncomfortable with condemnation of all participants in a faith group, per Pew, that contains one quarter of Americans, as a “con”, especially at a time where religious division is being exploited by voices of hate.
posted by corb at 4:32 PM on May 3, 2018 [11 favorites]
I was stunned to see that in 1976, Jimmy Carter won the entire South.
And just four years later, Jerry Falwell had made Republicans out of most of them -- well, the white ones anyway. And he got them to vote for a divorced and remarried actor from California!
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 4:34 PM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
And just four years later, Jerry Falwell had made Republicans out of most of them -- well, the white ones anyway. And he got them to vote for a divorced and remarried actor from California!
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 4:34 PM on May 3, 2018 [18 favorites]
However many prominent Evangelical leaders haven chosen to pervert their faith, I am extremely uncomfortable with condemnation of all participants in a faith group
Corb, it's not just the leaders. Trump's approval rating is like 90% among white evangelicals. That's not all participants but it's getting up there.
I accept that not all evangelicals are white but it sure is a lot of them.
posted by Justinian at 4:41 PM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
Corb, it's not just the leaders. Trump's approval rating is like 90% among white evangelicals. That's not all participants but it's getting up there.
I accept that not all evangelicals are white but it sure is a lot of them.
posted by Justinian at 4:41 PM on May 3, 2018 [22 favorites]
CBS News: U.S. freezes funding for Syria's "White Helmets"
They had meetings in March with State. Everything looked positive. Now there's a freeze on Syria recovery funding and nobody thought to make an exception for the White Helmets. Apparently nobody is changing that now that it's an issue and they've gone without that funding for weeks.
This White House is run by absolute fucking ghouls.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [38 favorites]
They had meetings in March with State. Everything looked positive. Now there's a freeze on Syria recovery funding and nobody thought to make an exception for the White Helmets. Apparently nobody is changing that now that it's an issue and they've gone without that funding for weeks.
This White House is run by absolute fucking ghouls.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [38 favorites]
Corb, it's not just the leaders. Trump's approval rating is like 90% among white evangelicals. That's not all participants but it's getting up there.
We've discussed this before; evangelicalism has its roots firmly planted in racism.
posted by scalefree at 4:47 PM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
We've discussed this before; evangelicalism has its roots firmly planted in racism.
posted by scalefree at 4:47 PM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
Also this: Trump’s direct appeal to Christian nationalism immediately afterwards was met with applause––largely unnoticed in news reports. Trump said:
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
But we are going to protect Christianity. And if you look what’s going on throughout the world, you look at Syria where they’re, if you’re Christian, they’re chopping off heads. You look at the different places, and Christianity, it’s under siege. I’m a Protestant. I’m very proud of it. Presbyterian to be exact. But I’m very proud of it, very, very proud of it. And we’ve gotta protect, because bad things are happening, very bad things are happening…Other religions, frankly, they’re banding together and they’re using it. And here we have, if you look at this country, it’s gotta be 70 percent, 75 percent, some people say even more, the power we have, somehow we have to unify. We have to band together…Our country has to do that around Christianity.[Source]
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [24 favorites]
Ye shall know them by their strange fruit
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [42 favorites]
Onward, Christian soldiers: Right-wing religious nationalists launch dramatic new power play.
Evangelical extremists mount “Project Blitz,” a covert campaign to re-create a Christian America that never existed.
posted by adamvasco at 5:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
Evangelical extremists mount “Project Blitz,” a covert campaign to re-create a Christian America that never existed.
posted by adamvasco at 5:11 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
That's fair corb, and wasn't my intent, so I apologize for that. My point was never that participation in the religion is a con. The con is the idea French is selling, that Evangelicals as a group are acting in an especially moral way for all of the rest of us to see, and that his belief that defending Trump's immorality is the error that will expose hypocrisy to the world. It's a con because that's never what it's been about.
French writes "reality is revealing the moral rot at the heart of the sexual revolution." It's fine if any individual wants to personally believe that and adjust their personal life accordingly, in ways that don't cause harm to others. And it's also fine if any individual wants to celebrate the freedoms for millions that came with said revolution. But "moral rot" has always been the complaint, and for decades, it's come with the explicit idea that the power of the state must be used, impacting all of us who are not Evangelical or Christian, to fix it in order to cure society's "profound existential pain."
What I'm trying to say is that it's never really been about a moral witness. If it was as simple as always trying to act with the highest personal morals in the hope everyone follows the good example, we wouldn't be having this discussion. In that case, there would surely still be arguments when morals conflict, but we wouldn't have a President outright calling for religious nationalism, as Joe in Australia just quoted. It's always been about obtaining power to enact law based on religious beliefs. It's always been tied up with race (see, for instance, Nancy Wadsworth's argument in The racial demons that help explain evangelical support for Trump). It's always been about winning, though the culture war or outright state coercion, not witness.
David Brody said as much in the Times (it's a really revealing essay that serves as a prebuttal to French, worth worth reading and picking apart) a couple months ago: "But the goal of evangelicals has always been winning the larger battle over control of the culture, not to get mired in the moral failings of each and every candidate. For evangelicals, voting in the macro is the moral thing to do, even if the candidate is morally flawed." That's not a moral witness at all. It's a pretty simple statement that boils down to 'our goal is to obtain power, and that which obtains us power is right.'
And that's not particularly surprising. We're talking about politics here; it's always about who has power. So when I said it's always been a con, I was describing French's claim that it's ever been about upholding a particular moral witness, as it applies to the political activities of Evangelicals. To the extent that some members of that 25% of America aren't part of that, may they carry on enjoying the religious freedom our country provides.
posted by zachlipton at 5:16 PM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
French writes "reality is revealing the moral rot at the heart of the sexual revolution." It's fine if any individual wants to personally believe that and adjust their personal life accordingly, in ways that don't cause harm to others. And it's also fine if any individual wants to celebrate the freedoms for millions that came with said revolution. But "moral rot" has always been the complaint, and for decades, it's come with the explicit idea that the power of the state must be used, impacting all of us who are not Evangelical or Christian, to fix it in order to cure society's "profound existential pain."
What I'm trying to say is that it's never really been about a moral witness. If it was as simple as always trying to act with the highest personal morals in the hope everyone follows the good example, we wouldn't be having this discussion. In that case, there would surely still be arguments when morals conflict, but we wouldn't have a President outright calling for religious nationalism, as Joe in Australia just quoted. It's always been about obtaining power to enact law based on religious beliefs. It's always been tied up with race (see, for instance, Nancy Wadsworth's argument in The racial demons that help explain evangelical support for Trump). It's always been about winning, though the culture war or outright state coercion, not witness.
David Brody said as much in the Times (it's a really revealing essay that serves as a prebuttal to French, worth worth reading and picking apart) a couple months ago: "But the goal of evangelicals has always been winning the larger battle over control of the culture, not to get mired in the moral failings of each and every candidate. For evangelicals, voting in the macro is the moral thing to do, even if the candidate is morally flawed." That's not a moral witness at all. It's a pretty simple statement that boils down to 'our goal is to obtain power, and that which obtains us power is right.'
And that's not particularly surprising. We're talking about politics here; it's always about who has power. So when I said it's always been a con, I was describing French's claim that it's ever been about upholding a particular moral witness, as it applies to the political activities of Evangelicals. To the extent that some members of that 25% of America aren't part of that, may they carry on enjoying the religious freedom our country provides.
posted by zachlipton at 5:16 PM on May 3, 2018 [30 favorites]
The Card Cheat:
Which leads into The Card Cheats point:
It's.... I am still shocked that journos show up to press briefings just so they can share her brazen lies despite how obviously she holds them in such contempt.
I really have a problem with the journos not even mentioning it. Every picture I have seen of her. Every transcript I have read. The few pressers I have watched. It is clear that she thinks they are dog shit and she would rather throw away her Pradas and buy new ones (expensed, of course) than scrape the shit off because that is beneath her, both as a menial task and what she is scraping off (journos/shit).
And, there is something more there.... while she loathes the press, they are just the conduit to us plebes. The average American citizen is beneath her contempt. We are merely here to be controlled by the message she is telling us.
Of those that have some tenure in the WH, she is the one I am concerned about. She is weathering the Trump Storm so that the next time there is an R prez, she will be an automatic hire and have a position of influence. Then her real Handmaid's Tale carnage will take place.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 5:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
Sanders, when asked again about making falsehoods from the White House, said: "I would always advise against giving false information as a person of human decency."I don't think either of these points can be over-stressed. To scaryblackdeath's point, I think one major reason that she is not profane is because she wants as many people as possible to know her utter contempt for the press and it's a general rule of thumb that media won't print/broadcast profanity, thus limiting her audience.
Or, as scaryblackdeath put it: She's up on that podium to say "Fuck you" in every non-profane way she can, every day. It's not about deception. It's about undisguised contempt, and that's exactly why Trump wants her there.
Which leads into The Card Cheats point:
It's.... I am still shocked that journos show up to press briefings just so they can share her brazen lies despite how obviously she holds them in such contempt.
I really have a problem with the journos not even mentioning it. Every picture I have seen of her. Every transcript I have read. The few pressers I have watched. It is clear that she thinks they are dog shit and she would rather throw away her Pradas and buy new ones (expensed, of course) than scrape the shit off because that is beneath her, both as a menial task and what she is scraping off (journos/shit).
And, there is something more there.... while she loathes the press, they are just the conduit to us plebes. The average American citizen is beneath her contempt. We are merely here to be controlled by the message she is telling us.
Of those that have some tenure in the WH, she is the one I am concerned about. She is weathering the Trump Storm so that the next time there is an R prez, she will be an automatic hire and have a position of influence. Then her real Handmaid's Tale carnage will take place.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 5:29 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
That's fair corb, and wasn't my intent, so I apologize for that. My point was never that participation in the religion is a con. The con is the idea French is selling, that Evangelicals as a group are acting in an especially moral way for all of the rest of us to see, and that his belief that defending Trump's immorality is the error that will expose hypocrisy to the world.
Morality isn't about right & wrong to begin with. It's about status, about having the power to enforce your code of conduct on others. 150 years ago it was perfectly moral for humans to own other humans as property & use them for free labor. Just a few years ago it was shamefully immoral for men or women to be intimate with each other.
Did humanity make some great discovery that caused either shift? In one case we literally had a war to decide the issue; in the other opinions shifted when people discovered gays & lesbians living among them at work, in entertainment & in their own families.
Right & wrong never changed, we just started listening to different people to define the range of what was acceptable & what wasn't. They were shifts in the social balance of power. Morality is about who we let define what's moral & what isn't.
posted by scalefree at 5:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
Morality isn't about right & wrong to begin with. It's about status, about having the power to enforce your code of conduct on others. 150 years ago it was perfectly moral for humans to own other humans as property & use them for free labor. Just a few years ago it was shamefully immoral for men or women to be intimate with each other.
Did humanity make some great discovery that caused either shift? In one case we literally had a war to decide the issue; in the other opinions shifted when people discovered gays & lesbians living among them at work, in entertainment & in their own families.
Right & wrong never changed, we just started listening to different people to define the range of what was acceptable & what wasn't. They were shifts in the social balance of power. Morality is about who we let define what's moral & what isn't.
posted by scalefree at 5:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
guys I don't know if you actually watched the Blankenship ad but it is required
Is this where the Democrats for Manchin meeting is supposed to meet?
posted by scalefree at 5:41 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Is this where the Democrats for Manchin meeting is supposed to meet?
posted by scalefree at 5:41 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Morality isn't about right & wrong to begin with. It's about status, about having the power to enforce your code of conduct on others. 150 years ago it was perfectly moral for humans to own other humans as property & use them for free labor. Just a few years ago it was shamefully immoral for men or women to be intimate with each other.
Responding to this in any meaningful way would lead to the derailiest of derails, but I can't just let this stand without any push back, so I'll just say: I couldn't disagree any more strongly with this, and some other time in some other thread we could get into why.
posted by biogeo at 5:43 PM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
Responding to this in any meaningful way would lead to the derailiest of derails, but I can't just let this stand without any push back, so I'll just say: I couldn't disagree any more strongly with this, and some other time in some other thread we could get into why.
posted by biogeo at 5:43 PM on May 3, 2018 [34 favorites]
There was an amazing comment on one of the Mefi megathreads a while ago that I wish I'd kept track of about how the country will decay-- by the creation of vast disparities in wealth distribution and justice and health based on where you are. Basically, that blue states will get more progressive in spite of the federal government where they can, and that red states will become more and more regressive where they can because the federal government will not bother to stop them.
And I think about that comment a lot with a lowering feeling of dread.
Especially when I see things like Michigan's work requirement for Medicaid bill on the same day that New Jersey passes expansive paid sick leave laws. It's a trite comparison, but this feels like the earliest days of Panem from The Hunger Games: the district you're born into determines how much of a person you are.
posted by WidgetAlley at 5:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
And I think about that comment a lot with a lowering feeling of dread.
Especially when I see things like Michigan's work requirement for Medicaid bill on the same day that New Jersey passes expansive paid sick leave laws. It's a trite comparison, but this feels like the earliest days of Panem from The Hunger Games: the district you're born into determines how much of a person you are.
posted by WidgetAlley at 5:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
Since it was Kelly's turn earlier this week, Daily Beast now gives Don McGahn the Palace Intrigue treatment: Trump and White House Counsel Don McGahn Have Been ‘Barely on Speaking Terms’
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:50 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
White House Counsel Don McGahn was chiefly responsible for orchestrating Flood’s hiring and was thrilled when it was formally completed, according to four sources inside and outside the West Wing. That’s in large part because Flood provides McGahn with two things he’s long coveted: an ally on the legal team handling the Russia probe and a potential successor for his own post, which Flood, as part of this arrangement, will be granted in due time.[...]At this point, McGahn seems to be sticking around only to nominate Trump's constant flow of extremely conservative, if otherwise unqualified, judicial candidates—"As Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation [and voter fraud truther (previously)], simply noted, 'Don McGahn has been key.'"
Though McGahn is in the room for meetings involving high-profile legal matters (EPA Director Scott Pruitt’s ethics foibles, the Iran nuclear deal, and so on) the two hardly talk directly to each other anymore. One White House official conceded that they are “barely on speaking terms” unless they absolutely have to be.[...]
But McGahn also ruffled feathers with the president over his more combative posture. The relationship between the two plummeted shortly after The New York Times published a story in January on how the president backed off of demanding Mueller’s firing after McGahn threatened to resign over such a move.
According to three administration officials, the president subsequently vented about the Times story to McGahn’s face in a tense Oval Office meeting that included White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. During the meeting, which was first reported by the Times, McGahn and Trump argued about whether the president had actually, technically ordered the sacking of Mueller. McGahn had already rebuffed Trump’s earlier attempt to get him to issue a public statement denying the veracity of the January article published by the Times. And during the meeting in the Oval Office, he reaffirmed that he would not issue a statement knocking down the story.
McGahn “would not lie about it and put his name to it in public,” as one senior Trump aide put it.
According to multiple sources familiar with this episode and the aftermath, what little was left of the personal relationship between Trump and McGahn cratered at that point. Incensed by the White House counsel’s decision, the president would later wonder aloud to close associates if McGahn himself had leaked the initial Times report and if McGahn could be trusted in general.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:50 PM on May 3, 2018 [6 favorites]
Morality is about who we let define what's moral & what isn't.
I think I understand. Morality is about: who we let define what's [who we let define what's [who we let define what's [[[...]]] & what isn't] & what isn't] & what isn't.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:56 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think I understand. Morality is about: who we let define what's [who we let define what's [who we let define what's [[[...]]] & what isn't] & what isn't] & what isn't.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:56 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
From the Onward Christian Soldiers link:
I don't even want to know what "Bible Literacy Act" covers.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:57 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
So far this year, supporters of this initiative, and their allies, have introduced 71 bills nationwide (or carried them over from last year) -- and those are only the ones tracked by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. (Some of the bills counted are similar in intent, but may not directly draw on the Project Blitz playbook.)
Most of those have innocuous or feel-good names like the National Motto Display Act (23 bills), the First Amendment Defense Act (10 bills), the Child Protection Act (four bills), the Bible Literacy Act (eight bills) and the Clergy Protection Act (six bills). The goal is to come across as wholesome, apple-pie Americans, while copying the strikingly successful approach of the pro-corporate American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
I don't even want to know what "Bible Literacy Act" covers.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:57 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
A forgery no longer. A group of House Republicans has nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Or not. Nomination and Selection of Peace Prize Laureates
posted by scalefree at 6:01 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
Or not. Nomination and Selection of Peace Prize Laureates
February – Deadline for submission. In order to be considered for the award of the year, nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize shall be sent in to the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo before the 1st day of February the same year. Nominations postmarked and received after this date are included in the following year's discussions. In recent years, the Committee has received close to 200 different nominations for different nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. The number of nominating letters is much higher, as many are for the same candidates.Last I looked it was *checks watch* May. Which I'm pretty sure still comes after February. Good effort though.
posted by scalefree at 6:01 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
It's a trite comparison, but this feels like the earliest days of Panem from The Hunger Games: the district you're born into determines how much of a person you are.
But the good news people are still able to move about freely. One factoid that stuck in my head from the last 6 months of podcast listening is that San Jose, CA is one of the best cities in the USA to achieve upward mobility. The United States overall has stagnated and is far down the list of countries in the world where you can climb out of poverty and attain middle class or higher status but there are bright spots. If I recall all the places where you have the best chance of doing this were in Blue States.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:05 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
But the good news people are still able to move about freely. One factoid that stuck in my head from the last 6 months of podcast listening is that San Jose, CA is one of the best cities in the USA to achieve upward mobility. The United States overall has stagnated and is far down the list of countries in the world where you can climb out of poverty and attain middle class or higher status but there are bright spots. If I recall all the places where you have the best chance of doing this were in Blue States.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:05 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't even want to know what "Bible Literacy Act" covers.
I hope it's a bill that compels Evangelicals to actually read the damned Gospels.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [43 favorites]
I hope it's a bill that compels Evangelicals to actually read the damned Gospels.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [43 favorites]
I've never used a race word.
Or a complete sentence, it seems.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
Or a complete sentence, it seems.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:08 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
"negro"?
posted by gucci mane at 6:14 PM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 6:14 PM on May 3, 2018 [14 favorites]
"negro"?
Give him credit, he was trying to be polite.
posted by scalefree at 6:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
Give him credit, he was trying to be polite.
posted by scalefree at 6:20 PM on May 3, 2018 [8 favorites]
I don't even want to know what "Bible Literacy Act" covers.
Seems to be a way to have Bible study in schools & sneak past that whole "separation of Church & State" thing. I like this counter-move though: Democrat to propose amendment to 'Bible literacy' bill creating elective classes on Quran, other religious texts.
posted by scalefree at 6:25 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
Seems to be a way to have Bible study in schools & sneak past that whole "separation of Church & State" thing. I like this counter-move though: Democrat to propose amendment to 'Bible literacy' bill creating elective classes on Quran, other religious texts.
posted by scalefree at 6:25 PM on May 3, 2018 [13 favorites]
We've discussed this before; evangelicalism has its roots firmly planted in racism.
Putting the Southern in Southern Baptist.
A Resolution Condemning White Supremacy Causes Chaos at the Southern Baptist Convention
Putting the Southern in Southern Baptist.
A Resolution Condemning White Supremacy Causes Chaos at the Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting turned chaotic in Phoenix this week over a resolution that condemned white supremacy and the alt-right. On Tuesday, leaders initially declined to consider the proposal submitted by a prominent black pastor in Texas, Dwight McKissic, and only changed course after a significant backlash. On Wednesday afternoon, the body passed a revised statement against the alt-right. But the drama over the resolution revealed deep tension lines within a denomination that was explicitly founded to support slavery.posted by kirkaracha at 6:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [35 favorites]
CNN: Missouri House and Senate leaders are expected to announce Thursday night that they have gathered enough support from lawmakers to call the state legislature into a special session for impeachment proceedings against Gov. Eric Greitens.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:45 PM on May 3, 2018 [32 favorites]
NYT, Trump Orders Pentagon to Consider Reducing U.S. Forces in South Korea
He's certainly acting like he's about to make a huge concession to Kim and screw over our allies. And if that's not really what he's going to do, he's acting like it to extort said allies by putting their security up for negotiation.
posted by zachlipton at 6:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to prepare options for drawing down American troops in South Korea, just weeks before he holds a landmark meeting with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, according to several people briefed on the deliberations.Trump has been extorting South Korea, threatening to pull out unless we receive trade concessions. And he reportedly tried to pull all troops out of South Korea before the Olympics, until Kelly talked him out of it. And he campaigned on how unfair it is that we have troops in Asia.
Reduced troop levels are not intended to be a bargaining chip in Mr. Trump’s talks with Mr. Kim about his weapons program, these officials said. But they acknowledged that a peace treaty between the two Koreas could diminish the need for the 23,500 soldiers currently stationed on the peninsula.
Mr. Trump has been determined to withdraw troops from South Korea, arguing that the United States is not adequately compensated for the cost of maintaining them, that the troops are mainly protecting Japan and that decades of American military presence had not prevented the North from becoming a nuclear threat.
His latest push coincides with tense negotiations with South Korea over how to share the cost of the military force. Under an agreement that expires at the end of 2018, South Korea pays about half the cost of the upkeep of the soldiers — more than $800 million a year. The Trump administration is demanding that it pay for virtually the entire cost of the military presence.
He's certainly acting like he's about to make a huge concession to Kim and screw over our allies. And if that's not really what he's going to do, he's acting like it to extort said allies by putting their security up for negotiation.
posted by zachlipton at 6:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [23 favorites]
I just websearched that pastor fellow hoping to discover a groovy story but he's said some things. Things you might expect a baptist pastor might say. About abortion and homosexuality even. Drat.
posted by vrakatar at 6:52 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by vrakatar at 6:52 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
WaPo, Influential outsiders have played a key role in Scott Pruitt’s foreign travel
posted by zachlipton at 6:57 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
After taking office last year, Pruitt drew up a list of at least a dozen countries he hoped to visit and urged aides to help him find official reasons to travel, according to four people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency deliberations. Pruitt then enlisted well-connected friends and political allies to help make the trips happen.Many of those people are, of course, lobbyists.
posted by zachlipton at 6:57 PM on May 3, 2018 [16 favorites]
The one & only motto to be displayed in accord with the National Motto Display Act is "in God we trust" & the place they're to be displayed is, of course, high school hallways.
posted by scalefree at 7:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 7:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [4 favorites]
Listen, do we know if the Manafort trial will be televised? Because if so I'll need to take a day or week off work.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:56 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 7:56 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe as part of a book tour, Hayden, ... said Russians fueled the distrust
You know what really fuels the distrust is seeing this degenerate shitstain, chief of torturers, of assassins, of secret police, paraded around, proclaimed and heralded, given these promo slots for a fucking book tour. Let it all rot.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 8:07 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
You know what really fuels the distrust is seeing this degenerate shitstain, chief of torturers, of assassins, of secret police, paraded around, proclaimed and heralded, given these promo slots for a fucking book tour. Let it all rot.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 8:07 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
I want to believe in the Manafort trial but to me the only question is whether Manafort gets pardoned right away or has to spend a few months in jail first.
posted by Justinian at 8:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 8:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
A Resolution Condemning White Supremacy Causes Chaos at the Southern Baptist Convention
I changed the #SBC17 Twitter search link from that article to #SBC18 and in addition to discussing diversity issues (@SBCthisWeek Just finished working through the Committee on Nominations report (http://bit.ly/2FlhBer ). For those who’ve asked: • 69 Total Nominees. • 11 women, 58 men. • 67 Anglo, 1 African-American, 1 Asian-American, 0 Hispanic) there's this:
In a #Metoo moment, will Southern Baptists hold powerful men accountable?
The Patterson controversy comes less than a month after Frank Page casually announced his retirement as president and chief executive of the SBC Executive Committee. The next day, however, it was revealed that the resignation was precipitated by “a morally inappropriate relationship,” which reportedly involved a female congregant under his care at a church he previously pastored. The denomination responded with only a statement asking for prayers, “especially for Dr. and Mrs. Page.”posted by XMLicious at 8:12 PM on May 3, 2018 [28 favorites]
[...]
When it comes to Patterson, [who is scheduled to deliver the keynote sermon at the Conference this year] the situation has intensified. In the audio file, the seminary president recounts a story of a woman who told him that she was being abused by her husband. Patterson says he sent the woman back into the horror of her home, telling her to pray each night “not out loud, quietly” that God would intervene.
The woman returned to church with two black eyes from her violent husband. When Patterson saw her wounds, he told her that he was “very happy” because her pain had made her husband feel guilty enough to attend church for the first time.
Domestic violence victims and advocates predictably erupted in outrage, claiming that such advice is dangerous and perhaps illegal. In response, Patterson released a defiant statement defending his comments and attacking his critics. In it, he said those who were upset about his comments had engaged in “mischaracterization,” “misrepresentation,” and “lies” driven by “hatred.”
Such a statement is troubling in that it seeks to offer himself as the true victim. Also, Patterson fights back when he is attacked, unlike the women he has counseled to pray quietly.
In an interview with Baptist Press published on Monday, Patterson said he doubts “seriously” that a person experiencing physical abuse would be morally obligated to remain in the home with a spouse. Yet, he said, “minor noninjurious abuse which happens in so many marriages” might spur a woman to “pray [her husband] through this” rather than leave, he told the publication.
The denomination, which has never passed a resolution on sexual harassment and has not passed a resolution on domestic violence since 1979, is often criticized for its conservative doctrines regarding women. The denomination holds that wives must submit to husbands and that only men can be church pastors, beliefs that progressive critics claim opens the door to the oppression of women and even domestic abuse.
Whole lotta reminders for me why I left the Baptist Church. I wish everyone would.
SBC won't do shit unless lawsuits or criminal charges are successful. They are deeply tied to this asshole.
Basically, even then, the rather nice idea that God loves sinners will be used to excuse this guy if he looks sad enough about his sin. They'll be sure not to mention the verses about hypocrisy, but then, they've been carefully ignoring Jesus' actual teachings for decades now, they're really good at it.
posted by emjaybee at 8:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
SBC won't do shit unless lawsuits or criminal charges are successful. They are deeply tied to this asshole.
Basically, even then, the rather nice idea that God loves sinners will be used to excuse this guy if he looks sad enough about his sin. They'll be sure not to mention the verses about hypocrisy, but then, they've been carefully ignoring Jesus' actual teachings for decades now, they're really good at it.
posted by emjaybee at 8:26 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]
Rudy is still trying to walk it back by arguing he doesn't know what he's talking about, Welcome To The Giuliani Phase Of The Trump Presidency
posted by zachlipton at 8:30 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
After saying Wednesday that Trump fired Comey because of the fact that the FBI director wouldn’t say publicly that Trump was not under investigation, Giuliani said Thursday, “I think it was based more on my knowledge of what was going on during the campaign. I urged him to fire Comey on day one. I mean, maybe I was thinking more of why I would fire him. I would fire him because he was a lousy FBI director.”He had more to say about the payments, though it really doesn't clarify anything at all:
Regarding the Americans in North Korea, he said, “I wasn’t made secretary of state, so I’m not conducting foreign policy. We made that comment in the context of, ‘Will you stop interfering with this guy? He’s got other things to do,’” adding that his comments weren’t based on discussions with Trump but instead “on newspaper accounts.”
In Thursday’s briefing, Sanders said of Trump’s knowledge about the payment to Daniels, “[T]his was information that the president didn't know at the time, but eventually learned.”The timeline still doesn't make any sense, unsurprisingly. What they're maintaining is that Trump didn't lie on Air Force One because he still didn't know about the Stormy Daniels payment at that time. So their claim is that Trump, who does not pay his vendors for bills he damn well knows he owes, repaid Cohen for expenses he didn't even know about, only to find out later what they were for? And how can the "other things" be of a "much smaller amount" if they add up to a much larger amount than the $130K? And no matter how "confusing" those expenses were, the debt to Cohen still wasn't reported on either a campaign financial disclosure or Trump's personal financial disclosure.
The “eventually” phrasing left the timeline unclear, which Giuliani only partially cleared up, saying that Trump did not make the repayment because he learned about the original payment.
“I don’t think he put it all together until it was all paid out or mostly paid out,” Giuliani said of Trump, noting that he — Giuliani — wasn’t there at the time.
Although the Daniels payment was only $130,000, Trump’s payments to Cohen — $35,000 a month for a year — added up to more than $400,000. Giuliani previously told BuzzFeed News that the money went to expenses, interest, and taxes — with “enough left over for [Cohen] to profit in [2017].”
On Thursday, Giuliani said that there were additional expenses being reimbursed in that money, although he did not specify what they were, saying only, “Other things, but of a much smaller amount — but enough other things so it was kind of confusing.”
Were there any other payments like the payment to Daniels?
“I have no knowledge of such a thing, no.”
posted by zachlipton at 8:30 PM on May 3, 2018 [26 favorites]
@TheLastWord [video]: BREAKING: @MichaelAvenatti tells @Lawrence there were communications the payment to Stormy Daniels had to be made in advance of the 2016 election.
If you watch the clip, Avenatti is explaining that there are "extensive communications" between Cohen and Davidson (the up-to-no-good lawyer who represented Daniels) in October 2016 about "the need for the payment to be made prior to the election."
That seems like the kind of smoking gun you'd want if you were proving campaign finance violations and needed to prove the payment was related to the campaign and not just a personal matter. And we already know the investigators have Cohen's emails.
posted by zachlipton at 8:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [49 favorites]
If you watch the clip, Avenatti is explaining that there are "extensive communications" between Cohen and Davidson (the up-to-no-good lawyer who represented Daniels) in October 2016 about "the need for the payment to be made prior to the election."
That seems like the kind of smoking gun you'd want if you were proving campaign finance violations and needed to prove the payment was related to the campaign and not just a personal matter. And we already know the investigators have Cohen's emails.
posted by zachlipton at 8:49 PM on May 3, 2018 [49 favorites]
So much is happening that I'm getting lost. What is it Daniels&Avenatti are suing for at this point? It's clear the NDA is null. She went on freakin' 60 minutes and spilled everything. So what are they asking for? Maybe this is obvious but I'm losing the forest for the trees.
posted by Justinian at 9:31 PM on May 3, 2018
posted by Justinian at 9:31 PM on May 3, 2018
The amended complaint in Clifford v. Trump asserts causes of action for (1) declaratory judgment that the NDA is void, and (2) defamation. The defamation claim (although IMHO somewhat weak) would still be a live issue even if the NDA is kaput.
But also, even if Daniels has shared everything she has on DT, there remains the question of damages for breaching the NDA -- either the astronomical liquidated damages the NDA provides for, or actual damages (which might be difficult to calculate but could be quite substantial depending how one views things). And if those damages are subject to arbitration (which is also at issue), then there's a nonzero risk of some completely obscene outcome (as Cohen was banking on). So I'd say Daniels still has a lot riding on this case.
posted by shenderson at 9:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
But also, even if Daniels has shared everything she has on DT, there remains the question of damages for breaching the NDA -- either the astronomical liquidated damages the NDA provides for, or actual damages (which might be difficult to calculate but could be quite substantial depending how one views things). And if those damages are subject to arbitration (which is also at issue), then there's a nonzero risk of some completely obscene outcome (as Cohen was banking on). So I'd say Daniels still has a lot riding on this case.
posted by shenderson at 9:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [9 favorites]
In which Neil Cavuto sees a bus passing by & has an uncontrollable urge to throw himself under it.
@TeamCavuto Catch Neil's latest Common Sense
posted by scalefree at 10:28 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
@TeamCavuto Catch Neil's latest Common Sense
posted by scalefree at 10:28 PM on May 3, 2018 [7 favorites]
I want to believe in the Manafort trial but to me the only question is whether Manafort gets pardoned right away or has to spend a few months in jail first.
Happily, Manafort has committed state crimes in NY, Maryland, ... and Virginia, iirc.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Happily, Manafort has committed state crimes in NY, Maryland, ... and Virginia, iirc.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:35 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Blankenship seems to not know how to turn places of origin into personally identifying nouns. Like he can't say, Africa --> African, New York --> New Yorker. It's Africa-people, New York-people, West Viriginia-people, China-people, etc. Is this some new kind of racist dog whistle, or does he just have a bizarre speech impediment? Or maybe he grew up speaking some hard-core reduced grammar dialect of Basic English?
posted by xigxag at 10:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by xigxag at 10:36 PM on May 3, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's Africa-people, New York-people, West Viriginia-people, China-people, etc. Is this some new kind of racist dog whistle
Yes. This is a refusal to acknowledge any cultural or ethnic identity other than his own. It's a way of saying "I'm not going to bother learning whatever freako exotic name you have for yourselves; I'm just going to say where you came from, and my voters will know the important part: not here."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [56 favorites]
Yes. This is a refusal to acknowledge any cultural or ethnic identity other than his own. It's a way of saying "I'm not going to bother learning whatever freako exotic name you have for yourselves; I'm just going to say where you came from, and my voters will know the important part: not here."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:51 PM on May 3, 2018 [56 favorites]
He's learned the rule that racial slurs are for the inside voice whilst campaigning.
posted by jaduncan at 11:56 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 11:56 PM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think Giuliani is getting impatient and just wants to move us all along to the "Look, laws just don't apply to the mob boss president. There's nothing you can do about it, so get over it" point quicker.
And the GOP faithful will line up to shout "Yeah! Why SHOULD the president have to follow silly LAWS? It's Lib-tard elites just trying to tie his hands with legal mumbo-jumbo technicalities!" An opinion column saying the same thing will be published in the NYT.
It's slightly more subtle than announcing literally, I am above the law, who's with me? then going after the first person to complain pour encourager les autres.
posted by ctmf at 12:40 AM on May 4, 2018 [21 favorites]
And the GOP faithful will line up to shout "Yeah! Why SHOULD the president have to follow silly LAWS? It's Lib-tard elites just trying to tie his hands with legal mumbo-jumbo technicalities!" An opinion column saying the same thing will be published in the NYT.
It's slightly more subtle than announcing literally, I am above the law, who's with me? then going after the first person to complain pour encourager les autres.
posted by ctmf at 12:40 AM on May 4, 2018 [21 favorites]
Mysterious Man In Parking Lot Threatens To Harm Rudy Giuliani If He Ever Blabs About Trump’s Legal Payments Again - (Onion)
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:21 AM on May 4, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:21 AM on May 4, 2018 [23 favorites]
ErisLordFreedom: This is a refusal to acknowledge any cultural or ethnic identity other than his own.
Right, but he is a West Virginian, so it even includes his own. Is there some part of that state that where everyone calls themselves "West Virginia people"? I don't think so?
So my hypothesis is that the specific flavor of racism is: insistent overcorrection after the one time someone once told him "Saying 'Chinamen' is racist", and he was all "Nope! I always talk like that. From now on."
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:27 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
Right, but he is a West Virginian, so it even includes his own. Is there some part of that state that where everyone calls themselves "West Virginia people"? I don't think so?
So my hypothesis is that the specific flavor of racism is: insistent overcorrection after the one time someone once told him "Saying 'Chinamen' is racist", and he was all "Nope! I always talk like that. From now on."
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:27 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
@TeamCavuto Catch Neil's latest Common Sense
He really goes rogue here. For 4 minutes and 24 seconds.
"Let me be clear Mr. President, how can you drain the swamp when it's you who keeps muddying the waters."
"This doesn't make me a Never Trumper, but..."
"I guess you're too busy draining the swamp to ever stop and smell the stink you're creating. That's your doing. That's your stink. Mr. President, that's your swamp."
posted by chris24 at 4:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [28 favorites]
He really goes rogue here. For 4 minutes and 24 seconds.
"Let me be clear Mr. President, how can you drain the swamp when it's you who keeps muddying the waters."
"This doesn't make me a Never Trumper, but..."
"I guess you're too busy draining the swamp to ever stop and smell the stink you're creating. That's your doing. That's your stink. Mr. President, that's your swamp."
posted by chris24 at 4:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [28 favorites]
Went to college there once upon a time. Not a phrase I ever heard, they're West Virginians.
posted by scalefree at 5:00 AM on May 4, 2018
posted by scalefree at 5:00 AM on May 4, 2018
The scales have lifted from his eyes. Don't think there's any walking that back. He's done in Trumpertown, by his own hand. I'm really quite impressed.
posted by scalefree at 5:05 AM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 5:05 AM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
The scales have lifted from his eyes. Don't think there's any walking that back. He's done in Trumpertown, by his own hand. I'm really quite impressed.
posted by scalefree at 8:05 PM on May 4 [1 favorite +] [!]
Eponysterical
posted by michswiss at 5:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 8:05 PM on May 4 [1 favorite +] [!]
Eponysterical
posted by michswiss at 5:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [37 favorites]
I'm a bit surprised he realizes or could be convinced that fucking with Iran would hurt the North Korea process, but hey, I'll take it if true.
DailyBeast: Top Trump Ally Predicts Iran Deal Will Hold Up, for Now
DailyBeast: Top Trump Ally Predicts Iran Deal Will Hold Up, for Now
One of Donald Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill said on Thursday that he expects the president to keep the United States in compliance with the Iran nuclear deal—at least for a short period of time.posted by chris24 at 5:14 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and one of the lawmakers with whom Trump speaks with most regularly, told The Daily Beast that the president would likely decline to back out entirely when a deadline to certify Iran’s compliance comes next week.
“I would not necessarily draw a foregone conclusion that we’re out this month,” Meadows said in an interview. “To suggest that it’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll be out in weeks would be inaccurate based on my conversations with some of my colleagues on Capitol Hill, both Democrat and Republican.”
Meadows’ comments offer an eleventh-hour glimmer of hope for supporters of the Iran deal, most of whom have grown convinced that Trump would withdraw the U.S. from the Obama-brokered agreement. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Washington on a mission to persuade Trump to keep the U.S. compliant with the terms of the agreement while U.S. and European negotiators work on fixing certain provisions.
“If I had to handicap it, I would believe there’d be a short-term extension as we look to re-negotiate an agreement, even though the parties to those agreements have said re-negotiation is not on the table,” Meadows said.
According to Meadows, the president appears to be more focused on his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and trade policy with China. The conservative congressman suggested that Trump wouldn’t want a withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal to get in the way of his administration’s ongoing discussions with those two countries.
“Knowing that the deadlines on some of this correspond to key discussions on trade with China and denuclearization talks with North Korea, I can see a deferral more than an outright withdrawal being a tactic that is used right now,” Meadows added.
Is this some new kind of racist dog whistle
I mean, it's not, AFAICT, like a new thing where Richard Spencer fans are using this phrasing on Twitter or Reddit or wherever as a way to game the system, but as ErisLordFreedom and InTheYear2017 point out, it's definitely a way to signal racism without being publicly called out for being openly racist.
In a way, it's sort of the perfect microcosm of a certain kind of Trump voter - lazy entitled white man gets told times have changed and he can't publicly refer to people the way his daddy and grandaddy used to, and rather than bother to take five minutes and figure out the current best phrasing he just overreacts and "AAAAARGH Stupid Complicated Libtard Bullshit Political Correctness Rules !!!!" and then comes up with this bizarre "[ x ] -people" construction as his lazy one-size-fits-all way to not get in trouble for inappropriate language, chafing and pouting the whole while.
I'd bet money that if Blankenship gets called out for sexism he'll start referring to women as "female-people."
posted by soundguy99 at 5:17 AM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
I mean, it's not, AFAICT, like a new thing where Richard Spencer fans are using this phrasing on Twitter or Reddit or wherever as a way to game the system, but as ErisLordFreedom and InTheYear2017 point out, it's definitely a way to signal racism without being publicly called out for being openly racist.
In a way, it's sort of the perfect microcosm of a certain kind of Trump voter - lazy entitled white man gets told times have changed and he can't publicly refer to people the way his daddy and grandaddy used to, and rather than bother to take five minutes and figure out the current best phrasing he just overreacts and "AAAAARGH Stupid Complicated Libtard Bullshit Political Correctness Rules !!!!" and then comes up with this bizarre "[ x ] -people" construction as his lazy one-size-fits-all way to not get in trouble for inappropriate language, chafing and pouting the whole while.
I'd bet money that if Blankenship gets called out for sexism he'll start referring to women as "female-people."
posted by soundguy99 at 5:17 AM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
Is this some new kind of racist dog whistle
It smacks a bit of the MRA thing of always calling women females.
posted by duoshao at 5:34 AM on May 4, 2018 [22 favorites]
It smacks a bit of the MRA thing of always calling women females.
posted by duoshao at 5:34 AM on May 4, 2018 [22 favorites]
If I had to handicap it,
Because that is where we are at. Guessing what the actions of our own government will be when it comes to international nuclear disarmament treaties as if it were as unpredictable as a horse race.
Apocalypse? I'll give you 3 to 1.
posted by srboisvert at 5:39 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
Because that is where we are at. Guessing what the actions of our own government will be when it comes to international nuclear disarmament treaties as if it were as unpredictable as a horse race.
Apocalypse? I'll give you 3 to 1.
posted by srboisvert at 5:39 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
North Korea experts are REALLY worried Trump is going to give away US presence in Korea for nothing:
Adam Mount:posted by T.D. Strange at 5:41 AM on May 4, 2018 [36 favorites]
THREAD on Trump ordering “the Pentagon to prepare options for drawing down American troops in South Korea.” Americans need to know just how extreme and irresponsible this is. 2. In 2015-16, I directed the @CFR_org Task Force on North Korea, a group of 17 leading experts. In a 101 page report, these sentences, one part of recommendation 1, were by far the most controversial: 3. At the end of the report, you’ll find a dissenting view on this point signed by five of those experts. The group was glad to have it. They warned that any discussion of troop withdrawal could “undermine U.S. and [ROK] interests.” 4. It is indicative of just how delicate this question is that the disagreement was over whether US diplomats could describe specific conditions in the future that the US-ROK alliance to reconsider force posture or whether slightly more general language was advisable. 5. In any case, all members agreed that the allies should jointly develop a position. “The United States,” the report read, “will not abrogate its alliance commitment in any event.” USFK will be necessary “for the foreseeable future.” 6. After Trump’s election, many in DC will tell you how we were deluged by Korean friends and colleagues worried about the new president. Would Trump really withdraw US forces if Seoul didn’t pay up? https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/us/politics/donald-trump-foreign-policy-interview.html … My answer was: the Pentagon would never let that happen. 7. Trump has never understood the importance of any alliance, but has been outright insulting of Seoul. He has spent more time trying to extract fiscal benefits than he has presenting a strong front to Pyongyang. There is some strange mental block. 8. @NBCNews reported that Kelly had to talk Trump down from ordering withdrawal of US forces in February. That was the month of the Olympics, when there was only the faintest hints of a desire to talk. Trump knew he wanted US forces out before there was any hint of reciprocity. 9. Is this a joint position? Does South Korea approve? Two days ago, the Blue House said it wants the forces to stay, saying it's an alliance issue. “It has nothing to do with signing peace treaties.” 10. Is it a cost issue? Currently, ROK pays $890 million, half the cost of US presence, and are engaged in negotiations about raising that percentage. USFK is consolidating at Camp Humphreys to save money. Withdrawal would cost more in the short term. 11. It’s hard to overstate just how radical this view is. Before Trump, the best KJU could hope for is that the alliance would modify force structure after major nuclear & conventional disarmament. Now, Trump is pushing his chips across the table before the cards are even dealt. 12. It is a virtual certainty that the Pentagon slow rolls or resists this request. They know South Korea depends on US forces for reconnaissance, battlespace management, missile defense, long range strike, and a host of other issues. It won’t happen. 13. But the effect on US negotiating leverage is catastrophic. Trump’s actions virtually ensure DPRK will demand withdrawal of US forces (probably in exchange for weak denuclearization guarantees). They have every reason to believe Trump wants to say yes. 14. Because this interpretation is supported by consistent Trump statements, issuing a denial unfortunately changes none of this for Seoul or Pyongyang. Damage is done. 15. There’s no reason to sugarcoat this: Trump does not understand the issues at stake here. He has no idea what he’s doing. A ICBM-for-USFK deal would abandon US allies to a nuclear DPRK and a more assertive China. Gerry explains: I'll be honest: I don't think trump has a firm grasp on the complexities of the geopolitics of asia, or even the korean peninsula. he tends to view ever relationship as transactional, even alliances. hence the (apparently) willingness to consider reducing/eliminating usfk
Ankit Panda: To really punch up the bizarre territory we're in: the current North Korean leader is reportedly not asking for a substantive alteration to US forces on the Peninsula, but a US president is nevertheless interested in exploring large reductions.
I still can't believe those words even as I write them. True, it's possible that black civil rights wasn't considered an issue in that particular contest, but! Just 40 years ago, Southern Christians apparently decided which politician earned their support based on actual moral conduct and actual devoutness, rather than working backwards to infer what those things surely "must" be from party affiliation and/or degree of animosity to non-whites.
Well, maybe. But then in 1980, the evangelicals abandoned Carter en masse to vote for Ronald Reagan, and their hypocrisy and tribalism have been on full display ever since.
By the way, I'm curious as to what National Review's David French means when he writes "Reality is revealing the moral rot at the heart of the sexual revolution." Women having agency is a moral and practical good; the moral rot I see exposed as reality is the patriarchal attitude (shared, unsurprisingly, by many of the evangelical christians French addresses) that gives rise to sexual harassment, assault, and rape. That these crimes are exposed is not a product of "moral rot" so much as the revelation of the rot that always was there.
posted by Gelatin at 5:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
Well, maybe. But then in 1980, the evangelicals abandoned Carter en masse to vote for Ronald Reagan, and their hypocrisy and tribalism have been on full display ever since.
By the way, I'm curious as to what National Review's David French means when he writes "Reality is revealing the moral rot at the heart of the sexual revolution." Women having agency is a moral and practical good; the moral rot I see exposed as reality is the patriarchal attitude (shared, unsurprisingly, by many of the evangelical christians French addresses) that gives rise to sexual harassment, assault, and rape. That these crimes are exposed is not a product of "moral rot" so much as the revelation of the rot that always was there.
posted by Gelatin at 5:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
He still indulges in a Christian persecution fantasy (someone in the comments suggests that "without the election of Donald J. Trump, the practice of religion might have been restricted to praying in our closets," which is fascinating given that Clinton is more religious than most people I know)
It's also fascinating because that's exactly what Jesus said his followers should do:
It's also fascinating because that's exactly what Jesus said his followers should do:
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocritesposted by Gelatin at 6:03 AM on May 4, 2018 [29 favorites]
are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and
in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray
to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 23:5:
posted by wenestvedt at 6:09 AM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;Someone should Tweet that Obama wears a big phylactery now, and super long tassels on his prayer shawl: I want to see Trump tomorrow morning in full Second Century C.E. Pharisee drag.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:09 AM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
It smacks a bit of the MRA thing of always calling women females.
Using an adjective as a demonym seems to be a common pattern for dehumanisation. (See also: “blacks”, “Islamics” and such)
posted by acb at 6:11 AM on May 4, 2018 [24 favorites]
Using an adjective as a demonym seems to be a common pattern for dehumanisation. (See also: “blacks”, “Islamics” and such)
posted by acb at 6:11 AM on May 4, 2018 [24 favorites]
Buzzfeed: Richard Spencer's Website Has Been Pulled Offline By GoDaddy
Altright.com, the infamous website founded by white nationalist Richard Spencer, is no longer accessible Thursday morning after it was taken down by its host, GoDaddy. In a statement provided to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for GoDaddy said that Spencer was given 48 hours to transfer the Altright.com domain to a different host before it was removed.posted by chris24 at 6:25 AM on May 4, 2018 [22 favorites]
"In instances where a site goes beyond the mere exercise of these freedoms, however, and crosses over to promoting, encouraging, or otherwise engaging in specific acts of violence against any person, we will take action," GoDaddy's statement read. "It is our determination that altright.com crossed the line and encouraged and promoted violence in a direct and threatening manner."
Spencer told BuzzFeed News that he has not yet found a new host for the site. "We're working on solving the problem, and solving it in a permanent way. So this might take some time," Spencer said.
Spencer told BuzzFeed News that he has not yet found a new host for the site. "We're working on solving the problem, and solving it in a permanent way. So this might take some time," Spencer said.
I am certain there are a number of web hosting companies in Russia that will be happy to provide services.
posted by mikelieman at 6:31 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
I am certain there are a number of web hosting companies in Russia that will be happy to provide services.
posted by mikelieman at 6:31 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's Africa-people, New York-people, West Viriginia-people, China-people, etc. Is this some new kind of racist dog whistle?
The whole using-nouns-as-modifiers thing reminds me of the weird right-wing unwillingness to use "Democratic" as an adjective, too.
(I'd cut him slack if these were places with exotic demonyms. "Barbados-people", while not as good as "people from Barbados", would be something I'd get because not everyone knows the word "Bajan". But it's not like any of these places don't have demonyms that get used every single day in the news.)
posted by jackbishop at 6:45 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
The whole using-nouns-as-modifiers thing reminds me of the weird right-wing unwillingness to use "Democratic" as an adjective, too.
(I'd cut him slack if these were places with exotic demonyms. "Barbados-people", while not as good as "people from Barbados", would be something I'd get because not everyone knows the word "Bajan". But it's not like any of these places don't have demonyms that get used every single day in the news.)
posted by jackbishop at 6:45 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
Meanwhile, all us big fans of 45 in Scotland may like to mark Friday 13th July in the diary as the evidence is building for that being the day he plays a round of golf at Turnberry. That just gives us time to prepare a traditional Scottish welcome...
posted by Devonian at 6:47 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Devonian at 6:47 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
I've been secretly hoping that the UK would grant him his state visit so I could register the domain millionmoonmarch.co.uk and make sure he gets the welcome he deserves. "When the time comes, show him yer bums..."
posted by Buck Alec at 7:06 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Buck Alec at 7:06 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
I've seen various talking heads say that a President pleading the Fifth Amendment in a criminal case would be politically disastrous, which... yes, it would cause all sensible people to regard the President with revulsion, but all sensible people already regard the President with revulsion. I think the political effects would be minor. Trump die-hards would praise his legal genius and his ability to make the libs cry. Far-right politicians and Trump himself would claim he's bravely fighting back against the Great Bear Witch Project. More-moderate-less-extreme Congressional Republicans would say they have "concerns" but would note that the President has constitutional rights like everyone else and that we should wait for the outcome of the investigation.
The big question is whether Trump still wants the investigation to wrap up as fast as possible, or whether he is becoming aware that it may have a terrible ending, and wants to postpone that ending indefinitely by fighting subpoenas in court rather than immediately pleading the Fifth. Maybe it depends on his mood.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:16 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
The big question is whether Trump still wants the investigation to wrap up as fast as possible, or whether he is becoming aware that it may have a terrible ending, and wants to postpone that ending indefinitely by fighting subpoenas in court rather than immediately pleading the Fifth. Maybe it depends on his mood.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:16 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
okay can we recalibrate what is today's big news then is it all the blank subpoenas or what
Popehat thinks the blank subpoenas are not surprising or unusual.
Popehat thinks the blank subpoenas are not surprising or unusual.
A trial lawyer would get as many as they would possibly need to prepare to summon witnesses to trial. In a large complex white-collar criminal prosecution, needing 70 subpoenas (for both witnesses and sometimes documents) would not be unusual at all.posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:35 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
The big question is whether Trump still wants the investigation to wrap up as fast as possible
I honestly don't think Trump hisownself has wanted the investigation to wrap ASAP for like a year - back when he was still on a personal high from winning and assuming that now that he was President/King/Emperor/God everyone would just do what he told them to and that the investigators would naturally give up quickly he might have been willing to make make mouth noises about, "Sure, let's get this investigation on the road" but mostly it's been staff/lawyers/Congresspeople who've been convincing him to let the investigation continue because they have a far better idea of the possible potential consequences of him shutting it down than he does. He doesn't want the investigation "wrapped up", he wants it disappeared because it's a constant thorn in his narcissist side as proof that not everyone agrees with him.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:39 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
I honestly don't think Trump hisownself has wanted the investigation to wrap ASAP for like a year - back when he was still on a personal high from winning and assuming that now that he was President/King/Emperor/God everyone would just do what he told them to and that the investigators would naturally give up quickly he might have been willing to make make mouth noises about, "Sure, let's get this investigation on the road" but mostly it's been staff/lawyers/Congresspeople who've been convincing him to let the investigation continue because they have a far better idea of the possible potential consequences of him shutting it down than he does. He doesn't want the investigation "wrapped up", he wants it disappeared because it's a constant thorn in his narcissist side as proof that not everyone agrees with him.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:39 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Forget anything Rudy said.
TPM: Trump: Giuliani Just Started And ‘He’ll Get His Facts Straight’
NEWS: In a conversation last night with @DonnyDeutsch, Trump attorney Michael Cohen says "Rudy Giuliani doesn't know what he's talking about" regarding the President's repayment of the Stormy Daniels hush money.
posted by chris24 at 7:43 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
TPM: Trump: Giuliani Just Started And ‘He’ll Get His Facts Straight’
“He started yesterday. He’ll get his facts straight. He’s a great guy. But what he does is he feels it’s a very bad thing for our country, and he happens to be right.” VIDEOWillie Geist (NBC)
NEWS: In a conversation last night with @DonnyDeutsch, Trump attorney Michael Cohen says "Rudy Giuliani doesn't know what he's talking about" regarding the President's repayment of the Stormy Daniels hush money.
posted by chris24 at 7:43 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
In which Neil Cavuto sees a bus passing by & has an uncontrollable urge to throw himself under it.
@TeamCavuto Catch Neil's latest Common Sense
OK, that's kind of wow. Maybe it's the first drop? I'm too pessimistic to think Cavuto is the child in The Emperor's New Clothes, but it's still something.
Today I've been thinking a lot about how this obscene craziness has been going on for more than 2 years, and that it never slows down at all. I've read some of those eyewitness reports of the onset of fascism and other forms of totalitarianism through time, but this is nothing like it, mainly because it is so incredibly and consistently stupid, but also because there was not the type of crisis that created the Nazis or Lenin, or the Cultural Revolution in China. The recession was bad, but it wasn't Germany after WW2, at all. The only "crisis" that triggered Trumpism was a black president. The only crisis that triggered Brexit was too much stupid.
In essence, the drivers of all this are ignorant, angry and confused baby boomers, both in the US and in Europe. They are generally not poor, nothing is threatening their way of life, nobody is taking their guns or their medicare (or whatever they feel is threatened). It's all in their heads, and it's racist.
Right now when I was down on the street to shop, I met the chairman of our local parish. I like her a lot, but she is the essence of all the above + very Christian, and today she told me she has returned to college to become a teacher of religion at primary school. (Religion as in knowledge about all religions and their historical impact on societies). And she has to learn to teach about Islam and the Quran, and she is overwhelmed by fear of those dastardly evil words. She fell asleep in class today because she was so stressed. I promised to help her with her homework next week, and she accepted it, but goddamit, woman.
posted by mumimor at 7:45 AM on May 4, 2018 [41 favorites]
@TeamCavuto Catch Neil's latest Common Sense
OK, that's kind of wow. Maybe it's the first drop? I'm too pessimistic to think Cavuto is the child in The Emperor's New Clothes, but it's still something.
Today I've been thinking a lot about how this obscene craziness has been going on for more than 2 years, and that it never slows down at all. I've read some of those eyewitness reports of the onset of fascism and other forms of totalitarianism through time, but this is nothing like it, mainly because it is so incredibly and consistently stupid, but also because there was not the type of crisis that created the Nazis or Lenin, or the Cultural Revolution in China. The recession was bad, but it wasn't Germany after WW2, at all. The only "crisis" that triggered Trumpism was a black president. The only crisis that triggered Brexit was too much stupid.
In essence, the drivers of all this are ignorant, angry and confused baby boomers, both in the US and in Europe. They are generally not poor, nothing is threatening their way of life, nobody is taking their guns or their medicare (or whatever they feel is threatened). It's all in their heads, and it's racist.
Right now when I was down on the street to shop, I met the chairman of our local parish. I like her a lot, but she is the essence of all the above + very Christian, and today she told me she has returned to college to become a teacher of religion at primary school. (Religion as in knowledge about all religions and their historical impact on societies). And she has to learn to teach about Islam and the Quran, and she is overwhelmed by fear of those dastardly evil words. She fell asleep in class today because she was so stressed. I promised to help her with her homework next week, and she accepted it, but goddamit, woman.
posted by mumimor at 7:45 AM on May 4, 2018 [41 favorites]
Talking Points Memo on Giuliani and Bolton's ties to formerly-terrorist-designated Islamic Marxist Iranian regime-change cult MEK. It turns out Islamic Marxists aren't so bad after they hand you a wad of cash.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:46 AM on May 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:46 AM on May 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
A Cheat Sheet to the Trump Circus: Quinta Jurecic, NYT
The real risk to the president will most likely come if these lawsuits can make it to the phase in which the plaintiffs can start requesting information and testimony from Mr. Trump and those around him. Remember that the “discovery phase” in the Paula Jones case was ultimately what set in motion President Bill Clinton’s impeachment proceedings.posted by ZeusHumms at 7:46 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Last night, I was sitting outside at a restaurant with my soon-to-be-spouse and our officiant (friend, Universal Life Church internet ordained), enjoying the sights and sounds of the Philadelphia gayborhood on one of the first truly gorgeous summer evernings, and drinking wine while discussing logistics for the Big Day. A few glasses in, the conversation turned briefly to politics, as it inevitably does. Our friend works for the Smithsonian and so is more or less forced to follow things pretty closely as her job and those of her colleagues can live and die based on the whims of the administration.
The three of us shared our feelings of numbness and despair at the ongoing clusterfuck. My fiancée and friend weren't 100% current on the Giuliani insanity and the Cohen wiretap, so I briefly summarized what I could recall offhand. I mentioned how I also get numb, and every fresh revelation has started to feel like Episode 455 of SurelyThis. I then confessed that the Cohen wiretap and the extraordinarily high bar for approval it represented had awakened a sliver of hope, a whisper of optimism.
Aaaaaaand the report was wrong. God. Damn. It. I should know better than to get my hopes up, but man, this one got me.
posted by lazaruslong at 7:49 AM on May 4, 2018 [28 favorites]
The three of us shared our feelings of numbness and despair at the ongoing clusterfuck. My fiancée and friend weren't 100% current on the Giuliani insanity and the Cohen wiretap, so I briefly summarized what I could recall offhand. I mentioned how I also get numb, and every fresh revelation has started to feel like Episode 455 of SurelyThis. I then confessed that the Cohen wiretap and the extraordinarily high bar for approval it represented had awakened a sliver of hope, a whisper of optimism.
Aaaaaaand the report was wrong. God. Damn. It. I should know better than to get my hopes up, but man, this one got me.
posted by lazaruslong at 7:49 AM on May 4, 2018 [28 favorites]
It's something, but it's absolutely bullshit that NBC would screw up the biggest scoop of the past 72 hours.
posted by notyou at 7:55 AM on May 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by notyou at 7:55 AM on May 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
(Congrats on your upcoming wedding!)
posted by notyou at 7:56 AM on May 4, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by notyou at 7:56 AM on May 4, 2018 [23 favorites]
South Carolina Democrats did an awesome thing last night:
SC Democrats kill Senate GOP's abortion ban with days-long filibuster
posted by melissasaurus at 7:56 AM on May 4, 2018 [126 favorites]
SC Democrats kill Senate GOP's abortion ban with days-long filibuster
A bill that would have outlawed virtually all abortions in South Carolina was killed Friday morning after the Senate's GOP majority failed — on a fourth try — to sit down the Democrats who were keeping it from getting a final vote. [...]@KimpsonForSC: "The abortion ban in SC is no longer. After hours of filibuster, the bill has now been recommitted to committee. Women will continue to have the right to choose and make their own personal decisions about their bodies in consultation with their families and doctors."
Senate Republicans on Thursday took the the rare step of scheduling the Senate — which works Tuesdays through Thursdays — to remain in Columbia Friday to continue debate on the bill. Some had spoken of continuing the debate past Friday and into the weekend, if necessary.
Meanwhile, the Democrats lined up one senator after another to filibuster the bill, starting with Sen. Marlon Kimpson's eight-hour monologue Thursday.
Senate Republicans had hoped to extend the debate until several Democrats gave up and left the chamber, gifting the GOP the three-fifths majority needed to shut down the filibuster and pass the abortion [ban].
But no Democrats left, with some canceling travel and vacation plans to remain in Columbia. All 45 eligible senators were present for the 1 a.m. vote Friday.
posted by melissasaurus at 7:56 AM on May 4, 2018 [126 favorites]
It's something, but it's absolutely bullshit that NBC would screw up the biggest scoop of the past 72 hours.
We probably shouldn't expect a Comcast subsidiary to accurately describe telecoms equipment
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [22 favorites]
We probably shouldn't expect a Comcast subsidiary to accurately describe telecoms equipment
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [22 favorites]
I then confessed that the Cohen wiretap and the extraordinarily high bar for approval it represented had awakened a sliver of hope, a whisper of optimism.
Keep in mind that just the raid itself required a high bar for approval. Most raided lawyers become convicted lawyers.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [18 favorites]
Keep in mind that just the raid itself required a high bar for approval. Most raided lawyers become convicted lawyers.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [18 favorites]
SC Democrats kill Senate GOP's abortion ban with days-long filibuster
Good job SC Democrats! More of that sort of thing, please.
posted by Artw at 8:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
Good job SC Democrats! More of that sort of thing, please.
posted by Artw at 8:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
the drivers of all this are ignorant, angry and confused baby boomers, both in the US and in Europe. They are generally not poor, nothing is threatening their way of life
I think - well, I don't know how it is in Europe, but in America, the 'American Way of Life'- especially as expressed by a single-family detached house, 2.5 kids, a dog, and a stay-at-home parent - is absolutely under threat from a lot of factors - it just isn't always the factors that people are thinking it is. Even people who are middle class frequently can't afford it anymore, and there have been a metric ton of thinkpieces about how millennials will never know the world that Boomers and even later did - with being able to work a summer job to pay for college, with salaries that could afford a fancy family vacation every year, with starting at the bottom and buying a house on minimum wage when you're 25. I mean, just even in the small stuff - does anyone remember paid hour-and-a-half lunch breaks? We have moved, very rapidly, into a very different society than Boomers knew, with only a few institutions on the edges preserving any semblance of that world, and it is not unreasonable to be unhappy about it.
What is unreasonable and ignorant is blaming people who are not at fault - which is a really easy thing to do, to blame the people closest to you rather than large scale forces like globalization or mechanization. And it's dangerous - but the way to stop people from doing it is not to gaslight them into thinking everything's fine, but to accurately point out who is responsible for the death of the world they loved.
posted by corb at 8:10 AM on May 4, 2018 [45 favorites]
I think - well, I don't know how it is in Europe, but in America, the 'American Way of Life'- especially as expressed by a single-family detached house, 2.5 kids, a dog, and a stay-at-home parent - is absolutely under threat from a lot of factors - it just isn't always the factors that people are thinking it is. Even people who are middle class frequently can't afford it anymore, and there have been a metric ton of thinkpieces about how millennials will never know the world that Boomers and even later did - with being able to work a summer job to pay for college, with salaries that could afford a fancy family vacation every year, with starting at the bottom and buying a house on minimum wage when you're 25. I mean, just even in the small stuff - does anyone remember paid hour-and-a-half lunch breaks? We have moved, very rapidly, into a very different society than Boomers knew, with only a few institutions on the edges preserving any semblance of that world, and it is not unreasonable to be unhappy about it.
What is unreasonable and ignorant is blaming people who are not at fault - which is a really easy thing to do, to blame the people closest to you rather than large scale forces like globalization or mechanization. And it's dangerous - but the way to stop people from doing it is not to gaslight them into thinking everything's fine, but to accurately point out who is responsible for the death of the world they loved.
posted by corb at 8:10 AM on May 4, 2018 [45 favorites]
I think I see: the President is blatantly lying about whether he was blatantly lying. A formidable rhetorical device
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:14 AM on May 4, 2018 [59 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:14 AM on May 4, 2018 [59 favorites]
I mean, just even in the small stuff - does anyone remember paid hour-and-a-half lunch breaks?
I'm 44 and I didn't know that was a thing. Every corporate job I've ever had was 8-5 with an unpaid one hour lunch break. I also entered the work force just in time to see pensions replaced with 401k and the loss of vacation between Christmas and New Year's Day. Whee!
posted by Fleebnork at 8:15 AM on May 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
I'm 44 and I didn't know that was a thing. Every corporate job I've ever had was 8-5 with an unpaid one hour lunch break. I also entered the work force just in time to see pensions replaced with 401k and the loss of vacation between Christmas and New Year's Day. Whee!
posted by Fleebnork at 8:15 AM on May 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
The loss of these things is why a lot of people elected Trump.
posted by Melismata at 8:16 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 8:16 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Corb, I agree, but I think there is also a contingent of wilfull ignorance. Gen X-ers and Millennials have been hollering about this stuff for years, and of course, a fair number of Boomers are still working, were at the meetings when Corporate announced oh hey, no more pensions, healthcare costs going up, vacations getting cut. To blame anyone but the people in charge requires a degree of blindness and lack of empathy that is pretty staggering.
But then, we live in a society that urges us every day to see things from the POV of the richest and most entitled, to care more about their needs than anyone else's, to think that by doing so we can be like them and maybe also be rich and powerful, to believe that if we aren't it's our own fault. And I think the Boomers as a group bought this pretty hard because when they were younger, things were good enough for lots of them that it was easier to suspend that disbelief.
Less privileged/more aware Boomers and every generation since have seen it differently, but we aren't the ones in charge of the media.
posted by emjaybee at 8:24 AM on May 4, 2018 [33 favorites]
But then, we live in a society that urges us every day to see things from the POV of the richest and most entitled, to care more about their needs than anyone else's, to think that by doing so we can be like them and maybe also be rich and powerful, to believe that if we aren't it's our own fault. And I think the Boomers as a group bought this pretty hard because when they were younger, things were good enough for lots of them that it was easier to suspend that disbelief.
Less privileged/more aware Boomers and every generation since have seen it differently, but we aren't the ones in charge of the media.
posted by emjaybee at 8:24 AM on May 4, 2018 [33 favorites]
there have been a metric ton of thinkpieces about how millennials will never know the world that Boomers and even later did - with being able to work a summer job to pay for college, with salaries that could afford a fancy family vacation every year, with starting at the bottom and buying a house on minimum wage when you're 25. I mean, just even in the small stuff - does anyone remember paid hour-and-a-half lunch breaks?
This seems to be a world that exists only in your head. Women in the workforce. That has been a trend since WWII. Even in the 1960s, more than half a century ago, less than half of women were stay at home moms. Most people could not afford a family vacation every year. It has never been the case that you could buy a house on minimum wage. And paid hour-and-a-half lunches, let alone paid lunches at all? When did that ever exist? Pay for college with a summer job. Nope. You could pay a large part of your expenses and help with tuition but pay it all on minimum wage? I will concede that college costs have gone up dramatically in recent years, but pay for it all with just a summer job? More likely it required working during the school year too or parental financial help.
So it seems that these angry white Republicans are angry about an imaginary world that never existed.
And funny that it is only whites that feel this grievance for this imaginary past.
posted by JackFlash at 8:30 AM on May 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
This seems to be a world that exists only in your head. Women in the workforce. That has been a trend since WWII. Even in the 1960s, more than half a century ago, less than half of women were stay at home moms. Most people could not afford a family vacation every year. It has never been the case that you could buy a house on minimum wage. And paid hour-and-a-half lunches, let alone paid lunches at all? When did that ever exist? Pay for college with a summer job. Nope. You could pay a large part of your expenses and help with tuition but pay it all on minimum wage? I will concede that college costs have gone up dramatically in recent years, but pay for it all with just a summer job? More likely it required working during the school year too or parental financial help.
So it seems that these angry white Republicans are angry about an imaginary world that never existed.
And funny that it is only whites that feel this grievance for this imaginary past.
posted by JackFlash at 8:30 AM on May 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
I love that Trump says "excuse me" twice, as if the unreality he's asserting is patently obvious, when there's video that what he's saying isn't true.
posted by Gelatin at 8:31 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 8:31 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
Federal Judge in Manafort case expressed deep skepticism today of the bank fraud case Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel’s office brought against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, saying he believes Mueller wants to use the case to “get” President Donald Trump.
A federal judge in a hearing about @PaulManafort bank fraud charges, is saying the special counsel should not have "unfettered power," raising questions about the scope of the investigation. Bank fraud charges did not arise from the Mueller probe and unrelated to #Russia or the @realDonaldTrump campaign, says federal judge. Federal judge says special counsel's indictment against @PaulManafort serves to "assert leverage" to get information about @realDonaldTrump. The judge also questions whether the case in Virginia should not be handled by the US Attorney's office rather than the special counsel.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:32 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
A federal judge in a hearing about @PaulManafort bank fraud charges, is saying the special counsel should not have "unfettered power," raising questions about the scope of the investigation. Bank fraud charges did not arise from the Mueller probe and unrelated to #Russia or the @realDonaldTrump campaign, says federal judge. Federal judge says special counsel's indictment against @PaulManafort serves to "assert leverage" to get information about @realDonaldTrump. The judge also questions whether the case in Virginia should not be handled by the US Attorney's office rather than the special counsel.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:32 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
- with being able to work a summer job to pay for college, with salaries that could afford a fancy family vacation every year, with starting at the bottom and buying a house on minimum wage when you're 25. I mean, just even in the small stuff - does anyone remember paid hour-and-a-half lunch breaks? We have moved, very rapidly, into a very different society than Boomers knew, with only a few institutions on the edges preserving any semblance of that world, and it is not unreasonable to be unhappy about it.
