"Very legal & very cool"—Individual 1

December 7, 2018 8:10 AM

The Special Counsel's office has been busy lately, beginning with Michael Cohen's surprise court appearance last Thursday to plead guilty to lying about the Trump Tower Project in Moscow (PDF) and then Michael Flynn's heavily redacted sentencing memo on Tuesday (PDF). While Cohen's guilty plea filing was expansive—finally linking "Individual 1" (Donald Trump) formally to the Special Counsel investigation (WaPo)—here's how to read between the lines of Mueller's blacked-out memo on Flynn (CNN). Mueller’s sentencing memo for Flynn doubles as a warning to Manafort (Natasha Bertrand, The Atlantic), and it should worry Kushner and Trump (Bloomberg). But what's behind those lengthy redactions? One clue: As Flynn case winds down, investigation of Turkish lobbying persists (NYT). It's all leading up to a big day Friday (CNBC), with expectations of Michael Cohen's sentencing memos, new details in Paul Manafort's case, James Comey's closed-door testimony on Capitol Hill, and George Papadopoulos's release from prison.

• The ACA enrollment deadline in many states is approaching fast: December 15. Get yourself and your family covered today at healthcare.gov. With enrollment currently down 11% compared to last year, Why Is Obamacare Enrollment Down? (NYT).

• Lame Duck Roundup: "Republicans in four key swing states—Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina—are undertaking unprecedented efforts in lame-duck legislative sessions to strip newly elected Democratic officials (Mother Jones) of their power to oversee state voting laws and rushing to pass new laws that will make it harder to vote." The GOP’s 2018 Autopsy: Democracy Is Our Enemy (NY Magazine); The Lame-Duck Power Grab (Slate)

• NC-09 Roundup: As Nate Silver facetiously changes his rating in the race to "Lean Prison," new evidence has emerged that Republican officials had early warnings of voting irregularities in North Carolina (WaPo), but the party ignored these warnings from the primary. New evidence links Republican candidate Mark Harris to ballot harvester McCrae Dowless, who may have been doing this for eight years. BuzzFeed takes us Inside The North Carolina Republican Vote Machine: Cash, Pills — And Ballots as the New Yorker lays out the full story in A Republican Operative Faced Prior Allegations of Election Fraud in a Disputed North Carolina District. Now, former NC elections officials say they've reported similar instances of absentee ballot fraud, and prosecutors have been uninterested in the cases (News & Observer). On Thursday, Democrat Dan McCready withdrew his concession, and CNN reported ballot irregularities tied to Dowless in neighboring Robeson County as well. Yet more new revelations in “I Don’t Vote” — But He Did. Here’s How Alleged Election Fraud Works In North Carolina (BuzzFeed).

• China Trade Deal/Trade War Round-up: Following Trump's fraught G20 meeting (NYMag), Trump's aides have been struggling to detail the deal he says he cut with Xi (Bloomberg); Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada, accused of violating US sanctions on Iran (Globe and Mail), and now an administration official is saying the arrest could be used as leverage in trade talks (CNN). UCLA economists predict the U.S. economy will downshift In 2019 and 2020—The United States is “playing with fire” in launching a trade war with China (LA Times); Donald Trump could be the first president since Jimmy Carter to run for re-election during a recession (CNBC)

• Whitaker Round-up: Whitaker’s Ascent at Justice Dept. Surprised Investigators of Firm Accused of Fraud (NYT); No Clarity On Whether Whitaker Sought Ethics Advice On Potential Conflicts In Russia Probe (CNN); Senate Democrats demand details from DOJ on any conflicts of interest for Whitaker (Politico); The Whitaker Solution—The Supreme Court has a chance to rebuke President Trump and reaffirm judicial independence. Will the justices take it? (TNR); meanwhile, the Justice Department Still Hasn't Told The Federal Accountability Office That Jeff Sessions Quit (Buzzfeed)

• House Investigations Round-up: Which Investigations Will the Dems Launch First? They will have plenty of targets to choose from come January. (David Corn, Mother Jones); Inside House Democrats’ Plans to Investigate the FCC and Net Neutrality—Ajit Pai has been able to escape scrutiny as head of Trump’s FCC. That’s about to change.

• Victorina Morales/Bedminster Roundup: Making President Trump’s Bed: A Housekeeper Without Papers (NYT); Housekeeper Who Worked Illegally at Trump Golf Resort Alleges Mistreatment (WaPo); Trump Personally Employs Undocumented Immigrants? That May Be a Federal Crime (Law & Crime). This sort of thing has happened before (Time)… Also, Trump Stiffs Chauffeur For Overtime After 25 Years of Service (court filing)

IN OTHER HEADLINES:

• Blue Wave keeps rolling: With Valado's (R-CA-21) concession to Democrat T.J. Cox, the blue wave has officially reached 40 House seats.

• Following news of a major cyber-hack in April of GOP e-mail servers (Politico), top Republican donors aren’t getting any information about the House Republican campaign arm getting hacked—“You would expect a little better customer service,” one NRCC donor said of the communication about the hack. (Buzzfeed)

• Documents Point to Illegal Campaign Coordination Between Trump and the NRA (Mother Jones). The Trump campaign and the NRA used linked consultants to buy closely related ads during the 2016 campaign, leading to questions about violations of campaign finance law, which prohibits such coordination.

• The Trump Organization Planned To Give Vladimir Putin The $50 Million Penthouse In Trump Tower Moscow (BuzzFeed)

• Ajit Pai Admits Russia Interfered In Net Neutrality Process Amid Lawsuit (Daily Dot)

• Pelosi Casts Doubt on Passage of Trump's New NAFTA Without Changes to Bolster Its Labor and Environmental Protections (Politico)

• Trump to Nominate State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert as U.S. Ambassador to U.N. (WaPo); Trump Says He'll Nominate William Barr To Be Attorney General (CBS)

• ‘Enough was enough’: How CNN boss reached the boiling point with Sarah Sanders (WaPo); CNN v Trump Might Be Over. But the Dangers Are Just Beginning. New White House rules governing the press corps threaten the First Amendment. (Politico). And yesterday, hours after Trump tweeted about "Fake News Media", CNN's NYC offices received a bomb threat one minute before Trump tweeted, yet again, "FAKE NEWS - THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!" (After evacuating the Time Warner Building, police found no devices.) (NBC).

Today is the 685th day of the Trump administration, during which he has said 3,924 false things (Toronto Star). There are 696 days left until the 2020 elections.

Keeping Track: The Weekly List (Amy Siskind); What The Fuck Just Happened Today?; The Weekly Sift; The “Everything Terrible The Trump Administration Has Done So Far” Omnibus; Perjury Chart: Trump Associates’ Lies, False, or Misleading Statements on Russia to Federal Authorities (Just Security)

Previously in U.S. Politics Megathreads: "I would give myself an A+, is that enough? Can I go higher than that?"

Megathread-Adjacent Posts and Sites:
• Bring Democracy To America (John D. Dingell, The Atlantic)
• George H. W. Bush obituary thread
• How a serial sex abuser got an extraordinary deal (Trump friend Jeffrey Epstein)
• Boycott Fox News
• Truth Sandwiches (George Lakoff, framing, etc.)
• Save me from tomorrow (US Election Day, cont.)
• OnceUponATime's Active Measures site
• Chrysostom's 2018 Election Ratings & Results Tracker

Elsewhere in MetaFilter: On MeTa, what Mefites are doing to improve things; and on AskMe, nonpolitical volunteering from home and fighting fascism and building a movement.

As always, please consider MeFi chat and the unofficial PoliticsFilter Slack for hot-takes and live-blogging breaking news, the new MetaTalk venting thread for catharsis and sympathizing, and funding the site if you're able. Also, for the sake of the ever-helpful mods, please keep in mind the MetaTalk on expectations about U.S. political discussion on MetaFilter. Thanks to box, ragtag, and Zachlipton for helping to create this thread. U.S. Politics FPPs are generally collaborative, and a draft post can be found on the MeFi Wiki.

posted by Doktor Zed (2157 comments total)

UN Ambassador nominee Heather Nauert once cited D-Day as the height of German-US relations. The best people.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:13 AM on December 7, 2018 [24 favorites]

I would like a Congressional investigation into organized voter fraud involving absentee ballots. The GOP has never kept a good ratfucking local. There’s no fucking way it was only in one district.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:28 AM on December 7, 2018 [66 favorites]

Ana Navarro: John Kelly is bailing on Trump because he’s ‘tired of babysitting President Loco’
posted by growabrain at 8:30 AM on December 7, 2018 [23 favorites]

I would like a Congressional investigation into organized voter fraud involving absentee ballots. The GOP has never kept a good ratfucking local. There’s no fucking way it was only in one district.

Let's start in Michigan and Wisconsin.
posted by azpenguin at 8:38 AM on December 7, 2018 [34 favorites]

UN Ambassador nominee Heather Nauert once cited D-Day as the height of German-US relations.

I mean, it‘s hard to admit this, and won‘t pad her allegedly ‚thin résumé‘, but the German anti-fascist in me kind of agrees...
posted by The Toad at 8:44 AM on December 7, 2018 [7 favorites]

After reading this interview with Seth Abramson at Salon and this comment in particular --

None of Trump's attorneys, I would say, seem to be very skilled. I don’t know whether they know the truth or simply suspect the truth, but I will tell you this is the advice Trump's attorneys are likely giving him: "You need to stay in the Oval Office for as long as you possibly can, because the moment you leave the Oval Office, you are going to be indicted. If you can find a way to hold on to 2020 and stay in office another four years after that, then that is what you need to do, because once you leave office you'll be indicted."

That case can be stretched out to a number of years with appeals and so on and so forth. The hope is for Donald Trump to simply -- and I'm going to try to say this as delicately as I can -- he is advanced in years and just in terms of his natural lifespan, there are only so many years that he has left. As his attorney, you would say, “Let’s try to run out the clock essentially on your natural lifespan without you ever having to go inside a prison cell.” That’s the advice you’d be giving Donald Trump right now.

-- I wonder if Mueller's endgame is to indict everyone surrounding Trump. Every cabinet member, all of his advisors (especially the ones he's related to), everyone he has hired. They are all complicit in one form or another. If you can't get Trump until he leaves office, you can at least take down everyone connected to him.
posted by pjsky at 8:46 AM on December 7, 2018 [56 favorites]

Bloomberg: Putin’s ‘American’ Oligarch Privately Boasted of Trump Ties. Then He Lost Billions—A chance New York encounter between onetime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and a relative of Viktor Vekselberg has cost the Russian dearly.

This saga, much of it previously unreported, began with a chance encounter between Cohen, Trump’s now-disgraced former lawyer, and Vekselberg’s American cousin, Andrew Intrater, in the fall of 2016. Soon, Trump would be in the White House and Vekselberg would be privately boasting of having the pull needed to help achieve the sanctions relief the Kremlin was craving, people familiar with the matter said. Instead, he became the richest victim of the most dangerous standoff between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.[...]

In January 2017, just after Trump assumed the presidency, Columbus Nova signed a $1 million consulting contract with Cohen, who would later become deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. The firm eventually wired a total of about $500,000 to the same legal entity that Cohen used to pay hush money to an adult film star who claims to have had an affair with Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.[...]

Intrater met Cohen by accident in a mid-town Manhattan restaurant in the fall of 2016, when a mutual friend introduced them, a person familiar with the matter said. In early January 2017, after his $250,000 gift but before Trump took office, Intrater escorted Vekselberg to Trump Tower in New York for an impromptu meeting with Cohen, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.[…]

In May, after Vekselberg was forced to seek about $1 billion of funding within Russia for his overseas operations, the government’s special sanctions bank charged him about 11 percent interest, far more than he was paying in Europe using the same assets as collateral, and demanded that he personally guarantee the loan, a person familiar with the matter said.[…]

Since liquidating his most valuable Russian asset, Vekselberg has focused on his remaining Russian holdings, including a stake in Rusal that he co-owns with [Len] Blavatnik, as well as his overseas investments and various philanthropic endeavors. In 2014, as chairman of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow, he oversaw a fundraising gala that was attended by Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.

Bloomberg's timing this article's publication to coincide with Cohen's sentencing memos is intriguing in every way.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:56 AM on December 7, 2018 [19 favorites]

I'm sincerely curious about this - James Comey is in a closed-door hearing, but I heard that he actually requested a public hearing and it was Congress who said no. Can anyone explain why they may have wanted to do that?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:00 AM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

Because the Republicans are still calling the shots and they can't selectively leak quotes from an open-door hearing to make it sound like he said Trump's innocent/was right to fire Comey/etc.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:03 AM on December 7, 2018 [60 favorites]

It's quite possible that there's something deeper at work here, but when I heard about his request, it seemed like a pretty straightforward motivation: Comey wants to make sure that what he says is accurately reflected in the public record, and the (R) Congress wants to be able to cherry-pick and/or ignore anything he says that doesn't help their narrative.
posted by bluemilker at 9:03 AM on December 7, 2018 [23 favorites]

His agreement to testify includes a promise by Repubs that a transcript will be released within 24 hours. Not sure if he ensured that that means a full, unedited, un-redacted transcript.
posted by achrise at 9:11 AM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

"As his attorney, you would say, “Let’s try to run out the clock essentially on your natural lifespan without you ever having to go inside a prison cell.” That’s the advice you’d be giving Donald Trump right now."

I was talking with some other lawyers a few nights ago and we all agreed that was basically the advice we'd give him -- "You've got to stay in office as long as you possibly can, because you're fucked without abusing the power of the presidency to protect yourself, and your best-case scenario right now is dying in office. Your second-best is to hire lawyers with no shame who will delay the lawsuits and criminal trials to the maximum extent of the law." (Actually given that it's Trump, his second best is to hire lawyers who will delay the lawsuits and criminal trials to the point of obstruction and disbarment, but if he had a competent lawyer, to the maximum extent of the law.) Literally his only way out of this legal mess is by dying, and your job as a lawyer would be to delay everything you could in the hopes he dies before he goes to jail.

Unfortunately I think the Republican Party's best-case scenario right now is ALSO him getting re-elected in 2020 and then immediately dropping dead so whoever the next VP is can have three years to consolidate their power before the 2024 race. The Machiavellan among the GOP will be pushing that scenario hard, including disenfranchising as many people as possible. There's no momentum in the party for a reckoning or a house-cleaning -- the party seems prepared to white-knuckle it out, because any reckoning would be so utterly dire.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:12 AM on December 7, 2018 [117 favorites]

meanwhile, in North Carolina, it's starting to become clear why the GOP is making conciliatory noises about a possible do-over election:

AP: Mark Harris Owes $34K To Consultant Subpoenaed In Ballot Fraud Probe

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Republican candidate in North Carolina’s unresolved congressional race has acknowledged owing $34,310 to a political consultant subpoenaed in a ballot fraud probe, according to a federal campaign filing that refers to work at the heart of the investigation.

The Mark Harris campaign listed its debt to the Red Dome Group in a late Thursday filing with the Federal Election Commission. The form said the nature of the debt included “Reimbursement Payment for Bladen Absentee” and “Reimbursement Door to Door.”

Bladen County’s absentee ballots are at the center of a fraud probe that has prompted the North Carolina Elections Board to refuse to certify Harris as the winner over Democrat Dan McCready. The board cited allegations of “irregularities and concerted fraudulent activities” involving mail-in ballots, and subpoenaed both the Harris campaign and Red Dome for documents.

The board could order a new election after meeting later this month to consider the evidence. For now, the vote count remains unofficial, with Harris leading McCready by 905 votes.

posted by murphy slaw at 9:14 AM on December 7, 2018 [40 favorites]

The Nate Silver tweet of "NC-09 Leans Prison" was both funny and not at all a joke.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:17 AM on December 7, 2018 [70 favorites]

If I were Iran, I'd be shaking in my boots right about now.
posted by Optamystic at 9:27 AM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

Lol, Nick Ayers for CoS. He was part of Greitens getting elected in Missouri.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:33 AM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

“You would expect a little better customer service,” one NRCC donor said of the communication about the hack. (Buzzfeed)

Indeed! One would expect a certain level of discretion and anonymity when one is out and about purchasing congressmen for their friends and loved ones this holiday season!
posted by sexyrobot at 9:35 AM on December 7, 2018 [7 favorites]

As mentioned above:

Attorney and author Seth Abramson: Donald Trump sets “new paradigm for treachery.” Part 1 of 2

Author and attorney Seth Abramson on why Mueller “will ultimately be victorious.” Part 2 of 2 (Chauncey DeVega, Salon)

With all of the recent developments in Mueller's investigation, where are we in the timeline of the Russia-Trump scandal?

It is unlikely, even if things proceed pretty expeditiously, that we could reach the terminus of this story before the very beginning of 2020. That of course is itself enormously complicated because then you're looking at the [presidential] caucuses and primaries in January and February of 2020.

Part of that delay in getting to a just conclusion with Mueller's investigation and Trump's Russia connections is that there are almost certainly going to be some legal battles. These could potentially involve subpoenaing the president -- which Muller may try to do -- as well as executive privilege claims from Trump's legal team with respect to the Mueller report.

As far as Mueller’s side of things, no one knows for sure how much time he has left. But you can look at his progress and project out from there that we might be seeing a final report sent to the Department of Justice sometime in very late spring or early summer. But of course that does not mean that the American people and the world get to see it immediately. It all just mean that is when the legal battles begin.

Oh boy.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:42 AM on December 7, 2018 [12 favorites]

Malcolm Nance calls for everyone on Twitter to report this tweet for violation of Terms of Service
posted by growabrain at 9:42 AM on December 7, 2018 [25 favorites]

cross posted from the last mega thread:

Mueller investigators questioned John Kelly in obstruction probe

Washington (CNN)White House chief of staff John Kelly was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller's team in recent months, three people with knowledge of the matter told CNN.

Kelly responded to a narrow set of questions from special counsel investigators after White House lawyers initially objected to Mueller's request to do the interview earlier this summer, the sources said. Kelly is widely expected to leave his position in the coming days and is no longer on speaking terms with President Donald Trump, CNN reported earlier Friday.
posted by bluesky43 at 9:47 AM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

Rex Tillerson makes rare public appearance in Houston (Sergio Chapa, Houston Chronicle)

Rex Tillerson Breaks His Silence: Trump Is Impulsive, Hates Reading, and Floated Illegal Plans (Hannah Levintova, Mother Jones)

“So often, the president would say, ‘Here’s what I want to do, and here’s how I want to do it,'” Tillerson recalled, according to the Houston Chronicle, “and I would have to say to him, ‘Mr. President, I understand what you want to do, but you can’t do it that way. It violates the law.'”

“I think he grew tired of me being the guy every day who told him he can’t do that,” Tillerson said.

posted by ZeusHumms at 9:52 AM on December 7, 2018 [45 favorites]

Adam Schiff:
What Trump is saying: It’s a witch hunt. We will have our own report. Mueller is bad. Comey is worse. Rosenstein is no picnic. Why don’t they go after Hillary and Brennan, anyone but me?
What he means: When Mueller’s report comes, it will be bad.
posted by growabrain at 9:52 AM on December 7, 2018 [31 favorites]

"John Kelly is out" is the second-most common story of the Trump presidency, after only Infrastructure Week, and narrowly edging out "Trump is increasingly isolated."
posted by msalt at 9:57 AM on December 7, 2018 [36 favorites]

Children's singer Raffi on criticizing Trump: "You have to fight fascism with everything you’ve got"
posted by porn in the woods at 9:58 AM on December 7, 2018 [73 favorites]

Wisconsin sabotage: Republicans approve 82 Scott Walker nominees in one day (Igor Derysh, Salon)

The mass confirmations come after Wisconsin Republicans pushed through several bills to weaken the governor’s office before Evers is sworn in. Republicans lost the governor’s race and attorney general race but held on to both chambers of the legislature as a result of a heavily pro-Republican gerrymander. Republicans won 64 percent of state assembly seats despite winning only 45 percent of the popular vote.

posted by ZeusHumms at 9:58 AM on December 7, 2018 [25 favorites]

(It is normal in the Wisconsin legislature to approve batches of executive appointments, but that is by far the biggest batch ever; a normal batch is 15, maybe 20.)
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:04 AM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

> "As his attorney, you would say, “Let’s try to run out the clock essentially on your natural lifespan without you ever having to go inside a prison cell.” That’s the advice you’d be giving Donald Trump right now."

With changes in federal sentencing guidelines first from US v. Booker, then an amendment in 2010, "age, physical condition and mental health may be relevant", so he only needs to run out the clock until home confinement is likely. Then his problem is seizure of Trump Org. docs to find out what financial crimes prosecutors didn't already know about from Cohen's docs. He might have to be confined to an apt he can rent on $207,800 a year when the apartment in the tower is taken and the fees for money laundering dry up.
posted by ASCII Costanza head at 10:05 AM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

He can't just bunk with 60% of his kids, because they'll be in jail too lolololol
posted by fluttering hellfire at 10:07 AM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

on $207,800 a year

And according to that link, only if he hasn't been removed from office.
posted by Melismata at 10:10 AM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

mikelieman: Given it was known he was compromised by Russia prior to Inauguration, I would hope they gave [Trump] a fake [nuclear] football.

I bet they gave him an actual leather football, with the word "nuclear" written in magic marker block letters on the side. And he nodded somberly, and carries it with him everywhere.
posted by msalt at 10:15 AM on December 7, 2018 [49 favorites]

oh god his next act is going to be a reality show about his life as a disgraced ex-president crashing on tiffany's couch, isn't it
posted by murphy slaw at 10:15 AM on December 7, 2018 [36 favorites]

"John Kelly is out" is the second-most common story of the Trump presidency, after only Infrastructure Week, and narrowly edging out "Trump is increasingly isolated."

Close behind is "Trump is finally becoming Presidential".
posted by scalefree at 10:16 AM on December 7, 2018 [14 favorites]

I call dibs on posting that the minute Trump resigns.
posted by msalt at 10:18 AM on December 7, 2018 [51 favorites]

"John Kelly is out" is the second-most common story of the Trump presidency

(Alexandra Petri, WaPo) from November: Every John Kelly piece I’ve read for eight months, but maybe it’s real this time?

In the tumultuous Trump White House, reports swirl that Chief of Staff John F. Kelly may be on his way out.

Although the president stated on the record that John Kelly was his best friend ever, that he was literally holding John Kelly’s hand as he was speaking, and that he hoped Kelly would stay until at least 2050, if not longer, because a day without Kelly was like a day without sunshine (after which he gave Kelly a noogie while Kelly laughed and said, “Oh, you”), sources painted a different picture. […]

Kelly is barely keeping it together, according to another senior official, and the only thing that keeps him motivated is shouting F-bombs at an effigy of John Bolton each night until he is so exhausted he drops to the floor in a swoon, murmuring, “I don’t know that I can take much more of this,” as dreamless slumber claims him.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:30 AM on December 7, 2018 [14 favorites]

Raffi is the solidarity-personifying Antifa icon we needed to balance out Gritty.
posted by contraption at 10:30 AM on December 7, 2018 [55 favorites]

Wisconsin sabotage: Republicans approve 82 Scott Walker nominees in one day (Igor Derysh, Salon)

The shit going on here in WI and next door in MI is insane and so reprehensible.

What is the remedy at this point? Democracy has failed in the laboratory. We're living under authoritarian minority rule. We literally cannot vote the bastards out. What are we supposed to do?

John Locke suggested an appeal to God when you get no justice from the established authorities. What he meant by that was to grab a musket.
posted by dis_integration at 10:40 AM on December 7, 2018 [30 favorites]

Close behind is "Trump is finally becoming Presidential"

Current WaPo:
Trump is failing everywhere. Here are some fresh signs of it.
The latest round of Trump chaos: No one but himself to blame

Current NYT:
President Trump, Under Siege

Current Boston Globe:
Khashoggi killing complicates commerce for President Trump
Trump’s pick for UN ambassador went to Pine Manor College

(No, they are not all rah rah Trump all the time, or even most of the time, but I just wish they had a spine...)
posted by Melismata at 10:44 AM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

can any of the artist people who hang out in these threads draw up a battle standard depicting a baby beluga eating Nazis plz

I can't do this because I can't draw but I DO enjoy doodling whales so I've got this if it's helpful.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 10:46 AM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

I want a Mueller advent calendar like they did on The Daily Show.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:47 AM on December 7, 2018 [9 favorites]

Wisconsin sabotage: Republicans approve 82 Scott Walker nominees in one day

Is the USA the only democracy with lame duck sessions of government? I know in Canada, UK, and other parliamentary systems elections take place while the legislature is in recess, and take effect immediately before parliament resumes.
For a country that often claims to have perfected democracy you have some very strange antidemocratic loopholes.
posted by rocket88 at 10:53 AM on December 7, 2018 [94 favorites]

Politico, Abby Livingston, The Hardest Glass Ceiling in Politics: "This was supposed to be the year of the woman. But dozens of female political operatives say they weren’t invited to the party." A detailed feature based on interviews with 50+ women in politics

----

WSJ, The Secret Way Seniors Can Keep Deducting Gifts to Charity. With the increase in the standard deduction, millions more taxpayers will no longer receive a separate charitable tax deduction, leading to concerns about a drop in giving. This article discusses a trick available only to IRA owners over 70½ to still get a tax break from donating even while getting the standard deduction.

Love to give tax breaks to the people who least need them.

----

@anniekarni: Trump just commended a law enforcement agent for his work fighting "rival gangs, right here in St. Louis." Members of the audience in Kansas City did a double take.

So this event is going great.
posted by zachlipton at 10:55 AM on December 7, 2018 [65 favorites]

Luck and circumstance

I can truthfully say that I would not have this job, this marriage, these children, and this life if I had not decided to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam out of what was, essentially, spite. Passing the exam was hard work, but I certainly did not need to take it - it was at the time irrelevant to my then-plans.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:56 AM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

Is the USA the only democracy with lame duck sessions of government? I know in Canada, UK, and other parliamentary systems elections take place while the legislature is in recess, and take effect immediately before parliament resumes.

This is due to the fact that we have no mandatory recess for the legislature. I don't know how many other democracies share that feature.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:00 AM on December 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

For a country that often claims to have perfected democracy you have some very strange antidemocratic loopholes.

To be fair, we were a pretty state-of-the-art democratic republic in 1781, with major updates in 1865, 1933 and 1964-5.

I think the Westminster operating system is still better though, it's really changed a lot since the 1832 overhaul.
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:11 AM on December 7, 2018 [16 favorites]

Justice Department Still Hasn’t Said That Sessions Quit

Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, the head of the Justice Department was to report the vacancy in the office of attorney general… ‘immediately.’ It’s been a month since Trump forced then-Attorney General Sessions to resign and then tweeted that Matthew Whitaker, Sessions’ chief of staff, would be the acting attorney general.

... As to Whitaker's appointment itself, the White House has simply said there is a memorandum and that it was sent to Whitaker.

... Neither the White House nor the Justice Department has provided a copy of the memorandum, despite repeated requests, with the White House refusing to turn it over.

Trump later tweeted that the new US flag was his underwear and all of Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies were retroactively unreleased.
posted by petebest at 11:22 AM on December 7, 2018 [15 favorites]

I'm not sure whether colluding with a foreign power to hack an election is better or worse than protecting a child rapist, or perhaps even being one yourself. It's just evil all the way down and it all blurs at some point.
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:27 AM on December 7, 2018 [10 favorites]

From the Department of No Shit, Sherlock:
Trump is reportedly ‘glued’ to the stock market’s fluctuations and worried he’s causing them
posted by JimInLoganSquare at 11:29 AM on December 7, 2018 [37 favorites]

Living in Germany as I have for the last number of years, I feel like the German constitution is what you get when you take all the lessons learned since the US one was written and start again with a clean piece of paper.

What's the first thing in it? "Human dignity is inviolable". Followed by a whole load of stuff about fundamental rights, and then eventually, after all that is laid down, stuff about how the country is to be governed.

What's the first thing in the US constitution? A lengthy description of who's in charge. Habeas corpus gets a mention nine sections in. Other than that, human rights don't feature at all until they started amending it.
posted by Buck Alec at 11:32 AM on December 7, 2018 [110 favorites]

From the Department of No Shit, Sherlock:
Trump is reportedly ‘glued’ to the stock market’s fluctuations and worried he’s causing them

I'm guessing Individual One has some investments in the stock market, because I can't imagine a world where he's worried about anyone else's 401k.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:40 AM on December 7, 2018 [21 favorites]

Vanity Fair, Peter Hamby, Democrats Face a Generational Reckoning: The choice in the 2020 primary ultimately comes down to one thing: who is best prepared to beat Trump at a time when Trump owns the culture? Someone who actually understands culture would be a start.

“If we think about American politics as dramatically polarized and tribal, and you look for ways to puncture the tribal nature of it, I think youth and cultural currency is a significant way of puncturing it against Trump,” said Nicco Mele, director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Clinton and Obama did not become presidents because they were younger than their aging Republican opponents. That they looked fresh and different was part of it. But their youth, and their attendant instincts, allowed them to plug into mass culture at a time when voters wanted change. Both won because they were able to command the most prized commodity in politics: attention. They were new, and the political media in particular has always been obsessed with new.
...
The best current practitioner of this behavior is Ocasio-Cortez, who is not running for president. But she is already more famous than pretty much every other member of Congress and several presidential candidates. Yes, that’s owed to her upset victory over Rep. Joe Crowley earlier this year, and the creeping influence of the Democratic Socialists on the left. But it’s also due to the fact that she, an attention-merchant like Trump, understands that social media is the most powerful way to both create a narrative and influence the media. Ocasio-Cortez uses her tweets and Instagram posts to rally support for her causes, to give voters an authentic behind-the-scenes look at her life, and to punch down at buffoonish right-wing targets, endearing her even more to her supporters. Social media amplifies her uncanny ability to get under the skin of conservatives and rile up the frustrated beta males of Fox News. By being herself online, she both creates and controls her own powerful feedback loop of media coverage, without being drawn into fights she doesn’t want. Much like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors, who used Twitter to go after powerful interests and politicians, Ocasio-Cortez is a dominant communicator on social media, simply because she grew up with social media. It is her native tongue. Who needs a press release?

There's a lot of casual ageism in here that I'm pretty uncomfortable with, but I do appreciate that this article tries, at best, to make some distinction between age and cultural currency. While the latter is often a thinly veiled way of talking about the former, Sanders is, setting aside anything else one might want to say about him, an indication that they aren't entirely synonymous.
posted by zachlipton at 11:40 AM on December 7, 2018 [27 favorites]

I just came in here to say that I entertain the thought that Manafort was sold out by his lawyers.
posted by ouke at 11:40 AM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

Does any other democratic system in the world allow legislators to pass legislation after they've been voted out?
posted by clawsoon at 11:40 AM on December 7, 2018 [10 favorites]

What's the first thing in the US constitution? A lengthy description of who's in charge. Habeas corpus gets a mention nine sections in. Other than that, human rights don't feature at all until they started amending it.

As anyone who watched Schoolhouse Rock (or Star Trek) knows, the first thing in the US Constitution are the words "We, the People," meaning that the power of the government derives from the consent of the governed. Which is why any political party ruling despite receiving a significant minority of votes, or retroactively passing laws to thwart the expressed will of the voters, should be unconstitutional on the face of it, if not outright treasonous.
posted by Gelatin at 11:44 AM on December 7, 2018 [48 favorites]

The best current practitioner of this behavior is Ocasio-Cortez, who is not running for president. But she is already more famous than pretty much every other member of Congress and several presidential candidates.

Not running, and can't run for six more years because she isn't old enough. She'll barely pass 35 right before election day 2024, though, if she wants to try for a nearly-unbreakable "youngest US pres" record.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:45 AM on December 7, 2018 [26 favorites]

The best current practitioner of this behavior is Ocasio-Cortez, who is not running for president. But she is already more famous than pretty much every other member of Congress and several presidential candidates.

Her courage at pulling back the veil of the corporate influences that begin already during the orientation period is astounding. Ocasio-Cortez is an amazing person.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:50 AM on December 7, 2018 [75 favorites]

who is best prepared to beat Trump at a time when Trump owns the culture?

assumes facts not in evidence
posted by leotrotsky at 11:51 AM on December 7, 2018 [14 favorites]

Ammon Bundy Is Quitting The Militia Movement After Breaking With Trump On Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric

"To group them all up like, frankly, our president has done — you know, trying to speak respectfully — but he has basically called them all criminals and said they're not coming in here," Bundy said in the video. "What about individuals, those who have come for reasons of need for their families, you know, the fathers and mothers and children that come here and were willing to go through the process to apply for asylum so they can come into this country and benefit from not having to be oppressed continually?"

Bundy went on, dispelling conspiracy theories that billionaire George Soros was behind the caravan or that terrorists were using the group to sneak into the US....

"I expected to get a decent amount of pushback, but I also believed that I could explain to them why I'd taken those positions and why," he told BuzzFeed News. "But you know, I've always had these kinds of thoughts that people were not really listening to the principles of things, that they had aligned with me for some other reasons, and that some of those [reasons] are good and some of those might not be, but this last video kind of confirmed that."... "It's like being in a room full of people in here, trying to teach, and no one is listening," he said. "The vast majority seemed to hang on to what seemed like hate, and fear, and almost warmongering, and I don't want to associate myself with warmongers."... "I believe President Trump, the best way I could explain it, is that he's a nationalist, and a nationalist in my view makes the decision that best benefits the nation, not the individual," Bundy said. "That is not freedom, and that is not what America was built upon."... "Fear is the opposite of faith, faith is the opposite of fear, and we have been asked by God to help, to be welcoming, to assist strangers, to not vex them," he said in his video. "As we do that, the Lord is going to bless us and bless them."

"The time we find ourselves in now that is closest found in history is Germany in the 1930s, and they had a leader that was loved, and it was the same kind of following," he said. "I don't want to say there is that extreme similarity, but it very well could go that way, and people just give up their thinking, their rights, and they give up their government because they were so willing to follow him."

posted by BungaDunga at 11:52 AM on December 7, 2018 [91 favorites]

who is best prepared to beat Trump at a time when Trump owns the culture?

assumes facts not in evidence

He owns a culture. The problem is we have two.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:52 AM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

to punch down at buffoonish right-wing targets

not to nitpick, but this is punching up
posted by murphy slaw at 11:56 AM on December 7, 2018 [43 favorites]

BETO BETO BETO BETO

Right? Only now the ratfucking begins...
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 12:00 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

Her courage at pulling back the veil of the corporate influences that begin already during the orientation period is astounding.

Seeing the entire orientation infrastructure from a first-hand perspective is both interesting on a nerdy level and also shows what's considered entirely ordinary in the weird small company town that is political DC.

He owns a culture. The problem is we have two.

Isn't the problem more of multiple fragmented cultures that, like the American party system, end up lumped into two messy oppositional coalitions? That's why clashes over the things and people that retain some claim to mass culture -- the NFL, the Oscars, Taylor Swift -- take on such symbolic weight.

(That also got me thinking about how JFK was only four years younger than Nixon in 1960, and both were under 50.)
posted by holgate at 12:04 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

El Presidente Supremo: Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him. His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didn’t have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!

I guess Tillerson did call him a moron.
posted by PenDevil at 12:05 PM on December 7, 2018 [57 favorites]

Trump owns the entire culture in the sense that he has latched onto everyone's brains. Everything is now defined in terms of Trump or Not-Trump. That's the sort of ownership Peter Hamby was talking about, and it's the backdrop for any 2020 candidate.

In fact, that Buzzfeed story about Ammon Bundy is a perfect example of an "exception demonstrating the rule". It's surreal. I still can't wrap my mind around what process lead to a Bundy supporting the rights of migrants, except for a kind of actual consistency in his views, and a personal definition of "human" that... includes all humans, which, again, is really weird for an otherwise Trumpite-type person. (He even makes the comparison to 1930s Germany! With the understanding that the Third Reich was a bad thing. Just, wow. Vaguely uplifting stuff.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:05 PM on December 7, 2018 [91 favorites]

My first- definitely uninformed- thought is that it might come from Bundy's Mormonism, which is probably a bit more skeptical of Washington enforcing arbitrary laws on "those people" than the current incarnation of evangelical Protestantism due to not-that-distant history between LDS and the feds.
posted by BungaDunga at 12:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [23 favorites]

(That also got me thinking about how JFK was only four years younger than Nixon in 1960, and both were under 50.)

Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump are all 72.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [11 favorites]

Speaking of Beto, my current twitter feed resembles the D-Day sequence from Saving Private Ryan, only instead of Allies vs. Nazis, it's Democrats who believe there's a leftist conspiracy to kneecap a potential 2020 Beto run vs. leftists who believe there's a Democratic conspiracy to blacklist all leftist critics of Beto's ostensibly centrist politics. And both sides make good points, but too many of them are coming across as thin-skinned and extremely paranoid.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

how about we just let everybody who wants to run run in what we'll call a "primary" election, and we can talk up the things we like about the candidates we're backing but maybe not get too deep into the weeds shit-talking the ones we don't like, because we'll all agree to support whoever wins the "primary" in the general election and anyway is 12pm too early to start drinking
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:14 PM on December 7, 2018 [133 favorites]

Melismata:

Current Boston Globe:
Khashoggi killing complicates commerce for President Trump
Trump’s pick for UN ambassador went to Pine Manor College

(No, they are not all rah rah Trump all the time, or even most of the time, but I just wish they had a spine...)

That second headline from the Glob is actually throwing a bit of shade: for the paper of record in "America's Athens" to point out her time at Pine Manor, they are emphasizing its limited and rather déclassé reputation and painting her with that.

When I worked at a nearby pizzeria in the 90s, the drivers called "Pine Mattress" or just "the Mattress."
posted by wenestvedt at 12:21 PM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

Ocasio-Cortez's response to Individual One Jr. I love her.

‏@Ocasio2018
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Retweeted The Washington Post
I have noticed that Junior here has a habit of posting nonsense about me whenever the Mueller investigation heats up.

Please, keep it coming Jr - it’s definitely a “very, very large brain” idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month.

Have fun!
posted by bluesky43 at 12:23 PM on December 7, 2018 [117 favorites]

Star-Tribune via AP via NYT: Trump Drilling Plan Threatens 9 Million Acres of Sage Grouse Habitat

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday detailed its plan to open nine million acres to drilling and mining by stripping away protections for the sage grouse, an imperiled ground-nesting bird that oil companies have long considered an obstacle to some of the richest deposits in the American West.

In one stroke, the action would open more land to drilling than any other step the administration has taken, environmental policy experts said. It drew immediate criticism from environmentalists while energy-industry representatives praised the move, saying that the earlier policy represented an overreach of federal authority.

“This is millions and millions of acres of Western land that stretch across the spine of this nation,” said Bobby McEnaney, an expert in Western land use at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group. “With this single action, the administration is saying: This landscape doesn’t matter. This species doesn’t matter. Oil and gas matter.”

Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, an association of independent oil and gas companies based in Denver, said in an email, “These plans will conserve the sage grouse without needlessly stifling economic activity.”

The plan is the latest in a series designed to promote more oil and gas drilling on public land in support of what President Trump has called a policy of American “energy dominance.” Last December, Mr. Trump signed a law that opened the vast Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, and the administration has since moved with unprecedented speed to allow exploratory work to begin there. In January, the Interior Department proposed opening up almost the entire American coastline to offshore drilling.

Just a marker so when people ask what's Trump done that's so terrible this'll be easy to add to the list.
posted by notyou at 12:24 PM on December 7, 2018 [20 favorites]

House Republicans who lost re-election bids were more moderate than those who won
(Pew Research)

When Republicans lost their House majority in this year’s midterm elections, the toll was especially high among GOP moderates, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis.

Among the Republican House incumbents who lost their re-election campaigns, 23 of 30 were more moderate than the median Republican in the chamber. No Democratic incumbents running for re-election in the House lost their seats. (This analysis excludes the election in New York’s 27th Congressional District, where votes are being recounted. Incumbent Republican Rep. Chris Collins ran for re-election against Democrat Nate McMurray.)

posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:25 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

Great news out of Philadelphia and a reminder that local political work is crucially important to a more democratic and healthier future for US residents.

A bill approved by City Council on Thursday and expected to be signed into law by Mayor Kenney could help him get those hours. The “Fair Workweek” legislation, part of a national movement to provide more predictability in the lives of retail, fast-food, and hotel workers, passed by 14-3, nearly a year after advocates and workers launched a campaign to fight for more predictable scheduling.

The bill would require employers with more than 30 locations and 250 employees to give workers two weeks' advance notice of their schedules and offer “predictability pay” if schedules change after that. It also would requires employers to offer available shifts to existing employees rather than hiring new ones, a move that could help bring part-time workers, like Wiggins, closer to full time.

Council members David Oh, Al Taubenberger, and Brian O’Neill voted against the bill. O’Neill said he doesn’t think unionized workers, who are covered in the bill, need those protections. This was a part of the bill that labor advocates had fought for. Thursday’s vote makes Philadelphia the second-biggest city in the country, after New York, to pass a scheduling law.
posted by Bella Donna at 12:27 PM on December 7, 2018 [60 favorites]

In other news, from the WSJ: Federal prosecutors are expected to unseal criminal charges as soon as next week against hackers linked to the Chinese government who have allegedly engaged in a sophisticated multiyear scheme to break into U.S. technology service providers in order to compromise the networks of their clients, according to people familiar with the matter.

U.S. officials have described the hacking campaign as one of the most audacious and damaging orchestrated by China to date, intended to steal intellectual property and support Beijing’s espionage goals. The hacks have allowed intruders potential access to scores of American companies and government agencies that rely on the service providers for a wide range of digital tasks, such as the remote management of technology infrastructure or cloud storage.

Just never a dull moment, ya know?
posted by Bella Donna at 12:38 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

So not only is it weird enough today that Ammon Bundy is coming across as reasonable, but I now have to be on the side of an Ashcroft.

nb Jay Ashcroft is son of former W AG John Ashcroft
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:45 PM on December 7, 2018 [9 favorites]

Nancy Pelosi On North Carolina Election Fraud: We Can Refuse To Seat That Congressman
Any newly elected House member can object to the swearing-in of Republican Mark Harris amid his election scandal. (HuffPo).

WASHINGTON ― House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that election officials in North Carolina have a few options for responding to what appears to be an egregious case of election fraud in the state’s 9th Congressional District.

Members of Congress have an option, too: They can refuse to seat the current leader of the race, Republican Mark Harris.

“The House still retains the right to decide who is seated. That is one of the powers of the House of Representatives,” Pelosi told reporters. “Any member-elect can object to the seating and swearing-in of another member-elect. We’ll see how that goes.”

Pelosi is referring to the scandal unfolding in two North Carolina counties where investigators are trying to figure out whether there’s a nefarious reason so many absentee ballots were never mailed back. In Bladen County, which has a large black population, 40 percent of absentee ballots were never returned. A whopping 62 percent of absentee ballots were not mailed back in nearby Robeson County, which is 38 percent Native American.
posted by bluesky43 at 12:47 PM on December 7, 2018 [44 favorites]

Ammon Bundy Is Quitting The Militia Movement After Breaking With Trump On Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric

Dude tried to incite not one, but two armed insurrections and occupied—and shit all over—a federal wildlife preserve for a month. I ain't extending him an olive branch of forgiveness even if he has decided that his economic livelihood or what-the-hell-ever relies on immigrants.

He was dumb as a rock and I couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!

I think it is safe to say that a former secretary of state has never accused the president of not understanding the laws, not reading and not being intellectually curious -- only to have the president respond that his secretary of state was "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell."

— Josh Dawsey @jdawsey1

posted by octobersurprise at 12:50 PM on December 7, 2018 [35 favorites]

> how about we just let everybody who wants to run run in what we'll call a "primary" election

Yeah, all the pre-primary bickering and coverage is maddening to the point that I'm already sick of the 2020 election in which nobody being argued about or covered has even formally declared.

The fact that people are already splitting up into factions about this before we've even officially gotten started with anything worries me greatly, because almost none of the narrative on who may or may not be running has come from within the party or people actually close to said "candidates"... It's almost as if there's some sort of meddling from the outside, attempting to set us against each other and cause chaos.

But there's more than potential meddling at play here, it's a legitimate issue that so few people seem to be making a declaration one way or the other.... It's just a pile of people who "haven't ruled it out." And with everything at stake, that's actually a bit concerning. As I've said before, I'm hoping that they are trying to prevent a clown car primary, but it seems more like nobody is really stepping up. And literally NOBODY we talk about has officially stated "yes, I want to seek election as president of the US" - Under our current administration, it is absolutely anxiety inducing that nobody is willing to make that formal declaration. I mean, it's fucking TRUMP - We're absolutely dying to hear someone say "I'm going to challenge that treasonous motherfucker."

But that's not where we are. Here's what we know for sure...
These people have officially declared and have funds for the campaign at the six figure level or above: Andrew Yang, John Delaney, and a relatively new declaration from Hart P Cunningham - a "businessman" who got his start by launching a digital currency for teenagers.

Avenatti has said that he is no longer considering a run.

All else is an unknown, a rumor, and is "entertaining the idea" - but is not serious. But that's the playing field right now. And that, in the age of Trump, is totally absurd.
posted by MysticMCJ at 12:51 PM on December 7, 2018 [10 favorites]

Y'know, if that's the case, Pelosi should refuse to seat ALL the GOP NC House, since they were elected in unconstitutionally drawn districts. The courts have still refused to provide our state with any relief. All our elections are unconstitutional.
posted by rikschell at 12:55 PM on December 7, 2018 [54 favorites]

I've got no problem with an open, honest debate about the merits of various Democrats expected to explore the viability of a 2020 run before any have officially announced. With a party this decentralized, where so many different people can claim leadership of various tribes within it, the idea that these discussions in any way resemble clearing the field or stopping anyone from running is preposterous. There has always been a public opinion "primary" of sorts where someone either makes noises about running and then their people listen for the echoes to see if they have sufficient public support to take the next step.

If a candidate and/or their supporters can't withstand a circular firing squad with rubber bullets, it's really hard to imagine them surviving the Hell that's going to be unleashed upon them by the combined forces of GOP thugs and the "both sides" media.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:58 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

The Hill: Rohrabacher eyes new career as a screenwriter after losing reelection

Oh man there is a lot there that’s high comedy, but here’s some slapstick while we wait for Mueller:

None of the current projects he's working on tackle politics or life in Washington, says Rohrabacher, who was knocked ahead of the election for his perceived close ties to Russia. Instead, the congressman describes a "comedy" he's writing about a team of robbers who make their way into Fort Knox before realizing there's no gold there.

posted by notyou at 1:02 PM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

This is definitely one of those "Aha! It all proves that my personal hobbyhorse is the right thing to obsess on!" things... but I like to imagine that primary-election reform could cut down the pre-primary drama a little bit. Any plurality-vote system requires some thinning by voluntary drop-outs, to prevent candidates from being spoilers. That would be less of an issue if the nation followed the lead of Maine with its new ranked-choice instant-runoff system. (Also, nobody designing a sensible system would deliberately raise the importance of New Hampshire and Iowa like that.)

The result of a crowded field is often to select not the candidate who is popular, moderate, or any other possibly-desirable trait... but simply unique. (Arguably that's what happened for Republicans in 2012 and 2016 -- Romney was the main "establishment" person, whereas Individual-1 was so clownish that everyone else became "establishment" next to him -- either way, the loneliest guy won.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 1:03 PM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

America’s sexist obsession with what women politicians wear, explained
Ever since women started holding political office, American men have been fixated on their clothes. Vox.
(Note to Vox: It's not just in politics).

When she was in the Senate, Carol Moseley Braun got used to having her clothing scrutinized.

She remembers one incident in particular, she told Vox. “Women’s Wear Daily had me on its cover — actually a picture of my butt,” she said, “and it said, ‘this is what a Chanel sweater set should not look like.’”

Women in politics “are held to a different standard across the board” than men when it comes to dress, said Moseley Braun, who represented Illinois in the Senate from 1993 to 1999. And it hasn’t necessarily changed much since she was a senator.

In November, writer Eddie Scarry of the conservative Washington Examiner made headlines (and spawned countless memes) when he tweeted a photograph of Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York City Democrat, with the caption, “that jacket and coat don’t look like a girl who struggles.”
posted by bluesky43 at 1:04 PM on December 7, 2018 [15 favorites]

@anniekarni: Trump just commended a law enforcement agent for his work fighting "rival gangs, right here in St. Louis." Members of the audience in Kansas City did a double take.

The best part of that isn't even getting the city wrong, it's calling the police a gang. Stopped clock, etc.
posted by Foosnark at 1:06 PM on December 7, 2018 [37 favorites]

More of this, please: Striking her mark at the COP24 climate talks taking place this week and next in Poland, fifteen-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden issued a stern rebuke on behalf of the world's youth climate movement to the adult diplomats, executives, and elected leaders gathered by telling them she was not there asking for help or demanding they comply with demands but to let them know that new political realities and a renewable energy transformation are coming whether they like it or not.

"Since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago," said Thunberg, who has garnered international notoriety for weekly climate strikes outside her school in Sweden, during a speech on Monday.

Thunberg said that she was not asking anything of the gathered leaders—even as she sat next to UN Secretary General António Guterres—but only asking the people of the world "to realize that our political leaders have failed us, because we are facing an existential threat and there's no time to continue down this road of madness."

Thunberg explained that while the world consumes an estimated 100 million barrels of oil each day, "there are no politics to change that. There are no politics to keep that oil in the ground. So we can no longer save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed."

"So we have not come here to beg the world leaders to care for our future," she declared. "They have ignored us in the past and they will ignore us again. We have come here to let them know that change is coming whether they like it or not. The people will rise to the challenge."
posted by Bella Donna at 1:08 PM on December 7, 2018 [109 favorites]

The best current practitioner of this behavior is Ocasio-Cortez, who is not running for president. But she is already more famous than pretty much every other member of Congress and several presidential candidates.

I don't want to pile on, but I promised myself I would comment the next time Ocasio-Cortez was put forward as a presidential candidate. I like Ocasio-Cortez, at least, so far. I'm excited about her. But can we wait a hot minute before deciding she should be president? For her sake? She's brand new to this, and if she sticks around she's bound to make some mistakes. It doesn't do her any favors to make her out to be some kind of ultimate be all politician before she gets her feet wet.
posted by xammerboy at 1:09 PM on December 7, 2018 [95 favorites]

I am 7 time zones away for the entire week, and it's been a bit relaxing and more than a bit stressful as I try hard to keep up with the news. Two things have me quite confused:

1. Can it really be true that there is no public record of Matthew Whitaker's appointment as Acting Attorney General other than Trump's tweet? It's linked in the thread, but this seems ... unprecedented? Like, forget the sound it made, did the tree even fall in the forest at all?

2. This tweet by the Cheeto-in-chief, mentioned above: ... Rex Tillerson didn’t have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell... Do you think he's forgotten that he himself appointed Sleepy T? T-Rex was one "the best people" - wasn't he? Or is Trump counting on his audience not remembering, and maybe thinking Sleepy-T was an Obama appointee or something?
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:17 PM on December 7, 2018 [15 favorites]

Can it really be true that there is no public record of Matthew Whitaker's appointment as Acting Attorney General other than Trump's tweet?

For real. Is he just not getting paid or getting health insurance? Does OPM even have him rostered?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:19 PM on December 7, 2018 [12 favorites]

CNN, VA secretary praised Confederate president as a "martyr to 'The Lost Cause'" in 1995 speech

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie praised Confederate States President Jefferson Davis effusively in a 1995 speech, calling him a "martyr to 'The Lost Cause'" and an "exceptional man in an exceptional age."

Wilkie, who delivered the speech in front of a statue of Davis at the US Capitol during an event sponsored by the United Daughters of Confederacy, also said that while he was "no apologist for the South," viewing Confederate "history and the ferocity of the Confederate soldier solely through the lens of slavery and by the slovenly standards of the present is dishonest and a disservice to our ancestors."
...
A KFile review also found Wilkie attended a pro-Confederate event as recently as 2009, giving a speech on Robert E. Lee to a Maryland division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
...
"The South has many warts," he continued. "Chattel slavery and its aftermath is a stain on our story as it is a stain on every civilization in history. But slavery was a collective American tragedy. (President Abraham) Lincoln understood that there was enough guilt to be spread from Maine to Key West. To view our history and the ferocity of the Confederate soldier solely through the lens of slavery and by the slovenly standards of the present is dishonest and a disservice to our ancestors. We can't surrender American history to an enforced political orthodoxy dictated to our children by attention-starved politicians, street corner demagogues, and tenured campus radicals."

Professor David Blight, a Civil War historian at Yale, told CNN in an interview that Wilkie's comments were "right from the neo-Confederate playbook." "That is standard Lost Cause ideology circa 1890 to 1910," he said. "This man, that language right there, is the standard defense of the Lost Cause built over the period of decades as an ideology explaining confederate defeat, but also as a racial ideology."

And yet Republicans play the "Party of Lincoln" card every chance they can.
posted by zachlipton at 1:20 PM on December 7, 2018 [41 favorites]

I think people are really pumped about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on MetaFilter in this moment partly because she's a rare politician who bridges the central socialist vs. moderate divide in today's Democratic Party. She manages to excite both the left and right flanks of the party in a way that almost never happens. So we can actually boost her without fighting about it!
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 1:21 PM on December 7, 2018 [12 favorites]

Trump Says He'll Nominate William Barr To Be Attorney General

Just another example of a zombie ratfucker who just will not die. Like Stone and Comey and Kavanaugh, they just keep coming back, decade after decade.

You have probably heard that Trump's nominee, Barr, has publicly stated that he thinks the Trump investigation is a hoax and that it would be better to spend time investigating Hillary Clinton.

But let's go way back to 1992 and the recently departed GWH Bush. Barr was Bush's Attorney General and designated ratfucker. Bush was in a tight race against the charismatic upstart Bill Clinton so he had Barr pressure the Arkansas US Attorney who worked for Barr to indict Clinton on bogus Whitewater charges right before the election. The US Attorney balked at what was obviously illegal political interference using the justice system and Clinton won the election.

Yes, we almost had another Clinton election thwarted by justice department interference. And, Barr, the undying zombie ratfucker is back again.
posted by JackFlash at 1:24 PM on December 7, 2018 [34 favorites]

When Republicans lost their House majority in this year’s midterm elections, the toll was especially high among GOP moderates, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis.

This is not a concern. I would think those were the districts that were already moderate and so went from lean R to lean D. The Rs that won were in districts too red to swing.
posted by M-x shell at 1:26 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

From the Department of No Shit, Sherlock:
Trump is reportedly ‘glued’ to the stock market’s fluctuations and worried he’s causing them

Maybe, just maybe, he'll shut up about a trade war.

Stocks dropped sharply on Friday, concluding what has been a wild week for Wall Street. A weaker-than-expected jobs report and China-U.S. trade tensions sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower by 558.72 points to 24,388.95 and erased its gains for the year.

He's going to be getting all sorts of feedback when he heads out to Mar-a-lago.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:27 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

...He was dumb as a rock and I couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell...

Does this qualify as slander or libel? It's certainly public enough of a representation.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:28 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

Trump is reportedly ‘glued’ to the stock market’s fluctuations and worried he’s causing them

No, he's worried that people will think he's causing them. Big difference.
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:30 PM on December 7, 2018 [20 favorites]

> I like Ocasio-Cortez, at least, so far. I'm excited about her. But can we wait a hot minute before deciding she should be president? For her sake? She's brand new to this...

According to Article II of the US Constitution, no one under 35 years of age is eligible to be president. Ocasio-Cortez is 29.
posted by nangar at 1:31 PM on December 7, 2018 [10 favorites]

But those people also would be correct. In any event, hopefully Trump wakes up soon. At least it shows he's not solely focused on deflecting toward Fed rate hikes as the cause of the market bloodletting.
posted by JimInLoganSquare at 1:33 PM on December 7, 2018

My hope is that Sleepy Rex came out of hibernation and is going dgaf with his words because he got immunity.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:34 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

Does this qualify as slander or libel

"Laziness" is a judgement call; an opinion; a description, but not an assertion of fact. The same person doing the same thing might be called lazy by one person but not lazy by another. Slander/libel usually has to be an assertion of fact. "Lazy" is basically just name-calling, which is generally never libel.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:36 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

A recap of Tillerson tweets, beginning many many scaramuccis ago.
posted by thelonius at 1:42 PM on December 7, 2018 [7 favorites]

Since I brought up Ocasio-Cortez, and we're all spinning our wheels waiting for this Cohen filing that is apparently coming at the last damn minute, let me just say that it had nothing to do with her running for President, which she is not eligible to do, so I'm not sure why we've all jumped off in that direction. The point was her communication style and expression of cultural currency is useful to look at when assessing candidates now. The next Democratic nominee's campaign is either going to have a 12-person tweet approval process or not. As norms change, what does a Presidential candidate sound like in 2019? AOC is an example of a direction some are headed, not a candidate herself.
posted by zachlipton at 1:48 PM on December 7, 2018 [14 favorites]

SDNY Cohen sentencing memo (40 pages) is up, with Mueller's to follow.

@KlasfeldReports: BREAKING: Government requests that Cohen receive a "substantial term of imprisonment, one that reflects a modest downward variance from the applicable Guidelines range." Probation recommends 42 months.

@bradheath: Federal prosecutors have filed their sentencing memo on Michael Cohen. It's not kind. They say his crimes "were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life." Federal prosecutors in New York say Michael Cohen should receive a "substantial term of imprisonment," even after giving him some credit for his cooperation with Mueller's investigation.

@ryanbeckwith: This is the funniest reference to Individual-1 yet "The board of directors of a condominium building in which Cohen lived was attempting to remove from the building the name of the owner ('Individual-1') of a Manhattan-based real estate company (the 'Company')."

Personally, I like "Individual-1, who at that point had become the President of the United States."
posted by zachlipton at 1:51 PM on December 7, 2018 [85 favorites]

Cohen is such a dumbass. He sorta cooperated and thus won't get a pardon from Trump, but he didn't officially cooperate so he won't get the sentence reduction for a deal. What the hell is he thinking?
posted by Justinian at 1:53 PM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

!!!!

@bradheath: This is new. Federal prosecutors have said for the first time in a court filing that Cohen committed campaign finance crimes "in coordination with and at the direction of" President Trump. This is significant. The Justice Department is alleging in court that the president directed his onetime lawyer to commit two felonies.
posted by zachlipton at 1:53 PM on December 7, 2018 [131 favorites]

And here's Mueller's sentencing memo for Cohen, a mere 7 pages.
posted by zachlipton at 1:54 PM on December 7, 2018 [15 favorites]

Does this qualify as slander or libel

It is potentially defamation, in that it could (theoretically) affect Tillerson's public reputation and career options, but the terms "lazy" and "dumb" are so vague that it'd be hard to prove they're false statements. (And it'd be libel; slander is spoken and ephemeral. If it's published, it's potentially libel.)

The president's claim that Maxine Waters is "low-IQ" would be more actionable - how "intelligent" someone is, is debatable, but one's IQ score is a measurable number. But it's still a long shot for an actual lawsuit. With terms that vague, the potential accusers would need to show some kind of real damages.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:55 PM on December 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

I swear I'll stop commenting, sorry, but this needs to be highlighted:

The defendant, without prompting by the SCO, also corrected other false and misleading statements that he had made concerning his outreach to and contacts with Russian officials during the course of the campaign. For example, in a radio interview in September 2015, the defendant suggested that Individual 1 meet with the President of Russia in New York City during his visit for the United Nations General Assembly. When asked previously about these events, the defendant claimed his public comments had been spontaneous and had not been discussed within the campaign or the Company. During his proffer sessions, the defendant admitted that this account was false and that he had in fact conferred with Individual 1 about contacting the Russian government before reaching out to gauge Russia’s interest in such a meeting. The meeting ultimately did not take place.
...
The defendant also provided information about attempts by other Russian nationals to reach the campaign. For example, in or around November 2015, Cohen received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a “trusted person” in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign “political synergy” and “synergy on a government level.” The defendant recalled that this person repeatedly proposed a meeting between Individual 1 and the President of Russia. The person told Cohen that such a meeting could have a “phenomenal” impact “not only in political but in a business dimension as well,” referring to the Moscow Project, because there is “no bigger warranty in any project than consent of [the President of Russia].” Cohen, however, did not follow up on this invitation.
...
The defendant explained that he did not pursue the proposed meeting, which did not take place, in part because he was working on the Moscow Project with a different individual who Cohen understood to have his own connections to the Russian government.

Needless to say, the next sentence is not "and then he picked up the phone and told the FBI that Russia was offering to help the campaign."
posted by zachlipton at 2:01 PM on December 7, 2018 [41 favorites]

A quick scan of the memos seems to me like Mueller is playing good cop to the SDNY's bad cop. Not that Mueller is proposing they go easy on Cohen aside from asking that any sentence be served concurrently, but the tone of the two memos is very different.
posted by azpenguin at 2:05 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

Cohen is such a dumbass. He sorta cooperated and thus won't get a pardon from Trump, but he didn't officially cooperate so he won't get the sentence reduction for a deal. What the hell is he thinking?

I suspect he just wants to see Trump burn now. And maybe he waited too long with some things for official cooperation to matter, if Flynn or someone else talked first.
posted by dilettante at 2:06 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

Everything that 45 says about Tillerson is exactly what the rest of us think about 45: dumb as a rock, lazy, and we sure the hell can’t get rid of him fast enough. Coincidence?

I was genuinely shocked when I read the original tweet and had to double check to make sure it was actually, truly 45. How low can he go? Guess we are about to find out. Hey, is this a cake weekend?
posted by Bella Donna at 2:08 PM on December 7, 2018 [7 favorites]

I can't wait to find out who Individual 1 is. That dude's gonna be in some serious trouble.
posted by uosuaq at 2:08 PM on December 7, 2018 [139 favorites]

Hey, is this a cake weekend?

It is acceptable to replace cake with latkes and jelly donuts this weekend, to celebrate the holiday!
posted by Andrhia at 2:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [31 favorites]

Cohen is such a dumbass. He sorta cooperated and thus won't get a pardon from Trump, but he didn't officially cooperate so he won't get the sentence reduction for a deal. What the hell is he thinking?

"I can handle these idiots." His farts smell like vanilla.

one's IQ score is a measurable number

Sure, and so is an Enneagram. Arbitrary criteria still ain't facts, and IQ is one of the most arbitrary this side of skin color.
posted by rhizome at 2:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

@BuzzFeedNews: BREAKING: The white supremacist who drove into a crowd in Charlottesville and killed Heather Heyer has been found guilty of murder.

Good.
posted by zachlipton at 2:11 PM on December 7, 2018 [177 favorites]

"lodestar" found in the first paragraph of page 35 of the Cohen sentencing memo.
Thank you, based Mueller.
posted by onehalfjunco at 2:11 PM on December 7, 2018 [32 favorites]

America’s sexist obsession with what women politicians wear, explained
Ever since women started holding political office, American men have been fixated on their clothes.

I'll just go ahead and repost what I wrote about Clinton's pantsuits before the election:

I’ve seen a lot of people asking why Hillary Clinton’s suits are referred to as ‘pantsuits’ all the time. Like, why not just ‘suits’? The answer is more infuriating than you may realize.

Until very very recently – more recently than most people my age can probably believe (it was a shock to me) – ‘a women’s suit’ meant a suit jacket and a skirt, full stop. As in, guess when female Senators were last required - REQUIRED - to wear skirts on the Senate floor?

Fucking 1993.

NINETEEN NINETY-THREE. I was six years old and female Senators were still required to wear skirts! And it only stopped when two female Senators showed up in pants to protest it.

1993. Women wearing suits with pants was still controversial 23 years ago. And Hillary Clinton has been a woman in public life for almost 40 years.

And she was a woman who wore pants, who at first didn't wear makeup and didn't change her last name, and kept her career after her husband entered politics, and got involved in politics herself, and had strong opinions which she freely expressed.

This made her fucking Satan as far as conservatives were concerned, and she's been Satan to them ever since.

The use of the word ‘pantsuit’ to refer to Clinton’s suits, which she began wearing long before it was broadly socially acceptable, is a leftover dogwhistle from a less tolerant time. The very phrase 'pantsuit' basically means, a suit worn by an uppity woman. A suit worn by the type of woman who doesn't care that skirts are PROPER professional garments for ladies. A suit for goddamn rabble-rousing hippie bitches.
posted by showbiz_liz at 2:12 PM on December 7, 2018 [136 favorites]

Both filings are great reading but holy crap SDNY is just *kisses fingers*

This is most welcome for Friday happy hour.
posted by lazaruslong at 2:15 PM on December 7, 2018 [7 favorites]

When asked previously about these events, the defendant claimed his public comments had been spontaneous and had not been discussed within the campaign or the Company. During his proffer sessions, the defendant admitted that this account was false and that he had in fact conferred with Individual 1 about contacting the Russian government before reaching out to gauge Russia’s interest in such a meeting.

Okay, I might be too hopeful about where this is going, but if it turns out that Trump had a documented strategy where he and his surrogates used ostensibly off-the-cuff comments as deliberate invitations to the Russian government, that leads directly to the least charitable possible reading of the "Russia, if you're listening" comment -- that it was an intentional, maybe even pre-arranged, signal for the hack to go forward.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:19 PM on December 7, 2018 [28 favorites]

Lame ducks only happen when elections occur during a parliamentary session. I think the US is perhaps the only democracy that does this, largely because of historical delays needed for travel, combined with the desire for fixed election dates and well-defined terms. Correct me if I'm wrong, here.

In Westminster systems, a session ends when an election is called, so it's almost impossible to have a lame duck. There are quasi lameos when a leader retires just before an election and an interim stooge leader is left holding the bag. Their fates are often flames.
posted by bonehead at 2:21 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

The point was [Ocasio-Cortez's] communication style and expression of cultural currency is useful to look at when assessing candidates now. The next Democratic nominee's campaign is either going to have a 12-person tweet approval process or not.

She's the best candidate for president because she's the best at using Twitter? In all seriousness, I'm hoping there's a constitutional amendment to prevent the president from ever using Twitter.
posted by xammerboy at 2:26 PM on December 7, 2018 [16 favorites]

If its all about branding, this transcript just gave us a good one. That phrase "political synergy" seems very useful.
posted by Brainy at 2:27 PM on December 7, 2018 [2 favorites]

This is new. Federal prosecutors have said for the first time in a court filing that Cohen committed campaign finance crimes "in coordination with and at the direction of" President Trump. This is significant. The Justice Department is alleging in court that the president directed his onetime lawyer to commit two felonies

Renato Mariotti: "Those statements mean that in addition to Cohen's statement under oath, the evidence that prosecutors have in their possession is also consistent with the conclusion that Trump directed him to commit crimes. If prosecutors had contrary evidence, they would say so. In addition, it is hard for me to believe that they would have made this statement if the *only* evidence they had was Cohen's say-so. If all they had was Cohen's assertion, they would have merely said that Cohen asserted that Trump directed him to commit those crimes. That statement by prosecutors indicates that they have some level of corroborating evidence that convinces them by "a preponderance of the evidence" that Trump directed Cohen to commit those crimes."
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:29 PM on December 7, 2018 [47 favorites]

And both sides make good points, but too many of them are coming across as thin-skinned and extremely paranoid.

You might want to show them this cheery little story then. Though you might end up with your motives questioned.
posted by happyroach at 2:30 PM on December 7, 2018 [2 favorites]

Sentencing memo notes:

The defendant’s assistance has been useful in four significant respects. First, the defendant provided information about his own contacts with Russian interests during the campaign and discussions with others in the course of making those contacts. [snip - excerpts/examples that have been posted]

Second, Cohen provided the SCO with useful information concerning certain discrete Russia-related matters core to its investigation that he obtained by virtue of his regular contact with Company executives during the campaign.

Third, Cohen provided relevant and useful information concerning his contacts with persons connected to the White House during the 2017–2018 time period.

Fourth, Cohen described the circumstances of preparing and circulating his response to the congressional inquiries, while continuing to accept responsibility for the false statements contained within it.

posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:32 PM on December 7, 2018 [10 favorites]

Keep in mind. The SDNY sentencing memo is for the 18 CR 602 indictment, while Mueller's is for the 18 CR 850 indictment. Looks like Mueller kept his word to Cohen for the help he provided, yet the SDNY nailed him to the wall for everything else.

Well done!
posted by mikelieman at 2:39 PM on December 7, 2018 [62 favorites]

SDNY Sentencing Memorandum

TABLE OF CONTENTS
BACKGROUND ...................................... 2
Cohen’s Willful Tax Evasion............................................. 4
Cohen’s False Statements to Financial Institutions ............. 8
Cohen’s Illegal Campaign Contributions............................ 11
Cohen’s False Statements to Congress ............................. 14

brb buying cake
posted by petebest at 2:42 PM on December 7, 2018 [66 favorites]

Fourth, Cohen described the circumstances of preparing and circulating his response to the congressional inquiries, while continuing to accept responsibility for the false statements contained within it.

Which strongly implies his response was concocted by other parties. Conspiracy to lie to Congress... seems not exactly legal.

(Those three paragraphs are the sentencing memo equivalent of a subtweet.)
posted by holgate at 2:47 PM on December 7, 2018 [7 favorites]

I like this footnote in the Mueller document:

This initial meeting with the SCO, on August 7, 2018, was set up at Cohen’s request. In that meeting, Cohen voluntarily provided information relevant to other aspects of the SCO’s ongoing investigation, but when asked questions about the Moscow Project, Cohen provided false answers in what he later explained was an effort not to contradict his congressional testimony.

posted by BungaDunga at 2:50 PM on December 7, 2018 [26 favorites]

To be clear: Cohen does not have a cooperation agreement and is not receiving a Section 5K1.1 letter either from this Office or the SCO, and therefore is not properly described as a “cooperating witness,” as that term is commonly used in this District.

As set forth in the Probation Department’s Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”), the applicable United States Sentencing Guidelines (“Guidelines”) range is 51 to 63 months’ imprisonment. This range reflects Cohen’s extensive, deliberate, and serious criminal conduct, and this Office submits that a substantial prison term is required to vindicate the purposes and principles of sentencing as set forth in Section 3553(a). And while the Office agrees that Cohen should receive credit for his assistance in the SCO investigation, that credit should not approximate the credit a traditional cooperating witness would receive, given, among other reasons, Cohen’s affirmative decision not to become one. For these reasons, the Office respectfully requests that this Court impose a substantial term of imprisonment, one that reflects a modest downward variance from the applicable Guidelines range.

It doesn't sound like he trod very fucking lightly.
posted by petebest at 2:52 PM on December 7, 2018 [15 favorites]

I think this is potentially a thing, from the SDNY filing:

"The Company then falsely accounted for these payments as “legal expenses.” In fact, no such retainer agreement existed and these payments were not “legal expenses”
posted by mikelieman at 2:53 PM on December 7, 2018 [35 favorites]

Cohen is such a dumbass. He sorta cooperated and thus won't get a pardon from Trump, but he didn't officially cooperate so he won't get the sentence reduction for a deal. What the hell is he thinking?

I read something where Cohen explained that his life took a turn for the worse when he met Donald Trump, that he's done things he's not proud of, that he feels he deserves time in prison. He doesn't want to stall the investigation. He wants to move on and pay his debt to society.

I know, my jaw hit the floor. I shouldn't want to give a criminal a congressional medal of honor for admitting to committing crimes, but that's the most honorable statement I've read yet from anyone associated with Trump period.

They'll probably throw the book at him. But I wish they wouldn't. I want everyone associated with Donald Trump to come clean. The country needs it, I think. The United States was attacked by a foreign power and duped by a criminal con man. We can never let it happen again.
posted by xammerboy at 2:55 PM on December 7, 2018 [29 favorites]

Whatever you read about his honorable whatever is garbage, sorry. He’s specifically asking for no jail time anyway, not that he will likely get it. Cohen is a shitty person who is cooperating only because he got caught and only to the extent that he feels he has to in order to try and save his skin. Please no hagiography for Michael Fucking Cohen ever, but especially not before he is even sentenced.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:01 PM on December 7, 2018 [35 favorites]

There's one other heroic aspect to Cohen's actions. If he had cooperated in return for a lesser sentence, half this country would be saying Cohen was lying to get a deal. The jury in Manafort's trial gave no weight at all to the testimony of the witness who arranged a plea deal.
posted by xammerboy at 3:01 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

I want everyone associated with Donald Trump to come clean.

It sounds like Cohen didn't fully come clean and affirmatively chose not to:

Indeed, his proffer sessions with the SCO aside, Cohen only met with the Office about the participation of others in the campaign finance crimes to which Cohen had already pleaded guilty. Cohen specifically declined to be debriefed on other uncharged criminal conduct, if any, in his past.

Cohen further declined to meet with the Office about other areas of investigative interest. As the Court is undoubtedly aware, in order to successfully cooperate with this Office, witnesses must undergo full debriefings that encompass their entire criminal history, as well as any and all information they possess about crimes committed by both themselves and others. This process permits the Office to fully assess the candor, culpability, and complications attendant to any potential cooperator, and results in cooperating witnesses who, having accepted full responsibility for any and all misconduct, are credible to law enforcement and, hopefully, to judges and juries. Cohen affirmatively chose not to pursue this process. Cohen’s efforts thus fell well short of cooperation, as that term is properly used in this District.

There's nothing illegal (or even immoral) about not talking about all your possible past crimes with the FBI, but since he didn't sit down and allow himself to be debriefed on everything, he doesn't count as a cooperating witness and won't be credited as if he did.
posted by BungaDunga at 3:02 PM on December 7, 2018 [12 favorites]

"I'm mildly impressed with this guy for not being a meatloaf-eating ghoul to the bitter end" is not a hagiography
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:02 PM on December 7, 2018 [68 favorites]

Roll Call, Retiring Kansas Lawmaker Opens Lobbying Shop While Still in Office

Retiring Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins launched a new lobbying firm in her home state weeks before she officially steps out of public office, according to a local media report published Friday.

Lawmakers are restricted from working as lobbyists until they have been out of office for a year. But the federal law that restricts their activities is porous, and former lawmakers routinely find ways to trade their influence before the prohibition expires.
...
Jenkins’ office told the paper in a statement that she had consulted the House Ethics Committee. “In an abundance of caution, Congresswoman Jenkins has been working closely with the House Ethics Committee throughout this process,” Jenkins’ spokesman Lee Modesitt told the paper. “She discussed with them the potential formation of the business prior to doing so and has subsequently reported the actual formation. The business has no clients and will not be actively seeking them until she leaves office.”

This country has a deep deficit of shame.
posted by zachlipton at 3:03 PM on December 7, 2018 [22 favorites]

Your paraphrasing omits lots of important words like heroic. Heroic. Michael Cohen. Give me a fucking break.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:03 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

"The Company then falsely accounted for these payments as “legal expenses.” In fact, no such retainer agreement existed and these payments were not “legal expenses”

Yeah those were the repayments to Cohen that also included his fee and “grossed up” to cover his taxes and paid monthly for a year. Trump Org’s longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg was granted immunity to testify in SDNY re: Cohen. I haven’t followed closely enough to have noticed if he was interviewed about additional matters by SDNY or SCO.
posted by notyou at 3:04 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

> They'll probably throw the book at him. But I wish they wouldn't.

Eh, this is where you lost me. It may be true that Cohen feels genuine remorse. It may be true that he got in over his head with some of his earlier crimes, which left him vulnerable to being used as a proxy for Individual-1 and others to commit their crimes. It may even be true that he's the most honorable of the many thieves in Individual-1's orbit, including I-1 himself.

But after all is said and done, he had the option to commit the crimes or to not commit them. After he committed them, he had the option to tell the truth immediately or try to continue spinning webs of lies. After he was caught spinning the webs of lies, he had the option to cooperate fully or do this pseudo-cooperation thing to try to keep one foot in each boat as they drifted away from each other. At each step, he chose the dishonorable path -- the criminal path. That is not conduct deserving of leniency.
posted by tonycpsu at 3:04 PM on December 7, 2018 [28 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump: Totally clears the President. Thank you!

@petersagal: He's right. It just incriminates this "Individual 1" guy.
posted by zachlipton at 3:05 PM on December 7, 2018 [140 favorites]

Yeah those were the repayments to Cohen that also included his fee and “grossed up” to cover his taxes and paid monthly for a year. Trump Org’s longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg was granted immunity to testify in SDNY re: Cohen.

NY Penal Law S 175.10 Falsifying business records in the first degree.

A person is guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree when he commits the crime of falsifying business records in the second degree, and when his intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.
Falsifying business records in the first degree is a class E felony.

posted by mikelieman at 3:07 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

The Cohen narrative is that when he knew SDNY was coming after him for his personal financial crimes and campaign finance crimes, he ran to Mueller to save his rear, and even then lied during his first proffer. So Mueller is happy to be good-but-stern cop while SDNY is all-out-of-fucks-to-give cop.
posted by holgate at 3:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

At each step, he chose the dishonorable path -- the criminal path. That is not conduct deserving of leniency.

I get you. Cohen's no hero. A big part of the reason I hope the courts don't throw the book at him is the same reason Mueller doesn't want them to. I think it's vital Trump's entire cadre comes clean. I don't want to be arguing with Republicans over whether or not Trump was a crook five years from now. I want total clarity on what happened.
posted by xammerboy at 3:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

> I think it's vital Trump's entire cadre comes clean. I don't want to be arguing with Republicans over whether or not Trump was a crook five years from now. I want total clarity on what happened.

Maybe you and I just differ in our estimates of how much detail Mueller has already? Everything I see suggests he doesn't really need any more cooperation, and that any leniency / reductions he hands out to felons above Cohen on the org chart are going to be out of genuine mercy, not a lack of sufficient detail about what happened.
posted by tonycpsu at 3:12 PM on December 7, 2018 [2 favorites]

Bwahaha - his millions in tax fraud he blamed on his accountant for not finding his squirreled away money! Ah! *snort* ahh ... Oh man. Dammit Eddie, you let me keep all the effing money!! BHa!
posted by petebest at 3:13 PM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

Manafort breached the plea deal filing.

I'm enjoying Twitter tonight.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:14 PM on December 7, 2018 [15 favorites]

And now it's Manafort time.

@bradheath: Mueller's office says ex-Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort met with investigators 12 times, where he "lied in multiple ways and on multiple occasions." Mueller's office says Manafort remained in contact with a "senior" Trump administration official though February 2018, well after he was indicted, and lied about it. They confirmed his contacts with administration officials by search his electronic documents.

@JoshNBCNews: MANAFORT filing: Special counsel says he lied about:
1) His interactions with Kilimnik
2) Kilimnik's participation in count 2 of superseding information
3) wire transfer to firm working for Manafort
4) another DOJ investigation
5) His contacts with administration officials

That's a lot of lies, and he's a really shitty liar.
posted by zachlipton at 3:15 PM on December 7, 2018 [46 favorites]

Mod note: Guys, other people are allowed to feel what they feel about different parts of this whole situation and different people in it, and I'm going to be deleting people telling other people their feelings are incorrect, because it leads us in wildly unproductive circles and because enforcing a narrow orthodoxy on other people's thoughts and feelings about a complex and huge issue is dumb.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:15 PM on December 7, 2018 [83 favorites]

That Trump tweet...I am literally, vicariously losing brain cells. Like, the sheer idiocy is a horrible prion disease spread via twitter.

Is this...is this going to be the spin? "I'm exonerated! I, the President, am innocent!"

"But Cohen 'acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1,' to commit literal, actual crimes. That's...hmmm, let me think of the word....collusion? Sounds like collusion."

"Yeah, yeah, Individual-1 did that! Not me!"

"Individual-1? Individual-1 who is the President of the United States? That Individual-1?"
posted by yasaman at 3:19 PM on December 7, 2018 [25 favorites]

oh man, just the opening of the manafort filing is brutal

We are prepared to prove the basis for the defendant's breach at a hearing that will establish each false statement through independent documentary and testimonial evidence, including Manafort's subsequent admissions.

emphasis mine. pauly's fucked, y'all.
posted by murphy slaw at 3:20 PM on December 7, 2018 [26 favorites]

It's yet more damn news, from the Daily Beast gang: Michael Cohen Was Paid More Than $4 Million by Promising Access to Trump, Prosecutors Say: And The Daily Beast can reveal the Cohen had another previously-unreported, politically-connected business partner.

“Cohen successfully convinced numerous major corporations to retain him as a ‘consultant’ who could provide unique insights about and access to the new administration,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo filed on Friday. “Some of these corporations were then stuck making large up-front or periodic payments to Cohen, even though he provided little or no real services under these contracts. Bank records reflect that Cohen made more than $4 million dollars before the contracts were terminated.” Among Cohen’s confirmed consulting clients were telecom giant AT&T, Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, and Columbus Nova, the investment fund linked to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

But Cohen had at least one more previously unreported and politically connected business partner.

Two individuals familiar with the relationship told The Daily Beast that Cohen met Imaad Zuberi, a venture capitalist and a major Obama donor, in 2016 several times throughout the year and into 2017. Those sources said Zuberi initially spoke with Cohen about attending Trump’s inauguration in January 2017 and inquired about access to high-level events. Zuberi was told that he would need to pay upward of $1 million to attend the events, where he would rub shoulders with senior administration officials including President-elect Trump himself.

Zuberi donated more than $900,000 to the inaugural committee and corresponded with Cohen directly about that donation, according to sources with first-hand knowledge of those conversations.

posted by zachlipton at 3:23 PM on December 7, 2018 [16 favorites]

NOW Manafort? I'm going to run out of bourbon at this rate!

THANK YOU BOB MUELLER, FOR GIVING US THIS BOUNTY!

AMEN!
posted by mikelieman at 3:25 PM on December 7, 2018 [29 favorites]

Hoo boy, that Manafort memo says "he's lying, and if the defense wants to call the government out on it, we're more than happy to prove it in court." They're looking to nail his ass to the wall.
posted by azpenguin at 3:25 PM on December 7, 2018 [11 favorites]

This seems like another moment to be grateful for Stormy Daniels.
Her case may be nowhere near the Russia stuff, but the pressures all add up. If anyone's making a list of heroes, her name better be on it.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:26 PM on December 7, 2018 [86 favorites]

One of the more interesting segments of the Manafort doc is 5. Contact With The Administration, in which Manafort told Mueller's team he had "no direct or indirect communications with anyone in the Administration while they were in the Administration." Then we find out he lied, a lot. He authorized someone in May 2018 "to speak with an Administration official on [his] behalf." "Another Manafort colleague" reports that in February 2018, Manafort said he'd been in communication with a senior Administration official. Then they searched his electronics and found more contacts with Administration officials.

For all the "everyone in the White House is scared of Mueller and doesn't want to get near the investigation because they can't afford the legal bills" stories, it sure seems like there's a lot of people currently in the White House happy to chat with the astonishingly radioactive Paul Manafort.
posted by zachlipton at 3:31 PM on December 7, 2018 [16 favorites]

Her case may be nowhere near the Russia stuff

Her case is kinda connected to the Russia stuff, actually. "Essential Consultants, LLC" is the shell company Michael Cohen set up to make the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.

It's also the company that took payment of at least $500,000 (on a $1 million contract) from Columbus Nova, the investment fund linked to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg and mentioned a couple comments up.

The reason we know about those payments is thanks to Michael Avenatti in his capacity as Stormy Daniels' lawyer. Someone leaked the info to him, and he put it on Twitter, and reporters followed up.

I keep waiting for those payment to be as big a deal to the rest of the world as they seem to me.
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:31 PM on December 7, 2018 [51 favorites]

I know Cohen got a lot of other money too, in his access selling scheme.

But fundamentally, Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130k from that account, and then a company linked to a Russian oligarch deposited $500k (at least) into that account.

Were they reimbursing hush money payments? Helping the Trump campaign by helping to pay off his mistresses? Or were they just buying access?

I mean either one is illegal, but the first one is REALLY collusiony.
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:34 PM on December 7, 2018 [9 favorites]

Were they reimbursing hush money payments? Helping the Trump campaign by helping to pay off his mistresses? Or were they just buying access?

turns out it was a hush money payment after trump slept with mother russia
posted by murphy slaw at 3:36 PM on December 7, 2018 [11 favorites]

5 takeaways from the Michael Cohen sentencing filings (Aaron Blake, WaPo)

1. SDNY: Cohen has overstated his cooperation with Mueller
2. “Individual-1” is back
3. It directly implicates Trump in crimes
4. Cohen was contacted by a Russian national in 2015
5. Mueller appears to be looking at Russia ties in Trump’s business

(#3 seems important.)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:37 PM on December 7, 2018 [23 favorites]

Her case may be nowhere near the Russia stuff, but the pressures all add up. If anyone's making a list of heroes, her name better be on it.

Stormy Daniels is at the center of the felonies that Individual-1 directed Michael Cohen to undertake -- and the effort to mask repayment for same -- seem meatier than the Russia ones do, at least for the moment, as the evidence in public is much clearer and independent of Cohen's statements (money exchanged, that snippet of iPhone "tape" Team Trump released, the attempt to route and cover up the payments through the Org). We have far less solid material, at least in public, on the Russia stuff. Maybe we never will.
posted by notyou at 3:38 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

Stormy Daniels is at the center of the felonies that Individual-1

I stand corrected in my caveat, and would be happy to edit the comment if I could. Honestly, this shit is all too immense to keep all the lines straight in my head.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:39 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

We have far less solid material, at least in public, on the Russia stuff. Maybe we never will.

I disagree. Between the IRA indictments and the GRU indictments, Mueller has laid out a ton of evidence of exactly how Russia was helping Trump.

We now know that Papadopoulos knew Russia had hacked thousands of emails, Roger Stone knew what WikiLeaks had and roughly when it would be released, and Trump Jr knew about "Russia and its government's support" for his father.

Counting Guccifer 2.0 (who had direct contact with Roger Stone), Evgeny Shmykov (who was Felix Sater's contact in the Russian finance industry), Rinat Akhmetshin (who met with Trump Jr), and Konstantin Kilimnik (who met with Manafort) members of the campaign were in contact with at least four people believed to be agents or former agents of the GRU.

Plus we understand that money changed hands (those payments from Vekelsberg) and that there were other and larger financial transactions planned (Trump Tower Moscow.)

How much more solid material do you think we need? What would a smoking gun look like?
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:44 PM on December 7, 2018 [53 favorites]

Top four headlines on the Washington Post site right now, a bit after 6:30 PM US/Eastern on a quiet Friday:

Cohen was in touch with Russian seeking ‘synergy’ with Trump campaign, Mueller says
The unidentified Russian said that a meeting between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could have a "phenomenal" impact "not only in political but in a business dimension as well".

Mueller says Manafort told ‘discernible lies’ in interviews with prosecutors
Prosecutors said that Paul Manafort had told numerous lies in five areas, including about his contacts with a Russian employee of Manafort’s consulting firm who prosecutors have said has Russian intelligence ties.

Did you notice a country in common? Did you? Ok, let's round this out with a small semblance of justice:

Neo-Nazi convicted of murder in car-ramming death at Virginia rally

And some comedy:

Tillerson: Trump asked me to take illegal actions. Trump: ‘He was dumb as a rock.’

There may be a problem with the national strategic bourbon reserve this weekend.
posted by RedOrGreen at 3:44 PM on December 7, 2018 [41 favorites]

Emma Loop (Buzzfeed): Here’s what @a_cormier_, @JasonLeopold, and I reported in June about Russian Olympic weightlifter Dmitry Klokov’s communications with the Trump Org. about Trump Moscow, and here’s what Mueller says in today’s sentencing memo for Michael Cohen: Ivanka Trump Was In Contact With A Russian Who Offered A Trump-Putin Meeting
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:46 PM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

I stand corrected in my caveat, and would be happy to edit the comment if I could. Honestly, this shit is all too immense to keep all the lines straight in my head.

Erg, yeah, sorry if that felt like I was piling on -- I agree with the central point of your comment that Stormy Daniels is a heroine and the fulcrum that afforded the SCO and the DOJ the leverage to dislodge Cohen. I took the opportunity to agree out loud and to clear up something I was thinking about the state of the two strands of investigation we learned about today.
posted by notyou at 3:46 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

hey now what did meatloaf ever do to you?

Meatloaf reference

"This is what it's like to be with Trump. ... He says, 'there's the menu, you guys order whatever you want,' and then he says, 'Chris (Christie), you and I are going to have the meatloaf,'"

posted by zakur at 3:51 PM on December 7, 2018 [12 favorites]

@pixelatedboat: It’s very funny that Trump hates being president but he can’t quit or he’ll go to prison
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:54 PM on December 7, 2018 [83 favorites]

"'I'm exonerated! I, the President, am innocent!" --Maybe his Tweets are specifically designed for his followers only? They tend to be very low information voters so may not know or even care to read about what the indictments say? Trump may know the indictments mention him, but wanted to prepare special Tweet quotes for MAGAheads?
posted by RuvaBlue at 3:56 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

I have to read the fine print (thanks to you all who got there before me) but so far this seems all VERY LEGAL AND VERY COOL.
posted by bluesky43 at 3:59 PM on December 7, 2018 [44 favorites]

He doesn't read. He might have asked an aide, does it say I colluded with Russia? And the aide says oh no Mr President, there is no mention of Donald Trump at all. Therefore he must be innocent. Gotta keep reinforcing that narrative.
posted by humuhumu at 4:00 PM on December 7, 2018 [11 favorites]

Trump is freaking out because he knows the First Family is about to experience Robert Mueller’s family separation policy
posted by growabrain at 4:04 PM on December 7, 2018 [86 favorites]

@gregorykorte: President Trump acknowledges in a new presidential memorandum that he still hasn’t legally moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

This still doesn't stop him from talking about it in basically every speech he gives.
posted by zachlipton at 4:10 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

Is it a known fact that Individual 1 is Trump, or a generally agreed fact, or just speculation? The Guardian has Trump in brackets next to "Individual 1" so that seems like they at least believe it to be true.
posted by JenMarie at 4:11 PM on December 7, 2018

There are parts of these memos that read, "Individual-1, who was running for President of the United States" (paraphrase). So, it is an extrapolation, but a very minor one.
posted by chiquitita at 4:13 PM on December 7, 2018 [11 favorites]

From the SDNY filing: In January 2017, Cohen formally left the Company and began holding himself out as the
“personal attorney” to Individual-1, who at that point had become the President of the United
States.
posted by yasaman at 4:13 PM on December 7, 2018 [19 favorites]

It literally says "Individual-1, who at that point had become the President of the United States."
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 4:15 PM on December 7, 2018 [26 favorites]

♫ It's beginning to look a lot like treason
Everywhere you go.... ♫
posted by dilettante at 4:15 PM on December 7, 2018 [49 favorites]

I feel like Daniel Dale is just straight-up trolling right now:

"I'm off until after Christmas. Have theee most fun three weeks, everybody."
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:15 PM on December 7, 2018 [14 favorites]

It literally says "Individual-1, who at that point had become the President of the United States."

given that this is so obvious, what’s the legal reason for not naming trump in these documents?
posted by murphy slaw at 4:16 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

> given that this is so obvious, what’s the legal reason for not naming trump in these documents?

on the one hand I'm curious about that too, but on the other hand I'm glad that we now finally know the name by which history will remember the guy.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 4:20 PM on December 7, 2018 [21 favorites]

Anthony Cormier
‏Verified account @a_cormier_

That mysterious Russian national named in today’s Cohen memo? A weightlifter that Ivanka Trump instructed Cohen to speak with about the Moscow Tower. First reported my @JasonLeopold, @LoopEmma and I.

The original buzzfeed article from 6 months ago:

Ivanka Trump Was In Contact With A Russian Who Offered A Trump-Putin Meeting

Her contact, a Russian Olympic weightlifter, said a meeting between Trump and Putin could expedite a Trump tower in Moscow.
Last updated on June 6, 2018, at 6:36 p.m. ET

The contacts reveal that even as her father was campaigning to become president of the United States, Ivanka Trump connected Michael Cohen with a Russian who offered to arrange a meeting with one of the US’s adversaries — in order to help close a business deal that could have made the Trump family millions.

Awww the alluring fragrance of Complicit is wafting off Mueller's filings today and it is soooooo sublime, don't you think?
posted by pjsky at 4:23 PM on December 7, 2018 [18 favorites]

Meanwhile all the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees wanted to talk to James Comey about was Hillary Clinton's emails.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:26 PM on December 7, 2018 [26 favorites]

I'm really confused by what Manafort did. He tried to cover up a lot of stuff, knowing full well what would happen if he got caught. What was he talking to administration officials about that it was worth risking blowing up his plea deal to cover it up? That doesn't sound like something you'd do for innocuous conversations. Manafort's lies about interactions with Kilimnik are interesting too. He's supposed to be cooperating, and he's lying about his contacts with a Russian intelligence agent? WSJ reported last week that Mueller is interested in whether Manafort met Kilimnik during a boat trip with Tom Barrack in August 2016. Much as the White House is trying to claim everything to do with Manafort is about his business dealings and irrelevant to them, a lot of Manafort's lies seem to involve Trump connections.

given that this is so obvious, what’s the legal reason for not naming trump in these documents?

"In the absence of some significant justification, federal prosecutors generally should not identify unindicted co-conspirators in conspiracy indictments." It's just general DOJ policy based on cases where people have been named and courts have raised due process concerns about the government publicly naming someone as involved in crimes without offering them an opportunity to clear their name at trial. It's obviously meaningless in a situation such as this, but there's not really much else they can do since they still need to be specific enough for it to make sense.
posted by zachlipton at 4:31 PM on December 7, 2018 [19 favorites]

Sharing since these things get lost:
NYT: Mattis Erupts Over Niger Inquiry

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was livid last month when he summoned top military officials to a video conference at the Pentagon to press them about an investigation into a 2017 ambush in Niger that killed four Americans on a Green Beret team. His anger, Pentagon officials said, came from seeing news reports that junior officers were being reprimanded for the botched Niger mission while the officers directly above them were not.

...And unlike two naval collisions last year in the Pacific that led within weeks to the removal of the commander of the Navy’s largest operational battle force, no top generals have been ushered out the door in the Niger case — an example officials say that Mr. Mattis has been quick to point out.

Credit to Mattis for turning accountability in the right directions, I guess. If only he took the same approach when it came to his own level regarding ongoing matters.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:41 PM on December 7, 2018 [26 favorites]

Was the boat trip on Oleg Deripaska's yacht.?
The guy who's jet kept showing up close to Trump. In which case there are probably tapes.
posted by adamvasco at 4:51 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

@OUAT respectfully, that summary doesn't contain any overt action by any Trumpy Americans. There's "Roger Stone knew", "Papadopoulos knew" and the rest of the American names just take meetings. Those are all passive things. Even DJT Jr's emails are proof of criminal intent, but not criminal action. The payment to Cohen, if this were any other president, would look like normal corruption and lobbying.

Even a single text message saying "Wisconsin" would satisfy my idea of an explicit ask, a criminal action. It feels like what we have so far is just criminal talking and criminal accounting. I'm probably very wrong and missing on details, point is, that's what I'm looking for.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 4:57 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

He tried to cover up a lot of stuff, knowing full well what would happen if he got caught. What was he talking to administration officials about that it was worth risking blowing up his plea deal to cover it up?

Maybe hoping for a pardon from Individual one?
posted by bluesky43 at 5:00 PM on December 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'm really confused by what Manafort did. He tried to cover up a lot of stuff, knowing full well what would happen if he got caught. What was he talking to administration officials about that it was worth risking blowing up his plea deal to cover it up?

Seems most likely that he was fishing for a pardon in exchange for covering up Trump's dealings with Russia -- quid pro quo. If he gets the pardon, he doesn't care what kind of plea deal he has with Mueller. He walks away free, so a risk worth taking.
posted by JackFlash at 5:01 PM on December 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

NYT take: Prosecutors Say Trump Directed Illegal Payments During Campaign

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors said on Friday that President Trump directed illegal payments to ward off a potential sex scandal that threatened his chances of winning the White House in 2016, putting the weight of the Justice Department behind accusations previously made by his former lawyer.

The lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, had said that as the election neared, Mr. Trump directed him to pay two women who claimed they had affairs with Mr. Trump. But in a new memorandum arguing for a prison term for Mr. Cohen, prosecutors in Manhattan said he “acted in coordination and at the direction of” an unnamed individual, clearly referring to Mr. Trump.
posted by bluesky43 at 5:02 PM on December 7, 2018 [11 favorites]

@AdamSchiff
Adam Schiff Retweeted Donald J. Trump
Who’s going to tell Individual 1?

@realDonaldTrump
Totally clears the President. Thank you!
8:21 PM - 7 Dec 2018
posted by bluesky43 at 5:04 PM on December 7, 2018 [47 favorites]

I want to be all schadenfreudey but I'm very afraid all this will just make him lash out at marginalized people more and harder.
posted by Cookiebastard at 5:08 PM on December 7, 2018 [7 favorites]

Why hasn't anyone been indicted for the Trump Tower meeting yet? With all the recent revelations it's clear it was part of the conspiracy with Russia.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:11 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

How much more solid material do you think we need? What would a smoking gun look like?

WHAT DOES AN INDICTMENT LOOK LIKE?!
posted by petebest at 5:12 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

the emotion i’m having is not schadenfreude, it’s just a kind of cold calm, knowing that i was not participating in some kind of Obama Birth Certificate conspiracy theory for the last two and a half years.

i don’t know what the outcome will be but at least i know that my bullshit detector is still working, and about half of my fellow citizens’ bullshit detectors are too, and that’s not nothing.
posted by murphy slaw at 5:15 PM on December 7, 2018 [125 favorites]

#individual1 is trending.
Heck, people are selling t-shirts already.
posted by growabrain at 5:23 PM on December 7, 2018 [13 favorites]

At this time, I would ask you all to turn, in your SDNY Setencing Memorandum, to page 11 for the singing of "At the Direction of Individual-1", verses one through four:

During the campaign, Cohen played a central role in two similar schemes to purchase the rights to stories – each from women who claimed to have had an affair with Individual-1 – so as to suppress the stories and thereby prevent them from influencing the election.

With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments. (PSR ¶ 51).

In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1. (PSR ¶¶ 41, 45). As a result of Cohen’s actions, neither woman spoke to the press prior to the election. (PSR ¶ 51).

Please be seated.
posted by petebest at 5:29 PM on December 7, 2018 [70 favorites]

@OmarJadwat: Breaking: 9th Circuit denies government bid to reinstate asylum ban; ban remains blocked by @ACLU ⁦⁦@splcenter⁩ ⁦@theCCR⁩ lawsuit

When the government can't even manage to convince Judge "torture memos" Bybee, you know their case is bad.
posted by zachlipton at 5:29 PM on December 7, 2018 [47 favorites]

TPM: Mueller Filing Shows Cohen Was Key To Trump Campaign’s Russia Contacts
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:30 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

I see petebest got his cake.
posted by bluesky43 at 5:30 PM on December 7, 2018 [10 favorites]

SDNY is not buying Cohen's "you should be nice because I could've dragged my feet more" story.

Finally, Cohen’s further assertion that he is deserving of leniency because he “could have fought the government and continued to hold the party line, positioning himself for a pardon or clemency” reflects a continuation of his mindset that, at his own option, he is above the laws reflected in his crimes of conviction. ... After cheating the IRS for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the Presidential election, Cohen’s decision to plead guilty – rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes – does not make him a hero.

CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth above, the Office respectfully requests that this Court impose a substantial term of imprisonment, one that reflects a modest variance from the applicable Guidelines range. The Office also requests that the Court impose forfeiture in the amount of $500,000, and a fine.

posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:33 PM on December 7, 2018 [19 favorites]

Even a single text message saying "Wisconsin" would satisfy my idea of an explicit ask, a criminal action. It feels like what we have so far is just criminal talking and criminal accounting. I'm probably very wrong and missing on details, point is, that's what I'm looking for.

Fair enough. I mean there's the "Russia, if you're listening..." moment, but beyond that, the things I can think of which come closest (but maybe aren't quite there) are...

1) A company which was VERY closely linked to the Trump campaign asked WikiLeaks for copies of the hacked emails. A director at the same company claimed to have channelled cryptocurrency payments and donations to WikiLeaks, and to have met with Julian Assange to discuss the American election in February, 2017. And the Facebook data which they had acquired under false pretences was accessed from Russia.

2.) Roger Stone also asked for copies of the WikiLeaks emails and was given access to DNC campaign data.

But I do think the fact that the Trump campaign clearly knew what Russia was up to and did not report it is collusion in itself.
posted by OnceUponATime at 5:36 PM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

Taken alone, these are each serious crimes worthy of meaningful punishment. Taken together, these offenses reveal a man who knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy. His motivation to do so was not borne from naiveté, carelessness, misplaced loyalty, or political ideology. Rather, these were knowing and calculated acts – acts Cohen executed in order to profit personally, build his own power, and enhance his level of influence.

emphasis mine.
posted by murphy slaw at 5:38 PM on December 7, 2018 [31 favorites]

Remember that "Mr. Brexit" shit? And how everybody was like, wtf was that about?

It seems a bit more than likely this Russia Collusion wasn't some players' first go-round at manipulating elections for cash and Mother Russia.

It's just literally illegal in this country. And motormouth stable genius-1 couldn't not blurt it out.
posted by petebest at 5:46 PM on December 7, 2018 [19 favorites]

But wait there's more. NYT, Miriam Jordan, 2 More Immigrants Say They Worked for Trump Despite Lacking Legal Status

Two more immigrant women who worked at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey said on Friday that they were undocumented at the time and that golf course management knew it. One of the women said that she was allowed to submit fraudulent documents by the employee who interviewed her for the job.
...
One of the women who came forward on Friday, Gilberta Dominguez, 34, said that she was hired in 2016 at the golf club in Bedminster, N.J., after producing fake work documents. She and another immigrant, she said, who also lacked legal status in the United States, had been interviewed at the same time to work as housekeepers. She said they were told by the woman interviewing them, a member of the housekeeping staff, that they should not discuss their undocumented status.

“We said the papers are not good. She said it didn’t matter, but don’t talk about it,” recalled Ms. Dominguez, who is from Mexico. The woman who interviewed them, she said, filled out the application for them and took their fake Social Security and permanent resident cards.

Ms. Dominguez said she had worked at the golf club for about six months. It was in the middle of the presidential campaign, she said, and Mr. Trump had begun publicly calling for an end to illegal immigration and contending that criminals were flowing across the border. “I commented with other workers, ‘How can he call us criminals and drug addicts when we are right here working?’” she said, though she added that it did not prompt her to quit. “Our need was greater. Immigrants put up with a lot.”

Ultimately, what drove her to leave work one day in October 2016, she said, was what she perceived as mistreatment of undocumented workers on the part of the housekeeping supervisor, something that Ms. Morales had also complained of. “She called us ‘stupid people’ and would say, ‘This is America. Here they speak English, not Spanish,’” Ms. Dominguez recalled, speaking in Spanish. “I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said. “She was rude. She humiliated us.”

posted by zachlipton at 5:54 PM on December 7, 2018 [27 favorites]

It feels like what we have so far is just criminal talking and criminal accounting. I'm probably very wrong and missing on details, point is, that's what I'm looking for.

a) A conspiracy doesn't require completion, or that even all participants know the full details. It only requires agreement, and an overt act by any one member. Trump asking publicly is an overt act if there was already criminal intent and agreement. Setting another meeting to discuss the plan can be an overt act. Stone passing along knowledge of Wikileaks emails could be an act.

b) there's a fuckload of redactions that presumably are much more damning than all the really fucking damning stuff we know about.

There's way, way, way, way, way, more evidence that Trump conspired with the Russians to steal the election than you'd need to put a black guy away for life for selling less than a pound of heroin or cocaine. It literally happens every single day.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:56 PM on December 7, 2018 [62 favorites]

It literally says "Individual-1, who at that point had become the President of the United States."

given that this is so obvious, what’s the legal reason for not naming trump in these documents?
posted by murphy slaw at 6:16 PM on December 7 [3 favorites +] [!]

murphy slaw: If I were to take a guess, I would imagine the document was being created and updated as the investigation was occurring. Citing "Individual 1" versus Trump is a way to have the document ready to hand over to the court at a moment's notice with a proposed redacted version ready to go as well. As the level of redactions become less necessary, it would probably just be a pain to go through everything and change to proper names. Slap a "cast of characters" page on the front (indvidual 1 = trump, company 1 = trump inc, etc.) and save hours/weeks of time.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 5:57 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

hmm, what is the difference between these two headlines?

Washington Post: Court filings directly implicate Trump in efforts to buy women’s silence, reveal new contact between inner circle and Russian

New York Times: Prosecutors Say Trump Directed Illegal Payments During Campaign

the Times filed it under "New York" while the Post subsection is "National Security", too
posted by murphy slaw at 6:00 PM on December 7, 2018 [37 favorites]

"In the absence of some significant justification, federal prosecutors generally should not identify unindicted co-conspirators in conspiracy indictments." It's just general DOJ policy based on cases where people have been named and courts have raised due process concerns about the government publicly naming someone as involved in crimes without offering them an opportunity to clear their name at trial. It's obviously meaningless in a situation such as this, but there's not really much else they can do since they still need to be specific enough for it to make sense.

And if they didn't follow strict DOJ guidelines here no matter how pointless, we'd have a couple weeks of Fox News acting like it's the biggest crime in the whole mess, as pretext for Trump to start firing people while Congress shrugs. I for one am glad Mueller didn't open the door for the final performance of the outgoing Republican House majority to be endless appearances on Fox hamming it up about their deep concerns about Mueller following DOJ policy.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:18 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

The Atlantic: Mueller’s Memos and the Alleged Lies of the Trump Lieutenants

“While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows. He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs” with Trump. “In the process,” they wrote, “Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the Election.

posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:31 PM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

Gonna be amazing when Trump is running in 2020 and his campaign aides are literally getting arrested onstage and the coverage is about how Kamala Harris called a pickup truck a flatbed truck
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:37 PM on December 7, 2018 [97 favorites]

Sean Hannity has his finger on the pulse
posted by growabrain at 7:28 PM on December 7, 2018 [5 favorites]

A conspiracy doesn't require completion, or that even all participants know the full details. It only requires agreement, and an overt act by any one member

I liked this because it made me feel like I'm studying for my crim law final and not just procrastinating on the internet (how is anyone supposed to get work done today, or ever?), thanks!
posted by naoko at 7:38 PM on December 7, 2018 [22 favorites]

I dropped by redstate to see how they were reacting to all this. The top story over there is

Hearing Next Week on Clinton Foundation ‘Pay-To-Play’ Allegations Will Include 6,000 Pages of Whistleblower Documents

In the short time I was willing to have that site loaded on my screen, I didn't see any reference to today's filings. Is that whistling I hear? This close to a graveyard?
posted by Tabitha Someday at 8:02 PM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

Just returned to say that earlier I argued Cohen should get a reduced sentence for cooperating with Mueller. I was mistakenly conflating Cohen with Gen. Flynn. Flynn cooperated early with Mueller. Anyway, I'm pretty embarrassed to have made that mistake... Apologies!
posted by xammerboy at 8:11 PM on December 7, 2018 [12 favorites]

Former DOJ lawyer Matthew Miller:

One of the biggest open questions is not about Mueller, but SDNY. They've concluded the president committed a crime, and they have hard evidence to prove it. What do they do with that? They can't just drop it.

If indicting isn't an option, per OLC, seems DOJ has to send a referral to Congress. Theoretically you could wait and indict in 2021 (before the statute runs) if he loses re-election, but that's both an abdication of responsibility & risks losing any mechanism for accountability.

posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:30 PM on December 7, 2018 [22 favorites]

Maybe his Tweets are specifically designed for his followers only?

Quote-tweeted by journos or opponents, it's masochism. Viewed as a single-user stream, it's demented. But I believe Ashley Feinberg (who owns the 'weird shit politicians fave on social media' beat) created a maga-alt on Twitter that had all the requisites -- the avatar, the emojis, the bio, the curated list of people to follow, from Hannity and Mitchell to @EagleFlagJane51943 -- and in that context, it fits.
posted by holgate at 8:31 PM on December 7, 2018 [2 favorites]

and he's lost Tucker Carlson ... Trump that is.

Not only has Trump failed to come through, Carlson said, he might not even be able to, both due to his own shortcomings and his inability to muster legislators to follow his lead.

“I don’t think he’s capable,” Carlson went on.

“I don’t think he’s capable of sustained focus. I don’t think he understands the system. I don’t think the Congress is on his side. I don’t think his own agencies support him.”
posted by philip-random at 8:33 PM on December 7, 2018 [4 favorites]

and he's lost Tucker Carlson ... Trump that is.

Philip Bump from WaPo shows how Carlson's critique of Trump's ability to get anything done isn't new from him, and that Carlson has been a supporter because the two things Trump does best: making the libs angry and mainstreaming racism: Tucker Carlson is willing to overlook Trump’s personality because of his nationalist rhetoric. So no, he's not lost Tucker.
posted by peeedro at 8:47 PM on December 7, 2018 [15 favorites]

I was mistakenly conflating Cohen with Gen. Flynn.

In fairness the parade of rich, white criminal men in this whole affair is dizzying.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:55 PM on December 7, 2018 [47 favorites]

Maybe his Tweets are specifically designed for his followers only? They tend to be very low information voters so may not know or even care to read about what the indictments say? Trump may know the indictments mention him, but wanted to prepare special Tweet quotes for MAGAheads?

538 reports: A surprisingly low number of Americans actually read trump's twitter feed.

538's analysis is that the impact of those Tweets tends to be setting messaging for elite level media personas, giving both sides of the political media something to react against and for, and filtering out to other platforms. They conclude that means that the media shouldn't just blindly report what he tweets, but actually dig down on the content.

I think that makes a lot of sense - it's the power of social networks. You only need one influencer in a circle of conservative folks who takes trump's messaging and runs with it. There's a thought experiment related to network effects about ballcaps where the reasoning is as such: there is a town hall vote as to whether or not the town should ban ballcaps. In a sample network of ~20 nodes you have 17 nodes who think ballcaps are unfashionable, and 3 who think they are fashionable. Given simple rules (a majority of opinions of your friends determines your vote), the three nodes end up being super connected, and are able to exert undue influence upon the larger graph. This is pure play logic, too - you're not even factoring in other elements like imbalances in status, culture, or political access. The effect is self reinforcing - your one influencer starts with relatively little power, but is able to convince people already pre-disposed to white supremacy and fascism. Suddenly that node adds a bit more cache to the viewpoint, and their friends who were strongly against those elements start to reconsider. I've personally seen this happen on small community sites dedicated to games, where people let a single nazi into the group, defended their right to "free speech", and the nazi (who was smart and played it slow) was able to capture the whole discourse. Stormfront's leaked recruitment guides even say as much.

At the same time that his feed acts as active messaging for his supporters it also acts to dismay and provoke his detractors. I think it's a bit like Fox News walking out into Times Square and asking, "Do you think we should sacrifice American troops to the dark lord Baal?" - in a city of millions you're going to get enough footage where you can push a narrative, and the liberal outrage is equal parts fuel for shitholes like r/TD.
posted by codacorolla at 8:59 PM on December 7, 2018 [28 favorites]

Kurt Eichenwald: Everyone has some area of expertise. Mine is in corporate crime.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 9:30 PM on December 7, 2018 [28 favorites]

So no, he's not lost Tucker.

Agreed. This is reality television at its finest. Player recognizes player. Trump plays off Tucker and they reciprocate. I just wish whoever came up with reality tv had drawn the short straw and fell down a cliff. But I guess there was no way around it. Reality tv killed democracy, which is to say foxtv killed democracy.
posted by valkane at 9:33 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

Hannity was going on about JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (1:14-cv-01242-RCL)

Warning: Crazy Judge's Opinion.
posted by mikelieman at 9:47 PM on December 7, 2018

From the Kurt Eichenwald Twitter thread up thread:

15...so, what do we know about P2? It was paid after submission of an invoice - a frigging INVOICE - from Cohen to Trump Org saying it was for campaign expenditures. It billed not only the $130,000 for the Stormy payoff, but also another $50,000 in IT work for the campaign...

I'm not going to bother with the actual quote from the Wire's Barksdale character about a similar situation because most of you already know it.
posted by rdr at 9:49 PM on December 7, 2018 [14 favorites]

Lamberth is not terrible.
posted by rhizome at 10:12 PM on December 7, 2018 [3 favorites]

the actual quote from the Wire's Barksdale character about a similar situation

That was Stringer Bell, not a Barksdale. /pedantry
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:40 PM on December 7, 2018 [17 favorites]

It's fun watching the mental backflips that some of the far right are doing because of this.

"Why are they investigating his lawyer?! Mueller's supposed to focus on Russia, not Trump!"

This sentiment being expressed by some of the exact same people who, about two decades ago, were cheering for the impeachment of Clinton based on the findings of an investigation of... not his sex life.

Apparently the scope of an investigation is only interesting when it's their guy being investigated. Who knew?

(That's leaving aside the fact that, as it turns out, Mueller et al. are acting completely within their mandate...)
posted by -1 at 10:55 PM on December 7, 2018 [8 favorites]

The Mueller Investigation Nears the Worst Case Scenario

The potential innocent explanations for Donald Trump’s behavior over the last two years have been steadily stripped away, piece by piece. Special counsel Robert Mueller and investigative reporters have uncovered and assembled a picture of a presidential campaign and transition seemingly infected by unprecedented deceit and criminality, and in regular—almost obsequious—contact with America’s leading foreign adversary.

A year ago, Lawfare’s Benjamin Wittes and Quinta Jurecic outlined seven possible scenarios about Trump and Russia, arranged from most innocent to most guilty. Fifth on that list was “Russian Intelligence Actively Penetrated the Trump Campaign—And Trump Knew or Should Have Known,” escalating from there to #6 “Kompromat,” and topping out at the once unimaginable #7, “The President of the United States is a Russian Agent.”

After the latest disclosures, we’re steadily into Scenario #5, and can easily imagine #6.

posted by kirkaracha at 11:39 PM on December 7, 2018 [55 favorites]

Meanwhile in Crete, it turns out you can get rid of a dose of fascism.

'Their ideas had no place here': how Crete kicked out Golden Dawn [Guardian]
posted by stonepharisee at 12:37 AM on December 8, 2018 [37 favorites]

What has not been considered (and probably isn't even important to this inward looking narrow minded greedy administration) is the impact of the Tillerson tweet on foreign ministries elsewhere. I woke up this morning to this tweet from the Finnish spokesperson - twitter translation:

A lot has been seen, but this, however, was startled and sad. The President of the United States speaks of the last foreign Minister appointed. At the same time it confirms in some perception that it is OK to say anything

Stuff like this might actually cause more damage with allies around the world than any amount of incoherent tariffing of big giants like China etc who can look after themselves. This just shows a complete lack of breeding and class. It may not matter among the meritocracy of the tattered dream illusions but will have impact wherever the words diplomacy and tact still hold meaning in the dance of global relationships.
posted by infini at 1:08 AM on December 8, 2018 [13 favorites]

'Totally Clears the President'? What Those Cohen and Manafort Filings Really Say [Lawfare, 12/7/2018]:

...In short, the Department of Justice, speaking through the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, is alleging that the president of the United States coordinated and directed a surrogate to commit a campaign finance violation punishable with time in prison. While the filing does not specify that the president “knowingly and willfully” violated the law, as is required by the statute, this is the first time that the government has alleged in its own voice that President Trump is personally involved in what it considers to be federal offenses.

And it does not hold back in describing the magnitude of those offenses. The memo states that Cohen’s actions, “struck a blow to one of the core goals of the federal campaign finance laws: transparency. While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows.” His sentence “should reflect the seriousness of Cohen’s brazen violations of the election laws and attempt to counter the public cynicism that may arise when individuals like Cohen act as if the political process belongs to the rich and powerful.”

One struggles to see how a document that alleges that such conduct took place at the direction of Individual-1 “totally clears the president.”

When accused of anything, Trump — certainly the 'No. 1 President' in his own mind — immediately goes into Deny, Deny, Deny mode and blames someone else. In this case, Cohen may become the Dolchstoßlegende turncoat who (for money) tried to sabotage Trump's campaign from within.
posted by cenoxo at 1:08 AM on December 8, 2018 [8 favorites]

I don't want to be arguing with Republicans over whether or not Trump was a crook five years from now. I want total clarity on what happened.

xammerboy, I have some bad news. Remember Roger Stone's Nixon tattoo? Remember what is happening even at this moment in Wisconsin and elsewhere? Republicans, Nazis, and others will always say the sky is green no matter how long it has been blue. With luck we will end up with total clarity on this issue but that will not stop others from dismissing the truth. We have seen this over and over again. My friend, it might be easier to simply stop arguing.
posted by Bella Donna at 1:09 AM on December 8, 2018 [25 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump: Totally clears the President. Thank you!

@gtconway3rd*: Except for that little part where the US Attorney’s Office says that you directed and coordinated with Cohen to commit two felonies. Other than that, totally scot-free.

* George Conway, husband of Kellyanne (who, incidentally, has switched her Twitter bio to read "Mom. Patriot. Catholic. Counselor." without "to the President" from October)

Kurt Eichenwald: Everyone has some area of expertise. Mine is in corporate crime.

Eichenwald's thread is damning (Threadreader version), concluding:

If Trump knew of [payment #2], he belongs in jail, not just impeached and convicted. These are major financial crimes, far more than a campaign finance violation.

BUT...dont jump the gun. Dont proclaim his guilt or make up standards ("CEOs are responsible even if they don't know" or other nonsense) you can't go to jail for fraud - and money laundering that follows it - if you do not have the intent to commit fraud. There is no transitive property of financial fraud.

So, if the CFO testified Trump knew...thats the end of his presidency. Or would be in a normal country.

Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg—who knows virtually everything about Trump's business (that is, once Michael Cohen has done the dirty work) and who received immunity for his testimony—may be the key to the SDNY's case against Trump.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:21 AM on December 8, 2018 [35 favorites]

Not convinced Trump understands who Individual-1 is. Can't imagine who would explain it to him. Not Kelly anyway.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 2:31 AM on December 8, 2018 [9 favorites]

After the latest disclosures, we’re steadily into Scenario #5, and can easily imagine #6.

We don't need to imagine #6 Kompromat, we're well into that as well. The Russians have known that Trump and Co were meeting and talking with them about business and "political synergy" since November 2015 and lying about it to the American public. That's kompromat. It doesn't need to be a pee tape. At any time Russia could've disclosed their outreach and contact with Trump & Co. and blown up his campaign/presidency.

No, we're at the point where we can easily imagine #7, where Trump is a Russian agent.
posted by chris24 at 4:12 AM on December 8, 2018 [46 favorites]

After reading coverage of Comey’s testimony, doesn’t it seem strange that the DOJ sent a lawyer with him who instructed him not to answer a lot of questions? I mean, before this administration I would not have thought it strange but didn’t Trump install Whitaker to control DOJ happenings? Then Trump tweets how biased and corrupt this was (being instructed not to answer). I don’t know, maybe I just don’t understand anything anymore.
posted by JenMarie at 4:44 AM on December 8, 2018

> No, we're at the point where we can easily imagine #7, where Trump is a Russian agent.

I think that requires a degree of nominal competence that is not evident.
posted by stonepharisee at 4:49 AM on December 8, 2018 [20 favorites]

No, we're at the point where we can easily imagine #7, where Trump is a Russian agent.

An "intelligence asset", strictly speaking. Like how former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper described him in relation to Putin.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:53 AM on December 8, 2018 [17 favorites]

The people of Wisconsin should be rioting in the streets, closing down freeways and demanding action. It seems like folks are just shrugging their shoulders and agreeing that it sucks but nothing can be done about it.
posted by shoesietart at 5:25 AM on December 8, 2018 [32 favorites]

This is your regularly-scheduled reminder that impeachment is the correct response to high crimes and misdemeanours committed by the President; the authors of the US constitution were well aware that indicting and prosecuting the person ultimately in charge of prosecutions could be challenging.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:27 AM on December 8, 2018 [23 favorites]

In case you’re wondering what Fox News readers are being fed.
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:44 AM on December 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

Well, sure...impeach first, then prosecute—in an ideal world.

What the founding fathers weren’t aware of and couldn’t have considered, though, is how Congress would surrender more and more of its prerogatives to the presidency, and how the rise of a entrenched partisan politics would mean Congress would refuse to provide checks and balances to the White House if it were occupied by a member of the majority party. Jefferson would be shocked that a criminal buffoon like Trump wasn’t impeached months ago. Impeachment, as originally envisioned, scarcely exists as a real possibility. Maybe the House will impeach. The Senate won’t convict. So criminal proceedings are all we have.

Honestly, I’ve grown weary of invocations of what the founders would have wanted. They’re gone, the flaws in the system they designed are apparent, and it’s not possible to re-create the world the Constitution envisions. Better to adapt the Constitution to the world we’re in. (Which the founders would approve of. They were under no illusion that they possessed timeless wisdom.)
posted by Pater Aletheias at 5:54 AM on December 8, 2018 [65 favorites]

Fox News:

And finally, is the cloud the Mueller probe is casting over the Trump administration benefitting our nation, or simply weakening the president and preventing him from accomplishing the many things the American people elected him to do on our behalf?

¿Por qué no los dos?
posted by flabdablet at 6:08 AM on December 8, 2018 [13 favorites]

In case you’re wondering what Fox News readers are being fed.

Last night, Fox News: 'No collusion' by Trump with Russia shown in new Cohen and Manafort court filings By Hans A. von Spakovsky

First thing this morning, Fox News viewer #1: AFTER TWO YEARS AND MILLIONS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTS (and a cost of over $30,000,000), NO COLLUSION!

For the rest of us, Ken White writes in the Atlantic: Manafort, Cohen, and Individual 1 Are in Grave Danger—Robert Mueller is closing in on the president and all his men.

"The president said on Twitter that Friday’s news “totally clears the President. Thank you!” It does not. Manafort and Cohen are in trouble, and so is Trump. The Special Counsel’s confidence in his ability to prove Manafort a liar appears justified, which leaves Manafort facing what amounts to a life sentence without any cooperation credit. The Southern District’s brief suggests that Cohen’s dreams of probation are not likely to come true. All three briefs show the Special Counsel and the Southern District closing in on President Trump and his administration. They’re looking into campaign contact with Russia, and campaign finance fraud in connection with paying off an adult actress, and participation in lying to Congress. A Democratic House of Representatives, just days away, strains at the leash to help. The game’s afoot."
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:11 AM on December 8, 2018 [13 favorites]

Hans A. von Spakovsky

note this is the same hans van spakovsky who has been shopped around the country as an "expert" in "voter fraud", and who had his particulars handed to him in Fish v. Kobach by judge julie robinson:

Defendant's expert Hans von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, 'a think tank whose mission [is to] formulate and promote conservative public policies. ... [He] cited a U.S. GAO study for the proposition that the GAO 'found that up to 3 percent of the 30,000 individuals called for jury duty from voter registration roles over a two-year period in just one U.S. district court were not U.S. citizens.' On cross-examination, however, he acknowledged that he omitted the following facts: the GAO study contained information on a total of 8 district courts; 4 of the 8 reported that there was not a single non-citizen who had been called for jury duty; and the 3 remaining district courts reported that less than 1% of those called for jury duty from voter rolls were noncitizens. Therefore, his report misleadingly described the only district court with the highest percentage of people reporting that they were noncitizens, while omitting mention of the 7 other courts described in the GAO report, including 4 that had no incidents of noncitizens on the rolls. ... While [Mr. von Spakovsky's] lack of academic background is not fatal to his credibility ...., his clear agenda and misleading statements ... render his opinions unpersuasive.

posted by murphy slaw at 6:15 AM on December 8, 2018 [23 favorites]

note this is the same hans van spakovsky who has been shopped around the country as an "expert" in "voter fraud"

That's Metafilter favorite Hans A. von Spakovsky, whose voter fraud grift having dried up, has recently moved on to attacking Mueller and praising Bill Barr on Fox News, i.e. the traditional method of auditioning at the Trump White House.

Meanwhile, @realDonaldTrump just announced his nomination of Gen. Mark Milley as the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, because that's a totally normal thing for a President to do on a Saturday morning. He's desperate to throw chum in the news cycle to distract from Mueller, and The Apprentice at the Pentagon is the best he can do.
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:39 AM on December 8, 2018 [6 favorites]

because that's a totally normal thing for a President to do on a Saturday morning

Individual-1 will be at the Army-Navy game in Philly this afternoon, so at least there's a theme.
posted by holgate at 6:43 AM on December 8, 2018 [2 favorites]

What the founding fathers weren’t aware of and couldn’t have considered, though, is how Congress would surrender more and more of its prerogatives to the presidency,

The Founders relied on someone calling out the bastard to a duel on the Field of Honor. And "Out of Band" mechanism for dealing with this sort of thing.

Given that the OLC's opinion on not indicting a sitting president is that it would prevent him from doing the essential work needed, and this buffoon is spending all his time golfing and "executive recess", I would suggest wo go right to indictments.
posted by mikelieman at 7:05 AM on December 8, 2018 [5 favorites]

The people of Wisconsin should be rioting in the streets, closing down freeways and demanding action. It seems like folks are just shrugging their shoulders and agreeing that it sucks but nothing can be done about it.