Also, the thing is that most of the people who are actually experiencing the precarious life - younger people - did not vote for Trump. You could imagine that these old people are worried for their children and grandchildren, but then the first thing they should do is listen to them.
posted by mumimor at 8:37 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Also, the thing is that most of the people who are actually experiencing the precarious life - younger people - did not vote for Trump. You could imagine that these old people are worried for their children and grandchildren, but then the first thing they should do is listen to them.
posted by mumimor at 8:37 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
That’s the biggest thing I do not understand about the generational war - it’s burn the grain silos and raise the ladders across the board, as if they have no descendants they care about whatsoever.
posted by Artw at 8:40 AM on May 4, 2018 [47 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:40 AM on May 4, 2018 [47 favorites]
Federal Judge in Manafort case expressed deep skepticism today of the bank fraud case Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel’s office brought against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, saying he believes Mueller wants to use the case to “get” President Donald Trump.
A federal judge in a hearing about @PaulManafort bank fraud charges, is saying the special counsel should not have "unfettered power," raising questions about the scope of the investigation.
Given everything we know, this was bound to happen at some point. So how to find non-corrupt and non-partisan judges?
posted by mumimor at 8:43 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
A federal judge in a hearing about @PaulManafort bank fraud charges, is saying the special counsel should not have "unfettered power," raising questions about the scope of the investigation.
Given everything we know, this was bound to happen at some point. So how to find non-corrupt and non-partisan judges?
posted by mumimor at 8:43 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
CNN has the full story by Katelyn Polantz and Jessica Schneider after today's Manafort hearing: Judge In Manafort Case Says Mueller's Aim Is To Hurt Trump
CNN's Marshall Cohen @MarshallCohen tweeted earlier:
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:50 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
CNN's Marshall Cohen @MarshallCohen tweeted earlier:
Judge TS Ellis (overseeing Manafort trial in VA) will soon learn some of the secrets of the Russia probe, @kpolantz reports. He ordered Mueller's team to give him an unredacted copy of the ROSENSTEIN MEMO that detailed who/what is under investigation. What's in the black box??As for the judge's remarks about the Special Counsel's motives for bringing the bank fraud case against Manafort, Cohen observes, "Though interestingly, if you examine the syntax of what Judge Ellis said, he is assuming Manafort is guilty of bank fraud. If you read the indictment, there is a ton of evidence against Manafort, and now Gates is cooperating too. But ultimately, a jury will make that decision."
Judge Ellis said prosecutors can present him with the full memo, which is classified, under seal and that they don't need to share it with Manafort's legal team. Should happen within two weeks. (Reporting from @kpolantz at the court.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:50 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
The judge told prosecutors that they “don’t really care” about Manafort and the charges they brought against him.
What an utterly bizarre thing for a judge to say.
For those interested, Judge T.S. Ellis is a 77-year-old Reagan appointee.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:50 AM on May 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
What an utterly bizarre thing for a judge to say.
For those interested, Judge T.S. Ellis is a 77-year-old Reagan appointee.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:50 AM on May 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
I don't think this statement means the judge is necessarily corrupt or even partisan. Maybe the judge just thinks Mueller has overstepped his mandate.
A few questions for the lawyers in the crowd:
1. Is it likely that Mueller could placate the judge by demonstrating more specifically how Manafort's financial dealings are related to the Russia investigation?
2. Could Mueller refers Manafort's case to some other authority, and if so is it still possible for Manafort to (providing a change of heart) testify against others re Russia in exchange for reduced sentencing for his (um, alleged) financial crimes?
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:51 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
A few questions for the lawyers in the crowd:
1. Is it likely that Mueller could placate the judge by demonstrating more specifically how Manafort's financial dealings are related to the Russia investigation?
2. Could Mueller refers Manafort's case to some other authority, and if so is it still possible for Manafort to (providing a change of heart) testify against others re Russia in exchange for reduced sentencing for his (um, alleged) financial crimes?
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:51 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
it’s burn the grain silos and raise the ladders across the board, as if they have no descendants they care about whatsoever.
Well, maybe if they would just call sometimes, but they're too busy using their smartphones
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:52 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Well, maybe if they would just call sometimes, but they're too busy using their smartphones
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:52 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
JackFlash: "So it seems that these angry white Republicans are angry about an imaginary world that never existed.
"
So your position is that corporate kleptocracy is a myth and that no one has any reason to be angry?
Like, these people can be racists as well as suffering from the same terrible late stage capitalism that the rest of us are, and your obtuseness is unhelpful in resolving the situation.
posted by TypographicalError at 8:53 AM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
"
So your position is that corporate kleptocracy is a myth and that no one has any reason to be angry?
Like, these people can be racists as well as suffering from the same terrible late stage capitalism that the rest of us are, and your obtuseness is unhelpful in resolving the situation.
posted by TypographicalError at 8:53 AM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
I don't think this statement means the judge is necessarily corrupt or even partisan. Maybe the judge just thinks Mueller has overstepped his mandate.
But, but, if any investigation stumbles over some other crime while investigating whatever they set out to investigate, should they then just ignore the other crime? That just makes no sense whatsoever to me.
posted by mumimor at 8:55 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
But, but, if any investigation stumbles over some other crime while investigating whatever they set out to investigate, should they then just ignore the other crime? That just makes no sense whatsoever to me.
posted by mumimor at 8:55 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
So your position is that corporate kleptocracy is a myth and that no one has any reason to be angry?
There are lots of reasons to be angry, and lots of people are angry. It's just that the specific subset of angry people who vote for Trump have considerably less reasons to be angry than the people who didn't vote for Trump.
posted by mumimor at 8:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
There are lots of reasons to be angry, and lots of people are angry. It's just that the specific subset of angry people who vote for Trump have considerably less reasons to be angry than the people who didn't vote for Trump.
posted by mumimor at 8:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mueller's jurisdiction consists of the Russia investigation plus "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation". To me, that seems broad, and clearly inclusive of Trump's campaign manager's rampant financial criminality.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
if any investigation stumbles over some other crime while investigating whatever they set out to investigate, should they then just ignore the other crime?
The argument would be that Mueller should refer such matters to other prosecutors, which is what happened with the Michael Cohen investigation in the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:00 AM on May 4, 2018
The argument would be that Mueller should refer such matters to other prosecutors, which is what happened with the Michael Cohen investigation in the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:00 AM on May 4, 2018
I don't think this statement means the judge is necessarily corrupt or even partisan.
This is partisan. The Mueller memo specifically empowers him to go after crimes related to Russian interference. Ellis in these quotes is not saying that the Manafort charges are not sufficiently related, he's saying the the purpose of bringing the charges to leverage further testimony about Russian involvement is improper. That's absurd, prosecutors all over the country use charges as leverage. It's how every drug trafficking and organized crime case works.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:01 AM on May 4, 2018 [34 favorites]
This is partisan. The Mueller memo specifically empowers him to go after crimes related to Russian interference. Ellis in these quotes is not saying that the Manafort charges are not sufficiently related, he's saying the the purpose of bringing the charges to leverage further testimony about Russian involvement is improper. That's absurd, prosecutors all over the country use charges as leverage. It's how every drug trafficking and organized crime case works.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:01 AM on May 4, 2018 [34 favorites]
Didn't Manafort offer to "brief" a Putin-connected Russian oligarch on campaign matters that he also owed a shitload of money to?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:02 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:02 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't think this statement means the judge is necessarily corrupt or even partisan.
Incompetent is still on the table, though.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 9:03 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Incompetent is still on the table, though.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 9:03 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
It does seem to suspiciously echo the talking points the Trump team have been putting out.
posted by Artw at 9:06 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:06 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
Even if, Glob forbid, Mueller is prevented from prosecuting Manafort, surely the prosecution would continue under the relevant US Attorney's office? And the same sort of plea bargain could be imposed?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mueller's jurisdiction consists of the Russia investigation plus "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation".
Plus:
posted by kirkaracha at 9:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
Plus:
Though Ellis appeared to go tougher on prosecutors, he acknowledged that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein did spell out Mueller’s authority to investigate Manafort’s Ukraine work in a memo issued on Aug. 2, 2017, more than two months after the initial order appointing Mueller.My spell cheker just suggested "Informant's" as a replacement for "Manafort's."
posted by kirkaracha at 9:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
Additionally, Mueller's jurisdiction is entirely at the discretion of Acting Attorney General Rosenstein. If needed, surely Rosenstein could simply write a memo explicitly expanding Mueller's remit to include Manafort's charges.
Edit: Yes, that.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Edit: Yes, that.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:12 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I had not heard of David Rothkopf before but this Twitter thread was an interesting story.
A brief note to my Republican friends (and other supporters of the president): Keep your eye on the penny. It is about to drop. I'm reminded of a story when, back in 2001, my company had the 7th largest company in America as a client.posted by brainwane at 9:13 AM on May 4, 2018 [115 favorites]
It was an innovative, high-flying energy company, ull of people who seemed to have figured out the future. Then, rumors started to fly about problems with the company and some mysterious practices there. We tried to help our clients think these through. But the stories got worse.
I would speak regularly to a very senior guy there. Finally, one day, I called him and said, "Look, you have to get in front of this. If you did something wrong admit it and that will give you the credibility you need to deny the other stuff, the unfair accusations."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Then, the guy said, in a very quiet voice, "Look...here's the problem: We did it. We did it all." It was clear his focus had shifted. He realized he was personally in trouble. He realized the company was going down.
The company of course, was Enron. The rest is history. But I'll never forget that moment when the penny dropped and it became clear, something very very bad was happening at this place & that these guys were in way over their heads. That's happening now throughout the West Wing.
It is starting on Capitol Hill. The people who realize what's happening may be able to save themselves, move to the right side of this story. Do some good. Those who continue to deny will only become collateral damage. Trump is the Enron of presidents.
He did it. He did it all. He did more than we know. The penny is dropping. How you respond will define your careers, for some it may define whether you even have careers in the future. Or freedom. Or reputations. Time to wake up.
As a defense attorney, I am confused but extremely enthusiastic about this new standard requiring prosecutors to prove that their motivations in prosecuting a defendant are untainted by motivations related to another case.
Marcy Wheeler: As I keep saying, whatever else Ellis' motives are, DOJ is going to go nuts if he establishes a precedent in EDVA that DOJ can't prosecute co-conspirators in related charges to get them to flip on principals.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:14 AM on May 4, 2018 [45 favorites]
Marcy Wheeler: As I keep saying, whatever else Ellis' motives are, DOJ is going to go nuts if he establishes a precedent in EDVA that DOJ can't prosecute co-conspirators in related charges to get them to flip on principals.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:14 AM on May 4, 2018 [45 favorites]
Trump is the Enron of presidents.
As featured in forthcoming documentary "The Dumbest Guys in the World"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:15 AM on May 4, 2018 [21 favorites]
As featured in forthcoming documentary "The Dumbest Guys in the World"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:15 AM on May 4, 2018 [21 favorites]
Trump is the Enron of presidents.
In this metaphor, who will turn out to be Arthur Andersen LLP, the accounting firm for Enron whose business collapsed?
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:19 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
In this metaphor, who will turn out to be Arthur Andersen LLP, the accounting firm for Enron whose business collapsed?
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:19 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Optimistically: The Republican Party
Realistically: American democracy
Pessimistically: Earth
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:21 AM on May 4, 2018 [47 favorites]
Realistically: American democracy
Pessimistically: Earth
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:21 AM on May 4, 2018 [47 favorites]
Bradley P. Moss tweets:
People should be very careful reading too much into Ellis' comments. Judges notoriously like to grill the Government and make it earn its authority and power.posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:29 AM on May 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
Doesn't mean the judges don't often still end up ruling in favor of the Government all the same.
melissasaurus a quoting story from The State: Senate Republicans had hoped to extend the debate until several Democrats gave up and left the chamber, gifting the GOP the three-fifths majority needed to shut down the filibuster and pass the abortion [ban]....
But no Democrats left, with some canceling travel and vacation plans to remain in Columbia. All 45 eligible senators were present for the 1 a.m. vote Friday.
Unlike a lot of people, I'm not bothered by the phrase "exception that proves the rule", because it can be useful to think about how patterns are all the more noticeable from rare deviations.
But at a certain point, when you have enough exceptions to a rule like "Democrats might mean well, but they never fight", you gotta rethink your rules. Democrats ARE FIGHTERS. Say it aloud! DEMOCRATS ARE FIGHTERS.
(Of course some Democrats roll over occasionally. But they're becoming the equivalent of Never-Trumpers -- a thoroughly non-representative group whose significance gets exaggerated in the popular mind... perhaps in part because both groups did have real significance a decade ago or so.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:37 AM on May 4, 2018 [28 favorites]
But no Democrats left, with some canceling travel and vacation plans to remain in Columbia. All 45 eligible senators were present for the 1 a.m. vote Friday.
Unlike a lot of people, I'm not bothered by the phrase "exception that proves the rule", because it can be useful to think about how patterns are all the more noticeable from rare deviations.
But at a certain point, when you have enough exceptions to a rule like "Democrats might mean well, but they never fight", you gotta rethink your rules. Democrats ARE FIGHTERS. Say it aloud! DEMOCRATS ARE FIGHTERS.
(Of course some Democrats roll over occasionally. But they're becoming the equivalent of Never-Trumpers -- a thoroughly non-representative group whose significance gets exaggerated in the popular mind... perhaps in part because both groups did have real significance a decade ago or so.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:37 AM on May 4, 2018 [28 favorites]
Am in favor of Democrats being fighters and putting pressure on Democrats to be fighters.
Of course some Democrats roll over occasionally.
And pressure needs to be put on them not to, and excuses need to stop being made.
posted by Artw at 9:48 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Of course some Democrats roll over occasionally.
And pressure needs to be put on them not to, and excuses need to stop being made.
posted by Artw at 9:48 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
The Enron lawyer story made me think of a thing. Most Republicans are probably just quitting because they can count the numbers. But maybe Paul Ryan had a talk with his lawyer, saying: if any of this is true, you are in deep shit. I mean, rank and file congresspeople are probably just being stupid as usual, but one has to imagine that the Republican leadership is deeply involved in all the criminality here. If not by actively participating, then at least by not reporting crimes they know happened.
posted by mumimor at 9:51 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 9:51 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
I mean, rank and file congresspeople are probably just being stupid as usual, but one has to imagine that the Republican leadership is deeply involved in all the criminality here. If not by actively participating, then at least by not reporting crimes they know happened.
Not reporting? Mitch McConnell was given a private briefing by US intelligence officials with Obama and Biden, and in response told Obama that if he (Obama) went public about Russia's meddling, he (McConnell) would denounce the claim as hollow partisanship, despite knowing perfectly well that what Obama said was true.
Whether McConnell met the legal definition of treason or not, he betrayed his country that day in order to secure his party's power.
Not for the first time, of course.
posted by Gelatin at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [81 favorites]
Not reporting? Mitch McConnell was given a private briefing by US intelligence officials with Obama and Biden, and in response told Obama that if he (Obama) went public about Russia's meddling, he (McConnell) would denounce the claim as hollow partisanship, despite knowing perfectly well that what Obama said was true.
Whether McConnell met the legal definition of treason or not, he betrayed his country that day in order to secure his party's power.
Not for the first time, of course.
posted by Gelatin at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2018 [81 favorites]
As for the Ellis thing, I'm wondering what his motives are of course. But, if he ends up ruling in Mueller's favor, then this kneecaps a GOP angle on this, because a GOP appointed judge would have seen the unredacted Rosenstein memo and ruled that Mueller was staying in his lane.
posted by azpenguin at 10:01 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 10:01 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Paul Ryan is Speaker of the House, so a bit more than just a rank-and-file Representative. Honestly, I haven't made up my mind if Ryan is quitting because he's in some kind of legal trouble (whether he actually took dirty money or just misprision - knowing of criminal acts but failing to report), or because, like John Boehner, he's reached the end of his rope as a Republican congressperson. Maybe he's hoping for some sweet, sweet consultant money.
In any event, it looks like quite a few rats are fleeing the sinking, Trump-tainted ship.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:01 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
In any event, it looks like quite a few rats are fleeing the sinking, Trump-tainted ship.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:01 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
And don't forget the infamous "banter" among the House Republican leadership that occurred in 2016:
posted by biogeo at 10:04 AM on May 4, 2018 [79 favorites]
“There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy said in the recording of a June 15 exchange obtained and published by the Washington Post. At that point, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) cut off the conversation and swore those present to secrecy.They knew. They've known for years. And they've actively tried to cover it up.
posted by biogeo at 10:04 AM on May 4, 2018 [79 favorites]
The story Giuliani appears to be selling is that Trump knew he was making payments to Cohen, including to Stormy Daniels, but did not know any specific details as to why.
This clears Cohen of charges of making illegal campaign contributions, since he was no longer the one who made the payment, and clears Trump as well, since he had no idea the payments were campaign related.
Will this work? I really hate to say this, but probably, barring Trump saying something damning or new evidence. They couldn't prove that Edwards made his payments to his pregnant staffer for campaign reasons, and we had about the same amount of evidence against him then. The bar for proving this money was a campaign contribution is really high.
Will this work in the court of public opinion? Probably. It's different in that Trump's lies are usually simply and straightforward, and this is not. It requires a lot of parsing that I'm sure most people will see through. But ultimately, people don't seem to care that much about the crime itself, that Trump paid off a porn star he had sex with during a campaign.
Giuliani's other problematic statement, that Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't publicly say that Trump was not a target of the Russia collusion investigation could also save his fat from the fire. Trump was a subject, not a target of the investigation, and if he felt that needed to be said to the public and Comey refused to follow that order, that sounds like a technically fire-able offense to me.
posted by xammerboy at 10:07 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
This clears Cohen of charges of making illegal campaign contributions, since he was no longer the one who made the payment, and clears Trump as well, since he had no idea the payments were campaign related.
Will this work? I really hate to say this, but probably, barring Trump saying something damning or new evidence. They couldn't prove that Edwards made his payments to his pregnant staffer for campaign reasons, and we had about the same amount of evidence against him then. The bar for proving this money was a campaign contribution is really high.
Will this work in the court of public opinion? Probably. It's different in that Trump's lies are usually simply and straightforward, and this is not. It requires a lot of parsing that I'm sure most people will see through. But ultimately, people don't seem to care that much about the crime itself, that Trump paid off a porn star he had sex with during a campaign.
Giuliani's other problematic statement, that Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't publicly say that Trump was not a target of the Russia collusion investigation could also save his fat from the fire. Trump was a subject, not a target of the investigation, and if he felt that needed to be said to the public and Comey refused to follow that order, that sounds like a technically fire-able offense to me.
posted by xammerboy at 10:07 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
At that point, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) cut off the conversation and swore those present to secrecy.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:07 AM on May 4, 2018 [44 favorites]
“I’ll guarantee you that’s what it is. . . . The Russians hacked the DNC and got the opp [opposition] research that they had on Trump,” McCarthy said with a laugh.What’s said in the mob family stays in the mob family, capisce?
Ryan asked who the Russians “delivered” the opposition research to.
“There’s . . . there’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy said, drawing some laughter. “Swear to God,” McCarthy added.
“This is an off the record,” Ryan said.
Some lawmakers laughed at that.
“No leaks, all right?,” Ryan said, adding: “This is how we know we’re a real family here.”
“That’s how you know that we’re tight,” Scalise said.
“What’s said in the family stays in the family,” Ryan added.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:07 AM on May 4, 2018 [44 favorites]
Regarding "summer job could never pay for college"- that's not quite true.
In 1968, minimum wage could keep a family of three (two parents + child) above the poverty line. In 1984, it stopped being enough for a family of 2, briefly touched that again in 2009, and then dropped.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [51 favorites]
Back in the early ’80s, the average full cost of a year of public college was $2,870, the maximum Pell grant was $1,800, and the minimum wage was $3.35. With only $1,070 to pay, a summer job would only need to be 26 hours a week for three months.You really could pay for college with a summer minimum-wage job, if you were frugal, and afford some luxuries if you could work 10-20 hours a week during the school year.
If a kid wanted $35 per week of spending money, Kamentz calculates that you could pay for this with 842 hours—which you could easily work in a solid summer of full-time work and occasional school-year shifts.
In 1968, minimum wage could keep a family of three (two parents + child) above the poverty line. In 1984, it stopped being enough for a family of 2, briefly touched that again in 2009, and then dropped.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:08 AM on May 4, 2018 [51 favorites]
Giuliani's other problematic statement, that Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't publicly say that Trump was not a target of the Russia collusion investigation could also save his fat from the fire. Trump was a subject, not a target of the investigation, and if he felt that needed to be said to the public and Comey refused to follow that order, that sounds like a technically fire-able offense to me.
Counterpoint: Trump wouldn't understand the difference between a subject and a target if you fed him a prosecutorial handbook first, and there's no way in hell he phrased it that way. The mantra at the time, from him personally and surrogates, was that he was "not under investigation." If you're a subject, you're under investigation.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:09 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
Counterpoint: Trump wouldn't understand the difference between a subject and a target if you fed him a prosecutorial handbook first, and there's no way in hell he phrased it that way. The mantra at the time, from him personally and surrogates, was that he was "not under investigation." If you're a subject, you're under investigation.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:09 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
Will this work in the court of public opinion? Probably. It's different in that Trump's lies are usually simply and straightforward, and this is not. It requires a lot of parsing that I'm sure most people will see through. But ultimately, people don't seem to care that much about the crime itself, that Trump paid off a porn star he had sex with during a campaign.
I don't know about that. In my book, consensual sex among adults and even a secret deal among those adults is not nearly as bad as selling off your entire country to a foreign power. But the Republicans seem to be struggling with the story. Partly because it becomes more and more obvious that it's true, partly because it's something even the most ignorant voters can relate to (and compare with the Clinton case), and partly because this is really off-putting for many women. The Republicans can not afford to lose the white conservative women, regardless of wether they vote for Democrats or stay home.
posted by mumimor at 10:14 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't know about that. In my book, consensual sex among adults and even a secret deal among those adults is not nearly as bad as selling off your entire country to a foreign power. But the Republicans seem to be struggling with the story. Partly because it becomes more and more obvious that it's true, partly because it's something even the most ignorant voters can relate to (and compare with the Clinton case), and partly because this is really off-putting for many women. The Republicans can not afford to lose the white conservative women, regardless of wether they vote for Democrats or stay home.
posted by mumimor at 10:14 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
In my book, consensual sex among adults and even a secret deal among those adults is not nearly as bad as selling off your entire country to a foreign power.
Sure, but the crime here isn't the consensual sex or the secret deal, it's the embezzlement of campaign funds to pay for that secret deal.
posted by biogeo at 10:16 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Sure, but the crime here isn't the consensual sex or the secret deal, it's the embezzlement of campaign funds to pay for that secret deal.
posted by biogeo at 10:16 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Regarding "summer job could never pay for college"- that's not quite true.
"Back in the early ’80s, the average full cost of a year of public college was $2,870, the maximum Pell grant was $1,800, and the minimum wage was $3.35. With only $1,070 to pay, a summer job would only need to be 26 hours a week for three months.
If a kid wanted $35 per week of spending money, Kamentz calculates that you could pay for this with 842 hours—which you could easily work in a solid summer of full-time work and occasional school-year shifts."
never realized summer rent was free in the early 80s and that food was an optional "want." things certainly have changed.
posted by queenofbithynia at 10:20 AM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
Politico, Pence doctor resigns after Jackson debacle
Trump destroys everyone who gets even not particularly close. At this rate, I assume there's a switchboard operator scandal brewing.
posted by zachlipton at 10:22 AM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
Trump destroys everyone who gets even not particularly close. At this rate, I assume there's a switchboard operator scandal brewing.
posted by zachlipton at 10:22 AM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
I stand corrected, you could pay for college with a summer job.
posted by xammerboy at 10:26 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by xammerboy at 10:26 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
OK, that's kind of wow. Maybe it's the first drop? I'm too pessimistic to think Cavuto is the child in The Emperor's New Clothes, but it's still something.
One thing that struck me was his repeated use of the word stinky at the end. I was reminded of nothing so much as telling off a toddler about going poopy in his pants. Normally I'd write it off as an amusing coincidence but in this case with a raging narcissist stuck in an infantile mindset I have to wonder if it was deliberately pointed at Trump & intended to reach his infantile mind.
posted by scalefree at 10:36 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
One thing that struck me was his repeated use of the word stinky at the end. I was reminded of nothing so much as telling off a toddler about going poopy in his pants. Normally I'd write it off as an amusing coincidence but in this case with a raging narcissist stuck in an infantile mindset I have to wonder if it was deliberately pointed at Trump & intended to reach his infantile mind.
posted by scalefree at 10:36 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
I didn't pay for college 100% with summer jobs but I came close. I did heating/AC installations over the summer in the early 80s, worked in pizza shops during the school year and took out a few minimal loans and ended up with less than $5K in debt. I didn't actually get a degree out it but that was my own fault.
I was also able to buy a house in 1990 at the age of 26 when I was working as a house painter and my ex- was working a low paying counseling job. We made about $25K a year between us at the time and had a newborn but were able to buy a house for $40K with some help from HUD and the city's URA.
posted by octothorpe at 10:36 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
I was also able to buy a house in 1990 at the age of 26 when I was working as a house painter and my ex- was working a low paying counseling job. We made about $25K a year between us at the time and had a newborn but were able to buy a house for $40K with some help from HUD and the city's URA.
posted by octothorpe at 10:36 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
Mod note: A few comments removed; let's 100% leave "if you squint right, maybe black folks had it better before civil rights" takes at the door, ffs.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:39 AM on May 4, 2018 [51 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:39 AM on May 4, 2018 [51 favorites]
After World War II the American Empire bestrode the world as a Collosus, its industrial capacity uniquely undamaged. But the balance of the world rebuilt or developed over the decades. I do not think we will see this former Greatness Made Again.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 10:44 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 10:44 AM on May 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
I highly recommend Stephanie Coontz' The Way We Never Were, The Way We Really Are, and Marriage: A History for some refreshingly realistic, nostalgia-free takes on Whether The 50's Were Better. Short answer: For white men, yes. Top earners controlled far less of the nation's money, tax rates on the rich and corporations were higher, investment in the public good was greater - so yes, white men, at least, could get a good job, marry, and raise a family without going to college. If he did want to go to college, it was cheaper and there was the GI Bill (from which African Americans were excluded).
If you weren't a white man or at least a happily married white woman without frustrated ambitions - things were NOT so great in many, many different ways that I don't really have to outline here.
My take-away is not "Woo! Bring back the 50's!" but "Let's bring back high taxes for the rich and for corporations, get the nation's wealth distributed more evenly, and invest in the common good as far as infrastructure, mental and social health, and the environment are concerned - and investing in one will mean investing in all three. Quality of life is NOT a zero-sum game. Let's give up the idea of zero-sum games entirely, because believing in them is what caused this mess in the first place."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:46 AM on May 4, 2018 [52 favorites]
If you weren't a white man or at least a happily married white woman without frustrated ambitions - things were NOT so great in many, many different ways that I don't really have to outline here.
My take-away is not "Woo! Bring back the 50's!" but "Let's bring back high taxes for the rich and for corporations, get the nation's wealth distributed more evenly, and invest in the common good as far as infrastructure, mental and social health, and the environment are concerned - and investing in one will mean investing in all three. Quality of life is NOT a zero-sum game. Let's give up the idea of zero-sum games entirely, because believing in them is what caused this mess in the first place."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:46 AM on May 4, 2018 [52 favorites]
Sure, but the crime here isn't the consensual sex or the secret deal, it's the embezzlement of campaign funds to pay for that secret deal.
Yes, yes I know, but that isn't what is worrying the Fox News set. Their chorus for all actual crimes is "everybody does it"
posted by mumimor at 10:48 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes, yes I know, but that isn't what is worrying the Fox News set. Their chorus for all actual crimes is "everybody does it"
posted by mumimor at 10:48 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
So last night the Minnesota House passed an omnibus supplemental finance bill, the details of which are every bit as engrossing as you'd expect. It has become common in recent years for policy items to be slipped into finance bills (the MN governor has a line-item veto, but only for spending - not policy) despite the once-observed norm that this wasn't to be done (naturally, the other party started it). So there's all kinds of stuff in the bill - some good (making it easier for homeowners to remove outdated and legally void racial covenants from their property deeds), some less good (creating a two-tiered minimum wage, with a lower wage for workers who get tips) and some that's clearly just a stunt (requiring the state Public Utilities Commission to be located in Virginia, Minnesota - about three hours north of the state capital).
You can read a nice long summary of the (even longer) bill and the floor debate here. But for allow me to highlight a brief portion, when Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL - Roseville, and an attorney by profession) was arguing to remove a provision that would have tinkered with the 1837 Ceded Territory Fisheries Committee, which was created in a mediated agreement between the state and various tribes and regulates the annual fishing harvest on Lake Mille Lacs.
posted by nickmark at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [32 favorites]
You can read a nice long summary of the (even longer) bill and the floor debate here. But for allow me to highlight a brief portion, when Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL - Roseville, and an attorney by profession) was arguing to remove a provision that would have tinkered with the 1837 Ceded Territory Fisheries Committee, which was created in a mediated agreement between the state and various tribes and regulates the annual fishing harvest on Lake Mille Lacs.
Becker-Finn said the Legislature does not have the authority to impose alterations on an agreement between two sovereign parties.See, that's what Minnesota Nice is all about.
“This amendment removes language that is, at best, a bad idea and, at worst, a violation of the Constitution of the United States of America,” Becker-Finn said. “If I’ve learned anything in my time here in this body it is that many of you lack understanding of tribal sovereignty and lack understanding of our constitution beyond one or two amendments.” (emphasis added)
posted by nickmark at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [32 favorites]
If he did want to go to college, it was cheaper and there was the GI Bill (from which African Americans were excluded)
A bit off topic, but I'm not sure this is true about the GI Bill?
posted by gwint at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018
A bit off topic, but I'm not sure this is true about the GI Bill?
posted by gwint at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018
that isn't what is worrying the Fox News set. Their chorus for all actual crimes is "everybody does it"
Well, you did say actual crimes, but: "Lock her up!"
The chorus for the Fox News set is "it's okay if you're a Republican."
My take-away is not "Woo! Bring back the 50's!" but "Let's bring back high taxes for the rich and for corporations, get the nation's wealth distributed more evenly, and invest in the common good as far as infrastructure, mental and social health, and the environment are concerned - and investing in one will mean investing in all three.
You almost have to admire -- well, no, you don't, really -- how thoroughly conservatives moved the Overton window, such that speaking of "redistribution" was a Simply Not Done, and any talk of, say, restoring the ruinous tax rates of the Clinton era was met with howls of "redistribution!"
Credit Occupy Wall Street for this much: They made it possible for the so-called "liberal media" to even point out how inequitably the wealth of the richest nation in the world was grabbed up by the top 1%.
posted by Gelatin at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Well, you did say actual crimes, but: "Lock her up!"
The chorus for the Fox News set is "it's okay if you're a Republican."
My take-away is not "Woo! Bring back the 50's!" but "Let's bring back high taxes for the rich and for corporations, get the nation's wealth distributed more evenly, and invest in the common good as far as infrastructure, mental and social health, and the environment are concerned - and investing in one will mean investing in all three.
You almost have to admire -- well, no, you don't, really -- how thoroughly conservatives moved the Overton window, such that speaking of "redistribution" was a Simply Not Done, and any talk of, say, restoring the ruinous tax rates of the Clinton era was met with howls of "redistribution!"
Credit Occupy Wall Street for this much: They made it possible for the so-called "liberal media" to even point out how inequitably the wealth of the richest nation in the world was grabbed up by the top 1%.
posted by Gelatin at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Bradley P. Moss tweets:
People should be very careful reading too much into Ellis' comments. Judges notoriously like to grill the Government and make it earn its authority and power.
The thing about the Manafort Judge thing is that I would be quite surprised if a judge effectively said that a cop who pulls someone over has to ignore a severed arm in the back seat because she pulled it over only for speeding. I just don't think the DOJ, nor law enforcement in general, is going to like that.
posted by rhizome at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
People should be very careful reading too much into Ellis' comments. Judges notoriously like to grill the Government and make it earn its authority and power.
The thing about the Manafort Judge thing is that I would be quite surprised if a judge effectively said that a cop who pulls someone over has to ignore a severed arm in the back seat because she pulled it over only for speeding. I just don't think the DOJ, nor law enforcement in general, is going to like that.
posted by rhizome at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
The analogy is even crazier than that, the judge would be saying, sure, you can prosecute the driver with the severed arm for having human remains, but not if you're doing it because you want him to testify against the drug lord who ordered him to chop a guy's arm off.
It would require an inquiry into the prosecutor's state of mind in bringing charges, not a defendant's in committing the crime.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:03 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
It would require an inquiry into the prosecutor's state of mind in bringing charges, not a defendant's in committing the crime.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:03 AM on May 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
Giuliani put out a new statement, cleanup on aisle 4 (or as Brad Heath says, cleanup on every aisle) (my transcription):
First:posted by zachlipton at 11:05 AM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
There is no campaign violation. The payment was made to resolve a personal and false allegation in order to protect the President's family. It would have been done in any event, whether he was a candidate or not.
Second:
My references to timing were not describing my understanding of the President's knowledge but instead my understanding of these matters.
Third:
It is undisputed that the President's dismissal of former Director Comey — an inferior executive officer — was clearly within his Article II power. Recent revelations about former Director Comey further confirm the wisdom of the President's decision, which was plainly in the best interests of our nation
Redlining and Jim Crow effectively eliminated much of the G.I. Bill for black vets.
...But many African Americans who served in World War II never saw these benefits. This was especially true in the south, where Jim Crow laws excluded black students from “white” schools, and poor black colleges struggled to respond to the rise in demand from returning veterans. After World War II, blacks wanting to attend college in the South were restricted to about 100 public and private schools, few of which offered education beyond the baccalaureate and more than a quarter of which were junior colleges, with the highest degree below the B.A.posted by chris24 at 11:23 AM on May 4, 2018 [35 favorites]
But those exclusions were by no means limited to states South of the Mason-Dixon line—or to education. Historian Ira Katznelson has documented how and why black Americans have received far less assistance from social programs than white Americans, and argues that the G.I bill was deliberately designed to accommodate Jim Crow laws. He cites a study declaring it was “as though the GI Bill had been earmarked ‘For White Veterans Only.’ ”
Thousands of black veterans were denied admission to colleges, loans for housing and business, and excluded from job-training programs. Programs funded by federal money were directed by local officials, who especially in the south, drastically favored white applicants over black.
In 1947, some 70,000 African American veterans were unable to obtain admission to crowded, under-resourced black colleges. The University of Pennsylvania—one of the least-discriminatory schools at the time—enrolled only 40 African American students in its 1946 student body of 9,000.
The GI bill included support for banks to provide veterans low-cost, zero down-payment home loans across the United States. But of the first 67,000 mortgages secured by the G.I. Bill for returning veterans in New York and northern New Jersey alone, fewer than 100 were taken out by non-whites. The G.I. Bill helped place 6,500 former soldiers in Mississippi on nonfarm jobs by fall of 1947, but while 86 percent of the skilled and semiskilled jobs were filled by whites, 92 percent of the unskilled ones were filled by blacks.
In all, 16 million veterans benefited in various ways from the G.I. Bill. President Bill Clinton declared it “the best deal ever made by Uncle Sam,” adding that it “helped to unleash a prosperity never before known.” For white people, that is...
Counterpoint: Trump wouldn't understand the difference between a subject and a target if you fed him a prosecutorial handbook first, and there's no way in hell he phrased it that way.
Agreed, but all this means is that it's a case of he said / he said, and one of those people is the president.
posted by xammerboy at 11:31 AM on May 4, 2018
Agreed, but all this means is that it's a case of he said / he said, and one of those people is the president.
posted by xammerboy at 11:31 AM on May 4, 2018
Politico, Pence doctor resigns after Jackson debacle
Trump destroys everyone who gets even not particularly close. At this rate, I assume there's a switchboard operator scandal brewing.
Oh this is even better than that.
This is Pence forcing the resignation of a female doctor who dared to try and protect Pence's wife.
posted by srboisvert at 11:33 AM on May 4, 2018 [19 favorites]
Trump destroys everyone who gets even not particularly close. At this rate, I assume there's a switchboard operator scandal brewing.
Oh this is even better than that.
This is Pence forcing the resignation of a female doctor who dared to try and protect Pence's wife.
posted by srboisvert at 11:33 AM on May 4, 2018 [19 favorites]
The World Famous said: All this talk about whether it really was possible to pay for college on minimum wage is kind of silly, since the people talking about how they did it in the old days were making way more than minimum wage by working a sweet job their well-connected family lined them up with.
Erm, no. I guarantee you that my family did not get me a job in a Gentlemen's club. My tuition was $4 an credit hour. Four. My rent on a studio flat was $300 ish, iirc. I had a used car that I bought in high school with waitress earnings. I ate a lot of ramen, and borrowed a lot of my books from the school library when I could,but I absolutely could pay for university with a part time job, in Texas, before deregulation. That same university now costs $20k per year, about what I paid for my entire undergrad degree.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:35 AM on May 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
Erm, no. I guarantee you that my family did not get me a job in a Gentlemen's club. My tuition was $4 an credit hour. Four. My rent on a studio flat was $300 ish, iirc. I had a used car that I bought in high school with waitress earnings. I ate a lot of ramen, and borrowed a lot of my books from the school library when I could,but I absolutely could pay for university with a part time job, in Texas, before deregulation. That same university now costs $20k per year, about what I paid for my entire undergrad degree.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:35 AM on May 4, 2018 [14 favorites]
All this talk about whether it really was possible to pay for college on minimum wage is kind of silly, since the people talking about how they did it in the old days were making way more than minimum wage by working a sweet job.
I just looked it up. The average cost of private college tuition now is $35,000 a year. Sarah Lawrence costs just over $60,000. In the 1960's the median average cost of a year of private law school was $3,419 in 2011 dollars. People aren't remembering this incorrectly, college was at least 10 times cheaper.
posted by xammerboy at 11:43 AM on May 4, 2018 [37 favorites]
I just looked it up. The average cost of private college tuition now is $35,000 a year. Sarah Lawrence costs just over $60,000. In the 1960's the median average cost of a year of private law school was $3,419 in 2011 dollars. People aren't remembering this incorrectly, college was at least 10 times cheaper.
posted by xammerboy at 11:43 AM on May 4, 2018 [37 favorites]
Trump, at his NRA Leadership Conference speech, just literally read a couple paragraphs of the WSJ article about Judge T.S. Ellis questioning Mueller about Manafort's charges aloud to the crowd.
C-SPAN has it.
posted by box at 11:52 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
C-SPAN has it.
posted by box at 11:52 AM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
My dad paid for college by working a summer job. There were two reasons why this was possible other than the relative cheapness of college: First, he lived at home with his family in the summer and did not have to pay rent or food, and second, he had a factory job that was non-union but its wages and conditions matched those of the factory union - they did a temporary summer ramp-up for seasonal reasons and that was how it worked. It was a tough job lifting heavy crates in an un-airconditioned factory in Indiana in the summer, and my father's family was not a posh one so he wasn't making up for it by luxe living.
Now the factory is long-gone, of course, and so is the union infrastructure. It's not only that college is more expensive, it's also that wages are worse and families are stretched more - again, while my dad's family was not rich, it was not a hardship to feed one more mouth for three months a year.
And of course, rents were lower - my dad lived in a series of not-that-great shared apartments, but unlike today's not-that-great shared apartments, they were actually cheap.
posted by Frowner at 11:55 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
Now the factory is long-gone, of course, and so is the union infrastructure. It's not only that college is more expensive, it's also that wages are worse and families are stretched more - again, while my dad's family was not rich, it was not a hardship to feed one more mouth for three months a year.
And of course, rents were lower - my dad lived in a series of not-that-great shared apartments, but unlike today's not-that-great shared apartments, they were actually cheap.
posted by Frowner at 11:55 AM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
Trump is now using his NRA speech to rant about John Kerry breaking his leg in a bicycle accident. 20 minutes into the speech, he gets around to "let's talk about guns, shall we?"
posted by zachlipton at 11:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:58 AM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
“My favorite meat is hot dog, by the way. That is my favorite meat.” -- Mitt Romney
posted by kirkaracha at 11:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:59 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Please Enjoy This Montage of the White House Doing a Great Job Keeping Its Stormy Story Straight
posted by kirkaracha at 12:01 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 12:01 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
The President is currently telling the NRA that there is a famous hospital in central London that is like a war-zone for stab wounds, and there is blood all over the floors. This is an argument against gun control.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:05 PM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:05 PM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
I think we're getting caught up in the college on minimum wage specifics. As for the general comparison of 1960s quality of life to today, it was better in some ways, like income/wealth distribution and much worse in others, like minority/LGBTQ/women's rights. For determining a path forward it shouldn't be hard to move back toward the former without regressing on the latter.
posted by rocket88 at 12:05 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by rocket88 at 12:05 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
WaPo, Trump administration will end protections for 50,000 Hondurans living in U.S. since 1999
More than 50,000 Hondurans who have been allowed to live and work in the United States since 1999 will have 20 months to leave the country or face deportation, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Friday, the latest in a series of DHS measures aimed at tightening U.S. immigration controls.posted by zachlipton at 12:27 PM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
The Hondurans were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 1999, shielding them from deportation, after Hurricane Mitch slammed their country and left 10,000 dead across Central America.
Under President Trump, DHS has been eliminating TPS programs one by one, arguing they were never designed to grant long-term residency to foreigners who may have arrived illegal or overstayed their visas.
In the past six months, Nielsen has ended TPS for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans, 50,000 Haitians and 9,000 Nepalis, giving those groups a 12 to 18 months to prepare a departure or secure some other form of legal status.
> The President is currently telling the NRA that there is a famous hospital in central London that is like a war-zone for stab wounds, and there is blood all over the floors. This is an argument against gun control.
See, if they had guns, those people would have the common decency to die before they got to the hospital and bled all over the floors.
You know Trump hates the sight of (other people's) blood. ("He's bleeding all over the floor, beautiful marble floor, that's disgusting. I turned away.")
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:51 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
See, if they had guns, those people would have the common decency to die before they got to the hospital and bled all over the floors.
You know Trump hates the sight of (other people's) blood. ("He's bleeding all over the floor, beautiful marble floor, that's disgusting. I turned away.")
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:51 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
*Checks the server's pulse....Hey pal, you're hanging in there. No no, you weren't out that long*
@kylegriffin1: Giuliani seems to change his story again in this interview with Kilmeade, says of the Stormy Daniels reimbursement (at 1:25): "I’m almost certain [Trump] didn’t know that it was for this settlement." Almost certain?
NYT, Viktor Vekselberg, Russian Billionaire, Was Questioned by Mueller’s Investigators, in which the previously unnamed Russian oligarch is named, though it's still not quite clear what his connection to anything is. He was at the 2015 RT dinner with Flynn, attended Trump's inauguration, and is connected to the Bank of Cyprus along with Wilbur Ross.
Iowa's Republican governor to sign law banning abortion at six weeks
WSJ, U.S. and China Make Scant Progress in Trade Talks, in which not only is there no deal, there's not even a joint statement as the US delegation goes home empty-handed.
Boston Globe, Kerry quietly seeking to salvage Iran deal he helped craft, in which maybe we learn why Trump made fun of John Kerry today: Kerry is quietly meeting with foreign officials to try to save the Iran deal.
He's thankfully not the new White House physician (yet anyway), but it's still bad. Dr. Oz is a quack. Now Trump’s appointing him to be a health adviser., in which Dr. Oz, a bullshit artist, is named to the Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Also joining the council: Bill Belichick, Natalie Gulbis, Misty May-Treano, Mariano Rivera, and Herschel Walker (who goes way back with Trump, he recruited him for the New Jersey Generals).
And finally, @RightWingWatch: Alex Jones is reporting that Trump is part of a group that is working to defend the world against a sentient computer that has decided to kill all humans.
@AoDespair (David Simon): Fuck me. I have to root for a sentient computer that has decided to kill all humans.
posted by zachlipton at 5:23 PM on May 4, 2018 [51 favorites]
@kylegriffin1: Giuliani seems to change his story again in this interview with Kilmeade, says of the Stormy Daniels reimbursement (at 1:25): "I’m almost certain [Trump] didn’t know that it was for this settlement." Almost certain?
NYT, Viktor Vekselberg, Russian Billionaire, Was Questioned by Mueller’s Investigators, in which the previously unnamed Russian oligarch is named, though it's still not quite clear what his connection to anything is. He was at the 2015 RT dinner with Flynn, attended Trump's inauguration, and is connected to the Bank of Cyprus along with Wilbur Ross.
Iowa's Republican governor to sign law banning abortion at six weeks
Iowa’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, said on Friday she plans to sign a bill banning abortion after just six weeks of pregnancy, a move that would make the state the most restrictive in the nation.Politico had a good article on the strategy here last month (which I think I posted), Abortion foes seize on chance to overturn Roe, with some in the anti-abortion movement upset that this is moving too quickly and trying to pass more incrementalist restrictions. As expected, a lawsuit challenging the bill will be filed as soon as it's signed.
The legislation will almost certainly draw a swift court challenge and the move sets the scene for another lengthy legal battle as anti-abortion lawmakers ultimately eye the landmark Roe v Wade 1973 supreme court ruling that legalized abortion in the US.
...
Critics say the so-called “heartbeat” bill would ban abortions before some women even know they are pregnant. A federal appeals court three years ago struck down similar legislation approved in Arkansas and North Dakota.
WSJ, U.S. and China Make Scant Progress in Trade Talks, in which not only is there no deal, there's not even a joint statement as the US delegation goes home empty-handed.
Boston Globe, Kerry quietly seeking to salvage Iran deal he helped craft, in which maybe we learn why Trump made fun of John Kerry today: Kerry is quietly meeting with foreign officials to try to save the Iran deal.
He's thankfully not the new White House physician (yet anyway), but it's still bad. Dr. Oz is a quack. Now Trump’s appointing him to be a health adviser., in which Dr. Oz, a bullshit artist, is named to the Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Also joining the council: Bill Belichick, Natalie Gulbis, Misty May-Treano, Mariano Rivera, and Herschel Walker (who goes way back with Trump, he recruited him for the New Jersey Generals).
And finally, @RightWingWatch: Alex Jones is reporting that Trump is part of a group that is working to defend the world against a sentient computer that has decided to kill all humans.
@AoDespair (David Simon): Fuck me. I have to root for a sentient computer that has decided to kill all humans.
posted by zachlipton at 5:23 PM on May 4, 2018 [51 favorites]
Iowa's republic governor to sign law banning abortion at six weeks
I'll skip the obvious part about the million reasons why this is jaw-droppingly wrong and just say-
Planned Parenthood of Iowa was my reproductive healthcare provider in my 20's at basically no cost/ sometimes low cost when I had no insurance or money and I'm so beyond grateful for them, they've never been short of amazing. This is a load of unbelievable horseshit and when I heard I immediately made a donation to Iowa Planned Parenthood in the hopes that they can keep doing what they need to do and fighting the good fight.
posted by robotdevil at 5:39 PM on May 4, 2018 [29 favorites]
I'll skip the obvious part about the million reasons why this is jaw-droppingly wrong and just say-
Planned Parenthood of Iowa was my reproductive healthcare provider in my 20's at basically no cost/ sometimes low cost when I had no insurance or money and I'm so beyond grateful for them, they've never been short of amazing. This is a load of unbelievable horseshit and when I heard I immediately made a donation to Iowa Planned Parenthood in the hopes that they can keep doing what they need to do and fighting the good fight.
posted by robotdevil at 5:39 PM on May 4, 2018 [29 favorites]
U.S. Probes Cohen Over Cash He Built Up During Campaign (WSJ)
Mr. Cohen opened a home-equity line of credit for $500,000 at First Republic Bank on Feb. 24, 2016, tied to a condominium at Trump Park Avenue in Manhattan that he and his wife own through trusts, the real-estate records show. The loan documents were signed by Mr. Cohen’s wife, Laura, as trustee for the trusts in their names that own the apartment, the records show.posted by pjenks at 5:47 PM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
A few weeks later, the Cohens closed out an old home-equity line for $255,000 with TD Bank N.A. tied to the same unit, the records show. Both First Republic and TD Bank declined to comment.
The new, higher equity line gave Mr. Cohen the ability to borrow at least $245,000 more than before against his home during the campaign, the records show.
It isn’t clear whether Mr. Cohen tapped the credit line to settle problems for Mr. Trump other than Ms. Clifford or for personal reasons.
...
Three months before he increased the home-equity line, Mr. Cohen gained potential access to another $529,000 in cash, through the fresh mortgage on the condominium owned by his wife’s parents, Fima and Ania Shusterman.
The Shustermans didn’t immediately return messages left at mobile phone numbers listed in a commercial database.
Mr. Cohen and his wife cosigned the $2 million mortgage on the condo in November 2015, New York real-estate records show, although they hadn’t signed prior mortgages on the property.
The borrowers took out $529,000 in cash, in addition to refinancing existing debt on the condo, which the Shustermans bought in 2004 and used as their primary New York residence. It isn’t clear whether or how the money was spent.
Dr. Oz, seriously? Good lord.
@KT_So_It_Goes: this is like naming dr. pepper to the council on healthy beverages
posted by zachlipton at 5:53 PM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
@KT_So_It_Goes: this is like naming dr. pepper to the council on healthy beverages
posted by zachlipton at 5:53 PM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
Kerry is quietly meeting with foreign officials to try to save the Iran deal.
It's nice to think that someone competent is trying to prevent a US foreign policy disaster, and I like Kerry.
But... how is this not in contravention of the Logan act?
posted by duoshao at 5:59 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's nice to think that someone competent is trying to prevent a US foreign policy disaster, and I like Kerry.
But... how is this not in contravention of the Logan act?
posted by duoshao at 5:59 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
So Give STL Day was Wednesday. The biggest overall recipient is an outfit called Thrive. They made news last year over their abstinence only curriculum they offered to schools. It's run by a woman who has been repping conservative christianity for a while. They got 112k. Planned Parenthood of MO got 17k. I'm a little concerned.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:11 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:11 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
But... how is this not in contravention of the Logan act?
It probably is. The Logan act is apparently a joke which nobody on either side of the aisle respects. It should therefore be repealed.
posted by Justinian at 6:12 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
It probably is. The Logan act is apparently a joke which nobody on either side of the aisle respects. It should therefore be repealed.
posted by Justinian at 6:12 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
The President is currently telling the NRA that there is a famous hospital in central London that is like a war-zone for stab wounds
"Jack the Ripper is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice."
posted by kirkaracha at 6:14 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
"Jack the Ripper is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice."
posted by kirkaracha at 6:14 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
Iowa's republic governor to sign law banning abortion at six weeks
they know this is unconstitutional, that's the whole point:
they know this is unconstitutional, that's the whole point:
The law is, of course, flagrantly unconstitutional under the controlling case. But there’s another purpose — Anthony Kennedy may well resign this summer, and as soon as his replacement is confirmed there will be text cases all teed up. If Trump replaces Kennedy or anyone to his left Roe will not survive the first term of the Trump administration.posted by T.D. Strange at 6:24 PM on May 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
still not quite clear what [Vekselberg's] connection to anything is.
Huh. I. was just reading about that guy. From Sept, 2017.
Special counsel probing flow of Russian-American money to Trump political funds
Huh. I. was just reading about that guy. From Sept, 2017.
Special counsel probing flow of Russian-American money to Trump political funds
A review of Trump campaign records conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics for ABC News found large contributions coming from two émigrés born in the former Soviet Union who now hold U.S. citizenship, and from a third American who heads the subsidiary of a large Russian private equity firm.posted by OnceUponATime at 6:39 PM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
...
Those donations began flowing to the Republican National Committee, the group says, just as Trump was on the verge of securing the Republican nomination and culminated in two large gifts – totaling $1.25 million – from these individuals to the Trump inaugural fund following his victory.
...
Government officials familiar with the House and Senate investigations into Russian election interference told ABC News that near the conclusion of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Trump’s son Don Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner, then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and Russian emissaries interested in curtailing U.S. sanctions, Manafort made a cryptic and cursory notation on his phone. It said, “Active sponsors of RNC,” a phrase that some investigators have viewed as a reference to campaign donations, the sources said.
...
All three men -- Blavatnik, Kukes, and Intrater -- have been publicly identified as associated with Viktor Vekselberg, considered one of the richest men in Russia. Vekselberg is reported to hold frequent meetings with President Vladimir Putin as part of a business group known as the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Emails to Vekselberg’s Moscow-based company, Renova,
All the pro-lifers are going to be terribly surprised when, after patting themselves on the back for making abortion illegal, suddenly they’re stuck with all the teen pregnancies and affair fetuses that they used to abort on the DL so they wouldn’t ruin their reputation of being morally superior.
posted by Autumnheart at 6:40 PM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 6:40 PM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
I’m shocked. Shocked. The President lied! We got him! NYT, Trump Is Said to Know of Stormy Daniels Payment Months Before He Denied It
posted by zachlipton at 6:41 PM on May 4, 2018 [31 favorites]
President Trump knew about a six-figure payment that Michael D. Cohen, his personal lawyer, made to a pornographic film actress several months before he denied any knowledge of it to reporters aboard Air Force One in April, according to two people familiar with the arrangement.This investigation is going straight for the Trump Organization.
How much Mr. Trump knew about the payment to Stephanie Clifford, the actress, and who else was aware of it have been at the center of a swirling controversy for the past 48 hours touched off by a television interview with Rudolph W. Giuliani, a new addition to the president’s legal team. The interview was the first time a lawyer for the president had acknowledged that Mr. Trump had reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payments to Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels.
It was not immediately clear when Mr. Trump learned of the payment, which Mr. Cohen made in October 2016, at a time when news media outlets were poised to pay her for her story about an alleged affair with Mr. Trump in 2006. But three people close to the matter said that Mr. Trump knew that Mr. Cohen had succeeded in keeping the allegations from becoming public at the time the president denied it.
...
Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has known since last year the details of how Mr. Cohen was being reimbursed, which was mainly through payments of $35,000 per month from the trust that contains the president’s personal fortune, according to two people with knowledge of the arrangement.
posted by zachlipton at 6:41 PM on May 4, 2018 [31 favorites]
You can also read Chris Geidner's latest, Rudy Giuliani's "Clarifying" Statement Leaves Many Questions Unresolved , which tries to untangle the many conflicting stories that have come out of Giuliani's mouth. To quickly summarize the present situation, we've had:
Sanders: Trump didn't know about the payment
Trump: I didn't know about the payment
Giuliani: Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment
Giuliani: The payment had to do with the election
Giuliani: The payment did not have anything to do with the election
Sanders: Trump "eventually" knew about the payment
Giuliani: I was only talking about what I thought I knew, so whatever
NYT: Trump knew about the payment
And so now we're back to where we were Wednesday night.
posted by zachlipton at 6:56 PM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
Sanders: Trump didn't know about the payment
Trump: I didn't know about the payment
Giuliani: Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment
Giuliani: The payment had to do with the election
Giuliani: The payment did not have anything to do with the election
Sanders: Trump "eventually" knew about the payment
Giuliani: I was only talking about what I thought I knew, so whatever
NYT: Trump knew about the payment
And so now we're back to where we were Wednesday night.
posted by zachlipton at 6:56 PM on May 4, 2018 [16 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 Senate:
** Odds & ends -- Enten: Polls have been pretty accurate this cycle.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:58 PM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
** 2018 Senate:
-- TN: Corker's dislike for Blackburn is putting the seat in jeopardy for the GOP.** OH-12 special -- GOP getting nervous here, especially if Leneghan wins the nomination this Tuesday.
-- NV: PPP poll has Rosen up 44-42 on Heller [MOE: +/- 3.9%]
** Odds & ends -- Enten: Polls have been pretty accurate this cycle.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:58 PM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
suddenly they’re stuck
Uh, no. They're not the kind of people who have to worry about things they do being illegal. That's for poor people and minorities.
posted by ctmf at 7:00 PM on May 4, 2018 [33 favorites]
Uh, no. They're not the kind of people who have to worry about things they do being illegal. That's for poor people and minorities.
posted by ctmf at 7:00 PM on May 4, 2018 [33 favorites]
I guess nobody told Trump that Dr. Oz is one of them Muslims.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:04 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by elsietheeel at 7:04 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has known since last year the details of how Mr. Cohen was being reimbursed, which was mainly through payments of $35,000 per month from the trust that contains the president’s personal fortune, according to two people with knowledge of the arrangement.
If this is true, then the suspicious $130k coming out of the Trump election campaign and into the Trump hotels is a phantom, a random fluke of data, a 1 in 18,000 or so blip. Furthermore, there's another $300,000 or so that is suspicious in the Susan Simpson analysis, suggesting one or two other unknown similarly sized payoffs.
If this false, then talking up how this trust is paying out such large sums, which happen to total up to the same figure that's a discrepancy in the Susan Simpson analysis... then it could be as much to prop up the story that this trust indeed contains fortunes as much as to deflect from the campaign finance crime.
Hmm.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:08 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
If this is true, then the suspicious $130k coming out of the Trump election campaign and into the Trump hotels is a phantom, a random fluke of data, a 1 in 18,000 or so blip. Furthermore, there's another $300,000 or so that is suspicious in the Susan Simpson analysis, suggesting one or two other unknown similarly sized payoffs.
If this false, then talking up how this trust is paying out such large sums, which happen to total up to the same figure that's a discrepancy in the Susan Simpson analysis... then it could be as much to prop up the story that this trust indeed contains fortunes as much as to deflect from the campaign finance crime.
Hmm.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:08 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
WaPo, As a willing warrior for Trump, Sarah Sanders struggles to maintain credibility. Much of this article is a joke that we're still playing this stupid game, but this piece is new:
The West Wing shouting match was so loud that more than a dozen staffers heard it.posted by zachlipton at 7:16 PM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders cursed and yelled at White House counsel Donald McGahn during the February confrontation, according to two people familiar with the episode. Misleading statements about the domestic abuse scandal that felled staff secretary Rob Porter had dragged the administration into a maelstrom of chaos and contradictory public statements.
Exasperated, Sanders told McGahn she would not continue to speak for the administration unless she was provided more information about Porter’s situation.
Exasperated, Sanders told McGahn she would not continue to speak for the administration unless she was provided more information about Porter’s situation.
I mean, the best liars need to know exactly what they're lying about, after all.
posted by Rykey at 7:19 PM on May 4, 2018 [22 favorites]
I mean, the best liars need to know exactly what they're lying about, after all.
posted by Rykey at 7:19 PM on May 4, 2018 [22 favorites]
Uh, no. They're not the kind of people who have to worry about things they do being illegal. That's for poor people and minorities.
It’s not like they’re rich. Rich people don’t protest outside clinics.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:20 PM on May 4, 2018
It’s not like they’re rich. Rich people don’t protest outside clinics.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:20 PM on May 4, 2018
NYT: 2 F.B.I. Officials, Once Key Advisers to Comey, Leave the Bureau
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:23 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Two top F.B.I. aides who worked alongside the former director James B. Comey as he navigated one of the most politically tumultuous periods in the bureau’s history resigned on Friday.The NYT says their departures are unrelated but doesn't provide any information to support this, and I've stopped believing in coincidences under the Trump Regime.
One of them, James A. Baker, was one of Mr. Comey’s closest confidants. He served as the F.B.I.’s top lawyer until December when he was reassigned as the new director, Christopher A. Wray, began installing his own advisers. Mr. Baker had been investigated by the Justice Department on suspicion of sharing classified information with reporters. He has not been charged.
The other aide, Lisa Page, advised Mr. Comey while serving directly under his deputy, Andrew G. McCabe. She was assailed by conservatives after texts that she had exchanged with the agent overseeing the investigation into links between President Trump’s campaign and Russia were made public. In the messages, they expressed anti-Trump views but took aim at Hillary Clinton and other political figures as well.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:23 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump this afternoon: "Great book just out by very successful businessman @AndyPuzder. Always known as somebody who knows how to win, “Capitalist Comeback” will be a big hit"
NYMag's Yashar Ali @yashar: "The President is failing to mention that Puzder was his nominee for Labor Secretary, but he had to withdraw after Politico exposed previous domestic violence allegations."
Grift recognizes grift.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:30 PM on May 4, 2018 [34 favorites]
NYMag's Yashar Ali @yashar: "The President is failing to mention that Puzder was his nominee for Labor Secretary, but he had to withdraw after Politico exposed previous domestic violence allegations."
Grift recognizes grift.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:30 PM on May 4, 2018 [34 favorites]
affair fetuses that they used to abort on the DL
Will return, exclusively, to the rich and connected.
"No, I did not perform an abortion. I performed a life saving surgical/ presciptional procedure completely unrelated to abortion in order to save the life of a pale-skinned girl from a family with wealth and political connections. The incidental termination of the pregnancy - which we did not know about before the proceedure - is a terrible tragedy."
/s
posted by porpoise at 7:31 PM on May 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
Will return, exclusively, to the rich and connected.
"No, I did not perform an abortion. I performed a life saving surgical/ presciptional procedure completely unrelated to abortion in order to save the life of a pale-skinned girl from a family with wealth and political connections. The incidental termination of the pregnancy - which we did not know about before the proceedure - is a terrible tragedy."
/s
posted by porpoise at 7:31 PM on May 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
One fun detail in the Times story:
There's an amazing pattern that emerges whenever Trump does something idiotic. There's always a bunch of "oh everything's great; he's loving this; everything is going exactly as planned" anonymous stories, then he spends the day watching TV and discovering "the reviews," as he likes to say, of whatever he did are actually extremely bad, and then there's a bunch of "he's angry and yelling at people and mad his advisors gave him bad advice" anonymous stories. Then he does something even more idiotic, and the whole cycle repeats itself again.
posted by zachlipton at 7:39 PM on May 4, 2018 [50 favorites]
While some White House officials had insisted that Mr. Trump was pleased with Mr. Giuliani’s performance on Fox News in an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, two people close to the president painted a different picture. They said that Mr. Trump was displeased with how Mr. Giuliani, a former New York mayor, conducted himself, and that he was also unhappy with Mr. Hannity, a commentator whose advice the president often seeks, in terms of the language he used to describe the payments to Ms. Clifford.So now he's mad at Hannity too? The best part is that clearly nobody prepped Hannity for any of this, since he was as shocked as anybody.
There's an amazing pattern that emerges whenever Trump does something idiotic. There's always a bunch of "oh everything's great; he's loving this; everything is going exactly as planned" anonymous stories, then he spends the day watching TV and discovering "the reviews," as he likes to say, of whatever he did are actually extremely bad, and then there's a bunch of "he's angry and yelling at people and mad his advisors gave him bad advice" anonymous stories. Then he does something even more idiotic, and the whole cycle repeats itself again.
posted by zachlipton at 7:39 PM on May 4, 2018 [50 favorites]
Yeah it’s important to remember that for a certain class and race of woman- abortion was never illegal- money buys anything.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 7:40 PM on May 4, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 7:40 PM on May 4, 2018 [17 favorites]
More leaks to the Wall Street Journal from White House aides isolated from Trump: Trump Turns to Outsiders, Not White House Staff, for Key Advice
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:45 PM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
President Donald Trump is increasingly relying on longtime outside advisers rather than White House staff as he deals with several major issues simultaneously, from a North Korean summit to the Russia investigation. But the perils of that approach were on display this week following a television interview he orchestrated with his new counsel, Rudy Giuliani.[...]Perhaps the aides are hoping to get through to Trump via the WSJ about how this situation really looks since they can't leak anonymously if they appear on Fox News.
Mr. Trump’s surprises have grabbed attention, but they demoralized several members of his team—chief spokeswoman Sarah Sanders was furious after Mr. Giuliani’s Fox appearance, according to officials—and they undercut the protocols put in place by chief of staff John Kelly.
“The president’s conduct disempowers Kelly and those in the White House who would be helpful in protecting him,” a White House official said Friday. That’s worrisome, this person said, because Mr. Kelly “has the ability to actually help the president and prevent chaos and ineffective messaging.”
There appears to be little prospect of a return to Mr. Kelly’s strict procedures: Mr. Trump has recently turned for advice to several people with whom he was once close, then was distant, and now is back in touch, though not on the White House staff, or operating on White House protocol.
For instance, Mr. Trump has been in contact of late with his former campaign manager and senior adviser Stephen K. Bannon, a White House official said. Mr. Bannon was ostracized a few months ago over comments attributed to him in Michael Wolff’s critical Trump book, “Fire and Fury.”
And Mr. Trump invited former campaign staffer Corey Lewandowski, whom Mr. Trump ousted from the campaign and never hired in the White House, to travel with him on Air Force One to a recent rally in Michigan.
Mr. Lewandowski bypasses the White House switchboard to directly dial Mr. Trump’s cellphone, say people familiar with the matter. He couldn’t be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, an outspoken critic of the Russia investigation, has been meeting with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office. She didn’t respond to a request for comment.[...]
By many accounts, Mr. Trump is reveling in his new approach. He was in “great spirits and a great mood,” according to one adviser who spoke to Mr. Trump this week, especially as the North Korean summit approaches. This person said Mr. Trump believes that if he can find a deal with North Korea, then little else matters.
“This is his reality-show strategy,” this person said, referencing Mr. Trump’s previous work on “The Apprentice.” “He’s vying for public opinion instead of worrying about the details.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:45 PM on May 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
If this is true, then the suspicious $130k coming out of the Trump election campaign and into the Trump hotels is a phantom, a random fluke of data, a 1 in 18,000 or so blip.
Hypothesising causality...
Trump is a petty and petulant little man who believes everything is owed him and that he owes nothing. Any significant payment he has to make from his own pocket is narcissistic injury.
Having to pay hush money to maintain his presidential bid popularity would be an insult, injury, and a loss that would have got him old-man-shouting-at-clouds angry, and also demanding that his account toothlings immediately transfer the money from the campaign to cover it. He'd still obviously pay out as slow as possible, because that's what guys like him do.
And even though the payments may not have been made to Cohen at the time, the statistically improbable combined transfers from the campaign funds to Trump holdings do suggest that that is the latest that he learned the he was going to have to make that payment.
posted by Buntix at 8:06 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hypothesising causality...
Trump is a petty and petulant little man who believes everything is owed him and that he owes nothing. Any significant payment he has to make from his own pocket is narcissistic injury.
Having to pay hush money to maintain his presidential bid popularity would be an insult, injury, and a loss that would have got him old-man-shouting-at-clouds angry, and also demanding that his account toothlings immediately transfer the money from the campaign to cover it. He'd still obviously pay out as slow as possible, because that's what guys like him do.
And even though the payments may not have been made to Cohen at the time, the statistically improbable combined transfers from the campaign funds to Trump holdings do suggest that that is the latest that he learned the he was going to have to make that payment.
posted by Buntix at 8:06 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
CNN: Cohen received $774K credit line during campaign
774/130 = 5.953.
I think it's safe to round that up to 6.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:17 PM on May 4, 2018 [26 favorites]
774/130 = 5.953.
I think it's safe to round that up to 6.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:17 PM on May 4, 2018 [26 favorites]
Fuckin’a. We all need to step back from the Administration leakstream because by now there’s no way to tell if they are real or if they are “journalist real”; here’s what a source said and that’s the story. With no names and no full stop to evaluate the veracity of any given line (which history gives), we readers can’t evaluate the reliability of any of these stories. It’s just churn. And clicks.
Turn on and drop out and elect the most left Democrats, wherever you are.
posted by notyou at 8:17 PM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
Turn on and drop out and elect the most left Democrats, wherever you are.
posted by notyou at 8:17 PM on May 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
So is his standard payoff 130k or is that all he could afford with Cohen's credit line?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:21 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:21 PM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
So now he's mad at Hannity too?
Hannity said "funneled" first after Rudy's reveal and then Rudy latched on to it and repeated it.
posted by chris24 at 8:27 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Hannity said "funneled" first after Rudy's reveal and then Rudy latched on to it and repeated it.
posted by chris24 at 8:27 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Mueller Poses As Fox News Host To Coax Rudy Giuliani Into Giving Him Testimony On Trump [Onion]
NEW YORK—Welcoming viewers back to an exclusive interview featuring the President’s new attorney, Special Counsel Robert Mueller posed as a Fox News host Thursday to coax Rudy Giuliani into giving him a testimony on Trump.
“Rudy, it’s always a pleasure to have you on ‘Mueller Tonight’—now, I wanted to really dig in and ask you about the President’s state of mind on April 11, 2017,” said Mueller, who leaned over his desk as Giuliani eagerly answered a series of follow-up questions concerning Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and the Seychelles islands, stressing that the millions tuning in to watch the 8 p.m. primetime Fox News talk show “really appreciated” the former New York City mayor’s insight.
“Fascinating stuff, Rudy. I’m sure our fans at home are especially interested in that Trump Tower meeting you just mentioned. Before we head to break, though, would you mind putting your hand on this Bible and repeating something for me?” At press time, Mueller had welcomed President Trump, who called in to the show to give a statement confirming everything Giuliani had just said.
Heh heh heh. It's funny 'cause . . *sigh* . . . it's the weekend?
posted by petebest at 8:40 PM on May 4, 2018 [29 favorites]
NEW YORK—Welcoming viewers back to an exclusive interview featuring the President’s new attorney, Special Counsel Robert Mueller posed as a Fox News host Thursday to coax Rudy Giuliani into giving him a testimony on Trump.