Activists in wisconsin are exhausted. There was something close to riots to try and prevent Act 10 and it didn't matter. The state legislature is happy to wait out protests because they know that their seats are secure. If we swarmed Madison in yellow vests and set piles of tires on fire they'd paint us as crazy radicals, enjoy tear gassing and rubber bulleting us, and, after a laugh, go back to doing whatever they want. If anything, riots would cause a backlash effect here. We really don't know what to do and it's not like political violence is a viable option.
posted by dis_integration at 7:14 AM on December 8, 2018 [92 favorites]

How Democracy Works, a flowchart by Scott Bateman. (The Nib)
posted by young_simba at 7:17 AM on December 8, 2018 [8 favorites]

As a companion to Kurt Eichenwald's tweetstorm linked above, author David Rothkopf has a similar, comprehensive summary: I excerpt below but strongly recommend reading the whole thing:
(...)
It's not just the Trump Tower meeting. It's not just the interactions with Wikileaks. It's not just the Russian ties to Cambridge Analytica. It's not just Konstantin Kiliminik, a Russian agent working hand in hand with campaign chair Paul Manafort. It's not just Jared Kushner's dealings with Russia. It's not just Kushner and Flynn's dealing with Kislyak during the campaign. It's not just the candidate Trump asking for Russian help. It's not just the GRU hacking for which indictments have already taken place.
(...)
From the outreach to Cohen to just the first mos of the admin we can count more than a dozen separate avenues of connection at the highest level. In any normal campaign or administration, just one would set off alarm bells and have the president calling the FBI into action.
(...)
This is not a case of possible collusion. This is sweeping, multi-layered, high level conspiracy led by Vladimir Putin and the Russian intelligence community and involving the active cooperation and complicity of a man who was a candidate for president and then president.
(...)
The House will soon begin investigation of Trump money laundering. A case involving his violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause is under way. In other words, as massive as the Russia scandal is, it might not be the biggest Trump scandal.
It might not even be the scandal that brings Trump down. But what we know is that all of these or any of these scandals must bring him down. This criminal has no business being the White House. He has no business walking freely among us.
posted by johnny jenga at 7:52 AM on December 8, 2018 [62 favorites]

I mean, Fox is not technically incorrect. Like if I said, "I moved the big pile of clothing and checked inside the fridge. No dirty laundry there! The clothes are therefore all clean!"
posted by Scattercat at 8:00 AM on December 8, 2018 [9 favorites]

Individual-1 operates from a mixture of wishful thinking and paranoia, which could seem contradictory, but ultimately means swinging back and forth between those things. I think a part of him has worried (yet also excited, in a Frank-Sinatra-My-Way sense) about a knock on the door and actual arrest for a while now. Yes, he "knows" about presidential immunity, but he also "knows" about the safeguards against being poisoned and would still prefer a fast-food hamburger from a sense of security.

So when he says "Totally clears the President. Thank you!" he's at least half-sincere. Thank you, universe, for not putting me in handcuffs just yet. It's not ignorance about the meaning of "Individual-1", it's relief at the "unindicted" part. And that message sticks with his fan base, who will cling as hard as they can to a lack of actual indictments of him specifically.

Unfortunately, this line of thought holds up even for non-deporable-types who also don't pay a lot of attention. If you don't follow the process of criminal justice closely, there's a strong tendency to equate guilt with punishment, and the absence of one with an absence of the other.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:34 AM on December 8, 2018 [3 favorites]

Wishful:
Barbara McQuade - Trump should be stripped of presidency because Mueller filing shows he ‘procured it by fraud’
posted by growabrain at 8:36 AM on December 8, 2018 [13 favorites]

> 'Totally Clears the President'? What Those Cohen and Manafort Filings Really Say [Lawfare, 12/7/2018]

I get that Lawfare isn't a political activism blog or anything, but it's maddening that they have to do this Betteridge's Law-esque thing where they take Trump's tweet at face value in order to tell us what really happened. The memos yesterday could have contained vivid descriptions of Trump's direct involvement in the conspiracy, complete with links to Soundcloud and Youtube clips of Trump directing Cohen and Manafort to commit crimes, and Trump would have tweeted the exact same thing. We all know he's bullshitting -- just analyze the documents on their own terms without even entertaining the possibility that Trump's denials mean anything at all.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:00 AM on December 8, 2018 [11 favorites]

From Jeff "Smirking Chimp" Tiedrich's wonderful twitter feed:
***
first they came for Individual-1 and I did not speak out — because seriously, fuck that guy
***
I swear, if I have to fucking listen to BUT HER DNA TEST for the next two years just put me in a medically-induced coma right the hell now
***
Donald Fucking Trump. imagine this vulgar slug listening to music, or visiting a museum, or playing with a small child. you can't. the man possesses not one single shred of humanity and nothing that even comes close to being a soul. a barren husk stuffed with money and effluvia
* **
More here
***
(Smirking Chimp is still alive)
‏
posted by growabrain at 9:09 AM on December 8, 2018 [19 favorites]

Not convinced Trump understands who Individual-1 is.

Remember how they started to use Trump's name frequently within the daily briefing in the hope he'd read it if he saw his name a lot? I'm beginning to think this "Individual-1" is the opposite of that.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 9:30 AM on December 8, 2018 [38 favorites]

CNN's Jeremy Herb, writing yesterday: "NEW: George Papadopoulos has been released from prison -- he's expected to travel to DC this weekend with his wife to speak at the conservative American Priority conference*"

The Daily Beast's Will Sommer caught Papadopoulos's wife trying to gaslight him on Twitter (in a now-deleted tweet) that same day:

Full context for this Twitter exchange: the apparent burner account tweet from Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos came in reply to her quote-tweeting another tweet praising her.

{Pic}

* Politico previews this gathering: Wild theories and empty seats at CPAC-style conference for the MAGA set—Talk of QAnon, George Soros and ‘retarded’ reporters at the American Priority Conference.

This batshit conference kicked off yesterday with Anthony Scaramucci talking up QAnon at a "coffee with Mooch" event, and today former "coffee boy" Papadopoulos will share the spotlight with the likes of intellectual dark web pseudo-intellectual Stefan Molyneux, Trump 2016'ers Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, and, most significantly, Trump 2020 senior adviser Katrina Pierson. Although the conference doesn't sound like a success in terms of attendance, it sounds like the perfect venue to workshop material for disinfo and dirty tricks for Trump's re-election campaign.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:13 AM on December 8, 2018 [16 favorites]

[He] cited a U.S. GAO study for the proposition that the GAO 'found that up to 3 percent of the 30,000 individuals called for jury duty from voter registration roles over a two-year period in just one U.S. district court were not U.S. citizens.'

As a non-citizen who has been summoned for county level court I can tell you in Illinois they don't draw names just from voter registration rolls as I'm not registered. It is also from the state's list of residents which includes non-citizens who have state IDs (I do) or a driver's license

I was super disappointed I couldn't serve on the jury because I think it would have been interesting.

Interestingly, this is done to ensure a fairer representation than would occur if they just used registered voter rolls because that skews white due to America's history of racism and voter suppression.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2013-03-27-ct-met-juries-racial-mix-20130327-story.html
posted by srboisvert at 10:29 AM on December 8, 2018 [18 favorites]

@nialstanage of The Hill: '@RealDonaldTrump has just told reporters that White House chief of staff John Kelly will be leaving "toward the end of the year."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:30 AM on December 8, 2018 [3 favorites]

I more than half expect Trump is only saying this because he feels pumped up by talking in front of a bunch of reporters, but he hasn't actually discussed this with Kelly in person.
Which also means I half expect Kelly to go and the other half of me expects Kelly to just keep showing up at work like that dude in Office Space only super racist.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:33 AM on December 8, 2018 [15 favorites]

Heartbreaking:
This is what Trump’s caravan 'invasion' really looks like
posted by growabrain at 10:33 AM on December 8, 2018 [7 favorites]

Honestly, I’ve grown weary of invocations of what the founders would have wanted. They’re gone, the flaws in the system they designed are apparent, and it’s not possible to re-create the world the Constitution envisions.

The founders wanted it to change when the country's needs changed; that's why they built in an amendment process. They were entirely aware that what they were making wasn't perfect, and that a lot of them weren't happy with some aspects of it - it was just the best they could come up with at the time. So they built into it a process for fixing the parts that weren't working.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:39 AM on December 8, 2018 [12 favorites]

From the Politico piece on the American Priority conference:
“It’s a reflection of the real movement,” [co-founder Ali] Alexander said. “Damn the media optics.”

“You have conservatives who are acting like leftists,” said Laura Loomer, an American Priority speaker and social media provocateur, of CPAC’s organizers. “They care more about optics.”

Robert Bowers, before he killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue:
"Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
posted by neroli at 10:54 AM on December 8, 2018 [25 favorites]

Hundreds of social media accounts linked to Russia have sought to amplify the street protests that have rocked France, according to analysis seen by The Times.

The network of accounts has circulated messages on Twitter that focus on the violence and chaos of the yellow vest or gilet jaune riots. As the unrest began last month, a group of about 200 monitored accounts was churning out approximately 1,600 tweets and retweets a day. A large proportion of the accounts appear to be so-called “sock puppets”, which purport to be run by westerners.


Fucking WW3 will be by bots and sockpuppets fighting over eyeballs and swastikas.
posted by infini at 10:58 AM on December 8, 2018 [35 favorites]

The GOP sees rural voters as more legitimate than urban voters (Slate)

[Wisconsin] state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos just after the election: “If you took Madison and Milwaukee out of the state election formula, we would have a clear majority—we would have all five constitutional officers and we would probably have many more seats in the Legislature.”

The idea that you could remove the state’s major population centers and still have an acceptably democratic result is a reasoning that gets to the heart of the matter. It’s not just that Democrats are poised to undo gains made under Walker’s administration, but that Democrats themselves are illegitimate because of who they represent. Vos isn’t saying that Republicans should do better in Madison and Milwaukee, he’s saying that the state’s major cities shouldn’t count. And if they do count, says Fitzgerald, they don’t count the same way.
They are the wrong voters, and the Democrats they elect have no right to roll back a Republican administration backed by the right ones.

posted by Weeping_angel at 11:07 AM on December 8, 2018 [76 favorites]

Mob mentality: how Mueller is working to turn Trump's troops -
.....“Mob bosses hold sway over their soldiers because they hold the purse strings for their soldiers and their soldiers’ families, particularly when they go to jail, and they sort of rule with an implicit iron fist that reacts to cooperation with violence up to, potentially, death"...
posted by growabrain at 11:24 AM on December 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ugh, so the Russians are going after France now? It's getting to be time to just take their whole country OFF the Internet. Has anyone proposed the idea of an information embargo yet? Like, cut all their trunk lines? Because at this point Russia has just weaponized the Internet.
There's a picture I can't find now that I wish I had saved. It was of Zuckerberg onstage at some Facebook corporate rally or some shit (around the time the tech giants were being called in front of Congress about the Russian interference), standing in front of a huge map of the world. The map was showing how much FB had spread around the world, with all the connections lit up in blue...like, almost all of the U.S. and Europe, thinning out in Africa and Asia, etc. But the interesting part was Russia. It was almost completely dark. Like, it's borders were a black cut-out against it's lit-up neighbors (almost as if FB was totally banned except for misinformation purposes). EXCEPT for the science cities/old gulags running along the south into Siberia. Those were lit up like pearls in a chain. It makes sense that that's where their misinformation campaign is based being that that's where a lot of their science infrastructure is (it's where their nuclear weapons program and space operations are...or were, anyway). I know it sounds conspiracy-crazy, but if you can find that picture, it is not subtle. Cutting the lines there where they run into Europe would probably stop or at least slow the majority of their propaganda.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:51 AM on December 8, 2018 [11 favorites]

Butterly Sanctuary in Texas Expected to Be Plowed Over for Trump's Border Wall

"A protected habitat of butterflies along the Rio Grande is expected to be plowed over to clear the way for President Trump's border wall after the U.S. Supreme Court rebuffed a challenge by environmental groups. The justices this week upheld a District Court ruling to allow the Trump administration to bypass 28 federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air Act, to be waived for southern border wall construction."
posted by lisa g at 11:55 AM on December 8, 2018 [22 favorites]

The Daily Beast's Will Sommer caught Papadopoulos's wife trying to gaslight him on Twitter (in a now-deleted tweet) that same day:

update: after getting caught doing… something? (trying to make george jealous? flattering herself? who knows) on twitter with a male sockpuppet account, putative italian and possible russian agent simona mangiante papadopoulos has completely deleted her twitter account.

so we’ve got that going for us, which is nice
posted by murphy slaw at 11:55 AM on December 8, 2018 [12 favorites]

The people of Wisconsin should be rioting in the streets, closing down freeways and demanding action. It seems like folks are just shrugging their shoulders and agreeing that it sucks but nothing can be done about it.

Demanding action how? I'm in Michigan, I'd like to get some action, but I don't know how. I don't think that rioting in the streets is going to do it. The state legislators have demonstrated, with the passing of 12 bills, that they don't give a flying fuck what the voters think.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 12:09 PM on December 8, 2018 [12 favorites]

CNBC: Trump is reportedly ‘glued’ to the stock market’s fluctuations and worried he’s causing them

There's nothing but bad economic news for "Tariff Man" lately:

Bloomberg: It Took Just One Week for a $1 Trillion Wipeout in U.S. Stocks

U.S. stocks plunged, capping the worst week for the S&P 500 Index since March, as the Trump administration pressed its trade war with China and the latest batch of economic data added to concern that growth has peaked. Oil rose after OPEC agreed to cut output.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed over 500 points Friday, bringing its decline in the abbreviated trading week to over 1,000. The S&P finished the week down 4.6 percent.[…] The Federal Reserve’s Lael Brainard struck a hawkish tone in comments at a conference.

“What we think is going on is a repricing of growth,” said Ernie Cecilia, chief investment officer at Bryn Mawr Trust Co. “The bond market is essentially saying we don’t see the kind of growth that we’ve had. So what the market is doing is repricing stocks, particularly those that have performed extraordinarily well, to a lower growth rate.”

@WSJ reports: U.S. Companies Feel the Pinch as Tariff Costs Start to Mount

Tariff collections topped $5 billion in October, according to data from the Treasury Department and from Census Bureau data analyzed and released by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, a lobbying coalition of manufacturing, farming and technology groups.[…]

The amount of tariffs being paid by U.S. importers has doubled since May, including an increase of more than 30% from August to October, according to the data. The sum has risen through the year as steel and aluminum tariffs were applied to imports from a growing group of countries, then surged in October, which was the first full month in which U.S. tariffs were in place on a full $250 billion of imports from China.

Reuters: U.S. Job Growth Slows In November, Monthly Wage Gains Modest

U.S. job growth slowed in November and monthly wages increased less than forecast, suggesting some moderation in economic activity that could support expectations of fewer interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve in 2019. […]

Non-farm payrolls increased by 155,000 jobs last month, with construction companies hiring the fewest workers in eight months, likely because of unseasonably chilly temperatures. […]

Data for September and October were revised to show 12,000 fewer jobs added than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls increasing by 200,000 jobs in November.

Democratic operatives should be testing "Trump Slump" slogans right now.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:12 PM on December 8, 2018 [22 favorites]

The reply to this made me laugh a lot harder than it probably should have:

BREAKING: Departement of Justice confirms that Donald Trump will be tried as an adult if indicted.
posted by homunculus at 12:24 PM on December 8, 2018 [62 favorites]

I've been wondering about Trump's apparent unflappedness the day after being charged with a federal offense...I have seen him on days for which they have apparently found the right combination of psychotropics, but that is not apparent today... I wonder if relief is fueling his current mood - perhaps something he feared would come out did not materialize yesterday.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 12:32 PM on December 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

Democratic operatives should be testing "Trump Slump" slogans right now.

Before those 'obstructive Democrats in the House' get all the blame. (Not that he and every other Republican won't be blaming them in any case, but it would be nice to get ahead of the curve for once.)
posted by trig at 12:35 PM on December 8, 2018 [5 favorites]

I've been wondering about Trump's apparent unflappedness the day after being charged with a federal offense

He hasn't been charged. He hasn't even directly been accused. He has been implicated, but he's always been oblivious to nuances like that. Nobody's even put his name next to the crimes being described - and he may be asking his Official Reading Support Team, "does it say I'm guilty of anything?"

(Am now wondering if the whole "Individual-1" thing is just to avoid making the term Trump searchable in the PDFs.)

Also, as noted, he's not capable of admitting he screwed up, or that he's in trouble. He needs to declare that he's winning, always. If it becomes overwhelmingly obvious that he is not "winning," as in, he gets hauled into a courtroom in handcuffs, he'll start yelling about fraud, cheating, crimes being committed against him, conspiracies run by Hillary, and so on. At no point will he admit that he has done anything wrong, nor even that people might reasonably think he's done something wrong.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 12:53 PM on December 8, 2018 [6 favorites]

Democratic operatives should be testing "Trump Slump" slogans right now.

> Before those 'obstructive Democrats in the House' get all the blame.

This assumes Democrats make no effort to get their own message out about what's happening.
posted by nangar at 12:55 PM on December 8, 2018 [3 favorites]

Paul Waldman / WaPo:
Nobody Can Save Trump Now
posted by growabrain at 1:05 PM on December 8, 2018 [5 favorites]

“What we think is going on is a repricing of growth,” said Ernie Cecilia, chief investment officer at Bryn Mawr Trust Co. “The bond market is essentially saying we don’t see the kind of growth that we’ve had. So what the market is doing is repricing stocks, particularly those that have performed extraordinarily well, to a lower growth rate.”


Well, “a repricing of growth” is about as euphemistic a term I’ve ever heard for an incipient market crash. Even better than “irrational exuberance” to describe a bubble about to pop.

Of course, I wouldn’t expect a stock investment officer to come right out and call it “possibly the beginning of a crash, as a result of unsustainable overpricing, and triggered by an unwise tax cut and a ridiculous trade war with the rest of the planet.”

The Dow gained about 25% in Obama’s last year in office. The momentum of the Obama Recovery continued into Individual-1’s first year of office, with a 33% gain. But then the GOP policies began to take effect: the tax cut for the rich and the crazy trade wars. So now we have a year with zero growth.

“Bush Jr.’s Great Recession.”

“The Obama Recovery.”

“The Trump Slump.”

Sounds fair to me.
posted by darkstar at 1:11 PM on December 8, 2018 [60 favorites]

Demanding action how? I'm in Michigan, I'd like to get some action, but I don't know how. I don't think that rioting in the streets is going to do it. The state legislators have demonstrated, with the passing of 12 bills, that they don't give a flying fuck what the voters think.

The anti-gerrymandering initiative was step one. Court fights against any attempts to undo it are step two. Step 3 is, start right now identifying and holding accountable every legislator who voted for bills to undo it. Blare the message loud and clear that they are anti-democratic and subverting the will of the people. Recruit good opponents for their next elections, pressure their financial supporters and put them on the record for or against anti-democratic laws, and starts campaigning NOW to unseat those state legislators in 2 years.
posted by msalt at 1:12 PM on December 8, 2018 [14 favorites]

Zuckerberg onstage at some Facebook corporate rally or some shit (around the time the tech giants were being called in front of Congress about the Russian interference), standing in front of a huge map of the world. The map was showing how much FB had spread around the world, with all the connections lit up in blue...like, almost all of the U.S. and Europe, thinning out in Africa and Asia, etc. But the interesting part was Russia. It was almost completely dark … EXCEPT for the science cities/old gulags running along the south into Siberia.

You might be thinking of this map? (the 2010, 2013 edition). Russia really comes onto Facebook by 2013 and the usage map with highlights along the trans-Siberian route closely mirrors overall world population density. The big exception is China with its internet firewall, everyone else is basically in there to varying degrees.
posted by migurski at 1:28 PM on December 8, 2018 [6 favorites]

Ugh, so the Russians are going after France now? It's getting to be time to just take their whole country OFF the Internet. Has anyone proposed the idea of an information embargo yet? Like, cut all their trunk lines?

Excellent idea. But also, boycott irresponsible social media. No one HAS to read Facebook or Twitter, and curated spaces like, well, Metafilter are much better. I've joined everyone under 30 in dropping Facebook, and if enough people do, the social pressure to be on it will disappear.

Can someone create a Firefox of social networking, that explicitly won't capture or sell your data?

If you do "need" to stay on recklessly unpatrolled sosh meeds, report baddies early and often. It's the least you can do, and the desperation of people like Laura Loomer when they're kicked off speaks to the effectiveness of this action.
posted by msalt at 1:35 PM on December 8, 2018 [13 favorites]

Adam Davidson, The Ineptitude of Donald Trump’s Co-Conspirators:

It is no longer journalistically sound to report on the Trump investigation as if it is a matter that may, or may not, yield damning information about the President. In a series of filings that came Friday night, the office of the special counsel Robert Mueller, and a separate group of federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, laid out evidence that, taken together, leaves little doubt that Donald Trump sought to use his candidacy to enrich himself by approving a plan to curry political favor from Vladimir Putin in exchange for a lucrative real-estate opportunity.

It may be only part of the full story, but what we now know is a powerful tale that combines elements that are familiar from other Trumpworld scandals. It is, at once, shockingly corrupt, blatantly unethical, probably illegal, yet, at the same time, shabby, small, and ineptly executed.

Combined with another memo released on Friday—a more sparsely informative sentencing memo for Paul Manafort—we are seeing the inner workings of a coördinated conspiracy conducted by people who are very, very bad at conspiracy.

posted by zachlipton at 2:11 PM on December 8, 2018 [40 favorites]

The WaPo has an article about William Barr's work as a corporate lawyer, the takeaways are that there should be a lot of areas where he will have to recuse himself including the Time Warner/AT&T merger because he's been deeply involved in the consolidation of the telecom industry: In corporate role, William P. Barr clashed with Justice Department that he now seeks to lead.

It also has a weird story of Barr attending a 2017 meeting about the stalled merger where Time Warner's general counsel threatened the head of the DoJ's Antitrust Division suggesting he would "employ personal attacks to denigrate the integrity of the Antitrust Division" and its leadership, suggesting an outcome similar "to the disappearance of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa and the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey." Barr contradicts sworn statements from DoJ officials and says in an affidavit that he has no memory of any reference to Hoffa or Comey and that nothing was said that a reasonable person would interpret as a threat.
posted by peeedro at 2:25 PM on December 8, 2018 [9 favorites]

Can someone create a Firefox of social networking, that explicitly won't capture or sell your data?

Like Patchwork? There are various other Facebook alternatives that don't grab user data. They're not widely in use because social activity wants consolidation. That means needing lots of people on the same system, which means someone has to pay to host and manage all that data... which means either paying for access, or selling data to advertisers, or being a nonprofit. (AO3 has politely but firmly declined to start a social media site.)

It's relatively easy to create basic social media software these days. The hard part is getting enough people to use it, and figuring out who's paying for storage and bandwidth. And if you want it Nazi-free, someone has to moderate and swing the banhammer.

The choices are "small and cozy" or "large and loud," and it's hard to get to the latter without a source of money. And these days, that source is going to need to be something other than the majority of users; "why should I use your app when Twitter is free?"
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:36 PM on December 8, 2018 [9 favorites]

He hasn't been charged. He hasn't even directly been accused. He has been implicated, but he's always been oblivious to nuances like that. Nobody's even put his name next to the crimes being described - and he may be asking his Official Reading Support Team, "does it say I'm guilty of anything?"

Dahlia Lithwick had a federal prosecutor (whose name escapes me, I hadn't heard from her before) on the most recent episode of her Amicus podcast. She said that when Trump began (months ago) by saying "I took no meetings with Russia, I never called Russia" it reminded her of how many other defendants she'd had to explain how conspiracy charges work. These people don't realize that you can be part of a conspiracy without actually talking to everyone in on it, as long as you know there is a conspiracy and you take some overt action towards its goals.

So it's absolutely within the normal frame of normal white collar criminals to just not realize what their legal exposure is. Trump's less capable of understanding than most, but the median is still pretty bad.
posted by BungaDunga at 2:46 PM on December 8, 2018 [28 favorites]

These people don't realize that you can be part of a conspiracy without actually talking to everyone in on it, as long as you know there is a conspiracy and you take some overt action towards its goals.

I think it was Neal Katyal last week who said, "conspiracy charges are all about uncompleted crimes."
posted by rhizome at 2:55 PM on December 8, 2018 [9 favorites]

The worst part about this is Kelly (hell anyone who leaves) is going to be able to show his face in public again and might even get s little redemption tour and end up in some cushy job making more money then any of us will ever see in our lives. Faceless staffers or interns might not be able to spin it into another job but everyone else gets that Kouch/Murdock parachute
posted by The Whelk at 3:11 PM on December 8, 2018 [11 favorites]

You might be thinking of this map? (the 2010, 2013 edition).

Yes, very similar, but with differences...prob the 2014-2017(?) edition...the upper part of Russia looked blacked out like China in the 2013 and the trans-Siberia part was both brighter and denser...like beads on a wire. IIRC there was an article posted here a year or two ago (vanity fair maybe?) interviewing Russian misinformation workers (the main point being they didn't like doing it, there just weren't any other jobs...like what happens when, y'know, oligarchs suck all the money out of the economy) who were working out of I think ekaterinaburg or novosibirsk. Srsly tho...fuck these dudes. They caused Trump, brexit, antivax, right wing populism everywhere, probably that caravan too, and who knows what else. They need to be taken off the web, or shot in the head. Preferably both.
posted by sexyrobot at 3:15 PM on December 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

There's still plenty of jobs for people like Kelly without them having to spend a whit of attention on redemption.
posted by rhizome at 3:15 PM on December 8, 2018 [9 favorites]

The worst part about this is Kelly (hell anyone who leaves) is going to be able to show his face in public again and might even get s little redemption tour and end up in some cushy job making more money then any of us will ever see in our lives.

He's going to be at the Harvard Kennedy School next semester.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:20 PM on December 8, 2018 [10 favorites]

The (redacted) transcript of Comey's Friday testimony before the House Judiciary and Government Reform and Oversight Committees has been released. Among the many topics covered, Comey reveals that he started an investigation of the NYC FBI office after Giuliani started apparently receiving leaks in October 2016, but he was fired before it was concluded (or not). (p 152)

Yesterday Comey criticized the session: "Today wasn’t a search for truth, but a desperate attempt to find anything that can be used to attack the institutions of justice investigating this president. They came up empty today but will try again. In the long run, it'll make no difference because facts are stubborn things."
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:37 PM on December 8, 2018 [35 favorites]

NYT, The Wooing of Jared Kushner: How the Saudis Got a Friend in the White House. There's a lot in here, including how the Saudis zeroed in on Jared before Trump took office, going so far as to prepare a slide presentation (later obtained by a pro-Hezbollah newspaper) about him that focused on his "lack of familiarity with the history of Saudi-American relations," and alarming things like:

Only a few months after Mr. Trump moved into the White House, Mr. Kushner was inquiring about the Saudi royal succession process and whether the United States could influence it, raising fears among senior officials that he sought to help Prince Mohammed, who was not yet the crown prince, vault ahead in the line for the throne, two former senior White House officials said. American diplomats and intelligence officials feared that the Trump administration might be seen as playing favorites in the delicate internal politics of the Saudi royal family, the officials said.

But this bit is particularly significant, on chats between Kushner and MBS after Khashoggi's muder:

But American officials and a Saudi briefed on their conversations said that Mr. Kushner and Prince Mohammed have continued to chat informally. According to the Saudi, Mr. Kushner has offered the crown prince advice about how to weather the storm, urging him to resolve his conflicts around the region and avoid further embarrassments.

But Jared wants Trump to stand by MBS because Jared still thinks he can magically make peace betweens the Israelis and the Palestinians, which, um, doesn't seem to be happening.
posted by zachlipton at 3:58 PM on December 8, 2018 [17 favorites]

The (redacted) transcript of Comey's Friday testimony before the House Judiciary and Government Reform and Oversight Committees

FYI, it seems like the only redaction is the names of two FBI agents, on page 132.
posted by reductiondesign at 4:02 PM on December 8, 2018 [4 favorites]

(AO3 has politely but firmly declined to start a social media site.)

AO3 in fact is a very limited kind of social media site, and their budget could be demonstrative of your point. They have the simplest, most lightweight code possible. They only do text data. There is no video data hosted anywhere on the site at all. Their user base is moderately small, and has a strongly positive opinion of the site. AO3 gets a lot of volunteer labor. Their funding drives are almost always successful. And yet their hosting costs are so high that some of those users who love the site think that the funding drives must be scams. (Which is why they publish a detailed budget every year.)

--

The most recent Amicus is a very good listen, and in addition, Maddow's podcast "Bagman" is also quite good and short and very timely. It's about VP Agnew being wildly corrupt. Most of the prosecutors who investigatedg him are still alive to talk about it, which is cool. I mention it because:

Lithwick raises a question, "why is this all taking so long?" And when "Bagman" goes into the prosecutors' thought processes, they say that indicting and convicting Agnew would effectively have been overturning the results of the election. Potentially beyond their purview, definitely a very big and serious step. On Amicus, they say, "it's taking so long because this will have to carry in the court of public opinion as well," more or less.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 4:14 PM on December 8, 2018 [6 favorites]

Yahoo News, Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman, Trump first wanted his attorney general pick Bill Barr for another job: Defense lawyer

In late spring 2017, President Trump was having a hard time finding a topflight lawyer to spearhead his defense in the sprawling Russian investigation conducted by the new special counsel Robert Mueller. Some of the most prominent litigators in Washington had turned aside overtures to represent the president in the case, expressing concerns that he would not listen to their advice anyway.

Around that time, sources tell Yahoo News, White House officials reached out to a man they thought would be an ideal candidate: William P. Barr, the attorney general under President George H.W. Bush. An outspoken conservative, Barr had gotten on Trump’s radar screen that spring after he had written a newspaper op-ed vigorously defending the president’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. At one point, Barr was ushered into a brief White House meeting with Trump, who asked him if he was interested in the job, according to a source who was present for the meeting. Barr demurred. He had other obligations, he said. He would have to think about it.

The talk among Trump and his top advisers about hiring Barr as chief defense lawyer did not stop there. It arose again this year after the departure of John Dowd, Trump’s lead lawyer for the special counsel investigation, and continued until the summer, when the president found another candidate far more eager for the job: Rudy Giuliani. But now in a twist few could have anticipated, Trump has tapped Barr for an even more important position: attorney general, a post that, if confirmed, would put him in charge of the Mueller investigation.

So that kind of seems like a conflict of interest.
posted by zachlipton at 4:19 PM on December 8, 2018 [32 favorites]

So that kind of seems like a conflict of interest.

The conflict isn't on Barr's side, because his past doesn't give him a special incentive to obstruct the investigation. It's on Trump's side: someone potentially facing charges should not be able to appoint his own prosecutor and his own judges. Unfortunately, the Republicans actually want things this way: from their perspective a win for Trump is the most valuable thing imaginable, vastly outweighing things like justice or the integrity of the legal system.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:28 PM on December 8, 2018 [5 favorites]

The “Pro-Life” Movement Continues to Prove It’s Just Anti-Choice. Iowans are traveling out-of-state for abortion care by the hundreds. New Oklahoma bill would ban abortion under all circumstances. New study: When women are denied abortions, their children suffer.
posted by homunculus at 4:34 PM on December 8, 2018 [20 favorites]

The conflict isn't on Barr's side, because his past doesn't give him a special incentive to obstruct the investigation.

It really depends on how far the engagement went. If it was just a phone call about 'would you consider...', and Barr passed, that's not really a conflict. It it went further and Barr discussed any details of the investigation with Trump or his current legal team, that absolutely is a conflict for Barr.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:44 PM on December 8, 2018 [4 favorites]

At one point, Barr was ushered into a brief White House meeting with Trump, who asked him if he was interested in the job, according to a source who was present for the meeting. Barr demurred. He had other obligations, he said. He would have to think about it.

Aha! I was wondering what Trump meant yesterday morning when he said:

I want to confirm that Bill Barr, one of the most respected jurists in the country, highly respected lawyer, former attorney general under the Bush administration, a terrific man, a terrific person, a brilliant man -- I did not know him for -- until recently,

That was really bugging me, since I already know the meaning of those words.
posted by pjenks at 4:54 PM on December 8, 2018 [10 favorites]

Yesterday, while the OSC was filing its court papers on Manafort's breach of their plea agreement, the Trump administration's Treasury Department quietly slipped this announcement into the Friday afternoon news cycle: U.S. Delays Rusal Sanctions as Talks With Deripaska Continue (Bloomberg)

The U.S. Treasury Department delayed imposing sanctions on Russia’s largest aluminum producer, United Co. Rusal, for the fifth time, as it seeks to strike a deal that would allow the company to escape the penalties.

Treasury said in a notice Friday that licenses allowing Rusal to continue doing business would be extended to Jan. 21 from the prior Jan. 7 expiration. The extension gives Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska more time to give up control of Rusal, the world’s largest aluminum producer.[...]

Rusal has been largely shut out of signing new aluminum contracts, an indication that sanctions on Deripaska are hitting the company even as negotiations with Treasury continue. Even though Treasury is allowing some new contracts, the uncertainty of the situation has scared buyers away, Bloomberg News reported last month.

Deripaska's obviously going to have to write off all the money Manafort owes him, but maybe he'll come out ahead, thanks to Trump.
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:15 PM on December 8, 2018 [22 favorites]

The Lawfare Podcast: Congressman Adam Schiff on the Future of the House Intelligence Committee

On January 3, Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives and all of its committees. Congressman Adam Schiff of California, the current ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), is expected to take control of the committee. This week, Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes sat down with Rep. Schiff at his office to discuss the agenda for HPSCI and the upcoming Congress, the challenges facing the Democratic majority as they attempt to rebuild bipartisanship on a deeply divided committee, and, of course, the Russia investigation.

posted by scalefree at 8:36 PM on December 8, 2018 [7 favorites]

NRA Claims 'Deep Financial Trouble' May Soon Put It Out of Business

The National Rifle Association says that it’s in “deep financial trouble” — so deep in fact that it may be “unable to exist.”

The group says it is under such financial distress because New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has convinced a number of financial service providers, banks, and insurance providers against doing business with the gun-advocacy group. As a result, the NRA claims that it will be forced to end its magazine publishing and television services, and will be forced to curtail rallies and potentially shutter some of its offices.

In April, Gov. Cuomo encouraged New York-based businesses to cut ties with the NRA. “New York may have the strongest gun laws in the country, but we must push further to ensure that gun safety is a top priority for every individual, company, and organization that does business across the state,” he said in a statement. “I am directing the Department of Financial Services to urge insurers and bankers statewide to determine whether any relationship they may have with the NRA or similar organizations sends the wrong message to their clients and their communities who often look to them for guidance and support. This is not just a matter of reputation, it is a matter of public safety, and working together, we can put an end to gun violence in New York once and for all.”

In response, the NRA sued, claiming that the governor was attempting to deny the group the ability to speak freely about gun-related issues. This week, it filed an additional claim, obtained by Rolling Stone, suggesting that the move has impacted its cash flow to the point that it may soon be forced out of existence.

posted by scalefree at 11:38 PM on December 8, 2018 [99 favorites]

The WaPo has its latest in the long running genre of post-crisis reports from the foxhole White House, ‘Siege warfare’: Republican anxiety spikes as Trump faces growing legal and political perils. "Based on interviews with 14 administration officials, presidential confidants and allies, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity," notable points:

• "Trump remains headstrong in his belief that he can outsmart adversaries and weather any threats, according to advisers."
• There is no plan, "The White House is adopting what one official termed a “shrugged shoulders” strategy for the Mueller findings, calculating that most GOP base voters will believe whatever the president tells them to believe."
• The strategy so far is personal attacks on Mueller and federal law enforcement, "The president has been telling friends that he believes the special counsel is flailing and has found nothing meaningful."
• Pat Cipollone and Emmet Flood are "scouring the résumés" of congressional staffers with experience in investigations, "Yet hiring remains difficult as potential staffers worry about whether they will need to hire a personal lawyer if they join and express uncertainty about the constant turmoil within the White House hierarchy."
• “A war room? You serious?” one former White House official said when asked about internal preparations. “They’ve never had one, will never have one. They don’t know how to do one.”
• "one pro-Trump senator said privately that a breaking point would be if Mueller documents conspiracy with Russians. “Then they’ve lost me,” said the senator, noting that several Republican lawmakers have been willing to publicly break with Trump when they believe it is in their interests."
• Unnamed republicans also make noises that a Manafort pardon would be a bridge too far.
• Steve Bannon, always trolling, “The Democrats are going to weaponize the Mueller report and the president needs a team that can go to the mattresses.” Elite Russian mattress forces unavailable for comment.

posted by peeedro at 12:21 AM on December 9, 2018 [39 favorites]

> This is sweeping, multi-layered, high level conspiracy led by Vladimir Putin and the Russian intelligence community and involving the active cooperation and complicity of a man who was a candidate for president and then president.

Garry Kasparov Says We Are Living in Chaos, But Remains an Incorrigible Optimist by Masha Gessen: "The chess grandmaster and political activist on Putin, Trump, and how we are living again through the eighteen-fifties."

If you analyze what was happening between November and January, during the transition period, you will see that they were getting ready for a grandiose project. Henry Kissinger played a role. I think he was selling the Trump Administration on the idea of a mirror of 1972, except, instead of a Sino-U.S. alliance against the U.S.S.R., this would be a Russian-American alliance against China. This explains the Taiwan phone call. [In December, 2016, Trump spoke on the telephone with Taiwan’s President, Tsai Ing-wen, breaking decades of protocol and earning a rebuke from China.]

But it all went off the rails on December 29th, when Mike Flynn called the Russian Embassy. Flynn is a few weeks away from becoming the national-security adviser. And still he calls the Russian Ambassador. He calls to say, “Don’t do anything in response to the sanctions the United States has just imposed.” [The Russian foreign minister, Sergei] Lavrov has already announced that Russia will match the sanctions, Cold War–style: the U.S. has expelled thirty-five people and taken away two buildings, and we are going to do the exact same thing. And then Putin, effectively renouncing Lavrov, says, “You know what, we are starting a new life. We are not expelling anyone, and we are inviting American diplomats’ children to our New Year’s celebrations.”

A dictator can’t afford to look weak. He can act this way only if he is absolutely certain that Flynn is speaking for Trump. This means they trusted Flynn absolutely. The were sure that they were going to win in this situation.

[...]

So why did it go off the rails?

I think it was the F.B.I. They knocked Flynn out, and then it wasn’t going to work. [On January 12, 2017, the Washington Post reported that Flynn had called the Russian Ambassador. The report was apparently based on an intelligence leak—the F.B.I. had been listening in on Flynn’s conversations with the Ambassador.] It turned out that the American political system has a certain reserve of stability; ironically, this stability is currently guaranteed by the intelligence services and the Pentagon. While the Republican Party has given itself over to Trump, the institutions that were always suspected of dictatorial tendencies are the ones resisting dictatorship. I think that at that stage they opted for all-out sabotage.

posted by kliuless at 12:24 AM on December 9, 2018 [38 favorites]

Steve Bannon, always trolling, “The Democrats are going to weaponize the Mueller report and the president needs a team that can go to the mattresses.”

Oh lordy there is a pee tape after all.
posted by Joe in Australia at 12:57 AM on December 9, 2018 [15 favorites]

sexyrobot, I understand your frustration with the "russian" trolling on social media, and the impact on the anglosphere viz., brexit, trump, etc However, a) I think even if you "shot them all in the head" as you write, the problem will not go away, because b) the underlying commonality to all those problems you list has been found to be a combination of Big Money+Cambridge Analytica + various "power brokers" from your own side of the Atlantic Ocean.

My bet is that you could cut off the entire Russian internet and you'd still have problems with political trolls on twitter and misinformation and propaganda on facebook.
posted by infini at 1:51 AM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]

peedro: The WaPo has its latest in the long running genre of post-crisis reports from the foxhole White House, ‘Siege warfare’: Republican anxiety spikes as Trump faces growing legal and political perils.

I was also going to recommend this article as one of the exemplars of the genre - so many delicious passages. Consider:

Facing the dawn of his third year in office and his bid for reelection, Trump is stepping into a political hailstorm. Democrats are preparing to seize control of the House in January with subpoena power to investigate corruption. Global markets are reeling from his trade war. The United States is isolated from its traditional partners. The investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference is intensifying. And court filings Friday in a separate federal case implicated Trump in a felony.

The White House is adopting what one official termed a “shrugged shoulders” strategy for the Mueller findings, calculating that most GOP base voters will believe whatever the president tells them to believe.

And really, I think the White House is correct in its belief. The question is, how big is that remaining block of "base voters".

Oh, and don't miss Rudy at the end, gazing deep into Trump's mirror:

“He’s a bitter, bitter man,” Giuliani said of Flake. “It’s sick. Nobody likes him and they would like him gone.”

posted by RedOrGreen at 2:29 AM on December 9, 2018 [11 favorites]

Steve Bannon, always trolling, “The Democrats are going to weaponize the Mueller report and the president needs a team that can go to the mattresses.”

In contemporary usage this refers to the mob moving their gunmen into their houses to protect their families (via The Godfather and The Sopranos). Interesting choice of phrase there.

Also it didn't work out very well in either show.
posted by srboisvert at 4:56 AM on December 9, 2018 [11 favorites]

The National Rifle Association says that it’s in “deep financial trouble” — so deep in fact that it may be “unable to exist.”

I agree that this is mainly fundraising for suckers.

But if it's true, the very first thing that we must do, like a microsecond after they file bk, is to reverse their ban on Federal funding for research on gun violence.

Fast-track the applications for research funding. Expose what they have done to our country, pronto. Then start collecting the guns. Confiscate, trade-in, whatever, but yes, we're coming for your precious fucking guns.
posted by Dashy at 5:51 AM on December 9, 2018 [55 favorites]

"The White House is adopting what one official termed a “shrugged shoulders” strategy for the Mueller findings, calculating that most GOP base voters will believe whatever the president tells them to believe."

Look Rs, I'm not saying you're a bunch of brainless cultists. Trump is.
posted by chris24 at 5:57 AM on December 9, 2018 [49 favorites]

My bet is that you could cut off the entire Russian internet and you'd still have problems with political trolls on twitter and misinformation and propaganda on facebook.

This is the equivalent of the drug war strategy of locking up street dealers while completely ignoring demand. As long as right-wing activists have budgets in the millions to billions range they’ll find a way to get propaganda out. The Russian 2016 operation is the easiest – funded and running outside the country – but all they’d need to do is, say, step up their existing efforts to recruit Americans just as they were doing for those AstroTurf protest rallies, and the traffic would be from real people here.

Going after the money will help but that’s going to be hard to do with a bunch of new activists in the Supreme Court who will no doubt find a constitutional right for Russian oligarchs to launder money to their political allies.
posted by adamsc at 6:31 AM on December 9, 2018 [10 favorites]

I would say Robert Mueller is the obvious choice for Time's Man of the Year.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:32 AM on December 9, 2018 [15 favorites]

I would say Stormy Daniels is.
posted by notyou at 6:42 AM on December 9, 2018 [46 favorites]

M-x shell: "This is not a concern. I would think those were the districts that were already moderate and so went from lean R to lean D. The Rs that won were in districts too red to swing."

In a functioning democracy that would pull the party of the Trump Family Crime Syndicate to the left; somehow I doubt that'll happen.

chris24: "We don't need to imagine #6 Kompromat, we're well into that as well. The Russians have known that Trump and Co were meeting and talking with them about business and "political synergy" since November 2015 and lying about it to the American public. That's kompromat. It doesn't need to be a pee tape. At any time Russia could've disclosed their outreach and contact with Trump & Co. and blown up his campaign/presidency. "

We've been well into #6 since day one. At any time the Russians could have exposed the Crime Family's money laundering and spiked not only the campaign but the whole family fortune. The only down side would be needing to find another patsy to continue the laundering.
posted by Mitheral at 6:58 AM on December 9, 2018 [9 favorites]

Then start collecting the guns. Confiscate, trade-in, whatever, but yes, we're coming for your precious fucking guns.

Perhaps now is not the best time to be disarming the populace.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:59 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

Maybe, but not because of the fantasy of valiant armed citizens resisting government control. The US Army and police would mow down opposition in minutes and these militia types would either cower or die very, very quickly. Even folks holed up in the mountains would get blown to smithereens by drones or missiles in short order.

These fools struggled to hold an unoccupied nature preserve. A desire to avoid casualties was the only thing that dragged that siege out.
posted by msalt at 7:13 AM on December 9, 2018 [24 favorites]

a country that has legitimately elected Trump has to consider its political system.

When this all went down in 2016, I was devastated because for the first time I actually doubted our political system. In 2000, I was heartbroken but I honestly believed that Bush was the will of the people as sad as that was. But in 2016, the idea that a majority voted for someone like Trump was unimaginable. It had to mean that the system was broken.

But that quote from Kaparov, really hammers home and even worse fear. The system is working and despite all our talk and bluster about freedom and justice, we really do just want to be ruled.

It makes me think of another quote that I keep returning to:
”Well, some worlds are built on a fault line of pain, held up by nightmares. Don’t lament when those worlds fall. Rage that they were built doomed in the first place.
The world that N.K Jemisen was describing isn't ours, but it might be more than we want it to be.
posted by teleri025 at 7:29 AM on December 9, 2018 [7 favorites]

Star Wars: Individual 1, the opening crawl
posted by octothorpe at 7:29 AM on December 9, 2018 [17 favorites]

The majority didn’t vote for Trump. He won with a 3 million vote minority, with the aid of a treasonous conspiracy with Russia, and criminal interference on his behalf by the FBI and the FBI director.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:37 AM on December 9, 2018 [61 favorites]

True, though I take teleri’s point that tens of millions of Americans eagerly voted for him, that all of the institutional devices intended to prevent such an outcome (e.g., the Electoral College) failed, that the other institutions designed to provide a check and balance over him since election (e.g. Congress and the Supreme Court) have become complicit to some degree, and that even after everything that’s happened in the past two years, tens of millions of Americans would eagerly vote for him again. Which is seriously alarming for our country on an existential level.
posted by darkstar at 7:43 AM on December 9, 2018 [28 favorites]

Then start collecting the guns.

Taking a more practical step, House Dems Will Push for Background Check on Every Gun Sale, MoJo reports. “The American people are on our side.”

House Democrats plan to prioritize a bill that will require a background check for every gun sale, according to multiple sources close to the matter. The legislation represents an aggressive shift in strategy by Democrats and their gun reform allies, who in previous years had tended to pursue more modest background check bills that would have exempted large numbers of gun purchases.[...]

But with Ryan leaving Congress and Democrats winning control of the House, [Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.)] now plans to introduce a bill that will go further than any of those earlier proposals: It will require a background check for every gun sale or transfer, regardless of who’s doing the selling or transferring. The move has been in the works since before the election, when Thompson met with outside gun reform allies like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, the Center for American Progress, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Giffords to talk about what they might push for if Democrats won the House.

These fools struggled to hold an unoccupied nature preserve.

Speaking of whom, Ammon Bundy is quitting the militia movement after breaking with trump on anti-immigrant rhetoric (Buzzfeed) "To group them all up like, frankly, our president has done — you know, trying to speak respectfully — but he has basically called them all criminals and said they're not coming in here. […] What about individuals, those who have come for reasons of need for their families, you know, the fathers and mothers and children that come here and were willing to go through the process to apply for asylum so they can come into this country and benefit from not having to be oppressed continually?"

If Ammon Bundy has seen the writing on the wall, who'll be the next to break with Trump?
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:46 AM on December 9, 2018 [25 favorites]

So when Mueller is done and the conclusive proof of high crimes and misdemeanours is there for all to see, what happens then? Pelosi has said there will be no impeachment process, and even if there was one the Republicans have control of the Senate. That’s why Trump hasn’t sacked Mueller, because at the end of the day he is literally above the law.
posted by moorooka at 7:49 AM on December 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Pelosi has said there will be no impeachment process, and even if there was one the Republicans have control of the Senate.

When did she say that? All I’ve seen is that she wasn’t going to move on it before there’s strong evidence and bipartisan support, which is simply acknowledging political reality (i.e. doing her job ).

They don’t need to impeach Trump as much as airing his misconduct and the rest of his party’s support through the 2020 elections, which she’s repeatedly promised to do all along. He’s a hard target but also old and unhealthy; most of the people tainted will otherwise be causing problems for a longer time.
posted by adamsc at 7:59 AM on December 9, 2018 [14 favorites]

Ammon Bundy is quitting the militia movement after breaking with trump on anti-immigrant rhetoric

It's telling that breaking with Trump means leaving the militia movement.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:02 AM on December 9, 2018 [48 favorites]

Yes, impeachment that ends in a trial where the Senate finds him not guilty just creates political cover. Impeachment is a political process, not justice, and if we know the process is broken, there's no sense in trying to use it. But I imagine we should not be rehashing this argument for the umpteenth time.
posted by rikschell at 8:04 AM on December 9, 2018 [14 favorites]

Yes, impeachment that ends in a trial where the Senate finds him not guilty just creates political cover. Impeachment is a political process, not justice, and if we know the process is broken, there's no sense in trying to use it.

Yes, a political process, but also a legal one. And not impeaching for obvious serious crimes just functions to normalize them. He needs to be impeached regardless of the possible verdict in the Senate and then you hang that Senate vote to excuse treason and corruption and god knows what else to hang on the Rs in 2020.

You preserve a bit of the rule of law and get a political hammer.
posted by chris24 at 8:07 AM on December 9, 2018 [31 favorites]

"one pro-Trump senator said privately that a breaking point would be if Mueller documents conspiracy with Russians. “Then they’ve lost me,” said the senator, noting that several Republican lawmakers have been willing to publicly break with Trump when they believe it is in their interests."
Unnamed republicans also make noises that a Manafort pardon would be a bridge too far.

Oh noes! They would shake their heads and express deep concerns, I am sure! They might even have grave reservations and serious questions! Then they'll vote with Trump anyways, despite having the vapours.
posted by nubs at 8:14 AM on December 9, 2018 [20 favorites]

Clinton was impeached by the House and not convicted by the Senate. If Trump experiences less, it's conclusive proof that the system is hopelessly broken. But then, the fact that Trump has never been convicted for his prodigious criminal activity is proof of a broken system, at least in New York, New Jersey and Florida.
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:16 AM on December 9, 2018 [23 favorites]

Perhaps this has been answered before on the Blue, but if Trump were Impeached by the House, then found Not Guilty by the Senate, does that actually remove all legal jeopardy? Couldn’t he still be indicted and tried in a court after he leaves office?

I can’t imagine that a President could literally shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue, have a complicit Senate vote Not Guilty, and that be the end of it. Surely once the dude leaves office, he’s indictable through regular means? Or does Double Jeopardy apply?
posted by darkstar at 8:16 AM on December 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

if Trump were Impeached by the House, then found Not Guilty by the Senate, does that actually remove all legal jeopardy?

No, it only pertains to his removal from office.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:19 AM on December 9, 2018 [18 favorites]

Pelosi has said there will be no impeachment process, and even if there was one the Republicans have control of the Senate.

Pelosi is, let's not forget, a savvy politician. That's what she said before the mid-term campaigns began—"I do not think that impeachment is a policy agenda" (CNN)—and that's what she said on the day of the election as the results were coming in—"I don't think there's any impeachment unless it's bipartisan." (CNBC). But a few days after the midterms, she started tacking to the new political winds: “What Mueller might not think is indictable could be impeachable.” (The Atlantic)

Since the new session of Congress hasn't even begun, there's no political reason for her to demand for Trump's impeachment right here, right now. Impeachment is a political process, but as they say, a week is a long time in politics, e.g. Mueller's week and a half of damning court filings. Expect more bad political weeks for Trump, once the House Dems start using their investigative power as a force multiplier for the SCO probe. The WaPo article that peedro linked to above shows cracks in Trump's GOP support on Capitol Hill already, even in the all-important Senate. The political balance for impeachment could very easily shift next year, possibly sooner than we imagine.

In the meantime, though, Pelosi still needs to feel the pressure from the electorate, ditto every incoming member of Congress. The Dem electorate and #Resistance must fire up the protest mechanisms that they put in place in late 2016/2017. resistbotought to update their Special Counsel script, but you can fax or call (202-224-3121) your Senators about Mueller and Bill Barr yourselves.

Star Wars: Individual 1, the opening crawl

Here's a full-blown video mock-up. After all, Star Wars had a political subtext from the beginning.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:24 AM on December 9, 2018 [27 favorites]

I'd like to see him impeached but if we can't have both, I'd trade impeachment for his conviction after leaving office and seeing everyone else involved exposed, punished, and have their future political lives permanently hobbled.

My biggest nightmare is for the Orange Menace's spawn or in-laws to resurface in a few years and start running for office.
posted by duoshao at 8:34 AM on December 9, 2018 [13 favorites]

Clinton was impeached by the House and not convicted by the Senate. If Trump experiences less, it's conclusive proof that the system is hopelessly broken.

I mean, if you don't have proof enough already I can't imagine what else you'd need.
posted by rikschell at 8:39 AM on December 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

The WaPo article that peedro linked to above shows cracks in Trump's GOP support on Capitol Hill already, even in the all-important Senate. The political balance for impeachment could very easily shift next year, possibly sooner than we imagine.


I’ll believe it when I see it. The GOP primary electorate is a total Trump personality cult and these senators know it. Even if you get one or two there is no chance on earth that you’ll get the necessary numbers for removal from office, even if the pee tape comes out.
posted by moorooka at 8:52 AM on December 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

Mod note: There is no part of this thread that will be better for a gun-control argument. Please don't. Thanks.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 8:53 AM on December 9, 2018 [28 favorites]

ChurchHatesTucker already answered this above (thank you), and here’s an excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Impeachment:

The trial is not an actual criminal proceeding and more closely resembles a civil service termination appeal in terms of the contemplated deprivation, therefore the removed official may still be liable to criminal prosecution under a subsequent criminal proceeding, which the Constitution specifically indicates. The President may not grant a pardon in the impeachment case, but may in any resulting Federal criminal case.[6]

posted by darkstar at 8:57 AM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]

From The Mind of Reek:

Christie Says Prosecutors Have Evidence Trump Broke Law (Tweeter link only, sorry)

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) told ABC News that the language federal prosecutors are using to refer to President Trump in an indictment against Michael Cohen makes it sound as if they might have corroborating evidence that Trump violated campaign finance law.

Said Christie: “The language in the sentencing memo is different from what we’ve heard before. The only thing that would concern me if I was the president’s team this morning about this sentencing memo is the language.”

He added: “The language sounds very definite. And what I’d be concerned about is, what corroboration do they have?”

My guess is, if it exists, they've got it. As you know, Chris.
posted by petebest at 8:57 AM on December 9, 2018 [10 favorites]

The WaPo article that peedro linked to above shows cracks in Trump's GOP support on Capitol Hill already, even in the all-important Senate.

I agree with moorooka. An article that leads with "Trump is stepping into a political hailstorm," [emphasis mine] is not describing things seriously. The anchor tenant in that article is Steve Bannon, for crying out loud, and he's the only R who is even named in the first 500 words.
posted by rhizome at 9:08 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

As you know, Chris.

And as Rudy knows. These dudes should be losing their bar cards by now.
posted by rhizome at 9:10 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

pelosi made the statements about impeachment because she didn’t want the midterms to be a referendum on impeachment, which would have depressed turnout of centrist dems and goosed turnout for republicans.

remember, we here may have believed the russia allegations forever in trumpyears, but the most damning evidence most people have seen so far came out in the last two weeks.

pelosi’s calculation on impeachment is probably being re-evaluated on a daily basis at this point, and the new congress hasn’t even been seated.

keep your powder dry and your undies unbunched, y’all
posted by murphy slaw at 9:11 AM on December 9, 2018 [67 favorites]

I am one of those who thinks clear grounds for impeachment have existed since day one (emoluments) and that it's a good idea to keep using the word and normalizing the idea. I also agree that it was not a good midterm campaign message for Democrats. But now that the elections are over, let's all go back to talking about impeachment!

Long ago in these threads we collectively came up with a list of impeachable offenses. I've been updating it in a notepad file as more news comes out. So if you mention impeachment and someone asks why, here are some things you could mention...

-He is violating the emoluments clause, and as a result is receiving bribes from foreign powers.

- 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.

- He's obstructed justice by firing and trying to intimidate the head of the FBI and others investigating Russian activity, and by dangling pardons to prevent testimony against him.

- He has fired the attorney general and installed a replacement who was never approved by the Senate, as the Constitution requires. Previously, he has politicized the Justice Dept by demanding investigations of rivals and castigating the attorney general for prosecuting members of his party

- He conspired to violate campaign finance laws with Michael Cohen.

- He has undermined our national security by leaking intelligence to Russian agents, refusing to take responsibility for military engagements, and neglecting diplomacy.

- He has no understanding of the Constitution and is unqualified to lead.

- He lies constantly and undermines trust in the US government.
posted by OnceUponATime at 9:26 AM on December 9, 2018 [88 favorites]

There’s no way the Senate will convict given the post midterm GOP majority, which makes impeachment a fools errand. If Trump is impeached but not convicted he will feel vindicated and invincible and likely win re-election on a second wind of support. Right now impeaching Trump would work in his favor. And it would also likely go well into the 2020 election season, at which point the focus should be on winning the senate and the White House and preserving the majority. I just don’t see how impeachment plays well politically
posted by dis_integration at 9:40 AM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]

dis_integration: I think that’s exactly the calculation being done by people like Pelosi, who have a lot more political savvy than the more vocal activist wing. Have tons of hearings, air as much dirty laundry as possible, establish that the rot is the entire party rather than just one person who wasn’t a mainstream figure before 2015 — that’s how you get the Congress and state governments rather than focusing on the presidency. That doesn’t rule out impeachment if something comes out which is clear enough that even Republicans will put country ahead of party but it focuses on the part which they can’t just back away from. If a bombshell comes out, you’d be able to see all of these guys backing away and saying that they had no idea. Showing how actively they were covering for him first makes that a lot harder.
posted by adamsc at 9:51 AM on December 9, 2018 [18 favorites]

in nixon's case, impeachment was impossible until the second it became inevitable.

trump is unprecentedly unpopular and the news gets worse for him on a daily basis. his party got trounced in the midterms. republican senators are already talking off the record about throwing him overboard if the russia news gets too hot.

never say never.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:54 AM on December 9, 2018 [44 favorites]

I think we need some more developments in the cases before his support truly starts falling off, which is absoutely required for impeachment to be possible. Don't worry, everybody's thinking it, but I think energy is better spent helping to chip off his support.
posted by rhizome at 9:55 AM on December 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

ProPublica: Trump Jr. Invested in a Hydroponic Lettuce Company Whose Chair Was Seeking Trump Administration Funds

"The president’s eldest son last year became the most prominent shareholder in an indoor-lettuce farm while the company’s co-chairman, a friend of Donald Trump Jr.’s and presidential fundraiser, sought federal support for his other business interests. […] The fundraiser, Texas money manager Gentry Beach, and Trump Jr. attended college together, are godfather to one of each other’s sons and have collaborated on investments — and on the Trump presidential campaign. Since Trump’s election, Beach has attempted to obtain federal assistance for projects in Asia, the Caribbean and South America, and he has met or corresponded with top officials in the National Security Council, Interior Department and Overseas Private Investment Corporation."
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:13 AM on December 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

I don't think impeachment will happen because anything that would budge Republicans would have to be such a crisis that impeachment wouldn't be fast enough and that the 25th amendment would be invoked instead.
posted by sjswitzer at 10:18 AM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]

If Trump is impeached but not convicted he will feel vindicated and invincible and likely win re-election on a second wind of support.

And not impeaching him when he's clearly criminal and a traitor takes the wind out of the resistance. You can't worry about his base. They'll be fired up regardless; by impeachment, the threat of impeachment, racism, the wall, whatever bullshit he tells them. You have to motivate yours.
posted by chris24 at 10:19 AM on December 9, 2018 [31 favorites]

Atlantic: A Close Reading of the 235-Page Comey Transcript—The transcript from Friday’s closed-door hearing was made public late Saturday, and it confirms that Mueller is pursuing a possible obstruction-of-justice case against the president.

While Comey is, as usual, no less concerned with preserving the reputation of the FBI (and his own) than with revisiting the various critical investigations he oversaw in 2016, here are a couple of key moments and some new information in the transcript:

—Mueller’s Inquiry Covers Possible Obstruction of Justice by President Donald Trump

First: the FBI official accompanying Comey and her confirmation that Mueller’s inquiry covers possible obstruction of justice by President Trump. […] The FBI official, Cecilia Bessee, interrupted [Trey] Gowdy: “Mr. Chairman, to the extent that question goes—again, goes to the special counsel's investigation into obstruction, the witness will not be able to answer.”

—Comey Disputed Trump’s Contention That Mueller and Comey Are Best Friends: ‘I Admire the Heck Out of the Man … We’re Not Friends’

The former FBI director reserved his harshest criticism for Trump’s portrayal of the bureau and the Justice Department as a politicized mess. “Those kind of lies hurt the ability of the FBI to be believed at a doorway or in a courtroom. That makes all of us less safe,” Comey told one Democrat. “I think the relentless attacks on the institutions of justice are something we will all be sorry if we stood silent and watched that happened,” he told another. “... when you run them down for political reasons, you may see a short-term gain; you see a long-term damage to our country and its security.” Or, as he told a third, “I think we have become numb to lying and attacks on the rule of law by the president.”

Comey's testimony was enough to set off @realDonaldTrump this morning on Twitter: "On 245 occasions, former FBI Director James Comey told House investigators he didn’t know, didn’t recall, or couldn’t remember things when asked. Opened investigations on 4 Americans (not 2) - didn’t know who signed off and didn’t know Christopher Steele. All lies!" and "Leakin’ James Comey must have set a record for who lied the most to Congress in one day. His Friday testimony was so untruthful! This whole deal is a Rigged Fraud headed up by dishonest people who would do anything so that I could not become President. They are now exposed!"
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:29 AM on December 9, 2018 [8 favorites]

Chris Christie added: “The language sounds very definite. And what I’d be concerned about is, what corroboration do they have?”

The corroboration is from David Pecker, CEO of National Enquirer who made the payoff to Karen McDougal on behalf of Trump. Supposedly there is direct testimony of Trump asking Pecker for assistance on this issue to help his campaign. That would be confirmation of conspiracy to commit campaign fraud -- from two witnesses, Cohen and Pecker.
posted by JackFlash at 10:38 AM on December 9, 2018 [14 favorites]

Jerrold Nadler incoming chair of the House judiciary - Trump 'at center of massive fraud against Americans'
posted by adamvasco at 10:41 AM on December 9, 2018 [43 favorites]

Jerrold Nadler incoming chair of the House judiciary - Trump 'at center of massive fraud against Americans'

This is what I want to hear. I’m not bothered about impeachment as much as I am getting rid of all the fruit of the poisoned tree. Every. Last. One.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:04 AM on December 9, 2018 [27 favorites]

That article about Donald Trump Jr. investing in a hydroponic lettuce operation is interesting. Because, believe it or not, Steve Bannon used to be in charge of Biosphere 2. And his brother Chris is still in a supervisory role in the science department at the UofA, which has a big hydroponic lettuce program that still involves Biosphere 2.

Chris Bannon lists his employers as the University of Arizona and Bannon Enterprises.

Maybe I've been conditioned to look for grift in every single thing these people do, but I'd be shocked if there wasn't a connection between Bannon Enterprises and Eden Green Technologies.
posted by MrVisible at 11:10 AM on December 9, 2018 [18 favorites]

We already know Cohen recorded conversations on his phone.
posted by notyou at 11:10 AM on December 9, 2018

Er, in regard to corroboration, we know that Cohen made recordings.
posted by notyou at 11:12 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

"Leakin’ James Comey must have set a record for who lied the most to Congress in one day. His Friday testimony was so untruthful! This whole deal is a Rigged Fraud headed up by dishonest people who would do anything so that I could not become President. They are now exposed!"

When I see him tweeting crap like this, and the one about how the Cohen sentencing report “exonerates” him, and I know that around half the country believes whatever he says, it scares the crap out of me. Could someone please reassure me again that there are still facts and truth still matters? Please?
posted by Weeping_angel at 11:13 AM on December 9, 2018 [9 favorites]

When Nixon was impeached, it was after rounds and rounds of real investigations, and his crimes were finally out in public, and crucially, took hold in the public concious through daily revelations in open hearings. Go listen to Slow Burn if you haven't, particularly the episodes on just how much the Watergate hearings had to have captured the zietgeist before impeachment was possible. The first Watergate hearings failed, due in large part to Nixon's (and Gerald Ford's!) deliberate interference. Just like now the Republican "investigations" have been deliberately sabotaged. It wasn't until later that the scandal finally became nightly news, setting the political stage for ultimate impeachment.

Democrats haven't been able to make that case yet. They won't have the power to do so until January. They must make the case, but it'll take work to build it up through public hearings until hopefully something will finally flip, like it did for Watergate. The best thing to do is to do the real oversight that Republicans have stonewalled. In public. Make clear the extent of Trump, and Republican's, crimes. Force the Russia stuff into daily conversation like Watergate was. That's how we get from few people reading the Mueller indictments, to everyone not in a MAGAhat turning on Republicans once their true treason is undeniable.

If Pelosi and Democrats don't build that case, that's when we riot. But they haven't had the space or power to do it until now.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:19 AM on December 9, 2018 [59 favorites]

When Nixon was impeached,...

PEDANTRY ALERT: Nixon was never impeached. He resigned before he most assuredly would have been impeached and convicted.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:38 AM on December 9, 2018 [22 favorites]

When I see him tweeting crap like this,

a few days back, I read a piece by a "communications expert" who suggested a simple and effective tactic that journalists could use for dealing with bullshit artists of all stripes.

A. don't ever quote them at face value; they've already proven unworthy of having that privilege

B. always precede any quote with something like, Donald J. Trump, a man who has been repeatedly caught out in lies, said [insert quote here]

In other words, don't let the bullshitter deal the first card. If you do, you're letting him set the tone. The journalist's job is to remind us that there is no fresh tone to be set. This is a long, dirty game and we're already deep into it.
posted by philip-random at 11:38 AM on December 9, 2018 [72 favorites]

Here's the Nadler video from @CNN: "If accusations that President Trump directed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush payments to women who had alleged affairs with Trump prove to be true, Rep. Jerry Nadler says those actions would be impeachable offenses" https://cnn.it/2RHRyFj

Democrats haven't been able to make that case yet. They won't have the power to do so until January.

Here's Nadler laying the groundwork for that case until the new Congress is in session:

Jake Tapper: If it is proven that the president directed or coordinated with Cohen to commit these felonies […] are those impeachable offenses?

Jerry Nadler: Well, they would be impeachable offenses. Whether they are important enough to justify impeachment is a different question, but certainly they’d be impeachable offenses because, even though they were committed before the president became president, they were committed in the service of fraudulently obtaining the office. That would be an impeachable offense. The fact of the matter is that what we see from these indictments and charging statements is a much broader conspiracy against the American people[…].

All of these have to be looked at very seriously by the Congress, by the Special Counsel, and by the Justice Department to see what actions we should then take. And what is clear also is that the Republican Congress absolutely tried to shield the President. The new Congress will not try to shield the President. It will try to get to the bottom of this in order to serve the American people and stop this massive fraud on the American people.

Full YT video
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:46 AM on December 9, 2018 [14 favorites]

I agree with the central point of your comment that Stormy Daniels is a heroine

Speaking of Stormy and her habit of not taking any shit: Stormy Daniels canceled an appearance over a homophobic slur against her assistant
posted by homunculus at 11:58 AM on December 9, 2018 [34 favorites]

Adam Curtis, of HyperNormalisation fame, did an interesting interview with The Economist. I'm going to quote two paragraphs that jumped out to me as striking, though I don't entirely agree with them, with the full disclosure that the two paragraphs that follow in the article are increasingly rage-inducing that we don't need to all rebut in the thread:

No one is really sure what Trump represents. My working theory is that he’s part of the pantomime-isation of politics. Every morning Donald Trump wakes up in the White House, he tweets something absolutely outrageous which he knows the liberals will get upset by, the liberals read his tweets and go “This is terrible, this is outrageous,” and then tell each other via social media how terrible it all is. It becomes a feedback loop in which they are locked together. In my mind, it’s like they’re together in a theatre watching a pantomime villain. The pantomime villain comes forward into the light, looks at them and says something terrible, and they go “Boo!!”. Meanwhile, outside the theatre, real power is carrying on but no one is really analysing it.

This is the problem with a lot of journalism, especially liberal journalism at the moment. It’s locked together with those people in the theatre. If you look at the New York Times, for example, it’s continually about that feedback loop between what Trump has said and the reaction of liberal elements in the society. It’s led to a great narrowing of journalism. So in a way, he is part of the hypernormal situation because it’s a politics of pantomime locked together with its critics. And it becomes a perpetual, infernal motion system, which is a distraction. It’s not a conspiracy. It’s a distraction from what’s really happening in the world. I would argue that there is a sense—in a lot of liberal journalism—of unreality. They’re locked into describing the pantomime politics and they’re not looking to what Mr Michael Pence is really up to, and what’s really happening outside the theatre.

----

One of those things that's happening: Atlantic, The U.S. Is Paying More Than It Bargained for in the Yemen War, in which it turns out we really are paying for the mid-air refueling we've been providing to the Saudis in Yemen due to "errors in accounting where DoD failed to charge the SLC adequately for fuel and refueling services."

----

@sam_rosenfeld: Reminder: the next WH chief of staff has made tens of millions of dollars on almost comically parasitical political consulting/grifting ventures

From NYT a couple of weeks ago, Nick Ayers Is Rising Fast in Trump’s Washington. How Far Will He Go?

After the embarrassment of the Pawlenty campaign, Mr. Ayers made an effort to lower his profile, his allies say, while trying his hand at entrepreneurship. He was an early investor and a board member of a company called Media Group of America, which was established in 2013 and quickly made waves on the right with two successful subsidiaries — a popular conservative website called Independent Journal Review, and a digital advertising firm called imge.

Mr. Ayers also started his own firm, C5 Creative Consulting. He built a brisk business advising Fortune 500 corporations like Coca-Cola and Aflac, as well as political candidates and committees, including nonprofit money groups that backed politicians who were his clients, and have become the subjects of recent complaints and investigations.

The venture that perhaps best epitomized Mr. Ayers’s ambition — and the backlash to it — was a company called Advance Media Capital. Mr. Ayers and his associates created it in July 2015 mostly to purchase large chunks of television airtime in swing states months before the 2016 election. The company planned to package the airtime with targeting data and sell it to deep-pocketed political committees, including “super PACs,” at higher rates closer to Election Day, according to documents obtained by The New York Times and interviews with people involved in the effort.

----

@lrozen [cleaned up]:

Can’t quite diagram the paradigm. But with David Pecker & perhaps Putin, the favor they offered Trump was not just to bury the dirt on him but to weaponize the dirt they had on his rivals. Think the Cohen case makes explicit that Trump was affirmatively read in/directing that the essentially political blackmail part of Cohen MO/business model, that function he served for Trump....(see the Broidy case)... Does it suggest that it was not just about protecting Trump, but giving Trump dirt on others he could use to threaten, control or expose them?

This piece has sat in my lizard brain. short take, Cohen got dirt on Falwell jr to get evangelicals to back Trump. (piece diplomatically suggests both Falwell jr & wife had tryst w Florida pool guy & Cohen used that dirt to press JFjr to endorse Trump). Cohen appearing to help Broidy compensate playboy model who alleged had terminated Broidy baby, seems in same spirit of coercion. and whatever Cohen was doing for Hannity? Is Hannity really consulting him for real estate advice?... or is “real state” advice the “adoptions” of that engagement

In a series of later-deleted tweets, Rozen went on to wonder about Cohen's work for Broidy and Hannity as well. There are a lot more threads to pull about Cohen's actions during the campaign and the National Enquirer's literal safe of Trump stories.
posted by zachlipton at 12:01 PM on December 9, 2018 [21 favorites]

I imagine we'll start to see impeachment talk from D Representatives, but like Nadler, from the margins. This is still "Rep. Never-heard-of-him on a Sunday show" territory, stuff the solid partisans agree with but on which no action will be taken. Maybe take it as a statement of party attitude.

When the first Senator chimes up like this, then I'll notice.

I know that around half the country believes whatever he says, it scares the crap out of me. Could someone please reassure me again that there are still facts and truth still matters? Please?

Just because there are only two viable parties doesn't mean half of the US follows FoxNews. It might help to consider "the center," the Overton Window, is a euphemism for "the easily swayed." I think Republican support among the citizenry is much, much softer than is portrayed. They're not all Bundy Pizzagaters by a long shot.
posted by rhizome at 12:04 PM on December 9, 2018 [7 favorites]

Mitch McConnell Appears to Be Killing Bipartisan Sentencing Reform: Advocates claim that the bill would pass with a supermajority in the Senate, but the majority leader says it’s dividing his caucus.
posted by homunculus at 12:09 PM on December 9, 2018 [11 favorites]

There are the MAGAhats and then there are the huge swathes of the population who simply don’t give a shit and perceive the Russia stuff as Lewinsky-grade background noise with no relevance to their daily lives. The geographical distribution of this population and the small state gerrymander baked into the constitution means that no matter what crimes are uncovered, this scandal will never lead to the necessary two-thirds supermajority of senators requires to remove Trump from office. It is completely impossible, either before 2020 or after.

For the foreseeable future the Republican Party has a structural advantage that gives near total impunity to any President commanding sufficient loyalty from its angry white base, cemented by conservative control of the judicial branch in a self-reinforcing cycle. Trump’s impossible removal from office is a wet dream and a distraction from the real problem: the US constitution and how it has created the conditions for a permanent minority control of the institutions of government.
posted by moorooka at 12:14 PM on December 9, 2018 [15 favorites]

Voting rights news.

First, NC-9. NYT, with the clearest evidence that Dowless cast ballots illegally, North Carolina’s ‘Guru of Elections’: Can-Do Operator Who May Have Done Too Much [my god that's a horrible headline to describe an article that describes straight-up crimes]:

Kirby Wright, 47, and his mother, Doris Lee Hammonds, 77, recall that a women they recognized as Ms. Eason came to their home one night to pick up their absentee ballots.

The pair had thick envelopes containing their absentee ballots but never filled them out. When Ms. Eason came by, she said she needed them.

“I told her I was going to throw it away,” Mr. Wright said in an interview. “It was blank. She said, ‘No, I’ve got to pick up all the empty ballots.’” Ms. Eason could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Wright said he isn’t sure what happened to the ballot designated for his mother, who is bedridden. It might have been thrown in the trash, he said. But state records show Ms. Hammonds cast an absentee ballot by mail. Ms. Hammonds, also interviewed, said she never filled it out or signed the absentee ballot at all.

There's also a strange detail that the Democratic vice-chair of the Bladen County Board of Elections started a consulting business with Dowless in 2014. The vice-chair said he only did it as "a kind of sleuthing operation to root out the unethical tactics he thought Mr. Dowless employed," and then he promptly resigned from the elections board after the Times called to ask about this. So that's all rather suspicious.

----

Mother Jones, Florida Voted to Give Ex-Felons the Franchise. Now Republicans Are Throwing a Wrench in That Process.

A month after Florida voters approved a measure to restore the franchise to about 1.4 million former felons—the largest expansion of voting rights in decades—a battle over implementing that change is already beginning.

The state’s Republican elections chief is resisting swift implementation of the measure, which was approved by nearly 65 percent of Florida voters on November 6 and is scheduled to take effect on January 8. He’s asking the state Legislature, dominated by Republicans, to interpret the ballot initiative. As a result, the dismantling of one of the harshest disenfranchisement schemes in the country could be subject to delays, confusion, and lawsuits.

As the Tampa Bay Times reports, this could get dangerous:

A possible hitch: the official state voter registration form does not specifically ask applicants if they have completed all terms of their sentences, including probation and restitution, as Amendment 4 specifically requires.

The voter form has a box with this statement: "I affirm that I am not a convicted felon, or if I am, my right to vote has been restored."
...
Monroe County Supervisor Joyce Griffin in the Florida Keys said she worries that some felons may check the box without realizing they have not yet completed all terms of their sentence, which could lead to yet another felony conviction. "We're setting people up. I'm frightful for those people," Griffin said.

----

Daniel @Taniel Nichanian, In the Wake of Amendment 4: Spotlight on Disenfranchisement in Kentucky, with a number you just have to keep reading to yourself until it really sinks in:

Kentucky also stands far and above all other states in terms of excluding African Americans. 26 percent of Black adults were deprived of the right to vote in 2016, according to the Sentencing Project. This colossal racial disparity is tied to Kentucky’s unequal justice system, documented in this article by Ashley Spalding for the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KCEP). One manifestation is in charging decisions. According to the state’s Department of Public Advocacy, a majority of juveniles charged with misdemeanor theft in 2016 were white; a majority of those charged with felony robbery were African American.

The latter charge comes with a lifetime ban on voting, but not the former.

posted by zachlipton at 12:20 PM on December 9, 2018 [33 favorites]

There are the MAGAhats and then there are the huge swathes of the population who simply don’t give a shit and perceive the Russia stuff as Lewinsky-grade background noise with no relevance to their daily lives.

The Trump Slump, however, will absolutely affect their daily lives. The Dems should try to frame the issue so that they understand that Trump's self-enrichment is part of the rightwing economic sabotage that's about to screw them over. (They won't convince many, they just have to convince enough.)

Whether or not the MAGA-hats are aware of it now, Trump has long believed in his own brand of disaster capitalism (2/10/14):

“You know what solves [the GOP 2014 midterm campaign]? When the economy crashes, when the country goes to total hell and everything is a disaster, then you’ll have a [chuckles], you know, you’ll have riots to go back to where we used to be when we were great.”

Emphasis added, because just as we can see a glimmer of MAGA in Trump's conversation, we now know that in 2014 Cambridge Analytical was testing assorted Trump campaign buzzwords and phrases.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:53 PM on December 9, 2018 [8 favorites]

@sam_rosenfeld: Reminder: the next WH chief of staff has made tens of millions of dollars on almost comically parasitical political consulting/grifting ventures

From NYT a couple of weeks ago, Nick Ayers Is Rising Fast in Trump’s Washington. How Far Will He Go?

Update: turns out the grifter is too smart for this game and will be moving to a position with more grift involved:

@maggieNYT: Confirmed, Ayers told Trump he won’t take the chief of staff role. He’s still leaving the administration and is likely to have a role with the super PAC backing Trump.

The problem with having some of the most important jobs in the government being ones that nobody in their right mind would take is that some the most important jobs in the government will all be held by people not in their right minds.
posted by zachlipton at 1:15 PM on December 9, 2018 [46 favorites]

@maggieNYT: Confirmed, Ayers told Trump he won’t take the chief of staff role. He’s still leaving the administration and is likely to have a role with the super PAC backing Trump.

Sources confirm this to @WSJ Pence Chief of Staff Nick Ayers won’t be the next White House Staff Chief—President Trump, Pence’s chief of staff unable to agree on time frame for job. "It was unclear on Sunday who would succeed John Kelly, Mr. Trump’s current chief of staff, who is leaving the job this month. White House officials familiar with the planning said it was unclear whether the next staff chief would come from inside or outside the administration."

As usual, it's hard to tell whether this is the Trump Administration's incompetence at work, or if it's just more reality show–style intrigue for the new season of The Apprentice: the White House.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:21 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

I am so done with "X horrible thing is an impeachable offense!" clickbait articles.

In a sane world, or a world with a Democrat in office, "fired the head of the FBI and mumbled something about an investigation being a nuisance" would've been impeachable. Just saying, "the FBI should investigate the person who ran against me" would've been impeachable. Hell, reaffirming many of his campaign statements would've been impeachable. There is literally no end to Trump's "impeachable" offenses.

I want lists of criminal offenses, not "impeachable" ones. I want Mueller to hand over his info about the Trump Foundation's tax shenanigans to the state of New York; I want every state where he does business to review their bribery laws; I want him convicted for employment fraud, for hiring the undocumented immigrants he tries to have killed when they're not working for him, for not paying wages, for embezzlement.

I want them to throw the book at him - all the books - and I don't care if they bargain him down to six months in prison for charges that would be eighty years for anyone else, as long as he has to spend some time behind bars.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:29 PM on December 9, 2018 [60 favorites]

I think Trump gets impeached for certain (but may well not be convicted). There are two scenarios:

1) Once a real investigation in the House proves collusion, and/or several top Trumpies are indicted or plead guilty, craven Republicans turn against him and there truly is bipartisan support to boot him from office. Pelosi accelerates the process so there's enough time to convict in the Senate.

2) Republicans keep defending Trump. Investigations tie as many Republicans as possible into the growing quagmire, and Pelosi schedules impeachment to run all summer of 2020, culminating in impeachment around, oh, say Labor Day.

Republicans stall out conviction process, and CONVICT TRUMP is half the news cycle. The other half is younger Democrats saying "Trump whatever, we need to fix America, here's my plan."

Remember that most Americans are vague on the difference between impeachment and conviction. Saying that "Trump was impeached" will carry real weight with low information voters.
posted by msalt at 1:40 PM on December 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

Axios is reporting that Trump is seriously considering Mark Meadows (R - NC11) for the Chief of Staff position. On the one hand I really want to see this asshole out of office. On the other hand I have no idea why Trump thinks he would make a good Chief of Staff except for the fact that he is a shameless toady. Which, I suppose, answers the question.
posted by Justinian at 1:45 PM on December 9, 2018 [14 favorites]

Axios is reporting that Trump is seriously considering Mark Meadows (R - NC11) for the Chief of Staff position. On the one hand I really want to see this asshole out of office.

ooh, ooh, let's somehow plant the idea that he should appoint mitch mcconnell
posted by murphy slaw at 1:46 PM on December 9, 2018 [44 favorites]

The WaPo has assembled an extensive list of Russian attempts to court the Trump campaign/family/business before he took office: Russians Interacted With At Least 14 Trump Associates During the Campaign and Transition

Some offered to help his campaign and his real estate business. Some offered dirt on his Democratic opponent. Repeatedly, Russian nationals suggested Trump should hold a peacemaking sit-down with Vladi­mir Putin — and offered to broker such a summit.

In all, Russians interacted with at least 14 Trump associates during the campaign and presidential transition, public records and interviews show.[…]

The number of known interactions has grown since last year, when The Washington Post tallied that at least nine Trump associates had contacts with Russians during the campaign or presidential transition.

“It is extremely unusual,” former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul told the WaPo. “Both the number of contacts and the nature of the contacts are extraordinary.” Which is an understatement.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:55 PM on December 9, 2018 [27 favorites]

The journalist's job is to remind us that there is no fresh tone to be set. This is a long, dirty game and we're already deep into it.

The major problem is corporate news in the US distinctly see this as NOT their job. They really, really believe that their job is to repeat, verbatim, whatever Republicans say, and whatever Democrats say in opposition, because to do anything else risks Republicans attacking them as *THE WORST THING THAT IS POSSIBLE TO BE*, liberal.

Just stating the objective fact that Trump is lying about what a document says violates their prime directive to always put each party on exactly the same footing regardless of the underlying evidence.

And that's the position of neutral outlets like the AP and Reuters, before we even get to the insidious and deliberately concealed Trump support of CNN or large segments of the NYT.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:46 PM on December 9, 2018 [10 favorites]

yes, journalism is at fault right now, and they need to have a reckoning.
Here at my job we will have an influential Washington reporter for a talk on Tuesday, but I've chickened out and scheduled my therapy right then (personal reasons). How can I inspire the students to ask good questions?
I guess a huge problem is the failure to acknowledge that there are not two sides: one side is not accepting facts/reality.
posted by mumimor at 2:52 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

Trump 2020 Shaping Up to Be a Campaign to Stay Out of Prison (Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer

In 2016, Donald Trump claimed that America’s presidential election would determine nothing less than whether a proven criminal would be sent to jail — or the Oval Office. In 2020, that might actually be the case.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:00 PM on December 9, 2018 [9 favorites]

ooh, ooh, let's somehow plant the idea that he should appoint mitch mcconnell

Alas, McConnell is too smart to want it even if it were offered, which it won't be.

For Meadows, OTOH, I can see how this looks like a step up, except for the part where the building he's stepping into is on fire and he has to dodge around the flaming bodies of other occupants falling from upper stories to even get to the door. As the spokesman for a significant radical subcaucus in the majority party he ended up having an outsize voice because nothing happened without his help. In the new legislative session, he's going to be speaking for a small, irritating subgroup of the minority party and nobody is going to care what he thinks.
posted by jackbishop at 3:08 PM on December 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

Done With Michael Cohen, Federal Prosecutors Shift Focus to Trump Family Business NYT Dec. 9th

Thank U, next.
posted by misterpatrick at 3:18 PM on December 9, 2018 [71 favorites]

I don't know if any statutes of limitation even apply so this may be moot, but if the SCO or other prosecutors want to indict Cheeto but decide to abide by the custom of not indicting a sitting president is there a way for them to avoid the statute of limitations running out while he's in office?
posted by duoshao at 3:57 PM on December 9, 2018

is there a way for them to avoid the statute of limitations running out

What is a limitation if one could avoid them.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 3:58 PM on December 9, 2018

is there a way for them to avoid the statute of limitations running out

What is a limitation if one could avoid them.

It depends on the crime being charged. If there's an ongoing criminal conspiracy to commit crimes or obstruct justice then the clock never starts. Since the entire point of the Trump presidency now is to avoid going to jail and obstruct justice it seems like it's not something we have to worry about.
posted by runcibleshaw at 4:03 PM on December 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

IANAL, but maybe?
posted by bcd at 4:03 PM on December 9, 2018

is there a way for them to avoid the statute of limitations running out

What is a limitation if one could avoid them.

Various law-tweeters were hand wringing about it this morning following the NYTimes article.
posted by pjenks at 4:07 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

Looks like the statute of limitations will be no problem at all! From bcd's link:

Although grounds for tolling the statute of limitations vary by jurisdiction, common grounds include:
...
...
The plaintiff has been deemed mentally incompetent.

posted by duoshao at 4:09 PM on December 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

I shouldn't be trusted to follow all of the law-twitter arguments above, but it seems like it boils down to:

The DOJ is going to have to toll the statute of limitations, or else their existing policy to not indict a president would be ridiculous.

Which, to me, sounds a lot like relying on logic and norms.
posted by pjenks at 4:12 PM on December 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

Another possible trigger is The defendant is not physically present in a state. No wonder he keeps going back to New York...
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:15 PM on December 9, 2018

DOJ can't unilaterally toll a SoL, they'd have to make an equitable tolling argument before a judge if the statute doesn't explicitly contain an applicable tolling provision. Which could be appealed to the Kavanaugh Court.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:16 PM on December 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

The DOJ is going to have to toll the statute of limitations, or else their existing policy to not indict a president would be ridiculous.

Spoiler: Their existing policy is ridiculous.

The President should be indicted. DOJ should not be unilaterally making that call given that the President chooses the head of DOJ. No one can be their own judge and jury.
posted by Justinian at 4:26 PM on December 9, 2018 [23 favorites]

Indicting a president is stupid because the justice department answers to the president. There is no way anyone would buy that the result of such a prosecution is fair and untainted by corruption or obstruction, nor should they, because it wouldn't be. We can't expect federal prosecutors to prosecute their own boss WHILE he remains their boss. It is nonsense.

A state AG could maybe do it. But if he were convicted, what then? He fulfills the duties of office from prison?

Impeachment has to come first.
posted by OnceUponATime at 4:32 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

No one SHOULD be their own judge and jury. Whether one can or not is kind of what this whole process will decide,
posted by rikschell at 4:32 PM on December 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Why not have him fulfill his duties from prison?

There's nothing in Constitutional Law saying a president can't be indicted, and a DOJ guideline is just that, a guideline. Guidelines by their definition apply to most but not all circumstances. What are we in if not an extraordinary circumstance? Why should the president be protected from being indicted? This isn't the norm for other world leaders. If he can't be indicted, then he really is above the law.
posted by xammerboy at 4:36 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

the DOJ guidance on indicting a sitting president is only rendered ridiculous in our current circumstance, where it is obvious that the sitting president is guilty of multiple violations of the law and the constitution, and yet the congress is unwilling to investigate and the senate is unwilling to act on the results of any investigation.

in a saner world, it wouldn't matter that you couldn't indict the president, because nobody for whom you could file a reasonable indictment would remain president for long enough for it to matter.

sadly, that's not where we live now.
posted by murphy slaw at 4:45 PM on December 9, 2018 [37 favorites]

Why not have him fulfill his duties from prison?

Because his duties include meeting with foreign heads of state, negotiating treaties, and being commander in chief of the armed forces, including formulating an urgent response to emergencies like an attack on the US? Meeting with cabinet heads and setting policy for every executive agency in the US?

I mean basically just meetings all day. You can't DO that in prison. If you can, it's not really prison, because people are going in and out all the time.

People (including Trump) thinking that the office of the President is some kind of ceremonial position, "official celebrity spokesperson for the US," is what got Trump elected.
posted by OnceUponATime at 4:46 PM on December 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

I mean basically just meetings all day. You can't DO that in prison.

Which would make him incapacitated and unable to fulfill his duties, and thus subject to the 25th Amendment.

I agree that impeachment is the most reasonable course but it being the most reasonable course doesn't therefore make indictment unconstitutional.
posted by Justinian at 4:50 PM on December 9, 2018 [14 favorites]

@mikememoli:

Happening now: @NicolleDWallace interviews @Comey at @92Y

Is @realDonaldTrump an un-indicted co-conspirator?
Comey: "If he’s not there he’s certainly close."

. @NicolleDWallace: What would be happening to someone like Trump if he wasn't president.
@Comey: That person would be in serious jeopardy of being charged. The government wouldn’t make that sponsoring allegation if they weren’t seriously considering going forward.

@qjurecic: I feel like we could all use a reminder of how completely bonkers this is
posted by zachlipton at 4:54 PM on December 9, 2018 [45 favorites]

I mean basically just meetings all day. You can't DO that in prison.

From now on we refer to prison as "Extended Executive Time."
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:01 PM on December 9, 2018 [11 favorites]

The OLC opinion saying you can't indict a president is bullshit. It's not in the constitution. It's advisory guidance to the executive, made by people beholden to the president in the Watergate era. The entire OLC should be abolished. Their only purpose is to invent rationale justifying whatever illegal actions the president wants to take. Torture, drone killings, treasonous collusion, all endorsed by the OLC.

There's no barrier to prosecuting a sitting president other than that invented by past presidents to thwart their own prosecution, which we're for some reason pretending is constitutionally binding.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:01 PM on December 9, 2018 [52 favorites]

Why not have him fulfill his duties from prison?

As a big fan of telecommuting, I love this idea.
posted by condour75 at 5:02 PM on December 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

The first Skype president.
posted by vverse23 at 5:05 PM on December 9, 2018

Orange Is The New Black.
posted by darkstar at 5:06 PM on December 9, 2018 [37 favorites]

The major problem is corporate news in the US distinctly see this as NOT their job. They really, really believe that their job is to repeat, verbatim, whatever Republicans say, and whatever Democrats say in opposition...
This would honestly be a significant improvement for, at least, NPR. Their standard practice is to uncritically broadcast Trump's lies ("Totally clears the President!"), offer a slightly more cogent defense as a purported paraphrase ("He hasn't been convicted yet."), and then select a maximally feckless criticism as representative of the Democratic viewpoint.
posted by LarsC at 5:07 PM on December 9, 2018 [9 favorites]

I mean basically just meetings all day. You can't DO that in prison.

I think you could, and I even think Trump's effectiveness might improve, but I get your point. However, the court could find him guilty and just sentence him to being chaperoned. They don't have to throw him in prison.

I would be pretty happy with him just being found guilty and sentenced to wearing only orange jumpsuits at all times, mandatory morning yoga, a t.v. locked onto PBS, and a diet approved by Michelle Obama. :-)
posted by xammerboy at 5:12 PM on December 9, 2018 [8 favorites]

There's nothing in Constitutional Law saying a president can't be indicted, and a DOJ guideline is just that, a guideline.

Absolutely. James Comey ignored every DOJ guideline in the book when he interfered in the election -- twice, so as to put Trump in office. Seems that DOJ guidelines are malleable.
posted by JackFlash at 5:18 PM on December 9, 2018 [25 favorites]

Jennifer Rubin: Trump Will Resign 10 Minutes Before End Of Term So Mike Pence Can Pardon Him
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:29 PM on December 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

Sure the DOJ could ignore (or rescind) the memo and indict. Then it would go to the courts and who knows what would happen? How such a court proceeding would, um, proceed is unclear. For instance would the executive branch have a coherent position? Who would be the parties? It's a mess.

Where this needs to go is that the results of the investigation, whether in the form of "novelistic" indictments or an actual report, go to congress which then initiates its own investigations and then impeaches (and convicts) or not.

I mean, yeah, I would like something simpler and more certain than that but what else is there, really?
posted by sjswitzer at 5:40 PM on December 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

No one SHOULD be their own judge and jury.

Nobody can disapprove of Trump's Exec Kushner though.
posted by srboisvert at 5:45 PM on December 9, 2018

Who would be the parties?

The United States of America vs. Donald J. Trump.
posted by mikelieman at 6:07 PM on December 9, 2018 [7 favorites]

Jennifer Rubin: Trump Will Resign 10 Minutes Before End Of Term So Mike Pence Can Pardon Him

Good thing he's never committed any state crimes.
posted by chris24 at 6:17 PM on December 9, 2018 [21 favorites]

jackbishop: "Alas, McConnell is too smart to want it even if it were offered, which it won't be."

Besides he obviously has way more power where he is. Mitch is going to die in office.

OnceUponATime: "I mean basically just meetings all day. You can't DO that in prison. If you can, it's not really prison, because people are going in and out all the time.
"

I disagree. Making the Cheeto sleep on a steel bunk, pee in a stainless toilet in view of his roommate (lots of co-conspirators to choose from), and prevent him from going golfing 100 hours a week would be a very good prison. You could construct such a "prison" within weeks right in the Whitehouse. People he needs to see could come to him and he could get the occasional restricted (so no golfing etc.) weekend pass for those few international meetings he absosmurfly has to go to.

Or you know, simple house arrest with an ankle bracelet in a subset of the Whitehouse for something less punitive but still a serious punishment.

If congress think that makes him a laughing stock among the countries of the world and therefor damaging to the USA/their Grift they can impeach him.
posted by Mitheral at 6:19 PM on December 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

Why not have him fulfill his duties from prison?

There's nothing in Constitutional Law saying a president can't be indicted

Air Bud 6: Bigly
posted by ActingTheGoat at 6:22 PM on December 9, 2018 [8 favorites]

Who would be the parties?

The United States of America vs. Donald J. Trump.

In states with elected AG offices and split party AG/Governors, the AG has sued the Governor countless times and democracy hasn't fallen. In the federal system, the president picks the USAG, but the oath is to the people, not the president personally. It's an artifact of our 17th century monarchical constitution that the president can remove the AG at all. The same practice could and should extend to a criminal context, the only reason it doesn't is the president's ability to remove the AG, and the current congressional immunity by Republican majority in the Senate.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:23 PM on December 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

One of the major precursors to the rot of the last 30 years was the inability to put white collar criminals in office. There may be only 1-2% of the population that are sociopaths/pathologically greedy but prison is really the only deterrent for them. Fines to companies don't do anything. Trump is the Grifter King who promises that every small time crook can make it bigly and never see any consequences. We need to break that idea in half and throw the pieces in a fire. I would pay another 5% in taxes if I could ensure it would towards prosecuting white collar and corporate crime. White collar criminals are the ones who are the loudest advocates for prosecuting low level crime since they can use racism to distract from their own grift.
posted by benzenedream at 6:33 PM on December 9, 2018 [53 favorites]

Why not have him fulfill his duties from prison?

The 25th Amendment only discusses the case when a president is unable to fulfill his duties, never discussing WHY such a situation could arise.

If prison renders him unable, invoke the 25th.
posted by ocschwar at 6:39 PM on December 9, 2018 [3 favorites]

So, to summarize the zeitgeist. We have a robust plan of succession, so let justice be done though the heavens fall.
posted by mikelieman at 6:43 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

@nancook NEW: A source close to Mulvaney tells me he is no longer interested in COS job, Mnuchin and Lighthizer sending out same signals.... list of potential replacements for Kelly shrinking by the hour.

@chick_in_kiev Jacob Wohl ... only answer

posted by pjenks at 6:43 PM on December 9, 2018 [16 favorites]

Arguably, he couldn't be doing worse than he is out of prison.
posted by Marticus at 6:44 PM on December 9, 2018

Via Dallas News:
HELLO THERE! Mitch McConnell Received $3.5M In Campaign Donations From Russian Oligarch-Linked Firm
posted by growabrain at 6:44 PM on December 9, 2018 [54 favorites]

One of the major precursors to the rot of the last 30 years was the inability to put white collar criminals in office.

i know what you meant but this freudian slip is delicious
posted by murphy slaw at 6:49 PM on December 9, 2018 [56 favorites]

That Dallas News story about Mitch McConnell is a year old. Blavatnik is an American and his donations were to PACs rather than directly to candidates, so there's nothing illegal about what is reported in that story. Though of course it does make you wonder... So far there's been no follow up that I know of...
posted by OnceUponATime at 6:51 PM on December 9, 2018 [13 favorites]

Ooops sorry about old Mitch above ^
Here's a NEW CNN interview with Carl Bernstein
posted by growabrain at 6:59 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

A source close to Mulvaney tells me he is no longer interested in COS job, Mnuchin and Lighthizer sending out same signals.... list of potential replacements for Kelly shrinking by the hour.

It's Catch-22. Anyone who says they want the job has just demonstrated that they are too stupid to do the job.
posted by JackFlash at 7:02 PM on December 9, 2018 [17 favorites]

I think the 25th Amendment neatly answers both "the president's job is too special/demanding" and "the president can't be in charge of their own prosecution". Just un-president them for a while, give the Vice President something to do for a change, and you're good to go.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:07 PM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]

Jennifer Rubin: Trump Will Resign 10 Minutes Before End Of Term So Mike Pence Can Pardon Him

President Pence: "Actually, you were always a dick to me. Let justice reign!"
posted by msalt at 7:12 PM on December 9, 2018 [16 favorites]

The Dallas News Blavatnik story has shown up in other variations, apparently he donated to Rubio as well. And some follow up on him cropped up recently when the remaining founder of the Hudson Institute's Kleptocracy Initiative resigned after learning that Blavatnik had donated $50,000 to the group (NYT story).

Blavatnik is really in the gray area between Russian Oligarch and normal CEO. He currently owns Warner Music and has been cleaning his image by making philanthropic donations to Harvard, Cambridge, etc. and has also been US citizen since the 80s. But on the flip side he also made most of his money during the sketchy privatization of the former Soviet oil and energy groups, and was business partners with Viktor Vekselberg, Oleg Deripaska, etc.

I'm curious to see how the mounting backlash against Russian oligarchs will treat people like Blavatnik who are 1 step removed from the worst players and are making efforts to be seen as philanthropists but still have a lot of shady connections and a dark history to their wealth.
posted by p3t3 at 7:22 PM on December 9, 2018 [16 favorites]

Trump lashes out at everyone. The fact that he hasn’t lashed out at Pence in 2 years is a telling sign that he absolutely needs something from him. And that pardon is a pretty compelling reason.
posted by greermahoney at 8:02 PM on December 9, 2018 [27 favorites]

I'm curious to see how the mounting backlash against Russian oligarchs will treat people like Blavatnik who are 1 step removed from the worst players and are making efforts to be seen as philanthropists but still have a lot of shady connections and a dark history to their wealth.

Yeah, the philosophical argument about where someone sits (or sat) on the Russian oligarch spectrum runs somewhat perpendicular to the political one: e.g. Berezovsky, Abramovich, Deripaska, Rybolovlev. (That's also aside from how many American 0.0001%ers are beneficiaries of similar accumulation of public assets and wealth.)

In that context, I think what was pitched to the Family Business was the chance to become real oligarchs like the Agalarovs instead of pretend ones scrubbing a million here and a million there from infomercial scams to keep everything from collapsing.
posted by holgate at 9:51 PM on December 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

Corsi and Klayman are literally making a federal case of it, Politcio reports: Conspiracy theorist sues Mueller alleging illegal leaks and surveillance. "Jerome Corsi’s new suit against Mueller also accuses the special prosecutor of trying to badger Corsi into giving false testimony that he served as a conduit between Wikileaks found Julian Assange and Roger Stone[….] Corsi is demanding $100 million in actual damages and $250 million in punitive damages for injury to his reputation."

Meanwhile, Trump has been bunkered down at the White House, with a travel/photo lid today and no public events on his calendar for tomorrow—except for lunch with Pence.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:07 PM on December 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

Robby Mook, The sad truth about Russian election interference

We knew all of this at the Democratic National Convention. And yet when I and other members of the campaign repeated that Russia was responsible for the hack and was doing this to help Donald Trump, many in the press seemed skeptical, treating the assertion as mere spin. A lot of people appeared to believe that the idea of Russia helping Trump was far-fetched. Even some of our staunchest supporters seemed to think I might have lost my marbles.
...
Obviously, much more evidence about Russia’s interference has come out since 2016. But I’m not sure we’ve learned the bigger lesson: Why did it take two years and dozens of indictments for so many to believe that Russia was not only behind the DNC hack but may also have been in cahoots with the Trump campaign, when there was so much evidence at the time?

It’s as if something needs to be secret or hidden to truly matter. If it’s sealed in a courtroom, it must be a bombshell, but if it’s out in the open, it’s just not as serious.

@nycsouthpaw, commenting on the above:

Millions of people including reporters believed the evidence of Russian interference and Trump’s complicity, and made a big deal about it, before the elections. It was a big issue, including at the debates. So I think an honest accounting can’t lump everyone’s responses together.

To my mind the issue is not a generalized unbelief, or a media failure, but an effective politicization of facts. Republican leaders in Congress refused invitations to confront Russia on a bipartisan basis. The Trump campaign lied about the hacking and its ties to Russia. In the absence of any R buy in, the executive branch grew wary of taking sides in what Rs had made a partisan dispute. Its efforts were limited—tough talk with Putin but in private on the sidelines of a conference, a watered down statement the FBI refused to join, & not much else. With the executive branch taking only tentative measures and making no effort to present a counterintelligence finding about the Trump campaign to the voting public, and with Rs proclaiming an entirely different set of facts, the field was pretty open for propaganda at the end...

But that’s not down to some generalized “we” not believing the facts or the media not reporting them, it’s the combination of a decision made by Republican leaders to, at best, not look a gift horse in the mouth and a calculation by others serving in govt to avoid battling w them

The fault, dear Robby, is not in our selves, but in our Rs.

posted by zachlipton at 10:27 PM on December 9, 2018 [58 favorites]

I hope everyone realizes that the whole "maybe I'll have a different running mate in 2020"/distancing from Pence/not really talking about or maligning Pence/high probability of pulling a Nixon and getting a pardon has been the goddamn plan all along. Pence is just waiting in the wings to be Trump shitshow part 2. I hope to $god they make the Russia allegations stick (not just the obstruction of justice etc) and invalidate the entire 2016 election. Because all signs point to Pence being actually effective in addition to being...well, evil.
posted by sexyrobot at 10:34 PM on December 9, 2018 [8 favorites]

While I agree with southpaw that the ultimate moral responsibility lies squarely on the complicit GOP establishment, he goes too far in exonerating the media and pundits who never took Russian attacks on our democracy seriously until it was far too late. The level of malfeasance is different but not non-existent.

There was also the much smaller but punching-above-its-weight group of Russia denialists on the left, for whom the entire Russia thing is a distraction from the true fight being waged against the Great Satan; corporate neoliberal establishment Democrats. We even got some of that bit here on Metafilter.
posted by Justinian at 11:04 PM on December 9, 2018 [45 favorites]

Relatively competent, I should have said — but I deeply hope that’s correct if Pence gets in.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:06 PM on December 9, 2018

I have a hard time getting to the details of GOP complicity outlined by @nycsouthpaw, when so many of those same column inches are spent blaming Obama.
posted by Brak at 11:34 PM on December 9, 2018 [8 favorites]

Comey calls on Americans to 'use every breath we have' to oust Trump in 2020 [CNN, 12/10/2018]:

Former FBI Director James Comey asked American voters Sunday night to end Donald Trump's presidency with a "landslide" victory for his opponent in 2020.

"All of us should use every breath we have to make sure the lies stop on January 20, 2021," Comey told an audience at the 92nd Street Y on New York City's Upper East Side. He all but begged Democrats to set aside their ideological differences and nominate the person best suited to defeating Trump in an election.

"I understand the Democrats have important debates now over who their candidate should be," Comey told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, "but they have to win. They have to win."

Over the course of more than an hour, Comey repeatedly derided Trump's character, again likening the atmosphere around the President to what he saw in prosecuting mafia figures and suggested that Trump's tweets could eventually amount to witness tampering. Asked if Trump might be an unindicted co-conspirator in some of the crimes recently described by special counsel Robert Mueller, Comey said he didn't know, "but if he's not there, he's certainly close."

Still, Comey said he hoped that Trump would be swept out of office without being impeached. Framing the rise of Trumpism as a political ill the country needed to exorcise at the ballot, he expressed a hope that Americans would "in a landslide rid ourselves of this attack on our values."

posted by cenoxo at 11:51 PM on December 9, 2018 [7 favorites]

IIRC, Pence was also compromised by the Russians and the timeline of Sally Yates seemed to discount Pence's claim the Flynn lied to him.

I know it's hard to keep Omnigate straight, but I seem to remember thinking that Pence was going to Agnew and bail, however, there's not a lot left on the bench to take their turn.
posted by mikelieman at 12:27 AM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

Still, Comey said he hoped that Trump would be swept out of office without being impeached.

I would have thought as a former Director of the F.B.I Comey would understand that the criminal walking away doesn't cut it.
posted by xammerboy at 12:46 AM on December 10, 2018 [4 favorites]

He was deeply unpopular in a state that is primed for Christofascist rule.

Please don't paint with too broad a brush. There are plenty of people, myself included, fighting the good fight in Indiana. The same is true for all of the red states. We have no intention of submitting to fascist rule of any kind.
posted by double block and bleed at 12:47 AM on December 10, 2018 [45 favorites]

"I understand the Democrats have important debates now over who their candidate should be," Comey told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, "but they have to win. They have to win."

...says man who sabotaged most recent Democrat candidate.
posted by faceplantingcheetah at 1:35 AM on December 10, 2018 [51 favorites]

Trumpology, after Kremlinology is fun and all, but I thought (viz. Meullerology) that Mueller was setting up Trump by letting Manafort shares lies he told Mueller with Individual 1, which would lead Indv.1 to lie all over his written statement... was adroitly debunked in the "All the President's Lawyers" podcast "Does Manafort have any credibility left?" where "popehat" aka Ken White mentioned that no judge would allow that. Done and done - I'm not a lawyer, and here's more proof to that point.

With regards to Pence, as changeable and fickle as Trump is, I would guess that the right whisper into his ear about, say, Pence convinced Ayers not to take the job because Pence will need him when Trump is gone - should put paid to Pence's career. What reality might think of all this, though, is another matter.
posted by From Bklyn at 2:12 AM on December 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

Remember that Kasich was offered the job as the most powerful VP in history.
If Pence was effective, he'd already be doing his evil deeds full speed. He probably is doing the best he can. But he is not a very bright guy, etc.
Another thing is: even though he is very quiet and almost invisible, it seems impossible that he can be the only innocent person in a cabinet of crooks. Even if he hasn't actively done anything, he must still be complicit.
posted by mumimor at 2:22 AM on December 10, 2018 [4 favorites]

I would guess that the right whisper into his ear about, say, Pence convinced Ayers not to take the job because Pence will need him when Trump is gone - should put paid to Pence's career.

The vice president is an elected position and the VP does not serve at the pleasure of the president like cabinet members and other presidential appointees. Trump can shut Pence out from many of the day to day activities of the presidency and restrict the briefings that he receives but he cannot remove Pence from office simply because he becomes displeased with him.
posted by Nerd of the North at 2:24 AM on December 10, 2018 [4 favorites]

If Pence is dirty, like for example if Trump knows that the Flynn lying to Pence story is false, then Trump can do whatever he wants to him. Do you think that Trump couldn't get his followers to believe that Trump somehow magically discovered that Pence lied while Trump himself remains innocent?

Even if Trump doesn't have anything on Pence the only point to Pence hanging around as Trump's VP is to take over when Trump is done. Pence can't do that if Trump rallies the rubes against him because then he would have no advantage over any other Republican suit. On the national stage Pence is entirely Trump's creature. In Indiana Pence is already a failure. Pence has no base separate from Trump's. Can you imagine the reality show distraction that humiliating Pence would provide?
posted by rdr at 2:54 AM on December 10, 2018 [5 favorites]

Meanwhile, in The Guardian today: Tackle climate or face financial crash, say world's biggest investors

“The long-term nature of the challenge has, in our view, met a zombie-like response by many,” said Chris Newton, of IFM Investors which manages $80bn and is one of the 415 groups that has signed the Global Investor Statement. “This is a recipe for disaster as the impacts of climate change can be sudden, severe and catastrophic.”

Investment firm Schroders said there could be $23tn of global economic losses a year in the long term without rapid action. This permanent economic damage would be almost four times the scale of the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis. Standard and Poor’s rating agency also warned leaders: “Climate change has already started to alter the functioning of our world.”

Thomas DiNapoli, of the $207bn New York State Common Retirement Fund, another signatory, said taking action on global warming not only avoided damage but could boost jobs and growth. “The low-carbon economy presents numerous opportunities and investors who ignore the changing world do so at their own peril.”

Lord Nicholas Stern, of the London School of Economics said: “The low-carbon economy is the growth story of the 21st century and it is inclusive growth. Without that story, we would not have got the 2015 Paris agreement, but the story has grown stronger and stronger and is really compelling now.”

The US Trump administration will hold its only event at the UN summit on Monday and is expected to promote “clean coal”. But Stern said Trump’s suggestion that action on climate change was a jobs killer was “dead wrong”. Stern said: “You don’t create jobs for the 21st century by trying to whistle up jobs from the 19th century.”

posted by mumimor at 3:04 AM on December 10, 2018 [29 favorites]

> "I understand the Democrats have important debates now over who their candidate should be," Comey told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, "but they have to win. They have to win."

...says man who sabotaged most recent Democrat candidate.

And who earlier this year declared socialism to be “losing your mind”. You can stop “helping” by trying to influence political outcomes, guy. When you helped to delegitimize the American democratic process you also delegitimized timid bland political centrism that rolls over in the face of overt right-wing nationalism.
posted by XMLicious at 3:31 AM on December 10, 2018 [50 favorites]

If Pence was effective, he'd already be doing his evil deeds full speed. He probably is doing the best he can. But he is not a very bright guy, etc.

His nickname in the House was Mike Dense. And that was by his own Republican caucus.
posted by chris24 at 4:06 AM on December 10, 2018 [67 favorites]

Comey: "All of us should use every breath we have to make sure the lies stop on January 20, 2021."

George Conway
I am increasingly optimistic that we can do better than this.

---

I hope Mr. Kellyanne is right.
posted by chris24 at 5:32 AM on December 10, 2018 [15 favorites]

Josh Marshall, TPM: A Bit More on Cohen

I mentioned on Friday evening that it’s not like Cohen just screwed himself by holding out on the SDNY prosecutors and then, only belatedly, deciding to cooperate fulsomely with The Special Counsel’s Office in September. As I said then, the decision seems quite intentional and probably made with at least some understanding of the consequences. That’s clear if you figure in Cohen’s personal and professional background: specifically, years of business dealings with people with Russian/Ukrainian mafia connections as well as marrying into that world.

But when I gave the SDNY document a close read this weekend this seemed even more clear cut than I’d realized. The prosecutors make clear that Cohen was given the chance on a number of occasions to enter a formal cooperation agreement. Each time he declined. That would have meant that he’d need to go through not only his whole criminal history but other people’s crimes he might know about. He wasn’t willing to do that. He just provided details of the crimes they already had him on.

It seems pretty clear that Cohen really, really wanted to avoid a lengthy prison term. But the cost of airing his whole criminal past, and other crimes he knew about, was too high.

posted by lazaruslong at 5:36 AM on December 10, 2018 [32 favorites]

Indiana veterans affairs leader resigns after awarding grants for needy vets to employees

IndyStar reported last week that at least 11 of the agency's employees — many making $40,000 to $50,000 a year — received a total of roughly $40,000 or more through the Military Family Relief Fund.

Brown defended the grants, arguing that his employees had as much right to the money as any other veteran.

"There is no great tragedy here," he said last week. "No laws have been broken."

IndyStar found that while veterans facing homelessness and job losses were required to wait weeks or months for assistance, employees at IDVA were approved within a day or less.

Most veterans also were strictly held to a $2,500 lifetime cap on aid, but at least four of Brown's employees who are veterans received more than that, including the manager of the program, who dipped into the fund multiple times.

Many of the employees who benefited from the funds, including the program's manager, remain employed at the agency.

The State Board of Accounts is now conducting an audit of the program.

posted by scalefree at 5:47 AM on December 10, 2018 [36 favorites]

It seems pretty clear that Cohen really, really wanted to avoid a lengthy prison term. But the cost of airing his whole criminal past, and other crimes he knew about, was too high

It's like the confusion around Manafort.
He doesn't want to avoid prison, he wants to avoid outliving his wife and kids.
posted by fullerine at 6:27 AM on December 10, 2018 [11 favorites]

The Washington Post unveils its new "Bottomless Pinocchio" category for Trump. The lie must be repeated at least 20 times by Trump even after the Post has tagged it as a lie.
posted by octothorpe at 6:32 AM on December 10, 2018 [40 favorites]

Done With Michael Cohen, Federal Prosecutors Shift Focus to Trump Family Business NYT Dec. 9th

There's a whole lot of leaking going on in this article (maybe SDNY, maybe DoJ, but definitely Trump Org). In any case, it suggests a ton of trouble for Trump:

[Prosecutors] have continued to scrutinize what other executives in the president’s family business may have known about those crimes, which involved hush-money payments to two women who had said they had affairs with Mr. Trump. [T]he federal prosecutors in Manhattan shifted their attention to what role, if any, Trump Organization executives played in the campaign finance violations, according to people briefed on the matter.[…]

In addition to implicating Mr. Trump in the payments to the two women, Mr. Cohen has told prosecutors that the company’s chief financial officer was involved in discussions about them, a claim that is now a focus of the inquiry, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.

Mr. Cohen has told prosecutors that he believes Mr. Trump personally approved the company’s decision to reimburse him for one of the payments, one of the people said.

[I]n recent weeks, the prosecutors contacted the company to renew a request they had made this year for documents and other materials, according to the people. The precise nature of the materials sought was unclear, but the renewed request is further indication that prosecutors continue to focus on the president’s company even as the case against Mr. Cohen comes to a close, the people said.

(And naturally because this is the NYT, it closes with a unattributed pro-Trump Org source pushing the idea that Weisselberg didn't know the purpose of the payments to Cohen because he asked "few, if any, questions" about the fixer's "legal" work for Trump. If that's the best defense they have, they're in "only obeying orders" territory.)

This article got under the skin @realDonaldTrump, who this morning, having made up a Fox News quote "Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after Comey's testimony", after watching a Comey segment on Fox & Friends, went on to try a novel framing of his latest legal problem: "So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution, which it was not (but even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE, like Obama’s - but it was done correctly by a lawyer and there would not even be a fine. Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me). Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!"

Whether or not Trump's novel defense gains any traction at Fox, Renato Mariotti points out its fundamentally false comparison:

Trump is trying to compare the Obama campaign failing to file notices on time to working with Michael Cohen to arrange six-figure payments through a shell company to get around campaign finance laws.

Campaigns make errors all the time. Trump and Cohen's conduct was not an error.

And Ken White dryly comments: "Expressing strong views about campaign finance law when the violation you’re accused of has a willfulness element isn’t the way I’d take this. But you do you, big guy."
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:06 AM on December 10, 2018 [33 favorites]

Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me.

When his tax filings get released, He is going to try and blame every accountant that ever touched any of his business dealings.
posted by cmfletcher at 7:21 AM on December 10, 2018 [13 favorites]

I strongly suspect "Smocking Gun" was a deliberate misspelling by whoever actually wrote the tweet, and the goal, as with other times it's been done, is to bait a purported "liberal elite" into a slobs-vs-snobs fight. (Unlike, e.g, "Special Council", that doesn't look like a natural mistake to me. Over the course of his life Individual-1 would have seen the word "smoking" constantly, on "No Smoking" signs and elsewhere. If he's truly writing it that way, it's dementia.)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:28 AM on December 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

i'm not sure that trump's media team is quite at the point of "look like a semi-literate moron to own the libs" yet
posted by murphy slaw at 7:31 AM on December 10, 2018 [13 favorites]

Yeah, I used to teach college composition classes--unless a fair number of my students were suffering from dementia, "smocking" is a totally believable error.
posted by tiger tiger at 7:42 AM on December 10, 2018 [11 favorites]

zachlipton, quoting @nycsouthpaw: To my mind the issue is not a generalized unbelief, or a media failure, but an effective politicization of facts.

Counterpoint: The New York Times was obsessed with "Hillary's Emails", to the point that it covered that topic more than the presidential debates, vice presidential debate, Trump's tax returns, Trump University fraud litigation, the Access Hollywood tape, Muslim ban, COMBINED.

The media landscape, speaking very broadly, failed to treat Trump as the (criminal) threat to Democracy that he is.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:52 AM on December 10, 2018 [122 favorites]

I strongly suspect "Smocking Gun" was a deliberate misspelling by whoever actually wrote the tweet, and the goal, as with other times it's been done, is to bait a purported "liberal elite" into a slobs-vs-snobs fight.

The "Smocking Gun" tweet has been up for four hours now. In the past, when the Trump comms team appeared embarrassed about a misspelling, they'd delete the tweet and upload a corrected one before too long. I've noticed, however, that since Bill Shine came on board, the misspellings stay up.

i'm not sure that trump's media team is quite at the point of "look like a semi-literate moron to own the libs" yet

The Boston Globe reported last May that "West Wing employees who draft proposed tweets intentionally employ suspect grammar and staccato syntax in order to mimic the president’s style, according to two people familiar with the process. […] While staff members do consciously use poor grammar, they do not intentionally misspell words or names, one person familiar with the process explained."

That was the procedure until Dan Scavino, of course. It's possible that Shine believes that misspellings are a feature, not a bug, when it comes attracting Trump support. Some MAGA-hatters are simply too anti-intellectual to care and will embrace anything that annoys the opposition, while others will experience a jolt of tribal sympathy when they see "the libs" fuming at this sloppiness. Either way, the time we spend on such distractions is time we could better spend on real issues.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:03 AM on December 10, 2018 [11 favorites]

It looks like Maria Butina's plea negotiations are over, and she'll have a hearing this week. I'm really curious if this will expose the NRA's Russian ties.
posted by gladly at 8:06 AM on December 10, 2018 [14 favorites]

i'm not sure that trump's media team is quite at the point of "look like a semi-literate moron to own the libs" yet

Unfortunately, it's working. People are talking about it instead of the real problems. See: covfefe.
posted by Melismata at 8:19 AM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]

Can I call MAGAhats libertrollians?
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:21 AM on December 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

Most veterans also were strictly held to a $2,500 lifetime cap on aid, but at least four of Brown's employees who are veterans received more than that, including the manager of the program, who dipped into the fund multiple times.

Somebody should tell Trump that he has the full support of the military's elite Blue Falcons unit and see if he brags it up.
posted by srboisvert at 8:36 AM on December 10, 2018 [19 favorites]

The media landscape, speaking very broadly, failed to treat Trump as the (criminal) threat to Democracy that he is.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:52 AM on December 10

This. And the media made equivalence between Individual One's behavior - both personal and political- and Hillary Clinton's emails and Wall St speeches. It was the worst in what-about-ism.
posted by bluesky43 at 8:43 AM on December 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

Can I call MAGAhats libertrollians?

Sure, but they'd probably like that.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:48 AM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]

I strongly suspect "Smocking Gun" was a deliberate misspelling by whoever actually wrote the tweet

As someone who needs reading glasses I would also say it's very possibly a mistake a writer who didn't have theirs on could make with the help of autocorrect and not see what had happened. But I'm also in agreement with the who cares/this is the least batshit part of this tweet side of the debate.
posted by phearlez at 8:48 AM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

I suspect insiders leak that staffers deliberately use bad grammar is the it's not a bug, it's a feature! of the white house. I totally meant to do that! Anyway, the Qanon folks know what Smocking refers to.

The occams razor on this nonsense is that Trump and his white house is a clown car of morons and scammers who fuck up everything they touch, including their iphone keyboards.
posted by dis_integration at 8:54 AM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]

In my naivete I was hoping to limit this conversation about possible typos before it even started, haha. I also spoke way too confidently about some things and I withdraw that certitude; stepping out again.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:56 AM on December 10, 2018 [5 favorites]

The WaPo has its latest in the long running genre of post-crisis reports from the foxhole White House, ‘Siege warfare’: Republican anxiety spikes as Trump faces growing legal and political perils. "Based on interviews with 14 administration officials, presidential confidants and allies, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity,"

I've said it before, but I love it when journalists detail not only that someone in the Trump White House is talking to them, but how many someones they got to go on the record.
posted by Gelatin at 8:56 AM on December 10, 2018 [8 favorites]

Make America Great: Impeach.

The gift of the MAGI.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:59 AM on December 10, 2018 [29 favorites]

So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution

Maggie Haberman, who shares a byline on the "Done With Michael Cohen, Federal Prosecutors Shift Focus to Trump Family Business" story, notes, "SDNY is run by a Trump appointee. Trump over two years has tried to claim any opposition is a “Dem” to fit in a false and reductionist prism to delegitimize everyone as simply playing politics."

She raises a valid concern that, simultaneously, flatters the NYT's sources as independent and principled actors. Now that's how access journalism is done.

Elsewhere at the SDNY, Courthouse News notices that US prosecutors have dropped their bid to toughen sentence for Turkish banker Hakan Atilla. How the trial of this gas-for-gold trade between Turkey and Iran is playing out says a lot about Trump's, and Giuliani's, relationship with Erdogan.

Meanwhile, back at the D.C. courthouse, Politico: Manafort Gets Wednesday Court Date To Discuss Lying Allegations—The hearing is just one of several key Mueller-related events coming up this week.

Jackson also lifted a Wednesday deadline that Manafort’s attorneys faced to rebut a submission from Mueller’s team last week detailing a variety of incidences prosecutors contend Manafort lied in the wake of his September agreement to plead guilty to charges of unregistered foreign lobbying and money laundering.[…]

It was unclear what prompted Jackson to lift the deadline for the defense and instead schedule a hearing to discuss how to move forward in the case. There was no public indication in the court docket of a request to adjust the schedule. It’s possible the judge concluded it was unfair to give the defense just three business days to respond to the prosecution’s claims."

posted by Doktor Zed at 9:08 AM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

It looks like Maria Butina's plea negotiations are over, and she'll have a hearing this week. I'm really curious if this will expose the NRA's Russian ties.

Some observers, most prominently Marcy Wheeler, are predicting that this is just going to be an outright guilty plea with no cooperation. So Butina wouldn't say anything other than admitting to what was already in the indictment and other Mueller filings.

(Evidence for this prediction: the judge assigned a public defender to assist on Butina's case last week, despite her being represented by paid counsel – paid by the government of Russia, presumably. The most logical explanation for that assistance is if the judge is concerned that Butina is deciding to plead guilty without a deal, that might be her current counsel pushing her to put the people paying their bills over her own interests.)
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:15 AM on December 10, 2018 [10 favorites]

Yes, a political process, but also a legal one. And not impeaching for obvious serious crimes just functions to normalize them. He needs to be impeached regardless of the possible verdict in the Senate and then you hang that Senate vote to excuse treason and corruption and god knows what else to hang on the Rs in 2020.

Democrats should be using the fact that everyone presumes Senate Republicans will cover for Trump as a hammer right now. This morning NPR aired another political analysis about the risks for Democrats if they vote to impeach, but, unusually, Mara Liasson at least hinted that Republicans are nervous about acting as accessories after the fact tying themselves too closely to Trump's corruption.

As so many have observed, what we know from the information in the public domain makes it clear that Trump is a crook who has indulged in not one but several scandals that should have ended his political career. Every time someone points that out, Democrats should counter with "...because the Republicans are covering for him."
posted by Gelatin at 9:17 AM on December 10, 2018 [44 favorites]

Nothing suspicious about this on Friday morning…

Pres waves off questions from reporters as he walks to the WH from Marine One. Followed by Jared Kushner and Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker.—CBS's Mark Knoller

Laura Rosen has more: "fwiw, WH pool reports acting AG Matt Whitaker & Jared Kushner were spotted boarding Marine 1, apparently traveling w Trump to KC to address law enforcement conference."

MSNBC's Morning Joe has picked this up today: 'There Should Be Outrage' Over Whitaker, Kushner Meeting. Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker met with Jared Kushner on Friday, December 7, and the Morning Joe panel discusses why the meeting should not have happened and why Whitaker should recuse himself from the investigation.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:48 AM on December 10, 2018 [25 favorites]

The fact that he hasn’t lashed out at Pence in 2 years is a telling sign that he absolutely needs something from him.