“Rudy, it’s always a pleasure to have you on ‘Mueller Tonight’—now, I wanted to really dig in and ask you about the President’s state of mind on April 11, 2017,” said Mueller, who leaned over his desk as Giuliani eagerly answered a series of follow-up questions concerning Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and the Seychelles islands, stressing that the millions tuning in to watch the 8 p.m. primetime Fox News talk show “really appreciated” the former New York City mayor’s insight.
“Fascinating stuff, Rudy. I’m sure our fans at home are especially interested in that Trump Tower meeting you just mentioned. Before we head to break, though, would you mind putting your hand on this Bible and repeating something for me?” At press time, Mueller had welcomed President Trump, who called in to the show to give a statement confirming everything Giuliani had just said.
Heh heh heh. It's funny 'cause . . *sigh* . . . it's the weekend?
posted by petebest at 8:40 PM on May 4, 2018 [29 favorites]
Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, our mayor retweeted the Stormy Daniels I-don't-do-anal tweet and I think that means it's time to go to bed and not wake up for approximately four million years.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:42 PM on May 4, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:42 PM on May 4, 2018 [32 favorites]
Trump’s Lawyer Went to the Worst Law School in America
Michael Cohen’s alma mater has long been a punchline in the legal world.
posted by octothorpe at 8:49 PM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Michael Cohen’s alma mater has long been a punchline in the legal world.
posted by octothorpe at 8:49 PM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Back in the early ’80s, the average full cost of a year of public college was $2,870, the maximum Pell grant was $1,800, and the minimum wage was $3.35. With only $1,070 to pay, a summer job would only need to be 26 hours a week for three months.Okay, I was out all day and am just now caught up. The above quote was from a Time article dated July 26, 2016 and the corroboration link is dead but here we have the Average undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates charged for full-time student and the Federal Minimum Wage Rates and the Federal Pell Grant Program Data Books 1980-81 - 1989-90.
"Early 80s" is vague but the author's college cost appears to be from 1979-80, his Pell Grant info is from 1982-83 (also valid for 1983-84), and his minimum wage is from 1981 onwards. If we go by the Pell Grant maximum in 1982-83, then the corresponding total tuition, room, and board was $3877, over $1000 more. So, more hours to make that up, and by my reckoning, if you only took Sundays off for 13 weeks, you could earn it working 8 hrs a day; a 48 hour work week. Slightly more than 26.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:55 PM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
But... how is this not in contravention of the Logan act?
It probably is. The Logan act is apparently a joke which nobody on either side of the aisle respects. It should therefore be repealed.
Or, actually enforced.
posted by darkstar at 8:59 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
It probably is. The Logan act is apparently a joke which nobody on either side of the aisle respects. It should therefore be repealed.
Or, actually enforced.
posted by darkstar at 8:59 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
Rudy Giuliani has violated the Trumpworld canon (Alexandra Petri, WaPo)
It would be petty to accuse Donald Trump of lying. He is doing something more complicated. He has been painstakingly constructing a fictional universe over the past 30 years. (Happy Star Wars Day, Internet!) He has built a world full of colorful, mustachioed characters — some doctors, some lawyers, some national security advisers — in which he possesses supernatural powers, a secret identity (John Barron), and wealth and health that cannot be measured using ordinary tools. He has also been elected president of the United States.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:11 PM on May 4, 2018 [26 favorites]
Nobody is lying in Trumpworld. The facts are evolving. The canon is constantly being revised in order to satisfy passionate fans, and the haters can suck it up. Does anyone remember George Papadopoulos or Carter Page? Of course not. They are no longer canon.
The boundaries of Trumpworld are controlled only by the Word of God (Trump, its creator). His statements alone carry weight, until they don’t. Some figures are welcomed into the story as recurring, active characters (Jared, Ivanka); others dip in and out of existence entirely (Tiffany). It is impossible to keep all these story lines and relationships straight — even the Creator cannot always do so. […]
And now Rudy Giuliani, I am ashamed to say, has run afoul of canon.
Giuliani thought he was helping by sharing some fun new stories he had discovered about the president, but it turned out he was violating the first rule of Trump canon, which is that only Trump can set canon.
Yeah, Kerry is up to no good and should stop, even if he is up to good. The whole stupid point of the American Project is that process matters more than results.
Someone should tell the guy who thinks he is representing American interests that he isn’t.
posted by notyou at 9:12 PM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Someone should tell the guy who thinks he is representing American interests that he isn’t.
posted by notyou at 9:12 PM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ending Friday on a different note. Arizona state Rep. Kelly Townsend, a Republican, has spent the week calling striking teachers socialists. The conversation took a turn:
posted by zachlipton at 10:03 PM on May 4, 2018 [115 favorites]
Replying to her on Twitter, a furry who goes by @peppercoyote pointed out (accurately!) that public education is an inherently socialist concept. Another furry calling himself @andreuswolf observed, "Imagine going to all this trouble to get elected to the state legislature of Arizona only to get logically destroyed by a furry."Yeah. That's asking for trouble. We'll just let @KaneHusky13 take this one:
"please educate me as to what a furry is," Townsend replied.
ma'amShe's since spent her night being educated by the furry community, receiving hundreds of replies, some pornographic. An artist (@Meta_Artist) just designed a fursona for her, free of charge, though it comes with a reminder,
I'm not really sorry for what's about to happen to you
.@KellyTownsend11 as a working artist I normally charge for my art but since you genuinely seemed curious about getting a fursona this is a freebie. Just remember the teachers are educational foundation for America's youth and they deserve better pay for their hard work.Rep. Townsend seems to be embracing her new fursona, as it's now her Facebook profile picture.
posted by zachlipton at 10:03 PM on May 4, 2018 [115 favorites]
This clears Cohen of charges of making illegal campaign contributions, since he was no longer the one who made the payment, and clears Trump as well, since he had no idea the payments were cam
Solid logic except for one problem: loans to a candidate or a campaign are also contributions and must be reported on FEC forms. And even if it was a personal, non-campaign loan, it still had to be reported on Trump’s financial disclosure form.
posted by msalt at 10:12 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Solid logic except for one problem: loans to a candidate or a campaign are also contributions and must be reported on FEC forms. And even if it was a personal, non-campaign loan, it still had to be reported on Trump’s financial disclosure form.
posted by msalt at 10:12 PM on May 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Jimmy Fallon says that Trump's next plan is to pay $130,000 in hush money to Rudy Giuliani.
posted by JackFlash at 10:41 PM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by JackFlash at 10:41 PM on May 4, 2018 [25 favorites]
That same joke about "hush money to Giuliani" was earlier today made by THREE of the editorial cartoonists I follow: Stuart Carlson, Mike Luckovich, and Tom Toles. Maybe Fallon needs a newspaper subscription...
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:53 PM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:53 PM on May 4, 2018 [11 favorites]
Mike Luckovich is the best part of my AJC sub! Jimmy Kimmel suggests Guiliani was meant to go out there and make and ass of himself and let us know that Donald paid Stormy, because the feds already got all that info in the raid and this is their way of getting ahead of it.
posted by mllm at 11:06 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mllm at 11:06 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Solid logic except for one problem: loans to a candidate or a campaign are also contributions and must be reported on FEC forms. And even if it was a personal, non-campaign loan, it still had to be reported on Trump’s financial disclosure form.
My understanding is that you only need to report a loan that is campaign related. Giuliani and Trump are claiming the loan was personal. Trump's repayment to Cohen was distributed (funneled) through payments first made to a law firm. Trump probably did disclose these payments, but it wouldn't have been clear the payments were ultimately being redistributed to Cohen. I don't think this is illegal, just a shady business practice.
posted by xammerboy at 11:11 PM on May 4, 2018
My understanding is that you only need to report a loan that is campaign related. Giuliani and Trump are claiming the loan was personal. Trump's repayment to Cohen was distributed (funneled) through payments first made to a law firm. Trump probably did disclose these payments, but it wouldn't have been clear the payments were ultimately being redistributed to Cohen. I don't think this is illegal, just a shady business practice.
posted by xammerboy at 11:11 PM on May 4, 2018
The bar for proving this money was a campaign contribution is really high.
Though it is admittedly helpful when an attorney for the defendant says on live television that it was made to help the campaign.
posted by Justinian at 11:18 PM on May 4, 2018 [39 favorites]
Though it is admittedly helpful when an attorney for the defendant says on live television that it was made to help the campaign.
posted by Justinian at 11:18 PM on May 4, 2018 [39 favorites]
Didn't Davidson (Stormy's first, shit lawyer) have communications with Cohen wrt to the time line of payment? Yeah, zachlipton posted about it last night, about "the need for the payment to be made prior to the election."
posted by mllm at 11:27 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by mllm at 11:27 PM on May 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump says he only knew that he made a payment to Cohen, and did not know any other details. This gets Trump off the hook.
Does this get Cohen off the hook? I'm not sure. Cohen was obviously acting with Trump's political considerations in mind, but I'm not sure this is illegal if he wasn't directed to do it as a part of his job. It's just something he did while carrying out his personal business work for Trump. This is the same loophole many politicians exploit through "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" means.
posted by xammerboy at 11:59 PM on May 4, 2018
Does this get Cohen off the hook? I'm not sure. Cohen was obviously acting with Trump's political considerations in mind, but I'm not sure this is illegal if he wasn't directed to do it as a part of his job. It's just something he did while carrying out his personal business work for Trump. This is the same loophole many politicians exploit through "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" means.
posted by xammerboy at 11:59 PM on May 4, 2018
Exclusive: Nunes demands Justice Department records. Then he doesn't read them., By Manu Raju, Jeremy Herb and Laura Jarrett, CNN
This is so stupid it's impossible not to laugh, except it probably works with the no-nothing voters. Some outtakes:
This is so stupid it's impossible not to laugh, except it probably works with the no-nothing voters. Some outtakes:
Facing the growing pressure, and outrage from President Donald Trump, Rosenstein finally relented in early April -- and granted Nunes and Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina access to the document with only minimal redactions to protect the name of a foreign country and agent, along with all members of the House Intelligence Committee.And the final paragraphs:
But when the pair arrived at the Justice Department to review the electronic communication, officials were caught off-guard by his next move. Nunes -- sitting with a copy of the document in an unopened folder directly in front of him -- opted not to read it, according to four sources with knowledge of the situation.
"It's a fair question: What evidence did you have to start this investigation?" said Rep. Chris Stewart, a Utah Republican who sits on the committee. "Well, the answer isn't very good."posted by mumimor at 1:06 AM on May 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
King, who also sits on the panel, said that it showed the start of the investigation was "baseless."
"To me, there was no real basis for the investigation to begin in the first place," King said. The FBI was "using a backdoor process to rely on data, which did not rise to any intelligence level. Rumors, rather than intelligence."
King said at the time that he hadn't yet read the document, but had been briefed by Nunes' staff.
I'm reading Sontag essays about Illness as Metaphor and boy you can see the country is like two steps away from declaring immigrants a cancer upon the land and, like with cancer patients, we have to resort to extreme measures.
Come to think of it, I wonder if that's how Mitch McConnell say lives with himself. Yes, Trump is an extreme situation, but just as chemotherapy causes discomfort with the patient in the process of curing the patient, we have to put up the fact that everything related to the head of state is on fire. The fire will drive away the disease that is, for Mitch McConnell, a change in voting demographics that will kick his and his compatriots' asses out the door.
I bet it fucking is. I bet this is how some of these fuckers live with themselves.
posted by angrycat at 1:08 AM on May 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
Come to think of it, I wonder if that's how Mitch McConnell say lives with himself. Yes, Trump is an extreme situation, but just as chemotherapy causes discomfort with the patient in the process of curing the patient, we have to put up the fact that everything related to the head of state is on fire. The fire will drive away the disease that is, for Mitch McConnell, a change in voting demographics that will kick his and his compatriots' asses out the door.
I bet it fucking is. I bet this is how some of these fuckers live with themselves.
posted by angrycat at 1:08 AM on May 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I don’t think it works that way (but IANAL). Trump has a personal financial disclosure that requires he report outstanding debts (which would include loans disguised as retainer fees). He has admitted - even in his changed-for-a-third time story - that he knew there was a paymnt to Stormy hidden in that changed retainer.
Basically he had two separate disclosures, and all debts were required to be disclosed under the non-campaign one.
The only way I could imagine this story working would be if Trump had a long-running, unchanging retainer agreement for $35,000/month and told Cohen “If any bullshit comes up, just pay them off out of this and don’t even tell me about it. If nothing comes up,
well Merry Christmas.”
But according to all 3 of Trump’s explanations, that’s not what happened.
posted by msalt at 1:09 AM on May 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
Basically he had two separate disclosures, and all debts were required to be disclosed under the non-campaign one.
The only way I could imagine this story working would be if Trump had a long-running, unchanging retainer agreement for $35,000/month and told Cohen “If any bullshit comes up, just pay them off out of this and don’t even tell me about it. If nothing comes up,
well Merry Christmas.”
But according to all 3 of Trump’s explanations, that’s not what happened.
posted by msalt at 1:09 AM on May 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
Exclusive: Nunes demands Justice Department records. Then he doesn't read them.
He doesn't give a shit about the records, or probably even the exact nature of any of his demands, as long as he has at least some unreasonable demand to throw at the DOJ, so that when they refuse, Trump can pretend to be victimized. If their staffers find anything useful in the actual records, its just an added bonus they can use to adjust their lies accordingly.
Rinse and repeat for as long as possible in hopes of turning enough public opinion against DOJ for Trump to start the firings.
posted by p3t3 at 4:11 AM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
He doesn't give a shit about the records, or probably even the exact nature of any of his demands, as long as he has at least some unreasonable demand to throw at the DOJ, so that when they refuse, Trump can pretend to be victimized. If their staffers find anything useful in the actual records, its just an added bonus they can use to adjust their lies accordingly.
Rinse and repeat for as long as possible in hopes of turning enough public opinion against DOJ for Trump to start the firings.
posted by p3t3 at 4:11 AM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Congressional bipartisanship at highest levels since Bush
I was tempted to ascribe this to a certain amount of banding together against Trumpian chaos, but since bipartisanship was last high(er) under W and dipped under Obama this just looks like further proof that Democrats are more interested in governing even if it means compromising when they're out of power, while the Republicans are purely interested in obstruction when they're out of power.
posted by duoshao at 5:14 AM on May 5, 2018 [36 favorites]
I was tempted to ascribe this to a certain amount of banding together against Trumpian chaos, but since bipartisanship was last high(er) under W and dipped under Obama this just looks like further proof that Democrats are more interested in governing even if it means compromising when they're out of power, while the Republicans are purely interested in obstruction when they're out of power.
posted by duoshao at 5:14 AM on May 5, 2018 [36 favorites]
At the tone, the time will be Scott Pruitt Scandal #87.
*booooop*
Pruitt Reimbursed Himself $65K from Campaign Funds (CNN via PoliticalWire)
A CNN analysis “has found that embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt paid himself nearly $65,000 in reimbursements from his two campaigns for Oklahoma attorney general, a move at least one election watchdog has sharply criticized as being recorded so vaguely that there was no way to tell if such payments were lawful.”
[. . . ]When purchases are made directly, the campaign filings would show more details about who received the payments.
Instead, dozens of entries on Pruitt's 2010 and 2014 campaign finance filings show payments to him but don't have the same level of detail, making it difficult to tell if the purchases were legitimate.
Campaign slush funds are exactly for these kinds of things. John F. Kennedy, a paragon of campaign finance himself, also spent $3,100 at Pier1 for "Decorations" and $1,500 for a new Macbook. As the candidate, it's his divine right by Gord to funnel or swipe or fritter as he sees fit. Founder Intended, Scalia Approved™!
posted by petebest at 5:33 AM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
*booooop*
Pruitt Reimbursed Himself $65K from Campaign Funds (CNN via PoliticalWire)
A CNN analysis “has found that embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt paid himself nearly $65,000 in reimbursements from his two campaigns for Oklahoma attorney general, a move at least one election watchdog has sharply criticized as being recorded so vaguely that there was no way to tell if such payments were lawful.”
[. . . ]When purchases are made directly, the campaign filings would show more details about who received the payments.
Instead, dozens of entries on Pruitt's 2010 and 2014 campaign finance filings show payments to him but don't have the same level of detail, making it difficult to tell if the purchases were legitimate.
Campaign slush funds are exactly for these kinds of things. John F. Kennedy, a paragon of campaign finance himself, also spent $3,100 at Pier1 for "Decorations" and $1,500 for a new Macbook. As the candidate, it's his divine right by Gord to funnel or swipe or fritter as he sees fit. Founder Intended, Scalia Approved™!
posted by petebest at 5:33 AM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
I was thinking we hadn't heard much about Jared lately, so: Rudy Giuliani Says Jared Kushner Is 'Disposable,' but Offers to Protect Ivanka Trump 'with a Lance'
All perfectly normal, nothing to see here.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:46 AM on May 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
All perfectly normal, nothing to see here.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:46 AM on May 5, 2018 [21 favorites]
This sluiced through the Rude Storm yesterday, House Republicans Prepare to Endorse Trump’s Military Parade (Bloomberg)
The measure is scheduled to be taken up by the House Armed Services Committee on May 9. [...] The parade would look back “on a century of military service and focuses on the men and women who sacrificed to secure America’s freedoms,” according to the summary released by committee chairman Mac Thornberry, a Texas Republican. “Far too many American veterans and their families believe their sacrifices have not been given the public recognition that they deserve.”
Yeah, blame the veterans, sure. Why fess up to the truth.
A committee Republican spokesman said Friday that specific funding for the parade isn’t set in the legislation.
[...] Trump was impressed by the military display of armaments when he attended France’s Bastille Day parade last year and asked the Pentagon to come up with a plan for a similar event in Washington. [...]
“We have a Napoleon in the making here,” Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who serves on the Armed Services panel, said on CNN in February.
Pretty sure she was referring to the character in Animal Farm.
posted by petebest at 5:57 AM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
The measure is scheduled to be taken up by the House Armed Services Committee on May 9. [...] The parade would look back “on a century of military service and focuses on the men and women who sacrificed to secure America’s freedoms,” according to the summary released by committee chairman Mac Thornberry, a Texas Republican. “Far too many American veterans and their families believe their sacrifices have not been given the public recognition that they deserve.”
Yeah, blame the veterans, sure. Why fess up to the truth.
A committee Republican spokesman said Friday that specific funding for the parade isn’t set in the legislation.
[...] Trump was impressed by the military display of armaments when he attended France’s Bastille Day parade last year and asked the Pentagon to come up with a plan for a similar event in Washington. [...]
“We have a Napoleon in the making here,” Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who serves on the Armed Services panel, said on CNN in February.
Pretty sure she was referring to the character in Animal Farm.
posted by petebest at 5:57 AM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
As with Trump, there's this weirdly universal consensus that Jared (and maybe also Ivanka) did commit crimes. In the past month everyone has been asking "Will Cohen flip on Trump?" and lots of Donald's supporters (probably including Rudy, if he had been asked) would give a yes-or-no-answer, usually "No, he's too loyal" or something… despite what that implies (the "best" answer image-wise would be "There's nothing flippable because the president is completely innocent!" Note that Donald tried squaring the circle by saying people sometimes take the heat off themselves by outright lying, but ha ha ha.) Now Rudy is doing the same with Jared… instead of "Nobody here has done anything wrong, do you think the president would entrust so much responsibility to someone with less than full integrity, of course not."
And in a larger sense, I've been surprised at the failure of the right to sell a version of events where all these people are genuinely innocent. Instead, their major talking points (besides "but Hillary") have been accusations of improper prosecutorial conduct. Despite their extensive experience in reality-fabrication, few or none of them are willing to say that Manafort laundered zero dollars, Page's relationships with Russians are clean and legitimate, and so on. (Trump has talked about Flynn as fundamentally innocent, so that's something. But basically all the defenses along those lines have Trumpish incoherence, rather than detailed arguments that provide alibis, like "That evidence was doctored by the FBI" or something.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:13 AM on May 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
And in a larger sense, I've been surprised at the failure of the right to sell a version of events where all these people are genuinely innocent. Instead, their major talking points (besides "but Hillary") have been accusations of improper prosecutorial conduct. Despite their extensive experience in reality-fabrication, few or none of them are willing to say that Manafort laundered zero dollars, Page's relationships with Russians are clean and legitimate, and so on. (Trump has talked about Flynn as fundamentally innocent, so that's something. But basically all the defenses along those lines have Trumpish incoherence, rather than detailed arguments that provide alibis, like "That evidence was doctored by the FBI" or something.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:13 AM on May 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
chairman Mac Thornberry, a Texas Republican. “Far too many American veterans and their families believe their sacrifices have not been given the public recognition that they deserve.”
I've talked before about how much bullshit military parades are in general and this parade will be in particular, so I will merely say this:
I will give you one guess as to how much time Rep. Thornberry has spent in uniform, standing in the sun, waiting for the goddamn parade to start.
posted by Etrigan at 6:13 AM on May 5, 2018 [67 favorites]
I've talked before about how much bullshit military parades are in general and this parade will be in particular, so I will merely say this:
I will give you one guess as to how much time Rep. Thornberry has spent in uniform, standing in the sun, waiting for the goddamn parade to start.
posted by Etrigan at 6:13 AM on May 5, 2018 [67 favorites]
As a willing warrior for Trump, Sarah Sanders struggles to maintain credibility
That Sarah Huckabee Sanders has any credibility to maintain at this point is part of the failures of the Washington press corpse.
And proves Michelle Wolf's point.
posted by Gelatin at 6:41 AM on May 5, 2018 [47 favorites]
That Sarah Huckabee Sanders has any credibility to maintain at this point is part of the failures of the Washington press corpse.
And proves Michelle Wolf's point.
posted by Gelatin at 6:41 AM on May 5, 2018 [47 favorites]
I will never look at Jared Kushner the same again after hearing David Byrne's pitch for Jared: The Musical.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:58 AM on May 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:58 AM on May 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
Congressional Freethought Caucus Launched:
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:13 AM on May 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
This week, Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman (CA), Jamie Raskin (MD), Jerry McNerney (CA), and Dan Kildee (MI) announced the formation of a new caucus, known as the Congressional Freethought Caucus, to safeguard the interests of nontheists in government, and to promote policies based, in their view, on reason and science.Jerry McNerney is not my Representative, but he's the representative of the next district over and my Rep works closely with him, so I can be proud of McNerney anyway! I'm glad to see there's some speaking back to rampant evangelicalism (which I know does not represent all Christians) in the US government.
...The interests represented by the Freethought Caucus, therefore, are far broader than those of straightforward atheists. Rather, the caucus will be responsible for safeguarding the rights of a number of religious traditions and identities...(Tara Isabella Burton, Vox)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:13 AM on May 5, 2018 [64 favorites]
Catherine Rampell: I'm at a conference where a speaker said one of the articles of impeachment against Andrew Johnson "referred to fact that he was a great big a**hole." Guessing it's this one (picture of Article X text)
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:39 AM on May 5, 2018 [29 favorites]ARTICLE X.
That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, unmindful of the high duties of his office and the dignity and proprieties thereof, and of the harmony and courtesies which ought to exist and be maintained between the executive and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, designing and intending to set aside the rightful authorities and powers of Congress, did attempt to bring into disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt and reproach the Congress of the United States, and the several branches thereof, to impair and destroy the regard and respect of all the good people of the United States for the Congress and legislative power thereof, (which all officers of the government ought inviolably to preserve and maintain,) and to excite the odium and resentment of all good people of the United States against Congress and the laws by it duly and constitutionally enacted; and in pursuance of his said design and intent, openly and publicly and before divers assemblages of citizens of the United States, convened in divers parts thereof, to meet and receive said Andrew Johnson as the Chief Magistrate of the United States, did, on the 18th day of August, in the year of our Lord 1866, and on divers other days and times, as well before as afterward, make and declare, with a loud voice certain intemperate, inflammatory, and scandalous harangues, and therein utter loud threats and bitter menaces, as well against Congress as the laws of the United States duly enacted thereby, amid the cries, jeers and laughter of the multitudes then assembled in hearing, which are set forth in the several specifications hereinafter written, in substance and effect, that is to say: (continues)
Speaking of pennies possibly dropping, Kellyanne Conway has made some dramatic changes to her twitter feed:
Stopped Following: Fox News, Lou Dobbs, Bill Mitchell
Started Following: Philip Bump, Lawfare Blog, Renato Mariotti, Asha Rangoppa, Natasha Bertrand
If not pennies dropping, perhaps subpoenas? Or George staging an intervention?
posted by carmicha at 7:45 AM on May 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Stopped Following: Fox News, Lou Dobbs, Bill Mitchell
Started Following: Philip Bump, Lawfare Blog, Renato Mariotti, Asha Rangoppa, Natasha Bertrand
If not pennies dropping, perhaps subpoenas? Or George staging an intervention?
posted by carmicha at 7:45 AM on May 5, 2018 [17 favorites]
Kellyanne Conway has started following LAWFARE? Oh, yeah, she's positioning herself as a reasonable national-security-focussed conservative.
posted by suelac at 7:53 AM on May 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by suelac at 7:53 AM on May 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
If not pennies dropping, perhaps subpoenas? Or George staging an intervention?
If this is the corner (incredible IF), these aiders and abetters will be scrummaging loudly for absolution. None shall pass.
And check out "Excite the Odium", the new album by Zalex Dimensional Anomaly! Out now on records, 8-track, and cassette! From MeFi MegaRecords!
posted by petebest at 8:01 AM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
If this is the corner (incredible IF), these aiders and abetters will be scrummaging loudly for absolution. None shall pass.
And check out "Excite the Odium", the new album by Zalex Dimensional Anomaly! Out now on records, 8-track, and cassette! From MeFi MegaRecords!
posted by petebest at 8:01 AM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Kellyanne Conway has started following LAWFARE?
Coincidentally, former FBI General Counsel James Baker is going to write for Lawfare (and is joining the Brookings Institution as visiting fellow).
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:09 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Coincidentally, former FBI General Counsel James Baker is going to write for Lawfare (and is joining the Brookings Institution as visiting fellow).
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:09 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump has a personal financial disclosure that requires he report outstanding debts (which would include loans disguised as retainer fees).
I am not a lawyer either, but everything I have read has repeated over and over through many sources that Trump only had to disclose campaign related financial information, that if this was a personal business payment it was not a crime.
The only way I could imagine this story working would be if Trump had a long-running, unchanging retainer agreement for $35,000/month
Giuliani said the payments were for expenses over several months.
posted by xammerboy at 8:11 AM on May 5, 2018
I am not a lawyer either, but everything I have read has repeated over and over through many sources that Trump only had to disclose campaign related financial information, that if this was a personal business payment it was not a crime.
The only way I could imagine this story working would be if Trump had a long-running, unchanging retainer agreement for $35,000/month
Giuliani said the payments were for expenses over several months.
posted by xammerboy at 8:11 AM on May 5, 2018
Giuliani also said that the payments were mixed with other campaign related expenditures. So.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:19 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:19 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
If this is the corner (incredible IF), these aiders and abetters will be scrummaging loudly for absolution. None shall pass.
Or in the case of one of Pruitt's lieutenants, framing Zinke to distract attention from his boss.
posted by scalefree at 8:20 AM on May 5, 2018
Or in the case of one of Pruitt's lieutenants, framing Zinke to distract attention from his boss.
posted by scalefree at 8:20 AM on May 5, 2018
I was thinking we hadn't heard much about Jared lately, so: Rudy Giuliani Says Jared Kushner Is 'Disposable,' but Offers to Protect Ivanka Trump 'with a Lance'
I am genuinely surprised no one's tried to dump everything Russia-related on Kushner yet. It's just so perfect from Turnip's perspective: he looks like he's "draining" the "swamp" even from his innermost of circles, his base goes wild because a Jew takes the blame, Ivanka's single again...
posted by Behemoth at 8:51 AM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
I am genuinely surprised no one's tried to dump everything Russia-related on Kushner yet. It's just so perfect from Turnip's perspective: he looks like he's "draining" the "swamp" even from his innermost of circles, his base goes wild because a Jew takes the blame, Ivanka's single again...
posted by Behemoth at 8:51 AM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
I think Jared knows where too many of the bodies are buried to safely use as a fall guy. He's been hip deep in the money laundering from the get-go.
posted by scalefree at 9:02 AM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:02 AM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
The X article of impeachment for Andrew Johnson stating that one of the reasons for his impeachment was buffoonery is interesting to me, because I'm not sure that Trump's crimes alone are impeachment worthy.
But if it were up to me, I would still vote for impeachment. Not lightly, because I don't want a precedent set in this country where the majority party can simply impeach a president for any misdemeanor.
I would need an article for impeachment that thoroughly explained Trump's pattern of looking for ways to subvert the Constitution, as well as his pattern of making last minute, uninformed decisions of huge consequence.
Ultimately, the number one reason I am more comfortable with President Pence over Trump, is that I believe Trump is truly unpredictable, capable of making truly dangerous and disastrous decisions on the fly based on absurd reasons with input from no one.
posted by xammerboy at 9:23 AM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
But if it were up to me, I would still vote for impeachment. Not lightly, because I don't want a precedent set in this country where the majority party can simply impeach a president for any misdemeanor.
I would need an article for impeachment that thoroughly explained Trump's pattern of looking for ways to subvert the Constitution, as well as his pattern of making last minute, uninformed decisions of huge consequence.
Ultimately, the number one reason I am more comfortable with President Pence over Trump, is that I believe Trump is truly unpredictable, capable of making truly dangerous and disastrous decisions on the fly based on absurd reasons with input from no one.
posted by xammerboy at 9:23 AM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Trump is the definition of "high crimes" not misdemeanors.
posted by maxwelton at 9:29 AM on May 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 9:29 AM on May 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
Wasn't cronyism and appointing unqualified people a reason for Johnson's impeachment?
posted by thelonius at 9:41 AM on May 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 9:41 AM on May 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Is Jared even still alive? It's been like a month since he has been assigned a new major portfolio.
posted by srboisvert at 10:07 AM on May 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 10:07 AM on May 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I've got this boilerplate list of impeachable offenses for whenever anyone asks. (Feel free to use off if it's useful.)
-He is violating the emoluments clause, and as a result is receiving bribes from foreign powers.posted by OnceUponATime at 10:09 AM on May 5, 2018 [103 favorites]
- There is evidence that his campaign colluded with Russia to spread false propaganda, hack into state elections databases, and sabotage his political opponents by stealing and publishing their private communications. This activity could be prosecutable as conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to violate the computer fraud and abuse act, and under campaign finance laws which forbid in-kind donations from foreign entities.
- He's obstructed justice by firing and trying to intimidate the head of the FBI who was investigating Russian activity.
- He is undermining our national security by leaking intelligence to Russian agents, refusing to take responsibility for military engagements, and neglecting diplomacy. I'm not sure whether the president can be persecuted for leaking Israeli classified info to Russia, but anyone else would be.
- He has no understanding of the Constitution and is ridiculously unqualified to lead. This is not a crime but it ought to bar him from holding office.
- He lies constantly and undermines trust in the US government. Again maybe not illegal (though it is if he lies to federal investigators) but it should be disqualifying, since it endangers our credibility, undermining our alliances.
I don't see the upside in scapegoating Jared. They'd have to admit that there really was collusion in the campaign, and there's just way too much evidence to limit it to one person. If the meetings with Russians and the policy decisions etc. etc. really were pointing to collusion, then Donald Jr., Eric and Erik Prince were all in the room too, and it'd be damn near impossible to keep the damage contained. The base would buy it, of course, but if you're going to feed them a ludicrous lie that doesn't hold up under any kind of scrutiny, why not go with "we're all innocent"?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:10 AM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:10 AM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hell, I would be happy to accept “Has established a pattern and culture of lies and deceit with the American people, in matters ranging from the most trivial to the most consequential” and “Fomenting distrust for and hatred of the free press” as being impeachable offenses, as they are both inherently corrosive to the fundamentals of democracy.
posted by darkstar at 10:11 AM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 10:11 AM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
Graft, corruption, cronyism, obstruction, sexual assault, extortion, racketeering, bribery, conspiracy, money laundering, tax fraud probably.
These feel like they are "worthy" of impeachment to me. Why is the bar set so ridiculously high now? Maybe this frog boiling strategy has worked.
posted by Horkus at 10:12 AM on May 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
These feel like they are "worthy" of impeachment to me. Why is the bar set so ridiculously high now? Maybe this frog boiling strategy has worked.
posted by Horkus at 10:12 AM on May 5, 2018 [38 favorites]
If we're listing impeachable offenses, let's not forget to add "failure to faithfully discharge the duties of the office of President" to the list.
The refusal to implement Russia sanctions passed by Congress, and the failure to adequately staff the government (most notably, the State Department) would be the two most prominent examples of this, but no doubt there are other actions (or inactions, as the case may be) that could fit this category, too.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 10:35 AM on May 5, 2018 [67 favorites]
The refusal to implement Russia sanctions passed by Congress, and the failure to adequately staff the government (most notably, the State Department) would be the two most prominent examples of this, but no doubt there are other actions (or inactions, as the case may be) that could fit this category, too.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 10:35 AM on May 5, 2018 [67 favorites]
538 has his average approval at 42.1%, the highest since May 7, 2017.
The frog has lit a scented candle and is enjoying its nice warm bath in the pot.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:52 AM on May 5, 2018 [36 favorites]
The frog has lit a scented candle and is enjoying its nice warm bath in the pot.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:52 AM on May 5, 2018 [36 favorites]
I am not a lawyer either, but everything I have read has repeated over and over through many sources that Trump only had to disclose campaign related financial information, that if this was a personal business payment it was not a crime.
If the payment to Daniels was made to influence the campaign, which there is strong evidence that it was, then under campaign finance rules it was campaign related and his failure to disclose it was a violation of those rules.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 10:53 AM on May 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
If the payment to Daniels was made to influence the campaign, which there is strong evidence that it was, then under campaign finance rules it was campaign related and his failure to disclose it was a violation of those rules.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 10:53 AM on May 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Remember that impeachment is not a criminal proceeding, despite the vaguely courtlike show put on in the Senate. It is a 100% political process and depends on nothing but votes in Congress.
As former President Gerald Ford said, an impeachable offense is whatever a majority in the House decides it is at any given moment in history.
There may well be a political price to pay for impeaching a president on frivolous grounds. But as long as a simple majority in the House votes yes you can impeach a presudent literally on the grounds that you don't like him. I don't recommend this but it would be possible.
Never forget that the Republicans lowered the bar for impeachment to lying about a blowjob. That's the standard they set and I see no reason to set a higher standard for tgeir Presidents then they set for ours.
I agree that there are stronger reasons to impeach, but by Mitch McConnell standards Trump lying about buying sex with Stormy Daniels is sufficient cause to remove him from office. Tgus he argued when he coted to impeach Bill Clinton and urged hia fellow Aenators to join him.
posted by sotonohito at 11:02 AM on May 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
As former President Gerald Ford said, an impeachable offense is whatever a majority in the House decides it is at any given moment in history.
There may well be a political price to pay for impeaching a president on frivolous grounds. But as long as a simple majority in the House votes yes you can impeach a presudent literally on the grounds that you don't like him. I don't recommend this but it would be possible.
Never forget that the Republicans lowered the bar for impeachment to lying about a blowjob. That's the standard they set and I see no reason to set a higher standard for tgeir Presidents then they set for ours.
I agree that there are stronger reasons to impeach, but by Mitch McConnell standards Trump lying about buying sex with Stormy Daniels is sufficient cause to remove him from office. Tgus he argued when he coted to impeach Bill Clinton and urged hia fellow Aenators to join him.
posted by sotonohito at 11:02 AM on May 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
Why the fuck are his poll numbers going up? Who the fuck is nodding to themselves and saying, 'bit of a rough start, but you've got the hang up it now, Mr. President. Is it the frog boiling thing? I'm going to make my psychiatrist explain this to me next session. Thinking that so many of my countrymen have less common sense than my cats is making me all warped and bitter inside.
posted by angrycat at 11:11 AM on May 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 11:11 AM on May 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
Why the fuck are his poll numbers going up?
The economy's good and North Korea is making noises about ending the war. Most people simply don't care that much about corruption if it doesn't immediately and directly affect them.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:17 AM on May 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
The economy's good and North Korea is making noises about ending the war. Most people simply don't care that much about corruption if it doesn't immediately and directly affect them.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:17 AM on May 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Why the fuck are his poll numbers going up? Who the fuck is nodding to themselves and saying, 'bit of a rough start, but you've got the hang up it now, Mr. President. Is it the frog boiling thing? I'm going to make my psychiatrist explain this to me next session. Thinking that so many of my countrymen have less common sense than my cats is making me all warped and bitter inside.
Survey said! Number one answer on the board: North Korea.
posted by scalefree at 11:19 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Survey said! Number one answer on the board: North Korea.
posted by scalefree at 11:19 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
We've had several months of strong economic indicators. U3 and U6 are both at near two-decade lows as of this month, and wage growth is starting to perk up. That has as much (or more) to do with presidential approval figures than just about anything else.
Trump won't shake much below 40% until one of two things happens: 1) a recession, 2) Republican leadership turning on him as a result of scandal or loss in midterms.
posted by Room 101 at 11:20 AM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Trump won't shake much below 40% until one of two things happens: 1) a recession, 2) Republican leadership turning on him as a result of scandal or loss in midterms.
posted by Room 101 at 11:20 AM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm just wondering where his ceiling is. I had though it was in the low 40s. If the economy keeps humming along I'm no longer convinced people aren't shortsighted enough to push his approval close to 50. Which are re-elect type numbers. Send hlp pls.
posted by Justinian at 11:35 AM on May 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:35 AM on May 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
I am not a lawyer either, but everything I have read has repeated over and over through many sources that Trump only had to disclose campaign related financial information, that if this was a personal business payment it was not a crime.
I think we're talking about two different laws. The FEC rules only apply if it's campaign-related. But there is also a separate ethics law:
I think we're talking about two different laws. The FEC rules only apply if it's campaign-related. But there is also a separate ethics law:
"Members of Congress, candidates for federal office, senior congressional staff, nominees for executive branch positions, Cabinet members, the president and vice president and Supreme Court justices are required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to file annual reports disclosing their personal finances.posted by msalt at 11:36 AM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
The following outlines the major types of information that must be reported on personal financial disclosures: ...
LIABILITIES
Any liability or loan where the filer, their spouse or their dependent children owed more than $10,000 at any time during the calendar year must be reported, including those on a principal residence that produces no income."
Nixon was reelected before Watergate.
posted by mumimor at 11:41 AM on May 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 11:41 AM on May 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
AP, Mueller team questions Trump friend Tom Barrack. CNN specifically says the interview took place last December. Barrack introduced Manafort to Trump and had a large role in the campaign's finances and fundraising.
NYT, How Michael Cohen, Trump’s Fixer, Built a Shadowy Business Empire, in which five reporters give Michael Cohen a through scrubbing, including the taxi medallions, insurance fraud, and real estate:
Oh, and I'm sure this will do the trick. @brianstelter: Rudy Giuliani is going back on TV — per ABC sources, he is booked on Sunday morning's @ThisWeekABC
posted by zachlipton at 11:59 AM on May 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
NYT, How Michael Cohen, Trump’s Fixer, Built a Shadowy Business Empire, in which five reporters give Michael Cohen a through scrubbing, including the taxi medallions, insurance fraud, and real estate:
Richard K. Gordon, director of the Financial Integrity Institute at Case Western Reserve University’s law school, said that such real estate transactions — large profits, achieved quickly, involving cash purchases by L.L.C.s — should raise red flags.Kellyanne Conway immediately unfollowed Lawfare and Renato Mariotti, but she's still following Seth Abramson. So we're doomed.
“If I were the bank, I’d either refuse his business up front or rate him extra high risk,” said Mr. Gordon, who once led anti-money-laundering efforts for the International Monetary Fund.
Oh, and I'm sure this will do the trick. @brianstelter: Rudy Giuliani is going back on TV — per ABC sources, he is booked on Sunday morning's @ThisWeekABC
posted by zachlipton at 11:59 AM on May 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
Nixon was reelected before Watergate.
Sort of. The break-in was on June 17, 1972, and the Washington Post had a story on it the very next day. News of the links to the Republicans came out a couple days later and continued right through the election, which it obviously didn't change. The coverup began almost immediately; but that's what didn't start filtering out until after the election.
posted by adamg at 12:02 PM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Sort of. The break-in was on June 17, 1972, and the Washington Post had a story on it the very next day. News of the links to the Republicans came out a couple days later and continued right through the election, which it obviously didn't change. The coverup began almost immediately; but that's what didn't start filtering out until after the election.
posted by adamg at 12:02 PM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Washington Post dives into the Trump Org's massive and mysterious buying spree from 2006 to 2014: As the ‘King Of Debt,’ Trump Borrowed To Build His Empire. Then He Began Spending Hundreds of Millions In Cash.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:14 PM on May 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
In the nine years before he ran for president, Donald Trump’s company spent more than $400 million in cash on new properties — including 14 transactions paid for in full, without borrowing from banks — during a buying binge that defied real estate industry practices and Trump’s own history as the self-described “King of Debt.”And then we come to Trump's ties to Deutsch Bank, the only major financial institution that was willing to lend him money:
Trump’s vast outlay of cash, tracked through public records and totaled publicly here for the first time, provides a new window into the president’s private company, which discloses few details about its finances.
It shows that Trump had access to far more cash than previously known, despite his string of commercial bankruptcies and the Great Recession’s hammering of the real estate industry.[...]
The cash purchases began with a $12.6 million estate in Scotland in 2006. In the next two years, he snapped up two homes in Beverly Hills. Then five golf clubs along the East Coast. And a winery in Virginia.
The biggest cash binge came last, in the year before Trump announced his run for president. In 2014, he paid a combined $79.7 million for large golf courses in Scotland and Ireland. Since then, those clubs have lost money while Trump renovated them, requiring him to pump in $164 million in cash to keep them running.
Trump’s lavish spending came at a time when his business was leaning largely on one major financial institution for its new loans — Deutsche Bank, which provided $295 million in financing for big projects in Miami and Washington.[...]
Real estate investors typically don’t buy big properties with their money alone. They find partners to invest and banks to lend alongside them. That allows the investors to amplify their buying power, and it increases the odds of earning higher returns.[...]
To total up Trump’s cash payments in real estate transactions, The Washington Post examined land records and corporate reports from six U.S. states, Ireland and the United Kingdom. These records show purchase prices for Trump’s properties, details about any mortgages and — in the United Kingdom and Ireland — the amount of cash Trump plowed into his clubs after he bought them. The Post provided the figures it used to the Trump Organization, which did not dispute them.
Despite that distaste for bankers’ paperwork, the Trump Organization still obtained loans in this period from Deutsche Bank. Starting in 2012, Trump borrowed $125 million from Deutsche to purchase the Doral golf club in Florida and $170 million from the same bank to renovate the Old Post Office into a hotel in Washington. The Trump Organization declined to comment about why it turned to borrowing in these cases.The WaPo writers never mention the dread words "money laundering", but their article raises many questions to which that provides the simplest answer.
Trump spent $65 million of his own on those two deals to cover the costs that Deutsche Bank did not.
Then the spending got bigger.
The year before he launched his campaign for president, Trump made the two most expensive all-cash purchases that The Post found in its review. In 2014, he shelled out $79.7 million for the huge golf resorts in Doonbeg, Ireland, and Turnberry, Scotland — both of which were losing money at the time.
The golf courses were his most recent cash deals and last acquisitions before becoming president.
The Trump Organization pursued pricey renovations of both courses, during which time the properties have continued to suffer losses. Under Trump, the two courses are at least $240 million in the hole so far, according to British and Irish corporate records.
Had Trump financed the property, the risks to the investment would be shared among lenders and other partners.
[MIT professor of real estate finance David] Geltner said it was unusual to see a company not bring in financial partners in either the purchase or construction of such large development projects.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:14 PM on May 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
I'm just wondering where his ceiling is. I had though it was in the low 40s. If the economy keeps humming along I'm no longer convinced people aren't shortsighted enough to push his approval close to 50. Which are re-elect type numbers.
Also "Democrats don't retake the House" numbers. The RCP generic ballot average is down to D+6. That's not enough to feel at all good about the alleged Blue Wave given Republican gerrymandering. He could very easily luck into reelection by virtue of the strongest economy since the dotcom bubble, regardless of anything he actually does. Unless it crashes in the next couple years.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:16 PM on May 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Also "Democrats don't retake the House" numbers. The RCP generic ballot average is down to D+6. That's not enough to feel at all good about the alleged Blue Wave given Republican gerrymandering. He could very easily luck into reelection by virtue of the strongest economy since the dotcom bubble, regardless of anything he actually does. Unless it crashes in the next couple years.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:16 PM on May 5, 2018 [9 favorites]
Nixon was reelected before Watergate.
Nixon's impeachable offences occurred during that re-election campaign (the Watergate break-in was in June of 1972), so that's kind of not a good point of comparison.
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 12:18 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Nixon's impeachable offences occurred during that re-election campaign (the Watergate break-in was in June of 1972), so that's kind of not a good point of comparison.
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 12:18 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
It took W almost 8 years to tank the economy, but can Trump do it in 3?
posted by rikschell at 12:56 PM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 12:56 PM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
It took W almost 8 years to tank the economy, but can Trump do it in 3?
You want a straight answer? Yes he can!
Trade wars, deficit budget and pulling back environmental and energy reforms should do the trick. If not, expelling migrant workers can end agriculture and hospitality, and take off the last elements of profit.
posted by mumimor at 1:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
You want a straight answer? Yes he can!
Trade wars, deficit budget and pulling back environmental and energy reforms should do the trick. If not, expelling migrant workers can end agriculture and hospitality, and take off the last elements of profit.
posted by mumimor at 1:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Why the fuck are his poll numbers going up?
* Democrats and other progressives are tired. They hate what he's doing, but that doesn't mean they're talking to pollsters.
* The common criteria for "do you disapprove of the president?" is "are you worse off now than you were six months ago?" His administration has been one bigoted clusterfuck after another - but for a lot of people, after the initial crash from the benefits we enjoyed under Obama, most of the clusterfuck is drama, not RL effects.
* The people hit hardest by his policies are least likely to be talking to pollsters, more likely to be busy and hang up.
* People have figured out that he's a mouthpiece, not a ruler. When asked if they disapprove of his actions, they may be thinking that they disapprove of congress, of the EPA, of the State Department - but the president himself doesn't really do anything so there's nothing to disapprove of.
I don't assume any one of these is overwhelmingly true, but I expect they all factor into fewer people saying, "He is the WORST EVER make him go away now." Mostly, I think the constant barrage of awfulness has a lot of people going, "eh, it's awful, but I'll survive; I don't want to think about it anymore until it's over." We've reached a state of "not quite as bad as I imagined," which drives his approval ratings up. With the crazification factor, there was literally nowhere else for them to go.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:30 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
* Democrats and other progressives are tired. They hate what he's doing, but that doesn't mean they're talking to pollsters.
* The common criteria for "do you disapprove of the president?" is "are you worse off now than you were six months ago?" His administration has been one bigoted clusterfuck after another - but for a lot of people, after the initial crash from the benefits we enjoyed under Obama, most of the clusterfuck is drama, not RL effects.
* The people hit hardest by his policies are least likely to be talking to pollsters, more likely to be busy and hang up.
* People have figured out that he's a mouthpiece, not a ruler. When asked if they disapprove of his actions, they may be thinking that they disapprove of congress, of the EPA, of the State Department - but the president himself doesn't really do anything so there's nothing to disapprove of.
I don't assume any one of these is overwhelmingly true, but I expect they all factor into fewer people saying, "He is the WORST EVER make him go away now." Mostly, I think the constant barrage of awfulness has a lot of people going, "eh, it's awful, but I'll survive; I don't want to think about it anymore until it's over." We've reached a state of "not quite as bad as I imagined," which drives his approval ratings up. With the crazification factor, there was literally nowhere else for them to go.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:30 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
Did anybody listen to the latest Pod Save America, where one of the people outlined a constitutional crisis that I hadn't contemplated, namely Trump's defiance of a subpoena, the matter goes to the Supreme Court, the court upholds the subpoena, and Trump defies it anyway.
What I'm confused about is that is there also some argument that the Trump could not be subpoenaed that could get a 5-4 backing? I thought that precedent had been established with Nixon and Clinton? Is the worry that the precedent could be thrown out?
posted by angrycat at 1:31 PM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
What I'm confused about is that is there also some argument that the Trump could not be subpoenaed that could get a 5-4 backing? I thought that precedent had been established with Nixon and Clinton? Is the worry that the precedent could be thrown out?
posted by angrycat at 1:31 PM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
So apparently after Trump went to Israel last year, he hired an Israeli investigation firm to dig up dirt on the Obama staffers who negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement. The Guardian calls the material "incendiary".
I'm so tired of being this appalled.
posted by suelac at 1:35 PM on May 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
I'm so tired of being this appalled.
posted by suelac at 1:35 PM on May 5, 2018 [61 favorites]
"America first" means using a foreign intelligence service (again) to attack American national security professionals.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:55 PM on May 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:55 PM on May 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
Giuliani is appearing on the Judge Jeanine (SP) show tonight, as per Haberman.
posted by angrycat at 1:56 PM on May 5, 2018
posted by angrycat at 1:56 PM on May 5, 2018
So apparently after Trump went to Israel last year, he hired an Israeli investigation firm to dig up dirt on the Obama staffers who negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement. The Guardian calls the material "incendiary".
I'm so tired of being this appalled.
This is so outrageous I don't remember anything similar in my lifetime (though the Plame story is a very close second). This must end soon.
But all those people who pay no attention won't even notice.
posted by mumimor at 2:01 PM on May 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
I'm so tired of being this appalled.
This is so outrageous I don't remember anything similar in my lifetime (though the Plame story is a very close second). This must end soon.
But all those people who pay no attention won't even notice.
posted by mumimor at 2:01 PM on May 5, 2018 [16 favorites]
I wonder when we'll get the experience of not just one, but two Fox people directly addressing the president through the TV, with a shared message. Like a video postcard.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:05 PM on May 5, 2018
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:05 PM on May 5, 2018
So apparently after Trump went to Israel last year, he hired an Israeli investigation firm to dig up dirt on the Obama staffers who negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement. The Guardian calls the material "incendiary".
It’s like they’re addicted to treason
posted by schadenfrau at 2:34 PM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
It’s like they’re addicted to treason
posted by schadenfrau at 2:34 PM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
CNN: Trump Floats 'Closing Up The Country For A While' Over Border Security
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
President Donald Trump seemed to float a new idea about border control during at a tax reform roundtable in Ohio.How is it that Trump comes up with his most appalling ideas when he's just spitballing? He's gone from threatening a government shutdown in the fall over funding The Wall last week and tweeting that "Our Southern Border is under siege." yesterday to what sounds like a proposal to impose travel restrictions today.
The President was in the midst of criticizing Democrats during a riff about border security when he slipped in the idea that people might "have to think about closing up the country."
"They don't want the wall, but we're going to get the wall, even if we have to think about closing up the country for a while," Trump said. "We're going to get the wall. We have no choice. We have absolutely no choice. And we're going to get tremendous security in our country."
Trump then mentioned the notion a second time, saying, "And we may have to close up our country to get this straight, because we either have a country or we don't. And you can't allow people to pour into our country the way they're doing."
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [20 favorites]
How is it that Trump comes up with his most appalling ideas when he's just spitballing?
I figure mostly because he doesn't know how to tell a good idea from a bad one.
posted by rhizome at 3:10 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
I figure mostly because he doesn't know how to tell a good idea from a bad one.
posted by rhizome at 3:10 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
Never forget that the Republicans lowered the bar for impeachment to lying about a blowjob.
This literally happened for, like, the twentieth time a day ago.
>>News of the links to the Republicans came out a couple days later and continued right through the election, which it obviously didn't change. The coverup began almost immediately; but that's what didn't start filtering out until after the election.
/clutches_head
/gurgles
posted by petebest at 3:10 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
This literally happened for, like, the twentieth time a day ago.
>>News of the links to the Republicans came out a couple days later and continued right through the election, which it obviously didn't change. The coverup began almost immediately; but that's what didn't start filtering out until after the election.
/clutches_head
/gurgles
posted by petebest at 3:10 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
My friend on Facebook (re-?)coined the term psychophants for those crazy people spending their time sucking up to Trump. After complimenting her on her neologism and promising to steal it, I made up the following definition:
psychophant, n., pl. -s. The larval stage of a Trump dignity wraith.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:20 PM on May 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
psychophant, n., pl. -s. The larval stage of a Trump dignity wraith.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:20 PM on May 5, 2018 [26 favorites]
How is it that Trump comes up with his most appalling ideas when he's just spitballing?
Remember when he proposed eliminating the US debt by giving holders of Treasury bonds a haircut? Good times, good times.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:25 PM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Remember when he proposed eliminating the US debt by giving holders of Treasury bonds a haircut? Good times, good times.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:25 PM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I guess I don't get how money laundering works. I have a bunch of ill-gotten money, I don't want anyone to know where I got it, so I... give it to Trump, he buys a money-hemorrhaging golf course... profit? Where do I get some cents on the dollar back? I thought I was looking for untraceable income streams to explain why I have so much cash, not the other way.
Do the russians buy the golf courses first for cheap, then sell them to Trump at fake inflated prices as a way to get paid?
posted by ctmf at 3:29 PM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Do the russians buy the golf courses first for cheap, then sell them to Trump at fake inflated prices as a way to get paid?
posted by ctmf at 3:29 PM on May 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I think that is the opposite to a Trump related piece of property in Florida. Passing property back and forth for outrageous prices is part of it.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:35 PM on May 5, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:35 PM on May 5, 2018
Here's a short video about money laundering, and you can recognize a shit-ton of Trump's M.O.s there!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:36 PM on May 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:36 PM on May 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
The value of real estate is whatever you can convince someone to give you for it, and there's very little documentation required to execute a cash sale between private parties. That comes in REALLY handy for turning a pile of dirty as shit Russia money into sparkling clean NY or London condos, which can be resold to unsuspecting third party buyers and poof! clean US cash, or used as collateral for legitimate bank loans. And if you can't get into NYC or London as a third tier Russian oligarch, well does Trump Tower Baku has a deal for you...
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:13 PM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:13 PM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
I know this was like a month ago, but Trump’s NRA speech also included the claim that a single NRA convention attendee with a gun could’ve stopped the Paris terrorist attacks.
Wikipedia: Three groups of men launched six distinct attacks: three suicide bombings in one attack, a fourth suicide bombing in another attack, and shootings at four locations in four separate attacks.
Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, and the guy from ‘Taken’ heard about the planned attacks, and they were like ‘uh, can we at least contact the local authorities?’
A convention center full of retirees and politicians heard Trump, and were like ‘heyyy, I’ve got this.’ Big applause line.
posted by box at 4:49 PM on May 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
Wikipedia: Three groups of men launched six distinct attacks: three suicide bombings in one attack, a fourth suicide bombing in another attack, and shootings at four locations in four separate attacks.
Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, and the guy from ‘Taken’ heard about the planned attacks, and they were like ‘uh, can we at least contact the local authorities?’
A convention center full of retirees and politicians heard Trump, and were like ‘heyyy, I’ve got this.’ Big applause line.
posted by box at 4:49 PM on May 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
Neo-Nazi Senate candidate Patrick Little kicked out of Republican convention
California Republican Party officials banned Patrick Little, the neo-Nazi who ran a strong second to Sen. Dianne Feinstein in a recent U.S. Senate poll, from registering Saturday at the party convention and had security officers escort him from the gathering.posted by zachlipton at 5:08 PM on May 5, 2018 [30 favorites]
As Little was led from the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina he was “kicking and dragging an Israeli flag on the ground,” said GOP consultant Luis Alvarado, who witnessed Little’s removal. “That doesn’t represent our values.”
“There is no room for that kind of speech here,” said Cynthia Bryant, executive director of the state party.
When Little tried to register for the convention Saturday, Bryant said Little told him he was a Republican. She said she replied, “But you’re not welcome here.” Bryant said political parties are private organizations and can exclude any person they choose.
When Little tried to register for the convention Saturday, Bryant said Little told him he was a Republican. She said she replied, “But you’re not welcome here.”
This is a good thing, Republicans disavowing and blocking Nazis that is. But, they really should be asking themselves what makes their party so attractive to racist, genocidal maniacs.
posted by runcibleshaw at 5:14 PM on May 5, 2018 [45 favorites]
This is a good thing, Republicans disavowing and blocking Nazis that is. But, they really should be asking themselves what makes their party so attractive to racist, genocidal maniacs.
posted by runcibleshaw at 5:14 PM on May 5, 2018 [45 favorites]
McCain Doesn't Want Trump at His Funeral (NBC via PoliticalWire)
People close to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have told the White House that the ailing Arizona lawmaker does not want President Trump to attend his funeral and would like Vice President Mike Pence to come instead, NBC News reports.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush plan to be eulogists at McCain’s funeral.
Ice cold, Johnny. Fair play to ye.
posted by petebest at 5:20 PM on May 5, 2018 [50 favorites]
People close to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have told the White House that the ailing Arizona lawmaker does not want President Trump to attend his funeral and would like Vice President Mike Pence to come instead, NBC News reports.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush plan to be eulogists at McCain’s funeral.
Ice cold, Johnny. Fair play to ye.
posted by petebest at 5:20 PM on May 5, 2018 [50 favorites]
@chick_in_kiev: liking pence but not trump just means you don't like his hair and cursing tbh
I don't think that quite covers all of it, but rejecting Trump and wanting Pence to come instead is more an objection to Trump's personal qualities and behavior than his policies.
posted by zachlipton at 6:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
I don't think that quite covers all of it, but rejecting Trump and wanting Pence to come instead is more an objection to Trump's personal qualities and behavior than his policies.
posted by zachlipton at 6:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
Okay, if McCain is to the point where he's worried about his funeral, he HAS to step down so we can elect his replacement. I'm pretty sure the deadline is May 30th, otherwise Ducey appoints the replacement. (I just left his office a message telling them that (and expressing that I understand and support the request for a Trump-free funeral).)
posted by Weeping_angel at 6:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Weeping_angel at 6:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
@yashar: 8. Giuliani is petting his arm like it's a cat and saying "nice nice nice Hillary"
There is, sadly, video available.
More pressingly:
posted by zachlipton at 6:23 PM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
There is, sadly, video available.
More pressingly:
3. Judge J asks Giuliani about the special prosecutors.....Giuliani says about Mueller giving Cohen case to SDNY and not Manafort..."maybe they feel they can flip Manafort faster."It's strange he starts off discussing flipping Manafort, implying that Manafort has information with which to flip, yet then insists there's no evidence of a crime.
The question is - why is he offering the possibility that flipping can happen?
posted by zachlipton at 6:23 PM on May 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
[Trump] hired an Israeli investigation firm to dig up dirt on the Obama staffers who negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement. The Guardian calls the material "incendiary".
Just to be clear, it is not the material gathered about Obama staffers that is incendiary--apparently they didn't come up with any much, not for lack of trying--but rather the fact that Trump et al hired an investigation team to dig up dirt on staffers of his predecessor for the express purpose of undermining this treaty. In other words, Trump was orchestrating "black ops," a "smear campaign", using "dirty tricks", etc etc.
Or as former British foreign secretary Jack Straw put it, "These are extraordinary and appalling allegations but which also illustrate a high level of desperation by Trump and [the Israeli prime minister] Benjamin Netanyahu, not so much to discredit the deal but to undermine those around it."
One can't help but draw a straight line between this & Trump's recent mention of John Kerry breaking a leg while riding his bicycle. It's all part of a campaign to personally discredit those responsible for the treaty.
I mean, only Trump and the least intelligent of his deplorables think that the fact that John Kerry rides a bicycle discredits him (maybe if Kerry rode around in a golf cart with a bicycle strapped on the back or something, in order to avoid wasting his "life force"). But that's exactly the "base" to which Trump feels he needs to make the case.
posted by flug at 6:24 PM on May 5, 2018 [44 favorites]
Just to be clear, it is not the material gathered about Obama staffers that is incendiary--apparently they didn't come up with any much, not for lack of trying--but rather the fact that Trump et al hired an investigation team to dig up dirt on staffers of his predecessor for the express purpose of undermining this treaty. In other words, Trump was orchestrating "black ops," a "smear campaign", using "dirty tricks", etc etc.
Or as former British foreign secretary Jack Straw put it, "These are extraordinary and appalling allegations but which also illustrate a high level of desperation by Trump and [the Israeli prime minister] Benjamin Netanyahu, not so much to discredit the deal but to undermine those around it."
One can't help but draw a straight line between this & Trump's recent mention of John Kerry breaking a leg while riding his bicycle. It's all part of a campaign to personally discredit those responsible for the treaty.
I mean, only Trump and the least intelligent of his deplorables think that the fact that John Kerry rides a bicycle discredits him (maybe if Kerry rode around in a golf cart with a bicycle strapped on the back or something, in order to avoid wasting his "life force"). But that's exactly the "base" to which Trump feels he needs to make the case.
posted by flug at 6:24 PM on May 5, 2018 [44 favorites]
I understand and support the request for a Trump-free funeral).)
posted by Weeping_angel at 6:06 PM on May 5
. . . Mortumsterical?
posted by petebest at 6:28 PM on May 5, 2018
posted by Weeping_angel at 6:06 PM on May 5
. . . Mortumsterical?
posted by petebest at 6:28 PM on May 5, 2018
It's strange he starts off discussing flipping Manafort, implying that Manafort has information with which to flip, yet then insists there's no evidence of a crime.
I can feel my mind still struggling to accept that every single day every single person involved on the GOP side blatantly shows that they know Trump is guilty and they're just looking for the magic combination of cover story and procedural moves that makes it all go away. It's just... there, right out in public 24/7, in every word and every action, and it's crazy. Just an endless series of mulligans on fake ass explanations, right before our eyes. And then, even harder for my brain to accept, even crazier, there's the media reaction of acting like this is business as usual and constantly serving up a platform for a new explanation that could (and never will) exonerate Trump, or a new and more desperate attempt to discredit Mueller. The pundit class and news media seem to believe just as strongly as Trump that there is a magic word that makes this all go away and Trump just hasn't found it yet. I just... every day I'm so thankful that they're so bad at this, because we would be absolutely fucked by a competent Trump analogue, it's plainly obvious that our society's immune system is barely there.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:40 PM on May 5, 2018 [67 favorites]
I can feel my mind still struggling to accept that every single day every single person involved on the GOP side blatantly shows that they know Trump is guilty and they're just looking for the magic combination of cover story and procedural moves that makes it all go away. It's just... there, right out in public 24/7, in every word and every action, and it's crazy. Just an endless series of mulligans on fake ass explanations, right before our eyes. And then, even harder for my brain to accept, even crazier, there's the media reaction of acting like this is business as usual and constantly serving up a platform for a new explanation that could (and never will) exonerate Trump, or a new and more desperate attempt to discredit Mueller. The pundit class and news media seem to believe just as strongly as Trump that there is a magic word that makes this all go away and Trump just hasn't found it yet. I just... every day I'm so thankful that they're so bad at this, because we would be absolutely fucked by a competent Trump analogue, it's plainly obvious that our society's immune system is barely there.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:40 PM on May 5, 2018 [67 favorites]
Okay, if McCain is to the point where he's worried about his funeral, he HAS to step down so we can elect his replacement. I'm pretty sure the deadline is May 30th, otherwise Ducey appoints the replacement.
The only thing he's living for now is not letting this happen. He'll hang on till June 1 to keep his seat in Republican hands as one last act of McCaining.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:46 PM on May 5, 2018 [32 favorites]
The only thing he's living for now is not letting this happen. He'll hang on till June 1 to keep his seat in Republican hands as one last act of McCaining.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:46 PM on May 5, 2018 [32 favorites]
. The pundit class and news media seem to believe just as strongly as Trump that there is a magic word that makes this all go away and Trump just hasn't found it yet.
Standard Sovereign Citizen M.O. Sadly, I suspect this is going to devolve into gold-fringed flag moon-law before this is over.
posted by mikelieman at 7:39 PM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Standard Sovereign Citizen M.O. Sadly, I suspect this is going to devolve into gold-fringed flag moon-law before this is over.
posted by mikelieman at 7:39 PM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Blankenship surging on eve of West Virginia Senate primary
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:48 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:48 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
“They don't want the wall, but we're going to get the wall, even if we have to think about closing up the country for a while," Trump said. "We're going to get the wall. We have no choice. We have absolutely no choice."
Hard to be sure with this guy but I think Trump might mean forcing a goverment shutdown to get his way, not a peremptory border closure, in these remarks.
That would imply that Trump has no idea that government shutdowns are connected to the congressional budget process — that he thinks he can just declare Shutdown at any point. But does anyone deny that’s more likely than not?
posted by msalt at 7:49 PM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Hard to be sure with this guy but I think Trump might mean forcing a goverment shutdown to get his way, not a peremptory border closure, in these remarks.
That would imply that Trump has no idea that government shutdowns are connected to the congressional budget process — that he thinks he can just declare Shutdown at any point. But does anyone deny that’s more likely than not?
posted by msalt at 7:49 PM on May 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
Okay, if McCain is to the point where he's worried about his funeral, he HAS to step down so we can elect his replacement. I'm pretty sure the deadline is May 30th, otherwise Ducey appoints the replacement.
Having seen firsthand the effects and progression of his kind of cancer, I have long thought it is shockingly irresponsible and a betrayal of the people he represents that he didn't step down soon after his diagnosis.
posted by tavegyl at 7:56 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
Having seen firsthand the effects and progression of his kind of cancer, I have long thought it is shockingly irresponsible and a betrayal of the people he represents that he didn't step down soon after his diagnosis.
posted by tavegyl at 7:56 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
Having seen firsthand the effects and progression of his kind of cancer, I have long thought it is shockingly irresponsible and a betrayal of the people he represents that he didn't step down soon after his diagnosis.Perhaps you're just thinking of a different set of people than McCain is when you're considering the interests of "the people he represents."
posted by Nerd of the North at 8:04 PM on May 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
The real Stormy Daniels appeared on SNL and said she wants Trump to resign: "I know you don’t believe in climate change Donald, but a storm is coming."
posted by zachlipton at 9:00 PM on May 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 9:00 PM on May 5, 2018 [29 favorites]
I've seen Giuliani's hand-petting thing in a few contexts in Italian-America:
1) When playing with babies, especially in showing them how to be gentle with animals and other people.
2) When playing a version of the hand slap game where both players' hands are held palm down and the player whose hands are on top goes "nice, nice, nice" while stroking the back of the other person's hands before trying to smack the hell out of them before they pull away.
3) When calling a person "nice-a nice", complete with hand-petting gesture, to mean they're insincere or hypocritical. Idiomatically similar to "butter wouldn't melt in their mouth".
I feel like Rudy meant #3, but it doesn't really translate well outside greater NYC and he conflated it with both "a slap on the hand" and "a pat on the head". Because of course he did -- why should an attorney worry about precision in speech? And I'm sure it made sense to his one-person audience at home in DC.
posted by camyram at 9:46 PM on May 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
1) When playing with babies, especially in showing them how to be gentle with animals and other people.
2) When playing a version of the hand slap game where both players' hands are held palm down and the player whose hands are on top goes "nice, nice, nice" while stroking the back of the other person's hands before trying to smack the hell out of them before they pull away.
3) When calling a person "nice-a nice", complete with hand-petting gesture, to mean they're insincere or hypocritical. Idiomatically similar to "butter wouldn't melt in their mouth".
I feel like Rudy meant #3, but it doesn't really translate well outside greater NYC and he conflated it with both "a slap on the hand" and "a pat on the head". Because of course he did -- why should an attorney worry about precision in speech? And I'm sure it made sense to his one-person audience at home in DC.
posted by camyram at 9:46 PM on May 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
I guess I don't get how money laundering works. I have a bunch of ill-gotten money, I don't want anyone to know where I got it, so I... give it to Trump, he buys a money-hemorrhaging golf course... profit? Where do I get some cents on the dollar back?
Notice the part of the story where Trump rebuilds these golf courses himself and how rare it is for a real estate developer to do that. He pays himself exaggerated building costs, pockets the extra money, then writes of the taxes, lets the business fail with exaggerated service costs, pockets the extra money, writes off the taxes, eventually sells at huge mark-up because of all the improvements he's made. You can look like you're losing money hand over fist and be actually be making a lot of money, especially when you're paying yourself for all the services.
posted by xammerboy at 10:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
Notice the part of the story where Trump rebuilds these golf courses himself and how rare it is for a real estate developer to do that. He pays himself exaggerated building costs, pockets the extra money, then writes of the taxes, lets the business fail with exaggerated service costs, pockets the extra money, writes off the taxes, eventually sells at huge mark-up because of all the improvements he's made. You can look like you're losing money hand over fist and be actually be making a lot of money, especially when you're paying yourself for all the services.
posted by xammerboy at 10:06 PM on May 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
[One of Blankenship's opponents, State Attorney General Patrick] Morrisey, who’d largely been ignoring Blankenship, has suddenly turned his fire on the coal baron. On Saturday, Morrisey’s campaign released a 30-second robocall to West Virginia voters blasting Blankenship over an array of issues. The call described Blankenship as a “convicted criminal” who didn’t vote for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
I presume Morrisey is trying to win White House support by claiming that his opponent hadn't voted for Trump. Still, I find it extraordinary that an officer of the court would qualify his condemnation in this way, implying that a felon who had voted for Trump would make a fine Representative.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:12 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I presume Morrisey is trying to win White House support by claiming that his opponent hadn't voted for Trump. Still, I find it extraordinary that an officer of the court would qualify his condemnation in this way, implying that a felon who had voted for Trump would make a fine Representative.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:12 PM on May 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I find it extraordinary that the person I saw on that ad was able to become CEO of a coal company. Or a CEO of any company, TBH..
posted by Windopaene at 10:44 PM on May 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Windopaene at 10:44 PM on May 5, 2018 [27 favorites]
@yashar: 8. Giuliani is petting his arm like it's a cat and saying "nice nice nice Hillary"
First off, eww. And second, yes let's be as nice to every single member of Team Trump as the GOP was to her. 50 (50!) investigations culminating in a 10 hour marathon televised interrogation, for each & every one of them including America's Mayor. Line em up & knock em down.
posted by scalefree at 11:27 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
First off, eww. And second, yes let's be as nice to every single member of Team Trump as the GOP was to her. 50 (50!) investigations culminating in a 10 hour marathon televised interrogation, for each & every one of them including America's Mayor. Line em up & knock em down.
posted by scalefree at 11:27 PM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]
[Trump] hired an Israeli investigation firm to dig up dirt on the Obama staffers who negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement.