Don't forget that Pence was manoeuvred into place by Manafort.
posted by Stoneshop at 9:57 AM on December 10, 2018 [13 favorites]

Supreme Court Declines Key Planned Parenthood Case (Domenico Montanaro, NPR)

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take a case with big potential implications for women's health care and Planned Parenthood related to whether states can block people from using Medicaid for health care services at Planned Parenthood and similar organizations.

The result is that people can continue to use Medicaid money for pregnancy-related Planned Parenthood services. Now, this is not for abortion-related services. Federal law prohibits people to use Medicaid money for abortion.

But the court not taking up this case means that most states cannot, for now, effectively prohibit people from using Medicaid funds for other Planned Parenthood services, like screenings, ultrasounds and counseling.

This case specifically was about whether Planned Parenthood (and similar organizations and individuals using those services) have a right to sue to challenge the decision not to fund Planned Parenthood.

Seems like a win, as lower court rulings are allowed to stand.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:00 AM on December 10, 2018 [38 favorites]

Supreme Court Declines Key Planned Parenthood Case (Domenico Montanaro, NPR)

Context: SCOTUS Rejects Efforts To Cut Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding (Mark Sherman, AP via TPM)
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:16 AM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]

Seems like a win, as lower court rulings are allowed to stand.

Sorta. The article addresses this in particular, but in a more general sense you want a Supreme Court ruling if you want exact clarity: that this is or is not allowed, everywhere in the US. When you have a split by district it's usually pretty strong pressure on the Supremes to take something up because otherwise you have differing rules by circuit. When you just have one case/district it's less pressure on the Supremes to take something up, though there's still obvious advantages to make things as clear as they ever are in law. Outside circuits aren't bound by other circuits' decisions, though they tend towards deference.

In specific here the article says

The court not taking this does not categorically mean that states cannot prohibit using Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood. States in the 8th Circuit, for example, can still do that because there is a circuit split, and the 8th Circuit ruled that Medicaid recipients don't have the right to challenge who the state decides are qualified Medicaid recipients. States in the 8th Circuit include Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

posted by phearlez at 10:29 AM on December 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

The fact that he hasn’t lashed out at Pence in 2 years is a telling sign that he absolutely needs something from him.

Don't forget that Pence was manoeuvred into place by Manafort.

I thought that Mother Pence looked very down at 41's funeral, beyond any real or affected sadness over the death.

She knows.
posted by jgirl at 10:57 AM on December 10, 2018 [7 favorites]

GOP’s anti-democratic “red tide”: It’s ugly, but it’s nothing new (Paul Rosenberg, Salon)

Republicans across the country have responded to midterm defeats by trying to undo democracy. What can stop them?
…
When I asked [Donald P. Moynihan] what broader lessons could be learned, he pointed to a recent piece he wrote for Politico, “Kill the Lame Duck." “There is no real justification for lame duck sessions,” he said. “They are an outdated practice made for an earlier time which are now being weaponized to strategically benefit the party that lost the governor's office.” Some states have already realized this, he pointed out. “Alabama, Indiana, Nevada and Florida put legislators in place immediately after the election to prevent this from happening.”

Stepping back, Moynihan said, “The biggest lesson from this sorry affair is the collapse in democratic norms in the Republican Party. Power has become more important than the will of the people. What has been missing are GOP leaders who are willing to stand up and say this has gone too far. But instead, state leaders look at Mitch McConnell in the Senate and see that norm violations -- like the failure to act on a President's Supreme Court nominee -- are rewarded, that they should hold on to power at all costs. If the party can't correct itself, voters will have to do the job.”

posted by ZeusHumms at 11:07 AM on December 10, 2018 [38 favorites]

Trump actually honouring a contract he signed with someone would indeed be a hell of a thing.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:12 AM on December 10, 2018 [58 favorites]

Elena Hung and Katherine Perez. Trump’s New Wall to Keep Out the Disabled

At the signing ceremony for the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, President George Bush observed that the legislation had much in common with the fall of the Berlin Wall the year prior. The new law “takes a sledgehammer to another wall,” Bush remarked, “one which has for too many generations separated Americans with disabilities from the freedom they could glimpse, but not grasp.” Our current president, infamous for mocking Americans with disabilities and unraveling the social safety net, plans to rebuild that wall, putting America’s promise of freedom again further out of reach for people with disabilities.

The Trump administration’s proposed regulation, released in early October, would unfairly harm people with disabilities and their families in their efforts to live permanently in the United States. The “public charge” regulation would apply to immigrants already on the lawful road to citizenship, including applicants for permanent residence (a “green card”) living in the United States, and individuals outside of the United States, such as family members of American citizens seeking admission to the United States. While the concept is older than today’s modern immigration law, President Trump’s regulation would radically expand it in dangerous ways. (Public charge is a term used to describe a person deemed to be primarily dependent on government assistance.)

Harkening back to the dark history of anti-immigration policies, the public charge proposal spells out five “heavily weighed negative factors” that would make having a disability a strong basis for denial. In typical Trump fashion, the proposal privileges wealth, fast-tracking individual applicants who can provide evidence of annual incomes 250 percent above the federal poverty line, which for a family of four is about $63,000 annually. Thus, the proposal’s fundamental injustice of deliberately excluding people with disabilities, who are disproportionately likely to live in poverty, is compounded by the abuse of equating wealth with worth.

The deadline to submit a public comment on the public charge rule is today. The Catholic Legal Immigration Network has model comments and all the information you need to write your own.
posted by zachlipton at 11:40 AM on December 10, 2018 [14 favorites]

The American Library Association is sounding the emergency klaxons today and requesting that folks call their senators to oppose a bill that will transfer control of the Copyright Office away from the Library of Congress and into the hands of the president. Obviously, big business is salivating over this bill, as it'd make it much easier for them to call the shots when it comes to copyright law.

The Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act (S. 1010), a Senate companion to House bill (H.R. 1695), will be voted on by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee this Tuesday, in spite of previous concerns by committee members. This legislation would make the position of the Register of Copyrights subject to Presidential appointment and Senate confirmation. Under current law, the Librarian of Congress selects the Register. ALA strongly opposes this bill and needs you to contact your U.S. Senators to express your objections to this bill and ask them to vote against it.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 12:02 PM on December 10, 2018 [63 favorites]

Harper's, from 2007: "So, what happens when a prominent Republican figure is caught red-handed engaging in voter fraud? Über-Republican Ann Coulter was discovered to have falsified a voter registration in Palm Beach County, Florida, and to have voted."

Keep reading, it gets even better.
posted by tapir-whorf at 12:11 PM on December 10, 2018 [22 favorites]

Trump has cancelled Wednesday's planned trip to Baltimore due to "scheduling reasons." The Administration says they'll have the event, which to focus on investment in the Broadway East neighborhood, at the White House instead.
posted by zachlipton at 12:32 PM on December 10, 2018 [8 favorites]

CNBC: Elizabeth Warren, Other Key Democratic Senators Investigate Fox News Bonus Payments to Trump Aide Bill Shine

• Four Democratic senators are requesting the White House to hand over documents proving Trump communications advisor Bill Shine is not breaking federal ethics laws as he continues to get paid millions in bonuses by Fox.
• The move by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse and Edward Markey comes as ethics experts question whether Shine broke any laws or violated any rules.

See CNBC's original reporting on Shine's Fox payout.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:44 PM on December 10, 2018 [19 favorites]

The Daily 202: Four reasons that even some Trump loyalists do not want to be White House chief of staff (James Hohmann, WaPo)

1. Javanka cannot be managed.
2. Trump will not be managed.
3. With so many storm clouds on the horizon, the odds are good that the next chief will need to retain his own lawyers.
4. The risk of public humiliation is high.

posted by ZeusHumms at 12:49 PM on December 10, 2018 [38 favorites]

The Administration says they'll have the event, which to focus on investment in the Broadway East neighborhood, at the White House instead.

That's good, since I'm sure nobody in Baltimore made any plans to host the President or be part of the discussion, and it'll be no problem for urban poor people—who were supposed to be the target of Trump's economic miracle—to just head up to D.C., instead of staying in their own neighborhoods to participate. As long as the guy who's never suffered an inconvenience in his life is comfortable, it's cool.
posted by Rykey at 12:49 PM on December 10, 2018 [16 favorites]

Yup, there he goes, not acting presidential again.
posted by Melismata at 12:51 PM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

Paul Ryan’s long con - "He betrayed his promises and left a legacy of debt and disappointment." Ezra Klein, Vox

To be clear, I am not particularly concerned about deficits right now, just as I wasn’t in 2010. But I took Ryan seriously when he said he was. I covered the arguments Ryan made, the policies he crafted, and I treated them as if they offered a guide to how Republicans would govern. I listened when Ryan said things like, “In Europe, generations of welfare-dependent citizens are hurling Molotov cocktails because their governments can no longer fund their entitlement programs. We can’t let that happen here.”

Ryan’s office did not grant my request for an interview for this piece. But now, as Ryan prepares to leave Congress, it is clear that his critics were correct and a credulous Washington press corps — including me — that took him at his word was wrong. In the trillions of long-term debt he racked up as speaker, in the anti-poverty proposals he promised but never passed, and in the many lies he told to sell unpopular policies, Ryan proved as much a practitioner of post-truth politics as Donald Trump.

Ezra Klein Admits His Endless Flattery Of Paul Ryan May Have Been A Mistake, Paul Blest, Splinter News

Look. It’s great that Ezra Klein has finally written the definitive “Paul Ryan? Not great” piece in this year of our lord two thousand and eighteen, after a year of hinting that he had been taken for a ride by the GOP’s so-called “deficit hawks.” Is he a little (OK, very) late? Sure, but no one really needed his approval to understand that Ryan was dressing up Koch-style soulless libertarianism as technocratic wonkery.

The real question to ask is: What happens when the next Paul Ryan comes along? Because you know it’s going to happen.

Ryan's proposals in 2012 literally did not add up. So it's not enough to say "well, I got it wrong." We have to say "why did I get it wrong, and what positive steps am I going to take to prevent that happening again?" This was obvious. And yet he enjoyed his "actually believes in his policy proposals" reputation well into 2016.
The falsehoods that are easiest for us to swallow are the ones that we wanted to be true. So why do people want Paul Ryan to have been a true-blue believer, a sincere "policy wonk," someone who just maybe had different ideas about "public charity vs. private charity"?
I think part of it is that it is difficult for people to understand asymmetric situations, and also that, much like how Eco described the act of photocopying as a substitute for research, as long as people like Paul Ryan claim to be sincere, and concerned, and thoughtfully come to the conclusions that they already wanted to hear. We can outsource our political beliefs to them, secure in the idea that some committed "policy wonk" has really thought it through, absolving us of the responsibility of doing so ourselves.

Also, if someone thinks of himself as fair-minded, it is the very picture of fair-mindedness to be charitable to one's opponents, and ruthless with one's allies. It's not actual fair-mindedness, but it's a nice picture of it.

Back in 2012: Paul Ryan: What Stupid People Think a Smart Guy Sounds Like, Bhaskar Sunkara, VICE & How Paul Ryan Convinced Washington of His Genius, Alec McGillis, The New Republic,

And there was Ryan’s relationship with Ezra Klein, who runs the “Wonkblog” at The Washington Post. Klein presents himself as a numbers guy, a true empiricist, and in Ryan he felt he had found a kindred spirit. So in 2010, Klein ran three long interviews with Ryan in which the congressman was able to frame even his most radical budget solutions as mere wonkery—as if the only thing he and Klein disagreed on were the details of, say, just exactly how to rein in health care costs in the out-years, when they were in fact separated by a gulf in beliefs and priorities.

Klein then followed these transcripts up with a defense of Ryan against criticism from other liberals. One piece, headlined “The Virtues of Ryan’s ‘Roadmap,’” called Ryan’s budget plans a “more honest entry into the debate” than what conservatives usually offered. Another laid out Klein’s case for engaging with Ryan: “I don’t think Ryan is a charlatan or a flim-flam artist. More to the point, I think he’s playing an important role, and one I’m happy to try and help him play: The worlds of liberals and conservatives are increasingly closed loops. Very few politicians from one side are willing to seriously engage with the other side, particularly on substance ... The willingness to engage has made him look good.”

Paul Ryan: From Flimflam To Fascism, Paul Krugman, NY Times, ( is tired of trying to reason with you people)

On the other hand, I do have some insight into how Ryan — who has always been an obvious con man, to anyone willing to see — came to become speaker of the House. And that’s a story that reflects badly not just on Ryan himself, not just on his party, but also on self-proclaimed centrists and the news media, who boosted his career through their malfeasance. Furthermore, the forces that brought Ryan to a position of power are the same forces that have brought America to the edge of a constitutional crisis.

posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:55 PM on December 10, 2018 [75 favorites]

That's good, since I'm sure nobody in Baltimore made any plans to host the President or be part of the discussion

Trust me, nobody wanted him here.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:03 PM on December 10, 2018 [28 favorites]

The real question to ask is: What happens when the next Paul Ryan comes along? Because you know it’s going to happen.

Yeah but that's going to be years from now. We're past the Age of Fooling People With Stuff That Sounds Good But Isn't & into the Age of Brute Force, Flat-Out Lies & Dirty Tricks.
posted by scalefree at 1:12 PM on December 10, 2018 [8 favorites]

Voice Of America Vows Independence, As Trump Calls For 'Worldwide Network' (Brian Naylor, NPR News)
posted by ZeusHumms at 1:16 PM on December 10, 2018 [8 favorites]

Yeah but that's going to be years from now. We're past the Age of Fooling People With Stuff That Sounds Good But Isn't & into the Age of Brute Force, Flat-Out Lies & Dirty Tricks.

Yeah, but the so-called "liberal media" always takes Republicans' concern trolling over the deficit at face value, even when they barely bothered to claim their tax cut would pay for itself, and when Republicans -- like Ryan -- used the resulting deficits as an excuse to call, yet again, for slashing social spending.

Ryan didn't advocate anything different from bog-standard Republican voodoo economics, but as Professor Krugman has been pointing out for years, the so-called "liberal media" is so desperate to find a "serious, honest conservative" that it'll anoint anyone who even pretends to talk the talk, regardless of whether they walk the walk.

Pundits like Klein need to be well aware how they got deceived and played by the Republicans and take steps to see that it doesn't happen so easily next time, not just walk into the same trap all over again. And while conservatives will always launch bad-faith claims about "media bias," the fact is that Ryan's obvious dishonesty should have a cost associated with it, even if that's "people won't believe Republicans are fiscally responsible so easily next time."

Consequences won't induce Republicans to be honest, because they know they can't sell their policies honestly, but they could at least make their next deception more difficult and less effective.
posted by Gelatin at 1:27 PM on December 10, 2018 [18 favorites]

Conspiracy theorist [Corsi] sues Mueller alleging illegal leaks and surveillance.

When your big argument against Mueller is that he leaks too much, you're really throwing a Hail Mary desperation pass.
posted by msalt at 1:28 PM on December 10, 2018 [12 favorites]

Very nice summary of conman Paul Ryan and the worthless centrists like Ezra Klein who promoted him.
Thanks to "the man of twists and turns." Almost deserves of front page post of its own.
posted by JackFlash at 1:30 PM on December 10, 2018 [14 favorites]

The question for the rest of us is, in order to prevent this in the future, what price can we make Klein pay for his willful self-delusion? In the name of media responsibility, can we form a kickstarter to get pundits to sign onto to some humiliation contract in the event that their peers deem them to have been dunderheaded dupes? Can we at least start a petition to get Klein to agree to sit in a corner with a dunce cap while Krugman pours tarred shredded spreadsheet on his head?
posted by chortly at 1:43 PM on December 10, 2018 [7 favorites]

We can stop reading his publications.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:47 PM on December 10, 2018 [8 favorites]

Just to verify that I'm understanding things correctly, people here want to avoid Ezra Klein (and his publications... so no David Roberts for you) because he engaged with Paul Ryan's ostensible beliefs a little too credulously? Guys I have bad news about literally every mainstream news outlet for the last decade
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:59 PM on December 10, 2018 [22 favorites]

Of all of the mistakes that the media has made during the past decade, Ezra Klein taking Paul Ryan at his word about deficits doesn't even rank in the top 10,000.

Even when Klein and his colleagues at Vox took Ryan at his word, they were usually pretty quick to point out that his ideas were terrible policy.

I don't always care for Vox's writing, but the digs at Klein, and attempt to brand them as "worthless centrists" really reads like a hatchet job.
posted by schmod at 2:00 PM on December 10, 2018 [24 favorites]

Is Klein specifically the best example of this problem? I couldn't say much about the Wonkblog era, and if he did a significant amount to elevate Ryan, then there isn't enough shame in the world for him. Yet I feel like Vox has been very solid at identifying the structural problems and media-slant problems we're talking about here. Maybe he's no Carlos Maza, but there's been at least a smidge of improvement?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:01 PM on December 10, 2018 [5 favorites]

Senator Orrin Hatch added this when asked if he was concerned about allegations (against Trump).
“No because I don’t think he was involved in crimes but even then, you know, you can make anything a crime under the current laws; if you want to you can blow it way out of proportion you can do a lot of things.”
posted by Roger_Mexico at 2:03 PM on December 10, 2018 [12 favorites]

Does it really matter? If a pundit's opinions don't seem to line up with the evidence and the real-world results, then he's not very good at punditry. Why amplify the voices of people who don't know what they're doing?

It's one thing to use other people's analyses to inform one's own opinions, but opinions should be fact-based to begin with. If someone is consistently factually wrong, then don't rely on that person for information for your own understanding.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:05 PM on December 10, 2018 [5 favorites]

Is Klein specifically the best example of this problem?

He is extremely not the best example. He just happens to be the closest to the spotlight of Thread's attention.

If someone is consistently factually wrong, then don't rely on that person for information for your own understanding.

But Klein wasn't consistently wrong with respect to what the effect of Paul Ryan's policies would be. He was only consistently wrong in mindreading the extent to which Paul Ryan was honest about his own opinions. If you want to downgrade Klein's mindreading in your estimation, that seems pretty fair. But in terms of policy I think he's been pretty spot on.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 2:08 PM on December 10, 2018 [5 favorites]

> The Daily 202: Four reasons that even some Trump loyalists do not want to be White House chief of staff

Advisers to Trump were “stunned” that Vice President Pence’s chief turned down the chance to replace John Kelly, claiming he [Nick Ayers] wanted to spend more time with his family...

...always the bald-faced tell of politicians and corporate executives in serious trouble (or anticipating it).
posted by cenoxo at 2:10 PM on December 10, 2018 [13 favorites]

No, he was consistently wrong in recognizing that Paul Ryan was full of shit, something millions of people easily observed. I don't really see the benefit in considering him, or anyone that gullible, to be an authority on analyzing what's going on.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:12 PM on December 10, 2018 [31 favorites]

Bah. Here is a direct quote from Klein: " I don't think Ryan is a charlatan or a flim-flam artist. More to the point, I think he's playing an important role, and one I'm happy to try and help him play."

Klein was actively working to promote Ryan in the public eye as an honest broker. Klein was helping Ryan in his objective of cutting Medicare and Social Security.

But Klein wasn't consistently wrong with respect to what the effect of Paul Ryan's policies would be. He was only consistently wrong in mindreading the extent to which Paul Ryan was honest about his own opinions.

Nope. You didn't have to read Ryan's mind to figure out he was dishonest. You just had to read his own published words in his blueprint for the country, "Path to Prosperity." It was all bullshit. Anyone who looked at the numbers could see it was bullshit. Klein made it his centrist duty to denigrate Paul Krugman, a person who really understands numbers, for being too shrill when Krugman called Ryan a flimflam man.

Klein actively made the politics worse by propping up Ryan as an honest broker. Someone who views himself as a public intellectual but takes 10 years to figure out he was totally wrong is not anyone you can trust in the future to get it right. We don't have another 10 years to waste.
posted by JackFlash at 2:33 PM on December 10, 2018 [52 favorites]

From the WaPo article octothorpe linked above RE the “Bottomless Pinocchio”:

Trump’s willingness to constantly repeat false claims has posed a unique challenge to fact-checkers. Most politicians quickly drop a Four-Pinocchio claim, either out of a duty to be accurate or concern that spreading false information could be politically damaging.

Not Trump. The president keeps going long after the facts are clear, in what appears to be a deliberate effort to replace the truth with his own, far more favorable, version of it. He is not merely making gaffes or misstating things, he is purposely injecting false information into the national conversation.

To accurately reflect this phenomenon, The Washington Post Fact Checker is introducing a new category — the Bottomless Pinocchio. That dubious distinction will be awarded to politicians who repeat a false claim so many times that they are, in effect, engaging in campaigns of disinformation.

I would have preferred they just call it “The Goebbels”, since, in the modern era, the evil Nazi propagandist most shamelessly outlined this kind of State-promulgated campaign of lies and disinformation:

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

posted by darkstar at 2:41 PM on December 10, 2018 [46 favorites]

Mod note: If there's nothing much going on, folks, please don't just change the topic. That makes catch-all threads nonfunctional.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 2:41 PM on December 10, 2018 [8 favorites]

BuzzFeed, Zoe Tillman, A Former Trump Campaign Staffer Was Ordered To Pay $25,000 For Violating Her Nondisclosure Agreement

Jessica Denson, a former staffer for President Donald Trump's campaign, is fighting an order to pay nearly $25,000 for violating a nondisclosure agreement, according to court papers.

The award to the Trump campaign came out of arbitration — non-public proceedings the campaign pursued against Denson after she filed two lawsuits against it. Denson was ordered to pay $25,000 to the campaign in October, but the award wasn't made public until Denson's lawyers included it in court filings in New York County Supreme Court in late November. The documents obtained by BuzzFeed News this week were not filed electronically.

The award payment is part of a complicated, ongoing legal battle between the Trump campaign and Denson, who, according to her court filings, worked on the campaign as a national phone bank administrator and as director of Hispanic engagement. Denson sued the campaign in New York County Supreme Court in November 2017, claiming that officials discriminated against her, cyberbullied her, and were otherwise hostile towards her; it did not include any allegations against Donald Trump personally. She sought $25 million in damages.

But the Trump campaign claimed Denson's lawsuit violated the terms of her nondisclosure agreement, which prohibited her from disclosing confidential information, disparaging the campaign, competing with the campaign, or violating its intellectual property. The NDA gave the campaign the power to take issues that arose under the agreement to arbitration, and so the Trump campaign went to the American Arbitration Association and initiated the arbitration case against Denson, which has taken place behind closed doors; she has declined to participate.

This should not be legal, for any employer anywhere in the country, and Resistance Hero Neal Katyal can go fuck himself for fighting to ensure that employees can't ever have their day in court.
posted by zachlipton at 2:42 PM on December 10, 2018 [51 favorites]

Our propaganda isn't State-disseminated, though. It's disseminated by the media who re-prints it uncritically with almost no framing to make it clear that it's not true. It's shameful. Trump wouldn't be able to propagandize if the media didn't enthusiastically cooperate.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:47 PM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]

I just love AOC!

Double standards are Paul Ryan being elected at 28 and immediately being given the benefit of his ill-considered policies considered genius; and me winning a primary at 28 to immediately be treated with suspicion & scrutinized, down to my clothing, of being a fraud.

QFFT
posted by maniabug at 2:48 PM on December 10, 2018 [166 favorites]

Trump’s lies and disinformation require a new kind of media response

...Trump is not engaged in conventional lying. He’s engaged in spreading disinformation. The president has lied dozens and dozens of times about how much the United States pays into NATO as well as about the investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III; he has falsely claimed dozens of times apiece that Democrats are the ones who colluded with Russia (a particularly virulent species of up-is-downism); that a border wall will stop the flow of drugs; that our immigration laws are very permissive; and that we have “lost” billions of dollars to trade deficits.
...
[In my book] I suggest that the president wields disinformation as an assertion of power:

here is a reason Trump regularly tells lies that are very easy to debunk: The whole point of them is to assert the power to say what the truth is, even when — or especially when — easily verifiable facts, ones that are right in front of our noses, dictate the contrary. The brazenness and shamelessness of his lying is not just a by-product of an effort to mislead voters that Trump is merely taking to new levels. Rather, the brazenness and shamelessness of the lying is central to his broader project of declaring for himself the power to say what reality is.

“When I use a word,” Trumpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Trumpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”

posted by kirkaracha at 2:49 PM on December 10, 2018 [20 favorites]

NBC, Trump plan to reclassify nuclear waste alarms environmental groups

The Trump administration wants to reclassify some radioactive waste left from the production of nuclear weapons to lower its threat level and make disposal cheaper and easier.

The proposal by the U.S. Department of Energy would lower the status of some high-level radioactive waste in several places around the nation, including the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state — the most contaminated nuclear site in the country.

Reclassifying the material to low-level could save the agency billions of dollars and decades of work by essentially leaving the material in the ground, critics say.

Well I can't think of any way that could possibly go wrong.
posted by zachlipton at 2:50 PM on December 10, 2018 [28 favorites]

ABC, Maria Butina, accused Russian agent, reaches plea deal with prosecutors that includes cooperation

Maria Butina, a 30-year-old Russian gun rights activist who stands accused developing a covert influence operation in the United States, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in any ongoing investigations.

She admits, as part of the deal, according to a copy obtained by ABC News that is expected to be filed to the court, that she and an unnamed “U.S. Person 1,” which sources have identified as longtime Republican operative Paul Erickson, with whom she had a multiyear romantic relationship, “agreed and conspired, with a Russian government official (“Russian Official”) and at least one other person, for Butina to act in the United States under the direction of Russian Official without prior notification to the Attorney General.”

Based on the description, the “Russian Official” appears to be Alexander Torshin, deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under his direction, the agreement said, she “sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics.”
...
But now, according to the agreement, Butina has acknowledged that with U.S. Person 1’s assistance, she drafted a proposal called “Description of the Diplomacy Project” in March of 2015 which was later sent to the Russian Official, in which she said that she had already “laid the groundwork for an unofficial channel of communication with the next U.S. administration” and requested $125,000 from a Russian billionaire to attend conferences and meetings to further develop those ties. The Russian Official, the agreement said, confirmed that her proposal would be at least partially supported.

posted by zachlipton at 3:00 PM on December 10, 2018 [61 favorites]

Government run as a business: whatever the boss says is the truth, and there’s not a goddamn thing you can do about it except believe it, quit, or get fired.
posted by valkane at 3:00 PM on December 10, 2018 [19 favorites]

One more bit worth noting there:

After that now infamous meeting [the NRA brass traveling to Russia and meeting with Lavrov], the agreement said, Butina sent the Russian Official a message, which was translated as saying “We should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later.”

posted by zachlipton at 3:09 PM on December 10, 2018 [21 favorites]

@CNNSitRoom Acosta reports that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is considered a “strong option” for White House chief of staff and that a source describes President Trump’s mood as “super pissed” after Nick Ayers turned down his offer for the job.
posted by bluesky43 at 3:19 PM on December 10, 2018 [12 favorites]

Wow, Jared wanted to keep Christie out of the cabinet, and now he could get to see Christie in the chief of staff's office?
And Christie would have to be the chief of staff? With all the grudges he's gotta be nursing?
And Trump gets all that right outside the Oval?

Meatloaf for everyone!
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:28 PM on December 10, 2018 [29 favorites]

There's.nobody.else.left.
posted by bluesky43 at 3:33 PM on December 10, 2018 [15 favorites]

I'm sure Jared will fight just as hard to keep Christie out of the White House, but at the end of the day the job can only go to somebody who says "yes." What else are they going to float as an option, detailing a general to the COS desk like they did with McMaster to NSA?

Anyway. That's small potatoes. BUTINA'S COOPERATING. HOLY MOTHERFORKING SHIRTBALLS. There is not enough corn to pop in all of Iowa.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:36 PM on December 10, 2018 [50 favorites]

I would expect that Butina's cooperating in the same way as Manafort or Lugovoy, in order to funnel information back.
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 3:45 PM on December 10, 2018 [10 favorites]

> And during an FBI raid of Erickson’s South Dakota home, investigators discovered a handwritten note suggesting Erickson may have been aware of a possible job offer from Russian intelligence services: “How to respond to FSB offer of employment?” Erickson scratched, an apparent reference to the Russian equivalent of the CIA.

Leaving a note to yourself where you ponder how to respond to a foreign intelligence agency trying to employ you is really a whole other level of idiotic. I continue to be astounded by the never-ending stream of things that would make even the most hackish writer think "Nah, that's not remotely believable."
posted by MysticMCJ at 3:47 PM on December 10, 2018 [79 favorites]

wow he actually took notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy
posted by murphy slaw at 4:02 PM on December 10, 2018 [111 favorites]

smock! smock! smock!
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 4:07 PM on December 10, 2018 [48 favorites]

Not just notes - notes questioning how he should respond to a job offer from a foreign nations intelligence agency. To himself. In all likelihood, he probably just misunderstood what it means to be recruited by the FSB.
posted by MysticMCJ at 4:08 PM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

The "How to respond to FSB offer of employment?" thing was shown by the government back in July.

And I bring that up not to be all "you should have known that," because I frankly forgot all about it too, but to emphasize that as complicated as we've made all this, and as impossible it is to keep it all in your head at once, this is at its core really a very blatant and straightforward story, and the basic facts have been known to us all along, yet our elected officials have refused to take action based on them.
posted by zachlipton at 4:18 PM on December 10, 2018 [45 favorites]

the quonster beat me to the belated Calvin & Hobbes reference to "smock", but decades before that, Early TV Talk Show Host Steve Allen would punctuate moments of extreme silliness by calling out "SMOCK! SMOCK!", although when he got around to using the word in the title of one of his umpteen books, he - or his editor - changed the spelling to "Schmock! Schmock!", and if I remember Steve Allen's smocks, I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the few things on 1950's TV that Trump can remember.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:23 PM on December 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

I'm confused by Kavanaugh siding with the libs on the SC (planned parenthood no thanks). What gives? Is this some stab in the back to PP that I'm missing? Nothing is as it seems anymore.
posted by bluesky43 at 4:33 PM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]

@nielslesniewski:

Yikes. Judicial Crisis Network goes after Tim Scott over his opposing Farr:

"Tim Scott's opposition to Tom Farr was a capitulation to political correctness bordering on slander, as he embraced liberal smears that are contradicted by the facts."

That would be JCN attacking the Republican Party's only black Senator for daring to suggest they maybe not give lifetime judgeships to "candidates with questionable track records on race."
posted by zachlipton at 4:38 PM on December 10, 2018 [29 favorites]

"Double standards are Paul Ryan being elected at 28 and immediately being given the benefit of his ill-considered policies considered genius; and me winning a primary at 28 to immediately be treated with suspicion & scrutinized, down to my clothing, of being a fraud."

TO BE FAIR, I've been complaining about Paul Ryan's poorly-fitting suits for YEARS. If you're running for Vice President, hire a fucking tailor instead of walking around on national television for SEVERAL MONTHS with a suit that's SO big you look like a kid borrowing your dad's suit for a job interview.

(AOC does better on a budget that Paul Ryan does on a gravy train!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:14 PM on December 10, 2018 [43 favorites]

To be fair, Paul Ryan was just afraid at any moment he might Hulk Out due to all that gym time.
posted by valkane at 5:22 PM on December 10, 2018 [12 favorites]

How Did Giuliani Know in Advance That Comey Would Reopen Clinton Probe?
posted by growabrain at 5:23 PM on December 10, 2018 [6 favorites]

Strap in for stupid, boys & girls. This one's a doozy.

Nick Ayers, Aide to Pence, Declines Offer to Be Trump’s Chief of Staff

The monthslong process to replace Mr. Kelly, who Mr. Trump announced on Saturday is leaving at the end of the year, is a rare instance in which the president has not been courting candidates simultaneously. Historically, he has signaled to competing prospects that each one is his choice, and then picks one even as he tells both that they are still in the running.

But this time, Mr. Ayers was the only person Mr. Trump had focused on since he made up his mind to part ways with Mr. Kelly. With a head of blond hair, Mr. Ayers somewhat resembles Mr. Trump in his younger days, a fact that the president often looks for as a positive signal. The president had an unusual affinity for Mr. Ayers, telling aides who expressed concern about Mr. Ayers that he liked him.

And after barreling from a chief of staff recommended by Republican congressional leaders (Reince Priebus) to a military general who shared some of Mr. Trump’s personality traits (Mr. Kelly), the president seemed intent this time on simply picking someone he personally liked.

posted by scalefree at 5:27 PM on December 10, 2018 [8 favorites]

WaPo: ‘There was no Plan B’: Trump scrambles to find chief of staff after top candidate turns him down

Top minds, here. Real brain trust at the top of the executive branch org chart.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:48 PM on December 10, 2018 [23 favorites]

Ayers is in hot water over money for the Greitens campaign for governor.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:12 PM on December 10, 2018 [10 favorites]

Law enforcement's pushback against ICE is underway…

Charlotte Observer: Sheriff Garry McFadden Ends 287(G) On His First Day. "New Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden ended the 287(g) program in Charlotte on his first day as sheriff. 287(g) is a voluntary federal program detaining jail inmates who are in the country illegally."

Charlotte News Observer: New Sheriffs in Wake and Durham Will No Longer Cooperate With Immigration Agency. "Newly elected Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker said Friday that his office will no longer participate in a controversial immigration program. […] The Durham County Sheriff’s Office also said in a press release Friday that newly elected Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead would end the practice of honoring ICE detainers."

Elections matter.
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:15 PM on December 10, 2018 [89 favorites]

Meatloaf for everyone!

Meatloaf for Trump.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:21 PM on December 10, 2018

“Christie’s allies said they do not expect him to be offered the job as long as Kushner remains a top White House staffer, describing their relationship as largely repaired from its past tensions but still not strong enough to enable Christie to fully enter the Trump orbit.”

Trump Orbit. It’s like that thing? When you know you’re gonna crash and burn? And no one will be there to catch you? Yeah, like that.
posted by valkane at 6:27 PM on December 10, 2018

I'll bet you anything Ayers went to Pence, his current boss, for his thoughts on working for Trump. There's your clue as to what Pence really thinks about Trump.
posted by xammerboy at 6:29 PM on December 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

I'm confused by Kavanaugh siding with the libs on the SC (planned parenthood no thanks). What gives? Is this some stab in the back to PP that I'm missing?

I think it may just be politically radioactive. The case is about whether or not states can totally defund Planned Parenthood of federal Medicaid dollars. Money for abortions has already been stripped away. This is about additionally taking away money for cancer screenings, contraception, etc. And... if you don't hear the case, no one has said that stripping away that funding is illegal, so states can simply go ahead and do that.
posted by xammerboy at 6:51 PM on December 10, 2018 [11 favorites]

David J Roth is, to my mind, the best writer on Trump. He’s just put out a new piece, Normal Man Donald Trump Hilariously Fucks Up Army-Navy Coin Toss.

And so, to guess again, we can only imagine how heavily this heaviest of jobs has weighed on Donald Trump, who is surely the most normal man ever to occupy the office. It’s true that outwardly Trump appears to do virtually no work at all beyond Monitoring News Coverage and dribbling out a thin stream of vinegary tweets recapping what he sees there in demented germanic capitalization. It’s also true that the man himself, from his days as the most neediest lordling in New York City real estate to his later incarnation as a professional Twitter grouch, has never evinced caring at all about the suffering of any other living person or even appeared concerned about any question beyond would this impress Paula Abdul.
[...]
The best-case scenario is still awful: he watches TV and tweets and that’s it, and it’s all terribly distasteful but at the very least silo’ed by the marble in which he’s encased itself. He can be left there indefinitely, if also sometimes rolled out for those ceremonial duties. Those he will fuck up in hilarious ways, because the man has no idea how to do even simple things. He has never done those simple things and is too stubborn and checked-out and incurious to learn them; all he has done is golf and gossip and complain and sometimes shake rich people’s hands for decades now, and so these things are not simple at all to him.

For instance, here’s our guy doing what is easily one of the easiest things a president is asked to do: flip a coin before the kickoff of the annual Army-Navy football game. Good luck, buddy!

posted by chappell, ambrose at 7:33 PM on December 10, 2018 [64 favorites]

Jamelle Bouie (Slate) nails the John Kelly valediction:

John Kelly Was Always Just Donald Trump With Better Manners

If “Trumpism” has any meaning or ideological content separate from Donald Trump himself, it had a representative—if not an embodiment—in Kelly. What the outgoing chief of staff lacks in Trump’s intemperate attitude and undisciplined behavior, he makes up for in his commitment to basic elements of the president’s ideology—including his casual cruelty and tolerance for bigotry and bad behavior.

posted by pjenks at 7:58 PM on December 10, 2018 [33 favorites]

NYT, Vogel, Targets of U.S. Sanctions Hire Lobbyists With Trump Ties to Seek Relief. In which those targeted by sanctions are paying big money to Trump-connected people. Among them, Rudy Giuliani, who has been working to negociate a "security consulting" contract to work in the Democratic Republic of Congo as he denies having anything to do with serving as a middleman between the DRC and the Trump Administration. There is lots more grift inside as well.
posted by zachlipton at 8:20 PM on December 10, 2018 [10 favorites]

I'm confused by Kavanaugh siding with the libs on the SC (planned parenthood no thanks). What gives? Is this some stab in the back to PP that I'm missing?

The case didn't directly deal with abortion rights, this may be just lying low until the right test case to overrule Roe is before the Court. Kavanaugh doesn't want to spend all his energy on comparatively small potatoes allowing states to prevent Medicaid funding, he wants to outlaw all abortions. This wasn't the time to strike, but it's coming.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:28 PM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

If anything Kavanaugh and Roberts voting together is more ominous, they're playing a more strategic long game than Thomas or Gorsuch or Alito, who can be reliably counted on to follow the daily whims of the FOX-Koch-altrighttwitterverse to the letter.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:45 PM on December 10, 2018 [9 favorites]

Normal Man Donald Trump Hilariously Fucks Up Army-Navy Coin Toss.

TL;DR:

"Why did life on Earth end, Mommy?"

"Well, Timmy, they put a man who literally could not learn to flip a coin in charge of Earth's most powerful military, and gave him the nuclear codes. Good night now."

Seriously, this may be a distraction from more pressing issues, but it's breathtaking to watch.
posted by Rykey at 9:31 PM on December 10, 2018 [29 favorites]

Getting Interior to Respond to Your FOIA Requests Just Got a Lot Harder (Dan Spinelli, Mother Jones)

In his latest attempt to make the Interior Department’s activities less transparent, Ryan Zinke shifted responsibility for handling public records requests from a career employee to a political appointee [acting solicitor Daniel Jorjani] with a long history working for conservative megadonors Charles and David Koch. The order, signed November 20, was first noticed by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group that has previously sued the Trump administration for not releasing information pertaining to its planned rollback of the Endangered Species Act.

posted by ZeusHumms at 9:56 PM on December 10, 2018 [24 favorites]

GOP lawmakers call for autopsy on 'historic losses' (Scott Wong, The Hill)

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is calling on incoming House GOP campaigns chief Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and the rest of the leadership team to conduct an autopsy to find out what went wrong for Republicans in the disastrous 2018 midterms.

In a “Dear Colleague” letter obtained by The Hill, Stefanik and other allies wrote Monday that the “disappointing results” of the November election “require an honest, transparent assessment of the structural operations and decision-making process that led to our party losing an historic number of seats.”
...
The Stefanik letter is the latest twist in an ongoing spat with Emmer, the new NRCC chairman for the 2020 cycle.

After the November drubbing, Stefanik, who led GOP recruitment efforts for the NRCC in the 2018 cycle, said GOP leaders needed to do a better job intervening in primaries to help nominate more female candidates.

Emmer called that a “mistake” in an interview with Roll Call, prompting Stefanik to fire back on Twitter: “NEWSFLASH... I wasn’t asking for permission.”

posted by ZeusHumms at 10:12 PM on December 10, 2018 [7 favorites]

Vanity Fair, Gabriel Sherman, “It Got Back to Trump That Kelly Was Bad-Mouthing Him”: After Firing John Kelly on Impulse, Trump Learned He Had No Plan B

Trump’s impulsive announcement quickly became an even bigger problem when it turned out that Kelly’s replacement was not sewn up; Ayers surprised Trump later that day by insisting that he only wanted the job short term. “Trump was pissed, he was caught off guard,” a former West Wing official briefed on the talks said. Sources said Ayers, who has triplets, told Trump he wanted to return to Georgia with his wife in the spring and work on a super PAC supporting Trump’s 2020 re-election. But a former White House official said Ayers wanted to avoid intense scrutiny on his financial dealings (last year, Ayers reported a net worth of $12.2 million to $54.8 million from his political-consulting ventures). “He started getting calls from reporters with requests for information about how he made his money and he thought, ‘Do I really want to do this?’” said a source familiar with his thinking.

I highlighted this before Ayers turned down the job. This is a grifting story more than a "nobody wants to work for Trump" story. He's had an incredible run of conservative grift (his last gig was an arbitrage play to try to resell political ad time), and the one thing that could make it all come crashing down is painting a target on his back. Trump's Super PAC will make him far more money, involves less facepalming, and fewer meetings with extremely expensive lawyers.
posted by zachlipton at 10:17 PM on December 10, 2018 [39 favorites]

GOP lawmakers call for autopsy on 'historic losses' (Scott Wong, The Hill)

I mean, it's "news," but I can't think of a topic more DGAF. As a lefty I'm not the most reliable source for this idea, but the Republican Party is over.
posted by rhizome at 10:25 PM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

WRT kirkaracha's upstream WaPo article link, Trump’s lies and disinformation require a new kind of media response:

...Trump is not engaged in conventional lying. He’s engaged in spreading disinformation. The president has lied dozens and dozens of times about how much the United States pays into NATO as well as about the investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III; he has falsely claimed dozens of times apiece that Democrats are the ones who colluded with Russia (a particularly virulent species of up-is-downism); that a border wall will stop the flow of drugs; that our immigration laws are very permissive; and that we have “lost” billions of dollars to trade deficits.
...
[In my book] I suggest that the president wields disinformation as an assertion of power:

here is a reason Trump regularly tells lies that are very easy to debunk: The whole point of them is to assert the power to say what the truth is, even when — or especially when — easily verifiable facts, ones that are right in front of our noses, dictate the contrary. The brazenness and shamelessness of his lying is not just a by-product of an effort to mislead voters that Trump is merely taking to new levels. Rather, the brazenness and shamelessness of the lying is central to his broader project of declaring for himself the power to say what reality is.

Compare this NYT 12/14/2014 op-ed by Peter Pomerantsev [WP bio], Russia’s Ideology: There Is No Truth:

The Kremlin’s goal is to control all narratives, so that politics becomes one great scripted reality show. The way it wields power illustrates and reinforces this psychology. Take Vladislav Y. Surkov [WP bio,*], an adviser to President Vladimir V. Putin who is said to manage, among other things, the public image of the Russian-speaking separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine. He helped invent a new strain of authoritarianism based not on crushing opposition from above, but on climbing into different interest groups and manipulating them from the inside. On his desk in the Kremlin, Mr. Surkov had phones bearing the names of leaders of supposedly independent parties. Nationalist leaders like Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky would play the right-wing buffoon to make Mr. Putin look moderate by contrast.
...
As the Kremlin plays the West, we see it extend the tactics it uses at home to foreign affairs. The Kremlin courts the West’s financial elites, including the German and American business lobbies that opposed new sanctions; backs anticapitalist shows like Abby Martin’s “Breaking the Set” on the broadcaster RT (formerly Russia Today); and encourages the European far right with money and support to parties such as France’s National Front. The Kremlin can’t hope to dominate the West as it does the domestic situation, but its aim is to sow division, to “disorganize” the enemy through an information war.
...
At the core of this strategy is the idea that there is no such thing as objective truth. This notion allows the Kremlin to replace facts with disinformation. We saw one example when Russian media spread a multitude of conspiracy theories about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in July, from claiming that radar data showed Ukrainian jets had flown near the plane to suggesting that the plane was shot down by Ukrainians aiming at Mr. Putin’s presidential jet. The aim was to distract people from the evidence, which pointed to the separatists, and to muddy the water to a point where the audience simply gave up on the search for truth.

*See also Sovereign Democracy and previously on MeFi.

It's not to say that Trump is a Russian agent, but a useful idiot whose ego, populist appeal, disruptive domestic actions/inactions, uninformed foreign policy, unbridled reality-free statements (and our reactions to them) happen to align with Russian interests.
posted by cenoxo at 11:43 PM on December 10, 2018 [29 favorites]

Oh man, the GOP has Emmer in charge of campaigns? The GOP seems to be surprised that hooking your cart to crazy horse leading to road mayhem and injury was a thing. Emmer was never accused of being an innovator and he is an entrenched conservative so any post mortem not aligning with triple downing on crazy will be ignored.
posted by jadepearl at 1:13 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

This probably surprises literally nobody but it's still sort of shocking:
It Sure Looks Like Saudi Arabia Used Veterans to Funnel Money to Trump
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:40 AM on December 11, 2018 [25 favorites]

The Guardians for Truth: Khashoggi and other slain journalists are Time's People of the Year.

I can live with that.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:36 AM on December 11, 2018 [75 favorites]

> GOP lawmakers call for autopsy on 'historic losses' (Scott Wong, The Hill)

Damn, articles like that take me back to the halcyon days of December 2012:

“You can’t run and win a national election in an electorate that is becoming decreasingly white and increasingly minority and lose 80 percent of the minority vote,” he said. “That math just doesn’t add up.”

After a few conversations along these lines the GOP decided they could just double down on voter suppression instead.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:08 AM on December 11, 2018 [10 favorites]

Trump environmental news round-up:

NYT: Trump Prepares to Unveil a Vast Reworking of Clean Water Protections "The Trump administration is expected on Tuesday to unveil a plan that would weaken federal clean water rules designed to protect millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of miles of streams nationwide from pesticide runoff and other pollutants."

NYT: Trump Team Pushes Fossil Fuels at Climate Talks. Protests Erupt, but Allies Emerge, Too. "Trump administration officials at high-stakes climate talks here offered an unapologetic defense of fossil fuels on Monday, arguing that a rapid retreat from coal, oil and gas was unrealistic. While that stance brought scorn from environmentalists and countries that favor stronger action to fight global warming, there are signs that the administration is finding a receptive audience among other major fossil-fuel producers, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia."

Washington Post: Interior Dept. Officials Downplayed Federal Wildlife Experts' Concerns About Trump’s Border Wall, Documents Show "Interior Department officials stripped from a key letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection a number of warnings by career biologists and wildlife managers about the potential impacts of the border wall on the area’s rare cats and other animals, according to new documents released under the Freedom of Information Act."
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:25 AM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

Great job by Michael Anton on @foxandfriends. A true National Security expert!

Dude is up and at ‘em this morning with a shout-out to Michael Anton, the NSC spokesman and notorious menswear troll.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:45 AM on December 11, 2018 [8 favorites]

Washington Post: Pelosi, Schumer to Meet with Trump, Offer $1.3 Billion For Border As Shutdown Looms

Democratic leaders plan to offer President Trump $1.3 billion in funding for a border fence when they meet Tuesday at the White House, a bid that falls far short of the $5 billion Trump is demanding to fund a border wall.

Democrats, Republicans and the White House have until Dec. 21 to reach a budget deal if they are to avert a partial government shutdown, but talks are deadlocked over funding for the wall.

As House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) prepare for the Tuesday morning, Democrats and Trump are, if anything, moving further apart.[…]

The $1.3 billion would extend current funding levels contained in the spending bill for the Homeland Security Department — which Democrats want to maintain at existing levels if no new deal can be reached.

If no deal is reached by the end of next week, funding will run out for the Homeland Security Department and other federal agencies. Those agencies, making up about 25 percent of the federal government, are operating on a short-term spending bill Congress passed last week to move the shutdown deadline.

The Budget Guy blog: Trump Is Again Playing Hamlet Over Shutting Down The Government
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:49 AM on December 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

It's been joked here more than once that what should be offered for the wall is matching funds -- for every dollar Mexico pays, the US government provides a dollar. Or even two dollars: Mexico would only have to pay for one-third of the wall, a bargain! Surely they can spare two billion out of Trump's asked-for six billion dollars?

But... can anyone explain why it wouldn't be a bad idea for Democrats to make that a serious proposal? Perhaps it would come across as inherently or "obviously" a joke. But any argument along those lines is calling Trump's promise itself unserious, by definition. Why not have the conversation? What might the president say if asked about it?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:06 AM on December 11, 2018 [9 favorites]

Poll: Americans Want Trump To Compromise On Border Wall Amid Possible Shutdown:

As President Trump continues to threaten to potentially shut down the government over his border wall, Americans would prefer to see him compromise to prevent gridlock, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll.

By a 21-point margin — 57 percent to 36 percent — Americans think the president should compromise on the wall to avoid a government shutdown, rather than stand firm. About two-thirds of Republicans say the opposite, and the president has been focused on maintaining his base.

65% of Republicans do not think Trump should compromise, even if it means a shutdown, and 63% say building a wall should be a top priority. For "strong Republicans", only 19% believe Trump should compromise on wall funding to avoid a shutdown.
posted by peeedro at 7:13 AM on December 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

But... can anyone explain why it wouldn't be a bad idea for Democrats to make that a serious proposal?

Plus likely to piss Mexico off by putting that stupid they-ll-pay-for-the-wall stuff back on the table just to make a point.
posted by Mocata at 7:16 AM on December 11, 2018 [7 favorites]

ZeusHumms: GOP lawmakers call for autopsy on 'historic losses' (Scott Wong, The Hill)

News editors, you really should list the year in these sort of articles. Oh, the article states it:

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is calling on incoming House GOP campaigns chief Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and the rest of the leadership team to conduct an autopsy to find out what went wrong for Republicans in the disastrous 2018 midterms.

See, because

After the 2012 presidential election, the Republican National Committee released its autopsy report (PDF), pledging to make a concerted effort to reach Latino voters, after Mitt Romney only garnered 27 percent of their support. Then came Donald Trump, whose inflammatory rhetoric alienated a large swath of the Latino electorate and hampered the GOP’s outreach effort. A newly released Univision poll shows the repercussions of that.

From a now-tragic article, titled Hillary Clinton Leads Among Latino Voters, According to a Univision Poll from The Atlantic waaay back on July 14, 2016.

Talking Points Memo pulled six bullet points from the RNC 2012 Autopsy Report:

1. Pass Immigration Reform Yesterday -- "the party’s standing with Latino voters has gotten so dangerously low that the RNC’s report openly begs Republicans to change their position in defiance of the party’s own 2012 platform"
2. Listen To Minorities -- "Much of the report is about encouraging Republicans to listen not just to Republican minorities, but to reach out to black, Hispanic, and Asian American voters in their own communities. The reason: arithmetic.
3. Gays Aren’t Going Away -- "The RNC’s report doesn’t come out for marriage equality, but it warns that the party needs to move left on gay issues, not so much because gays are an important voting bloc, but because intolerance scares off other groups of voters, too."
4. Epistemic Closure Is Real -- this is "a condition in which conservatives block out all dissenting voices until eventually their own arguments sound nonsensical to anyone who doesn’t already agree with them. The RNC report concludes this is a real and growing problem."
5. Look To The States -- "The RNC report makes a careful distinction between federal Republicans — bad! — and state Republicans — good! The GOP currently holds 30 governorships and many of them, like Chris Christie in New Jersey and John Kasich in Ohio, have been both moving to the center and gaining in popularity recently."
6. Stop Being The Rich Guys -- "Less than year after nominating a millionaire investor who proclaimed that “corporations are people,” the RNC is concerned that the party has become too closely tied with wealthy interests."

So ... complete failure on #1, #2, and #3, #4 has been embraced as a way to keep the base focused on its own reality. For #5, Chris Christie probably isn't the best poster boy here, and Democrats Took House, Governorships, State Legislatures in Blue Wave Election, so way to lose at State politics, too.

Oh and #6? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Trump's era is The Big Grift for donors and backers. The Rich Guys are happily raking it in (except for those tariffs).
posted by filthy light thief at 7:23 AM on December 11, 2018 [22 favorites]

Serious answer: because it accepts Trump's framing of the border wall, it further supports the idea that we need a militarized border or even border "security" at all

They're already doing this with offering 1.6 billion for even more border security.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:24 AM on December 11, 2018 [23 favorites]

By a 21-point margin — 57 percent to 36 percent — Americans think the president should compromise on the wall to avoid a government shutdown, rather than stand firm. About two-thirds of Republicans say the opposite, and the president has been focused on maintaining his base.

Which immediately begs the question, are there less R than D, are D's even more in favor of compromise, or what else can explain the 57/36 break?

So I looked it up. Turns out "all of the above". Party ID comes to 33D/27R/39I & on compromise it's 71D/29R/63I. So there's more of us, we feel more strongly in favor of compromise than they're against it & the I's side with us 2:1.
posted by scalefree at 7:40 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Yahoo headline of the story says "Trump is drawing line in the sand over border wall."

A line in the sand. That's the sort of border wall I want.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:52 AM on December 11, 2018 [36 favorites]

Washington Post: Pelosi, Schumer to Meet with Trump, Offer $1.3 Billion For Border As Shutdown Looms

Wasn't this money already promised to Trump? In other words, are they really implying that they're not bringing any new money to the table?
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:57 AM on December 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

“Love Knows No Borders.”
Kneeling in front of riot police, 32 religious leaders and activists were arrested at the U.S. border fence in San Diego on Monday during a protest to support the Central American migrant caravan.
posted by adamvasco at 8:24 AM on December 11, 2018 [45 favorites]

That would be a good spoof post for Alexandra Petri.

"GOP: How are we doing? Which of our agenda items really spoke to you as a conservative?

1. Putting kindergarteners in prison
2. Letting Puerto Rico go without electricity, food or medical care after Hurricane Maria
3. Openly supporting a Supreme Court candidate who sexually assaulted someone and then making fun of the victim
4. Sending a military force to meet a caravan of refugees and then tear-gassing toddlers in diapers
5. Threatening the press and portraying them as a threat to national security
6. Insisting on tariffs that drastically increase costs for our farmers and manufacturers
7. Blaming California for suffering from wildfires and threatening to withhold disaster relief

We're confused about why, after all of these landmark actions that asserted our values as Republicans and stood up for the only people in this country who actually matter, so many people decided to illegally cast a vote for a Democrat? Tell us how we can improve our policies to make sure this level of dissent doesn't happen again in the future."
posted by Autumnheart at 8:25 AM on December 11, 2018 [92 favorites]

Washington Post: Pelosi, Schumer to Meet with Trump, Offer $1.3 Billion For Border As Shutdown Looms

Wait, is that a typo or did they just reduce the amount offered by $.3B? Like "if you keep complaining like an orange toddler, we'll just give you less toys?"
posted by sexyrobot at 8:57 AM on December 11, 2018 [8 favorites]

Budget negotiation clusterfuck is go!

WSJ's Vivian Salama: Incredible argument unfolding now in front of the press between trump, Pelosi and Schumer over votes for border security. Pelosi keeps asking not to discuss it in front of the press. (Bonus: Pic of Pence's expression)

Bloomberg's Saleha Mohsin: "I will be the one to shut it down," Trump says to Pelosi and Schumer during Oval Office meeting about government shutdown/The Wall. Earlier, Pelosi said: "We have to have an evidence based conversation"

Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs: Trump, in Oval with Pelosi and Schumer, says they may not have an agreement today on southern border wall funding. "We probably won’t” Pelosi: "The American people recognize we must keep government open.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:03 AM on December 11, 2018 [19 favorites]

Wait, is that a typo or did they just reduce the amount offered by $.3B? Like "if you keep complaining like an orange toddler, we'll just give you less toys?"

Oh good it's not just me! Because I swear the previous offer was $1.6b!

I really, really hope that Pelosi realizes you can't negotiate with and/or trust this guy.
posted by Justinian at 9:07 AM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

When things are hard and he feels like he just can't do this anymore, Pence closes his eyes and thinks of the rapture.
posted by medusa at 9:08 AM on December 11, 2018 [25 favorites]

Brazillian journalist and WH correspondatnt Raquel Krahebuhl on twitter 4 mins ago:

Pool just returned from a spray of the meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi saying "it was history", "nuts", "unbelievable even by the standards". Things between Trump, Pelosi and Schumer got heated in front of cameras

They were yelling at each other and accusing each other of mischaracterizing comments.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:10 AM on December 11, 2018 [32 favorites]

More from Yamiche Alcindor who was there when the pool reporters emerged:

President Trump repeatedly interruped and talked over Nancy Pelosi as she made the case that they should continue debatingin private and not in front of reporters.

Pelosi: This is not transparency when we cant agree on the same set of facts.

Trump: "we need border security"

Trump: Nancy is in a situation where it is not easy for her to talk."

Pelosi quickly defended herself: Please dont mischaracterize the strength i bring as the leader of the House Dems who just had a big vistory.

Pelosi adds,: We need to have an evidenced based conversation"

[thank god this is all on video]
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:20 AM on December 11, 2018 [43 favorites]

Like, y'all, watch this video of our perfectly normal president.

Attempted transcript of linked twitter video:

Trump "Ill take it, you know what i say, if we dont get what we want, one way or another whether its through you, through the military . . . i am proud to shut down the government for border security chuck. . . i will take the mantle . . . the last time you shut it down it didnt work.'
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:24 AM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

Walking out of a blowup like that would be a perfect time for Democrats to reduce anything they're offering on the border. I'm fine with having a border security line-item because borders are things that exist, but it shouldn't be anywhere near enough to fund any stretch of wall.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:25 AM on December 11, 2018 [28 favorites]

I really, really hope that Pelosi realizes you can't negotiate with and/or trust this guy.
...
They were yelling at each other and accusing each other of mischaracterizing comments.

If this is not what Pelosi went into the meeting hoping to do, I will purchase a hat for which to eat.
posted by Etrigan at 9:26 AM on December 11, 2018 [41 favorites]

It sounds like this makes up for Comey testifying in a closed session.
posted by rhizome at 9:27 AM on December 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

If this is not what Pelosi went into the meeting hoping to do, I will purchase a hat for which to eat.

WaPo's Philip Rucker: Trump did not like that Nancy Pelosi called it the "Trump Shutdown."

She can play him like a harp, even as he makes his nasty misogyny clear by talking over her and interrupting her.

Schumer doesn't quite get it, though. After the Trump meeting, he told reporters, "He will get no wall and he will get a shutdown", which isn't the losing proposition for Trump that Schumer seems to think it is. A fight over "border security" rather than budget negotiations is definitely something Trump would prefer.

Buzzfeed's Tarini Parti points out: We reported last month sources close to Trump saying POTUS knows the base “wants to see a fight” for wall funding*. Today, Trump brought reporters/cameras into the room as he negotiates with Pelosi and Schumer.

* https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tariniparti/border-wall-trump-congress-funding-shutdown-migrant-caravan

The mainstream media, naturally, is in a frenzy to give this reality show-level nonsense maximum coverage.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:36 AM on December 11, 2018 [27 favorites]

Astounding, historic video, in which the President slowly realizes he's made a huge mistake, and the Vice President quickly realizes he's made a huge mistake. Donald Trump got his ass handed to him by a 78-year-old woman.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:39 AM on December 11, 2018 [34 favorites]

Here is this discussion, still-live (I think), on YouTube.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:40 AM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

"Schumer doesn't quite get it, though. After the Trump meeting, he told reporters, "He will get no wall and he will get a shutdown", which isn't the losing proposition for Trump that Schumer seems to think it is. A fight over "border security" rather than budget negotiations is definitely something Trump would prefer."

Oh, I think he does. Trump may want a shutdown, but Congressional Republicans definitely don't. And Schumer adroitly baited Trump into saying how badly he wants the shutdown and how he's proud of the shutdown and gave Democrats ENDLESS AD FOOTAGE of Trump very clearly saying so.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:43 AM on December 11, 2018 [52 favorites]

Trump will fold like a cheap napkin when he gets blamed for a shutdown. He is a bluffer. He relies on his supporters not paying attention, or hating The Other enough to not care about all the bluffing.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:45 AM on December 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

Any questions on whether Pelosi should be Speaker? Yes, there needs to be a transition to younger leadership, but for now, she's going to get the idiot to beclown himself again and again.
posted by holgate at 9:46 AM on December 11, 2018 [65 favorites]

More likely Pelosi baited him -- Trump has always freaked out at strong women. Anyhoo, this is why the $1.3B offer was important. Voters want a compromise. Dems agreed to maintain existing funding for wall when they'll be able to cut if off entirely in a month.

A billion will disappear in the very earliest stages of grift, and it's a small price for Trump yelling THIS SHUTDOWN IS MINE!!!!!
posted by msalt at 9:47 AM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

Schumer had a nice zinger here: "When the President brags that he won North Dakota and Indiana, he's in real trouble."
posted by peeedro at 9:47 AM on December 11, 2018 [44 favorites]

Pelosi should consider stepping down if and when the Speaker has a significant chance of becoming President, and there's a better candidate. Right now, we need her manifest competency.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:48 AM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

Schumer had a nice zinger here: "When the President brags that he won North Dakota and Indiana, he's in real trouble."

Trump's response? "... I did win them!"

Poor little boy.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:48 AM on December 11, 2018 [24 favorites]

Oh, I think he does. Trump may want a shutdown, but Congressional Republicans definitely don't.

Trump's base definitely does, which is all Trump cares about (because it's what he needs to win). In the meantime, the hot-takes in the right-wing media are eating it up, e.g. Fox: Trump clashes with Pelosi, Schumer on border security in explosive Oval Office meeting, but the mainstream isn't much better, e.g. CNN: Trump clashes with Pelosi, Schumer in Oval Office meeting over border wall.

Parker Molloy: Looking forward to all the articles framing the Trump/Pelosi/Schumer ordeal as a "heated exchange" instead of saying "Hey, the president flipped out, lied, and then threatened to shut down the government"

Incidentally, CBS's Mark Knoller spotted something funny: "Outgoing Chief of Staff John Kelly seemed amused by the heated argument between Trump, Pelosi and Schumer and also by what @POTUS said about having lots of people who want the Chief of Staff job." This is the happiest I've ever seen Kelly at a Trump public event (pic).
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:54 AM on December 11, 2018 [36 favorites]

"More likely Pelosi baited him -- Trump has always freaked out at strong women. "

I was literally watching it. Pelosi and Schumer were tag-teaming him. They were both baiting him, and doing an excellent job of it. But in terms of getting Trump to specifically and fairly coherently (for Trump) to say he wanted a shutdown and would be proud to have one, Schumer dug in at him and baited him three or four times in a row until Trump said the words, "Yes, if we don't get what we want...I will shut down the government. ... I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I'm not going to blame you for it."

In fact they did a nice job of Pelosi sparring with him, which put him off balance, and then Schumer talking TO him and baiting him, and he was so happy to talk to Schumer, man to man, that he was easy to lead down the garden path to INCREDIBLE AD FOOTAGE.

It was actually fun to watch them working together -- like obviously they don't know exactly what Trump's going to say, but they get how he works, and they had a strategy. As soon as Trump started actually engaging with Schumer and saying words about the shutdown (instead of "yes" and "no" and "no you!" and "walllllllll"), Pelosi got silent and still and let Schumer reel him in. Throughout the exchange, whenever he seemed like he was getting his feet under him with one of them, the other would jump in, smooth as butter.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:56 AM on December 11, 2018 [145 favorites]

And Nancy Pelosi would just let him interrupt and keep talking, nice and quiet and level, rather like a patient kindergarten teacher, and gently point back to his job and his responsibilities--and then Schumer would come in and hip-check him and distract him again and manly-man interrupt him and be snarky and bait him in a way that Pelosi cannot get away with as a woman in Congress and still come off well; and the moment he maybe steps back and realizes Schumer is making fun of him and getting away with it, Pelosi comes right back in and quietly, elegantly graciously asks him: "Well, why don't we take that vote and see? We want the government to work, Mr. President. We want people to have their jobs." [paraphrase; first sentence is a direct quote].

Beautiful tag teaming.
posted by sciatrix at 10:02 AM on December 11, 2018 [81 favorites]

Pelosi got silent and still and let Schumer reel him in.

Yeah, Pelosi got him on tilt and then Schumer did the NYC guy thing, goading the idiot into "You wanna shutdown? Oh, you don't want a shutdown. I'll give you a shutdown."
posted by holgate at 10:13 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Wow, with updates like that from Eyebrows McGee and sciatrix, who the hell ever needs mainstream media?? Thank you! No, really. Big compliment!
posted by Melismata at 10:15 AM on December 11, 2018 [47 favorites]

Wow, with updates like that from Eyebrows McGee and sciatrix, who the hell ever needs mainstream media??

Seriously. I cannot make myself watch video of this stuff, so this is really helpful.
posted by dogheart at 10:17 AM on December 11, 2018 [78 favorites]

This is beautiful and just the beginning of much more to come. Trump's been acting like a king with a servile, craven Congress abdicating their role. Now with a co-equal branch of government actually about to exercise that power and say NO, the toddler is going to be freaking out and having tantrums even more. He is so gonna hate the next two years, not even considering Mueller.
posted by chris24 at 10:26 AM on December 11, 2018 [22 favorites]

TROLL HARDER, NANCY!
posted by ocschwar at 10:28 AM on December 11, 2018 [16 favorites]

Walking out of a blowup like that would be a perfect time for Democrats to reduce anything they're offering on the border.

"Mr. President? You can have my answer now, if you like. My offer is this: nothing. Not even the $1.3 billion previously approved for border security, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally."
posted by infinitewindow at 10:32 AM on December 11, 2018 [28 favorites]

Pelosi and Schumer release blunt statement following their meeting with POTUS: “We gave the president two options that would keep the government open. It’s his choice to accept one of those options or shut the government down.”

i think the troll-o-meter is already turned up to 11
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:32 AM on December 11, 2018 [65 favorites]

Meanwhile, in the House, there's a House Judiciary hearing to a mostly empty room so that Republicans can yell ignorant questions at at Google CEO Sundar Pichai accusing the company of anti-Republican bias.

@cwarzel: i really like the self-own of congressmen being like "every time i search for myself all i see is really bad news!"

@drewharwell: Questions from lawmakers about Google's development of AI for military drones: zero. Questions about the mean things lawmakers see when they search their own names: Roughly one bajillion.

There have been some probing questions about privacy and China, a good bit on forced arbitration for employees, though with very little to no follow-up to the evasive if not outright misleading answers. As an example, Rep. Roby just started to say something generally meaningful about DoubleClick cookies, yet pivoted to praising Google for swinging by her district with some sort of "online safety roadshow" for kids. But mostly, it's been complaining, and Rep. Lieu made a point about that:

@oliverdarcy: @tedlieu searches Steve King's name in Google at hearing and a critical article about his comments on immigration came up. Lieu tells the committee about negative search results, "Don't blame Google or Facebook or Twitter, consider blaming yourself."

@RogerWCheng: Rep @tedlieu on Google searches: "If you want positive searches, do positive things. If you get bad press, don't blame Google. Consider blaming yourself."

Monopoly man is in the audience again, and his mustache keeps growing.
posted by zachlipton at 10:37 AM on December 11, 2018 [63 favorites]

Up next: The judiciary committee subpoenas mirror manufacturers.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:43 AM on December 11, 2018 [20 favorites]

In the coming years, a lot of Republican men are going to be burned very very badly when they underestimate Nancy Pelosi.

I have not agreed with Pelosi on everything, but she may very well be the most politically-savvy person in Washington right now.

She is very good at the art of politics. Her skills are on full display right now, and Trump doesn't even realize it. She's baiting him into looking like a complete ass on camera (even moreseo than usual), while repeatedly holding out an olive branch that would have allowed him to save face (knowing full well that he'd never take it).
posted by schmod at 10:43 AM on December 11, 2018 [27 favorites]

This is beautiful and just the beginning of much more to come. Trump's been acting like a king with a servile, craven Congress abdicating their role. Now with a co-equal branch of government actually about to exercise that power and say NO

See how a blue wave stiffens spines? If you want a courageous Congress instead of a craven one, you gotta vote for Democrats. Now that the House is blue, and same with many more state and local governments, the Democrats aren't looking so disarrayed anymore.

People love to complain about "do-nothing Democrats" but when a party is in the minority, there is only so much they can do. Now that the tables are turned, we see Pelosi, especially, pushing right back. (And a perpetual pox on the houses of the #FiveWhiteGuys.) Pelosi looked and sounded like a patient kindergarten teacher trying to explain to the World's Most Overgrown Five-Year-Old that he had to sit nicely at his desk and not be mean to the other kids.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:44 AM on December 11, 2018 [44 favorites]

zachlipton: Questions from lawmakers about Google's development of AI for military drones: zero. Questions about the mean things lawmakers see when they search their own names: Roughly one bajillion.

Maybe that was thanks to a powerful combination of Republican hard-on for military spending plus Google’s Efforts to Woo Conservatives, as confirmed via leaked audio (Nitasha Tiku for Wired, Dec. 10, 2018)

The company wide-meeting, portions of which were previously reported by the Wall Street Journal, occurred shortly after Google was among the sponsors of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where speakers included white nationalists and conspiracy theorists. At the conference, Google held an invite-only reception, which Kovacevich said “built a lot of good will” among conservatives, and “tangible outcome[s]” like the two blog posts defending Google.

Rep Ted Lieu searches Steve King's name in Google at hearing and a critical article about his comments on immigration came up. Lieu tells the committee about negative search results, "Don't blame Google or Facebook or Twitter, consider blaming yourself.

Ted Lieu for EVERYTHING.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:47 AM on December 11, 2018 [57 favorites]

Pelosi should consider stepping down if and when the Speaker has a significant chance of becoming President,

Fuuuuuuuck that. I'd be delighted to have someone as strong and competent as Pelosi in that seat. I want to see the next generation groomed and put in position with smart timing too, but the idea that she wouldn't a huge freaking win in the Presidency, that she should just do all this fantastic work and then be told hey scoot out of the way granny, you're done now is bunk and looks agist and misogyinst as hell.

Yeah, I got problems with Pelosi and I'm not doodling her name in my notebooks when I daydream. But she's doing the work and doing it well and that sure as shit deserves something more than a hip check out of the way. Find me someone more progressive and less corporate who can do what she does and for sure I pick them. For now she's my groddamned white knight.

Of course all that said, she doesn't need me to defend her on this. I'd kind of enjoy seeing her reaction to someone suggesting it to her.
posted by phearlez at 10:48 AM on December 11, 2018 [88 favorites]

Meanwhile, in the House, there's a House Judiciary hearing to a mostly empty room so that Republicans can yell ignorant questions at at Google CEO Sundar Pichai accusing the company of anti-Republican bias.

@AnandWrites

A member of Congress just asked @sundarpichai if Google search results are automated or rather orchestrated by "a little man behind a curtain."

@jakebackpack

This is--albeit accidentally--a far, far less farcical question than people are making it out to be.

posted by chappell, ambrose at 10:48 AM on December 11, 2018 [14 favorites]

Oh, I think he does. Trump may want a shutdown, but Congressional Republicans definitely don't.

Doktor Zed: Trump's base definitely does, which is all Trump cares about (because it's what he needs to win). In the meantime, the hot-takes in the right-wing media are eating it up, e.g. Fox: Trump clashes with Pelosi, Schumer on border security in explosive Oval Office meeting, but the mainstream isn't much better, e.g. CNN: Trump clashes with Pelosi, Schumer in Oval Office meeting over border wall.

NPR isn't the worst this time: In Fight With 'Chuck And Nancy,' Trump Says He'd Be 'Proud' To Shut Down Government

In a testy Oval Office exchange with the two top congressional Democrats, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, President Trump made clear he would be "proud" to shut down the government in less than two weeks if he doesn't get funding for his border wall.

"I'll be the one to shut it down. I will take the mantle. And I will shut it down for border security," Trump told House and Senate Democratic leaders as Vice President Pence sat by stoically.

The statement from Trump came in an extraordinary show before the cameras and the press, with minutes of tense back-and-forth with both Pelosi, the likely incoming House speaker, and Schumer, the Senate minority leader.

Hmm, is Stoic Mike Pence being set up as "the calm adult in the room"? Why would they do that? Presidential ambitions? Another way to present, or spin, his performance is "Pence added nothing to the conversation," which isn't the worst thing when people are "getting heated," but definitely not taking the role of "the adult in the room." Unless your plan as an adult is to let the kids fight it out because you're a hands-off parent.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:51 AM on December 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

All the nice liberal people who want Pelosi out of they way would be kissing her ass if she were a dude. I'm DONE with that shit.

No politician is perfect, but she's fucking good at her job and she's one of the best this party has, period. She could handle the Presidency just fine, and not just because the idiot cheeto in chief has set the bar so low. We'd be lucky as fuck for democracy to actually work such that Pence and Trump were out and she was in. I would seriously cry for joy and throw a goddamn party if that happened. And so would anyone with an ounce of sense.
posted by emjaybee at 10:54 AM on December 11, 2018 [118 favorites]

Look, I've got my issues with Chuck Schumer like the rest of Metafilter, but oh my God, Chuck Schumer's expression when he delivers that line about winning North Dakota and Indiana, and then he fucking

TURNS BACK

AND

LOOKS

DONALD TRUMP IN THE EYE

TO MAKE SURE THE SPEAR

IS FUCKING IN

AND THAT DONALD KNOWS IT

BECAUSE HE CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO DO THAT ON HIS OWN

AND THEN TRUMP DOES THAT LITTLE PLAINTIVE, "I WON, BUT I DID WIN,"

BUT IT'S TO THE BACK OF SCHUMER'S HEAD, BECAUSE SCHUMER HAS ALREADY TURNED BACK AROUND AND YOU FUCKING SEE HOW TRUMP'S RESPONSE MAKES SCHUMER SMILE LIKE A FUCKING SCHARK THE TYPO STAYS IN

Oh God, I need a cigarette.

(I actually have a little difficulty watching Nancy Pelosi in this, even though I know her and Schumer are rope-a-doping Trump and she is a full and willing and expert participant, because her performance reminds me so much of how top-quality women professionals that I personally know have to shepherd dumbasses like Donald Trump into doing their jobs, just day in and day out, down to the same reasonable, patient, gracious tone of voice???)
posted by joyceanmachine at 10:54 AM on December 11, 2018 [119 favorites]

it's almost like the dumb wishy-washy soundbites reporters are able to coax out of them when they're completely out of power aren't the best metrics by which to judge the worth of democratic politicians
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:56 AM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

SMILE LIKE A FUCKING SCHARK

It sounds even better in the original Yiddish.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:02 AM on December 11, 2018 [21 favorites]

What's with the numbers Trump read off that card, about the decrease in illegal entries (92% down in El Paso, San Diego, etc.). Were those real, manipulated, total bullshit, or what? Where'd he get those numbers?
posted by Rykey at 11:06 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

The GOP seems to be surprised that hooking your cart to crazy horse leading to road mayhem and injury was a thing.

I just want to jump back to the idea of a GOP midterms autopsy for a second. As noted upthread, they did that in 2012, concluding they should do immigration reform to avoid being toxic to many Latino voters and try being a touch less racist and homophobic. Then Trump won on precisely the opposite: hate.

And I feel like the same thing kind of just happened in the midterms: it was the more moderate House Republicans that just got voted out. There are structural factors for that, including the nature of the primary system and gerrymandering, but fundamentally, what's the point in yet another GOP autopsy if the party proceeds to always do the exact opposite from what it's going to recommend?
----

Anyway, since we're all shockingly praising Pelosi today, more good news: the 116th Congress will not handcuff itself before it even begins. @USProgressives: We are pleased to announce that the Rules Package for the 116th Congress will not include the 3/5 supermajority tax provision promoted by House Republicans in recent years.
posted by zachlipton at 11:06 AM on December 11, 2018 [43 favorites]

Parker Molloy: Looking forward to all the articles framing the Trump/Pelosi/Schumer ordeal as a "heated exchange" instead of saying "Hey, the president flipped out, lied, and then threatened to shut down the government"

I loved, loved, loved the way Trump had some obviously bogus numbers, along with an attempted explanation from him that also revealed that the numbers were bogus, written down on large note cards (so they could be written large enough for the dim-sighted guy) to make them seem official, I guess? No explanation of who generated them or why. Then the citing of a 99.9% effectiveness of the "Israeli wall;" whatever he was referring to, there's no way it's even 99% effective. The Israelis are constantly discovering tunnels through which good flow freely.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:13 AM on December 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

(I actually have a little difficulty watching Nancy Pelosi in this, even though I know her and Schumer are rope-a-doping Trump and she is a full and willing and expert participant, because her performance reminds me so much of how top-quality women professionals that I personally know have to shepherd dumbasses like Donald Trump into doing their jobs, just day in and day out, down to the same reasonable, patient, gracious tone of voice???)

Oh, same. I keep sitting there and shifting back and forth in my seat wanting someone to check him, thinking "can he interrupt her ONE MORE TIME," fretting "I can barely hear her!" and at the same time marveling at the surgical precision she's wielding and using to leave herself shielded from one kind of misogynistic attack--because Pelosi is very much Old Guard and knows how this game is played--while she needles him and uses Schumer as her stalking horse and generally controls the entire thing. She is incredibly controlled, and part of me hates watching her because she shouldn't have to be that controlled and that quiet and that passive-seeming, but part of me is amazed watching a master at work.

It is a skill I do not possess--I'm about to march my ass down to a diversity meeting with the glum certainty that I can pick between scribbling quietly on a pad, thereby freaking everyone out, or talking up a storm and having to carefully monitor myself to make sure I don't overstep.

Too much.

Anyway, the protesting about the cameras, too, that's a clever little move--there is nothing about her own behavior that is so much as a hair out of line, she's advocating for bipartisanship! and meeting in the middle! and working together, Donald, to keep things running! and at the same time, she's just ensured that Trump, who is making himself look a fool, can't attack the news media for intruding because she offered to let them go several times and he didn't want to give her anything.

And if he does do that, because he is quite that foolish indeed, she has a trap laid: she can point out that she objected, trying to do him a favor, and he wouldn't have any of it, so why is he yelling at the press when he invited them in?
posted by sciatrix at 11:16 AM on December 11, 2018 [35 favorites]

it was the more moderate House Republicans that just got voted out. There are structural factors for that, including the nature of the primary system and gerrymandering

Establishment Republicans have essentially gerrymandered themselves out of office. Whatever reckoning happens soon won't have anyone in place to implement it.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:18 AM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

Schumer: "Elections have consequences, Mr. President."

I have a feeling Chuck Schumer is a fan of A Serious Man.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:18 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

And I feel like the same thing kind of just happened in the midterms: it was the more moderate House Republicans that just got voted out. There are structural factors for that, including the nature of the primary system and gerrymandering, but fundamentally, what's the point in yet another GOP autopsy if the party proceeds to always do the exact opposite from what it's going to recommend?


the problem is that the 2012 autopsy assumed good faith. it was a recipe for winning elections by shifting the party priorities to align closer to the electorate.

trump showed another way forward, which seems to be the direction the party chose in the midterms: double down on the priorities of the party over the wishes of the electorate, fling chaff issues to obscure those priorities, suppress the vote of the portion of the electorate that disagrees with those priorities, and flood the zone with dark money

that this strategy only solidified their lead in the senate is unlikely to change the strategy – as noted, the remaining GOP reps are whiter, more male, and more closely aligned to trump and the Freedom Caucus. if they shift their message toward the center, all that's likely to happen is that they'll risk a primary challenge.

the republicans should not bother with a post-mortem. it will merely confirm that they have become a death cult.
posted by murphy slaw at 11:23 AM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

@juliehdavis: Aide in rm when Pelosi described Oval mtg to colleagues said she crowed about Dems having gotten him to “fully own” a shutdown. Also said wall is “like a manhood thing for him. As if manhood could ever be associated with him.”

Dead. I am dead.

@jdawsey1: "The press is all there! Chuck is really shouting out. I was trying to be the mom. I can’t explain it to you. It was so wild. It goes to show you: 'you get into a tickle contest with a skunk, you get tinkle all over you," Pelosi to her members after, per aide in room.

what is even happening anymore?
posted by zachlipton at 11:27 AM on December 11, 2018 [72 favorites]

All the nice liberal people who want Pelosi out of they way would be kissing her ass if she were a dude. I'm DONE with that shit.

No politician is perfect, but she's fucking good at her job and she's one of the best this party has, period. She could handle the Presidency just fine, and not just because the idiot cheeto in chief has set the bar so low. We'd be lucky as fuck for democracy to actually work such that Pence and Trump were out and she was in. I would seriously cry for joy and throw a goddamn party if that happened. And so would anyone with an ounce of sense.
posted by emjaybee at 10:54 AM on December 11 [39 favorites −]

YES. Nancy Pelosi is the bomb and as I've said before when I see her in action I have to rein in my fantasy of this whole national nightmare ending with her as President.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:30 AM on December 11, 2018 [19 favorites]

Nancy Pelosi is a capitalist who only represents the interests of the slightly less sinister and bloodthirsty half of the bourgeoisie but I have to admit I enjoy seeing her dunking on Trump. She's got political acumen for sure.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 11:34 AM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

Maybe they should replace Nancy Pelosi. With 40 men.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:35 AM on December 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

The look of a man who is so very tired of winning.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:36 AM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Dan Zak (WaPo)
A reporter asks Pelosi why she wanted to make a deal with Trump off camera. Doesn't she believe in transparency? Why not duke it out in the Oval Office, on TV?

Pelosi's reponse: "I didn't want to say in front of those people, 'You don't know what you're talking about.'"
posted by chris24 at 11:37 AM on December 11, 2018 [69 favorites]

I hope Nancy Pelosi has a protege (or several).
posted by gucci mane at 11:38 AM on December 11, 2018 [11 favorites]

Mod note: Fine to talk specifics about this meeting, but let's cool it on the general rehash "is Pelosi bad or good; are her detractors bad or good" stuff which we've been around many many times.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:40 AM on December 11, 2018 [9 favorites]

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration wants your water to be more poisoned. They want to roll back the Clean Water Act so that its protections only apply to major waterways.

In the arid West, where the majority of streams flow only after rainfall or for part of the year, entire watersheds would be left unprotected from pollution. In Arizona, for instance, as much as 94 percent of its waters could lose federal protection under the new definition, depending on the how the agencies interpret key terms. Meanwhile, Arizona state law also prevents it from regulating waterways more stringently than the federal government requires.

[...]

Today, most of the country’s waterways are overburdened by pollution from farm fields, city streets and industrial facilities. More than two-thirds of the country’s lakes and ponds and more than half of the country’s rivers and streams are impaired, according to EPA’s latest figures. That includes roughly 1 in 4 of the rivers that serve as drinking water sources.

[...]

EPA estimates that the new rule would save as much as $164 million in regulatory costs compared to the Obama administration rule, while reducing as much as $38 million in benefits. However, the Trump administration last year altered the agency’s approach to calculating the environmental benefits by removing consideration of the benefits that wetlands provide, like filtering pollution, holding back stormwater and providing habitat to fish and birds.

Nothing like cheating the math to make your scam look financially sound.
posted by suelac at 11:41 AM on December 11, 2018 [17 favorites]

Trump's BS is not playing well with all the nutosphere.

Ann Coulter
Even a Washington Post reporter knows that not 1 inch of Trump's wall has been built. Does Trump think his supporters are dumber than a WaPo reporter?
WaPo: President Trump says his ‘beautiful wall’ is being built. Nope.
posted by chris24 at 11:41 AM on December 11, 2018 [14 favorites]

NYT: After Ayers Turns Down Chief of Staff Job, Trump Is Left Without a Plan B

"Famous for the “You’re fired!” catchphrase and also for hating confrontation, Mr. Trump had looked for others to do the work for him last week — even attempting to arrange for Mr. Ayers to fire Mr. Kelly..."

Trump is a wuss. Pass it on.
posted by GrammarMoses at 11:54 AM on December 11, 2018 [16 favorites]

Today was the day that Nancy Pelosi finally became president.
posted by schmod at 11:58 AM on December 11, 2018 [113 favorites]

Axios reports on the brewing trouble in MAGA-ville: Trump's "Reality Tremor" As Mueller Fallout Piles Up

Last week's stunning court filings detonated what one official calls a "reality tremor" that has White House officials and key allies increasingly aware of President Trump’s rising legal and political vulnerability.[…]

One Trump loyalist said after a day of conversation with "hardcore MAGA online influencers": "These are the people most predisposed to believing the 'witch hunt' rhetoric, but they are now expressing real concerns."

Even these diehards "start looking at the legal stuff and have a hard time dismissing it all," the loyalist said. "I think SDNY has changed people’s perceptions. ... That’s viewed as a greater potential threat to Trump directly than Mueller. 'Collusion' is still met with eye rolls."

Although no-one's expecting r/The_Donald to turn into r/The_Mueller, reality, as the saying goes, is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:04 PM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

What's with the numbers Trump read off that card, about the decrease in illegal entries (92% down in El Paso, San Diego, etc.). Were those real, manipulated, total bullshit, or what? Where'd he get those numbers?

posted by Rykey at 11:06 AM on December 11 [+] [!]

They are complete fabricated bullshit, but with a difference. Usually, Trump wants his ardent followers to repeat his bullshit and doesn't care if they know it's bullshit. In this case, he wants them to believe the lies are true, because he wants them to convince their Representatives and Senators who will be waffling; so he figures writing them down on oversized note cards will convince them that he's not just spewing lies. And it will probably work on them, but they're only about 1/3 of the voting population, so probably gonna fail.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:07 PM on December 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

NYT: After Ayers Turns Down Chief of Staff Job, Trump Is Left Without a Plan B

WaPo: Kelly to remain as White House chief of staff through Jan. 2 or longer, official says

As Marcy Wheeler tweeted, "You're unfired!"
posted by chris24 at 12:10 PM on December 11, 2018 [35 favorites]

zachlipton: what is even happening anymore?

Dems own the House, and they're starting to push hard against Trump. Which is a good sign that they won't be soft on him and go straight to "compromise" with Republicans and their atrocious, hazardous "policy plans."
posted by filthy light thief at 12:10 PM on December 11, 2018 [11 favorites]

Speaking of primaries and Pelosi and men, NBC Boston reports Moulton Likely to Get Primary Challenge in 2020.

One of the people thinking of running is state Sen. Barbara L'Italien, who actually ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in the neighboring 3rd district (where Lori Trahan won). If her name sounds vaguely familiar, it's because she's the candidate Fox News mistakenly booked to talk about ICE over the summer.
posted by adamg at 12:13 PM on December 11, 2018 [24 favorites]

My understanding is that the $1.3 billion on the table is to repair and upgrade the border fence that already exists, which is something we want anyway. So, if I understand it correctly, our offer to Trump is to give him some amount of money "for the wall" which isn't actually for the wall, and which we would be putting towards border security anyway.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 12:14 PM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

A reporter asks Pelosi why she wanted to make a deal with Trump off camera. Doesn't she believe in transparency? Why not duke it out in the Oval Office, on TV?
Pelosi's reponse: "I didn't want to say in front of those people, 'You don't know what you're talking about.'"

VIDEO
posted by chris24 at 12:16 PM on December 11, 2018 [21 favorites]

I really liked the moment in the Pelosi/Schumer/Individual #1 showdown when Pence's feet start jerking uncomfortably.

I hope that Pelosi is having 1/10th the fun that Schumer is having in that session. She deserves all the fun and all the cake.
posted by angrycat at 12:23 PM on December 11, 2018 [18 favorites]

NYT epitomizes the conventional wisdom about this morning's Oval Office meeting: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Meeting With Pelosi and Schumer

—Trump knows tension makes good television.
—This is what divided government looks like.
—Chuck Schumer knows how to goad President Trump.
—‘Mansplain’ to Pelosi at your peril.
—Trump would own a shutdown.

The WaPo annotated transcript, in comparison, makes for much better analysis: Trump’s extraordinary Oval Office squabble with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, annotated

Seriously. I cannot make myself watch video of this stuff, so this is really helpful.

I can't bring myself to watch the full video, either. Reality TV is no way to govern a country.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:23 PM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

I want CBP and ICE disbanded, prosecuted for criminal activities and investigated for ties to white supremacist terror groups operating within the US.

Here, here. Spend the money on building the IRS back up so rich fucks will pay their fair share again.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:25 PM on December 11, 2018 [37 favorites]

Pelosi's comms team picks up the ball after the Oval Office meeting (while @realDonaldTrump only complains again about Comey):

@NancyPelosi: .@realDonaldTrump has the Senate, the White House, and the House (for the moment) under Republican control. He has the power to keep government open – but instead, he says he’s going to shut down the government. #TrumpShutdown (Complete with a video of Trump saying "I will shutdown the government.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:26 PM on December 11, 2018 [61 favorites]

USA Today, Feds targeting more worksites crack down on undocumented workers – but not their employers

The Trump administration ramped up arrests at businesses suspected of employing undocumented immigrants in 2018, but data obtained by USA TODAY shows that federal agents did so by mostly targeting those working here illegally and not their employers.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were ordered to quadruple worksite enforcement this year, and they did just that. In fiscal year 2018, which ended Sept. 30, ICE set 10-year highs for the number of worksite audits conducted (5,981) and criminal charges filed (779).

ICE leadership has claimed its new crackdown is focused on employers and employees equally as part of a balanced approach to worksite enforcement. But the data show that the vast majority of arrests in 2018 were of workers.

The 113 members of management charged with criminal violations in 2018 increased 82 percent from the previous year, but the 666 workers charged with criminal violations increased by 812 percent. The number of "administrative arrests" – those for basic immigration violations that are predominantly used against workers – spiked from 172 in 2017 to 1,525 in 2018. And the 121 federal indictments and convictions of managers in 2018 represented a 10-year low for the agency.

posted by zachlipton at 12:32 PM on December 11, 2018 [10 favorites]

Donald Trump got his ass handed to him by a 78-year-old woman.

Don't underestimate 78-year-old women.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:40 PM on December 11, 2018 [81 favorites]

Maybe the real wall was all the friends we got indicted along the way.
posted by condour75 at 12:43 PM on December 11, 2018 [136 favorites]

Here, here. Spend the money on building the IRS back up so rich fucks will pay their fair share again.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:25 PM on December 11

Also let's build back up the gutted law enforcement resources dedicated to domestic confederate terrorism.
posted by maniabug at 12:58 PM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

Behind the WaPo's euphemistic headline—Gap Continues To Widen Between Trump And Intelligence Community On Key Issues—is an unprecedented case of an intelligence community trying to deal with a dysfunctional White House and its suspect relationships with Moscow and Riyadh.

President Trump continues to reject the judgments of U.S. spy agencies on major foreign policy fronts, creating a dynamic in which intelligence analysts frequently see troubling gaps between the president’s public statements and the facts laid out for him in daily briefings on world events, current and former U.S. officials said.

The pattern has become a source of mounting concern to senior U.S. intelligence officials who had hoped that Trump would become less hostile to their work as he settled into office and more receptive to the information that spy agencies spend billions of dollars and sometimes put lives at risk gathering.[…]

“There is extraordinary frustration,” a U.S. intelligence official said. The CIA and other agencies continue to devote enormous “time, energy and resources” to ensuring that accurate intelligence is delivered to Trump, the official said, but his seeming imperviousness to such material often renders “all of that a waste.”[…]

But U.S. officials involved in interactions with the White House said that the disconnect between spy agencies and the president is without precedent and that senior analysts have spent the past year struggling to find ways to adapt to an arrangement they described as dysfunctional.

Langley's internal reaction to Trump and Putin's Helsinki meeting was as alarmed as you'd expect:

Trump’s handling of the matter has been a much greater source of dismay inside the intelligence community than widely understood. One official said CIA employees were staggered by Trump’s performance during a news conference with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin in Helsinki earlier this year in which Trump treated denials by Putin as so “strong and powerful” that they offset the conclusions of the CIA.

“There was this gasp” among those watching at CIA, the official said. “You literally had people in panic mode watching it at Langley. On all floors. Just shock.”

And the article outlines a Pompeo-Bolton bureaucratic runaround against the intelligence community establishment:

“The president had understandable reservations about the IC,” said Fred Fleitz, a former intelligence officer who served in the White House under national security adviser John Bolton for several months earlier this year.

“The good news is that Mike Pompeo and John Bolton have been resolving this problem and restoring the president’s confidence in the IC,” Fleitz said.[…]

Trump is “getting the PDB but Bolton basically is giving him vast amounts of intelligence throughout the day,” Fleitz said. “I think he’s getting most of it from what Bolton is able to recount for him.”

One anonymous intelligence briefer describes a brain-dead White House: “Either it doesn’t resonate or there is a lack of comprehension. You feel frustration and helplessness in a way. What else can you do?”
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:01 PM on December 11, 2018 [26 favorites]

What I also loved is that Pelosi is talking in this tone that is so mild compared to the two big galumphing New Yorkers, you have to strain to hear her almost, and when she says "Trump shutdown" of course the big dummy is all "the WHAT" because he heard his name and it got his attention. Just like how they put his name all over those briefings so that he'll read them. And so the stupid fucker just italicized and put stars around those two little quiet words, just because he heard his name and like a big dumb dog he couldn't help himself.

This is like one of those episodes of TV I'd read about the making of years later on, where Chuck and Nancy would be like "And then Nancy had the idea--wait, you explain it Nance, it was your idea." "Okay well we know he pays close attention to his name, if nothing else, so I said, Chuck, what if we"
posted by angrycat at 1:03 PM on December 11, 2018 [49 favorites]

If they can keep this up for the next two years I'll be, well not happy because who can be happy when the Orange Assclown is in the Oval Office, but happier than I would be otherwise. I give Schumer and Pelosi a lot of shit, but they did good today.

I'd still rather they took that $1.3 billion off the table, we should't be giving Trump's manhood any money, but today looked like a PR win.

It's going to suck if Trump really follows through and shuts down the government, and I hope that Schumer and Pelosi can hold the line and keep anyone on the D side from defecting to end the shutdown by giving Trump what he wants. We're in a stronger position here than Trump, and we can win if we've got the endurance to it.
posted by sotonohito at 1:03 PM on December 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

The White House just called for pool reporters to gather on short notice. That means we will see Trump again on camera soon, which was not expected.
posted by winna at 1:05 PM on December 11, 2018 [18 favorites]

The White House just called for pool reporters to gather on short notice. That means we will see Trump again on camera soon, which was not expected.

I guess The Jerk Store finally called
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:07 PM on December 11, 2018 [51 favorites]

If we're lucky, Trump is calling this presser only to crow about how a Federal judge ordered Stormy Daniels to pay President Donald Trump $293,052.33 in attorneys' fees in her defamation case against the president, which the judge tossed out.

If not, then he's going to try to assuage his narcissistic injury from this morning in a nastier way.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:09 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration wants your water to be more poisoned. They want to roll back the Clean Water Act so that its protections only apply to major waterways.

here's the thing about "major waterways": They tend to have major cities on them. Rolling these protections back will affect people who are more suburban and rural, who rely on well water, who might not have a big voice in their state govt ... like farmers ... like ... the Trump base ... the "coastal elite" get protected water but small family farms don't, is what this does. *

* (it might not do anything at all; there are some overlapping statutes and i'm not an expert.)

sidenote, the 1972 Clean Water Act defined certain goals ("to make all U.S. waters fishable and swimmable by 1983;" "to have zero water pollution discharge by 1985;") and those goals have still not been met in 2018.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 1:21 PM on December 11, 2018 [17 favorites]

Looks like 45 is just doubling down on "I will own the shutdown, because we need the wall to keep out disease-ridden migrants" shtick. Clearly needs to say it somewhere where nobody will interrupt him with facts.
posted by Devonian at 1:27 PM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

This press avail should be lit.

Josh Dawsey (WaPo)
After cameras left room, Trump told Pelosi and Schumer that Mexico was actually going to pay for the wall as part of the re-negotiated NAFTA deal. Unclear how that would work.

Manu Raju (CNN)
Trump, a few minutes ago, doubles down and says, “I don’t mind ... closing down the country over border security.” Also says he likes it as “an issue” and then adds it’s more than just an issue
posted by chris24 at 1:28 PM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

Looks like 45 is just doubling down on "I will own the shutdown, because we need the wall to keep out disease-ridden migrants" shtick.

This is not hyperbole. Trump's dealing with narcissistic injury in the biggest way as he just now signed the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018, flanked by a ton of loyal GOPers, in front of the press in the Oval Office.

Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs reports: “"I don't mind. I could've debated Chuck Schumer for a longer time. Because he was saying, 'It's yours, it's yours.' I don't mind. I don't know, what do you guys think?" Trump said, turning to the lawmakers in the room, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy” And “"Believe it or not, I think it was a very friendly meeting," Trump just told us in his second Oval Office comment la of the day, referring to Pelosi and Schumer meeting.”

WSJ's Vivian Salama has more: “Just now in the Oval Office, President Trump told reporters that he likes the idea of shutting down the government over border security. "I don't mind owning that issue."” And “President Trump said the U.S. needs a wall because migrants are coming into the country carrying "communicable diseases." He did not elaborate.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:30 PM on December 11, 2018 [7 favorites]

here's the thing about "major waterways": They tend to have major cities on them. Rolling these protections back will affect people who are more suburban and rural, who rely on well water, who might not have a big voice in their state govt ... like farmers ... like ... the Trump base ... the "coastal elite" get protected water but small family farms don't, is what this does. *


One thing it will do, if it gets implemented (which is questionable because the Administrative Procedure Act still exists and would apply to this change), would be to throw a lot of development into regulatory uncertainty. Nobody will know where the rules apply and how they will be implemented, and that will cause a lot of companies to stall projects until the regulatory structure is worked out. I sincerely doubt the question of regulatory uncertainty was considered in EPA's bullshit back-of-the-envelope cost/benefit analysis.

Another issue is that this change will drive development to the less-protected areas, resulting in even more pollution in those areas. As you say, in effect, the change will exacerbate the urban/rural divide in terms of who gets the benefit of environmental protection.
posted by suelac at 1:34 PM on December 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

When he said he'd "drain the swamp" he meant wetlands.
posted by sjswitzer at 1:37 PM on December 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

I think Schumer and Pelosi did okay today, but in a lot of respects they were still playing Trump's game, and I think that's fundamentally a losing proposition. Specifically, there was so much tit-for-tat arguing with him, and I simply don't see the point.

It's not hyperbole: Trump behaves in many ways like a small child. And as anyone who has ever parented a small child knows, you don't argue with toddlers, because they are not capable of reason at that level. The moment you engage in a bona fide argument of positions with a toddler, you've already lost, engendering a power struggle that is pointless—the toddler is not going to be reasoned with. You're not going to "win".

I truly believe that Democratic leadership should treat Trump like a toddler in these scenarios. It doesn't mean you're going to goo-goo talk him or use a lilting tone in some facile attempt to assuage him, like you might with a toddler. But you also don't argue on points that are unresolvable, from a fundamental lack of good faith on his side. You state your position, firmly, and otherwise redirect him out of the bounds of the argument. You don't engage in a back-and-forth. You state (not debate) why his positions are wrong, why your positions are just, and you move on.

Doing this in way that is otherwise respectful—and hey, that's the goal even with toddlers—would have the added benefit of triggering that imagery to every person who's parented a small child, without even having to call it out. For that (presumably very large) cohort, it would create an almost instinctual revelation of the true dynamic of Trump's behavior.

Engage Trump like you would a toddler. He will not disappoint in living up to that role. And you'll demonstrate the dynamic without even having to make a thing about it.
posted by Brak at 1:37 PM on December 11, 2018 [31 favorites]

here's the thing about "major waterways": They tend to have major cities on them. Rolling these protections back will affect people who are more suburban and rural, who rely on well water, who might not have a big voice in their state govt ... like farmers ... like ... the Trump base ... the "coastal elite" get protected water but small family farms don't, is what this does. *

I wouldn't assume this won't affect major cities. The thing about water is that, well, it flows downhill. Pollution dumped into a minor wash in central Kentucky ends up in the Mississippi River. And under this rule, there would be far fewer controls on pollution in those "minor" upstream areas.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:37 PM on December 11, 2018 [9 favorites]

I don't think I can stand to watch these videos and listen to Trump's incoherent babble, but any screenshots of people's faces that anyone wants to try to do, I'd love to see those.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:38 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Mental Wimp: Spend the money on building the IRS back up so rich fucks will pay their fair share again.

Paul Kiel, Jesse Eisinger, Propublica, The Atlantic: The Golden Age of Rich People Not Paying Their Taxes

Without enough staff, the IRS has slashed even basic functions. It has drastically pulled back from pursuing people who don’t bother filing their tax returns. New investigations of “nonfilers,” as they’re called, dropped from 2.4 million in 2011 to 362,000 last year. According to the inspector general for the IRS, the reduction results in at least $3 billion in lost revenue each year. Meanwhile, collections from people who do file but don’t pay have plummeted.

posted by Surely This at 1:38 PM on December 11, 2018 [30 favorites]

Engage Trump like you would a toddler. He will not disappoint in living up to that role. And you'll demonstrate the dynamic without even having to make a thing about it.

I disagree. Treating Trump like an adult in settings like this serves to emphasize how completely out of his depth he actually is
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 1:42 PM on December 11, 2018 [31 favorites]

Until last Thursday morning, in the lobby of the hotel I was staying in, I had managed to never have given trump 1 second of visual or listening time. None. Of course, they had CNN on that morning at a soft volume. But all I could hear was this high pitched nonstop rant from what sounded like a used car salesman. I looked up to see it was our fucking president. I broke my fucking record last Thursday of never listening to or watching this moron.

So today, I went & watched the video link posted above of the mtg with Schumer, Pelosi and the dipshit team. What a fucking unbelievable situation. The VP sits there like one of the Maoi statues while trump treats Pelosi like a second class nobody, and wants to duke it out w/ Schumer.

I want my record back.
posted by yoga at 1:49 PM on December 11, 2018 [25 favorites]

Avenatti's massive loss in court today should put the nail in the coffin of his 15 minutes. It's too bad, he seemed to do some good work before the spotlight got to him and he went full mirror universe Trump.
posted by Justinian at 1:57 PM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

Aw man, yoga, that's so much worse than that Little Drummer Boy challenge.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:57 PM on December 11, 2018 [8 favorites]

Speaking of Pence (a Maoi looks majestic, while Pence just looks like he wishes the earth could swallow him whole): Publicly, Mike Pence stays quiet for Trump. Privately, he takes on more presidential duties

Part of the reason things got so weird was that Pence had never intended to participate in the talks, a White House official told CNBC. Pence was there to listen, and then to relay information back to Capitol Hill about the status of negotiations.

As a matter of practice, Pence gives the president his feedback in private, the official said, and on a typical day, the two men have several opportunities to touch base.

Still, the extraordinary exchange in the Oval Office underscored, yet again, how different Trump and Pence’s public personas are. As the president grew increasingly angry, Pence stayed almost preternaturally calm and quiet.

Setting aside the spin, I'm fascinated by what happened here. Pence looked so stupid sitting there silent that somebody actually had to call a reporter to try to explain that he really was supposed to sit there silently, but we promise he's really totally engaged in the process and busy negotiating at the Capitol.

What Pence was really up to at the Capitol: casting the tiebreaking vote (over Flake) to confirm Jonathan Kobes to the Eighth Circuit. The ABA rated him, an aide to Sen. Rounds, unqualified:

The association had cited his inability to provide sufficient writing samples that were “reflective of complex legal analysis” or sophisticated “knowledge of the law.”

posted by zachlipton at 2:01 PM on December 11, 2018 [36 favorites]

Engage Trump like you would a toddler. He will not disappoint in living up to that role. And you'll demonstrate the dynamic without even having to make a thing about it.

I disagree. Treating Trump like an adult in settings like this serves to emphasize how completely out of his depth he actually is

Do the one that's less likely to lead to him doing something rash and drastic.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:03 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

For me, there was far too much acquiescence to opinions that immigrants are all evil infected infiltrators. Here's a guy laying his fascist credentials on the table LOUD AND CLEAR and you go: 'yes, you're right, but we'll do it different'
posted by Myeral at 2:04 PM on December 11, 2018 [10 favorites]

Morning Consult has updated their 50-state tracking of Trump's approval rates between now and the beginning of his term.

SPOILER: His net approvals are down in every single state, his approval ratings underwater in 30, and his disapproval ratings are 50% or worse across half the country.
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:15 PM on December 11, 2018 [26 favorites]

I saw that and I gotta say... taking his approval in January 2017 as the baseline seems like it makes the whole thing worthless. We've got data on the guy for like 3 full years and you take as the baseline the two or three weeks during which his approval was massively higher than at any other point? (The absurdly short honeymoon period right after the inauguration.)

I think a better comparison would be to his approval just before the election. That would tell us something interesting.
posted by Justinian at 2:27 PM on December 11, 2018 [9 favorites]

The Atlantic: The two Democratic leaders went to the White House for a negotiation, ended up with a public fight, and left all smiles with a political gift from the president.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 2:40 PM on December 11, 2018 [10 favorites]

While everybody was atta-boying Schumer, the duplicitous little shit officially made Manchin the lead Dem on Energy.

Just a perfect reminder that, when it comes to Schumer, the dumb wishy-washy soundbites reporters are able to coax out of him actually are the best metrics by which to judge his worth.
posted by zombieflanders at 2:43 PM on December 11, 2018 [25 favorites]

Filing from the D.C. courts, Bloomberg: Manafort Judge Wants Mueller to Say More About Alleged Lies

On Tuesday, U.S. District Amy Berman Jackson repeatedly pressed both sides to understand how she should resolve the dispute before she sentences Manafort on March 5 for the two conspiracy counts he admitted. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on those counts.

Jackson gave Manafort’s lawyers until Jan. 7 to submit arguments in writing, and the prosecutors must provide their underlying evidence by Jan. 14. The defense has until Jan. 18 to respond, and the judge may hold a hearing on Jan. 25, she said.

So the Special Counsel probe will officially extend into 2019.

Elsewhere in the courts, Buzzfeed's Zoe Tillman reports, "Prosecutors are seeking two years in prison for former Senate Intel staffer James Wolfe, arguing a high sentence is warranted because his conduct "disrupted an important governmental function and endangered national security" (guidelines is 0-6 mos.)" (Sentencing memo PDF)
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:56 PM on December 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

Bill “Leader of the Resistance” Kristol: I’m not a Democrat and it’s none of my business, but based on what I saw of their respective performances in that Oval Office meeting today, I don’t understand why it’s Nancy Pelosi who’s facing a leadership challenge and Chuck Schumer who isn’t.

Me either, Bill. Me either.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:01 PM on December 11, 2018 [84 favorites]

TROLL HARDER, NANCY!

Clearly she heard you:

- the wall is “like a manhood thing for him. As if manhood could ever be associated with him.”
- "You will not win" [a vote on the wall, in the current House]
- A reporter asks Pelosi why she wanted to make a deal with Trump off camera. "I didn't want to say in front of those people, 'You don't know what you're talking about.'"

and my favorite: I thought she was going to say, "don't mischaracterize my words." But instead:

"Mr. President, please don’t mischaracterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the Leader of the House Democrats who just won a big victory."
posted by msalt at 3:08 PM on December 11, 2018 [41 favorites]

> Axios reports on the brewing trouble in MAGA-ville: Trump's "Reality Tremor" As Mueller Fallout Piles Up

Greg Sargent: As Trump slides in a new poll, reality begins piercing the bubble
posted by homunculus at 3:15 PM on December 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

I don’t understand why it’s Nancy Pelosi who’s facing a leadership challenge and Chuck Schumer who isn’t.

Does anybody really not understand? Schumer has a certain something that Pelosi lacks. Anatomically.
posted by Justinian at 3:16 PM on December 11, 2018 [28 favorites]

Millennial Politics
When you nail that presentation you’ve been working on

GIF of Pelosi walking out of the WH today like a boss and putting on sunglasses.
posted by chris24 at 3:24 PM on December 11, 2018 [43 favorites]

Does anybody really not understand?

In fairness to Bill Kristol, he's got tremendous capacity to not understand things.
posted by Drastic at 3:27 PM on December 11, 2018 [25 favorites]

Starting to wonder if all the "Schumer baited him" talk and general "Democrats came away with a win" reactions won't undermine the overall value of all this. It's mostly horse-race rhetoric rather than pointing to the substantive difference of Trump wanting a racist, wasteful wall versus not wanting one at all.

Of course, I immediately run headlong into the conundrum of "Republicans will believe whatever they want," so Trump could just say it's Schumer and Pelosi's shutdown and they'd run with that despite him owning it on camera.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:30 PM on December 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

Why does Trump need Schumer and Pelosi? Doesn't he still have a majority in both houses at present?
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:45 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Why does Trump need Schumer and Pelosi? Doesn't he still have a majority in both houses at present?

He does, but he does not 1) have enough GOP votes in the House; 2) have enough Dem votes in the Senate (to overcome the filibuster hurdle). So he needs help from the Democrats to do this.
posted by notyou at 3:48 PM on December 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

Additionally it's his last shot at anything even vaguely resembling a fence much less a giant wall. Because in a few weeks Pelosi will control the purse strings and he will get jack squat with a side helping of diddly.
posted by Justinian at 3:52 PM on December 11, 2018 [38 favorites]

@jeffmason1: EXCLUSIVE - @realDonaldTrump tells @Reuters in interview that he would consider intervening in case of Huawei CFO if it would serve national security and help with a China trade deal

@jendeben: And here is the president openly linking a criminal justice matter with the trade talks — after his advisers for a week have been insisting that the two are on separate tracks.

This entirely undermines the notion of the rule of law.
posted by zachlipton at 4:01 PM on December 11, 2018 [67 favorites]

Here's a 2020 slogan for whoever runs against Trump: Trump is for sale.
posted by runcibleshaw at 4:12 PM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

Charles Pierce: Nancy Pelosi Just Mocked the President* to His Face in the Oval Office

On Tuesday, right about at lunchtime, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer dropped down the street to the White House to have a chat with the president*. What followed was a piece of video that will live forever as a window into this sludgepot of a political moment. It is not that remarkable if you've ever watched Question Time from any of the various parliaments around the world. (I mean, holy Oliver Cromwell, somebody presented the mace in the House of Commons on Monday.) But, because the American government is greased by tawdry piety and transparently artificial civility, the meeting might as well have taken place in the Octogon.

The single most lasting impression of this altogether remarkable bit of reality-show theater was the look we got into what happens when people tell this particular president* that he can't have what he wants.

Here's a portion of the video on YouTube: Trump, Pelosi, Schumer spar in Oval Office
posted by homunculus at 4:15 PM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

"The rule of law" is definitely high on the list of concepts I'd like to see a reporter ask Trump to explain in detail. Right up there with "health insurance," "trade deficit" and "empathy."
posted by contraption at 4:16 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

the president*

What's with the asterisk? (I'm about out of views.)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 4:23 PM on December 11, 2018

> Why does Trump need Schumer and Pelosi? Doesn't he still have a majority in both houses at present?

He does, but he does not 1) have enough GOP votes in the House;


And this is an area I definitely want to give credit to Pelosi in her rhetoric today. Where she kept re-iterating to Trump (paraphrased), “Your party controls the House. Go get your requests started in the House. Today. Go do that.”

I love that approach. “I’m ignoring your babble, this is what’s real, I’m going to talk about what’s real.” No surprise, but it’s still refreshing to see that Pelosi came to play. I am so glad she’s leading the first line of defense in 2019.
posted by Brak at 4:28 PM on December 11, 2018 [34 favorites]

What's with the asterisk?

I first saw Charles Pierce of Esquire doing it, I assume like the asterisk next to Roger Maris' 61 home runs. It means to discredit the legitimacy of the thing.
posted by M-x shell at 4:38 PM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

cjelli: "Political Party 1" doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "Individual 1," but still.

odinsdream: Maybe, but we're getting closer to the true scope of what's been happening for the past few years: That the *entire party* has been compromised on the same level as that which Trump has been.

Soon we'll be hearing that Political Party 1 is too big to fail.
posted by M-x shell at 4:41 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Trump hardliners loved his performance today. (I'd link, but...) This appears to have been effective theatre on both sides, with strong appeals to their respective bases. If you like toxic masculinity, Trump was great.
posted by clawsoon at 4:45 PM on December 11, 2018 [11 favorites]

RE asterisks, yes, the idea is that there is some qualifying note that applies to the holder of a record, for example.

So, an athlete might hold the record for, say, the most grand slam blerns in one year, but that the record was achieved while the length of the year was artificially altered by chronoton distortions. So you make a note of the anomaly, with an asterisk.

See also Associate Justice* Gorsuch.
posted by darkstar at 4:47 PM on December 11, 2018 [15 favorites]

EXCLUSIVE - @realDonaldTrump tells @Reuters in interview that he would consider intervening in case of Huawei CFO if it would serve national security and help with a China trade deal

OK, time for me to write my MP, the Justice Minister and whoever else it makes send to write - I could live with Canada making the arrest with the belief that the US had a good faith case to make. If this is about politics and US trade policy, then our government should refuse to cooperate or proceed on this matter.
posted by nubs at 4:49 PM on December 11, 2018 [15 favorites]

Houston Chronicle, Lomi Kriel, Migrant parents still separated from children at border after government claims gang ties or crime

But attorneys say federal agents continue such separations by accusing parents of gang affiliation — sometimes with scant or undisclosed evidence — or using even minor crimes they committed years ago in the United States as justification.

The administration said it is complying with current law and a settlement in the landmark San Diego federal suit that allows the government to remove children from their parents if the adults could pose a danger. U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw, who is overseeing that case, imposed no standards or guidelines for when such situations warrant separation.

Past administrations, including President Barack Obama’s, also split up families if there was a question about the safety of the child or the biological relationship. But attorneys say such determinations are now playing out with greater frequency and with little transparency, and that the government risks mistakes that could permanently sever children from their parents.
...
Once children are removed from their parents, they are placed in federal shelters and adults can quickly be deported alone. Half a year since the federal lawsuit forced the reunification of more than 2,600 separated children, 96 remain in government custody as advocates struggle to find their deported parents.

Since June, Homeland Security statistics show another 81 children have been separated from their parents or legal guardians. In about a third of those cases, the adults were accused of gang ties, a criminal history or an extraditable warrant. The remainder were hospitalized, prosecuted for other crimes, or it is not clear why they were separated.

posted by zachlipton at 4:57 PM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

Reuters's Jeff Mason has been tweeting out further tidbits from his Trump interview…

EXCLUSIVE @realDonaldTrump tells @Reuters:
—China is buying tremendous amounts of soybeans and says he will meet again with President Xi on trade if necessary
—He is standing by Saudi Crown Prince despite outcry over killing of Jamal Khashoggi. The prince is "very strongly in power" in Saudi Arabia, he says.
—He is not concerned about getting impeached. "It's hard to impeach somebody who hasn't done anything wrong and who's created the greatest economy in the history of our country," he said.
—He relied on Michael Cohen, who should have known what to do about payments to women. "Number one, it wasn't a campaign contribution. If it were, it's only civil, and even if it's only civil, there was no violation based on what we did. OK?"

posted by Doktor Zed at 5:00 PM on December 11, 2018 [9 favorites]

So yeah, I did a quick skim of the extradition treaty between the US and Canada, and the case against Meng now seems moot by the terms of Article 4(c):

Extradition shall not be granted in any of the following circumstances:
...
(c)When the offense in respect of which extradition is requested is of a political character, or the person whose extradition is requested proves that the extradition request has been made for the purpose of trying or punishing him for an offense of the above-mentioned character. If any question arises as to whether a case comes within the provisions of this subparagraph, the authorities of the Government on which the requisition is made shall decide.

I think Meng's lawyers just got an early Christmas present.
posted by nubs at 5:04 PM on December 11, 2018 [10 favorites]

Hahaha. There was a BREAKING NEWS chyron on CNN that said Trump was considering Santorum for CoS. They cut to Santorum who pundits for them and he turns it down on live TV.
posted by chris24 at 5:15 PM on December 11, 2018 [83 favorites]

I want CBP and ICE disbanded, prosecuted for criminal activities and investigated for ties to white supremacist terror groups operating within the US.


If Dems operated like Repubs, this would be their opening position.
posted by chaz at 5:17 PM on December 11, 2018 [18 favorites]

I googled Vonnegut asterisk so others won't have to: https://axelhow.com/2013/01/19/vonnegut-asterisk/. Quite fitting indeed.
posted by M-x shell at 5:18 PM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

@jeffmason1: EXCLUSIVE - @realDonaldTrump tells @Reuters in interview that he would consider intervening in case of Huawei CFO if it would serve national security and help with a China trade deal

@jendeben: And here is the president openly linking a criminal justice matter with the trade talks — after his advisers for a week have been insisting that the two are on separate tracks.

Canada should absolutely cut her loose at this point. This arrest is entirely in bad faith now, even if it wasn't in bad faith all along.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:22 PM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

Reuters likewise is publishing its Trump interview in chunks. Here's the one on Meng: Trump Says Would Intervene In Arrest Of Chinese Executive

“If I think it’s good for the country, if I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made – which is a very important thing – what’s good for national security – I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary,” Trump said in a wide-ranging interview with Reuters in the Oval Office.[…]

Trump, who has made sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program a signature part of his foreign policy, was asked whether Meng could be released.

“Well, it’s possible that a lot of different things could happen. It’s also possible it will be a part of negotiations. But we’ll speak to the Justice Department, we’ll speak to them, we’ll get a lot of people involved,” he said.

In his stupid, cynical worldview, Trump thinks this is the way that tough nations negotiate—like gangsters and hostage-takers.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:40 PM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

Every single American executive in China must be overjoyed that Trump, running his mouth to try and seem like the big guy, just politicised the detention of business people as part of a trade war! Thanks Mr President! Great job!
posted by chappell, ambrose at 5:51 PM on December 11, 2018 [69 favorites]

Natasha Bertrand has read Michael Flynn's newly uploaded sentencing memo: I am tired. FLYNN's lawyers recommend a sentence of "a term of probation not to exceed one year, with minimal conditions of supervision, along with 200 hours of community service." (Pic.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:15 PM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

"He Stormed Out of the Oval"

Los Angeles Times White House correspondent Eli Stokols told MSNBC that President Trump “stormed out” of the Oval Office after his contentious meeting with Democratic leaders.

Said Stokols: “He stormed out of the Oval, walked into an anteroom just off the Oval Office and had in his hand a folder of briefing papers. And he just scattered them out of frustration — threw them across the room.”

posted by kirkaracha at 6:19 PM on December 11, 2018 [85 favorites]

Thank you for this bit of holiday joy
posted by schadenfrau at 6:21 PM on December 11, 2018 [51 favorites]

To show how damaging this is, China detained Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat—he's formally on a leave of absence from government service to work at the International Crisis Group—, shortly after Huawei's Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada. They won't say why he's being held, and while there's nothing official that would declare this to be retaliation, everybody sees the connection.

Countries like the US and Canada have historically had difficulty expressing to China that we have, theoretically, independent judiciaries that aren't instruments of international political power. What Trump just said entirely undermines that message, makes Canada look like foolish pawns of the US, and encourages retaliatory arrests abroad to be used as bargaining chips.

A couple of other recent developments in US-China relations are also cause for alarm.

Trump started the day with an optimistic tweet: "Very productive conversations going on with China! Watch for some important announcements!"

But the Post soon reported that things were going in a different direction: Trump administration to condemn China over hacking and economic espionage, escalating tensions between superpowers:

The Trump administration is preparing actions this week to call out Beijing for what it says are China’s continued efforts to steal American trade secrets and advanced technologies and to compromise sensitive government and corporate computers, according to U.S. officials.

Multiple government agencies are expected to condemn China, citing a documented campaign of economic espionage and the alleged violation of a landmark 2015 pact to refrain from hacking for commercial gain.

In perhaps the most significant move, the Justice Department is expected to announce the indictments of hackers suspected of working for a Chinese intelligence service and participating in a long-running espionage campaign that targeted U.S. networks. Along with that, the administration is planning to declassify intelligence relating to the breaches, which date to 2014, and to impose sanctions on some of those believed responsible, according to people familiar with the plans.

Step #1 of that campaign appears to have begun tonight, with NYT, Marriott Data Breach Is Traced to Chinese Hackers as U.S. Readies Crackdown on Beijing

The cyberattack on the Marriott hotel chain that collected passport information or other personal details of roughly 500 million guests was part of a Chinese intelligence-gathering effort that hacked health insurers, other hotels and the security clearance files of millions more Americans, according to two people briefed on the preliminary results of the investigation.

The hackers are suspected of working on behalf of the Ministry of State Security. The discovery comes as the Trump administration plans a series of actions targeting China’s trade, cyber and economic policies.

Oh, and the NSC finally decided that ignoring Africa (when we're not actively insulting its nations) as China invests its way across the continent (gaining substantial leverage over countries through massive debt) isn't really a great plan, so we have NBC, Trump admin looks to counter China, Russia's growing power in Africa with new strategy. The plan, naturally, consists of nothing, because it won't be backed by any kind of new funding or resources:

It took more than a year for Trump to meet an African head of state and to fill key U.S. diplomatic posts for Africa, with some ambassadorships still vacant. African governments have interpreted the slow pace of appointments as a sign that the White House places little importance on Africa, experts and former U.S. diplomats said.

The planned Africa strategy does not call for devoting more funding for U.S. diplomacy, intelligence gathering or aid, but instead argues for using existing resources more effectively, an administration official and a defense official said.

Given that the White House has no plans to dramatically expand U.S. resources devoted to Africa, it's not clear how the administration will succeed in countering China, Russia or other adversaries, experts said.

We are speedrunning our way into a China crisis in very short order, and Trump is tying himself in knots. On the one hand, he's determined to declare victory on a trade deal, preferably before the clock runs out on his threat to announce another massive round of tariffs and he trashes the economy. Everyone quickly realized that the 90-day "truce" he negotiated in Buenos Aires doesn't amount to anything. He's so eager for a deal that he'll talk about discarding the signature component of his foreign policy, such as it is, tough enforcement of sanctions on Iran, as a negotiating ploy. On the other hand, he's determined to "stand up to China," and apparently we've found the the one form of hacking he does acknowledge exists, and the Justice Department is reportedly preparing rounds of indictments against Chinese intelligence. Somehow, he thinks he can throw all this up in the air and walk away with the country the better off for it.
posted by zachlipton at 6:35 PM on December 11, 2018 [29 favorites]

Los Angeles Times White House correspondent Eli Stokols told MSNBC that President Trump “stormed out” of the Oval Office after his contentious meeting with Democratic leaders.

"...based on reporting we're getting." This is from the same sources with their hands in the chum-bucket of catchphrases that "increasingly isolated" comes from. I don't know if it's designed to garner sympathy or what, but without first-hand accounts by named people I don't see a reason to place any value on any second-hand story about what Trump is or is not doing. None of these sources are trustworthy, particularly those with access to anterooms off of the Oval Office.
posted by rhizome at 6:42 PM on December 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

More shade from Schumer from the WaPo:

After the press pool left the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump repeated to Pelosi and Schumer his claim that many people want to be his chief of staff. Schumer then looked at Kelly, who was standing in the room, and remarked that it appeared he would have to stay on the job for a while, according to an aide who was present.

posted by peeedro at 6:44 PM on December 11, 2018 [32 favorites]

I Regret to Report That I Identify With Mike Pence in This Tiny Way

Because everything is going well in the life of future indictee Donald Trump right now, he decided to turn a photo op with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer into a dramatic shouting match worthy of a Real Housewives reunion.
...
And through it all, to Trump's right sat Mike Pence who looked, at best very unhappy to be guest-starring on this episode of Maury and at worst briefly appeared to be resting his eyes, as the grandparents say.

And I regret to inform you, that in this very small way and literally no others, I identify with Mike Pence. I say with all the contempt possible in my being that Mike Pence, in this one specific instance, is a... big mood. Okay, not a big mood. But a medium mood. The bar is just so low. The bar is the floor. The bar is Hades.

Here are the things that are putting out more energy than Mike Pence, who must have been promised a palace in Russia for putting up with the daily degradation that is being associated with Donald Trump:

• The cut roses slowly dying in a the vase on the table.
• The idea of Alexander Hamilton, pictured in the painting above, who I had to Google because I keep forgetting that he was not, in fact, Puerto Rican.
• The boom mic that moved more than Pence did in the meeting.
• Chuck Schumer's obvious sense of self-satisfaction.
• Nancy Pelosi's exasperated gestures.
• The bust of MLK who would very much like to be left out of this narrative

Lots of interesting photos and captions, including this one:

The only people in this set-up who don't look like they are evaluating every life choice that brought them to this moment are John Kelly, who is 9 toes out the door, and Jared Kushner, who will probably get away with everything.

posted by kirkaracha at 6:48 PM on December 11, 2018 [22 favorites]

@costareports: President Trump to @Reuters today on possible impeachment in coming months by House Dems: "I'm not concerned, no. I think that the people would revolt if that happened.”

Oh good, that's very helpful, thanks. The usual answer is to say you've done nothing wrong.
posted by zachlipton at 7:12 PM on December 11, 2018 [36 favorites]

He means his people. The "Second Amendment people". That sounds a lot like the President threatening a violent insurrection and/or domestic insurgency if the rule of law is applied to him.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:16 PM on December 11, 2018 [35 favorites]

A member of Congress just asked @sundarpichai if Google search results are automated or rather orchestrated by "a little man behind a curtain."

Just for context, this was Democrat Zoe Lofgren in a followup to a question about why searching for "idiot" brings up pictures of Trump. This was both an attempt to dunk on the president and give Sundar Pichai an opportunity to talk about the technical details of how search works.