@ColinKahl:
@ColinKahl:
posted by zachlipton at 11:58 PM on May 5, 2018 [148 favorites]According to this story, in May of last year, Team Trump asked an Israeli intel firm to dig up dirt on me as part of an effort to discredit the Iran deal.
Tonight, as my wife read this story, that date triggered a very creepy memory.
Last year, my wife was serving on the fundraising committee of my daughter's public charter school in DC. One day, out of the blue, she received an email from someone claiming to represent a socially responsible private equity firm in the UK. This "UK person" said "she" was flying to DC soon and wanted to have coffee with my wife to discuss the possibility of including my daughter's school in their educational fund network. This was not a generic "Nigerian prince" scam. This person had all sorts of specific information on my wife's volunteer duties at an obscure DC elementary school. There was a website for the firm (which no longer exists, by the way), but it had no depth to it, and there was no detailed information about the "UK person" who reached out to my wife.
My wife shared the email with me and a few people we know in both the finance and education fields. All agreed that the entire scenario seemed implausible and seemed like an approach by a foreign intelligence entity. To test the implausibility, my wife kept trying to encourage the "UK person" over email to meet with other school fundraising officers & leadership while "she" was in DC, providing relevant contact info. But the "UK person" kept insisting that "she" had to meet with my wife. At that point, my wife stopped corresponding.
This all happened in late May and early June of last year.Perhaps it was just a coincidence that this obvious scam targeting my family had all the hallmarks of an intel op and coincided with Team Trump's reported efforts to "dig up dirt" on me. But the fact that I even have to think about the possibility that my family was targeted by people working for the President is yet another sign of the fundamental degradation of our country that Trump has produced.
there have been so many head-spinning 'but surely this moments..." for this European watching from afar.
these megathreads have kept me informed and in a sense have kept my belief in the USA but as the months go on I am becoming more and more concerned that I am fooling myself...willingly, but still.
on the night of the election I posted on the blue that as long as Trump was in power I would never again spend any of my money on holidays in the States and I've missed 2 big family trips as a result. I received a call from my adult daughter in Madrid in tears and terrified, and I re-call reassuring her that her Dad and I never believed we'd ever see a resolution to Acid Rain, the fall of the Berlin wall, the Good Friday agreement in our lifetimes but that they'd all happened.
I feel awful now for giving her that perspective because all of those things happened through scientific, economic, and diplomatic progress by many individuals who believe in a common good. Often at great costs to themselves individually.
the coalition around Trump has none of that. They sneer at your foundational ideals. They believe those ideals to be weak, misguided, partisan. We are in such uncharted territory that I realise I'm staying in the blue megathreads because they harken back to that vision I had of the USA. But that 42% approval rate shows just how deluded we all are thinking the norms and values will win out. As was said upthread, he can simply refuse to recognise the supoena even if it is Supreme Court tested and validated.
posted by Wilder at 12:22 AM on May 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
these megathreads have kept me informed and in a sense have kept my belief in the USA but as the months go on I am becoming more and more concerned that I am fooling myself...willingly, but still.
on the night of the election I posted on the blue that as long as Trump was in power I would never again spend any of my money on holidays in the States and I've missed 2 big family trips as a result. I received a call from my adult daughter in Madrid in tears and terrified, and I re-call reassuring her that her Dad and I never believed we'd ever see a resolution to Acid Rain, the fall of the Berlin wall, the Good Friday agreement in our lifetimes but that they'd all happened.
I feel awful now for giving her that perspective because all of those things happened through scientific, economic, and diplomatic progress by many individuals who believe in a common good. Often at great costs to themselves individually.
the coalition around Trump has none of that. They sneer at your foundational ideals. They believe those ideals to be weak, misguided, partisan. We are in such uncharted territory that I realise I'm staying in the blue megathreads because they harken back to that vision I had of the USA. But that 42% approval rate shows just how deluded we all are thinking the norms and values will win out. As was said upthread, he can simply refuse to recognise the supoena even if it is Supreme Court tested and validated.
posted by Wilder at 12:22 AM on May 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
I know this was like a month ago, but Trump’s NRA speech also included the claim that a single NRA convention attendee with a gun could’ve stopped the Paris terrorist attacks.
Which only annoyed former French president Hollande and a few of his countrymen, so, nah.
posted by Stoneshop at 12:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Which only annoyed former French president Hollande and a few of his countrymen, so, nah.
posted by Stoneshop at 12:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
An Observer editorial is not likely to sway anyone in the current US administration, but one might hope it could alert some of the more sleepy European politicians, and get them on their phones.
The Observer view on Trump’s folly in risking not just peace in the Middle East, Observer editorial
The Observer view on Trump’s folly in risking not just peace in the Middle East, Observer editorial
The full or partial restoration of two sets of unilateral, pre-2015 American banking, financial and other sanctions would significantly undermine the moderate leadership of Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani. Before his landslide re-election victory last year, Rouhani promised voters much-needed economic renewal in exchange for maintaining the nuclear-related curbs. Now his hardline opponents are poised to strike.posted by mumimor at 12:42 AM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
The destabilising of Iran, consequent on what would be seen there as an overt act of American aggression, could trigger a broader destabilisation of the Middle East. Predominantly Shia, Persian Iran is engaged in a fierce contest for power and influence with the Sunni Arab world, led by Saudi Arabia. If Trump, allied with Riyadh and Cairo, goes on the offensive, this rivalry may escalate as Iran inevitably reacts – with unforeseeable ramifications in places such as Yemen and Bahrain.
One concern is that Iran’s clerical establishment, led by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will revive a nuclear weapons research programme that, according to the Bush administration and the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, ceased in 2003. This would produce the very result Trump ostensibly seeks to avoid. This, in turn, could spark a regional nuclear weapons race with the Saudis and others.
the coalition around Trump has none of that. They sneer at your foundational ideals. They believe those ideals to be weak, misguided, partisan. We are in such uncharted territory that I realise I'm staying in the blue megathreads because they harken back to that vision I had of the USA.
I have an exit path for myself I'm working on activating should the need arise* but until Trump said he's thinking of shutting down the borders today, I honestly always believed it was an intellectual exercise. Last week's Handmaid's Tale hit me pretty hard. Have I mentioned how much I hate this timeline?
*I'm entitled to dual citizenship in an EU member state - which isn't an absolute safe haven, it's one of the Baltics; but it's what I've got available.
posted by scalefree at 12:43 AM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
I have an exit path for myself I'm working on activating should the need arise* but until Trump said he's thinking of shutting down the borders today, I honestly always believed it was an intellectual exercise. Last week's Handmaid's Tale hit me pretty hard. Have I mentioned how much I hate this timeline?
*I'm entitled to dual citizenship in an EU member state - which isn't an absolute safe haven, it's one of the Baltics; but it's what I've got available.
posted by scalefree at 12:43 AM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
I have an exit path for myself I'm working on activating should the need arise
The thing is, there is really nowhere to go.
The policies Trump are pursuing in the Middle East will inevitably lead to even more conflict, and thus to more refugees in the EU. Which again will lead to more racist and isolationist politics here as well. Look at Brexit and Orban, and those were in place before Trump was a elected.
The US is such a huge economical and military power that you can't escape that power anywhere. What they do will influence your life, where ever you are. We should all have a say in American politics, but that is obviously not possible. 20 years ago, I dreamt of a peaceful transferal of power from the US to a more widely distributed global community, where everyone could prosper, including the US. But empires never give up peacefully.
posted by mumimor at 1:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
The thing is, there is really nowhere to go.
The policies Trump are pursuing in the Middle East will inevitably lead to even more conflict, and thus to more refugees in the EU. Which again will lead to more racist and isolationist politics here as well. Look at Brexit and Orban, and those were in place before Trump was a elected.
The US is such a huge economical and military power that you can't escape that power anywhere. What they do will influence your life, where ever you are. We should all have a say in American politics, but that is obviously not possible. 20 years ago, I dreamt of a peaceful transferal of power from the US to a more widely distributed global community, where everyone could prosper, including the US. But empires never give up peacefully.
posted by mumimor at 1:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
You'd think "your parole officer is in Nevada, but you're running in West Virginia?" would sink most campaigns, but hey, GOP.
posted by chris24 at 4:08 AM on May 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 4:08 AM on May 6, 2018 [42 favorites]
The thing is, there is really nowhere to go.
Yup. And the flip side of that is that the rest of the world can’t really ignore it if the US falls completely off the deep end.
I set up an exit path right after the election, in a total panic. Or rather, did the first steps. But the worse this all gets, the more I feel an obligation not to use it. I’m in a rich, powerful Blue State (albeit one that is incredibly corrupt), and I’m a citizen. I probably wouldn’t be first against the wall (I’m white), but I won’t be last, either (obvious angry lesbian who would fall squarely under “political opposition”).
I dunno. We unleashed this on the world. I feel like I need to try to help put this fucking demon back in the hellmouth.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:08 AM on May 6, 2018 [41 favorites]
Yup. And the flip side of that is that the rest of the world can’t really ignore it if the US falls completely off the deep end.
I set up an exit path right after the election, in a total panic. Or rather, did the first steps. But the worse this all gets, the more I feel an obligation not to use it. I’m in a rich, powerful Blue State (albeit one that is incredibly corrupt), and I’m a citizen. I probably wouldn’t be first against the wall (I’m white), but I won’t be last, either (obvious angry lesbian who would fall squarely under “political opposition”).
I dunno. We unleashed this on the world. I feel like I need to try to help put this fucking demon back in the hellmouth.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:08 AM on May 6, 2018 [41 favorites]
Rudy doing well again this morning on ABC.
@GStephanopoulos:
Rudy Giuliani tells me he's not confident that Trump won't take the 5th in the Mueller probe.
- I asked Rudy Giuliani if Michael Cohen made payments to other women on behalf of the President. He said "I have no knowledge of that but I would think if it was necessary, yes."
VIDEO
---
So that's a definite on the other payments. Gotcha.
posted by chris24 at 6:15 AM on May 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
@GStephanopoulos:
Rudy Giuliani tells me he's not confident that Trump won't take the 5th in the Mueller probe.
- I asked Rudy Giuliani if Michael Cohen made payments to other women on behalf of the President. He said "I have no knowledge of that but I would think if it was necessary, yes."
VIDEO
---
So that's a definite on the other payments. Gotcha.
posted by chris24 at 6:15 AM on May 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
Rudy Giuliani tells me he's not confident that Trump won't take the 5th in the Mueller probe.
I love deconstructing double negatives.
Rudy Giuliani tells me he's confident that Trump will take the 5th in the Mueller probe.
Oh, how simple it all is...
Now where are the consequences?
posted by michswiss at 6:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I love deconstructing double negatives.
Rudy Giuliani tells me he's confident that Trump will take the 5th in the Mueller probe.
Oh, how simple it all is...
Now where are the consequences?
posted by michswiss at 6:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
@nycsouthpaw:
The president’s *legal strategy* is to confirm that he has a full blown bag man who, among other services not yet disclosed, paid off an unknown number of women during and after the campaign and was reimbursed through a slush fund to maintain plausible deniability.
posted by chris24 at 6:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [48 favorites]
The president’s *legal strategy* is to confirm that he has a full blown bag man who, among other services not yet disclosed, paid off an unknown number of women during and after the campaign and was reimbursed through a slush fund to maintain plausible deniability.
posted by chris24 at 6:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [48 favorites]
- I asked Rudy Giuliani if Michael Cohen made payments to other women on behalf of the President. He said "I have no knowledge of that but I would think if it was necessary, yes."
All the hottest women know he's such a soft touch they run right past all the other billionaires straight him. Plus he's so overwhelmingly attractive that when he didn't ask them (because look at him, he doesn't need to pay for it) they all said yes for free. Wait, what was the question again?
posted by scalefree at 6:32 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
All the hottest women know he's such a soft touch they run right past all the other billionaires straight him. Plus he's so overwhelmingly attractive that when he didn't ask them (because look at him, he doesn't need to pay for it) they all said yes for free. Wait, what was the question again?
posted by scalefree at 6:32 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Now where are the consequences [of Trump taking the fifth]?Jeffery Toobin, Nëw Yörkër: Basically, in the court of law he has to, and in the court of public opinion it doesn't matter.
posted by runcifex at 6:34 AM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Jeffery Toobin, Nëw Yörkër: Basically, in the court of law he has to, and in the court of public opinion it doesn't matter.
Counterpoint.
Former Watergate prosecutor: Trump taking the fifth would be political suicide
---
Also...
“The mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” (video, Five Times Donald Trump Has Bashed Pleading The Fifth)
posted by chris24 at 6:55 AM on May 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Counterpoint.
Former Watergate prosecutor: Trump taking the fifth would be political suicide
---
Also...
“The mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” (video, Five Times Donald Trump Has Bashed Pleading The Fifth)
posted by chris24 at 6:55 AM on May 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump taking the fifth would be political suicide
"Political suicide" is to 2018 government as the buggy whip industry is to American transportation manufacturing.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [77 favorites]
"Political suicide" is to 2018 government as the buggy whip industry is to American transportation manufacturing.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [77 favorites]
Former Watergate prosecutor: Trump taking the fifth would be political suicide
Counter-counterpoint: The line at which the 40% abandon Trump is somewhere between taking the 5th and murder. Closer to murder.
posted by pjenks at 7:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Counter-counterpoint: The line at which the 40% abandon Trump is somewhere between taking the 5th and murder. Closer to murder.
posted by pjenks at 7:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Fascinating. Combining Jade Helm accounts on Twitter with known Russian trolls like @TEN_GOP shows the Russian campaign against the US may have started as early as 2012.
@conspirator0 Adding in a few other accounts that push Kremlin propaganda to the set makes things more interesting: interactions between these accounts and the #JadeHelm users goes back to early 2012.
posted by scalefree at 7:03 AM on May 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
@conspirator0 Adding in a few other accounts that push Kremlin propaganda to the set makes things more interesting: interactions between these accounts and the #JadeHelm users goes back to early 2012.
posted by scalefree at 7:03 AM on May 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
The line at which the 40% abandon Trump is somewhere between taking the 5th and murder. Closer to murder.
I'm going to agree with Trump and say that the line is on the other side of murder.
posted by duoshao at 7:03 AM on May 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
I'm going to agree with Trump and say that the line is on the other side of murder.
posted by duoshao at 7:03 AM on May 6, 2018 [39 favorites]
Oh I agree he's not losing his 35%. That's just not enough longterm.
posted by chris24 at 7:06 AM on May 6, 2018
posted by chris24 at 7:06 AM on May 6, 2018
oh boy. as per Politico, Giuliani this morning is saying Trump doesn't have to comply with a subpoena.
posted by angrycat at 7:14 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by angrycat at 7:14 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
When Little tried to register for the convention Saturday, Bryant said Little told him he was a Republican. She said she replied, “But you’re not welcome here.”
This needs to happen all over. Political parties are private clubs: there is no legal requirement to let Nazis in and there is a moral imperative not to. They can set up a soapbox on the corner and deal with the public response if they want to talk to people.
posted by corb at 7:17 AM on May 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
This needs to happen all over. Political parties are private clubs: there is no legal requirement to let Nazis in and there is a moral imperative not to. They can set up a soapbox on the corner and deal with the public response if they want to talk to people.
posted by corb at 7:17 AM on May 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
Wow. Completely shocking news. This is entirely unexpected. Nobody could have predicted this. If you could see my face you would see I am very very surprised.
North Korea says U.S. ruining mood of detente ahead of Trump-Kim summit
North Korea says U.S. ruining mood of detente ahead of Trump-Kim summit
With just weeks to go before President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to hold their first-ever summit, Pyongyang on Sunday criticized what it called “misleading” claims that Trump’s policy of maximum political pressure and sanctions are what drove the North to the negotiating table.posted by scalefree at 7:23 AM on May 6, 2018 [28 favorites]
The North’s official news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman warning the claims are a “dangerous attempt” to ruin a budding detente on the Korean Peninsula after Kim’s summit late last month with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
And right when Trump's polls are at an historic high (for him at least) in part due to his claimed pivotal role in bringing North Korea to the table.
posted by scalefree at 7:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by scalefree at 7:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Adam Serwer: Blankenship is drawing a lot of condemnation now for his racism from the media (which conversely may be helping his poll numbers) but if he wins the nomination conventions of media objectivity demand that his racism be referred to in euphemism
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Thread by @jedshug: I'm starting a new thread here on addressing this question: Can a president be guilty of obstruction of justice for his use of official powers, like removal? Can Congress place limits on presidential power? Yes. I address a basic misunderstanding about "separation of powers."
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:39 AM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:39 AM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
In the past DAY, we learned:
▪️Cohen routinely paid hush money for Trump.
▪️Trump hired spies to target Obama officials.
▪️Trump moved HUGE sums of cash around the world.
▪️Cohen ran what can only be described as a money-laundering operation.
This is all MAFIA shit.
posted by The Whelk at 7:47 AM on May 6, 2018 [99 favorites]
Meanwhile in NYC: yellow cab drivers say city’s failure to regulate Uber is ‘killing us’
posted by The Whelk at 8:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Elections matter.
NJ governor Phil Murphy:
A millionaire’s tax is the right thing to do – and now is the time to do it.
We are standing for fairness and fiscal responsibility by asking those with taxable incomes in excess of $1 million to pay a little more.
posted by chris24 at 8:02 AM on May 6, 2018 [61 favorites]
NJ governor Phil Murphy:
A millionaire’s tax is the right thing to do – and now is the time to do it.
We are standing for fairness and fiscal responsibility by asking those with taxable incomes in excess of $1 million to pay a little more.
posted by chris24 at 8:02 AM on May 6, 2018 [61 favorites]
@BillKristol:
Nikki Haley on CBS this morning:
Q: SHOULD THE PRESIDENT SHUT [THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION] DOWN?
NIKKI HALEY: NO, NOT AT ALL, I MEAN, ANYTHING THAT COMES LIKE THIS, IT SHOULD PLAY ITS PART…IT SHOULD GO THRU THE PROCESS.
posted by chris24 at 8:07 AM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Nikki Haley on CBS this morning:
Q: SHOULD THE PRESIDENT SHUT [THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION] DOWN?
NIKKI HALEY: NO, NOT AT ALL, I MEAN, ANYTHING THAT COMES LIKE THIS, IT SHOULD PLAY ITS PART…IT SHOULD GO THRU THE PROCESS.
posted by chris24 at 8:07 AM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Just another day in modern American politics.
Actors were paid to attend New Orleans city council meetings supporting power plant. A report says performers were paid between $60 and $200 to support Entergy's efforts.
posted by scalefree at 8:22 AM on May 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
Actors were paid to attend New Orleans city council meetings supporting power plant. A report says performers were paid between $60 and $200 to support Entergy's efforts.
posted by scalefree at 8:22 AM on May 6, 2018 [50 favorites]
Actors were paid to attend New Orleans city council meetings supporting power plant.
Ah, the crisis actors weirdness finally makes sense. Crisis actor is the Republican mirror of this.
posted by duoshao at 8:41 AM on May 6, 2018 [93 favorites]
Ah, the crisis actors weirdness finally makes sense. Crisis actor is the Republican mirror of this.
posted by duoshao at 8:41 AM on May 6, 2018 [93 favorites]
In the past DAY, we learned:
▪️Cohen routinely paid hush money for Trump.
▪️Trump hired spies to target Obama officials.
▪️Trump moved HUGE sums of cash around the world.
▪️Cohen ran what can only be described as a money-laundering operation.
This is all MAFIA shit.
Which is why I hope part of the investigation involves RICO (racketeering) charges.
posted by Gelatin at 9:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [19 favorites]
▪️Cohen routinely paid hush money for Trump.
▪️Trump hired spies to target Obama officials.
▪️Trump moved HUGE sums of cash around the world.
▪️Cohen ran what can only be described as a money-laundering operation.
This is all MAFIA shit.
Which is why I hope part of the investigation involves RICO (racketeering) charges.
posted by Gelatin at 9:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [19 favorites]
I give Nikki Haley two weeks.
posted by argonauta at 9:15 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by argonauta at 9:15 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
> And the flip side of that is that the rest of the world can’t really ignore it if the US falls completely off the deep end.
After a brief period of trepidation, most of my fellow Canadians have gone back to business as usual in terms of visiting the U.S. and generally just thinking everything is fine, I guess, which confounds and alarms me. My wife and I have sworn off visiting the U.S. indefinitely, which means we’ve already skipped a few family vacations, not to mention the sorts of day trips for shopping and restaurants we all used to go on all the time. My family doesn’t get angry about it or anything, but the impression I get is that they think we’re paranoid or overreacting. I hope they’re right! But in addition to not wanting to expend any more money in the U.S. than I have to, and thereby economically supporting the Trump regime in a tiny sense, I genuinely fear the process of crossing the border (even as a white man) and the possibility than one day the shit might really hit the fan while I’m there.
Please believe me when I tell you I am saying this in sadness and not smugness or perceived superiority, because among many other things the province I live in may be on the verge of electing Doug Fucking Ford to its highest office.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:18 AM on May 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
After a brief period of trepidation, most of my fellow Canadians have gone back to business as usual in terms of visiting the U.S. and generally just thinking everything is fine, I guess, which confounds and alarms me. My wife and I have sworn off visiting the U.S. indefinitely, which means we’ve already skipped a few family vacations, not to mention the sorts of day trips for shopping and restaurants we all used to go on all the time. My family doesn’t get angry about it or anything, but the impression I get is that they think we’re paranoid or overreacting. I hope they’re right! But in addition to not wanting to expend any more money in the U.S. than I have to, and thereby economically supporting the Trump regime in a tiny sense, I genuinely fear the process of crossing the border (even as a white man) and the possibility than one day the shit might really hit the fan while I’m there.
Please believe me when I tell you I am saying this in sadness and not smugness or perceived superiority, because among many other things the province I live in may be on the verge of electing Doug Fucking Ford to its highest office.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:18 AM on May 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
A personal story: The large university where I live has cancelled more than half their student clubs because of dropping foreign student interest. Foreign student enrollment has massively dropped. I asked a foreign student why and he said Trump and guns. He says it's difficult for Americans to understand just how different their perspective on gun ownership is from the rest of the world's. He said that from a foreign perspective it really looks insane.
posted by xammerboy at 9:57 AM on May 6, 2018 [73 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 9:57 AM on May 6, 2018 [73 favorites]
Laura Rozen (New Yorker) confirms that former Obama Administration National Security Advisor Colin Kahl was targeted by the same Israeli operatives that targeted Harvey Weinstein accusers.
@lrozen: Fake firm that approached @ColinKahl wife (left). same fake firm per @RonanFarrow that went after weinstein accusers. [image]posted by pjenks at 9:57 AM on May 6, 2018 [67 favorites]
I should probably add that in most university towns, when enrollment drops like that it impacts almost everything.
posted by xammerboy at 10:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 10:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
The line at which the 40% abandon Trump is somewhere between taking the 5th and murder. Closer to murder.
No coincidence he said he could get away with a murder on 5th Avenue.
posted by Celsius1414 at 10:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
No coincidence he said he could get away with a murder on 5th Avenue.
posted by Celsius1414 at 10:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
John McCain Regrets His Palin Pick for the Wrong Reasons
It’s not as if Republicans hadn’t worn the badge of anti-intellectualism before (see: Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush). But Palin personified a dangerous new strain. She (infamously) didn’t read much; put forth few policy positions beyond “drill, baby drill”; excelled at whipping up crowds into a frothing frenzy; and attacked Barack Obama in brazen, personal terms. Stylistically, she seemed to be almost completely at odds with McCain, a deeply conservative traditionalist who prefers military wars to cultural ones.posted by kirkaracha at 10:42 AM on May 6, 2018 [35 favorites]
...
Throughout the campaign, and since, McCain has steadfastly defended Palin. But in a story reported from his Arizona ranch, where the senator is relaxing between treatment for brain cancer and receiving old friends during what may be his final days, the New York Times reports that McCain does have regrets about his VP pick. The reason for his discontent — which he has elaborated on in an upcoming book and movie — is that he wishes he had trusted his instincts and picked Joe Lieberman instead.
...
It is facile to draw a straight line from Palin to this sad state of affairs. But it is striking that, even now, McCain cannot, or will not, fully reckon with the forces he helped unleash.
After a brief period of trepidation, most of my fellow Canadians have gone back to business as usual in terms of visiting the U.S
the province I live in may be on the verge of electing Doug Fucking Ford to its highest office
Which is why I'll be vacationing in Chicago this summer. I too live in Ontario and we have absolutely zero reason to feel superior to a blue state like Illinois or even to the entire US. Our two countries each alternate between our own flavours of center-right and solid-right governance. Both countries are broken and populated by 30% racist shitheads and 30% people who are okay with the shitheads being in charge half the time.
So, yeah, go Cubs!
posted by rocket88 at 10:51 AM on May 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
the province I live in may be on the verge of electing Doug Fucking Ford to its highest office
Which is why I'll be vacationing in Chicago this summer. I too live in Ontario and we have absolutely zero reason to feel superior to a blue state like Illinois or even to the entire US. Our two countries each alternate between our own flavours of center-right and solid-right governance. Both countries are broken and populated by 30% racist shitheads and 30% people who are okay with the shitheads being in charge half the time.
So, yeah, go Cubs!
posted by rocket88 at 10:51 AM on May 6, 2018 [14 favorites]
I strongly recommend that any of you finding yourselves in Chicago go visit the National Museum of Mexican Art. It devotes a lot to art as activism. Fantastic. Great walk through Pilsen next to it, too.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Hey remember how the Manhattan DA was revealed to have dropped investigations into what is now clearly the comically corrupt world of New York real estate in exchange for campaign donations?
What are the odds that DA is not also comically corrupt? Zero? Zero-ish?
If this all goes well half of New York State is going to end up taking a plea deal.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:18 AM on May 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
What are the odds that DA is not also comically corrupt? Zero? Zero-ish?
If this all goes well half of New York State is going to end up taking a plea deal.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:18 AM on May 6, 2018 [25 favorites]
As we've seen, there's been a xenophobic, misogynistic, far-right resurgence in many countries - not just the US. But what happens in the US impacts the whole world in a way that, for instance, Hungary's Jobbik party or Canada electing another Ford to office doesn't. What happens in America can't be quarantined to just here in the way far-right movements in other countries often can be "quarantined," so to speak. Remember, the 2008 financial crisis (which wasn't ideological) was global. We in the US can't sneeze without the rest of the world catching a cold.
Any civil war here will impact the world. As well, any civil war here won't really respect geographical lines - there are patches of red in every blue state and vice versa. We have wanna-be theocrats in the same Congress as the newly-formed Freethought Caucus. The rest of the world does have an interest in keeping the USA from descending into civil war or worse, because any kind of Handmaid's Tale scenario will crash the world economy, and who wants that? In any case it's the blue states plus one purple one (Texas) which control the lion's share of the American economy.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 11:21 AM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Any civil war here will impact the world. As well, any civil war here won't really respect geographical lines - there are patches of red in every blue state and vice versa. We have wanna-be theocrats in the same Congress as the newly-formed Freethought Caucus. The rest of the world does have an interest in keeping the USA from descending into civil war or worse, because any kind of Handmaid's Tale scenario will crash the world economy, and who wants that? In any case it's the blue states plus one purple one (Texas) which control the lion's share of the American economy.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 11:21 AM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
If this all goes well half of New York State is going to end up taking a plea deal.
God I hope so.
posted by The Whelk at 11:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
God I hope so.
posted by The Whelk at 11:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
Gina Haspel, nominee to head CIA, sought to withdraw over questions about her role in agency interrogation program
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:07 PM on May 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:07 PM on May 6, 2018 [16 favorites]
Fascinating. Combining Jade Helm accounts on Twitter with known Russian trolls like @TEN_GOP shows the Russian campaign against the US may have started as early as 2012.
It's amazing how much Jade Helm, if the conspiracy theories were in fact a Russian op, validates the effectiveness of these propaganda efforts and shuts down the whole "it's just people online how do we know it really did anything?" line of doubt. From the Jade Helm 15 Wikipedia article:
posted by zachlipton at 1:17 PM on May 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
It's amazing how much Jade Helm, if the conspiracy theories were in fact a Russian op, validates the effectiveness of these propaganda efforts and shuts down the whole "it's just people online how do we know it really did anything?" line of doubt. From the Jade Helm 15 Wikipedia article:
A survey of registered Republicans by Public Policy Polling in May 2015, found that 32% thought that "the Government is trying to take over Texas", and that half of all Tea Party supporters are concerned with an imminent Texas invasion.There's still the open question of how much of this was created and spread by our own organic nonsense-peddlers vs Russian agents, but the effect of this early effort was to convince 32% of Republicans of something completely nuts and got the Governor deployed military resources. If you can do that, surely you can influence a few votes.
Greg Capers, sheriff of San Jacinto County, published a letter in the Cleveland Advocate (of Cleveland, Texas), in response to numerous phone calls from citizens, in which he described "alternative news sources" that were spreading inaccurate information about the exercise, and encouraged citizens to "utilize legitimate mainstream news sources" for those interested in accurate information.
...
On April 28, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas State Guard to monitor the operation. "During the training operation, it is important that Texans know [that] their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed."
posted by zachlipton at 1:17 PM on May 6, 2018 [46 favorites]
WSJ:
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:55 PM on May 6, 2018 [73 favorites]
For Mr. Mueller, the clock is ticking.HAHAHAHAHA, you CANNOT be serious. We're fucking done with all that at this point.
With six months to go until November’s midterm elections, Mr. Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign will soon run into a dead zone of sorts, in which former prosecutors say they expect him either to wrap up, or lie low and take no visible steps until after the November vote.
Though Mr. Mueller doesn’t face any specific legal deadline, the fall midterms amount to a political one, according to experts and prosecutors. He will reach a point this summer when Justice Department habits dictate he would have to go dark so he doesn’t appear to be trying to sway voters’ decisions, which would be at odds with Justice Department guidelines for prosecutors.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:55 PM on May 6, 2018 [73 favorites]
He will reach a point this summer when Justice Department habits dictate...
"Habits" are kind of like "norms," right? Trump definitely deserves the same allegiance to norms that he's displayed.
posted by diogenes at 2:06 PM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
"Habits" are kind of like "norms," right? Trump definitely deserves the same allegiance to norms that he's displayed.
posted by diogenes at 2:06 PM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
This would be like the habit that, in at least one version of events, got the last head of the FBI fired?
(I know nobody believed that version, but still)
posted by Artw at 2:12 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
(I know nobody believed that version, but still)
posted by Artw at 2:12 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
More recently, Mr. Cohen and his father-in-law lent more than $25 million to a Ukrainian businessman who has a checkered financial record and a history of defaulting on loans.
Cohen had to borrow against his home equity to pay Stormy Daniels $130 000, where is he getting $25 million from?
posted by PenDevil at 2:24 PM on May 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
Cohen had to borrow against his home equity to pay Stormy Daniels $130 000, where is he getting $25 million from?
posted by PenDevil at 2:24 PM on May 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
Who’s his father-in-law?
posted by Autumnheart at 2:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 2:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
How Michael Cohen, Trump’s Fixer, Built a Shadowy Business Empire
Alongside the WaPo's in-depth piece on Trump's sudden cash-only real estate buying spree, this deal in the NYT piece sticks out:
David Frum @davidfrum: "The most obvious question: there's a big mismatch here between Trump's net assets/net income versus the scale of his all-cash outlays. Does Trump have undeclared silent business partners in his post-2006 acquisitions? If so ... who?"
Josh Marshall @joshtpm: "2006 matches when Cohen came into his orbit. And a book released next week says Cohen was hired as a favor to his father-in-law Fima Shusterman, who appears to have been a silent partner in Trump's businesses. Cohen entered Trump world as a conduit for many from Russia/Ukraine."
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:28 PM on May 6, 2018 [38 favorites]
Alongside the WaPo's in-depth piece on Trump's sudden cash-only real estate buying spree, this deal in the NYT piece sticks out:
In addition to his legal and taxi businesses, Mr. Cohen has had a seemingly charmed touch as a real estate investor. On one day in 2014, he sold four buildings in Manhattan for $32 million, entirely in cash. That was nearly three times what he paid for them no more than three years earlier.[...]And then there's this coincidence:
Mr. Trump, for his part, has said that Mr. Cohen was “a good guy” and that federal investigators were “looking at something having to do with his business. I have nothing to do with his business.”
But the president has long entrusted Mr. Cohen to represent him in matters both public and deeply private: real estate negotiations from Fresno, Calif., to the Republic of Georgia, and the hush-money payment to an adult-film actress who said she had had an affair with the future president. Or, as Mr. Trump put it, “this crazy Stormy Daniels deal.”
David Frum @davidfrum: "The most obvious question: there's a big mismatch here between Trump's net assets/net income versus the scale of his all-cash outlays. Does Trump have undeclared silent business partners in his post-2006 acquisitions? If so ... who?"
Josh Marshall @joshtpm: "2006 matches when Cohen came into his orbit. And a book released next week says Cohen was hired as a favor to his father-in-law Fima Shusterman, who appears to have been a silent partner in Trump's businesses. Cohen entered Trump world as a conduit for many from Russia/Ukraine."
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:28 PM on May 6, 2018 [38 favorites]
How does buying a property for cash work? Surely it's not literal bundles of notes, could it just be a way if saying "with immediate settlement", and the money gets paid by a bank transfer or other exchange of value?
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:33 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:33 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
There's that weird nowhereland plot of property he bought in 2005 for a dollar. Maybe a dry run on a smaller piece.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:38 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:38 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
How does buying a property for cash work? Surely it's not literal bundles of notes, could it just be a way if saying "with immediate settlement", and the money gets paid by a bank transfer or other exchange of value?
I've seen my grandparents buy very expensive thing in literal cash - bundles of notes. Not because they were crooks, but because they were old-fashioned and relished the idea that they had saved up for whatever it was. I'm pretty sure that was the case with our farm.
But: I'm not certain that would even be legal today, because of laws to prevent money-laundering, tax-evasion and other crimes, including funneling money to terrorism. So yeah, I too wonder how this happens?
posted by mumimor at 2:39 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I've seen my grandparents buy very expensive thing in literal cash - bundles of notes. Not because they were crooks, but because they were old-fashioned and relished the idea that they had saved up for whatever it was. I'm pretty sure that was the case with our farm.
But: I'm not certain that would even be legal today, because of laws to prevent money-laundering, tax-evasion and other crimes, including funneling money to terrorism. So yeah, I too wonder how this happens?
posted by mumimor at 2:39 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
"Buying a property for cash" just means that they buyer is paying 100% up-front for the property, and there is no bank loan at closing and thus no third-party lien on the property.
The funds generally change hands via wire transfer, the same way they do in virtually all real estate transactions.
posted by toxic at 2:40 PM on May 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
The funds generally change hands via wire transfer, the same way they do in virtually all real estate transactions.
posted by toxic at 2:40 PM on May 6, 2018 [20 favorites]
When you buy a property for cash, the money comes out of your account. If you're buying with a mortgage, then you never see the money - it goes straigbt from the lender's account to the vendor's (well, usually via lawyers).
posted by Devonian at 2:44 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Devonian at 2:44 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Times article goes on to note Cohen has family in the mob, personally owned a share of the business used as the Russian's mob's headquarters, married into a different mob family, does business with suspected mobsters, owns businesses that deal in cash-only to the tune of millions, etc. etc. etc.
By the way, in the early 2000's I went to one of these places in Brighton Beach. Think of the strip club Tony Soprano used as his headquarters times one million with everyone speaking Russian, eating Russian food, dancing to Russian songs, etc. Vegas couldn't touch this place. Some news channel should do a hidden camera expose, because most Americans would not believe something like that could exist in the United States. One of the most over the top experiences in my life.
posted by xammerboy at 2:46 PM on May 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
By the way, in the early 2000's I went to one of these places in Brighton Beach. Think of the strip club Tony Soprano used as his headquarters times one million with everyone speaking Russian, eating Russian food, dancing to Russian songs, etc. Vegas couldn't touch this place. Some news channel should do a hidden camera expose, because most Americans would not believe something like that could exist in the United States. One of the most over the top experiences in my life.
posted by xammerboy at 2:46 PM on May 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
It's amazing how much Jade Helm, if the conspiracy theories were in fact a Russian op, validates the effectiveness of these propaganda efforts . . .
Just to note this is a thing because the American corporate news media are as awful as they are. It's 100% possible and even likely that all of the big six corporations could and would bury a story (or exaggerate one [emails]) across the board as needed.
Trump is their failing grade. The next part of this cookie crumbling is how they break up and disappear like the record companies. I'm guessing "not quietly".
posted by petebest at 2:51 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Just to note this is a thing because the American corporate news media are as awful as they are. It's 100% possible and even likely that all of the big six corporations could and would bury a story (or exaggerate one [emails]) across the board as needed.
Trump is their failing grade. The next part of this cookie crumbling is how they break up and disappear like the record companies. I'm guessing "not quietly".
posted by petebest at 2:51 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
CNN: Exclusive: Nunes demands Justice Department records. Then he doesn't read them.
CNN: Nunes, In Spat With Justice Department, Threatens Sessions With Contempt Over Russia Materials
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:13 PM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
CNN: Nunes, In Spat With Justice Department, Threatens Sessions With Contempt Over Russia Materials
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes warned Sunday that he plans to urge lawmakers "this week" to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over classified materials related to the Russia investigation.Incidentally, as a further illustration of the Foxification of the GOP, former chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and current Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz @jasoninthehouse chimed in, "Devin Nunes: AG Jeff Sessions should be held in contempt of Congress | Fox News @DevinNunes is exactly right!"
But the Justice Department informed Nunes three days ago -- on the deadline for responding to a subpoena from Nunes' committee -- that providing the information on a "specific individual" could pose grave implications for national security, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
"Disclosure of responsive information to such requests can risk severe consequences, including potential loss of human lives, damage to relationships with valued international partners, compromise of ongoing criminal investigations, and interference with intelligence activities," wrote Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, who heads the Justice Department's Office of Legislative Affairs.
It was not immediately clear why Nunes has targeted Sessions. A source familiar with the matter said that the request falls squarely within Sessions' recusal from all materials related to the Russia investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has been fielding the document requests in his place.
Nunes has not described precisely what information he's seeking, but he said Sunday on "Fox and Friends" that it's "very important."
"We're just not going to take this nonsense of every time we peel something back, every time we need information, we get ignored, we get stalled or stonewalled," Nunes said.
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:13 PM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Great precedents Nunez and the House Intelligence Committee are setting on aggressive oversight of the executive branch. That'll never come back to bite them in the ass should the GOP lose control of the House.
posted by chris24 at 3:22 PM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 3:22 PM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Wasn't Nunes also supposed to be recused from the Russia investigation? Can you unrecuse yourself? Or does nothing matter anymroe?
posted by Justinian at 3:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 3:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Cohen had to borrow against his home equity to pay Stormy Daniels $130 000, where is he getting $25 million from?
I keep seeing this idea come up that Cohen taking the money from a HELOC (home equity line of credit) is somehow strange or indicates he didn't have the money - it's not strange at all, other than the part where he's a bag man making a hush money payment to a porn star. If I needed 130k on short notice that's exactly where I would get it and I think that's quite common.
Having 130k cash sitting around is typically not good money management. Investments are never perfectly liquid, even in the best case you probably have to wait for a wire from a broker, compared to tapping a HELOC which is practically instant. HELOCs are great because once established they just sit there costing nothing until used, and then can be paid off at any time. It's secured by property, so the interest rates are good. The interest cost depends on how long the balance was maintained, so it can be relatively cheap if used as a temporary way of shuffling money around (e.g. $130,000 at 4% for a week is about $100 in interest). Cohen didn't take out a loan - he already had one set up.
posted by allegedly at 3:49 PM on May 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
I keep seeing this idea come up that Cohen taking the money from a HELOC (home equity line of credit) is somehow strange or indicates he didn't have the money - it's not strange at all, other than the part where he's a bag man making a hush money payment to a porn star. If I needed 130k on short notice that's exactly where I would get it and I think that's quite common.
Having 130k cash sitting around is typically not good money management. Investments are never perfectly liquid, even in the best case you probably have to wait for a wire from a broker, compared to tapping a HELOC which is practically instant. HELOCs are great because once established they just sit there costing nothing until used, and then can be paid off at any time. It's secured by property, so the interest rates are good. The interest cost depends on how long the balance was maintained, so it can be relatively cheap if used as a temporary way of shuffling money around (e.g. $130,000 at 4% for a week is about $100 in interest). Cohen didn't take out a loan - he already had one set up.
posted by allegedly at 3:49 PM on May 6, 2018 [21 favorites]
IIRC Nunes recused himself pending the outcome of an ethics investigation into the shenanigans he pulled around the unmasking snipe hunt. That investigation 'cleared' him of wrongdoing, and he went back to fucking shit up.
posted by Room 101 at 3:53 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Room 101 at 3:53 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
The North’s official news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman warning the claims are a “dangerous attempt” to ruin a budding detente on the Korean Peninsula after Kim’s summit late last month with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
I mean, they're not wrong
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:56 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I mean, they're not wrong
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:56 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oh, one of those "we have investigated ourselves and found that we did nothing wrong" deals.
posted by Justinian at 3:56 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 3:56 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Now, this Buzzfeed report is interesting:
October 2015 was nine months before Trump became the Republican nominee for the 2016 election. It was only a few months after Maggie Haberman and George Stephanopoulos literally laughed at Keith Ellison for suggesting that Trump might win the Republican nomination. And yet, here was Sinclair ordering a reporter to alter her report to include his views.
IMO, the most innocent explanation is that Trump's ... statement ... was a convenient hook for Sinclair to insert its anti-climate change views. If so, I can see how an unscrupulous candidate and an unscrupulous broadcaster could enter a mutual feedback loop in which the broadcaster amplifies a candidate's position, and the candidate shapes their views to get as much exposure as possible. But I don't imagine that was the limit of their mutual nihilism: Jared Kushner revealed that the Trump campaign made a deal with Sinclair in which the campaign would swap "access" in exchange for better coverage.
When journalists talk about "access" to politicians it's usually taken to mean something like "opportunities to report on unfiltered views and unscripted events". When businesses talk about "access" it's more like "opportunities to privately lobby politicians and staffers". Sinclair relies on loose interpretations of FCC regulations that allowed it to dominate local broadcasting by purchasing stations through shell corporations. I think there was a feedback loop, but it wasn't solely about amplifying the candidate's right-wing views; it was also meant to create a favorable corporate climate. Sinclair's early boosts to Trump's campaign were laying the groundwork to lock the Trump campaign into a quid-pro-quo: free coverage in exchange for Sinclair's legislative agenda. This obviously paid massive dividends: from Sinclair's perspective, Trump's appointed head of the FCC, Ajit Pai, was probably ideal. Even if Trump hadn't been elected, though, the unmatched coverage granted by Sinclair would have shown future candidates how valuable their friendship could be.
This tension between journalism-as-profession and journalism-as-business has been around since Hearst, if not longer, and Rupert Murdoch consolidated his newspaper empire by making a similar deal with Thatcher. Like other forms of corruption it's become more blatant under Trump, and without a change in the supine FCC I really don't see any way out.
[hat tip: Alas, a Blog]
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [36 favorites]
Crowe told BuzzFeed News that before the October 2015 climate change segment aired, she was ordered by Stevens to include Donald Trump’s opinion on the matter. “When I instructed you to balance the story, by including some of [the] other argument, you insisted there was no need to add such balance to the story,” he wrote in her Jan. 22, 2016, performance review.
[...]
Crowe was, in retrospect, struck that Trump’s thoughts were included before he was even his party’s nominee, but Stevens defended the decision. “It was simply a statement — in the headlines at that time — that provided some balance, some reference to the other side of the argument. That side does exist,” he said. “The same would hold true for any hot button issue — Gun Control, Abortion, the Death Penalty, etc.”
October 2015 was nine months before Trump became the Republican nominee for the 2016 election. It was only a few months after Maggie Haberman and George Stephanopoulos literally laughed at Keith Ellison for suggesting that Trump might win the Republican nomination. And yet, here was Sinclair ordering a reporter to alter her report to include his views.
IMO, the most innocent explanation is that Trump's ... statement ... was a convenient hook for Sinclair to insert its anti-climate change views. If so, I can see how an unscrupulous candidate and an unscrupulous broadcaster could enter a mutual feedback loop in which the broadcaster amplifies a candidate's position, and the candidate shapes their views to get as much exposure as possible. But I don't imagine that was the limit of their mutual nihilism: Jared Kushner revealed that the Trump campaign made a deal with Sinclair in which the campaign would swap "access" in exchange for better coverage.
When journalists talk about "access" to politicians it's usually taken to mean something like "opportunities to report on unfiltered views and unscripted events". When businesses talk about "access" it's more like "opportunities to privately lobby politicians and staffers". Sinclair relies on loose interpretations of FCC regulations that allowed it to dominate local broadcasting by purchasing stations through shell corporations. I think there was a feedback loop, but it wasn't solely about amplifying the candidate's right-wing views; it was also meant to create a favorable corporate climate. Sinclair's early boosts to Trump's campaign were laying the groundwork to lock the Trump campaign into a quid-pro-quo: free coverage in exchange for Sinclair's legislative agenda. This obviously paid massive dividends: from Sinclair's perspective, Trump's appointed head of the FCC, Ajit Pai, was probably ideal. Even if Trump hadn't been elected, though, the unmatched coverage granted by Sinclair would have shown future candidates how valuable their friendship could be.
This tension between journalism-as-profession and journalism-as-business has been around since Hearst, if not longer, and Rupert Murdoch consolidated his newspaper empire by making a similar deal with Thatcher. Like other forms of corruption it's become more blatant under Trump, and without a change in the supine FCC I really don't see any way out.
[hat tip: Alas, a Blog]
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [36 favorites]
Meanwhile: Melanaia’s odd white house schedule - they rarely see each other - encouraged not to work
posted by The Whelk at 4:39 PM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 4:39 PM on May 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
> It was only a few months after Maggie Haberman and George Stephanopoulos literally laughed at Keith Ellison for suggesting that Trump might win the Republican nomination.
Wow. That clip is something. It's also a chance for me to bring up again this comment of mine from February 2016, where I point back to a discussion in October 2015, where we basically ran through the Republican primary field and came up with ... Trump:
posted by RedOrGreen at 4:46 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Wow. That clip is something. It's also a chance for me to bring up again this comment of mine from February 2016, where I point back to a discussion in October 2015, where we basically ran through the Republican primary field and came up with ... Trump:
In October last year we were at a collaboration meeting in Montreal, and some of us ended up at the HamBar (yes, exactly what it says) with a vegan in tow. And even then, the 14 of us there were basically stumped by the question - if not Trump, who?I still think "ending up at the HamBar with a vegan in tow" is a good start to my part in our long national nightmare.
[...] Not to claim any deep insight or anything like that, but we were genuinely at a loss. I think the GOP primary so far bears out our confusion then. Sure, it could be Cruz or Rubio, but ... it could come up Trump by a narrow plurality.
posted by RedOrGreen at 4:46 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
From the article on Melania:
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:58 PM on May 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
Paolo Zampolli, who helped arrange for Melania to work in the U.S. fashion industry and sees her in the White House, said Melania is blossoming.Talk about deluded. She is never going to become the "queen of people's hearts, like Princess Diana" for various reasons. For one thing she often appears cold and stand-offish. For another there are a lot of lascivious photos out there and while that makes her more attractive to some, for other people that makes her less endearing. Mostly it is that she has made very little attempt so far to be someone we can all relate to and talk to. That was Diana's appeal. You can't start at 16 months into the presidency and remake yourself as the beloved FLOTUS. We already have an impression of her and it's not great.
“It’s an incredible story. It’s the American Dream,” said Zampolli. “She really will become the queen of people’s hearts, like Princess Diana was. I think the world will be seeing more of her.”
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:58 PM on May 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
For another thing, she's a fucking racist birther.
posted by chris24 at 5:06 PM on May 6, 2018 [64 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 5:06 PM on May 6, 2018 [64 favorites]
a racist birther who insisted in staying in her gilded NYC tower for months after the election at insane expense to taxpayers.
There are a lot of reasons to dislike Melania, but as a DV survivor, I am not going to question any reason a woman gives for wanting to be away from her husband even before he's showing horrific levels of awful like Trump is. There are reasonable ways to say 'hey maybe we should have figured out how to deal with secret service protection better' without saying 'A woman BELONGS with her shitshow of a husband.'
posted by corb at 5:25 PM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
There are a lot of reasons to dislike Melania, but as a DV survivor, I am not going to question any reason a woman gives for wanting to be away from her husband even before he's showing horrific levels of awful like Trump is. There are reasonable ways to say 'hey maybe we should have figured out how to deal with secret service protection better' without saying 'A woman BELONGS with her shitshow of a husband.'
posted by corb at 5:25 PM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
Do you know what happened to the little boy who grew up & got everything he ever wanted? He became miserable & made everyone around him even more miserable than he was.
Inside Scott Pruitt's "miserable" bunker.
Inside Scott Pruitt's "miserable" bunker.
Behind the scenes: On Friday afternoon, Pruitt had lunch with four members of his team at Ambar restaurant on Capitol Hill. The gathering came as a surprise to just about the entire senior staff of the EPA; they found out about the meeting from a picture a lobbyist tweeted.posted by scalefree at 5:28 PM on May 6, 2018 [13 favorites]
Over the last few months, Pruitt has walled himself off from all but five EPA political appointees: Millan Hupp, Sarah Greenwalt, Hayley Ford, Lincoln Ferguson, and Wilcox. Of those five, only Wilcox is over 30. Hupp, Greenwalt and Ferguson came with Pruitt from Oklahoma. Wilcox is the only press aide Pruitt appears to trust.
Pruitt’s chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, runs the agency’s operations but rarely knows where his boss is. Pruitt has frozen Jackson out of his inner circle — a disaster for a chief of staff. Pruitt and Jackson don’t trust each other, multiple sources told me.
"All of us have been frozen out over time," one EPA political appointee told me. "It's absolutely unreal working here. Everyone's miserable. Nobody talks. It's a dry wall prison."
Inside Scott Pruitt's "miserable" bunker.
Good. I'm glad Scott Pruitt's daily existence is a miserable hellhole. And this makes perfect sense, because how could it possibly be anything but? Scott Pruitt more than any other Trump appointee other than Mick Mulvaney was appointed to destroy the EPA and everything every person who has ever worked there did in their entire careers. He's not there to perform the agency's mission, at all, in any way. He's there to kill the entire agency, fire everyone who works there, and undo every bit of law and enforcement in its history.
Even if you're a Republican ex-political appointee to EPA under Bush or even way back to Reagan still working there now as a career professional, you must on some level believe in the agency. After all it was created by Republicans, as much as they later disavowed it. Maybe you want more industry input and less enforcement, but you must believe that things like the Clean Air Act should continue to exist.
Scott Pruitt does not. Scott Pruitt literally wants to kill the planet, like most of today's Republican party. There's no way that he can coexist peacefully with the staff that he's supposed to be managing.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:51 PM on May 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
Good. I'm glad Scott Pruitt's daily existence is a miserable hellhole. And this makes perfect sense, because how could it possibly be anything but? Scott Pruitt more than any other Trump appointee other than Mick Mulvaney was appointed to destroy the EPA and everything every person who has ever worked there did in their entire careers. He's not there to perform the agency's mission, at all, in any way. He's there to kill the entire agency, fire everyone who works there, and undo every bit of law and enforcement in its history.
Even if you're a Republican ex-political appointee to EPA under Bush or even way back to Reagan still working there now as a career professional, you must on some level believe in the agency. After all it was created by Republicans, as much as they later disavowed it. Maybe you want more industry input and less enforcement, but you must believe that things like the Clean Air Act should continue to exist.
Scott Pruitt does not. Scott Pruitt literally wants to kill the planet, like most of today's Republican party. There's no way that he can coexist peacefully with the staff that he's supposed to be managing.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:51 PM on May 6, 2018 [32 favorites]
I was skeptical about the whole “Free Melania” thing at first, given how she’s a grown-ass woman with agency and she knew who she married to and she could leave at any time. But, after seeing the pictures of her at Barbara Bush’s funeral with the Bushes, Clintons, and Obamas, where she’s smiling, literally beaming, and it’s just SO different than pictures of her with her husband. (And she was a model; presumably she can fake smile with the best of them, if she chose to...) I don’t know. I’m starting to feel a little differently.
I’m not saying she’s suddenly a good person. But I wouldn’t wish being trapped in a marriage to Trump on my worst enemy. (And we have no idea what’s in their pre-nup.)
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:53 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
I’m not saying she’s suddenly a good person. But I wouldn’t wish being trapped in a marriage to Trump on my worst enemy. (And we have no idea what’s in their pre-nup.)
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:53 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
And if I were wearing my tin foil hat at the moment, I’d point out that her parents “chain-migrated” here and presumably want to stay. He could literally be threatening her family, Russian mob-style, to get her to stay.
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:59 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:59 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
As I've said before, when you marry a dude who's in deep with the Russian mafia, leaving/telling what you know might be the kind of thing that can make bad things happen to you or your loved ones.
I resist attempts to use pity for Melania to make me feel kinder towards this Administration, but it's entirely possible she does not feel safe leaving. She's from Slovenia, a place that knows exactly what kind of things can happen to people who get in the way of Russia's goals.
posted by emjaybee at 6:01 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
I resist attempts to use pity for Melania to make me feel kinder towards this Administration, but it's entirely possible she does not feel safe leaving. She's from Slovenia, a place that knows exactly what kind of things can happen to people who get in the way of Russia's goals.
posted by emjaybee at 6:01 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Mrs. Trump also said the women who accused Mr. Trump of sexual assault were liars.
I know he respects women but he is defending himself because they are lies...I believe my husband...My husband is kind and he is a gentleman and he would never do that.posted by kirkaracha at 6:08 PM on May 6, 2018 [18 favorites]
... she said in public where he could hear all about it.Imagine that your abusive husband was in the mafia and was also leader of the free world. Witness Protection couldn't even save you. Put them all in jail first, THEN ask for her opinion.
posted by Horkus at 6:33 PM on May 6, 2018 [22 favorites]
And she was a model; presumably she can fake smile with the best of them, if she chose to...
Clearly.
posted by Justinian at 7:54 PM on May 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Clearly.
posted by Justinian at 7:54 PM on May 6, 2018 [15 favorites]
Ok we knew this was coming, but Ronan Farrow put the pieces together, Israeli Operatives Who Aided Harvey Weinstein Collected Information on Former Obama Administration Officials. It's Black Cube, and they went after Ann Norris, a former State Department official married to Ben Rhodes, too.
Using the same fake identities and companies to pry for information for both Weinstein and this is some damn sloppy work, especially when there's a Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist who happens to be reporting on both topics.
Interestingly, Farrow has some reason to believe there was a private client involved, rather than the Trump Administration as the Observer reported: "One of the sources familiar with the effort told me that it was, in fact, part of Black Cube’s work for a private sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran."
posted by zachlipton at 7:56 PM on May 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
Using the same fake identities and companies to pry for information for both Weinstein and this is some damn sloppy work, especially when there's a Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist who happens to be reporting on both topics.
Interestingly, Farrow has some reason to believe there was a private client involved, rather than the Trump Administration as the Observer reported: "One of the sources familiar with the effort told me that it was, in fact, part of Black Cube’s work for a private sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran."
posted by zachlipton at 7:56 PM on May 6, 2018 [27 favorites]
538 has his average approval at 42.1%, the highest since May 7, 2017.
Just a note; For some reason both the approval tracker and the generic ballot tracker yesterday included (I believe) an Ipsos poll which had huge numbers for Trump and very bad numbers for the Democrats which is one reason the approval tracker spiked up almost a full point in one day. But today those polls have been removed. I don't know why. Maybe it wasn't a real poll that somehow got included or maybe it was a private poll which isn't publicly available. I hope the former but who knows.
Trump's numbers have still risen obviously. It's not like 41.4% is a great deal lower than 42.1% But for those who hit refresh on the poll trackers over and over like I do it's an interesting hiccup and I can't find any mention of the polls that were removed. If I remember them correctly they were supposedly Ipsos polls which showed Trump's approval/disapproval at close to parity up near 48% and the generic ballot at something garbagey like D+1. I did note the sample size was out of line with all the other Ipsos polls at around 600 while the rest are 1200+ So I have no idea.
Who knows what that was about.
posted by Justinian at 8:05 PM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Just a note; For some reason both the approval tracker and the generic ballot tracker yesterday included (I believe) an Ipsos poll which had huge numbers for Trump and very bad numbers for the Democrats which is one reason the approval tracker spiked up almost a full point in one day. But today those polls have been removed. I don't know why. Maybe it wasn't a real poll that somehow got included or maybe it was a private poll which isn't publicly available. I hope the former but who knows.
Trump's numbers have still risen obviously. It's not like 41.4% is a great deal lower than 42.1% But for those who hit refresh on the poll trackers over and over like I do it's an interesting hiccup and I can't find any mention of the polls that were removed. If I remember them correctly they were supposedly Ipsos polls which showed Trump's approval/disapproval at close to parity up near 48% and the generic ballot at something garbagey like D+1. I did note the sample size was out of line with all the other Ipsos polls at around 600 while the rest are 1200+ So I have no idea.
Who knows what that was about.
posted by Justinian at 8:05 PM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** OH-12 special -- There hasn't been any public polling here, but internals allegedly show Leneghan trailing by single digits in the GOP primary. Leneghan is seen as being too extreme for the district and would give Dems a good shot at a flip. Primary polling tends to be bad, especially with multiple serious candidates, so who knows. Primary is Tuesday.
** 2018 Senate -- WV: Convicted killer Don Blankenship refusing to a rule out a third party run if he fails to win the GOP nomination Tuesday.
** Odds & ends:
** OH-12 special -- There hasn't been any public polling here, but internals allegedly show Leneghan trailing by single digits in the GOP primary. Leneghan is seen as being too extreme for the district and would give Dems a good shot at a flip. Primary polling tends to be bad, especially with multiple serious candidates, so who knows. Primary is Tuesday.
** 2018 Senate -- WV: Convicted killer Don Blankenship refusing to a rule out a third party run if he fails to win the GOP nomination Tuesday.
** Odds & ends:
-- Connecticut joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which aims to obviate the Electoral College. Pleasingly, the vote was not entirely partisan. 98 more electoral votes would be needed to take effect.posted by Chrysostom at 8:07 PM on May 6, 2018 [26 favorites]
-- NYT finally notices that the GOP is in danger of getting shut out of the top two for both the governor and Senate races in California, with potentially serious impact for the GOP in downballot races. Such as the several House races in danger of flipping.
-- The AZ GOP effort to kill off the independent redistricting commission died (for now) when the legislature adjourned without actioning it.
-- The Crosstab now has a weekly newsletter, for fans of forecasting minutiae.
This is something I don't believe anyone has noted. El Caribe, the night club/Russian mob HQ for which Michael Cohen was a part owner was a main feature of the Robert Duvall, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix 2007 gangster/cop film, We Own The Night.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:08 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:08 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
From the Black Cube article:
a woman who introduced herself as Eva Novak and claimed to work for a London-based film company called Shell Productions
c'mon, writers, that's a little on the fuckin' nose.
posted by nonasuch at 8:15 PM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
a woman who introduced herself as Eva Novak and claimed to work for a London-based film company called Shell Productions
c'mon, writers, that's a little on the fuckin' nose.
posted by nonasuch at 8:15 PM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Interestingly, Farrow has some reason to believe there was a private client involved, rather than the Trump Administration as the Observer reported: "One of the sources familiar with the effort told me that it was, in fact, part of Black Cube’s work for a private sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran."Rather-Than? What about Both-And? It's almost as if the Trump Administration [sic] couldn't be a Mafia outlet or something.
posted by runcifex at 8:21 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Using the same fake identities and companies to pry for information for both Weinstein and this is some damn sloppy work, especially when there's a Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist who happens to be reporting on both topics.
I'm kind of surprised the investigators apparently didn't get anywhere, considering how much of politics is run on deals and handshakes and everyone seems to he connected to everyone else. Either they were cheating the Trump campaign, or the Obama administration's candidate vetting was spectacular.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm kind of surprised the investigators apparently didn't get anywhere, considering how much of politics is run on deals and handshakes and everyone seems to he connected to everyone else. Either they were cheating the Trump campaign, or the Obama administration's candidate vetting was spectacular.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:26 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
"One of the sources familiar with the effort told me that it was, in fact, part of Black Cube’s work for a private sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran."
Why would a private sector client be trying to make it harder to do business in Iran?
Is there a wealthy magnate with possible business interests to do with Iran that is also connected to Trump and Weinstein?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:35 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Why would a private sector client be trying to make it harder to do business in Iran?
Is there a wealthy magnate with possible business interests to do with Iran that is also connected to Trump and Weinstein?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:35 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I assume Melania doesn't leave because he would make her life (for however long that lasts) ultimate hell. That's one of those dudes who would make sure you are utterly fucked in the divorce. And that's even before the mafia and Russian stuff. I think she knew going in it was either "till death do us part" or "until he finds another Marla to dump her for," which sadly for her he has not done and doesn't seem to be actively trying to do at the moment.
I don't like her much, but I do feel sorry for her on that level. This has gone way beyond the deal she originally agreed to, probably. At least he's as uninterested in her as she is in him. So I guess there is that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:58 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
I don't like her much, but I do feel sorry for her on that level. This has gone way beyond the deal she originally agreed to, probably. At least he's as uninterested in her as she is in him. So I guess there is that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:58 PM on May 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Tom Barrack is tied to both Trump and Weinstein, and has extensive business ties in the Middle East (especially Qatar), but doesn't have any special link to Iran AFAIK.
posted by shenderson at 9:02 PM on May 6, 2018
posted by shenderson at 9:02 PM on May 6, 2018
Why would a private sector client be trying to make it harder to do business in Iran?
Oil prices, maybe?
But really, it just seems like something you say to a bunch of ex-Mossad in order to make it seem like stalking people for you is a worthy endeavour.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:03 PM on May 6, 2018
Oil prices, maybe?
But really, it just seems like something you say to a bunch of ex-Mossad in order to make it seem like stalking people for you is a worthy endeavour.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:03 PM on May 6, 2018
But really, it just seems like something you say to a bunch of ex-Mossad in order to make it seem like stalking people for you is a worthy endeavour.
If they're in the private sector they're probably mostly interested in getting paid. The people who make money from sanctions are the people enforcing them, the people breaking them, and the sanctioned country's erstwhile competitors. None of these seem likely to engage in cloak-and-dagger nonsense without another powerful incentive.
If I had to guess who "a private-sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran" might be, I'd put my money on Saudi Aramco. They have the commercial conflict for a cover story, but their real motivation is a desire to contain Iran.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:07 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
If they're in the private sector they're probably mostly interested in getting paid. The people who make money from sanctions are the people enforcing them, the people breaking them, and the sanctioned country's erstwhile competitors. None of these seem likely to engage in cloak-and-dagger nonsense without another powerful incentive.
If I had to guess who "a private-sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran" might be, I'd put my money on Saudi Aramco. They have the commercial conflict for a cover story, but their real motivation is a desire to contain Iran.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:07 PM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Update on PollingGate! RCP still has the poll in question in their average. It's the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll. RCP appears to include all Reuters/Ipsos polls while 538 includes none of them, so clearly there is something in the methodology of the R/I polls that 538 doesn't like.
That said, to give an idea of how much of an outlier the poll in question is: This appears to be a weekly poll and thus there have 8 in roughly the last 2 months. Trump's net approval in those 8 polls, each a week apart, in chronological order are as follows: -17, -8, -14, -15, -19, -15, -14, 0. Soooo. I guess I'll take a look at these polls to see if I can figure out why 538 doesn't use them. But in any case, thus ends the mystery of the disappearing poll.
posted by Justinian at 10:32 PM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
That said, to give an idea of how much of an outlier the poll in question is: This appears to be a weekly poll and thus there have 8 in roughly the last 2 months. Trump's net approval in those 8 polls, each a week apart, in chronological order are as follows: -17, -8, -14, -15, -19, -15, -14, 0. Soooo. I guess I'll take a look at these polls to see if I can figure out why 538 doesn't use them. But in any case, thus ends the mystery of the disappearing poll.
posted by Justinian at 10:32 PM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
@ColinKahl (cleaned up, sources highlighted in the original thread):
posted by zachlipton at 11:27 PM on May 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
CONFIRMED: The Israeli intel firm Black Cube used to go after Harvey Weinstein’s accusers also targeted me & @brhodes (& our families). Lots of new details in this new @RonanFarrow piece. Was this authorized by the Trump White House?It seems clear that the same people working for Weinestein were targeting Kahl and Rohdes' families, and now we know that this took place at the same time certain White House officials had a weird obsession with the two and ending the Iran deal. And if you'll remember all the way back to last December, folks in the White House were talking to Erik Prince and Ollie North about a private spy network because they couldn't trust the "deep state" in the intelligence community. It seems like a hell of a coincidence that all that was happening and nobody in the government had anything to do with this.
The Guardian piece from yesterday suggested that “aides to President Trump” hired the firm last May to dig up dirt on us as part of an effort to discredit the Iran nuclear deal. Is that true? Let’s start with the FIRST thing we know: Despite Black Cube’s BS dodge/denial, the evidence shows they went after me by targeting my wife & attempting to collect derogatory evidence with the goal of arming *someone* with info to discredit proponents of the Iran Deal.
Was that *someone* an aide or associate of the President? I don’t know, but there are some suspicious coincidences—especially as it relates to the particular focus on Ben & me. We were not the only Obama officials involved in negotiating & publicly defending the Iran deal
Interestingly, around the same time the Israeli firm was hired, senior White House aides began complaining to Fox News about a “Ben Rhodes-Colin Kahl Nexus” that was supposedly organizing opposition to the administration. [Gorka ranting on Hannity last May]. About a month after the Israeli firm was allegedly hired, anonymous White House officials reached out to the Washington Free Beacon, a right-wing tabloid, to smear Ben & me with baseless & false accusations. Notice the Israel angle to this piece. As the summer wore on, senior White House aides pushed a narrative that Ben and I were solely responsible for turmoil across the Middle East. [Gorka ranting to Business Insider]. And, in July, when Trump became frustrated that he didn’t have more options to ditch the Iran nuclear deal, he turned to the same White House aides obsessed with Ben & me for alternatives. [Bannon and Gorka demand Tillerson explain why Trump should recertify the Iran deal].
So here’s the SECOND thing we know: Some senior aides to the President were obsessed with Ben and me, and were seeking to smear us, around the same time the Israeli firm was tasked by someone to dig up dirt on us and our families. Did these same Trump aides—or outside people they contacted—have any connections to Black Cube? It’s unclear. Maybe it is all a coincidence. But it’s a creepy one…and one worth further investigation.
posted by zachlipton at 11:27 PM on May 6, 2018 [40 favorites]
Justinian: "Update on PollingGate! RCP still has the poll in question in their average. It's the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll."
They've published a report on the poll -- it's such a strong outlier that they're more or less disavowing it until it's borne out in further surveys.
posted by Rhaomi at 1:33 AM on May 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
They've published a report on the poll -- it's such a strong outlier that they're more or less disavowing it until it's borne out in further surveys.
This week’s Reuters/Ipsos Core Political release presents something of an outlier of our trend. Every series of polls has the occasional outlier and in our opinion this is one. So, while we are reporting the findings in the interest of transparency, we will not be announcing the start of a new trend until we have more data to validate this pattern.Especially check out slide #20, where Trump's approval on half a dozen distinct issues all spike upward about the same amount. Very strange.
posted by Rhaomi at 1:33 AM on May 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
Matthew Yglesias on the Twitter thing: I like that the main news story of the moment is about the president’s hush money payments to people he’s had affairs with but it’s conventionally considered wildly implausible that Russian intelligence could be blackmailing him with a sex tape.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:27 AM on May 7, 2018 [72 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:27 AM on May 7, 2018 [72 favorites]
Business Insider's valiant attempt to influence the NY State governor election: Cynthia Nixon is the 'nightmare scenario' for New York real estate
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:18 AM on May 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
"Nixon would be a nightmare scenario for the real estate world," said William F. Buckley O'Reilly, a New York Republican political strategist who said he expects real estate campaign contributions to remain high throughout the primary.[hat tip: @onlxn]
"Cuomo, the industry has been able to work with," he added.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:18 AM on May 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
Nathaniel Rakich, 538: What’s At Stake In The First Big Primary Day Of 2018. Some excerpts:
posted by nangar at 4:31 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
National Democrats have telegraphed their optimism at picking up North Carolina’s 9th and 13th congressional districts by adding Marine/solar-energy entrepreneur Dan McCready and philanthropist/lawyer Kathy Manning to their “Red to Blue” program. Both, however, will first need to get past token primary opposition. These are both red districts, but not quite so red as to be safe if there’s a Democratic wave: The 9th has a partisan lean of R+14; the 13th is R+11. That makes both more Democratic-friendly than the settings of every federal special election we’ve had so far in the Trump era save one.The article also includes a long section on the Ohio races.