The lol congress moment of today's hearing was when Google CEO Pichai had to explain to Steve King that the "iPhone is made by a different company."
posted by peeedro at 7:19 PM on December 11, 2018 [24 favorites]

He means his people. The "Second Amendment people". That sounds a lot like the President threatening a violent insurrection and/or domestic insurgency if the rule of law is applied to him.

I never thought fascism would be so passive aggressive

It’s better than the other thing, don’t get me wrong. Just...surprising
posted by schadenfrau at 7:24 PM on December 11, 2018 [13 favorites]

The lol congress moment of today's hearing was when Google CEO Pichai had to explain to Steve King that the "iPhone is made by a different company."

And when Louie Gohmert complained that Wikipedia was removing his staff's edits.

It really wasn't a banner day for Congressional competence.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:26 PM on December 11, 2018 [34 favorites]

Charlie Warzel took a good step back and looked at all the tech hearings in Congress this year: The Big Question After Silicon Valley’s Tech Hearings: What’s The Point?

So then what exactly is the point of all this? If the goal is mere catharsis, achieved by dragging billionaires across the country to be read the Riot Act by boomers in business attire, then, okay, it’s a hit. But if the goal was an earnest attempt at answers and accountability from the stewards of the most profitable and powerful businesses of the internet age, it’s difficult to see what was accomplished.

posted by zachlipton at 7:29 PM on December 11, 2018 [10 favorites]

Trump “stormed out of the Oval, walked into an anteroom just off the Oval Office and had in his hand a folder of briefing papers. And he just scattered them out of frustration — threw them across the room.”

Turns out that Trump, one of the least self-aware people on the planet, is nevertheless quite sensitive to recognizing when he's had his ass handed to him on national TV -- by a woman.
posted by JackFlash at 7:36 PM on December 11, 2018 [33 favorites]

Hahaha. There was a BREAKING NEWS chyron on CNN that said Trump was considering Santorum for CoS. They cut to Santorum who pundits for them and he turns it down on live TV.

Link
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:38 PM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

Ideally, things would be decided because they are the best things to do and not because one person outwitted another verbally on camera. When do we get that kind of life?

As a fallback plan, in this life, I'm sure glad our side has the edge when it comes to verbal outwitting.

But I wouldn't call the presence of the press in that meeting "transparency," which is a much more important concept than merely recording a public contest of verbal outwitting among our leaders.
posted by M-x shell at 8:05 PM on December 11, 2018 [7 favorites]

> @tedlieu searches Steve King's name in Google at hearing and a critical article about his comments on immigration came up. Lieu tells the committee about negative search results, "Don't blame Google or Facebook or Twitter, consider blaming yourself."

@MawNagini: "I told my Trumpkin uncle who was complaining that Google searches never have anything good about Trump to Google prostate cancer and see how much good press it gets."
posted by homunculus at 8:14 PM on December 11, 2018 [71 favorites]

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 BREAKING: We have obtained a photo of Mark Harris and McCrae Dowless together. The picture was taken in March at a political event in Bladen County. The person who took the photo has asked us to not identify them. #NC09 #ncpol @wsoctv
[image]
posted by scalefree at 8:15 PM on December 11, 2018 [32 favorites]

> While everybody was atta-boying Schumer, the duplicitous little shit officially made Manchin the lead Dem on Energy.

Congressman Who Shot a Climate Change Bill with a Rifle to Lead Energy Committee: Senator Joe Manchin has been named as the senior Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
posted by homunculus at 8:21 PM on December 11, 2018 [14 favorites]

While everybody was atta-boying Schumer, the duplicitous little shit officially made Manchin the lead Dem on Energy.

From what I heard, nobody else wanted it.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:39 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

schadenfrau: "I would like a Congressional investigation into organized voter fraud involving absentee ballots. The GOP has never kept a good ratfucking local. There’s no fucking way it was only in one district."

Reminder that it's *not* voter fraud, it's election fraud. Voter fraud is the basically non-existent practice of a voter voting twice or where they aren't eligible to vote, or whatever. This was a fraud perpetrated by a candidate.

It's important to distinguish them, because Republicans are going to try and use this (very real) election fraud to justify more voter ID and other voting restrictions, which don't have anything to do with it.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:44 PM on December 11, 2018 [81 favorites]

Two Questions About a Surreal Oval Office Exchange
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:47 PM on December 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

zachlipton: What Pence was really up to at the Capitol: casting the tiebreaking vote (over Flake) to confirm Jonathan Kobes to the Eighth Circuit. The ABA rated him, an aide to Sen. Rounds, unqualified:

The association had cited his inability to provide sufficient writing samples that were “reflective of complex legal analysis” or sophisticated “knowledge of the law.”

Fuuuck. Please tell me there's some plan to review all these Trump era judicial appointees. This is ridiculous, and dangerous for the courts and the public who rely on the legal system even attempting to work as it should.


chris24: aha. There was a BREAKING NEWS chyron on CNN that said Trump was considering Santorum for CoS. They cut to Santorum who pundits for them and he turns it down on live TV.

Santorum: "It's an honor to be considered ... but my family situation doesn't allow me to do that right now." Which is that you like to be able to go to restaurants and not be heckled?

But the best part was where CNN played the clip of Trump mocking Santorum's 2012 presidential run after being defeated in 2006 by Bob Casey Jr.. A great set-up for one of their own "senior political commentators" to try and spin his secret, positive relationship with Trump, and gush about Donnie's hidden "nice guy" side. Barf.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:55 PM on December 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

>@JoeBrunoWSOC9 BREAKING: We have obtained a photo of Mark Harris and McCrae Dowless together. The picture was taken in March at a political event in Bladen County. The person who took the photo has asked us to not identify them. #NC09 #ncpol @wsoctv

Can somebody explain the significance of this to me? According to news reports, this guy worked for Harris. Why wouldn't Harris know him?
posted by zug at 8:57 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Because Harris' defense to accusations that he was involved in cheating is that he barely knew Dowless and Dowless was a coffee vote fraudster that some staffer hired. But the more time they spent together and the more it can be shown they worked relatively closely the harder that is to sell.
posted by Justinian at 9:00 PM on December 11, 2018 [14 favorites]

They say it's the smocking gun for the election fraud.
posted by M-x shell at 9:02 PM on December 11, 2018 [25 favorites]

Fuuuck. Please tell me there's some plan to review all these Trump era judicial appointees. This is ridiculous, and dangerous for the courts and the public who rely on the legal system even attempting to work as it should.

Nope. Zero. The only remedy is impeachment. And there's a 0% chance Democrats even entertain impeaching any of them, and less than 0% that even one Republican in the Senate would vote to remove. All of these Trumpjudges will hold the position for the next 40-50 years. There's absolutely nothing that can be done about it short of the fall of the republic.

2016 was a generational loss that our grandchildren will still rue. The loss of 2 (+?) Supreme Court seats and flipping the 5-4 Republican majority was and is unrecoverable, without even considering the lower courts, and set back the march of progress across every domestic area by decades from the alternative.

Elections matter. Not everything is fixable. Oh, and Chuck Schumer is on the line, he says he has another batch of Trumpjudges to fast track.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:22 PM on December 11, 2018 [50 favorites]

I've been thinking about ways to fix the judicial system recently...I think a strong case could be made that judges who prosecute minorities at a higher rate than population percentage, or individuals over businesses, or consentual over non-consentual crimes (ie drug charges, morality laws etc), could be seen as an equal protection clause violation and grounds for impeachment (or better yet, imprisonment...soo many racist judges). With a suitably sorted database of trial results, this could probably even be done in bulk. Of course, the prison system that profits massively from our country's shitty shitty judges would be as much of an obstacle as those same judges would be during any attempt at prison reform. Also, we might find that we end up with no judges at all because the democratic ones aren't really doing much better on race themselves. :/
posted by sexyrobot at 9:39 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

I dunno man, most of that seems completely unworkable even as a pie in the sky thought experiment. Hell, judges don't even decide who to prosecute so that part isn't even wrong.
posted by Justinian at 10:05 PM on December 11, 2018 [6 favorites]

Now that the Dems have got him to boast about ordering this Code Red ("I am proud to shut down the government"), I'd love to see this man with one of the all-time great brains host more of these Pelosi-Schumer 'transparency" sessions before the national press. A few more pithy Pelosi statements and the man may begin admitting with pride to everything, from Russian collusion to Birtherism being a scam and everything in between. Forget being deposed, rhe man cannot keep his mouth shut in this journo-political forum.

Also, what cat literally has Mike Pence's tongue, and is there a gofundme to which I can donate to signal my support? Is the vice-president's wife possibly feeding him small but growing bits of absinthe and rat poison in his food, or is maybe the problem that she's stopped?
posted by riverlife at 10:45 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'm a little disappointed neither Schumer nor Pelosi thought to say something like, "I really don't get why you think this is a strategy. It's like you're trying to threaten us by taking yourself hostage. You know, like in Blazing Saddles."

I mean, I don't think it's likely that Trump would just quote the scene, including the N-word, on national TV, but who know? Roll the dice.
posted by The Tensor at 10:50 PM on December 11, 2018 [16 favorites]

Despite Tweet, Trump Hasn’t Ordered US Troops To Build His Border Wall Yet [Task & Purpose*, 12/11/2018]:

President Trump has raised the possibility of U.S. troops building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border, but there are no plans at the moment for service members to do so, according to the Pentagon.

• Before meeting with senior Democratic leaders on Tuesday, the president tweeted: “If the Democrats do not give us the votes to secure our Country, the Military will build the remaining sections of the Wall. They know how important it is!”

• Active-duty U.S. troops have been stringing concertina wire and building temporary barricades along the southwestern border since late October to help civil authorities prevent Central American asylum seekers from crossing into the United States. Defense Secretary James Mattis recently extended their mission through Jan. 31, 2019.

• The president gave no indications on Tuesday about when he might order troops to build sections of the wall, how many service members might be involved, how much the construction project would cost, and how it would be paid for.

• The White House did not respond to requests for comment from Task & Purpose.

• As of Tuesday, the Defense Department has not been tasked with building a border wall, said Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

• “To date, there is no plan to build sections of the wall,” Davis said in an email. “However, Congress has provided options under Title 10 U.S. Code that could permit the Department of Defense to fund border barrier projects, such as in support of counter drug operations or national emergencies."

[*Related Atlantic article wrt Task & Purpose]
posted by cenoxo at 11:13 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Active-duty U.S. troops have been stringing concertina wire and building temporary barricades along the southwestern border since late October to help civil authorities prevent Central American asylum seekers from crossing into the United States.

Are they going to get a little campaign medal for this, maybe a representation of parents fleeing across a border with their child? It could have a stylised representation of Trump as King Herod.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:33 PM on December 11, 2018 [12 favorites]

> kirkaracha: And through it all, to Trump's right sat Mike Pence who looked, at best very unhappy to be guest-starring on this episode of Maury and at worst briefly appeared to be resting his eyes, as the grandparents say.

In this photo (and other headshots) showing VP Pence sitting up straight with closed eyes — as you might during a church invocation — I think he's praying, not just resting.
posted by cenoxo at 11:53 PM on December 11, 2018 [7 favorites]

I just noticed or realized something while reading the Brexit thread.

I watch a lot of news, and I dont think I've seen any CNN or MSNBC coverage of what is happening right now in the UK.

Why?

The parallels between the US and the UK are so stark: illigitimate governments trashing constitutional arrangements, violating long-standing norms, and going against their own people's interests, and instead demonizing the free press and democracy itself while aligning their policies in accord with the interests of Vladmir Putin.

Oh, yeah: the billionaire financiers, data analysts, and influence peddlers behind Trumpism and Brexit are the exact same fucking people.

Billionaires don't want democracy. Billionaires don't care about nations.

They are above all that.

And that story is never on the news.
posted by yesster at 12:05 AM on December 12, 2018 [72 favorites]

I watch a lot of news, and I dont think I've seen any CNN or MSNBC coverage of what is happening right now in the UK.

Theresa May facing a vote of no confidence is the breaking news banner across the very top of the homepage of both websites.
posted by sideshow at 12:19 AM on December 12, 2018 [17 favorites]

Can you guys help me out
Last night I was listening to the Pod Save guys and Jon Lovett said (I think I was making dinner) that we might need to prepare ourselves for the pardoning of Trump by Pence just to remove the spectacle of a pre-2020 Trump becoming more and more dangerous the greater the legal jeopardy he's in and the more he fears losing the protection of the presidency.

So here's my question: isn't Mueller setting up a pardon-proof sitch with all the SDNY involvement? Or does Lovett's scenario imagine SDNY throwing up its hands and saying, 'better than global thermonuclear war, fine'?
posted by angrycat at 4:11 AM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

So here's my question: isn't Mueller setting up a pardon-proof sitch with all the SDNY involvement?

SDNY is still federal. It's a US Attorney office. However, Trump will be on the hook for a lot of state crimes in NY and possible elsewhere. Plus, as Marcy Wheeler has been saying, the Trump Organization is likely to be indicted – and could be before 2020* since it's not the president – and might not be able to be pardoned. And as we learned in discussion about Manafort, pardoning does not recoup asset forfeiture.

So even in the the case of a pardon, it's very possible the Trump Org is basically shut down, Trump is indicted on state crimes and assets are seized.

* I know it's not set law that a president can't be indicted, just DOJ policy.
posted by chris24 at 4:16 AM on December 12, 2018 [23 favorites]

When I Said North Carolina Wasn’t a Democracy, People Called Me Crazy (Andrew Reynolds, Politico)

In December 2016, I wrote a column for the Raleigh News & Observer [noted previously] stating that North Carolina could no longer be classified as a democracy. It went viral and global. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth ensued.
...
I argued then that as a state, we needed to “claw our way slowly toward democratic integrity … [and] address the institutional failures which have cost us our democratic ranking—districting, equal access to the vote and the abuse of legislative power.”

Two years later, the quality of democracy has declined further, and the decaying system has created a monster.

posted by ZeusHumms at 4:55 AM on December 12, 2018 [47 favorites]

All is not necessarily lost on the Trump-jailtime front. From NBC News by Allan Smith: New York Attorney Gen.-elect Letitia James says she plans to launch sweeping investigations into President Donald Trump, his family and "anyone" in his circle who may have violated the law once she settles into her new job next month.

"We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well," James, a Democrat, told NBC News in her first extensive interview since she was elected last month.

James outlined some of the probes she intends to pursue with regard to the president, his businesses and his family members. They include:

*Any illegalities involving Trump's real estate holdings in New York, highlighting the October New York Times investigation into the president's finances.
*The June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian official.
*Examine government subsidies Trump received, which were also the subject of Times investigative work.
*Whether he is in violation of the emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution through his New York businesses.
*Continue to probe the Trump Foundation.

"We want to investigate anyone in his orbit who has, in fact, violated the law," said James, who was endorsed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

James campaigned on passing a bill to change New York's double jeopardy laws with an eye on possible pardons coming out of the White House.
posted by Bella Donna at 5:46 AM on December 12, 2018 [31 favorites]

Can somebody explain the significance of this to me? According to news reports, this guy worked for Harris. Why wouldn't Harris know him?

It's evidence implicating Harris in the conspiracy, exposing social ties between them. We know Dowless is dirty so the closer we can show them to be the stronger the circumstantial case against Harris is.
posted by scalefree at 5:50 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]

Via NPR. A scathing report by the Office of the Inspector General revealed that a consulting company hired by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to fill thousands of new jobs to satisfy President Trump's mandate to secure the southern border is "nowhere near" completing its hiring goals and "risks wasting millions of taxpayer dollars."

The audit found that as of Oct. 1, CBP had paid Accenture Federal Services approximately $13.6 million of a $297 million contract to recruit and hire 7,500 applicants, including Customs and Border Protection officers, Border Patrol agents, and Air and Marine Interdiction agents. But 10 months into the first year of a five-year contract, Accenture had processed only "two accepted job offers," according to the report.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:14 AM on December 12, 2018 [18 favorites]

My biggest fear with Cuomo’s slate winning in NY was how it would affect corruption investigations, including investigations into Trump. That announcement from James is heartening af.

Honestly I’d be ok with every other dirty real estate developer in NY getting a pass for the next two years while James focuses on Trump. There are only so many hours in the day, after all.

And that story is never on the news

I think the billionaires would not hesitate to fuck this rat, but I also think they don’t need to. You...have a lot of faith in Americans’ interest in and ability to understand events outside their immediate purview. We have to work hard enough to get them to care about Trump, and the UK news always reads like some impossibly arcane British sport where the mace has jumped the wicket for a full century and everyone is flipping out. The parliamentary system is...a barrier, even for interested Americans.

I think once there’s an easily explained smoking gun it might get more of our attention, but only if it ties directly into a smoking gun over here, since we are still very much occupied with our own criminal investigations and the possibility that our president might set the whole world on fire if he gets upset. It tends to narrow the focus.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:16 AM on December 12, 2018 [12 favorites]

Allegra Kirkland, TPM: Judge Poised To Hand Down Sentence For Michael Cohen

A federal judge in Manhattan set to determine Michael Cohen’s fate on Wednesday has been presented with two starkly different assessments of Cohen’s conduct.

Attorneys for President Trump’s former lawyer have painted Cohen as a well-intentioned, loyal family man who got caught up in criminal activity as he sought to advance the interests of a boss he revered. Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York (SDNY) have portrayed Cohen as a greedy, self-interested con man with a wanton disregard for the law.

All eyes will be on the Daniel Patrick Moynihan federal courthouse at 11 a.m. ET when U.S. District Judge William Pauley explains how he squares these two depictions of Cohen—and hands down his sentence.

posted by lazaruslong at 6:55 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

Attorneys for President Trump’s former lawyer have painted Cohen as a well-intentioned, loyal family man who got caught up in criminal activity as he sought to advance the interests of a boss he revered.

Cohen's lawyers, in other words, are saying that advancing Trump's interests involves criminal activity. You know who else's interests involves criminal activity? Criminals.
posted by Gelatin at 7:05 AM on December 12, 2018 [27 favorites]

Whut? Ah say, ah say, WHUT?

Piers Morgan is set to 'quit' Good Morning Britain and leave the country to take on a new role for Donald Trump.

The Good Morning Britain presenter has put in an application to be the President's Chief of Staff behind his co-hosts' back.
posted by Devonian at 7:17 AM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]

@rebeccavallas Wow.

House Republicans were set to hold a hearing today to trash the minimum wage.

Now Politico is reporting the hearing was postponed because homophobic blog posts by one of the GOP witnesses came to light -- calling to "tax and regulate homosexual acts."

The witness is economist Joseph Sabia. Here's the blog post: Tax Gay Sex

[scalefree: The blog is frankly too vile to quote here, IMO. It's just deeply hateful. But this is where we are, this is who the GOP wants to represent them & sell their policies. So confront it we must.]
posted by scalefree at 7:19 AM on December 12, 2018 [50 favorites]

For those unaware, Piers did win the 2008 Celebrity (such a loose definition of the word) Apprentice. So I am 110% certain he is the new Chief of Staff. He has no relevant political experience thereby increasing his odds of nabbing the toxic job to 212%.

2018 is not going quietly into that good night.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 7:23 AM on December 12, 2018 [23 favorites]

I'm trying to wrap my head around the bookkeeping. I mean, would we need to keep receipts? Would notches on the headboard count? Should we keep photographic evidence in case we ever get audited?

The way things are going, I can see a future where the most patriotic thing you can do to support the country's tax base involves a lot of pot-smoking and gay sex. And I for one am fully prepared to do my duty.
posted by MrVisible at 7:43 AM on December 12, 2018 [55 favorites]

Well, if anyone can totally tank this shitshow of an administration, it's Piers Morgan. I for one, fully support his appointment. But, can a foreign national even take this position?
posted by sexyrobot at 7:46 AM on December 12, 2018 [10 favorites]

Attorneys for President Trump’s former lawyer have painted Cohen as a well-intentioned, loyal family man who got caught up in criminal activity as he sought to advance the interests of a boss he revered.

What? He's a lawyer! That's like "the second grade teacher got caught up in advancing the second graders' efforts to fling food around the cafeteria." That's not an excuse. That's like, the opposite of his job!
posted by salvia at 7:57 AM on December 12, 2018 [67 favorites]

If anyone is interested, I'm following the liveblog here.

Cohen has entered the courtroom, the judge is taking the stand, and Avenatti is in the back row.
posted by lazaruslong at 7:57 AM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]

Trump Administration Corruption Round-up:

An Associated Press investigation finds President Donald Trump’s Daughter and Son-In Law Could Benefit From a Tax Program They Pushed

The Opportunity Zone program promoted by Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner — both senior White House advisers — could also benefit them financially, an Associated Press investigation found.[…]

Kushner holds a big stake in a real estate investment firm, Cadre, that recently announced it is launching a series of Opportunity Zone funds that seek to build major projects under the program from Miami to Los Angeles. Separately, the couple has interests in at least 13 properties held by Kushner’s family firm that could qualify for the tax breaks because they are in Opportunity Zones in New Jersey, New York and Maryland — all of which, a study found, were already coming back.[…]

There’s no evidence the couple had a hand in selecting any of the nation’s 8,700 Opportunity Zones, and the company has not indicated it plans to seek tax breaks under the new program. But the Kushners could profit even if they don’t do anything — by potentially benefiting from a recent surge in Opportunity Zone property values amid a gold rush of interest from developers and investors.

WaPo's Josh Dawsey: Trump Loyalist at VA Forced Out After Collecting Pay But Doing Little Work

Peter O’Rourke’s departure marks an unceremonious fall for a Trump loyalist once seen as a rising star at VA, where he nonetheless had a rocky tenure, first leading a high-profile office handling whistleblower complaints, next as chief of staff and then, for two months, as the agency’s acting secretary.

Since August he has held the nebulous role of senior adviser, with an uncertain portfolio and a senior executive salary as high as $161,000. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie asked for his resignation Friday, O’Rourke said.[…]

“I don’t think he has any actual responsibilities at work,” one senior administration official said of O’Rourke days before he left.

WaPo's David Fahrenthold: Romanian Consulate Event at Trump Hotel in Chicago Draws Scrutiny

"For the past five years, the Romanian Consulate in Chicago had held its national day celebration at the Chicago Cultural Center, a 120-year-old city landmark. This year, the consulate chose a new venue: the Trump International Hotel. That event, held Nov. 29, brought more than 300 people to a meeting room at the hotel along the Chicago River, which President Trump still owns."

n.b. Trump Lawyer Giuliani Got Paid to Lobby Romanian President (Politico)
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:02 AM on December 12, 2018 [18 favorites]

Rykey: What's with the numbers Trump read off that card, about the decrease in illegal entries (92% down in El Paso, San Diego, etc.). Were those real, manipulated, total bullshit, or what? Where'd he get those numbers?

Not a direct answer, but it looks like he's cherry-picking decades old data:

FACT CHECK: Trump Says 'A Lot Of Wall Has Been Built' As He Demands We Build More
(NPR, Dec. 11, 2018)

Trump said:

"If you look at San Diego, illegal traffic dropped 92 percent once the wall was up. El Paso, illegal traffic dropped 72 percent, then ultimately 95 percent, once the wall was up. In Tucson, Arizona, illegal traffic dropped 92 percent. Yuma, it dropped illegal traffic 95 to 96 percent."

Leaving aside the semantic difference between a wall and a fence, Trump is correct that fencing in San Diego, for example, significantly reduced "illegal traffic" when originally built decades ago. It also pushed border-crossers east, away from coastal San Diego, to areas where the fencing is less robust. Partly as a result, thousands have perished trying to trek through deserts and mountains.

The other locales Trump mentioned do have many miles of existing fencing that is being replaced or strengthened. To date, the fencing is a hodge-podge of projects covering about 650 miles.

The article goes on to provide details on three border barrier replacements and one new 6-mile "levee wall system" is set for construction in Texas's Rio Grande Valley beginning in February 2019. It will cost $145 million.

Meanwhile, Mayors And Governors Rebut Trump Administration Position At Climate Summit (NPR, Dec. 12, 2018)

Leaders from nearly 200 countries, including the United States, are at a big climate conference in Poland this week. They are struggling to agree on rules for how to meet their national promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate agreement of 2015. The official U.S. position is making it difficult.

The Trump administration is touting the importance of fossil fuels, refusing to acknowledge basic climate science that humans are causing the globe to warm, and generally reminding everyone at the meeting that the U.S. intends to back out of the Paris Agreement.

But another group of U.S. leaders is also represented at the meeting: governors, mayors and other local authorities who say they are committed to reducing greenhouse gases even if the federal government is not.

posted by filthy light thief at 8:08 AM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]

Celeste Perron (gun control activist)
I see lots of love for @NancyPelosi today, because she so expertly owned Trump over his wall nonsense, but I love her because she was home in her district less than 48 hours earlier comforting survivors at the @MomsDemand vigil. She didn't have to be. @Everytown
PIX
posted by chris24 at 8:14 AM on December 12, 2018 [61 favorites]

Josh Marshall (TPM)

Here's the part where Pelosi says "Trump Shutdown" and Trump is a little caught off guard and mumbles to Schumer, "I was gonna call it the Pelosi shutdown."

Trump has no internal monologue.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:23 AM on December 12, 2018 [52 favorites]

Not that we needed more evidence but it turns out that Joseph Sabia is just a really creepy dude. Here's some titles of his academic work.

Rees, Daniel I. and Joseph J. Sabia. 2009. “The Effect of Breastfeeding on Educational Attainment: New Evidence from Siblings,” Journal of Human Capital 3(1): 43-72.

Sabia, Joseph J. and Daniel I. Rees. 2008. "The Effect of Adolescent Virginity Status on Psychological Wellbeing." Journal of Health Economics 27(5):1368-1381.

Sabia, Joseph J. 2007. "Reading, Writing, and Sex: The Effect of Losing Virginity on Academic Performance." Economic Inquiry 45(4):647-670.

Sabia, Joseph J. and Daniel I. Rees. (March, 2009) “The Price of Promiscuity: Does the Number of Sex Partners Affect Educational Attainment?” IZA Conference on The Economics of Risky Behaviors, Washington, D.C.

Sabia, Joseph J. and Daniel I. Rees (January, 2009) “Boys Will Be Boys: Gender Differences in the Schooling Effects of Sexual Abstinence,” American Economic Association Meetings, San Francisco, CA.

posted by scalefree at 8:31 AM on December 12, 2018 [9 favorites]

Trump has no internal monologue.

He also can't control THE VOLUME OF HIS VOICE.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:36 AM on December 12, 2018 [19 favorites]

Wednesday's political cartoons
*
Charles Pierce on yesterday's temper tantrum
posted by growabrain at 8:36 AM on December 12, 2018 [7 favorites]

I think maybe let's not keep just circulating Sabia's grossness here. There's no value in it.
posted by lazaruslong at 8:40 AM on December 12, 2018 [11 favorites]

Mod note: One comment deleted; agreed - fine to let folks know he's gross, but we don't need to reproduce more of that here.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:41 AM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]

“No other defendant would be treated in this fashion on these offenses,” Petrillo said. “Mr. Cohen had the misfortune to be counsel to the president.”

We've all had strokes of bad luck. One day you're walking down the street, stumble over a piece of uneven pavement, and - BAM - all of a sudden you're Donald Trump's lawyer fixer and up to your neck in crimes you committed.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:43 AM on December 12, 2018 [30 favorites]

Cohen is addressing the court right now. It's quite a thing. If you were holding off on the liveblog you may want to tune in.

"The irony is today is the day I get my freedom back. I have been leading a personal and mental incarceration ever since the fateful day that I accepted the offer to work for a famous real estate mogul whose business acumen I greatly admired."

posted by soren_lorensen at 8:47 AM on December 12, 2018 [7 favorites]

Liveblog
"It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds," Cohen said of Trump.
posted by adamvasco at 8:47 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

Even as he's being sentenced to prison for crimes he committed on Trump's behalf and at his bidding, Cohen still apparently feels like he needs to kiss Trump's butt.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:49 AM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]

William Barr, Trump’s Attorney General Pick, Wanted Government to ‘Restrain Sexual Immorality’
In 1995, he blamed ‘secular’ government for everything from rising crime to STDs and called for subsidizing religious schools to turn back ‘assault’ on ‘traditional values.’

William Barr, Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, is widely regarded as a respected, experienced moderate likely to win support from Democrats and Republicans alike.

But in a 1995 essay, Barr expressed an extreme view that American government should not be secular, but instead should impose “a transcendent moral order with objective standards of right and wrong that… flows from God’s eternal law.”

Barr went on to blame everything from crime to sexually transmitted diseases on a government-led attack on “traditional values.” He explicitly called for the government to subsidize Catholic religious education and to promote laws which “restrain sexual immorality,” a reference to homosexuality and extramarital sex.

But on the upside he's not compromised by participation in criminal fraud or conspiracy theories against Trump's political enemies. One step forward, something something back.
posted by scalefree at 8:50 AM on December 12, 2018 [11 favorites]

"I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired."

A dignity wraith speaks.
posted by Mocata at 8:51 AM on December 12, 2018 [34 favorites]

I realize it's a minor part of that story but I haven't heard anybody say Barr is a "moderate." Just that he's the 2008 brand of right-wing crazy instead of the 2018 model.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:52 AM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

"I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired."

A dignity wraith speaks.

It's Reeks all the way down in this administration. It seems to me that Trump may finally be running out of meatloaf - as witnessed by "can't find a chief of staff."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:57 AM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]

The bloomberg liveblog I linked earlier seems to have a weird selection bias for what quotes they are choosing to share. I'm following the updates from this reporter on twitter now.
posted by lazaruslong at 9:01 AM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

The judge has sentenced Cohen to 36 months.
posted by lazaruslong at 9:03 AM on December 12, 2018 [21 favorites]

Cohen gets 36 months in prison, forfeiture of $500,000, restitution of $1.4 million and a fine of $50,000.
posted by medusa at 9:07 AM on December 12, 2018 [17 favorites]

Calling Promotion Betrayal of Planet, Groups Denounce Schumer for Giving 'Fossil Fuel Servant' Joe Manchin Top Spot on Energy Committee: "Appointing Senator Manchin as ranking member of the Energy Committee is completely at odds with any plan for real climate action."
posted by homunculus at 9:16 AM on December 12, 2018 [20 favorites]

Well. I guess a lifetime of crimes and election meddling for the President is not nearly as bad as smoking weed while black. Cool.
posted by lazaruslong at 9:18 AM on December 12, 2018 [84 favorites]

That's quite awhile before he has to report to prison, yeah? As someone said right above, good thing he didn't have an ounce of weed on him! ...or maybe he'd get locked in a jail closet without a bathroom or food (Serial season 3).
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 9:23 AM on December 12, 2018

"@HillaryClinton when you go to prison for defrauding America and perjury, your room and board will be free!" - Michael Cohen, 12/19/15
posted by gwint at 9:25 AM on December 12, 2018 [85 favorites]

Well. I guess a lifetime of crimes and election meddling for the President is not nearly as bad as smoking weed while black. Cool.

We wouldn't want to severely impact him (Brock Turner's 6 month stint comes to mind).

Is this Cohen's only trial that is expected? On one hand, another guilty Trump associate is good, but seems like a slap on the wrist, or to be setting the bar pretty low for, you know, the actual punishment.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:27 AM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]

He did lose 1.95 million dollars as well beyond the jail time, don't forget. Going to be hard to get those lucrative backdoor deals when you're a felon the IRS will probably always be watching.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 9:30 AM on December 12, 2018 [5 favorites]

Ryan and crew to go out with a bang, and prevent any Yemen/US War Powers resolution voting this year in the House . . . from inside the Farm Bill. < Common Dreams
"While the Senate is widely expected to pass a proposal invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution on Wednesday, allowing Congress to end U.S. support for the war, the GOP's maneuver in the House stymied the plan to ensure that Khanna's proposal would pass.

"The provisions of section 7 of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1546) shall not apply during the remainder of the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress to a concurrent resolution introduced pursuant to section 5 of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544) with respect to Yemen," wrote the Republicans on the House Rules Committee, hours before the Senate's expected vote.
posted by Harry Caul at 9:31 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

He did lose 1.95 million dollars

Semantics matter - of the 1.95M he "lost" 1.4 of it was STOLEN FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES (by evading taxes on income with a tax incidence of that amount).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:35 AM on December 12, 2018 [68 favorites]

I think we're all forgetting that there is no sentence that can supersede the suffering he lives with on a daily basis knowing that his actions have brought undeserved pain and shame upon his family. That poor man!
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:36 AM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]

The great grift continues. NYT, Vogel, Giuliani’s Work for Trump Is Slowing, so He’s Courting Business Abroad

The special counsel’s investigation was grinding relentlessly onward, with President Trump’s former national security adviser pleading for leniency in his case and his former fixer about to be sentenced for his crimes. But Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, was in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, meeting with the king and the interior minister of an important United States ally in the Middle East.

The government-run Bahrain News Agency featured a photo of Mr. Giuliani meeting in a royal palace with King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. The story said the king discussed “Bahraini-U. S. relations” with Mr. Giuliani, who was described as leading a “high-level U.S. delegation.”

But Mr. Giuliani was not in Bahrain, a country with a record of human rights abuses, on official business. He was there to seek a lucrative security consulting contract with the government.

The trip was part of a concerted push Mr. Giuliani has undertaken in the last few weeks to win business from governments around the world — including in Africa and South America — for a firm he owns called Giuliani Security and Safety.

It's totally okay though, because Giuliani says "I’m probably the most ethical person you ever met."

Democrats should have a hearing next year, and they can use his"invade my tweet" tweet as evidence nobody would possibly really hire him for security consulting because he's demonstrably incompetent in that field.
posted by zachlipton at 9:44 AM on December 12, 2018 [14 favorites]

I imagine the "veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct" laid out on a table like a Dickensian feast of crime. The pineapple of perjury! The mincemeat pies of lies! THE COOKED GOOSE!
posted by MonkeyToes at 9:46 AM on December 12, 2018 [62 favorites]

It just occurred to me how many of these guys are actively stealing money from the people. Money laundering counts as part of that, correct? Because otherwise there’d be taxes paid on that money? This seems like something that could be a good “bipartisan” issue: Republicans don’t want to pay a lot of taxes, but they’ve never seen what taxes have given them/can give them because so many of these multi-millionaires and billionaires are stealing the money that they pay. Would that be a correct assessment?
posted by gucci mane at 9:52 AM on December 12, 2018 [9 favorites]

(Thanks Exceptional_Hubris for pointing that out, by the way.)
posted by gucci mane at 9:53 AM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

Never going to be a bipartisan issue as long as one party maintains that all taxes are theft (and, conversely that all theft from the public is therefor okay since it really is just a failure of technique, not a violation of principle).

Think about Trump - he says its "smart" to not pay any taxes because someone of his presumed wealth should have access to every conceivable loophole and pass through imaginable. theres no line from that thinking to a careful examination of the actual frauds and deceits used to cheat the people of their revenue.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:01 AM on December 12, 2018 [14 favorites]

For those unaware, Piers did win the 2008 Celebrity (such a loose definition of the word) Apprentice. So I am 110% certain he is the new Chief of Staff. He has no relevant political experience thereby increasing his odds of nabbing the toxic job to 212%.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Tony Snow.

Never going to be a bipartisan issue as long as one party maintains that all taxes are theft

I hope in my lifetime Democrats seize on this ethic as anti-government, if not un-American.
posted by rhizome at 10:11 AM on December 12, 2018 [11 favorites]

Mueller targets may spend more time in prison than Trump does in the White House
P. Bump | WaPo
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:22 AM on December 12, 2018 [8 favorites]

On taxes... I've wondered if a rallying rationale could revolve around unifying the treatment of personal and corporate taxes. Companies are now taxed only on “profits” (and after loopholes, hardly even that) but it's just taken for granted that an individual's living expenses come out of taxable income; so a company can deduct its rent as a “business expense” but a real person can't.

If it's possible to come up with a plausible fairer tax system based around erasing the distinction between personal and corporate taxes I'd think there would be lots of points like the rent thing to effectively promote it... and perhaps it would make more difficult any future repetition of the bit of the 2017 tax cut where the majority of the giveaway was via the separate treatment (and permanent changes) for corporate taxes.
posted by XMLicious at 10:28 AM on December 12, 2018 [8 favorites]

@KlasfeldReports: BREAKING: @SDNYnews released a press release announcing today that "it has previously reached a non-prosecution agreement with AMI, in connection with AMI’s role in making the above-described $150,000 payment before the 2016 presidential election." No statement from Khuzami.

The statement says AMI provided "substantial and important assistance in this investigation" and that the agreement requires "cooperation in the future." Question is whether they'll be going after anyone from AMI individually or what other information prosecutors got here.
posted by zachlipton at 10:33 AM on December 12, 2018 [15 favorites]

If Schumer was playing three-dimensional chess, the game was won as he slowly contemplated his first move while his opponent stuffed his pieces into his own mouth and choked to death.

From NYMag on yesterday’s “negotiations.”
posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:35 AM on December 12, 2018 [46 favorites]

The statement says AMI provided "substantial and important assistance in this investigation"

I wonder if that includes all the dirty stories in the "Trump safe"?
posted by suelac at 10:38 AM on December 12, 2018 [7 favorites]

An Associated Press investigation finds President Donald Trump’s Daughter and Son-In Law Could Benefit From a Tax Program They Pushed

In the NYT's coverage—Trump to Steer More Money to ‘Opportunity Zones’—mentions in passing not only the AP investigation about the Kushners' conflict of interest, but also some Bloomberg reporting about the Kushner Company properties, though without going into details.

Just to show the Trump family grifting has no shame and the Trump White House comms team has chutzpah to spare, the Office of the Press Secretary issued a press release about the NYT story, quoting only the first, positive paragraph.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:39 AM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

If taxes are theft, what's theft?

Between the obvious grifting and personal enrichment, and the utter lack of accountability vis a vis the Pentagon's wasting of trillions of dollars, I think there can be an overall message of "We should get what we pay for" that Democrats could frame to suit their own message very well.
posted by Autumnheart at 10:42 AM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]

We've talked a lot about the DOJ "guidance" that Presidents shouldn't be indicted while in office. But that doesn't apply to state attorney generals, does it? Cause....

Incoming New York attorney general plans wide-ranging investigations of Trump and family

People will probably fret that Trump might intimidate witnesses, or that the Supreme Court might intervene and block a jail term, and those are legit concerns. But those are not reasons to not even try to enforce justice, and even if that happens, that battle will tie up Trump and restrain him from doing other bad stuff during the remainder of his time in office.

They will also be excellent campaign issues for Democrats in 2020.
posted by msalt at 10:45 AM on December 12, 2018 [9 favorites]

3 years in a low-security prison plus a small percentage of your total assets being confiscated -- versus the entire Republican establishment plus Russia's entire criminal/security apparatus out for revenge for the rest of your life. Even ignoring the question of pardons, why would anyone choose to cooperate with Mueller?
posted by chortly at 10:49 AM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]

Question is whether they'll be going after anyone from AMI individually or what other information prosecutors got here.

This is the David Pecker testimony, backed by documents from AMI. Pecker was given immunity. Reports are that Pecker will testify that he had personal conversations directly with Trump in which Trump asked Pecker to help his campaign by quarantining salacious stories about Trump. This would prove that the intent of the payoffs was to further Trump's campaign, which is campaign fraud. It also proves that Trump was directly involved, contrary to Trump's claim that Cohen was acting alone.

Pecker's testimony blows a hole in Trump's defense that this was just a private matter of no concern to the public or to protect Melania. Instead, it corroborates Cohen's testimony that this was a conspiracy to commit campaign fraud and directly related to the campaign. That is an important distinction.
posted by JackFlash at 10:51 AM on December 12, 2018 [49 favorites]

3 years in a low-security prison plus a small percentage of your total assets being confiscated

Plus, presumably, the possibility of being rewarded for your silence upon release.
posted by contraption at 10:51 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]

Not that we needed more evidence but it turns out that Joseph Sabia is just a really creepy dude. Here's some titles of his academic work.

Academic health economics is infected with ideologically social conservatives. They bend their economics toward justifying oppression. It's not all, or even a majority, but they are certainly more prevalent than in other areas of public health. We have one faculty member who writes pathetic apologiae in the local paper for outlawing abortion that are circular in the extreme.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:56 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

3 years in a low-security prison plus a small percentage of your total assets being confiscated -- versus the entire Republican establishment plus Russia's entire criminal/security apparatus out for revenge for the rest of your life. Even ignoring the question of pardons, why would anyone choose to cooperate with Mueller?

Are we sure at this point that Mueller's investigation is done with him? This is NY state and their issues. As far as I understand it there's nothing stopping Mueller and federal matters from coming after him now on other issues. And in short order they're going to know where to find him when they want to have any more chats. I would imagine that someone like Mueller knows when someone is currently not likely to cooperate and that it might be worth letting them have some time to contemplate how not-fun it is behind bars, no matter how country club your accommodations, before coming back with a hey you know we found some other things along the way, might be you will be staying longer than 36 months unless you have come around.

That's my thoughts, unencumbered by facts or knowledge.

Plus, presumably, the possibility of being rewarded for your silence upon release.

I realize we're stipulating up front these are not smart guys but do we think at this point that Cohen is dumb enough to trust an IOU from these people? Fear of being targeted I get but trusting you're going to get anything from them in the future... I have to think he knows better than that.
posted by phearlez at 11:00 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

In Marcy Wheeler's conversation with Robert Wright on Bloggingheads, she makes an interesting point that while current DOJ guidelines prohibit indicting a sitting president, no guideline prevents the Special Counsel or SDNY from indicting the Trump Organization for its role in the campaign finance violations and (probably) the Russian conspiracy. Obviously no one goes to prison under such a prosecution, but if the charges levied are serious enough, prosecutors could threaten to kill the company and seize its holdings. Which would likely be a massive, massive blow to Trump and his family and something he might resign to prevent.

(Obviously speculation, but very informed speculation--the whole conversation is worth a listen.)
posted by johnny jenga at 11:05 AM on December 12, 2018 [17 favorites]

Are we sure at this point that Mueller's investigation is done with him?

Possibly not, since Cohen was also the finance chair of the RNC, and there are certainly investigations and questions surrounding the GOP, the NRA, and their funding ties with Russia.
posted by Autumnheart at 11:07 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

I think this is the key line: "AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign"

This blows up the John Edwards "it was personal, not campaign-related" defense. Cohen goes to prison for it, AMI signs a non-prosecution agreement, it's hard not to see how the other parties involved in this deal aren't sweating.
posted by zachlipton at 11:08 AM on December 12, 2018 [35 favorites]

The Senate is expecting to vote on the Yemen resolution around 3pm.

But it might not matter, because Ryan is so determined to kill this, he tucked a rules change to kill the Yemen resolution into the must-pass farm bill (which itself is looking a bit murky):

@connorobrienNH: Wow. The rule for the Farm Bill approved tonight by House Rules strips privilege from any War Powers resolution that limits US involvement in Yemen for the rest of the year. The rule still must pass the House.

And that just happened: @MEPFuller: The farm bill rule — which unrelatedly blocks Yemen resolutions from getting a vote — is narrowly adopted 206-203. I believe five Democrats voted for the rule, saving Republicans from a self-inflicted failure.

Still trying to figure out how or why that happened (there were 17 Republican absences), whether this was stupidity or some kind of a strategic decision, but either this kills the farm bill entirely or it kills the Yemen resolution even if the Senate passes it.
posted by zachlipton at 11:16 AM on December 12, 2018 [7 favorites]

NYT: Trump Team Pushes Fossil Fuels at Climate Talks. Protests Erupt, but Allies Emerge, Too.

TPM: Climate Change Conference Erupts Into Laughter As US Rep Promotes Coal. Trump energy and climate adviser Wells Griffith told the conference, “We strongly believe that no country should have to sacrifice economic prosperity or energy security in pursuit of environmental sustainability.” And was greeted immediately with laughter and jeers. (Video)

Unfortunately, that's about the only good news coming out of the conference, as the WaPo reports: Climate Talks At Risk of Failure as U.S. Leaves a Leadership Void Neither the EU has dithered on stepping up to promote taking action, and China has stayed in the background. Al Gore commented, “Whenever the U.S. steps back, it leaves a U.S.-sized hole in the process.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:26 AM on December 12, 2018 [17 favorites]

The Atlantic has an interesting new essay by Peter Beinart on how authoritarianism relies on anti-feminist messaging.

Because male dominance is deeply linked to political legitimacy, many revolutionaries and counterrevolutionaries have used the specter of women’s power to discredit the regime they sought to overthrow. Then, once in power themselves, they have validated their authority by reducing women’s rights.
posted by suelac at 11:29 AM on December 12, 2018 [59 favorites]

I would presume that Cohen's plea to federal tax fraud would provide a roadmap to prosecution by the New York Attorney General for state tax fraud.

New York has a range of felonies for tax fraud from first degree to fifth degree, depending on the amount of money involved. For example third degree involves underpayment of $10,000 to $50,000 of state taxes in a single year. It is a class D felony with imprisonment of up to seven years.
posted by JackFlash at 11:35 AM on December 12, 2018 [8 favorites]

If Schumer was playing three-dimensional chess, the game was won as he slowly contemplated his first move while his opponent stuffed his pieces into his own mouth and choked to death

More like his (really, her) first move was to bet that his opponent couldn't fit all his pieces in his mouth.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:40 AM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]

To go along with being laughed at in the climate talks, we're walking into a clusterfuck of our own making at the WTO too. WSJ, EU-Led Group Poised to Answer U.S. Complaints on WTO

The U.S. and the European Union are squaring off at the World Trade Organization in a dispute that threatens to cripple the WTO and undermine Western efforts to counter China’s state capitalism.

At the heart of the conflict is a move by President Trump, a critic of the WTO, to block appointments to the WTO’s Appellate Body, which has final say on trade disputes.

Trump has blocked all appointments, which will soon leave the WTO unable to make any rulings.
posted by zachlipton at 11:47 AM on December 12, 2018 [18 favorites]

> While everybody was atta-boying Schumer, the duplicitous little shit officially made Manchin the lead Dem on Energy.

From what I heard, nobody else wanted it.

One of zachlipton's comments/links in the last thread pointed out that Maria Cantwell, Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders and Debbie Stabenow were all in line in front of Manchin; any one of them could have taken over ENR, but instead they all chose their pet projects. Which would have been normal and understandable in the past, but now there's the wee issue of climate change being an imminent threat to the whole fucking planet, and letting an environmental fuckwit like Manchin run ENR is a betrayal. As far as I'm concerned, from this point forward any pro-fossil fuel, anti-climate bullshit Manchin pulls is owned equally by all of them as well as Schumer. Bernie in particular can STFU about his concern for climate change.

Maybe Manchin will have a change of heart and or brain and finally start treating climate change like the threat it is, but I'm not holding my breath.
posted by homunculus at 11:54 AM on December 12, 2018 [44 favorites]

>>The rule for the Farm Bill approved tonight by House Rules strips privilege from any War Powers resolution that limits US involvement in Yemen for the rest of the year.
>either this kills the farm bill entirely or it kills the Yemen resolution even if the Senate passes it.

Since the Senate did not vote for this provision, doesn't it need to be resolved in a conference committee?
posted by msalt at 12:00 PM on December 12, 2018

The Atlantic: Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees

The Trump administration is resuming its efforts to deport certain protected Vietnamese immigrants who have lived in the United States for decades—many of them having fled the country during the Vietnam war.

posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:00 PM on December 12, 2018 [42 favorites]

Which would have been normal and understandable in the past, but now there's the wee issue of climate change being an imminent threat to the whole fucking planet, and letting an environmental fuckwit like Manchin run ENR is a betrayal.

Perhaps it's overly cynical, but I wonder to what extent any of those four passed because they cannot simultaneously act on that committee the way their constituents would demand and also get contributions from organizations they'd be smacking down.
posted by phearlez at 12:05 PM on December 12, 2018 [5 favorites]

Since the Senate did not vote for this provision, doesn't it need to be resolved in a conference committee?

Not to my knowledge. It's not part of the farm bill, it's part of the House rule to pass the farm bill. Realistically, Ryan was always going to keep the Yemen resolution off the floor one way or another; this is just the particularly cowardly way he did it, with Democratic votes.

@chrislhayes: There is literally no domestic constituency of actual voters who are agitating for the US to continue facilitating the bombardment and starvation of Yemen. What a despicable sham. What the hell is the point of Congress? Why are we starving children? Someone make some affirmative argument for the policy, if you think it’s so important to continue killing children. But to kill the possibility of a vote in the rules committee? Cowards.

@MEPFuller:
The five Democrats who voted with Republicans to block a vote on Yemen:
Jim Costa
Al Lawson
Collin Peterson
Dutch Rupperberger
David Scott
posted by zachlipton at 12:07 PM on December 12, 2018 [31 favorites]

This has been brewing for months, and it's been a big issue in areas with a large Vietnamese-American community, and it seems to have happened. Atlantic, Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees

The administration last year began pursuing the deportation of many long-term immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia, and other countries who the administration alleges are “violent criminal aliens.” But Washington and Hanoi have a unique 2008 agreement that specifically bars the deportation of Vietnamese people who arrived in the United States before July 12, 1995—the date the two former foes reestablished diplomatic relations following the Vietnam War.

The White House unilaterally reinterpreted this agreement in the spring of 2017 to exempt people convicted of crimes from its protections, allowing the administration to send a small number of pre-1995 Vietnamese immigrants back, a policy it retreated from this past August. Last week, however, a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said the American government was again reversing course.

Washington now believes that the 2008 agreement fails to protect pre-1995 Vietnamese immigrants from deportation, the spokesperson, who asked not to be identified by name because of embassy procedures, told The Atlantic.

@DLind: While this does seem like a big deal diplomatically, I think it's really important to note that what the WH is doing is saying this group is _vulnerable_ to deportation — which is not the same as actively deporting them. That's not an argument about "not as bad." It's an argument about how the administration has consistently expanded the pool of people with reason to fear deportation, without having to outlay the cost to actually deport them in larger numbers.
posted by zachlipton at 12:14 PM on December 12, 2018 [22 favorites]

Right now WaPo has an article about how Pelosi is giving people the "fiesty grandma" that they want.

Do they every refer to the old establishment men (especially the one with obvious mental impairment) as "grandpa??????????????????????"

Of course not.
posted by Dashy at 12:18 PM on December 12, 2018 [61 favorites]

Sanders gets "grumpy grandpa" sometimes and "fun grandpa" sometimes. but, also, he's an outlier because 1) he's not precisely establishment, 2) dude is such a grandpa.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 12:22 PM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]

Do they every refer to the old establishment men (especially the one with obvious mental impairment) as "grandpa??????????????????????"

Of course not.

Ha ha no, men get "...wielded the power and vigor he's been known for since his days at [college name]"
posted by rhizome at 12:25 PM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]

Don't know if this twitter gif of Nancy Pelosi coming out of the meeting with Trump has been posted yet.
posted by JackFlash at 12:26 PM on December 12, 2018 [17 favorites]

JackFlash, I’m not sure once is enough.

This morning the woman ahead of me in line at the coffee place with the good gf muffins told the baristas she was being deported back to Ireland. She had her baby with her. She had a green card and was married, I think to an American? but failed to renew her card properly or something, and they’re being maximal dicks.

I’m, uh, worried about my friend from a Muslim majority country who is in the same situation, minus the baby. I mean I was worried for him before, too, but...yeah.

Maximal dicks.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:36 PM on December 12, 2018 [59 favorites]

AP, The naughty list? Donald Trump Jr. calls his dad a regifter

President Donald Trump’s eldest son says his father is a “regifter” who “may or may not” have once given him the same gift he presented to his dad the year before.

Donald Trump Jr. says in an interview with the entertainment program “Extra” that because he is his father’s namesake, he “got regifted all the things that were monogrammed for him at times.”

And he says that one Christmas he called his dad out on the regifting, explaining that he was the one who’d had the item monogrammed.

I didn't know they offer Individual-1 monograms.
posted by zachlipton at 12:54 PM on December 12, 2018 [18 favorites]

The Grifter Re-gifter
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:56 PM on December 12, 2018 [17 favorites]

> Not that being the ranking minority member doesn't come without some additional power in relation to the other members of the committee, but the real problem with getting climate change legislation passed in the Senate for the next two years isn't Manchin-or-not-Manchin as ranking minority member, it's McConnell-as-Majority-Leader.

By all means: prod Manchin on climate change issues, but prod Lisa Murkowski, too.

True and good point. Thank you for helping rein in my GRAR.
posted by homunculus at 1:03 PM on December 12, 2018 [7 favorites]

Junior probably thinks that's a heartwarming holiday tale, and the sad thing is it's probably as close to one as any of Trump's children are going to have about him.

He also jokes that “it would be a wonderful thing” if he could tweet his father’s holiday dinner commentary

Don't let us stop you, Junior.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:11 PM on December 12, 2018 [19 favorites]

Meh. A lot of busy corporate types leave the entirety of Christmas to their wives. (A few years ago, I watched the wife of my CEO go up to him with a catalogue and say, "you're buying one of these things for me for Christmas. Pick one.") Trump is an ass, but it's a thin story.
posted by Melismata at 1:38 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

My family has been in the US dating back to the Colonial era. I don't have valid papers proving my citizenship. Can I please be deported to Sweden or Norway? I'll even take Canada.
posted by loquacious at 1:44 PM on December 12, 2018 [26 favorites]

Can we start calling Donald Trump, Jr., Individual Number One, Junior?
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:45 PM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]

Christian Bale Recalls Meeting Donald Trump: ‘He Thought I Was Bruce Wayne’

“I met him, one time,” he said Variety’s Marc Malkin. “We were filming on ‘Batman’ in Trump Tower and he said, ‘Come on up to the office.'”

“I think he thought I was Bruce Wayne,” Bale joked, “because I was dressed as Bruce Wayne. So he talked to me like I was Bruce Wayne and I just went along with it, really. It was quite entertaining. I had no idea at the time that he would think about running for president.”

posted by kirkaracha at 1:50 PM on December 12, 2018 [25 favorites]

Can we start calling Donald Trump, Jr., Individual Number One, Junior?

This will be my PSA encouraging everyone to install some type of text replacement plugin post-haste, and make all mentions of Trump show up as Individual-1.

My personal rules include:


@realDonaldTrump --> @individual_1
President Donald J. Trump --> Individual-1
President Donald Trump --> Individual-1
President Trump --> Individual-1
Donald J. Trump --> Individual-1
Donald Trump --> Individual-1
Trump --> Individual-1


This has the side effect of making Donald Trump Jr come out as Individual-1 Jr, and it never fails to make me laugh. It will also keep him from being referred to as President, which is nice.

It's improved my life greatly.
posted by tillermo at 1:50 PM on December 12, 2018 [18 favorites]

Can we start calling Donald Trump, Jr., Individual Number One, Junior?

It hasn't been definitively revealed yet but it's widely speculated that the label "Executive 2" belongs to him. Not as fun, sorry.
posted by scalefree at 1:52 PM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

Mod note: One deleted; if a tangential topic can be cleanly split off into its own thread, better to just do that, and give people a chance to actually engage with that topic if it's going to be worth engaging with, rather than posting an FPP worth of material in a comment in here.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 1:54 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]

WSJ, Mark Meadows Out of Running for White House Chief of Staff. Trump wants him to stay in Congress, where he can do precisely nothing.

So, um, I don't think anyone is in the running anymore, as John Kelly looks around and wonders how much longer he'll still be doing the job he got fired from.
posted by zachlipton at 1:55 PM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]

Maybe 45 will decide he doesn't really need a chief of staff anyway and not hire anyone to replace John Kelly, thus further plunging his administration into disarray.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 1:58 PM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

What is stopping John Kelly from saying, "Eff you, you fired me, I'm going to leave in January as was arranged and if you don't have a Chief of Staff, that's your problem to solve. I'm going to have a mojito."

It doesn't seem like a fired employee owes their former boss. If Trump can't find a Chief of Staff because no-one wants to work with Orange Ramsay Bolton, well, he created the problem, he can solve it.

What is the protocol for a vacancy at such a high level, anyway? I somehow don't think Melania is going to pull an Edith Wilson and discreetly assist her husband as unofficial Chief of Staff here.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:05 PM on December 12, 2018 [9 favorites]

I'm surprised that, with his extensive filmography, Individual-1 didn't recognize an actor playing a part. I mean, he usually plays Donald Trump, but he was Waldo's Dad in the Little Rascals. And VIP Patron in 54.

Regret to inform the IMDB filmography omits his three softcore porn appearances.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:10 PM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

He might still want a paycheck for as long as he can get it. But yeah, I think he could just walk out if he wanted to.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:10 PM on December 12, 2018

Nothing, other than the fact that John Kelly is still a devoted fascist who wants the Trump administration to succeed in its goals. In this White House the chief of staff is essentially the primary babysitter to President Toddler, and even a babysitter who's been told that they're just not working out, can't control the kid well enough, etc., will probably not opt to walk out the door and leave Lil' Donny unsupervised until the parents get home.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:12 PM on December 12, 2018 [11 favorites]

Maybe 45 will decide he doesn't really need a chief of staff anyway

Rahm Emanuel, writing about a job he knows well, in The Atlantic: Trump Doesn’t Want a Chief of Staff—Someone needs to get the White House under control – but the president won’t let it happen.

"Does someone need to impose order on the West Wing? The answer is obvious. But it wouldn’t matter whom you put in the job—George Patton, Angelo Dundee, Judge Judy, Darth Vader. If the president is going to outsource significant authority to Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and other staffers, and allow them to report directly to him, no chief of staff can perform the role as other presidents have utilized it."

Trying to track down the time Trump said he didn't need a chief of staff (at least I remember this), I wound up revisiting the coverage of the Trumpian chaos around hiring Priebus as CoS during the transition and then hiring Kelly as his replacement the next year. Nothing has changed except now (a) the media's getting tired of bending over backwards to give Trump the benefit of the doubt and (b) the Trump-Russia scandal can't be ignored any longer.
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:02 PM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]

@JuddLegum 1. This is BIG.

The North Carolina GOP is now signaling their support for a new election in North Carolina's 9th District, making it all but inevitable.

Local reporters, especially @JoeBrunoWSOC9 and @NickOchsnerWBTV, have been absolutely critical in advancing this story
posted by scalefree at 3:04 PM on December 12, 2018 [78 favorites]

I think the usual custom for someone in Kelly's position is to keep coming in if they really do still need you, but you skip the suit and start wearing Hawaiian shirts and jeans to the office. Also you leave for the day at 3 pm.
posted by ryanrs at 3:07 PM on December 12, 2018 [27 favorites]

With regard to the Pecker/SDNY collab, the latest hot take...

Patton Oswalt:

PECKER PICKLE PROMPTS POTUS PROBE. You're welcome, @nypost.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:28 PM on December 12, 2018 [53 favorites]

also traditionally one forgoes one’s salary and instead draws an hourly consulting rate that comes out to about 5x said salary per annum
posted by murphy slaw at 3:30 PM on December 12, 2018 [17 favorites]

Charles Pierce: On Cohen: Donald Trump Has No Friends Anymore. Only Witnesses. They all fell for the long con: that the president* knows anything about anything honest. Now they're jumping ship.

On Paul Ryan and Yemen: The Last Act of Paul Ryan's Speakership Is a Suitable Disgrace: Republicans have ensured continued U.S. collaboration in the human rights calamity in Yemen—and they put it in the farm bill.

On Vietnamese refuges: Performative Cruelty Is All They Have: For the Trump administration, it's never more complicated than that.
posted by homunculus at 4:20 PM on December 12, 2018 [41 favorites]

Bloomberg: Cohen Will Talk After Mueller Probe Is Complete, Lawyer Says

Michael Cohen, the former lawyer and fixer for President Donald Trump, is willing to reveal publicly what he knows about his former client once Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is complete and findings are released, Cohen’s lawyer said Wednesday.

“There will come a time after Mr. Mueller is done with his work that Michael Cohen will be sitting in front of a microphone before a congressional committee and what he has to say about the truth will be judged by the members of Congress listening and then will be up to people to decide whether he has got the facts or not,” Cohen attorney and spokesman Lanny Davis said in an interview on Bloomberg Radio’s “Sound On.”

CNN: Schiff: House in Touch with Cohen Legal Team. "Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) says the House has already been in touch with Michael Cohen's counsel about testifying before the House Intelligence Committee." With any luck, he'll appear before he starts his prison sentence.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:58 PM on December 12, 2018 [12 favorites]

CNN put together a montage of Senate Republicans -- including Susan Collins, John Thune, Bill Cassidy, and Orrin Hatch -- each shrugging off the president being implicated in felonies by federal prosecutors.
posted by octothorpe at 5:09 PM on December 12, 2018 [53 favorites]

Breakfast Media's Andrew Feinberg has a jaw-dropping rumor from the Trump White House: "I’ve now heard from two different sources that @newtgingrich (who was at the White House today) is currently topping the list for the next @realDonaldTrump administration White House Chief of Staff."

Though the idea that Gingrich is qualified for the position because of past experience with presidential impeachment sounds ludicrous, it's no stupider than bringing in Iraq invasion architect John Bolton to assist with Kushner's Middle East plan. Plus, he's appeared on Fox TV often enough to have pre-auditioned for a job with the Trump administration (like Bolton).
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:44 PM on December 12, 2018 [7 favorites]

I can't imagine Newt staying on the margins & if there's one thing Trump hates it's someone else hogging the limelight. They'd make for an interesting pairing.
posted by scalefree at 6:53 PM on December 12, 2018 [5 favorites]

And they’re both fans of government shutdowns.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:00 PM on December 12, 2018 [5 favorites]

The Rude Pundit: Impeach the Motherfucker (Part 1: Don't Be Suckered by the Bill Clinton Comparison)

Impeach the Motherfucker (Part 2: Because It's the Right Thing to Do)
posted by homunculus at 7:25 PM on December 12, 2018 [22 favorites]

Newt's wife is ambassador to the Vatican. She's also his third wife (IIRC) which seems odd on in context.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:37 PM on December 12, 2018 [10 favorites]

[COS John Kelly] might still want a paycheck for as long as he can get it. But yeah, I think he could just walk out if he wanted to.


In this White House, he could walk out and still collect a paycheck as long as he wants to, as long as he doesn't submit a formal resignation letter. Obviously Trump lacks the balls to fire him, and most likely he would feel relief, or not even notice.
posted by msalt at 7:37 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

She's also his third wife (IIRC) which seems odd in context.

He somehow managed to wangle two annulments from his bishop when he converted to Catholicism. (Growing up Catholic, I heard "never trust a convert" more than once.)
posted by holgate at 7:48 PM on December 12, 2018 [8 favorites]

In Marcy Wheeler's conversation with Robert Wright on Bloggingheads, she makes an interesting point that while current DOJ guidelines prohibit indicting a sitting president

Worth noting every time that these guidelines were drawn up by Nixon's DOJ and are complete bullshit, untested, and not in the Constitution.

The Law Must Apply To Donald Trump.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:16 PM on December 12, 2018 [42 favorites]

Pelosi returns as Speaker in exchange for leadership term limits.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:35 PM on December 12, 2018 [13 favorites]

Pelosi gets to bow out in the same amount of time she would have anyway, and the new candidates who campaigned on getting her out can claim a victory. End scene.
posted by xammerboy at 10:36 PM on December 12, 2018 [33 favorites]

1. Democrats absolutely need to come out of the gate with sound legislation, as discussed roughly a zillion times earlier. 2. We also absolutely need to start impeachment proceedings after that. Voters must push push push their Congress critters on this point. That the Senate will not vote to impeach is not the point. From The Rude Pundit, Part 2, above (emphasis mine):

Look, of course, we need to wait until the depth of Trump's criminality, venality, and immorality is revealed by the tide of investigations rushing in to drown him and his terrible family. Obviously, showing that Trump committed crimes that sold out the national interest for pure greed would strengthen any impeachment efforts. The Clinton impeachment shouldn't be a deterrent. In fact, it should be an encouragement, like "Wait, you mean they did this to Clinton for those bullshit reasons and now you don't want us to do anything for a goddamn mobster? Fuck you. Let's vote."

But, at the end of the day, Democrats should start the impeachment process as soon as practical because it's just the right goddamn thing to do. You can talk about what's "extraordinary" about it, you can say it's "overturning the will of the people," and you can complain that it's a distraction or whatever. Yet impeachment exists in the Constitution for a reason: it's precisely for situations like this where waiting for another election would damage the nation.

It is the responsibility of members of Congress to take down a dangerous president. That is part of your sacred goddamned duty. We shouldn't be questioning starting down the impeachment road. Especially as we learn more and more about how filthy Trump is, we should question why the Republicans refuse to remove him from office. (Note: Of course, the more direct action is just to arrest the motherfuckers.)

From Crooked Media, above:

The proper thing would be for Congress to begin an impeachment inquiry next January—a wide ranging one, but inclusive of the allegation in the Cohen sentencing memo. Such an inquiry would not be controversial on the merits, because the alleged conduct cuts right to the heart of why Congress has impeachment power to begin with. Trump cheated to win the presidency. If Congress responds not just by imposing no penalty but by not even attempting to impose a penalty, it will create terrible incentives for Trump and all future presidential candidates. Exempting Trump from an inquiry (because he remains popular with Republican voters, or because Senate Republicans would never vote to remove him) would be a cowardly abdication, and would normalize conduct that should be impeachable.
posted by Bella Donna at 12:15 AM on December 13, 2018 [38 favorites]

Official press release from the Department of Homeland Security:

WE ARE BUILDING THE FIRST NEW BORDER WALL IN A DECADE.

DHS is committed to building wall and building wall quickly. We are not replacing short, outdated and ineffective wall with similar wall. Instead, under this President we are building a wall that is 30-feet high.

FACT: Prior to President Trump taking office, we have never built wall that high.

Ugg build wall. Wall good. Wall keep mammoth out.

Screenshot in case they get around to correcting it. Which in this administration... is not probable.
posted by PontifexPrimus at 12:24 AM on December 13, 2018 [59 favorites]

PontifexPrimus - I don't get it? Are you saying it should be phrased "building a wall" or "building walls" or something? It reads as grammatical (if a little clunky) to me as-is, treating "wall" as a mass noun.
posted by russm at 12:33 AM on December 13, 2018

russm—you really think using the word “wall” that way is something a teacher would merely regard as a poor stylistic choice? Maybe it's an Australian versus U.S. English thing?

I had a job working on construction sites for a little while and did not encounter “building wall” used in that fashion. It would seem more consistent with the often-accidental yet also often intentional absence of attention to detail exhibited both by this incarnation of the U.S. government and by the president throughout his public career.
posted by XMLicious at 1:09 AM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

I'm an American who has edited books for 20 years and I can verify that "building wall" is a perfectly normal expression.

FOR THE INCREDIBLE HULK.

For the rest of us it's very odd. I've heard "laying fence" but I've never heard "wall" used as a mass noun. Maybe professional wall builders talk like that, but Homeland Security isn't a construction company.
posted by mmoncur at 2:24 AM on December 13, 2018 [68 favorites]

Apparently the "term limits" in this proposal don't just apply to Pelosi (who would not likely be serving after 2022 anyway), but also to other leadership positions (but not committee chair positions). I can't tell if the agreement specifies those individuals, or generically applies going forward.

If it's the latter, that's not super. "Term limits!" are right up there with "Cut their pay!" in populist notions that both the left and right erroneously consider improvements to legislatures. (One Democratic candidate sent me a mailing that included the idea of not paying the entire legislature if they couldn't pass a balanced budget. Of course I voted for him but, hoo boy.)

In reality, when you cut the power or resources of elected folks, you tend to create a vacuum for unelected ones to fill. If some old-guard leaders are coasting by on inertia without earning their place a la Joe Crowley, then the solution is to enable another Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to replace them, not to rely on blanket rules that would inevitably affect experienced progressives (possibly by preventing them from obtaining the needed experience).

Plus there's the point made by Steny Hoyer (who will be the next Majority Leader) in that same article: "I have a term limit — it’s a two-year term limit." Most of Congress does tend to coast through one election after another, for structural reasons, but limits are a kludge more than a real fix to this.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:16 AM on December 13, 2018 [19 favorites]

Further in that press release:

"How effective is this new border wall? On Sunday when a violent mob of 1,000 people stormed our Southern border, we found the newly constructed portions of the wall to be very effective"

It's not exactly subtle fascism.
posted by jaduncan at 3:28 AM on December 13, 2018 [34 favorites]

Addendum: I should clarify that in these contexts, "term limits" don't mean limits on serving in Congress at all -- that would require a Constitutional amendment, probably. It's about the length of time served in a particular capacity, like Speaker or head of a committee. Back in the 90s Republicans instituted them for committee chairs, and arguably that prevents the accumulation of experience in the specific domain of chairing that committee.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:32 AM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Um, Are We Aware That Trump Didn't Come to Work Today?

Trump just... sat around watching TV in the resident today I guess?
posted by Justinian at 3:47 AM on December 13, 2018 [37 favorites]

XMLicious, mmoncur, I parse that the same way I would a local government saying "we're paving road, and paving road quickly", where it might be one road ("paving a road") or lots of roads ("paving roads") but for the purpose of "we paved 100km of road surface in the last year" they really don't care which. It's a construction that's clunky but I'm 100% unsurprised to hear from an infrastructure management perspective. I don't *like* it, but I parsed it easily and it's the least of the language crimes I've heard from large organisations whose management is largely divorced from the practicalities of whatever the organisation nominally does.</derail>
posted by russm at 3:53 AM on December 13, 2018 [4 favorites]

....so, neither Fox News nor Fox and Friends have tweeted since mid-November? I remember talking about them going dark but was surprised to see they were still dark.

Has anyone asked them about this or is this just one more wtf for the pile?

It's hard to understand why they'd be dark on Twitter, but the broadcasts themselves pretty much consistent and no one would say anything...maybe Twitter through them under the bus somehow? They are still active on Facebook. Why radio silence on the president's favorite platform?

Did I miss an update on this?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:07 AM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

Has anyone asked them about this or is this just one more wtf for the pile?

The last anyone heard is that it's some sort of private protest over what happened* to Tucker Carlson, which they see as Twitter's fault for some reason.

* it turns out it mostly didn't actually happen but that's neither here nor there
posted by gerryblog at 4:13 AM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

....so, neither Fox News nor Fox and Friends have tweeted since mid-November? I remember talking about them going dark but was surprised to see they were still dark.

Washington Examiner -- Fox News' silent protest on Twitter hits one full month by Claude Thompson | December 08, 2018 12:10 PM

blah, blah, blah, usual Examiner crap...

[Concluding]

Fox News has declined to comment on the state of their Twitter accounts.

Since Fox isn't saying squat about it, I doubt it's just being unhappy about being treated like any other user, but I stick with my hypothesis that they shut down to wait for a decision from legal, and then ... They're still waiting....
posted by mikelieman at 4:23 AM on December 13, 2018 [12 favorites]

Trump cancels White House Christmas party for the press
President Trump has canceled the White House holiday party for the media, making the decades-old tradition a victim of his increasingly contentious relationship with major news organizations.
The annual Christmas-season gathering was a significant perk for those covering the White House, as well as other Washington reporters, anchors and commentators, and New York media executives would regularly fly in for the occasion. At its peak, the invitation-only soirees grew so large that there were two back-to-back events, one for broadcast outlets and one for print organizations.
posted by PenDevil at 4:50 AM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

I am glad that Trump canceled the party, not least because the media has no business hobnobbing with the politicians that reporters are supposed to cover. I mean, lots of them (especially the media bosses) do anyway but in an ideal world they would not.
posted by Bella Donna at 5:08 AM on December 13, 2018 [48 favorites]

At its peak, the invitation-only soirees grew so large that there were two back-to-back events, one for broadcast outlets and one for print organizations.

Well, that's one for the list of things this Predisent and I agree on. That brings the grand total up tooooo .... one. Enh. And in today's Couldn't-be-arsed news, we have:

GOP Leaders Still Have No Funding Plan

“The House is now poised to leave town Thursday for five days without offering a clue to how it would avoid a crippling funding lapse for roughly a dozen agencies.”

“Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has cautioned members that they may need to come back Monday and Tuesday for a last-minute session on funding bills. But even Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, the House GOP‘s spending chief, said Wednesday he was in the dark.”
posted by petebest at 5:15 AM on December 13, 2018 [8 favorites]

A day late, President Costanza comes up with a comeback to mean ole Nancy & Chuck.

@realDonaldTrump I often stated, “One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.” This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!
posted by scalefree at 5:20 AM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]

...that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!

Just like how China pays tariffs not American consumers.
posted by PenDevil at 5:22 AM on December 13, 2018 [36 favorites]

Am really baffled that no one by now has figured out how to take his phone away.
posted by Melismata at 5:32 AM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

That phone is slimy with corruption, vice, sloth, and crime. I wouldn’t touch it either.
posted by notyou at 5:35 AM on December 13, 2018 [14 favorites]

Re: Pelosi’s term limit offer. If a later Speaker, even Pelosi, l decides they no longer want to abide by those limits, they’ll change rules. It’s not like it’s a law or anything.
posted by notyou at 5:42 AM on December 13, 2018 [12 favorites]

"You can make anything a crime under the current laws." - Orrin Hatch

If only there was someone whose job is to change or make laws we could address this

There's nothing that better encapsulates the modern establishment than a man who has been Senator since the Gerald Ford administration acting like the laws have nothing to do with him and he doesn't know how they got there
posted by dis_integration at 5:49 AM on December 13, 2018 [123 favorites]

> building wall

Slavic languages don't have articles the way English does. I say we cut Kremlin DHS some slack.
posted by Westringia F. at 6:03 AM on December 13, 2018 [101 favorites]

Trump cancels White House Christmas party for the press

The man who saved Christmas, everybody!

(Yes, I agree with the "probably actually a good thing because we don't need chummy reporters" take. But would that have been the conservative response, you know, #IfObamaDidTheSameThing...)
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:08 AM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

“The House is now poised to leave town Thursday for five days without offering a clue to how it would avoid a crippling funding lapse for roughly a dozen agencies.”

No doubt more than a few of them are agencies Republicans (and the right in general) would love to see die anyway. Mission accomplished?
posted by Thorzdad at 6:10 AM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

The Daily Beast:

In court filings that are set to drop in early 2019, prosecutors will begin to unveil Middle Eastern countries’ attempts to influence American politics, three sources familiar with this side of the probe told The Daily Beast.
posted by stonepharisee at 6:11 AM on December 13, 2018 [17 favorites]

Every now and then Trump does something good purely by accident. Canceling the White House Christmas party for journalists is one of those things. It's a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself, but treating symptoms is often as necessary as treating the underlying condition.

Naturally Trump did it for exactly the wrong reasons, and of course any Democratic President who did it would be pilloried by the Republicans, but under a President* like Trump you have to take what tiny gains you can regardless of how they happened. And anything that helps stamp out the cozy stenography relationship between the political press and politicians is a good thing.
posted by sotonohito at 6:39 AM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

I'm not convinced that Trump cancelling the White House Christmas Party for journalists is a good thing.

Trump is no doubt doing this because he feels like the press is always attacking him / is insufficiently obsequious. He thinks that this behavior merits punishment. He probably also thinks that doing these sorts of things will bring the press to heel - and if not, he'll at least enjoy doling out punishment.

The press in general has been grossly negligent in doing a proper job and often outright complicit in elevating Trump and the Republicans - see the 100+ discussions with examples in prior threads. I don't think that cancelling their Christmas party is going to change that. In fact, it seems to me like many members of the press are willing to sacrifice principles for access.

No one can draw a straight line between one action like cancelling the party and a softening of the already far too weak spines of the 4th estate. But I haven't seen much evidence that actions like this work to strengthen them either. If anything, my guess is that actions like this have the Habermans of the world looking for new ways to preserve the perks and scraps of access that they still have - which usually means playing Trump's game by softening the headlines and both-sidesing everything etc etc.

I don't think this is one action in isolation is necessarily likely to have broad negative effects, but I sure as hell don't think stuff like this is likely to make the 4th estate act like they ought to.
posted by lazaruslong at 6:50 AM on December 13, 2018 [9 favorites]

Over the past year, the indictments, convictions, and guilty pleas have largely been connected, in one way or another, to Russia. But now, special counsel Robert Mueller’s office is preparing to reveal to the public a different side of his investigation. In court filings that are set to drop in early 2019, prosecutors will begin to unveil Middle Eastern countries’ attempts to influence American politics, three sources familiar with this side of the probe told The Daily Beast.

Tell me again how Mueller hasn't started to leak.
posted by Devonian at 6:53 AM on December 13, 2018 [4 favorites]

I also am not a huge fan of a hostile relationship between government and press. Yes, they are separate institutions that do little if they refuse to be at least partially antagonistic, but part of things like the Christmas party is for the Executive Branch to indicate to the country that the Press is and should be part of the American power structure. And it does this for the press as a whole as opposed to just the members of the press who genuflect to it.

At worst, things like the Christmas party can be collusion between the government and the press, but at best, they can be symbols of national unity, civility, truce between sometimes-adversaries, and a chance for each to recognize the importance of the other. There's a reason that Trump both canceled the Christmas party and calls the press as a whole "the Enemy of the People." The messaging on both is the same.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 6:57 AM on December 13, 2018 [40 favorites]

Tell me again how Mueller hasn't started to leak.

That seems more like Stage 1 of damage control by the Kushners' legal and PR teams. A common theme among those being investigated by Mueller is pushing out their crimes into the media when it's clear investigators are on to something. This lets them start strawmanning and minimizing their actions so by the time the legal bombshell hits a lot of people are inured (or--in the case of their base--ironically vaccinated) to the terrible shit they've done.
posted by Freon at 6:59 AM on December 13, 2018 [44 favorites]

> In court filings that are set to drop in early 2019, prosecutors will begin to unveil Middle Eastern countries’ attempts to influence American politics, three sources familiar with this side of the probe told The Daily Beast.

Tell me again how Mueller hasn't started to leak.

Qui bono is always the first question to ask in these cases, especially when Mueller's on the line. It's more likely the DoJ's leaking, especially under Matt Whitaker. This article's sourcing is probably pro-Trump factions sending out early warnings to those who'll be caught up in the coming indictments, or maybe just loose-lipped DoJ staff being indiscreet and boastful.

The Special Counsel team has nothing to gain by leaking, however. They'd risk not only tipping off their targets, but also exposing themselves to the Trump administration's selective crackdown on leaks. Trump would love to use leaking as a pretext to hobble the investigation or just as payback (e.g Andy McCabe).
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:18 AM on December 13, 2018 [13 favorites]

Here's the full story on what Schiff told CNN: Top Democrat: DOJ 'Needs to Re-Examine' Guidance That a Sitting President Shouldn't Be Indicted

"I think the Justice Department needs to re-examine that OLC opinion, the Office of Legal Counsel opinion, that you cannot indict a sitting president under circumstances in which the failure to do so may mean that person escapes justice," Schiff said Wednesday in an interview on CNN's "Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."

Schiff, the likely incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN there should be an exception to the Office of Legal Counsel's opinion if a president leaves office and "can no longer be brought to justice."

"I don't think that the Justice Department ought to take the position -- and it's certainly not one that would be required in any way by the Constitution -- that a president merely by being in office can be above the law ... by waiting out the statute of limitations," Schiff told CNN.

posted by Doktor Zed at 7:29 AM on December 13, 2018 [46 favorites]

part of things like the Christmas party is for the Executive Branch to indicate to the country that the Press is and should be part of the American power structure.

It sure would be terrible if the press weren’t an integral part of this violent and exploitative power structure, wouldn’t it
posted by moorooka at 7:37 AM on December 13, 2018 [8 favorites]

I'm seeing national headlines for Trump's tweet that he didn't direct Michael Cohen to break the law.
posted by agregoli at 7:42 AM on December 13, 2018

I'm seeing national headlines for Trump's tweet that he didn't direct Michael Cohen to break the law.

@realDonaldTrump
I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called “advice of counsel,” and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid. Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly..........stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not.......guilty even on a civil basis. Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!

---

@Popehat
“I want to explain how I did not do the crimes” said the client, explaining how he did all the crimes.

@matthewamiller (MSNBC)
Before we get into the debate over the legal merits of this defense, can we pause to note how he is conceding that he lied to the American people about this for months? Just flat out lied and isn’t even going to pretend otherwise.
posted by chris24 at 7:49 AM on December 13, 2018 [95 favorites]

"he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal"

campaign charges which were not criminal

charges which were not criminal

Ah yes, that well-known thing where you can plead to non-criminal felonies.
posted by BungaDunga at 7:56 AM on December 13, 2018 [75 favorites]

Elizabeth Warren’s strategic partnership with House Democrats (Ella Nilsen, Vox)

Warren knows three of her biggest ideas have no chance in the Senate. So she’s introducing them in the House.
...
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pushing three big ideas — cracking down hard on DC lobbying, giving workers more of a say in how corporations operate, and creating 3 million new affordable housing units — and now she has found partners for all of them among key House Democrats.

This week, Warren and House Democratic members introduced two of her sweeping bills in the House — the Accountable Capitalism Act, and the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act — to complement ones she has already introduced in the Senate. Her third bill, a broad anti-corruption bill called the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, was introduced in the House a few weeks ago.

To be clear, these are largely statement bills, since they have no chance of passing in the Republican-controlled Senate, or being signed by President Donald Trump. But importantly, Warren is finding allies for her ideas in the House, where Democrats will finally be in power. She’s laying the groundwork for action on these ideas down the road.

“Getting this bill introduced and voted on in the House changes the dynamic in the Senate, because it becomes real at that point, and now the Senate is really called on to step up and say, ‘Where do you stand?’” Warren said at a Tuesday press conference on the companion bill on affordable housing.

posted by ZeusHumms at 8:05 AM on December 13, 2018 [35 favorites]

Trump hasn't made it into work yet again today.
posted by chris24 at 8:08 AM on December 13, 2018 [35 favorites]

Would they admit he blew a gasket, or just kept tweeting in his style until he recovered? Or is it possible he's ghosting the presidency? I mean, what?
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:21 AM on December 13, 2018 [14 favorites]

I'm seeing national headlines for Trump's tweet that he didn't direct Michael Cohen to break the law.

I don't want to look at these, as I bet they do little to frame the tweets in reality and merely pass along Trump's message. (There's a better way to cover Trump's tweets without signal-boosting them.)

And now, he's now ranting about Michael Flynn and how Mueller's team gave him a "great deal" with his plea bargain because "they were embarrassed by the way he was treated"—and not because, you know, he cooperated with the SCO from the outset, sitting down with them for 60 hours worth of interviews, handing over numerous documents, and possibly wearing a wire. Anyway, "WITCH HUNT!"

It's hard to detect any legal or even political strategy here. He seems to be pumping out the tweets for his MAGA audience and the media. And as Steve Bannon told Michael Lewis,
"The Democrats don't matter. 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 8:24 AM on December 13, 2018 [14 favorites]

WHere are you guys seeing that he hasn't shown up to work?
posted by yoga at 8:27 AM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

He has an official schedule and hasn't appeared is my guess.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 8:30 AM on December 13, 2018

The entire idea of the president being able to "show up to work" or not is itself an example of the rabbit hole we've fallen down. The presidency is described as an "office," but he's still supposed to be doing the job whether or not he's at his desk.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:32 AM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

MSNBC's Kyle Griffin, 11:05 AM EST: Trump is not in the West Wing yet this morning, NBC's Hans Nichols just reported on @MSNBC. The Marine guard is not posted out there.

Laura Rosen points out: first item on schedule today is an 11:45am meeting with Pompeo (Pic)
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:34 AM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

Trump confides to friends he's concerned about impeachment (Carol E. Lee, Kristen Welker and Nicolle Wallace, NBC News)

Despite President Donald Trump's public declaration that he isn't concerned about impeachment, he has told people close to him in recent days that he is alarmed by the prospect, according to multiple sources.

Trump's fear about the possibility has escalated as the consequences of federal investigations involving his associates and Democratic control of the House sink in, the sources said, and his allies believe maintaining the support of establishment Republicans he bucked to win election is now critical to saving his presidency.

posted by ZeusHumms at 8:35 AM on December 13, 2018 [11 favorites]

Millions Of Comments About The FCC's Net Neutrality Rules Were Fake. Now The Feds Are Investigating. -- People's names and addresses were listed on the FCC's website beside net neutrality comments they didn't make. Now the FBI is interested. (Kevin Collier and Jeremy Singer-Vine for Buzzfeed news, Dec. 8, 2018)

The comment scheme took place over the course of months beginning in April 2017 after the Trump administration's FCC chair, Ajit Pai, moved to overturn Obama-era rules enforcing net neutrality, a regulation that prevented internet providers from choosing which web traffic gets to flow at full speed.

The rule enjoyed broad public support, according to multiple polls, and required a period of public comment before Pai's change could go into effect. More than 20 million comments have since appeared on the site, with the New York attorney general’s office estimating that up to 9.5 million of those were filed in people’s names without their consent.

As part of the New York attorney general’s previously announced investigation, the agency in October issued subpoenas to 14 organizations — 11 of which are either politically conservative or related to the telecommunications industry and opposed net neutrality, and three of which supported it. The offices of the attorneys general of both Massachusetts and Washington, DC, are supporting the New York investigation, and also issued subpoenas. Their participation has not been previously reported.
...
Earlier this week, the FCC issued a decision on two Freedom of Information requests, filed by BuzzFeed News and the New York Times. In it, the commission voted not to release the records that the news organizations had requested: data from web server logs that could shed additional light on the suspicious comments.

“What is the Federal Communications Commission hiding?” Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel asked in a dissenting opinion (PDF). “[I]nstead of providing news organizations with the information requested, in this decision the FCC decides to hide behind Freedom of Information Act exemptions and thwart investigative journalism.”

Meanwhile, Net neutrality bill 38 votes short in Congress, and time has almost run out -- Bill to restore net neutrality has 180 votes but needs 218 this month. (Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica)

More shitty shenanigans from FCC, also reported by Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica (Dec. 12, 2018): FCC panel wants to tax Internet-using businesses and give the money to ISPs -- At AT&T's urging, committee proposes tax on websites to pay for rural broadband.

A Federal Communications Commission advisory committee has proposed a new tax on Netflix, Google, Facebook, and many other businesses that require Internet access to operate.

If adopted by states, the recommended tax would apply to subscription-based retail services that require Internet access, such as Netflix, and to advertising-supported services that use the Internet, such as Google and Facebook. The tax would also apply to any small- or medium-sized business that charges subscription fees for online services or uses online advertising. The tax would also apply to any provider of broadband access, such as cable or wireless operators.

The collected money would go into state rural broadband deployment funds that would help bring faster Internet access to sparsely populated areas. Similar universal service fees are already assessed on landline phone service and mobile phone service nationwide. Those phone fees contribute to federal programs such as the FCC's Connect America Fund, which pays AT&T and other carriers to deploy broadband in rural areas.

The state tax proposal comes from the FCC's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC), a group criticized by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo—who quit the committee—"for advancing the interests of the telecommunications industry over those of the public." BDAC members include AT&T, Comcast, Google Fiber, Sprint, other ISPs and industry representatives, researchers, advocates, and local government officials.

posted by filthy light thief at 8:41 AM on December 13, 2018 [32 favorites]

Maria Butina's plea is in. Scant details from the hearing thus far but reports are that she explicitly stated that she acted at the direction of the Russian government, which isn't a shock but is a very important thing to have in black and white.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:53 AM on December 13, 2018 [49 favorites]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pushing three big ideas — cracking down hard on DC lobbying, giving workers more of a say in how corporations operate, and creating 3 million new affordable housing units...

I believe workers need to get sweat equity in companies they work for. The longer you work, the more you own. And I'm not talking about ESOPs (employee stock ownership programs) where some of their meager pay can be put aside to buy stock at a discount at the end of the year. I'm talking about legal requirements that give workers ownership rights that cumulate, regardless of pay level. My goal would be to see workers as a group own a large enough share after a few years that they have not only voting rights but also receive a large chunk of the profits. Wouldn't that be great? Workers owning the means of production sounds like Marxist fully automated luxury gay space condos to me.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:09 AM on December 13, 2018 [28 favorites]

"David Pecker sure made a lot of campaign contributions"
posted by growabrain at 9:10 AM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

Well that's good enough for Trump then.

Putin claims Maria Butina is not known to Russian spy agencies as she prepares to plead guilty in US conspiracy case

Putin, according to the Reuters news service, said Tuesday that it is unclear to him why Butina was arrested in the United States, because the chiefs of Russia's intelligence agencies had informed him they do not know anything about her.

"She risks 15 years in jail. For what?" Putin asked.

"I asked all the heads of our intelligence services what is going on. Nobody knows anything about her," Putin said.

posted by scalefree at 9:13 AM on December 13, 2018 [17 favorites]

> "I asked all the heads of our intelligence services what is going on. Nobody knows anything about [Butina]," Putin said.

This is breathtaking levels of trolling. I'd find it funny if it wasn't so dire.
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:22 AM on December 13, 2018 [61 favorites]

"As always, should you or any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:23 AM on December 13, 2018 [41 favorites]

"I asked all the heads of our intelligence services what is going on. Nobody knows anything about [Butina]," Putin said.

Natasha Bertrand had a swift rejoinder: Is that why the Russian gov has conducted 6 consular visits to Butina, passed 4 diplomatic notes to State about her case, and had Lavrov personally speak to Pompeo twice about her prosecution? (The official Kremlin Twitter account changed its avatar to a picture of her, too.) (n.b. The Russian Ministry of Foreign still has #FreeMariaButina as its avatar.)

Just as with Trump, it's irresponsible for the media to simply repeat Putin's transparently nonsensical claims.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:29 AM on December 13, 2018 [105 favorites]

Kleptocrat ex-Spy Chief denies his Spy is a Spy.
posted by valkane at 9:32 AM on December 13, 2018 [23 favorites]

Just as with Trump, it's irresponsible for the media to simply repeat Putin's transparently nonsensical claims.

Incidentally, the CNBC article scalefree linked to does not simply quote Putin the way I've seen a lot of media do since his remarks on Tuesday. In covering Butina's plea dal, they go into a lot of background information and in fact quotes Bertrand's tweet. It's hard to cover the news in detail when stories keep breaking, each more outrageous than the last.

Speaking of which, Mediaite's Evan Rosenfeld: JUST IN: Former @ApprenticeNBC staffer, @CaslerNoel, says Donald Trump is a “speed freak” who crushes up Adderall and snorts it
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:39 AM on December 13, 2018 [45 favorites]

NYT: Senate Passes Overhaul of Sexual Harassment Claim Process

TL;DR: If the House passes this bill by the end of the year, lawmakers will be personally liable for settlement payouts resulting from harassment and retaliation.
posted by GrammarMoses at 9:39 AM on December 13, 2018 [42 favorites]

Incidentally, the CNBC article scalefree linked to does not simply quote Putin the way I've seen a lot of media do since his remarks on Tuesday. In covering Butina's plea dal, they go into a lot of background information and in fact quotes Bertrand's tweet. It's hard to cover the news in detail when stories keep breaking, each more outrageous than the last.

You never know exactly how much to pull from a story. In this case I felt the nut quote was the thing of value to people here, that everybody already had the context of how absurdly false Putin's statement was. I looked at a few versions from different media; this one had the full quote plus context disproving it, even if I didn't put the context into my comment.
posted by scalefree at 9:52 AM on December 13, 2018

Speaking of which, Mediaite's Evan Rosenfeld: JUST IN: Former @ApprenticeNBC staffer, @CaslerNoel, says Donald Trump is a “speed freak” who crushes up Adderall and snorts it

This was reported by Gawker eleventy years ago. It also explains Dr. Spaceman Dr. Feelgood that weirdo back alley doctor this incredibly wealthy person with at least decent health insurance kept as his only physician for years.

Anyway, I've had "pills" marked on my bingo card for quite some time. Carry on.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:54 AM on December 13, 2018 [48 favorites]

Democracy Now, yesterday & today: Typhoon Haiyan Survivor: Fossil Fuel Companies Killed My Family by Hastening Climate Change

U.S. & Other Big Polluters Obstruct U.N. Climate Talks, Stalling Efforts to Reduce Carbon Emissions

As U.N. Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Change, U.S. Seeks to Dilute Pact to Cut Carbon Emissions

A “Conference of Polluters”: How Fossil Fuel Companies Are Shaping Policy at the U.N. Climate Summit

Fossil-Free Costa Rica: How One Country Is Pursuing Decarbonization Despite Global Inaction
posted by homunculus at 9:57 AM on December 13, 2018 [12 favorites]

DOESNT ANYONE REMEMBER SNIFFFFFFFFF THE DEBATES?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:58 AM on December 13, 2018 [43 favorites]

W/r/t Bannon and The Media, the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.

The reason that works is flooding shit is their business. Flooding different shit in there works because it can't be distinguished. Or, as it has famously been noted, "You can't dust for vomit."
posted by petebest at 9:59 AM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

You never know exactly how much to pull from a story. In this case I felt the nut quote was the thing of value to people here, that everybody already had the context of how absurdly false Putin's statement was.

My apologies for going off like that. (I know exactly what you mean about finding the right pull quotes for the mega-threads—I tend to quote too much.) The CNBC article is a good one for people to read, and I was slow to click on the link before launching into a general complaint about the coverage of Putin's quote. Over the past couple of days it had gotten under my skin, which is exactly what Putin intended.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:01 AM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

15-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg on Democracy Now:

Addressing U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres last week: “Our Leaders Are Behaving Like Children”: Teen Climate Activist Confronts World Leaders at U.N. Summit

Interviewed by Amy Goodman: School Strike for Climate: Meet 15-Year-Old Activist Greta Thunberg, Who Inspired a Global Movement

Addressing the U.N. plenary session: You Are Stealing Our Future: Greta Thunberg, 15, Condemns the World’s Inaction on Climate Change
posted by homunculus at 10:04 AM on December 13, 2018 [38 favorites]

My apologies for going off like that.

No apology needed, I didn't feel attacked at all. I just think it helps to talk out the thought process that goes into our comments once in a while & this was a good opportunity for that. It helps clarify my own methods & reasons for them & maybe helps other with theirs.
posted by scalefree at 10:15 AM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

How Nancy Pelosi put down a rebellion and allowed everyone to win (Paul Waldman | WaPo)

... All of which shows that unlike a certain someone we could mention, Pelosi is a highly skilled negotiator who understands that there are times when the person across the table needs to be defeated, times when they need to be co-opted, and times when you can arrive at a solution that’s good for everyone.

Imagine that.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:19 AM on December 13, 2018 [66 favorites]

15-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg on Democracy Now:

That kid is a force of nature (err, so to speak). She means business & she's not having any of your nonsense. I'd vote her for "most likely to lead the uprising".
posted by scalefree at 10:19 AM on December 13, 2018 [24 favorites]

The deal also made clear that AMI and David Pecker, whose tabloid (National Enquirer) strongly supported Trump’s candidacy, has turned on the president.

I'll believe it when the Enquirer starts putting some anti-Trump headlines on the front pages by every supermarket checkout. Next to FoxNews turning on him, there's nothing that will shake his base more than that. Never underestimate the media that's in your face while you're waiting to pay for groceries....
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:26 AM on December 13, 2018 [24 favorites]

JUST IN: Former @ApprenticeNBC staffer, @CaslerNoel, says Donald Trump is a “speed freak” who crushes up Adderall and snorts it

To go down this rabbit hole of rumors, here's Noel Casler's just-uploaded set for the Gotham Vet Show in which he talks about his Celebrity Apprentice experience with Trump Team. (He shares some repulsive anecdotes about Trump and Miss Teen USA.) Here's the section about Trump's Adderall abuse:

"He's a speed freak. He crushes up his Adderall, and he sniffs it 'cause he can't read, so he gets really nervous when he has to read cue cards. I'm not kidding, this is true. I had a 24-page NDA, Non-Disclosure Agreement. I didn't know that he'd become the president. Now it's, no way, dumbass, I'm telling everything I know. So he gets nervous and he crushes up these pills. That's why he's sniffing when you see him in debates and when you see him reading. It's why he's tweeting, you know, it's like, he's out of his mind. It makes sense if you think about it."

Tom Arnold vouches for him, because this is 2018 and the stupidest timeline: "This guy worked on Celebrity Apprentice for 6 years. He did the after parties & was Jared & Ivanka’s handler. Donald Trump abused Adderall on the set & it made him crazy. He even snorted Adderall. Mark Burnett knew it."

This was reported by Gawker eleventy years ago.

Earlier this year, Vanity Fair's Kurt Eichenwald leaked the draft of his story on Trump's prescription drug abuse that Newsweek spiked, reporting that Trump had a prescription for amphetamine derivatives in 1982 continued taking them until 1990 (despite their being intended only for the short term since they carry a high risk of chronic abuse ).

Trump's health and reported/rumored drug habits have been out in the open for years—going back to the days of Spy magazine—but the mainstream press refuses to investigate the subjects, despite the warning signs of Dr. Harold Bornstein's effectively forged bill of health for him and Dr. Ronny Jackson's scandals at the White House.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:26 AM on December 13, 2018 [68 favorites]

Democracy Now and Amy Goodman are doing good work trying to pin these fuckers down re Climate change.
Yesterday she chased Trump’s Energy Adviser Wells Griffith who walked and then ran away when questioned.
posted by adamvasco at 10:27 AM on December 13, 2018 [27 favorites]

Speaking of which, Mediaite's Evan Rosenfeld: JUST IN: Former @ApprenticeNBC staffer, @CaslerNoel, says Donald Trump is a “speed freak” who crushes up Adderall and snorts it

What's interesting is that the two things quoted here, drug use and solicitation of underaged sex, would qualify as defamation per se pretty much anywhere since they are both allegations of criminal activity. If Trump was really as litigious as he makes himself out to be this would be a pretty straightforward effort to sue this person... if you thought the discovery process videos this would turn up wouldn't vindicate the person or simply reveal you as a complete bag of shit.
posted by phearlez at 10:28 AM on December 13, 2018 [45 favorites]

don, you dumb motherfucker. you can afford all the cocaine in the world and you snort adderall? what a waste. what a stupid waste.
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 10:34 AM on December 13, 2018 [43 favorites]

I have to pull one quote from that spiked story about Trump and drugs abuse because... it's one of the strangest things I've read.

In a telephone call from Newsweek, Bornstein, Trump’s current doctor, said he would only answer questions if I could identify the location of Mount Sinai. Assuming he was referring to the world-renowned hospital, I replied “Manhattan.” He said that was incorrect, and asked the question again. I asked if he meant the actual Mount Sinai and he said he had not specified anything. I replied Mount Sinai was in Egypt, in the Sinai Peninsula. He said that was wrong and hung up. (While Mount Sinai is in Egypt, the location of the Mount Sinai described in the Bible as the location where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, if that is what Bornstein meant, is the subject of debate among religious scholars.)
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 10:38 AM on December 13, 2018 [25 favorites]

Former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa: Here’s one big reason Maria Butina’s conservative contacts should be very worried.
“Two things that stand out to me here, most spies are here under diplomatic cover precisely so if they get caught, they have diplomatic immunity. Maria Butina was here without diplomatic cover so she’s caught in the cross hairs of criminal prosecution.”

“If the government has evidence that she was acting at the direction and control of Russia, that makes her an agent of a foreign power, which means she would have been a legitimate target for FISA surveillance. Anyone talking to her at that time would be captured on that as well. I agree with [CNN analyst Jack Quinn] that there could be many other people who should be concerned at this point.”
posted by growabrain at 10:38 AM on December 13, 2018 [47 favorites]

That Wells Griffith footage is something else. WHat an asshole.
posted by yoga at 10:39 AM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

Trump plans 16-day holiday visit to Mar-a-Lago

President Donald Trump is expected to spend 16 days at Mar-a-Lago over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, according to an alert issued by the Federal Aviation Administration this morning.

And you know there's a Tweet:

@realDonaldTrump, 12:07 PM - 19 Dec 2013

Pres. Obama is about to embark on a 17 day vacation in his ‘native’ Hawaii, putting Secret Service away from families on Christmas. Aloha!

posted by kirkaracha at 10:42 AM on December 13, 2018 [45 favorites]

don, you dumb motherfucker. you can afford all the cocaine in the world and you snort adderall? what a waste. what a stupid waste.

Wait until you hear what he eats.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:43 AM on December 13, 2018 [60 favorites]

> don, you dumb motherfucker. you can afford all the cocaine in the world and you snort adderall? what a waste. what a stupid waste.


This is a minor derail, but to address this: Cocaine is (generally) more expensive, and "feels" better to many people, but has a very different mechanism of effect than amphetamines. Amphetamines like Adderall actually increase dopamine production in addition to blocking reuptake (Cocaine only blocks reuptake.) Cocaine is also metabolized much faster. (source)

I've encountered fairly convincing arguments that amphetamines are the closest thing we have to a mental performance enhancing drug. There's a reason that they're the stimulant of choice among high-performing college students across the country during finals week.

Roughly speaking, if he's going to abuse any drug to try to enhance his focus and memory, amphetamines are probably the "right" choice.
posted by bluemilker at 10:44 AM on December 13, 2018 [25 favorites]

Naturally Trump did it for exactly the wrong reasons, and of course any Democratic President who did it would be pilloried by the Republicans

I vaguely recall an anecdote where the newly elected Carter Administration, in keeping with Jimmy's frugal sensibilities, did away with the lavish catering options the press corps had become accustomed to and instead left them plates of cold cut sandwiches. Supposedly this faux pas was exemplary of his unfamiliarity with inside-the-beltway norms, which was a factor in the consistently negative press his administration got. 🐇🐇🐇

That said, this was long before my time and might entirely be apocryphal, so a good dusting of kosher salt is advised when consuming.
posted by Freelance Demiurge at 10:52 AM on December 13, 2018 [18 favorites]

Abusing Adderall is perfectly fine to Trump because a doctor prescribed it for a legitimate health issue.

I actually can't see Trump ever admitting that he had ADHD. If he has an Adderall prescription, I assume that he thinks that he's getting a doctor to go along with faking a diagnosis in order to get a performance-enhancing drug to enhance his perfect, wonderful brain.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:57 AM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

Trump Suddenly Realizes His Survival Depends on the Establishment (Martin Longman, Washington Monthly)

To kind of summarize here, the president is giving the Republican Party ownership of a government shutdown they do not want on an issue they do not support. His White House operation is in shambles and the one person people trusted to keep it on track has been fired – and there is no comparable replacement in sight. Presently, the Senate is voting to essentially rebuke the president for his position on Saudi Arabia, and that disconnect will grow more serious next year. And, even if congressional Republicans wanted to fight to the death for Trump’s presidency, they’re not getting any information or guidance on how to perform that task because the legal and political teams in the White House are understaffed, uninformed, and incompetent.

Yet, Trump now believes that he needs to hold on to the support of “establishment” Republicans to survive.

That would be a difficult thing to achieve in the best of circumstances considering that Trump came to power by trashing them. They’ve basically gotten what they wanted from him already – a big tax cut, two Supreme Court justices, and a bunch of relaxed or gutted regulation. They’ve just seen two score of their colleagues cut down in the midterm elections, largely as a result of backlash against the president. There is no appetite for going into the 2020 presidential campaign with Trump as the Republican establishment’s standard-bearer.

posted by ZeusHumms at 11:01 AM on December 13, 2018 [17 favorites]

Oh my god. I had tossed that Mount Sinai anecdote, repeated here by OnTheLastCastle, in the "more Bornstein eccentricity" file. (Like he had some religious bugaboo, or an Ancient Aliens thing, who knows.) But "code for participants in the drug ring" actually makes much more sense, especially because neither "right" answer was right. The only issue is that he knew Kurt Eichenwald was a reporter -- would he still have gone on to offer him some uppers if he'd happened to know the answer?

From earlier this year, a relevant Alexandra Erin Twitter thread connecting a number of insights about Individual-1 and drugs.

The short of it is: He avoids alcohol and "drugs" (as popularly defined) mostly to set himself apart from his alcoholic deceased elder brother. People have often joked that his personality suggests cocaine, but an actual coke habit going back decades would be very hard to keep secret. Amphetamines, by contrast, fit what we know well -- and so does excessive lifelong caffeine abuse. Yeah, normally caffeine isn't terribly harmful, but it can be in excess. And the interaction is non-trivial -- while amphetamines increase dopamine levels, caffeine increases the receptivity.

Freelance Demiurge: I vaguely recall an anecdote where the newly elected Carter Administration, in keeping with Jimmy's frugal sensibilities, did away with the lavish catering options the press corps had become accustomed to and instead left them plates of cold cut sandwiches. Supposedly this faux pas was exemplary of his unfamiliarity with inside-the-beltway norms, which was a factor in the consistently negative press his administration got. 🐇🐇🐇

That said, this was long before my time and might entirely be apocryphal, so a good dusting of kosher salt is advised when consuming.

That passes my smell test, with or without salt. He also famously tried to regulate the staff use of the White House tennis courts. In some ways, no other president has exemplified the "run it like a business" attitude (as popularly conceived) more than Carter with his micro-management.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:02 AM on December 13, 2018 [9 favorites]

While Trump ostensibly is straight-edge, eschewing alcohol and tobacco, back in late 2016 the Daily Beast delved into the drug rumors around him and Trump Models: Inside Donald Trump’s One-Stop Parties: Attendees Recall Cocaine and Very Young Models

And then of course there was the time that Trump vouched for cocaine trafficker Joseph Weichselbaum, a helicopter company owner who used to live in Trump Tower (Smoking Gun).

But enough about the past, Trump just finished a soft-ball interview with Fox's Harris Faulkner, in which he was asked such hard-hitting questions as "What do you love about being president?" and "When you get up in the morning...what do you love?" and "You have such energy for this...Not every president would have worked 6 or 7 days out on the campaign trail." (Obviously, that last one isn't a question, but it sets the tone for this obsequious sit-down. Trump's response was, "Do I have a choice?")

Mediaite has more, including his statement on Cohen and his complaints about Fox's bad polls (seriously).
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:08 AM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Election update! Judge Lance Walker has upheld Maine's use of ranked-choice voting in the election for the state's second congressional district, where Democrat Jared Golden unseated Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R) by registering a majority of ballots in the final tally, after third-party votes were shifted to second- and third-choice candidates.

U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker ruled that, contrary to the arguments of Poliquin’s legal team, the U.S. Constitution does not require that whichever congressional candidates receives the most votes – or “a plurality” – be declared the winner. Instead, Walker ruled the Constitution grants states broad discretion to run elections and that “there is nothing inherently improper about an election that requires a contestant to achieve victory by a majority,” including by the use of the ranked-choice runoff system endorsed twice by Maine voters.

posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:08 AM on December 13, 2018 [39 favorites]

The entire idea of the president being able to "show up to work" or not is itself an example of the rabbit hole we've fallen down. The presidency is described as an "office," but he's still supposed to be doing the job whether or not he's at his desk.

The explanation could be as simple as the dude being sick. It was my first suspicion during the whole botched trip to France where going out to the WW I ceremony was too hard despite having a professional multi-layered logistics team on hand to ferry him around. Maybe he caught something, maybe he ate something, maybe his insides get worn down by the prospect of all that treason and money laundering catching up to him.

His lifestyle is absolute shit. He's old. And he's too prideful to admit if he has something as simple as a cold. To the rest of us, that's a normal thing where you take a day or two off if you can and then deal, but he can't admit to being a mere mortal. He's gotta be stressed all to hell, his diet is shit, and he's too prideful and too stupid to do anything about it. Drugs or not, he's a fucking mess and doesn't want to admit it.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:13 AM on December 13, 2018 [31 favorites]

Trump Suddenly Realizes His Survival Depends on the Establishment:

Only two things can keep them in Trump’s corner. One is fear of a primary challenge, and the other is a massive change of behavior by the president.

So...one thing, then.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:48 AM on December 13, 2018 [22 favorites]

Christine Blasey Ford makes first public statement since Kavanaugh hearing: ‘We all have the power to create real change.’ Dr Ford was honouring former gymnast Rachael Denhollander, who won Sports Illustrated's Inspiration of the Year Award
posted by homunculus at 11:58 AM on December 13, 2018 [45 favorites]

Carter also put solar panels on the roof of the White House.

By 1986, the Reagan administration had gutted the research and development budgets for renewable energy at the then-fledgling U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and eliminated tax breaks for the deployment of wind turbines and solar technologies—recommitting the nation to reliance on cheap but polluting fossil fuels, often from foreign suppliers.
...
And in 1986 the Reagan administration quietly dismantled the White House solar panel installation while resurfacing the roof.

posted by kirkaracha at 11:58 AM on December 13, 2018 [15 favorites]

trying hard not to editorialize, but welcome the horror that is the new Africa policy

US unveils new Africa policy to counter 'predatory' Russia and China
John Bolton says Trump will put African interests first and end ‘unproductive and unaccountable’ UN peacekeeping missions
Announcing the new policy, the national security adviser, John Bolton, said it would put US interests first, so would be built around trade and countering the threat terrorist groups like Isis and al-Qaida could pose to the US.

Is it the Guardian offering up contradictory messaging on who is first?

I heard the Nazis collected African skulls

U.S. to Africa: Pick Either US or China and Russia, Not Both
John Bolton, national security adviser, lays out new American policy on Africa that aims to reward allies with trade and investment and punish others

Mr. Trump is angling to strengthen ties with like-minded African allies and isolate uncooperative leaders who work with America’s biggest adversaries.

“This administration will not allow hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund corrupt autocrats, who use the money to fill their coffers at the expense of their people, or commit gross human rights abuses,” said Mr. Bolton.

One overriding concern, U.S. officials said, is China’s expansive presence on the continent, from its East African military base in Djibouti to its role as one of Zambia’s biggest debtholders. China is also spending billions of dollars to build railways, dams, oil refineries and other major projects across Africa.

China’s deepening ties come as Russia has expanded its military cooperation on the continent, including places like the Central African Republic, where Moscow has provided weapons. The administration is now framing those developments as national security threats to America as it tries to offer a reliable alternative with trade and investment.

“We can’t do any of that if these countries are being overwhelmed by malign influence from China and from Russia,” the administration official said.

U.S. trade with Africa represents a small percentage of the country’s exports and imports. In 2017, the U.S. exported about $14 billion in goods to sub-Saharan Africa and imported nearly $25 billion, according to the U.S. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. China recently agreed to invest more than $60 billion more in Africa, a move that gives Beijing more leverage and influence to counter any new American initiatives.


Let me know what you need me to refute with multiple citations collected over the past 8 years of almost daily news curation.
posted by infini at 12:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [19 favorites]

I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called “advice of counsel,” and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made.

That was this morning, though, and by this afternoon's Fox interview, Trump had changed his mind about his former fixer: “Trump on Michael Cohen: "It happens" .also says Cohen did "very low level work ... more public relations than he did law"” w/video (Media Matter's John Whitehouse)

Why the change? (Besides Trump's inability to stick to one lie for very long.)

DOJ veterans say Trump's latest defense in the Michael Cohen case is rarely successful and could spectacularly backfire on him, Business Insider reports.

• Trump's defense is known as the "advice of counsel" defense, and DOJ veterans told INSIDER it is a rarely invoked and rarely successful strategy.
• The defense doesn't apply if both the lawyer and the client are on the same page that what they're doing could be illegal.
• If a client invokes the defense, it also means they waive attorney-client privilege, meaning Cohen could open up to prosecutors about any other legally problematic work he did for the president.

For instance, those 7,000 privileged items from the raid on Cohen's offices/homes that the special master sealed under attorney-client privilege could be turned over to the SDNY as part of Cohen's cooperation…
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:29 PM on December 13, 2018 [51 favorites]

The BBC's Anne Soy says Mr Bolton's speech could cause disquiet among Africans already concerned that their continent is being used as a platform to advance the agenda of global players.

The US strategy may be viewed by some Africans through the same lens the Trump administration is using to assess China and Russia's intentions in Africa, she notes.

Nobody is stupid. Some, in power, are, of course, grifters of the same feather, and others, opportunists. But at the same time, the vast majority not insulated by head of statehood are keenly aware that they are of the same heritage as those shot down on the streets like dogs, daily.
posted by infini at 12:34 PM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

Jiminy Christmas the President and his denials. We all heard the recording Michael Cohen made in which you two clowns discussed the best way to handle the payments!
posted by notyou at 12:35 PM on December 13, 2018 [11 favorites]

Trump's defense is known as the "advice of counsel" defense, and DOJ veterans told INSIDER it is a rarely invoked and rarely successful strategy.

Why do outlets and pundits insist on treating the nonsense Trump spews out of his mouth as if it's actually his legal response? If nothing else we have decades of him blustering about legal remedies that he never does shit about. But I don't even pundit for a living and I realize there's a difference between the public nonsense statements he makes to wind up his base and what he'll actually use as a response under oath.

Now, is saying these things in public maybe gonna bite him in the ass? I'm sure his lawyers have just about spot-welded their palms to their foreheads with the smacking, but this doesn't constitute his defense in any legal sense.
posted by phearlez at 12:40 PM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

Trump's health and reported/rumored drug habits have been out in the open for years—going back to the days of Spy magazine—but the mainstream press refuses to investigate the subjects, despite the warning signs of Dr. Harold Bornstein's effectively forged bill of health for him and Dr. Ronny Jackson's scandals at the White House.

Despite inexplicably reading these threads since the primaries,I have never heard the snorting-Adderall story. It doesn't seem like this has ever been stated so ... so:

I worked on a bunch of those beauty pageants he had in the nineties too. That was a good idea, Miss Teen Universe? Yeah, that’s like giving Jeffrey Dahmer a cooking show.

He would line up the girls on the side of the stage, and he would inspect them literally, he would stick his little freaking doll fingers in their mouth and look at their teeth. I’m not kidding, this is true, he would line them up like they were pieces of meat. He’d be like, “You, you, and you, if you want to win I’m in the penthouse suite, come and see me.”

Yep. If Trump had a cooking show they’d caught the douchebag diet. McDonald’s, chocolate ice cream, and girls that look like Ivanka are all he ever eats.
posted by petebest at 12:41 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

In terms of all the constant lying and chaos and inability to keep his stories straight, Trump reminds me of Matt Damon's character in The Informant! One major difference is that there's a moment in the film towards the end where he's being interviewed by the FBI along with his wife and he's absolutely drowning in his lies, flailing about and trying to come up with new excuses on the fly as the walls come crashing in, and his wife finally snaps and says "Why are you doing this?" in a small, quiet voice, and that's the end of the road for him. I doubt anyone Trump would actually listen to is ever going to ask him that, which is to say he's never going to ask himself that.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:45 PM on December 13, 2018 [4 favorites]

*They* did it! Investigate THEM!

President Trump doubled down on the claim that he’s not responsible for campaign finance violations by Michael Cohen on Fox News*, saying that investigators should be looking at Congress’ “slush fund” for campaign violations instead.

Said Trump: “Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to something that’s not even a crime. Nobody except for me would be looked at like this. Nobody. What about Congress? The slush fund. Millions and millions of dollars paid out each year. They have a slush fund. Millions. They don’t talk about campaign finance anything.”

*Not linking to Fox, but via if so inclined.
posted by petebest at 12:50 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Is the Cohen-in-Prague mystery about to be revealed at last?
posted by growabrain at 12:52 PM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

Is the Cohen-in-Prague mystery about to be revealed at last?

All this article says is that maybe at some point we'll get an answer. I think we already knew that.
posted by diogenes at 1:03 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Why do outlets and pundits insist on treating the nonsense Trump spews out of his mouth as if it's actually his legal response?

Because Trump's Twitter nonsense continues to be cited against him in courts of law (WaPo). Which is understandable since the Trump White House has declared they're official statements. Trump, in a position of authority and legal jeopardy, simply can no longer make public statements with impunity, the way he did when he was just a C-list reality-TV celebrity.

And as Trump clearly didn't author that “advice of counsel” by himself, it's quite possible this was Giuliani's harebrained idea.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:05 PM on December 13, 2018 [23 favorites]

> @realDonaldTrump: I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law...

Never Believe Anything Until It Is Officially Denied.
posted by cenoxo at 1:08 PM on December 13, 2018 [8 favorites]

Now hiring for 'the worst job in government': Trump's chief of staff

Like anyone working for Trump, the new chief of staff runs the risk of constant humiliation and being publicly undermined by the boss. They will also be well advised to “lawyer up” as the White House braces for an onslaught of political and legal challenges in the face of the Russia investigation, multiple lawsuits and Trump’s efforts to win re-election in 2020.

Actually wanting a high-level job working with Trump at this point would be like paddling towards the Titanic as it sinks in the hope that one of the first class suites has become available.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:08 PM on December 13, 2018 [60 favorites]

• If a client invokes the defense, it also means they waive attorney-client privilege, meaning Cohen could open up to prosecutors about any other legally problematic work he did for the president.
For instance, those 7,000 privileged items from the raid on Cohen's offices/homes that the special master sealed under attorney-client privilege could be turned over to the SDNY as part of Cohen's cooperation…

Ah, so that's why the change in messaging from am to pm. Someone clued him in.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:11 PM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]

> Why do outlets and pundits insist on treating the nonsense Trump spews out of his mouth as if it's actually his legal response?

Because Trump's Twitter nonsense continues to be cited against him in courts of law (WaPo)

Right, but if you keep reading my comment I said yes, this is fscking stupid of him to make these statements and they will likely be used against him. But the quote I was responding to was various people saying things like Jens David Ohlin, a vice dean at Cornell Law School who is an expert on criminal law, echoed that view. Trump's defense — known as the "advice of counsel" defense — is "rarely invoked and even less rarely successful," he told INSIDER.

Trump tweeting is not invoking a defense. It's doing bullshitting for PR purposes. The fact that it won't work in front of a judge and jury is irrelevant. It may matter as an admission he'll have to testify about, but the fact that this is a non-starter as a legal filing is meaningless because it's not a legal filing and it never will be.
posted by phearlez at 1:11 PM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

I actually can't see Trump ever admitting that he had ADHD. If he has an Adderall prescription, I assume that he thinks that he's getting a doctor to go along with faking a diagnosis in order to get a performance-enhancing drug to enhance his perfect, wonderful brain.

One of the huge perks of being President is you get a private doctor. Who can legally prescribe whatever the hell you want within a wide range of reason, especially if it's performance enhancing.

Bush Jr was reported on being given a cocktail of modafinil, uppers and vitamin B12 or something, and it's likely that many Presidents have used polydrug cocktails like this to keep up with their grueling schedules, be able to give high energy speeches and so on.

It is very likely that every President for the last 50-60 years has used stimulants and/or performance enhancing drugs at levels that deeply blur the line between recreational and medicinal. The use of amphetamines in the military and chain of command (especially in the Air Force by long range bomber pilots) is pretty well documented - and many/most of our Presidents have had some experience in the military and command.

So yeah, that's a thing. Most of our Presidents have very likely been varying degrees of high as fuck in the line of duty and likely dealing with secondary effects of paranoia and all that fun stuff.

If these thoughts keep you up at night and make it hard to sleep or even breathe calmly, have you tried cannabis?
posted by loquacious at 1:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [59 favorites]

Trump said he regretted ever hiring Cohen, who he said he hired because Cohen did him a favor serving on the condo board for one of his projects.

“It happens. I mean, look, it happens. I hire usually good people, but it just happens,” Trump said.

"Usually". You want a list of those usually good people that actually weren't, Donny? It's quite a long one.
posted by Stoneshop at 1:16 PM on December 13, 2018 [13 favorites]

Trump tweeting is not invoking a defense. It's doing bullshitting for PR purposes.

A point Matthew Miller made last night on MSNBC: by choosing to try Trumps crimes in the court of public opinion they've set themselves up in a trap - unlike the court of law where the conditions and goals are clear from the start, in the court of public opinion a strategy can instantly flip from reasonable to unsound.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:16 PM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Why do outlets and pundits insist on treating the nonsense Trump spews out of his mouth as if it's actually his legal response?

Because Trump's Twitter nonsense continues to be cited against him in courts of law

But the attorneys who are bringing up his Twitter nonsense aren't limited to finding out about his tweets via the NYT. It's Twitter. It's right there. Anyone can look at it. That's the point of Twitter. Reporting it as though it were binding, or even mildly interesting, is malpractice.
posted by Etrigan at 1:17 PM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ohio Congressman: We can fund border wall with “WallCoin” (Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica)

During an interview with NPR's Morning Edition on December 12, Rep. Warren Davidson [R-Ohio] said that he had offered what he referred to as a "modest proposal" in the form of his "Buy a Brick, Build a Wall Act." The bill, which he submitted on November 30, would authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to accept monetary gifts from anyone "on the condition that it be used to plan, design, construct, or maintain a barrier along the international border between the United States and Mexico." The funds would go into an account called the "Border Wall Trust Fund," and a public website would be set up to process donations electronically.

Such monies could be collected with a number of processes, including crowdfunding or something something blockchains something something.
posted by ZeusHumms at 1:17 PM on December 13, 2018 [12 favorites]

Never mind Trump when are we going to see headline like "GOP Finance Chair Sentenced To 3 Years For Fraud"
posted by PenDevil at 1:18 PM on December 13, 2018 [40 favorites]

Someone dug up Ross Douthat's college writings and guess what it turns out he is a white supremacist:

""The future belongs to the barbarians....Today it is the Africans + Arabs who are creeping in...decline of modern Europe has reached its conclusion: the Europeans are vanishing...breeding themselves out of existence..the next millennium will belong to different, hungrier peoples".

Thread here.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 1:18 PM on December 13, 2018 [52 favorites]

"Usually". You want a list of those usually good people that actually weren't, Donny? It's quite a long one.

posted by Stoneshop at 1:16 PM on December 13 [+] [!]

It's easier to list the ones that turned out to be good people. There, I just did it.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:20 PM on December 13, 2018 [9 favorites]

> Someone dug up Ross Douthat's college writings and guess what it turns out he is a white supremacist

1. Shocked, gambling, etc.

2. Just another example of libs using that age-old underhanded gotcha tactic of "repeating what conservatives say verbatim."
posted by tonycpsu at 1:21 PM on December 13, 2018 [35 favorites]

WSJ, Trump Inauguration Spending Under Criminal Investigation by Federal Prosecutors

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the record $107 million it raised from donations, people familiar with the matter said.

The criminal probe by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, which is in its early stages, also is examining whether some of the committee’s top donors gave money in exchange for access to the incoming Trump administration, policy concessions or to influence official administration positions, some of the people said.

Giving money in exchange for political favors could run afoul of federal corruption laws. Diverting funds from the organization, which was registered as a nonprofit, could also violate federal law.
...
In April raids of Mr. Cohen’s home, office and hotel room, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents obtained a recorded conversation between Mr. Cohen and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to Melania Trump, who worked on the inaugural events. In the recording, Ms. Wolkoff expressed concern about how the inaugural committee was spending money, according to a person familiar with the Cohen investigation. The Wall Street Journal couldn’t determine when the conversation between Mr. Cohen and Ms. Wolkoff took place, or why it was recorded. The recording is now in the hands of federal prosecutors in Manhattan, a person familiar with the matter said.
...
Manhattan federal prosecutors in recent months asked Tennessee developer Franklin L. Haney for documents related to a $1 million donation he made to Mr. Trump’s inaugural committee in December 2016, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Haney in early April hired Mr. Cohen, at the time serving as Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, to help obtain a $5 billion loan from the Energy Department for a nuclear-power project, the Journal has previously reported. Mr. Haney was asked for documents related to his correspondence with members of the committee, meeting calendars and paperwork for the donation, the person said. A loan application by Mr. Haney’s company is still pending at the Energy Department.

I can only imagine how many investigations are going to be launched out of the Cohen raids.
posted by zachlipton at 1:34 PM on December 13, 2018 [60 favorites]

Igor Bobic
‏
NEW: Trump considering Jared Kushner for chief of staff, @svdate reports

hahahahahahahahahsob
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:12 PM on December 13, 2018 [55 favorites]

Didn't we already establish that Kushner is a pile of security breaches all sewn up into a suit and tie? Like, seriously, haven't they already had to "manage" Kushner away from classified material because of his security issues (which I realize he's probably weaseled around, but still)?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

that a Congressman is pitching a GoFundMe for the wall or the probability that millions would throw money at if it were a puppy with cancer.

They actually tried something like that in Arizona. A fund was established by the state legislature to take contributions to build a border wall along private property in border areas. They thought they could raise as much as $50 million. Six years later, they closed the fund after collecting... $270,000. The crowdfunding idea for a wall is laughable.
posted by azpenguin at 2:17 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

considering Jared Kushner for chief of staff

the inimitable S. Kendzior called it in today’s ep of Gaslit Nation.
posted by progosk at 2:18 PM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

> Someone dug up Ross Douthat's college writings and guess what it turns out he is a white supremacist:

"It only took like 30 minutes to find these quotes (I rushed--also why some of the pictures are bad). They're in everything he wrote."

I guess the when the NYT hired Douthat the vetting process amounted to "A disingenuous conservative white guy who went to Harvard? GIVE THIS MAN AN OP-ED COLUMN."
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:21 PM on December 13, 2018 [33 favorites]

> Someone dug up Ross Douthat's college writings and guess what

"If Take Back the Night means abortion-on-demand, then there is nothing to take back. They own the darkness already - the rapists, the wife-beaters, and yes, the little old lady from the Murray Institute, sitting in a pink room in Radcliffe and teaching young women that the real enemy will one day be inside them."

Wow. Equating Take Back the Night with rapists and wife beaters? This shit is unhinged.
posted by homunculus at 2:33 PM on December 13, 2018 [29 favorites]

Well, if whoever's hired has to be approved by Javanka, of course they'd have to hire Jared. Or Ivanka.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:37 PM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

Didn't we already establish that Kushner is a pile of security breaches all sewn up into a suit and tie? Like, seriously, haven't they already had to "manage" Kushner away from classified material because of his security issues (which I realize he's probably weaseled around, but still)?

The President has ultimate authority on security classifications. If Trump says that Kushner is granted double A plus top super secret clearance, there is nothing anyone can do about it. End of story.

It could be a political issue, but it isn't a legal issue. It might look bad, but since when has that mattered to Trump.
posted by JackFlash at 2:39 PM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

> NEW: Trump considering Jared Kushner for chief of staff, @svdate reports

hahahahahahahahahsob

I would pay good money to read the exact quote from the source who supplied this tidbit:

One source said Ayers, the father of young triplets, wanted to take the job on a short-term basis to see whether he could manage it, but then grew less interested the more time he spent with Trump.
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:40 PM on December 13, 2018 [29 favorites]

They currently get around the nepotism rules since Javanka aren't paid. Wouldn't an official COS position would definitely qualify as nepotism?
posted by localhuman at 2:40 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Does that matter tho? Like, going from obvious nepotism with fig leaf to obvious nepotism seems like something this gang can get away with before breakfast.
posted by lazaruslong at 2:46 PM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]

The President has ultimate authority on security classifications. If Trump says that Kushner is granted double A plus top super secret clearance, there is nothing anyone can do about it. End of story.

Is it really that simple? I mean, what if he demands the codes to the football? There has to be some system in place that says "sorry, obviously crazy people can't have double A plus top super secret clearance."

For instance, those 7,000 privileged items from the raid on Cohen's offices/homes that the special master sealed under attorney-client privilege could be turned over to the SDNY as part of Cohen's cooperation…

Along those same lines: Is Mueller and company really unable to see those 7,000 pages? Doesn't there come a point where people say, "this crime is so serious, it doesn't matter how privileged something is, there are bigger issues at stake, hand 'em over."? Oh, woops, my case was all but sewn up, except that I just couldn't access those pages that were right under my nose...
posted by Melismata at 2:53 PM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

The best part about Jared as CoS is that Trump could never fire him. I can't see any situation in which Trump would be able to fire Jared. It just wouldn't happen.
posted by BungaDunga at 2:57 PM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

Bloomberg: Markets Conclude the U.S. Is Riskier Than China—Now the Treasury has to pay a premium over Chinese bonds to attract investors. They see four major red flags in U.S. debt. Slowing growth, increased debt, decreased revenue, and a monetary policy of above-average rates are working against the US.

Wall Street Journal (@WSJ): Economists See U.S.-China Trade War as Biggest Threat in 2019—Survey finds financial market disruptions, slowdown in business investment are also concerns for next year. The Trump Slump is coming…

From Trump's Fox interview this afternoon (via WaPo's JM Rieger):

FAULKNER: Why are you so confident about [the trade deals with China, Mexico and Canada]?

TRUMP: Because I know what I’m doing. I mean, it’s business.

posted by Doktor Zed at 3:01 PM on December 13, 2018 [30 favorites]

Mod note: Y'all rein it in a little on the real-time Douthat popcorn maybe.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:03 PM on December 13, 2018 [11 favorites]

That Cohen-in-Prague article linked above was very good, and very interesting. As part of its "let's not go crazy" balancing it linked to another article that pooh-poohed the idea of the pee-pee tape.

. . . the dossier’s “pee-pee tape” claim is viewed with derision by most Western spies who know the Russians. It’s very likely that the Kremlin possesses kompromat on the president—senior intelligence sources from several countries have confirmed to me that unpleasant videos of Trump exist—yet there’s no reason to believe Steele’s particular claim here, without corroborating evidence.

"unpleasant" videos? Zounds.
posted by petebest at 3:11 PM on December 13, 2018 [17 favorites]

Is it really that simple? I mean, what if he demands the codes to the football? There has to be some system in place that says "sorry, obviously crazy people can't have double A plus top super secret clearance."

To answer your specific question, the Gold Codes are only part of the authentication process (knowing which among them are real & which are fake is another precaution but he could also just ask for that too). There's also a voice verification to the Secretary of Defense. Only the President is authorized to order missile launch, so Jared would try to order a launch & reach SECDEF James Mattis on the special radio transceiver inside the Football, who would tell him no. That's not a thing he could change.

More generally, the President has ultimate authority over classification so he can bypass any denial of access to anybody if he wants. In theory he could read Vladimir Putin into any code word compartment. The only remedies for any of this are the 25th Amendment & impeachment. The President's powers are vast & the checks on it are minimal.
posted by scalefree at 3:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

The best part about Jared as CoS is that Trump could never fire him. I can't see any situation in which Trump would be able to fire Jared. It just wouldn't happen.

Never confirmed it but I read a tweet that said Trump tried to get Ayers to inform Kelly he was fired, back when he was still the assumptive new CoS. I'm still not sure who he got to do the deed for him.
posted by scalefree at 3:21 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Didn't we already establish that KushnerTrump is a pile of security breaches all sewn up into a suit and tie?
That appears to have been well established with all the intelligence agencies before he declared his candidacy and yet nobody ever said "Whooaa... waitaminute... before we give HIM the keys to everything..."
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:24 PM on December 13, 2018

I'm still not sure who he got to do the deed for him.

I've been half-assuming he didn't tell him and just told the cameras instead, but I don't think I've seen that reported anywhere.
posted by BungaDunga at 3:24 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

The President has ultimate authority on security classifications. If Trump says that Kushner is granted double A plus top super secret clearance, there is nothing anyone can do about it. End of story.

Whether or not he can hand out security clearances, he can give info to whomever he wants, and allow anyone to attend meetings. Actually getting Jared a security clearance that other departments recognize may be troublesome, but getting him access to incredibly sensitive info is a matter of, "here, Jared, hold this binder for me."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 3:32 PM on December 13, 2018

Never confirmed it but I read a tweet that said Trump tried to get Ayers to inform Kelly he was fired

It was in the NYTimes and posted in-thread here.
posted by peeedro at 3:33 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

NBC News: ICE arrested 170 immigrants seeking to sponsor migrant children

I just can't with this one. ICE ran a sting operation where they held children hostage in detention facilities and used them as bait for the most caring immigrants willing to come forward and offer to take care of them. Then they took these immigrants, who are such fine examples of the best of this country that they volunteered to take care of these kids, and arrested them.
posted by zachlipton at 3:38 PM on December 13, 2018 [115 favorites]

petebest: That Cohen-in-Prague article linked above was very good, and very interesting.

Seconding that. Wow.

I would quibble with this:

There are three possibilities to ponder:

1) Cohen’s Prague meeting happened in August 2016, as the Steele dossier claimed. It is the cornerstone of the collusion narrative.

To me, that's a bit like, I dunno, calling NASA's blue marble photograph the "cornerstone of the round-Earth model. Like, the evidence spills in so many directions that no one thing can possibly claim to be a linchpin. Like, if you want meetings with Russians, just try the one with Veselnitskaya literally in Trump Tower! But I'll grant that a Prague meeting would merit smoking-gun status if it really did involve a payment to hackers.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 3:40 PM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

...unpleasant videos of Trump exist...

Even more unpleasant than any other time he's in front of a camera? The mind boggles...
posted by Thorzdad at 3:44 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

> considering Jared Kushner for chief of staff

the inimitable S. Kendzior called it in today’s ep of Gaslit Nation.

It's disquieting how good Kendzior is at predicting worst-case scenarios with Trump. She recorded this exchange on Monday for her Gaslit Nation podcast:

@AndreaChalupa: "If he can't find some bottom-feeder willing to take the chief of staff job -- a person willing to take legal liability, who has no morals, who is sociopathically ambitious -- it will probably be Jared and Ivanka, and they'll effectively be the POTUS."
Me: "Jared and Ivanka may also fill the role informally. This is a gutted government, and that opens up a void which they can use. Trump is creating a dynastic kleptocracy. As time goes on, autocrats become more paranoid and insular, and the only people they trust are family."

She's proved consistently correct about her warnings of Jared and Ivanka. And she suggests we're in for worse (from December 2016): "Authoritarianism moves fast, and once autocrat is in, very difficult to get them out. Often power passes to leader's family. Watch w/Trump."
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:46 PM on December 13, 2018 [37 favorites]

Does it even matter whether or not the Prague meeting happened or not? What would its existence prove that we don't already know?
posted by kirkaracha at 3:48 PM on December 13, 2018

Special Prosecutor reveals strategic plan: Mueller Just Going to Grind a Few More Levels Before Final Boss Fight (satire).
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:48 PM on December 13, 2018 [35 favorites]

> Trump Inauguration Spending Under Criminal Investigation by Federal Prosecutors

I wonder if all of these prosecutors and investigators sometimes try, just for funsies when they've got a spare minute or two, to find something Trump was involved with since he took office that involved absolutely no criminal acts. "The tree-lighting ceremony? Hmmm...no, that one had crimes. The turkey pardoning? Nope. The Coast Guard change-of-command thing? Dammit, I thought I had one!"
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:58 PM on December 13, 2018 [11 favorites]

Remember when Hannity was outed as a client of Cohen? Did anything ever come of that?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:37 PM on December 13, 2018 [17 favorites]

I wonder if all of these prosecutors and investigators sometimes try, just for funsies

Feds? No. You're talking about people for whom humor rarely rises above soap opera caliber, which is an occupational hazard. Law enforcement already has trouble interacting in society (see police-dominated residential enclaves), imagine being a federal prosecutor, thinking about what charges could be brought whenever you're trying to buy a TV or something and the salesperson says, "best one in the store!"
posted by rhizome at 4:39 PM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

> senior intelligence sources from several countries have confirmed to me that unpleasant videos of Trump exist

"unpleasant" videos? Zounds.

Schindler dropped the euphemisms in his Observer article from a year ago: Spies Suspect Kremlin Is Pushing Dozens of Fake Trump Sex Tapes

As many as a dozen intelligence services worldwide, on four continents, are in possession of some sort of “Trump tape” featuring sexual escapades of a controversial nature; in some cases, the women involved appear to be underage. Some of these tapes have been shared with the Mueller investigation.

One Western intelligence agency with a solid professional reputation is in possession of an unpleasant Trump tape that they assess “with high confidence” is bona fide, i.e. exactly what it appears to be. They obtained the tape from a trusted source who plausibly had access to it. Over the decades, Trump has traveled widely—including to Russia more than once—and thereby exposed himself to surreptitious filming in numerous countries.

However, here’s the rub: Many of the “Trump tapes” floating around in spy circles worldwide cannot be verified, while some of them are obvious fakes. The Western spy agency that’s holding a Trump tape they’re pretty sure is real has also been approached two other times with tapes that were less solid—and one of them was transparently fake.

As usual, caveat lector with Schindler. He claims to have talked to "dozens of well-placed sources (many of them longtime spy-friends)" over a couple of years before he wrote his article, but he doesn't corroborate his article any more definitively than the Steele Dossier could back up its claims.

That said, after what we've heard from others about Trump's creepy behaviour around teen girls, to said nothing about the implications of the new reporting about his pedophile sex-trafficking friend Jeffrey Epstein, the possible worst-case scenario for a Russian kompromat video could be very ugly indeed.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:41 PM on December 13, 2018 [18 favorites]

Sneaking political commentary into science papers? Glorious! (PZ Myers, Pharyngula)

Via Jonathan Eisen, a simple exercise.

Please take a minute to experience for yourself one of the greatest scientific Easter eggs in a long time.

Step 1: download the PDF of this paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-20427-9

Step 2: Go to Page 3.

Step 3: Zoom way way in on the turd in Figure 1.

Step 4: Enjoy and share.

The article is titled “Methylation-based enrichment facilitates low-cost, noninvasive genomic scale sequencing of populations from feces”, in case you’re interested.

For those of you who don’t want to take the trouble, I’ll put the illustration of a baboon turd below the fold. You never know, someone might decide to insist on having it redrawn.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:52 PM on December 13, 2018 [30 favorites]

kirkaracha: Does it even matter whether or not the Prague meeting happened or not? What would its existence prove that we don't already know?

The significance of the meeting is: under the Steele Dossier version of events, Cohen actually paid the hackers, by some "deniable" method. That would go well beyond a simple confluence of Russian and Trump interests; it would be collusion by any stretch.

Cohen has denied ever being in Prague in his life. Not once, not ever. However, David Corn of Mother Jones says he talked to Cohen sometime after the election (he got to be one of the first to see the dossier before it became public) and was told he "hadn't been to Prague in 14 years". That would still be before the campaign (I'm not sure, someone who has experienced time at a normal rate should do the math), but the contradiction is noteworthy.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:52 PM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]

Remember when Hannity was outed as a client of Cohen? Did anything ever come of that?

From HillReporter.com:
Hannity Deletes Numerous Cohen-related Tweets On Eve of Sentencing

Now with the sentencing of Michael Cohen scheduled for later today, Sean Hannity has rather coincidentally deleted numerous tweets concerning his relationship with Cohen. The five deleted tweets concerning Cohen were among over 270 additional tweets that Hannity also deleted on Tuesday afternoon.

So there's that.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:09 PM on December 13, 2018 [15 favorites]

When I looked through the tweets that Hannity deleted, they were mostly about Jimmy Kimmel. Whatever that might mean.
posted by clawsoon at 5:12 PM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Trump is such a creep that "sex tape" could still be a cover story for compromising information of something truly appalling. There is nothing about the guy that compels me to say to myself, "yes, the thing they are saying is true" regarding anything about him except what Mueller and the NY State prosecutors find.
posted by rhizome at 5:21 PM on December 13, 2018

WaPo, 7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion

According to CBP records, the girl and her father were taken into custody at around 10 p.m. on Dec. 6 south of Lordsburg, N.M., as part of a group of 163 people who approached U.S. agents to turn themselves in.

More than eight hours later, the child began having seizures at 6:25 a.m., CBP records show. Emergency responders who arrived soon after measured her body temperature at 105.7 degrees, and according to a statement from CBP, she “reportedly had not eaten or consumed water for several days.”

posted by zachlipton at 5:21 PM on December 13, 2018 [49 favorites]

Fetal tissue research targeted by abortion foes inside administration

NIH says cancer study also hit by fetal tissue ban (as well as AIDS research:)

Packard calls the HHS review and its attendant constraints “really just a travesty for the outlook for HIV research. Mice made with human fetal tissue are critical to moving from discoveries in the lab to clinical treatments. Blocking this significantly hurts our chances of finding an HIV cure.”

Greene adds that even if the HHS order is eventually lifted, the lost time would be consequential. “If we were given the green light right now” to resume acquiring fetal tissue, he says, “it would probably take us a year to get back in the position we were in when the ban was put in place.”

Related links.
posted by homunculus at 5:30 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

.
One from me
.
Another from my own 7-year-old

So damn angry

Who was the commanding officer on duty? I want Congress to find out.
posted by maniabug at 5:33 PM on December 13, 2018 [44 favorites]

Breaking: N.C. congressional candidate sought out aide, despite warnings over tactics (WaPo)

North Carolina congressional candidate Mark Harris (R) directed the hiring of a campaign aide now at the center of an election-fraud investigation, according to three individuals familiar with the campaign, despite warnings that the operative may have used questionable tactics to deliver votes.

Harris sought out the operative, Leslie McCrae Dowless, after losing a 2016 election in which Dowless had helped one of Harris’s opponents win an overwhelming share of the mail-in vote in a key county.

State and local investigators say that whether Harris knew that his campaign may have engaged in improper tactics has become a focus of the expanding probes into whether election irregularities affected the 9th District election, in which Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:46 PM on December 13, 2018 [12 favorites]

For what its worth, even if you don't trust Schindler further than you can throw him, devoted Trump pee-pee tape enthusiasts will remember that a BBC correspondent also said he had contacted intelligence sources who believed compromising Trump tapes existed and a source had heard an alleged "tape recording of a conversation about money from the Kremlin going into the US presidential campaign."
posted by BungaDunga at 6:02 PM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]

BungaDunga: a source had heard an alleged "tape recording of a conversation about money from the Kremlin going into the US presidential campaign."

There's a stand-up joke I can't locate at the moment about driving down the highway and seeing a truck loaded with logs traveling the same route, then shortly afterward, another truck traveling the opposite way, also loaded with logs. The comedian remarks "It seems like a lot of trouble could have been saved with a little communication."

So with that in mind: why would transfers of money happen in both directions? In particular, I'd be a lot more skeptical of the "Cohen paying some hackers" claim (as opposed to the FSB/Kremlin doing so) if it didn't have Christopher Steele's authority behind it.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:28 PM on December 13, 2018 [8 favorites]

why would transfers of money happen in both directions?

So Cohen/Trump can take a cut.

Also, general money laundering.
posted by ryanrs at 6:33 PM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

I'd be a lot more skeptical of the "Cohen paying some hackers" claim (as opposed to the FSB/Kremlin doing so)

Russian intelligence has been using hackers from the former Eastern Bloc as freelancers and cutouts for some time now, so the idea of Cohen having to pay one of these groups sounds plausible.
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:39 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

State and local investigators say that whether Harris knew that his campaign may have engaged in improper tactics has become a focus of the expanding probes into whether election irregularities affected the 9th District election

An interesting question is whether they would give Dowless a cooperation agreement if he turned on Harris. Normally the candidate would obviously be the big fish but in this case the fact that Dowless has apparently been doing this for years for multiple candidates complicates matters. Hopefully they can nail them both without having to make a deal with either.
posted by Justinian at 6:39 PM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

There is nothing about the guy that compels me to say to myself, "yes, the thing they are saying is true" regarding anything about him except what Mueller and the NY State prosecutors find.

My reaction is kind of the opposite. The pee tape, the drugs, the collusion, the rapes, the money laundering, the fake charities, the mafia ties, the real estate scams... It's all true. All of it.
posted by xammerboy at 6:41 PM on December 13, 2018 [41 favorites]

WaPo, 7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion

The political party that controls all of the federal government are responsible. It's that simple. This is beyond unconscionable.

Justice WILL be here. And she is g-ddamned angry.
posted by petebest at 6:43 PM on December 13, 2018 [23 favorites]

CALmatters, Chief justice of the California Supreme Court leaves the Republican Party, citing Kavanaugh

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has quietly given up her Republican registration and re-registered as a no-party-preference voter, saying Thursday she had become increasingly uncomfortable with the GOP’s direction nationally and in the state.

In a phone interview with CALmatters, Cantil-Sakauye—who was a prosecutor before becoming a judge 28 years ago and California Supreme Court chief justice in 2011—said she made the final decision to change her registration after watching the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

“You can draw your own conclusions,” she said.

posted by zachlipton at 6:51 PM on December 13, 2018 [68 favorites]

@CNNSitRoom Acosta reports that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is considered a “strong option” for White House chief of staff

Axios: Trump Meets With Chris Christie to Discuss Chief of Staff Role. "President Trump met with Chris Christie on Thursday evening and considers him a top contender to replace John Kelly as chief of staff, according to a source familiar with the president’s thinking. ‘He’s tough; he’s an attorney; he’s politically-savvy, and one of Trump’s early supporters.’"

Fox: Trump Reveals Chief Of Staff Search Down to 5 Candidates. Trying to spin out interest in the hiring, Trump told his audience of newly elected governors at a White House meeting that his candidates are "mostly well-known", "terrific people", and "really good ones." Since any number Trump mentions is wrong or a lie, I figure that either he's decided on Jared but needs cover or he's still holding open calls for CoS.

Meanwhile, Reince Priebus just tweeted a picture of him and John Kelly, both wearing grins that can be described only as ‘shit-eating’: "Having a great time at the Whitehouse Christmas Party!" (Pic)
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:05 PM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

McCarthy Asks Democrats to Embrace Bipartisanship

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is encouraging incoming Democratic lawmakers to embrace bipartisanship, arguing such an approach benefits constituents more than a “partisan food fight” and investigations, The Hill reports.

Said McCarthy: “If the next Congress devolves into a partisan food fight of accusations and investigations, it will come at the expense of real Americans. A minority of loud voices seem to prefer that outcome, but I think our country is too great for a vision so small.”

Bipartisanship. Right.
posted by petebest at 7:11 PM on December 13, 2018 [37 favorites]

such an approach benefits constituents more than a “partisan food fight” and investigations

Benghazi. Merrick Garland.

There's your bipartisanship. It's fucking revenge time.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:13 PM on December 13, 2018 [86 favorites]

Trump Meets With Chris Christie to Discuss Chief of Staff Role

Ok, so this is blowing my mind but if true, this next season, given Javanka, is going to be lit.
posted by sjswitzer at 7:18 PM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

This is just Trump’s opportunity to serve Christie another big helping of meatloaf. It must feel exalting to be able to have former Governors like Christie and Romney crawling on their knees to supplicate and degrade themselves, and then jerk the football away again and again.

Having Javanka (one? both?) as CoS will be perfect. It’s a perfect stew of nepotism, corruption and incompetence. We all thought this Administration was a shit-show these past two years. But I get the impression that the next two years are going to make his first two years seem like halcyon days.

Soon, it’s going to be America’s time in the barrel.
posted by darkstar at 7:32 PM on December 13, 2018 [4 favorites]

McCarthy Asks Democrats to Embrace Bipartisanship

Just making sure, this is the same Kevin McCarthy who almost singlehandedly lost half of the California Republican House delegation because he kept pressuring them to vote for ideological wet dreams at the (very literal) expense of their constituents, right?

Embracing Trump and appeasing the hard-line conservative wing of the GOP were shrewd steps for McCarthy, who unsuccessfully bid for House speaker in 2015 but quickly bounced back, due in part to his strong ties to the White House.

But being the president’s point person on Capitol Hill meant pushing policies that were out of step with voters back home — such as a measure to override state gun control laws — and corralling his fellow California lawmakers to help pass them.

One glaring example was the sweeping tax bill passed in December, which stands to hurt many Californians by capping deductions of state and local taxes as well as the interest on home mortgages. All but two of the state’s 14 House Republicans — Rohrabacher and Issa — voted for the GOP tax law, even though studies suggested it would have an especially negative impact on residents in pricey areas such as suburban Orange and Los Angeles counties.

The vote allowed Democrats, who are usually tagged with the tax-and-spend label, to wield the issue as a weapon and accuse Republicans of putting party loyalty ahead of their constituents’ interests.

“We need a champion for tax fairness,” said Walters’ Democratic opponent, Katie Porter, “not someone who will sell out Orange County because Donald Trump” and House leaders “asked her to do so.”

posted by J.K. Seazer at 7:39 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

New Jersey Democrats’ Diabolical Gerrymandering Scheme Is an Affront to Democracy (Mark Joseph Stern, Slate)

Democrats in New Jersey Have a Firm Grip on Power. They Want Even More. (Nick Corasaniti, NY Times)

Legislative power brokers across the country have long designed district lines in back-room deals that entrenched their control for years, if not decades. But now, Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey are carrying out a power grab in an unusually public fashion: They are seeking to make Republicans a permanent minority by essentially writing gerrymandering into the State Constitution.

The New Jersey plan comes amid a national reckoning over the consequences of gerrymandering and has been met by fierce opposition across the political landscape — and not just from Republicans and nonpartisan watchdog groups.

Even some national Democratic leaders have criticized the plan, fearing that it undercuts Democratic efforts to attack what they term Republican strong-arm tactics in state capitals across the country. Republicans in Wisconsin and Michigan are facing an intense backlash after state legislatures there voted to strip power from newly elected Democratic governors.

posted by ZeusHumms at 7:39 PM on December 13, 2018 [9 favorites]

New Jersey Democrats’ Diabolical Gerrymandering Scheme Is an Affront to Democracy

Good.

Kevin Drum: Three Cheers For New Jersey’s Appalling Gerrymandering Law

But here’s the real reason: this is the only thing that will ever get the Supreme Court off its butt to do something about gerrymandering. I’m dead serious here. Conservatives on the Supreme Court aren’t likely to ever address gerrymandering until it’s crystal clear that Democrats can be every bit as ruthless and shady as Republicans. As long as red-state Republicans pass bill after bill screwing Democrats, while blue states like California and New Jersey and New York do nothing, there will always be a majority on the Supreme Court to shrug it off as a “political” question and do nothing.

and

Let’s Think About Court-Packing

Court-packing is a dangerous tactic, though. If either party resorts to court-packing, they risk destroying the legitimacy of the judiciary—the mechanism America should be using to resolve legal disputes peacefully and, in theory, free of partisan political considerations.

But with a partisan judiciary that is hostile to the franchise itself, court-packing may be the least-worst option. At this point, it may be the only way to prevent permanent rule by an increasingly radicalized GOP.

It's beyond time to play the same damn game.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:48 PM on December 13, 2018 [53 favorites]

L.A. Times: Trump increasingly isolated as aides leave, friends flip and investigations advance

The headline writers are just fucking with us at this point.
posted by octothorpe at 7:53 PM on December 13, 2018 [24 favorites]

And the poor guy doesn't even have a dog.
posted by perhapses at 7:55 PM on December 13, 2018 [4 favorites]

And the poor guy doesn't even have a dog.

The dog is extremely grateful.
posted by scalefree at 8:05 PM on December 13, 2018 [70 favorites]

L.A. Times: Trump increasingly isolated as aides leave, friends flip and investigations advance

The headline writers are just fucking with us at this point.

I’ve cracked the code: it’s anagrammed.

Increasingly isolated
—————————————————————
Designates ironically
Endearingly socialist
Congenially, Aristides
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [22 favorites]

> I swear, if I have to fucking listen to BUT HER DNA TEST for the next two years just put me in a medically-induced coma right the hell now

Why Elizabeth Warren’s DNA Fiasco Matters: The 2020 contender’s claim to Native American heritage was a blunder, and the Left shouldn’t dismiss it

What Elizabeth Warren Keeps Getting Wrong About DNA Tests and Native American Heritage: Mari Uyehara on how the Massachusetts senator’s clumsy PR offensive tiptoes into dangerous territory about race and whose definitions get to matter.
posted by homunculus at 8:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [9 favorites]

If either party resorts to court-packing, they risk destroying the legitimacy of the judiciary

Oh no, not the sacred legitimacy of the judiciary!
posted by contraption at 8:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [22 favorites]

As long as red-state Republicans pass bill after bill screwing Democrats, while blue states like California and New Jersey and New York do nothing, there will always be a majority on the Supreme Court to shrug it off as a “political” question and do nothing.

I've said this! Me! We should GERRYMANDER THE FUCK out of everything while simultaneously offering Republicans a deal where every state passes a non-partisan districting schema. Unilaterally disarming by doing non-partisan districting in blue states (CALIFORNIA) and partisan in the red states is a chump move that does nothing but entrench Republicanism.

I'd love to try for a 53-0 Dem map in CA but sadly it appears unlikely.
posted by Justinian at 8:22 PM on December 13, 2018 [15 favorites]

Originally denies acts 😳


(I’ll stop.)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:24 PM on December 13, 2018 [28 favorites]

Conservatives on the Supreme Court aren’t likely to ever address gerrymandering until it’s crystal clear that Democrats can be every bit as ruthless and shady as Republicans.

Despite how tough and cynical this pundit is trying to sound, he's actually being naive. If you really believe that conservatives on the Supreme Court will rule on gerrymandering cases in order to help the Republicans as much as possible, then why wouldn't you also believe that they could issue a ruling that narrowly strikes down a Democratic gerrymander, but leaves existing Republican ones intact?
posted by J.K. Seazer at 8:31 PM on December 13, 2018 [13 favorites]

I'd love to try for a 53-0 Dem map in CA but sadly it appears unlikely.

Also in NY, where Cuomo signed a Republican gerrymander to keep from having to pass any progressive policies because he wanted to position himself as a centrist for a presidential run.

If Dems tried hard enough, they could possibly slice NYC enough to wipe out every Republican in NY on both the federal and state level. But Cuomo.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:32 PM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

Why Elizabeth Warren’s DNA Fiasco Matters: The 2020 contender’s claim to Native American heritage was a blunder, and the Left shouldn’t dismiss it

Don't Democrats have any idea people? Like, why not use the controversy to point out how fucked Native Americans have been that any concessions made to them require a specific kind and amount of blood chemistry? It's like if black people had to prove they descended from pre-1865 slaves in order to receive affirmative action, every tiniest benefit to minorities has these ridiculous requirements, all in service of maintaining inequality. This is where "Doritos on food stamps?!" bullshit comes from.
posted by rhizome at 8:45 PM on December 13, 2018 [26 favorites]

NYT: Trump Inaugural Fund and Super PAC Said to Be Scrutinized for Illegal Foreign Donations

Federal prosecutors are examining whether foreigners illegally funneled donations to President Trump’s inaugural committee and a pro-Trump super PAC in hopes of buying influence over American policy, according to people familiar with the inquiry.

The inquiry focuses on whether people from Middle Eastern nations — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — used straw donors to disguise their donations to the two funds. Federal law prohibits foreign contributions to federal campaigns, political action committees and inaugural funds.

Is this the same Middle East connection that the Daily Beast discussed?
posted by reductiondesign at 8:51 PM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]

They could possibly slice NYC enough to wipe out every Republican in NY on both the federal and state level
The Baconmander
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:08 PM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

The Card Cheat: One source said Ayers, the father of young triplets, wanted to take the job on a short-term basis to see whether he could manage it, but then grew less interested the more time he spent with Trump.

"I can handle three baby-sized toddlers, one man-sized child shouldn't be worse, right?" ... "Nah, fuck that noise. Let me spend more time with my family."


zachlipton: WaPo, 7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion

Re-quoting my comment from above, from a recent NPR article: Leaving aside the semantic difference between a wall and a fence, Trump is correct that fencing in San Diego, for example, significantly reduced "illegal traffic" when originally built decades ago. It also pushed border-crossers east, away from coastal San Diego, to areas where the fencing is less robust. Partly as a result, thousands have perished trying to trek through deserts and mountains.

And earlier this year, Border Patrol agents were filmed dumping water left for migrants. Then came a ‘suspicious’ arrest. (Amy B Wang for Washington Post, January 24, 2018)

Last Wednesday, a nonprofit group that provides humanitarian aid to migrants in the Arizona desert released a lengthy report alleging Border Patrol agents were intentionally destroying supplies left for migrants in the desert, the group said, to “condemn border crossers to suffering, death and disappearance.”

What received wider attention, however, was a video that the Tucson-based aid group, No More Deaths, also distributed with its report. The footage, taken between 2010 and 2017, showed Border Patrol agents kicking over water jugs that had been left in the desert. In one clip, a male agent sneers at the person filming him, demanding to know whom the water is for, as he empties a gallon bottle of water onto the ground.

Now the aid group is calling the arrest of one its volunteers suspicious. On Wednesday, Border Patrol agents arrested Scott Warren, 35, in the desert near Ajo, Ariz., about eight hours after the No More Deaths report and video were released.

This country's treatment of the southern border, and people who try to cross it, has been headed towards inhumane for a while now. Under the current administration, it's been ramped up and amplified.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:09 PM on December 13, 2018 [43 favorites]

ICYMI, Lanny Davis (former Clinton special counsel and former lawyer to Michael Cohen), said, “Bob Mueller, who’s akin to a submarine, silently fueled by facts and only facts, no leaks and just watch and wait and that’s what Mr. Cohen will do and then Michael will tell the truth once Mueller is finished.”

That's how I'm referring to Mueller from now on, the silent fact-fuelled submarine.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:18 PM on December 13, 2018 [44 favorites]

Walls Work: DHS Press release

Release Date: December 12, 2018
WE ARE BUILDING THE FIRST NEW BORDER WALL IN A DECADE.

DHS is committed to building wall and building wall quickly. We are not replacing short, outdated and ineffective wall with similar wall. Instead, under this President we are building a wall that is 30-feet high.

FACT: Prior to President Trump taking office, we have never built wall that high.

Wordcount: 14

Once funding was provided, DHS began construction of border wall exceptionally quickly, in some locations in as little as nine months from funding to building– a process that commonly takes two years or more in other parts of Government. By the end of FY 2019, DHS expects to have construction completed or underway for more than 120 miles in the areas it’s most needed by the U.S. Border Patrol. The pace of construction has picked up as initial limiting factors like land acquisition and funding have been addressed.

Wordcount: 88

Wow, what an insanely fucking WEIRD COINCIDENCE
posted by chappell, ambrose at 9:41 PM on December 13, 2018 [74 favorites]

IMO I think the Cohen sentencing is s huge turning point. This was the president guy for years. He’s now in jail, for YEARS!! I can describe what happened in one sentence: Trump made an illegal campaign contribution by having is lawyer pay hush money to a porn actress and lies about it. It’s simple and people can understand it. It seems that the front page of CNN is nowtalking about this scandal every second of the day.

It also shows us that Mueller is really comfortable putting people in jail. This is the goal: put people in jail when they commit crimes. It’s gonna happen more and more. I thought it may never happen.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 9:47 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

The Trump Rules by Steve Saideman

The Canadian poli sci prof has identified eight governing rules of Trump dynamics, e.g. Rule #1 "Whenever Trump accuses someone of something, it is because this is how he would behave--it is all projection. He is an awful person so he thinks everyone else is awful, too, and then blames their behavior on what would be motivating him in that position."

They'll probably feel familiar to USPolitics megathread regulars, but it's useful to have them clearly articulated and collected together.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:54 PM on December 13, 2018 [20 favorites]

Wordcount: 88

Wow, what an insanely fucking WEIRD COINCIDENCE

DHS was the agency responsible for this charming document last summer.
posted by donatella at 10:05 PM on December 13, 2018 [10 favorites]

The DHS White Supremacist numerology is almost certainly some lone bored troll staffer in an office somewhere seeing if libs will notice it and be triggered. He makes a new puzzle each week and we find the 14/88 references, which are getting increasingly coded. It's the stupidest cat and mouse game ever played for no stakes.

There's no point in engaging - it's not like we're ripping the mask off a Scooby Doo villain here and exposing the whole plot.
posted by 0xFCAF at 10:06 PM on December 13, 2018 [9 favorites]

It's the stupidest cat and mouse game ever played for no stakes.

I see your point, I guess, but also: we're at the point where it's just obvious and accepted that a major federal agency is putting literal nazi propaganda in its official statements, and not only is nothing done about it, but reasonable people are arguing it's no big deal and not worth talking about.
posted by contraption at 10:15 PM on December 13, 2018 [68 favorites]

CNN's 2020 Democratic nominee power rankings by Cillizza (boo) and Enten (yay!).

1. Kamala Harris
2. Beto O'Rourke
3. Joe Biden
4. Cory Booker
5. Elizabeth Warren
6. Bernie Sanders
7. Amy Klobuchar
8. Sherrod Brown
9. Julian Castro
10. Kirsten Gillibrand

Seems about right to me though I'd probably drop booker a few places and move Gillibrand up above Castro.
posted by Justinian at 10:18 PM on December 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

It's the stupidest cat and mouse game ever played for no stakes.

You... honestly think that whether or not USG press releases contain coded white supremacist messages is irrelevant?
posted by chappell, ambrose at 10:24 PM on December 13, 2018 [30 favorites]

L.A. Times: Trump increasingly isolated as aides leave, friends flip and investigations advance

Bah. Trump increasingly isolated as aides abandon, friends flip and investigations intensify. There, FTFY. HTH, HAND.
posted by Stoneshop at 10:31 PM on December 13, 2018 [13 favorites]

trump’s isolation is one of those limit things i learned in calculus, right? where it’s constantly increasing toward some maximum value but never gets there.
posted by murphy slaw at 10:55 PM on December 13, 2018 [51 favorites]

You... honestly think that whether or not USG press releases contain coded white supremacist messages is irrelevant?

Given that all of their actions contain non-coded white supremacist intentions and outcomes, I'm inclined to agree that their winky coded messages are irrelevant. Everybody on every side of this issue already knows that DHS, ICE, and CBP are plainly white nationalist/supremacist organizations carrying out plainly white nationalist/supremacist plans for plainly white nationalist/supremacist reasons. The fact that they're whispering "Psst, we like white supremacy" while they do it isn't changing anything.
posted by IAmUnaware at 10:56 PM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]

*Thinks back to 2016 when we all agreed we wouldn’t fall prey to the normalisation of fascism*
posted by chappell, ambrose at 10:59 PM on December 13, 2018 [71 favorites]

A lot of people who support Trump's immigration policies claim they are concerned about rule of law or security. It's a lot harder to do that when USG press releases are coded to read Heil Hitler (88).
posted by xammerboy at 11:09 PM on December 13, 2018 [8 favorites]

Everybody on every side of this issue already knows that DHS, ICE, and CBP are plainly white nationalist/supremacist organizations carrying out plainly white nationalist/supremacist plans for plainly white nationalist/supremacist reasons.

A lot of people just go to work, take care of their kids and watch video entertainments, and aren't on any side of this issue yet because it doesn't impact them directly and they haven't found a reason to care. Every step toward overt fascism is a chance to sound the alarm and hopefully wake a few of those folks up to the seriousness of the situation, and every step we allow to pass without comment is another nail in our collective coffin. We just won the House, they should investigate this. If it's a lone staffer, that person should be fired and their supervisors investigated. If it's part of a larger organized effort (unlikely, I agree, but how do we know if we just shrug?) that should be exposed. I get it if Democrats don't want to go all in on socialism, but how risky is it to take a strong position as the anti-nazi party?
posted by contraption at 11:10 PM on December 13, 2018 [27 favorites]

You... honestly think that whether or not USG press releases contain coded white supremacist messages is irrelevant?

The word count is not what's propaganda. Propaganda is by definition not secret or hidden. The actual content of the press release, bragging about how strong and big and hard the wall is, is what's actually nazi-ish and propaganda ish. Counting words just makes you look crazy.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 11:33 PM on December 13, 2018 [23 favorites]

The word count is not what's propaganda. Propaganda is by definition not secret or hidden. The actual content of the press release, bragging about how strong and big and hard the wall is, is what's actually nazi-ish and propaganda ish. Counting words just makes you look crazy.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 2:33 on December 14
[+] [!]

At the same time r/thedonald will be looking for coded messages of support, and if ICE told them the moon landings never happened with the number of words in each paragraph they'd fully support that worldview.
posted by I paid money to offer this... insight? at 11:58 PM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

It's all code though isn't it? "Tough on crime", "Rule of Law", "Secure Borders", etc? I feel like the real Jack Nicholson moment will be when Trump says "you're damn right it's all about keeping America white."
posted by xammerboy at 12:11 AM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

You know who else became increasingly isolated?

Also, abused amphetamines.

Also, ended up failing spectacularly after refusing to take informed advice.

Seems like someone any right-thinking American would want to follow down that path.
posted by skyscraper at 1:31 AM on December 14, 2018 [11 favorites]

Elvis did some good stuff too though.
posted by Mocata at 1:57 AM on December 14, 2018 [155 favorites]

OK so now I can see Individual 1 in a tight fitting spangly jumpsuit split to the waistband doing his karate moves and I have to say I'm not grateful for that.
posted by Grangousier at 2:05 AM on December 14, 2018 [16 favorites]

With AMI cutting a deal and Mueller supposedly looking at Mid-East attempts to gain influence with Trump will we see some sort of explanation soon of who bankrolled and who that organised pro-Saudi/MBS propaganda magazine that was published a while ago?
posted by PenDevil at 2:05 AM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

The federal government has never been consistently helpful to poor people. That is probably an understatement. Naturally, Trump is only making things even worse. From ProPublica and The Southern Illinoisan: Twenty-two years ago, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development seized control of the public housing authority in Wellston, one of Missouri’s poorest towns. The authority had been beset by mismanagement, financial problems and unsafe buildings.

The goal of the federal takeover was to stabilize the authority and then return it to local control. That hasn’t happened. Instead, the authority, still under federal control, is broke and its residents are being pushed out. The authority will be shut down on Jan. 1.

The move will be a crushing blow not only to some families who do not want to leave the city, but to Wellston itself. Some 400 public housing residents — a fifth of the city — are set to lose their homes sometime next year. They will receive vouchers that they can use to subsidize rent in the private market, but there’s a lack of affordable housing options in Wellston and limited choices in the St. Louis area.

“HUD, nationally, you failed us and you’re putting us in a worse predicament,” Mayor Nate Griffin told a HUD official during a closed-door City Council meeting in late November. A reporter stood outside the room and could clearly hear the discussion.

What’s happening in Wellston is emblematic of HUD’s longer-term shift away from public housing, advocates and even some HUD officials say. For years, the federal government has cut funds to public housing programs. The Trump administration has doubled down on those trends by proposing massive cuts to programs that pay for operations and repairs.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:16 AM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

Meanwhile, turns out that it's not just the politics in Georgia that are toxic. Of course, now that the EPA has been gutted even further ... (emphasis below mine). From Earth Justice and the Environmental Integrity Project:

For the first time in 2018, utilities were forced to publicly report groundwater monitoring data on their websites because of new transparency requirements imposed by 2015 federal coal ash regulations. The Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice examined that data and determined that 92 percent (11 of 12) of Georgia’s coal-fired power plants have contaminated groundwater with one or more toxic pollutants. Ten of these 11 polluting plants are owned by a single company, Georgia Power.

... For decades, Georgia Power operated 11 power plants and disposed of millions of tons of toxic coal ash, primarily in unlined ponds, with little regulatory oversight by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (EPD), or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Coal ash contains a brew of hazardous pollutants, such as arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, lead, radium, selenium and more, which can severely harm human health, fish and wildlife. The levels of multiple toxic pollutants found at Georgia plants exceed levels that are safe for human consumption.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:36 AM on December 14, 2018 [21 favorites]

NBC News: ICE arrested 170 immigrants seeking to sponsor migrant children

I just can't with this one. ICE ran a sting operation where they held children hostage in detention facilities and used them as bait for the most caring immigrants willing to come forward and offer to take care of them. Then they took these immigrants, who are such fine examples of the best of this country that they volunteered to take care of these kids, and arrested them.

This. Coupled with the news that climate change is killing our reindeers, just about made me cry yesterday.
posted by infini at 4:07 AM on December 14, 2018 [20 favorites]

J.K. Seazer: If you really believe that conservatives on the Supreme Court will rule on gerrymandering cases in order to help the Republicans as much as possible, then why wouldn't you also believe that they could issue a ruling that narrowly strikes down a Democratic gerrymander, but leaves existing Republican ones intact?

Heck, there's already plenty of rhetorical groundwork for this Court to issue a decision that says, for example, that any redistricting which disproportionately favors urban dwellers is unconstitutional, while redistricting in favor of rural citizens is exactly what the Founding Fathers would want. The bogus "It's not fair to let LA and New York decide everything" and "A republic, not a democracy!" arguments. So even if some outside force imposed consistent rulings (and no such force exists) they could pull it off because the ideology is there.

I remember part of the documentary RBG in which, back when she was an attorney arguing before the SCOTUS, Ruther Bader-Ginsberg took up numerous sex-discrimination cases. Most of them, centering on women's rights, tended to win or lose by close margins. But in one of them the plaintiff was a man, a single father who had been discriminated against by a program refusing to grant benefits to which he was definitely entitled (his wife having died in the armed services)... and I believe she won that case 9-0. I kind of wanted to yell REALLY?, but it was a theater.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:27 AM on December 14, 2018 [13 favorites]

Counting words just makes you look crazy.

To be fair, the word count on "and Mexico will pay for it" seems to have declined some.
posted by flabdablet at 5:27 AM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Trump Improvises New Defense in Hush Money Payments

[...]Without providing specifics, Mr. Giuliani said that nearly three dozen members of Congress had made similar payments to people who have accused them of harassment and other embarrassing allegations.

“If they want to pursue an investigation for impeachment on this and if they do want to vote on an article of impeachment, somewhere between 30 to 40 of them better get a lawyer,” Mr. Giuliani said.

So...

a) Did Giuliani just admit to having knowledge of 30+ felonies being committed?

b) "Look, everyone is doing it" is not a valid defense against criminal charges.

c) "If you start prosecuting one crime, where will you stop? Only when all crimes have been investigated???" Well, actually, now that you mention it - that would be, in fact, great!
posted by PontifexPrimus at 5:36 AM on December 14, 2018 [95 favorites]

Rudy is speaking to their particular audience and to them “now you’re gonna prosecute white dudes?” is a pretty convincing argument.
posted by phearlez at 5:41 AM on December 14, 2018 [23 favorites]

Did Giuliani just admit to having knowledge of 30+ felonies being committed?

In other words, it's Friday.

Rudy likewise wins the pull quote from the Daily Beast's article: How Jared Kushner Replaced Michael Cohen as Trump’s National Enquirer Connection—The president’s son-in-law grew tight with David Pecker during the early months of the administration.

Trump insists he is innocent of any related crimes because he never explicitly asked for Cohen or AMI to violate campaign finance law by sitting on stories of his extra-marital affairs. And the president’s current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, contends that the scandal is overblown entirely.

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed… This was not a big crime,” Giuliani told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. He added, sardonically, “I think in two weeks they’ll start with parking tickets that haven’t been paid.”

With AMI cutting a deal and Mueller supposedly looking at Mid-East attempts to gain influence with Trump will we see some sort of explanation soon of who bankrolled and who that organised pro-Saudi/MBS propaganda magazine that was published a while ago?

The Daily Beast's article would suggest that Kushner's close involvement with AMI intersects with that project.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:51 AM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

I'd argue that the most distressing part of the DHS pro-stupid fucking wall press release is how it is not merely nakedly partisan, but nakedly propaganda for Trump. The Federal government is not supposed to be supplying PR for the re-election campaign of the President. And yet they're doing exactly that over at DHS.
posted by sotonohito at 5:53 AM on December 14, 2018 [39 favorites]

“If they want to pursue an investigation for impeachment on this and if they do want to vote on an article of impeachment, somewhere between 30 to 40 of them better get a lawyer,” Mr. Giuliani said.

So, back of an envelope calculation*: this is really not something he as a Republican is wanting to be saying. Assuming 35 members spread evenly (any bias would probably be R) between the parties (and excluding women, as statistically it probably ain't them, and independents as there's only a handful), this works out to 21.5 Republicans and 13.5 Democrats who should presumably be being impeached and facing legal proceedings.

As defence arguments go it is stupid in an n-dimensional way.



*
236 H + 51 S - 29 W = 258
197 H + 47 S - 81 W = 163

D 38.7% = 13.5
R 61.3% = 21.5
posted by Buntix at 5:55 AM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

“Bolton talks as if the U.S. strides across the world in a way that the U.S. no longer does, for multiple reasons, and not just Donald Trump, because China is in the ascendancy,” said John Stremlau, a professor of international relations at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. “What’s really important is hunger and unemployment and the population boom and demographic implications and climate change and things like that which he doesn’t even touch on.”

China is focusing on exactly those issues, said Sherri Goodman, a senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute. She cited Chinese scientists who have been deployed to look at providing water in drought-stricken regions across much of Africa, something she said would be “a lifeline" for many of those nations.

“They’re taking a long view, understanding what the needs of the countries are, whether it’s in reducing energy poverty by growing their energy resources or providing water," she said. “We’re missing this at our peril."

This is one theme where the media isn't playing the game right.
posted by infini at 6:21 AM on December 14, 2018 [21 favorites]

From phearlez's link:

“It’s a crime of interpretation,” Mr. Giuliani said. “Are you going to charge the president with a crime of interpretation?”

Um, yes? Because the president is sworn to uphold the law, which includes not doing crimes?
posted by GrammarMoses at 6:22 AM on December 14, 2018 [31 favorites]

Giulini: "If they want to pursue an investigation for impeachment on this and if they do want to vote on an article of impeachment, somewhere between 30 to 40 of them better get a lawyer."

Earlier this week, Orrin Hatch was all: "You know, you can make anything a crime under the current laws; if you want to you can blow it way out of proportion you can do a lot of things."

With such words in mind from the party of Persecute the Migrant Because Law And Order, here's something from the comments of the blog Crooked Timber, which has been passed around these interwebs a fair bit but probably can't be said often enough.

Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit:

There must be in-groups whom the law protectes but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

There is nothing more or else to it, and there never has been, in any place or time.

posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:35 AM on December 14, 2018 [72 favorites]

Giuliani never misses an opportunity to blast right past plausible deniability straight into deniable plausibility.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:39 AM on December 14, 2018 [33 favorites]

and excluding women, as statistically it probably ain't them

Check your assumptions.
posted by cmfletcher at 6:46 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed… This was not a big crime,” Giuliani told The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

Not a big crime? But still a crime, right, Rudy?
posted by sexyrobot at 6:57 AM on December 14, 2018 [17 favorites]

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed… This was not a big crime,” Giuliani told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. He added, sardonically, “I think in two weeks they’ll start with parking tickets that haven’t been paid.”

My public defender friend says he's going to try this argument in court today and will report back the results.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:59 AM on December 14, 2018 [66 favorites]

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed…"

Really? I can draw a straight line between this and a seven year old dying of dehydration and exhaustion in state care. As for being robbed - where even to start?
posted by Devonian at 7:07 AM on December 14, 2018 [59 favorites]

Giuliani Shrugs Off Cohen’s Crimes: ‘Nobody Got Killed, Nobody Got Robbed’

There were murders and robberies involved.

I'm pretty sure Trump's mirror operates by field effect.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:09 AM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

The Steele Dossier: A Retrospective

The dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele remains a subject of fascination—or, depending on your perspective, scorn. Indeed, it was much discussed during former FBI Director Jim Comey’s testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 7. Published almost two years ago by BuzzFeed News in January 2017, the document received significant public attention, first for its lurid details regarding Donald Trump’s pre-presidential alleged sexual escapades in Russia and later for its role in forming part of the basis for the government’s application for a FISA warrant to surveil Carter Page.

Our interest in revisiting the compilation that has come to be called the “Steele Dossier” concerns neither of those topics, at least not directly. Rather, we returned to the document because we wondered whether information made public as a result of the Mueller investigation—and the passage of two years—has tended to buttress or diminish the crux of Steele’s original reporting.
...
With that in mind, we thought it would be worthwhile to look back at the dossier and to assess, to the extent possible, how the substance of Steele’s reporting holds up over time. In this effort, we considered only information in the public domain from trustworthy and official government sources...These materials buttress some of Steele’s reporting, both specifically and thematically. The dossier holds up well over time, and none of it, to our knowledge, has been disproven.

posted by kirkaracha at 7:11 AM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

nobody got robbed…

*Hillary has entered the chat*
posted by xigxag at 7:14 AM on December 14, 2018 [87 favorites]

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed… This was not a big crime,”

George Conway
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, except where nobody gets killed or robbed.”
posted by chris24 at 7:15 AM on December 14, 2018 [47 favorites]

Top House Democrats join Elizabeth Warren’s push to fundamentally change American capitalism (Matthew Yglesias, Vox)

What:

The Accountable Capitalism Act — real citizenship for corporate persons

The conceit tying the legislation together is that if corporations are going to have the legal rights of persons, they should be expected to act like decent citizens who uphold their fair share of the social contract and not like sociopaths whose sole obligation is profitability — as is currently conventional in American business thinking.

Warren and her allies want to create an Office of United States Corporations inside the Department of Commerce and require any corporation with revenue more than $1 billion — only a few thousand companies, but a large share of overall employment and economic activity — to obtain a federal charter of corporate citizenship.

The charter tells company directors to consider the interests of all relevant stakeholders — shareholders, but also customers, employees, and the communities in which the company operates — when making decisions. That could concretely shift the outcome of some shareholder lawsuits but is aimed more broadly at shifting American business culture out of its current shareholders-first framework and back toward something more like the broad ethic of social responsibility that took hold during World War II and continued for several decades.

Who:

Thursday, a group of five House Democrats — critically including newly elected assistant leader Ben Ray Luján and Progressive Caucus Chair Mark Pocan along with Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Stephen Lynch, and Brendan Boyle — are joining her by co-sponsoring a House version of Warren’s Accountable Capitalism Act.

posted by ZeusHumms at 7:15 AM on December 14, 2018 [68 favorites]

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed… This was not a big crime,” Giuliani told The Daily Beast on Wednesday

So not so much a high crime as a misdemeanor, amirite?
posted by DrAstroZoom at 7:18 AM on December 14, 2018 [23 favorites]

Trump Defends Hush-Money Payments In Fox News Interview (NPR, December 13, 2018)

President Trump insists that he didn't violate campaign finance laws and that any legal liability for hush money paid to two women who claimed to have had affairs with him rests with his former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen.

"I never directed him to do anything wrong," Trump said Thursday afternoon in an interview with Fox News. "Whatever he did, he did on his own."

Michael Cohen On Trump: 'The Man Doesn't Tell The Truth' (NPR, December 14, 2018)

In his tweets Thursday, Trump also said that Cohen had pleaded guilty to two of the criminal charges against him — which range from campaign finance crimes to tax evasion and bank fraud — "to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence."

....stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018

....guilty even on a civil basis. Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018

Cohen addressed that accusation in his interview, saying, "It's absolutely not true. I did not do it to embarrass the president. He knows the truth. I know the truth. Many people know the truth. Under no circumstances do I want to embarrass the president of the United States of America."

Growing visibly angry, Cohen added, "The truth is, I told the truth. I took responsibility for my actions. And instead of him taking responsibility for his actions, what does he do? He attacks my family."

And there's any wonder why he's having trouble hiring more people at this time.

Related: 9 Trumpworld Figures Who Should Fear Mueller the Most (Garrett M. Graff for Wired, Dec. 14, 2018)

Even as the president continues to rail about the “Witch Hunt” on Twitter, Mueller’s strategy looks like anything but. Nearly every defendant he’s targeted has pleaded guilty, meaning he’s moving against people with overwhelming evidence. Those targets have mostly, in turn, cooperated—naming more alleged crimes and suspects. Similarly, in the one instance he has been forced to go to trial, Mueller prevailed handily, winning convictions against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in every category of charges he brought. Mueller has also assiduously handed off certain crimes to other prosecutors, be it identity theft stemming from Russia’s Internet Research Agency, foreign lobbying questions, and even referring the original Cohen case to the Southern District in New York.
...
Here are the reasons you should be concerned if you’re:

1. Jared Kushner
2. Donald Trump, Jr.
3. President Donald Trump
4. The Trump Organization
5. Jerome Corsi and Associates
6. Michael Cohen -- Even after Wednesday’s prison sentence, which settles the nine (nine!) felonies he has currently pleaded guilty to, there’s some reason to believe that Cohen might not be out of the woods.
7. Business partners of Michael Flynn
8. Konstanin Kilimnik -- The Ukrainian businessman who served as Paul Manafort’s onetime business partner—and alleged Russian intelligence asset
9. Alexander Torshin -- The Russian politician and banker has been linked in court documents to Maria Butina

I appreciate that they didn't leave Individual 1 to the end of the list.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:20 AM on December 14, 2018 [15 favorites]

If it involves the Russians, I guarantee so many people got murdered. Probably some robberies too, but mostly a lot of murder.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 7:22 AM on December 14, 2018 [11 favorites]

It's remarkable that Giuliani is implicitly denying a presidential legal right to personally murder people. Where's the Rudy who told HuffPo that Trump's immunity to criminal indictment would hold (and impeachment would be the only remedy) even if he shot James Comey? This is a welcome improvement; before long he'll go totally soft and say that arson would also be off-limits, at which point he can just turn in his red hat and become a never-trumper.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:23 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

Guiliani's doing exactly what we'd expect him to do, given that he's banking on the court of public opinion and not the uh, actual courts.

But seriously? Ask the Trump crowd what percentage—despite all the legwork, spending, and legal complexities involved—of Muslim terrorism inside the US should be prosecuted. Ask them what percentage of caravan members should be treated as literal invaders. Ask them what percentage of black drug offenders should be locked up. Ask them what percentage of brown undocumented residents should be deported. For these people to pretend that doing precisely what they're elected or hired to do somehow doesn't apply in the case of political and white-collar crime... it's just astounding, and I'm allowing myself to be optimistic enough to believe that it'll fail in the court of public opinion as well as the actual courts.
posted by Rykey at 7:23 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'm just sitting here marvelling at the level of narcissism it takes to think that somebody would confess to a crime they didn't commit , knowing it would put them in prison, just to embarrass you.
posted by Buck Alec at 7:27 AM on December 14, 2018 [98 favorites]

McConnell knows he’s going to be a Democratic target in 2020. Enter the hemp issue. (Lesley Clark, McClatchy DC)

Mitch McConnell acknowledges he’ll be one of national Democrats’ top targets in 2020 when he runs for reelection. But he’ll boast an unusual tool on the campaign trail: His success at reviving hemp, a one-time Kentucky cash crop.
…
McConnell, who has made legalizing hemp a priority, is certain to make it a plank of his pitch to voters in a year that Democrats are likely to be consumed by trying to oust Trump and McConnell, an important White House ally.

Never widely popular at home, McConnell has at time faced tough campaigns and launched his bid for a seventh term in the Senate over the summer, with supporters noting he believes “you can start too late, but never too early.” He has already raised nearly $5.5 million.

Though no challengers from his right or left have yet to declare, McConnell said he’s very much aware that he’s hugely unpopular with the national Democratic base.

posted by ZeusHumms at 7:31 AM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

Check your assumptions.

I was being glib and imprecise there (too much time on the Twitter): I do realise that the cheating gap between men and women (of the being-a-politician-ages) in general isn't that much, as in < 10%. But I figure once you factor in pay-offs for non-consensual acts, hiring sex-workers, etc. then that gap is going to widen significantly. Also most pertinent to Giuliani's outrage of the idea of rich white men being held accountable for their 'indiscretions': it is a boys' club, these sorts of cover ups are par for the course for them. Women in politics not only have to be twice as good as their male counterparts, but be twice as clean as they are unlikely to be party to the same locker-room and frat-alumni bonds of silence. There is very much a double-standard.

From a Daily Beast article about Amy Koch's scandal

She also read stories of other political sex scandals, searching for a blueprint of what her life would look like moving forward. “I wanted to know who survives this who doesn’t survive this. How do they approach things? Why does one person come back and another person doesn’t? And one thing I noticed, I didn’t really find any stories about women politicians…. there’s women on the other end of these scandals but there’s not one where it’s a woman politician. None that I found.”

That said, definitely mea culpa me as the point would have been better unalloyed with that addition. And, to be honest, it was influenced a lot by my personal bias and belief that one of the fastest ways to clean up and improve politics is to elect people who are as few as possible of [rich, white, male, non-LGTBA+].
posted by Buntix at 7:32 AM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

"Our sincerest condolences go out to the family of the child," the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Border Patrol, said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and the best efforts of the medical team treating the child, we were unable to stop this tragedy from occurring. Once again, we are begging parents to not put themselves or their children at risk attempting to enter illegally. Please present yourselves at a port of entry and seek to enter legally and safely," the spokesperson told CNN.

... Congressman Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said late Thursday ... "I'll be asking for a full investigation by the Inspector General and Congress into the conditions and circumstances that led to her death."
"We can do better as a nation," said Castro, a member of the House Foreign Affairs and House Intelligence Committees.
"This is a humanitarian crisis and we have a moral obligation to ensure these vulnerable families can safely seek asylum, which is legal under immigration and international law at our borders," Castro's statement said.

Way to both-sides it, CNN.
posted by petebest at 7:32 AM on December 14, 2018 [13 favorites]

He legalized hemp? Gosh, I’ve been all wrong about this guy!
posted by greermahoney at 7:35 AM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

On Grand Jury Friday, the D.C. courthouse has been locked down.

Zoe Tilliman reports: The DC Circuit is about to hear arguments in the sealed grand jury matter. They've sealed not only the courtroom, but the whole floor, so we've been moved away. Haven't recognized anyone going in earlier as being connected to Mueller's office, now we won't be able to see
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:41 AM on December 14, 2018 [53 favorites]

Though no challengers from his right or left have yet to declare, McConnell said he’s very much aware that he’s hugely unpopular with the national Democratic base.

He's hugely unpopular across Kentucky too. Most everyone knows he's a snake, but there's not been a viable alternative. He gets by with a combination of running on national culture war issues in a state that's redder every year due to FOX News, out fundraising any conceivable opponent with unlimited corporate backing, and running against the most incompetent state Democratic party in the country. And if he's actually feeling threatened, he'll do one thing for KY farmers, like finally give them the Lucy football of legal hemp he's been dangling for 20 years.

Seriously, it's impossible to overstate how awful KY Democrats are. The party is literally set up to be the Washington Generals, and they're extremely happy about it because everyone in Frankfort gets paid doing it. It's the same group of incestuous consultants that always run every single campaign designed from the beginning to lose. Jack Conway, Alison Grimes, and Jim Gray all ran essentially the same identical campaign the last 10 years, run by the same group of people, and all were trounced. I defy you to tell me any of their plans for anything, they all ran as "Not Obama Republicans", and Grimes comically refused to even say who she voted for president. That message will never, ever, win, when the alternative is an actual Republican.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:49 AM on December 14, 2018 [18 favorites]

Once again, we are begging parents to not put themselves or their children at risk attempting to enter illegally.

At risk of the conditions that exist in border patrol facilities? WTF?
posted by avalonian at 7:50 AM on December 14, 2018 [32 favorites]

This attitude is very similar to that of the advice given to black families; "Please don't do anything that would make a police officer get startled/afraid/angry and shoot you."

And the underlying assumption is the same: law enforcement are hair-trigger, murderous, irrational, and unpredictable. We must soothe them at all times, and not make any sudden movements, or we will end up dead. And this is totally normal, unchangeable, and acceptable.
posted by emjaybee at 8:04 AM on December 14, 2018 [77 favorites]

At risk of the conditions that exist in border patrol facilities? WTF?

The case they're trying to make is that she was killed by the harsh circumstances of the desert crossing, not by her treatment or any lack of medical care after being detained. That's a claim requiring some evidence, and even if it's true CBP is entirely responsible for the conditions that lead to desperate families with small children trying to cross the Sonoran desert on foot.
posted by contraption at 8:05 AM on December 14, 2018 [12 favorites]

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed… This was not a big crime,” Giuliani told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. He added, sardonically, “I think in two weeks they’ll start with parking tickets that haven’t been paid.”

Wait a minute, Giuliani, Giuliani, that's familiar ... Isn't he that "broken windows" guy?
posted by contraption at 8:11 AM on December 14, 2018 [81 favorites]

Seriously, it's impossible to overstate how awful KY Democrats are.

Sounds like a job for your friendly neighborhood (and way down the road neighbor) Democratic Socialist. Eugene V. Debs lives. At some point, hating other people becomes too an expensive of a luxury. Let's talk about how you live your life, and how it can and should be better.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:12 AM on December 14, 2018 [12 favorites]

and even if it's true CBP is entirely responsible

For not immediately offering water to people who have just crossed a fucking desert like actual human beings would? Yes, yes they are.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:13 AM on December 14, 2018 [53 favorites]

Lobbyist Sam Patten Pleads Guilty to Steering Foreign Funds to Trump Inaugural

"WASHINGTON — An American lobbyist on Friday admitted brokering access to President Trump’s inauguration for a pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch in a scheme that highlighted the rush by foreign interests to influence the new administration.

As part of a plea agreement under which he pledged to cooperate with federal prosecutors, the lobbyist, Sam Patten, pleaded guilty to failing to register as a foreign agent for a Russia-aligned Ukrainian political party, and to helping the Ukrainian oligarch who had funded that party illegally purchase four tickets to Mr. Trump’s inauguration.

Although the charges were not brought by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Robert S. Mueller III, they stem from his team’s work, and overlap substantially with its continuing investigation, suggesting that Mr. Patten could be a useful witness."
posted by Twain Device at 8:32 AM on December 14, 2018 [35 favorites]

For not immediately offering water to people who have just crossed a fucking desert like actual human beings would?

Is it documented anywhere that they didn't? I personally would be floored if it turned out that they offered food and water and blankets right away, and then got her right to a qualified team of physicians for a thorough checkup, but I'm also concerned that they're going to claim that's what they did, with nobody to dispute it but a dead 7 year old child.
posted by contraption at 8:35 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

Kyl plans to resign Arizona Senate seat, clearing the way for another GOP appointment (Sean Sullivan and John Wagner, WaPo)

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) plans to resign from the Senate on Dec. 31, vacating the seat he has held since the death of Sen. John McCain and clearing the way for Arizona’s governor to name another Republican to the post.

Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said in a statement Friday that he had received a resignation letter from Kyl. Ducey is required under law to name another Republican to the seat.

posted by ZeusHumms at 8:35 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

Forbes: How Wilbur Ross Lost Millions, Despite Flouting Ethics Rules

"Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross entered government in early 2017 with a conflict-ridden investment portfolio, and by the summer of 2018, a chorus of lawmakers were calling for investigations. Under pressure, Ross promised to sell off all his equity holdings, a move that proved to be costly. He ultimately dealt one of his most valuable assets, a roughly $25 million interest in a shipping fund, for less than half of what it was worth, according to documentation reviewed by Forbes. That deal alone wiped about $15 million off Ross’ personal fortune, enough to erase any gains he had reaped from his ethical misadventures."

Forbes deserves this victory lap for their exposés this summer on Ross.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:40 AM on December 14, 2018 [28 favorites]

If Kyl is leaving just so Ducey can appoint election loser McSally to the spot and thus thwart the will of the electorate I will not be surprised in the slightest. It's exactly the sort of petty, vindictive, behavior we've all come to expect from Republicans.
posted by sotonohito at 8:45 AM on December 14, 2018 [6 favorites]

It's pretty much been taken as a given (at least among the people I read) that this is exactly what would happen if Sinema won. McSally was promised a Senate seat and no pesky "voters" were going to stop her.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:47 AM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

Is it documented anywhere that they didn't

Nick Miroff & Robert Moore in WaPo

More than eight hours [after being taken into custody about 10 p.m.], the child began having seizures at 6:25 a.m., CBP records show. Emergency responders, who arrived soon after, measured her body temperature at 105.7 degrees, and according to a statement from CBP, she “reportedly had not eaten or consumed water for several days.” (emphasis mine)

CBP statement indicates an awareness of her privation including 8 hours she was in their custody. not explicit that CBP did not offer, but if they did offer and she was unable to drink, they should have called for medical intervention sooner.
posted by 20 year lurk at 8:47 AM on December 14, 2018 [30 favorites]

It's pretty much been taken as a given (at least among the people I read) that this is exactly what would happen if Sinema won. McSally was promised a Senate seat and no pesky "voters" were going to stop her.

It's definitely why she didn't fight a scorched-earth post-campaign, that she expected to be anointed to the position if she couldn't get elected to it.
posted by scalefree at 8:51 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

Once again, we are begging parents to not put themselves or their children at risk attempting to enter illegally. Please present yourselves at a port of entry and seek to enter legally and safely," the [DHS] spokesperson told CNN.

This is your regular reminder that CBP is denying potential asylum seekers admittance at legal ports of entry, claiming lack of resources to deal with more than a handful of asylum claims at a time.
posted by Gelatin at 8:52 AM on December 14, 2018 [56 favorites]

contraption: I personally would be floored if it turned out that they offered food and water and blankets right away, and then got her right to a qualified team of physicians for a thorough checkup, but I'm also concerned that they're going to claim that's what they did, with nobody to dispute it but a dead 7 year old child.

Well, the hospital records show she didn't go there right away, but rather many hours later when her death was imminent. And I think the border agents are not even bothering to claim they personally provided immediate medical attention anyway; they're painting the situation along the lines of "We did the bare minimum and, by definition, how could anyone expect more?"
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:53 AM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

Exclusive: Paul Manafort advised White House on how to attack and discredit investigation of President Trump (Murray Waas | Vox)

“We now have details as to how the indicted former campaign manager worked with the president to undermine federal law enforcement.”
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:02 AM on December 14, 2018 [50 favorites]

WaPo has a piece by George Conway, Neal Katyal, and former FEC chairman Trevor Potter rebutting the two current media defenses of the hush money payment, the John Edwards defense and that it's NBD because it's not a "big crime". Most of what they say has been covered in this thread, but it's nice to have it laid out all in one place: Trump’s claim that he didn’t violate campaign finance law is weak — and dangerous.
posted by peeedro at 9:02 AM on December 14, 2018 [11 favorites]

It's pretty much been taken as a given (at least among the people I read) that this is exactly what would happen if Sinema won. McSally was promised a Senate seat and no pesky "voters" were going to stop her.

Fwiw, dateline yesterday, McSally Loses Favor for Senate Appointment (WaPo)

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) “has lost enthusiasm for appointing fellow Republican Rep. Martha McSally to the Senate in recent weeks even as Republican leaders in Washington have championed her,” the Washington Post reports.

“Ducey has made no firm decision and McSally, who narrowly lost this year’s Senate race, remains a finalist to fill the seat that John McCain held for decades, should it soon open up as expected. But her stock has fallen in the eyes of the governor, according to two people familiar with his thinking, as Ducey approaches one of the most significant decisions of his political career.”

*shrug* Alls I know is what I reads in the paperses.
posted by petebest at 9:02 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

It's pretty much been taken as a given (at least among the people I read) that this is exactly what would happen if Sinema won. McSally was promised a Senate seat and no pesky "voters" were going to stop her.

That'll play well in 6 years as Arizona becomes a deeper purple.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:10 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Clarification in case anyone is confused as I was -- Sinema and McSally were running to fill the seat that Jeff Flake is leaving open.

Regardless of who gets appointed to replace Kyl, Sinema is still going to the Senate.
posted by AndrewInDC at 9:14 AM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

That'll play well in 6 years as Arizona becomes a deeper purple.

2 years, regardless of who is appointed, Arizona says that there has to be a special election during the next cycle. That's why McCain not resigning was a last diabolical act against the country, Arizona would've had 2 seats up in 2018 if he had resigned after his diagnosis. As is, there will be a special election in 2020, and the winner will have to run again when that seat would've been up anyway in 2022.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:29 AM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

It's disquieting how good Kendzior is at predicting worst-case scenarios with Trump.
Just to correct my own earlier misattribution: as later noted/quoted by Doctor Zed, Jared-as-CoS is actually a thought from also-awesome A. Chalupa, Kendzior's co-host on Gaslit Nation.
posted by progosk at 9:49 AM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Emergency responders, who arrived soon after, measured her body temperature at 105.7 degrees

Have you ever touched a child with a fever like that, or even close to it? I have. Even if you are not an experienced parent, even if you are a medical professional, you cannot mistake a temperature like that for the kid running a little warm, or being under the weather, or just needing some juice and crackers. You do not need even need a thermometer. All you need is your hands, because 105.7 is warmer than a lot of hot tubs. You will definitely know if you touch water that temperature.

In fact, even if you don't touch the kid, all you need is your eyes. A kid with a temperature like that is visibly, clearly, absolutely not OK in a dramatic fucking way.

Unfortunately, you do need enough basic humanity to care about the people that you have taken charge of.

Which is to say that I've spent a lot of time this morning thinking about that father must have felt after carrying his child through the Sonoran desert and the sense of relief he may have felt when they got taken into custody. Assuming he wasn't separated from her, how many times do you think he asked for help after they was taken into custody? Do you think that he tried to get his child to eat and drink water while they were in custody?

Did they fucking let him go to the hospital?

Was he there when she went into cardiac arrest and died?
posted by joyceanmachine at 10:00 AM on December 14, 2018 [98 favorites]

Speaking of Chalupa, from the Vox piece linked above that fairly screams obstruction:

Second, Manafort counseled the White House to allege — albeit with no evidence to back up said charges — that the pro-Western Ukrainian government had colluded with the Democratic National Committee to try to help Hillary Clinton win the 2016 presidential election. A source with direct knowledge of the matter told me that the White House adopted Manafort’s recommendation in the summer of 2017 to specifically target Alexandra Chalupa, a political strategist and consultant for the DNC, for allegedly working with Ukrainian officials to hurt Trump’s candidacy...

Next episode of Gaslit Nation should interesting.
posted by eclectist at 10:00 AM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

Christie has asked to be removed from consideration for the Chief of Staff post.
posted by waitingtoderail at 10:08 AM on December 14, 2018 [56 favorites]

Richard M. Nixon, on the CoS search: ”Christ, I hope Christie gets the job. I really hope so. ... If Christie gets the job it will be like watching a pyre on the Ganges. You can see the skeleton, the shape, and then all at once it becomes dust.”

posted by young_simba at 10:13 AM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

Have you ever touched a child with a fever like that, or even close to it? I have.

My son had an infection while we were traveling when he was two, his temperature got up to 106. He was not asleep, but he was not "conscious" in any meaningful sense either. I have never felt more helpless and terrified in my life, and I had easy access to medical professionals and a nice comfortable sleeping area for him.
posted by contraption at 10:15 AM on December 14, 2018 [21 favorites]

The WaPo has this on their front page with a BREAKING NEWS header: Trump says things that aren’t true and few believe him, Post poll finds.
posted by peeedro at 10:17 AM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

"The DC Circuit is about to hear arguments in the sealed grand jury matter. They've sealed not only the courtroom, but the whole floor, so we've been moved away. Haven't recognized anyone going in earlier as being connected to Mueller's office, now we won't be able to see."

December 14... December 14... Why is that date familiar?

Oral arguments are set for December 14.

Aha! Meanwhile...

A Marine just positioned himself outside the West Wing doors, meaning that POTUS got to the Oval today at 11:43 a.m.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:17 AM on December 14, 2018 [25 favorites]

Why would you suggest the White House falsely link the DNC to the people you're actually colluding with??

Accusing the enemy of that which they are themselves guilty? Seems like I've heard that idea somewhere before.

We've had move than two years of Trump's mirror now, stuff like this shouldn't be that surprising anymore. Still outrageous, just not surprising. Actually I think dems in the house would do well to just launch an investigation into Trump whenever he accuses anyone else of anything. It's good bet it's something he's guilty of.
posted by VTX at 10:21 AM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

A source with direct knowledge of the matter told me that the White House adopted Manafort’s recommendation in the summer of 2017 to specifically target Alexandra Chalupa, a political strategist and consultant for the DNC, for allegedly working with Ukrainian officials to hurt Trump’s candidacy...

Her sister Alexandra was attacked, and successfully smeared, by stich-up artist Ken Vogel, who, incidentally, switched from Politico to the Grey Lady, like his once and future colleague Maggie Haberman.

Chalupa: “@olgaNYC1211 caught @kenvogel, who wrote the hit piece falsely claiming my sister "colluded" with Ukraine which Don Jr. used to deflect from the Trump Tower June 2016 meeting when that news first broke, falsely claiming on @MSNBC Trump is tough on Russia. Stop booking this guy.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:22 AM on December 14, 2018 [20 favorites]

The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine critical of Trump, to shutter after 23 years
posted by gwint at 10:22 AM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

Trump says things that aren’t true and few believe him, Post poll finds.

Mine reads " Trump routinely says things that aren’t true and few believe him, Post poll finds."
posted by scalefree at 10:22 AM on December 14, 2018

I called my Republican US Senator Joni Ernst's D.C. office to ask again whether she had fulfilled her repeated, televised promise back in April to read the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act and say whether she supported the bill. (She had not. I noted that there was not much time left for her to avoid breaking her promise before the bill expired.) I asked whether the Senator had issued a statement about Jackeline Caal, the seven-year-old girl killed by Customs and Border Protection when they deprived her of water. (She had not.) I asked whether the Senator had issued a statement about whether children should be deprived of water in general. (According to the staffer, she had not.)

I noted that when the President's lawyer Michael Cohen was jailed for stealing the election, he said that his "blind loyalty" to Donald Trump had led him "to choose a path of darkness over light". I asked whether the Senator had issued a statement about whether her blind loyalty to the President had led her to choose a path of darkness over light. (She had not.) I asked whether the Senator had issued a statement about whether the President's blind loyalty to Vladimir Putin had caused the United States of America to follow a path of darkness instead of a path of light. (She had not.) I asked whether the staffer or his coworkers had issued a statement regarding whether their blind loyalty to the Senator had caused them to follow a path of darkness instead of a path of light. (They had not.) I was thanked and my message will be passed along
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:28 AM on December 14, 2018 [97 favorites]

Scott Walker signs lame-duck legislation [without vetoes], curbing his Democratic successor's power (Patrick Marley and Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:30 AM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

Doktor Zed: "The DC Circuit is about to hear arguments in the sealed grand jury matter. They've sealed not only the courtroom, but the whole floor, so we've been moved away. Haven't recognized anyone going in earlier as being connected to Mueller's office, now we won't be able to see."

JoeZydeco: December 14... December 14... Why is that date familiar?

Thanks for that link - I remembered the story, didn't remember the date when it was going to come to a head, and with the court floor sealed, I was very suspicious.

It sure looks like the court is hearing arguments about whether Individual 1 should be required to testify under oath before a grand jury.

But that would be the full Mullermas if its true, and could we really be so lucky?
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:33 AM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine critical of Trump, to shutter after 23 years

And thank goodness for that. Those assholes wrote us right into the Iraq War.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 10:40 AM on December 14, 2018 [14 favorites]

His Marine guard were stationed outside the Oval Office just before noon. Not that that's definitive.
posted by scalefree at 10:47 AM on December 14, 2018

Wasn't he on a number of shows this morning?
posted by scalefree at 10:48 AM on December 14, 2018

Even if it was about Trump, he wouldn't need to appear in person for the appeal. Appellate proceedings are just lawyers talking to judges (and getting interrupted frequently) with no role for the actual parties involved other than to sit there and listen.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:48 AM on December 14, 2018 [12 favorites]

The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine critical of Trump, to shutter after 23 years.

I mean, the remaining Republicans can barely read, so.

The National Review's circulation isn't much higher, so I wonder about their future. It would be darkly ironic for a conservative magazine that denounced the John Birch Society, George Wallace, and anti-Semitism to go under because of a fascist moron President beloved by anti-Semites.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:49 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

Is there confirmation that the president *wasn't* there, though?

According to the Politico story, oral arguments in the appeal were set to begin today -- so the witness would not necessarily have been in court. As far as we can tell, a witness (very possibly but not necessarily POTUS) received a subpoena, did not want to respond to it, was told by a court "nope sorry bud you gotta," and then appealed that "you gotta" decision. The appeal was initially dismissed because of some sort of error, but was then resubmitted. The oral arguments in that appeal apparently happened today. The security measures were to prevent reporters from figuring out who, exactly, is appealing this decision (it is very possibly but not necessarily POTUS).
posted by halation at 10:52 AM on December 14, 2018 [14 favorites]

> the news that climate change is killing our reindeers

An Upheaval at the Ends of the World: Two new reports find that the North and South Poles face an “unprecedented” climate future.
posted by homunculus at 11:00 AM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

> 15-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg on Democracy Now: That kid is a force of nature (err, so to speak). She means business & she's not having any of your nonsense. I'd vote her for "most likely to lead the uprising".

It begins: Global climate strike 14 December.

Climate Strike: Heeding Call of Greta Thunberg, Polish Students Walk Out of Class

More at @GretaThunberg
posted by homunculus at 11:08 AM on December 14, 2018 [23 favorites]

DHS statement on the child who died in custody:

At 9PM on December 6, 2018, Border Patrol apprehended a group of 163 aliens. Upon apprehension a medical screening was conducted of the aliens where the father denied any illness for either himself or his minor child. In keeping with standard Border Patrol protocol, the father and child were at a station where water was available.

Due to the size and makeup of the group, two transports were needed to move the aliens to the nearest Border Patrol station which is 90 miles away from the point of apprehension. The father and minor boarded the second transport at approximately 4:30AM. Once on the bus, the father told Border Patrol that the minor was sick with a fever and vomiting. Border Patrol takes immediate action and radios for an EMT to meet them upon arrival at the Lordsburg Station. The bus arrives at the Lordsburg Border Patrol station shortly before 6:30AM. Once the father and child arrive at the station the father advises that the child is not breathing. Border Patrol immediately called 911 while administering medical care. Hidalgo County EMS arrives on scene within minutes and they were able to revive her twice. She was transported for air ambulance to the hospital. During this time, the father was transported to the hospital by Border Patrol which was four hours away by car.

So the dad sat in custody for 7 and a half hours with his small child after walking for days across the desert, in a place where "water was available." No mention of food, or whether the water was specifically offered. It seems safe to assume that the father was not in great physical or mental condition himself at that point, and I also have serious doubts about whether the question about illness was posed in a clear, friendly or helpful way. These depraved fucking fascists just killed a little girl, and now they're angling to turn it into a story about how her father is a neglectful liar and immigrants bring disease.
posted by contraption at 11:11 AM on December 14, 2018 [65 favorites]

Fox News: Dems, progressives quick to politicize death of migrant girl in Border Patrol custody

In an interview with "Fox & Friends" early Friday morning, Nielsen told the hosts that the girl's death "is just a very sad example of the dangers of this journey" migrants take.

Pierce, Esquire: We Are Governed By Monsters Now | The Trump administration's cruelty is not just deliberate. It is casual.

From the very top, down to every ICE and CBP badge, down to our countless neighbors who would respond to to news of a million dead children in our custody with a shrug and "it's the parents' fault." They are all child murderers.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:15 AM on December 14, 2018 [64 favorites]

Zoe Tillman checked in around 11:45 EST: "And that's a wrap, a court employee just walked out of the courtroom area and confirmed arguments on the sealed grand jury matter have ended. No sightings so far (there are ways for people to enter/exit the courthouse that are not public)"

So make of the timing what you will. There are so many different high-value candidates, however, for this case, e.g. John Dowd, John Kelly, Don McGahn, or Roger Stone associate Andrew Miller, just to name a few, narrowing it down requires more info than the on-site reporting can provide*. The D.C. courthouse was locked down tight.

* Not for want of trying, Politico reports: "Determined to keep covering the story, reporters spread out around the courthouse and quickly set up a group email chain to pool their resources and communicate about who saw what in the hallways, elevators, staircases and entrances throughout the building. One television network reporter even stood guard at the top of a ramp leading to a secure parking garage where Mueller’s team has been known to bring in clandestine grand jury witnesses."
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:20 AM on December 14, 2018 [20 favorites]

Border Patrol takes immediate action

BULLSHIT. Call the Capitol switchboard at [phone]. Criminal negligence is today's secret word.
posted by petebest at 11:31 AM on December 14, 2018 [14 favorites]

Once the father and child arrive at the station the father advises that the child is not breathing.

This sticks out, too. Are they saying he noticed his daughter wasn't breathing and didn't bother to tell anyone until the bus arrived at the station? Or that he just didn't notice? There is no possibility that this child's dad was not frantic with fear and rage and screaming to everyone around that his little girl had stopped breathing.
posted by contraption at 11:37 AM on December 14, 2018 [15 favorites]

That DHS statement is the most infuriating thing I've read this year, and that's an incredibly high bar to clear.
posted by diogenes at 11:41 AM on December 14, 2018 [11 favorites]

From the Vox piece above,
Later Friday, White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said the administration isn’t to blame for Caal’s death.

“Does the administration take responsibility for a parent taking a child on a trek through Mexico to get to this country? No,” Gidley said, according to the Washington Post.

... But Caal didn’t die on the journey to America. She died after making the journey, while in Border Patrol’s custody.

A great point. Crush that up and snort it you Fucking Fascist Fox and Fuckyou Friends.

(First of all, "Hogan Gidley"? .. Ok whatever)

Secondly, Here's a cropped @jbmoorephoto from a hielera. This is the water people are forced to drink. It's grey and it's disgusting. It routinely makes people sick. There isn't even a place to dry your hands after you wash them. Everything is full of fecal matter. pic.twitter.com/VrdqjiBO1P

Thirdly, Caal’s death comes months after a toddler died from an illness she developed at an Immigration and Border Customs Enforcement facility in Dilley, Texas.
posted by petebest at 11:43 AM on December 14, 2018 [20 favorites]

HuffPost, Emails Show Trump Administration Was Told Obamacare Ad Cuts Could Hurt Enrollment

Weeks before the announcement of the cut, one of the analysts cited a prediction that enrollment would fall by 102,029 without television spots promoting HealthCare.gov and the availability of coverage on the site. The estimate, which the analyst described as “very conservative,” covered just a portion of the advertising cuts.

The decision was one in a series of actions, such as yanking funds from organizations that help people enroll, that seemed consistent with Trump’s vow last year that he would “let Obamacare fail.”

Many experts believe the cumulative effect of these steps over the past two years helps explain why the number of uninsured Americans is edging back up after hitting a record low during the Obama administration and why sign-ups at HealthCare.gov this year are lagging last year’s pace, although open enrollment doesn’t end until Saturday.

That's tomorrow! *extremely annoying TV announcer voice* so fight the sabotage and get yourself and your loved ones covered today.
posted by zachlipton at 11:50 AM on December 14, 2018 [14 favorites]

Trump’s Inauguration Paid Trump’s Company — With Ivanka in the Middle wnycstudios

The inauguration paid the Trump Organization for rooms, meals and event space at the company’s Washington hotel, according to interviews as well as internal emails and receipts reviewed by WNYC and ProPublica.

During the planning, Ivanka Trump, the president-elect’s eldest daughter and a senior executive with the Trump Organization, was involved in negotiating the price the hotel charged the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee for venue rentals. A top inaugural planner emailed Ivanka and others at the company to “express my concern” that the hotel was overcharging for its event spaces, worrying of what would happen “when this is audited.”
posted by bluesky43 at 11:55 AM on December 14, 2018 [40 favorites]

The Education Department Is Canceling $150 Million Of Student Loan Debt (NPR, December 14, 2018)

The U.S. Department of Education is sending emails to about 15,000 people around the country telling them: You've got money.

These are former students — and some parents of students — who took out loans for colleges that shut down between Nov. 1, 2013, and Dec. 4, 2018. About half attended campuses run by Corinthian Colleges. They will get their money back or have their debt forgiven — an amount estimated at $150 million, all told — under a provision called Automatic Closed School Discharge.

As part of the Obama-era crackdown on for-profit colleges like ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges, the Education Department wrote something called the "borrower defense rule." It specified how students could get their loan money repaid if their schools were found to be shady. Borrowers had to submit an application and show how they were being defrauded. But if the school was shut down altogether, the loan discharge was supposed to be automatic.

Under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the department took a series of steps to try to delay borrower defense from going into effect, as it was supposed to do in the summer of 2017. DeVos called it: "a muddled process that's unfair to students and schools, and puts taxpayers on the hook for significant costs."

But the department lost in court repeatedly and also missed a key technical deadline for replacing the rule. In October, a federal judge ordered that the department begin forgiving loans under the rule. Now, per a statement, the government seems to be complying with the closed-school portion of the rule, at least.

Bolded because THIS IS THE HEADLINE. The current one is incomplete, to say the least.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:08 PM on December 14, 2018 [44 favorites]

Special Counsel's Office Files Reply to Flynn Sentencing Memo lawfare blog
posted by bluesky43 at 12:14 PM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

Scott Walker signs lame-duck legislation [without vetoes], curbing his Democratic successor's power.

Can you even imagine the sudden flood of “suspicious packages” that would start showing-up on pols’ doorsteps if this was a democrat-majority legislature pulling this crap? At every possible turn, the republican party keeps proving they simply don’t believe in democracy and, in fact, consider the concept anathema.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:16 PM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

@jimsciutto

More: In sharply worded response, special counsel prosecutors make clear Michael Flynn is responsible for his false statements to the FBI saying he made the “decision to lie about his communications with the Russian ambassador two weeks before his interview with the FBI.”
posted by bluesky43 at 12:16 PM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

@sahilkapur [statement attached]: "I regret speaking imprudently." Senator @OrrinHatch walks back his remarks to @mkraju that he doesn't care about allegations that Trump committed crimes because he's a good president.

I'm surprised he walked this back, even with a "I don't believe the President broke the law" thrown in there. Is he perhaps looking at the daily cavalcade of guilty pleas and realizing that there are going to have to be some decisions made by the Republican Party next year?
posted by zachlipton at 12:20 PM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

This should be part of Nancy Pelosi's political reform package introduced on day 1 -- repeal the provision that says the President is exempt from conflict of interest laws.

Seems like a no-brainer. Would any Republican who is up for re-election dare oppose it? If so, good. Bludgeon them with it.
posted by msalt at 12:25 PM on December 14, 2018 [22 favorites]

But the department lost in court repeatedly and also missed a key technical deadline for replacing the rule.

An actual reign of white supremacists is pretty thoroughly discrediting the claims of white people to meritocratic supremacy.
posted by srboisvert at 12:29 PM on December 14, 2018 [35 favorites]

CNN saw Zainab Ahmad and Michael Dreeben return in car to SCO office shortly after mystery grand jury witness arguments wrapped.

Dreeben is the Deputy Solicitor General in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice criminal docket before the United States Supreme Court.

Ahmad is a counterterrorism expert, and she's incredibly good at this.

Emptywheel: What has Ahmad been working on?
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:31 PM on December 14, 2018 [39 favorites]

Would any Republican who is up for re-election dare oppose it?

Yes, because neither side wants to be embroiled in permanent conflict of interest trials for as long as the republic lasts. The duties of POTUS inherently include conflict. It would be argued that President Obama was in conflict when he said Trayvon Martin could have been his child. A female president could never push for legislation that affected a woman's right to choose, etc.
posted by sideshow at 12:39 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

While I guess “it could be argued” that way, that isn’t at all how conflict of interest regulations work.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 12:42 PM on December 14, 2018 [13 favorites]

I'm surprised he walked this back, even with a "I don't believe the President broke the law" thrown in there. Is he perhaps looking at the daily cavalcade of guilty pleas and realizing that there are going to have to be some decisions made by the Republican Party next year?

I expect we will see a lot of headlines featuring "Pivot" and "Away From Trumpism" throughout 2019.

Already there are murmurs about the need to rein in the deficit, which maybe will soon become "Trump's Deficit."
posted by notyou at 12:43 PM on December 14, 2018

I expect we will see a lot of headlines featuring "Pivot" and "Away From Trumpism" throughout 2019.

If there's one thing I've learned in the past couple years, it's don't count on "pivot."
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 12:47 PM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

“Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed… This was not a big crime,” Giuliani told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. He added, sardonically, “I think in two weeks they’ll start with parking tickets that haven’t been paid.”


@RudyGiuliani: CORRECTION: I didn’t say payments were not a big crime. I have said consistently that the Daniels and McDougall payments are not crimes and tweeted a great article yesterday making that point . If it isn’t a witch-hunt why are they pursuing a non-crime.

Narrator: he did say that

@AdamSerwer: Not a great sign when a lawyer is explaining that, what he *meant* to say was that his client *didn’t* do crimes not that he did
posted by zachlipton at 12:49 PM on December 14, 2018 [39 favorites]

CNN's article Mystery Mueller Mayhem at a Washington Court has circumstantial evidence the Grand Jury case was related to the SCO: "And then, about 10 minutes after the court activity appeared to wrap for the day, a black Justice Department car rolled into Mueller's office building, bringing attorneys including Dreeben and Zainab Ahmad back to their home base."

Zoe Tillman: NEW: "Special counsel Robert Mueller's office has just released the latest report on its expenditures. Between April 1 and Sept. 30, the office spent $4.5M, and other DOJ components supporting the office spent $3.9M related to the investigation" (PDF)

I didn’t say payments were not a big crime. I have said consistently that the Daniels and McDougall payments are not crimes

Pat Cipollone and Emmet Flood shake their heads silently and then get back to work at the Trump White House.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:54 PM on December 14, 2018

New Jersey AG probes Trump golf club after undocumented maids claim racially-charged harassment, threats nydaily news

New Jersey’s top law enforcement agency is looking into claims of widespread harassment and immigration fraud at President Trump’s Garden State golf club after several former and current housekeepers alleged racially-charged mistreatment, the Daily News has learned.

Anibal Romero, a Newark-based attorney, said Friday the state attorney general’s office recently reached out to him about claims that five of his clients were routinely threatened and called racial slurs while working at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.

The women — all of whom are or were undocumented immigrants — also allege their supervisor at the extravagant estate set them up with fraudulent work permits and threatened to report them to federal authorities if they spoke out.
posted by bluesky43 at 12:55 PM on December 14, 2018 [21 favorites]

When the presidential exemption was first established during ethics-law reform under George HW, the main argument was that other positions in government (e.g judges) allow for recusal, but the office of president does not. And basically that this could combine with, yes, a sense that almost everything was a possible conflict to create legally unresolvable situations.

That Trayvon example would be so much right-wing frivolousness, but a more realistic one could be, say, laws that affect higher education institutions like Obama's Harvard. Along those lines, suppose Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez becomes the first millenial president in 2028, and (unlikely as it may seem... or not) she's still paying off student loans. Should she be permitted legally to issue an order for debt-forgiveness? Even if she avoided ever doing so, the issue and others like it would still be there, and the executive branch would have to confront them one way or another.

I do think the exemption has to end. But the details of doing so are murky.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 1:05 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

About half attended campuses run by Corinthian Colleges. They will get their money back or have their debt forgiven

I got my Corinthian-based student loan forgiven before DeVos took office. The process was simple and easy (although not quick). I know plenty of other students have no idea it's even possible. When I found out about the program, I sent a mass email to every other student whose email address I had; many bounced, and only a few acknowledged getting it at all. One thanked me profusely after she got her debt erased through it.

I now have a degree from a college which no longer exists; I don't know how to got official transcripts if I need them. (Something about contacting the Secretary of State, I think.)
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:09 PM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

These depraved fucking fascists just killed a little girl

As a commenter on the WP story said, "Where are the "pro-life" conservatives? Head in the sand."

And that's why I call b.s. whenever a conservative wants to argue, "Why can't you leftists accept that our sincerely held beliefs just might be different from yours but equally in good faith?" Because, where are your sincerely held beliefs now? It's like where is the NRA whenever a law-abiding black man with a gun gets killed? Where are the "ENFORCE ALL THE LAWS" clowns when their Clown-in-Chief is the biggest lawbreaker?
posted by xigxag at 1:09 PM on December 14, 2018 [43 favorites]

Has anyone seen any analysis about why Flynn might be acting like a dumbass in these new court filings? Mueller's guys said he had been fully cooperative and recommended no jail time. Why is Flynn being a prick about this?
posted by Justinian at 1:10 PM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

About half attended campuses run by Corinthian Colleges. They will get their money back or have their debt forgiven.

Were that entirely true. My son went to a Corinthian school, and he’s heavily saddled with debt. Unfortunately, his graduation date falls about a year before the timespan established for forgiveness.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:13 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Why is Flynn being a prick about this?

@ugarles: The Flynn reply brief by Mueller was directed to Fox News, not the Court. Flynn's lawyers floated a theory of how gullible he was to get Trump tweeting and maybe a pardon. Mueller's response was "we're not even trying to put you in jail; stop being a fuckin' weasel."

Basically, Flynn is still fishing for a pardon.
posted by PenDevil at 1:14 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

These depraved fucking fascists just killed a little girl. As a commenter on the WP story said, "Where are the "pro-life" conservatives?

Barney Frank famously pointed out that "Republicans concern for life begins at conception and ends at birth."
posted by JackFlash at 1:15 PM on December 14, 2018 [41 favorites]

Basically, Flynn is still fishing for a pardon.

And trying to repair his image with the wingnutosphere to get back on the wingnut welfare circuit.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:21 PM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

I think it's safe to assume that as long as his completely guanopsychotic son is out there tweeting a bunch of arglebargle that Michael Flynn, Sr. has not had that much of a change of heart.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:24 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

And trying to repair his image with the wingnutosphere to get back on the wingnut welfare circuit.


That's my take as well. He's looking towards the future....
posted by bluesky43 at 1:26 PM on December 14, 2018

> As a commenter on the WP story said, "Where are the "pro-life" conservatives? Head in the sand."

Stop pretending.
posted by homunculus at 1:27 PM on December 14, 2018 [16 favorites]

Adam Schiff’s Plans to Obliterate Trump’s Red Line
With the Democrats controlling the House, Schiff’s congressional investigation will follow the money. The New Yorker - Jeffrey Toobin

“At the end of the day, what should concern us most is anything that can have a continuing impact on the foreign policy and national-security policy of the United States, and, if the Russians were laundering money for the Trump Organization, that would be totally compromising.” Schiff hypothesizes that Trump went beyond using his campaign and the Presidency as a vehicle for advancing his business interests, speculating that he may have shaped policy with an eye to expanding his fortune. “There’s a whole constellation of issues where that is essentially the center of gravity,” Schiff said. “Obviously, that issue is implicated in efforts to build Trump Tower in Moscow. It’s implicated in the money that Trump is bragging he was getting from the Saudis. And why shouldn’t he love the Saudis? He said he was making so much money from them.”
posted by bluesky43 at 1:31 PM on December 14, 2018 [36 favorites]

I've never been a big fan of the "red line" formulation. I have no doubt that Trump does not, at all, want his finances or his family's finances examined. But the media always reports this as "TRUMP'S RED LINE BREACHED" or whatever. Except the "red line" comment was not, like, unprompted. He didn't volunteer that Mueller should not examine finances! It was in response to a leading question by Maggie Haberman in their interview.

She asked him about his finances and literally said "Would that be a red line?". It's not like he's gonna say "no, no, that's perfectly fine." Of course he said yes. Hell, I havent done anything and I wouldn't say yes. "Yeah I hope the feds look at my finances".

So, sure, he agreed it was a red line when Haberman asked him if looking at his family finances was a problem. But I think it's been overhyped as some sort of Trump-drawn line in the sand when it was obviously a throwaway response to a leading question.
posted by Justinian at 1:49 PM on December 14, 2018 [17 favorites]

Also people don't get to just declare "red lines" about which of their crimes are ok to investigate. You're not allowed to start retaliating and impeding investigations if the investigators start looking into certain things just because you announced previously that you'd prefer they didn't.
posted by contraption at 1:53 PM on December 14, 2018 [28 favorites]

@AdamSerwer: Not a great sign when a lawyer is explaining that, what he *meant* to say was that his client *didn’t* do crimes not that he did

And it's not the first time Giuliani 'forgets' a crucial word in a statement like that. Trump does as well; apparently it's contagious.
posted by Stoneshop at 2:03 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

She asked him about his finances and literally said "Would that be a red line?". It's not like he's gonna say "no, no, that's perfectly fine." Of course he said yes.

The sane, not-actually-a-criminal answer would've been, "Surely you mean a red herring? While I hope they don't waste any time investigating random false leads or just following hunches, I support law enforcement's need to find out the truth."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:03 PM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

Scott Stedman (Medium): FBI Actively Investigating Papadopoulos Days After His Release From Prison

The Atlantic's Natasha Bertrand: Update to last month’s story: The FBI will soon interview the author of the letter ⁦@ScottMStedman⁩ and I obtained last month* detailing Papadopoulos’s alleged attempts to work with Russia after the election.

* Atlantic: Papadopoulos’s Russia Ties Continue to Intrigue the FBI—The former foreign-policy adviser to the Trump campaign boasted of a Russia business deal even after the election, according to a new letter under review.
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:09 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

@realDonaldTrump: I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration........I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! John will be staying until the end of the year. He is a GREAT PATRIOT and I want to personally thank him for his service!

@petersagal: It's like he only knows six people and three of them are going to prison.

@pbump: Mick Mulvaney surges back into the number-of-jobs-in-the-administration lead over Jared.

I wonder if Mulvaney knew this before the tweet or if this was a surprise.
posted by zachlipton at 2:24 PM on December 14, 2018 [55 favorites]

It's Friday o'clock, woo-hoo!
posted by Melismata at 2:30 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Mick Mulvaney[...] will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff

Well at least the goddamn fox won't be guarding the henhouse anymore over at CFPB. Somewhere Leandra English is looking around like... okay, so, what now?
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 2:30 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Josh Dawsey of WaPo tweets that he "talked to a Mulvaney aide on the phone 30 minutes ago who claimed to have no idea." [ Twitter ]

My bet's on surprise as he already has 2 other jobs in the administration!
posted by marshmallow peep at 2:30 PM on December 14, 2018 [16 favorites]

Oops.

@hsu_spencer: NEW U.S. prosecutors on Friday asked a federal judge for permission to move Maria Butina from jail, including potentially to testify before a grand jury, in a sealed filing apparently made public by mistake.

It sounds like Butina is going to be doing some cooperating though.
posted by zachlipton at 2:34 PM on December 14, 2018 [16 favorites]

@pbump: Mick Mulvaney surges back into the number-of-jobs-in-the-administration lead over Jared.

Technically Kathy Kraninger is the director of CFPB now, since her confirmation on December 6. But she has no experience outside of working for Mulvaney, so. Guess who's really calling the shots still.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:50 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

“Acting” Chief of Staff. So this won’t be a long term thing for Mulvaney?

I mean, it wouldn’t have been a long term thing without the “Acting” but with it this really smells like desperation.
posted by notyou at 2:50 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

" As a commenter on the WP story said, "Where are the "pro-life" conservatives?"

Anecdata, but I've spent a lot of time with very serious, religious pro-lifers (president of the pro-life student organization at Notre Dame; reporters for National Catholic Reporter; employees of Catholic dioceses; Christian pastors of many stripes) and it's been really, really interesting over the past decade to watch a lot of them slowly (and with varying degrees of reluctance) drift into voting Democrat. A lot of them were always not aligned with an individual party -- they agreed with the GOP on abortion but with the Dems on capital punishment, etc. -- but as the GOP has abandoned ALL pro-life issues except abortion, more and more of the ones who do take it seriously as a religious commitment have been trending Dem. I knew several who shifted during the Obamacare debates -- they saw access to healthcare as crucial (especially pre-natal and delivery coverage), and felt the tradeoffs of supporting Obamacare were smaller than the tradeoffs of people not having healthcare. Many more shifted as the GOP went nuts on immigration. Some when their state GOPs opposed minimum wage hikes ("family wage" is part of a Catholic pro-life ethic, since pro-life means being pro-people-earning-enough-to-support-a-family).

Interestingly, a lot of them have fallen out of public pro-life advocacy groups as this shift has taken place, because so many pro-life advocacy groups are either explicitly only about abortion, or claim to be "seamless fabric of life" but in reality are only about abortion, and most are pretty explicitly GOP-aligned. I don't know that you can point to a trend yet, but I'd be keeping a close eye on whether a) an increasing number of people who identify as serious about their religious commitments begin to treat pro-life commitments as a personal, rather than political, issue (because the right-wing has collapsed "pro-life" into JUST abortion and is outright cruel on every other life issue; and the left considers pro-choice such an important plank) and identify as pro-life but stop basing their voting on it; and b) large numbers of highly-committed religiously-motivated pro-lifers dropping out of the major organizations changes the faces of those organizations and perhaps renders them less effective, less motivated, etc. I'm hearing some Catholic pro-life organizations that, say, run baby supply drives to help low-income women keeping their babies are having a harder time getting volunteers and their traditional organizers are drifting away. Now, there's a lot going on there (not least of which is clergy sex abuse fallout), but if the highly-motivated pro-life women who organized these things no longer feel comfortable publicly identifying with it or even just attending meetings because it's a love-fetuses-hate-immigrants GOP-fest, that's going to be a really big shift. I'd also be keeping an eye on mainstream Protestant and Catholic pro-life attitudes/involvement versus evangelical Christian pro-life activism ... if mainstream Protestant and Catholic pro-lifers started falling away from the now-evangelical-dominated movement because of its overt ties to the GOP and refusal to address pro-life issues beyond abortion, that would be an ENORMOUS shift in the national body politic.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:50 PM on December 14, 2018 [101 favorites]

She asked him about his finances and literally said "Would that be a red line?"

For the sake of pedantry, it was Michael Schmidt:

SCHMIDT: Last thing, if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russia — is that a red line?

HABERMAN: Would that be a breach of what his actual charge is?

(The "red line" phrase had been invoked previously in the interview in reference to Obama and Syria.)

Anyway, as a deep disliker of toxic leprechaun Mick Mulvaney, I'm pleased for his elevation.
posted by holgate at 3:04 PM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

Nunes Attacks FBI Over Flynn Guilty Plea: ‘It Was Nothing Short of Entrapment’ using their incredibly nefarious technique of asking him questions, which he then lied about. And why is Nunes so worked up about it? I mean, it's not like he has something to hide, right?
posted by kirkaracha at 3:04 PM on December 14, 2018 [30 favorites]

Conservative David French responds to the "Flynn was entrapped" idea.
posted by clawsoon at 3:05 PM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

if mainstream Protestant and Catholic pro-lifers started falling away from the now-evangelical-dominated movement because of its overt ties to the GOP and refusal to address pro-life issues beyond abortion, that would be an ENORMOUS shift in the national body politic.

Between this and a genuine shift to address wage inequality and reign in corporate greed, and a Green New Deal program providing actual good jobs to people who've spent decades waiting on bullshit "return of manufacturing" fairy tales, I really think a lot of the "deep red" rural and southern states could end up in play.
posted by contraption at 3:06 PM on December 14, 2018 [6 favorites]

“Acting” Chief of Staff. So this won’t be a long term thing for Mulvaney?

It's basically so people stop talking about and making fun of how nobody wants the job. Gives Trump a little breathing room to find someone desperate and stupid enough to take it.
posted by chris24 at 3:07 PM on December 14, 2018 [12 favorites]

So now we got an “acting” CoS and an “acting” Attorney General. I can’t wait for the “acting” POTUS!
posted by valkane at 3:11 PM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

Analysis from the always-worthwhile Alexandra Erin (thread):
@alexandraerin: "Popping back in from my break to say: Chris Christie turning down a job with the Trump administration is THE news story this week that made me sit up and take notice.

More than Cohen's sentencing. More than any documents that have been pored over. More than anything."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:11 PM on December 14, 2018 [22 favorites]

I mean, it wouldn’t have been a long term thing without the “Acting” but with it this really smells like desperation.

La Times's Eli Stokowski: WH official on Mulvaney: "There’s no time limit. He’s the acting chief of staff, which means he’s the chief of staff."

Reporter: Why the 'acting' label then?

WH official: "Because that’s what the president wants."
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:23 PM on December 14, 2018 [12 favorites]

"Acting" doesn't usually come with a time limit, but with the understanding that they'll keep looking for someone else to fill the role, as I understand the term.
posted by clawsoon at 3:32 PM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

"There's no time limit." [real]
"Indeed, how could there be, given the hopelessness of our search for a permanent CoS." [fake]
posted by Brak at 3:35 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

"Acting" doesn't usually come with a time limit, but with the understanding that they'll keep looking for someone else to fill the role, as I understand the term.

Can we start calling lame-duck politicians, "acting Representative from CA-21," and so on?
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 3:41 PM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

Nunes Attacks FBI Over Flynn Guilty Plea: ‘It Was Nothing Short of Entrapment’ using their incredibly nefarious technique of asking him questions, which he then lied about. And why is Nunes so worked up about it? I mean, it's not like he has something to hide, right?

FBI was under no legal obligation to inform him of anything including even that they were FBI. At the time of the interview the investigation was a CI matter not a criminal one. They literally could have entrapped him without getting in trouble for it.
posted by scalefree at 3:41 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

"Acting" has a time limit when you're dealing with a position subject to Senate confirmation. With something like CoS that is entirely an executive branch decision, there's no need for it.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:45 PM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

"Acting" doesn't usually come with a time limit, but with the understanding that they'll keep looking for someone else to fill the role, as I understand the term.

It does have a specific meaning under the Vacancies Reform Act, but that applies to Senate confirmed positions, like the USAG, which is why Whitaker's appointment is egregious and possibly illegal. But the same definition does not apply to political appointments not subject to confirmation like the Chief of Staff. There's no real reason to have a "acting" Chief of Staff.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:46 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

"Acting" == "I won't be offended and/or sue when you replace me, because I knew that a replacement was coming sooner or later." See also: "Acting university president", "acting CEO".
posted by clawsoon at 3:50 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

John will be staying until the end of the year

So... 2 weeks? Sounds about right for a job in the Trump administration.
posted by thefoxgod at 3:51 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

He's there until the new Congress gets sworn in on the 3rd; he's jumping town before the investigations kick in.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 4:00 PM on December 14, 2018

Alexandra Petri: Job posting: White House chief of staff

Do you like to be insulted, both to your face and behind your back? Do you fantasize about someday being fired “like a dog”? When you sit in public, do people tell you that you have the resting face of Rodin’s Thinker, With A Horrible Toothache, Who Has Just Received Disturbing News? Do you leap at opportunities even Chris Christie has refused?

If so, you might be just the right candidate for White House chief of staff!
posted by duoshao at 4:02 PM on December 14, 2018 [20 favorites]

> CNN's 2020 Democratic nominee power rankings by Cillizza (boo) and Enten (yay!).

There Is Exactly Zero Value Whatsoever in a 2020 Presidential Poll Right Now. We might be at war in Iran by then.
posted by homunculus at 4:11 PM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

Charles Pierce's roundup of shenanigans in Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida and Texas: This is your democracy, America. Cherish it.
posted by homunculus at 4:11 PM on December 14, 2018 [6 favorites]

AJC INVESTIGATION: How Brian Kemp turned warning of election system vulnerability against Democrats "In a dead heat with Stacey Abrams, Brian Kemp created a diversion from computer security breakdown"

You will be shocked, shocked I say, to learn that there was no FBI investigation into Georgia Democratic vote hacking because nobody ever really believed such a thing had happened but it sure made a nice little last minute accusation against people who just were once again pointing out how Kemp had failed to secure the state's voting system.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:16 PM on December 14, 2018 [21 favorites]

Acting = Don’t order business cards
posted by Thorzdad at 4:16 PM on December 14, 2018 [11 favorites]

NY Times: The Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, and How We Missed It How U.S. Law Enforcement Ignored It

Charles Pierce: 'We' Did Not Miss the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism. You Did. The New York Times plays itself—but offers a useful window into how establishment media has enabled all this.

It's not "our" fault that the NYT hired Bret Stephens and Ross Douthat, and not Dave Neiwert or JJ McNab, to write for their Opinions section. It's not "our" fault that the NYT and other elite political media outlets hand-waved the fact that allegedly respectable Republican politicians, national ones as well as the local variety, attached themselves to various "respectable" extremist outfits like the Wise Users out west and the Council of Conservative Citizens, the modern manifestations of the Citizens Councils that were the polite face of American apartheid during the Jim Crow era in the South.

It's not "our" fault that the prion disease spread so wildly on AM radio and on television and, ultimately, on social media as well. It's not "our" fault that white supremacy and outright fascism has become fashionable in pockets of our military, and in our militarized local police forces. And it's certainly no surprise to "us" that the election of an African American president sent the well-nurtured crazies into dangerous hysterics.

And, in 2009, when the Department of Homeland Security released a report describing how rightist extremism was spreading into the military and law enforcement, "we" weren't shocked—nor were "we" shocked when the right-wing media machine went to DefCon1 and, eventually, got DHS to pull the report.

posted by homunculus at 4:27 PM on December 14, 2018 [80 favorites]

Politico, Trump considers delaying border wall fight until January. It would look like a two-week CR to fund the government into January.

Turns out that shutting down the government while it's still under unified Republican control would look pretty stupid, not that it didn't stop them in January, so they'd rather wait until they can blame Pelosi for it, which would be easier if Trump didn't just invite TV cameras in to preemptively take the blame himself. So it's not a great strategy:

A Democratic aide said this stopgap plan would just ensure that Trump "will lose twice," as Pelosi would pass a longer-term spending bill when she becomes speaker that won't fund the border wall.

The government is set to shut down next Friday, the same day Trump plans to leave for Mar-a-Lago.
posted by zachlipton at 4:33 PM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

> PontifexPrimus:

Trump Improvises New Defense in Hush Money Payments

[...]Without providing specifics, Mr. Giuliani said that nearly three dozen members of Congress had made similar payments to people who have accused them of harassment and other embarrassing allegations.

“If they want to pursue an investigation for impeachment on this and if they do want to vote on an article of impeachment, somewhere between 30 to 40 of them better get a lawyer,” Mr. Giuliani said.

A few more questions:

1. Is this rumour, trumpspeak, or an empty threat pulling 'facts' out of thin air? How would Giuliani know that any other Congress members have secretly paid out hush money for sexual shenanigans?

2. If true, where and when did Giuliani obtain this information, and who provided it? Trump himself or his advisors; intelligence/investigative agency contacts/leaks; private investigators, scandal sheet safes*, etc.?

3. Perhaps this is additional Russian kompromat— if they could access Hillary's email, maybe they obtained others' email also. Or, heaven forbid, they have even more honey trap videos (imagine the PornHub compilations).

*Enquiring minds want to know.
posted by cenoxo at 4:41 PM on December 14, 2018 [14 favorites]

nearly three dozen members of Congress had made similar payments

Let justice be done though the heavens fall.

imagine the PornHub compilations
Well, thanks for that image.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:45 PM on December 14, 2018 [16 favorites]

“Acting” Chief of Staff. So this won’t be a long term thing for Mulvaney?


I find it interesting that Trump has been running the White House and anything else he has a modicum of control over in government like a shitty corporation that only employs temps and contractors. Like almost all of corporate America now.

Almost more than socialized healthcare, I would love to see the migrant worker trend end.
posted by nanook at 4:51 PM on December 14, 2018 [23 favorites]

zachlipton:
@MEPFuller:
The five Democrats who voted with Republicans to block a vote on Yemen:
Jim Costa
Al Lawson
Collin Peterson
Dutch Rupperberger
David Scott"

Dave Weigel noted in his newsletter that activists are already mobilizing to primary the safe seat Dems here (Lawson, Scott, Rupperberger). Peterson is in a purple to red seat.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:54 PM on December 14, 2018 [19 favorites]

And there it is, late on Friday just as open enrollment is about to end tomorrow, the dropping shoe we all forgot about.

Bloomberg: Obamacare Core Provisions Ruled Unconstitutional by Judge

Obamacare was gutted by a Texas federal judge in a ruling that casts uncertainty on insurance coverage for millions of U.S. residents.

Waiting for a copy of the decision, but basically, it's throwing the whole thing out. Expect appeals, naturally.
posted by zachlipton at 4:54 PM on December 14, 2018 [22 favorites]

WH official: "Because that’s what the president wants."

NBC's Geoff Bennett: Two sources tell NBC News it was Mick Mulvaney who asked for the “acting” title. One source says Mulvaney wanted to enter the position with a safe exit in place, if needed. Source familiar says Trump was eager to kill the talk that "no one wanted to be his chief of staff."

What an utter clown show.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:59 PM on December 14, 2018 [48 favorites]

"Sources", eh? Sounds like the White House Leak Factory is warming up again, in advance of Kelly's departure.
posted by Brak at 5:09 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Dave Weigel noted in his newsletter that activists are already mobilizing to primary the safe seat Dems here (Lawson, Scott, Rupperberger).

Love seeing this. Democratic incumbents should be more afraid of a primary from the left than the media calling them "liberal" or "socialist". The party has take progressive votes for granted for far too long, and the tide is turning. It's time to build the movement and start notching real victories. More AOCs in 2020, and every sitting Democrat should have to defend their record in a primary, every cycle.

Primaries are an unalloyed good.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:09 PM on December 14, 2018 [29 favorites]

Here's the full ruling

For the immediate takeaway: @nicholas_bagley: The Texas decision on the Affordable Care Act is out. The individual mandate is unconstitutional, the court rules, and the mandate can't be severed from the rest of the Act. The court's decision is NOT limited to guaranteed issue and community rating. In the court's view -- and this is *absolutely* insane -- the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. The court's decision is also not limited to the plaintiff red states. That means the blue states -- California et al. -- can take an appeal. Because there's no injunction (not yet, anyhow) the Trump administration would not be in contempt if it continued to implement the ACA. Nor, I think, does it need to secure a stay pending appeal -- though I could be wrong about that. Which means that EVERYONE SHOULD STAY CALM.
posted by zachlipton at 5:11 PM on December 14, 2018 [25 favorites]

Barney Frank famously pointed out that "Republicans concern for life begins at conception and ends at birth."

untrue, they are also DEEPLY concerned about the the potential unjust ruination of the lives of young white men who might have innocently engaged in harmless youthful "boys will be boys" shenanigans like multiple and repeated sexual assaults
posted by poffin boffin at 5:13 PM on December 14, 2018 [24 favorites]

Primaries are an unalloyed good.

Eh...I'm still coming down on the side of "primaries are good in safe-ish seats." AOC and Pressley winning were great things. But Peterson's MN-07 went 62-31 Trump; if he gets primaried out, we lose the seat.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:15 PM on December 14, 2018 [18 favorites]

The individual mandate is unconstitutional, the court rules, and the mandate can't be severed from the rest of the Act.

Ruling the mandate unconstitutional once the tax penalty is removed would be meaningless, of course, since it's set to 0 anyway. And a Democratic congress could just put it back once they have power and that would be Constitutional since the tax penalty would no longer be 0.

The idea that the rest of the law is unconstitutional if the mandate is struck down is absurd. That doesn't mean the SC won't uphold that view and kill a lot of us. But there is, I think, a decentish chance that the same coalition that saved Obamacare last time saves it again. I can see Roberts and the 4 liberal justices holding that the mandate can be severed given that Congress repealed the mandate penalty without repealing the other parts of Obamacare. Because how else can you see that except as Congress voting for maintaining Obamacare without the mandate penalty?

This Texas judge wanted to strike the whole thing down, so he struck the whole thing down.
posted by Justinian at 5:20 PM on December 14, 2018 [15 favorites]

Primaries are an unalloyed good.

Ask Establishment Republicans how that's worked out.

For all of us.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:25 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

Some kind of totally sealed court session today that might be related to the Mueller investigation
posted by loquacious at 5:25 PM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Here's Ruppersberger's explanation for his vote. In his defence, he claims to be a co-sponsor on Ro Khanna's resolution to end U.S. military involvement in Yemen, but this does not actually appear to be the case.
posted by halation at 5:28 PM on December 14, 2018

More Bagley: If you were ever tempted to think that right-wing judges weren't activist -- that they were only "enforcing the Constitution" or "reading the statute" -- this will persuade you to knock it off. This is insanity in print, and it will not stand up on appeal.

I mean, he's obviously right on the merits but he has more confidence than I do in the ultimate outcome. I'm like 60/40 it won't stand up, and 40% is an awful high number for killing a bunch of people, but he seems to think the ruling is basically a dead letter?

I'm old enough to remember when legal analysts thought the original challenge to Obamacare was also ridiculous and only failed to kill the thing 5-4 in the SC after John Roberts had some sort of crisis of conscience, or maybe just wanted to maintain the appearance of neutrality for a while, and sided against the GOP. It was a hair's breadth from succeeding back then. And people were just as confident that the challenge was bullshit as they are that this ruling is bullshit.

So.
posted by Justinian at 5:31 PM on December 14, 2018 [11 favorites]

Since Congress never intended this result in any way when they passed the tax bill, it seems the entire problem could be solved by Democrats insisting on a single line affirming the severability of the mandate from the rest of the ACA being added to the must-pass spending bill to keep the government open.
posted by zachlipton at 5:42 PM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

gonna be a while reading the opinion.
but this must be some sort of typo, right?

They further urge that, if they are correct, the balance of the ACA is untenable as inseverable from the Invalid Mandate." (at 2, emphasis mine)

kinda laying it all out there right off the bat, eh, yerhonor?
posted by 20 year lurk at 5:42 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

One thing to keep in mind is that the judge in the ACA case has been known for years for providing Republicans an easy path for favorable federal rulings. I doubt either side is particularly surprised by this type of decision coming out of his courtroom.
posted by parallellines at 5:52 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

Maybe I'm being too pessimistic. Lots of legal twitter saying this ruling is fuckoed and might be able to scrape together 2 votes on the Supreme Court, maybe. Including people like Johnathan Adler who is by no stretch of the imagination a lefty. If they are right I hope the appelate courts smack this judge around a bit for being such a dumbass.
posted by Justinian at 6:03 PM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Lawsuits coming over Wisconsin limiting early voting.

Analysts think many of the lame duck moves in Wisconsin and Michigan are likely to be struck down by courts.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:22 PM on December 14, 2018 [30 favorites]

aaahhh! i mean, we all knew it, but wt everloving f!!?!?

"The Federal Defendants agree [w/ the plaintiffs that] the Individual Mandate is unconstitutional and inseverable
from the ACA’s pre-existing-condition provisions."

did the solicitor general or designated underling not even?
the solicitor general or designated underling did not even.

also, this opinion was rushed out, egregious editorial mis(or didn't even)haps attest.
posted by 20 year lurk at 6:22 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Given how Republicans got their asses kicked over healthcare in the election last month, I can't believe they are too happy to have this pile of feces dumped in their laps today. But then again Republicans don't have a lick of common sense.
posted by JackFlash at 6:24 PM on December 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

The idea that the rest of the law is unconstitutional if the mandate is struck down is absurd. That doesn't mean the SC won't uphold that view and kill a lot of us. But there is, I think, a decentish chance that the same coalition that saved Obamacare last time saves it again. I can see Roberts and the 4 liberal justices holding that the mandate can be severed given that Congress repealed the mandate penalty without repealing the other parts of Obamacare. Because how else can you see that except as Congress voting for maintaining Obamacare without the mandate penalty?

Jonathan Adler
This opinion would be lucky to get two votes on current court (if that)

Sasha Samberg-Champion
Retweeted Jonathan Adler
For those fretting about the ultimate outcome, even those who have opposed the ACA in prior litigation understand that this ruling won't command the majority of the Supreme Court.
posted by chris24 at 6:26 PM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

What Happened to All the People Who Left the Trump Administration?
"A guide to what Hope Hicks, Rob Porter, Rex Tillerson, and other has-beens are doing now."
posted by kirkaracha at 6:31 PM on December 14, 2018 [11 favorites]

Mr. Giuliani said that nearly three dozen members of Congress had made similar payments to people who have accused them of harassment and other embarrassing allegations.

Erm... what's the party split on those? Because if it's "30 Republicans and 5 Democrats," we'll take our chances. (We'll take them anyway--Giuliani apparently hasn't figured out that there's a rather large crowd on the side of "sexual assaulters don't belong in Congress." But we do understand that criminals may be willing to dodge away from confronting someone else with the crimes they've committed themselves.)
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 6:50 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

A guide to what Hope Hicks, Rob Porter, Rex Tillerson, and other has-beens are doing now.

Spoiler: they all have comfortable sinecures and none are in prison for the rest of their lives.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:55 PM on December 14, 2018 [21 favorites]

Even for a hack partisan judge, this is a really hack partisan judge.

Matt Ford
This is the same judge who struck down the Indian Child Welfare Act a few months ago.

Joshua Block
Yes, and same judge who issued two nationwide injunctions blocking protections for trans people—including trans people living in other parts of the country with Circuit precedent protecting them.
posted by chris24 at 6:55 PM on December 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

OMG that Washingtonian thingy that kirkaracha posted is gold. If I had the time (and focus) I’d suss out at least 52 Trump Jokers and crowdfund a pack of playing cards like they had in Iraq.
posted by valkane at 6:57 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

Seconding the Washingtonian article. What a frickin turd carnival. Includes:

Hope Hicks: Current job: Chief communications officer of New Fox.

Wtf is that? Oh. Thanks, Fortune. It's Fox News. (Shock! Horror!). Post-71.3-Are-You-Shitting-Me-Billion-Dollar sale of everything else Fox. "Pending International regulations approval" /eyeroll

Dr. Ronny "I love Trump and Trump loves speed" Jackson: Current job: Back in the White House’s Medical Unit, according to the Navy, but no longer President’s chief physician.

Kee-righst. How miserable must that place be to work.
posted by petebest at 7:29 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

Doktor Zed: "Trump's health and reported/rumored drug habits have been out in the open for years—going back to the days of Spy magazine—but the mainstream press refuses to investigate the subjects, despite the warning signs of Dr. Harold Bornstein's effectively forged bill of health for him and Dr. Ronny Jackson's scandals at the White House."

Isn't this pretty well par for the course. There wasn't any coverage of Kennedy's health.

ErisLordFreedom: "I now have a degree from a college which no longer exists; I don't know how to got official transcripts if I need them. (Something about contacting the Secretary of State, I think.)"

Often there is another school registar that takes over when a school goes out of business.

valkane: "So now we got an “acting” CoS and an “acting” Attorney General. I can’t wait for the “acting” POTUS!"

Hmm, is an acting person in the line of succession? Nope.
posted by Mitheral at 7:45 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

The screw-the-Democrats bill that Scott Walker just signed on his way out the door in Wisconsin has a provision that explicitly prohibits the new Democratic governor from withdrawing from the multi-state lawsuit that resulted in the ruling striking down the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans really, really hate people getting healthcare.
posted by JackFlash at 7:46 PM on December 14, 2018 [31 favorites]

a provision that explicitly prohibits the new Democratic governor from withdrawing from the multi-state lawsuit that resulted in the ruling striking down the Affordable Care Act.

BACKGROUND: Here's the ACA litigation.

I wonder, if they can't withdraw, can the Wisconsin AG's office just stop appearing?
posted by mikelieman at 7:55 PM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

Evers should do it anyway and dare the legislature to a) sue him; b) impeach and remove him. I don't see a two-thirds majority in the Wisconsin state senate.
posted by holgate at 7:55 PM on December 14, 2018 [22 favorites]

Foreign Policy: Saudi Arabia Declares War on America’s Muslim Congresswomen

Ever since the midterm election, conservative media in the United States have targeted with special zeal Ilhan Omar, an incoming Somali-American Democratic congresswoman and a devout Muslim who wears hijab. In response to Democrats’ push to remove a headwear ban on the House floor to accommodate Omar, conservative commentator and pastor E.W. Jackson complained on a radio show that Muslims were transforming Congress into an “Islamic republic.”