Meanwhile, don’t let the primaries in West Virginia’s open 3rd Congressional District (R+48) fly under your radar. Although Trump carried the district by a whopping 49 points in 2016, it encompasses ancestrally Democratic “coal country”; Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin won it by 34 points in 2012, and a Democrat represented the 3rd District as recently as 2014. Four Democrats are vying to be the next to do so, with the biggest name being state Sen. Richard Ojeda. Not only has Ojeda dramatically outraised the Democratic field, but he also has an Avengers-worthy origin story: After being attacked and brutally beaten two days before the 2016 primary, he surged to a shocking victory over an incumbent Democratic legislator, then won a 78-19 Trump seat in the general election.
posted by nangar at 4:31 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
"he (Cuomo) told reporters at an event in Long Island City, "We've had a Democrat majority, it wasn't extraordinarily successful."
Wow... Cuomo is supposed to be a Democrat but he's using conservatives' childish slur against his own party?
posted by duoshao at 4:37 AM on May 7, 2018 [26 favorites]
Wow... Cuomo is supposed to be a Democrat but he's using conservatives' childish slur against his own party?
posted by duoshao at 4:37 AM on May 7, 2018 [26 favorites]
Considering Black Cube, the relevant question is where did Trump get his supposed bad stuff about Tester? There's no good answer to that question. Rumor/nothing? Likely. Or: Did he use government resources? Did he use Black Cube? Did he collect this for others?
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:08 AM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:08 AM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
After taking a day off—totally not to cool off after Stormy Daniels taunted him on SNL—Trump's back on Twitter:
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:13 AM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
The 13 Angry Democrats in charge of the Russian Witch Hunt are starting to find out that there is a Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice...and just wait ‘till the Courts get to see your unrevealed Conflicts of Interest!"There is no O" is already being entered into the political lexicon (and Mueller's files).
The Russia Witch Hunt is rapidly losing credibility. House Intelligence Committee found No Collusion, Coordination or anything else with Russia. So now the Probe says OK, what else is there? How about Obstruction for a made up, phony crime.There is no O, it’s called Fighting Back
My highly respected nominee for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, has come under fire because she was too tough on Terrorists. Think of that, in these very dangerous times, we have the most qualified person, a woman, who Democrats want OUT because she is too tough on terror. Win Gina!
To the great people of West Virginia we have, together, a really great chance to keep making a big difference. Problem is, Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State...No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:13 AM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Considering Black Cube, the relevant question is where did Trump get his supposed bad stuff about Tester?
Or he's just flat out lying and has jack squat.
posted by PenDevil at 5:14 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Or he's just flat out lying and has jack squat.
posted by PenDevil at 5:14 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Wow... Cuomo is supposed to be a Democrat but he's using conservatives' childish slur against his own party?
Cuomo propped up a splinter faction of "Democrats" voting with Republicans for 8 years specifically to pass conservative budgets and block "too progressive" bills from getting floor votes so he could build his "bipartisan" presidential credentials.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:15 AM on May 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
Cuomo propped up a splinter faction of "Democrats" voting with Republicans for 8 years specifically to pass conservative budgets and block "too progressive" bills from getting floor votes so he could build his "bipartisan" presidential credentials.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:15 AM on May 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
WaPo and NPR both have stories sympathetic to the First Lady today. What's with the sudden, seemingly coordinated rehab of her image?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:25 AM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:25 AM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
Update on PollingGate! RCP still has the poll in question in their average. It's the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll. RCP appears to include all Reuters/Ipsos polls while 538 includes none of them, so clearly there is something in the methodology of the R/I polls that 538 doesn't like.
How Trump's false claim about African American support happened [Brian Stetler; CNN; autoplay]
posted by melissasaurus at 5:28 AM on May 7, 2018 [44 favorites]
How Trump's false claim about African American support happened [Brian Stetler; CNN; autoplay]
Normally you wouldn't be reading about the poll here, because the Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll does not meet CNN's standards for reporting. CNN's director of polling and election analytics Jennifer Agiesta explained why: "It was conducted using a non-probability online sample, meaning that those who participated signed up to take the poll rather than being randomly selected." Bottom line: This means "there could be bias in the sample." [...]A reminder to be skeptical of Democrats in Disarray stories, especially ones citing a Reuters/Ipsos poll or polls that haven't released crosstabs.
"Kanye West must have some power," [Trump] said, "because you probably saw I doubled my African American poll numbers. We went from 11 to 22 in one week. Thank you, Kanye. Thank you." There are a couple things to notice about that quote. First, the remark that his audience "probably saw" the poll. Yes, the claim had ricocheted its way around the pro-Trump echo chamber, but it wasn't common knowledge. It wasn't a story on the nightly news. Still, Trump figured NRA conventioneers and TV viewers already knew. Second, Trump asserted that his support "doubled" among African Americans. Even taking the tracking poll at face value, which would be a mistake to do, Trump got it wrong. The Daily Caller story cited a jump from 11% to 22% among black men, not men and women combined.
At the NRA convention, Trump continued: "When I saw the number, I said, 'That must be a mistake. How can that have happened?' Even the pollsters thought that must be a mistake." Actually, yes. But it wasn't a mistake in the way Trump meant. Chris Kahn, the U.S. political polling editor for Reuters, said in an email on Saturday that the 11% and 22% data points were misunderstood. "The sample sizes for those two measurements were too small to reliably suggest any shift in public opinion," Kahn told CNNMoney through a spokeswoman. [...]
In this case, the president's approval rating among black men, "the credibility interval was more than +/- 9 percentage points for each measurement, which leaves open the possibility that his approval also could have dropped in this time frame," Kahn said.
posted by melissasaurus at 5:28 AM on May 7, 2018 [44 favorites]
WaPo and NPR both have stories sympathetic to the First Lady today. What's with the sudden, seemingly coordinated rehab of her image?
She's announcing a new initiative today for something or other intended to help children.
posted by melissasaurus at 5:32 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
She's announcing a new initiative today for something or other intended to help children.
posted by melissasaurus at 5:32 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
tbh I would love it if everyone just agreed to ignore melania forever and we never spoke of her again
posted by lazaruslong at 5:33 AM on May 7, 2018 [77 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 5:33 AM on May 7, 2018 [77 favorites]
CNN, quoted by melissasaurus: First, the remark that his audience "probably saw" the poll. Yes, the claim had ricocheted its way around the pro-Trump echo chamber, but it wasn't common knowledge. It wasn't a story on the nightly news. Still, Trump figured NRA conventioneers and TV viewers already knew.
He figured that because he figures everyone in the world shares his knowledge (and his ignorance). Hence his common declarations that "Nobody knew" this but "everyone knows" that. Forget the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, someone need to determine his theory of mind with the Sally–Anne test, which I'd summarize as: Sally put a marble in the basket and left the room. Anne moved the marble from the basket to the box. Sally came back -- where did she look for the marble?
I think he would start out saying "It's in the box, everybody knows it's in the box!" but after a half-minute of patient explanation, he'd get it (probably along the lines of "Oh, Sally's a moron, I see"). If you asked him the same thing a week later, it's anyone's guess whether he would remember the underlying trick.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:46 AM on May 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
He figured that because he figures everyone in the world shares his knowledge (and his ignorance). Hence his common declarations that "Nobody knew" this but "everyone knows" that. Forget the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, someone need to determine his theory of mind with the Sally–Anne test, which I'd summarize as: Sally put a marble in the basket and left the room. Anne moved the marble from the basket to the box. Sally came back -- where did she look for the marble?
I think he would start out saying "It's in the box, everybody knows it's in the box!" but after a half-minute of patient explanation, he'd get it (probably along the lines of "Oh, Sally's a moron, I see"). If you asked him the same thing a week later, it's anyone's guess whether he would remember the underlying trick.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:46 AM on May 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
WaPo and NPR both have stories sympathetic to the First Lady today. What's with the sudden, seemingly coordinated rehab of her image?
There's a thing in journalism called a "beat sweetener," where a reporter writes something flattering about the person/institution they're covering, usually with the intent of buttering them up for better access and a better story down the line. So maybe they're trying to turn Melania. Pro tip: It rarely works when you're dealing with sophisticated people/PR staffs. So in this case: Who knows?
posted by martin q blank at 6:34 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
There's a thing in journalism called a "beat sweetener," where a reporter writes something flattering about the person/institution they're covering, usually with the intent of buttering them up for better access and a better story down the line. So maybe they're trying to turn Melania. Pro tip: It rarely works when you're dealing with sophisticated people/PR staffs. So in this case: Who knows?
posted by martin q blank at 6:34 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
That WaPo article on Melania is either dripping shade or totally clueless. I can't decide which. It's news to me that there have been any anti-cyber-bullying efforts led by her, but I see she held a show meeting for press attention, so I guess the media's counting that as something even though it actually achieves fuck-all. Weird that she wants to start cultivating an image now. I guess she wants something to point to once her husband's in prison/exiled to Elba/whatever to salvage her reputation. Either that or homegirl has realized she might need a real job soon and she's angling for a cushy landing drawing a nonprofit CEO or consultant salary.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 6:51 AM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Kitty Stardust at 6:51 AM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
WaPo and NPR both have stories sympathetic to the First Lady today. What's with the sudden, seemingly coordinated rehab of her image?
Melania's rolling out her personal First Lady agenda in the next day or so, these are no doubt a part of the lead up to that. Launching, re-launching, whatever. I'm sure that all the Stormy news was an impetus for it, she's trying to counter that. I know we've been trained by Trump's bumbling master criminal activity to always expect the darkest angle to any & all developments but in this case I don't think there's anything nefarious about it. She's just decided to step out of the shadows & finally be the First Lady.
posted by scalefree at 6:52 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Melania's rolling out her personal First Lady agenda in the next day or so, these are no doubt a part of the lead up to that. Launching, re-launching, whatever. I'm sure that all the Stormy news was an impetus for it, she's trying to counter that. I know we've been trained by Trump's bumbling master criminal activity to always expect the darkest angle to any & all developments but in this case I don't think there's anything nefarious about it. She's just decided to step out of the shadows & finally be the First Lady.
posted by scalefree at 6:52 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Trump team makes the midterms about saving his presidency
...Giuliani seems content to keep the attention focused on that tabloid-friendly fight, as the White House appears to count on Trump’s base continuing to forgive his alleged moral lapses — and as his team seems to bet that GOP voters will turn out in November if they believe it’s the only way to save the president’s political skin.posted by kirkaracha at 7:12 AM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
...
“We have to keep the House because if we listen to Maxine Waters, she’s going around saying, ‘We will impeach him,’” Trump said at a recent rally in Michigan, referring to the Democratic congresswoman from California.
...
Trump appears to believe victory in the November midterms depends on turning the contests into a referendum on his leadership, rather than risking a district-by-district slog over conventional messaging about the Republican tax overhaul and the upbeat economy.
Outlier results, like the May 4 Ipsos poll, happen occasionally. Ipsos does internet panel polls. They try put together a representative sample of the US population for their panels, controlling for things like age, gender, income, ethnicity, level of education, geographical region, etc. But even controlling for demographic variables like this, they can still end up with more Trump fans than usual in their panel every once in a while (and occasionally it can go the other way as well).
Ipsos is a pretty reliable pollster. They get an A- rating from 538, and have almost no partisan bias at all (0.01% in favor of Democrats). They also have a long track record of political polling in France and good reputation there. (538's rating is based solely on their polling in the US.) Both RCP and 538 include Ipsos polls in their averages. However, RCP includes the May 4 results in their average and 538 omitted the apparent outlier.
It's good to remember that when a pollster reports a confidence interval or margin of error of 3%, that means by the pollster's own calculations, there's a one in twenty chance their results are further off than that. Sometimes an outlier is just outlier. Ipsos' results will probably be back to normal next week. There's no reason in this case to think that there's any problem with their methodology, or that they're picking up a real trend that other pollsters are missing. (If the same pollster is consistently getting results that are inconsistent with what other pollsters are getting we do have to ask if one those things is happening, but so far it doesn't look like it. We just have a single outlier result from a pollster that's pretty reliable.)
posted by nangar at 7:16 AM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Ipsos is a pretty reliable pollster. They get an A- rating from 538, and have almost no partisan bias at all (0.01% in favor of Democrats). They also have a long track record of political polling in France and good reputation there. (538's rating is based solely on their polling in the US.) Both RCP and 538 include Ipsos polls in their averages. However, RCP includes the May 4 results in their average and 538 omitted the apparent outlier.
It's good to remember that when a pollster reports a confidence interval or margin of error of 3%, that means by the pollster's own calculations, there's a one in twenty chance their results are further off than that. Sometimes an outlier is just outlier. Ipsos' results will probably be back to normal next week. There's no reason in this case to think that there's any problem with their methodology, or that they're picking up a real trend that other pollsters are missing. (If the same pollster is consistently getting results that are inconsistent with what other pollsters are getting we do have to ask if one those things is happening, but so far it doesn't look like it. We just have a single outlier result from a pollster that's pretty reliable.)
posted by nangar at 7:16 AM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump appears to believe victory in the November midterms depends on turning the contests into a referendum on his leadership
For once he is right, although the victory would not be his victory.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:20 AM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
For once he is right, although the victory would not be his victory.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:20 AM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
So maybe they're trying to turn Melania.
Or -- crazy theory I know -- they're mostly a bunch of cowardly chucklefucks who are sucking up to her and her husband because they're desperate for anything that lets them normalize this administration, and desperate to keep receiving PR fluff from Trump that they pretend leaked from somewhere else because that means they're important.
The press isn't doing this because they have a secret mission to save us with multidimensional chess. This is what they want to do. They're helping her rehab her image because they want to help people like her. They write stuff supporting nazis because they want to support nazis. They write stuff condemning black victims of police shootings because that is what they want to do. etc.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:25 AM on May 7, 2018 [54 favorites]
Or -- crazy theory I know -- they're mostly a bunch of cowardly chucklefucks who are sucking up to her and her husband because they're desperate for anything that lets them normalize this administration, and desperate to keep receiving PR fluff from Trump that they pretend leaked from somewhere else because that means they're important.
The press isn't doing this because they have a secret mission to save us with multidimensional chess. This is what they want to do. They're helping her rehab her image because they want to help people like her. They write stuff supporting nazis because they want to support nazis. They write stuff condemning black victims of police shootings because that is what they want to do. etc.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:25 AM on May 7, 2018 [54 favorites]
it’s conventionally considered wildly implausible that Russian intelligence could be blackmailing him with a sex tape.
Is it? Are non-Fox-News level people still saying this? Everything else in the dossier seems to have been largely corroborated.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:27 AM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Is it? Are non-Fox-News level people still saying this? Everything else in the dossier seems to have been largely corroborated.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:27 AM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
petebest: McCain Doesn't Want Trump at His Funeral (NBC via PoliticalWire)
People close to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have told the White House that the ailing Arizona lawmaker does not want President Trump to attend his funeral and would like Vice President Mike Pence to come instead, NBC News reports.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush plan to be eulogists at McCain’s funeral.
Funny thing, McCain -- we don't want Trump to be our president. So like the country who is living with him now, when you're dead, you won't get much of a say if Trump is pres(id)ent.
(And if Trump does attend, McCain's ghost will be "very concerned" about this failure to uphold his wishes)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:36 AM on May 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
People close to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have told the White House that the ailing Arizona lawmaker does not want President Trump to attend his funeral and would like Vice President Mike Pence to come instead, NBC News reports.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush plan to be eulogists at McCain’s funeral.
Funny thing, McCain -- we don't want Trump to be our president. So like the country who is living with him now, when you're dead, you won't get much of a say if Trump is pres(id)ent.
(And if Trump does attend, McCain's ghost will be "very concerned" about this failure to uphold his wishes)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:36 AM on May 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
Trump appears to believe victory in the November midterms depends on turning the contests into a referendum on his leadership,
Haha. Imagine that, the Narcissist in Chief thinks the best election strategy is to make it all about him.
posted by notyou at 7:37 AM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Haha. Imagine that, the Narcissist in Chief thinks the best election strategy is to make it all about him.
posted by notyou at 7:37 AM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
From way upthread, but if it was explained I missed it:
Can someone ELI5 why the NY Education Department is overseeing physicians? It is not the first post in this thread where I have seen it mentioned, so I am assuming (this timeline) true?
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) oversees the licensure of many licensed professions in New York. From NYSED's Office of the Professions website, medicine was actually the first profession licensed by the Board of Regents, which is the elected body that oversees NYSED.
posted by gauche at 7:40 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Can someone ELI5 why the NY Education Department is overseeing physicians? It is not the first post in this thread where I have seen it mentioned, so I am assuming (this timeline) true?
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) oversees the licensure of many licensed professions in New York. From NYSED's Office of the Professions website, medicine was actually the first profession licensed by the Board of Regents, which is the elected body that oversees NYSED.
posted by gauche at 7:40 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Is it? Are non-Fox-News level people still saying this? Everything else in the dossier seems to have been largely corroborated.
There’s a sort of journalistic convention where every time the dossier is brought up, usually in the context of some new bit of being confirmed, it is referee to as the “uncorroborated dossier”. At the moment it’s pretty much just the pee-tape* that’s not been found, suspect they’ll keep the game up until it is.
* we’re in the worst universe. It’s going to be real and not just a bunch of shady real estate deals with Ivan Peetapeovich.
posted by Artw at 7:43 AM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
There’s a sort of journalistic convention where every time the dossier is brought up, usually in the context of some new bit of being confirmed, it is referee to as the “uncorroborated dossier”. At the moment it’s pretty much just the pee-tape* that’s not been found, suspect they’ll keep the game up until it is.
* we’re in the worst universe. It’s going to be real and not just a bunch of shady real estate deals with Ivan Peetapeovich.
posted by Artw at 7:43 AM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
John McCain didn't bat a fucking eye when he and the Arizona GOP turned Pat Tillman's funeral into a political spectacle.
posted by cmfletcher at 7:47 AM on May 7, 2018 [62 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 7:47 AM on May 7, 2018 [62 favorites]
Loony Left update:: a report from a small but impassioned May Day (Gothamist)
posted by The Whelk at 7:48 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:48 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
"Nixon would be a nightmare scenario for the real estate world," said William F. Buckley O'Reilly, a New York Republican political strategist who said he expects real estate campaign contributions to remain high throughout the primary.
"Cuomo, the industry has been able to work with," he added.
New York real estate, which has definitely not been the axis of about five major public corruption scandals in about as many years.
If I were advising Nixon I'd be working that quote into her stump speech.
posted by gauche at 7:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
"Cuomo, the industry has been able to work with," he added.
New York real estate, which has definitely not been the axis of about five major public corruption scandals in about as many years.
If I were advising Nixon I'd be working that quote into her stump speech.
posted by gauche at 7:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
Celsius1414: No coincidence he said he could get away with a murder on 5th Avenue.
HE ALREADY DID! AND IT WAS ONLY ONE MONTH AGO!
posted by filthy light thief at 7:50 AM on May 7, 2018 [80 favorites]
HE ALREADY DID! AND IT WAS ONLY ONE MONTH AGO!
A fire broke out at Trump Tower on Saturday, leaving one man dead and six firefighters injured, the New York City Fire Department said.Sure, he wasn't standing on the street with a gun, but the fire was as bad as it was because there were no sprinklers in the building. Why were there no sprinklers in his 5th avenue property?
Police identified the man killed as Todd Brassner, 67, a resident of the building's 50th floor. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition but later died, said spokeswoman Angelica Conroy of the Fire Department.
Brassner was unconscious and unresponsive when firefighters pulled him out, the New York Police Department said. The medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death.
The fire was contained to the 50th floor of the tower, located on Fifth Avenue in New York. It was ruled under control around 9 p.m., two hours after it was originally reported, the FDNY tweeted.
Six firefighters suffered injuries that are not life threatening, Conroy said.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Trump lobbied against a bill that would have required sprinklers to be installed in all residential buildings in New York, backing down only after existing buildings such as his own were allowed to be grandfathered in, the New York Daily News reported.Trump cut corners on safety, which lead to a man dying on 5th Avenue in a Trump property. And Trump said (and tweeted) nothing about that death, but instead about how well built his building was, and said the fire was contained hours before it really was.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:50 AM on May 7, 2018 [80 favorites]
At the moment it’s pretty much just the pee-tape* that’s not been found, suspect they’ll keep the game up until it is.
The other big open claim from the dossier is that Trump is the mysterious beneficiary of the 19% sale of Rosfnet, the Russian state oil company.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:58 AM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
The other big open claim from the dossier is that Trump is the mysterious beneficiary of the 19% sale of Rosfnet, the Russian state oil company.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:58 AM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
Trump on Twitter: There is no O, it’s called Fighting Back
In other words, Trump admits to certain activities and just denies that they amount to obstruction of justice. Well, as he is fond of saying, we'll see what happens.
posted by Gelatin at 8:03 AM on May 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
In other words, Trump admits to certain activities and just denies that they amount to obstruction of justice. Well, as he is fond of saying, we'll see what happens.
posted by Gelatin at 8:03 AM on May 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
If I were advising Nixon I'd be working that quote into her stump speech.
I heard her stump speech last week, and its definitely in there and its definitely good.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:10 AM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
I heard her stump speech last week, and its definitely in there and its definitely good.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:10 AM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
The other big open claim from the dossier is that Trump is the mysterious beneficiary of the 19% sale of Rosfnet
What the dossier actually says is that Carter Page was offered "the brokerage of" that 19% sale. I believe that's a few percent (I seem to recall seeing that 6% is a typical brokerage fee for a transaction of that type). This is a fifth of one of Russia's largest state assets, being privatized. They're not going to just give it to some private individual. That would be an absurdly large bribe. Like "You help me in the election, and I'll deed over all the public land in Utah to you. Secretly. No one will know." It's just not practical, as well as being a disproportionate reward.
It drives me nuts that this confusion is still so rampant. The wording in the dossier is "the brokerage of."
Editor's note: This article originally stated that Carter and his associates were offered a 19% stake in Rosneft. They were allegedly offered the brokerage of the 19% stake, whose purchase by the QIA and Glencore was ultimately facilitated by Gazprombank.
posted by OnceUponATime at 8:13 AM on May 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
What the dossier actually says is that Carter Page was offered "the brokerage of" that 19% sale. I believe that's a few percent (I seem to recall seeing that 6% is a typical brokerage fee for a transaction of that type). This is a fifth of one of Russia's largest state assets, being privatized. They're not going to just give it to some private individual. That would be an absurdly large bribe. Like "You help me in the election, and I'll deed over all the public land in Utah to you. Secretly. No one will know." It's just not practical, as well as being a disproportionate reward.
It drives me nuts that this confusion is still so rampant. The wording in the dossier is "the brokerage of."
Editor's note: This article originally stated that Carter and his associates were offered a 19% stake in Rosneft. They were allegedly offered the brokerage of the 19% stake, whose purchase by the QIA and Glencore was ultimately facilitated by Gazprombank.
posted by OnceUponATime at 8:13 AM on May 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
Trump is already compromised whether or not a pee tape exists. Trump Jr. has already stated that a vast amount of the family money is tied to Russian interests. Personally, I would much rather have a pee tape hanging over my head, than the threat of my sizable fortune seized. Also, true or not, Putin could snap his fingers and have any of Trump's Russian business partners accuse him of all sorts of criminal activity. Ironically, stories about the importance of a pee tape obscure the fact that Putin already unquestioningly owns Trump.
posted by xammerboy at 8:40 AM on May 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 8:40 AM on May 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
Long-term stopped clock Jennifer Rubin in a WaPo OpEd, with an extended quote from Giuliani's disastrous outing on ABC’s “This Week” with Stephanopoulos:
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:43 AM on May 7, 2018 [38 favorites]STEPHANOPOULOS: ... you believe the president is telling the truth. If you believe that, if you have that conviction, you’re his attorney. Why don’t you say go in, talk to Robert Mueller. Tell the truth.All of this would be nearly comedic if it did not entail the president’s contempt for the truth and the rule of law. ... The Trump team’s insistence on hiding behind Clinton’s pantsuit is the ultimate whataboutism, which carries no weight in court. Rather, it suggests desperation.
GIULIANI: Because I wouldn’t be an attorney if I did that, George, I’d be living in some kind of unreal fantasy world that everybody tells the truth. . . . I’m going to walk him into a prosecution for perjury like Martha Stewart did? I mean, she’d tell you…
STEPHANOPOULOS: She didn’t tell the truth.
Wow. Wow wow wow. Remember the two Native American kids who had an unnecessary & humiliating experience at Colorado State University when they freaked some white lady out just by being there on the campus tour? Well CSU's President, Dr. Tony Frank, just released a message in response to that incident. Calling it glorious would be a disservice. How often in your life have you read a great big blob of text written by an academic administrator & found yourself punching the air & shouting out loud? Alright, now that I've wound you up, here's the message. Take it away Dr Frank.
May 4 Message from President Frank Re Admissions Tour Incident
posted by scalefree at 9:00 AM on May 7, 2018 [125 favorites]
May 4 Message from President Frank Re Admissions Tour Incident
posted by scalefree at 9:00 AM on May 7, 2018 [125 favorites]
I just want to catch the next flight to Colorado, track down Dr Frank & give him a hug. The world desperately needs more people like him.
posted by scalefree at 9:03 AM on May 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:03 AM on May 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
A university chancellor who took a controversial stand to protect the jobs of thousands of public workers was fired for fighting against privatization.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 9:11 AM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 9:11 AM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
After taking a day off—totally not to cool off after Stormy Daniels taunted him on SNL—Trump's back on Twitter
Trump continued to tweet throughout this morning, wishing good luck to his new ambassador to Germany*, plugging the upcoming book The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics**, and complaining about John Kerry’s "possibly illegal Shadow Diplomacy"***. More significantly, he further attacked the Russia investigation and the FBI:
* Foreign Policy: 38 U.S. Ambassadorships Remain Empty (including ASEAN, the EU, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Turkey)
** Possibly in violation of federal law 5 CFR 2635.702 (c) (1)
*** In a statement, Kerry responded that he "stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous Secretary of State. Like America’s closest allies, he believes it is important that the nuclear agreement, which took the world years to negotiate, remain effective as countries focus on stability in the region."
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:14 AM on May 7, 2018 [12 favorites]
Trump continued to tweet throughout this morning, wishing good luck to his new ambassador to Germany*, plugging the upcoming book The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics**, and complaining about John Kerry’s "possibly illegal Shadow Diplomacy"***. More significantly, he further attacked the Russia investigation and the FBI:
Is this Phony Witch Hunt going to go on even longer so it wrongfully impacts the Mid-Term Elections, which is what the Democrats always intended? Republicans better get tough and smart before it is too late!This level of activity is a significant tell for his frantic state of mind, not least because Giuliani, during his whirlwind media tour as Trump's new lawyer, insisted yesterday to CNN that "He has a lot bigger things to focus on than this investigation coming to a head right now, whether it's Iran or North Korea. So the President's concentration has to be on that."
Lisa Page, who may hold the record for the most Emails in the shortest period of time (to her Lover, Peter S), and attorney Baker, are out at the FBI as part of the Probers getting caught? Why is Peter S still there? What a total mess. Our Country has to get back to Business!
* Foreign Policy: 38 U.S. Ambassadorships Remain Empty (including ASEAN, the EU, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Turkey)
** Possibly in violation of federal law 5 CFR 2635.702 (c) (1)
*** In a statement, Kerry responded that he "stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous Secretary of State. Like America’s closest allies, he believes it is important that the nuclear agreement, which took the world years to negotiate, remain effective as countries focus on stability in the region."
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:14 AM on May 7, 2018 [12 favorites]
"There is no O" is already being entered into the political lexicon (and Mueller's files).
On this episode of The Mueller Files, our intrepid FBI agent tries to save civilization by restoring the letter O to the alphabet
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:23 AM on May 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
On this episode of The Mueller Files, our intrepid FBI agent tries to save civilization by restoring the letter O to the alphabet
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:23 AM on May 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
Two West Virginia Internal Campaign Polls Show Blankenship Narrowly Edging GOP Rivals
posted by octothorpe at 9:26 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by octothorpe at 9:26 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Wow. I'm so proud of Dr. Frank's statement that I just put a handwritten note in the mail to him. If there's any other CSU grads out there (hi!), or if you just want to voice your support, here is Dr. Frank's address.
posted by mochapickle at 9:35 AM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 9:35 AM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
May 4 Message from President Frank Re Admissions Tour Incident
As a university professor who has a soft spot for our youngest students, all of this brought tears to my eyes. The president's letter is great, as is the earlier response. But he goes to the heart of the matter and directly calls out that mother who called the police for racism. And the body cam video so clearly shows two insecure young men who are being really brave to go on that tour, in spite of shyness and a pervasive culture that has parents hovering over their kids as the norm. And the officers are cool, too, doing their best to give the kids the message that they are doing fine, while being aware that no young person of color is relaxed in the presence of police.
Well, I guess all of you saw this just the same as me, this is just my way of saying there is a little glimpse of hope in that story.
posted by mumimor at 9:35 AM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
As a university professor who has a soft spot for our youngest students, all of this brought tears to my eyes. The president's letter is great, as is the earlier response. But he goes to the heart of the matter and directly calls out that mother who called the police for racism. And the body cam video so clearly shows two insecure young men who are being really brave to go on that tour, in spite of shyness and a pervasive culture that has parents hovering over their kids as the norm. And the officers are cool, too, doing their best to give the kids the message that they are doing fine, while being aware that no young person of color is relaxed in the presence of police.
Well, I guess all of you saw this just the same as me, this is just my way of saying there is a little glimpse of hope in that story.
posted by mumimor at 9:35 AM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
Here's an even better broken promise on behalf of Trump from Giuliani in his Washington Post interview yesterday: "We’ve made a deal this weekend: He stays focused on North Korea, Iran and China, and we stay focused on the case and we’ll bother him when we have to."
Providing further insight into whatever the Team Trump strategy is, Giuliani went on to elaborate, "I’ll give you the conclusion: We all feel pretty good that we’ve got everything kind of straightened out and we’re setting the agenda Everybody’s reacting to us now, and I feel good about that because that’s what I came in to do."
TPM has more highlights: In Bizarre Interview, Giuliani Says Some Of His Own Statements Are Just Rumors "Well, I don’t know, how do you separate fact and opinion?” Giuliani asked ABC's George Stephanopoulos. “When I state an opinion, I’ll say this is my opinion. When I state a fact, I’ll say this is a fact."
Wired journalist Steve Silberman @stevesilberman glosses this: "This is it, right here. This is Giuliani's job: to make the truth about Trump seem unknowable, just a matter of 'opinion.' And it's precisely what Kremlin-watchers like @mashagessen and @Kasparov63 warned us against."
Or, as Steve Bannon put it to Michael Lewis in Bloomberg: "The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit."
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:38 AM on May 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
Providing further insight into whatever the Team Trump strategy is, Giuliani went on to elaborate, "I’ll give you the conclusion: We all feel pretty good that we’ve got everything kind of straightened out and we’re setting the agenda Everybody’s reacting to us now, and I feel good about that because that’s what I came in to do."
TPM has more highlights: In Bizarre Interview, Giuliani Says Some Of His Own Statements Are Just Rumors "Well, I don’t know, how do you separate fact and opinion?” Giuliani asked ABC's George Stephanopoulos. “When I state an opinion, I’ll say this is my opinion. When I state a fact, I’ll say this is a fact."
Wired journalist Steve Silberman @stevesilberman glosses this: "This is it, right here. This is Giuliani's job: to make the truth about Trump seem unknowable, just a matter of 'opinion.' And it's precisely what Kremlin-watchers like @mashagessen and @Kasparov63 warned us against."
Or, as Steve Bannon put it to Michael Lewis in Bloomberg: "The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit."
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:38 AM on May 7, 2018 [57 favorites]
“"There’s no O, just fighting back” is how every woman who has ever had sexual contact with you describes the experience." - From a twitter reply
posted by jaduncan at 9:43 AM on May 7, 2018 [77 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 9:43 AM on May 7, 2018 [77 favorites]
William F. Buckley Oreilly?
Really? That's the name the writers went with?
posted by wittgenstein at 9:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
Really? That's the name the writers went with?
posted by wittgenstein at 9:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
WaPo and NPR both have stories sympathetic to the First Lady today. What's with the sudden, seemingly coordinated rehab of her image?
Whatever it is, it's working. CNN: Melania Trump's Popularity Jumps in New CNN Poll: "Melania Trump’s favorability rating has climbed 10 points since January. Nearly 6 in 10 Americans now have a positive view of the first lady, her highest mark in CNN polling and higher than any favorability rating earned by her husband in CNN polling dating back to 1999."
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Whatever it is, it's working. CNN: Melania Trump's Popularity Jumps in New CNN Poll: "Melania Trump’s favorability rating has climbed 10 points since January. Nearly 6 in 10 Americans now have a positive view of the first lady, her highest mark in CNN polling and higher than any favorability rating earned by her husband in CNN polling dating back to 1999."
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
May 4 Message from President Frank Re Admissions Tour Incident
Would make a good FPP.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:02 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Would make a good FPP.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:02 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
James Hohman, WaPo: The Daily 202: Rudy Giuliani is repeating seven mistakes that brought down previous Trump advisers
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:41 AM on May 7, 2018 [36 favorites]
Giuliani is repeating seven of the mistakes that have felled previously highflying Trump aides, who rose rapidly only to fall out of favor:Should probably work this up into a David Letterman-style Top Ten list from the home office in Mar-a-Lago.
1. He’s overconfident about his standing with the president.
2. He’s acting like a principal, not a staffer.
3. He’s embarrassing the president.
4. He’s clashing with the kids.
5. He’s earning the enmity of some key Trump friends.
6. He keeps going outside his lane.
7. He’s making predictions about Mueller’s investigation that seem unlikely to come true.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:41 AM on May 7, 2018 [36 favorites]
@DanaBashCNN: NRA just announced: Lt. Colonel Oliver North, USMC (Ret.) will become President of the National Rifle Association of America within a few weeks, a process the NRA Board of Directors initiated this morning.
This is appropriate, he has experience with weapons sales
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:44 AM on May 7, 2018 [117 favorites]
This is appropriate, he has experience with weapons sales
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:44 AM on May 7, 2018 [117 favorites]
The National Rifle Association, run by a guy who sold weapons to Iran, alongside a rock star who threatened to assassinate an American President, all funded with Russian oligarch money. True American Patriots.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [104 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:49 AM on May 7, 2018 [104 favorites]
Remember those days when it seemed like the undesirability of traitors was not really a partisan issue?
posted by jaduncan at 11:10 AM on May 7, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 11:10 AM on May 7, 2018 [50 favorites]
The NRA, now proudly supporting the rape of nuns!
posted by sotonohito at 11:11 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by sotonohito at 11:11 AM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
I once attended a (very small) protest of Oliver North speaking at my hometown. There were about eight of us protesting.
I got to shout "hey Ollie, how many nuns do the contras have to rape for it to be too many?" He ignored me, but one of his entourage gave me the finger so I'll count that as a win.
Then one of the pro-North people started yelling "better dead than Red" at me, which was startling because I thought that had gone out with the Vietnam war and this was back in the 1990's.
posted by sotonohito at 11:14 AM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
I got to shout "hey Ollie, how many nuns do the contras have to rape for it to be too many?" He ignored me, but one of his entourage gave me the finger so I'll count that as a win.
Then one of the pro-North people started yelling "better dead than Red" at me, which was startling because I thought that had gone out with the Vietnam war and this was back in the 1990's.
posted by sotonohito at 11:14 AM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
I am slowly coming around to the idea that none of these people can actually die and are literal ghouls
posted by The Whelk at 11:16 AM on May 7, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 11:16 AM on May 7, 2018 [61 favorites]
I am slowly coming around to the idea that none of these people can actually die and are literal ghouls
The next official White House portraitist will be Richard Pickman.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:21 AM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
The next official White House portraitist will be Richard Pickman.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:21 AM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
At least this'll keep him out of the Trump administration for a while
posted by theodolite at 11:22 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 11:22 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is appropriate, he has experience with weapons sales
More specifically, he has experience with weapons sales that arm right-wing death squads and domestic terrorists dedicated to protecting the power of the rich. So yeah, he's a perfect fit for the NRA.
posted by zombieflanders at 11:23 AM on May 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
More specifically, he has experience with weapons sales that arm right-wing death squads and domestic terrorists dedicated to protecting the power of the rich. So yeah, he's a perfect fit for the NRA.
posted by zombieflanders at 11:23 AM on May 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
The Troubling Part of Rudy Giuliani’s Interview That Nobody Is Talking About
Giuliani:posted by kirkaracha at 11:33 AM on May 7, 2018 [41 favorites]It’s pretty clear that a president can’t be subpoenaed to a criminal proceeding about him. Now, why is that? And fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—we have the real life circumstance going on that the Founding Fathers thought about, which is a president cannot be distracted by a criminal investigation. You can always prosecute him after. They can get him when he leaves the White House. You can always prosecute him after.Giuliani was asserting that the intent of the founders was that presidents not be distracted by the rule of law. Arguing that the president has a defined authority to refuse to respond to demands from Mueller or others who are investigating wrongdoing, Giuliani theatrically declared that: “I could not go to the president and say, take two days off to get ready for that and screw the whole thing with North Korea. I—how can any American do that?”
“That’s why the Founding Fathers created this immunity from prosecution and subpoena,” claimed Giuliani.
Say what?
> “That’s why the Founding Fathers created this immunity from prosecution and subpoena,” claimed Giuliani.
Yeah, Bill Clinton and Zombie Richard Nixon would like a word.
Actually, scratch that bit about Zombie Nixon - you don't appear to have brains worth eating.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:35 AM on May 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
Yeah, Bill Clinton and Zombie Richard Nixon would like a word.
Actually, scratch that bit about Zombie Nixon - you don't appear to have brains worth eating.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:35 AM on May 7, 2018 [23 favorites]
@kylegriffin1: Sarah Sanders on Putin being sworn in for another term: “The president congratulates him.”
What part of DO NOT CONGRATULATE is so damn hard to understand?
posted by zachlipton at 12:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [44 favorites]
What part of DO NOT CONGRATULATE is so damn hard to understand?
posted by zachlipton at 12:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [44 favorites]
NRA just announced: Lt. Colonel Oliver North, USMC (Ret.) will become President of the National Rifle Association of America within a few weeks, a process the NRA Board of Directors initiated this morning.
Boring Ollie North down in the subway dealing drugs and guns
Empire of the senseless
Turning little liars into heroes, it's what they've always done
Empire of the senseless
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 12:02 PM on May 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Boring Ollie North down in the subway dealing drugs and guns
Empire of the senseless
Turning little liars into heroes, it's what they've always done
Empire of the senseless
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 12:02 PM on May 7, 2018 [14 favorites]
Check out the new style that Ollie found
posted by PenDevil at 12:07 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 12:07 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am slowly coming around to the idea that none of these people can actually die and are literal ghouls
Given the health practices they're given to, I'm coming around to this notion.
Here's a post by Dr. Jen Gunter about Trump appointee Dr. Oz: he's warning people about 'fake' psychics (as opposed to ones he endorses).
posted by mordax at 12:19 PM on May 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
Given the health practices they're given to, I'm coming around to this notion.
Here's a post by Dr. Jen Gunter about Trump appointee Dr. Oz: he's warning people about 'fake' psychics (as opposed to ones he endorses).
posted by mordax at 12:19 PM on May 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
The National Rifle Association, run by a guy who sold weapons to Iran, alongside a rock star who threatened to assassinate an American President, all funded with Russian oligarch money. True American Patriots.
Right now would be an excellent time for someone to form a new, better gun owners advocacy group to replace (and emasculate) the NRA, which obviously has gone off the rails. Ideally started by a core of veterans. Anyone know who might be able to make this happen, CORB?
posted by msalt at 12:27 PM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
Right now would be an excellent time for someone to form a new, better gun owners advocacy group to replace (and emasculate) the NRA, which obviously has gone off the rails. Ideally started by a core of veterans. Anyone know who might be able to make this happen, CORB?
posted by msalt at 12:27 PM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
In my experience you aren't going to motivate a bunch of veterans to leave an organization because it's now going to be headed by Oliver North.
posted by phearlez at 12:36 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by phearlez at 12:36 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Devin Nunes: AG Jeff Sessions should be held in contempt of Congress
If Democrats do take over the House, their day one To Do list should include launching an ethics investigation of Devin Nunes (and allies) for their actions undermining the House Intelligence Committee investigation, for leaking documents to the White House, and for obstructing justice generally.
posted by msalt at 12:37 PM on May 7, 2018 [41 favorites]
If Democrats do take over the House, their day one To Do list should include launching an ethics investigation of Devin Nunes (and allies) for their actions undermining the House Intelligence Committee investigation, for leaking documents to the White House, and for obstructing justice generally.
posted by msalt at 12:37 PM on May 7, 2018 [41 favorites]
The 315 people connected to the Russia probes
A POLITICO analysis of court documents, congressional letters, public testimony and media reports reveals that the investigations into the 2016 election and its aftermath now involve hundreds of people in Washington, Moscow and around the world.posted by kirkaracha at 12:43 PM on May 7, 2018 [38 favorites]
Let’s look at Team Trump
- 82 associated with his 2016 campaign
- 46 are lawyers
- 35 are current or former Trump administration officials
- 26 served on the transition team
- 14 have ties to the Trump Organization
In my experience you aren't going to motivate a bunch of veterans to leave an organization because it's now going to be headed by Oliver North.
There are a lot of vets who have already left the NRA over the last few years. Exactly zero of them are going to come back because North is the figurehead president.
Vets for Gun Reform is a thing, but no one's tried to move into the "moderate firearms advocacy (and safety training and overall gun-owner lifestyle) organization" space.
posted by Etrigan at 12:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
There are a lot of vets who have already left the NRA over the last few years. Exactly zero of them are going to come back because North is the figurehead president.
Vets for Gun Reform is a thing, but no one's tried to move into the "moderate firearms advocacy (and safety training and overall gun-owner lifestyle) organization" space.
posted by Etrigan at 12:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
WaPo, Trump calls on Congress to pull back $15 billion in spending, including on Children’s Health Insurance Program.
President Trump is sending a plan to Congress that calls for stripping back more than $15 billion in previously approved spending, with the hope that it will temper conservative angst over ballooning budget deficits.This is kind of a weird thing, in that the savings don't necessarily exist if they're coming from accounts that won't be used,, but it lets Mark Meadows say he's done something. And cuts to CHIP as Melania is touting how we need to take care of children is particularly rich. Of course, the kicker is something:
Almost half of the proposed cuts would come from two accounts within the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that White House officials said expired last year or are not expected to be drawn upon. An additional $800 million in cuts would come from money created by the Affordable Care Act in 2010 to test innovative payment and service delivery models.
...
A senior administration official said Democrats should recognize that much of this package represents untapped accounts and that cutting the money would create savings without affecting operations.
Last week, as aides prepared the package of spending cuts to offer Congress, Trump was demanding more spending, for example, to build a wall along the Mexico border.posted by zachlipton at 12:52 PM on May 7, 2018 [21 favorites]
There's no way that happens. Even The Turtle and Andrew Ryan (sic) recognize that if you strike a budget/spending deal with Democrats and then claw back some of the spending over their objections after they've helped pass it you will never get them to vote for anything ever again. Why would they trust you?
posted by Justinian at 12:57 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:57 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
See previous discussion Re: the trusted nature of Democrats above all evidence when being “bipartisan” is on the table.
posted by Artw at 1:09 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:09 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
So Melania's unveiled her First Lady social campaign as anticipated. The name & slogan of the campaign is Be Best. I'm sure she means well but it's clear to me that this campaign was developed in isolation & without running it past people acquainted with how these things are put together. I'll let her explain it for herself.
@atrupar Melania says the "three main pillars" of Be Best are "well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse" 🙃
posted by scalefree at 1:13 PM on May 7, 2018 [51 favorites]
@atrupar Melania says the "three main pillars" of Be Best are "well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse" 🙃
posted by scalefree at 1:13 PM on May 7, 2018 [51 favorites]
Looks like the weird fetish for plagiarism is back:
@rudepundit:
Fun fact: The White House trumpets “Talking with Kids about Being Online" as "a booklet by First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission." Except for an intro, it's exactly the same thing Obama's FTC put out.
posted by Artw at 1:13 PM on May 7, 2018 [64 favorites]
@rudepundit:
Fun fact: The White House trumpets “Talking with Kids about Being Online" as "a booklet by First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission." Except for an intro, it's exactly the same thing Obama's FTC put out.
posted by Artw at 1:13 PM on May 7, 2018 [64 favorites]
There's no way that happens. Even The Turtle and Andrew Ryan (sic) recognize that if you strike a budget/spending deal with Democrats and then claw back some of the spending over their objections after they've helped pass it you will never get them to vote for anything ever again. Why would they trust you?
The GOP has been pulling the football out from in front of Charlie Brown's leg for decades, and it doesn't seem to stop the Dems from believing that this time they're gonna hold that ball in place for sure.
posted by Mayor West at 1:22 PM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
The GOP has been pulling the football out from in front of Charlie Brown's leg for decades, and it doesn't seem to stop the Dems from believing that this time they're gonna hold that ball in place for sure.
posted by Mayor West at 1:22 PM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
I’m not saying she’s suddenly a good person. But I wouldn’t wish being trapped in a marriage to Trump on my worst enemy. (And we have no idea what’s in their pre-nup.)
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:53 PM on May 6 [11 favorites +] [!]
It would be extremely Trump-like to create a pre-nup analogous to the Sinclair Broadcasting employee agreements, where she would have to pay Donald to exit the marriage, effectively leaving her impoverished, and forfeit custody of Barron. If so, there's no way she's going to be able to leave.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:24 PM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:53 PM on May 6 [11 favorites +] [!]
It would be extremely Trump-like to create a pre-nup analogous to the Sinclair Broadcasting employee agreements, where she would have to pay Donald to exit the marriage, effectively leaving her impoverished, and forfeit custody of Barron. If so, there's no way she's going to be able to leave.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:24 PM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
Looks like the weird fetish for plagiarism is back:
As is the drive to stomp on the Obamas' legacy. I just feel sad.
@MCappetta Melania Trump just launched "Be Best".
In 2016, Michelle Obama encouraged men to "Be Better"
posted by scalefree at 1:28 PM on May 7, 2018 [54 favorites]
As is the drive to stomp on the Obamas' legacy. I just feel sad.
@MCappetta Melania Trump just launched "Be Best".
In 2016, Michelle Obama encouraged men to "Be Better"
posted by scalefree at 1:28 PM on May 7, 2018 [54 favorites]
@amarimow: Just in: D.C. Circuit upholds ruling that blocked U.S. military from sending American citizen, suspected ISIS member to a third country
The third country is a government secret but they're bad at redaction and it's totally Saudi Arabia.
Wasn't Trump just tweeting something about how there's a "Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice?"
posted by zachlipton at 1:29 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
The third country is a government secret but they're bad at redaction and it's totally Saudi Arabia.
Wasn't Trump just tweeting something about how there's a "Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice?"
posted by zachlipton at 1:29 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
In teacher strike news, North Carolina’s Wake County and Guilford County school districts just announced that they too will be closed on May 16, joining several other counties which have already announced. (The NC strike involves teachers all putting in for a personal day on that date in order to force the districts to close down.) That’s a big deal – now the three most populous counties in the state are in.
My NC teacher friend (a total badass who singlehandedly organized half the teachers in her school) told me to make sure everyone knows this isn't mainly about teacher pay and benefits (although they are terrible). It's about slashes to school funding. They are doing this for their kids.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:34 PM on May 7, 2018 [64 favorites]
My NC teacher friend (a total badass who singlehandedly organized half the teachers in her school) told me to make sure everyone knows this isn't mainly about teacher pay and benefits (although they are terrible). It's about slashes to school funding. They are doing this for their kids.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:34 PM on May 7, 2018 [64 favorites]
NBC News, Sessions: Parents, children entering U.S. illegally will be separated
posted by zachlipton at 1:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [62 favorites]
The Trump administration plans to take a tougher approach to families that enter the U.S. illegally by separating parents from their children, instead of keeping them in detention together."Be Best" --Melania Trump
"If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday at a law enforcement conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. "If you don't like that, then don't smuggle children over our border."
Administration officials explain that the goal of the program is 100 percent prosecution of all who enter the US illegally. When adults are prosecuted and jailed, their children will be separated from them, just as would happen for a US citizen convicted and jailed.
...
The new approach applies only to people arrested for attempting to enter the US illegally. The children of adults who present themselves at a designated port of entry and seek asylum will not be separated from their parents, administration officials said.
posted by zachlipton at 1:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [62 favorites]
Once again (and again and again), I really hate the way the media is trying to normalize this presidency. The current headline is "Melania Trump launches ‘BE BEST’ awareness campaign for kids." No, she didn't launch a damn thing. White House staff members did (because they want things to be normal too).
posted by Melismata at 1:41 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 1:41 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Tl;dr Sessions: the problem with refugee children is that they haven't been traumatised enough.
posted by jaduncan at 1:41 PM on May 7, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 1:41 PM on May 7, 2018 [33 favorites]
"My NC teacher friend (a total badass who singlehandedly organized half the teachers in her school) told me to make sure everyone knows this isn't mainly about teacher pay and benefits (although they are terrible). It's about slashes to school funding. "
My mom is a highly-qualified master teacher with multiple advanced degrees who's also a literacy specialist, who moved to rural western North Carolina for retirement. She literally cannot afford to work as a teacher in NC because her retirement system looks at the last three years of salary in calculating her pension (and for complicated technical reasons, NC income has to be counted in her other-state pension), and the NC salaries are SO LOW that working as a teacher in NC for a single year would condemn her to poverty in retirement.
Anyway she volunteers at the schools helping kids who are struggling with literacy three days a week, even though she'd be delighted to work half-time as a reading specialist in her tiny rural district (who could only afford a half-time reading specialist).
(I realize that retiring and then working more at the exact same job is not how retirement actually works, but my dad keeps saying he's going to retire and keeps not doing it, so my mom is bored.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:44 PM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
My mom is a highly-qualified master teacher with multiple advanced degrees who's also a literacy specialist, who moved to rural western North Carolina for retirement. She literally cannot afford to work as a teacher in NC because her retirement system looks at the last three years of salary in calculating her pension (and for complicated technical reasons, NC income has to be counted in her other-state pension), and the NC salaries are SO LOW that working as a teacher in NC for a single year would condemn her to poverty in retirement.
Anyway she volunteers at the schools helping kids who are struggling with literacy three days a week, even though she'd be delighted to work half-time as a reading specialist in her tiny rural district (who could only afford a half-time reading specialist).
(I realize that retiring and then working more at the exact same job is not how retirement actually works, but my dad keeps saying he's going to retire and keeps not doing it, so my mom is bored.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:44 PM on May 7, 2018 [32 favorites]
"My NC teacher friend (a total badass who singlehandedly organized half the teachers in her school) told me to make sure everyone knows this isn't mainly about teacher pay and benefits (although they are terrible). It's about slashes to school funding. "
We dealt with this in Seattle when we went on strike, too. This is a super common thing with teacher strikes and contract negotiations. It's almost never only about the money. We had a bucket of funding issues apart from our salaries: special ed coverage, specialist coverage (speech, psychologists, etc), racial equity differences across the district, blatant racial discrimination in elementary school recess policies, the list goes on.
Local media kept coming back to the pay issue. It was all they cared about. Simple binary story. Easier to write about or talk about on TV than anything else. We really focused on making sure parents and others knew it was about more than pay. The district woke up to that, too, because they fixed the recess issue about two days into the strike before that blew up in their faces as a PR disaster. But we still had to fight to get attention for the other things.
"It's all about pay raises" is a wedge tactic to make teachers look whiny and greedy. It's bullshit, because teachers should be paid more in the first place and there's nothing wrong with making it an issue, but it's an easy wedge. There's always more going on. Always.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:54 PM on May 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
We dealt with this in Seattle when we went on strike, too. This is a super common thing with teacher strikes and contract negotiations. It's almost never only about the money. We had a bucket of funding issues apart from our salaries: special ed coverage, specialist coverage (speech, psychologists, etc), racial equity differences across the district, blatant racial discrimination in elementary school recess policies, the list goes on.
Local media kept coming back to the pay issue. It was all they cared about. Simple binary story. Easier to write about or talk about on TV than anything else. We really focused on making sure parents and others knew it was about more than pay. The district woke up to that, too, because they fixed the recess issue about two days into the strike before that blew up in their faces as a PR disaster. But we still had to fight to get attention for the other things.
"It's all about pay raises" is a wedge tactic to make teachers look whiny and greedy. It's bullshit, because teachers should be paid more in the first place and there's nothing wrong with making it an issue, but it's an easy wedge. There's always more going on. Always.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:54 PM on May 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
"If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday at a law enforcement conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. "If you don't like that, then don't smuggle children over our border."Recently, I realized that my irrational distaste for the other side of the table on a particular deal is solely and 100% rooted in the fact that he looks uncannily like Jeff Sessions, who I, just. There's no law requiring separation of parents and children, you lying pink sack of racist slime.
The article mentions that the change in policy won't involve separating families who are seeking asylum, but well, we're already doing that. There's a photo in that story of a mom hugging her seven year old daughter after they were finally re-united after four months of being separated; there's an account of our! fucking! government! separating an asylum-seeker from her eighteen month old baby who for some fucking reason cried all the fucking time after they were separated.
posted by joyceanmachine at 2:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [63 favorites]
The new approach applies only to people arrested for attempting to enter the US illegally. The children of adults who present themselves at a designated port of entry and seek asylum will not be separated from their parents, administration officials said.
But they are separated: Judge Considers Banning Separation of Families at Border
The ACLU has asked for a preliminary injunction to prohibit family separation unless the parent is determined to be unfit or poses a danger to the child... The ACLU sued on behalf of a Congolese woman who was separated from her 7-year-old daughter for five months after seeking asylum at a San Diego border crossing... In the lawsuit, a mother identified in court documents as Mrs. L claimed asylum at San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing on Nov. 1, 2017, and four days later she was separated from her daughter. The girl, then 6, was sent to a Chicago shelter overseen by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement, while the mother was held at a San Diego immigration detention facility until March 6.
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [26 favorites]
But they are separated: Judge Considers Banning Separation of Families at Border
The ACLU has asked for a preliminary injunction to prohibit family separation unless the parent is determined to be unfit or poses a danger to the child... The ACLU sued on behalf of a Congolese woman who was separated from her 7-year-old daughter for five months after seeking asylum at a San Diego border crossing... In the lawsuit, a mother identified in court documents as Mrs. L claimed asylum at San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing on Nov. 1, 2017, and four days later she was separated from her daughter. The girl, then 6, was sent to a Chicago shelter overseen by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement, while the mother was held at a San Diego immigration detention facility until March 6.
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [26 favorites]
government! separating an asylum-seeker from her eighteen month old baby who for some fucking reason cried all the fucking time after they were separated.
Well, Sessions did say they were smuggling in the baby. I am apoplectic at the use of the word "smuggling". This is literally reducing people to property, and that's evil.
posted by mikelieman at 2:06 PM on May 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
Well, Sessions did say they were smuggling in the baby.
posted by mikelieman at 2:06 PM on May 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
People have been talking about Lear as an analogue for these times for a while, but one thing I didn't know until I saw I think a New Yorker piece was how sideways Shakespeare went at questions of tyranny, in significant part well maybe he didn't see Elizabeth as a tyrant but she had no heirs and the law was that if you called the Queen or King a tyrant, you got the death penalty.
So Shakespeare went at things sideways so he wouldn't get his head lopped off, and you can really see that in Lear. So King James comes down from Scotland and was all divine right of kings and bullshit and while Parliament was like whoa dude common law was being codified for the first time, so you had this development of a crucial part of the legal system.
And Lear has all these weird legal metaphors, like, who is it the Duke of Albany is to Edgar or Edward, always get those two mixed up, the guy who hopes to end up king, Albany is to him all 'no you can't have an affair with his wife because your under contract to fuck my wife' and just these weird legal things throughout the play that grew out of King James' dispute with parliament about whether or not he was above the law.
Anyway I woke up with a migraine and this thought and hey imagine Giuliani in drag as Regan or Goneril and where's my medication
posted by angrycat at 2:10 PM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
So Shakespeare went at things sideways so he wouldn't get his head lopped off, and you can really see that in Lear. So King James comes down from Scotland and was all divine right of kings and bullshit and while Parliament was like whoa dude common law was being codified for the first time, so you had this development of a crucial part of the legal system.
And Lear has all these weird legal metaphors, like, who is it the Duke of Albany is to Edgar or Edward, always get those two mixed up, the guy who hopes to end up king, Albany is to him all 'no you can't have an affair with his wife because your under contract to fuck my wife' and just these weird legal things throughout the play that grew out of King James' dispute with parliament about whether or not he was above the law.
Anyway I woke up with a migraine and this thought and hey imagine Giuliani in drag as Regan or Goneril and where's my medication
posted by angrycat at 2:10 PM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
If Democrats do take over the House, their day one To Do list should include launching an ethics investigation of Devin Nunes
Chrysostom, is there a read on which way Nunes' district is leaning in the midterms? Any chance he'll lose his seat?
posted by duoshao at 2:11 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Chrysostom, is there a read on which way Nunes' district is leaning in the midterms? Any chance he'll lose his seat?
posted by duoshao at 2:11 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm concerned that even if the ACLU is successful in this suit, factors in determining a parent as "unfit or poses a danger to the child" will come to include simply having your kid with you as you navigate the many dangers inherent in seeking asylum.
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:14 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:14 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Anyway I woke up with a migraine and this thought and hey imagine Giuliani in drag as Regan or Goneril and where's my medication
Here you are.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:34 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Here you are.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:34 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Nunes has generally been considered to be in a safe republican district. He won his last election by like 35 points. Back in January there was some polling that showed him leading "generic Democrat" by only mid single digits but keep in mind that you usually lead "generic opponent" by less than you lead actual opponents soo....
It's not impossible he'd lose in a wave environment but there are an awful lot of seats that would flip before this one. He likely wouldn't lose in a small wave of 25-30 seat flips if "small wave" isn't an oxymoron.
posted by Justinian at 2:40 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's not impossible he'd lose in a wave environment but there are an awful lot of seats that would flip before this one. He likely wouldn't lose in a small wave of 25-30 seat flips if "small wave" isn't an oxymoron.
posted by Justinian at 2:40 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
There are a bunch of reports in the Puerto Rico papers (e.g. here from Primera Hora, Spanish language, Google translate) that Lt. David Albandoz, the copilot on the C-130 crash in Savannah, texted his friend the day before the crash to say that the aircraft was in such poor condition that he did not want to fly it.
posted by zachlipton at 2:51 PM on May 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:51 PM on May 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
Democrats are running on policy.
Democrats are running on policy.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Democrats are running on policy.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
From @T.D. Strange's first link:
"Stormy Daniels is crowding out Democrats’ 2018 message"
Should be:
"The mainstream media's fixation on Stormy Daniels is crowding out Democrats’ 2018 message"
It never fails to amaze me, the size & scope of the media's blind spot regarding its own bias & influence..
The opening line:
"Stormy Daniels has dominated the domestic political news environment over the past week, with high-profile media appearances by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Daniels’s attorney Michael Avenatti making headlines and leading the Sunday shows."
Even the language of such "reporting" is exculpatory. It's never the media deciding what things to focus on, no, never.. it's the object of the media who has "dominated" the airwaves. & of course, according to that logic, Trump is the hero we deserve. If ever a passive object has ever been scooped up & elevated by a media apparatus, it's Trump. And according to the backwards non-logic of modern day media, the larger & more frequently the stories about you, the better you've played the game & forced your way into the public sphere. Trump mounted us like a dog and the poor, powerless media never had a chance. Small wonder his supporters think he's untouchable- he's not succeeding according to his own definition, he's succeeding according to the analysis of the press itself.
So yep, right now it's all Stormy's fault & when Democrats fail to win sufficient gains this midterm, it'll be her fault that the policy positions of the Democratic party never got a fair shake. It's a zero-sum game, journalism; that mean lady just won't let the media look into anything else..
posted by narwhal at 3:24 PM on May 7, 2018 [91 favorites]
"Stormy Daniels is crowding out Democrats’ 2018 message"
Should be:
"The mainstream media's fixation on Stormy Daniels is crowding out Democrats’ 2018 message"
It never fails to amaze me, the size & scope of the media's blind spot regarding its own bias & influence..
The opening line:
"Stormy Daniels has dominated the domestic political news environment over the past week, with high-profile media appearances by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Daniels’s attorney Michael Avenatti making headlines and leading the Sunday shows."
Even the language of such "reporting" is exculpatory. It's never the media deciding what things to focus on, no, never.. it's the object of the media who has "dominated" the airwaves. & of course, according to that logic, Trump is the hero we deserve. If ever a passive object has ever been scooped up & elevated by a media apparatus, it's Trump. And according to the backwards non-logic of modern day media, the larger & more frequently the stories about you, the better you've played the game & forced your way into the public sphere. Trump mounted us like a dog and the poor, powerless media never had a chance. Small wonder his supporters think he's untouchable- he's not succeeding according to his own definition, he's succeeding according to the analysis of the press itself.
So yep, right now it's all Stormy's fault & when Democrats fail to win sufficient gains this midterm, it'll be her fault that the policy positions of the Democratic party never got a fair shake. It's a zero-sum game, journalism; that mean lady just won't let the media look into anything else..
posted by narwhal at 3:24 PM on May 7, 2018 [91 favorites]
from the NewYorker piece posted above regarding Black Cube:
In the Iran operation, as in its operation for Weinstein, Black Cube focussed much of its work on reporters and other media figures, sometimes using agents who posed as journalists. The company compiled a list of more than thirty reporters who it believed were in touch with Obama Administration officials, annotated with instructions about how to seek negative information.
The Evils know where their bread is actually buttered. Voters are only important in as much as they sway the corporate news. And with the primacy of Fox, even that's not a problem. I'd have thought some organizations would have relished a fight to take down a President, but nope. "Sarah, did the Predisent intend to tweet so decisively?"
If Democrats can't figure out by now how to work around corporate news, it'll be 2016 all over again.
posted by petebest at 3:25 PM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
In the Iran operation, as in its operation for Weinstein, Black Cube focussed much of its work on reporters and other media figures, sometimes using agents who posed as journalists. The company compiled a list of more than thirty reporters who it believed were in touch with Obama Administration officials, annotated with instructions about how to seek negative information.
The Evils know where their bread is actually buttered. Voters are only important in as much as they sway the corporate news. And with the primacy of Fox, even that's not a problem. I'd have thought some organizations would have relished a fight to take down a President, but nope. "Sarah, did the Predisent intend to tweet so decisively?"
If Democrats can't figure out by now how to work around corporate news, it'll be 2016 all over again.
posted by petebest at 3:25 PM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
I dream of a future where the Democratic Party elects a totally intense, witty marxist firebrand who creates spectacle wherever she goes by proudly and humorously taking apart everyone who stands in her way. The media would hate her, but they'd follow her around like a puppy dog.
Picture Jeremy Corbyn's surprise success after proudly laying out his party's manifesto, times 100! I want a candidate who will get up in front of cameras and talk about how we're all going to drown in boiling sea water if we don't DO SOMETHING. Someone who will say "I see what you all see so clearly, that nobody else of political prominence will admit, and I am going to say it loudly."
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 3:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Picture Jeremy Corbyn's surprise success after proudly laying out his party's manifesto, times 100! I want a candidate who will get up in front of cameras and talk about how we're all going to drown in boiling sea water if we don't DO SOMETHING. Someone who will say "I see what you all see so clearly, that nobody else of political prominence will admit, and I am going to say it loudly."
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 3:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [16 favorites]
Wow. New Yorker, Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow (who I guess never sleeps?), Four Women Accuse New York’s Attorney General of Physical Abuse (cw: descriptions of violent abuse): "Eric Schneiderman has raised his profile as a voice against sexual misconduct. Now, after suing Harvey Weinstein, he faces a #MeToo reckoning of his own."
posted by zachlipton at 3:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Not AG Spiderman :(
Looks like we need somebody else in there. If he were to resign I believe the legislature appoints his replacement until the next election.
posted by Justinian at 3:59 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Looks like we need somebody else in there. If he were to resign I believe the legislature appoints his replacement until the next election.
posted by Justinian at 3:59 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hey I hear Preet Bharara is free. Just sayin', New York.
posted by Justinian at 4:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [54 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [54 favorites]
lalex, I just said that same thing out loud, like, really elongated. I was thinking TODAY of how happy I was he was doing his thing.
posted by lauranesson at 4:17 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by lauranesson at 4:17 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Don Jr weighs in with glee. Anybody who has read the article can tell you there's nothing to be gleeful about no matter how much you hate Schneiderman; these are awful accounts of abuse.
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Prepare to hear the phrase "fruit of the poisonous tree" start being bandied about by trump people with regard to the New York state investigations, despite the fact that it in no way applies to this situation.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:26 PM on May 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:26 PM on May 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
Don Jr weighs in with glee. Anybody who has read the article can tell you there's nothing to be gleeful about no matter how much you hate Schneiderman; these are awful accounts of abuse.
It shows that Dems are as rotten as they are. It causes libtard tears. It potentially weakens the legal threat against his dad. It makes it harder to trust institutions. There are reasons a sociopathic traitor might be gleeful.
posted by Lyme Drop at 4:30 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
It shows that Dems are as rotten as they are. It causes libtard tears. It potentially weakens the legal threat against his dad. It makes it harder to trust institutions. There are reasons a sociopathic traitor might be gleeful.
posted by Lyme Drop at 4:30 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Ryan Macc: lmao... the White House/Melania Trump Be Best pamphlet about your kids being online is almost the exact same thing that the FTC published in Jan. 2014: 2014 vs 2018.
posted by gwint at 4:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by gwint at 4:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Let justice be done though the heavens fall.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 4:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [18 favorites]
Just get Schneiderman out of there and appoint somebody better.
posted by gucci mane at 4:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 4:38 PM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Vanity Fair, “I’d Die for My Wife and My Kids. And This Is All Ruining Their Lives”: After Rudy’s Meltdown, Michael Cohen Grapples with His New Reality, with some new information:
posted by zachlipton at 4:54 PM on May 7, 2018 [20 favorites]
Cohen, indeed, has been consumed with his legal challenges. The warrants to raid his home, office, and hotel room were signed on April 8, and allowed the government until April 22 to execute the searches, according to two people familiar with the situation. But agents wasted little time, entering Cohen’s premises a little after 7 A.M. the next day. The warrants were also notably broad: they sought records related to the payment to Daniels; records about Karen McDougal, a former Playmate who also claims to have had an affair with Trump; and any records of communication between Cohen and A.M.I., the media company that owns The National Enquirer, and David Pecker, the Trump confidant and proprietor of the publication. (McDougal entered into a deal with A.M.I. during the 2016 presidential campaign cycle, effectively keeping her account from publication. In the weeks since the raids, The Enquirer put a photo of Cohen on its cover under the headline: “Trump Fixer’s Secrets & Lies.”)They're investigating everything. Want to bet all these things aren't entirely on the up-and-up?
The warrants also sought records related to the taxi medallions that Cohen owns, his bank accounts, loans, mortgages, L.L.C.s, communications with the Trump campaign, and communications about campaign-finance laws. The government walked away with about eight boxes of physical documents, including binders that the Cohens had punctiliously maintained, with tabs designated for each of their bank accounts and monthly statements for each one, hole-punched and placed within its correct tab, according to two people familiar with the situation. They also walked away with more than a dozen electronic devices—cell phones, iPads, laptops, external hard drives—about half of which belong to Laura and their two children. They devices contained data including study guides, photos of their kids and their friends on family vacations and posing like Charlie’s Angels, and Marvel movies downloaded to iTunes.
posted by zachlipton at 4:54 PM on May 7, 2018 [20 favorites]
It is endlessly fascinating how many new ways they can find to say "I don't deserve all this hassle" instead of "I didn't actually do any of the crimes I'm accused of."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:58 PM on May 7, 2018 [66 favorites]
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:58 PM on May 7, 2018 [66 favorites]
There's an amazing pattern that emerges whenever Trump does something idiotic. There's always a bunch of "oh everything's great; he's loving this; everything is going exactly as planned" anonymous stories, then he spends the day watching TV and discovering "the reviews," as he likes to say, of whatever he did are actually extremely bad, and then there's a bunch of "he's angry and yelling at people and mad his advisors gave him bad advice" anonymous stories.