The Democratic Party has several rising political stars with Arab or Muslim backgrounds, all of whom have become objects of such conspiracy theories. But it’s not only American conservatives who have been indulging in this culture war. The organized attacks have also been coming from abroad—specifically, from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The midterm elections have amplified an existing suspicion in Middle Eastern media of Muslim political activism in the United States. Academics, media outlets, and commentators close to Persian Gulf governments have repeatedly accused Omar, Rashida Tlaib (another newly elected Muslim congresswoman), and Abdul El-Sayed (who made a failed bid to become governor of Michigan) of being secret members of the Muslim Brotherhood who are hostile to the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. On Sunday, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya published a feature insinuating that Omar and Tlaib were part of an alliance between the Democratic Party and Islamist groups to control Congress. The article accused the two of being “anti-Trump and his political team and options, especially his foreign policy starting from the sanctions on Iran to the isolation of the Muslim Brotherhood and all movements of political Islam.”

In another example, a talk show on Saudi-owned station MBC discussed the Muslim congresswomen and more broadly the implications of Democrats taking the House. Prominent Arab anchor Amr Adib debated the matter with Egyptian political scientist Moataz Fattah, who suggested that Trump’s successful combating of Islamists would be undermined by the Democrats’ victory. The attacks have become so ubiquitous in the Persian Gulf that the trend itself is the subject of debate, both online and on television.

[...]

The rise of politicians like El-Sayed, Omar, and Tlaib also undermines a core argument advanced by dictators in the Middle East: that their people are not ready for democracy. “People would not have access to power in their countries but they would if they leave; this destroys the argument by Sisi or bin Salman,” El-Sayed said, referring to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “What’s ironic is there is no way I would aspire to be in leadership in Egypt, the place of my fathers.”

American allies in the region also fear that the Democratic Party’s new Arab leaders will advocate for political change in their countries. Having spent millions of dollars for public relations campaigns in Western capitals, the Persian Gulf countries feel threatened by any policymakers with an independent interest in and knowledge of the region. They have thus framed these officials’ principled objections to regional violations of human rights and democratic norms as matters of personal bias. One commentator, who is known to echo government talking points and is frequently retweeted by government officials, recently spread the rumor that Omar is a descendent of a “Houthi Yemeni” to undermine her attacks on the Saudi-led war on Yemen.

posted by Freelance Demiurge at 7:56 PM on December 14, 2018 [35 favorites]

The WaPo's Phillip Rucker reports that Christie was Trump's breaking point in his CoS search: Trump names budget director Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of staff

Earlier Friday, Chris Christie was described by White House aides as a leading contender for the job after the former New Jersey governor met privately with Trump and first lady Melania Trump for more than an hour in the White House residence on Thursday night. But Christie called Trump at midday Friday to take his name off the list. A person close to Christie said a number of current and former White House aides warned Christie that the building was unmanageable and that “no one can have success there.”

Trump grew deeply frustrated at the rejections and the media narrative that no one of high stature wanted to be his chief of staff, according to a senior White House official, so he decided suddenly on Friday afternoon to tap Mulvaney.

The article's profile of Mulvaney goes into detail about his working relationship with Trump as a conservative ideologue, but ultimately, it comes down to what anonymous Trump White House source said: “He got picked because the president liked him. They get along.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:01 PM on December 14, 2018 [6 favorites]

Foreign Policy: Saudi Arabia Declares War on America’s Muslim Congresswomen

If true, the US House of Representatives should be debating a declaration of war on Saudi Arabia for attacking America's Congresswomen. And what's wrong with promoting democracy? One person, one vote, freedom of speech, expression, etc...
posted by mikelieman at 8:01 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

“He got picked because the president liked him. They get along.”

Shits of a feather stink together.
posted by holgate at 8:01 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Mulvaney reads like a total yes-man to me. Can’t wait to see how that plays out.
posted by valkane at 8:15 PM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

“He got picked because the president liked him. They get along.”

Mulvaney got picked because Trump gave him a sweet job doing nothing, and the least he can do is be Chief of Staff for a week or so until Trump can find someone else. Mulvaney isn't even stepping down from his current job, which tells you how long he is planning on being Chief of Staff.
posted by xammerboy at 8:37 PM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

Mulvaney currently mismanages OMB. He used to mismanage both OMB and CFPB, but now someone else, his former number 2 at the bureau, mismanages CFPB. Starting soon, he will mismanage the OMB, while also mismanaging the office of the Chief of Staff, in an acting role.
posted by notyou at 10:35 PM on December 14, 2018 [27 favorites]

“He got picked because the president liked him. They get along.”

I’m honestly surprised that someone from WWE or Kayne haven’t yet had been appointed within the White House. Go full tough guy reality show.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 5:48 AM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

SBA Administrator Linda McMahon says hi.
posted by EarBucket at 6:15 AM on December 15, 2018 [41 favorites]

And Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says goodbye: Ryan Zinke to resign as interior secretary, Trump says (WaPo)
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:24 AM on December 15, 2018 [36 favorites]

Sarah Kendzior drawing lines from Butina-NRA-Pence-Josh Horrible Hawley warms my heart on a cold and shitty Missouri morning.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:33 AM on December 15, 2018 [34 favorites]

Say hello to Acting Secretary of the Interior, Mick Mulvaney. [fake, but plausible]
posted by notyou at 7:14 AM on December 15, 2018 [12 favorites]

The Price / Pruitt precedent is that internal investigations are closed or neutered when the secretary leaves -- do we know if Price actually repaid the cost of his charter jet habit? -- but it's not going to stop Zinke from being invited to one or more House committees next month.
posted by holgate at 7:49 AM on December 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ranking member on the Natural Resources Committee Raúl Grijalva calls on Zinke to resign. Zinke responds by calling him an abusive drunk.
---
Smart move insulting someone who will have subpoena power over you in 5 weeks.
posted by chris24 at 4:08 PM on November 30


Robert Costa (WaPo)
WH official tells me Zinke's exit necessary. Why? Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will soon take gavel at Natural Res. Cmmte.

Since Zinke has taken personal shots at Grijalva for his struggles w/ alcoholism, official says the WH, already embattled, wants to avoid brutal/newsy Zinke hearings.
posted by chris24 at 8:14 AM on December 15, 2018 [11 favorites]

More specifically, investigations that deal with the former official's individual conduct are closed, while investigations into a lack of safeguards to prevent future abuses remain open. But when there's a judgment call to be made on which bin an investigation goes to, the inspectors general have leaned toward the "individual conduct" side.

Of course, the House is not bound by any such rules, as the continued hearings on Hillary Clinton's email show.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:18 AM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

Ronald Klain
Missed point about the @MickMulvaneyOMB pick: By installing a Senate confirmed official as CoS (who is not quitting as OMB chief) Trump blunders into being the first POTUS to have a CoS who can be called to testify before Congress.
• All Senate confirmed officials are obligated to testify before their committees of jurisdiction plus the approps comms. By contrast, traditionally, except in rare events, WH sr aides don’t have to testify.
posted by chris24 at 8:50 AM on December 15, 2018 [78 favorites]

And Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says goodbye: Ryan Zinke to resign as interior secretary, Trump says (WaPo)

Zinke held on because he wanted to have his Christmas party full of lobbyists:

The secretary’s final public appearance was Thursday night at his Christmas party, which he told White House staffers he wanted to have before his dismissal. He invited lobbyists and conservative activists to his executive suite, where he posed for photos in front of a large stuffed polar bear wearing a Santa cap, according to an attendee.

posted by T.D. Strange at 8:53 AM on December 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

I wonder, if they can't withdraw, can the Wisconsin AG's office just stop appearing?

Or just get really passive aggressive and start making bad arguments, etc.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:57 AM on December 15, 2018 [8 favorites]

The deal also made clear that AMI and David Pecker, whose tabloid (National Enquirer) strongly supported Trump’s candidacy, has turned on the president.

CNN's timeline tracks how AMI began turning on Trump: How the National Enquirer Broke Up with President Trump

The weekly tabloid magazine made a sudden turn away from Trump-related covers over the summer. Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed the shift. Instead of covers that celebrated Trump and attacked his enemies, the Enquirer has been sticking with tried-and-true stories about celebrity scandals.[…]

But the change came at the same time when prosecutors in the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York zeroed in on Michael Cohen's financial dealings with Pecker and American Media.[…]

It is possible that the Trump-promoting covers simply stopped being a reader draw. The Enquirer is famously reactive to circulation trends, with editors who pay very close attention to which cover subjects sell more copies than others. But the timeline matches up exactly to the federal investigation.

Since May, only one story on the Enquirer's web site has been tagged with Trump's name, and it was about a past contestant on the "Celebrity Apprentice" television show.

Incidentally, AMI's coverage of Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama seems to have broken off at the same time.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:57 AM on December 15, 2018 [8 favorites]

The Boston Globe, which broke the news about an intensive monitoring program involving thousands of citizens with the temerity to fly, reports: TSA says it no longer tracks regular travelers like terrorists.

Agency officials told the Globe that air marshals no longer document the minor movements and behavior of these travelers, such as whether they fidget in the airport, go to the bathroom during the flight, or seem, according to the agency’s own checklist, to have a “cold, penetrating stare.”

posted by adamg at 9:06 AM on December 15, 2018 [6 favorites]

The Republicans fancy new tax law that they passed last December, the same one that has a $0 mandate penalty, also has a 0% tax rate for capital gains if your income is below $77,000 for couples and $39,000 for singles.

The tax rate is 0%. Ergo, the Republicans' entire tax law is unconstitutional, QED, ipso facto.
posted by JackFlash at 10:14 AM on December 15, 2018 [16 favorites]

Story about how a former Virginia congressman is a total mensch: Y’all listen to this wild ass shit. More from BuzzFeed.
posted by peeedro at 10:22 AM on December 15, 2018 [38 favorites]

Re: the Presidential exemption from the conflict of interest regulations

InTheYear2017: a more realistic [problematic scenario] could be, say, laws that affect higher education institutions like Obama's Harvard. Along those lines, suppose Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez becomes the first millenial president in 2028, and (unlikely as it may seem... or not) she's still paying off student loans. Should she be permitted legally to issue an order for debt-forgiveness?

Interesting, thanks. Though I'm confused -- in what way is Harvard "Obama's"? Just because he's an alumnus? That does not seem like a reasonable conflict of interest, absent any ongoing financial relationship. Maybe for an action targeting Harvard specifically, but certainly not for something helping all colleges.

On AOC, absolutely she should not be able to sign an order forgiving her own debt. Jimmy Carter sold off his peanut farm, and the world kept revolving. Everyone else in government deals with these issues and I still don't see any reason Presidents are different. In a pinch, why not recuse to the Vice President (and on down the line of succession, as needed) for individual matters?

Perhaps more to the point: this is a killer political position. Let's let Republicans defend a deeply unpopular position by arguing nuance, for once. Congress can work out the fine print later.
posted by msalt at 11:55 AM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

2019 healthcare enrollment update: Connecticut just extended its open enrollment period to January 15; see other dates below and/or follow this link for more info.

Obamacare open enrollment deadlines for 2019
Open enrollment for 2019 coverage: November 1 – December 15 in most states
CALIFORNIA: Open enrollment permanently set at October 15 – January 15
COLORADO: November 1 – January 15 enrollment for all future years
CONNECTICUT: Open enrollment for 2019: November 1 – January 15.
RHODE ISLAND: Open enrollment for 2019: November 1 – December 31
MINNESOTA: Open enrollment for 2019: November 1 – January 13
MASSACHUSETTS: Open enrollment for 2019: November 1 – January 23
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Open enrollment for 2019: November 1 – January 31
NEW YORK: Open enrollment for 2019: November 1 – January 31
posted by Bella Donna at 11:59 AM on December 15, 2018 [10 favorites]

Zinke Insisted On Having His Christmas Party Before Being Booted
The White House has been pushing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to quit for weeks, finally telling him he had until the end of the year to leave or be fired, according to a Saturday Washington Post report.
Zinke’s counter-request? To host his Christmas party, graced by lobbyists and conservative bigwigs, before being booted.

Grifters stuffing their pockets with free shit till the very end. And of course Trump too scared to actually fire someone.
posted by PenDevil at 12:29 PM on December 15, 2018 [28 favorites]

On AOC, absolutely she should not be able to sign an order forgiving her own debt.

As far as hypothetical scenarios that's pretty out there, especially with her increased income, she'll be in the zone of "paying off school debt isn't a hassle", and probably retire it in a few years tops.
posted by mikelieman at 12:29 PM on December 15, 2018 [5 favorites]

Savanna's Act unexpectedly blocked in House

A bill named in honor of Fargo murder victim Savanna Greywind has hit a roadblock. "Savanna's Act" was passed in the Senate last week, but the bill has been placed on hold in the House of Representatives.

The measure was introduced last year by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. Heitkamp says the bill is being blocked by Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte. It’s not clear why Goodlatte is blocking the bill. Goodlatte has not been available for comment.

"I’d like to see Congressman Goodlatte actually visit a reservation in North Dakota and explain to the families of victims why he is blocking this bill" Heitkamp said. "Unlike Congressman Goodlatte, I am serious about saving lives and making sure Native American women are invisible no longer."

Savanna's Act was designed to improve access to crime databases and reporting missing and murdered Native Americans. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent on Dec. 6.

The measure will die in the House if it fails to pass before the end of the current session of Congress.

Via
posted by homunculus at 12:41 PM on December 15, 2018 [32 favorites]

As far as hypothetical scenarios that's pretty out there, especially with her increased income, she'll be in the zone of "paying off school debt isn't a hassle", and probably retire it in a few years tops.

Obama was a Senator in his 40s and only paid off his student debt because of his second book deal, but sure, I bet she’ll be fine.
posted by Etrigan at 1:17 PM on December 15, 2018 [21 favorites]

> "Or just get really passive aggressive and start making bad arguments, etc."

That'll never happen but it would be hilarious. "May it please the court, I am forced by legislative act to submit an argument on this side of the case, as opposed my esteemed colleagues, who are doing it because they are imbeciles. My argument is therefore as follows: Durrrr good laws am bad! Bad laws am good! Best law is law that hurts the most people! This law helps people! Must be bad law!"
posted by kyrademon at 1:55 PM on December 15, 2018 [14 favorites]

absolutely she should not be able to sign an order forgiving her own debt.

so just no millenials in elected positions ever, unless they come from money?
posted by schadenfrau at 2:36 PM on December 15, 2018 [69 favorites]

WaPo's David Fahrenthold: Mounting Legal Threats Surround Trump As Nearly Every Organization He Has Led Is Under Investigation

The Special Counsel and SDNY are investigating the Trump 2016 campaign (Mueller's also looking at his inaugural committee), New York State is suing his "charitable foundation", the incoming NYS attorney general is preparing multiple probes of the Trump Org, and there are various civil cases over emoluments. (These do not include personal lawsuits, such as the ongoing "Apprentice" defamation suit.)

It's almost impressive when you look at it from a distance.
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:42 PM on December 15, 2018 [29 favorites]

It's almost impressive when you look at it from a distance.

I hope that this leads to justice being served. Though it is unusual for it to be served all at once for a lifetime's worth of crime.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:51 PM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

Donald J. Trump is Lit (up with legal entanglements)! Program a monitor to display the lines of lawyers, judges, writs, indictments and investigations intersecting with the Trump administration and you have nothing but a blindingly white beacon of confusing noise, like a tv tuned between stations.

Crank the definition down a bit, and the pulsing lines of jurisprudence begin to resemble the complicated interchanges and overpasses of an L.A. freeway. This is the Trump Matrix. And here is where the battle will be fought for the 21st century.
posted by valkane at 3:00 PM on December 15, 2018 [11 favorites]

I hope that this leads to justice being served. Though it is unusual for it to be served all at once for a lifetime's worth of crime.

Elections have consequences. A NY DA who isn't obviously compromised is a good one all around. Frankly, I'm glad Barbara Underwood will have some free time. There's an expansion seat on the US Supreme Court with her name on it.
posted by mikelieman at 3:00 PM on December 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

NYT, Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig,As the Trumps Dodged Taxes, Their Tenants Paid a Price

Remember that October story about how the Trump family setup a shell company to pad their invoices for basically everything as part of an estate tax avoidance scheme? Well, guess what happens when you're a landlord and you inflate all your expenses? You use the big bills to justify rent increases on rent-regulated apartments that persist to this day.

Padding the invoices had a secondary benefit for the Trumps, allowing them to inflate rent increases on their father’s rent-regulated apartments.

“The higher the markup would be, the higher the rent that might be charged,” Robert Trump, the president’s brother, once admitted in a sworn deposition obtained by The Times.

The president and his siblings have long since sold their father’s buildings and moved on with their inherited fortunes. But for tenants, the insidious effects of the scheme continue to this day.

The padded invoices have been baked into the base rent used to calculate the annual percentage increase approved by the city. The sum total of the rent overcharges cannot be calculated from available records. As a way to appreciate the scope of the impact, a onetime $10 increase in 1995 on all the 8,000 apartments involved would put the total overpaid by tenants at more than $33 million to date, an analysis of approved rent increases shows.
...
Former prosecutors told The Times that the filing of padded invoices with state rent regulators could have led to criminal charges at the time, but that the statute of limitations has long since expired. Civil penalties in cases of fraud remain a possibility, and tax authorities in New York City and New York State have said they are examining issues raised by The Times’s investigation.

posted by zachlipton at 3:01 PM on December 15, 2018 [42 favorites]

Trump makes unannounced visit to Arlington National Cemetery

President Trump made an unscheduled visit to Arlington National Cemetery on a rainy Saturday, following weeks of criticism for skipping ceremonial visits in the United States and abroad that other presidents have made and for his lack of meetings with U.S. troops in combat zones.

The president spent 15 minutes at the storied Virginia cemetery, walking with two military officers dressed in camouflage and a tour guide, looking at the thousands of grave markers that had been decorated with holiday wreaths. The visit was not on Trump’s public schedule, which often signals a last-minute decision.

“They’re doing a great job,” Trump said.

posted by kirkaracha at 3:16 PM on December 15, 2018 [6 favorites]

“They’re doing a great job,” Trump said, before saying that he wanted to expand the cemetery so more service members could be buried in the hallowed grounds.

Commander Bone Spurs wants to expand Arlington so that more service members can be buried there. As if there aren't enough already. As if anyone who's family had requested that they be buried there had ever been denied. No, he just wants more of his favorite soldiers; dead ones.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 3:30 PM on December 15, 2018 [8 favorites]

Frankly, I'm glad Barbara Underwood will have some free time. There's an expansion seat on the US Supreme Court with her name on it.

Underwood is 74. When we pack the Court, I want the youngest Democratic partisans we can find. Sasha and Malia Obama maybe.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:36 PM on December 15, 2018 [33 favorites]

Arlington used to be the estate of a treasonous american. I can think of a few fair ways to expand on the burial space.
posted by cmfletcher at 4:03 PM on December 15, 2018 [29 favorites]

WaPo's David Fahrenthold: Mounting Legal Threats Surround Trump As Nearly Every Organization He Has Led Is Under Investigation

Consistency is the key to effective branding.
posted by srboisvert at 4:35 PM on December 15, 2018 [20 favorites]

It's almost impressive when you look at it from a distance.

Maybe a week or two and he'll be twitter-bragging about that it's the biggest lawsuit ever seen.
posted by Namlit at 4:42 PM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

I know it's fun to snark, but Arlington National Cemetery is currently looking at ways to avoid running out of burial space; they are buying land from the state and county to allow for expansion onto the former Navy Annex and are considering tightening the eligibility requirements. Trump saying he's looking into it is just him trying to take credit for the normal functions of government, but it's a process that's already taking place and Trump's involvement as Real Estate Expert Who Has An Obvious Solution To Every Problem will only make things more difficult for the various stakeholders to find a solution.
posted by peeedro at 4:47 PM on December 15, 2018 [19 favorites]

...a shell company to pad their invoices for basically everything as part of an estate tax avoidance scheme? Well, guess what happens when you're a landlord and you inflate all your expenses? You use the big bills to justify rent increases on rent-regulated apartments that persist to this day.

And I'm not saying that the inauguration committee was padding its invoices and inflating the cost of renting family-owned properties, but people involved with the inauguration seemed to think that invoices were being padded and rental costs inflated.
posted by holgate at 4:50 PM on December 15, 2018 [7 favorites]

Arlington National Cemetery land was seized from Robert E Lee's estate and burials took place next to his mansion as an in your face gesture towards his traitorhood. It doesn't exactly have a Confederate past.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:10 PM on December 15, 2018 [6 favorites]

Arlington National Cemetery land was seized from Robert E Lee's estate and burials took place next to his mansion as an in your face gesture towards his traitorhood.

What I hear is we should do the same to Trump Tower.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:13 PM on December 15, 2018 [48 favorites]

“They’re doing a great job,” Trump said

Someone's clearly told Trump he needs to embark on a charm offensive, instead of his regular offensive.

The WH pool reports from the congressional ball passes along this snow-job: Trump said the White House is special and they loved living in it. “To me it’s a happy place.” (Which would be more believable if he didn't spend every single weekend he could away from it.)

He then made bipartisanship noises:

This is going to be an exciting year and two years, he said. “I believe we’re going to get really good health care.”

Trump said he was happy there were so many Democrats at the party. “I have a lot of friends who are Democrats,” he said.

If Republicans and Democrats get together, we could end up with incredible health care, which is how it should have been from the start, he said.

“And the other thing they’re going to start working on very shortly is an infrastructure bill, because that’s something I think everybody wants to see,” Trump said.

So as soon as he's returned from his 16-day Christmas-New Year vacation at Mar-a-Lago, it's Infrastructure Week!
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:23 PM on December 15, 2018 [23 favorites]

I choose the legislative pay example intentionally because as far as I know that actually is permitted in our system of government, even though it’s clearly a conflict of interest.

There are states where the legislature is not allowed to raise their own pay, but only that of future legislators. That seems like a wise policy.

so just no millenials in elected positions ever, unless they come from money?

Ha ha, but you can't run for president until 35, and 55 is much more common. That said, though, the general point stands. Conflicts of interest are bad. Unless a bill applies equally to every American, a president or legislator should either recuse themselves from any vote or decision that benefits themselves personally, or have some provision where they don't get the benefit themselves.
posted by msalt at 5:37 PM on December 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

There are states where the legislature is not allowed to raise their own pay, but only that of future legislators. That seems like a wise policy.

The 27th Amendment restricts Congress in the same way.
posted by jedicus at 5:56 PM on December 15, 2018 [6 favorites]

Ha ha, but you can't run for president until 35, and 55 is much more common. That said, though, the general point stands. Conflicts of interest are bad.

sorry to belabour the point, but there are a whole lot of us who won't have our loans paid off by 55, let alone 35. those who have the most success paying off their loans tend to go into industries which also produce conflicts of interest when it comes to legislating and governing -- like finance.
posted by halation at 6:16 PM on December 15, 2018 [27 favorites]

NY Mag: The Impossible Job: How John Kelly Failed to Tame the West Wing, by Olivia Nuzzi. "Shortly after Kelly was named chief of staff, he entered a meeting to find the man who would one day succeed him, Mick Mulvaney, was there despite not being on the approved list of attendees. “Kelly flipped out on Mick and said, ‘You wanna be the fucking chief of staff? Here, I’ll just leave because you wanna be the chief of staff’ ” the second former official said."
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:12 PM on December 15, 2018 [8 favorites]

NY Mag: The Impossible Job: How John Kelly Failed to Tame the West Wing, by Olivia Nuzzi.

The best part of this article is how it recounts John Kelly's failed, obsessive quest to stamp out leaks at the Trump White House in leaks from anonymous WH officials, past and present.

The leakers also describe a new mood at the West Wing:

Mulvaney does have one advantage: He has demonstrated his loyalty to the president since the beginning. “It’s cultish. It’s Stockholm syndrome,” said one person close to the White House. “There’s this thing that’s set in of a bunker mentality. There’s less infighting because of the bunker mentality.” Nevertheless, as the incoming Democratic Congress prepares to challenge Trump, and various law enforcement investigations draw ever closer to him, it seems unlikely that Mulvaney will be able to do much to change the place.[…]

“The nature of leaking has changed,” a third former White House official said. “Some of it can be attributed to this bunker mentality, where there’s not a lot of people left and they’re getting a hailstorm of bullets on them every single day and people are generally less likely to leak when they’re getting shit on every day.”[…]

In recent months, the circle of trust containing Trump’s most senior advisers has contracted to exclude almost everyone outside of the core group. The president has even been advised that he can no longer speak freely about what certain aides are thinking or have said in conversations with him, since the risk of a leak is too high.

“It’s really solidified,” the person close to the White House said. “You just get that feeling from listening to them that there’s no air. There’s no movement. There’s no concession about anything anymore. Everything is sort of the propaganda. We bring it home. We don’t leave it. Whereas before, there would at least be an, ‘Oh god, he did this. Ah, he’s making it hard,’ there was a little normality to it.” Now, this person said, either the president’s agents are reluctant to break character, or their character itself has changed.

“They’re all hunky-dory together. It’s from being in the bunker together.”

I'll believe Trump's aides have stopped infighting when the leaks stop—and since Trump's one of the biggest leakers, I'm not holding my breath.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:49 PM on December 15, 2018 [11 favorites]

Why does Mulvaney remind me of Heinrich Himmler?
posted by valkane at 8:17 PM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

It's the circular lenses.

Also, they're both nazis
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:36 PM on December 15, 2018 [99 favorites]

On the student loan thing: should a president with a mortgage be allowed to sign a bill that adjusts the mortgage interest tax deduction (the middle-class welfare we're not allowed to talk about too much)? I mean, there are egregious exploitations of new law -- like Dick Cheney's use of the post-Katrina adjustments to the threshold of the charity donation contribution to offload a six-figure amount of Halliburton stock -- but there's a difference between situations faced by a large number of people and situations that only seem to apply to very rich members of government.

Anyway, Nuzzi's beat is basically "Haberman without the bullshit institutional self-importance."

“Kelly flipped out on Mick and said, ‘You wanna be the fucking chief of staff? Here, I’ll just leave because you wanna be the chief of staff’ ” the second former official said."

Boston plastic paddy vs Carolina plastic paddy. What a world.
posted by holgate at 8:49 PM on December 15, 2018 [8 favorites]

msalt: Unless a bill applies equally to every American, a president or legislator should either recuse themselves from any vote or decision that benefits themselves personally, or have some provision where they don't get the benefit themselves.

This is reasonable, but stumbles when the rubber meets the road. No bill "applies equally to every American" or possibly could. For instance, the ACA (whose legal controversies are unfortunately back in the spotlight) was the subject of a whole "If Congress is exempt, that's not fair" argument, which didn't really hold water but nonetheless caused the provision that legislators (and even more stupidly, their staff) have to get insurance on the healthcare exchange, a system that is normally meant for people who, you know, don't already work for large organizations. Every well-made law has numerous special cases and provisions.

I do think recusal should happen more than it does. However, the main way conflicts of interests get prevented is at the root -- you sell the peanut farm rather than stay out of any agricultural decision-making, the latter being far more difficult. (The notion raised here and there of punting some matters to the vice president would be a dramatic shaping of that job and its official powers; would the VP be able to sign or veto legislation that touched on a presidential conflict?)

It does seem very sensible to have a law along the lines of "once you're president your sole income source must be the government, period". That doesn't cover everything that may be a conflict (debts are an exception I imagined for a future president... and come to think of it, they're something that very likely also applies to Individual 1), but it could fix a heck of a lot.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:52 PM on December 15, 2018 [6 favorites]

Unless a bill applies equally to every American, a president or legislator should either recuse themselves from any vote or decision that benefits themselves personally, or have some provision where they don't get the benefit themselves.

The idea behind having a large swarm of legislators, and approval by a president who isn't part of the legislative body, is that a bill that benefits the legislators presumably has to benefit a whole bunch of their constituents as well. We're finding problems with that - that legislators will write laws that only benefit a tiny fraction of very rich constituents - but that's less a problem with the process itself, than with the checks and balances not being applied, including the media refusing to talk about how Republicans are stealing from the rest of us.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 9:08 PM on December 15, 2018 [8 favorites]

Good points, all. I really like InTheYear2017's idea about income -- any other income you receive (such as book royalties) automatically goes to the chip away at the national debt, maybe.

But all of these points are covered in the current conflict of interest law, right? Which applies to the Vice President, cabinet officials, etc. Just remove the President's exemption, and follow those rules.

This might well prove a hassle for presidents, as it did for Jimmy Carter. Well, too friggin bad. There's too many people vying for the job already. I'm fine with discouraging some money-obsessed people from the job.
posted by msalt at 9:54 PM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

Besides, the main point of this proposal is to get every Republican on the record, for or against Trump's exemption from conflict of interest laws. Put their feet to the fire going into this crucial election.
posted by msalt at 9:55 PM on December 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

Whereas before, there would at least be an, ‘Oh god, he did this. Ah, he’s making it hard,’ there was a little normality to it.”

Normality??!

Normality. AS IF. Normal is Trump being shut out of any legitimate office because he's racist, sexist, a predator, insufferably narcissistic, dumb as shit, barely coherent, and above all grossly incompetent and everyone who's vaguely conscious can see that!

Normality. Jeebus.
posted by petebest at 10:31 PM on December 15, 2018 [30 favorites]

Via John Dean, CNN graphic showing the scope of Trump investigations
posted by growabrain at 5:00 AM on December 16, 2018 [5 favorites]

Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) dislikes a few books by Never Trumpers (WaPo).

Yet they often falter when reckoning with their own role, witting or not, in what came to pass. If conservatism has been hijacked by Trump, as they argue, who left it so vulnerable? These writers pose the question, but their answers feel like mere feints at accountability, more meh culpa than mea culpa. The Never Trumpers hold everyone culpable for the appeal of Trumpism except, in any worthwhile way, themselves.

posted by kingless at 5:07 AM on December 16, 2018 [29 favorites]

Haaretz: Trump Working on Extraditing Gulen, Turkish Foreign Minister Says—'In Argentina, Trump told Erdogan they were working on extraditing Gulen and other people,' said Turkey's foreign minister.

n.b. @WSJ last year: Mueller Probes Flynn’s Role in Alleged Plan to Deliver Cleric to Turkey—Under alleged plan, ex-Trump adviser and his son were to be paid millions to forcibly remove Fethullah Gulen from U.S. and deliver him to Turkish custody
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:34 AM on December 16, 2018 [19 favorites]

Buzzfeed: Guatemalan Girl's Father's Version Of Their Trip To The US Raises Questions About Border Patrol's Account

"Jakelin Caal’s father Saturday denied Trump administration claims that his daughter, who died in Customs and Border Patrol custody, “had not eaten or consumed water for several days,” insisting that she had been eating and drinking water and had shown no signs of ill health prior to being taken into custody by CBP agents. [...]

Although Garcia declined to give details about their trip from Guatemala, he did say they had largely traveled by bus, and that they had not spent significant time in the remote desert west of Juarez where they ultimately crossed the border.

Meanwhile, the Daily Beast Saturday evening reported that the remote New Mexico facility where the Caals were held has had a history of contaminated water, according to a 2016 Inspector General’s report."

The first comment sums up the media response for me - maybe we should invite Minerva Sage to MetaFilter:

As often happens (for example, with cases of police brutality or official murder), an official narrative got out there with lightning speed, abetted by an uncritical and unquestioning press, repeated and embellished by government officials and pundits and the entire right-wing agitprop apparatus from Fox to Breitbart to talk radio to the outer reaches of the internet.

Now, as the official line begins to crumble, anyone trying to tell the truth about what happened to this child has to face off against a powerful, contemptuous narrative that has already been swallowed whole by millions who would rather jeer at this dead child and deride her father than find out what really happened.
posted by Emmy Rae at 7:37 AM on December 16, 2018 [83 favorites]

Jeff Merkley and other Dems toured a Tornillo tent city on Saturday.

Oregon Live has an article that is mostly tweets from Merkley describing it as a child prison camp and pointing out that the Trump regime is deliberately making it difficult for children to be placed with sponsors.

From another brief article (KTVZ.com) about this: AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Jeff Merkley and three other Democratic members of Congress have toured a remote tent city in West Texas where they say 2,700 immigrant teens are being held at a cost of roughly $1 million per day.

The lawmakers on Saturday urged the nonprofit running the facility not to renew a federal contract that expires at the end of the year. That would effectively shutter the facility, which was supposed to be temporary but is expanding and taking on a permanent feel. [...]

In a series of tweets, Merkley thanked demonstrators who joined the lawmakers on Saturday, saying, "We all need to stand up and expose this unconscionable humanitarian crisis."

The senator said officials at the "child prison camp ... refused our request to speak with the children who are held there."
--------
Senator Merkley was joined by U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tina Smith of Minnesota, and California Rep. Judy Chu. So if those people represent you, call their office tomorrow to thank them for doing this!
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:04 AM on December 16, 2018 [67 favorites]

Merkley's twitter thread: "I just left the tent city at Tornillo. It is a child prison camp. They refused our request to speak with the children who are held there."
posted by homunculus at 8:18 AM on December 16, 2018 [54 favorites]

Parkland survivor has a message for the NRA after news of their close relationship with Russian spy [Maria Butina] (Walter Einenkel, Daily Kos)

David Hogg: "Thoughts and prayers to the NRAs PR team"

posted by ZeusHumms at 8:32 AM on December 16, 2018 [72 favorites]

Funny how the Jade Helm'ers don't blink a lash that the child camps are practice for a future action against citizens. Maybe I should create a Reddit account for spreading the idea in /r/The_Donald, but then again maybe that's how Pizzagate caught steam.
posted by rhizome at 8:35 AM on December 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) dislikes a few books by Never Trumpers (WaPo).

I....would like to give Mr Lozada a hug. Nothing is more frustrating to me than watching us paper over the decades of nasty subtext in Republican politics that created the Trump electorate. It's no coincidence that hapless staff writer for the Weekly Standard, Tucker Carlson, turned into the guy who gets paid millions of dollars to go on television and say that immigrants are dirty and spread disease. Every time we embark on the obligatory praise of Mitt Romney for being so moderate and sensible, I want to drag out the clips of him talking about the importance of shared "Anglo-Saxon heritage" to America's foreign policy. Republicans have been talking in dog whistle for decades. Some of them were bad at it and their racist constituency didn't believe them, true, but that's not an excuse.

I have some reflexive sympathy for conservative political professionals who find themselves in Trumpland and aren't sure where to go. It's not easy to switch career paths later in life, and I imagine it's much harder when your social group and family is still very Republican. But I'm not gonna give endless credit, here; most of these people wouldn't blink in the nightmare scenario of a Cruz or Gohmert presidency. It feels like a lot of them are more offended by how unprofessional the Trump presidency is: destroying the State dept (as opposed to just ignoring them), being nakedly corrupt (as opposed to being quietly corrupt), pocketing money directly (as opposed to depositing it into the pockets of your cronies). I tend to think you can only trust these people up until the next midterm (or special election).
posted by grandiloquiet at 8:35 AM on December 16, 2018 [31 favorites]

Senator Merkley was joined by U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tina Smith of Minnesota,

Haha, so much for the wailing and whining when Tina Smith replaced Al Franken. Tina Smith seems to be a perfectly good, progressive Senator. It's worth re-reading Scott Lemieux's The Too Valuable Myth.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:42 AM on December 16, 2018 [33 favorites]

No. They’re all responsible for the child camps. They all helped heap fuel on the fire for years and years because it kept them warm, or put them in power, or made them rich. Every single one of them.

Do you know “concentration camp” was itself originally a euphemism? It was the language the Nazis used to describe the camps as simply innocuous places where certain groups could be “concentrated.” “Concentration camp” is how they described it in public. It was that sort of euphemism that gave ridiculous life to the “good but ignorant German” myth in the post-war period.

These are concentration camps, no matter what the Republicans want to call them.

The Republican Party should be abolished. I’m not kidding. They have created concentration camps for children, and they’re making any number of excuses to keep those children in those camps.

We will need a de-nazification process. We will need trials. We will need to see everyone who had any ability to stop this but did not in prison for the rest of their lives. Because they are responsible for child concentration camps.

This shouldn’t be that controversial.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:47 AM on December 16, 2018 [113 favorites]

Texas developer [J.D. Granger] brags his congresswoman mother [Texas Rep. Kay Granger (R)] will send federal bucks his way with new appointment (David Nir, Daily Kos)

And then they had to walk back the entire story.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:52 AM on December 16, 2018 [9 favorites]

schadenfrau: Do you know “concentration camp” was itself originally a euphemism? It was the language the Nazis used to describe the camps as simply innocuous places where certain groups could be “concentrated.” “Concentration camp” is how they described it in public. It was that sort of euphemism that gave ridiculous life to the “good but ignorant German” myth in the post-war period.

Minor historical correction: It was the British who first used the "concentration camp" euphemism, when they converted refugee camps into a tool of war against the Boers.
posted by clawsoon at 9:30 AM on December 16, 2018 [43 favorites]

"I just left the tent city at Tornillo. It is a child prison camp. They refused our request to speak with the children who are held there."

@realDonaldTrump, in another off-the-rails morning, tried to put up the usual smokescreen, tweeting misleadingly about Obama's "Child Seperation on the Border" policy—"Remember the 2014 picture of children in cages"—and claiming that if his administration doesn't separate families, "FAR more will come". "Smugglers use the kids!" It's like a deranged executive summary of a NY Post editorial.

Executive time (i.e. watching Fox News) was all over the place this morning, with rants about the supposedly missing text messages from Peter Strzok's FBI cell phone, calling Michael Cohen "a 'Rat'", promised to review the war crimes case against Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, approvingly quoted Ken Starr on the Mueller investigation, and declaring, "A REAL scandal is the one sided coverage, hour by hour, of networks like NBC & Democrat spin machines like Saturday Night Live. It is all nothing less than unfair news coverage and Dem commercials. Should be tested in courts, can’t be legal? Only defame & belittle! Collusion?"

n.b. Last night's SNL opener was a parody of "It's a Wonderful Life", in which Trump was shown how everyone in his circle would have been better off if he hadn't been elected president.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:32 AM on December 16, 2018 [34 favorites]

I've said it before and I'll say it again until it sinks in:
The Republican party is a terrorist organization.
Just look at their campaign ads.
posted by sexyrobot at 9:32 AM on December 16, 2018 [13 favorites]

Always good to remember that the Nazis got some of their worst ideas from the countries they eventually fought.
posted by runcibleshaw at 9:33 AM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

Minor historical correction: It was the British who first used the "concentration camp" euphemism, when they converted refugee camps into a tool of war against the Boers.

Yes, I think the Nazi linguistic contribution was "protective custody"
posted by thelonius at 9:35 AM on December 16, 2018 [8 favorites]

Last night's SNL opener was a parody of "It's a Wonderful Life", in which Trump was shown how everyone in his circle would have been better off if he hadn't been elected president.

This was deliciously vicious, and judging from Trump's tweet it struck a nerve, if not a bone. [FanFare]

Always good to remember that the Nazis got some of their worst ideas from the countries they eventually fought.

Great artists steal...
posted by rhizome at 9:38 AM on December 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

Washington Post: Trump says he’ll review case of Matt Golsteyn, a Special Forces veteran who faces murder charge

Dude murdered a prisoner and went back and forth between bragging about it and claiming he's innocent. Trump is totally fine with bulldozing through the military justice system for the sake of something to rant about at his rallies.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:38 AM on December 16, 2018 [9 favorites]

The Most Powerful Reject in the World

Is there anyone who wants to hang with Donald Trump?
posted by infini at 9:57 AM on December 16, 2018 [5 favorites]

Apropos of Trump's attack on NBC this morning…

NBC: Poll: 62 Percent Say Trump Isn't Telling the Truth In Russia Probe—More Americans want Democrats — not Trump — in charge of setting policy, a new national NBC News/WSJ poll finds.

Asked in the poll if Trump has been honest and truthful when it comes to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and related matters, 62 percent of all adults say they disagree. That includes 94 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of independents and a quarter (24 percent) of Republicans.

By contrast, 34 percent believe Trump has been honest and truthful about the investigation, including 70 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of independents and just 5 percent of Democrats.[…]

Also in the poll, a combined 50 percent of Americans say the Russia investigation — led by special counsel Robert Mueller — has given them “major,” “fairly major” or “just some” doubts about Trump’s presidency, versus 44 percent who say it hasn’t given them more doubts.

McInturff, the GOP pollster, says that the 44 percent without doubts is a “powerful reminder about the status of his political base.”

Full poll results here (PDF).
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:15 AM on December 16, 2018 [10 favorites]

combined 50 percent of Americans say the Russia investigation...has given them “major,” “fairly major” or “just some” doubts about Trump’s presidency, versus 44 percent who say it hasn’t given them more doubts.

I haven't checked out the questions or methodology to see if they control for this, but to be scrupulously fair, nothing that has transpired has given me any more doubts about his presidency, either.
posted by rhizome at 10:23 AM on December 16, 2018 [11 favorites]

Doktor Zed: "calling Michael Cohen "a 'Rat'""

While I get the sense of betrayal the cheeto must be feeling it is pretty funny that he'd use that label because pop culturally "Rats" are telling the truth.
posted by Mitheral at 10:25 AM on December 16, 2018 [16 favorites]

it's also an admission of sorts from Mr. T**** that the ship is sinking, and he knows it. Of course when the ship is crewed with nothing but rats, that rather complicates the analogy.
posted by philip-random at 10:53 AM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Mentioned above: SNL cold open imagines a world where Trump isn’t president, angering the real-life Trump (Rachel Withers, Vox)

The Michael Cohen jokes seemed to really get under Trump’s skin.

posted by ZeusHumms at 10:55 AM on December 16, 2018 [9 favorites]

Can we please stop doing the "this dumbfuck, embarrassing thing that some Trumpie did is actually an intentional distraction part of their nine dimensional chess!" thing, when almost always it's just that the administration is full of embarrassing dumbfucks who are constantly tripping over their own feet?

I will bet you a fancy-ass dinner that either (a) Miller woke up a little vainer than usual and didn't want to be balding today, or (b) Trump doesn't like how balding he is.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 10:58 AM on December 16, 2018 [30 favorites]

Response to Stephen Miller going on TV this morning to justify the death of the 7 year old: When the Trump administration is truly desperate for a distraction they put Stephen Miller on TV to remind people there are humans actually worse than the POTUS
posted by growabrain at 11:02 AM on December 16, 2018 [20 favorites]

Fuck any network that invites that prick on.
posted by orange ball at 11:07 AM on December 16, 2018 [49 favorites]

Some fact-checking/reactions to Trump's twitter fit this morning:

re: Trump's lie about Obama's "Child Seperation on the Border" policy, CNN's Marshall Cohen: This claim about Obama is false. Trump keeps repeating it anyway. Here’s our fact-check on this and many other of Trump’s misleading claims about family separation. https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/26/politics/trump-family-separation/index.html

re: Trump's "They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY’S OFFICE!", former federal prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst Renato Mariotti: "They didn’t break into his office. A federal judge authorized a search warrant after finding that there was a good reason to believe evidence of a crime would be found in his office. The judge was right."

re: Trump's attack on Cohen, Elie Honig (also a former federal prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst): "I worked mafia cases for years in SDNY, mainly Gambino and Genovese. I usually hesitate to make this comparison but here it is completely warranted. This - calling somebody who provides information to law enforcement a “rat” - is straight up mob boss language."

He knows that talk about his hair will drown out talk about his words.

That may be difficult, considering Miller was shouting at Face the Nation's host: ".@margbrennan asked White House Senior Advisor Stephen Miller if there will be a partial government shutdown over a border wall. Miller says “If it comes to it, absolutely.”"
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:11 AM on December 16, 2018 [12 favorites]

I'm tired of making fun of the appearance of child murderers and tired of speculating about Himmler being put out there to distract us with his silly glasses and mustache. I don't care what he sprays on his head, he's a child murderer. I don't care about whether he's an intentional distraction, he's a child murderer conducting an electronic training session on your neighbors and relatives to make them feel OK about murdering children.

There's no humor in this story and no subtle machinations to pick apart. It's a ripple preceding a wave of blood that will wash over everything and everybody.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:17 AM on December 16, 2018 [85 favorites]

There were pictures of the water border patrol provided to detainees. If those pictures are true, then Rust is right, that was murder as much as if they gave that child poison.

We must have a reckoning. This has to stop.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:30 AM on December 16, 2018 [16 favorites]

> infini: Is there anyone who wants to hang with Donald Trump?

If Team Trump doesn’t hang together, they’re going to hang separately.
posted by cenoxo at 11:56 AM on December 16, 2018 [5 favorites]

This isn't the first time Individual 1 has referred to people cooperating with law enforcement as "rats", but the previous instance was more hypothetical, as he denied that Don McGahn could be, in his words, a "John Dean type RAT". Arguably that's even more incriminating language because it clearly takes the side of not just any criminals but the Watergate ones.

Anyway, I suppose Cohen can still claim the honor of the first Trump-dubbed "rat" -- the first of many, one hopes!
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:18 PM on December 16, 2018

Meanwhile, a member of Trump's transition team who focused mostly on the EPA, has announced on twitter that since Venus has an atmosphere composed 99% of CO2 and the planet still exists any and all concern about CO2 on Earth is therefore evidence of total stupidity on the part of those concerned. He's a long time anti-climate activist and, for extra bonus points, a denier of the link between smoking and bad health outcomes and (totally by coincidence) the recipient of lots of money from the tobacco industry.

Only the best people folks. The best people.
posted by sotonohito at 12:23 PM on December 16, 2018 [32 favorites]

Venus ate that Soviet lander in, what, under an hour?

Here's hoping it eats their lifeboats in the same time span.
posted by Slackermagee at 12:27 PM on December 16, 2018 [10 favorites]

Paul Rosenberg @ Salon:
Christian nationalists have a new plan to seize more power — meet ‘Project Blitz’.
In the 2016 election, Trump got 81 percent support from white evangelical Christians, and a study by Clemson sociologist Andrew Whitehead and two colleagues (Salon story here) found that “the ‘religious vote’ for Trump was primarily the result of Christian nationalism,” an Old Testament-based worldview fusing Christian and American identities that “can be unmoored from traditional moral import emphasizing only its notions of exclusion and apocalyptic war and conquest.”
posted by growabrain at 12:33 PM on December 16, 2018 [21 favorites]

½-hour television program from last month covering “Project Blitz”—Al Jazeera English's Fault Lines: “Church of Trump”
posted by XMLicious at 12:47 PM on December 16, 2018 [7 favorites]

Giuliani: “Collusion is not a crime. It was over with before the election.”

(Real)

So that’s the President’s lawyer admitting to collusion. Typical Sunday. Dunno why the interview didn’t immediately end with a call to the police but eh...
posted by lazaruslong at 12:54 PM on December 16, 2018 [52 favorites]

DNC Chair Tom Perez goes to war with state parties (Alex Thompson, Politico)

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez launched an attack on his own party’s state organizations Saturday with a long and angry email over the future of the party’s most valuable asset — its voter data file.

Just days before an important Tuesday meeting in D.C. on the future of the data operation, Perez sharply criticized a new proposal from state party leaders and singled out prominent state officials by name.

“For some inexplicable reason, this proposal would tear down just about everything about our current data structure, reversing so much of the progress we made over the past decade,” Perez wrote.
...
It‘s the latest fight in a quickly escalating war over the trove of Democratic voter information — a conflict that broke into the open at a gathering of the state parties and the DNC in Puerto Rico late last month. The party’s data are largely owned by the state parties, but a considerable amount of other data being collected by outside groups like labor unions and super PACs could be leveraged to benefit Democratic candidates and the eventual 2020 nominee.

The DNC wants to gather all the data points on voters into a new, massive for-profit database but needs to convince state parties on the idea. The state parties have been wary, accusing the DNC of conducting a power grab that could financially benefit a few elite party figures.

In response to the DNC plan, Martin on Friday circulated a counterproposal designed to better integrate data from outside groups within the existing infrastructure. It was this proposal that prompted Perez’s email.
...
The backlash threatens to splinter the state parties and the national committee — technically separate entities — just as Democratic contenders are preparing to launch presidential campaigns.

posted by ZeusHumms at 12:56 PM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

So I was thinking about that new “Bottomless Pinocchio” rating for an aggressive campaign of lies, and the “bottomless” struck me as synonymous with “not wearing any pants” (or trousers, if you’re British). Which I then realized how apropos it is, because if you’ve had your pants on fire for so long, they’ve probably long since burned away.

Anyway, the CO2 levels on Venus thing is either 100% trolling, or the man needs to consult professional help, because there’s no way a sentient, mentally competent human being sincerely uttered that statement. There is no way you can know that the CO2 levels on Venus are so high, but be unaware that the temperatures on the planet are also too high to sustain life.

It doesn’t even rise to Time Cube levels of respectability. In the words of Wolfgang Pauli, “It’s not only not right, it’s not even wrong.”
posted by darkstar at 1:05 PM on December 16, 2018 [21 favorites]

Meanwhile, from Scott Stedman: Lindsey Graham's 2016 campaign manager, Christian Ferry, was mentioned in the 2014 Cayman Islands court documents filed by Oleg Deripaska. Deripaska named Ferry as a key associate of Paul Manafort
posted by growabrain at 1:07 PM on December 16, 2018 [48 favorites]

The backlash threatens to splinter the state parties and the national committee — technically separate entities — just as Democratic contenders are preparing to launch presidential campaigns.

No organized political party...
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:20 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

WaPo, New report on Russian disinformation, prepared for the Senate, shows the operation’s scale and sweep

A report prepared for the Senate that provides the most sweeping analysis yet of Russia’s disinformation campaign around the 2016 election found the operation used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters’ interests to help elect President Trump -- and worked even harder to support him while in office.

The report, a draft of which was obtained by The Washington Post, is the first to study the millions of posts provided by major technology firms to the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), its chairman, and Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), its ranking Democrat. The bipartisan panel hasn’t said if it endorses the findings. It plans to release it publicly along with another study later this week.

The research -- by Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Project and Graphika, a network analysis firm -- offers new details on how Russians working at the Internet Research Agency, which U.S. officials have charged with criminal offenses for meddling in the 2016 campaign, sliced Americans into key interest groups for the purpose of targeting messages. These efforts shifted over time, peaking at key political moments, such as presidential debates or party conventions, the report found.
...
“What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party--and specifically Donald Trump,” the report says. “Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting.”

posted by zachlipton at 1:35 PM on December 16, 2018 [33 favorites]

CNN, Giuliani indicates conversations with Trump on Trump Tower Moscow occurred later than previously known. I try not to listen to anything Giuliani has to say, but since he keeps incriminating his client....

On ABC's "This Week," Giuliani seemed to reference Trump's written responses to special counsel Robert Mueller, saying the conversations about the proposed Moscow project went as far as the tail end of the general election period.

"According to the answer that he gave, it would have covered all the way up to November of -- covered all the way up to November 2016," Giuliani said. "Said he had conversations with him -- but the President didn't hide this."

Asked about the difference between that comment and the previous claim that Trump's discussions about the project ended in January 2016, Giuliani said, "Until you actually sit down and answer the questions and you go back and you look at the papers and you look at ... you're not going to know what happened."

Counterpoint to "the President didn't hide this": "I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!"
posted by zachlipton at 1:52 PM on December 16, 2018 [16 favorites]

Minor historical correction: It was the British who first used the "concentration camp" euphemism, when they converted refugee camps into a tool of war against the Boers.

Also very salient is that American presidents and all manner of other officials referred to rounding up and confining Japanese Americans and other Asian Americans during WWII as the use of “concentration camps”. From a 2009 education program proposal document on the National Park Service web site:

During the 1940s, a whole host of governmental officials, up to and including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, called the camps incarcerating Nikkei as concentration camps. Eight days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Congressman John Rankin clearly used the term in his following outburst. “I’m for catching every Japanese in America and putting them in concentrations camps...Damn them! Let’s get rid of them now!” In a press conference in November of 1944, President Roosevelt states the following as it relates to the Nisei of the time. “It is felt by a great many lawyers that under the Constitution they can’t be kept locked up in concentration camps.” In a 1961 interview, President Harry S. Truman gets right to the point saying “They were concentration camps. They called it relocation but they put them in concentration camps, and I was against it. We were in a period of emergency, but it was still wrong thing to do.” (It might be interesting to note here that very early in its history the War Relocation Authority leaders went out of their way to deny that they were running concentration camps.)

IIRC there's an Eisenhower quote too.
posted by XMLicious at 2:02 PM on December 16, 2018 [19 favorites]

The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting.

Mueller watchers: does this fall within his scope? I would like to know about all the various treason vectors if at all possible.
posted by schadenfrau at 2:21 PM on December 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

Counterpoint to "the President didn't hide this": "I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!"

Even granting them the most charitable reading, whether this is true depends on "what the meaning of 'have' is". I've heard a variant on that somewhere, I'm sure.

Of course, the previous famous version was given by a smart lawyer with a precise command of the language. This bozo... not so much.
posted by bcd at 2:24 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

So the DNC wants to create a huge, centralized for-profit voter database? Whom in California do I need to call or write or text or send carrier pigeon to in an effort to express my outrage over this idea?

The states are right to be wary. The DNC is not an organization I trust. Remember how it attacked some progressive candidates in the primaries? I am on my phone, it is bedtime, I cannot dig up the links. To me this just feels like another opportunity for the DNC to attempt to take power away from organizations like MoveOn and others while simultaneously funneling money to long-established Democratic Party consultants who feel it’s very important to support non-progressive candidates everywhere, not just in conservative states.

Do these fuckers not realize that things are different now? Did they look at all those new female and PoC reps and actually say to themselves, what we really need now is a for-profit centralized voter database so we can just hijack all the work that was done by a bunch of state orgs plus grassroots organizations that came into being in the wake of the outrage that is Trump? Perhaps I am over reacting to the phrase “for profit” but somehow I don’t think so.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:25 PM on December 16, 2018 [44 favorites]

I think it was Ken Burns "Civil War" that claimed that the concentration camp was invented in the US (or rather the Confederacy) who created Anderonville by walling off a valley and herding PoWs into it -the person running it was executed after the war for war crimes.

Having said that I'm sure the Confederacy were likely not the first
posted by mbo at 2:30 PM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

That seems like a weird claim for Burns to make. People have been herded into central locations and then, sadly, murdered for as long as humans have existed. Sometimes that "central location" consisted of an entire city.
posted by Justinian at 2:32 PM on December 16, 2018 [9 favorites]

According to the answer that he gave, it would have covered all the way up to November of -- covered all the way up to November 2016

That really sounds like an interpretation... I wonder what their response was precisely, and if Mueller has the same interpretation.
posted by pjenks at 2:39 PM on December 16, 2018

Anyway, the CO2 levels on Venus thing is either 100% trolling, or the man needs to consult professional help, because there’s no way a sentient, mentally competent human being sincerely uttered that statement. There is no way you can know that the CO2 levels on Venus are so high, but be unaware that the temperatures on the planet are also too high to sustain life.

I'm pretty sure that fell under "technically correct but intentionally misleading in order to troll", because he was explicitly replying to someone who claimed climate change was "existential threat to the future of the planet". He's correct—Venus, the planet, faces no existential threat. The planet Earth won't be harmed at all by runaway climate change either.

Human society? Higher mammals in general? Huge swaths of other species? Yeah - existential threat. Pretty certain that multi-cellular life in general will be fine though, and the geology will hardly notice our passing. All depends where you set the bar.
posted by bcd at 2:45 PM on December 16, 2018 [12 favorites]

so we can just hijack all the work that was done by a bunch of state orgs plus grassroots organizations

I just feel compelled to point out that this is basically the business model of a polarized two-party system... all democratic vigor channeled into two big streams directed against one another, so that there's a closely-balanced standing battle front easily nudged in whichever direction might serve the ruling classes while impetus that might combine into the disadvantaged majority asserting itself is instead exhausted.

It keeps a lid on itself! It's the pre-stressed concrete of political systems.
posted by XMLicious at 2:53 PM on December 16, 2018 [21 favorites]

I'm pretty sure that fell under "technically correct but intentionally misleading in order to troll"

Either that or the ever popular "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 2:54 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

America’s hidden war in Syria: U.S. troops will now stay indefinitely, controlling a third of the country and facing peril on many fronts
posted by homunculus at 3:15 PM on December 16, 2018 [12 favorites]

America’s hidden war in Syria: U.S. troops will now stay indefinitely, controlling a third of the country and facing peril on many fronts

I understand that the plate is full, but I'd really like to see debate and some hearings in the House about either declaring war on Syria or bringing our troops home.
posted by mikelieman at 3:34 PM on December 16, 2018 [9 favorites]

They are not there to fight "Syria." That would mean fighting Assad. They are there to "fight ISIS" which is a bunch of rebels who wanted to replace Assad with an Islamic State. (They broke away from the US-allied rebels who wanted to replace Assad with a democratic government and/or an independent Kurdistan.)

We have not really engaged directly with Assad at all - just a few skirmishes which (thankfully) failed to escalate, and those ineffectual bombings of an empty base Trump ordered after the most recent gas attacks.

But when we fight ISIS we are actually on the same side as Assad, and that is the only action which has even a figleaf of Congressional approval. (The 2001 AUMF, if you believe ISIS is descended from Al Qaida.) Fighting Assad would definitely require a new AUMF.

The article says that we are staying to deter the remnants of ISIS from reforming, and to provide security for the Kurds, who fought on our behalf to defeat ISIS in the first place.
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:47 PM on December 16, 2018 [7 favorites]

Evangelical Christians Helped Elect Donald Trump, but Their Time as a Major Political Force Is Coming to an End

All three men are on the front lines of a growing movement among millennials that is reshaping the evangelical church and the nation’s political landscape. Since the 1970s, white evangelicals have formed the backbone of the Republican base. But as younger members reject the vitriolic partisanship of the Trump era and leave the church, that base is getting smaller and older. The numbers are stark: Twenty years ago, just 46 percent of white evangelical Protestants were older than 50; now, 62 percent are above 50. The median age of white evangelicals is 55. Only 10 percent of Americans under 30 identify as white evangelicals. The exodus of youth is so swift that demographers now predict that evangelicals will likely cease being a major political force in presidential elections by 2024.

And the cracks are already showing.

posted by homunculus at 4:12 PM on December 16, 2018 [79 favorites]

and to provide security for the Kurds

From...Assad?
posted by schadenfrau at 4:17 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Nate Silver on the 2020 Dems.

I can't believe it's the 2020 campaign already. God help us.
posted by Justinian at 4:21 PM on December 16, 2018 [14 favorites]

I’m so not ready to entertain any notions of X noxious group coming to an end because of Y demographic changes. 2016 left a deep wound.
posted by lazaruslong at 4:27 PM on December 16, 2018 [27 favorites]

Justinian: "Nate Silver on the 2020 Dems.

I can't believe it's the 2020 campaign already. God help us."

With three white guys in the lead.
posted by octothorpe at 4:31 PM on December 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

Is it only men who think Biden has a shot?
posted by schadenfrau at 4:35 PM on December 16, 2018 [17 favorites]

The numbers are stark: Twenty years ago, just 46 percent of white evangelical Protestants were older than 50; now, 62 percent are above 50

It's probably not what they meant by "stark," but the older you are, the more likely to vote.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 4:36 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Is it only men who think Biden has a shot?

It appears to be a sizable plurality of the primary electorate. Hell, Biden gets an absolute majority, albeit barely, in 1st+2nd choice.
posted by Justinian at 4:38 PM on December 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

My guess is that Biden is winning on name recognition more than anything. Fingers crossed, anyway. But the favorite this far out is hardly ever the person who actually wins the nomination. In combing through old FiveThirtyEight posts, it seems that Marco Rubio was the favorite to win the (Republican) nomination as late as February 2016. And I remember 2008, where it was unclear for a long time whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would clinch the Democratic nomination.

Fingers crossed that the fossils will be left for the paleontologists and younger candidates come forward.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 4:43 PM on December 16, 2018 [14 favorites]

Yeah I am not necessarily endorsing these results as what I'm hoping for, just reporting. Don't shoot the messenger! I too would prefer younger, though I will vote SO HARD for a goddamn geriatric banana slug if it wins the nomination.
posted by Justinian at 4:47 PM on December 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

This isn't a poll of the primary electorate in general, though. It's a poll of the primary electorate in Iowa. And my experience is that Iowans love Joe Biden, for reasons that I am never, ever going to understand. But hopefully Iowans are going to have less power in determining the 2020 candidates, and maybe we won't be stuck with whatever white dude reminds certain white people of their grandpa, or whatever it is that people here see in that asshole.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:19 PM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

Picking a front runner at this point almost seems like a proxy for what you think the primary problem, and the corrective strategy of the Democratic party should be:

If you think that the problem is that the Dems don't attract enough "independents" and centrist republicans, then you probably think that corpratist Joe Biden and nothing-ass Beto O'Rourke are a good mix.

If you think that the problem is that the Dems' capitulation to the right wing business class of the party depresses enthusiastic voter turnout for progressive economic policies and that those independents and centrist republicans either will vote Dem regardless or will always vote Republican after posturing about having made a rational decision, then you want anyone to the left.

Guess which one I think.
posted by codacorolla at 5:28 PM on December 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

Well, “nothing-ass Beto O’Rourke” is certainly a strong indicator of what you think. It’s also (to me) a pretty strong indicator of the value of what you think.
posted by lazaruslong at 5:31 PM on December 16, 2018 [32 favorites]

its gonna be a long two years.
posted by Justinian at 5:32 PM on December 16, 2018 [77 favorites]

The Hill: Trump finds himself isolated in shutdown fight by Niv Elis

President Trump is finding himself increasingly isolated...

So is this trolling, winking, or what?

I'll note that Niv Elis is a real person, but if you think of it as a play on Portuguese nivelas meaning "soap operas," the writers that gave us Reality Winner are getting very slightly more subtle.
posted by Riki tiki at 5:35 PM on December 16, 2018 [25 favorites]

For what it's worth, I've talked to a lot of Iowa Democrats who love both Bernie and Biden. If there's one thing that I've learned about Iowa Democratic politics, it's that ideology is not the only (or maybe even the primary) thing that matters to voters here. There's some weird thing about authenticity that seems to be more important than candidates' policy stances.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:37 PM on December 16, 2018 [4 favorites]

I don't think that's specific to any one place. One thing that Democrats need to start grokking is that, when it comes to elections, relying on the idea that you support better policies will not win the day. It's messaging and authenticity (real or faked) that gets people to the polls.
posted by Justinian at 5:50 PM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

I've talked to a lot of Iowa Democrats who love both Bernie and Biden

That’s a perfectly consistent position if what you like is old white guys.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:54 PM on December 16, 2018 [31 favorites]

Progressive prosecutors are not 'cops.' They are needed to enact criminal justice reform
posted by homunculus at 5:56 PM on December 16, 2018 [10 favorites]

Biden's pretty popular overall: nationally, among Democrats, and within various demographics of interest:

Approval levels:
Obama 58, Biden 54, Sanders 51, Trump 40, Clinton 39, Warren 34, Pelosi 34
Among women:
O 59, B 54, S 54, T 37, C 43, W 33, P 33
Among African-Americans:
O 84, B 72, S 66, T 16, C 67, W 48, P 50
Among Democrats:
O 91, B 80, S 77, T 9, C 71, W 56, P 57

Head-to-head against Trump:
Biden 43:31 (Women 45:27, African-Americans 62:10, Young: 53:21)
Sanders 44:32 (W 46:28, AA 62:9, Y 60:22)
Warren 34:30 (W 36:26, AA 49:7, y 43:17)
Booker 27:29 (W 27:24, AA 42:7, Y 32:17)
Gillibrand 24:29 (W 24:25, AA 39:6, Y 32:18)
Harris 26:29 (W 27:24, AA 40:9, Y 34:19)

So far Biden and Sanders are the clear front-runners based on the polling, much as we may all dislike the process and/or the candidates and/or the fact that this is all mainly due to name recognition + white maleness and/or the fact that we have to think about this at all right now.
posted by chortly at 6:06 PM on December 16, 2018 [4 favorites]

WSJ, Texas Obamacare Blunder by The Editorial Board (emphasis mine):

No one opposes ObamaCare more than we do, and Democrats are now confirming that it was designed as a way-station to government-run health care. But a federal judge’s ruling Friday that the law is unconstitutional is likely to be overturned on appeal and may boomerang politically on Republicans...

Is this a real thing? I mean, I know the WSJ is Murdoch-owned so that may be literally true, but I thought they'd still been pretending to be hedged-conservative instead of wingnut-conservative. And yeah, the existence of this article suggests they're still playing the former role. But "no one opposes ObamaCare more than we do?"

People are goddamn rabid opposing ObamaCare, even though they're actually pretty happy about the Affordable Care Act when you ask them about it.

So what The Editorial Board of the WSJ is saying is that they are crazier than the craziest, most racist, anti-vaxiest, anarcho-libertarian sadist-iest reactionaries of the new Reich.*

And they still think this goes too far.

* ...but I repeat myself.
posted by Riki tiki at 6:07 PM on December 16, 2018 [7 favorites]

This is my regular reminder that literally none of the candidates on that poll have formally declared with the exception of Delaney and Yang.

I realize that there’s some pre-declaration research, polling, etc. that needs to happen. But while they may be potential candidates, none of the others - the actual popular ones - are declared candidates. So this is really a popularity poll given to Iowans, of politicians that some people think may be a candidate. I know Nate Silvers name gives it some more legitimacy in the eyes of many - he has a good track record, after all... but we should be very clear that outside of Yang and Delaney, whom most people have not heard of, none of these people are actual candidates yet, and their strongest statements are generally that they “haven’t ruled out” a run.
posted by MysticMCJ at 6:10 PM on December 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

'Billionaire boys club': the challengers lining up to face Trump in 2020 (David Smith, Guardian)

The last opponent Trump expects to face in the 2020 election is someone even richer – but Tom Steyer, Michael Bloomberg and Howard Schultz have all hinted at running
...
“I don’t think Michael Bloomberg is going to win Democracy for America’s endorsement anytime soon given his connections to Wall Street,” said Neil Sroka, spokesman for the progressive group. “It’s going to be hard for any of the billionaires given concerns over the influence the wealthy have over our politics.”

posted by ZeusHumms at 6:17 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

This is my regular reminder that literally none of the candidates on that poll have formally declared with the exception of Delaney and Yang.

You seem (to me) to read way too much into formal candidacy declarations or the lack thereof. How is that relevant two years out?
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:33 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

So as not to abuse EDIT, what I mean is: you seem to have taken an ultra-literal interpretation of “candidate” and I’m not sure how that’s illuminating here.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:36 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Newly elected Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) will wear a thobe - traditional Palestinian gown - when she is inaugurated next month. (I think it's gorgeous!)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:38 PM on December 16, 2018 [25 favorites]

I realize that there’s some pre-declaration research, polling, etc. that needs to happen. But while they may be potential candidates, none of the others - the actual popular ones - are declared candidates.

True, but this is a meaningless point. All of these people are running now, they're all building campaign organizations and fundraising behind the scenes. The shadow primary is in full swing. And this is right on schedule for previous cycles, Obama declared in March 2006 for 2008. It takes about a year to build a real campaign, and the timing of the formal declaration is somewhat arbitrary, its a thing to be managed just like any other step in the process, but what matters is being on schedule with the planning and fundraising. That's not to say that every name on the list will declare, a couple will undoubtedly change their mind or not garner the early support they thought they would, but every one is in the early stage of running already.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:39 PM on December 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

homunculus: Progressive prosecutors are not 'cops.' They are needed to enact criminal justice reform

Thank you thank you. I hadn't before been able to place how and why that line of attack bugged me so much, but that piece covers it well.

Of course there will be those who, their eyes rolling and their sensibilities vastly purer than yours, say "Yeah, that's right, liberals, more female guards for the camps!" But a world of difference exists between, for instance, the current camps for stolen migrant children and the country's larger, still-altogether-horrible criminal justice system. The former is entirely surplus cruelty which can be eliminated without having to ask what it gets replaced with. The latter needs deep transformation, and, unlike, say, providing healthcare for all, there's not yet a model for what a nation without prosecutors (or whatever) would even look like. A more progressive and more diverse set of hands at the helm really would be a massive improvement.

If being a prosecutor is a permanent stain in your mind, you may as well regard being a politician the same way, because (and in that case we're having an entirely different conversation).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:40 PM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

but we should be very clear that outside of Yang and Delaney, whom most people have not heard of, none of these people are actual candidates yet, and their strongest statements are generally that they “haven’t ruled out” a run.

This is literally true, and not everybody polled may, in fact, run, but this comes up on MeFi sometimes as if all these people are sitting around the fire at home thinking about whether to run, when the invisible primary has already begun. Warren has sent staff to key states and worked to build a national network. Nearly every potential candidate went to Iowa in October. Booker, Harris, and Patrick have all made efforts to recruit staff in Iowa. Everybody seems to have the sudden hankering to hang out in New Hampshire.

This kind of shadow campaigning is actively going on right now, and while obsessing about 2020 is unhealthy, the current campaign process deserves to be taken seriously whether or not the individuals involved have formally filed paperwork with the FEC. Cory Booker is not going to New Hampshire in December for fun; he's going there to run for President.

I'm not sure why some mefites have taken the view that a candidate is not somehow real or it's out of line to discuss them until they officially declare. Clinton didn't declare until April 12, 2015, and there really wasn't any doubt she was running quite some time before that.
posted by zachlipton at 6:41 PM on December 16, 2018 [10 favorites]

I'm not sure why some mefites have taken the view that a candidate is not somehow real or it's out of line to discuss them until they officially declare

This appears to be just one poster’s bugaboo. I hope I’m not wrong, though.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:42 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

yeah, wow, the Bernie people have really been gunning for Beto with a whole lot of weirdly transparent bullshit. I think the big "GOTCHA YOU NEOLIBERAL SHILL!" I saw was that of the 80 million dollars Beto raised, some of those contributions were from individuals who work for oil and gas companies. Trying to pass them off like they were from real people, even. Disgusting.

So has Mueller looked into how the Russians sowed chaos on the left, yet? because we've been hearing about how they've never really stopped, so...
posted by schadenfrau at 6:45 PM on December 16, 2018 [42 favorites]

‘Crisis level’: Republican women sound warning after election losses

Republicans lost the House in November as droves of female voters spurned the party, a reflection of the gaping gender gap. The election devastated the GOP’s already meager group of congresswomen. Almost none of the political survivors will hold positions of power in Congress next year.

Republican women recognize this is a serious problem. It’s unclear whether GOP men agree.

The answer may not surprise you.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:07 PM on December 16, 2018 [14 favorites]

Approval levels:
Obama 58, Biden 54, Sanders 51, Trump 40, Clinton 39, Warren 34, Pelosi 34
Among women:
O 59, B 54, S 54, T 37, C 43, W 33, P 33

Does anyone have any ideas why Warren and Pelosi would be less popular among women than they are overall?
posted by p3t3 at 7:07 PM on December 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

Laurence Tribe: "Our CIA & a unanimous Senate have concluded Saudi Crown Prince MbS is guilty of WaPo columnist Khashoggi’s torture-murder. Trump’s & Kushner’s corruptly motivated efforts to cover for MbS, however lame, make them accessories-after-the-fact to that crime."
posted by homunculus at 7:11 PM on December 16, 2018 [30 favorites]

Trey Gowdy is set to leave Washington D.C. for the final time after choosing not to run for re-election but not before altering documents to frame Hillary Clinton.
posted by homunculus at 7:13 PM on December 16, 2018 [17 favorites]

Ok, I’m probably reading too much into it. I think there’s something maddening about the non-stop coverage of 2020 candidates at this point, and I guess the madness is affecting me at this point - I’ll drop it.

I think I’m personally seeing a lot of obsessing over this already - maybe it’s affecting me, and this is a weird way of saying “it’s way too early to read too much into it.” Not sure why I’m hung up on this particular way- probably because it’s like one of the only actual concrete data points, as opposed to “feelings.”

I’ll leave this particular hangup out of these threads from now on - it just seems awfully early to be at a point where Silver is weighing in.
posted by MysticMCJ at 7:26 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Does anyone have any ideas why Warren and Pelosi would be less popular among women than they are overall?

My guess is that women are more likely to say they have no opinion than men are. My hunch is that Warren and Pelosi also have much higher unfavorable ratings among men, and women claim not to have an opinion unless they think they're actually fairly familiar with the candidate.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 7:30 PM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

Yeah, I pretty much thought, what are these assholes going to do after we had the temerity to have a black president and then run a woman for president. Now I know.

That gives me strength. To get them out into the open. I think we should all aim to get these fuckers out into the open. Where did their money come from? Is it Russia? Is the GOP infected with Russian money? Because I want to know why Susan Collins stood there and gave a 45 minute speech in favor of Brett Kavanaugh and where she gets her money from, because I was frankly disgusted by her behavior, and his behavior. I've never seen anything like it. And I was watching Nixon on TV.

This whole thing is bizarre. It's like we don't have a government. It's just so bizarre to me, that we can't have an effective government, due to people kowtowing to this guy. It's beyond my comprehension. Where are the people who would keep this guy in check? It's astounding. I see all these old guys who have to keep their place in life and I wonder why they do it. Why? What is their purpose in life? They are obviously old and wattled and nearing the end of their life. So why do they continue to torture the rest of us with their world view? Why do they care so much? Why don't they step down? Who are they and what is their purpose in life? To fuck with the rest of us forever? I really don't understand, I guess.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 7:46 PM on December 16, 2018 [42 favorites]

Giuliani, when asked on Fox News Sunday whether the president would have an in-person sit-down interview with Robert Mueller: "Over my dead body."

My reaction: "The terms are acceptable."
posted by Nerd of the North at 8:26 PM on December 16, 2018 [65 favorites]

it just seems awfully early to be at a point where Silver is weighing in.

I think this is just Silver saying, "Yeah, this is roughly consonant with how I'd handicap the field at this point." He has casual opinions, same as the rest of us.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:39 PM on December 16, 2018 [5 favorites]

That’s fair - although I tend to think Silvers casual opinions will drive a ton of speculative articles that will end up presenting as “Here’s who Silver thinks will win in 2020” - and given the foreign interference we’be seen, I’m really paranoid about attempts to sow discord in the Democratic Party well before the primary.

Seeing everything that has been thrown around social media over the past couple of years from several perspectives has made me really hypervigilant. I don’t think the correct answer is “we don’t discuss it” - but I think treating it more cautiously is a good thing, and ranking them so early seems like a good vector to start pitting people against each other.

I’m trying to remember if the coverage for 2016 democratic candidates was this relentless in 2014, and I honestly can’t remember - that seems like several cycles of universe contraction/expansion back.
posted by MysticMCJ at 9:08 PM on December 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Pony request: can we get a switch that hides any comment with '2020' in it? #toosoon #indictmentsfirst #juststopplease
posted by sexyrobot at 9:12 PM on December 16, 2018 [32 favorites]

I’m trying to remember if the coverage for 2016 democratic candidates was this relentless in 2014, and I honestly can’t remember

No it wasn't, because it was presumptively Hillary and others to be named later. The counterpoint is the GOP candidates, which extended so far that the cablenewsers had junior-varsity debates for them. Again, though, I think the task for Dem activists in 2019 is to make clear that anyone over the age of 60 should just not. (Klobuchar sneaks in, but the idea that she is a young candidate when Justin Trudeau is 47 on Christmas Day should really give you pause.)
posted by holgate at 9:20 PM on December 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

Christian nationalists have a new plan to seize more power — meet ‘Project Blitz’

Not really mentioned in the article, but anti-trans activism is also a component of their campaign. Anti-trans legislation and encouragement of discrimination is a wedge issue they will use to encourage discrimination against the entire LGBTQ spectrum. Keep an eerie on their "scientific" arguments- once they get enough traction, they will quickly be repurposed to use against everyone else queer.
posted by happyroach at 9:29 PM on December 16, 2018 [35 favorites]

I think the task for Dem activists in 2019 is to make clear that anyone over the age of 60 should just not

I understand the desire for a candidate who represents the younger face of the party, but the fact that according to chortly's data above the most popular candidate among young voters is the oldest (Sanders) makes me think that young Dem voters care a lot less about age than policies, as they should.
posted by zeri at 9:47 PM on December 16, 2018 [16 favorites]

It doesn't matter who the front runners are at this point. If Biden is the front runner this early, then he is statistically unlikely historically to end up the nominee.
posted by xammerboy at 10:14 PM on December 16, 2018 [7 favorites]

I understand the desire for a candidate who represents the younger face of the party, but the fact that according to chortly's data above the most popular candidate among young voters is the oldest (Sanders) makes me think that young Dem voters care a lot less about age than policies, as they should.

Plus, like, we just got through agreeing with a unanimity rare on Metafilter that Pelosi's age shouldn't be a deal-breaker.
posted by chortly at 10:26 PM on December 16, 2018 [7 favorites]

Should we have a separate thread to, ahem,

prelitigate the primaries?

For, like 19 months.....
posted by Anchorite_of_Palgrave at 10:37 PM on December 16, 2018 [39 favorites]

my new years resolution: everytime,someone talks to me about who I like for democratic primary I'm gonna ask what we're doing to win in the senate!

Also no to biden, beto, bernie and bloomberg
posted by Anchorite_of_Palgrave at 10:46 PM on December 16, 2018 [23 favorites]

my new years resolution: Until november everytime someone asks me about the primaries, I'm going to scream THIS IS HOW WE ALL DIE.
posted by adept256 at 12:56 AM on December 17, 2018 [39 favorites]

If early polls had any meaning, people would still know who Dick Gephardt was
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:16 AM on December 17, 2018 [21 favorites]

You guys are right that early polls are not highly predictive of the winner but you're overstating how little information we can glean from them. For example, polling very low while having high name recognition is a bad sign for your candidacy. Having low favorables while having high name recognition is a bad sign. On the other hand, having high favorables but low name recognition might be a good portent.

Not highly predictive, no, but neither is it completely and utterly devoid of any conceivable information.

People tend to point at Obama and how he wasn't polling highly way in advance. That's true. It's also true that he had low name recognition. Clinton, by comparison, was polling highly in 2015 and went on to win the nomination... which was quite predictable as she had near universal name recognition while polling highly. And so on.
posted by Justinian at 2:31 AM on December 17, 2018 [9 favorites]

My $0.02 on the 2020 primaries: my limited energy, attention, and $ are better spent focused on maintaining and expanding voter rights and fighting voter suppression. It doesn't matter how good the D nominee is if the election isn't somewhat close to free and fair. And let's be real, the Trumpublicans will be pulling out all the stops, including a few we haven't seen yet.

(h/t Sarah Kendzior, who has hammered this point; I'm simply paraphrasing)
posted by johnny jenga at 5:18 AM on December 17, 2018 [49 favorites]

Mod note: And on that note, again, let's please drop arguing the 2020 primaries, and arguing about arguing about the 2020 primaries, and repeating all the exact same stuff that's been repeated ad nauseam, over and over about candidate age and the 2020 primaries, etc. If there is news, link to it and maybe there's something reasonable to discuss, but just filling space here with chat and squabbles isn't what the thread is for.
posted by taz (staff) at 5:51 AM on December 17, 2018 [56 favorites]

The entire thing is worth reading. These are the highlights from @cmclymer, a trans woman and DC writer.

Last night, I was at a Christmas party, and this nice gentleman struck up a conversation with me. Asked what I do. I told him. He said he works in the Trump administration. He then says: "I vote Republican, but I'm socially liberal." Let's discuss this for a second. ... this gentleman put to me that a) he's a Republican, b) works in the administration, and c) regrettably votes for the GOP, BUT... wants me to know that he's on my side. ...

If you support a party that is anti-LGBTQ and anti-woman and xenophobic and white supremacist because you think your taxes are too high, you are not "socially liberal".

If you support a party led by a coward who defends kidnapping children away from their parents and locking them in oversized dog kennels, you are not "socially liberal".

If you have a friend or relative who is LGBTQ, whom you love and with whom you get along, but you support a party that openly and viciously calls for discrimination against LGBTQ people, you are not "socially liberal". ...

And if you're like the gentleman last night who copped out with "Well, I'm actually a libertarian" because that is somehow meant to encapsulate sympathy for my plight without bearing responsibility for complicity in the machinations that create it, you are an enormous asshole.

And to engage in this weird request-for-absolution/pseudo-therapy with a stranger (whom the GOP is oppressing) at a party--where if I get angry, I'll come across as making a scene but if I say nothing, I'll hate myself for it later--is beyond shitty.

"I'm Republican, but I don't support Trump." Stop saying this. Everything is on fire, and if you vote for the Republican Party, you are voting for violent hatred and discrimination. You are complicit. You are supporting white supremacy. You are voting for my oppression.
posted by Bella Donna at 5:59 AM on December 17, 2018 [173 favorites]

Mod note: A few deleted. We aren't going to have a whole "no difference between Trump and Dems, and don't blame Russia" knock-down-drag-out shitfest here. Let's stick to news updates (and similar) in this thread.
posted by taz (staff) at 6:27 AM on December 17, 2018 [26 favorites]

"Well, I'm actually a libertarian"

Friendly reminder: 99% of the time, "Libertarian" and "Independent" are synonymous with "votes Republican, desires Republican policies, does not want to have to own up to those same policies and thinks it's terribly rude to imply they had anything to do with them".

Also, as a person who is socially liberal yet at one point in his life often voted Republican (MA politics is weird, yo), I'm gonna say we are years past the point where you can remotely square that circle. Republican policies are explicitly aimed at destroying anything that might be considered socially liberal. That's not a side effect -- it's the intent. They will drive the country into financial ruin (despite supposedly being oh so concerned about finances) as long as their social agenda is achieved.
posted by tocts at 7:14 AM on December 17, 2018 [77 favorites]

The WaPo bewails the lack of access to/interviews with/leaks from Bobby Three-Sticks: Robert Mueller Is the Most Unknowable Man In Washington

“I always joke that Bob Mueller has turned down more interview requests in his career than most people in Washington ever get in the first place,” says Garrett Graff, author of “The Threat Matrix: Inside Robert Mueller’s FBI and the War on Global Terror” and Mueller’s de facto biographer. “Contrary to every single thing that the president tweets today, Mueller is and always has been probably the most apolitical nonpartisan person in the city. He does everything that he can to avoid the public spotlight and anything even slightly resembling politicking.”[…]

“Like all the FBI directors I have known, including myself, Bob is not about to try his case or run his evidence by the court of public opinion,” says William Webster, the only man to head both the FBI and the CIA. “That’s not how our FBI works. It’s not how Bob Mueller works. It might make for good tv ratings, but it leaves too much open for misunderstanding and, in my opinion, creates a circus atmosphere around critically important cases.”[…]

“Bob Mueller is doing exactly the right thing by simply focusing on this investigation and trying to determine the truth,” says [Leon] Panetta. “I don’t know what the final result is going to be, but I have a sense that whatever that final report shows that people are going to thank Bob Mueller for the way he handled this.”

The WaPo reporter goes on to assemble a thin profile-style portrait of Mueller from public facts and a little D.C. gossip, but time and again, she hits a wall of privacy around him that his friends and colleagues respect—"In fact, virtually everyone within Mueller’s orbit refused to talk about him."

It's as though the Special Counsel was appointed as the antithesis of Trump.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:16 AM on December 17, 2018 [53 favorites]

“Like all the FBI directors I have known, including myself, Bob is not about to try his case or run his evidence by the court of public opinion,” says William Webster, the only man to head both the FBI and the CIA. “That’s not how our FBI works. It’s not how Bob Mueller works. It might make for good tv ratings, but it leaves too much open for misunderstanding and, in my opinion, creates a circus atmosphere around critically important cases.”[…]

With one very notable exception.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:27 AM on December 17, 2018 [47 favorites]

On the 17th day of Muellermas, Wired gave to me A Complete Guide to All 17 (Known) Trump and Russia Investigations (Garrett M. Graff, Dec. 17, 2018)

Investigations by the Special Counsel
1. The Russian Government’s Election Attack - Status: 12 Russian military intelligence officers from the GRU indicted, 13 people indicted from the Internet Research Agency, alongside three Russian companies, and a guilty plea from one California man who unwittingly aided their identity theft. Manafort aide Sam Patten is cooperating with investigators.

2. WikiLeaks - Status: Both Trump aide Roger Stone and Corsi have said they expect to be indicted. Unclear if looming charges against Assange relate to Mueller investigation.

3. Middle Eastern Influence - Status: No public court activity yet, but two key figures are known to be cooperating: Middle East would-be power broker George Nader and Blackwater mercenary group founder Erik Prince.

4. Paul Manafort’s Activity - Status: Manafort’s both been convicted at trial and accepted a plea agreement; lawyer Alex van der Zwaan pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about the Ukrainian work; Manafort associate Sam Patten has pleaded guilty to failing to register as a foreign agent; Kilimnik has been indicted for obstruction of justice. Known cooperators include Trump deputy campaign chair and Manafort business partner Rick Gates, who has also pleaded guilty to his own role in the money laundering scheme.

5. The Trump Tower Moscow Project - Status: Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the status of the project, and is cooperating with investigators.

6. Other Campaign and Transition Contacts with Russia - Status: Both national security advisor Michael Flynn and foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos have pleaded guilty to charges related to their campaign and transition contacts with Russia. Cohen and Flynn have both provided extensive cooperation to Mueller about the campaign and transition contacts.

7. Obstruction of Justice - Status: No public movement yet, but court documents point to the fact that at least Manafort and Cohen have provided evidence useful to this case about their own contacts in 2017 and 2018 with the White House.

Investigations by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
8. Campaign Conspiracy and the Trump Organization’s Finances - Status: Cohen has already pleaded guilty, and National Enquirer’s David Pecker, its parent company AMI, Cohen, and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg are all cooperating with investigators.

9. Inauguration Funding - Status: No public court activity yet beyond Patten, but he is cooperating with investigators.

10. Trump SuperPAC Funding - Status: No public court activity yet, but Manafort aide Sam Patten is cooperating with investigators.

11. Foreign Lobbying - Status: Rick Gates is cooperating with investigators.

Investigations by the US Attorney for the District of Columbia
12. Maria Butina and the NRA - Status: Maria Butina has pleaded guilty and is cooperating.

Investigations by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia:
13. Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova - Status: Khusyaynova has been indicted.

14. Turkish Influence - Status: Michael Flynn’s plea agreement includes some details of the case. Flynn is cooperating with investigators.

Investigations by New York City, New York State, & Other State Attorneys General
15. Tax Case - Status: Unknown.

16. The Trump Foundation - Status: Case is proceeding, having cleared initial court tests.

17. Emoluments Lawsuit - Status: Subpoenas have been issued.

Mystery Investigation Underway by Unknown Office
Redacted Case #2: A second redacted Flynn investigation could be one of the other investigations mentioned here, could represent another as-yet-unknown unfolding criminal case, or could be a counterintelligence investigation that will never become public. Status: Unknown.

Unrelated Criminality Pursued by Other Offices
Identity Theft Cases - The special counsel charged Californian Richard Pinedo with identity theft, stemming from the efforts of the Internet Research Agency to create online fake identities.... Status: Investigation ongoing.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:38 AM on December 17, 2018 [92 favorites]

TPM: Mike Flynn Business Partner Indicted For Alleged Effort To Oust Turkish Cleric.

"Bijan Kian, a onetime business partner of former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly making false statements, acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and engaging in a conspiracy, related to a lobbying campaign aimed to encourage the extradition of a U.S.-based Turkish cleric whose long been an enemy of the Turkish government."
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:40 AM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

Related-not related to all these investigations? How Trump Went From 'Tough On Crime' To 'Second Chance' For Felons (NPR, December 17, 2018)

The Senate will begin considering a bill on Monday that would reduce federal sentences for certain drug offenses and prepare prisoners for life after incarceration.

If the bill becomes law, a major reason will be the support it received from a surprising booster: President Trump.

Trump has made being "tough on crime" one of his calling cards. But, after months of a mostly behind-the-scenes campaign from some of his closest advisers, Trump threw his backing behind legislation that would roll back some of the stiff penalties enacted in response to the so-called "war on drugs."

Trump's endorsement of the Senate's First Step Act stands in stark contrast to some of the rhetoric he has employed while in office and marks a break with some of the policies enacted by his own Justice Department.

Among other things, the legislation would promote prison rehabilitation programs and end automatic life sentences under the three-strike penalty for certain felonies.

The president's first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, was a staunch opponent of any changes reducing federal sentencing for crimes.

Sessions rescinded Obama administration guidance that sought to shorten sentences for non-violent drug offenders. Instead, Sessions directed prosecutors to seek the toughest punishments allowed under the law.

With the U.S. facing a drug overdose epidemic, Trump, too, at times has argued that drug dealers are not punished enough. He has even talked about wanting to utilize the death penalty against drug traffickers.

"We are really going after the traffickers; I have always said that's the biggest thing," Trump said in August. "And, frankly, the punishment is getting stronger and stronger. Maybe, at some point, we'll get very smart as a nation and give them the ultimate punishment."
...
So, how did Trump wind up coming out in favor of a bill aimed at giving a second chance to people who commit crime?

A major influence on his decision was his son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner.
...
Kushner, whose father served time in federal prison, has led the charge in the White House to make changes to the U.S. criminal justice system.

Emphasis mine, because how is this getting softer on crime and giving people a second chance?

Also, is it only me who finds it odd that this is the time that Trump is looking at softening (part) of his stance on felons? Maybe it's not only Kushner and Shon Hopwood, former bankrobber turned lawyer and professor of law at Georgetown (oh, and he's also white) who are changing his mind, but his imprisoned partners? Maybe he quickly counted three possible strikes of his own and thought "oh shit, I might go away for life."

And furthermore, the article does nothing to note how Trump goes full Duterte [as he] suggests “death penalty” for drug dealers (Isobel Thompson for Vanity Fair, Feb. 26, 2018, back when Trump wasn't talking about "the ultimate punishment."

[Really, we all know that the true drug dealers in the opioid epidemic are going to be safe with their billions in pharma bucks, so it's all a way to punish minorities, again.]
posted by filthy light thief at 7:51 AM on December 17, 2018 [8 favorites]

No Shit Sherlock: The year-end cover of the New Yorker is out
posted by growabrain at 8:04 AM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

For once I agree with Trump - he should totally sue SNL because that is an excellent hill for him to die on. It’s an perfect use of his time, energy and money (as opposed to fighting criminal charges, or squeezing in more evil on his way out the door), and we also agreed that his lawsuit would help the public see him in a clearer light.

There are a couple nuances different in our understandings of the situation, though.
posted by msalt at 8:06 AM on December 17, 2018 [21 favorites]

99% of the time, "Libertarian" and "Independent" are synonymous with "votes Republican, desires Republican policies, does not want to have to own up to those same policies and thinks it's terribly rude to imply they had anything to do with them".

This is probably a regional thing because while it's true of libertarians, in New Hampshire independents constantly surge back and forth between which party they vote with.

Republicans have taken advantage of gerrymandering in the past, as elsewhere, to tip the scales in their favor, but hopefully that will change soon (PDF of newspaper article).
posted by XMLicious at 8:11 AM on December 17, 2018

But, after months of a mostly behind-the-scenes campaign from some of his closest advisers, Trump threw his backing behind legislation that would roll back some of the stiff penalties enacted in response to the so-called "war on drugs."

I guess he read (or more like had someone read to him) the part about how abusing prescription medications (like crushed and snorted adderall) was considered a criminal offense and subject to those "stiff penalties".
posted by sexyrobot at 8:21 AM on December 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

How Trump Went From 'Tough On Crime' To 'Second Chance' For Felons

We were just talking about how presidents should have to recuse themselves on matters that could benefit them personally.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:22 AM on December 17, 2018 [24 favorites]

I have to admit that every time I saw someone say "They're pushing for justice reform because of all their own crimes lol" I didn't really see that as anything more than a clever joke. But this NPR story suggests it could be an actual motivation. (Not for Trump specifically; at his age any imprisonment, which is already extremely unlikely, would in effect be a lifetime.) As usual, reality defies parody

But of course that hasn't been the main impetus for this; it's another case of strange bedfellows. A Washington Post story from a couple days ago gives some credit to an obscure film called "The Sentence" which has apparently made the rounds through DC. It's about the filmmaker's sister, Cindy Shank, currently serving a 15-year sentence for basically trivial involvement in a drug ring.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:59 AM on December 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

"Well, I'm actually a libertarian"

Friendly reminder: 99% of the time, "Libertarian" and "Independent" are synonymous with "votes Republican, desires Republican policies, does not want to have to own up to those same policies and thinks it's terribly rude to imply they had anything to do with them".

Personally I think it's useless to argue about what's really in people's hearts because it's unknowable. Thankfully in these cases in general and Charlotte Clymer's in particular we don't need to bother. When people say they vote Republican but are socially liberal the proper response is that it doesn't matter what fantasy they entertain in their heart, they're actually voting for someone who will enact more socially regressive policies. Wish in one hand and vote in the other and see what piles up first, as it were.

If you identify yourself as Libertarian and cast votes for Republicans, or refuse to vote for Democrats who will block their efforts, you've made your decision about which of your list of priorities you've picked as more important to enact. It's your vote, you get to pick. Just don't shine us on about what the impact of that is. "Oh I'm really a cross-fitter at heart," you say at the party, as you tilt the eggnog bowl to pour a gallon straight into your waiting mouth.
posted by phearlez at 8:59 AM on December 17, 2018 [27 favorites]

TPM: Mike Flynn Business Partner Indicted For Alleged Effort To Oust Turkish Cleric.

"Bijan Kian, a onetime business partner of former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly making false statements, acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and engaging in a conspiracy, related to a lobbying campaign aimed to encourage the extradition of a U.S.-based Turkish cleric whose long been an enemy of the Turkish government."

Interestingly they are going to jail for something the government is reportedly now exploring because Trump sees US residents as expendable negotiation pawns.
posted by srboisvert at 9:01 AM on December 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

Trump is possibly beginning this month to realize that he may well die in jail. His friend Manafort will almost certainly die in jail. Many of his other associates may end their days in the clink as well. But with the trajectory of things this month, last week, his concern is mostly for himself, ofc. If not by Meuller's hand directly then perhaps by prosecution by one of the states. And he seems now realize that Pence---an opportunistic cobra if there ever was one---would no longer see any upside to loyalty if Trump was out of the picture. Clemency before the courts may be his only hope.
posted by bonehead at 9:07 AM on December 17, 2018 [6 favorites]

Years ago, Republicans shut down talk of right-wing extremism. Now we're all at risk (Kelly Macias, Daily Kos)

Why didn't anyone from local law enforcement prepare adequately for Richard Spencer and his gang of violent, killer thugs? Because conservative media and Republicans did a great job of shutting down conversation about right-wing extremism nearly a decade ago, and they bullied the Obama administration into seeing it as a political hot potato that it wanted no part of. It’s only grown larger and more dangerous since. Meanwhile, the Trump administration knows that right-wing extremists are the bread and butter of their base so, of course, there is no interest nor investment in studying them, analyzing their habits, and stopping the movement from growing.

But this is even bigger than Charlottesville. Because of the complete failure to address right-wing extremism over the last ten years, there’s virtually no intelligence to be shared at local, state, or federal levels about its movement members, their motivations (though we can all accurately guess what they are), or their behaviors. This has forced local law enforcement officers to grasp at straws when it comes to preparing for white-supremacist rallies and events. It is a “black hole.” What’s worse (if we can imagine that) is that these kinds of views are becoming more common and more extreme. Hate crimes rose 17 percent in 2017, and we can now rattle off the names of places where mass shootings and violent crimes have occurred at the hands of white supremacists—Charleston, Pittsburgh, possibly Parkland, and the recent cross-country rampage by a bomber who sent threatening packages to prominent Democrats and the media, and on and on.

But let’s be clear. Republicans continue to try and convince us on a daily basis that right-wing extremists are not a problem. This makes total sense, since their president is one who incites violence daily. In fact, he thinks some right-wing extremists are "good people.” They refused to listen to [former DHS analyst Daryl Johnson], who warned the government nine years ago. And they also refused to listen to people of color who have been saying the rise of white supremacy has been a thing that has been happening for decades.

posted by ZeusHumms at 9:08 AM on December 17, 2018 [31 favorites]

Did anyone notice that we're going to stumble into a government shutdown almost by accident?

NYT: A Shutdown Looms. Can the G.O.P. Get Lawmakers to Show Up to Vote?

... Many [defeated Republican] lawmakers, relegated to cubicles as incoming members take their offices, have been skipping votes in the weeks since House Republicans were swept from power in the midterm elections, and Republican leaders are unsure whether they will ever return. It is perhaps a fitting end to a Congress that has showcased the untidy politics of the Trump era: Even if the president ultimately embraces a solution that avoids a shutdown, House Republican leaders do not know whether they will have the votes to pass it.

These people were unfit to govern, and they are showing it one last time one their way out the door.

(We really need to abolish these lame-duck sessions, starting with the states.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:08 AM on December 17, 2018 [43 favorites]

Giuliani Almost Admits Trump Colluded and Committed a Crime

In an interview yesterday, George Stephanopoulos asked President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani if Roger Stone ever gave Trump a “heads-up” about forthcoming WikiLeaks email publications. “No, he didn’t, no,” he replied. But then Giuliani seemed to reconsider his certitude almost immediately. He blinked, and then softened his denial — “I don’t believe so” — before immediately transitioning into a conditional defense of the very charge he had been asked to deny: “But again, if Roger Stone gave anybody a heads-up about WikiLeaks’ leaks, that’s not a crime. It would be like giving him a heads-up that the Times is going to print something. One the — the crime, this is why this thing is so weird, strange. The crime is conspiracy to hack; collusion is not a crime; it doesn’t exist.”

If you understand the facts and the law in this case, this much should be clear: Trump is almost certainly guilty of both collusion and a crime. And Giuliani’s backpedalling defense reveals that he is no longer confident Trump’s denials will hold.

posted by kirkaracha at 9:12 AM on December 17, 2018 [21 favorites]

So....that WaPo article from last week about millennials "ghosting" their employers was relevant after all?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:16 AM on December 17, 2018 [5 favorites]

We really, **REALLY**, need a law passed mandating that in the event Congress and the President can't agree on a budget things continue at their prior funding levels (adjusted for inflation every quarter) until they do.

Because this situation we're in now where the Republicans can basically shut down the entire government as an extortion tactic (or in the case of my Senator Ted Cruz, on a whim and apparently just for grins and giggles) is costing us money, sanity, and national standing. The government can't continue to be started and stopped depending on what the Republicans are feeling today.
posted by sotonohito at 9:23 AM on December 17, 2018 [71 favorites]

(We really need to abolish these lame-duck sessions, starting with the states.)

"Any act passed between the 1st of November in a general election year and the seating of a new [Congress | legislature] shall require the approval of two-thirds of each house." Gives the legislators the ability to react to a true emergency, and if you can gerrymander a 2/3 majority, then I suspect you've done far worse shit before lame duck.
posted by Etrigan at 9:31 AM on December 17, 2018 [30 favorites]

Pelosi has already endorsed reinstating the Gephardt rule (which automatically raises the debt ceiling), seems like a good next step would be to attach some sort of continued funding clause to every Democratic budget out of the House. Make Republicans be the ones to bring back shutdowns.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:32 AM on December 17, 2018 [24 favorites]

DoJ: Two Men Charged with Conspiracy and Acting as Agents of a Foreign Government, featuring Michael Flynn as "Person A":

"According to allegations in the indictment, the two men were involved in a conspiracy to covertly influence U.S. politicians and public opinion against a Turkish citizen living in the United States whose extradition had been requested by the Government of Turkey. The plot included using a company founded by Rafiekian and a person referred to as “Person A” in the indictment. The company, referred to as “Company A” in the indictment, provided services based upon Person A’s national security expertise."

CNN has more on the developing story: Ex-Flynn Business Associates Charged With Trying To Influence Us Politicians

These charges are going to recast the context of Flynn's sentencing tomorrow (and cut off his supporters' defense that he was set up for merely lying to the FBI).
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:34 AM on December 17, 2018 [16 favorites]

This has come up before in politics threads, but most (or perhaps just many) other democracies don't have lame duck sessions because they seat their reps very shortly or immediately after they're elected. No need for special rules about "emergency" legislation. They also don't have political face-offs over the continued operation of the government because the actual running of the government is decoupled from the politics of the government. That is to say that there's never a question of whether the government services will continue to run, only a question of the manner in which those services will run. Our system is deeply broken.
posted by runcibleshaw at 9:39 AM on December 17, 2018 [27 favorites]

Ignorant question, but if a significant number of Republicans in the House aren't showing up, then why don't/can't the Democrats who form the majority of actually present legislators write and present their own budget legislation, starting, if necessary, with a motion to vacate the chair of the Speaker of the House?
posted by jackbishop at 9:41 AM on December 17, 2018 [9 favorites]

The Rafiekian & Alptekin stuff was almost certainly underneath one of the sets of redactions in the Flynn sentencing memo, right?
posted by BungaDunga at 9:41 AM on December 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

then why don't/can't the Democrats who form the majority of actually present legislators write and present their own budget legislation, starting, if necessary, with a motion to vacate the chair of the Speaker of the House?

Because Paul Ryan is still Speaker and controls what bill can be brought for a floor vote. And there's no need to try off the wall tactics like trying to vacate the Speaker with Republicans out of town, Pelosi will hold that gavel in 2 weeks regardless. Plus you don't just have a budget bill lying around, they take weeks and months to write, or else you get things like the Republican taxscam accidentally taking away parking deductions for all churches.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:49 AM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

Thing is though, the Democrats **SHOULD** have a budget bill lying around. And a great many other bills to boot. I've mentioned this before, but they should have been working on their model bills, in public, having the debates, hashing out the details, and getting the finalized bills up on their website during the time they were out of power.

The idea that they're sort of starting from scratch on Jan 2 and everything will take forever to do because they have to work out the details is horrible. They should have dozens, hundreds even, of bills ready and waiting and everyone in America should know, right now, what those bills say.

Instead we get more of this interminable dragging shit out process where rather than having stuff ready to go, the Democrats are (yet again) caught with their pants down and will have to spend months, if not years, working out the details of their bills. It's foolish and an entirely self inflicted wound.

If you're the minority party and you don't have a budget ready to roll then you're doing things wrong. The Democrats should adopt the Shadow Government approach from the UK, though given the way the FOX twits work themselves up perhaps they should call it something else.
posted by sotonohito at 9:57 AM on December 17, 2018 [40 favorites]

There is an acceptable budget bill lying around. It's the one the Senate passed, with bipartisan support, to maintain or boost funding for most agencies without wall spending and without any odious policy additions. They just have to put a House bill number on that.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:01 AM on December 17, 2018 [7 favorites]

Those unprepared democrats. If only they had some legislation ready to go for the new session.
posted by runcibleshaw at 10:01 AM on December 17, 2018 [17 favorites]

Is this new Turkey/Flynn indictment the reason they closed off the floor of that building last week?
posted by reductiondesign at 10:03 AM on December 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Lamar Alexander [TN - R] is not running again. Open seat in 2020.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:06 AM on December 17, 2018 [40 favorites]

Both of the Senate reports on Russian disinformation (the outlines of which were reported yesterday) are now available for reading:

Oxford Internet Institute: The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012-2018

New Knowledge: The Tactics & Tropes of the Internet Research Agency

From BuzzFeed:

The New Knowledge study takes Facebook to task for comments made by some executives following the 2016 election that attempted to diminish the IRA's work as just "a few hundred thousand dollars of ads." The power of the IRA's work wasn't in paid advertising, according to the report, but in unpaid organic content posted across multiple platforms. The data set provided to the Senate included 10.4 million tweets from 3,841 Twitter accounts, 1,100 YouTube videos across 17 account channels, 116,000 Instagram posts across 133 accounts, and 61,500 unique Facebook posts from 81 pages.

In all, there were 77 million engagements from users on Facebook, 187 million engagements on Instagram, and 73 million engagements on original content on Twitter.

Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, “was a significant front in the IRA’s influence operation, something that Facebook executives appear to have avoided mentioning in Congressional testimony,” the report says. Moreover, the report’s authors assessed that “Instagram was perhaps the most effective platform for the Internet Research Agency" and that it “is likely to be a key battleground on an ongoing basis.”

The report says that the “most prolific IRA efforts on Facebook and Instagram specifically targeted Black American communities and appear to have been focused on developing Black audiences and recruiting Black Americans as assets.” The IRA also spread narratives related to voter suppression and secessionist movements, the report found.
...
One piece of the data from Instagram shows that at least one of the IRA's accounts was promoting the sale of female sex toys in April 2017 on the popular image-sharing site.

posted by zachlipton at 10:08 AM on December 17, 2018 [26 favorites]

Is this new Turkey/Flynn indictment the reason they closed off the floor of that building last week?

No, Bijan Rafiekian was indicted in the EDVA. It was the D.C. grand jury courthouse that was sealed off last Friday.

On that note, @nycsouthpaw noticed: "Interesting sidelight: Flynn's deal, as written, didn't preclude him from being charged by EDVA in the case unsealed today. Although the conduct is described in his Statement of Offense, Flynn's plea deal was only with SCO. It expressly didn't bind any other US Attorney's office."
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:08 AM on December 17, 2018 [5 favorites]

Is this new Turkey/Flynn indictment the reason they closed off the floor of that building last week?

I haven't seen any more news about that super closed session, so if anyone knows anything more please post a link here.

As I understand it that kind of full floor court closure and banning all reporters even from the floor or lobby is unprecedented.
posted by loquacious at 10:09 AM on December 17, 2018 [4 favorites]

> h/t Sarah Kendzior, who has hammered this point

Speaking of Kendizor: @sarahkendzior: "On @gaslitnation we interviewed @blackamazon about the weaponization of social media, how black women called out the imposter accounts way back in 2014, and how Twitter didn't do anything about it"
posted by homunculus at 10:16 AM on December 17, 2018 [57 favorites]

How YouTube Built a Radicalization Machine for the Far-Right: Former extremists say they were sucked in by propaganda as teenagers, thanks to an algorithm’s dark side.
posted by homunculus at 10:17 AM on December 17, 2018 [25 favorites]

Oxford Internet Institute: The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012-2018

New Knowledge: The Tactics & Tropes of the Internet Research Agency

From the Oxford Internet Institute report, which is the one you can search without signing into a Dropbox account (emphasis mine):

The provided dataset only includes data provided by Twitter, Facebook, and Google. Although it is reasonable to assume that the core of the IRA’s effort was conducted on these platforms, posts on these platforms provide links to others (notably Medium, PayPal, Reddit, Tumblr, and Pinterest). Many kinds of social media platforms have acknowledged that their internal investigations yielded IRA-related activity, but such activities not evaluated here.

Yup. If I were running a propaganda op I would focus most of my efforts on distribution through the biggest networks with the most reach, which would be the big three. But where the propaganda originates is also key ("contained links to other platforms"), and no one? has looked into this yet. (Is that right? Jesus.) So this might be the tip of the iceberg, and the major social media platforms weren't necessarily the first point of contact for propaganda, but the first or second point for laundering that propaganda.

We're not going to know the whole story unless we get a full accounting from Medium, Reddit, Tumblr, and Pinterest.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:18 AM on December 17, 2018 [8 favorites]

Oh wait, the Dems have subpoena power soon. I know what I'll be annoying various Democrats with.
posted by schadenfrau at 10:19 AM on December 17, 2018 [4 favorites]

We really, **REALLY**, need a law passed mandating that in the event Congress and the President can't agree on a budget things continue at their prior funding levels (adjusted for inflation every quarter) until they do.

Not sure what legislation it would take, but I would say that not getting a budget in on time should result in forfeiture of your seat.
posted by mikelieman at 10:20 AM on December 17, 2018 [6 favorites]

If you're the minority party and you don't have a budget ready to roll then you're doing things wrong. The Democrats should adopt the Shadow Government approach from the UK, though given the way the FOX twits work themselves up perhaps they should call it something else.

In the UK there is a distinction between the Westminster (political) and the Civil Service (not political) and much of the budget work is done by the Civil Service so a shadow cabinet as MPs would have access to much of the same information and work.

But that isn't even the main issue stopping the US from having a shadow cabinet. It works in a parliamentary system because their parties have clear leaders and somewhat established power structures.

In the US you can't even answer "who is the current leader of the opposition?" other than naming floor leaders who frankly are not really party leaders.
posted by srboisvert at 10:51 AM on December 17, 2018 [6 favorites]

I've heard that idea brought up a couple of times but I think it's a bad, bad idea. The GOP uses shutdowns as a hostage, so any solution needs to free that as a hostage not just ramp up the stakes. I don't want my reps compromising with white supremacists trying to do a bunch of white supremacy shit in their white supremacy budget just because my rep will lose their seat if don't pass something. I want my reps fighting white supremacy and they can only do that from their seat. Maybe the GOP puts the funding for the stupid wall or death camps or some crazy shit in the budget just so that my rep won't vote for it and give up their seat because I think my side can win that seat.

The same problem comes up with pretty much any proposal of the form, "Reps must do X or they lose their seat." You're just creating more hostages, not freeing the ones already being held.

Take it away as a bargaining chip, enshrine it in the damn constitution.
posted by VTX at 10:53 AM on December 17, 2018 [35 favorites]

One of several issues is there's no clear "official" way to ascertain blame for a shutdown. It can be obvious to politically savvy folks, but at the end of the day there's one party (or president) that wants one thing, and another that wants something different. Today it's Individual-1 being stubborn about an obviously-stupid wall, but in another decade it could be a Democratic president insisting that the budget include (also "obviously" stupid-from-the-Republican-POV) relief after a natural disaster.

So yeah... the time-limitedness of budgets is almost as pointless as having a debt ceiling; both things have little purpose but playing chicken.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:11 AM on December 17, 2018 [6 favorites]

Former extremists say they were sucked in by propaganda as teenagers, thanks to an algorithm’s dark side.

Funny how it's only reporting on white men's problems with YouTube's algorithms. The echo-chamber system works the same for everyone, but for some reason, it's only white men who turn vicious and violent because of it.

While YouTube's got some serious problems in its recommended/next video systems, I don't think it's YouTube's fault that a substantial portion of the white (cis, het, middle-class) male population is seeking out videos that tell them, "you were born to rule the world, and anyone who wants you to pay attention to their needs is stealing from you."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:18 AM on December 17, 2018 [30 favorites]

Funny how it's only reporting on white men's problems with YouTube's algorithms

It's not just white men.

BEFORE MOST PEOPLE even knew that terrorist outreach was happening online, YouTube was a top recruitment venue for jihadi terrorist groups. The platform, which consistently ranks among the most trafficked websites in the world, has served as a library for radical clerics’ speeches and calls for fundraising. Meanwhile, the corresponding comments sections provided recruiters narrow barrels from which to fish for new members.

YouTube’s problem worsened with the rise of ISIS and its resilient propaganda machine. In a May 2017 study, I detailed the ways groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda were sneaking their media onto YouTube and the massive extent to which they were doing so. In recent years, YouTube was among the most recurrent platforms used by terrorist groups. In link compilations issued by terrorist propagandists, the first item listed was often a YouTube URL.
...
In a June 2017 blog post, Google General Counsel Kent Walker acknowledged YouTube's role in the dissemination of such information and stated that the company would be taking concrete steps to improve its terrorist content removal efforts.
...
To its credit, YouTube’s strategy appears to be working.
...
Based on that data, Google Photos, Dropbox, and Google Drive are [now] the three top platforms used by ISIS and al-Qaeda to share audio and video with their affiliates and supporters.

YouTube just needs to treat white supremacy the same as they treat other terrorist ideologies. And Google needs to extend these strategies to its other platforms as well.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:36 AM on December 17, 2018 [46 favorites]

YouTube just needs to treat white supremacy the same as they treat other terrorist ideologies. And Google needs to extend these strategies to its other platforms as well.

Right. If Google can only tamp down ISIS, but when, as I did last week, I go to YT to listen to klezmer music and I get a "MY YEAR INSIDE THE NEONAZI UNDERGROUD" sidebar recommendation, I stop taking them very seriously. Google has some of the most highly trained and highest paid non-executives in the world ("we only hire the best of the best"), and they're still playing whack-a-mole years later.

The problem is that Google, FB, etc. apparently don't want to turn off any features (only entire products, in Google's case). Their business model is based on me and your mom using the same functionality and clicks the bad people use, which increases the complexity of any solution by, oh, let's say infinity magnitudes. That is, it's probably not solvable by changing anything other than public perception, which is why FB hired scumbags to trash their detractors.
posted by rhizome at 11:57 AM on December 17, 2018 [10 favorites]

Margaret Sullivan, It’s high time for media to enter the No Kellyanne Zone — and stay there

Given all of this, the responsibility to bear down on reality is greater than ever.

When news organizations hand a megaphone to lies — or liars — they do actual harm. What the president himself says must be reported, of course, but only within the context of what we know.

To state it without immediate, adjacent reference to factual reality is to enter the Kellyanne Zone.

In an era rife with disinformation — and American democracy teetering on a precipice — that’s the wrong place to be.

posted by zachlipton at 12:03 PM on December 17, 2018 [18 favorites]

But where the propaganda originates is also key ("contained links to other platforms"), and no one? has looked into this yet. (Is that right? Jesus.)

Tumblr users who had interacted with the trolls received emails notifying them of this back in March.
posted by soelo at 12:07 PM on December 17, 2018

Meanwhile, socialists in the suburbs And Fort Worth DSA disturbing five carloads of warm clothing and food
posted by The Whelk at 12:10 PM on December 17, 2018 [26 favorites]

YouTube just needs to treat white supremacy the same as they treat other terrorist ideologies. And Google needs to extend these strategies to its other platforms as well.

Excellent point, but think of this from the opposite frame: what both these examples tell us is that YouTube knows and tracks the ideology and extremity of its videos. Their big excuse has always been, "zillions of videos how can we know?" But the algorithm excuse proves that they do. The algorithm can't show you increasingly extreme videos in your ideological neighborhood unless they are all recorded and measured.

From day 1, they have known exactly what ideology each video espouses, and that's precisely how they make their money. Pushing extremism is their business model.
posted by msalt at 12:15 PM on December 17, 2018 [12 favorites]

YouTube removes 58 million videos featuring hateful or inappropriate content

58 million.

As an aside, I recorded myself playing guitar along with a song for one of my students, but youtube wouldn't accept the upload, because it had detected a copyright violation. I guess copyright holders have better lawyers than the victims of hate speech.
posted by adept256 at 12:16 PM on December 17, 2018 [69 favorites]

what both these examples tell us is that YouTube knows and tracks the ideology and extremity of its videos. Their big excuse has always been, "zillions of videos how can we know?" But the algorithm excuse proves that they do.

Yep, and they have been doing it for years in France and Germany to prevent all nazi shit from being available. They know how to do it, they just won't, which, as I see it, kind of mirrors the US healthcare debate.
posted by rhizome at 12:17 PM on December 17, 2018 [32 favorites]

zachliptton: Margaret Sullivan, It’s high time for media to enter the No Kellyanne Zone — and stay there

An idea I'm just forming now, extending on this, would be a one-lie limit for all interviews. If the interviewee, whoever they may be, utters a single falsehood and refuses to correct themselves about it, you cut the video and end the whole thing. (This is probably easier to do in post-production than live, where the person can keep spouting nonsense in the time it takes fact-checkers to determine the facts.)

I wouldn't even mind if the interview was still broadcasted up to that point -- just show a "Lie limit reached" logo covering the screen, like a test pattern, then jump to other programming.

Afterward, if the person wants to insist that their lie was actually true, they can take the debate public and double down on it all they like. But in this way, the Gish Gallop of multiple lies gets slowed. If you're a spokesperson wanting to get as much of your message out there as possible, then you have to front-load your talking points with as much truth as possible before your freebie lie.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:18 PM on December 17, 2018 [20 favorites]

Heck, if you ask me it should be a fireable offense for a public employee to lie to the public rather than say they can't answer the question or other demurral.
posted by rhizome at 12:20 PM on December 17, 2018 [20 favorites]

An inspiring moment as Democrats back off gerrymandering scam, NJ.com:

On Saturday, the top two Democrats in the Legislature did what any sensible burglars would do when the alarm sounds and the floodlights snap on - they dropped their loot and ran. The leaders, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, couldn't drum up enough votes to do their mischief. [...]

The surprise - and the glory of this moment - is that most of those charging at them were not Republicans, a party that has been worn down to a nub in New Jersey after the Christie years. The storm of protest came mostly from the left, from Democrats and liberal activists who want to win elections fair and square. [...]

In the end, what started as another unseemly moment in Trenton turned into an inspiring one. Democrats have been watching Trump Republicans across the country cheapen our democracy with stunts like this, and much worse. And they wanted no part of it. Instead of reaching for a club to strike back, they reached for higher ground.

posted by galaxy rise at 12:26 PM on December 17, 2018 [34 favorites]

Margaret Sullivan, It’s high time for media to enter the No Kellyanne Zone — and stay there

An idea I'm just forming now, extending on this, would be a one-lie limit for all interviews.

No. Live. Interviews.

No live panel shows, no live drop-in bits, sure as fuck no live coverage of the President.

The anchors are live, telling us things. Then they throw to a panel segment that was taped no less than an hour previously and vetted before it makes the air. They want to lie? Fine. But someone gets the chance to cut that part and splice in “At this point, Ms. Conway gave an inaccurate number of people killed by refugees in the last four decades. The real number is zero.”
posted by Etrigan at 12:35 PM on December 17, 2018 [43 favorites]

An inspiring moment as Democrats back off gerrymandering scam, NJ.com:

Michael McDonald has an alternate take on the now-dead NJ plan that's worth reading, even if I don't entirely agree with it (particularly insofar as redistricting impacts people of color). NJ's entire redistricting process is a mess, which this plan never really addressed, and I would hope but have no expectation that killing this plan will buy Democrats a couple of "see, the parties really aren't both the same" brownie points.
posted by zachlipton at 12:46 PM on December 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

>> An inspiring moment as Democrats back off gerrymandering scam

> I would hope but have no expectation that killing this plan will buy Democrats a couple of "see, the parties really aren't both the same" brownie points.

I had come around to Kevin Drum's take, myself:

... this is the only thing that will ever get the Supreme Court off its butt to do something about gerrymandering. I’m dead serious here. Conservatives on the Supreme Court aren’t likely to ever address gerrymandering until it’s crystal clear that Democrats can be every bit as ruthless and shady as Republicans. As long as red-state Republicans pass bill after bill screwing Democrats, while blue states like California and New Jersey and New York do nothing, there will always be a majority on the Supreme Court to shrug it off as a “political” question and do nothing. I hate the fact that I believe this, but I do ... so let’s play.

He's right, too. If we were to gerrymander Wisconsin or Michigan to favor Democrats, or, say, employ the 28-0 NY baconmander, you *know* the Kavanaugh court would suddenly discover a deep respect for the sanctity of representation.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:57 PM on December 17, 2018 [17 favorites]

No. Live. Interviews.

No live panel shows, no live drop-in bits, sure as fuck no live coverage of the President.

Disagree. Many important moments in history have been captured on live television.
posted by Melismata at 1:04 PM on December 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Many important moments have been captured live, yes. But there's no reason why interviews with Kellyanne Conway need to be live. They're ready an hour or more before the interview, waiting for the time slot. Just film the interview, and get it on once vetted.

There's so few things that really need to be live.
posted by explosion at 1:09 PM on December 17, 2018 [6 favorites]

The Editorial Board of the Financial Times has had it with the bullshit

America’s scrambled approach to Africa
Washington’s Hobbesian new strategy belongs to a bygone era

If his speech on Friday is the guide, Washington’s take on Africa is stuck somewhere between the 19th century scramble and the cold war, when the continent played proxy for superpower rivalry. Mr Bolton depicts US relations with Africa as a geostrategic board game in which Africans have less agency than a pawn. Whatever “predatory” moves by Chinese and Russian policymakers may be going on, he somehow finds America to be the principal victim.

“Great power competitors, namely China and Russia, are rapidly expanding their financial and political influence across Africa. They are deliberately and aggressively targeting their investments in the region to gain a competitive advantage over the United States,” Mr Bolton claims.

It is unlikely many Africans will welcome the prospect of returning to the era of “us or them” development partners depicted in this vision, or feel much sympathy if America is the one left behind. If the US has lost ground to rivals, it is successive administrations that are to blame. Washington has responded with complacency to the past two decades of changing dynamics on the continent, where bouts of rapid economic expansion have meant the emergence of more assertive governments, a growing consumer class and a host of new suitors from around the world.

[...]
It is a pity, however, that Mr Bolton depicts such measures as designed explicitly to project US power in Africa, rather than to promote reciprocal interests, and to counter the influence of “great power” rivals. Such language is out of step with the times.


Imo, this op-ed from the media establishment is the second critical one from them in a week, and can be considered a weak signal of a disturbing new trend wrt America's role, status, and playing power in the global great game.

tl;dr - you're out of step, the world has changed, go home
posted by infini at 1:09 PM on December 17, 2018 [32 favorites]

Seconding InTheYear2017's praise for the link homunculus posted to Progressive prosecutors are not 'cops.' They are needed to enact criminal justice reform. It's got some good talking points in case you get into a conversation with someone who does lump everyone in the criminal justice system together as all terrible people, and it's a great reminder to all of us about how much of a difference we can make at the local level.

It reminded me of the Politico article by Timothy Bella, The Most Unlikely D.A. In America, about Mark Gonzalez, District Attorney of Nueces County, Texas, and what a difference it makes to have a DA with a different perspective:

Before being elected, Gonzalez had never prosecuted a single case: For his entire 10-year career, Gonzales had specialized in getting accused criminals off the hook—working most closely with low-income, mostly minority offenders, fighting low-level charges for marijuana and other substances. His pride in his work is expressed in a spectacular tattoo that he had inked across his chest a few years ago, reading, in colorful gothic type, “Not Guilty.”

Gonzalez’s résumé puts him in a small but striking new wave of U.S. prosecutors, politically liberal and in some cases even civil-rights advocates, who’ve been elected to roll back the excesses of the past 20 years’ worth of tough-on-crime laws.

Progressive prosecutors can take direct and immediate actions to reduce the injustices of the criminal justice system.

Thanks, homunculus!
posted by kristi at 1:12 PM on December 17, 2018 [19 favorites]

How House Democrats can save democracy and the rule of law: Impeach Donald Trump ASAP

Trump has committed innumerable impeachable offenses not involving Russia collusion, right out in public. He continues daily to launch impeachment-worthy broadsides that are chipping away at the country’s democratic institutions and the rule of law.
...
Pelosi has said that impeachment proceedings would be divisive. We’re already divided, and destruction of our democracy would divide us irreparably. The House has to act before Trump finishes wrecking our democracy.
...
But say for argument’s sake that the Senate doesn’t convict. What then? As incoming House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler said recently, even if Trump is not convicted, impeachment “may in fact be necessary and successful at saying, in effect, ‘You have violated the constitutional order, you are threatening the constitutional order, you will stop threatening the constitutional order. You will stop threatening the rule of law.’” In addition, the revelations that emerged in the impeachment inquiry would be of great interest to voters in deciding whether to remove him in 2020.

Ceterum autem censeo Trumpem esse delendam
posted by kirkaracha at 1:16 PM on December 17, 2018 [20 favorites]

Gerrymandering in the US: GOP comes to fight armed with guns. Dems show up with knives, run off to get guns. Crowd boos Dems.
posted by jetsetsc at 1:16 PM on December 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

Lamar Alexander [TN - R] is not running again. Open seat in 2020.

Great news. Trying to convince our next door neighbor - a wonderful Progressive Democrat - to run for this seat.
posted by all about eevee at 1:20 PM on December 17, 2018 [19 favorites]

Both of the Senate reports on Russian disinformation (the outlines of which were reported yesterday) are now available for reading:

Related: How a Republican strategist supercharged Russia's effort to depress Democratic votes (Mark Sumner, Daily Kos)

Russia has long understood that racism is a major weakness in America that can be exploited on almost any issue. But there’s another reason that Russia put depressing the votes of black voters at the top of their to-do list. A reason why they knew they could be particularly effective in this effort, and perhaps even more effective than in spreading fear and hatred on the right.

That reason’s name is Aaron Nevins. In the broader discussion of conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, Nevins gets little attention. Some of that is because Nevins wasn’t an official member of the Trump campaign. He was a Republican strategist working in Florida. But when it comes to conspiring with the Russians, there’s no doubt about this: Nevins conspired to aid a foreign power in altering the outcome of an election in the United States. That’s a fact. Nevins has even admitted as much. And there’s one specific thing that Nevins did which related directly to Russian social media efforts.

More impressed after studying the voter-turnout models, Mr. Nevins told [the Russians], “Basically if this was a war, this is the map to where all the troops are deployed.”

Aaron Nevins contacted “Guccifer 2.0” asked for, and received, a dump of the documents that the Russians stole from the DNC and other sources. Scanning through these documents, Nevins found the Democratic voter-turnout models and get out the vote plans. In communications, the GOP strategist realized that the Russians did not know the value of this document.