And sure enough, now that the idiotic media strategy that Giuliani convinced him to approve has blown up in their faces, the anonymous leaks are springing up: Trump grows frustrated with Giuliani as Stormy Daniels drama rages on (Politico)
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:59 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
And sure enough, now that the idiotic media strategy that Giuliani convinced him to approve has blown up in their faces, the anonymous leaks are springing up: Trump grows frustrated with Giuliani as Stormy Daniels drama rages on (Politico)
The president has been griping to associates that Rudy Giuliani, his new personal attorney, has failed to shut down the Stormy Daniels hush money saga. And he has expressed frustration that Giuliani’s media appearances are raising more questions than they are answering, turning the story into a days-long drama capped by the admission Sunday that the president may have made similar payments to other women.On top of that, Trump's managerial incompetence may have hamstrung his legal team with the new hire of Emmet Flood:
For now, White House aides said, Giuliani still has a direct line in to Trump – the two speak almost daily – and nobody in the West Wing is eager to insert themselves between the two irascible New Yorkers by yanking Giuliani off TV. But some aides said they expect the president to fire Giuliani if his behavior doesn’t change.
But the president never made clear what the reporting structure of his Russia team would be when Flood’s hiring was announced, according to two people familiar with the situation, creating uncertainty about whether Cobb and Flood would be co-equals or whether one would report to the other.When McGahn decided to stay on, however, Cobb tendered his resignation, and now the knives are out for McGahn…
In fact, the president initially told several aides that Flood would replace McGahn – not Cobb, who has been the lead lawyer inside the White House on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation for several months.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:59 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Meanwhile they are appointing a new head to the C.I.A. that literally tortured people and destroyed the evidence in disregard of a presidential order. Maybe after she retires she can take over for Oliver North and head the N.R.A.
I just hope when we do finally get a Democrat president they remember that this is what happens when you don't punish criminals. They get brought back and rewarded the next go round. It makes me sick to my stomach that these two aren't in jail.
posted by xammerboy at 5:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [50 favorites]
I just hope when we do finally get a Democrat president they remember that this is what happens when you don't punish criminals. They get brought back and rewarded the next go round. It makes me sick to my stomach that these two aren't in jail.
posted by xammerboy at 5:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [50 favorites]
Ryan Macc: lmao... the White House/Melania Trump Be Best pamphlet about your kids being online is almost the exact same thing that the FTC published in Jan. 2014
Now, now...the 2018 version clearly has wedged in a new page 2, now featuring a prominent photo of Melania doing her best Blue Steel.
I was at work today and, in the midst of grading papers, just had this overwhelming sense that, damn, I really miss the Obamas.
posted by darkstar at 5:23 PM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Now, now...the 2018 version clearly has wedged in a new page 2, now featuring a prominent photo of Melania doing her best Blue Steel.
I was at work today and, in the midst of grading papers, just had this overwhelming sense that, damn, I really miss the Obamas.
posted by darkstar at 5:23 PM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
The Melania plagiarism thing just breaks my brain. Her "new" page in that brochure is so obviously out of the style tone, context of the rest of the document.
As an English teacher I have come across exactly this sort of thing. Some EFL young person decides that he will submit a Ray Bradbury short story as his original work, but to throw the reader off track he will jam in a self-written paragraph about how he loves science fiction and so decided to write this... Giving me as the reader whiplash at the transition in tone and style and topic and jeez, it is not even that you think I am too stupid, it's that YOU are too stupid to realize how blaring your incompetence is. Unconscious incompetence, unknown unknowns...
It really is just bullshit and lies, all the way down. Anything good is stolen and dirtied in the process.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:36 PM on May 7, 2018 [33 favorites]
As an English teacher I have come across exactly this sort of thing. Some EFL young person decides that he will submit a Ray Bradbury short story as his original work, but to throw the reader off track he will jam in a self-written paragraph about how he loves science fiction and so decided to write this... Giving me as the reader whiplash at the transition in tone and style and topic and jeez, it is not even that you think I am too stupid, it's that YOU are too stupid to realize how blaring your incompetence is. Unconscious incompetence, unknown unknowns...
It really is just bullshit and lies, all the way down. Anything good is stolen and dirtied in the process.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:36 PM on May 7, 2018 [33 favorites]
I’d Die for My Wife and My Kids. And This Is All Ruining Their Lives
Gosh, that's too bad. Maybe you should have thought of that before your decades of criminal activity.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:49 PM on May 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
Gosh, that's too bad. Maybe you should have thought of that before your decades of criminal activity.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:49 PM on May 7, 2018 [56 favorites]
...I have no issue with the government reissuing known good advice. The current government is going to get the credit because that's how it always works. This is definitely in 'bitch eating crackers' territory.
Can you imagine how much worse it'd be if they issued an entirely new document, that was bad?
posted by Merus at 5:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Can you imagine how much worse it'd be if they issued an entirely new document, that was bad?
posted by Merus at 5:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Clarence Thomas’ Wife Is Spreading a Conspiracy About a Soros-Backed “Coup”
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
In addition to throwing Cohen under the bus, that National Enquirer cover also claims "TRUMP PASSED POLYGRAPH PROVING NO RUSSIA COLLUSION!".
posted by kirkaracha at 5:57 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
The gist: The tabloid says a Florida lie detection expert named Michael Sylvestre, at its request, analyzed a recording of a press conference Trump gave in December in which he proclaimed there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russians, declaring, "That has been proven."Most of the results of a Google search for trump polygraph are similar to Lie detector test indicates Stormy Daniels truthful about Trump affair. Not a lot of results for the "world-renowned" machine.
Sylvestre, the tabloid says, "subjected those very words to the keen and unbiased judgment of the world-renowned DecepTech Voice Stress Analysis Machine."
posted by kirkaracha at 5:57 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
BuzzFeed, New Documents Show That EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Did Not Face Serious Security Threats : "One of the threats made against Scott Pruitt this year: someone drawing a mustache on his face on a Newsweek cover." [real]
The Times version of the same story: New Files Detail the Threats Made Against Scott Pruitt at the E.P.A.:
posted by zachlipton at 6:00 PM on May 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
The Times version of the same story: New Files Detail the Threats Made Against Scott Pruitt at the E.P.A.:
Tension has surfaced in recent months between two divisions at the E.P.A. charged with trying to secure agency employees. The inspector general has emphasized the growing number of threats, while the Office of Homeland Security, which is actually charged with making threat assessments, has concluded that many of the alleged threats are just private individuals sounding off in ways that are protected by the First Amendment.The Times story says that the EPA investigators have tried to recommend criminal charges for some of the threats, but prosecutors have been uninterested.
“EPA Intelligence has not identified any specific credible direct threat to the EPA Administrator,” a February memo from the homeland security office said.
posted by zachlipton at 6:00 PM on May 7, 2018 [25 favorites]
Trump Lawyers Aim to Decide by May 17 Whether President Testifies in Mueller Probe
So we’ll find out in... [gears turning]... about two weeks!
I’m grudgingly impressed by how these morons can be so chaotic yet so utterly predictable.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:12 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
So we’ll find out in... [gears turning]... about two weeks!
I’m grudgingly impressed by how these morons can be so chaotic yet so utterly predictable.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:12 PM on May 7, 2018 [6 favorites]
Am I wrong in thinking a lot of the possible prosecutions rely on crimes happening in NY state jurisdiction and not federal (for pardoning reasons, especially)? Such that Schneiderman being a probable POS who's in charge of important prosecutions is even worse than him just being a normal-dude POS? I am quite angry right now and not parsing well.
posted by lauranesson at 6:32 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by lauranesson at 6:32 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
That was fast. BREAKING: AG ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN RESIGNS.
posted by zachlipton at 6:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [36 favorites]
I better find out during Lawrence O'Donnell that Preet Bharara is Spiderman's replacement.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:52 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:52 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
Weiner is gone, Spitzer is gone - next will be lightweight A.G. Eric Schneiderman. Is he a crook? Wait and see, worse than Spitzer or Weiner
4:10 AM - 11 Sep 2013
Hmm
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:56 PM on May 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
Weiner is gone, Spitzer is gone - next will be lightweight A.G. Eric Schneiderman. Is he a crook? Wait and see, worse than Spitzer or Weiner
4:10 AM - 11 Sep 2013
Hmm
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:56 PM on May 7, 2018 [11 favorites]
The NY legislature should appoint Zephyr Teachout. If they don't, she should run for the term.
Not Preet. Financial crime is the #1 issue facing the NY AG, and that overlaps with Trump. Preet was part of the Obama team that "looked forward, not backwards" and allowed people like Mnuchin to walk free. Someone who will actually prosecute white collar crimes, including whatever state angle comes from the Mueller investigation.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:57 PM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Not Preet. Financial crime is the #1 issue facing the NY AG, and that overlaps with Trump. Preet was part of the Obama team that "looked forward, not backwards" and allowed people like Mnuchin to walk free. Someone who will actually prosecute white collar crimes, including whatever state angle comes from the Mueller investigation.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:57 PM on May 7, 2018 [13 favorites]
Scott Lemieux at the Lawyers, Guns and Money blog weighs in: The "Too Valuable" Myth:
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:58 PM on May 7, 2018 [73 favorites]
One of the factors that allows for powerful known abusers to keep abusing is the ability of white men to create the impression that they’re irreplaceable talents even when they’re hacks and mediocrities. Lottery winners like to tell themselves they’ve been rewarded by a perfect meritocracy even when there are plenty of people who could do their jobs as well or better. The ratings of their morning shows weren’t hurt when Lauer and Rose got canned, for example. The myth of the Irreplaceable White Guy helps justify and cover up a lot of terrible behavior.(Apparently, one of Schneiderman's abused exes confided in friends who told her that she needed to be quiet because Schneiderman was "too valuable" for the Democrats to lose. FUUUUCCCKKKK THAAAAATTTT.)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:58 PM on May 7, 2018 [73 favorites]
Okay, I don't know anything about the NY Legislature, although Rachel Maddow just said they are "notoriously insane." Just level with me - will they appoint someone good or bad?
posted by triggerfinger at 7:00 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by triggerfinger at 7:00 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Trump to Announce Decision on Iran Deal Tuesday
Donald Trump announced Monday that he will reveal whether he intends to violate the United States’ nuclear agreement with Iran tomorrow. In a mid-afternoon tweet, the leader of the free world teased his upcoming diplomatic decision as though it were a reality show finale.@realDonaldTrump
...
Trump did not need to make this decision tomorrow. The deadline for action won’t come until May 12, when the president will need to renew a waiver on America’s nuclear sanctions against Iran — or else, violate the terms of the Obama-era agreement that froze Tehran’s atomic weapons program.
I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2:00pm.posted by kirkaracha at 7:06 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Okay, I don't know anything about the NY Legislature, although Rachel Maddow just said they are "notoriously insane." Just level with me - will they appoint someone good or bad?
The Senate was essentially hijacked by the Republican minority plus some turncoat Dems, but those Dems have seen the way things are trending nationally and have now super-duper promised not to do that anymore, and all of them are being primaried from the left. I would say that all of them have more to gain politically by supporting actually-decent candidates than the reverse. But who knows?
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:07 PM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
The Senate was essentially hijacked by the Republican minority plus some turncoat Dems, but those Dems have seen the way things are trending nationally and have now super-duper promised not to do that anymore, and all of them are being primaried from the left. I would say that all of them have more to gain politically by supporting actually-decent candidates than the reverse. But who knows?
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:07 PM on May 7, 2018 [7 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2:00pm.
To make a basketball analogy, you don't hold a press conference to say you're coming back to school for a year instead of entering the NBA draft. He's pulling out.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:11 PM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2:00pm.
To make a basketball analogy, you don't hold a press conference to say you're coming back to school for a year instead of entering the NBA draft. He's pulling out.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:11 PM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
> and nobody in the West Wing is eager to insert themselves between the two irascible New Yorkers by yanking Giuliani off TV.
“Irascible.” Ah yes, what a couple of lovable scamps. Who knows what hijinks this modern day Tom and Huck will get up to next?
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:13 PM on May 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
“Irascible.” Ah yes, what a couple of lovable scamps. Who knows what hijinks this modern day Tom and Huck will get up to next?
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:13 PM on May 7, 2018 [22 favorites]
Trump desperately needs to divert media attention away from the current Stormy Daniels shitshow, to say nothing of the omnipresent Russia scandal. Of course he's pulling out of the Iran treaty.
Meanwhile, earlier today Giuliani told CBS that Mueller rejected Trump's request to answer questions in writing.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:17 PM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
Meanwhile, earlier today Giuliani told CBS that Mueller rejected Trump's request to answer questions in writing.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:17 PM on May 7, 2018 [17 favorites]
To make a basketball analogy, you don't hold a press conference to say you're coming back to school for a year instead of entering the NBA draft. He's pulling out.
I just cannot fucking believe this. And the useless bullshit Republicans are going to sit on their asses and do exactly nothing. And the media will continue to blow smoke up everybody's asses asnd somehow find a way to blame Democrats. I am reaching the end of my rope with all of this lately. I have never before felt like we're facing an uphill battle as much as I do now. This has to stop. WHEN WILL IT STOP
posted by triggerfinger at 7:22 PM on May 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
I just cannot fucking believe this. And the useless bullshit Republicans are going to sit on their asses and do exactly nothing. And the media will continue to blow smoke up everybody's asses asnd somehow find a way to blame Democrats. I am reaching the end of my rope with all of this lately. I have never before felt like we're facing an uphill battle as much as I do now. This has to stop. WHEN WILL IT STOP
posted by triggerfinger at 7:22 PM on May 7, 2018 [30 favorites]
And they seriously think they're going to get North Korea to agree to any sort of concessions now? Uh huh, reneging on a major multilateral agreement is a great way to establish credibility shortly before a summit.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:34 PM on May 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:34 PM on May 7, 2018 [48 favorites]
Even if he somehow negotiated a denuclearization agreement with North Korea, the only thing pulling out of the Iran deal does is allow them to restart their program, this time with full justification. He's trading one nuclear crisis for another, at best.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
To make a basketball analogy, you don't hold a press conference to say you're coming back to school for a year instead of entering the NBA draft. He's pulling out.
To make a narcissistic reality show host analogy, you hold a press conference whenever you want to say anything ever for any reason. Until he talks tomorrow at 2, this is a sort of Schrodinger's Treaty. Tune it to exclusively to your local Sinclair station to find out what Trump's decision is!
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
To make a narcissistic reality show host analogy, you hold a press conference whenever you want to say anything ever for any reason. Until he talks tomorrow at 2, this is a sort of Schrodinger's Treaty. Tune it to exclusively to your local Sinclair station to find out what Trump's decision is!
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:53 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
That almost makes sense in his zero-sum world.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:55 PM on May 7, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:55 PM on May 7, 2018
Things feel a bit heated and it's only Monday, so it might be a good time to repost the latest installment in the legendary fucking fuck saga, Fucking Fuck X - The Enfuckenating. See ya there.
posted by vverse23 at 8:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by vverse23 at 8:01 PM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Daily Beast: Stormy Daniels’ Penthouse Revelations: On Trump’s Hair, Penis and More
HOW ABOUT LESS
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:02 PM on May 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
HOW ABOUT LESS
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:02 PM on May 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
duoshao: "Chrysostom, is there a read on which way Nunes' district is leaning in the midterms? Any chance he'll lose his seat?"
As Justinian pointed out, it's a reach. He won by 35 points in 2016, and 44 points in 2014.
That said, Sabato has moved it from Safe GOP to Likely GOP (Gonzales and Cook still have it as Safe). Likely Dem nominee Janz has been raising a lot, though. Here's a recent CNN piece on the race.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
As Justinian pointed out, it's a reach. He won by 35 points in 2016, and 44 points in 2014.
That said, Sabato has moved it from Safe GOP to Likely GOP (Gonzales and Cook still have it as Safe). Likely Dem nominee Janz has been raising a lot, though. Here's a recent CNN piece on the race.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
Politico, Pruitt fast-tracked California cleanup after Hugh Hewitt brokered meeting. Hewitt spends his time defending Pruitt on TV, and his son works in the EPA press office, but Pruitt did him a favor and prioritized the cleanup of a Superfund site. Hewitt works for the law firm that represents the local water district.
posted by zachlipton at 8:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 8:04 PM on May 7, 2018 [9 favorites]
MSNBC will still have Hewitt's dumb face on TV as a contributor.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:11 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:11 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Melania's not a plagiarist, she's just a huuuuuuge fan of Michelle. See them hugging at the funeral? (I'm not even being snarky.)
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:12 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:12 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Re: Schneiderman: the legislature chooses a replacement as a body, *not* each chamber individually. In total, the Dems control 136-73, and that's obviously mostly from the Assembly (i.e., less conservative), since the GOP has a de facto one seat control of the Senate.
The seat is up in November, as well.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:14 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
The seat is up in November, as well.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:14 PM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
The warrants also sought records related to the taxi medallions that Cohen owns
As a country gal, I would never have known what this means, except that I was watching Stephen Fry in America on Netflix, where he was riding with a cab driver, who said (at that time) a medallion is worth $600,000. I guess it's much more now.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:14 PM on May 7, 2018
As a country gal, I would never have known what this means, except that I was watching Stephen Fry in America on Netflix, where he was riding with a cab driver, who said (at that time) a medallion is worth $600,000. I guess it's much more now.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:14 PM on May 7, 2018
It's worth considerably less, actually - Uber/Lyft has destroyed the value of medallions.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:17 PM on May 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:17 PM on May 7, 2018 [19 favorites]
Vox: Despite approving work-requirement plans for some states, the Trump administration rejected Kansas’s request to impose lifetime limits on Medicaid eligibility.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:19 PM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:19 PM on May 7, 2018 [8 favorites]
That's punishing Kris Kobach.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:21 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:21 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
Personal loony left update : I was not seletected for community board! But I was encouraged to keep involved in local politics! But thankfully i am extremely skilled in being angry in local government!
*sticks flags in shirt, ties red banana on head* LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE
posted by The Whelk at 8:23 PM on May 7, 2018 [65 favorites]
*sticks flags in shirt, ties red banana on head* LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE
posted by The Whelk at 8:23 PM on May 7, 2018 [65 favorites]
the GOP has a de facto one seat control of the [New York state] Senate. The seat is up in November, as well.
You've posted about a half dozen or so NY GOP senator retirements. How many of those are up for election this fall? Do we know how many are in safe or swing districts?
posted by msalt at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2018
You've posted about a half dozen or so NY GOP senator retirements. How many of those are up for election this fall? Do we know how many are in safe or swing districts?
posted by msalt at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2018
Make the Big Apple Red my comrades
posted by The Whelk at 8:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:46 PM on May 7, 2018 [15 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 Senate:
** Odds & ends -- Dems are running candidates for all Michigan legislative seats. Over 50% of the seats have a woman running as a Dem.
===
Tomorrow, big primary day, with primaries in OH, WV, IN, and NC. Previews from: the Economist, Vox, 538, DKE.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:55 PM on May 7, 2018 [28 favorites]
** 2018 Senate:
-- TN: PPP poll has Dem Bredesen up 46-43 on GOPer Blackburn [MOE: +/- 4.0%].** 2018 House -- WP: McCarthy warns GOP to wake up or they are in big danger.
-- WV: The internet was all a-buzz over two separate GOP internal polls showing Blankenship in the lead, with differing #2s. Should we take them seriously? With a big grain of salt, at least. What we can say for sure is:-- NBC: Rabid pro-Trump-itude may win GOP primaries but presents problems in the general.
- There's only been one public poll of the race, and it was a while ago
- Any candidate winning is plausible at this point
- This kind of thing is why ranked choice voting is a good idea for primaries - it prevents nutcases from sneaking in when candidates split the rest of the vote
- Please remember this if Dems get locked out of a California top two - it's very hard for the party to stop a candidate determined to stay in
-- There's been some left vs mainstream primary heat in House races, but basically none in the Senate races.
** Odds & ends -- Dems are running candidates for all Michigan legislative seats. Over 50% of the seats have a woman running as a Dem.
===
Tomorrow, big primary day, with primaries in OH, WV, IN, and NC. Previews from: the Economist, Vox, 538, DKE.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:55 PM on May 7, 2018 [28 favorites]
I want to get some clarification please, I keep hearing (on CNN etc.) the phrase "convicted felon Don Blankenship". He's not a convicted felon, right? He was convicted of a misdemeanor? Also, he's not a convicted murderer, right? He's a convicted, um, conspirator? I am seeking clarification because the truth is being played so fast and loose with in this administration that I really am trying to stick to what's true as much as I can just for my own mental health. (Don't pile on me, I'm no Don fan, I do think he murdered those people convicted or not).
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 9:00 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 9:00 PM on May 7, 2018 [5 favorites]
He was convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy and received the maximum sentence for that charge. He was found not guilty of felony charges of security fraud and false statements.
I refer to him as convicted murderer Don Blankenship because he killed those people as sure as if he shot them himself. But he is not LEGALLY a murderer.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:08 PM on May 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
I refer to him as convicted murderer Don Blankenship because he killed those people as sure as if he shot them himself. But he is not LEGALLY a murderer.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:08 PM on May 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
msalt: "You've posted about a half dozen or so NY GOP senator retirements. How many of those are up for election this fall? Do we know how many are in safe or swing districts?"
All seats are up in November - New York is one of the states that has 2-year terms for the state Senate.
The total GOP retirements is now up to five (out of the 31 seats they hold outright). Basically all of them are what I would consider to be within reach in a pro-Dem environment like 2018:
posted by Chrysostom at 9:18 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
All seats are up in November - New York is one of the states that has 2-year terms for the state Senate.
The total GOP retirements is now up to five (out of the 31 seats they hold outright). Basically all of them are what I would consider to be within reach in a pro-Dem environment like 2018:
SD-50 (DeFrancisco): Clinton 50-45 / Obama 55-43That's not to say they will all flip, of course, but I would consider it good odds at this point to have the NY Senate in Dem hands...IF the ex-IDC members are primaried out, or at least stay in line.
SD-42 (Bonacic): Trump 50-45 / Obama 54-45
SD-43 (Marchione): Trump 49-46 / Obama 53-45
SD-39 (Larkin): Trump 50-46 / Obama 53-46
SD-03 (Croci): Trump 51-45 / Obama 55-43
posted by Chrysostom at 9:18 PM on May 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
there like 33 unfilled voting positions in the lower levels of the New York Democratic party and they decide who is actually the nominee in assembly votes so I'm looking at these going TOOT TOOT LET'S GET ON THE RED TRAIN lets run unopposed and fuck up some incompants
posted by The Whelk at 9:25 PM on May 7, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:25 PM on May 7, 2018 [21 favorites]
Brave Sir Pruitt ran away!
E.P.A. Emails Show an Effort to Shield Pruitt From Public Scrutiny
E.P.A. Emails Show an Effort to Shield Pruitt From Public Scrutiny
WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be a town hall meeting where Iowa ranchers could ask questions directly of Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. But when the agency learned that anyone would be free to ask anything, they decided to script the questions themselves.posted by scalefree at 9:36 PM on May 7, 2018 [63 favorites]
“My sincere apologies,” an E.P.A. official wrote to the rancher who would be moderating the event. “We cannot do open q&a from the crowd.” She then proposed several simple questions for him to ask Mr. Pruitt, including: “What has it been like to work with President Trump?”
Details about the December event, and dozens of other official appearances from Mr. Pruitt’s scandal-plagued first year at the E.P.A., have until now been hidden from public view as a result of an extraordinary effort by Mr. Pruitt and his staff to maintain strict secrecy about the bulk of his daily schedule.
But a new cache of emails offer a detailed look inside the agency’s aggressive efforts to conceal his activities as a public servant. The more than 10,000 documents, made public as part of a Freedom of Information lawsuit by the Sierra Club, show that the agency’s close control of Mr. Pruitt’s events is driven more by a desire to avoid tough questions from the public than by concerns about security, contradicting Mr. Pruitt’s longstanding defense of his secretiveness.
Chrsysostom: That's awesome, thanks as always. Even better than I had dared hope.
posted by msalt at 10:30 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by msalt at 10:30 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
HOW ABOUT LESS
I am voting for more, much more. This is not just salacious curiosity, I have put some thought into this.
If this were a grown up sort of political system, where we treated one another with respect, then no of course these details would be completely out of bounds. But Repubs and especially Drumpf have burned that all down. It's "little Rubio" and "Pocahantas" and grade school epithets and nothing more from these jerks, and apparently the media wants to facilitate that and the general populace lets that crap work on them. The "we go high" doesn't work because the other side just keep shoveling out their bullshit, and any clear signal is lost in the tornado of shit. You can't play cricket when the other side thinks it is a bar fight.
So if we are agreed that there are no norms, well then fuck it, hit him where it hurts. The bully wants us all to believe him that there is "no problem there", and I want to hear LOTS of women explain that he has a tiny and flaccid penis, that he does not know how to provide a woman with an orgasm, that his balls are smelly, whatever.
And secondly, if this were responsible adults acting responsible, I do not care about their private sex lives. Remember when Mitterand's mistress and daughter were present at his state funeral? You can have a personal opinion on the morality of his life choices, but obviously it was a matter that was accepted by those involved and they had made adult choices about how they would live their private personal lives. Drumpf is, on the contrary, showing us the ugliest side of mysogynist male privilege. Women are to be used for sex and paid off like whores. Their only value is in their attractiveness, as totems of power, as tools for gratification.
So again, fuck you fucko. Madam, do continue, tell me MORE about his bent and ugly member that cannot conceivably reach the g-spot. Tell me how he is done in a few strokes, and rolls over and snores.
Because fuck him, he brought us here. As ye sow, so shall ye reap fuckhead.
posted by Meatbomb at 10:49 PM on May 7, 2018 [53 favorites]
I am voting for more, much more. This is not just salacious curiosity, I have put some thought into this.
If this were a grown up sort of political system, where we treated one another with respect, then no of course these details would be completely out of bounds. But Repubs and especially Drumpf have burned that all down. It's "little Rubio" and "Pocahantas" and grade school epithets and nothing more from these jerks, and apparently the media wants to facilitate that and the general populace lets that crap work on them. The "we go high" doesn't work because the other side just keep shoveling out their bullshit, and any clear signal is lost in the tornado of shit. You can't play cricket when the other side thinks it is a bar fight.
So if we are agreed that there are no norms, well then fuck it, hit him where it hurts. The bully wants us all to believe him that there is "no problem there", and I want to hear LOTS of women explain that he has a tiny and flaccid penis, that he does not know how to provide a woman with an orgasm, that his balls are smelly, whatever.
And secondly, if this were responsible adults acting responsible, I do not care about their private sex lives. Remember when Mitterand's mistress and daughter were present at his state funeral? You can have a personal opinion on the morality of his life choices, but obviously it was a matter that was accepted by those involved and they had made adult choices about how they would live their private personal lives. Drumpf is, on the contrary, showing us the ugliest side of mysogynist male privilege. Women are to be used for sex and paid off like whores. Their only value is in their attractiveness, as totems of power, as tools for gratification.
So again, fuck you fucko. Madam, do continue, tell me MORE about his bent and ugly member that cannot conceivably reach the g-spot. Tell me how he is done in a few strokes, and rolls over and snores.
Because fuck him, he brought us here. As ye sow, so shall ye reap fuckhead.
posted by Meatbomb at 10:49 PM on May 7, 2018 [53 favorites]
The people who don't want that are probably motivated by not wanting to see how the whole Mutually-Assured-Destruction system of everyone having kompromat on everyone else, and all of them knowing it, turns out once someone shoots.
posted by ctmf at 11:45 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ctmf at 11:45 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's been a while since the State Department got caught being horrible, let's check in & see how they're doing.
@RobbieGramer State Department thanking employees for all their hard work but I guess they couldn't find any pictures of actual employees? Luckily, Shutterstock stock photo archives have their back (H/T @BrettBruen for the find)
(It's not that they couldn't find anybody. They just couldn't find any employees who weren't white. Shutterstock to the rescue!)
posted by scalefree at 12:27 AM on May 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
@RobbieGramer State Department thanking employees for all their hard work but I guess they couldn't find any pictures of actual employees? Luckily, Shutterstock stock photo archives have their back (H/T @BrettBruen for the find)
(It's not that they couldn't find anybody. They just couldn't find any employees who weren't white. Shutterstock to the rescue!)
posted by scalefree at 12:27 AM on May 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
“That’s why the Founding Fathers created this immunity from prosecution and subpoena,” claimed Giuliani.
Say what?
Called it.
posted by ctmf at 12:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Say what?
Called it.
posted by ctmf at 12:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Reconvened Scientific Advisory Committee on Climate Change Holds its First Meeting
The federal committee was dissolved by the Trump administration in late 2017 and reconvened with support from Columbia University, New York State, and the American Meteorological Society in January 2018.posted by melissasaurus at 1:55 AM on May 8, 2018 [33 favorites]
"Hatch says it's 'ridiculous' for McCain to block Trump from funeral"
Because Trump is a "good man". Hatch's grounding in reality or truth (or decorum for that matter) ain't so good it seems.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 2:06 AM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
Because Trump is a "good man". Hatch's grounding in reality or truth (or decorum for that matter) ain't so good it seems.
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 2:06 AM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
Jon Stewart to Tucker Carlson, 2004: ""It's hurting America. Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably."
Tucker Carlson, 2108: Hold my beer!
Vile as this sentiment is, it's a sure tell that prominent Republicans also believe Trump to be guilty.
Democrats should promote that message -- the more they attack Mueller, the more they admit that they think Trump really did it.
posted by Gelatin at 3:03 AM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
Tucker Carlson, 2108: Hold my beer!
The Mueller probe is no longer a law enforcement investigation. It's a hit job. This pleases the Left. Removing Trump is the only principle they recognize. Instead of admitting it, they lecture us about the rule of law, as if they actually care about the Constitution. They don't.
Vile as this sentiment is, it's a sure tell that prominent Republicans also believe Trump to be guilty.
Democrats should promote that message -- the more they attack Mueller, the more they admit that they think Trump really did it.
posted by Gelatin at 3:03 AM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
So again, fuck you fucko. Madam, do continue, tell me MORE about his bent and ugly member that cannot conceivably reach the g-spot. Tell me how he is done in a few strokes, and rolls over and snores.
Hey some of us are trying to eat!
posted by LizBoBiz at 3:04 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Hey some of us are trying to eat!
posted by LizBoBiz at 3:04 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
If it were possible for him to convincingly signal a total change of heart ideologically, Schneiderman could find a welcome home in the Republican party. If not right away, then after a couple years. Likewise for Al Franken (again, he'll never not be liberal, so that's the big obstacle in my scenario). They could run under slogans like "Make Liberal Heads Explode" and at least win a primary in a local race somewhere. Republicans operate on gleeful sneering spitefulness. It could work.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
New CNN poll:
63% oppose Trump pulling out of Iran deal. 29% want to.
Even Trump's base doesn't want to.
People who *approve* of Trump oppose pulling out 48-46.
White noncollege oppose it 58-32.
Over 65 oppose 59-31.
Conservatives: 47-47.
posted by chris24 at 4:26 AM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
63% oppose Trump pulling out of Iran deal. 29% want to.
Even Trump's base doesn't want to.
People who *approve* of Trump oppose pulling out 48-46.
White noncollege oppose it 58-32.
Over 65 oppose 59-31.
Conservatives: 47-47.
posted by chris24 at 4:26 AM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Make America Hated Again.
Axios: Arab youth see the U.S. as an enemy
Axios: Arab youth see the U.S. as an enemy
Arab youth now view the United States primarily as an adversary, according to an annual survey of 18-24 year olds in 16 Arab states.posted by chris24 at 4:35 AM on May 8, 2018 [24 favorites]
Why it matters: The U.S. has held a presence in many of these countries for years, but the latest Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey reveals a dramatic shift in how youth in the region view America: 57% of those surveyed this year see the U.S. as an enemy, and 35% consider the U.S. an ally. That's almost a complete reversal of the numbers from 2016. [2016: 63% ally, 32% enemy.]
The Trump factor: 73% of Arab youth said President Trump's election has had a negative impact on their countries. And more youth trust Russia than the United States, as the Kremlin builds up its presence in the region.
Asked who their country's top international ally is, the youths were most likely to pick the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, and Egypt. The U.S. fell out of the top five for the first time in the survey's history.
How The ACORN Scandal Seeded Today’s Nightmare Politics
ACORN had survived for more than 40 years. Its sudden collapse was a defining moment in 21st century American politics. The explosive cocktail of racism, dishonesty, incompetence and cowardice that brought down the organization reveals as much about Washington Democrats as it does about the conservative movement. It marked the Republican Party’s full transition from the coded winks and nods of Richard Nixon’s “Southern strategy” to the bellicose white nativism that defines Donald Trump, and it exposed a Democratic Party establishment unprepared for dirty tricks in the Digital Age and unwilling to defend many of the black voters and activists it claimed to represent.posted by T.D. Strange at 4:51 AM on May 8, 2018 [99 favorites]
...
But Washington didn’t wait around for the facts to come out. On Sept. 14, 2009, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted 83 to 7 to block some federal grants to ACORN. Government funding typically accounted for 10 to 15 percent of ACORN’s annual funding. The group received $48.4 million from the federal government from 2005 to 2009 ― most of it, including a $25 million grant in 2008, for housing counseling and foreclosure mitigation.
...
On Sept. 17, the House followed suit, with 172 Democrats joining 173 Republicans in voting to defund ACORN, including some of the most progressive voices in the party, such as Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and John Conyers (D-Mich.).
Today, Democrats don’t like to talk about that vote. Several told HuffPost they didn’t remember how they voted or why they voted the way they did, other than to note the vote occurred amid a rash of scandalous ACORN headlines.
...
ACORN registered more than 865,000 voters for the 2008 election. While other groups have tried to pick up the slack, there’s a reason Republicans haven’t selected a new organization to serve as the voter fraud boogeyman: nobody is doing the same caliber work on the same scale that ACORN did.
And while just about every possible explanation for Trump’s 77,744-vote margin of victory in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan has been explored to death, almost nobody talks about the effect ACORN might have had in those states.
If Congress has learned any lessons from the ACORN episode, you wouldn’t know it from the legislative record. Each year, government spending bills typically include new bans on funding for ACORN or its successors ― a term with no legal definition. Congress blocked money for ACORN again in its March funding bill.
When the only viable diplomatic channel is right wing crazies screaming at an audience of one....
Qatar eyes stake in Newsmax
The Qatari government has sought to acquire a major stake in Newsmax, the conservative media company run by President Donald Trump’s friend Chris Ruddy, according to two people with knowledge of the talks.
Qatari officials met with Newsmax representatives on multiple occasions this year, according to the people familiar with the dealings. Ruddy, reached for comment, declined to address specific questions, saying only “this is all false.”
posted by PenDevil at 4:53 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Qatar eyes stake in Newsmax
The Qatari government has sought to acquire a major stake in Newsmax, the conservative media company run by President Donald Trump’s friend Chris Ruddy, according to two people with knowledge of the talks.
Qatari officials met with Newsmax representatives on multiple occasions this year, according to the people familiar with the dealings. Ruddy, reached for comment, declined to address specific questions, saying only “this is all false.”
posted by PenDevil at 4:53 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Because Trump is a "good man". Hatch's grounding in reality or truth (or decorum for that matter) ain't so good it seems.
Look, he can go to the Hastert funeral we're all looking forward to, how about that? He'll fit right in there!
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 5:22 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Look, he can go to the Hastert funeral we're all looking forward to, how about that? He'll fit right in there!
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 5:22 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Even as the Iran deal looks doomed, the level of national support that chris24 reports is heartening. I would have expected the fear-uncertainty-doubt campaign to make more inroads, at least to the point of most Americans being "undecided" or something. But no, a substantial majority are living in reality.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'd love to be wrong, but it does look doomed. Trump has too much need for narcissistic supply to be likely to avoid the temptation to do the most dramatic thing possible and to remove anything that prevents his freedom to do that. So much is predictable once you just work off that metric.
My only hope is that he lets it continue 'for now' setting up an ongoing will-he-won't-he drama involving a possible future nuclear adversary...and my main basis for that hope is that Iran remains a core Russian ally.
posted by jaduncan at 6:14 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
My only hope is that he lets it continue 'for now' setting up an ongoing will-he-won't-he drama involving a possible future nuclear adversary...and my main basis for that hope is that Iran remains a core Russian ally.
posted by jaduncan at 6:14 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
If only some mechanism existed to impress upon the people who live here how ceding economic hegemony to a combination of China, Russia, Iran, and others through ignorant incompetence is very very bad.
It's like the movie Network came and went in real life - about 30 years ago.
posted by petebest at 6:20 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's like the movie Network came and went in real life - about 30 years ago.
posted by petebest at 6:20 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Design critiques of the new Be Best logo, apparently designed by FLOTUS.
The logo is clearly meant to indicate “children” as its lines and scribble-like structure of the letters sort of emulate how a kid might write and to a certain degree, if you gave, say, an 11-year-old kid a mouse with the brush tool selected in Adobe Illustrator and asked him or her to write “BE BEST” in all uppercase this would be the result. Also, one of the main keys to consider when designing hand-drawn logos is that repeating letters MUST be different and here, both “B”s are different and both “E”s are different, so kudos on that.posted by kirkaracha at 6:33 AM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Well, I tried… but, let’s come back to reality: this logo is truly laughable — regardless of whether Melania designed it or not (but, c’mon, it’s all the more laughable because of it) — and it’s painful to look at. Most bafflingly… where did the thin bottom stroke of the “E”s come from? Everything is thick except those. And the tallness of the “T”? Sigh. It’s really all too much to handle. Someone doing a parody of a potential Melania Trump social initiative would have never been able to come up with something as on-point as this is. And this is dead-serious.
Someone doing a parody of a potential Melania Trump social initiative would have never been able to come up with something as on-point as this is. And this is dead-serious.
This is the thing about this whole project. it's just rebranding an Obama initiative, lazily taking advantage of what others did as if that was the point of it. We expect that of Donald. But it looks like some of his narcissism's rubbed off on her. It feels like it was designed to mock the idea it purports to be a solution for.
posted by scalefree at 6:46 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
This is the thing about this whole project. it's just rebranding an Obama initiative, lazily taking advantage of what others did as if that was the point of it. We expect that of Donald. But it looks like some of his narcissism's rubbed off on her. It feels like it was designed to mock the idea it purports to be a solution for.
posted by scalefree at 6:46 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
> Today, Democrats don’t like to talk about that vote. Several told HuffPost they didn’t remember how they voted or why they voted the way they did, other than to note the vote occurred amid a rash of scandalous ACORN headlines.
"I was a lazy coward."
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:58 AM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
"I was a lazy coward."
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:58 AM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
It ultimately doesn't matter, but I find myself wondering if Melania drives the deception or if her staff is gaslighting her. It's such a small part of the overall dystopia we're living in, but so easy for everyone to grab on to and laugh at.
posted by armacy at 6:59 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by armacy at 6:59 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Defector: WikiLeaks ‘Will Lie to Your Face
Pretty good account of how Wikileaks turned to the Alt-Right, or more acurately turned out to have leaked that way all along.
posted by Artw at 7:01 AM on May 8, 2018 [26 favorites]
Pretty good account of how Wikileaks turned to the Alt-Right, or more acurately turned out to have leaked that way all along.
posted by Artw at 7:01 AM on May 8, 2018 [26 favorites]
From the "hold my beer" school of international relations, Netanyahu puts wrong foot forward by serving Japan’s Abe dessert in a shoe (WaPo):
There aren’t that many cultures where putting a shoe on the dining room table is acceptable behavior, but for the Japanese there is clear etiquette against allowing outdoor shoes inside.posted by peeedro at 7:01 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
That might explain the furor following a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie Abe, to Israel last week.
After a day of high-level meetings on May 2, the Japanese leader was treated to a festive meal at the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu. It was their second time in Israel, and the visiting couple were served a top-notch meal by celebrity Israeli chef Segev Moshe.
But then came dessert. A selection of delectable chocolate pralines — artistically arranged inside a shiny leather shoe.
Pretty good account of how Wikileaks turned to the Alt-Right, or more acurately turned out to have leaked that way all along.
One of his former roommates is a friend of mine, we discuss him from time to time. He agrees all the worst traits he expresses are not a new thing by any means.
posted by scalefree at 7:08 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
One of his former roommates is a friend of mine, we discuss him from time to time. He agrees all the worst traits he expresses are not a new thing by any means.
posted by scalefree at 7:08 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
That was not a leather shoe. That was a metal sculpture shaped like a shoe.
Still a bad idea.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:08 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Still a bad idea.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:08 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
I am so confused about the dessert shoe. This had to be an intentional insult. They even put the shoe on a tatami mat! I don't know enough to know why Israel would feel like provoking Japan, though. Is there some explanation someone more knowledgeable can point me towards?
posted by halation at 7:12 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by halation at 7:12 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
I mean, even if the shoe weren't especially insulting to the Japanese... who on earth would want their food presented that way? It's beyond avant-garde to just plain gross.
posted by TwoStride at 7:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by TwoStride at 7:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [20 favorites]
Hey, how were your Cold War Round II nightmares? Oh, you didn't have any? Let me fix that: Pentagon Wants To Deploy 'Low-Yield' Nuclear Weapons To Deter Russia From Similar Ones (NPR, May 7, 2018)
Oct. 11, 2017 -- Trump Wanted Tenfold Increase in Nuclear Arsenal, Surprising Military (Courtney Kube, Kristen Welker, Carol E. Lee and Savannah Guthrie for NBC News)
Jan. 11, 2018 -- Exclusive: Here Is A Draft Of Trump’s Nuclear Review. He Wants A Lot More Nukes. (Ashley Feinberg for Huffington Post)
Feb. 3, 2018 -- Russia: US plan to use ‘low-yield’ nukes is ‘confrontational’ (Mary Kay Linge for N.Y. Post)
March 20, 2018 -- To deter Russia, US needs new low-yield nukes, says STRATCOM head (Valerie Insinna for Defense News)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:24 AM on May 8, 2018 [23 favorites]
Even as the Trump administration excoriates Iran and North Korea on nuclear arms, Congress is set to fund a new, "low-yield" atomic weapon. The Pentagon says one is needed to plausibly deter any plans by Russia to use smaller nukes. Critics say such a "useable" nuke would increase, not decrease, the likelihood of the nuclear war that military planners say they want to avoid.YOU DON'T SAY.
There's a new push by the Pentagon to deploy a more usable nuclear warhead. Proponents say a submarine-launched, low-yield nuke is needed to make Russia think twice about using similar weapons. And this week, Congress will take up possibly funding this warhead. Critics say a more usable nuke is a very bad idea.My question is which companies are lobbying to build and sell new low-yield nukes, because that seems somewhat relevant. But that question isn't on the table today, because this is really just in response to Russia's response ... to Trump. Let me unpack this:
Oct. 11, 2017 -- Trump Wanted Tenfold Increase in Nuclear Arsenal, Surprising Military (Courtney Kube, Kristen Welker, Carol E. Lee and Savannah Guthrie for NBC News)
Jan. 11, 2018 -- Exclusive: Here Is A Draft Of Trump’s Nuclear Review. He Wants A Lot More Nukes. (Ashley Feinberg for Huffington Post)
Feb. 3, 2018 -- Russia: US plan to use ‘low-yield’ nukes is ‘confrontational’ (Mary Kay Linge for N.Y. Post)
March 20, 2018 -- To deter Russia, US needs new low-yield nukes, says STRATCOM head (Valerie Insinna for Defense News)
The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review recommends building two new “low-yield” nuclear weapons for the U.S. Navy: a low-yield warhead for existing submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBM, and a nuclear-capable cruise missile that could be used by subs.Now General John Hyten is on NPR, shilling his plan to build new nukes, so no one else will do it. He's clearly not a fan of Tom Lehrer.
Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he “strongly agrees” the Pentagon should procure those weapons.
“That capability is a deterrence weapon to respond to the threat that Russia in particular is portraying,” he said. “[Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin announced as far back as April of 2000 that the Russian doctrine will be to use a low-yield nuclear weapon on the battlefield in case of a conventional overmatch with an adversary.”
posted by filthy light thief at 7:24 AM on May 8, 2018 [23 favorites]
I mean, even if the shoe weren't especially insulting to the Japanese... who on earth would want their food presented that way? It's beyond avant-garde to just plain gross.
This deserves some sort of lifetime misachievement award from We Want Plates.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:24 AM on May 8, 2018 [40 favorites]
This deserves some sort of lifetime misachievement award from We Want Plates.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:24 AM on May 8, 2018 [40 favorites]
From the NY Times: Why Trump’s Base of Support May Be Smaller Than It Seems.
The tl;dr, if I'm reading the article correctly, is that some Emory U. political science researchers are seeing some evidence that Republicans who dislike or disapprove of Trump are consequently also ceasing to identify as Republicans, and since most polls don't take previous party identification into account, Trump's partisan approval/disapproval percentages can remain relatively stable, while the actual number of people who approve of him is shrinking.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:25 AM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
The tl;dr, if I'm reading the article correctly, is that some Emory U. political science researchers are seeing some evidence that Republicans who dislike or disapprove of Trump are consequently also ceasing to identify as Republicans, and since most polls don't take previous party identification into account, Trump's partisan approval/disapproval percentages can remain relatively stable, while the actual number of people who approve of him is shrinking.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:25 AM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, yesterday: "The president congratulates [Putin] and looks forward to a time when we can hopefully have a good relationship with Russia."
AP: US Military Wives Threatened By Russian Hackers Posing As IS
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:28 AM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
AP: US Military Wives Threatened By Russian Hackers Posing As IS
The Associated Press has found evidence that the [five military wives who received death threats from the self-styled CyberCaliphate on the morning of Feb. 10, 2015] were targeted not by jihadists but by the same Russian hacking group that intervened in the American election and exposed the emails of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta.And of course the Russian trolls used Facebook as their vector for their psychological warfare—it's been nicknamed FSBook in intelligence circles for a while.
The brazen false flag is a case study in the difficulty of assigning blame in a world where hackers routinely borrow one another’s identities to throw investigators off track. The operation’s attempt to hype the threat of radical Islam also presaged the inflammatory messages pushed by internet trolls during the U.S. presidential race.[...]
Proof that the military wives were targeted by Russian hackers is laid out in a digital hit list provided to the AP by the cybersecurity company Secureworks last year. The AP has previously used the list of 4,700 Gmail addresses to outline the group’s espionage campaign against journalists, defense contractors and U.S. officials. More recent AP research has found that Fancy Bear, which Secureworks dubs “Iron Twilight,” was actively trying to break into the military wives’ mailboxes around the time that CyberCaliphate struck.[...]
The trolls — Russian employees paid to seed American social media with disinformation — often hyped the threat of Islamic State militants to the United States. A few months before CyberCaliphate first won attention by hijacking various media organizations’ Twitter accounts, for example, the trolls were spreading false rumors about an Islamic State attack in Louisiana and a counterfeit video appearing to show an American soldier firing into a Quran .
The AP has found no link between CyberCaliphate and the St. Petersburg trolls, but their aims appeared to be the same: keep tension at a boil and radical Islam in the headlines.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:28 AM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
Critics say a more usable nuke is a very bad idea.
Donald Trump Asked Three Times Why US "Can’t Use Nukes"
Probably for the fucking best not to make them more usable.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:31 AM on May 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
Donald Trump Asked Three Times Why US "Can’t Use Nukes"
Probably for the fucking best not to make them more usable.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:31 AM on May 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
Are Trump's handlers trying to stave off a tantrum by distracting him with the best, newest, shiniest thing they have on hand, that they know he's already fond of? [real]
posted by mikelieman at 7:38 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mikelieman at 7:38 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Trump considers benching Giuliani from doing TV interviews
posted by jgirl at 7:42 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by jgirl at 7:42 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Which for Trump, means Giuliani basically ceases to exist.
posted by mikepop at 7:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by mikepop at 7:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [35 favorites]
Trump considers benching Giuliani from doing TV interviews
"according to two people familiar with the president’s thinking but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions." One of those people surely is the president ginning up more will-he-or-won't-he storyline.
Jay Rosen's take on Rudy flooding the zone with bullshit, When the President’s own lawyer pictures him a grifter:
"according to two people familiar with the president’s thinking but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions." One of those people surely is the president ginning up more will-he-or-won't-he storyline.
Jay Rosen's take on Rudy flooding the zone with bullshit, When the President’s own lawyer pictures him a grifter:
I think we should resist the term “strategy” for Trump’s egoistic maneuvering. There is no strategy. But there may be a new fact pattern, the outcome of his lawyers attempting to manage their client’s malignant narcissism by accepting its most bizarre constraint: any managing will have to be done through semi-regular television appearances that explode the news cycle. Nothing else will the big boss trust.posted by peeedro at 7:49 AM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Plug in those factors and the crazy machine spits out widgets like these…
* prolong the special counsel’s investigation as long as possible so as not to relinquish a potent source of resentment;
* add to the chances that impeachable offenses will be found— by, for example, making the Comey firing sound sketchier and sketchier;
* instead of building a case for the President’s basic innocence, confuse the case by constantly shifting your explanations and by spicing them up with trace elements of guilt;
* instead of steering away from sources of legal danger, like the Stormy Daniels case and lawyer Michael Avenatti, sail right into them so as to thicken the atmosphere of crisis and guarantee non-stop news coverage;
* instead of minimizing evidence that the President lies in his public statements, dangle additional proof and let the press pounce on it;
* instead of projecting lawyerly competence and command of the case, let Giuliani admit that he still doesn’t know the facts, even though he’s on TV arguing about them.
* instead of denying that worse news is yet to come, flip it around: it may well be that more damaging stuff about the president will come out… so stay tuned!
* raise the psychological price that core supporters would have to pay for abandoning Trump by making them swallow bigger and more blatant falsehoods, and then hint around that this is indeed what you have done.
As with so many other moments since that escalator ride, we’re in uncharted territory for the American presidency, where crashing the ship of state is seen as clever programming, and willing the impeachment of the President is revealed as an Oval Office plan.
Oh good. NY Times just published a puff piece on “Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web” about how the various nazis we hear about constantly, often in The NY Times, are underrepresented.
posted by Artw at 7:50 AM on May 8, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:50 AM on May 8, 2018 [28 favorites]
> Oh good. NY Times just published a puff piece on “Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web” about how the various nazis we hear about constantly, often in The NY Times, are underrepresented.
Good lord, people! Will this "silencing" of "heretics" like Bari Weiss, Kevin Williamson and Sam Harris ever start?
posted by tonycpsu at 7:53 AM on May 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
Good lord, people! Will this "silencing" of "heretics" like Bari Weiss, Kevin Williamson and Sam Harris ever start?
posted by tonycpsu at 7:53 AM on May 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
I have to assume that I was unknowingly in possession of a monkey's paw almost 30 years ago, as young tech aficionado, and wished for the internet to become bigger and important to the world at large. All this awful is just the slow-roll of it coming true. This NYT piece is just that malignant wish getting around to bringing silenced all my life! to the world at large.
posted by phearlez at 7:56 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by phearlez at 7:56 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
The piece Artw mentions, for those with strong stomachs. TW: right-wing logic, self-refutation, non sequiturs, and a sub-Sarah Palin understanding of how "free speech" works.
posted by tonycpsu at 7:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 7:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Personally I’d not give the lousy fucks your clicks.
posted by Artw at 7:59 AM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:59 AM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
This is what the NYT is doing with all the money they scammed from marketing "journalism" to upset liberals after the election.
Cancel your subscriptions. Switch to the WaPo, or better yet your local non-Sinclair aligned media outlet.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:00 AM on May 8, 2018 [41 favorites]
Cancel your subscriptions. Switch to the WaPo, or better yet your local non-Sinclair aligned media outlet.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:00 AM on May 8, 2018 [41 favorites]
I mean, even if the shoe weren't especially insulting to the Japanese... who on earth would want their food presented that way? It's beyond avant-garde to just plain gross.
Seriously, go look at the link peeedro posted. It’s not appetizing even if shoes weren’t inappropriate for Japanese mores. It’s not an attractive presentation at all. I was leaning toward ignorance until I saw it but now I honestly think it was deliberate insult although god knows why.
posted by winna at 8:01 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Seriously, go look at the link peeedro posted. It’s not appetizing even if shoes weren’t inappropriate for Japanese mores. It’s not an attractive presentation at all. I was leaning toward ignorance until I saw it but now I honestly think it was deliberate insult although god knows why.
posted by winna at 8:01 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Yeah I checked out the NYT piece out of morbid curiosity and I can confirm: it's not even worth the click. I noped out of it three paragraphs in. I am adblockered to the hilt, they're getting nothing out of me, and yet I still regret the click. It reads like a piece by someone who writes Mencius Moldbug/Vox Day fanfic in their spare time.
posted by halation at 8:06 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by halation at 8:06 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
It’s not an attractive presentation at all.
The same chef cooked for Trump's visit to Israel, ugly dessert is his thing.
posted by peeedro at 8:08 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
The same chef cooked for Trump's visit to Israel, ugly dessert is his thing.
posted by peeedro at 8:08 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Intellectual Dark Web satire: 1 2
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
the feminists ... Christina Hoff Sommers I'm tapping out.
posted by Yowser at 8:15 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 8:15 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Cancel your subscriptions. Switch to the WaPo, or better yet your local non-Sinclair aligned media outlet.
I started this process 4 nazi-sympathizing-nyt articles ago. And btw,have fun with the exit subscription interrogation you will get from NYT, and be specific and outraged until you hear the exasperated sigh on the other end of the phone line.
posted by rc3spencer at 8:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [28 favorites]
I started this process 4 nazi-sympathizing-nyt articles ago. And btw,have fun with the exit subscription interrogation you will get from NYT, and be specific and outraged until you hear the exasperated sigh on the other end of the phone line.
posted by rc3spencer at 8:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [28 favorites]
ugly dessert is his thing
But that's a flattering dessert. For a certain value of 'flattering,' anyway. It plays on the whole 'nth-dimensional chess' political trope, and suggests unity between the countries' leaders (although I'm sure Israel knows it'd win that game even if it doesn't have the initiative since it's not playing White). The shoe thing is just a full-on fuck-you. Is this because of the Iran situation?
posted by halation at 8:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
But that's a flattering dessert. For a certain value of 'flattering,' anyway. It plays on the whole 'nth-dimensional chess' political trope, and suggests unity between the countries' leaders (although I'm sure Israel knows it'd win that game even if it doesn't have the initiative since it's not playing White). The shoe thing is just a full-on fuck-you. Is this because of the Iran situation?
posted by halation at 8:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Alternative title: Wari Beiss keeps plundering the depths of hatred and finds it inviting.
posted by Yowser at 8:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 8:16 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
May 2 Twitter thread from @AmyShapiro on the Abe/Netanyahu dinner. Featuring not just the dessert-in-a-shoe but also some of the other ... interesting ... presentations served at that meal. (h/t @WeWantPlates)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
The whole thing is just extremely privileged and wealthy individuals with abhorrent personal views, navel-gazing. While the writer avoids exposing their more extreme views, which might actually explain to the reader why these people are controversial.
Also, this bullshit:
posted by papercrane at 8:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
Also, this bullshit:
The core members have little in common politically. Bret and Eric Weinstein and Ms. Heying were Bernie Sanders supporters. Mr. Harris was an outspoken Hillary voter. Ben Shapiro is an anti-Trump conservative.Which I guess is NY Times way long winded way of saying "anti-feminism and Islamophobia transcends left v.s. right economic issues." See also, horseshoe theory.
posted by papercrane at 8:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
But then came dessert. A selection of delectable chocolate pralines — artistically arranged inside a shiny leather shoe.
That is incredibly insulting right there in Israel, though probably mostly among Arabs and Maghreb Jews. But there are a subset of Israelis who celebrate insult as an art form. Maybe they shouldn't be doing diplomatic dinners.
posted by mumimor at 8:22 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
That is incredibly insulting right there in Israel, though probably mostly among Arabs and Maghreb Jews. But there are a subset of Israelis who celebrate insult as an art form. Maybe they shouldn't be doing diplomatic dinners.
posted by mumimor at 8:22 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
I will sum up my complaints against the Time with two words: "Judith Miller"
posted by mikelieman at 8:32 AM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 8:32 AM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Parker Malloy wins best take on this NYT piece, tweeting: Shapiro pops up on Fox and CNN whenever he wants, Peterson has one of the best selling books in the world right now (and has been all over TV).
This is like me writing an article about underground indie bands centered around Nickelback.
The parallel is ideal because it illustrates the difference between being maligned and being obscure/unsuccessful. Hypothetically, one can imagine a profile of genuinely on-the-fringe conservative thought, something the readers have never heard of before, neither Trumpism nor over-sampled Never-Trumpism. But at this point, such a variety of conservatism is purely theoretical, the monster ate the mad scientist long ago, etc.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
This is like me writing an article about underground indie bands centered around Nickelback.
The parallel is ideal because it illustrates the difference between being maligned and being obscure/unsuccessful. Hypothetically, one can imagine a profile of genuinely on-the-fringe conservative thought, something the readers have never heard of before, neither Trumpism nor over-sampled Never-Trumpism. But at this point, such a variety of conservatism is purely theoretical, the monster ate the mad scientist long ago, etc.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
I will sum up my complaints against the Time with two words: "Judith Miller"
And the activities of scribes including, but not limited to, Maggie Haberman, show that the NYT hasn't changed the practices under which Miller helped march this nation into war under false pretenses.
posted by Gelatin at 8:39 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
And the activities of scribes including, but not limited to, Maggie Haberman, show that the NYT hasn't changed the practices under which Miller helped march this nation into war under false pretenses.
posted by Gelatin at 8:39 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump has apparently told Macron we're withdrawing from the Iran deal.
posted by skycrashesdown at 8:43 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by skycrashesdown at 8:43 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
update on NY AG / Schneiderman: he will be replaced by State Solicitor Barbara Underwood
The Hill, Business Insider
NY Daily News: Gov. Cuomo mulls prosecution for Eric Schneiderman
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 8:45 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
The Hill, Business Insider
NY Daily News: Gov. Cuomo mulls prosecution for Eric Schneiderman
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 8:45 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Cancel your subscriptions. Switch to the WaPo....
Reminder: if you have an Amazon prime membership you get a steep discount on a Post subscription. I love the fact that both Amazon AND the Post make Trump angry.
posted by photoslob at 8:46 AM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Reminder: if you have an Amazon prime membership you get a steep discount on a Post subscription. I love the fact that both Amazon AND the Post make Trump angry.
posted by photoslob at 8:46 AM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Mod note: There's an Eric Schneiderman thread, probably best to take Schneiderman stuff over there.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:49 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:49 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
Not sure what's going on here, but:
A High-Ranking Commerce Department Official Was Removed By Security Last Week. The Department Won't Say Why. Jason Leopold, Buzzfeed
A High-Ranking Commerce Department Official Was Removed By Security Last Week. The Department Won't Say Why. Jason Leopold, Buzzfeed
It is unknown why Elizabeth Erin Walsh was removed from the building, but the sources told BuzzFeed News that there’s an internal investigation underway that involves her, although they could not provide details about the nature of the probe.posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 8:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [12 favorites]
Walsh was nominated by President Donald Trump in May 2017 to serve as assistant secretary of commerce for global markets and director general of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, a position she began last August, after being confirmed by the Senate by a voice vote.
Walsh, a former Goldman Sachs vice president, previously served in the White House as special assistant to the president and associate director for presidential personnel. She has worked at the Department of State and Department of Energy and other federal government agencies for 12 years.
A good question:
@rilaws
Why did an opinion piece get an elaborate photoshoot and feature packaging
posted by Artw at 9:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [55 favorites]
@rilaws
Why did an opinion piece get an elaborate photoshoot and feature packaging
posted by Artw at 9:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [55 favorites]
On the WikiLeaks DM leaks, is the creator of that DM group an EVE player? Not sure I've seen "Plus Ten" referring to "allies" in any other context (In game you can set people/guild to +/- 0 through 10, with +10 being trusted/blue allies. The PanFam coalition has a Plusten chat channel in game even).
Not sure how useful that is to know but it struck me as odd.
posted by Slackermagee at 9:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Not sure how useful that is to know but it struck me as odd.
posted by Slackermagee at 9:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
A good question:
@rilaws
Why did an opinion piece get an elaborate photoshoot and feature packaging
Why, the answer is obvious my dear Watson.
They did it for the clicks.
posted by dis_integration at 9:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
@rilaws
Why did an opinion piece get an elaborate photoshoot and feature packaging
Why, the answer is obvious my dear Watson.
They did it for the clicks.
posted by dis_integration at 9:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Kelsey Davenport:
Ahead of Trump’s announcement on the #IranDeal - at which point he is expected to reimpose sanctions in violation of the agreement - it is worth recapping what nuclear agreement has accomplished & its nonproliferation value 1/ As a result of the 2013 interim deal, Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 20 percent was neutralized. The JCPOA prohibited enrichment to levels above 3.67 percent for 15 years 2/ Iran also removed nearly 20,000 centrifuges, including its more advanced IR-2 machines, and is capped at enriching uranium only with 5,060 IR-1s at Natanz. Iran can only stockpile the equivalent of 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to 3.67 percent 3/ Iran shipped out its stockpile of low enriched uranium as part of the #IranDeal. As a result of the enrichment and stockpile limitations, it would now take Iran more than a year to obtain the nuclear material for bomb - significantly longer than the 2-3 months in 2013 4/ The #IranDeal also put in place a more intrusive monitoring & verification regime, including Iran’s commitment to adhere to its additional protocol with the IAEA in perpetuity. This is a critical measure that does not “sunset.” There is no reason for Trump to withhold sanctions relief & violate the #IranDeal. Iran is complying with the agreement - Trump’s own cabinet members, including deal critics like Pompeo, have confirmed that. 6/ It is critical that Congress and Washington’s P5+1 partners in the deal - China, Russia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom - denounce Trump’s action for what it is, an irresponsible & dangerous move that threatens the future of an agreement that is working 7/ Equally important, these states must take steps to continue implementing the deal & urge Iran to stay committed to the agreement, despite any US violation. 8/ Maintaining the #IranDeal keeps the door open for future negotiations to build on the nonproliferation value of the accord. A US violation, and possible withdrawal, only decreases the chances of future negotiations by isolating the US & undermining Washington’s credibility 9/ Maintaining the deal also gives the EU and the E3 a platform to pursue talks with Iran on other issues of concern, like Iran’s troubling ballistic missile activities and transfers of missiles in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 10/ The #IranDeal was never meant to be a panacea, but losing it will only further destabilize the region & manufacture a nuclear crisis that the world cannot accord 11/ Also, the UN Security Council resolution endorsing the deal calls upon all states to support the agreement and refrain from undermining it. Supporting the #IranDeal is not just a task for the EU, E3, Russia & China if the US violates it - it is a global responsibility. 12/12posted by T.D. Strange at 9:28 AM on May 8, 2018 [37 favorites]
In other words, Trump is an idiot. But we knew that already.
posted by mumimor at 9:38 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 9:38 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
[Seth] Meyers: Trump Wanted Me To Apologize On-Air for Making Fun of Him
Trump...started out receptive to appearing on “Late Night,” but the conversation ended once Meyers refused a demand Cohen relayed that was non-negotiable to Trump: He wanted Meyers to go on air and publicly apologize for making fun of Trump at the dinner four years earlier.posted by kirkaracha at 9:39 AM on May 8, 2018 [62 favorites]
...
Meyers said his big insight into how Trump works happened thanks to a sketch...“Donald Trump’s House of Wings,” which featured the businessman in a gold suit and tie promoting a new venture—a hot-wings bar in Englewood, New Jersey—and Meyers, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Kenan Thompson in chicken suits dancing around him.
“He always thought it was so stupid and every time we rehearsed it, he would talk about how dumb it was and how it wasn’t going to work. And then when we did it—and even if you watch it at air, the audience like loses their mind. They love it and he has this moment where the minute they like it, he likes it. He could immediately process that it was working, and then as it went on, he kept getting better and better. He would dance more,” Meyers said. “What I have seen at rallies when he was running for president and things were all of a sudden like bits that worked—like when ‘Build the wall’ or ‘Lock her up’ became catchphrases, I realized, ‘Oh, that’s the same brain that eventually was convinced that ‘Donald Trump’s House of Wings’ was a winner is the one that’s realizing ‘Lock her up’ is a winner.’ And the only thing is that the audience likes it.”
Wackjob painter John McNaughton, who likes to mix Jesus & Conservative Nationalism as his subjects, has just completed a new piece titled "Expose the Truth." Its statement isn't as bold & sweeping as some of his earlier work but it doers have that certain je ne sais quoi we've come to expect from him.
posted by scalefree at 9:40 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 9:40 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Heads up -- Kevin Brady says House Ways and Means will take up a new tax bill before the midterms that addresses (i.e. eliminates or undermines) education and retirement incentives. [via Tax Notes; paywalled]
posted by melissasaurus at 9:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by melissasaurus at 9:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
What the hell is this statement from the First Lady's office complaining that people didn't like Be Best? It's whining that her speech got a "standing ovation" yet the "opposition media" covered the FTC booklet, noting it was from 2009. "I encourage members of the media to attempt to Be Best in their own professions."
posted by zachlipton at 9:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 9:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
What the hell is this statement from the First Lady's office complaining that people didn't like Be Best?
She's his equal in pettiness. We really shouldn't be surprised just because she has 1 ounce more impulse control.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 10:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [26 favorites]
She's his equal in pettiness. We really shouldn't be surprised just because she has 1 ounce more impulse control.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 10:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [26 favorites]
"I encourage members of the media to attempt to Be Best in their own professions."
Yeah, media, how dare you concern yourselves with issues of grammar, plagiarism, and graphic design; those have nothing to do with your profession.
posted by melissasaurus at 10:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
Yeah, media, how dare you concern yourselves with issues of grammar, plagiarism, and graphic design; those have nothing to do with your profession.
posted by melissasaurus at 10:02 AM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
My assumption is that Be Best was intentionally crappy, so that the media would call it crappy, so that the White House comms gremlins could attack the media for calling it crappy. All we're missing now is the NPR piece about how some people believe this is Michelle Obama's fault, and who's to say, really.
posted by saturday_morning at 10:05 AM on May 8, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by saturday_morning at 10:05 AM on May 8, 2018 [40 favorites]
@ZephyrTeachout: I am seriously considering running for Attorney General. It is a major decision & will take real thought. For today, I'm grateful for the women who dared speak up against one of the most powerful men in the US & for Barbara Underwood, the brilliant woman who will be acting NY AG.
posted by zachlipton at 10:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:13 AM on May 8, 2018 [44 favorites]
Paul Campos (NY Mag) has a theory that is not entirely implausible: Here’s a Theory About That $1.6 Million Payout From a GOP Official to a Playboy Model
Let me offer an alternative explanation of the affair and the payoff. It is still just a hypothesis, but, I would argue, it fits more comfortably with what we know about the various players than the reported version of events: Donald Trump, not Elliott Broidy, had an affair with Shera Bechard. Bechard hired Keith Davidson, who had negotiated both Playboy playmate Karen McDougal’s deal with the National Enquirer and Stormy Daniels’s NDA with Trump. Davidson called Cohen, and the two of them negotiated a $1.6 million payment to Bechard.posted by Dashy at 10:19 AM on May 8, 2018 [47 favorites]
At this point Cohen needed to find a funding source. Cohen asserts he took out a home equity loan to come up with a mere $130,000 to pay off Stormy Daniels, so it seems clear he couldn’t have fronted the $1.6 million for the Bechard deal himself. So Cohen reached out to Elliott Broidy, a very rich Republican fundraiser with several pending and highly lucrative business deals with foreign governments: deals that hinged on whether Broidy could convince the U.S. government to take various actions. By stepping up to take responsibility for the affair and to fund the seven-figure settlement, Broidy was ensuring that he could continue to peddle his influence with Trump to governments around the world. Which is to say, it was a cover-up concealing a bribe.
My assumption is that Be Best was intentionally crappy, so that the media would call it crappy, so that the White House comms gremlins could attack the media for calling it crappy.
Which, if true, would be her self plagiarizing the last time she plagiarized Michelle Obama and whined that people noticed it.
posted by Artw at 10:20 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Which, if true, would be her self plagiarizing the last time she plagiarized Michelle Obama and whined that people noticed it.
posted by Artw at 10:20 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
I don't think "Be Best" is intentionally crappy. I think Melania Trump doesn't have The Best People (tm) (also pun intended) working for her, and her heart isn't in being First Lady, and she's not an especially bright or resourceful person in the first place.
Nor do I think that the media's sudden favorable coverage of Melania Trump is anything other than what it is - a desperate attempt at normalization crossed with the usual style-section puffery.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: we don't do ourselves any favors by seeing Nth-Dimensional Clever Chess everywhere. That makes for great fiction plots, but as for real life, most of the time, a cigar really is just a cigar.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:28 AM on May 8, 2018 [36 favorites]
Nor do I think that the media's sudden favorable coverage of Melania Trump is anything other than what it is - a desperate attempt at normalization crossed with the usual style-section puffery.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: we don't do ourselves any favors by seeing Nth-Dimensional Clever Chess everywhere. That makes for great fiction plots, but as for real life, most of the time, a cigar really is just a cigar.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:28 AM on May 8, 2018 [36 favorites]
whining that her speech got a "standing ovation" yet the "opposition media" covered the FTC booklet
I mean, she did get a standing ovation, but one that was most likely dictated by circumstance and etiquette than the quality of the speech. She spoke at the White House with the president and vice president in the front row of the audience. When she finished talking the vice president stood up, the audience behind him stood up, then the president stood up. There's a total of about 16 seconds of polite applause that starts when she finishes her speech, and it doesn't get noticeably louder when people stand up.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:33 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
I mean, she did get a standing ovation, but one that was most likely dictated by circumstance and etiquette than the quality of the speech. She spoke at the White House with the president and vice president in the front row of the audience. When she finished talking the vice president stood up, the audience behind him stood up, then the president stood up. There's a total of about 16 seconds of polite applause that starts when she finishes her speech, and it doesn't get noticeably louder when people stand up.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:33 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Which, if true, would be her self plagiarizing the last time she plagiarized Michelle Obama and whined that people noticed it.
Be (Someone Else's) Best
posted by kirkaracha at 10:34 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
Be (Someone Else's) Best
posted by kirkaracha at 10:34 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
Heads up -- Kevin Brady says House Ways and Means will take up a new tax bill before the midterms that addresses (i.e. eliminates or undermines) education and retirement incentives. [via Tax Notes; paywalled]
The very first thing committee Democrats should say to the Republicans on the panels should be, "So now you admit the tax cuts you just passed won't pay for themselves?"
posted by Gelatin at 10:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
The very first thing committee Democrats should say to the Republicans on the panels should be, "So now you admit the tax cuts you just passed won't pay for themselves?"
posted by Gelatin at 10:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
@Reuters: BREAKING: Trump administration officials are telling members of Congress the U.S. is withdrawing from Iran nuclear accord - congressional aides
The announcement is scheduled for 2pm and should be found at this link. I presume North Korea is watching and taking notes.
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
The announcement is scheduled for 2pm and should be found at this link. I presume North Korea is watching and taking notes.
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Here’s a Theory About That $1.6 Million Payout From a GOP Official to a Playboy Model
Giuliani this weekend: "I don’t like saying this, but it’s not a great deal of money ― $1.3 million is a great deal of money,” he continued. “That’s the kind of money you would think of as a settlement. If I saw $130,000, I would never think it was to settle a substantial claim against my client.”
posted by melissasaurus at 10:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
Giuliani this weekend: "I don’t like saying this, but it’s not a great deal of money ― $1.3 million is a great deal of money,” he continued. “That’s the kind of money you would think of as a settlement. If I saw $130,000, I would never think it was to settle a substantial claim against my client.”
posted by melissasaurus at 10:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
the conversation ended once Meyers refused a demand Cohen relayed that was non-negotiable to Trump: He wanted Meyers to go on air and publicly apologize for making fun of Trump at the dinner four years earlier.
I'm so sad Meyers turned this opportunity down. He could have insisted on doing it in person, then mentioned on-air why he was doing it and proceeded to give an extremely elaborate and formal apology. The more sincere and earnest he played it, the more hilarious it would be. The only hard part would be convincing the audience to hold their laughter until the end.
posted by contraption at 10:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'm so sad Meyers turned this opportunity down. He could have insisted on doing it in person, then mentioned on-air why he was doing it and proceeded to give an extremely elaborate and formal apology. The more sincere and earnest he played it, the more hilarious it would be. The only hard part would be convincing the audience to hold their laughter until the end.
posted by contraption at 10:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Was she even involved in any aspect of this at all? Her office came out with a copy-and-pasted pamphlet, which the media attempted to normalize. She mildly complained that people noticed, which may have been someone following her husband's lead trying to put words in her mouth. What does she really do all day? What does she think about? Does she care about anything?
posted by Melismata at 10:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 10:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Did Bari Weiss mention in her piece that up to a few years ago 'Intellectual' Dark Webber Joe Rogan (Loved ya in Newsradio Joe!) believed that the moon landing was fake?
posted by PenDevil at 10:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 10:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
This new Broidy/Trump possibility, posted by Dashy, has me almost convinced, especially because it answers why Cohen was involved at all. Just one thing: If Broidy's really taking the fall, would his wife know? I can't imagine him not telling her and silently bearing the consequences for their marriage. But if he did, then does she have to fake being jilted around her friends? Same question, perhaps, about other close people in his life, but mostly her.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2:00pm.
Gaming this out, if the US pulls out and, presumably, resumes sanctions, the other parties to the agreement will keep it in force and continue trading with Iran. Isn't this just ceding that 80-million-strong market to the EU while simultaneously frightening every other treaty partner?
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:05 AM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2:00pm.
Gaming this out, if the US pulls out and, presumably, resumes sanctions, the other parties to the agreement will keep it in force and continue trading with Iran. Isn't this just ceding that 80-million-strong market to the EU while simultaneously frightening every other treaty partner?
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:05 AM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
Gaming this out, if the US pulls out and, presumably, resumes sanctions, the other parties to the agreement will keep it in force and continue trading with Iran. Isn't this just ceding that 80-million-strong market to the EU while simultaneously frightening every other treaty partner?
No, it's also demonstrating to the world that the word of the United States is no good and that the President is an impulsive toddler who is willing -- no, eager -- to undermine a positive foreign policy accomplishment because his predecessor was responsible for it.
(We already knew that the neocons don't argue in good faith, so that's nothing new.)
posted by Gelatin at 11:10 AM on May 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
No, it's also demonstrating to the world that the word of the United States is no good and that the President is an impulsive toddler who is willing -- no, eager -- to undermine a positive foreign policy accomplishment because his predecessor was responsible for it.
(We already knew that the neocons don't argue in good faith, so that's nothing new.)
posted by Gelatin at 11:10 AM on May 8, 2018 [31 favorites]
I'm so sad Meyers turned this opportunity down. He could have insisted on doing it in person, then mentioned on-air why he was doing it and proceeded to give an extremely elaborate and formal apology. The more sincere and earnest he played it, the more hilarious it would be. The only hard part would be convincing the audience to hold their laughter until the end.
Yes, and then he should have immediately shown the bit he was apologizing for. You know, for context.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:12 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Yes, and then he should have immediately shown the bit he was apologizing for. You know, for context.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:12 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Gaming this out, if the US pulls out and, presumably, resumes sanctions, the other parties to the agreement will keep it in force and continue trading with Iran. Isn't this just ceding that 80-million-strong market to the EU while simultaneously frightening every other treaty partner?
The problem is that the way or whole economy is intertwined, most banks and businesses have US sections, and are thus vulnerable to sanctions. I bet that most EU communities would like to expand business with Iran, but it is not that easy.
posted by mumimor at 11:12 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
The problem is that the way or whole economy is intertwined, most banks and businesses have US sections, and are thus vulnerable to sanctions. I bet that most EU communities would like to expand business with Iran, but it is not that easy.
posted by mumimor at 11:12 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I refer to him as convicted murderer Don Blankenship because he killed those people as sure as if he shot them himself. But he is not LEGALLY a murderer.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:08 PM on May 7 [18 favorites +] [!]
Even though it smells like a right-wing smear tactic to keep calling him a convicted murderer, I like it. If the other side wants to have a conversation about what he really was convicted for, I'm happy to engage in that, as it just keeps his malfeasance in the forefront.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:14 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:08 PM on May 7 [18 favorites +] [!]
Even though it smells like a right-wing smear tactic to keep calling him a convicted murderer, I like it. If the other side wants to have a conversation about what he really was convicted for, I'm happy to engage in that, as it just keeps his malfeasance in the forefront.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:14 AM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
If I were Iran you can bet I'd do everything in my power to get a nuke as quickly as possible now. Can there be any other analysis of the treatment of Iran vs North Korea?
posted by Justinian at 11:15 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:15 AM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
Trump starts the speech by saying he wants to update us on Iran's nuclear efforts, but then proceeds to a litany of complaints about Iran's wrongdoing that involve many bad things but not nuclear weapons. He keeps conflating Iran's other bad behavior with nuclear programs.
Trump: "We have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie." He then proceeds to cite Israel's presentation last week as his evidence.
Yet Coates, Mattis, and Pompeo have all said Iran is complying with the deal. So has the IAEA. But it has Obama's fingerprints on it, so Trump must destroy it. At least with the Iraq War, they bothered to come up with a phony intelligence case.
Rouhani's message that they could keep the deal alive just with Europe is fascinating though.
Also fascinating, this is happening before Trump even started speaking. @Reuters: BREAKING: Israel says it has spotted Iranian military movement in Syria, orders readying of bomb shelters on Israeli-held Golan. MORE: Israel says it is deploying defenses and troops are on 'high alert for an attack' - military
posted by zachlipton at 11:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
Trump: "We have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie." He then proceeds to cite Israel's presentation last week as his evidence.
Yet Coates, Mattis, and Pompeo have all said Iran is complying with the deal. So has the IAEA. But it has Obama's fingerprints on it, so Trump must destroy it. At least with the Iraq War, they bothered to come up with a phony intelligence case.
Rouhani's message that they could keep the deal alive just with Europe is fascinating though.
Also fascinating, this is happening before Trump even started speaking. @Reuters: BREAKING: Israel says it has spotted Iranian military movement in Syria, orders readying of bomb shelters on Israeli-held Golan. MORE: Israel says it is deploying defenses and troops are on 'high alert for an attack' - military
posted by zachlipton at 11:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
somehow this statement is even less coherent than i expected
grats, bibi, you're getting your way
posted by halation at 11:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
grats, bibi, you're getting your way
posted by halation at 11:18 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Le Monde journalist Ghazal Golshiri @GhazalGolshiri (translated from the French): In his speech today, Rohani suggested that #Iran could remain in the nuclear deal, despite a likely exit from Washington, "if Europe fulfils all our expectations under the framework of the deal and we are rid of Trump. Otherwise, we will leave the deal."
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:19 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:19 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
If I were Iran you can bet I'd do everything in my power to get a nuke as quickly as possible now.
If I were any 'country/nation' I'd have been doing everything in my power to get a nuke ASAP = the message the politics of the nuclear armed countries of the world have been sending out for 50 years now.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:22 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
If I were any 'country/nation' I'd have been doing everything in my power to get a nuke ASAP = the message the politics of the nuclear armed countries of the world have been sending out for 50 years now.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:22 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
One lesson from Blankenship is that Mitch McConnell is hated more than a felon and coal baron.
posted by benzenedream at 11:23 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by benzenedream at 11:23 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
@ElizLanders: SURPRISE: @POTUS says Secretary of State Pompeo is on his way to North Korea.
Yeah this will go well. I'm sure North Korea is really interested in negotiating a deal with us where they get sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions. Our credibility is really top-notch on that one right now.
posted by zachlipton at 11:25 AM on May 8, 2018 [33 favorites]
Yeah this will go well. I'm sure North Korea is really interested in negotiating a deal with us where they get sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions. Our credibility is really top-notch on that one right now.
posted by zachlipton at 11:25 AM on May 8, 2018 [33 favorites]
Good luck with the DPRK talks. I'm sure they won't distrust Trump's future promise not to just sit the boomers offshore now.
posted by jaduncan at 11:25 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by jaduncan at 11:25 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Trump: "[the Iranian people] deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams, honor to their history, and glory to God."
If only the Islamic Republic of Iran could be as devoted to Abrahamic Monotheism as North Korea is.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:27 AM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
If only the Islamic Republic of Iran could be as devoted to Abrahamic Monotheism as North Korea is.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:27 AM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
Gaming this out, if the US pulls out and, presumably, resumes sanctions, the other parties to the agreement will keep it in force and continue trading with Iran. Isn't this just ceding that 80-million-strong market to the EU while simultaneously frightening every other treaty partner?
I believe the sanctions also prevent US-based entities from doing business with companies that do business in Iran, so if they're re-instated, it would present every non-US company with a choice to either do business with the US or with Iran, and historically people have chosen the US in that scenario.
posted by Copronymus at 11:27 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
I believe the sanctions also prevent US-based entities from doing business with companies that do business in Iran, so if they're re-instated, it would present every non-US company with a choice to either do business with the US or with Iran, and historically people have chosen the US in that scenario.
posted by Copronymus at 11:27 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Yeah, if Iran can keep to the deal and thereby keep the other signatories in, they will have driven a big fat wedge between the US and its key allies while still getting the stuff they need to shore up their economy.
Nice work, Dealmaker in Chief.
posted by notyou at 11:30 AM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
Nice work, Dealmaker in Chief.
posted by notyou at 11:30 AM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
I believe the sanctions also prevent US-based entities from doing business with companies that do business in Iran, so if they're re-instated, it would present every non-US company with a choice to either do business with the US or with Iran, and historically people have chosen the US in that scenario.
Well that blows my notion out of the water. Still, the sanctions aren't yet in place -- and won't be for some time -- so there'll be lots of angling between now and then.
posted by notyou at 11:32 AM on May 8, 2018
Well that blows my notion out of the water. Still, the sanctions aren't yet in place -- and won't be for some time -- so there'll be lots of angling between now and then.
posted by notyou at 11:32 AM on May 8, 2018
Still, the sanctions aren't yet in place -- and won't be for some time
Can sections even be implemented without a functioning State Department? Ex: Russia sanctions. Congress passed them, 45 signed them, and then nothing happened.
posted by zrail at 11:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Can sections even be implemented without a functioning State Department? Ex: Russia sanctions. Congress passed them, 45 signed them, and then nothing happened.
posted by zrail at 11:36 AM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
If I were Iran my concern would be to do whatever necessary to keep Israel and the U.S. from bombing the country. With Bibi and Bolton in charge, this almost looks like a certainty.
posted by xammerboy at 11:39 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 11:39 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
So we're going to sanction a country we haven't been trading with and probably do nothing to ensure other countries also sanction it, and we expect that to put pressure on Iran how exactly? This is so dumb.
No, it's also demonstrating to the world that the word of the United States is no good and that the President is an impulsive toddler who is willing -- no, eager -- to undermine a positive foreign policy accomplishment because his predecessor was responsible for it.
Silver lining: Pretty sure the world has already accounted for that long ago. The entire world has viewed the USA as a bad-faith actor for the better part of 70 years and only goes along with us when they want something or when they can't get out from under our thumb. I'm not sure tearing up this agreement changes perceptions, it just (unfortunately) confirms existing ones.
posted by Room 101 at 11:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
No, it's also demonstrating to the world that the word of the United States is no good and that the President is an impulsive toddler who is willing -- no, eager -- to undermine a positive foreign policy accomplishment because his predecessor was responsible for it.
Silver lining: Pretty sure the world has already accounted for that long ago. The entire world has viewed the USA as a bad-faith actor for the better part of 70 years and only goes along with us when they want something or when they can't get out from under our thumb. I'm not sure tearing up this agreement changes perceptions, it just (unfortunately) confirms existing ones.
posted by Room 101 at 11:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Randy Rainbow ‘interviews’ Rudy Giuliani: "Rudy and the Beast."
posted by kirkaracha at 11:42 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:42 AM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
I mean, she did get a standing ovation , but one that was most likely dictated by circumstance and etiquette than the quality of the speech
It was not a great speech - "The three pillars of Be Best are well-being, social media and opioid abuse." Even if you avoid the extremely obvious joke about opioid abuse it's still kind of clunky. Nobody put a lot of skull sweat into crafting this. It was a perfunctory effort at best.
posted by scalefree at 11:53 AM on May 8, 2018 [24 favorites]
It was not a great speech - "The three pillars of Be Best are well-being, social media and opioid abuse." Even if you avoid the extremely obvious joke about opioid abuse it's still kind of clunky. Nobody put a lot of skull sweat into crafting this. It was a perfunctory effort at best.
posted by scalefree at 11:53 AM on May 8, 2018 [24 favorites]
So we're going to sanction a country we haven't been trading with and probably do nothing to ensure other countries also sanction it, and we expect that to put pressure on Iran how exactly?
American sanctions have been about performative outrage more often than not. It's either that or believe that someone there sincerely thinks that the fifty-sixth year of sanctions is surely going to be the one that brings down Castro.
The sanctions on Iran are being re-imposed because the message is "Iran *is* bad", not that they've *done* bad.
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:59 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
American sanctions have been about performative outrage more often than not. It's either that or believe that someone there sincerely thinks that the fifty-sixth year of sanctions is surely going to be the one that brings down Castro.
The sanctions on Iran are being re-imposed because the message is "Iran *is* bad", not that they've *done* bad.
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:59 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Billy Eichner [via Twitter]: If Obama had found the cure to cancer Trump wouldn't let us use it.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:01 PM on May 8, 2018 [53 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:01 PM on May 8, 2018 [53 favorites]
If I were Iran you can bet I'd do everything in my power to get a nuke as quickly as possible now. Can there be any other analysis of the treatment of Iran vs North Korea?
North Korea, Iran, and a bunch of countries we probably don't know about arguably stepped up their efforts after seeing what the US did to Iraq, the one country that demonstrably *didn't* have nuclear program.
posted by Gelatin at 12:04 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
North Korea, Iran, and a bunch of countries we probably don't know about arguably stepped up their efforts after seeing what the US did to Iraq, the one country that demonstrably *didn't* have nuclear program.
posted by Gelatin at 12:04 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
So we're going to sanction a country we haven't been trading with and probably do nothing to ensure other countries also sanction it, and we expect that to put pressure on Iran how exactly? This is so dumb.
Yeah, but Trump claims to be a great businessman and dealmaker and says the treaty is one of the worst ever because reasons, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(That was basically the takeaway from NPR this morning.)
posted by Gelatin at 12:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah, but Trump claims to be a great businessman and dealmaker and says the treaty is one of the worst ever because reasons, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(That was basically the takeaway from NPR this morning.)
posted by Gelatin at 12:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
I consult for a non-US company that was first in line to get into Iran the minute the sanctions dropped. It has turned out to be a stellar market for them and I expect them to have no intentions of leaving.
posted by PenDevil at 12:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 12:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
It was not a great speech - "The three pillars of Be Best are well-being, social media and opioid abuse." Even if you avoid the extremely obvious joke about opioid abuse it's still kind of clunky. Nobody put a lot of skull sweat into crafting this. It was a perfunctory effort at best.
posted by scalefree at 11:53 AM on May 8 [9 favorites +] [!]
I keep coming back to the old Superman comic books featuring Bizarro World (no, not this one, though it is just as appropriate). All the inhabitants wanted to be like humans, but their poor understanding of what humans do and their general ineptitude led them to create things that were crude imitations of human endeavors. They would lash out when humans critiqued their crude attempts, not understanding the differences between a competent work and their caricatures. The members of the Trump administration, as well as Trump himself, seem to be inhabitants of Bizarro World. It is somewhat similar to Dunning-Kruger, but with a lot more anger and aggressive incompetence. They slap something together, put it out there full of confidence—because they're on the winning side, I suppose—and when the traditional and social media don't immediately find it the best thing ever, they respond with anger and accusations, rather than assessing where they fell short. Truly amazing how those comic books foreshadowed our current situation.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:18 PM on May 8, 2018 [38 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 11:53 AM on May 8 [9 favorites +] [!]
I keep coming back to the old Superman comic books featuring Bizarro World (no, not this one, though it is just as appropriate). All the inhabitants wanted to be like humans, but their poor understanding of what humans do and their general ineptitude led them to create things that were crude imitations of human endeavors. They would lash out when humans critiqued their crude attempts, not understanding the differences between a competent work and their caricatures. The members of the Trump administration, as well as Trump himself, seem to be inhabitants of Bizarro World. It is somewhat similar to Dunning-Kruger, but with a lot more anger and aggressive incompetence. They slap something together, put it out there full of confidence—because they're on the winning side, I suppose—and when the traditional and social media don't immediately find it the best thing ever, they respond with anger and accusations, rather than assessing where they fell short. Truly amazing how those comic books foreshadowed our current situation.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:18 PM on May 8, 2018 [38 favorites]
Michael Cohen Just Mortgaged His Prized Trump Condo in $9 Million Loan Deal
posted by zachlipton at 12:21 PM on May 8, 2018 [22 favorites]
In 2014, Cohen owned dozens of medallions worth an estimated $30 million, and he used them as collateral to borrow $20 million from two banks, including Sterling National Bank. Cohen has a partner in his taxicab business, Evgeny Friedman, who operates at least some of the cabs Cohen owns. As the Times reported, Cohen refinanced his medallion loans last month in a new transaction with Sterling, using as collateral money that Friedman might owe him. The Times described this arrangement as “unusual.”Given how much medallion prices have plummeted, it seems like Cohen has an enormous problem. The way I'm reading this, I'm assuming there was no way the medallions were worth enough anymore to pledge as collateral, so the bank demanded he toss his condo in as part of the deal.
But according to mortgage documents filed publicly on Monday, Cohen and his wife, Laura Cohen, also mortgaged their Trump Park Avenue condo as part of the deal with Sterling. Cohen’s attorney declined to comment about this new mortgage.
Cohen’s taxi empire and his relationship with Sterling have come under scrutiny in recent weeks. According to the Washington Post, during the FBI raid, agents sought communications between Cohen and the bank. “The request indicates that prosecutors may have an interest in specific financial transactions that Cohen undertook while using his taxi business as collateral,” the Post noted.
posted by zachlipton at 12:21 PM on May 8, 2018 [22 favorites]
I consult for a non-US company that was first in line to get into Iran the minute the sanctions dropped. It has turned out to be a stellar market for them and I expect them to have no intentions of leaving.
This is what Trump and Republicans generally don't understand (or intentionally pretend to not understand because war), sanctions don't work without international partners. If the EU says they're staying in the deal, and they won't recognize or enforce our sanctions, the US has very little recourse or leverage. We're noting going to cut off trade with the entire EU (probably, this is 2018...).
It took decades to get (most of) the rest of the world to buy into escalating sanctions on Iran, across three American administrations. They did it because we convinced them Iran having nukes was worth giving up some trade opportunities, and because they bought into the idea of American leadership having a positive outcome in the end. Republicans just killed that. All that trust building work is dead. No one will trust us to keep our word again, and they're especially not going to give up profitable relationships now if Iran is still keeping up the deal. They're just going to tell the US to go fuck ourselves.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [50 favorites]
This is what Trump and Republicans generally don't understand (or intentionally pretend to not understand because war), sanctions don't work without international partners. If the EU says they're staying in the deal, and they won't recognize or enforce our sanctions, the US has very little recourse or leverage. We're noting going to cut off trade with the entire EU (probably, this is 2018...).
It took decades to get (most of) the rest of the world to buy into escalating sanctions on Iran, across three American administrations. They did it because we convinced them Iran having nukes was worth giving up some trade opportunities, and because they bought into the idea of American leadership having a positive outcome in the end. Republicans just killed that. All that trust building work is dead. No one will trust us to keep our word again, and they're especially not going to give up profitable relationships now if Iran is still keeping up the deal. They're just going to tell the US to go fuck ourselves.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [50 favorites]
White House denies NY Times report of U.S. withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal Posted by Reuters at noon.
Trump officially announced leaving the Iran deal a couple of hours later.
So... Yeah. We're now down to less than two hours between official White House denials of something and that something happening or being admitted.
Even if we oust him in 2020, America's reputation worldwide is gone for decades. You can't just say "oops, sorry about that, we promise that from now on we'll keep to our treaties and deals!"
In a way it's refreshing. I suppose now that we aren't a world superpower and no one trusts us for shit we can just let China fill the role we used to fill and dial back our military spending to a reasonable level.
posted by sotonohito at 12:31 PM on May 8, 2018 [29 favorites]
Trump officially announced leaving the Iran deal a couple of hours later.
So... Yeah. We're now down to less than two hours between official White House denials of something and that something happening or being admitted.
Even if we oust him in 2020, America's reputation worldwide is gone for decades. You can't just say "oops, sorry about that, we promise that from now on we'll keep to our treaties and deals!"
In a way it's refreshing. I suppose now that we aren't a world superpower and no one trusts us for shit we can just let China fill the role we used to fill and dial back our military spending to a reasonable level.
posted by sotonohito at 12:31 PM on May 8, 2018 [29 favorites]
Hatch On McCain Funeral Comments: ‘I Shouldn’t Have Said Anything’
Another larval Trump psychophant who's emerged from the chrysalis to be a winged dignity wraith. He'll float around, semitranslucent, for the very short rest of his pathetic life.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:34 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
Another larval Trump psychophant who's emerged from the chrysalis to be a winged dignity wraith. He'll float around, semitranslucent, for the very short rest of his pathetic life.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:34 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
Given the calamitous retreat of the US of A from the world stage, is there any way to observe how other, saner, nations are responding beyond public statements. Specifically, how would it look if the dollar started to lose its place as the world's reserve currency, and are there any signs of that at present?
posted by stonepharisee at 12:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by stonepharisee at 12:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
If the EU and other NATO members like Canada disregard the US on Iran, it is a huge deal. As in, I've never seen anything like it in my life, and neither in the entire history of NATO.
How that will affect other aspects of the US hegemony is hard to say.
posted by mumimor at 12:42 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
How that will affect other aspects of the US hegemony is hard to say.
posted by mumimor at 12:42 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
How that will affect other aspects of the US hegemony is hard to say.
It isn't hard to surmise that Russia benefits, though. Imagine that.
posted by Gelatin at 12:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
It isn't hard to surmise that Russia benefits, though. Imagine that.
posted by Gelatin at 12:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Friends on ground reporting air strikes on Kesweh airbase, close to Damascus. Overflights (Israelis) heard in Lebanon. School in Golan Heights closed tomorrow. Haaretz reporting Israeli's expect Iran to retaliate for strikes, are calling up reserves.
It has begun.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 12:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
It has begun.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 12:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Given how much medallion prices have plummeted, it seems like Cohen has an enormous problem.
NYT OpEd: What Will New York Do About Its Uber Problem?posted by monospace at 12:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
Over time, the city should consider whether it owes something to drivers who sunk their savings into taxi medallions. Many drivers went into debt to buy these permits because the city promised them a monopoly on picking up passengers, a promise it has not been able to keep. No doubt any compensation plan would be controversial, and working out the details would be tricky — the city, for example, should not compensate investors, like Michael Cohen, President Trump’s lawyer-cum-fixer, who should have known that they were taking big risks by buying up dozens of medallions.
In a way it's refreshing. I suppose now that we aren't a world superpower and no one trusts us for shit we can just let China fill the role we used to fill and dial back our military spending to a reasonable level.
I've been anticipating China eclipsing the US on the global stage since around 2000, and how a presidential candidate would approach it has been one of the things I've considered when I think about who to vote for. I never thought our plan would be to take our ball and go home.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
I've been anticipating China eclipsing the US on the global stage since around 2000, and how a presidential candidate would approach it has been one of the things I've considered when I think about who to vote for. I never thought our plan would be to take our ball and go home.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
Iran is a country that will always stay true to its commitments and America is a country that will never abide by it's promises. Our 40-year history demonstrates this fact.
The 40-year cutoff gives the US a pass on overthrowing their democratically-elected government in 1953.
Cut to 1979. "Why are those crazy Iranians taking over our embassy?"
posted by kirkaracha at 12:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
The 40-year cutoff gives the US a pass on overthrowing their democratically-elected government in 1953.
Cut to 1979. "Why are those crazy Iranians taking over our embassy?"
posted by kirkaracha at 12:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Hey, that's how Haaretz had it on their twitters. Take the wording up with them, I copy pasted.
And no matter how you want to phrase it, Israel is currently, right this fucking second, bombing Syria.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
And no matter how you want to phrase it, Israel is currently, right this fucking second, bombing Syria.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
One of the first companies to make a move on Iran's market after the JCPOA was signed was Boeing who landed something like $20B for 110 planes. When the sanctions are back in place, those deals presumably go poof. According to this CNN article, Boeing is not (outwardly) worried about this because their current order pipeline is pretty healthy and they claim that "[i]f US - Iran relations improve and the sales are reinstated, it will be a bonus for Boeing." But, my question is: if the EU isn't re-establishing sanctions on Iran, why wouldn't the Iranian airlines just switch those 110 Boeing planes to 110 Airbus planes?
posted by mhum at 1:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by mhum at 1:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
I'm starting to think this might not be the best week for my trip to the Middle East.
posted by Superplin at 1:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Superplin at 1:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
> why wouldn't the Iranian airlines just switch those 110 Boeing planes to 110 Airbus planes?
The threat, at least, is that if Airbus sells to Iran, their US sales will be jeopardized. You be the judge of whether that's a plausible threat or not.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:09 PM on May 8, 2018
The threat, at least, is that if Airbus sells to Iran, their US sales will be jeopardized. You be the judge of whether that's a plausible threat or not.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:09 PM on May 8, 2018
The threat, at least, is that if Airbus sells to Iran, their US sales will be jeopardized. You be the judge of whether that's a plausible threat or not.
That's the thing. And normally, it would apply to every aspect of trade with any country the US had boycotted. But with the current administration, no one knows what will happen. I will personally lobby my government to protect the JCPOA. But right now, this is unknown territory.
posted by mumimor at 1:16 PM on May 8, 2018
That's the thing. And normally, it would apply to every aspect of trade with any country the US had boycotted. But with the current administration, no one knows what will happen. I will personally lobby my government to protect the JCPOA. But right now, this is unknown territory.
posted by mumimor at 1:16 PM on May 8, 2018
Bear in mind that we've been down this road before with the Helms-Burton Act and Cuba. The EU passed council regulation 2271/96 which allowed the recovery of damages to EU companies due to the US's new "international enforcement" (as it were) of the sanctions in 1996.
Better believe it will happen again -- the EU's bigger than the US economically, they've got the heft to make an issue of it.
posted by Quindar Beep at 1:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Better believe it will happen again -- the EU's bigger than the US economically, they've got the heft to make an issue of it.
posted by Quindar Beep at 1:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
The latter point is true but the EU and the US economies are roughly equivalent. The EU isn't significant larger and whether it is larger at all really depends on how you are counting.
posted by Justinian at 1:36 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 1:36 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bear in mind that we've been down this road before with the Helms-Burton Act and Cuba. The EU passed council regulation 2271/96 which allowed the recovery of damages to EU companies due to the US's new "international enforcement" (as it were) of the sanctions in 1996.
Exactly! But Iran is many times larger than Cuba, and has natural resources. Along with that difference in scale it has long been evident that specially Germany, Italy and France are eager to do more business in Iran. It also has what Cuba has: great universities and a well-educated pro-US population. This may be confusing to many Americans, but some of your greatest adversaries are also your greatest fans. The thing is, they are not ignorant fans. If the US disappoints them, they will rally around their authoritarian leaders. The myth of people welcoming American "liberators" is exactly that, a myth; these are proud people.
posted by mumimor at 1:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Exactly! But Iran is many times larger than Cuba, and has natural resources. Along with that difference in scale it has long been evident that specially Germany, Italy and France are eager to do more business in Iran. It also has what Cuba has: great universities and a well-educated pro-US population. This may be confusing to many Americans, but some of your greatest adversaries are also your greatest fans. The thing is, they are not ignorant fans. If the US disappoints them, they will rally around their authoritarian leaders. The myth of people welcoming American "liberators" is exactly that, a myth; these are proud people.
posted by mumimor at 1:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
If the EU and other NATO members like Canada disregard the US on Iran, it is a huge deal. As in, I've never seen anything like it in my life, and neither in the entire history of NATO.
We sort of have actually. Cuba. Of course not nuclear, but other countries basically ignored the US' hardline sanctions.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
We sort of have actually. Cuba. Of course not nuclear, but other countries basically ignored the US' hardline sanctions.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
the EU's bigger than the US economically
It really isn't, unless you're using PPP which is not appropriate when referring to commerce between nations. Also, the USA is a lot more likely to achieve an effective unified sanctions policy than the 28 sovereign member states of the EU.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
It really isn't, unless you're using PPP which is not appropriate when referring to commerce between nations. Also, the USA is a lot more likely to achieve an effective unified sanctions policy than the 28 sovereign member states of the EU.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
So, wait. Were the original Iran sanctions like the Helms-Burton act? I.e.: did it prohibit US companies from trading with any companies that had dealings with Iran or did it only prohibit US companies from dealing with Iran? It seems the text of the Iran sanctions that were lifted by the JCPOA are spread across a number of executive orders, a National Defense Authorization Agreement, and the Iran Sanctions Act (and maybe also some OFAC regulations?) so I wasn't able to get a solid answer to this myself.
I was previously under the impression that the EU had joined with the US in cutting their trade with Iran not out of a Helms-Burton style strong-arm tactic by the US but rather through Obama-era diplomacy that convinced them that a joint effort to isolate Iran economically was their best bet to get them back to the nuclear bargaining table.
posted by mhum at 1:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
I was previously under the impression that the EU had joined with the US in cutting their trade with Iran not out of a Helms-Burton style strong-arm tactic by the US but rather through Obama-era diplomacy that convinced them that a joint effort to isolate Iran economically was their best bet to get them back to the nuclear bargaining table.
posted by mhum at 1:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Rare statement from President Obama criticizing President Trump. Excerpt:
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [92 favorites]
That is why today’s announcement is so misguided. Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an agreement that our country’s leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated. In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.May this be the beginning of a more active opposition.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [92 favorites]
I think your reading is right, mhum. But I was referring to any attempt by the US to strong-arm the other parties to the agreement -- a hypothetical Iranian Helms-Burton, not what's in place when the US's sanctions kick back in.
Mea culpa on the size of the respective economies of the US and EU. I hadn't realized the US had passed them again after the accession of ten more countries to the EU in 2004 put them ahead for awhile. I'll even stipulate that getting 28 countries is a lot harder to herd than the number of countries they had when Helms-Burton was happening in the mid-90s. But I'm still willing to bet on how much Trump has angried them up over the last year and a half overcoming that.
posted by Quindar Beep at 1:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mea culpa on the size of the respective economies of the US and EU. I hadn't realized the US had passed them again after the accession of ten more countries to the EU in 2004 put them ahead for awhile. I'll even stipulate that getting 28 countries is a lot harder to herd than the number of countries they had when Helms-Burton was happening in the mid-90s. But I'm still willing to bet on how much Trump has angried them up over the last year and a half overcoming that.
posted by Quindar Beep at 1:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's also demonstrating to the world that the word of the United States is no good and that the President is an impulsive toddler who is willing -- no, eager -- to undermine a positive foreign policy accomplishment because his predecessor was responsible for it.
This wouldn't be the first time. The exact same situation occurred with respect to North Korea on the handover from the Clinton to Bush administrations in 2001. Clinton had negotiated an agreement for North Korea similar to the Iranian one that placed international observers on the ground, provided 24-hour surveillance and guarded locks on nuclear facilities.
Bush, in his juvenile "everything opposite of Clinton" strategy blew this all up. And don't forget David Frum who wrote the infamous "axis of evil" speech that kicked it all off, lest you fall for his rehabilitation tour. Shortly after, Korea kicked out the observers, resumed their activities and created their first nuclear bomb, thanks to neo-con Republicans.
This is just a repeat of last time Republicans took over. With Pompeo and Bolton joining the adminstration, the neo-cons are in charge again.
posted by JackFlash at 1:51 PM on May 8, 2018 [55 favorites]
This wouldn't be the first time. The exact same situation occurred with respect to North Korea on the handover from the Clinton to Bush administrations in 2001. Clinton had negotiated an agreement for North Korea similar to the Iranian one that placed international observers on the ground, provided 24-hour surveillance and guarded locks on nuclear facilities.
Bush, in his juvenile "everything opposite of Clinton" strategy blew this all up. And don't forget David Frum who wrote the infamous "axis of evil" speech that kicked it all off, lest you fall for his rehabilitation tour. Shortly after, Korea kicked out the observers, resumed their activities and created their first nuclear bomb, thanks to neo-con Republicans.
This is just a repeat of last time Republicans took over. With Pompeo and Bolton joining the adminstration, the neo-cons are in charge again.
posted by JackFlash at 1:51 PM on May 8, 2018 [55 favorites]
Off topic, I was reading Susan Sontag's essay about AIDS as metaphor, and she writes about how the USSR put a story out there about AIDS being a U.S. product. Like a shared facebook post, the story was treated with scorn but nonetheless it gained a lot of traction. I think that later Gorbachev disavowed the story. But the story made its mark, nonetheless.
Aside from like, caring about the future of the human race, it sort of makes me mad Russia got into this shit, given how much I admire Russian writers. Maybe this is like when that really smart writer you know goes into writing ad copy or something.
posted by angrycat at 1:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Aside from like, caring about the future of the human race, it sort of makes me mad Russia got into this shit, given how much I admire Russian writers. Maybe this is like when that really smart writer you know goes into writing ad copy or something.
posted by angrycat at 1:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is just a repeat of last time Republicans took over. With Pompeo and Bolton joining the adminstration, the neo-cons are in charge again.
It is in a way the same, but now with a stupid-factor of ten to rack it all up.
posted by mumimor at 1:54 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
It is in a way the same, but now with a stupid-factor of ten to rack it all up.
posted by mumimor at 1:54 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Jon Hendren on Twitter offers an insightful analogy:
in many ways thr "Age of Trump" began when they said grumpy cats name was Tardar Sauce, and they only called it Tard for short, and they fuckin got away with it somehow. Donald Trump follows this blueprint every dayposted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
But I was referring to any attempt by the US to strong-arm the other parties to the agreement -- a hypothetical Iranian Helms-Burton, not what's in place when the US's sanctions kick back in.
Ah, gotcha. But, I'm guessing that any hypothetical Helms-Burton-but-for-Iran Act would require significant legislative work to get something that'll pass both houses of congress... which, in any environment but especially this one, seems like a tough haul.
posted by mhum at 1:58 PM on May 8, 2018
Ah, gotcha. But, I'm guessing that any hypothetical Helms-Burton-but-for-Iran Act would require significant legislative work to get something that'll pass both houses of congress... which, in any environment but especially this one, seems like a tough haul.
posted by mhum at 1:58 PM on May 8, 2018
in many ways thr "Age of Trump" began when they said grumpy cats name was Tardar Sauce, and they only called it Tard for short, and they fuckin got away with it somehow.
I... I thought I was the only person this bothered. It still makes me angry.
Of course like Dr. Banner that is my secret; I'm always angry.
posted by Justinian at 2:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [37 favorites]
I... I thought I was the only person this bothered. It still makes me angry.
Of course like Dr. Banner that is my secret; I'm always angry.
posted by Justinian at 2:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [37 favorites]
But, I'm guessing that any hypothetical Helms-Burton-but-for-Iran Act would require significant legislative work to get something that'll pass both houses of congress... which, in any environment but especially this one, seems like a tough haul.
I was going to point out that the Republicans control all branches of the government, but *gestures at the last Congress* I see what you mean.
I suppose the question is whether or not the collapse in Republican unity over things that hurt white Americans will extend to "brown people over there". Please write the stupidest possible answer on the back of a napkin and mail it to Paul Ryan, as he's probably wondering how to handle this.
posted by Quindar Beep at 2:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I was going to point out that the Republicans control all branches of the government, but *gestures at the last Congress* I see what you mean.
I suppose the question is whether or not the collapse in Republican unity over things that hurt white Americans will extend to "brown people over there". Please write the stupidest possible answer on the back of a napkin and mail it to Paul Ryan, as he's probably wondering how to handle this.
posted by Quindar Beep at 2:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
@MichaelAvenatti: After significant investigation, we have discovered that Mr. Trump’s atty Mr. Cohen received approximately $500,000 in the mos. after the election from a company controlled by a Russian Oligarc with close ties to Mr. Putin. These monies may have reimbursed the $130k payment.
I'd like details please, but Avenatti sure knows how to keep the story moving.
And in other news, Joe Croley got into a "massive screaming match" on the House floor with Tom MacArthur, apparently over the chaplain incident. It's not entirely clear what's going on.
posted by zachlipton at 2:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'd like details please, but Avenatti sure knows how to keep the story moving.
And in other news, Joe Croley got into a "massive screaming match" on the House floor with Tom MacArthur, apparently over the chaplain incident. It's not entirely clear what's going on.
posted by zachlipton at 2:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
This is just a repeat of last time Republicans took over. With Pompeo and Bolton joining the adminstration, the neo-cons are in charge again.
Perhaps the Obama administration learned from history and that's why they negotiated a multilateral agreement? As opposed to the bilateral agreement that Clinton entered into with North Korea that the Bush administration backed out of.
posted by 6ATR at 2:19 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Perhaps the Obama administration learned from history and that's why they negotiated a multilateral agreement? As opposed to the bilateral agreement that Clinton entered into with North Korea that the Bush administration backed out of.
posted by 6ATR at 2:19 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
According to the official State Department transcript, Pompeo called the leader of North Korea "Chairman Un" in remarks to the traveling press en route to Pyongyang: "sort of begin to put some outlines around the substance of the agenda for the summit between the President and Chairman Un."
We're so screwed.
posted by zachlipton at 2:21 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
We're so screwed.
posted by zachlipton at 2:21 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
Only the Be Best people.
posted by notyou at 2:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by notyou at 2:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
Perhaps the Obama administration learned from history and that's why they negotiated a multilateral agreement? As opposed to the bilateral agreement that Clinton entered into with North Korea that the Bush administration backed out of.
Maybe it's like with the ACA, where they made sure it would be almost impossible to close down for several years. It seems that Obama administration weren't half stupid.
posted by mumimor at 2:23 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Maybe it's like with the ACA, where they made sure it would be almost impossible to close down for several years. It seems that Obama administration weren't half stupid.
posted by mumimor at 2:23 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's gotten to the point where Obama, who has made his "one president at a time" approach clear and has stayed out of things as much as possible, has released a statement directly criticizing policy moves by his successor and expressing concern about the nation's credibility under Trump.
Good lord, this timeline is insane.
posted by azpenguin at 2:23 PM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
Good lord, this timeline is insane.
posted by azpenguin at 2:23 PM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
I'd like details please, but Avenatti sure knows how to keep the story moving.
He's posted up a PDF of the executive summary.
He's posted up a PDF of the executive summary.
• From October 2016 through January 2018, Mr. Cohen used his First Republic account to engage in suspicious financial transactions totaling $4,425,033.46.posted by Buntix at 2:25 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
• Chief among these suspicious financial transactions are approximately $500,000 in payments received from Mr. Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian Oligarch with an estimated net worth of nearly $13 Billion. Mr. Vekselberg and his cousin Mr. Andrew Intrater routed eight payments to Mr. Cohen through a company named Columbus Nova LLC (“Columbus”) beginning in January 2017 and continuing until at least August 2017.
• Columbus Nova is a private equity firm founded in 2000 with over $2 billion in assets.Mr. Intrater is the CEO of Columbus Nova.Columbus Nova is the U.S. investment vehicle for Renova Group, a multi-national company controlled by Mr. Vekselberg. Renova group holds investments in various interests, including mining, oil, and telecommunications.
I think "Chairman Un" is accurate, since the Supreme Leader of DPRK tends to chair a lot of things.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:27 PM on May 8, 2018
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:27 PM on May 8, 2018
Avenatti put out a document with more details. He says Cohen told First Republic when he opened the account that Essential Consultants was a real estate consulting company, and he helpfully suggests the State of California may have jurisdiction over the Stormy Daniels payment. He then proceeds to list $4.4 million in "suspicious financial transactions," including $500K from Viktor Vekselberg in a series of eight payments through 2017. Also payments from Novartis, AT&T, and Korea Airspace Industries.
@NatashaBertrand: Michael Cohen’s attorney, Steve Ryan, won’t discuss the $500,000 Michael Avenatti says Cohen received from Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg in 2017. “I understand the shorthand you’re using, but it wasn’t a payment,” Ryan says before hanging up.
It wasn't a payment? What does that even mean?
posted by zachlipton at 2:27 PM on May 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
@NatashaBertrand: Michael Cohen’s attorney, Steve Ryan, won’t discuss the $500,000 Michael Avenatti says Cohen received from Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg in 2017. “I understand the shorthand you’re using, but it wasn’t a payment,” Ryan says before hanging up.
It wasn't a payment? What does that even mean?
posted by zachlipton at 2:27 PM on May 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
> It wasn't a payment? What does that even mean?
They're probably hanging their hat on too-clever-by-half hair splitting, because it was a reimbursement, not a payment? ("Well, actually ...")
Who even knows. If there's a stupider explanation, that's probably the right one.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
They're probably hanging their hat on too-clever-by-half hair splitting, because it was a reimbursement, not a payment? ("Well, actually ...")
Who even knows. If there's a stupider explanation, that's probably the right one.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
It wasn't a payment? What does that even mean?
Just like it wasn't a ban.
posted by Melismata at 2:31 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Just like it wasn't a ban.
posted by Melismata at 2:31 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
I think "Chairman Un" is accurate
No, the problem is that "Un" is not his surname. It should be "Chairman Kim." This is almost literally stuff you learn on your first day on the job; heck, this actually should be pre-requisite knowledge to even get the job.
posted by mhum at 2:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [94 favorites]
No, the problem is that "Un" is not his surname. It should be "Chairman Kim." This is almost literally stuff you learn on your first day on the job; heck, this actually should be pre-requisite knowledge to even get the job.
posted by mhum at 2:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [94 favorites]
Heads up -- Kevin Brady says House Ways and Means will take up a new tax bill before the midterms that addresses (i.e. eliminates or undermines) education and retirement incentives. [via Tax Notes; paywalled]
Thanks for keeping us up to date on Tax Notes. I used to keep up with them back when they were the free site Tax Analysts. They have some bright folks writing about tax issues there.
Did they indicate whether they were going to attempt this through the Reconciliation Bill process to avoid a filibuster?
posted by JackFlash at 2:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Thanks for keeping us up to date on Tax Notes. I used to keep up with them back when they were the free site Tax Analysts. They have some bright folks writing about tax issues there.
Did they indicate whether they were going to attempt this through the Reconciliation Bill process to avoid a filibuster?
posted by JackFlash at 2:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
If they do plan to use a reconciliation bill note that this would be an implicit admission that a full repeal of Obamacare is permanently dead.
posted by Justinian at 2:41 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 2:41 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Via a tweet from @cjcmichel
Guess Who Came to Dinner With Flynn and Putin
Guess Who Came to Dinner With Flynn and Putin
Seated at a corner table was Mikhail Prokhorov, the owner of the Brooklyn Nets who ran against Putin as the designated liberal candidate in 2012 (and whose offices were raided by Russian security last April). Prokhorov is now on the outs with Putin. Next to him was Viktor Vekselberg, whose billions are in oil and aluminum and who is a business partner of Trump's Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the owner of the world's largest collection of Faberge eggs.posted by Buntix at 2:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
This is batshit insane. A Russian oligarch's private equity firm, AT&T, Novartis, and Korea Aerospace Industries paid hundreds of thousands of dollars into the sketchy LLC Cohen setup to pay hush money to Clifford?
This seems like one of those if this is true, there's no theory of corruption too outlandish to entertain moments.
posted by zachlipton at 2:45 PM on May 8, 2018 [48 favorites]
This seems like one of those if this is true, there's no theory of corruption too outlandish to entertain moments.
posted by zachlipton at 2:45 PM on May 8, 2018 [48 favorites]
*Readout of President Donald J. Trumps Call with President Emmanuel Macron of France*
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France. The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.
*End Readout*
Sure, not much to talk about today I guess.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France. The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.
*End Readout*
Sure, not much to talk about today I guess.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Vox: Can presidents fire officials and pick their acting replacements? A lawsuit wants the courts to decide. -- Why an advocacy group is challenging Trump’s appointment of Robert Wilkie as the acting secretary of veterans affairs.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
This is batshit insane. A Russian oligarch's private equity firm, AT&T, Novartis, and Korea Aerospace Industries paid hundreds of thousands of dollars into the sketchy LLC Cohen setup to pay hush money to Clifford?
This is all well within Mueller's remit. And he's had all the SWIFT logs for a long time now. I jokingly mentioned an "event horizon" where the number of things to investigate exceeds the universe's capacity for investigation.
But when you see stuff like this, it's not just plausible, but the most likely scenario. Each one of these subjects end up getting their transaction history pulled and indexed against... shit, 100 people in the house and 40 senators? There is nothing too outlandish for me to accept at this point.
posted by mikelieman at 2:51 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
This is all well within Mueller's remit. And he's had all the SWIFT logs for a long time now. I jokingly mentioned an "event horizon" where the number of things to investigate exceeds the universe's capacity for investigation.
But when you see stuff like this, it's not just plausible, but the most likely scenario. Each one of these subjects end up getting their transaction history pulled and indexed against... shit, 100 people in the house and 40 senators? There is nothing too outlandish for me to accept at this point.
posted by mikelieman at 2:51 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
That was not a leather shoe. That was a metal sculpture shaped like a shoe.
Still a bad idea.
It's fucking tacky is what it is
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
Still a bad idea.
It's fucking tacky is what it is
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
This seems like one of those if this is true, there's no theory of corruption too outlandish to entertain moments.
Really makes you wonder what Cohen was up to as Deputy Chair of the RNC Finance Committee.
posted by notyou at 2:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [51 favorites]
Really makes you wonder what Cohen was up to as Deputy Chair of the RNC Finance Committee.
posted by notyou at 2:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [51 favorites]
Did they indicate whether they were going to attempt this through the Reconciliation Bill process to avoid a filibuster?
They didn't mention anything about reconciliation or the Senate in the article. So we'll have to wait and see....
posted by melissasaurus at 2:54 PM on May 8, 2018
They didn't mention anything about reconciliation or the Senate in the article. So we'll have to wait and see....
posted by melissasaurus at 2:54 PM on May 8, 2018
This is batshit insane. A Russian oligarch's private equity firm, AT&T, Novartis, and Korea Aerospace Industries paid hundreds of thousands of dollars into the sketchy LLC Cohen setup to pay hush money to Clifford?
I'm guessing it was more a shady back channel for buying influence from Trump in general, that just happened to also be used to pay off Clifford. But yeah, it does seem like the level of open graft and corruption could be beyond even the most cynical of imaginings. Likewise the level of entitled stupidity that they barely seem to have hidden it beyond the most basic structuring.
Another twitter thread on Vekselberg from @WendySiegelman; in which we learn of another of his dining partners:
posted by Buntix at 2:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'm guessing it was more a shady back channel for buying influence from Trump in general, that just happened to also be used to pay off Clifford. But yeah, it does seem like the level of open graft and corruption could be beyond even the most cynical of imaginings. Likewise the level of entitled stupidity that they barely seem to have hidden it beyond the most basic structuring.
Another twitter thread on Vekselberg from @WendySiegelman; in which we learn of another of his dining partners:
In 2014 Ivanka Trump attended a gala in Moscow with Wendi Deng, and guests Len Blavatnik and Viktor Vekselberg - the event was three months after Trump's 2013 Miss Universe pageant in MoscowThere's also the inevitable links with the NRA, etc.
posted by Buntix at 2:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'm guessing it was more a shady back channel for buying influence from Trump in general, that just happened to also be used to pay off Clifford.
And so consistent with Trump's preference for spending other people's money on gifts for himself. It's his charitable foundation scam on steroids.
posted by notyou at 2:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
And so consistent with Trump's preference for spending other people's money on gifts for himself. It's his charitable foundation scam on steroids.
posted by notyou at 2:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Your Favorite Websites Are Rallying in a Last-Ditch Effort to Save Net Neutrality (Klint Finley for Wired, May 8, 2018)
You might be seeing a lot of red on the internet Wednesday. Many sites, including Etsy, Reddit, and OKCupid will adorn their pages with “red alerts” asking readers to tell their representatives to save net neutrality.posted by filthy light thief at 3:01 PM on May 8, 2018 [22 favorites]
Last December, the Federal Communications Commission voted to jettison its Obama-era rules forbidding broadband providers from blocking, throttling, or otherwise discriminating against legal content. The change has not taken effect yet. But Wednesday, Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts will try to force the Senate to schedule a vote on his proposal to reverse the December decision. He has the support to do so, but it’s not clear when the vote would take place.
Markey’s maneuver is an attempt to employ the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn decisions made by federal agencies. So far, 50 senators have agreed to back the legislation—all of the chamber’s Democrats and independents, plus Maine Republican Susan Collins. With Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) ill and absent, the legislation could pass 50 to 49 if all of its supporters vote in favor.
The measure would still face long odds, however. Republicans, who tend to support the FCC’s move to repeal net neutrality, hold a solid majority in the House of Representatives. If it were to pass the House, the measure would also need the signature of President Trump or a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress to override a veto.
Organizers of the “Red Alert” campaign want sites to carry banners or other notifications urging lawmakers to vote for Markey’s legislation until the vote. Etsy manager of public policy Ilyssa Meyer says the e-commerce site will do just that.
I don't think "Be Best" is intentionally crappy. I think Melania Trump doesn't have The Best People (tm) (also pun intended) working for her, and her heart isn't in being First Lady, and she's not an especially bright or resourceful person in the first place.
This. People at that level don't write their own stuff from scratch. I'm a middle-level manager, and I don't lock myself in a room and start typing. The staff does that, and then presents a (what they think is) finished product, and I review, edit, ask skeptical questions, do some research maybe to validate claims, send back for revision, and ultimately sign a thing I didn't make.
Two complications in the East Wing: (1) I don't see why they would be any better at hiring competent, diligent people working in good faith in the East Wing than they are in the West, and (2) does she have any experience doing what I do (after learning some lessons the hard way), or would she just sign what they gave her and trust them? Probably just sign. Her lazy-ass incompetent staffers just threw her under the bus.
posted by ctmf at 3:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
This. People at that level don't write their own stuff from scratch. I'm a middle-level manager, and I don't lock myself in a room and start typing. The staff does that, and then presents a (what they think is) finished product, and I review, edit, ask skeptical questions, do some research maybe to validate claims, send back for revision, and ultimately sign a thing I didn't make.
Two complications in the East Wing: (1) I don't see why they would be any better at hiring competent, diligent people working in good faith in the East Wing than they are in the West, and (2) does she have any experience doing what I do (after learning some lessons the hard way), or would she just sign what they gave her and trust them? Probably just sign. Her lazy-ass incompetent staffers just threw her under the bus.
posted by ctmf at 3:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
CNN, Exclusive: Mueller's team questions Russian oligarch about payments to Cohen
posted by zachlipton at 3:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [63 favorites]
Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators have questioned a Russian oligarch about hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments his company's US affiliate made to President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, after the election, according to a source familiar with the matter.As usual, Mueller is months ahead of us. And this is starting to connect even more dots between collusion and Trump.
Viktor Vekselberg, chairman of asset manager Renova Group, is an oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, and last month the Trump administration placed him on a list of sanctioned Russians for activities including election interference. The purpose of the payments, which predate the sanctions, and the nature of the business relationship between Vekselberg and Cohen is unclear
...
FBI agents asked Vekselberg about payments his company's American affiliate, Columbus Nova, made to Cohen, according to one source. The Russian was questioned as well about $300,000 in political donations by Andrew Intrater, Vekselberg's American cousin who is the head of Columbus Nova, sources said.
...
Vekselberg's cousin Intrater gave generously to support Trump.
He donated $250,000 to the Trump inauguration fund, $35,000 to the Trump Victory Fund, and $29,600 to the Republican National Committee in June 2017, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
While it is illegal for foreigners to donate to US politics, Intrater is American.
posted by zachlipton at 3:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [63 favorites]
According to the official State Department transcript, Pompeo called the leader of North Korea "Chairman Un"
I'm really glad images don't wear out, because I've gotten a lot of use out of this one in the last couple of years.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:12 PM on May 8, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'm really glad images don't wear out, because I've gotten a lot of use out of this one in the last couple of years.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:12 PM on May 8, 2018 [12 favorites]
T.D. Strange: This ["Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web" pro-Nazi puff piece] is what the NYT is doing with all the money they scammed from marketing "journalism" to upset liberals after the election.
Cancel your subscriptions. Switch to the WaPo, or better yet your local non-Sinclair aligned media outlet.
Add another name to the "beware of buyer" list: GateHouse Media is thriving in the beleaguered newspaper industry. Critics say GateHouse makes money by decimating news operations. The company says it's saving newspapers with efficiencies of scale. (NPR, May 8, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 3:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
Cancel your subscriptions. Switch to the WaPo, or better yet your local non-Sinclair aligned media outlet.
Add another name to the "beware of buyer" list: GateHouse Media is thriving in the beleaguered newspaper industry. Critics say GateHouse makes money by decimating news operations. The company says it's saving newspapers with efficiencies of scale. (NPR, May 8, 2018)
Roughly 2,000 newspapers have closed or merged across the United States in the last 15 years - 2,000 - which makes the newspaper buying spree of New York-based hedge fund GateHouse Media all the more surprising. It is now the largest newspaper owner in this country, although some warn that its business model is damaging to journalism. Here's Frank Morris of our member station KCUR.But those lay-offs are to allow for centralized efficiencies! Mike Reed, CEO of New Media Investment Group, which runs GateHouse, argues that imposing corporate efficiencies on small-town papers is breathing life into them.
FRANK MORRIS, BYLINE: Whether GateHouse Media is saving small-town journalism or eviscerating it depends on who you ask. In Columbia, Mo., the Daily Tribune was a proud, civic-minded, family-owned paper that prospered for generations. But in the fall of 2016, Jodie Jackson and another reporter joined a nervous scrum in the company gym to hear a GateHouse Media executive announce that 115 years of local ownership was over.
JODIE JACKSON: He said, don't worry. Everybody's going to have a job day one. And she and I looked at each other and said at the same time, what about day two?
MORRIS: Within the year, most of the new staff was gone. And that's what often happens when Gatehouse takes over a paper.
REED: So we do the editing of our newspapers in one place - Austin, Texas.Shares content, you say? Like Sinclair?
MORRIS: GateHouse shares content across its papers, and Reed says the company is poised to buy a lot more of them.
Penelope Muse Abernathy, who teaches journalism at the University of North Carolina, says the number of working journalists in the U.S. has plunged to about half what it was 15 years ago.But "feeding democracy" doesn't pay the bills! Good zinger, NPR. Oh hey, funny that there's zero comparison in this piece to Sinclair. But make no mistake, though GateHouse might lack the overt political posturing of Sinclair, their act of centralized news alone is enough to draw stark parallels, and they're not alone. In early April, when GateHouse bought two more papers to get up to a 10% coverage of the US newspapers, that article noted that Digital First, a similar national conglomerate, owns nearly 100 local papers and "has a similar reputation for buying up local properties, often in precarious financial states, then scaling down staff and consolidating production."
PENELOPE MUSE ABERNATHY: This is a problem for our democracy.
MORRIS: Abernathy tracks the spread of what she calls news deserts sprawling across rural America. She says having a newspaper in a town doesn't matter much if it's what she calls a ghost paper - one just regurgitating stories written elsewhere. Abernathy argues that while companies like GateHouse didn't initiate the decline in local journalism, they are exacerbating it.
ABERNATHY: So there is a very strong emphasis in these new media barons on return to shareholders versus a commitment to what has historically been the mission of newspapers, which is to contribute the news that feeds our democracy, even at the grassroots level.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
Preet Bharara was on Wolf Blitzer just now and was asked if he was considering running to be AG of New York. He gave the usual ambiguous denial and said he was happy doing what he is doing right now. I'm a little disappointed as I think he'd be a great AG but I guess I'm glad he's so happy living his obviously lifelong dream of being a podcaster.
posted by Justinian at 3:18 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 3:18 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
I strongly back a woman for that position.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
I don't see why they would be any better at hiring competent, diligent people working in good faith in the East Wing than they are in the West
Considering that "president elect Trump somehow didn't know that he would need to hire the entire staff of the West Wing of the White House" my guess is no.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Considering that "president elect Trump somehow didn't know that he would need to hire the entire staff of the West Wing of the White House" my guess is no.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Cybersecurity expert and Lawfare contributor Matt Tait @pwnallthethings:
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
When Trump says Iran is in breach of JCPOA, just a reminder that under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, the US IC is required to provide Congress with details on any potentially significant Iranian breach or compliance concern within 10 calendar days of receiving that info* The number for the Senate switchboard is (202) 224-3121, and Faxzero's free service to contact your senators is here.
So maybe want to ask Senators Warner, Cardin, Leahy, Reed, Durbin, Brown and Cantwell whether they've been given the INARA notice.[*]
Just nine weeks ago, the US' Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified to Congress that the US Intelligence Community's then conclusion was Iran was not in material breach on the JCPOA agreement. https://www.c-span.org/video/?441863-1/dan-coats-testifies-national-security-threats&start=7440 …
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
WaPo, U.S. embassy cables warned against expelling 300,000 immigrants. Trump officials did it anyway.
--
Trump is giving a speech on drug prices on Friday, and before that happens, I'd sure like to know why one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world paid $399,920 in four payments of $99,980 into his lawyer's secret hush fund account.
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
In the past six months, the Trump administration has moved to expel more than 300,000 Central Americans and Haitians living and working legally in the United States, disregarding senior U.S. diplomats who warned that mass deportations could destabilize the region and trigger a new surge of illegal immigration.Hundreds of thousands of people are set to be thrown out of the country and it's gotten astonishing little attention.
The warnings were transmitted to top State Department officials last year in a series of embassy cables now at the center of an investigation by Senate Democrats whose findings were recently referred to the Government Accountability Office. The Washington Post obtained a copy of their report.
The cables’ contents, which have not been previously disclosed, reveal career diplomats’ strong opposition to terminating the immigrants’ provisional residency, known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and the possible deportation of hundreds of thousands of people to some of the poorest and most violent places in the Americas.
Then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dismissed the advice and joined other Trump officials in pressuring leaders at the Department of Homeland Security to strip the immigrants of their protections, according to current and former administration officials whose accounts were consistent with Senate Democrats’ findings.
...
Together with Trump’s move to end protections for 690,000 “dreamers” brought to the United States illegally as children, his administration has stamped an expiration date on the residency of more than 1 million immigrants.
--
Trump is giving a speech on drug prices on Friday, and before that happens, I'd sure like to know why one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world paid $399,920 in four payments of $99,980 into his lawyer's secret hush fund account.
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
Threadreader thread by @georgejoseph94:
Deeply, deeply disturbing.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [36 favorites]
1/ Scoop: Using Palantir, the LAPD has updated its predictive formula to determine “probable offenders” for police to surveill. Docs show analysts are supposed to maintain “a minimum” of 12 targets, and replace them with “back-ups” as they are arrested:
Deeply, deeply disturbing.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [36 favorites]
@christinawilkie: BREAKING: @ATT confirms payments to Cohen LLC >> Full Stmt: “Essential Consulting was one of several firms we engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration. They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017”
Yeah, we're going to need more explanation than that. Trump's lawyer was selling "insights?" Not like AT&T has a merger pending or anything.
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [64 favorites]
Yeah, we're going to need more explanation than that. Trump's lawyer was selling "insights?" Not like AT&T has a merger pending or anything.
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [64 favorites]
No, the problem is that "Un" is not his surname. It should be "Chairman Kim."
“Chairman Kim looks forward to bilateral negotiations with Secretary Mike and President Donald.”
posted by donatella at 3:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
“Chairman Kim looks forward to bilateral negotiations with Secretary Mike and President Donald.”
posted by donatella at 3:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
Scott Pruitt's new EPA deputy could surpass boss in scrapping protections (Oliver Milman, Guardian)
Time to start looking for dirt on Andrew Wheeler.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:45 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
If the extraordinary barrage of ethical scandals buffeting Scott Pruitt finally dislodges him as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, a reassuringly familiar figure to Republicans will take over and probably continue much of Pruitt’s controversial work to scale back environmental protections.
Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, was confirmed as the EPA’s second-in-command by the Senate in April, in the face of complaints from Democrats that he will simply act as the same sort of industry mouthpiece as his boss, Pruitt. […]
Known as a technocratic policy wonk, Wheeler was previously a lobbyist at Faegre Baker Daniels, focusing on clients such as Murray Energy, one of the US’s largest coalmining companies. He joined Robert Murray, chief executive of Murray Energy, in a series of meetings with the Trump administration to wind back regulations affecting the coal sector.
Murray, an ardent supporter of Trump who donated $300,000 to his inauguration, has said the coal industry endured eight years of “pure hell” under Barack Obama’s presidency, prompting him to draw up a three-and-a-half page “action plan” that was presented to Trump.
The document calls for numerous rollbacks that have since been enacted, such as Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accords and Pruitt’s proposed evisceration of Obama’s clean power plan. Another Murray-suggested idea to cut the EPA’s staff by “at least half” was embraced to a certain degree by the Trump administration, only to be thwarted by Congress.
Wheeler is well known in Washington DC, having spent four years at the EPA at the start of his career before shifting to Congress to work for Senator James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican who has spent recent years disagreeing with the scientific world over whether climate change exists. Inhofe once brandished a snowball on the floor of the Senate and claimed it was evidence the world was not warming.
Time to start looking for dirt on Andrew Wheeler.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:45 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
These Russians seem to be popping up every damn where.
posted by azpenguin at 3:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 3:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah, we're going to need more explanation than that. Trump's lawyer was selling "insights?" Not like AT&T has a merger pending or anything.
The payments reported today were to just one of Cohen's LLCs -- as I recall he had several. Given what we already know about his business practices ... [explosions everywhere].
posted by notyou at 3:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
The payments reported today were to just one of Cohen's LLCs -- as I recall he had several. Given what we already know about his business practices ... [explosions everywhere].
posted by notyou at 3:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Preet Bharara was on Wolf Blitzer just now and was asked if he was considering running to be AG of New York. He gave the usual ambiguous denial and said he was happy doing what he is doing right now. I'm a little disappointed as I think he'd be a great AG but I guess I'm glad he's so happy living his obviously lifelong dream of being a podcaster.
This is literally what everyone says when asked if they're running if they haven't yet made an official announcement that they're running. For all we know Bharara is putting together a campaign committee right now and lining up endorsements so he can announce. Or maybe he's livin' the dream, just another dude with a podcast.
posted by dis_integration at 3:58 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
This is literally what everyone says when asked if they're running if they haven't yet made an official announcement that they're running. For all we know Bharara is putting together a campaign committee right now and lining up endorsements so he can announce. Or maybe he's livin' the dream, just another dude with a podcast.
posted by dis_integration at 3:58 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Stupid Watergate continues.
Chris Hayes
A reminder that the basic structure of the Watergate scandal was: illegal, unreported donations funnelled into a slush fund then used to pay for off-book dirty tricks operations.
posted by chris24 at 3:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [54 favorites]
Chris Hayes
A reminder that the basic structure of the Watergate scandal was: illegal, unreported donations funnelled into a slush fund then used to pay for off-book dirty tricks operations.
posted by chris24 at 3:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [54 favorites]
“How the fuck did Avenatti find out?” the source asked The Daily Beast.
I'd kind of like to know that too. He's doing Lawrence O'Donnell tonight.
posted by zachlipton at 4:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
I'd kind of like to know that too. He's doing Lawrence O'Donnell tonight.
posted by zachlipton at 4:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that Novartis payment to Cohen; why, it's not like they have a history of bribing government officials or anything
posted by halation at 4:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by halation at 4:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Time to start looking for dirt on Andrew Wheeler.
I mean, let's not let it pass that everything in the article you excerpted is dirt, much like all of the other dirt surrounding all of the other administration figures, and will have about the same effect on Wheeler's situation. So in addition to the dirt, maybe we can also find a clip of him insulting Trump, so that then he'll lose his job.
posted by Tsuga at 4:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
I mean, let's not let it pass that everything in the article you excerpted is dirt, much like all of the other dirt surrounding all of the other administration figures, and will have about the same effect on Wheeler's situation. So in addition to the dirt, maybe we can also find a clip of him insulting Trump, so that then he'll lose his job.
posted by Tsuga at 4:06 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
AT&Ts statement about their payment misstates the name of Cohen's company. When one of the largest corporations in the world can't even remember the name of the LLC they paid that really makes me feel a lot more confident about this being on the up and up.
posted by Justinian at 4:15 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:15 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Liberal Redneck, Nuclear Dealbreaker:
In a move that surprised literally nobody Donald Trump has announced that the US will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. In his statement, President Trump said that the agreement was totally untenable for America and we had to withdraw from it because, quote, it was made by Obama and Obama is black and is stupid and I don't like him and so I don't like this and that is the reason. Is it time for my nap yet? Fuck you all. I hate you, I hate this job. Why did I ever do this? It seems more and more lately that each evening ends with me praying to a god I never believed in in the hopes that he might grant the one thing that I still covet: the sweet release of death, end quote.posted by kirkaracha at 4:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [38 favorites]
...
I know what you're thinking: "Trae, do you mean to tell me that Donald Trump was purposely vague and duplicitous in describing the motivations behind a geopolitical decision with potentially catastrophic ramifications on a global scale due to the fact that the real motivations were surrounding a petty and almost certainly racist distaste for his predecessor? That doesn't sound like Donald Trump!" I know. I know, it's true, but that's what happened.
...
Trump is treating entire countries and their citizens and all of our lives like the pieces on a fucking board game he's playing and I know some of you are saying "well, yeah, Trae, welcome to politics, buddy," but the difference now is the motherfucker rolling the dice is a bloated, narcissistic, orange/thin-skinned man child who's never played the game before and don't even know the fucking rules. So you'll excuse me if I'm a little worried that he might flip the goddamn table over.
But hey, we'll see!
Ok. It's pretty hilarious that @ATTCares responds with "We'd like to help - please DM us with more info so we can investigate. ^ATTCareTeam" to everyone who mentions the payment.
Dystopian. But hilarious.
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on May 8, 2018 [35 favorites]
Dystopian. But hilarious.
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on May 8, 2018 [35 favorites]
With extreme reluctance, the Trump administration placed the Russian oligarch and Friend of Putin, Viktor Vekselberg, Vaudeville Villain, under economic sanctions for activities including election interference.
Prior to this, Viktor Vekselberg paid the President's personal attorney Michael Cohen $500,000. He did this through a Limited Liability Company illegally disguised as a real estate consultation firm.
Prior to this, Michael Cohen paid hush-money to a woman, or women, claiming to have had sexual relations with the President, in order to benefit the President's election campaign. He falsely claimed to have not been reimbursed. Later, the President falsely claimed to know nothing about the payment.