So he told them.

posted by ZeusHumms at 1:21 PM on December 17, 2018 [50 favorites]

RedOrGreen: If we were to gerrymander Wisconsin or Michigan to favor Democrats, or, say, employ the 28-0 NY baconmander, you *know* the Kavanaugh court would suddenly discover a deep respect for the sanctity of representation.

Even before Kavanaugh, this was the court that found that the Colorodo Civil Rights Commision couldn't pursue its action against Masterpiece Bakery because of anti-Christian animus, and that Trump's blatent anti-Muslim animus was irrelevant to the constitutionality of the travel ban, all within a single busy month (last June).

You can't "trick" them into the correct viewpoint on a general level, because consistency doesn't bind them at all. Yes, they'd conveniently discover the wrongness of political gerrymandering. They'd then un-discover it for red states. The simple fact that they're able to make decisions on a case-by-case basis means they don't even have to develop a ruling that squares the circle all by itself.

Also, for what it's worth, the pre-Kavanaugh court has already ruled that political gerrymandering is unlawful/unconstitutional, that viable tests can determine if that has occurred, and that both Pennsylvania and North Carolina had failed those tests and needed to redraw the boundaries. There's little need I see for more judicial precedent on the subject, just more enforcement.

Whichever red state currently has the worst districting can and should be challenged (and the one after that, and so on). But a rigged-for-supermajority New Jersey would add nothing helpful, it would just be another state to rightly correct.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 1:28 PM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

Don't Kid Yourself, Republicans Are Never Going to Turn on Trump
posted by growabrain at 1:33 PM on December 17, 2018 [8 favorites]

Whichever red state currently has the worst districting can and should be challenged

Please do Wisconsin soon so we can toss out these chortling reptile overlords who hate regular people.
posted by rocketman at 1:34 PM on December 17, 2018 [6 favorites]

Many important moments in history have been captured on live television.

The T-34 tank won World War II. Doesn't mean there needs to be one on every streetcorner.

The problem is that one side has weaponized the live lie, knowing damn well that correcting it afterward doesn't "solve" the lie, because it's already out there. They've moved their base so far past the truth that "Oh my gosh! An advisor to the President just got caught out in an obvious lie on live television!" only serves to reinforce the lie and become "proof" that the librul media is biased because they claim to believe women but now they're saying they don't believe Kellyanne when she says the sky is green.

I know it doesn't make sense, but you fight the tank that's pointing at you, not the tank that the enemy should have.
posted by Etrigan at 1:35 PM on December 17, 2018 [12 favorites]

@jenlhyde: "Trump administration motions to deport Vietnamese refugees suggest that no matter how long you’ve been here you are ALWAYS deportable. This isn’t immigration reform, it's a fracturing of lives and communities. Vietnamese refugees saved my life: Looking Inside My Heart"
posted by homunculus at 1:36 PM on December 17, 2018 [36 favorites]

As I wrote that stuff about Democrats gerrymandering, I thought of a slightly different argument with some small merit.

Setting aside recent developments, SCOTUS likes to be seen as nonpartisan. This poses a challenge for something like gerrymandering, where you basically have to declare that specific political party's way of maintaining power is wrong. Thus, they like to have at least a handful of blue states to make similar decisions about at the same time as they consider red ones, so that there's less room for complaints about "unfairness". As such, an "arms race" could actually achieve something, on a state-by-state basis (rather than "Once they rule against NJ, political gerrymandering will be fixed nationwide").

However, I don't think those principles still apply, precisely because the court cares less and less how obvious its political bias becomes.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 1:40 PM on December 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also, for what it's worth, the pre-Kavanaugh court has already ruled that political gerrymandering is unlawful/unconstitutional, that viable tests can determine if that has occurred, and that both Pennsylvania and North Carolina had failed those tests and needed to redraw the boundaries.

I do not think this is true. The Supreme Court had dodged and never ruled on political gerrymandering. They have ruled that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

Of the two cases you cite, the Pennsylvania one was decided by the state supreme court, not the U.S. Supreme Court and the North Carolina one was decided by a federal district court, not the Supreme Court.
posted by JackFlash at 1:51 PM on December 17, 2018 [9 favorites]

Democrats are not going to do very well trying to fight corruption and abuse of power while continuing to engage in the same thing. It's not pundits or Republican Supreme Court appointees we should be worried about, it's voters – specifically Democratic voters and people who might be inclined to vote for Democrats.

No one participating in this thread seems to comprehend that there are voters out there who who actually care about preserving democracy. Doubling down on convincing voters that, as evil as Trump and the Republicans are, Democrats are just as bad is probably not the way to go to win upcoming elections.
posted by nangar at 1:52 PM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

It's not just white men.

Just ask Alice Walker.
posted by PenDevil at 1:57 PM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

Vox, Kliff and Scott, We read Democrats’ 8 plans for universal health care. Here’s how they work, featuring analysis, in handy chart form, of everything from the Sanders Medicare-for-all bill to the various Medicaid-buy-in bills. It's a good overview of where the discussion is and the divide between plans that replace all employer-sponsored insurance overnight and those that are more incrementalist.

This is very useful, but there's a missing piece of the puzzle. In the venn diagram, the overarching theme is "government regulates health care prices." But the actual mechanisms in these plans that result in cost control, if there even are any, go unexplained. And that's one of the hardest bits to get right. The government simply cannot write a blank check for unlimited medical costs that can grow substantially above inflation year after year, and avoiding that requires trade-offs that need to be honestly discussed.

Meanwhile, if we step away from these dreams of what someday may be, Arkansas imes, Work requirement ends Medicaid coverage for 4,600 more Arkansans in December

Almost 17,000 Arkansans have now lost their health insurance due to the state's experimental work requirement for certain low-income adult Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a monthly report released by the state Department of Human Services on Monday.

In the first week of December, the state terminated coverage for another 4,655 beneficiaries due to noncompliance with the work rule, adding to the 12,277 who were cut off and locked out of Medicaid from September to November.

Those who have had their coverage taken away out will be eligible to re-enroll on January 1, but if they again don't manage to report their hours through a convoluted website that works poorly on cell phones and, despite being a website, is only available 14 hours a day (they will soon be offering a telephone option as an alternative), they'll be locked out of Medicaid for all of 2019.
posted by zachlipton at 2:00 PM on December 17, 2018 [22 favorites]

On Alice Walker's fondness for David Icke: The New York Times just published an unqualified recommendation for an insanely anti-Semitic book (Tablet magazine)
posted by box at 2:01 PM on December 17, 2018 [17 favorites]

JackFlash: Of the two cases you cite, the Pennsylvania one was decided by the state supreme court, not the U.S. Supreme Court and the North Carolina one was decided by a federal district court, not the Supreme Court.

My mistake! Now I remember the US scotus simply declining the Republicans' very-last-minute appeal on the Pennsylvania one.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:02 PM on December 17, 2018

How is Aaron Nevins not in prison for taking illegally proffered information and then sending it out to an unknown number of Republicans, which had consequences for both the 2016 and 2018 elections? That’s just fucking ridiculous.
posted by gucci mane at 2:03 PM on December 17, 2018 [15 favorites]

How is Aaron Nevins not in prison for taking illegally proffered information and then sending it out to an unknown number of Republicans

“Mr. Nevins is not a target or subject in Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation. Mr. Nevins has not received a subpoena of any kind. At the request of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Mr. Nevins voluntarily shared all information relevant to their inquiry. Additionally, Mr. Nevins voluntarily sat for an interview with Special Counsel Mueller’s team roughly a year ago. No request for an interview or documents has been made by the House.” < Sun Sentinel
posted by Harry Caul at 2:08 PM on December 17, 2018 [10 favorites]

Don't Kid Yourself, Republicans Are Never Going to Turn on Trump

posted by growabrain at 1:33 PM on December 17 [2 favorites +] [!]

The article doesn't touch on the possibility that the reason these GOP politicians are unwilling to break with Trump over his misdeeds is that they are complicit in the crime. If that is true—that McConnell, Ryan, McCarthy, the whole lot of them knew of and were fine with taking advantage of Russian interference on behalf of Trump and GOP candidates in the 2016 election, or worse—then I fear for our country, because there is a substantial minority of the population that has been trained not to believe anything that runs counter to the GOP narrative. If Robert Mueller and other investigative and prosecutorial agencies produce reports and indictment documents laying our evidence for such a colossal and widespread conspiracy, I am totally uncertain what will become of us as a nation.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:20 PM on December 17, 2018 [12 favorites]

The Supreme Court had dodged and never ruled on political gerrymandering. They have ruled that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

This is true, and the whole purpose of Gil v. Whitford, which yes, was about Wisconsin, was specifically to design a method for Anthony Kennedy to find compelling as a test for partisan gerrymandering, as opposed to racial, where he refused in case after case to endorse such an analytical test. Political scientists developed exactly such a measure as Kennedy had called for, specifically in response to his request for one, called the efficiency gap, which measures basically the amount of "wasted" votes due to a gerrymandered map. Wisconsin was an order of magnitude higher than any other state.

Kennedy punted. He refused to endorse the exact test that he called to be created.

Then he resigned.

And his son worked for Donald Trump at Deutsche Bank.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:32 PM on December 17, 2018 [57 favorites]

We should not be trying to out-do Republicans on racism, misogyny and corruption. There are things we believe in, and that's what we should stand for.
posted by nangar at 2:48 PM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

Butterly Sanctuary in Texas Expected to Be Plowed Over for Trump's Border Wall

I voted for Trump. Now his wall may destroy my butterfly paradise (WaPo):

I’m a lifelong Republican who voted for Donald Trump for president in 2016. I want our immigration laws to be enforced, and I don’t want open borders. But Mission [Texas] is not a dangerous place. I’ve lived here all my life. Here at the National Butterfly Center, 6,000 schoolchildren visit each year. Girl Scouts come here when they camp overnight just a mile or so from the Rio Grande. When the president says there’s a crisis at the border that requires an action as drastic as building a massive concrete wall, he either knows that it’s not true or he’s living in an alternate reality.
...
People have asked me, “Didn’t you listen to Trump when he said that he would build a wall?” I didn’t take the idea seriously during the campaign. I knew he couldn’t get Mexico to pay it — that’d be like asking Hurricane Harvey to foot the bill for rebuilding Houston — and thought it was just talk: another candidate making big promises he couldn’t keep. I never thought it would actually happen.

The upside is that he's now organizing protests against the wall and won't vote for Trump again.

And the stakes are more than a nature preserve for the sake of nature, ecotourism is one of the few economic drivers in the Rio Grande Valley supporting thousands of jobs as a bucket-list destination for bird and butterfly watchers. The National Butterfly Center, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, and the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park are all in the path of the wall, all are within the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission metropolitan area which has the lowest per capita income of any in the 50 states.
posted by peeedro at 2:52 PM on December 17, 2018 [30 favorites]

Mod note: Couple deleted; let's refocus in here and not snipe at each other please.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 3:05 PM on December 17, 2018 [5 favorites]

I voted for Trump. Now his wall may destroy my butterfly paradise (WaPo):

People have asked me, “Didn’t you listen to Trump when he said that he would build a wall?” I didn’t take the idea seriously during the campaign. I knew he couldn’t get Mexico to pay it — that’d be like asking Hurricane Harvey to foot the bill for rebuilding Houston — and thought it was just talk: another candidate making big promises he couldn’t keep. I never thought it would actually happen.

"I never thought leopards would eat MY butterflies," sobs man who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Butterflies Party.
posted by The Tensor at 3:13 PM on December 17, 2018 [79 favorites]

I voted for Trump. Now his wall may destroy my butterfly paradise (WaPo)

how is this not an Alexandra Petri column
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:20 PM on December 17, 2018 [102 favorites]

“Didn’t you listen to Trump when he said that he would build a wall?” I didn’t take the idea seriously during the campaign. I knew he couldn’t get Mexico to pay it...

The problem isn't that Trump lies. The problem is when he tells the truth, and people don't fight him because they rationalize it as a lie.
posted by msalt at 3:25 PM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

how is this not an Alexandra Petri column

Yes! I was just about to post when I first saw the linked headline and that it was WaPo but hadn't yet read the linked text that I assumed that this was a Petri column.

Trump supporters are self-parodies at this point. Leopards, faces.

Anyway, so Lanny Davis is on The Beat and saying that impeachment shouldn't be on the table unless Republicans come around to it. Which... isn't that just saying that no GOP President in the future should ever face even the prospect of impeachment no matter his or her crimes? That's an absurd standard.

Sometimes you do the right thing because its the right thing even if it doesn't pass.
posted by Justinian at 3:28 PM on December 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

I knew he couldn’t get Mexico to pay it — that’d be like asking Hurricane Harvey to foot the bill for rebuilding Houston — and thought it was just talk: another candidate making big promises he couldn’t keep.

This guy cares more about his butterflies than he does about the human beings Trump was telling us all he would keep out, imprison and kill if he was elected.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:33 PM on December 17, 2018 [35 favorites]

and thought it was just talk: another candidate making big promises he couldn’t keep

One of the most corrosive oft-repeated lies is the idea that politicians don't keep their campaign promises. Broadly, they do, or at least make good faith efforts to fulfill them where something isn't entirely within their control.

But everyone universally believes campaign promises are a pack of lies, so when Clinton, with a big stack of reasonably considered policies, is running against Trump, who tells everyone what they want to hear at any particular moment, their actual ideas aren't taken seriously. I'm as miserably cynical as they come, but this guy didn't just come to believe Trump's agenda was nonsense in a vacuum, and year after year of attacks on the idea of democracy is what leads someone to see the guy chanting "build that wall" and still conclude he did not literally intend to build a wall.
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on December 17, 2018 [36 favorites]

I believe there's no "double jeopardy" in impeachment, so if the House Democrats want to do what's RIGHT, as opposed to what's EASY, they'll impeach him, send it to the Senate. Watch their trial, and if they fail to convict, REPEAT AS NECESSARY.

The Public Discussion should be: Here's the list of crimes, and WHY aren't the Republicans concerned about the Rule of Law. But it won't be.
posted by mikelieman at 3:47 PM on December 17, 2018 [21 favorites]

Justinian: Which... isn't that just saying that no GOP President in the future should ever face even the prospect of impeachment no matter his or her crimes? That's an absurd standard.

Sometimes you do the right thing because its the right thing even if it doesn't pass.

The question is whether Trump's legacy is best/worst served by:

• "Dems call him a criminal, but he was never even impeached!"
• or "His impeachment vote failed in the House! Even Dems couldn't be 100% convinced!"
• or "The Senate voted not guilty! He's cleared! Vindication!"

and I'm honestly not sure. None is appealing, that's for certain.

Right now I lean in the direction of "Absolutely no vote for impeachment unless and until conviction looks at least very slightly possible rather than downright impossible." It has to be felt in our bones that for now, "Impeachment" means a not-guilty vote. It means him getting away with it on live television. And that could and probably would help his criminal defense in the eyes of a hypothetical jury, supposing he were to be charged after leaving office. If that defense can point to multiple cases of the same ("found innocent three consecutive times!"), oof.

Of course, being charged while in office should still be attempted, regardless of what the Justice Department has to say. But that's because the deciders wouldn't be Republican officials.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:06 PM on December 17, 2018 [7 favorites]

The Public Discussion should be: Here's the list of crimes, and WHY aren't the Republicans concerned about the Rule of Law.

This is an advantage to not hurrying to impeach. Tar the Rs with this message and build support for impeachment and for later Senate gains in 2020.
posted by duoshao at 4:08 PM on December 17, 2018 [8 favorites]

Dan Froomkin suggests a select committee might be a useful alternative if impeachment is not yet politically viable.
posted by SpaceBass at 4:11 PM on December 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Being here in Indiana, I get to observe Trump's base firsthand, a lot more than I wish I did. I think I've come to the conclusion that—at least in its Midwestern variety—Trumpism is very much akin to the weird projection and tribalism associated with football fanaticism (or its goofball cousin, wrestling fanaticism).

It's been a long day, so I'll save a more developed idea for another time, but the guy saying "People have asked me, 'Didn’t you listen to Trump when he said that he would build a wall?' I didn’t take the idea seriously during the campaign" didn't surprise me at all. Trump functions as the stereotypical meathead coach getting the team riled up on a Friday night, and nobody thinks he literally means we're going to leave the other team's guts lying on the field and make their mothers cry. But certain people love to hear that kind of bluster (we're the best because FUCK YOU!) and Trump absolutely looks and acts that part.

The difference being that hey, jackass, this is not some big game or cage match throwdown, it's real people's lives in a real society, inside a real country. But it's so similar in its internal logic and its visceral appeal, and not at all in a good way. And Trump, after all, was involved in both pro football and pro wrestling in the past.
posted by Rykey at 4:14 PM on December 17, 2018 [59 favorites]

Seems like with Trump there is a pretty obvious strategy to bring Rs in the Senate on board with conviction, though, and it goes like this. There are lots of separable (or seemingly separable) grounds for impeaching Trump. Pick one from the low end of the middle of the pack in terms of being really obviously bad. I would go with violations of emoluments. Then you dig for a while and impeach. You then tell the Rs, "Look, we could do this again with witness tampering and obstruction of justice and again with money laundering and again with campaign finance and again with Russian interference and again with treason, ... Do you really want us to drag this out and potentially catch all of the Republican Party in the net or do you want to convict now before it gets so, so much worse?"
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 4:14 PM on December 17, 2018 [20 favorites]

New Jersey, for some context, has a top-heavy machine party much like NYC and Chicago. We also just re-elected Bob "Mistrial" Menendez as senator. Menendez had no real opponent in the primary, he had the endorsement of the entire state party including Booker, and he still only got 62% of the primary vote. There's some evidence he cost state dems a few points in the general with an anti-coattails effect. My point is, you want a consolidated democratic base of power, but the voters here evidently do not like the decisions these particular democrats have made, and do not want these particular dems to consolidate their power.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 4:16 PM on December 17, 2018 [6 favorites]

"I'm Republican, but I don't support Trump." Stop saying this. Everything is on fire, and if you vote for the Republican Party, you are voting for violent hatred and discrimination. You are complicit. You are supporting white supremacy. You are voting for my oppression.

Probably the most common version of this I hear is that someone is Republican when it comes to taxes only. This is usually followed with a smirking admission that they vote in their self-interest. However, when you dig into that, and ask them if they really believe in trickle down economics, the party's commitment to fiscal responsibility, the future of oil, any of it, it all falls apart.

I've come to believe it's not self-interest but white interest. It's not just me that thinks this. A lot of the Never Trumper Republicans have written articles basically acknowledging that as Republicans they believed conservatism was a small government philosophy that engaged in race baiting tactics, but that Trump showed them it was the other way around.
posted by xammerboy at 4:26 PM on December 17, 2018 [26 favorites]

Majority of U.S. Muslims Now Support Gay Marriage, While White Evangelical Christians Remain Opposed

White Evangelicals: American Taliban.
posted by Justinian at 4:39 PM on December 17, 2018 [81 favorites]

AP: Comey Says House Republicans Are ‘Shameful’ After Interview

He was on Capitol Hill for a second closed-door interview with two Republican-led committees investigating what they say was bias at the Justice Department before the 2016 presidential election. Republicans argue department officials conspired against Trump as they started an investigation into his ties to Russia and cleared Democrat Hillary Clinton in a separate probe of her email use. Democrats have called the GOP investigation “nonsense.”

Comey, who led both investigations, mocked the congressional probe, saying the questions were about “Hillary Clinton’s emails and the Steele dossier” — two favorite subjects of Republicans who insist there was bias in the department. The dossier was Democratic-funded opposition research on Trump’s ties to Russia compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

Talking to the press afterward, Comey had some harsh words: "People who know better, including Republican members of this body, have to have the courage to ... speak the truth and not be cowed by mean tweets or fear of their base. There is a truth and they're not telling it. Their silence is shameful."

Expect some angry tweets from @realDonaldTrump this evening or tomorrow morning (and dead silence from Hill Republicans).
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:39 PM on December 17, 2018 [10 favorites]

Yeah which is why the real scary thing on the horizon is a kind of patriot movement/red and brown alliance of like, social welfare but for white people only
posted by The Whelk at 4:39 PM on December 17, 2018 [5 favorites]

Nate Silver on 2020 poll naysayers: Citing early polls from Iowa or whatever is fine. Ignore the scolds. They don't have a ton of predictive power but they do have a bit if placed into context. Sometimes the narratives that emerge from them [are, sic] dumb and overblown, but non-poll narratives can also be dumb and overblown.
posted by Justinian at 4:40 PM on December 17, 2018

Evgenia Peretz (Vanity Fair): “MEN FOR OTHERS, MY ASS”: AFTER KAVANAUGH, INSIDE GEORGETOWN PREP’S CULTURE OF OMERTÀ

It hurts to read this article. Clara Jeffery (Mother Jones) has a running twitter thread right now as she reads, which is basically, "fuck these, fuck these, fuuuuck these assholes."
posted by pjenks at 4:41 PM on December 17, 2018 [36 favorites]

I should mention that the Vanity Fair article contains multiple stories of abuse, beyond what emerged in the Kavanaugh saga.
posted by pjenks at 4:54 PM on December 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

And speaking of Evangelicals - yes, the Prosperity Gospel helped elect Trump (Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard):

But participants also gave the successful candidate higher marks for morality. These striking results were replicated in a second study.

The findings "help explain the effectiveness of Donald Trump's campaign for the 2016 presidential election," Drolet and Hafer write. "Trump's campaign highlighted his previous success in business, media, and so on," and the impression this produced "increased perceptions of Trump's morality."

Prosperity gospellers (who are as un-Christian as one can get; in fact, positively Satanic) think that business success = a good person with good morals. Soooo...they thought that Trump, of all people, was a good and moral candidate because of The Apprentice. Like with Rykey's anecdote about sports and Trumpism, those people totally and utterly bought into the kayfabe.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 5:09 PM on December 17, 2018 [21 favorites]

Evgenia Peretz (Vanity Fair) “MEN FOR OTHERS, MY ASS”: AFTER KAVANAUGH, INSIDE GEORGETOWN PREP’S CULTURE OF OMERTÀ

I read a review of The Penguin Book of Hell in the NYRB that said, more or less, that belief in hell is the last recourse of political impotence: people believe in hell because they know there's no comeuppance in this world for the rich and powerful, and so they make up a comeuppance afterward to comfort themselves.

With that having been said: these rich white sepulchres had better hope Christ isn't really coming back. I don't think that would end well for them.
posted by Black Cordelia at 5:14 PM on December 17, 2018 [13 favorites]

Yale survey: Among registered voters, over 80% support for Green New Deal
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:14 PM on December 17, 2018 [47 favorites]

Witches to Trump: Stop Calling the Mueller Investigation a ‘Witch Hunt.’ The witch community is tired of the president invoking the worst moment in their history to serve his political needs.
posted by homunculus at 5:25 PM on December 17, 2018 [30 favorites]

The Vanity Fair article is worth its own post.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:32 PM on December 17, 2018 [12 favorites]

Prosperity gospellers (who are as un-Christian as one can get; in fact, positively Satanic)

After numerous encounters with Christians, and not as numerous but substantial numbers of encounters with Satanists, I have to disagree. Many of the Satanists I know are assholes, but none are overtly cruel, nor do they think anyone has been divinely ordained to suffer. Prosperity gospellers aren't remotely Satanic.

Unless the majority of churches start insisting, "those people aren't Christians," I'm stuck with the belief that those are Christian values, and the good people I know who are Christians are the outliers.

I know that's ranty. Less ranty, more political: don't pretend these people aren't upholding their religious values just because other religious groups using the same holy book have different values. It's a big book; there's a lot of cherry-picking going on everywhere. There is no objective, "real" Christianity to compare them against.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:37 PM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

WaPo: Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate

Months after President Trump took office, Russia’s disinformation teams trained their sights on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there.

The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram — which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal — claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with “radical Islamic groups.”

Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday.

The disinformation/black propaganda campaign the Kremlin conducted against Mueller over Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, et al. is jaw-dropping, even today (and I don't recall seeing any comprehensive investigative journalism, much less official US government statements, about it at the time).
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:42 PM on December 17, 2018 [54 favorites]

Mueller released the notes of the FBI agents' interview with Mike Flynn, and boy that dude can NOT take a hint.

They're like, "So, talk to any Russians?" And he says "Yeah the two times I flew out there obv, and maybe another quick hello. And one day I called all the countries, so probably them too." And the agents go, "Cool cool. How about discussions on Israeli settlements, anything?" "Oh yeah, good reminder, that too. Thanks."

And then they ask, what about the December sanctions on Russia? Any discussions with Kislyak, you know, asking him to chill out on the counterattack or anything like that? And he said NO, nothing like that. This interview was in January 2017 -- about 2-3 weeks later. They pressed him a couple of more times, with increasingly specific details of the call they clearly had a recording of, and he kept saying no.

And that was his false statement under oath. He's an intelligence expert. How did he not see that coming?
posted by msalt at 5:57 PM on December 17, 2018 [65 favorites]

This story about Center for American Progress, one of the most prominent center-left think tanks that also loves giving platforms to war criminals and taking their money, donating $200,000 to the incredibly racist American Enterprise Institute in order to...write two op-eds that equate leftists with right-wing fascists is wild as hell:

If you enter into a conversation with William Kristol, and do not discuss the hundreds of thousands of deaths that occurred as a result of the disastrous, immoral, and illegal war he advocated, then you are complicit in the whitewashing of the historical record. If you sit down for a chat with Benjamin Netanyahu, and allow him to get away with distorting Israel’s record and downplaying his country’s crimes against Palestinians, you are an “accessory after the fact” to those crimes. And if you collaborate with the American Enterprise Institute, which would like to see the labor movement destroyed and which has given Charles Murray a cushy perch from which to spew bigoted pseudoscientific drivel, you are betraying “progressivism” and have no just claim to the label.

Neoliberal centrism is one hell of a drug.
posted by Ouverture at 6:02 PM on December 17, 2018 [25 favorites]

The Vanity Fair article is worth its own post.

I was thinking the same thing, along with

Data For Progress On NGD

We can’t let a New Green Deal just become Green capitalism

What even is a New Green Deal, explained

A NGD isn’t enough we need degrowth

We must go further, we need to talk about ending the military work overseas as part of climate change work.
posted by The Whelk at 6:22 PM on December 17, 2018 [27 favorites]

(I personally don’t think the NGD is a socialist project, it’s a public spending project we very much need, and extending it out to something like degrowth programs and projects is a way to making it one.)

(Also we need to start closing all American bases and ventures overseas and ....uh maybe banning private jets in addition to making air travel much more expensive)
posted by The Whelk at 6:25 PM on December 17, 2018 [9 favorites]

Data for progress reports on NGD support
posted by The Whelk at 6:27 PM on December 17, 2018 [4 favorites]

Also we need to start closing all American bases and ventures overseas

while I think we can agree that American (tm) style adventurism is not great, isolationism has also proven itself a really bad thing historically, so I'm not sure this is such a great idea.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 6:29 PM on December 17, 2018 [5 favorites]

The Us Military is one of the largest single polluters on earth
posted by The Whelk at 6:31 PM on December 17, 2018 [9 favorites]

While general opinions vary on whether we should make fun of a Nazi's looks, Vox has a very detailed breakdown of Stephen Miller's spray-on hair last Sunday while he defended not paying federal workers so Trump can bloviate about the wall, and makes the case that spray-on hair can work, if you use it right, and then points out that Miller, well, I mean...I mean this...and I've just really never seen such a detailed breakdown of why this time it's totally ok. They're bad at everything.
posted by saysthis at 6:31 PM on December 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Turns out the type of intelligence that Flynn was an expert in wasn't smarts.
posted by orange ball at 6:32 PM on December 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Dan Froomkin suggests a select committee might be a useful alternative if impeachment is not yet politically viable.

I ask myself - how many GOP pols have dirty money in their recent history and could potentially go down for that? Then I ask myself, how many could be persuaded to flip during an impeachment process in exchange for not having that happen? I suspect once the risk of being found guilty in court is greater than the risk of not being re-elected due boarding the Impeachment Express, and that option is dangled, things will happen.
posted by Devonian at 6:32 PM on December 17, 2018 [13 favorites]

And that was his false statement under oath. He's an intelligence expert. How did he not see that coming?

I'm an actual Subject Matter Expert in a couple of mature technologies, and can deliver. I stopped being surprised at how low the bar for 'an expert' can be about 20 years ago. Mostly, "Knows more than the other guy" is about it. Mostly.
posted by mikelieman at 6:54 PM on December 17, 2018 [20 favorites]

After his bill gutting KY public employee pensions was struck down last week, KY Govenor and Mini-Trump Matt Bevin called a special session of the legislature, to begin tonight, with 4 hours notice. Bevin wants to re-pass the same bill that was just struck down in part on procedural grounds, and the vote is expected tonight, before KY teachers can mobilize against it again, and before KY Republicans lose seats in the incoming legislature.

In context, it takes about 4 hours to drive from far western KY to Frankfort.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:06 PM on December 17, 2018 [17 favorites]

I ask myself - how many GOP pols have dirty money in their recent history and could potentially go down for that? Then I ask myself, how many could be persuaded to flip during an impeachment process in exchange for not having that happen?

I dunno. Newt Gingrich, Bob Livingston and Henry Hyde all went down for their own sexual infidelities at the very same moment they were pontificating on Clinton's immorality in the impeachment trial. Fear of exposure didn't persuade them to shut up.

I don't think Republicans are very smart.
posted by JackFlash at 7:16 PM on December 17, 2018 [13 favorites]

KY Govenor and Mini-Trump Matt Bevin called a special session of the legislature, to begin tonight, with 4 hours notice.

Last I heard, they pretty well immediately went into a recess. The legislators and legislative leadership may not be happy with this on either side. And a fair number of protesters managed to make it up there already, too.
posted by dilettante at 7:17 PM on December 17, 2018 [12 favorites]

I'm all for impeaching trump. I'm all for doing it every day of the new congress. New impeachment proceedings for each of his crimes in office, starting with the first one, because it will totally get under his skin like nothing else will (and is utterly dead simple to prove his guilt): fraud. Fraud, because he lied and lied repeatedly.
Obama's inauguration crowd was much bigger than his.
posted by sexyrobot at 7:36 PM on December 17, 2018 [11 favorites]

Pricing everyone out of flying is only going to curtail tourism, reduce family visits for the average person, and cripple small and medium businesses operating in multiple markets.
posted by reductiondesign at 8:02 PM on December 17, 2018 [13 favorites]

Air travel isn't where the carbon is, and France (And Brazil) is proving right now that we're not going to tax our way out of climate change on the backs of the working and middle class. Punitive taxes as a means of chagning behavior just isn't effective, or isn't nearly effective enough, and breeds immediate and potentially violent resentment.

The Green New deal has to offer actual alternatives, preferably backed by direct subsidies and only then recouped, if necessary, with additional taxes on hoarding capital, financial transactions, and corporate sources of carbon. But really the budget effects are meaningless, who the fuck cares if the budget is balanced over 100 years in a 4-6 degree C warming scenario? Behavior has to change or we won't be able to farm food. And if printing money to pay people to build solar panels and paying companies to stop building pickup trucks is what it takes to change behavior, we should do that. Not tax people because they want to go on 1 vacation a year.

How about we try printing money without paying for it in order to fund things to fix the world, instead of wars and tax cuts for billionaires. Let's just try that once. Just one time. Before we bow down to the austerity idol once more.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:16 PM on December 17, 2018 [49 favorites]

Mod note: People, go have this Green Deal/carbon tax/transportation/etc conversation in another thread that's on this topic please.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:18 PM on December 17, 2018 [12 favorites]

Trump Demands Stop to Emoluments Case as State AGs Subpoena 38 Witnesses

First we've got some of the slaveholding founding fathers did it so it's OK:

Other elements of the brief descend into early U.S. history, going back to the plantations and land purchases made by the founding fathers and early presidents.
...
“Several early Presidents owned plantations and continued to export cash crops overseas while in office, including Washington, who exported flour and cornmeal to ‘England, Portugal, and the island of Jamaica,’ and Thomas Jefferson, who exported tobacco to Great Britain,” the filing reads.

Then we've got Obama did it so it's OK even though the situation is completely different:

The Trump administration attorneys also make a comparison between Barack Obama’s book sales while in office and Trump’s D.C. hotel, arguing that Judge Messitte’s ruling that an emolument has to be larger than minimal payments “was created to explain away inconvenient examples like President Obama’s likely royalties from book sales to foreign governments.”

Ceterum autem censeo Trumpem esse delendam
posted by kirkaracha at 8:33 PM on December 17, 2018 [7 favorites]

I had missed this from a couple of months ago until the author Julie Rovner, Chief Washington Correspondent of Kaiser Health News, was on PBS Newshour tonight: depending on the details, a SCOTUS ruling striking down the ACA's pre-existing condition protections could also roll back pre-existing condition protections for employer/group health insurance plans established by HIPAA in the 1990s.
posted by XMLicious at 8:50 PM on December 17, 2018 [4 favorites]

[People, go have this Green Deal/carbon tax/transportation/etc conversation in another thread that's on this topic please.]

Open threads: New Green Deal Now

The uncertain new world of labour
posted by homunculus at 8:51 PM on December 17, 2018 [16 favorites]

The Boston Globe reports Seth Moulton will not run for US Senate in 2020 against incumbent Ed Markey.
posted by adamg at 8:53 PM on December 17, 2018 [4 favorites]

Did we ever have foreign governments buying loads of flour to influence Washington? Was Jefferson making dirty tobacco money? What matters is how that international money influences the receiver. Trump will do anything for a buck. He's cheap. His actions can be bought for less than you'd think. A few rooms in a Trump suite will do nicely.
posted by downtohisturtles at 8:57 PM on December 17, 2018 [5 favorites]

They can open investigations into Washington and Jefferson violating the Emoluments Clause too if they want.
posted by XMLicious at 9:00 PM on December 17, 2018 [38 favorites]

“Several early Presidents owned plantations and continued to export cash crops overseas while in office, including Washington, who exported flour and cornmeal to ‘England, Portugal, and the island of Jamaica,’ and Thomas Jefferson, who exported tobacco to Great Britain,” the filing reads.

DOJ's citation for this is a listicle on a Mount Vernon tourist website. That doesn't cite any of its sources.

No, really.
posted by chris24 at 9:05 PM on December 17, 2018 [65 favorites]

The Trump administration attorneys also make a comparison between Barack Obama’s book sales while in office and Trump’s D.C. hotel, arguing that Judge Messitte’s ruling that an emolument has to be larger than minimal payments “was created to explain away inconvenient examples like President Obama’s likely royalties from book sales to foreign governments.”

Well, the purpose of the emoluments clause is to prevent corruption; that is, someone getting something for the money directed to the president. However, that would require Obama to have known the identity of each purchaser of his book. Not sure that was happening.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:06 PM on December 17, 2018 [8 favorites]

However, that would require Obama to have known the identity of each purchaser of his book. Not sure that was happening.

Worth noting that bulk buying of books is a standard political practice to game the best seller lists (e.g. Ann Coulter)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 9:22 PM on December 17, 2018 [4 favorites]

DOJ's citation for this is a listicle on a Mount Vernon tourist website. That doesn't cite any of its sources.

So you're saying that the DOJ does the same level of 'research' as my most inept freshmen.

Jesus Christ on a pogo stick...
posted by jrochest at 9:42 PM on December 17, 2018 [16 favorites]

Worth noting that bulk buying of books is a standard political practice to game the best seller lists (e.g. Ann Coulter)

There are people who have gamed books sales. Jim Wright was forced to resign as Speaker of the House for making $54,000 in bulk book sales; I forget the details but iirc he did know who was buying 10,000 books at a time. Rupert Murdoch owns Harper Collins; there are suspicions that they have given, um, not-economically-justified book deals to ideologically aligned authors.

None of which applies to Obama, who was a best-selling author before he entered politics.
posted by msalt at 9:52 PM on December 17, 2018 [7 favorites]

Trump will do anything for a buck. He's cheap. His actions can be bought for less than you'd think. A few rooms in a Trump suite will do nicely.

I agree, but those hotel room charges do add up, as do his other business dealings.

Saudi lobbyists spent $270,000 last year to reserve rooms at Trump’s hotel in Washington. Just this year, Trump’s hotels in New York and Chicago reported significant upticks in bookings from Saudi visitors.

“Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million,” Trump told a crowd at an Alabama campaign rally in 2015. “Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”

During Trump’s presidential campaign, he also seemed to be exploring plans to build a hotel in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city, part of an international expansion plan. In August 2015 — two months after he got into the race — Trump established eight new shell companies that included the name “Jeddah.”

The names of those corporations — four of which also included the word “hotel” — seemed to indicate Trump was planning a hotel in the city. The Trump Organization did not answer questions about what was planned or if the company was working with a Saudi partner.

posted by xammerboy at 9:57 PM on December 17, 2018 [10 favorites]

The sheer fucking gall of the people in this story is astounding even for the Trump administration. NYT, Trump Officials Plan to Rescind Obama-Era School Discipline Policies

The Trump administration is planning to roll back Obama-era policies aimed at ensuring that minority children are not unfairly disciplined, arguing that the efforts have eased up on punishment and contributed to rising violence in the nation’s schools, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The decision culminates a nearly yearlong effort begun by the Trump administration after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The deaths of 17 students and staff members on Feb. 14 prompted lawmakers in both parties to demand tougher gun laws, but after a brief flirtation with gun control, President Trump abandoned that focus and instead empowered a school safety commission, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Almost immediately, the commission turned away from guns and instead scrutinized the Obama administration’s school discipline policies, though none of the most high-profile school shootings were perpetrated by black students. The commission’s focus was part of a broader effort to reject the previous administration’s race-conscious education efforts, which have included siding with Asian students suing Harvard to end affirmative action and delaying an Obama-era rule to prevent disproportionate numbers of minority children from being funneled into special education classes.
...
The Obama-era discipline policy seemed like an unusual target, since the suspect in the Parkland shootings was white, had been expelled from school and had been referred to law enforcement agencies several times. But opponents of the policy seized on the fact that the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, had been part of an alternative discipline program called Promise in Broward County Public Schools. Although the Florida program started a year before the guidance was issued, conservatives, with the backing of Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, pointed to the program as an example of potentially dangerous policies endorsed by the Obama administration.

----

Foreign Affairs, Denis McDonough (Obama Chief of Staff), Can Congress Stop the Forever War?

A new AUMF would continue to be designed for use against terrorist organizations, such as al Qaeda or ISIS, and not states, such as Iran. For this reason, it should spell out against whom it is authorizing the president to use force, making sure to include ISIS, al Qaeda, and certain associated forces that President Barack Obama identified and federal courts affirmed. If our country’s leaders decide that the use of force is necessary against Iran, the American people are right to expect such a decision to be debated on its own merits.
...
Finally, Congress should insist on a time limit, or sunset, for any new AUMF. For more than 17 years, Congress has proven unwilling to take the politically difficult step of reexamining the war against al Qaeda and its associated forces. A time-limited AUMF—perhaps five years—will ensure that future Congresses continue to meet the responsibilities envisioned by our founders.

posted by zachlipton at 11:07 PM on December 17, 2018 [42 favorites]

Politico, Warren bill would get feds into generic drug manufacturing

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a likely 2020 presidential candidate, will release a bill on Tuesday that would effectively create a government-run pharmaceutical manufacturer to mass-produce generic drugs and bring down prices, several sources in her office told POLITICO on Monday in an exclusive preview of the legislation.

The bill, dubbed the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act, is unlikely to pass the Republican-led Senate, but it signals that a future Warren White House could try to radically revamp the federal government’s role in the pharmaceutical market in order try to lower prices.

“In market after market, competition is dying as a handful of giant companies spend millions to rig the rules, insulate themselves from accountability, and line their pockets at the expense of American families,” Warren said in a news release that her staff shared early.

posted by zachlipton at 12:00 AM on December 18, 2018 [60 favorites]

Hopefully the Warren drug company would also do the clinical trials needed to get FDA approval for drugs that have been abandoned because patents have run out or because they are otherwise unlikely to be profitable. It's always bizarre to hear the argument that there's nobody other than big drug companies who can afford to do a full clinical trial, given the $4 trillion budget of the American government.
posted by clawsoon at 4:24 AM on December 18, 2018 [23 favorites]

Politico: Trump launches unprecedented reelection machine
Unique structure of the president’s reelection campaign is an expression of his iron grip on the party.
posted by octothorpe at 4:58 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

Warren's bill is about drugs that are demonstrated to work and are possible to make easily and cheaply--where the only thing that's driving up prices is greed. It's a brilliant, gutsy suggestion.
posted by Sublimity at 4:59 AM on December 18, 2018 [50 favorites]

Government pills! Merry Christmas Qanon weirdos, now run along and play with your conspiracy theories.
posted by adept256 at 5:05 AM on December 18, 2018 [21 favorites]

So you're saying that the DOJ does the same level of 'research' as my most inept freshmen

I’d give good odds that the DOJ has a bunch of civil servants who feel just as strongly but didn’t want to pick a fight with the political appointee above them on the org chart. One of many things which was ignored until the current administration is the degree to which most agencies have to deal with random mismanagement from people who rotate through every few years and often accreted layers of bureaucracy to contain the impact on their actual work.
posted by adamsc at 5:46 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

The usual conservative/libertarian/Randian objection is that this kind of government intervention in medicine would remove the incentive for companies to develop new drugs (assuming it's a patenting issue, but perhaps Warren's proposal doesn't touch anything still under patent).

And in response to that, I'd say: Unless it's literally impossible for the government to invent something new, what exactly does private innovation bring us humans that's irreplaceable? I mean, you're basically arguing that to keep the market "free", a certain entity should be barred from it. Fetishizing a market in itself, when the outcome is pretty clearly worse for actual humans, is absurd.

Perhaps sometimes the government controls industry and everyone is worse off because it's a monopoly. But when that happens the problems are higher prices and lower quality. Under this situation, basically no one disputes that prices would fall and that "quality" is hardly a concern (non-generic drugs have extra chemical "features" such as possibly offsetting some side effects, but they don't, like, cure you twice as hard).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:51 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

None of which applies to Obama, who was a best-selling author before he entered politics.

Dreams From My Father was published contemporaneously with Obama's first Illinois State Senate run. It sold "8,000 to 9,000 hardcover copies and went out of print within several years" before his DNC keynote raised his profile enough for it to be reissued.
posted by Etrigan at 5:56 AM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

is that blood in the water i smell?

TPM: Ex-National Enquirer Editor Suggests Jared, Ivanka Partook In ‘Criminal Activity’

Former National Enquirer senior editor Jerry George said Monday night that he knew of stories killed by his old magazine and it’s Trump-sympathetic publisher that implicated Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in “criminal activity.”

“They’re certainly embarrassing,” he told MSNBC’s Ari Melber about stories killed concerning President Donald Trump. “And then when you get involved with the actions of his children, including his daughter and son-in-law, we’re getting closer to criminal activity.”

George added that he believes the magazine acted together with the Trump campaign to break the law, and that there is still “another shoe to drop” now that America Media Inc., the National Enquirer’s parent company, has been granted immunity by federal prosecutors.

George homed in on Kushner, suggesting that he played a significant role in communication between AMI and the Trump campaign. “I definitely think that once Michael [Cohen] stepped aside, there was foot traffic between people in the Trump Organization, including Jared, into the American Media organization,” George said.

George also nodded to Kushner’s ties with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, saying that the magazine featured the royal on its cover, an odd move for a domestically-focused publication, and soon after received a mysterious influx of cash.

posted by murphy slaw at 6:05 AM on December 18, 2018 [52 favorites]

From "Trump launches unprecedented reelection machine"

President Donald Trump is planning to roll out an unprecedented structure for his 2020 reelection, a streamlined organization that incorporates the Republican National Committee and the president’s campaign into a single entity.

Wow, WHAT? The Clinton campaign subsidized the DNC and people thought (with some justification) that gave her undue influence over the primary process (even though most of the agreement didn't take effect until after the primary was done.)

Now the Trump campaign is just... taking over the RNC a year before the voting begins? How can there be a meaningful primary at all?
posted by OnceUponATime at 6:19 AM on December 18, 2018 [31 favorites]

I think the term for that is "consolidating power".
posted by VTX at 6:21 AM on December 18, 2018 [16 favorites]

There usually isn't a meaningful primary when the sitting President is running for reelection, is there?
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:22 AM on December 18, 2018 [12 favorites]

AP sources: Trump plans to create US Space Command

In which Space Command != Space Force.

It's almost like someone is jangling keys in front of Trump so he stops loudly admitting to various crimes.
posted by OntologicalPuppy at 6:26 AM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]

Federal judge strikes down ban on nunchucks as violation of Second Amendment (WaPo)

🇺🇸 LeeGreenwood.wav 🇺🇸
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:27 AM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

Now the Trump campaign is just... taking over the RNC a year before the voting begins? How can there be a meaningful primary at all?
posted by OnceUponATime at 10:19 PM on December 18 [1 favorite +] [!]

So is this how the Republican party splits?
posted by saysthis at 6:30 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

AP sources: Trump plans to create US Space Command

How retro
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:32 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

Mueller Ready to Pounce on Trumpworld Concessions to Moscow (Erin Banco, Daily Beast)

For more than a year, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office has questioned witnesses broadly about their interactions with well-connected Russians. But three sources familiar with Mueller’s probe told The Daily Beast that his team is now zeroing in on Trumpworld figures who may have attempted to shape the administration's foreign policy by offering to ease U.S. sanctions on Russia.

The Special Counsel’s Office is preparing court filings that are expected to detail Trump associates’ conversations about sanctions relief—and spell out how those offers and counter-proposals were characterized to top figures on the campaign and in the administration, those same sources said.

I'm not really sure what this is about, nor how much it should be trusted, given how leak-proof we know the Mueller team to be.
posted by pjenks at 6:36 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

I'm not really sure what this is about, nor how much it should be trusted, given how leak-proof we know the Mueller team to be.

Typically these leaks come from the other side trying to get ahead of the story.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:49 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

Unlike what Individual-1 said waaay back in his first presidential press conference, I don't think it's a case of "The leaks are real but the news is fake." Rather, the leaks are inconvenient for the investigation (insofar as that may tip off key players, which is probably the point), but nonetheless bring joy to my heart (it sounds like collusion is definitely on the table).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:55 AM on December 18, 2018

Now the Trump campaign is just... taking over the RNC a year before the voting begins? How can there be a meaningful primary at all?

Dems should take every opportunity to remind Republican donors that their donations are merely a slush fund to pay the presidents and his co-conspirators legal fees and revenue for Trump Org properties.
posted by Roger_Mexico at 7:05 AM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

Dems should take every opportunity to remind Republican donors that their donations are merely a slush fund to pay the presidents and his co-conspirators legal fees and revenue for Trump Org properties for Donald Trump.

Trump pay legal fees?
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:06 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

No, the RNC pays Trump’s legal fees and gives him rent!
posted by Roger_Mexico at 7:16 AM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]

Why Mick Mulvaney Is So Disgustingly Good at Working for Donald Trump (Jordan Weissmann, Slate)

[Had] he been employed in any other administration, Mulvaney might have been shamed into an early retirement long ago. But over the medium term at least, he has thrived in an environment where others have lit their political careers in flames.

posted by ZeusHumms at 7:19 AM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

RNC also pays off Keith Schiller's silence until the 2020 convention. < CNBC
posted by Harry Caul at 7:23 AM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

Just caught up and responding late to yesterday's discussions:

I think impeachment should proceed as soon as possible, by which I mean soon after the investigation implicates everyone in Congress who received Russian money, and I assume that means mostly Republicans (likely with a few Democrats included by the baddies so they can muddy and both-sides the issue). At that time, I believe enough of the American public will be disgusted with the Republicans that the Senate will be willing to convict. And if not, that's when we should impeach for one crime at a time until they give up.
posted by M-x shell at 7:27 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

An Epidemic Is Killing Thousands Of Coal Miners. Regulators Could Have Stopped It (NPR, December 18, 2018)

A multiyear investigation by NPR and the PBS program Frontline found that Smith and Kelly are part of a tragic and recently discovered outbreak of the advanced stage of black lung disease, known as complicated black lung or progressive massive fibrosis.

A federal monitoring program reported just 99 cases of advanced black lung disease nationwide from 2011-2016. But NPR identified more than 2,000 coal miners suffering from the disease in the same time frame, and in just five Appalachian states.

And now, an NPR/Frontline analysis of federal regulatory data — decades of information recorded by dust-collection monitors placed where coal miners work — has revealed a tragic failure to recognize and respond to clear signs of danger.

Make Lungs Black Again! Rolling Coal Over Your Early Graves! Sorry, the conservative lust for coal is ruining so many lives, and in so many ways.

VA Still Arbitrarily Cutting Caregivers From Program, Even As It Aims To Expand (NPR, December 18, 2018)

The program was set up to support family members of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. They're mostly wives and mothers who receive a VA stipend to provide home health care that would otherwise cost the VA millions of dollars.

When it started in 2011, vets signed up in huge numbers, quickly overwhelming the VA staff assigned to the program.

In recent years many VAs have drastically cut their rolls — often with little explanation to the caregivers.

The cuts come at a time the program is supposed to be growing. Congress approved a major expansion of the program in May, though implementation could take years.

Congressional sources confirmed that the VA has missed its first deadline in October to implement new information technology for the caregiver expansion — raising serious concerns of further delay. VA says the department will not deploy the new system until it is ready and has been tested thoroughly.

But VA also recently blew through a deadline to fix the IT for a new GI bill rule, and did so without initially telling Congress about the delay.

Veterans Affairs Department officials said that they will not be able to implement the fix until December 2019.

Here's What Would Happen If The Government Shuts Down This Week (NPR, December 17, 2018)

For the National Park Service and many other agencies, funding runs out on Dec. 21 at midnight. And while the 75 percent of the government whose budget bills are already approved will be unaffected, the remaining 25 percent include some high-profile agencies and departments. Among them:

• Homeland Security
• Transportation
• Commerce
• Interior
• Agriculture
• Housing and Urban Development
• Justice

Independent agencies, including NASA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, will also be closed. The FDA "does routine, unannounced inspections," Food Safety News wrote in January. "During these partial government shutdowns, FDA likely ceases routine checks while using its 'essential' personnel on problems that arise."

And if these agencies have not kept some operating buffer, there's a chance their operations are already hampered, because the Federal Fiscal Year started on October 1, 2018, so we're more than two and a half months, almost a full quarter, without new budget.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:32 AM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

Kirsten Gillibrand and the Al Franken Fury (Edward-Isaac Dovere, The Atlantic)

The New York senator still hears criticism for saying her Minnesota colleague needed to resign, but many women have thanked her, and she’s got millions in the bank.

posted by ZeusHumms at 7:35 AM on December 18, 2018 [26 favorites]

Now the Trump campaign is just... taking over the RNC a year before the voting begins? How can there be a meaningful primary at all?

For a long time my expectation is that the RNC would run a strong contender against Trump, but now that it's time it seems impossible to do that. Trump and the party are so aligned, I don't see how you criticize Trump without attacking the party in general. If you come out against say, the wall, or even Russia, you're implicitly attacking your own party's total backing of Trump's narrative. I don't know that a party has ever been so all in for a candidate.
posted by xammerboy at 7:46 AM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

Right now I lean in the direction of "Absolutely no vote for impeachment unless and until conviction looks at least very slightly possible rather than downright impossible

In one of the previous threads, I suggested that the House Judiciary Committee read out a charge of an impeachable offense on a weekly basis, without actually passing articles of impeachment.

Week 1, the Trump Foundation swindle
Week 2, the Comey firing
Week 3, Money Laundering, Part 1
Week 4, lying about the Trump Tower meeting
Week 5, Emoluments, Part 1
etc.

All documented in a nice shiny report, with live TV hearings, making crystal clear that Trump is a crook who has committed, and keeps committing, high crimes and misdemeanors.

The target isn't Trump, but establishing a media narrative that Trump can't distract from, and making Republican Senators' complicity more and more obvious. Ultimately they may yet decide to go down with the sinking SS Trump, but they'll be made as uncomfortable as possible in the process, and not a few voters will no doubt turn the Democrats' way as a result.
posted by Gelatin at 7:47 AM on December 18, 2018 [37 favorites]

Apparently Rick Santorum has hired a firm to scrub the internet of a picture of him with confessed Russian agent Maria Butina.
posted by growabrain at 7:52 AM on December 18, 2018 [58 favorites]

RUN KIRSTEN RUN. I will vote for you and drink all the frosty mugs of Bro and Cool Girl tears I can swallow. #WithHer

As I've mentioned before I think that Tina Smith's landslide re-election in MN, and the fact that she has proven to be a good Senator, has taken the wind out of a lot of critics' sails. And how could the Dems have opposed Kavanaugh and looked Christine Blasey Ford in the eye while condoning sexual harassment in their own ranks?

There is so much long-term value in being the party that walks the walk and stands by their principles, even if it's inconvenient in the moment. (Besides, who wants to wind up like Butterfly Sanctuary Guy who thought that all politicians lie and leopards won't eat his butterflies and gaaah how stupid can you get?).
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:56 AM on December 18, 2018 [42 favorites]

Do we get to call him Rick "Streisand Effect" Santorum now?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:57 AM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]

Breaking: NY Ag Barbara Underwood secures a stipulation dissolving the Trump Foundation under judicial supervision, w/ AG review to ensure charitable $ goes to reputable orgs. This is a key piece of the relief sought in her June suit.

The AG's suit remains ongoing.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:00 AM on December 18, 2018 [88 favorites]

In one of the previous threads, I suggested that the House Judiciary Committee read out a charge of an impeachable offense on a weekly basis, without actually passing articles of impeachment.

Seems like everyone in here is play nth-dimensional chess about impeachment and hearings, but impeachment is a bare minimum duty of congress. When the president does obvious crimes, the House must file articles of impeachment or they are abdicating their responsibilities as a governing body. Please, make all the political calculations in the world about the best way to go about it, but if congress doesn't do this, what is even the point of our purported system of checks and balances?

Apparently Rick Santorum has hired a firm to scrub the internet of this picture of him cozied up to confessed Russian agent Maria Butina.

That's cute and all, but I'm more interested in the source for this story. A quick [internet search] and I don't see anything confirming this story about Santorum hiring a PR firm other than this tweet. Seems like it's just this one account looking for a chance to dunk on Santorum (which I'm all for) but it might also be spreading misinformation (which I'm mostly against).
posted by runcibleshaw at 8:00 AM on December 18, 2018 [12 favorites]

Apparently Rick Santorum has hired a firm to scrub the internet of a picture of him with confessed Russian agent Maria Butina.

Mike Pence's no-talking-to-the-ladies-without-mother's-permission rule is probably the only thing to save him.
posted by peeedro at 8:01 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

For a long time my expectation is that the RNC would run a strong contender against Trump, but now that it's time it seems impossible to do that. Trump and the party are so aligned, I don't see how you criticize Trump without attacking the party in general. If you come out against say, the wall, or even Russia, you're implicitly attacking your own party's total backing of Trump's narrative. I don't know that a party has ever been so all in for a candidate.


trump got them what they wanted (tax cuts and deregulation) at the cost of abandoning any pretense that they aren't the party of inherited wealth and racism.

if they stop propping him up now, russia and other sundry corruption will sink him, and they'll be left wide open to attacks like "they were willing to sell out the country to a hostile foreign power for a tax cut".

realistically, the only time the GOP could have stopped trump was during the primaries. once he clinched the nomination, they had to back him or risk handing the election to clinton and getting shredded by their donors for taking their money and throwing away the presidency.

and once he was in office, they couldn't touch him because the very fact that he was compromised by a foreign power gave him mutually assured destruction over the party. putin having kompromat on trump gave trump kompromat over the entire GOP.

trump and the republicans are locked in a deadly embrace and they'll either destroy each other or the republic.

so they're working on the latter, for obvious reasons.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:02 AM on December 18, 2018 [18 favorites]

Okay, so that Atlantic article about Kirsten Gillibrand. I considered not clicking because I knew they would have some bullshit about "isn't it gross how this LADY with a somewhat high voice WANTS to be president?" Well guess what:

"Maybe it’s because she’s been willing to speak out with a feeling that a number of other prominent Democrats share, fueled in part by their affection for Franken and in part by the air of striving that Gillibrand constantly gives off." [emphasis mine]

What. the. fuck. Is her "air of striving"? She is a woman who speaks passionately about issues that frequently affect women, like ya know being sexually harassed (and worse) all the goddamn time. Gillibrand actually wanting to be president and working for it isn't some crime of ambition, and it's a billion times better than some stupid asshole wanting to be president because he thinks it's a vanity prize and then committing treason to get a job for which he has no preparation or talent.

"The senator appointed to fill his seat is a woman, Tina Smith, who last month won election to the job by a bigger margin than Franken got in his two races." I would be interested to see data on how many people are actually still mad about Franken resigning, vs how much of this narrative is driven by reporters asking her about it and a couple of big donors bringing it up. If Franken is such an amazing ally he can speak up now and say how he understands why he had to leave and how fucking cool it is that we have two smart, liberal women repping our state in the Senate.
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:04 AM on December 18, 2018 [86 favorites]

"Weekly impeachment" (which the entire House Democratic caucus will never be on board for anyway) could easily, easily backfire. From the public's vantage, it would turn the pursuit of "neutral" crimes into a Democratic hobbyhorse. Republicans would continually crow about how "we've been over this" and "fishing expedition" and "double jeopardy!". No, it wouldn't be double jeopardy at all, but the rhetoric would stick.

Plus, primarying remains a threat to Republican senators even if the country turns so blue that their seats are vulnerable to a change in party. They'd still rather hold on to the best-chance means of staying in power, which means acquitting their president rather than getting knocked off even before the 2020 general elections.

However, all that is entirely different from weekly hearings and investigations without an impeachment vote. We need to see the taxes, the calls to the Kremlin, the kompromat (well, maybe not literally see), and the crimes nobody even knows about yet. That stuff needs to be broadcast from sea to shining sea, and literal impeachment isn't at all necessary for it.

Plus, after many months of airing all the dirt, it could be bad enough to make conviction genuinely possible. Any given Trumpian misdeed, coupled with hard evidence, could turn a crucial demographic (such as white women) against him in massive numbers to neutralize the primarying issue. Anything's possible!
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:09 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

I so wanted to spread the Santorum/Butina dirt, but stopped myself and checked in on it, and the only source I can find in a reddit thread. So, until we get better info, caveat lector.
posted by M-x shell at 8:12 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

Seems like everyone in here is play nth-dimensional chess about impeachment and hearings, but impeachment is a bare minimum duty of congress.

Framing this as, "Dear Rep/Senator, If you are not going to do the bare minimum of your job and impeach DJT for $OBVIOUS_CRIMING, you are abdicating the representation of your constituents, DO NOT DESERVE SERVE US, and you will be replaced." sounds like the way to go. Thanks.

Sadly, I'm a New Yorker, and despite Schumer's bullshit, they do generally represent me already.
posted by mikelieman at 8:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

It's okay to simultaneously miss Franken's politics while understanding it was both necessary for him to stand down and completely justified for Gillibrand to demand it.

Gillibrand is my favorite of the current miasma of Dem candidates. I'm sure the a-hole machine will try really hard to bring her down, but she is really excellent.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [24 favorites]

Trump is apparently blinking: White House says it wants to avoid government shutdown, will find other ways to fund border wall (WaPo)
posted by DrAstroZoom at 8:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [33 favorites]

Also, n-thing Tina Smith as an excellent senator. I like her politics even better than our other excellent female Senator Amy Klobuchar.
posted by mcstayinskool at 8:16 AM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]

Breaking: NY Ag Barbara Underwood secures a stipulation dissolving the Trump Foundation under judicial supervision, w/ AG review to ensure charitable $ goes to reputable orgs.

Oh man, are they open to suggestions? Because I think the ACLU, NAACP, Greenpeace, and RAICES might be excellent places to start.

(As someone who works in the non-profit & charitable sector, the Trump Foundation end of the corruption swamp has been one area that never fails to raise my blood pressure.)
posted by nubs at 8:17 AM on December 18, 2018 [16 favorites]

We have to be extra careful now that we’re becoming aware of just how much of the online a-hole machine is run by the Russians. I doubt many of us on Metafilter are IRA shills, but most of us have been influenced by them through social media, whether we care to admit that or not.
posted by rikschell at 8:18 AM on December 18, 2018 [29 favorites]

"Weekly impeachment" (which the entire House Democratic caucus will never be on board for anyway) could easily, easily backfire. From the public's vantage, it would turn the pursuit of "neutral" crimes into a Democratic hobbyhorse. Republicans would continually crow about how "we've been over this" and "fishing expedition" and "double jeopardy!". No, it wouldn't be double jeopardy at all, but the rhetoric would stick.

Counterpoint, all of those Benghazi hearings never hurt any Republican. And there are no "neutral" crimes.

Counter-counterpoint, Republicanism is predicated on BELIEF, and therefore not subject to the limits of rational discourse.

Counter-counter-counterpoint, Sucking the air out of the room with non-stop coverage of various impeachable issues can't hurt, keeps them on the defensive.

Fuch my counter-n-counterpoints, the RIGHT thing to do is for the house vote for impeachment OVER AND OVER, regardless of the optics. IF this is a Nation of Laws, and the US Constitution MEANS ANYTHING, then there are no other options but to keep TRYING to enforce the rule-of-law. Otherwise, we're on the road to jus primae noctis
posted by mikelieman at 8:22 AM on December 18, 2018 [23 favorites]

The Washington Post's David Fahrenthold has the full article on the dissolution of the Trump Foundation.
posted by yasaman at 8:29 AM on December 18, 2018 [18 favorites]

Trump is apparently blinking: White House says it wants to avoid government shutdown, will find other ways to fund border wall

I believe that so far, he's signed everything put in front of him. He likes signing his name, and he loves tweeting about the awful, terrible law he was just "forced" to sign; he doesn't want the media focused on him as the one causing shutdowns. And he thinks that, like being CEO, if he signs something and doesn't like it later, he can just refuse to follow the rule.

The fact that the rule goes into effect without his direct participation never occurs to him.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 8:31 AM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

Seems like everyone in here is play nth-dimensional chess about impeachment and hearings, but impeachment is a bare minimum duty of congress. When the president does obvious crimes, the House must file articles of impeachment or they are abdicating their responsibilities as a governing body.

Yeah, but there's so many obvious crimes Trump has committed. I didn't mean to imply that the Judiciary Committee should never pass articles of impeachment, but rather make the case, brick by brick, impeachable offense after impeachable offense, until the dam of Republican solidarity can no longer hold.

Nixon was re-elected by a landslide even after news of the Watergate break-in occurred, and looked impeachment-proof, until he didn't.
posted by Gelatin at 8:33 AM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]

if [Republicans] stop propping [Trump] up now, russia and other sundry corruption will sink him, and they'll be left wide open to attacks like "they were willing to sell out the country to a hostile foreign power for a tax cut".

They're already wide open to those attacks, because that's exactly what they did, and Democrats should never, ever stop reminding loyal Americans of it.
posted by Gelatin at 8:37 AM on December 18, 2018 [15 favorites]

The Washington Post's David Fahrenthold has the full article on the dissolution of the Trump Foundation.

As a reminder, David Fahrenthold caused this all to happen, because he was watching Trump prattle about all his charity work and thought, Hmm, I wonder whether he really does give a lot of money away...
posted by Etrigan at 8:47 AM on December 18, 2018 [105 favorites]

Counterpoint, all of those Benghazi hearings never hurt any Republican.

Endless Benghazi hearings are exactly what I support all Democratic anti-Trump equivalents for, at this time. But there was never a Benghazi Impeachment, because Republicans were smart enough to never try it. Of course there's a nontrivial difference in degree of guilt, but the tactical considerations are similar.

A investigated Trump is a deflated POTUS. His Foundation dissolved (hurrah!), his cronies indicted (happening step by step), his Organization disassembled (one hopes) and his kids (dare we pray) behind bars. But an impeached Trump is an empowered POTUS, because: Impeachment. Means. Acquittal. It's stupid like the electoral college is stupid (or precisely, like the Senate is, because that's the core problem here). But it's the stupid system we're stuck in for now.

Trump should be impeached. Borders should be open. But the last thing I want is for the Democratic party to spend political capital on either, rather than on pursuing all criminal activity in the former case and ending the extremes of cruelty to migrants in the latter.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:47 AM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]

I'm glad to see the number of Trump grift operations decrease by one, however I'm counting the seconds until Tucker Hannity starts crying that the Trump Foundation was helping so many people until stupid liberal regulators got in the way and forced his family out of their true calling of helping people.
posted by cmfletcher at 8:48 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

Flynn's in court right now for his sentencing, and the Independent is updating their liveblog of events.

• Michael Flynn has said he does not want to challenge the circumstances under which he provided false statements to the FBI. Attorney Rob Kelner added the ex-National Security Adviser’s rights were not violated during the federal agency’s interview with Flynn.
•Michael Flynn said “I was aware” lying to the FBI was a crime and has said he does not wish to change his guilty plea.
•The judge appears to be making it crystal clear that Michael Flynn has plead guilty because he is actually guilty, and not because he was coerced by any person or entity.

Flynn has repeated his understanding of the plea he filed and remains adamant he was not coerced.

With that, the court has dumped cold water on the various excuses that Flynn's apologists have been making for him in the media. (@realDonaldTrump wished him good luck this morning and reiterated "There was no Collusion!".)

New from the Independent: "Judge Sullivan is making sure the courtroom hears the statement of offenses against Michael Flynn, accenting each word in the following statement: “This is a very serious offense -- a high-ranking senior official of the government, making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation while on the physical premises of the White House.”"
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:50 AM on December 18, 2018 [51 favorites]

how many people are actually still mad about Franken resigning, vs how much of this narrative is driven by reporters asking her about it and a couple of big donors bringing it up.

Eh, I don't think these assholes need prompting to be reminded of their misogyny. Fundamentally they just don't think Franken did anything wrong. It's the "progressive" version of boys will be boys.

If Franken is such an amazing ally he can speak up now and say how he understands why he had to leave and how fucking cool it is that we have two smart, liberal women repping our state in the Senate.

WHY CAN I ONLY FAVORITE THIS ONCE.

If Franken actually understood what he'd done and why it was unacceptable, if he actually took responsibility for his own choices and decided to act in accordance with his purported beliefs, he'd be on the front lines defending Gillibrand.

He's not doing any of that that I can see.

So. We know what he is. We've met many of him before, we've seen them from run for president before. We know him. He thinks he's a good guy, he thinks he's on the right side of history, so whatever he did it just couldn't have been that bad. It certainly couldn't be because he has deeper seated issues about women that will inevitably manifest in how he chooses to govern. In who and what he thinks of as negotiable when the chips are down.

It's not as though it's impossible to change. But any actual personal change first requires that you own and acknowledge what you did and take responsibility for trying to make it right. That would, by any reasonable definition, involve speaking up on behalf of the woman who's being hammered for calling you out.

If Franken's done that, he's been pretty quiet about it. And we all know he's not some sort of media naif. So.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:57 AM on December 18, 2018 [44 favorites]

As a reminder, David Fahrenthold caused this all to happen, because he was watching Trump prattle about all his charity work and thought, Hmm, I wonder whether he really does give a lot of money away...

And as another reminder -- which Democrats should helpfully offer as often as possible -- Trump shutting down his foundation is a tacit admission of wrongdoing, not to mention a meek surrender in the face of obvious legal jeopardy.
posted by Gelatin at 9:04 AM on December 18, 2018 [42 favorites]

Update from the Independent's Flynn sentencing liveblog:

• The government has said Michael Flynn’s sentencing hearing should continue today and his assistance should still be considered despite it remaining a possibility whether he is continuing to actually cooperate with investigators.

Attorneys noted the unsealed indictments against his two former business partners yesterday, who were seeking the extradition of a Turkish clerk and have been charged with acting as foreign agents.

• Judge Sullivan appears to be taking Michael Flynn’s crimes extremely seriously, repeatedly telling the court, “This crime is very serious” and “It’s very serious offence.”

“In the White House! In the West Wing!” He said. “You can’t minimize that.”

• Judge Sullivan has now pointed his comments directly towards Michael Flynn: “Arguably, you sold your country out.”

“I’m not hiding my disgust, my disdain for this criminal offense.”

The judge added that he cannot guarantee he will avoid incarcerating Flynn, providing him yet another opportunity to speak with his lawyers.

Vox's Andrew Prokop:

"You were an unregistered agent of a foreign country will serving as the National Security Adviser to the president of the United States!"

"Arguably this undermines everything this flag over here stands for!"

The judge sounds pissed.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:05 AM on December 18, 2018 [117 favorites]

New from the Independent: "Judge Sullivan is making sure the courtroom hears the statement of offenses against Michael Flynn, accenting each word in the following statement: “This is a very serious offense -- a high-ranking senior official of the government, making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation while on the physical premises of the White House.”"

I caught a bit of NPR this morning citing Flynn's defense attorney pointing to his record of service as a mitigating factor. Unfortunately, no one pointed out that serving as a member of the armed forces -- a general, no less! -- makes selling out the country to the enemy worse, not better.
posted by Gelatin at 9:06 AM on December 18, 2018 [50 favorites]

And after the judge asked federal prosecutors if Flynn could have been indicted under the Logan Act, Michael Flynn has requested a recess. The sentencing resumes at 12:30.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:10 AM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

Benedict Arnold was a general, too.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:12 AM on December 18, 2018 [55 favorites]

If Franken is such an amazing ally he can speak up now and say how he understands why he had to leave and how fucking cool it is that we have two smart, liberal women repping our state in the Senate.

Talking to the first part would seem to make an opening for lawsuits and investigations. His twitter account is active but posts are far and few between.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:12 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

In today's "OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE, CHUCK!" news:

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) after leaving a meeting with Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer says moving a package of judges could be part of year-end spending deal - but nothing's set yet.
posted by zombieflanders at 9:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]

By the way, Farenthold's stories amounted not only from his curiosity, but also from the fact that when he tried to confirm Trump's charitable giving, all he got from the Trump Organization was nonsense, stonewalling, and misdirection.

And because of that, he didn't turn in a story like "Trump claims to have given millions thru his foundation, but critics say he hasn't," but rather realized that the Trump Organization was hiding something.

The news media is lately being forced to admit Trump lies a lot, but they are only slowly recognizing that Trump's lies are not just a distraction or trivia, but rather part of the the story if not the essence of the story -- they prove he has something to hide.
posted by Gelatin at 9:19 AM on December 18, 2018 [64 favorites]

he judge asked for a recess to allow Flynn time to consider whether he wanted to sentenced now, or whether he would prefer sentencing to wait until the coöperation is actually over because there's obviously no way to credit Flynn with cöoperation that hasn't happened yet. The treason question doesn't have anything directly to do with the delay, except insofar as Flynn might take that as a hint about how the sentencing might go today and therefore ask for a delay in sentencing.

And perhaps consider his answer on whether he is continuing cooperation; apparently the answer to that question earlier was that there "remains a possibility" of future co-operation. The judge has also indicated he may include prison time as part of the sentence. And Flynn has also waived the possibility of appealing whatever sentence he receives here; I think the judge is trying to use some strong language to make it clear to Flynn that he should think carefully about what his future holds.
posted by nubs at 9:34 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

Also by the way, the fact that the Trump Organization couldn't easily prove where its money went means that the Washington Post's Farenthold embarrassingly scooped Trump's home town paper, The New York Times. This information, or the lack of it, has been out there for years, and it's a pity the Times didn't look into it well before 2016.
posted by Gelatin at 9:35 AM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

soren_lorensen: "There usually isn't a meaningful primary when the sitting President is running for reelection, is there?"

I've never really forgiven Ted Kennedy for this.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:42 AM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

One other thing that might be counted in support of multiple, never ending, impeachment is that it'd force the Senate to slow down on their project of packing the Courts with Trump's awful appointees to deal with each impeachment in turn. I'm pretty sure that McConnell can't just hold a quick vote on impeachment and move on, but is bound to actually hold the whole mock trial thing and allow the Democrats to present the case for the prosecution, no?

Drastically slowing down the Republican ratfuckery in the Senate sounds like a win to me!
posted by sotonohito at 9:42 AM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]

Mod note: A few deleted. As far as I can see we don't need to drive off into "Al Franken, y/n?" time machine argument, so let's not.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:47 AM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

This appears to be escalating quickly and beyond expectations?

Or rather, restoring the appropriate level of outrage at Flynn's actions. The USPolitics megathreads have resisted normalizing the Trump administration. Even still, the sheer volume of scandals and malfeasance wears one down. What Flynn did—that we know of—should be truly shocking, enough to rock the government to its foundations. That Flynn's supporters outside the courthouse this morning were singing "God Bless America" symbolizes (as a bad scriptwriter might) how distorted the coverage of events has become.

In any case, the judge seems to be walking back his question about the Logan Act, per Zoe Tillman: "The judge begins by clarifying that he wasn't suggesting Michael Flynn committed treason, he was asking to get a sense of offenses — "I was just curious." Prosecutor Brandon Van Grack says the government had no reason to believe Flynn committed treason"
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:48 AM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

Trump shutting down his foundation is a tacit admission of wrongdoing

It's a tacit admission by someone, but Trump handed off control right after his inauguration. He didn't agree to this, and I'm sure we'll have some tweets about how the board caved under pressure from totally fake lawyers.

The lawsuit will continue in court because it also seeks two other outcomes: $2.8 million in restitution, plus penalties, and a ban on Trump and his three eldest children serving on the board of any other New York nonprofit.

Oh nice; they won't be able to just start up again under the name "MAGA Foundation."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 9:48 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

Must be nice to be placed within society as such that a federal judge says “You were an unregistered agent of a foreign country will serving as the National Security Adviser to the president of the United States,” at your sentencing hearing and then “warns” you that you “could face” a prison sentence.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:49 AM on December 18, 2018 [74 favorites]

“I think we’re learning is that the system is so amenable towards criminal activity by the extremely rich you have to be an idiot on the level of Donald Trump and his gormless children to get exposed, And even then you have to make yourself literally the most watched person on the planet, and even then it takes years.“ @JuliusGoat
posted by The Whelk at 9:50 AM on December 18, 2018 [113 favorites]

Confused on this issue of "will Flynn keep cooperating or not." If the judge gives no jail time on the argument that Flynn will keep cooperating, does that mean Flynn walks for good and he can cooperate with shrugs and smirks from now on? Or can he be put back into another sentencing hearing by virtue of not cooperating?

I'm inclined to say Flynn totally needs to serve time. I also feel like everything that can be wrung out of him should be. Are there still pressure levers to apply on him if he goes without jail time here?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:50 AM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

It's a tacit admission by someone, but Trump handed off control right after his inauguration. He didn't agree to this, and I'm sure we'll have some tweets about how the board caved under pressure from totally fake lawyers.

Yeah, but Trump was at least nominally in charge (and bragging about his so-called "charity") when the wrongdoing happened. He just left someone else holding the bag, as usual.
posted by Gelatin at 9:53 AM on December 18, 2018

He didn't agree to this, and I'm sure we'll have some tweets about how the board caved under pressure from totally fake lawyers.

According to the WP, the board was made up of DJT Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and Allen Weisselberg (who works for the Trump org). The board hadn't met since 1999, and Weisselberg told the investigators that he wasn't even aware he was on the board.

The board caved alright, to the point of not really existing for approximately 20 years.
posted by nubs at 9:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]

Are there still pressure levers to apply on him if he goes without jail time here?

While I'd rather he got jail time, and the pressure was about how much - six months with cooperation vs 10 years without, f'rex - there are other forms of pressure: asset forfeiture, restricted activities, community service... with the bonus caveat of "if he stops doing his community service, he goes to jail."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 9:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

The Washington Post's David Fahrenthold has the full article on the dissolution of the Trump Foundation.

I kind of see this as the first breach in the outer walls of DJT. It's the first thing with his name on it to face this kind of censure, at least this publicly. As the cops and feds pour through the resulting openings, we should see an acceleration of the process by which Trump will eventually fall and it can't come soon enough for the country. And although I have a lot of animus for the man himself, it pales in comparison to the loathing I carry for the GOP. The long downhill road from 1964 to now needs to end with the dismantling of that party, and, if warranted, criminal charges for those who used illegal means to further their despicable ends.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

@ZoeTillman of Buzzfeed: BREAKING: Michael Flynn's sentencing will be postponed to give him time to finish fully cooperating with federal prosecutors

Sounds like the judge really shook them up. Good.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:57 AM on December 18, 2018 [53 favorites]

> we should see an acceleration of the process by which Trump will eventually fall and it can't come soon enough for the country.

The thing that worries me is that the GOP is really not acting as though they expect, or even worry, that Trump is gonna go down. Quite the opposite, in fact.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:59 AM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

BREAKING: Michael Flynn's sentencing will be postponed to give him time to finish fully cooperating with federal prosecutors

counting down the minutes until we get a tweet from the president claiming that flynn was exonerated in this hearing
posted by murphy slaw at 10:03 AM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

I kind of see this as the first breach in the outer walls of DJT. It's the first thing with his name on it to face this kind of censure, at least this publicly. As the cops and feds pour through the resulting openings, we should see an acceleration of the process by which Trump will eventually fall and it can't come soon enough for the country.

A while back I made a comment speculating on what that downfall might look like. In my heart of hearts I didn't think it would happen; now I'm secretly hoping to see it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:04 AM on December 18, 2018 [14 favorites]

What's the current best hypothesis for Individual-1's continued public support of Flynn (and by extension, support from the deplorable/maga crowd)? He wished him "good luck" on this hearing even though it's pretty clear that he is in fact a total snitch just like Cohen, and the only remaining question is how many beans he's spilled...

Is it more about staying on his good side, or perhaps on Putin's? Neither quite makes sense to me. The horse has left the barn. Is it as simple as: Flynn has not outright saying he's done with Trump, the way Cohen did, and thus Trump, who understands literal words better than the subtext of actions, holds out hope he's still "loyal".

Or perhaps it's that Flynn's dirt gets so uncomfortably close to the worst of the bad stuff -- Collusion City -- that the only recourse is total denial. You can imply that Cohen is a rat, telling the truth like some spineless goody-goody tattle-tale, because his information was just about hush money, "process crimes". But the narrative needs Flynn to be entirely a victim of FBI coercion, since otherwise his secrets are particuarly damning.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:05 AM on December 18, 2018

Would the shutdown have impacted Mueller's investigation? For a second I thought that could have been a reason for Trump to push for the shutdown.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 10:06 AM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

>Trump shutting down his foundation is a tacit admission of wrongdoing

>It's a tacit admission by someone, but Trump handed off control right after his inauguration. He didn't agree to this, and I'm sure we'll have some tweets about how the board caved under pressure from totally fake lawyers.

No, he didn't hand off control of the Trump Foundation. He transferred his business, the Trump Organization to a trust. Different entity. Even as a trust, Trump does not give up legal control of his business. We have only his word (heh) that he is not involved in business decisions.

As to his foundation, officers listed on the tax forms are Donald Trump, Eric, Don Jr., Ivanka and his accountant Weisselberg. That's the board. Weisselberg has testified that he didn't even know he was on the board of the foundation, which gives some idea of how often the foundation board meets. That is, never.
posted by JackFlash at 10:08 AM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]

That Farenthold article is, by the way, full of delicious, delicious shade. Check out just these two paragraphs:

Trump denied that the organization had done anything wrong. In late 2016, he said he wanted to close the foundation, but the New York attorney general blocked that move while it investigated.

The settlement with Underwood’s office represents a concession by Trump to a state investigation he decried as a partisan attack. The case is one of numerous legal investigations of Trump organizations that have proliferated during his presidency.

Meow!
posted by Gelatin at 10:09 AM on December 18, 2018 [14 favorites]

I kind of see this as the first breach in the outer walls

Farenthold's Pulitzer was so well-deserved, because it established the self-similarity of the entire Family Business. The modus operandi at the bullshit charity maps to the modus operandi of the business operations which ultimately goes back to the modus operandi of Fred's slumlord business.

On the Flynn hearing: I assume that Sullivan saw the unredacted filings, not just about the Turkish operation but the Russia-related stuff. While the hearing mostly steered clear of it, the stuff below the redactions seemed to peek above the surface today.
posted by holgate at 10:11 AM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]

Surprising no one, Arizona governor taps Martha McSally to fill Senate seat once held by McCain (WAPO).
posted by Preserver at 10:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

@joshscampbell: NEW — Judge slams Michael Flynn: “All along, you were an unregistered agent of a foreign country while serving as the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. That undermines everything this flag over here stands for. Arguably you sold your country out."

@jaketapper: Judge Sullivan later walked this back: "I made a statement about Mr. Flynn acting as a foreign agent in the White House" and says he realizes that was incorrect. Prosecutor Van Grack says the foreign lobbying Flynn did ended before the Trump administration began.

Judge Sullivan and the prosecutor are both effectively wrong (though the decision was made 10 days before Trump was sworn in, to be technically correct). Flynn scuttled the Obama Administration's plan to arm Kurdish forces to retake Raqqa, a move that would have seriously upset the Turks. He did so shortly after taking a half million dollars from the Turkish government. He put the country's defense policy up for bid and sold it to the people who were just lining his pockets. He absolutely did act as a foreign agent in the White House.
posted by zachlipton at 10:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [58 favorites]

Mason-Dixon poll has incumbent GOP Kentucky gov Bevin in trouble:

* Disapproval at 53%. Consistent with recent Morning Consult finding of 55% disapprove.

Head to head with likely Dem candidates:

* Trails AG Beshear 48-40
* Trails House Minority Leader Adkins 42-41
* Leads SOS Lundergan Grimes 47-46

Obviously a tough race, but Dems seem to have a decent shot here.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:14 AM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

NC-09 update:

BREAKING: The @NCSBE has issued an order regarding the investigative proceedings in NC-09.

-Affidavits and evidence due 12/21
-Party briefs due 1/6
-Hearing 1/11
-Staff calls witnesses examination/cross
-Candidates call witnesses examination/cross
-Board deliberates

posted by Chrysostom at 10:17 AM on December 18, 2018 [29 favorites]

Justice Department Bans Bump Stocks, Devices Used In Deadly Las Vegas Shooting (NPR, December 18, 2018)

The Trump administration is banning bump stocks, the firearm attachment that allows a semi-automatic weapon to shoot almost as fast as a machine gun.

The devices, also known as slide fires, came under intense scrutiny after they were used by the gunman who opened fire on a country music concert in Las Vegas last year, killing 58 people.

The massacre touched off a public outcry, including from some lawmakers, for the accessories to be banned.

Under a new federal rule announced Tuesday by the Justice Department, bump stocks will be redefined as "machine guns" and therefore outlawed under existing law.

The new regulations, which were signed by acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, will take effect 90 days after being published in the Federal Register. A Justice Department official said that would likely happen Friday.

That only took ... 1 year, 2 and 17 days ... to announce. It'll be almost a year and a half from the shooting to the redefinition from taking effect, unless DOJ stalls.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:18 AM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

Flynn scuttled the Obama Administration's plan to arm Kurdish forces to retake Raqqa, a move that would have seriously upset the Turks. He did so shortly after taking a half million dollars from the Turkish government.

Reference point: This fellow sold secrets to the Russians in exchange for about $1.4 million, over 22 years. He's doing 15 consecutive life sentences in Supermax.
posted by theodolite at 10:20 AM on December 18, 2018 [31 favorites]

NY gov Cuomo gave a 2019 agenda speech yesterday backing a laundry list of reforms. Only the cynical would think this is because of the evisceration of the IDC and Dems firmly taking control of the Senate.

—Legalize marijuana
—End cash bail
—Election state holiday
—Auto voter reg
—End vacancy decontrol
—Ban corp $
—Ban bump stocks
—"Red flag" law
—A NY "Green New Deal"
—Revenue for MT
—Codify Roe in NY
—Prop tax cap perm
—Cut mid class taxes

posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 AM on December 18, 2018 [26 favorites]

It'll be almost a year and a half from the shooting to the redefinition from taking effect, unless DOJ stalls.

... or it's challenged in court. NPR article, continued:

The new regulations could face legal challenges from the National Rifle Association, bump stock owners or manufacturers. A Justice Department official said the department is confident in its analysis and is prepared to defend the new rule in court if needed.

Maybe the NRA will be bankrupt (Independent article, Aug. 3, 2018) by that time? The Trace noted that their 2018 midterm expenditures were way down from prior years, as of Oct. 9, 2018. Fingers crossed!
posted by filthy light thief at 10:24 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

It's also signed by Whitaker so who knows wtf will happen to that regulation when he's declared an unconstitutional appointment.
posted by cmfletcher at 10:25 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

California GOP death spiral:

[A]s recently as five years ago Republicans held close to half the state’s 2,500 mayoral and city council seats, despite the sizable and growing Democratic advantage in voter registration.

No longer.

After November’s election, Democrats will hold 49% of all seats in local government, Republicans 38% and unaffiliated lawmakers — those stating no party preference — 11%, according to figures compiled by GrassrootsLab, a nonpartisan Sacramento research and data firm.

posted by Chrysostom at 10:26 AM on December 18, 2018 [15 favorites]

Pennsylvania GOP infighting:

A GOP implosion in Pennsylvania has Republicans alarmed about President Donald Trump's reelection prospects in a state that proved essential to his 2016 victory.

The enfeebled state party — still reeling after a devastating midterm election where Republicans lost three congressional seats and whiffed gubernatorial and Senate races by double digits — is tangled in a power struggle messy enough to capture the attention of the White House.

The chaos threatens the president’s chances in a state where there’s no room for error. Trump, the first Republican presidential nominee to carry the state since 1988, won by less than a percentage point.

posted by Chrysostom at 10:28 AM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

NY gov Cuomo gave a 2019 agenda speech yesterday backing a laundry list of reforms. Only the cynical would think this is because of the evisceration of the IDC and Dems firmly taking control of the Senate.

Thank You, Shadow Governor Cynthia Nixon
posted by zombieflanders at 10:28 AM on December 18, 2018 [53 favorites]

In today's "OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE, CHUCK!" news:

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) after leaving a meeting with Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer says moving a package of judges could be part of year-end spending deal - but nothing's set yet.

Schumer's Press Secretary Justin Goodman says "Judges were neither discussed nor mentioned in the meeting."

You know, before you reflexively repeat Republican propaganda to shoot down Schumer, you should take just a second to consider the source -- Richard Shelby -- WTF.
posted by JackFlash at 10:29 AM on December 18, 2018 [25 favorites]

Surprising no one, Arizona governor taps Martha McSally to fill Senate seat once held by McCain (WAPO).

We'll see you in 2020.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:32 AM on December 18, 2018 [14 favorites]

Losing the shutdown fight, a desperate Mitch McConnell tries to deflect heat onto Schumer (Joan McCarter, Daily Kos)

Mitch McConnell is behind the eight ball on the shutdown, trying to deflect attention and screw over Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

How do we know? This statement given to The Hill's Alex Bolton from Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) that "after leaving a meeting with Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer says moving a package of judges could be part of year-end spending deal—but nothing's set yet."

The truth? Schumer's Press Secretary Justin Goodman tells Daily Kos "Judges were neither discussed nor mentioned in the meeting."

They also confirmed that with Bolton. Shelby wouldn’t have manufactured that all on his own. McConnell had to have sent him out with that quote.

Democrats clearly have the upper hand in the shutdown, with Trump claiming all the blame and sharing it with fellow Republicans. McConnell and team are trying to put Schumer on the hot seat with this lie, putting him on the defense against the progressive base. Not this day, Mitch.

posted by ZeusHumms at 10:34 AM on December 18, 2018 [50 favorites]

> we should see an acceleration of the process by which Trump will eventually fall and it can't come soon enough for the country.

The thing that worries me is that the GOP is really not acting as though they expect, or even worry, that Trump is gonna go down. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It's not that, it's that they've got nowhere else to go; Trump's the only game in town and they rise or fall with him. So long as he has the allegiance of a majority of Republican primary voters they'll never go against him. You turn against him and you lose your primary.

Nobody wants to be the next Jeff Flake.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:38 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

—Revenue for MT

Is Montana running out of revenue?
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:39 AM on December 18, 2018

"You were an unregistered agent of a foreign country will serving as the National Security Adviser to the president of the United States!"

"Arguably this undermines everything this flag over here stands for!"

Someone owes Sally Yates a big, fat apology.
posted by Capt. Renault at 10:47 AM on December 18, 2018 [71 favorites]

MT

I stumbled on that too. I assume they mean mass transit, an issue that CN used to great effect versus AC.
posted by M-x shell at 10:50 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

leotrotsky: "We'll see you in 2020."

I'd also anticipate people trying to primary her out.

I feel relatively good about this as a pickup, which seems crazy (it would mean two Dem AZ Senators), but here we are.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:51 AM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

Ginsburg welcomes new US citizens in naturalization ceremony in front of Constitution (Morgan Gstalter, The Hill)

Held in the National Archives rotunda, which explains the lighting (or lack thereof).
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:07 AM on December 18, 2018 [16 favorites]

In a rare White House Press briefing, Sanders is still sticking with Flynn: "we wish General Flynn well." She will attack the FBI though: "the FBI broke standard protocol in the way they came in and ambushed General Flynn." There's no explanation for why Cohen is a Rat, but Flynn is still held in such high esteem. They're not concerned what Flynn did: "not when it comes to having things that have anything to do with the President. The activities...don't have anything to do with the President." Asked how lying to the FBI while sitting in his White House office while serving as the President's National Security Advisor has nothing to do with the President: "maybe he did do those things, but that has nothing to do with the President directly," she says as she again disputes anything Flynn did had anything to do with the President. In reality, the key events here took place during conversations with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

The Post's Josh Dawsey asks repeatedly why the White House is still so positive about Flynn after this: "it's perfectly acceptable for the President to make a positive comment about someone while we wait to see what the court's determination is." There's something very strange about this, and it leads me to question just how much Flynn really cooperated if the White House is still happy to publicly praise him.

On whether we'd extradite Gulan: "we would take a look at it, but nothing committal at all in that process, just that he would look into it." That's, um, extremely not a no. I would really be more comfortable with a no.

She skedaddles fast as reporters point out this was a 10-minute briefing (it was a touch longer, but maybe 10 minutes of question time): "do your job Sarah."
posted by zachlipton at 11:22 AM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

There's no explanation for why Cohen is a Rat, but Flynn is still held in such high esteem.

I have this awful feeling that what Flynn is currently being prosecuted for is the tip of the iceberg, Trumpworld knows this, and is hoping they can keep a lid on what's below the water. I also have a hopeful belief that Mueller knows about the rest of the berg and is keeping up appearances with Flynn to keep his hand hidden.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:29 AM on December 18, 2018 [14 favorites]

Expect a cheery liberal Cuomo for the next year as he maneuvers to try to get leftwing support for the Democratic primaries.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:32 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

The thing that worries me is that the GOP is really not acting as though they expect, or even worry, that Trump is gonna go down. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It's not that, it's that they've got nowhere else to go; Trump's the only game in town and they rise or fall with him. So long as he has the allegiance of a majority of Republican primary voters they'll never go against him. You turn against him and you lose your primary.

They're still getting mileage out of Trump. They get judges they want, they get deregulation and the continued dissolution of government departments under his cabinet secretaries, and they still get to piss off the libs. Also, I imagine a lot of them have accepted a certain degree of fatalism in all this. Trying to hit the brakes or turn around now will only cost them mileage when they're heading for a crash at the end of the line anyway.

Also a significant portion of Republican voters will only abandon the Republican party if there's a more stridently racist party that is also likely to win actual elections.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:34 AM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

They like Flynn because he nearly upended Obama’s sanctions and went directly against his administration.
posted by gucci mane at 11:34 AM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

There's no explanation for why Cohen is a Rat, but Flynn is still held in such high esteem.

Cadet Bone Spurs has a military fetish. It may be that simple.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:34 AM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

Cohen lied about and "ratted on" Trump's private business.

Flynn lied about and "ratted on*" Trump's work for the rest of us.
posted by notyou at 11:41 AM on December 18, 2018

from earlier today:

The judge appears to be making it crystal clear that Michael Flynn has plead guilty because he is actually guilty, and not because he was coerced by any person or entity.

Flynn has repeated his understanding of the plea he filed and remains adamant he was not coerced.

sarah sanders, later the same day:

"What we do know that was inappropriate, by own self-admittance of James Comey, is that the FBI broke standard protocol in the way that they came in and ambushed General Flynn and in the way that they questioned him and the way they encouraged him not to have white house counsel's office present, and we know that because James Comey told us that, and he said that the very reason they did it was because – the only reason that they did it, it was the trump administration and they thought they could get away with it."

shameless.
posted by murphy slaw at 11:43 AM on December 18, 2018 [26 favorites]

In a rare White House Press briefing, Sanders is still sticking with Flynn: "we wish General Flynn well." She will attack the FBI though: "the FBI broke standard protocol in the way they came in and ambushed General Flynn."

The FBI "breaking protocol" and "ambushing" Flynn, in this case, was asking him questions about wrongdoing that he lied to them about but has now admitted to in court. The press should have walked out as soon as Sanders told that obvious lie.

Though since she's taking care to use his title, once again, the fact that he's a general makes selling out his country to the enemy worse, not better.
posted by Gelatin at 11:46 AM on December 18, 2018 [14 favorites]

Do we get to call him Rick "Streisand Effect" Santorum now?

Rick Santorum already has his own eponymous viral internet effect, thanks to the efforts of Dan Savage.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:48 AM on December 18, 2018 [27 favorites]

The FBI "breaking protocol" and "ambushing" Flynn, in this case, was asking him questions about wrongdoing that he lied to them about but has now admitted to in court. The press should have walked out as soon as Sanders told that obvious lie.

Sanders is shameless. Witness her flinging the lie that revenue from the trade deal formerly known as NAFT will pay for the wall. As the reporter points out, any savings don't go to the treasury "have you done the math on that?"
posted by bluesky43 at 11:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

from the "understatement of the day" dept.:

WaPo: Analysis | Trump backers just had their anti-Mueller hopes and dreams dashed

On Saturday, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro engaged in a bit of wishful fantasizing.

Earlier that week, Michael Flynn’s attorneys seemed to imply that he was tricked into lying to the FBI. In response, the judge in Flynn’s case asked for more information about Flynn’s interview. Pirro wagered that the judge, Emmet G. Sullivan, might blow up special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s entire case.

She hailed Sullivan as “a jurist unafraid of the swamp, a judge who has a track record of calling out prosecutorial misconduct, a man who does not tolerate injustice or abuse of power.” She suggested Flynn’s guilty plea might be thrown out: “The amazing part of it is, if he does it, then the house of cards of Robert Mueller falls.”

That’s decidedly not what happened Tuesday. In fact, quite the opposite.

emphasis mine
posted by murphy slaw at 11:55 AM on December 18, 2018 [47 favorites]

@Acosta

Sanders said today the WH is not looking for the taxpayers to pay for the wall while at the same time said the WH is looking to other agencies to find wall funding. Is @presssec aware that agencies of the federal government are funded by taxpayers?
posted by bluesky43 at 11:59 AM on December 18, 2018 [64 favorites]

Mother Jones, Tracie McMillan, How One Company Is Making Millions Off Trump’s War on the Poor: President Trump plans to make the poor work for Medicaid and food stamps. That’s extremely punitive for them—but highly lucrative for companies like Maximus.

Sue’s inability to stay insured is a knotty problem at the heart of the Trump administration’s ambitions to introduce work requirements for every public program aiding the poor in the United States, starting with Medicaid. Conservatives, drawing on the same logic they used to push “workfare” in the 1990s, say requirements will root out fraud and foster self-sufficiency. Opponents say the requirements will make things worse. “Without access to health care, it’s less likely that someone’s going to be able to get a job,” says economist and Clinton-era Labor Secretary Robert Reich. “The whole notion of taking Medicaid away if you don’t have a job is upside-down.”

Missing from the debate—perhaps because there’s hardly been any reporting on the subject—is the fact that work requirements are also a profit center for a rapidly growing private industry. Exhibit A is Maximus, the company that helps run HIP and the bureaucracy that stands between Sue and insurance.

Business processing behemoths like Hewlett-Packard and IBM often run the minutiae of public-benefit paperwork and accounting. Local nonprofits sometimes contract for services like job training and case management. But Maximus does it all, holding contracts for everything from job training to child support enforcement to health care enrollment. In a 2014 business presentation, the company claimed to have a hand in the cases of roughly 59 percent of America’s Medicaid clients. Among companies providing both social programs and paperwork support, it “is likely the largest,” says Daniel Hatcher, a legal scholar at the University of Baltimore and author of The Poverty Industry. Though Maximus is barely known to the taxpayers who underwrite the programs it helps run in 41 states and for multiple cities and counties and the Social Security Administration, as of September 2017 it had nearly $2.5 billion in annual revenue and 20,400 employees on four continents.

Indeed, the company is so interwoven into public benefits at the local, state, and federal levels, Hatcher says, “that they are almost becoming government.” And with the Trump administration gunning to overhaul the American safety net, Maximus is poised to get much bigger.

posted by zachlipton at 11:59 AM on December 18, 2018 [25 favorites]

This is my kind of poll (from BuzzFeed): A national survey of women of color political organizers, activists, donors, and party leaders shows Sen. Kamala Harris as an overwhelming early favorite of the group ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The survey results, provided to BuzzFeed News by She the People, a new network advocating for women of color in politics, show a majority of respondents — 71.1% — includes Harris in their top three choices for president, if she decides to run.
posted by Bella Donna at 12:08 PM on December 18, 2018 [24 favorites]

The judge appears to be making it crystal clear that Michael Flynn has plead guilty because he is actually guilty, and not because he was coerced by any person or entity.

Yeah seen this a few times. This is actually how pleading guilty in Federal Court always works.

Here's a excerpt from a Popehat post about how pleading guilty takes 20 minutes to an hour. emphasis mine:

By contrast, a federal guilty plea routinely takes half an hour or more. Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure sets forth a list of rights that the judge must explain to the defendant. The judge must also inform the defendant of a variety of issues like the nature (usually the elements) of the charges, the potential sentence, potential collateral consequences, how sentencing works, and so forth. Most judges use a rote script, like this 48-point script from the Eastern District of Michigan. A judge's mannerisms and personality can shorten all of this to around 20 minutes or draw it out to an hour. The purpose — allegedly — is to ensure that all pleas are knowing and voluntary.

So, the judge in Flynn's case is just doing what always happens.
posted by sideshow at 12:09 PM on December 18, 2018 [12 favorites]

This woman didn't think the leopard would eat her face, but the wall she voted for leaves her house on the Mexican side.

Lupita Rios, of the De La Cruz clan, also agreed to a survey of her riverfront property, but she is worried about rumors suggesting the wall will be built north of the colonia. “They can’t leave us on the Mexican side,” said Rios, a Democrat who voted for Trump because she opposes illegal immigration. Her daughter has been renovating her nearby home, and fears the investment will be wasted.

Well... bye.
posted by adept256 at 12:10 PM on December 18, 2018 [69 favorites]

@chrisgeidner: JUST IN: Judicial council dismisses misconduct complaints against Justice Kavanaugh because, the council holds, he is no longer subject to the same judicial rules as a justice.

For the reasons set forth below, the complaints must be dismissed because, due to his elevation ot the Supreme Court, Justice Kavanaugh is no longer a judge covered by the Act.

Hell of a system we've got. They posted all the complaints they received, with identifying information redacted, if you're curious what people sent in; they appear to include a couple of complaints on postcards.
posted by zachlipton at 12:18 PM on December 18, 2018 [27 favorites]

Well... bye.

I believe you mean...

adiós.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:18 PM on December 18, 2018 [31 favorites]

It's one of those days where I wish I were still a reporter, somehow in the WH press corps, so I could ask Ms. Sanders: "Sarah, you said the administration will find other funds for the wall. The Mueller investigation has turned a net $20 million profit from all the money turned over via guilty pleas from President Trump's advisors, like Paul Manafort and others. Why not make the investigation a dedicated funding source for the wall, since it seems to be providing a steady source of revenue?"

or something like that. it'd be my last day in the WH corps, but it'd be worth it.
posted by martin q blank at 12:19 PM on December 18, 2018 [45 favorites]

Can someone explain why Michael Flynn can't cooperate from prison? Is the idea that he won't cooperate if he is in prison? It would seem to be a bit late for him to sneakily wear a wire and get his fellow criminals to confess or whatever.
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:28 PM on December 18, 2018

Gillibrand is my favorite of the current miasma of Dem candidates.

This is from way up and frivolous, but I really enjoy the idea that a group of primary candidates is a "miasma".

A murder of crows, a miasma of candidates.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:31 PM on December 18, 2018 [22 favorites]

recommending leniency in sentencing is the main lever that the SOC has over flynn at this point. if he's already sentenced, his motivation would decline precipitously. he's not doing this out of the goodness of his heart – he got caught, and he's willing to do certain things to escape the consequences.

presumably any additional cooperation would be in the form of additional testimony and documents requested by the FBI.

it was known early on that flynn was cooperating with the FBI so his usefulness as a fly on the wall was not extensive in the first place.
posted by murphy slaw at 12:33 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

it was known early on that flynn was cooperating with the FBI so his usefulness as a fly on the wall was not extensive in the first place.

For most criminal conspiracies this would be true, but have you seen this criminal conspiracy? He's probably still getting cc'ed on their "RE: Re: RE: FW: RE: Crimes" email chain.
posted by contraption at 12:43 PM on December 18, 2018 [54 favorites]

I think that's Trey Gowdy implying that the President has the power to pardon anyone, for any reason, so it follows that he has the power to end any investigation by pardoning anyone involved, and so that, therefore, it couldn't be obstruction of justice to merely ask Comey to consider letting Flynn off the hook since Trump could simply pardon Flynn anyone. I think?

and of course, the non-bizarro world answer is that the president can't pardon someone who has not been convicted of a federal crime, and the president asking the FBI director not to investigate a particular allegation of federal crime is prima facie obstructing the mechanisms by which guilt or innocence might be determined.
posted by murphy slaw at 12:44 PM on December 18, 2018 [14 favorites]

Thread by @mollycrabapple: "When I was reporting at the border, I met many parents who told me stories of hieleras like the one little Jakelin died in. Filthy water, overflowing toilets, not permitted to brush their teeth or shower for days, breastfeeding banned. Nuns told me that kids always came out sick..."
posted by homunculus at 12:45 PM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

the president can't pardon someone who has not been convicted of a federal crime

More accurately: Can't pardon someone who isn't guilty of a federal crime; he can pre-pardon before conviction. But an investigation to find out whether crimes happened should be well outside his range; he can't halt proceedings by declaring someone is pardoned, because the information gathered can still be used for other prosecutions.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 12:53 PM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

Not allowing breastfeeding? Is Tumblr running the border now?

More realistically it’s the formula manufacturers running things.
posted by misterpatrick at 12:53 PM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]

GHWB, on his way out the door, pardoned Caspar Weinberger and one other before they had been tried and convicted for their participation in Iran-Contra. (He also pardoned four others who had been convicted.) (Man, that was an egregious abuse of presidential power by the avuncular ex president!) So unless the rules have changed, Trump can pardon Flynn whenever he feels like it.

Old NY Times link with more details.
posted by notyou at 12:54 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

#BREAKING: NY AG Barbara Underwood secures a stipulation dissolving the Trump Foundation under judicial supervision, w/ AG review to ensure charitable $ goes to reputable orgs. This is a key piece of the relief sought in her June suit.

The AG's suit remains ongoing.

Can someone explain why the dissolution of the monastery is happening before the king has passed judgement? Why would the AG want this now, and why would whatever the hell the Foundation actually is agree to this now? It would seem very prejudicial to the outcome.

(Also, in re Flynn, I find I can take a very great deal of judges talking about treason in a Trumpland judgement, and in fact have a considerable appetite for more. Plus, I hope he gets locked up for a while, both because he deserves it and because it will give the phrase"In like Flynn" a very welcome relevancy. It would sound lovely in a chant, per exemplu.)
posted by Devonian at 12:57 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

yeah, i forgot about pre-emptive pardons of the kind used by Ford, GHW Bush, and GW Bush

huh, what do all those presidents have in common
posted by murphy slaw at 12:58 PM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

GHWB, on his way out the door, pardoned Caspar Weinberger and one other before they had been tried and convicted for their participation in Iran-Contra.

And he didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart. A Weinberger trial likely would have revealed Bush's own participation in the conspiracy. Republicans have a long history of abusing the pardon privilege to obstruct justice.
posted by JackFlash at 1:08 PM on December 18, 2018 [22 favorites]

"When I was reporting at the border, I met many parents who told me stories of hieleras like the one little Jakelin died in."

Back in June, Rep. Pramila Jayapal spoke of how she'd interviewed many of the refugees detained at the federal prison in SeaTac (sent there due to space issues, iirc). She made it very clear that they roundly told her it was the first place where they'd been treated like human beings. That prison's staff is unionized and they're under federal prison regulations.

Which is to say literal federal prison is better than the way CBP treats asylum seekers.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:09 PM on December 18, 2018 [51 favorites]

Guardian reports on the recent [real] discovery of Dermophis donaldtrumpi: Blind creature that buries head in sand named after Donald Trump—Amphibian’s behaviour compared to US president’s approach to global warming

In other climate change news, from CNBC's John Harwood:

NBC/WSJ poll: two-thirds of Americans say we need action to curb climate change

includes big majorities of men and women, residents of all regions, people from all ages, races, education and income levels

just one exception opposing action: Republicans

posted by Doktor Zed at 1:25 PM on December 18, 2018 [26 favorites]

Just what are the limits of pre-emptive pardons anyway? Could a president use them to void any federal law, by simply declaring that all people who would break that law are pardoned forevermore? And if the person needs to have "actually" committed the crime, does that mean a pardon could never be intended to exonerate someone fully, as with post-mortem pardons?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 1:34 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

I wonder if the gov't could press charges in the case of a pardon anyway - with a pre-existing pardon, there'd be no 5th amendment immunity, and they could be required to testify about other people involved and the surrounding circumstances. I suppose it depends on whether a pardon is an instant "not guilty," or a forgiveness after guilt.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:35 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

Just what are the limits of pre-emptive pardons anyway? Could a president use them to void any federal law, by simply declaring that all people who would break that law are pardoned forevermore?

The Executive already has broad purview with regard to what crimes to prosecute. Obama famously urged the DOJ to ease off on marijuana.
posted by explosion at 1:38 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

Can someone explain why the dissolution of the monastery is happening before the king has passed judgement? Why would the AG want this now, and why would whatever the hell the Foundation actually is agree to this now? It would seem very prejudicial to the outcome.

My take, without having much of any understanding of the relevant legislation in NY, is this:

-this isn't a criminal proceeding - the AG filed a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation alleging illegal conduct. I'm guessing this is how you go after an organization, rather than an individual.
-the lawsuit sought the dissolution of the Foundation, along with restitution and other damages.
-the suit also sought to ban Trump and his children from serving on any other non-profit board.

What happened today does not end the suit; the parties came to an agreement to dissolve the Foundation and allow its assets to be distributed to charity under judicial guidance. The suit still continues for the question of damages and preventing board service anywhere else, but on one point of the suit - dissolution - agreement has been reached, so you take it because there is no point in litigating an issue you have agreed upon. From the AG side, this is what was desired - you dissolved an organization that was acting illegally; from the Trump side, I'm guessing it was more a case of not wanting to fight a losing cause; the evidence seems pretty deep that the Foundation had not and was not complying with the requirements necessary to allow it to continue operations and having the discussion about how exactly the Foundation failed in those respects (no Board meetings; self-dealing; used for political purposes) is just airing a bunch of dirty laundry in public.

As for the damages & restitution - my understanding is that those shouldn't be tied to the assets of the Foundation, but rather attach to questions of Board liability as they were supposed to be providing oversight and failed in that duty.
posted by nubs at 1:39 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

Which is to say literal federal prison is better than the way CBP treats asylum seekers.

Yesterday the WaPo had a feel-good horror story about an Ohio couple sponsoring a Haitian asylum seeker. The point of the story was how wonderful these strangers were to take him into their home (and they do sound like wonderful people), but my takeaway was the picture it obliquely painted of an asylum process that is absolutely inhumane.

The asylum seeker is an ethics professor who fled Haiti fearing his life who turned himself in to CBP at the US/Mexico border according to the rules. He was transported to Ohio because the facility had empty beds, but then denied parole because because he was labeled a flight risk as he had no meaningful connections to anybody in Ohio. He was incarcerated 766 days in a short-term facility with no outdoor access, no exercise room, no internet access, no reading materials in French or Creole (he does not speak English). He was held in a 20-person holding cell where the lights never turned off and he slept on a metal bunk. Although never charged with a crime, he was transported to his immigration hearings in Michigan in shackles. He was twice granted asylum which was successfully appealed by the US government for horseshit reasons. He could have made it stop by choosing to quit his asylum claim to be deported.

Through the heroic effort of the couple who adopted his cause he is free but his asylum status is still pending.
posted by peeedro at 1:39 PM on December 18, 2018 [41 favorites]

Just what are the limits of pre-emptive pardons anyway? Could a president use them to void any federal law, by simply declaring that all people who would break that law are pardoned forevermore? And if the person needs to have "actually" committed the crime, does that mean a pardon could never be intended to exonerate someone fully, as with post-mortem pardons?

My understanding is that while no conviction is necessary, the pardon cannot be truly pre-emptive in the sense of giving someone carte blanche to commit *future* crimes. You can't issue a pardon for a murder that has not yet been commited. But aside from that, any federal crime can be pardoned after it has been committed, whether or not charges have been brought or anyone has been convicted. The Supremes dealt with this in 1866 (!): Ex parte Garland
posted by dis_integration at 1:41 PM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

Federal judge strikes down ban on nunchucks as violation of Second Amendment

If you were unaware of what the second amendment was and were just going by modern court rulings you would probably think it was something to do with a constitutional right to seriously hurt yourself.
posted by srboisvert at 1:45 PM on December 18, 2018 [32 favorites]

Bloomberg, Mnuchin Backs Off Trump's Promise of 10% Middle-Class Tax Cut. Oh yeah, remember that lie?

He downplayed the prospect of the middle-class tax cut that Trump campaigned on in the days leading up to the midterm elections.

“I’m not going to comment on whether it is a real thing or not a real thing,” Mnuchin said in a roundtable interview Tuesday at Bloomberg’s Washington office. “I’m saying for the moment we have other things we’re focused on.”

posted by zachlipton at 1:49 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

“I’m not going to comment on whether it is a real thing or not a real thing,”

I think you just did, Steve.
posted by Rykey at 1:57 PM on December 18, 2018 [20 favorites]

Judge Sullivan now asking whether Flynn could have been charged with treason (!). Van Grack doesn't want to answer.

So. The T-word is now in play. Fucking finally.
posted by sexyrobot at 2:09 PM on December 18, 2018 [51 favorites]

Lupita Rios, of the De La Cruz clan, also agreed to a survey of her riverfront property, but she is worried about rumors suggesting the wall will be built north of the colonia. “They can’t leave us on the Mexican side,” said Rios, a Democrat who voted for Trump because she opposes illegal immigration. Her daughter has been renovating her nearby home, and fears the investment will be wasted.

Well... bye

I amused by the way that even liberal americans assume that immigrating to other countries is that simple. If her home ends up on the other side of the wall she doesn't necessarily get to go with it. She has no automatic right to live on the other side of the wall. Unless she follows proper procedures for migration she would be an undocumented resident. I am not even sure she retains homeownership if her home 'immigrates'.
posted by srboisvert at 2:14 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

It's not like any land on the other side of the wall automatically becomes part of Mexico? If Trump built a wall on the western border of Nevada, California doesn't become not part of America. So I don't see why anyone whose home is on the "wrong" side of the wall would have to do anything about migration on a theoretical level.

As a practical matter it would seem to be untenable, of course, but that doesn't have much to do with having to migrate or being undocumented?
posted by Justinian at 2:19 PM on December 18, 2018 [16 favorites]

We don't cede territory based on where the border crossing is established.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 2:19 PM on December 18, 2018 [12 favorites]

Cops and schools had no duty to shield students in Parkland shooting, says judge who tossed lawsuit

WTF?!
posted by homunculus at 2:20 PM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

She has no automatic right to live on the other side of the wall.

Bits of the US that happen not to be accessible due to a fence are still part of the US, they're not ceded to Mexico.
posted by BungaDunga at 2:20 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

If the wall is built and her house is on the Mexican side, she's still an American citizen; her house is still in America - she's just cut off from a lot of American resources, and will have to put up with checkpoint hassles to get back into the main part of the US.

See: The Texans who live on the ‘Mexican side’ of the border fence: ‘Technically, we’re in the United States’ from 2011.

Similar problems will happen anywhere the wall can't be built on the actual border because of geographic or treaty reasons.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:20 PM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]

Cops and schools had no duty to shield students in Parkland shooting, says judge who tossed lawsuit

Cops don't actually have a duty to protect.
posted by BungaDunga at 2:21 PM on December 18, 2018 [21 favorites]

I sort of wonder what the Trump supporters near the Rio Grande thought was going to happen. Did they expect a wall was going to be built down the center if the river? Or that the US would invade Mexico, and build it on the other side? This isn't something vague like "making America great"; a wall is a literal physical thing that necessarily requires adjusting the border and will create "winners" and losers (see: the Chamizal Dispute). You'd think people living on the border would be very anxious about the details, but no.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:23 PM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

See: The Texans who live on the ‘Mexican side’ of the border fence: ‘Technically, we’re in the United States’ from 2011.

Yeah, being on the "wrong" side of the US/Mexico border wall is nothing new nor novel.
posted by sideshow at 2:24 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

They're not that bright, Joe.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 2:25 PM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

> Pod Save [America]... we might need to prepare ourselves for the pardoning of Trump by Pence

My panic level skyrocketed last night when the new episode proposed 3 possibilities (36:25) & I thought of a horrific 4th
1. Impeached & Removed
2. Resign & Pardoned by Pence
3. 45 loses 2020

4. 3, then 2 in the form of a Lame Duck Pardon

If 45 isn't scared of the DOJ changing its mind on indicting a sitting President and runs, he can hang on, messing with the Democratic Primary process (also raised by the Pod Save guys) by forcing candidates to react to his tweets, shifting the debate, run an awful, divisive campaign, have an election rife with the voter suppression practiced in 2016 & 2018 in full bloom while shouting "rigged" at every opportunity then after recall lawsuits and Brooks Brothers Riots for nearly 3 months, R&P on January 19th.
posted by ASCII Costanza head at 2:26 PM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

@ZoeTillman: NEW: Remember that mystery grand jury subpoena case argued last week in the DC Circuit? A decision is out, and it's public, sort of — it's about a company (unnamed) owned by a country (unnamed). Court upheld the denial of a motion to quash the subpoena. There is *no* reference in today's judgment to Mueller's office. But there's no reference at all to who is prosecuting this case, so we don't have any new, concrete info on that front. One thing we learned is that the judge found the company in contempt for failing to comply with the grand jury subpoena, and imposed a daily $ penalty — the DC Circuit said that was okay, although how that gets enforced "is a separate question for a later day"

So that's all very fascinating. It ends the (already largely disproven) speculation that this all had something to do with subpoenaing Trump, but it's pretty mysterious because it still involves a company that is showing up to court to fight the subpoena. It's all extremely mysterious.
posted by zachlipton at 2:26 PM on December 18, 2018 [20 favorites]

Panel of 10th Circuit judges dismisses judicial misconduct complaints against Justice Brett Kavanaugh, ruling that as a Supreme Court justice he is no longer covered by the law prescribing rules of conduct for federal judges

SCOTUS is literally above the law. Seems like a good system.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:30 PM on December 18, 2018 [23 favorites]

it's about a company (unnamed) owned by a country (unnamed).

Huawei?
posted by mmoncur at 2:40 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

it's about a company (unnamed) owned by a country (unnamed)

Rosneft?
posted by aiglet at 2:40 PM on December 18, 2018 [22 favorites]

Can someone explain why the dissolution of the [Trump foundation] is happening before the [court] has passed judgement? Why would the AG want this now[?]

Trump tried to close the foundation some time ago, and the NY AG successfully blocked the move. My guess is that the president planned to quickly destroy all the records "since it was closed" before a full investigation could take place. If that's true, then the AG would have agreed to close it now because they secured all the evidence they thought they could get, so they don't care anymore.

Trump of course has no interest in the foundation any more because it can't benefit him personally.
posted by msalt at 2:48 PM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

Thread by @sarahkendzior: "Second woman claims billionaire Jeffrey Epstein 'directed' her to have sex with Alan Dershowitz"
posted by homunculus at 2:49 PM on December 18, 2018 [31 favorites]

Mother Jones: Nevada Just Became the First State in History With a Majority-Female Legislature
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 2:51 PM on December 18, 2018 [59 favorites]

it's about a company (unnamed) owned by a country (unnamed)

Aramco?
posted by The Tensor at 2:52 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

SCOTUS is literally above the law. Seems like a good system.

Can I introduce you to a Mr. Samuel Chase? May or may not help you feel better.

And it relies on Congress anyway, so it doubly may or may not help you feel better.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:54 PM on December 18, 2018

@ZoeTillman: NEW: Remember that mystery grand jury subpoena case argued last week in the DC Circuit? A decision is out, and it's public, sort of — it's about a company (unnamed) owned by a country (unnamed).

Concord Management and Consulting LLC? AKA Internet Research Agency.
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:00 PM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]

Do you need to subpoena a defendant?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:07 PM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

My panic level skyrocketed last night when the new episode proposed 3 possibilities (36:25) & I thought of a horrific 4th

I can think of two more possibilities:

5. The Vice President and a majority of the cabinet could declare that Trump is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office per the 25th Amendment.

6. Trump could die in office due to the stress of the office and investigations and his poor health and lifestyle.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:17 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

SCOTUS is literally above the law. Seems like a good system.

The ruling says that the law in question defines a "judge" as "a circuit judge, district judge, bankruptcy judge, or magistrate judge" and that "[a] complaint under these Rules may concern the actions or capacity only of judges of the United States courts of appeals, judges of the United States district courts, judges of the United States bankruptcy courts, judges of the United States magistrate judges".

So the law just doesn't apply to SCOTUS at all.
posted by BungaDunga at 3:20 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

If it was a corporation, why was the entire floor of the courthouse cleared? If it's just corporate lawyers involved and not Jared or whoever.

Concord Management and Consulting LLC? AKA Internet Research Agency.

Aren't they already in court publicly challenging Mueller's authorith? Why would they do all this sealed stuff as well?
posted by BungaDunga at 3:30 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

Cops and schools had no duty to shield students in Parkland shooting, says judge who tossed lawsuit

See also: Grieshaber v. City of Albany. She calls 911. They tell her police are responding. Police hear her dog. Call Animal Control. They show up like an hour later and she's dead by the time they enter.

Even though 911 says the police are responding, there is no positive duty to actually do it, and in true blame the victim fashion, it's her fault for relying on what the 911 operator told her.
posted by mikelieman at 3:31 PM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]

If that's true, then the AG would have agreed to close it now because they secured all the evidence they thought they could get, so they don't care anymore.

This is much better framed if you call it, "Imposed the corporate death penalty"...
posted by mikelieman at 3:34 PM on December 18, 2018

NBC, Ben Collins, Flynn hearing leaves the far right's conspiracy theorists wanting

@oneunderscore__: The fringe sometimes feeds the mainstream Trump media ecosystem like Fox News primetime and Limbaugh through the use of conduits like InfoWars and Gateway Pundit.
Today was special. The dreamy justice fantasies worked the other way around.
posted by zachlipton at 3:37 PM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

Fivethirtyeight on whether it is too early to cover/talk about/speculate on the 2020 nomination. Spoiler: no.
posted by Justinian at 3:48 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

I amused by the way that even liberal americans assume that immigrating to other countries is that simple. If her home ends up on the other side of the wall she doesn't necessarily get to go with it. She has no automatic right to live on the other side of the wall. Unless she follows proper procedures for migration she would be an undocumented resident. I am not even sure she retains homeownership if her home 'immigrates'.

She's a Democrat who voted for Trump. That makes her a citizen with the right to cross the border any time she pleases. She'd have to leave her house behind, presumably selling it at something of a loss. But she could buy a new one on this side of the wall & live in it the rest of her life.
posted by scalefree at 3:53 PM on December 18, 2018

CNN’s Chris Cuomo Spots ‘Uncanny’ Similarity Of Trump And Russian Bot Messages

CNN’s Chris Cuomo noted the “uncanny” similarities between some of the campaign messages pumped out by Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 election and those spread by Russian bots on social media at the same time.

The “Cuomo Prime Time” host on Monday claimed the tactics used by Russian officials to “muck up our election,” as detailed in two Senate Intelligence Committee reports released this week, were “really, really similar to what we saw from team Trump.”

posted by kirkaracha at 4:01 PM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]

Concord Management and Consulting LLC?

I don't think so. More likely to be a Gulf state-owned company such as the Qatari sovereign wealth fund or, if Russian, VEB. Which tends to point the finger at Prince Jared.
posted by holgate at 4:08 PM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]

Fivethirtyeight on whether it is too early to cover/talk about/speculate on the 2020 nomination. Spoiler: no.


Imagine that. A professional polling aggregator, whose business model relies on hyped interest in horse-race politics, thinks it’s not too soon to hype the 2020 horse-race.

It’s like asking a crack addict if it’s too early in the day to spark up a pipe.

Anyway, the Onion proved back in 2012 (YT) that they were by far the best prognosticator of Presidential election outcomes. I’m waiting to see their predictions for 2020.
posted by darkstar at 4:27 PM on December 18, 2018 [23 favorites]

Fivethirtyeight on whether it is too early to cover/talk about/speculate on the 2020 nomination. Spoiler: no.
posted by Justinian at 6:48 PM on 12/18
[+] [!]

Bad dog! No favorites! No favorites for you!
posted by sexyrobot at 4:31 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

It’s like asking a crack addict if it’s too early in the day to spark up a pipe.

It's really more like asking a crack seller than a crack addict. That > $1 billion spent on campaigns? A good chunk of it goes to (corporate-owned) media. Small wonder the horse race news never stops.
posted by Slothrup at 4:34 PM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

Jeet Heer:

1. Worth asking why the judge was so hard-ass against Flynn. 2. Flynn & his lawyers have been playing a double game: to keep out of prison he's been co-operating with Mueller & pled guilty but to keep wing-nut donations coming in (to pay legal bill) he's pretended he's victim of Deep State conspiracy. 3. Thing is you can't play the game of pleading guilty while also suggesting you are innocent to your supporters. Justice system wants not just conviction but something more: an admission of guilt that is bone-deep. 4. This is something Foucault was good on: that pre-modern justice extracted an external price (lashes, torture) but modern justice wants an internal levy: the defendant has to show contrition and full acceptance of the justice of the system. 5. With George Papadopoulos as well, there's a tension between serving two masters, the legal system that wants submission & the Fox/InfoWars/QAnon audience that wants conspiracy theories. I think this tension will recur in future Trump trials.

posted by T.D. Strange at 4:37 PM on December 18, 2018 [53 favorites]

You guys may be right about 538. On the other hand that was the same argument being made, including here, about why 538 was giving Trump so high a chance to win. And it turns out they were actually just speaking truth!
posted by Justinian at 4:37 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

I sort of wonder what the Trump supporters near the Rio Grande thought was going to happen. Did they expect a wall was going to be built down the center if the river?

...

You'd think people living on the border would be very anxious about the details, but no.

If you look at the poll results (NYT) by county the areas of the TX border where the wall would actually be built is considerably bluer and I would practically guarantee immigration and the wall played a part in that.

The media are writing the same lazy story they have been writing since (at least) the election was called... the story of "Trump voter shocked that Trump policies hurt Trump voter."
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 4:43 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

the defendant has to show contrition and full acceptance of the justice of the system

"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."
posted by kirkaracha at 4:48 PM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

If you look at the poll results (NYT) by county the areas of the TX border where the wall would actually be built is considerably bluer and I would practically guarantee immigration and the wall played a part in that.

One of Bourdain's last Parts Unknown episodes, "Far West Texas," does a great job of exploring this--highly recommended to those interested in this issue.
posted by carrienation at 4:59 PM on December 18, 2018 [13 favorites]

in case flynn had any lingering suspicion that the judge was playing around:

Carrie Johnson, NPR:

Just in from judge in Michael Flynn case: “Commencing on January 4, 2019, the defendant is ORDERED to stay within 50 miles of DC. To the extent the defendant wishes to travel outside that area, he is directed to file a motion seeking leave of Court.” Must surrender passport Jan 4.

posted by murphy slaw at 5:08 PM on December 18, 2018 [36 favorites]

I’m not a lawyer, but that reads like “you have until January 4 to flee the country”
posted by Fleebnork at 5:13 PM on December 18, 2018 [22 favorites]

And the Kentucky General Assembly has ended the special session without a vote.
posted by dilettante at 5:13 PM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]

Flynn hasn't given the Special Council "the goods" is the only way to read the WH sticking by him. They must be signalling that he will be pardoned.
posted by chaz at 5:15 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

according to the full article at NPR:

Flynn is also required to surrender his passport by Jan. 4 but Sullivan has approved Flynn's previously planned international travel.

so flynn apparently has one more court-approved trip in him and then he's grounded.
posted by murphy slaw at 5:15 PM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

I figured Jared and Ivanka for dipping to a non-extradition country. You know at least one person from this omnishambles is going to.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:16 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

Flynn hasn't given the Special Council "the goods" is the only way to read the WH sticking by him.