There is a gun here, and it is smoking.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:24 PM on May 8, 2018 [48 favorites]
Prior to this, Viktor Vekselberg paid the President's personal attorney Michael Cohen $500,000. He did this through a Limited Liability Company illegally disguised as a real estate consultation firm.
Prior to this, Michael Cohen paid hush-money to a woman, or women, claiming to have had sexual relations with the President, in order to benefit the President's election campaign. He falsely claimed to have not been reimbursed. Later, the President falsely claimed to know nothing about the payment.
There is a gun here, and it is smoking.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:24 PM on May 8, 2018 [48 favorites]
Really makes you wonder what Cohen was up to as Deputy Chair of the RNC Finance Committee.
Way back when during the 2016 campaign we snarked about Trump enriching himself by having the campaign and RNC events use his properties, which was true. Good stewards of RNC funds wouldn't have funneled campaign donations to Trump, but that started right at the start of the campaign and nobody blinked an eye. Fiscally upright people wouldn't have tolerated other shenanigans, like Trump abusing the reimbursement system for Secret Service protection, but there was no hint of any internal opposition. But now we can see that the people at the top of the RNC's financial side are deeply, deeply financially compromised: you have Cohen and Broidy, both RNC Finance Committee deputy chairs, making huge illicit payments, and also that odd note Manafort made about "active sponsors of RNC" and "Value in Cypus as inter" during the June 2016 meeting.
It is indisputable that RNC money flowed to Trump. It's also indisputable that Russian money flowed to Trump. I think it's likely that the RNC has been used as a conduit, at its highest levels, for payments to Trump and probably other parties. Not all of these payments necessarily hit the RNC's books, but they would have been arranged by Cohen and Broidy in exchange for the same benefits that other donors receive. That sort of thing is, IMO, a more plausible explanation for Broidy stepping down so hurriedly: as an office bearer with fiduciary responsibilities even one payment directed that way would expose him to civil and criminal penalties.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
Way back when during the 2016 campaign we snarked about Trump enriching himself by having the campaign and RNC events use his properties, which was true. Good stewards of RNC funds wouldn't have funneled campaign donations to Trump, but that started right at the start of the campaign and nobody blinked an eye. Fiscally upright people wouldn't have tolerated other shenanigans, like Trump abusing the reimbursement system for Secret Service protection, but there was no hint of any internal opposition. But now we can see that the people at the top of the RNC's financial side are deeply, deeply financially compromised: you have Cohen and Broidy, both RNC Finance Committee deputy chairs, making huge illicit payments, and also that odd note Manafort made about "active sponsors of RNC" and "Value in Cypus as inter" during the June 2016 meeting.
It is indisputable that RNC money flowed to Trump. It's also indisputable that Russian money flowed to Trump. I think it's likely that the RNC has been used as a conduit, at its highest levels, for payments to Trump and probably other parties. Not all of these payments necessarily hit the RNC's books, but they would have been arranged by Cohen and Broidy in exchange for the same benefits that other donors receive. That sort of thing is, IMO, a more plausible explanation for Broidy stepping down so hurriedly: as an office bearer with fiduciary responsibilities even one payment directed that way would expose him to civil and criminal penalties.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
Matt Fuller (HuffPo)
Gonna be amazing if Trump is undone because he was too cheap to pay off his former lovers himself.
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
Elevator pitch: a re-make of All the President's Men but starring Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti.
Jeet Heer
Gonna be hilarious when an adult film actress & director, working with her loudmouth lawyer, does something that the GOP, the Dems, the CIA, the FBI & the mainstream media all tried to do & failed: take down Trump.
posted by chris24 at 4:27 PM on May 8, 2018 [28 favorites]
Gonna be amazing if Trump is undone because he was too cheap to pay off his former lovers himself.
Jeet Heer (New Republic)
Elevator pitch: a re-make of All the President's Men but starring Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti.
Jeet Heer
Gonna be hilarious when an adult film actress & director, working with her loudmouth lawyer, does something that the GOP, the Dems, the CIA, the FBI & the mainstream media all tried to do & failed: take down Trump.
posted by chris24 at 4:27 PM on May 8, 2018 [28 favorites]
Her loudmouth race-car driver lawyer.
Truly, this is the remake of All the President's Men that Trump deserves.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
Truly, this is the remake of All the President's Men that Trump deserves.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
Senate Intelligence Committee, Russian Targeting of Election Infrastructure During the 2016 Election: Summary of Initial Findings and Recommendations
posted by zachlipton at 4:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced Tuesday that a traffic circle adjacent to the capital’s soon-to-open US embassy will named “US Square — in honor of President Donald Trump.”
Click through for a picture. If you stare at it long enough you can convince yourself that the circle is, in fact, a square.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:34 PM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
Click through for a picture. If you stare at it long enough you can convince yourself that the circle is, in fact, a square.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:34 PM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
I could be wrong, but I believe we still don't know who owns Essential Consultants LLC, only that Michael Cohen filed the documents. Is there one member or multiple members? Did it (or its sole member) file a 2017 tax return or extension? Did it report these payments as income and did it have any expenses?
posted by melissasaurus at 4:36 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by melissasaurus at 4:36 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Race car driver? WTF. And in American LeMans? There's is a very good chance I saw him race at Laguna Seca. More than once. May have wished him luck during pre-race fan access stroll on the grid!
posted by notyou at 4:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by notyou at 4:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
But wait. There's more! And the Times seems to be confirming a lot of Avenatti's report. NYT, Mike McIntire, Ben Protess and Jim Rutenberg, Firm Tied to Russian Oligarch Made Payments to Michael Cohen
Avenatti's document says: "At all material times, Essential has been exclusively owned and controlled by Mr. Cohen." I don't think we have any idea how the LLC or Cohen handled its taxes.
posted by zachlipton at 4:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
The Times’s review of financial records confirmed much of what was in Mr. Avenatti’s report. In addition, a review of emails and interviews shed additional light on Mr. Cohen’s dealings with the company connected to Mr. Vekselberg, who was stopped and questioned at an airport earlier this year by investigators for Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel examining Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.I could be wrong, but I believe we still don't know who owns Essential Consultants LLC, only that Michael Cohen filed the documents.
Avenatti's document says: "At all material times, Essential has been exclusively owned and controlled by Mr. Cohen." I don't think we have any idea how the LLC or Cohen handled its taxes.
posted by zachlipton at 4:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
I mean, you wanna doubt him at this point?
Michael Avenatti: We are just getting started...
posted by chris24 at 4:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [20 favorites]
Michael Avenatti: We are just getting started...
posted by chris24 at 4:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [20 favorites]
For fuck's sake, are they using Nixon as a manual?
WaPo: ON TAPE, NIXON OUTLINES 1971 'DEAL' TO SETTLE ANTITRUST CASE AGAINST ITT
posted by chris24 at 4:42 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
WaPo: ON TAPE, NIXON OUTLINES 1971 'DEAL' TO SETTLE ANTITRUST CASE AGAINST ITT
posted by chris24 at 4:42 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
Chris Hayes: So lemme put a little bit of a sharper point on all this. Novartis pays Cohen 400k in carefully sturctured transactions & gets a meeting w Trump. Cohen gets all the money and Trump does the work of taking the meeting. Knowing what you know about the president how likely is that ?
In all likelihood these aren't just payments to Cohen, they're direct bribes to Trump himself through his bagman, from Russian oligarchs and fortune 500 companies alike.
If we enforced white collar crime at all in this country, whoever knew about those payments from AT&T would be going to jail along with Cohen. But.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
In all likelihood these aren't just payments to Cohen, they're direct bribes to Trump himself through his bagman, from Russian oligarchs and fortune 500 companies alike.
If we enforced white collar crime at all in this country, whoever knew about those payments from AT&T would be going to jail along with Cohen. But.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
[we might need a new thread before Don Blankenship wins the WV primary in a few mins...]
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Avenatti's document says: "At all material times, Essential has been exclusively owned and controlled by Mr. Cohen."
Thank you! I did miss that!
posted by melissasaurus at 4:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thank you! I did miss that!
posted by melissasaurus at 4:44 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Completely and blatantly unethical and if I had my way grounds for impeachment but, sadly, I don't believe being paid or paying for a meeting with POTUS is actually illegal under the current SCOTUS rulings.
There may well be all sorts of other crimes involving that money but technically I believe I could stand on national television and publicly offer Trump a million dollars for a meeting, he could accept, and that would be that.
posted by Justinian at 4:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
There may well be all sorts of other crimes involving that money but technically I believe I could stand on national television and publicly offer Trump a million dollars for a meeting, he could accept, and that would be that.
posted by Justinian at 4:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
@ABCPolitics: West Virginia voter who says he lost three cousins in mine disaster tied to Don Blankenship tells @TomLlamasABC he's voting for the coal baron anyway.
"I want an honest crook, and that's Blankenship."
I mean, I guess it doesn't say he was particularly close to those cousins...
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [56 favorites]
"I want an honest crook, and that's Blankenship."
I mean, I guess it doesn't say he was particularly close to those cousins...
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [56 favorites]
Novartis basically confirms the story and tries out an excuse.
Michael Cappetta (NBC)
NEW: Pharma-Giant @Novartis spokesperson tells me "any agreements with Essential Consultants were entered before our current CEO taking office in February of this year and have expired."
According to @MichaelAvenatti, Novartis paid $399k to Michael Cohen's consulting firm.
posted by chris24 at 4:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Michael Cappetta (NBC)
NEW: Pharma-Giant @Novartis spokesperson tells me "any agreements with Essential Consultants were entered before our current CEO taking office in February of this year and have expired."
According to @MichaelAvenatti, Novartis paid $399k to Michael Cohen's consulting firm.
posted by chris24 at 4:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
So it looks like both Boeing and Airbus (because over 10% of the parts are made in U.S.) have lost their licence to sells planes to Iran: Trump Exit From Iran Pact Halts $40 Billion Boeing, Airbus Deals.
Seems the most likely beneficiary of that $40 billion in lost sales will be Russia’s Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company.
posted by Buntix at 4:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
Seems the most likely beneficiary of that $40 billion in lost sales will be Russia’s Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company.
posted by Buntix at 4:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [42 favorites]
@nycsouthpaw
Two publicly traded companies now more or less admit funding—alongside a Russian oligarch—a shell company that made hush money payments to the President’s paramour(s).
posted by chris24 at 4:54 PM on May 8, 2018 [62 favorites]
Two publicly traded companies now more or less admit funding—alongside a Russian oligarch—a shell company that made hush money payments to the President’s paramour(s).
posted by chris24 at 4:54 PM on May 8, 2018 [62 favorites]
Meanwhile, Russia-watcher Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNews checks in on Moscow's version of 60 Minutes: "#Russia's state TV is having a panel discussion as to where to find 8 trillion rubles needed to implement Putin’s domestic policy goals. Female host says: 'Looks like we found it. Trump is withdrawing US from the #Iran nuclear deal. Oil prices should go up, which is good for us.'"
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:54 PM on May 8, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:54 PM on May 8, 2018 [39 favorites]
I'm too lazy to go log in to PACER and look through the docket: is discovery stayed in the California case against Trump? I guess it's not, because otherwise how did Avenatti get these bank records? He must have subpoenaed them, right?
If so, I can't believe Trump and Cohen's counsel didn't object, or file a motion to quash.
posted by yasaman at 5:01 PM on May 8, 2018
If so, I can't believe Trump and Cohen's counsel didn't object, or file a motion to quash.
posted by yasaman at 5:01 PM on May 8, 2018
So, now Avenatti's appearance with Ari Melber (and Sam Nunberg) last night makes more sense:
AVENATTI: I had a quick question actually, if... can I ask a question?posted by pjenks at 5:03 PM on May 8, 2018 [18 favorites]
MELBER: Yeah.
AVENATTI: Excellent. [Directed to NUNBERG:] In the year after the election, so 2017, obviously Michael was not asked to join the Administration, did not go to Washington. I mean, did he undertake any business dealings along the lines of, like, selling access to the President? Or did you get the impression that he was trying to put himself out there as a guy that could put people in touch with the President?
NUNBERG: No. I had limited contact with ...
“How the fuck did Avenatti find out?” the source asked The Daily Beast.
Avenatti has to have this quote blown up and framed, because that quote is the result of being so good at your job that your opponents' reactions become indistinguishable from low-level Batman villains. "He's always one step ahead, CURSE YOU, AVENATTIIIII!!!"
posted by jason_steakums at 5:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
Avenatti has to have this quote blown up and framed, because that quote is the result of being so good at your job that your opponents' reactions become indistinguishable from low-level Batman villains. "He's always one step ahead, CURSE YOU, AVENATTIIIII!!!"
posted by jason_steakums at 5:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [61 favorites]
WaPo, Risk to intelligence source who aided Russia investigation at center of latest showdown between Nunes and Justice Dept.
posted by zachlipton at 5:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [29 favorites]
Last Wednesday, senior FBI and national intelligence officials relayed an urgent message to the White House: Information being sought by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes could endanger a top-Well, um, I'd say he's been alerted now.
secret intelligence source.
Top White House officials, with the assent of President Trump, agreed to back the decision to withhold the information. They were persuaded that turning over Justice Department documents could risk lives by potentially exposing the source, a U.S. citizen who has provided intelligence to the CIA and FBI, according to multiple people familiar with the discussion and the person’s role.
The showdown marked a rare moment of alignment between the Justice Department and Trump, who has relentlessly criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other top Justice officials for the probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
But it is unclear whether Trump was alerted to a key fact — that information developed by the intelligence source had been provided to the Mueller investigation.
posted by zachlipton at 5:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [29 favorites]
Melania Trump Doubles Down on Un-Ironic Commitment to End Cyber-Bullying
Melania Trump unveiled the platform for which she will be advocating as first lady. Titled "Be Best," it will focus on "well-being, fighting opioid addition, and positivity on social media." Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's a little like a list compiled by throwing darts at a board labelled "bad things and some good things, also."posted by kirkaracha at 5:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
You do have to hand it to the first lady for her seemingly un-ironic commitment to fighting bullying on social media. This is the best use of policy as subtweet since Abigail Adams painted "Give women the vote or GTFO" on the White House lawn.
...
The first lady's site, BeBest.gov, does not give specific details on the nature and practice of being best, which is a little concerning. I need an ontology of bestness, stat, please. But I'm sure in due time, we'll all look around and realize we're being it, best.
a U.S. citizen who has provided intelligence to the CIA and FBI
Could it be Felix Sater?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Could it be Felix Sater?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Bill Browder?
posted by notyou at 5:20 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 5:20 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
To answer a question I posed upthread, the Bloomberg article that buntix linked above outlines why Airbus can't just scoop up all of Boeing's Iran business (even absent a Helms-Burton type of sanction):
posted by mhum at 5:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
The European planemaker is subject to U.S. export restrictions to Iran because more than 10 percent of the parts on its jets originate with U.S. companies such as United Technologies Corp., Rockwell Collins Inc. and General Electric Co.Of course, this will all come down to the precise implementation of how they're going to roll back JCPOA as well as the EU's appetite for defensive and/or retaliatory trade measures.
posted by mhum at 5:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I am seriously tempted to set up a website paying tribute to the late lamented retailer Best Products (previously here) and call the site BeenBest...
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
GOP incumbent Pittenger trailing early in NC-09, 51-45. This is a seat Democrats are targeting for a flip, a primary loss by the incumbent is probably a bad sign for the GOP.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 5:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
The anti-gerrymandering organization represent.us has already sent out emails celebrating a victory in Ohio.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
The European planemaker is subject to U.S. export restrictions to Iran because more than 10 percent of the parts on its jets originate with U.S. companies such as United Technologies Corp., Rockwell Collins Inc. and General Electric Co.
By far, the biggest piece of that is going to be GE jet engines which can be replaced by ordering British Rolls Royce engines. Airlines select the engine supplier they want for their order. Engines probably represent 20% of the total cost of an airliner.
posted by JackFlash at 5:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
By far, the biggest piece of that is going to be GE jet engines which can be replaced by ordering British Rolls Royce engines. Airlines select the engine supplier they want for their order. Engines probably represent 20% of the total cost of an airliner.
posted by JackFlash at 5:33 PM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]
Looks like the Indiana GOP Senate primary is all over but the shouting, with business guy/former state rep Mike Braun winning handily over Rep Messer and Rep Rokita. There's little actual ideological daylight between them; most of the vitriol in the race was due to the fact that Messer and Rokita cannot stand each other.
On the Dem side, Donnelly was unopposed.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
On the Dem side, Donnelly was unopposed.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Man, you guys and possibly gals, I come into a political thread for the first time ever and that comment is headed for 2nd most favorited thing I have ever written here ever.
Yeah, there's a lot more eyeballs and favorites here, for good or for bad. The entire first two pages of my "popular comments" list is solely from iterations of the US Politics thread, but most of the comments I'm most proud of come from elsewhere on the site. I think the news updates and discussion here are incredibly valuable, but this is a good reminder that there's a lot of great content elsewhere on MetaFilter too.
posted by biogeo at 5:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
Yeah, there's a lot more eyeballs and favorites here, for good or for bad. The entire first two pages of my "popular comments" list is solely from iterations of the US Politics thread, but most of the comments I'm most proud of come from elsewhere on the site. I think the news updates and discussion here are incredibly valuable, but this is a good reminder that there's a lot of great content elsewhere on MetaFilter too.
posted by biogeo at 5:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
@Popehat
Whether or not it's a crime and however you characterize it, the President's fixer getting half a million from Russian through a dummy entity AFTER THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION HAS BEGUN is stupid in a way it would take a poet to capture. I cannot, as my daughter would say, even.
posted by chris24 at 5:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [96 favorites]
Whether or not it's a crime and however you characterize it, the President's fixer getting half a million from Russian through a dummy entity AFTER THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION HAS BEGUN is stupid in a way it would take a poet to capture. I cannot, as my daughter would say, even.
posted by chris24 at 5:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [96 favorites]
Based on the immediate reaction and confirmation by other news organizations, it seems that they have had the Essential bank transaction documents for a while now (e.g., the NYTimes story by Stormy-Daniels-beat-reporter Jim Rutenberg and their "data guy" Mike McIntyre).
Why would they hold it for so long? And, what's coming in their hastily-written updated version later tonight?
posted by pjenks at 5:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Why would they hold it for so long? And, what's coming in their hastily-written updated version later tonight?
posted by pjenks at 5:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
By far, the biggest piece of that is going to be GE jet engines which can be replaced by ordering British Rolls Royce engines.
It's also another example of how actively bad Trump actually is as a businessman. Not only is he burning the US's trust and goodwill on the political stage, but with things like this and his trade war he's making dealing with US suppliers a serious potential liability.
It's like with his pillaging and destruction of the organs of civil government and regulation: the gun's been fired and even though the shell hasn't hit yet, it can't be unfired so the damage is done.
Market inertia and regression to normalcy can only keep things apparently the same for so long.
Another notable tidbit from the article I posted above about the Russian company already taking over some of the Boing/Airbus business.
posted by Buntix at 5:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's also another example of how actively bad Trump actually is as a businessman. Not only is he burning the US's trust and goodwill on the political stage, but with things like this and his trade war he's making dealing with US suppliers a serious potential liability.
It's like with his pillaging and destruction of the organs of civil government and regulation: the gun's been fired and even though the shell hasn't hit yet, it can't be unfired so the damage is done.
Market inertia and regression to normalcy can only keep things apparently the same for so long.
Another notable tidbit from the article I posted above about the Russian company already taking over some of the Boing/Airbus business.
Moscow has recently begun discussions with Iran and Turkey to encourage more trade using local currencies rather than US dollars – to date the talks have focused on oil sales, but it is possible it could be extended into other areas.Wonder if the barrier for a verdict of treason in the US could be expanded to cover a non-formally declared war primarily conducted via subterfuge and propaganda.
posted by Buntix at 5:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
That Ari Melber clip shared by pjenks above is really worth the watch, if even only for the first few minutes. It's stunning how openly Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide, talks about the factionalism in the White House and throws around words like "snake."
It also shows one part of how Avenatti is getting so far in the Stormy Daniels case: his adversaries are fucking idiots, and he knows it. And I don't think that's a slight on Avenatti at all, because way too many people keep thinking these guys are smarter than they are, but Avenatti sees through that. Nunberg should've brushed off that question, but Avenatti knew it was worth trying. And damn.
The stuff Nunberg says is a jaw-dropper, too. It's only one drop in a bucket of jaw-droppers, but holy shit.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
It also shows one part of how Avenatti is getting so far in the Stormy Daniels case: his adversaries are fucking idiots, and he knows it. And I don't think that's a slight on Avenatti at all, because way too many people keep thinking these guys are smarter than they are, but Avenatti sees through that. Nunberg should've brushed off that question, but Avenatti knew it was worth trying. And damn.
The stuff Nunberg says is a jaw-dropper, too. It's only one drop in a bucket of jaw-droppers, but holy shit.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
Joe Manchin has handily won the WV Democratic Senate primary, probably in the realm of 70-30.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 5:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
oneswellfoop: "The anti-gerrymandering organization represent.us has already sent out emails celebrating a victory in Ohio."
FWIW, I've seen a fair bit of criticism of the measure from fair election advocates. Basically, the concern is that it seems fair on the surface, but would really continue to allow the GOP to pull the strings.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:58 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
FWIW, I've seen a fair bit of criticism of the measure from fair election advocates. Basically, the concern is that it seems fair on the surface, but would really continue to allow the GOP to pull the strings.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:58 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Aside from the Russian oligarch sending Michael Cohen/Essential Consulting LLC a bunch of money, there are probably some intensely interesting questions about the corporate contributions. I mean, what was the precise sequence of events that led multi-billion dollar, multinational corporations like Novartis and AT&T to cough up hundreds of thousands of dollars to a penny-ante operation (that was emphatically not a registered lobbying firm) like Essential? How exactly did they know to do this? Who approached whom? And how? It's not like they just looked up "Slush Funds" in the Yellow Pages, right? I mean, if they had been funneling their money through super PACs or the Chamber of Commerce or whatever like normal corporate-political bribery, no one would even bat an eye. But this? Why take the risk?
posted by mhum at 5:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by mhum at 5:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [40 favorites]
@christinawilkie: BREAKING: @ATT confirms payments to Cohen LLC >> Full Stmt: “Essential Consulting was one of several firms we engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration. They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017”
How about that timing?
Contextly's Ryan Singel @rsingel: "Huh, AT&T paid $200k to Michael Cohen for 'consulting'. Contract ended the same month the FCC repealed #NetNeutrality"
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [65 favorites]
How about that timing?
Contextly's Ryan Singel @rsingel: "Huh, AT&T paid $200k to Michael Cohen for 'consulting'. Contract ended the same month the FCC repealed #NetNeutrality"
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [65 favorites]
I've followed represent.us via an email subscription to my least important email address for some time, and am still unsure what to make of them. They make a BIG deal of being "non-partisan/bipartisan", which is likely not the best way to go right now. As long as I don't have to pay them for their updates, I'm neutral toward their neutrality.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:08 PM on May 8, 2018
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:08 PM on May 8, 2018
A public corporation paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to the president's bag man for "insight" may not be illegal, but I don't think it will play well in the court of public opinion. I hope the media pushes this story. I personally find it incredibly disturbing. This is the power of the government for sale pure and simple. It's a shocking and dramatic new low. This is the same public that claimed to be outraged by speaking fees and foundation donations.
posted by xammerboy at 6:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by xammerboy at 6:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [34 favorites]
In Ohio, both of the expected candidates won nomination for governor.
On the Dem side, former CFPB head Richard Cordray beat professional gadfly Dennis Kucinich around 62-22.
On the GOP side, AG Mike DeWine beat LG Mary Taylor around 60-40.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
On the Dem side, former CFPB head Richard Cordray beat professional gadfly Dennis Kucinich around 62-22.
On the GOP side, AG Mike DeWine beat LG Mary Taylor around 60-40.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
WV tea leaves: considerably more voters in the Dem Senate primary than in the GOP one. There are still a lot of "legacy" registered Dems in WV, but more voters in the lightly contested Dem race than in the hotly contested GOP one is a positive sign.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:14 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:14 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
You don’t drain a swamp with a money funnel.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:15 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:15 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
Hey. You folks remember that time a bunch of folks handed Michael Cohen a secret pro-Russian Ukrainian peace plan to give to Trump, and he claimed he just threw it away undelivered? That continues to look astonishingly suspicious. Now I'm wondering if there was a check stapled to the envelope.
posted by zachlipton at 6:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [43 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [43 favorites]
Well, it's becoming significantly clearer why Trump went off his fucking rocker when the Cohen search warrants were executed.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:20 PM on May 8, 2018 [46 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:20 PM on May 8, 2018 [46 favorites]
Stephen Wolf (Daily Kos):
Ohio voters have approved Issue 1, an ostensibly bipartisan congressional redistricting reform measure. But as I have argued & other mapmakers have shown, this measure is a Trojan horse that will thwart real reform & let the GOP continue gerrymandering. Any reform that leaves the ultimate power to pass a map up to a partisan legislative majority is going to see those same legislators try to gerrymander. We can't have truly fair maps without taking the power away from them & giving it to an independent commission like California. As @DKElections user Tallahasset has shown with hypothetical Ohio congressional maps, GOP legislators could have gerrymandered almost just as effectively this past decade under the new redistricting "reform" measure vs. the real gerrymander. Don't just take it from us partisan Democrats. Even http://Cleveland.com 's @RichExner drew maps showing the GOP could draw a post-2020s gerrymander that might give them 10 of 15 congressional seats on average. That isn't #FairMaps. I expect 1 of 2 things will happen with Ohio redistricting now that Issue 1 has passed.posted by T.D. Strange at 6:25 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
1. The Dem minority in the legislature/commission will cave & vote for a pro-incumbent gerrymander that strongly favors the GOP, just like they did in 2011 to cravenly block a veto referendum
Option two is that Ohio Dems won't budge, & the GOP pushes through a map with a partisan legislative majority that adheres to Issue 1 on its face, but in reality heavily gerrymanders against Dems, whose only recourse would be appealing to the 7-0 GOP Ohio Supreme Court...
Journalist Seth Hettena has a book coming out today, Trump/Russia: A Definitive History, which covers Trump's history with the Russian mob going back to the 80s and seems to be getting positive reviews. (I have not read it. And of course we all hope that more of this history is revealed before too long.) Ian Masters interviewed him on today's show.
posted by mubba at 6:31 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by mubba at 6:31 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
That pro-Russian Ukrainian peace plan was hand delivered to Flynn's office by Cohen and Felix Sater IIRC.
posted by gucci mane at 6:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 6:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
In the Ohio GOP Senate primary, Rep. Jim Renacci beats investment banker Mike Gibbons, about 45-32.
On the Dem side, Sen Sherrod Brown was unopposed.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
On the Dem side, Sen Sherrod Brown was unopposed.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:39 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
@annafifield: BREAKING: North Korea will release the three Americans being held prisoner to visiting U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo, South Korea's Blue House says via @YonhapNews
I would have thought mangling their leader’s name would have meant a delay on this.
posted by zachlipton at 6:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
I would have thought mangling their leader’s name would have meant a delay on this.
posted by zachlipton at 6:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Guys I think you're forgetting that Hillary Clinton had an email server in her basement
*incoherent ranting*
posted by zarq at 6:48 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
*incoherent ranting*
posted by zarq at 6:48 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
Don Blankenship seems to be going down in flames, with 19.9% of the vote compared to Morrisey at 35.2% and Jenkins at 28.4% with 65% reporting.
As much as I'd like to see yet another Republican win their primary after Trump campaigned against them -- may the door hit his ass on the way out.
posted by saturday_morning at 6:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
As much as I'd like to see yet another Republican win their primary after Trump campaigned against them -- may the door hit his ass on the way out.
posted by saturday_morning at 6:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
In NC-03, incumbent GOP rep Walter Jones, who occasionally goes against party leadership (he voted against the tax bill, for example), was being primaried for not being sufficiently slavishly Trumpy. He won handily, though, 43-30.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:49 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
It's exhausting keeping up with the competing scandals right now, but I enjoyed Wonkette's recap of the Broidy-taking-the-fall-for-Trump-in-Playboy-model-payoff theory being floated: Hey Trump, YOU BEEN FUCKIN'? The Entire Internet Is Just Curious!
posted by TwoStride at 6:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by TwoStride at 6:50 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
In WV-03 Dem primary, Richard Ojeda has won the nomination. Ojeda is a character, and has gotten a lot of press for being the only Dem who could win this district.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:52 PM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]
@samstein:
Truly remarkable that these companies knew to make big payments into a totally unknown LLC operated by Trump aide who had no position inside the WH and no formal role on the campaign.posted by Chrysostom at 6:55 PM on May 8, 2018 [86 favorites]
That pro-Russian Ukrainian peace plan was hand delivered to Flynn's office by Cohen and Felix Sater IIRC.
That it was, the NYT reported, back in more innocent times (i.e. February 2017), A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates:
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:55 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
That it was, the NYT reported, back in more innocent times (i.e. February 2017), A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates:
A week before Michael T. Flynn resigned as national security adviser, a sealed proposal was hand-delivered to his office, outlining a way for President Trump to lift sanctions against Russia.Set off alarms, indeed.
Mr. Flynn is gone, having been caught lying about his own discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador. But the proposal, a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia, remains, along with those pushing it: Michael D. Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, who delivered the document; Felix H. Sater, a business associate who helped Mr. Trump scout deals in Russia; and a Ukrainian lawmaker trying to rise in a political opposition movement shaped in part by Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
At a time when Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia, and the people connected to him, are under heightened scrutiny — with investigations by American intelligence agencies, the F.B.I. and Congress — some of his associates remain willing and eager to wade into Russia-related efforts behind the scenes.
Mr. Trump has confounded Democrats and Republicans alike with his repeated praise for the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, and his desire to forge an American-Russian alliance. While there is nothing illegal about such unofficial efforts, a proposal that seems to tip toward Russian interests may set off alarms.
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:55 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Don Blankenship seems to be going down in flames, with 19.9% of the vote compared to Morrisey at 35.2% and Jenkins at 28.4% with 65% reporting.
As much as I'd like to see yet another Republican win their primary after Trump campaigned against them -- may the door hit his ass on the way out.
Sometimes it's okay to just enjoy watching a rich convicted murderer get resoundingly rejected by the public. I can't think of many people who are less deserving of the office they seek.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:00 PM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
As much as I'd like to see yet another Republican win their primary after Trump campaigned against them -- may the door hit his ass on the way out.
Sometimes it's okay to just enjoy watching a rich convicted murderer get resoundingly rejected by the public. I can't think of many people who are less deserving of the office they seek.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:00 PM on May 8, 2018 [30 favorites]
Evan Hurst, writing the Wonkette article linked by TwoStride, speculated on the same aspect of the Broidy/Trump/Bechard Possibility that I did:
What do the Broidys’ Bel Air neighbors think? Do the women at the Whole Foods say “Oh, Robin, we are sorry about your little situation,” and does Robin say, “Oh yes, we are going through a time right now, but we’ll somehow find our way through,” right before she goes to the Bentley store and drowns her “sorrows” by buying several Bentleys, because this was all part of the plan?
My honest feeling on the Bechard Affair is that even though so much Omnigate information is flowing out of every spigot available… this is the one thing that will never be satisfactorally resolved, and presidential historians will speculate generations from now, if there are any of those in the future. Just my two cents.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:03 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
What do the Broidys’ Bel Air neighbors think? Do the women at the Whole Foods say “Oh, Robin, we are sorry about your little situation,” and does Robin say, “Oh yes, we are going through a time right now, but we’ll somehow find our way through,” right before she goes to the Bentley store and drowns her “sorrows” by buying several Bentleys, because this was all part of the plan?
My honest feeling on the Bechard Affair is that even though so much Omnigate information is flowing out of every spigot available… this is the one thing that will never be satisfactorally resolved, and presidential historians will speculate generations from now, if there are any of those in the future. Just my two cents.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:03 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
(Oh, and the Ukrainian politician involved in the Cohen peace plan scheme, Andrey Artemenko, was later stripped of his citizenship.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:04 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:04 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
I strongly back a woman for that position.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:22 PM on May 8 [22 favorites +] [!]
I'd be partial to this woman.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:22 PM on May 8 [22 favorites +] [!]
I'd be partial to this woman.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:08 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Per Rick Klein at ABC, Blankenship is conceding. Hah. I guess, maybe, perhaps, there are limits, like murder and stuff.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:10 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:10 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Scott Bland (Politico)
This is remarkable: By my count right now, women are leading in almost every House Democratic primary that has at least one female candidate.
I count 19 open Dem House primaries tonight, and women in first place in 17 of them at this moment
posted by chris24 at 7:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [46 favorites]
This is remarkable: By my count right now, women are leading in almost every House Democratic primary that has at least one female candidate.
I count 19 open Dem House primaries tonight, and women in first place in 17 of them at this moment
posted by chris24 at 7:11 PM on May 8, 2018 [46 favorites]
Fox has called it for AG Morrisey in WV Senate.
Numbers something like:
Morrisey 35
Jenkins 29
Blankenship 20
other 16
FWIW, Morrisey was the Dem preferred candidate of him or Jenkins. Also, it will set up so, so many Morrissey jokes.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
Numbers something like:
Morrisey 35
Jenkins 29
Blankenship 20
other 16
FWIW, Morrisey was the Dem preferred candidate of him or Jenkins. Also, it will set up so, so many Morrissey jokes.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
Novartis basically confirms the story and tries out an excuse.
Michael Cappetta (NBC)
NEW: Pharma-Giant @Novartis spokesperson tells me "any agreements with Essential Consultants were entered before our current CEO taking office in February of this year and have expired."
According to @MichaelAvenatti, Novartis paid $399k to Michael Cohen's consulting firm.
posted by chris24 at 4:50 PM on May 8 [3 favorites +] [!]
So, was Cohen selling access for cash on his own, or was he just an intermediary for Trump? I can't believe Trump, with his mafia connections, wouldn't demand at least a taste of the revenue, right?
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
Michael Cappetta (NBC)
NEW: Pharma-Giant @Novartis spokesperson tells me "any agreements with Essential Consultants were entered before our current CEO taking office in February of this year and have expired."
According to @MichaelAvenatti, Novartis paid $399k to Michael Cohen's consulting firm.
posted by chris24 at 4:50 PM on May 8 [3 favorites +] [!]
So, was Cohen selling access for cash on his own, or was he just an intermediary for Trump? I can't believe Trump, with his mafia connections, wouldn't demand at least a taste of the revenue, right?
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
O'Donnell: How did you assemble this list?
Avenatti: Carefully
He's not saying where this came from. But it's interesting to me that NYT, WSJ, and NBC (at least) all had the financial records this evening too. I can't tell if it's a law enforcement leak or what, but someone wanted this out there.
And Avenatti says there's more: "The $4.4 million dollar number is only going to get bigger."
Avenatti also says there were three suspicious activity reports filed by the bank with Treasury.
And he's hinting that some of the money that came into the LLC went to people other than Michael Cohen, though he doesn't have the information to say it went to Trump specifically. He just knows a lot of money came in (well more than just the Columbus Nova, Novartis, AT&T, and Korea Airspace payments), and they don't believe all the money that came out went to Michael Cohen.
As usual, follow the money. Setting aside where it came from, where did it all go?
Oh, and "maybe that explains why most of the American people don't have insight into the administration because they can't afford to pay $200,000 for it, but I digress"
----
@nahmias: Update: @CyVanceforDA is now in a fight with @NYGovCuomo over whether or not Vance should be able to investigate Schneiderman
It's just the worst people flinging shit at each other over there in New York.
posted by zachlipton at 7:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Avenatti: Carefully
He's not saying where this came from. But it's interesting to me that NYT, WSJ, and NBC (at least) all had the financial records this evening too. I can't tell if it's a law enforcement leak or what, but someone wanted this out there.
And Avenatti says there's more: "The $4.4 million dollar number is only going to get bigger."
Avenatti also says there were three suspicious activity reports filed by the bank with Treasury.
And he's hinting that some of the money that came into the LLC went to people other than Michael Cohen, though he doesn't have the information to say it went to Trump specifically. He just knows a lot of money came in (well more than just the Columbus Nova, Novartis, AT&T, and Korea Airspace payments), and they don't believe all the money that came out went to Michael Cohen.
As usual, follow the money. Setting aside where it came from, where did it all go?
Oh, and "maybe that explains why most of the American people don't have insight into the administration because they can't afford to pay $200,000 for it, but I digress"
----
@nahmias: Update: @CyVanceforDA is now in a fight with @NYGovCuomo over whether or not Vance should be able to investigate Schneiderman
It's just the worst people flinging shit at each other over there in New York.
posted by zachlipton at 7:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
T.D. Strange: "Stephen Wolf (Daily Kos):
Ohio voters have approved Issue 1, an ostensibly bipartisan congressional redistricting reform measure. But as I have argued & other mapmakers have shown, this measure is a Trojan horse that will thwart real reform & let the GOP continue gerrymandering. "
FWIW, a contrary opinion from Michael Li of the Brennan Center - basically that it's not perfect, but is far better than the current system, and has some failsafes that Wolf doesn't mention.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:18 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Ohio voters have approved Issue 1, an ostensibly bipartisan congressional redistricting reform measure. But as I have argued & other mapmakers have shown, this measure is a Trojan horse that will thwart real reform & let the GOP continue gerrymandering. "
FWIW, a contrary opinion from Michael Li of the Brennan Center - basically that it's not perfect, but is far better than the current system, and has some failsafes that Wolf doesn't mention.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:18 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Uhhhhhh.
@Team_Mitch (official campaign account) [PHOTO]: "Thanks for playing, @DonBlankenship. #WVSen"
And then there's a photo of McConnell surrounded by what I guess is supposed to be bits of cocaine? I don't even know what's happening anymore. At all.
posted by zachlipton at 7:20 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
@Team_Mitch (official campaign account) [PHOTO]: "Thanks for playing, @DonBlankenship. #WVSen"
And then there's a photo of McConnell surrounded by what I guess is supposed to be bits of cocaine? I don't even know what's happening anymore. At all.
posted by zachlipton at 7:20 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
He's not saying where this came from.
TPM: Is This How Avenatti Found Out?
TPM: Is This How Avenatti Found Out?
TPM Reader TH thinks he knows where Michael Avenatti got his amazingly specific details. And it sounds right to me…posted by chris24 at 7:23 PM on May 8, 2018 [43 favorites]I want to shed some light on tonight’s post re: Cohen/Avenatti, specifically this line: “They’ve also confirmed the dollar amounts. So while we still don’t know where or how Avenatti got this information he must have had access to one of Cohen’s ledgers, a bank statement or perhaps an investigative document. The details are simply too specific.”
I work as an Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act Specialist at a financial institution. Every bank/credit union/etc will have someone who’s responsibility it is to examine transactions and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) with FinCEN, a department of the Treasury. This is what I do.
Upon reading Avenatti’s document, it’s obvious that he has his hands on (multiple, I think) SARs that have been filed on Cohen. They are structured almost exactly as we write them. The KYC information at the beginning is a huge tipoff. This is something every bank is required to compile when a business account is opened, and it’s what AML staff would refer back to it when examining transactions to see if the account is “behaving” differently than expected. This KYC information would never be included in a bank statement or a ledger. It would only come from a financial institution, and is what is included in SARs narratives to justify their filing. Furthermore, there’s info in the document from multiple banks. Unless Avenatti has people at multiple different banks leaking him info on Cohen (he doesn’t) it comes from a SARs. We know from the WSJ that at least one bank has filed a SARs on Cohen.
I’m pretty gobsmacked that someone would leak SARs to Michael Avenatti, but we live in crazy times. I’ve been trying to think who all would have access, and it’s basically: FinCEN staff, law enforcement who request them, regulators, the bank staff who filed them originally, and possibly independent auditors who come in to make sure banks are filing BSA paperwork properly. My guess would be it’s someone at FinCEN doing it, but I wouldn’t bet a massive amount of money on it. I would, however, bet massive amounts of money that Avenatti somehow has his hands on SARs filed on Cohen.
MSNBC: Roger Stone tries to walk back claims about Julian Assange, Wikileaks
Defensive, having trouble moving his face and acting sedated on a fistful of beta blockers or something beefier. On his claims of meeting Assange: "It's schtick! Please!"
Please let him be ratfucking himself.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
Defensive, having trouble moving his face and acting sedated on a fistful of beta blockers or something beefier. On his claims of meeting Assange: "It's schtick! Please!"
Please let him be ratfucking himself.
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [14 favorites]
@ABCPolitics: West Virginia voter who says he lost three cousins in mine disaster tied to Don Blankenship tells @TomLlamasABC he's voting for the coal baron anyway.
"I want an honest crook, and that's Blankenship."
This, right here, is tribalism, and this is the entire GOP right now. This isn't the first time I've seen an example of a person who has literally lost a loved one, through death, because of extreme GOP policy positions, but still supported the policy (gun policy is an example that comes to mind). This is why I think trying to change hearts and minds is such a lost cause. These people are gone, and I don't know how to get them back.
Although, strangely, I thought to myself tonight that if anything might anger people enough to motivate them to get out and vote against the GOP, it could be pay for play. People don't care about treason, but they (finally) do seem to care about huge corporations buying lawmakers (thank you, Occupy!)
posted by triggerfinger at 7:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [20 favorites]
Bet that's the DVD he flashed on Twitter right before the 60 minutes interview.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:29 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:29 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Outstanding downballot news from North Carolina, where Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews and Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) Sheriff Irwin Carmichael have both lost in their primaries. Andrews and Carmichael are terrible, terrible people.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [37 favorites]
this measure is a Trojan horse that will thwart real reform & let the GOP continue gerrymandering. "
Yeah, it was real swell of DailyKos dude to put a big effort into gaming out the worst possible scenario with fancy maps and everything and presenting that as the way things are gonna be, while also failing to include the point that the worst possible scenario will only hold for four years, not a goddamn decade.
And it's a damn sight better than what we have now, which is basically "Fuck you AND the horse you rode in on."
posted by soundguy99 at 7:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yeah, it was real swell of DailyKos dude to put a big effort into gaming out the worst possible scenario with fancy maps and everything and presenting that as the way things are gonna be, while also failing to include the point that the worst possible scenario will only hold for four years, not a goddamn decade.
And it's a damn sight better than what we have now, which is basically "Fuck you AND the horse you rode in on."
posted by soundguy99 at 7:32 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
I like Wolf, sometimes I think he gets ahead of the facts a bit.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:34 PM on May 8, 2018
posted by Chrysostom at 7:34 PM on May 8, 2018
...after 4 years the GOP would still be in control and get to refine their gerrymander mid cycle instead of waiting for 10 years of drift.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:36 PM on May 8, 2018
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:36 PM on May 8, 2018
My guess would be it’s someone at FinCEN doing it, but I wouldn’t bet a massive amount of money on it.
Thanks Chris for posting this. I was actually thinking along the same lines, and I'll add to TPM Reader TH's theory. All signs point to the fact that there's a well-informed source at FinCEN who has been leaking sensitive information. We've had stories like Jason Leopold's Investigators Are Scrutinizing Newly Uncovered Payments By The Russian Embassy and Audit Of Access To Classified Network Is A “Cover Up,” Treasury Officials Charge and A California Bank Closed Manafort-Linked Accounts In 2016 After Transactions Raised Suspicions and These 13 Wire Transfers Are A Focus Of The FBI Probe Into Paul Manafort and In Midst Of Terror Attack, US Intel Unit Was Blocked From Tracking The Terrorists.
I've been seeing these stories for over a year now, and it seems really likely they come from leaks from FinCEN. It's kind of a clue when the same reporter keeps running blockbuster scoops based on Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). Disclosure of SARs is prohibited by law, and it would be pretty unlikely to have all these leaks coming from different banks. And these stories have had internal details and arguments of the sort that Treasury employees would know. I don't know if I'd bet a massive amount of money on it, but I'd bet a fair bit.
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
Thanks Chris for posting this. I was actually thinking along the same lines, and I'll add to TPM Reader TH's theory. All signs point to the fact that there's a well-informed source at FinCEN who has been leaking sensitive information. We've had stories like Jason Leopold's Investigators Are Scrutinizing Newly Uncovered Payments By The Russian Embassy and Audit Of Access To Classified Network Is A “Cover Up,” Treasury Officials Charge and A California Bank Closed Manafort-Linked Accounts In 2016 After Transactions Raised Suspicions and These 13 Wire Transfers Are A Focus Of The FBI Probe Into Paul Manafort and In Midst Of Terror Attack, US Intel Unit Was Blocked From Tracking The Terrorists.
I've been seeing these stories for over a year now, and it seems really likely they come from leaks from FinCEN. It's kind of a clue when the same reporter keeps running blockbuster scoops based on Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). Disclosure of SARs is prohibited by law, and it would be pretty unlikely to have all these leaks coming from different banks. And these stories have had internal details and arguments of the sort that Treasury employees would know. I don't know if I'd bet a massive amount of money on it, but I'd bet a fair bit.
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
Wow, in NC-09, incumbent GOP Rep Pittenger has conceded, losing by about 800 votes to Mark Harris, whom Pittenger had just edged back in the 2016 primary.
This will probably move the district to Lean GOP or even Toss-up - the Dem is well-funded.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
This will probably move the district to Lean GOP or even Toss-up - the Dem is well-funded.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:38 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
T.D. Strange: "...after 4 years the GOP would still be in control and get to refine their gerrymander mid cycle instead of waiting for 10 years of drift."
Li points out that suing for unfair gerrymandering becomes considerably easier under this measure.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Li points out that suing for unfair gerrymandering becomes considerably easier under this measure.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:40 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump Exit From Iran Pact Halts $40 Billion Boeing, Airbus Deals.
Soybeans
Boeing
US Tourism
Just trying to remember the billions-with-a-B damaged industries as we lean hard into Season Two. Is it still Infernalstructure Week?
posted by petebest at 7:41 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
Soybeans
Boeing
US Tourism
Just trying to remember the billions-with-a-B damaged industries as we lean hard into Season Two. Is it still Infernalstructure Week?
posted by petebest at 7:41 PM on May 8, 2018 [11 favorites]
@Team_Mitch (official campaign account) [PHOTO]: "Thanks for playing, @DonBlankenship. #WVSen"
And then there's a photo of McConnell surrounded by what I guess is supposed to be bits of cocaine? I don't even know what's happening anymore. At all.
The McConnell image comes from these "Narcos" promos pics of Escobar surrounded by coke. The chest hair remains unchanged from the original.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:41 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
And then there's a photo of McConnell surrounded by what I guess is supposed to be bits of cocaine? I don't even know what's happening anymore. At all.
The McConnell image comes from these "Narcos" promos pics of Escobar surrounded by coke. The chest hair remains unchanged from the original.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:41 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
> According to the official State Department transcript, Pompeo called the leader of North Korea "Chairman Un"
. . . and there is the two-word slam-dunk case for Kansas to stop massively underfunding the state's education system. We finally get a Kansan in high national public office and he immediately crams his foot and entire leg down his throat because he's too damn stupid to spend any time learning about any culture but his own, or trust other people--which the State Department has* in spades--who are hired specifically because they have this knowledge.
He's so dumb he doesn't even know that he is dumb.
And when people ask why kids need to have basic knowledge of art, history, and culture, etc etc because "When am I ever going to use this stuff in real life" there is your two-word answer.
*or at least HAD, before the Trumpocalypse and Tiller-tastrophe.
posted by flug at 7:42 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
. . . and there is the two-word slam-dunk case for Kansas to stop massively underfunding the state's education system. We finally get a Kansan in high national public office and he immediately crams his foot and entire leg down his throat because he's too damn stupid to spend any time learning about any culture but his own, or trust other people--which the State Department has* in spades--who are hired specifically because they have this knowledge.
He's so dumb he doesn't even know that he is dumb.
And when people ask why kids need to have basic knowledge of art, history, and culture, etc etc because "When am I ever going to use this stuff in real life" there is your two-word answer.
*or at least HAD, before the Trumpocalypse and Tiller-tastrophe.
posted by flug at 7:42 PM on May 8, 2018 [10 favorites]
Essential Consultants LLC is a Delaware Limited Liability Company. It's based in Delaware because Delaware is a famously friendly jurisdiction for corporations, and making an LLC there is effortless.
Despite this, the Essential Consultants LLC which received hundreds of thousands of dollars of what appears to be bribe money from major public companies AT&T and Novartis, is the very same Essential Consultants LLC which was NAMED on the immediately-pre-election hush-money non-disclosure-agreement with Stormy Daniels.
Trump, Cohen and Associates were lazy enough to decline the minimal additional effort required simply to make a new LLC that would put a little distance between a silenced porn star and major corporate bribery of the President of the United States.
Therefore, I have zero faith that they have had any success in hiding their tracks. All the facts are going to come out, and all the criminal behavior is going to be proven. The only way to prevent Federal criminal charges is to destroy the rule of law in the Federal jurisdiction; and even that cannot stop the related charges from the state jurisdictions.
Trump's best move remains bundling his friends and family into Air Force One and landing in Sochi, permanently.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [39 favorites]
Despite this, the Essential Consultants LLC which received hundreds of thousands of dollars of what appears to be bribe money from major public companies AT&T and Novartis, is the very same Essential Consultants LLC which was NAMED on the immediately-pre-election hush-money non-disclosure-agreement with Stormy Daniels.
Trump, Cohen and Associates were lazy enough to decline the minimal additional effort required simply to make a new LLC that would put a little distance between a silenced porn star and major corporate bribery of the President of the United States.
Therefore, I have zero faith that they have had any success in hiding their tracks. All the facts are going to come out, and all the criminal behavior is going to be proven. The only way to prevent Federal criminal charges is to destroy the rule of law in the Federal jurisdiction; and even that cannot stop the related charges from the state jurisdictions.
Trump's best move remains bundling his friends and family into Air Force One and landing in Sochi, permanently.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:43 PM on May 8, 2018 [39 favorites]
Santana Deberry has won the nomination (and thus likely the general) for Durham County, NC District Attorney. Deberry ran on a pro-reform platform, a la Larry Krasner in Philadelphia.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:45 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:45 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
CJR: Voices on the left are rising in the US. Why aren’t they in mainstream media?
Cancel your NYT. There's a ton of great journalism out there to consume, at media orgs that don't give platforms to nazis, racists and science-deniers. The NYT is a big part of the problem and doesn't deserve to be the paper of record.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [65 favorites]
According to a 2017 YouGov poll, over 75 percent of Democrats had a favorable view of Sanders, whereas only 13 percent of Republicans had an unfavorable view of Trump. And yet while avowedly socialist commentators are rare in the mainstream press, opinion editors have continued to offer a full menu of (usually white male) never-Trump right-wingers, from David Brooks, Bret Stephens, and Ross Douthat at the Times to David Frum and (briefly) Williamson at The Atlantic, and from the Post’s George Will to recurring cable and public radio talking heads like Jonah Goldberg and Bill Kristol. If Americans are supposed to be exposed to a broad range of perspectives, why does so much commentary feel lopsided?
...
“I do wonder….if most people give a fuck what the latest New York Times op-ed is? I feel like they don’t,” adds Gaby Del Valle, a staff writer at The Outline. “But then at the same time, I do feel this is all driving a national conversation, whether we’re aware of it or not.”
These outlets strive—and are thus perceived, at least in some quarters—to set the boundaries of legitimate debate in the US. Politicians and other influential public figures read them, and filter what they say into their own thoughts and speeches. And while social media may have democratized speech, its raw clamor has arguably boosted the prestige of more austere, better curated commentary pages. “If you’re a mainstream publication, a large publication, you’re creating a public record of thinking,” says Cobb. [emphasis mine]
Cancel your NYT. There's a ton of great journalism out there to consume, at media orgs that don't give platforms to nazis, racists and science-deniers. The NYT is a big part of the problem and doesn't deserve to be the paper of record.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [65 favorites]
Senate Intelligence Committee, Russian Targeting of Election Infrastructure During the 2016 Election: Summary of Initial Findings and Recommendations
I just want to back up to this one for a second because it got buried. None of this is exactly new, but it's still startling to see it in black and white:
posted by zachlipton at 7:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
I just want to back up to this one for a second because it got buried. None of this is exactly new, but it's still startling to see it in black and white:
At least 18 states had election systems targeted by Russian-affiliated cyber actors in some fashion...In at least six states, the Russian-affiliated cyber actors went beyond scanning and conducted malicious access attempts on voting-related websites [per the footnote, mostly SQL injection vulnerabilities]. In a small number of states, Russian-affiliated cyber actors were able to gain access to restricted elements of election infrastructure. In a small number of states, these cyber actors were in a position to, at a minimum, alter or delete voter registration data; however, they did not appear to be in a position to manipulate individual votes or aggregate vote totals.It goes on to explain that DHS was ineffective in addressing this, though there has been improvement lately, and highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure, including high-risk paperless DRE voting machines.
...
The Committee saw no evidence that votes were changed and found that, on balance, the diversity of our voting infrastructure is a strength.
posted by zachlipton at 7:59 PM on May 8, 2018 [17 favorites]
Oh, and this happened today. First Mueller convict reports to prison. Alex van der Zwaan reported to serve his 30 day sentence for lying to investigators.
posted by zachlipton at 8:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 8:02 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
Trump, Cohen and Associates were lazy enough to decline the minimal additional effort required simply to make a new LLC that would put a little distance between a silenced porn star and major corporate bribery of the President of the United States.
It gets even stupider.
Josh Marshall
Consider this. Michael Cohen (and likely others) knew all this money had been collected through Essential Consultants LLC. Money from Russia. Payoffs from corporate titans. And yet, even knowing that he went to war with Stormy Daniels using that shell corp.
2/ It's almost mind-boggling how reckless that was. He could have just chosen not to fight it. Perhaps the feds were already on to this. And he was going to get caught either way. But I'm not sure that's the case. In any case, he clearly didn't know the Feds were on to him ...
3/ in any case. So why did he escalate a high octane legal fight knowing that he was publicizing a shell company that was tied to these payoffs?
posted by chris24 at 8:07 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
It gets even stupider.
Josh Marshall
Consider this. Michael Cohen (and likely others) knew all this money had been collected through Essential Consultants LLC. Money from Russia. Payoffs from corporate titans. And yet, even knowing that he went to war with Stormy Daniels using that shell corp.
2/ It's almost mind-boggling how reckless that was. He could have just chosen not to fight it. Perhaps the feds were already on to this. And he was going to get caught either way. But I'm not sure that's the case. In any case, he clearly didn't know the Feds were on to him ...
3/ in any case. So why did he escalate a high octane legal fight knowing that he was publicizing a shell company that was tied to these payoffs?
posted by chris24 at 8:07 PM on May 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
So why did he escalate a high octane legal fight knowing that he was publicizing a shell company that was tied to these payoffs?
Because he is a blustering privileged rich white dude who always got away with it before.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:12 PM on May 8, 2018 [22 favorites]
Because he is a blustering privileged rich white dude who always got away with it before.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:12 PM on May 8, 2018 [22 favorites]
Sometimes I feel like Cohen has just been engaging in a long, obvious cry for help. He can't seem to stop himself from doing whatever dumbfuck thing Trump tells him to do, and he's just begging for someone, anyone, to step in and end this personal hell he's been in for the past 15 years.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:13 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Cancel your NYT. There's a ton of great journalism out there to consume, at media orgs that don't give platforms to nazis, racists and science-deniers. The NYT is a big part of the problem and doesn't deserve to be the paper of record.
I finally got around to cancelling my subscription today. I tried previously after 6 months ago but they offered me a good deal - about a 50% discount I recall. As I am in New Zealand I expected to have to call a US number but was pleasantly surprised to see that I could call local toll-free number. Got through straight away and was expecting push-back but that didn't happen. Other than being reminded that cancelling my subscription would mean only 5 free articles a month, the whole process took less than 30 seconds.
posted by vac2003 at 8:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
I finally got around to cancelling my subscription today. I tried previously after 6 months ago but they offered me a good deal - about a 50% discount I recall. As I am in New Zealand I expected to have to call a US number but was pleasantly surprised to see that I could call local toll-free number. Got through straight away and was expecting push-back but that didn't happen. Other than being reminded that cancelling my subscription would mean only 5 free articles a month, the whole process took less than 30 seconds.
posted by vac2003 at 8:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [8 favorites]
So why did he escalate a high octane legal fight knowing that he was publicizing a shell company that was tied to these payoffs?
The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.
posted by darkstar at 8:17 PM on May 8, 2018 [64 favorites]
The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.
posted by darkstar at 8:17 PM on May 8, 2018 [64 favorites]
I’m pretty gobsmacked that someone would leak SARs to Michael Avenatti, but we live in crazy times. I’ve been trying to think who all would have access, and it’s basically: FinCEN staff, law enforcement who request them, regulators, the bank staff who filed them originally, and possibly independent auditors who come in to make sure banks are filing BSA paperwork properly. My guess would be it’s someone at FinCEN doing it, but I wouldn’t bet a massive amount of money on it. I would, however, bet massive amounts of money that Avenatti somehow has his hands on SARs filed on Cohen.
Avenatti's been characteristically vocal in his attempts to obtain any SARs relating to Cohen since early last month. Naturally, the Trump Treasury Department has been reluctant to provide them, but it's entirely possible that someone, whether from there or another government agency, decided to make a move on their own. (Or it could be that, like a good legal beagel, he was trying to secure information through official channels that he had already gotten his hands on by unsanctioned means.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:19 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Avenatti's been characteristically vocal in his attempts to obtain any SARs relating to Cohen since early last month. Naturally, the Trump Treasury Department has been reluctant to provide them, but it's entirely possible that someone, whether from there or another government agency, decided to make a move on their own. (Or it could be that, like a good legal beagel, he was trying to secure information through official channels that he had already gotten his hands on by unsanctioned means.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:19 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
> ACORN registered more than 865,000 voters for the 2008 election. While other groups have tried to pick up the slack, there’s a reason Republicans haven’t selected a new organization to serve as the voter fraud boogeyman: nobody is doing the same caliber work on the same scale that ACORN did.
So around here we often ask "what can I do to help" and so here it is: Get going on creating a really effective nationwide voter registration group that targets underserved populations.
A big job, to be sure, but it surely does seem to be a very large unmet need.
posted by flug at 8:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
So around here we often ask "what can I do to help" and so here it is: Get going on creating a really effective nationwide voter registration group that targets underserved populations.
A big job, to be sure, but it surely does seem to be a very large unmet need.
posted by flug at 8:22 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
So why did he escalate a high octane legal fight knowing that he was publicizing a shell company that was tied to these payoffs?
Because he is a blustering privileged rich white dude who always got away with it before.
With a great big side of assuming a woman would easily be pushed into shutting up and going away, and it's glorious to see that bite him in the ass.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:25 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Because he is a blustering privileged rich white dude who always got away with it before.
With a great big side of assuming a woman would easily be pushed into shutting up and going away, and it's glorious to see that bite him in the ass.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:25 PM on May 8, 2018 [13 favorites]
Former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul writes that Vekselberg was no longer part of Putin's inner circle, but speculates that Vekselberg's payment to Cohen may have been an attempt to curry favor with Putin to get back in.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [5 favorites]
I never want to hear about leaked internal polls ever again. They are garbage with an agenda.
posted by Justinian at 8:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:26 PM on May 8, 2018 [19 favorites]
...you have begun on the path to true wisdom.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [38 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:30 PM on May 8, 2018 [38 favorites]
On the Iran agreement
Guy Endore-Kaiser says "I guess it comes down to who you think is smarter -- Obama and the governments of China, France, Germany, and the UK ... or the guy who bragged about successfully identifying a camel on a dementia test."
posted by JackFlash at 8:36 PM on May 8, 2018 [109 favorites]
Guy Endore-Kaiser says "I guess it comes down to who you think is smarter -- Obama and the governments of China, France, Germany, and the UK ... or the guy who bragged about successfully identifying a camel on a dementia test."
posted by JackFlash at 8:36 PM on May 8, 2018 [109 favorites]
> ACORN registered more than 865,000 voters for the 2008 election. While other groups have tried to pick up the slack, there’s a reason Republicans haven’t selected a new organization to serve as the voter fraud boogeyman: nobody is doing the same caliber work on the same scale that ACORN did.
So around here we often ask "what can I do to help" and so here it is: Get going on creating a really effective nationwide voter registration group that targets underserved populations.
A big job, to be sure, but it surely does seem to be a very large unmet need.
Call it Dem Nuts and I am in.
posted by srboisvert at 8:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
So around here we often ask "what can I do to help" and so here it is: Get going on creating a really effective nationwide voter registration group that targets underserved populations.
A big job, to be sure, but it surely does seem to be a very large unmet need.
Call it Dem Nuts and I am in.
posted by srboisvert at 8:46 PM on May 8, 2018 [21 favorites]
RE: Be Best
All the people in this circle (syndicate) got through Yale or wherever by cutting and pasting and half-assing it. It worked so well for them so far that they have no idea that there even IS a difference between that and doing their job. So when the wider world points out that their product is the poorly disguised work of other people they react with genuine surprise saying, "why are you being so meeeeaaaaan?"
They are the shoddy, insular, mediocre, coddled legacies of hereditary elites. When they complain about "participation trophies" the irony could choke a snuffleupagus.
posted by Horkus at 8:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [52 favorites]
All the people in this circle (syndicate) got through Yale or wherever by cutting and pasting and half-assing it. It worked so well for them so far that they have no idea that there even IS a difference between that and doing their job. So when the wider world points out that their product is the poorly disguised work of other people they react with genuine surprise saying, "why are you being so meeeeaaaaan?"
They are the shoddy, insular, mediocre, coddled legacies of hereditary elites. When they complain about "participation trophies" the irony could choke a snuffleupagus.
posted by Horkus at 8:47 PM on May 8, 2018 [52 favorites]
Buncombe County (Asheville), NC nominates African-American reform candidate Quentin Miller for Sheriff. Asheville recently had a nasty racially tinged police incident.
Miller is a favorite in the general, although not a prohibitive one.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
Miller is a favorite in the general, although not a prohibitive one.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:53 PM on May 8, 2018 [15 favorites]
Be Best. Not Be the Best. Russian has no articles.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:55 PM on May 8, 2018 [49 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:55 PM on May 8, 2018 [49 favorites]
In OH-12 primaries (both the special and the regular), Dems got their favored candidate in business owner Danny O'Connor.
The GOP primaries were very close, but in the end, state Senator Troy Balderson edged business owner Melanie Leneghan by about a point. This is a relief for the GOP, as Leneghan was seen as too fringe for the district.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
The GOP primaries were very close, but in the end, state Senator Troy Balderson edged business owner Melanie Leneghan by about a point. This is a relief for the GOP, as Leneghan was seen as too fringe for the district.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:57 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
In NC HD-11, incumbent Duane Hall, accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, was turfed out by newcomer Allison Dahle.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:01 PM on May 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:01 PM on May 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
From @GenderWatch2018:
#WVPrimary results are all in:
Women candidates secured 3 of 6 major party nominations for U.S. House seats, including 2 Democratic challengers (in solidly R districts) and 1 Republican woman (@CarolMillerWV) running for an open seat labeled likely R by @CookPolitical.
2 of 7 U.S. House nominees in Indiana are Black women: Democrats @votethornton & @JeannineLeeLake. The last Black woman to serve in Indiana's congressional delegation left office in 2007. cc: @HigherHeights #INPrimary
3 of 6 U.S. House nominees in NC are Black women: incumbent @repadams and challengers @LindaForNC and @DDAdamsCongress. cc: @HigherHeights #NCPrimary
posted by triggerfinger at 9:17 PM on May 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
#WVPrimary results are all in:
Women candidates secured 3 of 6 major party nominations for U.S. House seats, including 2 Democratic challengers (in solidly R districts) and 1 Republican woman (@CarolMillerWV) running for an open seat labeled likely R by @CookPolitical.
2 of 7 U.S. House nominees in Indiana are Black women: Democrats @votethornton & @JeannineLeeLake. The last Black woman to serve in Indiana's congressional delegation left office in 2007. cc: @HigherHeights #INPrimary
3 of 6 U.S. House nominees in NC are Black women: incumbent @repadams and challengers @LindaForNC and @DDAdamsCongress. cc: @HigherHeights #NCPrimary
posted by triggerfinger at 9:17 PM on May 8, 2018 [27 favorites]
"The GOP primaries were very close, but in the end, state Senator Troy Balderson edged business owner Melanie Leneghan by about a point. This is a relief for the GOP, as Leneghan was seen as too fringe for the district."
Somebody (Leneghan herself?) parked an SUV with a giant "Conservative For Congress Melanie Leneghan" sign in the back window about 15 feet outside of our polling location this morning.
The poll workers called it in, not sure if it got towed later on or what happens there, but fringe feels appropriate as a descriptor. I've never seen something like that before.
posted by imabanana at 9:35 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Somebody (Leneghan herself?) parked an SUV with a giant "Conservative For Congress Melanie Leneghan" sign in the back window about 15 feet outside of our polling location this morning.
The poll workers called it in, not sure if it got towed later on or what happens there, but fringe feels appropriate as a descriptor. I've never seen something like that before.
posted by imabanana at 9:35 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
So around here we often ask "what can I do to help" and so here it is: Get going on creating a really effective nationwide voter registration group that targets underserved populations.
Or work on campaigning locally and nationally for changing voter registration to be opt-out rather than opt-in, so that everyone is registered to vote by default. Or both.
posted by biogeo at 10:03 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
Or work on campaigning locally and nationally for changing voter registration to be opt-out rather than opt-in, so that everyone is registered to vote by default. Or both.
posted by biogeo at 10:03 PM on May 8, 2018 [16 favorites]
Exactly. Why should anyone not be registered to vote, ever? The government tracks your identity and residence for social security, for taxes and for driver's licenses. There is literally no reason to require an additional step.
posted by msalt at 10:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [64 favorites]
posted by msalt at 10:05 PM on May 8, 2018 [64 favorites]
GOP voters torn between ‘normal’ candidate and eldritch abomination (Alexandra Petri, WaPo)
EVERYWHERE, AMERICA — With the rise of candidates like Roy Moore in Alabama and Don Blankenship in West Virginia, who, after the Upper Big Branch mining disaster, which killed 29 people, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for willfully violating mine safety standards and who recently released an anti-McConnell ad talking about “China People,” Republican voters are finding themselves faced with a serious dilemma.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:28 PM on May 8, 2018 [39 favorites]
“On the one hand, Mr. Blankenship has said some pretty racist things,” commented one potential voter. “On the other hand, he did go to prison after all those miners died. So it’s a tossup.”
“This is like the opposite of that Roy Moore situation in Alabama,” Potential Voter’s wife noted. “He was very racist and also at times anti-Semitic, but he was too fond of minors. This works better out loud.”
Republican primary voters in many states now face what should be an easy choice between a relatively traditional, mainline candidate and a garbage bag filled with dead squirrels that has said many racist things and speaks warmly of President Trump. But — complicating this decision — the garbage bag full of squirrels has recently been accused or convicted of a serious crime. This has given hope to many establishment Republicans, who would be depressed at the prospect of forking hard-earned cash into the campaign coffers of an eldritch abomination cursed in many tongues and on many continents, whose name is death and whose face is a coil of writhing tentacles, if this abomination were not guaranteed to win in November.
After a thoroughly rediculous day, let's start fresh with a NEW THREAD.
posted by zachlipton at 12:35 AM on May 9, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 12:35 AM on May 9, 2018 [27 favorites]
🍪🍪🥛
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 1:54 AM on May 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 1:54 AM on May 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
Doktor Zed: "CNN: Trump Floats 'Closing Up The Country For A While' Over Border Security"
So if you are planning an international conference of any sort sometime in the next 6 years don't be putting the States on the short list. Or really any sort of non 100% refundable vacation.
scaryblackdeath: ""It's all about pay raises" is a wedge tactic to make teachers look whiny and greedy."
We get that here too and when people start ranting on about it I always respond with "So?" and "Are you saying teachers should never get CoL increases?". I've even had this debate in my Hall for cripes sake.
photoslob: "Reminder: if you have an Amazon prime membership you get a steep discount on a Post subscription. I love the fact that both Amazon AND the Post make Trump angry."
It's more that he's pissed at the owner of both.
fluttering hellfire: "Be Best. Not Be the Best. Russian has no articles."
To be fair English isn't the First Lady's first language.
posted by Mitheral at 7:11 PM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
So if you are planning an international conference of any sort sometime in the next 6 years don't be putting the States on the short list. Or really any sort of non 100% refundable vacation.
scaryblackdeath: ""It's all about pay raises" is a wedge tactic to make teachers look whiny and greedy."
We get that here too and when people start ranting on about it I always respond with "So?" and "Are you saying teachers should never get CoL increases?". I've even had this debate in my Hall for cripes sake.
photoslob: "Reminder: if you have an Amazon prime membership you get a steep discount on a Post subscription. I love the fact that both Amazon AND the Post make Trump angry."
It's more that he's pissed at the owner of both.
fluttering hellfire: "Be Best. Not Be the Best. Russian has no articles."
To be fair English isn't the First Lady's first language.
posted by Mitheral at 7:11 PM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mitheral, I don't have a problem with that and would never criticise her for any personal infelicities, but this is an official publication. We don't expect state dinners to rely on the cooking skills of the President's spouse; there are staffers for that. The same goes for other official acts. Even if she was solely responsible for the slogan it still reflects bad judgement: she should have taken better advice.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:36 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:36 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:24 AM on April 27, 2018 [17 favorites]