He gave up some big goods to get a no time recommendation when the charges filed yesterday against his business partner would've got him potentially 15 years.

Maybe since he hasn't publicly disparaged Trump like Cohen has, Trump assumes/hopes he hasn't betrayed him and is sucking up to supposedly keep it that way, but Mueller got something of big value to recommend letting him walk.
posted by chris24 at 5:19 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

meanwhile, the president remains unconcerned, apparently convinced that the democrats are haggling with him over the type of wall

The Democrats, are saying loud and clear that they do not want to build a Concrete Wall - but we are not building a Concrete Wall, we are building artistically designed steel slats, so that you can easily see through it.......

It will be beautiful and, at the same time, give our Country the security that our citizens deserve. It will go up fast and save us BILLIONS of dollars a month once completed!

cue chuck schumer and nancy pelosi slapping their foreheads and going "why didn't you just say so!", i guess.
posted by murphy slaw at 5:31 PM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

"Artistically designed steel slats" is definitely going to enter the lexicon.
posted by diogenes at 5:37 PM on December 18, 2018 [33 favorites]

He gave up some big goods to get a no time recommendation when the charges filed yesterday against his business partner would've got him potentially 15 years.

Oh, thank you for the correction. Although I read the threads here, I can't say I'm well-educated about the investigation or its progress so far, it's hard to understand exactly what Mueller has got, and which direction the final report is going to go in.
posted by chaz at 5:38 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

we are building artistically designed steel slats

That's a fence, not a wall.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:40 PM on December 18, 2018 [24 favorites]

It will go up fast and save us BILLIONS of dollars a month once completed!

The original plan was going to cost us billions of dollars a month?
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:43 PM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

artistically designed steel slats

Sounds like a jail cell to me.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:46 PM on December 18, 2018 [16 favorites]

@pdmcleod: An extremely jubilant Senate is voting right now to pass criminal justice reform. Lots of handshakes all around. Mike Lee (R) and Cory Booker (D) had a big bear hug. This is going to pass by a mile. Up to 85 votes for the reform bill, just 12 against. Oddly enough Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had held up the bill and frustrated its proponents to the point of exasperation, just voted for it.

McConnell was determined to kill the bill, despite its overwhelming support, then he votes for it himself. This guy is such an asshole.
posted by zachlipton at 5:47 PM on December 18, 2018 [54 favorites]

Someone needs to tell P45 that, unless he's building that wall on the actual border (y'know, the one that's in the middle of a river), he's effectively ceding land to Mexico, because the border patrol is going to stop at the wall.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:49 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

And the Kentucky General Assembly has ended the special session without a vote.

Hopefully this drives a stake through the heart of Gov. Bevin's political future. What an idiot, calling a special session without counting votes to make sure he had enough votes for his proposal.
posted by msalt at 6:14 PM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

Other possibilities for the state-owned company: the Russian Direct Investment Fund, whose CEO met Erik Prince in the Seychelles during the transition.

The incumbent didn't (as far as we know) do business with big sovereign-wealth operations, instead preferring standalone oligarchs like the Agalarovs. Jared and Prince, however...
posted by holgate at 6:15 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

Hopefully this drives a stake through the heart of Gov. Bevin's political future. What an idiot

This is probably one of the nicer things anyone has said about in him in the past three years. The state GOP doesn't much like him, either, and I wonder if he'll be primaried.
posted by dilettante at 6:17 PM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

Hopefully this drives a stake through the heart of Gov. Bevin's political future. What an idiot, calling a special session without counting votes to make sure he had enough votes for his proposal.

Bevin speaking to reporters outside of office, asked about GOP legislators being surprised about a bill that was different than SB 151. He says that he doesn't draft bills, adding "I haven't even read it." [real]

Raises the very, very good question...who the fuck wrote this pension bill? ALEC?
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:21 PM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]

McConnell was determined to kill the bill, despite its overwhelming support, then he votes for it himself. This guy is such an asshole.

Republican votes against included "moderates" and resistance heroes Lisa Murkowski and Ben Sasse.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:23 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

Josh Marshall: Chris Cuomo has the Trump Tower Moscow letter of intent with Trump's signature.

(tweet includes CNN video clip)
posted by murphy slaw at 6:25 PM on December 18, 2018 [64 favorites]

If you're like me and struggling to remember which part of this is new, it's the signature. We knew about the letter, but Trump and Rudy both denied that Trump signed it. Trump said Cohen signed it, and Rudy said nobody signed it. I think that qualifies this as a big deal.
posted by diogenes at 6:34 PM on December 18, 2018 [35 favorites]

Yeah, the sequence of lies is:

1. I/we have nothing to do with Russia.

2. Okay, there was maybe some talk about business in Russia, but it didn’t amount to anything.

3. Okay, there was “a document”, but Cohen signed it.

4. Okay, there was a Letter of Intent, but nobody signed it.


The truth, now with actual physical evidence, and acknowledged by Trump’s “lawyer”:

There was a detailed Letter of Intent to open a Trump Tower in Moscow, signed by Donald Trump himself.


Why is this important? Because it establishes one more “quo” for the “quid” of Russian interference to help Trump win the Presidency. And the chain of lies shows Trump’s state of mind in trying to conceal it.

There are more smocking guns here than at a Civil War re-enactment!
posted by darkstar at 6:45 PM on December 18, 2018 [44 favorites]

So according to GovTrack, the criminal justice reform bill that passed the Senate "became the vehicle for passage of the FIRST Step Act [...] The text of this bill was replaced in whole on December 18, 2018 with criminal justice reform provisions. Those provisions were originally introduced in S. 2795 and H.R. 5682.

Prior to becoming the vehicle for passage of criminal justice reform, this bill was the Save Our Seas Act of 2018."

Congress.gov still gives the text of the bill as the Save Our Seas Act from back in July. Can someone with a better understanding of the legislative process than me explain what the heck just happened?
posted by Theiform at 6:46 PM on December 18, 2018

Worth asking why the judge was so hard-ass against Flynn.

Buzzfeed's Mark Seibel: "what Is going on with the Flynn sentencing? Pundits miss the point that Sullivan has read all the unredacted documents. what he is really asking is why didn’t Mueller charge Flynn with more serious crimes (treason) and why is Mueller willing to accept so little from him."

Emphasis added, because, as Marcy Wheeler points out, that's a lot.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:00 PM on December 18, 2018 [30 favorites]

Can someone with a better understanding of the legislative process than me explain what the heck just happened?

The text of bills can be replaced at any time by amendment, but the procedural calendar can't. They looked for something that had already had a committee reading and cloture, and been passed by the House, and turned that into criminal justice reform. "the Save Our Seas Act" was a bill about regulating plastic particles, which became CJR today in the Senate because they decided that was more important to pass in the lame duck, and now it'll go back to the House again to approve (or not, Paul Ryan is still Speaker) the CJR amendment instead.

Basically, any bill can be changed wholesale into another by amendment replacing the whole text, depending on the political urgency, and skirt the strict requirements of the Senate.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:05 PM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

Basically, any bill can be changed wholesale into another by amendment replacing the whole text, depending on the political urgency, and skirt the strict requirements of the Senate.

TLDR: Our government is broken
posted by mmoncur at 7:10 PM on December 18, 2018 [16 favorites]

It's called an "amendment in the nature of a substitute," and what it does is delete the entire text of a bill and replace it with new text. You might do this, instead of just passing the desired text as its own bill, for any of several reasons. Most obviously:

(1) The Senate can't start taxation bills, but the Senate can strip out the entire text of a bill that the House has passed and sent to them and replace it with taxation stuff instead. I mostly look across state legislatures and can't recall offhand whether they can do that with any bill from the House or whether it has to have passed the House as a taxation bill.

(2) The bill you're gutting is privileged in one way or another so that you can immediately bring this bill up for debate, pass the gutting amendment, and pass the amended bill. But setting up the new bill might result in at least several days of delay, which can matter when you're trying to hold coalitions together and when you're allatime justly worried that Trump will scream something incoherent that makes it harder to pass this thing.

This sort of thing is easier in the Senate than in the House because the Senate (mostly) doesn't have germaneness rules, so it's entirely kosher that the amendment has nothing to do with marine whatever. In the House, amendments like that would generally be haram.

Congress.gov just isn't up to date for whatever reason. The final text appears as SA 4108.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:12 PM on December 18, 2018 [12 favorites]

TLDR: Our government is broken

Maybe, but this isn't really new or rare, it happens all the time and has for decades. You can argue whether it makes a mockery of the Senate rules...but sometimes the Senate makes a mockery of itself.

The legislature having the ability to respond timely to changed circumstances is actually important, and the Senate at times doesn't, if every rule were always followed to the spirit and letter.

Although fuck me if I could tell you what the sudden urgency is over CJR at this exact moment other than McConnell finally relented for whatever payoff he surely secured in exchange (how many judges did you give away this time, Schumer?) and wants to go home for Christmas.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:15 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

TLDR: Our government is broken

Nah, it's very normal for legislatures to, on the one hand, have big, formalized, bureaucratic-ish sets of rules about... everything, but on the other hand to *also* have systems in place that allow them to sidestep the rules when doing so is desirable.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:24 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

it leads me to question just how much Flynn really cooperated if the White House is still happy to publicly praise him

We can't tell at the moment, but it's possible that the White House recognises that defections make it look weak. They didn't have a choice about condemning Cohen, but they'd rather hold out the possibility that Flynn is at least somewhat committed to Team Trump. When Trump's associates cooperate with the prosecution it shows he doesn't have enough patronage to make it worth accepting a conviction. And, realistically, he doesn't: he can't hand out government appointments to incarcerated felons.

Trump's problem is that he needs potential witnesses to believe that they'll receive a pardon if/when. But Trump can't pardon people for most State charges, so that power is strictly limited in the first instance. And if he pardons people connected to the investigation it might genuinely trigger impeachment. The optics, certainly, would not look good; and actual pardons might mean that the recipient can no longer refuse to testify against him. So what Trump wants to do is hold out the possibility of a pardon at some future date. Obviously his history is working against him there: nobody with any sense would believe he's going to honour an inconvenient commitment.

If Trump's history of stiffing employees and contractors finally brings him down it's going to be delightful.
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:33 PM on December 18, 2018 [18 favorites]

Nah, it's very normal for legislatures to, on the one hand, have big, formalized, bureaucratic-ish sets of rules about... everything, but on the other hand to *also* have systems in place that allow them to sidestep the rules when doing so is desirable.

I guess I'm fine with this in theory. There can be good reasons we'd want the Senate to be able to pass something in a hurry and it still has to go back to the house so they can't cut them out of the picture.

But, like, I would still like for the government to do something about plastic particles in the oceans.
posted by VTX at 7:38 PM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

So I guess if you're a smart majority leader, you always bring a couple of dummy bills out of committee each session just in case.
posted by M-x shell at 7:57 PM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

So is Flynn under any sort of security? Does he have any safety concerns? I'm losing track of who was valuable to foreign governments.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:00 PM on December 18, 2018

Trump's problem is that he needs potential witnesses to believe that they'll receive a pardon if/when. But Trump can't pardon people for most State charges, so that power is strictly limited in the first instance.

That, and if he pardons them in advance, they can't take the 5th to avoid testifying about what they know.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 8:27 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

"Basically, any bill can be changed wholesale into another by amendment replacing the whole text, depending on the political urgency, and skirt the strict requirements of the Senate."

And as a result several states forbid this by constitution, and forbid multisubject "omnibus" bills, which leads to hilarious results when half-educated GOP wunderkinds parachute into states that forbid wholesale bill amendment and/or multisubject bills, and find their legislative project is DOA because their sole strategy is unconstitutional under the state constitution, and they've massive overpromised their billionaire donors.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:35 PM on December 18, 2018 [33 favorites]

New Connecticut governor news:

Transition advisers looking into criminal justice are recommending Gov-elect Ned Lamont support legalizing marijuana, ending cash bail, giving parolees and perhaps prisoners the right to vote and overhauling the sex offender registry.

posted by Chrysostom at 8:37 PM on December 18, 2018 [30 favorites]

Wait, Ned Lamont was elected governor? That's kinda cool.
posted by rhizome at 8:55 PM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

Rep Ross Spano [FL-15 - R] looks to be in some hot water over campaign finance violations.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:58 PM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

So, I'm reading a book about post-Napoleonic France, and I came upon this passage:

In particular, he saw that the ultra-royalists were already experimenting with a technique that they would put to much greater use over the next few years: to condemn publicly the excesses of their grassroots followers, while turning a blind eye to them in practice.

The more things change....
posted by Chrysostom at 9:19 PM on December 18, 2018 [16 favorites]

Vox, Conservative Sen. Mike Lee is holding up a Trump nominee for supporting LGBTQ rights

Conservative Sen. Mike Lee is taking a lone stand against a Trump nominee, blocking her from joining the office that takes workplace complaints because of her support for LGBTQ rights. Lee has argued that the nominee, Chai Feldblum, wants to “use the might of government to stamp out traditional marriage supporters” and called for a nominee “who respects the institution of marriage and religious freedom for all Americans.”

President Trump put Feldblum in front of the Senate to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal office where Americans can turn for help with complaints about workplace discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, and other factors — including sexual orientation. Feldblum, who currently serves as one of the EEOC’s five commissioners, was appointed to the commission by President Barack Obama in 2010 and nominated for another term this year by Trump.

A deadline is approaching: Nominees to the EEOC are typically confirmed as a group. If the Senate doesn’t confirm the current group, which includes Feldblum and two others, by December 31, the EEOC will no longer have the quorum required to make major decisions. That means many cases of systemic discrimination brought to the EEOC — including, potentially, sexual harassment cases — won’t be decided, and much of the work of the EEOC will grind to a halt.

----

Politico, Want to run an agency? It helps to know Mitch McConnell, in which Trump's nominee to run the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, an agency with 1,000 employees that manages billions of dollars and is increasingly facing a crisis, is Mitch McConnell's brother-in-law. Past occupants of the job typically have relevant experience, while he has none. He's got this cousin though, who is not providing a particularly strong endorsement:

The in-law connection “may be why they’re appointing him, as a family favor,” conceded George Hartogensis, his cousin. “The administration is not known for great people, but … he has a lot of experience in business and he’s smart.”

The cousin, who describes himself as politically liberal, added: “It’s like if your family member is a made man in the Mafia. I mean, I’m proud of him, but they’re still a band of criminals.”

----

ProPublica/PolitiFact, The VA’s Private Care Program Gave Companies Billions and Vets Longer Waits

Here’s what has actually happened in the four years since the government began sending more veterans to private care: longer waits for appointments and, a new analysis of VA claims data by ProPublica and PolitiFact shows, higher costs for taxpayers.

Since 2014, 1.9 million former service members have received private medical care through a program called Veterans Choice. It was supposed to give veterans a way around long wait times in the VA. But their average waits using the Choice Program were still longer than allowed by law, according to examinations by the VA inspector general and the Government Accountability Office. The watchdogs also found widespread blunders, such as booking a veteran in Idaho with a doctor in New York and telling a Florida veteran to see a specialist in California. Once, the VA referred a veteran to the Choice Program to see a urologist, but instead he got an appointment with a neurologist.

The winners have been two private companies hired to run the program, which began under the Obama administration and is poised to grow significantly under Trump. ProPublica and PolitiFact obtained VA data showing how much the agency has paid in medical claims and administrative fees for the Choice program. Since 2014, the two companies have been paid nearly $2 billion for overhead, including profit. That’s about 24 percent of the companies’ total program expenses — a rate that would exceed the federal cap that governs how much most insurance plans can spend on administration in the private sector.

According to the agency’s inspector general, the VA was paying the contractors at least $295 every time it authorized private care for a veteran. The fee was so high because the VA hurriedly launched the Choice Program as a short-term response to a crisis. Four years later, the fee never subsided — it went up to as much as $318 per referral.

posted by zachlipton at 9:56 PM on December 18, 2018 [23 favorites]

"Commencing on January 4, 2019, the defendant is ORDERED to stay within 50 miles of DC"

This sounds like a creative approach to sentencing - has the judge been playing PUBG? Hell, on the 4th, let's make it a 40 mile radius around Bethesda, effective the 20th, and then on the 20th announce a 30 mile radius around Arlington, effective Feb 5th.
posted by MarchHare at 10:36 PM on December 18, 2018 [8 favorites]

InTheYear2017: "(Not for Trump specifically; at his age any imprisonment, which is already extremely unlikely, would in effect be a lifetime.) As usual, reality defies parody
"

He might just have enough empathy to care whether his kids die in prison or not.

peeedro: "The upside is that he's [butterfly preserve owner] now organizing protests against the wall and won't vote for Trump again. "

Will think nothing of voting for the next GOP president who is tough on border security/anti-immigration though I'd bet.

kirkaracha: "First we've got some of the slaveholding founding fathers did it so it's OK:"

Don't be telling the Cheeto that Washington and Jefferson both owned people or he'll be wanting that too.

xammerboy: "
“Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million,” Trump told a crowd at an Alabama campaign rally in 2015. “Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”"

He never ceases to surprise me with the crimes he'll just casually admit to.

yasaman: "The Washington Post's David Fahrenthold has the full article on the dissolution of the Trump Foundation."

The largest donation in the charity’s history — a $264,231 gift to the Central Park Conservancy in 1989 — appeared to benefit Trump’s business: It paid to restore a fountain outside Trump’s Plaza Hotel. The smallest, a $7 foundation gift to the Boy Scouts that same year, appeared to benefit Trump’s family. It matched the amount required to enroll a boy in the Scouts the year that his son Donald Trump Jr. was 11.

Cripes, it probably cost the "charity" a hundred bucks to process that $7 "donation" just because the Cheeto and his spawn are all too cheap to reach into their pocket for a tenner.

msalt: "Trump tried to close the foundation some time ago, and the NY AG successfully blocked the move. My guess is that the president planned to quickly destroy all the records "since it was closed" before a full investigation could take place. If that's true, then the AG would have agreed to close it now because they secured all the evidence they thought they could get, so they don't care anymore.
"

I got the feeling Trump wanted to get one last grift in by "donating" the assets to a charity that would to the money to work benifiting the Trump Crime Family (is there a" Beautify the Street in front of 666" charity?) The government said Nu-ha, we are choosing.

Fleebnork: "I’m not a lawyer, but that reads like “you have until January 4 to flee the country”"

Why wouldn't they seize it right away (he's guilty riight?) and do you even need a passport to flee the country on a private plane?
posted by Mitheral at 11:24 PM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

He has travel plans already scheduled and the court didn't want to mess up his trip. [real]
posted by ryanrs at 11:37 PM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

@MerriamWebster For a number of reasons and meanings, ‘justice’ was on the minds of many in 2018. ‘Justice’ is our 2018 #WordOfTheYear.

Justice, plus pansexual, lodestar, and 7 more of our top lookups in 2018.
posted by adept256 at 11:38 PM on December 18, 2018 [19 favorites]

Is there a reason why no one is guessing Deutsch Bank for the foreign company that shut down an entire courthouse floor?
posted by Literaryhero at 5:04 AM on December 19, 2018 [5 favorites]

Because DB isn't state owned.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:09 AM on December 19, 2018 [7 favorites]

There's a fairly decent twitter thread here with the whittling and reasoning for who the company is likely to be and who it isn't. [from @HoarseWisperer]

As well as ruling out DB as it's privately owned there seems to be a consensus that it's probably not Russian either, as they'd just ignore the subpoena, not spend ++$ appealing it. The general consensus seemed to be with holgate's comment above, that it's a Qatari company, and probably involves Kushner.
posted by Buntix at 5:16 AM on December 19, 2018 [18 favorites]

The Qatari Sovereign Wealth Fund was the buyer for that infamous 19.5% share of Rosneft...
posted by OnceUponATime at 5:18 AM on December 19, 2018 [28 favorites]

Here's a little summary of the Kushner's real estate finance games with the press and the Qataris to save Jared's poor investments. <ThinkProgress
posted by Harry Caul at 5:25 AM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

The Qatari Sovereign Wealth Fund was the buyer for that infamous 19.5% share of Rosneft...

posted by OnceUponATime 1 minute ago [3 favorites +] [!]

Oh! Be still my heart!
posted by From Bklyn at 5:34 AM on December 19, 2018 [5 favorites]

Conservative Sen. Mike Lee is taking a lone stand against a Trump nominee, blocking her from joining the office that takes workplace complaints because of her support for LGBTQ rights. Lee has argued that the nominee, Chai Feldblum, wants to “use the might of government to stamp out traditional marriage supporters” and called for a nominee “who respects the institution of marriage and religious freedom for all Americans.”

This is right out of the Project Blitz playbook. Senator Mike Lee is literally part of a Christian Dominionist conspiracy.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:36 AM on December 19, 2018 [26 favorites]

In probably not unrelated Mike Lee news:

Brian Wallach
@bsw5020
Yesterday, @SenMikeLee tried to kill a bill to eliminate the 5 month waiting period for ALS patients to receive SSDI, saying wait in line behind those with slipped discs.

Prob. because ALS is god's will or some horse shit.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:45 AM on December 19, 2018 [25 favorites]

US pulling all troops from Syria “immediately”
(WaPo)

The decision would remove the entire force of more than 2,000 U.S. servicemembers and end the extended ground mission against the Islamic State, the official said.

posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:07 AM on December 19, 2018 [12 favorites]

He has travel plans already scheduled and the court didn't want to mess up his trip. [real]

"You probably did a treason. Enjoy your vacation plans" is the kind of legal decision making that makes institutions seem ridiculous.
posted by srboisvert at 6:07 AM on December 19, 2018 [48 favorites]

‘I’m not hiding my disgust, my disdain’: Veteran judge upends hopes of Trump allies as he spotlights Flynn’s misdeeds (WaPo)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:19 AM on December 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

...do you even need a passport to flee the country on a private plane

You don't need a passport to leave the country at all. However, getting into another country can be difficult without one, especially legally.
posted by Bovine Love at 6:19 AM on December 19, 2018 [6 favorites]

24 hours ago it was pretty clear there would not be a shutdown, but I've got some bad news: Steve Doocy has been taunting Trump all morning on Fox and Friends about losing to Nancy Pelosi.

I'm sure that will have no influence whatsoever.
posted by pjenks at 6:23 AM on December 19, 2018 [29 favorites]

US pulling all troops from Syria “immediately”

As usual, a drastic action by the Trump administration has been leaked by an unnamed official "who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that has not yet been announced".

The WSJ has more: U.S. Military Preparing for a Full Withdrawal of Its Forces From Syria—Move throws campaign against Islamic State into question

U.S. officials began informing partners in northeastern Syria of their plans to begin an immediate pullout of American forces from the region where they have been trying to wrap up the campaign against Islamic State, the people said. The move follows a call last week between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has threatened to launch an assault on America’s Kurdish partners in Syria.[…]

Earlier this month, Mr. Erdogan moved Turkish military forces to the border and threatened to attack the Kurdish forces within days. Mr. Trump and Mr. Erdogan spoke last Friday, and the discussions about withdrawing U.S. forces moved rapidly.

This just in—here's the tweet from @realDonaldTrump: "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:33 AM on December 19, 2018 [7 favorites]

US pulling all troops from Syria “immediately”

This is mostly a good thing, yes? The smugness of Greenwaldian "Donald the Dove" types will be unbearable, but that doesn't actually negate the value of this.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:33 AM on December 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

Mathew Miller: The biased media should stop claiming that so many Trump associates are being sent to jail. They’re just moving to rooms with artistically designed steel slats that you can see through.
posted by diogenes at 6:34 AM on December 19, 2018 [54 favorites]

US pulling all troops from Syria “immediately”

This is mostly a good thing, yes?

Under the current (lack of) mission, yeah, it's probably a net good.
posted by Etrigan at 6:38 AM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

If Trump brings them all home he doesn't have to visit a war zone.
posted by peeedro at 6:43 AM on December 19, 2018 [12 favorites]

No, not the Trump Foundation! (Alexandra Petri, WaPo)

Countless people benefited from the charitable work the Trump Foundation did.

An oil portrait of Donald Trump that could have run feral and terrorized thousands was contained and placed on the wall of a Trump golf club where it could do no harm, except to itself (mysteriously dropping in value from 700 to zero dollars, alas; one dares not speculate). And it was by means of this organization that the Boy Scouts received the priceless gift of exactly enough money to buy Donald Trump Jr.’s scout membership — a gift that spared the dozens of similar organizations he might have joined, as well as their countless members, the joy of his company. It is difficult to count the number of heartbreaking GoFundMe campaigns have been started by families determined that, even though they had recently suffered terrible medical setbacks, Donald Trump’s businesses should not have to pay legal fees. Thanks to the Trump Foundation, those poor businesses' wishes came true.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:44 AM on December 19, 2018 [14 favorites]

Looks like Syria will be paying for that wall, by Trump logic? Only Trump would think ending the ground fight against ISIS is worth building walls to stop mmigration at the border for the base.
posted by Harry Caul at 6:47 AM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

There are wider implications of Trump unilaterally withdrawing US forces from Syria. In the first place, this effectively cedes the Syrian Civil War to Assad (and if you thought the number of chemical attacks on civilians perpetrated by the regime while US forces were on the ground were horrific…). Likewise, this guarantees Putin access to Syria's Mediterranean ports, which Russia needs for geopolitical (its navy's new plans to build a port in Tartus are good to go now). And Turkey will get carte blanche to attack the Kurds in the region (which is always on its to-do list).

The other issue is why US policy has suddenly been reversed. Early this year, U.S. troops planned to stay in Syria even after ISIS's defeat (NYT), and in September, Bolton declared, "We’re not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders and that includes Iranian proxies and militias." and warned Russia against suppling Assad with a state-of-the-art missile defense system (AP).

And hanging over all this is the long-rumored grand bargain between Trump and Putin to trade Syria to Russia for a US-led war on Iran. (This may have been part of Michael Flynn's back-channel communications with Russian officials, by the way.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:12 AM on December 19, 2018 [60 favorites]

New York’s next attorney general targeted slumlords. Now she’s going after Trump (Kristine Phillips, WaPo)

Two New Yorkers, vastly different but both aggressive in their own way. She, Letitia “Tish” James, blasted through social barriers by becoming the first black woman to be elected New York’s attorney general. Soon, she will have the power of her office to become one of President Trump’s main legal nemeses, to go after him where it could hurt the most: in his hometown.

During the campaign, James, a Democrat, said she intends to aggressively investigate Trump’s businesses and finances. On the night of her victory, she stood in front of supporters in Brooklyn and all but declared a war against Trump: “I will be shining a bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings, and every dealing, demanding truthfulness at every turn.”

Now, many eyes are on James, a former public defender who defied her father’s wishes by becoming a lawyer instead of marrying a plumber. At 60, she would be at the helm of investigations that could personally affect the president of the United States. The White House and the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

posted by ZeusHumms at 7:18 AM on December 19, 2018 [40 favorites]

History will judge whether this pullout was good for the people of Syria and the people of the US. But it is definitely good for Putin, Assad, and Erdogan.
posted by OnceUponATime at 7:18 AM on December 19, 2018 [48 favorites]

T.D. Strange: Basically, any bill can be changed wholesale into another by amendment replacing the whole text, depending on the political urgency, and skirt the strict requirements of the Senate.

mmoncur: TLDR: Our government is broken

GCU Sweet and Full of Grace: It's called an "amendment in the nature of a substitute," and what it does is delete the entire text of a bill and replace it with new text. You might do this, instead of just passing the desired text as its own bill, for any of several reasons.

A pretty stark example: here's some of the revision history (July 27, 2015) of 2015 H.R. 22 - FAST Act ("introduced" January 6, 2015, signed into law Dec. 2015), finally know as the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, despite earlier being about Veterans Administration. I won't dig through the amendment history to pinpoint the exact date of the swap, but for transportation folk who were tracking Obama's GROW AMERICA transportation bill for over a year, it was a surprise to see the FAST Act take its place.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:20 AM on December 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

At this point I think it's been proven sufficiently that while in theory a US military presence in the Middle East might be beneficial to some parties, in practice it's always a hellish shitshow that will do nothing but murder civilians, destroy infrastructure, and create entire generations of people who have excellent reasons to hate the USA with a burning passion.

I totally get the reluctance to embrace the policy of just leaving, not only because it's Trump proposing it, but because it's easy to see the chaos and catastrophe that just leaving would produce. But it's based on the false idea that the US presence isn't creating just as much awful as the US leaving would create.

There is no good answer, but I think the US just leaving is the least bad answer. At the very least it'll no longer be our bombs and soldiers murdering children over there for no reason.
posted by sotonohito at 7:21 AM on December 19, 2018 [18 favorites]

There is no good answer, but I think the US just leaving is the least bad answer.

Presuming the US won't be swapping out its presence in Syria for an attacking/invading Iran. In the background of the Trump administration's daily chaos and policy vacilations, its desire to confront Iran has never wavered.

Meanwhile, the NYT has leaks from the Trump White House about the internal debate over withdrawal: Trump Considering Full Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Syria

A formal withdrawal announcement could come as early as Wednesday, administration officials said. But Pentagon officials were still trying to talk the president out of it, arguing that such a move would betray Kurdish allies who have fought alongside American troops in Syria and who could find themselves under attack in a military offensive now threatened by Turkey.[…]

In a series of meetings and conference calls over the past several days, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other senior national security officials have tried to dissuade Mr. Trump from a wholesale troop withdrawal, arguing that such a significant national security policy shift would essentially cede foreign influence in Syria to Russia and Iran at a time when American policy calls for challenging both countries.

Abandoning the American-backed Kurdish allies, Pentagon officials have argued, will hamper future efforts by the United States to gain the trust of local fighters, from Afghanistan to Yemen to Somalia.

But Mr. Trump promised during his presidential campaign to withdraw American troops from Syria, and has been looking for a way out since. He reluctantly agreed in April to give the Defense Department more time to finish the mission.[…]

As the debate over withdrawing from Syria was raging inside the White House over recent days, Mr. Trump argued that the risk of a Turkish incursion could be a threat to the United States forces in Syria, officials said, although Mr. Erdogan would likely face huge reprisals if Turkish troops killed or wounded any Americans.

And as always, Trump's announcement could have the benefit of political distraction: "But one Defense Department official suggested that Mr. Trump also wants to divert attention away from the series of legal challenges confronting him over the recent days: the Russian investigation run by the special counsel as well as the sentencing of his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in a hush-money scandal to buy the silence of two women who said they had affairs with Mr. Trump."
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:41 AM on December 19, 2018 [10 favorites]

South Carolina GOP considering just canceling its presidential primary so as to cut off any potential Trump challengers.

(caution: Washington Examiner)
posted by Chrysostom at 7:52 AM on December 19, 2018 [7 favorites]

Fed Expected To Raise Rates Despite Trump Attacks (NPR, December 19, 2018)

Despite pressure from President Trump and members of his administration, the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates for the fourth time this year on Wednesday.

Fed officials have signaled they're ready to raise their key borrowing rate to the highest level in a decade — to a range of 2.25 percent to 2.50 percent.

The decision stands to affect rates on all kinds of borrowing, from home mortgages to credit cards. The 30-year mortgage rate in the past year climbed from 3.95 percent to a peak of nearly 5 percent in November — a seven-year high. It has since dropped to 4.63 percent.

The Fed last raised rates in September. Since then, the U.S. economy has given off mixed signals. The job market remains strong, with unemployment at the lowest level in nearly 50 years. Growth clocked in at a solid 3.5 percent in the third quarter.

But the stock market has tumbled sharply in recent months. Car and home sales have slumped as interest rates have climbed. And ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China have led to growing fears about the outlook for the global economy.

Reminder: it's not normal for the president speak in a way that could casually be described as "attacking" the Federal Reserve. (Also, it's not normal for the president to start a trade war because he doesn't really understand global, macro-economics.)

Warning To Democrats: Most Americans Against U.S. Getting More Politically Correct (NPR, December 19, 2018)

Heading into the 2020 Democratic primaries, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll (PDF) has a warning for Democrats: Americans are largely against the country becoming more politically correct.

Fifty-two percent of Americans, including a majority of independents, said they are against the country becoming more politically correct and are upset that there are too many things people can't say anymore. Only about a third said they are in favor of the country becoming more politically correct and like when people are being more sensitive in their comments about others.

That is your take-away, that people don't like to be reminded to not be casual assholes to other people? ("Politically correct" is a degraded term, but the idea is still very valuable.) And as a note, NPR linked to the survey page that lists the responses to the question "Since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, do you think the overall tone and level of civility in Washington between Republicans and Democrats has improved, stayed the same, or gotten worse?"

Spoiler: 70% of "National Adults" say it's gotten worse, and 35%, say Donald Trump is to blame, but 37% say "the media" is to blame, with the expected party splits (Dems at 67% for Donny, 14% for the media; GOP with 4% for The Donald, 58% for the media, and 35% for Dems in Congress; Independents are closer to Dems, with 32% for Donald, 38% for the media).

I think they meant to link to page 8 of the PDF, with the poll titled "In general, are you in favor of the United States becoming more politically correct and like when people are being more sensitive in their comments about others or are you against the country becoming more politically correct and upset that there are too many things people can't say anymore?"

First, it's not that people "can't" say things (and fuck you, NPR editors, for a photo of happy WHITE PEOPLE with Trump | Pence : MAGA "Merry Christmas" signs, you're the problem with this message, because no one is having a war on Christmas), it's that people who say terrible things are being called on it.

Second, yes, the national averages agree with your question as stated, but that's because it's a bad way to put the question. Even with that, the majority of Dems support increased Political Correctness. Here's the numbers:

Democrat- favor: 55%; against: 33%; neither/mixed: 7%; unsure: 4%
Republican - f: 14%; a: 76%; n/m: 6%; u: 4%
Independent - f: 33%; a: 53%; n/m: 7%; u: 6%

Because "Political Correctness" and "Being PC" is now broadly equated with being overly sensitive and possibly afraid to say what you think, why not ask this question: "In general, are you in favor of the United States becoming more politically correct welcoming to a diversity of races, religions, sexual orientations and gender identities, and like when people are being more sensitive considerate in their comments about others or are you against the country becoming more politically correct friendly and upset that there are too many things people can't say anymore people are reprimanded or publicly scolded for being xenophobic, homophobic, and generally deplorable?"

It needs some work, but you get the idea. The original question comes from a place of "don't you agree that this new thing is a bad thing?" instead of trying to spell out what it really means to be "P.C.". /rant
posted by filthy light thief at 7:52 AM on December 19, 2018 [71 favorites]

New York’s next attorney general targeted slumlords. Now she’s going after Trump

Right on cue, @realDonaldTrump has launched a remarkable frothing attack on James and Underwood*. The number of lies, libels, deflections, and distortions packed into this tweet storm could set a record for Trump statements: "The Trump Foundation has done great work and given away lots of money, both mine and others, to great charities over the years - with me taking NO fees, rent, salaries etc. Now, as usual, I am getting slammed by Cuomo and the Dems in a long running civil lawsuit started by sleazebag AG Eric Schneiderman, who has since resigned over horrific women abuse, when I wanted to close the Foundation so as not to be in conflict with politics. Shady Eric was head of New Yorkers for Clinton, and refused to even look at the corrupt Clinton Foundation. In any event, it goes on and on & the new AG, who is now being replaced by yet another AG (who openly campaigned on a GET TRUMP agenda), does little else but rant, rave & politic against me. Will never be treated fairly by these people - a total double standard of “justice.”"

Trump's false equivalence gets taken by comedian Nick Jack Pappas:

Clinton Foundation (2016):

- $129 million spent saving people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world.
- $22 million spent on global climate, health, and education initiatives.

Trump Foundation:

- $250k spent on golf course disputes.
- $20k spent on a self-portrait.
- Dissolved.

* In passing, I'd like to invoke Trump's Law of Misogyny: When Trump feels angry and insecure, he attacks women personally.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:57 AM on December 19, 2018 [48 favorites]

Clinton Foundation (2016):

- $129 million spent saving people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world.
- $22 million spent on global climate, health, and education initiatives.

Trump Foundation:

- $250k spent on golf course disputes.
- $20k spent on a self-portrait.
- Dissolved.

I think that's horribly unfair. It leaves out a $7 Boy Scout membership.
posted by nubs at 8:03 AM on December 19, 2018 [39 favorites]

Any survey that asks people about "political correctness" but does not sufficiently define it (or seek to answer how respondents are individually defining it) is completely useless. The term is meaningless in and of itself. Every person has their own definition and their own perception of its influence in their lives.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:03 AM on December 19, 2018 [49 favorites]

Any survey that asks people about "political correctness" but does not sufficiently define it (or seek to answer how respondents are individually defining it) is completely useless. The term is meaningless in and of itself.

I disagree. The term "politically correct" has been the subject of a decades-long media campaign of demonization (not unlike the media and the term "liberal" itself). It isn't a neutral term, and using it inherently biases the poll. These results are garbage, and shame on NPR for using that term instead of something neutral like "civility," "courtesy," or "respect."
posted by Gelatin at 8:10 AM on December 19, 2018 [36 favorites]

I don't think this has been posted yet: Trump shitting all over Europe and Merkel especially the New Yorker, my paraphrase of the thesis, not the New Yorker's language. Come for the depiction of Trump tossing candy at Merkel, stay for the despairing image of Merkel's tears as she bids Obama good-bye.

It's a lot more than that, of course: an examination of Trump's hating on Germany from like the 90s on, and it's a little bit weird, because he has German ancestry (Drumpf).
posted by angrycat at 8:11 AM on December 19, 2018 [5 favorites]

"Political correctness" is a newspeak phrase for "basic human decency" designed by those who have none to belittle those who expect it.
posted by Freon at 8:11 AM on December 19, 2018 [106 favorites]

Three Kansas GOP legislators have switched parties to Democrats.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:18 AM on December 19, 2018 [57 favorites]

Now, as usual, I am getting slammed by Cuomo and the Dems

He does deserve some credit for properly differentiating these.
posted by contraption at 8:21 AM on December 19, 2018 [19 favorites]

This is your reminder that the movie “PCU”, starring David Spade, Jeremy Piven, and Jon Favreau as college students at a protest-y, super-PC liberal arts college, came out 24 years ago.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:23 AM on December 19, 2018 [18 favorites]

"Political correctness" is a newspeak phrase for "basic human decency" designed by those who have none to belittle those who expect it.

What a short and effective way to put it! I'm going to steal this for use in conversation if it comes up over the holidays.
posted by VTX at 8:23 AM on December 19, 2018 [19 favorites]

Mod note: Enough on "PC".
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:28 AM on December 19, 2018 [16 favorites]

Where have all the Children Gone?
The federal government has placed most of the 14,300 migrant toddlers, children and teens in its care in detention centers and residential facilities packed with hundreds, or thousands, of children.
As the year draws to a close, some 5,400 detained migrant children in the U.S. are sleeping in shelters with more than 1,000 other children. Some 9,800 are in facilities with 100-plus total kids, according to confidential government data obtained and cross-checked by The Associated Press.
posted by adamvasco at 8:32 AM on December 19, 2018 [32 favorites]

At this point I think it's been proven sufficiently that while in theory a US military presence in the Middle East might be beneficial to some parties, in practice it's always a hellish shitshow

This is one of those things that gets trotted out all the time and it makes me crazy. Literally no such thing has been proven. No such thing can possibly have been proven because we've never been out of the Middle East. But the last time we did try the whole non-intervention thing a million Tutsis died in a 90 day genocide, so the record there isn't fucking great.

The Middle East is a shitshow and will continue to be a shitshow and there are plenty of people and countries to blame for that. Literally no part of the colonial fuckery after WW2 was handled well, and then in the 70s we showed up to just continue to fuck with everything as it was convenient. Most of that was terrible, and maybe only occasionally did we try to unfuck something.

But what I find most ironic is that the sort of attitude that, to my admittedly layman* eyes, seemed to undergird the colonial powers' attitude towards the creation of Israel and displacement of a shit ton of Palestinians who no one else in the region would accept -- that attitude of "oh fuck this was bad, this whole holocaust thing, and we just want to be able to wash our hands of it and move on with our lives? whatever just give them a country and let them deal with the fallout, not our problem anymore" -- is very similar to the attitude of people who just want the US military out of everywhere, immediately. Unilaterally pulling out of places we've fucked up is not for the benefit of the people who live in those places so much as it is for the comfort of people back here. Like congratulations, you get to feel morally superior while advocating for something that in practice will definitely lead to genocide, yay.

So we pull out of Syria in order to deliver a whole shit ton of strategic objectives to Putin, Assad, and Erdogan -- objectives that include, by the way, actual fucking genocide -- guaranteeing that Assad is going to slaughter whoever he wants with whatever horrifying chemical weapons he wants, that the Kurds are now fucked, and that ISIS now has one less thing to worry about, and this is supposed to be good for the people who live there? Really? And let's not mince words on this: this is part of a quid pro quo with fucking Putin, Assad, and Erdogan. Three people who are as evil as Trump, but are far more competent. And it won't end there. We're supposed to celebrate this?

No. This position from the left is about us feeling better by pretending we can wipe our hands of the whole thing. That is...bullshit. We should at least have the moral and emotional maturity to recognize when maybe there are no good options, there's not right thing to do, and that may in very large part be due to terrible things we've done, but that doesn't absolve us of responsibility. You don't get to make a huge fucking mess and then throw your hands up like "oh, man, we never should have done that, we'll just leave you guys to sort it out yourselves" and then claim a position of moral superiority when that clearly involves leaving many, many people to die terrible deaths. Come the fuck on.

And I mean, self-determination all the way. But that is another one of those principles that starts to look kind of stupid when you actually try to apply it. I'm not sure how you'd measure the will of people under stress of a civil war, but if you could, you get different groups wanting different things. So.

No good moves. But this one is most definitely not "proven" to be better than any of the others. And the reasoning that gets you to that is kind of shitty.

*seriously, happy to be corrected on this, and I know the creation of Israel is...complicated; I'm speaking only of the attitudes I remember reading about on the part of the colonial powers who were all wrapped up in Great Game terribleness
posted by schadenfrau at 8:33 AM on December 19, 2018 [78 favorites]

Mod note: We're not going to have a fight about Israel/Palestine, no.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:38 AM on December 19, 2018 [20 favorites]

The US leaving the Kurds to fend for themselves in Syria is the post-Gulf War uprising all over again.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:47 AM on December 19, 2018 [19 favorites]

Molly Crabapple knows something about Syria and the US role.
* The US demolished Raqqa when they 'liberated' it. Who will rebuild it? (Guardian)
* How Turkey’s Campaign in Afrin Is Stoking Syrian Hatreds (Nybooks)
* Twitter thread
posted by stonepharisee at 8:52 AM on December 19, 2018 [5 favorites]

I mean, either we are a global citizen or we aren't. And the reality is that we are dependent on a global network, so, you know, we're part of it whether we want to be or not. If we want to be global citizens and not just enormous dicks, that means taking responsibility for the many, many things we've done. Some things can never be made right, but abandoning everyone we've already fucked over is also not ok. And since large social and political and military changes take a while if you want to do them peacefully, that means things take a while.

I'm not even close to a foreign policy expert, and I don't know what the list of moves available to the US is at any given time, or what the list of pro/con is for each, or how we are constrained going forward. But I know enough to have very little respect for people who are supposed to be experts and talk seriously about isolationism.
posted by schadenfrau at 8:55 AM on December 19, 2018 [12 favorites]

followup on CNN's reveal of a signed letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow –

NY Daily News: Rudy Giuliani admits President Trump signed 'bulls--t' letter of intent for Moscow tower during 2016 campaign

President Trump signed a "bulls--t" letter of intent to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 campaign, Rudy Giuliani conceded Tuesday – just two days after the former New York mayor claimed the missive had not been signed.

Giuliani refused to acknowledge he told CNN’s Dana Bash on camera Sunday that Trump didn’t put his John Hancock on the Oct. 28, 2015 letter.

“I don’t think I said nobody signed it,” Giuliani told the Daily News, even though he literally told Bash “no one signed” the letter.

In a stunning contradiction, Giuliani told The News that “of course” Trump signed it.

“How could you send it but nobody signed it?” he said.

Both Trump and Andre Rozov – the owner of the Russian firm that would help develop the Moscow tower – signed the non-binding letter, which was first obtained by CNN late Tuesday.
…
But Giuliani claimed the letter was “bulls--t” because it didn’t go anywhere. “That was the end of it,” Giuliani said. “It means nothing but an expression of interest that means very little unless it goes to a contract and it never did.”

Giuliani said Trump’s legal team has handed over the signed Moscow letter to Robert Mueller’s team as part of the 1.4 million documents submitted to the special counsel.
…
Giuliani took it one step further Monday, telling The News that the President said in his written responses to Mueller that the conversations may actually have stretched all the way up until the election.

“Trump doesn’t remember exactly when the discussions stopped,” Giuliani said. “His answer made sure it could cover up until November 2016.”

posted by murphy slaw at 9:11 AM on December 19, 2018 [23 favorites]

Does Giuliani have dementia?
posted by Melismata at 9:14 AM on December 19, 2018 [26 favorites]

Melismata: Does Giuliani have dementia?

He does not. He has Trump-defendtia.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 9:17 AM on December 19, 2018 [29 favorites]

White House says it wants to avoid government shutdown, will find other ways to fund border wall

That's the shot. Here's the chaser:

WaPo: Trump Faces Large Barrier As He Seeks Money For Border Wall

President Trump has directed his Cabinet secretaries to search for any stray funds that could be repurposed for the construction of a wall along the Mexico border, conceding that Democrats have stymied his efforts in Congress.

But his new approach sets up more budget and political battles, as it’s very difficult to legally re­direct taxpayer money without Congress’s approval.

“If you do this without going through the proper reprogramming requests and getting all the proper approvals, you are breaking the law,” said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

MEGATHREAD NOTE: A new draft for the next USPolitics FPP is under way the MeFi wiki for people to contribute/collaborate. (This thread has almost 1.9K comments.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:20 AM on December 19, 2018 [27 favorites]

The No Kellyanne Zone -- in which former NYT Public Editor Margaret Sullivan urges networks to refuse to interview known liars -- should absolutely include Giuliani. There's no reason at all to believe he's telling the truth about anything and every reason to believe his role is to lie to the public, so networks should simply refuse to invite him on. Not even to debunk things he's previously said; he'll only lie about that too ("I don’t think I said nobody signed it,” Giuliani told the Daily News, even though he literally told Bash “no one signed” the letter.).
posted by Gelatin at 9:23 AM on December 19, 2018 [22 favorites]

Escape From the Trump Cult
Millions of Americans are blindly devoted to their Dear Leader. What will it take for them to snap out of it?

It's a long piece, difficult to summarize. But there are answers & reasons behind them.
posted by scalefree at 9:23 AM on December 19, 2018 [12 favorites]

“If you do this without going through the proper reprogramming requests and getting all the proper approvals, you are breaking the law,” said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

...which only matters if the Senate is willing to stand up for its own institutional prerogatives and remove a President who does so from office.
posted by Gelatin at 9:25 AM on December 19, 2018 [7 favorites]

“Trump doesn’t remember exactly when the discussions stopped,” Giuliani said. “His answer made sure it could cover up until November 2016.”

Trump's legal team also claimed last month that the transition period is covered by executive privilege, which is a novel argument since he wasn't the executive branch until the inauguration.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:26 AM on December 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

President Trump signed a "bulls--t" letter of intent to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 campaign

This is an amazing defense. It opens up so many possibilities, from "those are just bullshit tax returns" to "it was a bullshit revokable trust" to "it was a bullshit oath of office."
posted by peeedro at 9:28 AM on December 19, 2018 [67 favorites]

listen, just because there was a letter of intent doesn't mean there was any intent
posted by murphy slaw at 9:33 AM on December 19, 2018 [71 favorites]

Well I'll be damned. It sounds like Trump is trying to appeal to the MetaFilter Bean Platers vote.
posted by homunculus at 9:42 AM on December 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

Chrysostom: "Three Kansas GOP legislators have switched parties to Democrats."

Note that with one more House defection or two more Senate defections, the legislative GOP would no longer be able to override vetoes by Dem governor Kelly.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:45 AM on December 19, 2018 [32 favorites]

Mod note: Couple comments deleted. If people want to dig in on "withdraw troops, send other resources, or what" about Syria/greater Middle East/etc, or "has the UN stopped genocides" etc, please make a separate thread for that larger ongoing question and have the discussion over there where there's room to spread out. Let's keep this thread for updates on actual events happening.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:51 AM on December 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

ABC:

Congressional Democrats intend in coming weeks to ask the Trump Organization for records surrounding the firm’s talks with developers in the Dominican Republic as part of a close examination of the overseas deals being negotiated by President Trump’s adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, a senior lawmaker told ABC News.

“The American people have the right to know if the President is working in his own personal best interest to support his pocket book, or whether he is working in theirs,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat who is expected to chair the powerful House Oversight Committee when his party takes control of the chamber in January.

posted by Chrysostom at 9:52 AM on December 19, 2018 [20 favorites]

Note that with one more House defection or two more Senate defections, the legislative GOP would no longer be able to override vetoes by Dem governor Kelly

I mean, if individual Republicans were so motivated, they wouldn't even need to switch parties to stop voting in lockstep with other Republicans to override these vetoes, right?
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:55 AM on December 19, 2018 [14 favorites]

Yes, and in fact, the Kansas GOP is pretty factionalized between regular crazy and industrial-strength crazy, so we might see some of that. But being in the other party will insulate you from stuff like being primaried.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:58 AM on December 19, 2018 [11 favorites]

Democrats to block end-of-year judges package
posted by Chrysostom at 10:09 AM on December 19, 2018 [70 favorites]

Please keep interviewing Giuliani. He is the single most powerful force for destroying Trump's credibility (beyond Trump himself).
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:16 AM on December 19, 2018 [19 favorites]

listen, just because there was a letter of intent doesn't mean there was any intent

...and IANAL, much less a contract lawyer, but by my read there's nothing binding in the LOI. That said, it's certainly more than "no dealings with Russia."
posted by rhizome at 10:19 AM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Rebecca Traister, The Cut: The Imagined Threat of a Woman Who Governs Like a Man.

On Tuesday, Politico posted a provocative, anonymously sourced piece claiming that New York congresswoman elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might be planning, in concert with Justice Democrats, to recruit a Democratic primary challenger to her fellow New York congressman Hakeem Jeffries in 2020, in part in response to his undercutting of California congresswoman and progressive stalwart Barbara Lee in a November House leadership election. Ocasio-Cortez later dismissed the piece, calling it “birdcage lining.”

However inaccurate the facts in Politico’s reporting may have been, the piece was useful and telling — the expression of a building fever dream about Ocasio-Cortez, and the fears of what she might be capable of, should she continue to flash her unprecedented willingness to make bold demands and push her party where she thinks it should go. Ocasio-Cortez’s eagerness to flex her muscles, without demurring or waiting for her turn — without even waiting to be sworn in — is undergirding nightmarish fears about her as an agent of chaos and destruction.

posted by Hypatia at 10:19 AM on December 19, 2018 [45 favorites]

Please keep interviewing Giuliani. He is the single most powerful force for destroying Trump's credibility (beyond Trump himself).

He's also previewing and road testing possible defenses to see what sticks.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:21 AM on December 19, 2018 [15 favorites]

Conservative Sen. Mike Lee is taking a lone stand against a Trump nominee, blocking her from joining the office that takes workplace complaints because of her support for LGBTQ rights.

Lest you wonder how this nominee came about under Trump, by law the EEOC board members are required to be bipartisan. No more than three of the five members can be from the same party. What Republican Lee is trying to do is thwart the law by choosing his own three Republican members and choosing the Democrats two members as well.

But Lee is just looking for any excuse not to confirm members because without members, the EEOC does not have a quorum and without a quorum it cannot rule on any civil rights violations that are brought before it. The laws are simply not enforced.

This is similar to what the Republicans did during the Obama administration. Republicans refused to confirm any appointments to the National Labor Relations Board from 2008 to 2013. This meant that the NLRB could not rule on any labor violations during that time. Obama tried to get around this by making recess appointments in 2010, but Republicans sued and the Supreme Court ruled that the Senate's phony non-recess recesses prevented the appointments. This resulted in also overturning many important rulings those members had made concerning corporate violations of union elections.

Republicans play the game for real. They will use any strategy to thwart the law. Democrats need to figure this out.
posted by JackFlash at 10:24 AM on December 19, 2018 [62 favorites]

Ocasio-Cortez’s eagerness to flex her muscles, without demurring or waiting for her turn — without even waiting to be sworn in — is undergirding misogynistic, nightmarish fears about her as an agent of chaos and destruction.

I feel like they forgot a word.
posted by agregoli at 10:25 AM on December 19, 2018 [46 favorites]

“If you do this without going through the proper reprogramming requests and getting all the proper approvals, you are breaking the law,” said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Reminder that this administration already transferred millions from FEMA and the Coast Guard to ICE. All of that is within DHS, but it seems worth remembering.

This brought to you from the ancient days of...oh god, three months ago.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:51 AM on December 19, 2018 [13 favorites]

“Trump doesn’t remember exactly when the discussions stopped,” Giuliani said. “His answer made sure it could cover up until November 2016.”

Spot the freudian slip. If Rudy ever plays poker deal me in.
posted by adept256 at 10:58 AM on December 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

Mystery and suspense in the Cohen case.

New secret filing in case of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen placed in NY federal court vault (CNBC)
posted by Twain Device at 10:59 AM on December 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

It's a three-part cover-up:

before November 9th 2016: covered by blanket answers.
Nov 9th - Jan 20th: covered by "transition executive privilege" which doesn't exist but is the kind of thing that might be litigated up to the Supreme Court.
Jan 20th onwards: I'm king.
posted by holgate at 11:04 AM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

Mod note: One deleted. If folks want to discuss Alice Walker and antisemitism go ahead and make a thread for it. Trying to keep this thread focused on current US administration stuff.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:18 AM on December 19, 2018 [7 favorites]

[Giuliani is] also previewing and road testing possible defenses to see what sticks.

And just as with Trump with his bald-faced lying and mental fuzziness, Giuliani's possible dementia serves as a defense to walk back anything that doesn't work. Don't fall into the trap of helping them make excuses for their bad behavior.
posted by msalt at 11:25 AM on December 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

Remember the Big Story in the Russia Scandal: Donald Trump Betrayed America (David Corn, Mother Jones)

Trump aided and abetted Russia’s secret war on the United States—a war that helped shape the outcome of a narrowly decided presidential election. This is all known, and indisputable—except that these days, anything will be disputed by Trump and his followers. Even if Trump’s disputations are demonstrable lies—“I have nothing to do with Russia”—they still color and cloud the ongoing public discourse about what happened in 2016. They have prompted his supporters and his GOP comrades to reject or ignore the powerful truth of Trump’s profound betrayal, portraying it as just another debatable point in the grand chaos of the Trump years.
...
As the nation heads toward the third year of the Trump-Russia scandal and the investigations get tougher to track, we must keep in mind the already-known essential fact: The man in the White House engaged in the most consequential political skullduggery in US history. That’s the sad truth—and it is a damn shame that journalists, elected officials, and citizens have to fight every day to keep it front and center in Trump’s multi-ring circus.

posted by ZeusHumms at 11:29 AM on December 19, 2018 [57 favorites]

"Working" for Trump's defense may turn out to be the greatest service Giuliani has ever done for his country.
Not intentionally, of course.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:30 AM on December 19, 2018 [12 favorites]

New secret filing in case of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen placed in NY federal court vault

"Someone on Wednesday filed a document saying something..."

At least they didn't bury the lede!
posted by diogenes at 11:52 AM on December 19, 2018 [6 favorites]

Bloomberg: Trump Ready to Remove Sanctions on Deripaska's Rusal in 30 Days

Natasha Bertrand: "The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has notified* Congress of its intention to terminate the sanctions imposed on Oleg Deripaska's companies." And: “Interesting: "VTB Bank or another non-SDN assignee approved by OFAC will take ownership of a block of Deripaska's shares in En+ pledged as collateral...the Swiss company Glencore will swap shares in Rusal for a direct ownership interest in En+."”

Fordham law prof Jed Shugerman:

From Mnuchin's Treasury Dept letter to lift sanctions on Deripaska's firms.
Note here who is taking over his En+:
1) VTB Bank. The sanctioned Russian bank for Ukraine conspiracy, linked to Trump Tower Moscow financing.
2) Glencore. The co-buyer, along with Qatar, of Rosneft.

* PDF: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Documents/20181219_notification_removal.pdf
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:02 PM on December 19, 2018 [11 favorites]

Trump seems to be in a sudden hurry to deliver on his promises.
posted by diogenes at 12:06 PM on December 19, 2018 [37 favorites]

@ddiamond: JUST OUT - final sign-up numbers for HealthCare.gov. Enrollment down from 8.8 million to 8.5 million — a decline, but much smaller than expected after weeks of enrollment lags.

Gosh, it's almost like people really really want health insurance, even if there's no mandate and Republicans are constantly trying to sabotage the system.
posted by zachlipton at 12:20 PM on December 19, 2018 [62 favorites]

Democrats in the House better have legislation pre-drafted to strengthen Obamacare, including making the subsidies gradually taper rather than fall off a cliff and re-affirming coverage for pre existing conditions, for when they take power. Use the next two years as a way to get their machine in order in the hope that they can start passing shit for real in 2021.

It would additionally serve to force Republicans to vote a position on these things. They will have a tough time continuing to argue they actually support coverage for people with pre-existing conditions if they vote against it again.
posted by Justinian at 12:38 PM on December 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

It would additionally serve to force Republicans to vote a position on these things. They will have a tough time continuing to argue they actually support coverage for people with pre-existing conditions if they vote against it again.

I would support narrow, single page bills which do only one thing. The Existing Conditions Insurance Act of 2019: Ensure people with existing conditions can get affordable coverage. And get people's votes on the record.
posted by mikelieman at 12:47 PM on December 19, 2018 [20 favorites]

It would additionally serve to force Republicans to vote a position on these things. They will have a tough time continuing to argue they actually support coverage for people with pre-existing conditions if they vote against it again.

Sure, but exactly that thing just happened an hour ago, and Republicans do not care at all:

@sahilkapur:

Senator Joe Manchin (D) just offered a measure to intervene against the lawsuit that'd nullify Obamacare, which just won a victory in district court.

Senator John Barrasso (R) blocked it on behalf of GOP leaders. He said ACA has failed and bemoaned calls for single payer.

They're perfectly willing to vote against pre-existing condition coverage. They just lie about it at campaign time.
posted by zachlipton at 12:51 PM on December 19, 2018 [28 favorites]

I think there's a difference in optics and political opportunity between a procedural block in the Senate and an actual, recorded vote in the House though.
posted by Justinian at 12:56 PM on December 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

I think there's a difference in optics and political opportunity between a procedural block in the Senate and an actual, recorded vote in the House though.

And the Republicans know it -- the procedural block prevents the other Republicans from having to cast an actual, recorded vote (which will anger either the voters of their state, or their constituency, wealthy business interests).
posted by Gelatin at 1:08 PM on December 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

The Washington Post's David Fahrenthold has the full article on the dissolution of the Trump Foundation.

As a reminder, David Fahrenthold caused this all to happen, because he was watching Trump prattle about all his charity work and thought, Hmm, I wonder whether he really does give a lot of money away...

I apologize for misstating this. Per Fahrenthold himself on the Post Reports podcast, the genesis was Trump giving away a big novelty check from the Foundation to a local charity during a political rally, and Fahrenthold thinking, I've never seen anyone do that at a campaign event before... Wait, is that legal?

It is not, and he kept pulling the thread.
posted by Etrigan at 1:31 PM on December 19, 2018 [45 favorites]

Trump Knows His Only Legal Hope Is to Win in the Court of Public Opinion (Dahlia Lithwick, Slate)

That’s why he keeps tweeting about how he doesn’t understand enough to break the law.
...
As the metaphorical noose tightens around Donald Trump’s corporeal neck, he is turning to his ever more inevitable legal defense: “I can’t have broken the law because I don’t actually understand the law.” This isn’t being advanced in a court of law; it’s a play for the court of truth and public opinion, and that’s the only reason it could work.
…
Watch for the pattern: The president is both too big and too small to be held to legal account. He is too busy and too important. But also, he doesn’t understand, and he cannot recall. The crimes weren’t “big.” The president—in this conception—exists on some astral plane that courts, and facts, cannot touch. It’s as if we’ve arrived at a point in the Mueller probe where all of federal law must be reduced to something a small child could color over a long car ride for Trump to be expected to understand it. This is a PR play that works only as long as we all accede to the central principle that this one man is above—or below—the law. That isn’t something the courts, or Bob Mueller, or Rudy Giuliani can adjudicate. It’s the thing we’ll at some point have to determine for ourselves.

posted by ZeusHumms at 1:32 PM on December 19, 2018 [24 favorites]

> The procedural block prevents the other Republicans from having to cast an actual, recorded vote (which will anger either the voters of their state, or their constituency, wealthy business interests).

Come January, Nancy Pelosi will control what bills the Rebulicans in the House *have* to take votes on. And I bet she has been thinking long and hard about the optics - and so have the Republicans.

Prepare for an onslaught of "House Democrats are being so mean" whining on Fox and in the Op Ed pages.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:34 PM on December 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

Prepare for an onslaught of "House Democrats are being so mean" whining on Fox and in the Op Ed pages.

Assuming these messages are coming in force, is there a way Democrats can head these off and turn them against those delivering them?
posted by ZeusHumms at 1:42 PM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Can we start referring, in general, and all the time, to “the Republican treason,” “another Republican betrayal,” etc etc?

It is literally the thing they are good at; it should be their brand.
posted by schadenfrau at 1:43 PM on December 19, 2018 [15 favorites]

> @ddiamond: JUST OUT - final sign-up numbers for HealthCare.gov. Enrollment down from 8.8 million to 8.5 million — a decline, but much smaller than expected after weeks of enrollment lags.

Via my Senator, Maria Cantwell - the deadline has been extended:

You still have a chance to enroll in 2019 health coverage. If you were unable to select a plan before the close of #OpenEnrollment and would like to enroll in a 2019 plan, contact Customer Support (1-855-923-4633) no later than December 20, 2018.

posted by SoundInhabitant at 1:47 PM on December 19, 2018 [16 favorites]

Is that only for Washington state?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 1:50 PM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Via my Senator, Maria Cantwell - the deadline has been extended

Note: this is just for Washington state. They can extend the deadline because they don't use HealthCare.gov. (And that 8.5 million enrollment figure is just for the 30-40 states using HealthCare.gov as their ACA exchange.)
posted by bassooner at 1:53 PM on December 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

In addition to the tax bill and health care bill that I know the Dems are going to be working on, I want an endless stream of small, simple bills: laws that take two pages or less to describe, don't cost notable money to enact, with the simplest possible phrasing, that can be posted publicly and announced on Twitter, so that R senators constantly face an irate crowd asking, "why aren't you voting for this?"

• Voters' rights: "It shall be a felony to disenfranchise, or attempt to disenfranchise, any eligible citizen."
• Police must protect: "Police officers have a duty to protect citizens from harm caused by criminals."
• Customer Data Information: "Any company that collects and sells information about its customers, clients, or users, must provide a complete copy of that information to the customer, client, or user on request, within 10 days."
• Share the Risk: "All water in government buildings and provided at government events, must be drawn from local municipal taps."
• Community police: "Police must live in the area in which they have authority to patrol and arrest."

And so on. Some will need terms defined and more clarification, but the point isn't to pass them all; it's to create public awareness of all the things laws could be doing to improve their lives, and get them to demand that legislatures enact those laws.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:55 PM on December 19, 2018 [50 favorites]

That’s why he keeps tweeting about how he doesn’t understand enough to break the law.

Years of developmentally disabled people being executed provide a counterargument. The standard tends to be knowing wrong from right (and even so...), not lawyer vs. not-lawyer.
posted by rhizome at 1:56 PM on December 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

The Remarkable Tale of the Corporate Lobbyist Sworn In as a Temporary U.S. Senator

(note: The Intercept)
posted by Chrysostom at 2:01 PM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

> Note: this is just for Washington state. They can extend the deadline because they don't use HealthCare.gov.

Oh shirt. Didn't look closely at the image attached to the tweet. Good catch.
posted by SoundInhabitant at 2:01 PM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Haaretz reports that Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria was made immediately after a phone call with Erdogan: "'Everything that has followed is implementing the agreement that was made in that call,' the official said."
posted by contraption at 2:05 PM on December 19, 2018 [30 favorites]

I'm not gonna pretend I know all the ins and outs of what's going on over there but the thought of the US throwing the Kurds under the bus again makes me sick.
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:18 PM on December 19, 2018 [53 favorites]

@ZoeTillman: NEW: A federal judge in Florida has sided with BuzzFeed (my employer) in a defamation lawsuit brought over the publication of the Trump dossier. Judge found the fair report privilege applied because it involved an official proceeding

Here's the ruling.
posted by zachlipton at 2:18 PM on December 19, 2018 [22 favorites]

I can’t have broken the law because I don’t actually understand the law.

Counterpoint: "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it."
posted by kirkaracha at 2:22 PM on December 19, 2018 [36 favorites]

Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria was made immediately after a phone call with Erdogan

One of the speculations about Turkey's drip-drip-drip release of information about MBS's involvement in Kashoggi's murder was that it was intended to keep up pressure in order to extract some kind of concessions -- from either SA or the US. One can't help but wonder if this was the concession, i.e.: pull out from Syria and we won't release our tapes to the public.
posted by mhum at 2:23 PM on December 19, 2018 [17 favorites]

pull out from Syria and we won't release our tapes to the public.

The Kurds are going to die because Jared Kushner is a soulless moron.
posted by schadenfrau at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2018 [44 favorites]

I'm not gonna pretend I know all the ins and outs of what's going on over there but the thought of the US throwing the Kurds under the bus again makes me sick.

I'm woefully uninformed about the region myself, but had just recently become aware that beyond just being kinda euphemistically "democratic" as is often reported in our media, the Kurdish-controlled Rojava region of northwestern Syria is in fact one of just a couple global bright spots of leftist political success. They've built a functioning autonomous society based at least in part on anarchist and municipalist ideals, and they've done it in the middle of a war zone.
posted by contraption at 2:50 PM on December 19, 2018 [34 favorites]

Well, waddya know?
Frequent guest of the Tucker Carlson show Glenn Greenwald compares a boycott of the FoxNews host's sponsors to the type of censorship that is typically waged against marginalized people by "powerful factions."
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:51 PM on December 19, 2018 [14 favorites]

I just got an email from the Providence Mueller Firing Rapid Response host saying they were preparing for a potential rally if Mueller is fired or if Trump "pardons key persons implicated in Mueller's investigation." I feel like I missed a link somewhere in the thread.
posted by Ruki at 2:52 PM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

There was a reddit AMA with David Fahrenthold today.
posted by Sublimity at 2:55 PM on December 19, 2018 [6 favorites]

Mueller seeks Roger Stone’s testimony to House intelligence panel, suggesting special counsel is near end of probe of Trump adviser
(WaPost: Carol D. Leonnig, Ellen Nakashima, Rosalind S. Helderman and Manuel Roig-Franzia)

For weeks, the special counsel’s office has had access to an unofficial copy of Stone’s closed-door September 2017 interview, according to people with knowledge of the process. Mueller’s request of the official copy signals the special counsel could now be pursuing an indictment, several legal experts said.

posted by pjenks at 3:05 PM on December 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

Meanwhile, more locally, here's a GQ article about Rep. Devin Nunes' war against the local newspaper The Fresno Bee. I'm in another part of California served by another paper owned by the Bee's parent, McClatchy and I consider the group more honest and courageous than any "big name" paper, so, obviously, the GOP is trying to put them out of business. On the other hand, FoxNews = FakeNews and I personally avoid any company I know to be running commercials on the channel. As if my minor consumer purchases matter.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:08 PM on December 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

Frequent guest of the Tucker Carlson show Glenn Greenwald compares a boycott of the FoxNews host's sponsors to the type of censorship that is typically waged against marginalized people by "powerful factions."

Building from the idea that money = speech, then choosing where you spend money (or don't) is just another form of free expression. People have the right to do that. So do the advertisers, who choose where to buy their ad time. This is the free market, right? And people can also share with each other the decisions they are making about their spending.

And if money = speech, then speech = money. If your choices about how to exercise your speech are shitty, then there might be less money. No one is stopping you, you just might not get paid.
posted by nubs at 3:13 PM on December 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

Ahhhh see that’s your problem - Greenwald isn’t on Carlson’s show to make a cogent argument that is internally consistent and able to withstand scrutiny. He’s there to say something objectionable to the libs and get money.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:20 PM on December 19, 2018 [18 favorites]

Greenwald's argument can basically be summed up as:
"I might disapprove of what you have to say, but I'll defend to my last penny your right to get rich by saying it!"
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:21 PM on December 19, 2018 [10 favorites]

That being said, I do understand the argument about how the boycott strategy can (and has been) used against marginalized groups. I just don't buy that Fox News - which appears to be tops in the rankings of cable news from a quick Google, and the voice of the party that currently holds all three levels of government - is a marginalized group.
posted by nubs at 3:22 PM on December 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

Frequent guest of the Tucker Carlson show Glenn Greenwald compares a boycott of the FoxNews host's sponsors to the type of censorship that is typically waged against marginalized people by "powerful factions."

Serious request: can we add this link to the wiki and then just copy/paste every time someone comes in here citing Greenwald like he’s a legitimate journalist and not a Russian asset? It will save a lot of time.
posted by schadenfrau at 3:22 PM on December 19, 2018 [35 favorites]

Obama Claus at Children's National hospital in DC today. I almost cried.
posted by young_simba at 3:28 PM on December 19, 2018 [38 favorites]

Paul Ryan, disingenuous to the last:

“This kind of politics starts from a place of outrage, and seeks to tear us down from there. So … how do we get back to aspiration and inclusion, where we start with humility, and seek to build on that? I don’t know the answer to that.”

Retiring Republicans concern-trolling about the lamentable state of American political discourse is another one of those modern mini-genres by this point.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:32 PM on December 19, 2018 [30 favorites]

“So … how do we get back to aspiration and inclusion, where we start with humility, and seek to build on that? I don’t know the answer to that.”

I do. Stop lying, cheating and stealing.
posted by valkane at 3:38 PM on December 19, 2018 [44 favorites]

I really, really fucking hate all the disparagement heaped on outrage. Because ultimately, what it really is - is censorship. Not the bullshit that Greenwald whines about (Newsflash, Glenn - people choosing who to spend their money with is actually a form of speech), but the real sort, meant to silence people with a disgusting form of false piety that looks to place comity over justice. If you are offended by outrage, then you don't believe in free speech.
posted by NoxAeternum at 3:40 PM on December 19, 2018 [15 favorites]

Obama Claus at Children's National hospital in DC today.

Counterpoint: Donald Trump Hates Christmas Parties (Olivia Nunzi, NYMag). "One person close to the White House told me, “It makes perfect sense” that Trump hates the entire production surrounding Christmas, “because it’s not about him!” This person added, “If it were about him, he’d love it. Christmas is not about him.”"
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:44 PM on December 19, 2018 [15 favorites]

If you are offended by outrage, then you don't believe in free speech.

plenty of us will defend offense inspired by right-wing outrage, so how about let's leave censorship to its original definition of speech suppressed or compelled by state power and not try to derive weird proofs of belief from how people react to things?
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:47 PM on December 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

Maybe easier to say, if you're offended by outrage, maybe don't do (or support) objectively outrageous things. Paul Ryan falls so fucking far from that sniff test that he goes all meta, becoming himself a walking human outrage.
posted by Brak at 3:50 PM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

Trump has a history, volume XXXVII:
@nicole_hong
NEW: Trump indicated in a 1988 sworn affidavit that he has a deep understanding of campaign-finance laws.

To bring a campaign-finance case, prosecutors have to show someone knew the rules and violated them willfully

Trump's... lawyer? Giuliani has been arguing that Trump's colossal ignorance means that he could not have formed the necessary intent to breach campaign finance laws. This Tweet links to a WSJ article on the subject (allowing you to read it without a subscription), as well as earlier affidavits from Trump demonstrating his understanding of the laws.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:52 PM on December 19, 2018 [36 favorites]

Trump posted one of his "stand outside the White House and shout" videos about Syria. He says "we've won" many, many times, but then he specifically invokes the memories of dead soldiers "up there looking down on us [points to sky], and there is nobody happier or more proud of their families to put them in a position where they've done such good for so many people." Not content to use dead soldiers for political posturing, his next sentence explains "they're all coming back," which strikes me as inconsistent with his previous sentence about those who died.

Note that his "we have won against ISIS" involves a retconning of the definition of "won" from the previous "enduring defeat" to the newly invented standard of "territoriality defeated":

As well, the administration official retroactively redefined the Trump administration’s stated objectives in Syria. While the administration on innumerable occasions described the mission as the “enduring defeat of ISIS,” the official said instead that “it was always to destroy the territorial caliphate of ISIS.” (In October, a spokesman for the U.S. military command in Iraq and Syria remarked, “ISIS is territorially defeated, but until we achieve an enduring defeat, we will continue to fight.”)

posted by zachlipton at 3:55 PM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.

— George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
posted by kirkaracha at 4:05 PM on December 19, 2018 [11 favorites]

Sublimity: There was a reddit AMA with David Fahrenthold today.

One of the comments seems to have pointed out a connection he hadn't noticed before! Specifically, that Individual-1 founded a shady company called Chicago LLC on the exact day he announced casino renovations, funded in a way that involved that company.

nubs: That being said, I do understand the argument about how the boycott strategy can (and has been) used against marginalized groups.

That strikes me as akin to "But if this 'voting' thing can oust horrible Republicans, it could also cause progressive Democrats to lose their offices in coming years. What will liberals do when the shoe is on the other foot?"

I don't think there are "no bad tactics", that's absurd. But I fail to see how boycotting rich celebrities of any ideology is even a little bad, independent of how it gets used. Maybe if there was a risk someone becomes totally impoverished for lack of business, I'd consider the problem.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:15 PM on December 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

WaPo, Attorneys for father of deceased migrant girl say border agents did not provide water

Seven-year-old Jakelin Caal and her father, Nery, were not provided water during the eight hours they were held in a remote Border Patrol facility with 161 other migrants, the family’s lawyers said Wednesday, contradicting statements by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The lawyers also said Border Patrol agents presented the girl’s father with English-language documents, which he signed, in the hours after her death on Dec. 8, raising the possibility that U.S. authorities sought an agreement — as he was grieving — to voluntarily leave the country.

“What we do know, and what our client is unequivocal with, is that no water was provided to either him or his daughter,” said Christopher Benoit, one of four attorneys who appeared at a news conference here at a shelter for migrants.

CBP officials have said food and water were available at the small border outpost in New Mexico where Jakelin and her father were held after crossing into the United States on the night of Dec. 6, and that the child consumed both after having nothing to eat or drink for several days. Nery Caal, 29, has disputed the government’s account, and his attorneys said cookies were the only thing available to the families in custody that night.

posted by zachlipton at 4:16 PM on December 19, 2018 [24 favorites]

HuffPost, Matt Fuller and Arthur Delaney, And What Can You Say About Paul Ryan?, in which we look back on this guy's longrunning scam:

The Republican calls to read the bill ― calls that helped propel them to the majority in 2010 ― have been replaced with Ryan ramming through a 2,232-page bill funding the government 17 hours after leaders released the text. Amazingly, on the same day the House passed that bill, he said he had done “a phenomenal job” restoring regular order.

On Wednesday, Ryan took to the Great Hall in the Library of Congress for yet another goodbye speech. It was almost exactly three years since Ryan delivered a speech in that room at the beginning of his speakership. But what was supposed to be a farewell was really more of the same calls he made in the past for reform ― on debt, on immigration and on poverty.

As Vox recently remarked in a headline, “Paul Ryan really wishes the House speaker would fix immigration and the debt.” Ryan is the speaker who didn’t seem to realize that he had the power to do things, that he could do more than cut taxes and that achieving results would take more than grandiose speeches echoing hollowly through the Great Hall in the Library of Congress.

posted by zachlipton at 4:24 PM on December 19, 2018 [11 favorites]

Wilbur Ross said he divested a stock holding — but he didn’t

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross twice submitted sworn statements to ethics officials saying he had divested stock that he in fact still owned, a new document obtained by the Center for Public Integrity reveals.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:27 PM on December 19, 2018 [38 favorites]

Trump 2020 campaign used a shell company to pay ad buyers at the center of alleged illegal coordination scheme with NRA

The Trump campaign funneled money to ad buyers alleged to have facilitated illegal coordination between the campaign and the NRA by routing funds through a secretive LLC that appears to be little more than a shell company, an investigation by the Center for Responsive Politics has found.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:28 PM on December 19, 2018 [50 favorites]

The Republican calls to read the bill ― calls that helped propel them to the majority in 2010 ― have been replaced with Ryan ramming through a 2,232-page bill funding the government 17 hours after leaders released the text.

There should be a rule that a bill has to be released with adequate time for people to read it. Some formula based on average words per minute times the number of words in the bill, and a maximum of four hours per day to allow people to do the rest of their jobs. And of course the bills should be written to pass readability checkers at a 12th-grade level (since voters need to be adults).
posted by kirkaracha at 4:39 PM on December 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

WaPo, Attorneys for father of deceased migrant girl say border agents did not provide water

At this point any news organization that prints any ICE or CBP statement about any incident without citing this or any of the other many fucking examples of ICE or CBP lying to cover their own asses is actively complicit.

Seriously, think about what it takes to look at a dehydrated seven year old girl who has just come in from the desert and do anything other than take care of her in any way you can. Think about how far from your own humanity you have to be, a direct measure of how much you’ve dehumanized the little girl in front of you, to not give her water. Think about what an amoral coward you have to be to lie about it, and to pressure her father to make statements while he and other people he knows are still in your custody.

There aren’t going to be enough prison cells for all of these Nazis.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:47 PM on December 19, 2018 [73 favorites]

Attorneys for father of deceased migrant girl say border agents did not provide water

"and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward" Matthew 10:42

It's right there.
posted by jedicus at 4:50 PM on December 19, 2018 [90 favorites]

There should be a rule that a bill has to be released with adequate time for people to read it.

There was. They waived the rule.

Rules or even laws mean nothing when the people in charge are lawless.
posted by Justinian at 4:51 PM on December 19, 2018 [22 favorites]

If it were about him, he’d love it. Christmas is not about him.

Jim Gaffigan has some funny comments about Jesus making his birthday all about Him, from Live From Here last Saturday (at 1:36:00).
posted by msalt at 4:57 PM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

Obama Claus at Children's National hospital in DC today. I almost cried.

George W does this too, and his Secret Service detail dresses up as elves.
posted by ZeusHumms at 5:21 PM on December 19, 2018 [13 favorites]

Did the reporters asking questions know that Mystery Official's identity and role? Or was it more like a revival of What's My Line? So weird regardless.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:20 PM on December 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

George W does this too, and his Secret Service detail dresses up as elves.

Those elves know when you've been naughty.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:30 PM on December 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

NYT, Scott Shane and Alan Blinder, Secret Experiment in Alabama Senate Race Imitated Russian Tactics

As Russia’s online election machinations came to light last year, a group of Democratic tech experts decided to try out similarly deceptive tactics in the fiercely contested Alabama Senate race, according to people familiar with the effort and a report on its results.

The secret project, carried out on Facebook and Twitter, was likely too small to have a significant effect on the race, in which the Democratic candidate it was designed to help, Doug Jones, edged out the Republican, Roy S. Moore. But it was a sign that American political operatives of both parties have paid close attention to the Russian methods, which some fear may come to taint elections in the United States.
...
An internal report on the Alabama effort, obtained by The New York Times, says explicitly that it “experimented with many of the tactics now understood to have influenced the 2016 elections.”

The project’s operators created a Facebook page on which they posed as conservative Alabamians, using it to try to divide Republicans and even to endorse a write-in candidate to draw votes from Mr. Moore. It involved a scheme to link the Moore campaign to thousands of Russian accounts that suddenly began following the Republican candidate on Twitter, a development that drew national media attention.

“We orchestrated an elaborate ‘false flag’ operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet,” the report says.

This was a tiny project that doesn't seem to have amounted to much, and I think this story does a great disservice by conflating domestic dirty campaigning with Russian manipulation, but what the actual fuck where these people thinking? The $100,000 for the project came from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, passing through such names as Mikey Dickerson and Sara Hudson. Here's Jonathan Morgan's statement; he's the head of New Knowledge (which produced one of the Senate reports on Russian disinformation that came out yesterday) and tries to cast this as more of a research project "to better understand and report on the tactics and effects of social media disinformation."

Some of us remember the clusterfuck that happened when a legit poly-sci study out of Stanford and Dartmouth veered into manipulating elections, so you'd think that would make anybody stop calling this kind of stuff "research."
posted by zachlipton at 6:35 PM on December 19, 2018 [25 favorites]

So this seems like a thing. WSJ, Sadie Gurman and Aruna Viswanatha, Trump’s Attorney General Pick Criticized an Aspect of Mueller Probe in Memo to Justice Department

William Barr, President Trump’s choice for attorney general, sent an unsolicited memo earlier this year to the Justice Department that excoriated special counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into potential obstruction of justice by Mr. Trump, saying it is based on a “fatally misconceived” theory that would cause lasting damage to the presidency and the executive branch.

The 20-page document, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, provides the first in-depth look at Mr. Barr’s views on the special counsel’s Russia investigation, which he would likely oversee if confirmed.

In the memo, Mr. Barr wrote he sent it as a “former official” who hoped his “views may be useful.” He wrote he was concerned about the part of Mr. Mueller’s probe that, according to news reports in the Journal and elsewhere, has explored whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice in asking then-FBI director James Comeyto drop an investigation into former national security adviser Mike Flynn’s contacts with Russia, and by later firing Mr. Comey.

Mr. Barr’s memo, dated June 8 and sent to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, argues that, based on the facts as he understands them, the president was acting well within his executive-branch authority.

I've got to say, a former AG who sends an unsolicited 20-page letter to the Justice Department to argue that the President can't obstruct justice if he openly admits to firing people for refusing to drop an investigation into his aides sounds an awful lot like a crank. But it's weird to me that they went ahead with Barr given that the whole premise of his choice was an easy confirmation process for a Republican who has held the job before. The whole idea was they could nominate a solid Republican who could answer precisely nothing about the Mueller investigation during the hearings and let him take control of the thing unrecused. And now the hearings are going to be about this 20-page memo. With a 53/47 Senate, they may well force him through anyway, but I thought they picked Barr to avoid all this, yet here we are.
posted by zachlipton at 7:53 PM on December 19, 2018 [22 favorites]

As a group of Senate Democrats sang Christmas carols in the chamber during procedural votes (the setlist, the Senate passed an interim funding bill to fund the government through February 8th on a voice vote. There is no funding for the wall.

@sahilkapur: Notable: Any senator can force a recorded vote to put everyone on the spot. That none did says a lot about the appetite to keep fighting for Trump's wall in this bill.

A group of western-state Senators tried to add public lands measures to the bill, but the package was blocked by Sen. Lee. There's a plan to take it up in January, but Cory Gardner is yelling "I’m pretty doggone upset" at Lee on the floor.

The House Rules committee is meeting now to setup a vote on the CR tomorrow before a shutdown.
posted by zachlipton at 8:04 PM on December 19, 2018 [12 favorites]

Meanwhile, the president played Santa today at a children’s hospital
posted by growabrain at 8:36 PM on December 19, 2018 [6 favorites]

Trump’s abrupt decision to pull American troops from Syria is riskier than it looks (David Ignatius, WaPo)

What’s truly distressing is that until Trump’s sudden turnabout, the United States had something of a virtuous cycle going in the region. Not only was the Islamic State almost extinguished, but in addition, U.S. power was creating conditions for future stability. The new Iraqi government was eager to be a partner; Iran was realizing it had overreached in Syria; Sunni Arab allies such as Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates wanted to help contain Turkish power and create a more stable Syrian state.

Trump aborted this positive momentum. He ceded power in northern Syria to Turkey and its proxies, which have made a ruinous mess everywhere in Syria they’ve tried to control. He abandoned a Syrian Kurdish ally that had imagined that sacrificing lives at the United States’ request would count for something. It didn’t.

Trump’s Syrian legacy: He has proved even more irresolute than his predecessor, Barack Obama. How does that feel, Mr. President?

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:40 PM on December 19, 2018 [15 favorites]

Did the reporters asking questions know that Mystery Official's identity and role?

Definitely. After that time Trump claimed an official who gave a background briefing didn't exist Yashar Ali named him and released audio. They're basically like regular briefings but they're just "on background" and reporters in the room agree not to name the briefing officials.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:49 PM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

It's like Judge Sullivan is trying piss off Tucker and friends now: Judge strikes down Trump policy blocking domestic violence victims from asylum (Ted Hesson, Politico)

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that policies blocking the alleged victims from obtaining “credible fear” of return to their home country — the first step in an asylum claim — violates federal immigration law.

The decision bars the Trump administration from rapidly deporting such asylum seekers and represents another legal setback in President Donald Trump’s battle to discourage migrants from trekking to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Sullivan wrote in a detailed 107-page opinion that new credible fear policies stemming from an immigration court opinion issued in June by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions ran afoul of congressional intent.

“And because it is the will of Congress — not the whims of the executive — that determines the standard for expedited removal, the court finds that those policies are unlawful,” Sullivan wrote.

posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:50 PM on December 19, 2018 [40 favorites]

huh - L.A. teachers set to strike Jan. 10. Union says it has no plans for more negotiating

"United Teachers Los Angeles represents teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses. About half a million students would be affected by a strike in the nation’s second-largest school system."

Blue State Revolt
posted by The Whelk at 9:17 PM on December 19, 2018 [17 favorites]

I thought they picked Barr to avoid all this, yet here we are.

Trump isn't going to nominate a normal AG, he wants someone to kill the Mueller probe, that's the only consideration. He thought Barr could fly under the radar, but would still do his bidding and now this memo showing Barr is just as much Trump's patsy as Whitaker. He couldn't not be, that's the only relevant qualification.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:25 PM on December 19, 2018 [7 favorites]

From the Blue State Revolt link: Huge class sizes, low per-pupil funding, rampant charter schools, over-testing, a lack of counselors, nurses, and librarians — these are the fruit of years of Democratic rule in the city and the state capitol.

Well, yeah, but it wasn't the government of L.A. or in Sacramento which gutted the tax base paying for schooling in California via prop 13, that was The People. This is what happens when you vote for Fuck You Got Mine via direct democracy.
posted by Justinian at 9:47 PM on December 19, 2018 [47 favorites]

what the actual fuck where these people thinking? [using online disinformation tactics to link Roy Moore to Russia]

I agree that it was a really stupid thing to do, and completely shitty when the black community was putting in the work to accomplish 99% eligible voter turnout via legit methods, but I kinda wonder if they were inspired by this Guardian interview from that August where Moore suddenly starts speaking Russian.

(And musing about Putin's opposition to same-sex marriage comments that perhaps Putin is “more kin to me than I know”)
posted by XMLicious at 10:24 PM on December 19, 2018

Michigan Republicans Lost at the Ballot Box, so They Launched an All-Out Lame-Duck Assault (Tom Perkins, Slate)

Just weeks after voters resoundingly rejected the GOP agenda in Michigan, the party is brazenly attempting to steal power from incoming Democrats and pass a stunning wave of right-wing legislation during the states’ lame-duck legislative sessions.

Among other moves, Republicans approved unpopular plans for an oil pipeline through the Great Lakes, voted to gut environmental protections in the face of a new water crisis, passed a bill that limits abortion access, and acted to protect their dark money donors’ identities. If the extent of the villainy seems downright cartoonish [YouTube], it’s worth noting that the state GOP also took the Montgomery Burns–level step of loosening puppy mill regulations. Even Michigan’s puppies aren’t safe from the Michigan GOP. [more about the puppies]

Perhaps most notably, the party isn’t just trying to snatch power from incoming Dems—it’s trying to strip it from every registered voter in the state with a bill that would effectively kill citizen-initiated ballot proposals. Republicans are doing so because voters in November approved by wide margins progressive initiatives to expand voting access, decriminalize marijuana, and set up an independent redistricting commission to address the state’s gerrymandered legislative map, which is the reason Republicans in the state legislature have been empowered to act with such impunity to begin with. Two other citizen-initiated proposals to increase the minimum wage and to mandate paid sick time likely would have passed, but Republicans killed the initiative by passing and then gutting those laws instead of letting voters have a say.

posted by ZeusHumms at 10:59 PM on December 19, 2018 [46 favorites]

Michigan Lame Duck Tracker (Riley Beggin, Mike Wilkinson, Bridge MI)

Since the chaotic lame duck session began in late November, hundreds of bills have been introduced and voted on, some that would have major effects on Michigan.

posted by ZeusHumms at 11:08 PM on December 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

Reuters, Turkey says Syrian Kurdish militants will be buried in ditches: Anadolu

Turkey said Kurdish militants east of the Euphrates in Syria “will be buried in their ditches when the time comes”, after President Donald Trump began what will be a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria.
...
“Now we have Manbij and the east of the Euphrates in front of us. We are working intensively on this subject,” state-owned Anadolu news agency on Thursday reported Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as saying during a visit to a Qatari-Turkish joint military base in Doha.

“Right now it is being said that some ditches, tunnels were dug in Manbij and to the east of the Euphrates. They can dig tunnels or ditches if they want, they can go underground if they want, when the time and place comes they will buried in the ditches they dug. No one should doubt this.”

posted by zachlipton at 12:16 AM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

David Sirota's back for another swing at Beto O'Rourke:

Beto O’Rourke frequently voted for Republican legislation, analysis reveals (The Guardian)

Capital & Main reviewed the 167 votes O’Rourke has cast in the House in opposition to the majority of his own party during his six-year tenure in Congress. Many of those votes were not progressive dissents alongside other left-leaning lawmakers, but instead votes to help pass Republican-sponsored legislation.

...In the last two years, O’Rourke was among the top fifth of all lawmakers voting against his own party’s positions. FiveThirtyEight has calculated that in that same time period, O’Rourke has voted for the Trump administration position roughly 30% of the time. The website said that is above what analysts predict would come from a legislator representing a district as Democratic as O’Rourke’s. For comparison, O’Rourke’s congressional district votes more Democratic than than most districts in Massachusetts, according to the Cook Political Report.

posted by Merus at 4:54 AM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

Well, Sirota's not wrong. Beto is a very Obama-esque sort of person. He's by all appearances a genuinely kind, well meaning, person who deeply and truly believes in bipartisanship, the importance of civility, and reaching across the aisle to cooperate with people you don't necessarily like or agree with.

This is why I am opposed to him being the Democratic candidate for President in 2020. He's a good and nice person and that's the last thing we need right now. The Democrats need a firebrand with a grudge who will rain down fiery vengeance on the Republicans for the abuses and humiliations they have subjected America to.

Beto would be Obama 2.0, firmly committed to bipartisanship as a matter of principle, determined to "look forward, not back", and utterly ineffective because the Republicans would walk all over him exactly the same as they did Obama.

He'd have been a great candidate in the 1980s when there was the faint possibility of actual bipartisanship. Today? No, he's among the worst possible candidates the Democrats could put forth. He'd have a good chance of winning, and if he won it would be a disaster.
posted by sotonohito at 5:09 AM on December 20, 2018 [44 favorites]

It's interesting because he doesn't seem to be wrong, but David Sirota's got form when it comes to purity tests. It's almost less credible coming from him because Sirota's shown in the past he's willing to omit inconvenient facts to clean up his narrative.
posted by Merus at 5:15 AM on December 20, 2018 [10 favorites]

"US Passes First Anti-Lynching Law After Senate Vote. Worth the BBC article for this tidbit:
Presiding over the vote was Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Mississippi Republican who stirred controversy last month after joking that she would attend a "public hanging" if invited by a supporter.
posted by TwoStride at 5:43 AM on December 20, 2018 [12 favorites]

Centrist white dude Dems strike again: Democratic Leadership is Already Hobbling AOC's Climate Change Committee

Incoming majority leader Rep. Steny Hoyer told reporters on Wednesday that a new climate change committee will be a “recommendatory committee,” and won’t have subpoena power, a vital Congressional ability that progressive leaders could use to force major fossil fuel industry players to provide documents or testify in hearings.

“My expectation [is] it will not have subpoena power. It will be a recommendatory committee to the Energy and Commerce Committee and the environmental committees,” Hoyer said.

Hoyer went on to then say some bullshit about a climate change committee not needing subpoena power, because the climate change experts would be “dying to come before them.” “I think they’re [scientists] going to want to testify; I think they’ll want to give the best information as it relates to the crisis,” Hoyer said.
[...]
The fucked up thing is that according to the Hill, the preceding House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming did have subpoena power.

That panel, which existed from 2007 to 2011 and was chaired by then-Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), had the power to issue subpoenas. It used that power at least once, in 2008, when it voted to compel the Environmental Protection Agency under former President George W. Bush to disclose its progress on formulating climate change rules for automobiles.

AOC’s political allies are, to put it mildly, pissed about this.

posted by zombieflanders at 5:55 AM on December 20, 2018 [41 favorites]

So, is Hoyer mad at AOC because she unseated his buddy, or is he just a racist and sexist who can't imagine giving real power to a woman of color?
posted by sotonohito at 6:08 AM on December 20, 2018 [10 favorites]

So, is Hoyer mad at AOC because she unseated his buddy, or is he just a racist and sexist who can't imagine giving real power to a woman of color?

Why not both.
posted by winna at 6:14 AM on December 20, 2018 [41 favorites]

TwoStride: US Passes First Anti-Lynching Law After Senate Vote

I could have sworn that BBC headline was inaccurate and at least some federal anti-lynching laws were passed either during Reconstruction or the era after it, and that this new law's change was the added classification as a hate crime. Bu taccording to Wikipedia, nope, it's been attempted many times but this would be the first to successfully pass. Wow.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:19 AM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

Glad to see the US Senate is finally taking a bold stand on this controversial and divisive issue. Their pro-lynching constituents must be pissed.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:24 AM on December 20, 2018 [20 favorites]

climate change experts would be “dying to come before them.”

...Which means they absolutely wouldn't object to being subpoenaed, then, so what's the problem? And also, the power of the subpoena doesn't exactly lie in its getting willing witnesses to appear, is it? Christ, fellas, we only have two legs apiece for you to piss on and tell us it's raining.
posted by Rykey at 6:29 AM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

So, is Hoyer mad at AOC because she unseated his buddy, or is he just a racist and sexist who can't imagine giving real power to a woman of color?

I'm not claiming any insight into his head or character, but another option is that she's an utterly unknown quality without a state legislative or local-government record to look at and they don't want to hand her (more) tools she could use to embarrass or otherwise hurt the party until they have some sense of how reliable and trustworthy she is as an agent of the party instead of just being her own woman.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:33 AM on December 20, 2018 [15 favorites]

@rebeccavallas: "After failing to gut food stamps in the Farm Bill, Trump has announced he plans to sidestep Congress & unilaterally slash the program by fiat—just days before Christmas."
posted by homunculus at 6:42 AM on December 20, 2018 [39 favorites]

CNN: Exclusive: Whitaker Told He Does Not Need to Recuse Himself from Overseeing Mueller Investigation

Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker has consulted with ethics officials at the Justice Department and they have advised him he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, a source familiar with the process told CNN Thursday.

The source added Whitaker has been in ongoing discussions with ethics officials since taking the job in early November following the ouster of Jeff Sessions, who had stepped aside from overseeing the investigation due to his role as a Trump campaign surrogate during the 2016 election.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein oversaw the investigation following Sessions' recusal and his office is still managing the investigation on a day-to-day basis, as CNN has previously reported.

Whitaker is expected to inform senators, many of whom have raised ethics concerns given his past criticism of Mueller's investigation, about this development later Thursday, the source said.

posted by Doktor Zed at 6:54 AM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

Quick question: votes are binary, yea or nay. If, as this supposes, Democrats voted one way on a bill -- call it yea -- and some progressives recorded "protest votes" of nay, along with the Republicans as that is how binaries fucking work, how, exactly, would one determine whether a nay vote was a "true progressive" protest vote or a vote to "help Republicans?"

You can look at the estimated ideal points of the members voting the "wrong" way. If there's some consistent pattern of lefty protest votes, this should reveal itself in higher dimensionality of the issue hyperspace in that year, or at least a shift in the strength and "direction" of the second dimension away from its usual weird mishmash of racial stuff.

You could also look at the networks of sponsorships and cosponsorships of the bills he's voting on, at least for final passage votes or for votes on the rules for the bills, to get an easy sense of who he's supporting and opposing. Him consistently voting with Republican-offered positions or positions cosponsored by a bunch of Republicans would make it harder to see him as a firm lefty.

For anyone who follows how congress works, and knows there are any number of reasons individual members vote any given way on a given bill, this is transparent bullshit.

While I long ago shifted what I do away from Congress itself, I basically have a (literal) phd in how Congress works and the hit-piece, while clearly a hit-piece, is not transparent bullshit. The authors of the hit-piece are making too much of individual details, but in general what they're doing could be described as dumbed-down versions of what I or anybody who was still a Congress jock would do to query whether O'Rourke is leftist or moderate.

Certainly, while he was in the House, he was not a leftist Democrat. His estimated ideal points and other vote-based scores paint him clearly and consistently as a centrist-moderate within the Democrats.

It's certainly possible that his Senate campaign was well to the left of his House voting, but I haven't seen anything really data-oriented about that. You could do that by doing any of various ideal-point estimations or other latent-variable techniques over the things he and his ads said, but (a) that would be a lot of work and (b) wouldn't be done yet even if someone were doing it. My own informal sense is that he was running largely the same positions he was in El Paso and that his reputation for being on the left comes from him unapologetically taking those same El Paso positions when he was campaigning in Plano and Lubbock instead of pretending to be more conservative when he was there.

By all means like the guy if you do and he was for sure running a campaign that was quite to the left for almost winning a statewide office in Texas. But holding him up as a leftist firebrand within the national Democratic party just doesn't make much sense.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:05 AM on December 20, 2018 [28 favorites]

Is Trump’s Plan for Syria a Withdrawal or a Surrender? (Robin Wright | New Yorker)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:06 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

After Voters Passed Progressive Ballot Initiatives, GOP Legislatures Are Trying to Kill Future Ones (Ari Berman, Mother Jones)

Voters in 19 states—including red and purple ones—passed progressive ballot initiatives this year. Florida restored voting rights to as many as 1.4 million ex-felons; Maryland and Nevada joined Michigan in making it easier to register to vote; and Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, and Utah also voted to curb gerrymandering. Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah voted to expand Medicaid; Arkansas and Missouri raised the minimum wage; and Missouri and Utah legalized medical marijuana. The success of progressive ballot initiatives across the country, especially in red states, was one of the most consequential under-the-radar stories of the 2018 elections.
…

In 2017 and 2018, more than 100 bills were introduced in 24 states to reverse ballot initiatives, and 10 states adopted legislation to make it more difficult to put citizen-led measures on the ballot, according to the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which advocates progressive ballot measures. “We have been very successful in passing progressive ballot initiatives, and now there’s a trend of politicians trying to take power out of peoples’ hands,” says Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, the group’s director.
…

In 2016, 46 citizen-led ballot initiatives were approved by voters, but state legislatures later overturned or altered nearly a quarter of those laws. Twenty-six states allow citizen-led ballot initiatives, but 11 of those states also give their legislatures the authority to overturn them.

“There is no doubt that these attacks are part of a coordinated effort,” the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center wrote in a post-election memo.

posted by ZeusHumms at 7:15 AM on December 20, 2018 [15 favorites]

NBC reporting that Paul Ryan just left a GOP meeting to field “an emergency phone call” from Trump.

Could be something. Could be ... Trump.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:15 AM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

Steny Hoyer is an old white man in a safe Dem district who has been in office for going on 40 years and appears to hold shitty outmoded positions on a number of topics. Just thinking out loud here.
posted by contraption at 7:19 AM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

Putin: Trump Pulling Troops Out Of Syria Is 'The Right Decision'

WaPo: Trump’s Decision to Withdraw U.S. Troops from Syria Startles Aides and Allies

On Wednesday, Trump set heads spinning within his own government and around the world by apparently reversing himself again. His decision was made on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the issue, following a small meeting attended only by senior White House aides and the secretaries of defense and state, most of whom, if not all, sharply disagreed.[…]

In just the past week, senior officials — including the administration’s special envoys to Syria and the counter-Islamic State coalition — had said that defeating the last organized Islamic State pockets, in southern Syria near the Iraqi border, could be months away and that thousands of militants remained underground throughout Syria, waiting to reemerge.

The officials reiterated that the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-dominated group of U.S.-trained and -equipped ground fighters, remained valued American allies who would not be deserted.

Trump's discussions with Erdogan lately appear to be the catalyst for the sudden change in policy (of course we have no readouts of their telephone calls):

Officials familiar with the Friday call said that Erdogan, among other things, had stressed to Trump that the Syrian Kurds were terrorists — allied with Kurdish separatists in his own country — and asked why the United States was supporting them rather than its NATO ally. He noted that the Islamic State had been vanquished and questioned the need for an ongoing U.S. troop presence, saying that Turkish troops already massed on the Syrian border could handle any problem there.

The Erdogan call, many concluded as they tried to understand the reasoning behind a decision widely considered rash and unwise, was the only thing that could have provoked Trump. A senior congressional aide speculated that the call, and the withdrawal, were “definitely related.”

And like so many abrupt decisions by Trump, this one took everyone by surprise:

Senior lawmakers of both parties said they had no warning the decision was coming. Many were sharply critical, saying it left the door open for Assad allies Iran and Russia, abandoned Kurdish allies, and undercut U.N. efforts.

A number of close U.S. allies who are members of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State said they were not consulted and were given no prior warning. One European defense secretary put in a call Tuesday to Jim Mattis after hearing rumors of the decision and received a late-night call back from the defense secretary with confirmation. Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not participate in the meeting with Trump and was in the dark until after it took place, according to several people familiar with the situation.

As always, Trump loves chaos.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:28 AM on December 20, 2018 [20 favorites]

Meanwhile, earlier this morning Trump appears to have given up on his stupid fucking wall. Seems to be the pattern with Trump, he's all bluster until someone stands up to him at which point he folds like a cheap suit.

So no shutdown? It'd be nice to hope so, but all it'll take is one neuron firing randomly in his skull and he'll shut down the government.
posted by sotonohito at 7:30 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Trump loves chaos, as it temporarily makes everyone look as dumb as him. It's an ego soother when he starts to realize he's about to be out-gamed again. He's used tantrums his whole protected life.
posted by Harry Caul at 7:43 AM on December 20, 2018 [28 favorites]

NBC reporting that Paul Ryan just left a GOP meeting to field “an emergency phone call” from Trump.

Shortly after Trump's call to Ryan, @realDonaldTrump tweeted: "When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn’t happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries - but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!"

CNBC's Christina Wilkie reports: "35 mins after Paul Ryan took an “emergency call” from Trump, GOP leaders called off the press conference where they’d get Qs about the CR. They claim it was cancelled bc of scheduled votes. But they control the floor. They could have just postponed the votes an hour."
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:44 AM on December 20, 2018 [19 favorites]

Steny Hoyer is an old white man in a safe Dem district who has been in office for going on 40 years and appears to hold shitty outmoded positions on a number of topics. Just thinking out loud here.

And AOC just ousted another old white man in a safe Dem district who had been in office for about 20 years. Old white men are running scared that it might be time to retire.

FULL DISCLOSURE: 51 year old white man, for whom retirement is a dream.
posted by mikelieman at 7:49 AM on December 20, 2018 [33 favorites]

sotonohito: So no shutdown? It'd be nice to hope so, but all it'll take is one neuron firing randomly in his skull and he'll shut down the government.

Senate Approves Temporary Funding Bill, House Likely To Act Today, Avoiding Shutdown (NPR, December 20, 2018)

The Senate gave approval Wednesday night for a measure to fund those government agencies not included in the spending measures already approved by Congress. The House is expected to follow suit Thursday, sending the measure to the President Trump, whose aides have not yet said whether he will sign it.

Emphasis mine, because who knows? And who is willing to state with any certainty, given the mercurial temper (and short attention span) of Trump.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:49 AM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I can't decide which I find more insulting to my intelligence, Hoyer's "the climate change experts would be dying to come before them" or McConnell's "we don't need legislation protecting Mueller because there's no indication he's under threat."
posted by contraption at 8:02 AM on December 20, 2018 [10 favorites]

Sounds like Trump is throwing a tantrum and may refuse to sign the government funding CR! He really is the absolute worst.
posted by Justinian at 8:12 AM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

Hoyer's defanging of AOC's climate change committee along with Beto's love for Republican legislation really brings to mind the old saw about the Democratic Party being the graveyard for social movements.

Incredibly disappointing, but of course, Hoyer will be long dead before climate change would ever truly affect him.
posted by Ouverture at 8:18 AM on December 20, 2018 [17 favorites]

'Oh, no': The day Trump learned to tweet (Ben Schreckinger, Politico)

Trump's first social media adviser reveals the full inside story of how he guided his ex-boss from Luddite to Twitter addict.
…
Even as the mogul embraced digital media, he did so in the most analog way possible. He had McConney print out his Twitter mentions, and he would use Sharpie pens to scribble responses, which McConney would then type up and tweet out. After appearing at events, Trump, who remained distrustful of anything he saw only on a screen, had McConney print out 8x10 glossy photos of him for his signoff before they were posted online.

“He was very old school back then,” McConney said. “He was not someone who really used computers or went on the internet very much.”
…
Trump would call McConney on a Saturday to order up a tweet — then linger on the line for 20 minutes as others popped into his head, with Melania offering thoughts in the background. "'Dude,’ I’m thinking in my head, ‘It's the weekend,’" McConney recalled.

As the pace of Trump’s tweeting continued to accelerate, he enlisted other tech-savvy staffers, like his assistant Meredith McCiver, to publish his tweets whenever McConney was not on hand. Even so, McConney could barely keep up.

Then in November [2013?], on a flight to a Trump resort in Miami, Trump asked McConney whether he preferred iPhones or Androids. When McConney indicated the former, Trump responded, “But the screens are much bigger on the Android.” Trump soon had one of his own, and the following February, he began tweeting for himself.

posted by ZeusHumms at 8:18 AM on December 20, 2018 [19 favorites]

Apparently, Steve Doocey calling Trump a loser is more important than whatever McConnell has to say...

@JustinSink

BREAKING: @PressSec says Trump meeting with GOP House members at noon, POTUS " does not want to go further without border security, which includes steel slats or a wall" and continuing to weigh options

posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 8:26 AM on December 20, 2018 [12 favorites]

Is it just me or was the time to make that position clear... I dunno... more than a day before the shutdown after a bunch of dudes went home after voting?
posted by Justinian at 8:31 AM on December 20, 2018 [13 favorites]

"Steel slats or a wall"

Trump really must think that the steel slats that you can see through idea is a crafty bargaining chip.
posted by diogenes at 8:35 AM on December 20, 2018 [18 favorites]

If it's the same dance as before where Trump whines a bit and then signs what they tell him to sign, it doesn't matter because there's no need to change the bill.

If he's intent on getting a shutdown to be a Big Tough Guy Who Stands Up For The Border then there's no point in trying to change the bill.

Either way, Congress doesn't have to stick around for this round of theater.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:35 AM on December 20, 2018 [12 favorites]

Two senators try to sneak anti-free speech, pro-Israel law into bill to avert shutdown (Igor Derysh, Salon)

Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, and Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, are pushing a proposal that would create criminal and civil penalties for American entities that back boycotts supporting Palestinian rights, The New York Times reported. The move seeks to weaken the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, known as BDS, that seeks to economically pressure Israel to give equal rights to Palestinians, similar to the South African anti-apartheid movement.

I wonder if this got in.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:36 AM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

The idea that it's remotely acceptable for the President to shutdown the government to get laws that can't pass normally must die. I'm aware that people will suffer but Trump's bluff must be called. He is a fundamentally weak person and will cave soon.
posted by thelonius at 8:43 AM on December 20, 2018 [15 favorites]

So it seems to me that the call to Paul Ryan was for information on how government budgeting works, and/or a desire to negotiate at the last minute? Like, he was refusing believe whoever told him he can't unilaterally shuffle money around departments into the wall (or there was no such person simply because his advisory staff is thinning to the bone and can't stand his presence).

At that point Ryan probably made the mistake of confirming this truth. For both Ryan's personal benefit and the sake of the country, I'd have instead advised the "gray rock" method of dealing with a narcissist (in this case, going "uh huh" to his rants and "well, you ARE the president" and giving a general impression that his "fund wall through M" thing could actually happen without saying so outright). Yes, Donald would feel betrayed after signing the bill and learning it still couldn't happen, but such emotions of his are fleeting, and Paul's career is done regardless.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:44 AM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

I'd have instead advised the "gray rock" method of dealing with a narcissist

Backgrounder: The Gray Rock Method of Dealing With Psychopaths
posted by mikelieman at 8:49 AM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

Incidentally, at least one GOP power-grab in Michigan failed, as the attempt to pull power from the Secretary of State died in committee.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:56 AM on December 20, 2018 [30 favorites]

I can’t have broken the law because I don’t actually understand the law.

Counterpoint: "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it."

If Trump and his gan thought their behavior was innocent, they wouldn't have covered it up and lied about it, down to Rudy's most recent lies about not having said the immediately previous lies.

Josh Marshall said way back in 2016 that the pattern of behavior suggested a cover up of misdeeds to huge and troubling to even acknowledge, but that the edges could be perceived like the singularity of a black hole.

Now, we know what they were covering up: They were selling out their country to America's enemies for political power. It's far, far too late for the befuddled innocence act.
posted by Gelatin at 8:56 AM on December 20, 2018 [23 favorites]

Merus: " FiveThirtyEight has calculated that in that same time period, O’Rourke has voted for the Trump administration position roughly 30% of the time."

The average House Dem: 20%.

Klobuchar: 32%
Sherrod Brown: 30%
Kamala Harris: 18%
Bernie: 14%
Warren: 13%
Gillibrand: 12%

It's basically impossible to oppose the Administration on everything, because not *every* piece of legislation is stupid.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:03 AM on December 20, 2018 [51 favorites]

This week feels like another push to see what powers are actually available at the top of the executive branch and can't be significantly limited either by the friction of bureaucratic process or the bipartisan desire of Congress to fuck off home.

Tomorrow is going to be quite something.
posted by holgate at 9:08 AM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

A German newspaper published a fake Journey to Trumplandia piece. They interview some rural voters. Good luck with the pulitzer. An angry resident of Furgus Falls wrote back, complaining about the mischaracterisation of her home. The journalist was fired over this. I think he should have been fired just for doing a Trumpland piece so I'm OK with that. Anyhow, in her takedown, she said something we often forget about our purple states, something perpetuated by shitty articles like this:

This is just a hunch, but it seems to me that Relotius’ overseas readers might appreciate knowing that small American towns are more complex than they imagine — that die-hard liberals like me can still magically live alongside conservative Republicans — that sometimes we even find some common ground and share a meal together, and take the time to try to understand each other’s viewpoints. You see, we’re definitely not perfect here in Fergus Falls, and many of us feel a lot of responsibility right now, considering that our friends, family and neighbors voted against their own interests in 2016. But we also know how it feels to be ignored in policy and media for decades only to be lectured by ignorant articles such as this after so much silence about our challenges.

posted by adept256 at 9:10 AM on December 20, 2018 [14 favorites]

There is a separate thread for the Der Spiegel scandal.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:11 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Tom Scocca, The Trump Scandals Are in Reruns

The Trump Foundation is out of business, if it ever was exactly in business. This is breaking news, today—“The Donald J. Trump Foundation will close and give away all its remaining funds in response to a lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general’s office, which had accused the Trump family of using the charity for self-dealing and political gain, the office announced on Tuesday,” was how the New York Times newswrote it—but it is a special and characteristic kind of Trump-era breaking news. It’s not a surprise or a revelation or any sort of plot twist; it is preexisting news, news that already happened or was already going to happen, but nobody had gotten around to it.

How many of these stories are out there now, waiting, like the “Resume Watching” button when you log into your library of streaming movies? The scandal with the presidential inauguration funds—that one was right there all along, from January 2017, when they raked in all those tens millions of dollars so the Trumps and Pences could go trudging down an empty street past empty bleachers. And then in February of this year there was news about how $26 million of it had gone to a single event planner with Trump family connections. Clearly the money got put somewhere, clearly that was somewhere it wasn’t supposed to go, sooner or later they’re going to sort out where.

posted by zachlipton at 9:23 AM on December 20, 2018 [10 favorites]

Stop Losing: A Senator's Battle Plan for Beating the Right by Sheldon Whitehouse on Crooked Media about three time the Democrats stepped away from potentially winnable and vitally important fights.

I remember being told at the White House as I lamented their decision to walk away, “Sheldon, we’re just not going to take on any fights we’re not sure we can win.” Think about that attitude for a minute. If you only take on the fights you’re sure you can win, you’re gonna miss a lot of fights, and most of the important ones.

In January 2010, the five Republicans on the Supreme Court gave the fossil fuel industry the Citizens United decision; the industry instantly turned its new political weaponry on the Republican Party; and bipartisanship on climate change was stamped out by fossil-fuel threats.

Which brings me to the third fight we declined to engage: In the wake of Citizens United, all that newly-unlimited political money swiftly found its way into dark-money channels. The most prevalent dark-money channels were probably illegal under IRS rules, and simple clarifications of those rules could have eliminated any doubt. Because the political use of these IRS-regulated entities was probably illegal, the dark-money outfits filed forms with the IRS that were often false, or at least materially inconsistent with forms they also filed under oath with state and federal election officials. This was all done in plain view.

Democrats controlled Treasury and the IRS, and also the DOJ, which ordinarily prosecutes false statements. The public hates dark money, and with good reason: it corrodes democracy. The law was on our side. And we had the power to settle any doubt through these agencies. But we did nothing. No rule, no regulation, no clarification; not even investigation of what the explanation was for the inconsistent statements made under sworn oath. A grand jury could have had a field day investigating that.

Not only did we walk away from this fight, we failed at the “teaching moment” this episode provided. We accepted the false Republican narrative that a wicked IRS was being used to hurt conservative groups—nothing else to see here folks, move along. Dark money has been the bane of our democracy ever since.

... I worked for a governor who survived weeks behind enemy lines after his bomber went down on a mission to disrupt the German war machine. In most conflicts, you try to identify and disrupt your adversary’s organization, supply chain, and chain of command. Not us. We have no institutional strategy for taking on this apparatus. We’ll tangle with its various tentacles, for sure, in our fights on other issues, but we don’t pursue outing and disabling the corrupt monster as a whole. I know because I’ve helped organize the few raids we’ve undertaken against this apparatus.
posted by Bella Donna at 9:24 AM on December 20, 2018 [59 favorites]

*plays the Jaws theme* WaPo, Michael Scherer, Democrats announce a dozen 2020 presidential debates starting in June

Democratic presidential candidates will meet in June for the first of at least 12 planned primary debates of the 2020 election cycle under a plan released Thursday by party officials who said they were determined to create large debate audiences with broad candidate participation.

A ticket to the early debate stages will be determined by a combination of polling, grass roots financial support and other factors, in an effort to include candidates who are not registering nationally in public opinion surveys.

If the number of candidates is too large to host at a single event, the party plans to host two events in the same location on consecutive nights, after randomly dividing the candidates in a public selection process. That would increase the number of actual debates beyond a dozen.

“Drawing lots strikes me as the fairest way to make sure everyone gets a fair shake,” Democratic Chairman Tom Perez said on Thursday. “We want our candidates to be able to articulate their vision of America. We don’t want debates to be discussions of what your hand size is. We want debates to be discussions of health care.”

Hell is the 2020 primary.
posted by zachlipton at 9:26 AM on December 20, 2018 [17 favorites]

It's basically impossible to oppose the Administration on everything, because not *every* piece of legislation is stupid.


Indeed, but there is a big difference between 13-14% and 30%.

And the nature of what he voted for is even more important than those numbers:

For instance, O’Rourke was one of only a handful of House Democrats who voted for Republican bills to lift the 40-year-old oil export ban.

During the legislative debate over lifting the ban, the Democrats’ committee report argued that “the extreme approach taken by this bill not only repeals current crude export restrictions, but also ensures that no export restrictions – for any reason – could be implemented or enforced in the future”. The Democratic report added that “the bill could have potentially vast consequences for consumers, the environment and climate change”.

O’Rourke twice voted to lift the ban.

At the same time, O’Rourke helped Republicans vote down Democratic legislation to prevent drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and he backed a separate GOP bill to speed up natural gas exports.

He also supported GOP legislation that Democrats said was constructed to protect the utility industry. Republicans said the measure was designed “to ensure reliable electricity service and reduce the risk of fires and fire hazards caused by inadequate vegetation management” in areas where power lines cross federal lands. Repeating charges made by Democrats in the bill’s committee report, the Arizona Democratic representative Raúl Grijalva said during the floor debate: “The bill waives liability for companies that start forest fires or cause other damage. This is nonsense and shifts an incredible burden and risk on to American taxpayers.”

O’Rourke was one of 69 Democrats to support the bill, which passed.

And that's just on what is relevant on climate change. The details of the actual article are pretty eye-opening and disappointing.
posted by Ouverture at 9:26 AM on December 20, 2018 [14 favorites]

That's fine, and I'm not saying Beto has been manning the barricades. I just think that most people aren't aware of what a *typical* Democratic House or Senate member number might look like.

30% sounds really high if you think everyone else is at 0%.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:29 AM on December 20, 2018 [16 favorites]

This is a really big deal. Vox, Dara Lind, Trump is officially turning back all asylum seekers who come to the US through Mexico

The US is going to start forcing asylum-seekers who try to enter the US without papers to wait in Mexico for their asylum claims to be processed, instead of allowing them to enter the United States first.

A senior administration official described the policy as “one of the most significant border security developments in decades” on a call with reporters Thursday.

The policy change means that people who are trying to exercise their legal right to seek asylum will be barred from the US for months or even years while they wait for their asylum claim to come before a judge. It is the most sweeping development in Trump’s ongoing crackdown on people (largely from Central America, and disproportionately children and families) attempting to come to the US for asylum.
...
An administration official confirmed to Vox that asylum-seekers would have the opportunity to avoid being returned to Mexico if they demonstrated to a US official that they feared persecution in Mexico. It is not yet clear whether those claims would be held to the same standard that’s generally used to screen asylum seekers — a “credible fear” of persecution — or whether they will be held to a higher standard.

@ksieff: I spent last week in Reynosa, where so many migrants have been kidnapped that the state now provides a police escort to deportees. Migrants aren't allowed to leave the city's shelter. Hard to imagine an asylum seeker waiting there for months or years.
posted by zachlipton at 9:31 AM on December 20, 2018 [48 favorites]

New Jersey voting rights: Gov Murphy to push for in-person early voting, same-day voter registration, & online voter registration, ending disenfranchisement of citizens on parole/probation, letting 17-year-olds vote in primaries if they turn 18 by the general election.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:33 AM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

Klobuchar: 32%
Sherrod Brown: 30%
Kamala Harris: 18%
Bernie: 14%
Warren: 13%
Gillibrand: 12%

And of course they are from Minnesota, Ohio, California, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York respectively. Anyone expecting a Texas Democrat to vote the same as a California or New York Democrat is bound to be disappointed.

Probably we shouldn't expect a Red State Democrat to carry the party's banner nationaliy. That's true. But that's because we aren't a Red State Party not because Beto sucks.
posted by Justinian at 9:34 AM on December 20, 2018 [17 favorites]

Maybe we should have a separate thread for the 2020 election. Otherwise the megathread is going to fill up with “Beto: pure enough to win? Evil enough to succeed?” for the next year and a half.
posted by darkstar at 9:36 AM on December 20, 2018 [56 favorites]

@mollycrabapple thread: "When the Turkish army invaded Afrin, they and their proxies ethnically cleansed the Kurdish inhabitants and carried out looting, kidnapping, and torture. When the US troops leave Syria, the same thing will happen to the rest of Rojava on a far more massive scale..."
posted by homunculus at 9:37 AM on December 20, 2018 [32 favorites]

Assume that at least 20% of the policy choices that are vital to a Dem representative's district or senator's state are ones that shit over Dem constituencies elsewhere.

Beto isn't going to vote against oil. Nice Amy Klobuchar is never going to vote for anything that hurts Medtronic. The LA / SF Dems are going to be very squeamish about reining in copyright or regulating tech. And so on. This ties in with Sheldon Whitehouse's article: it's a lot easier to unify a party around "help the rich and fuck the poor" than the opposite.
posted by holgate at 9:38 AM on December 20, 2018 [24 favorites]

Sheldon Whitehouse also serves John Larroquette sassiness during Senate hearings. He's one that I fangirlover.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:41 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Vox explainer on Warren's idea to have the government manufacture generic drugs.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:42 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Maybe we should have a separate thread for the 2020 election.

I agree that it's not quite time for the thread to fill up completely with 2020 talk... though the Democratic debates are less than 6 months (!!!) away so it will be time very soon... but if the politics megathreads aren't where 2020 election talk belongs I'm not sure what the utility of the megathreads actually are?
posted by Justinian at 9:53 AM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

I mean they're already hiring staff. I haven't applied for anything, because I am Tired, but the machines are already slowly gearing up.
posted by dogheart at 9:56 AM on December 20, 2018

Russian Agents Sought Secret US Treasury Records On Clinton Backers During 2016 Campaign (Anthony Cormier and Jason Leopold, BuzzFeed News)

US Treasury Department officials used a Gmail back channel with the Russian government as the Kremlin sought sensitive financial information on its enemies in America and across the globe, according to documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News.

The extraordinary unofficial line of communication arose in the final year of the Obama administration — in the midst of what multiple US intelligence agencies have said was a secret campaign by the Kremlin to interfere in the US election. Russian agents ostensibly trying to track ISIS instead pressed their American counterparts for private financial documents on at least two dozen dissidents, academics, private investigators, and American citizens.

Most startlingly, Russia requested sensitive documents on Dirk, Edward, and Daniel Ziff, billionaire investors who had run afoul of the Kremlin. That request was made weeks before a Russian lawyer showed up at Trump Tower offering top campaign aides “dirt” on Hillary Clinton — including her supposed connection to the Ziff brothers.

posted by pjenks at 9:57 AM on December 20, 2018 [24 favorites]

Trump’s Attorney General Pick Criticized an Aspect of Mueller Probe in Memo to Justice Department

The WSJ apparently added a sentence to the 23th paragraph of this article that could well be the headline:

The person also said Mr. Barr shared the memo with the top lawyer representing the White House in the Mueller probe around the same time he gave it to Mr. Rosenstein.

So Barr didn't just have very important views on the the idea that the President can't obstruct justice by firing the FBI Director, he handed his 20-page memo straight to the White House (perhaps to Flood?) in what might be called a job application. And as noted upthread this morning, he won't recuse himself from the investigation. I don't really know what to say besides this is seriously bad.

I haven't read his 20-page memo or anything, but there's something really uncomfortable about the idea that you can't obstruct justice if you're exercising your constitutional powers as President. Obstructing justice usually involves doing things that are otherwise legal. It's perfectly legal to shred your papers; it's obstruction if you do it as the FBI is walking into raid your office. Legislators have the constitutional power to cast votes, but nobody argues that this makes it legal for them to accept bribes in exchange. Trump told Lester Holt he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation; this isn't some kind of great unknowable mystery. The idea that you can't ever do something authorized by the Constitution in an illegal way makes no sense.

----

In related news:

BREAKING. senior DOJ official: Whitaker has not recused from Mueller probe. After extensive review by senior officials, he did not seek formal ruling from ethics office. BUT a senior doj ethics official said it was a "close call" and he should recuse in an "abundance of caution." In cases involving an appearance of conflict of interest -- versus a real conflict, like having once represented a defendant -- it is incumbent upon the official to seek an ethics recommendation. Because this was a "close call," senior appointed DOJ officials recommended to whitaker he not recuse. They noted no AG has ever recused for an "appearance" issue in the past. Whitaker yesterday accepted that recommendation. DOJ sending letter to Senate explaining Whitaker's decision.

Oh, well, good thing nobody wants to act with "an abundance of caution" with regard to the most important thing DOJ is doing because some Trump appointees said so to the guy who hasn't been Senate confirmed.
posted by zachlipton at 9:58 AM on December 20, 2018 [20 favorites]

Perhaps "Whither the megathread?" could be taken to Metatalk? Either a fresh thread, or this already active one where megathreads have come up plenty?
posted by Chrysostom at 10:10 AM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

US Treasury Department officials used a Gmail back channel with the Russian government as the Kremlin sought sensitive financial information on its enemies in America and across the globe, according to documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News.

Buzzfeed's Cormier and Leopold have been consistently way ahead in their reporting of the entire field this year. Also, apparently this country has been sold out by an incompetent russophilic coup.
"“They are passing information that may have interest to the Russians for other reasons,” a FinCEN official wrote to colleagues in March 2017. “One has to wonder what the heck is going on here.” This official filed for whistleblower protection and quit last year."
posted by Harry Caul at 10:13 AM on December 20, 2018 [17 favorites]

Is the AOC-Hoyer thing a done deal? Or should I start calling/emailing/tweeting people?

I mean I'm rep'd by Ilhan Omar (hell yeah!) so it's not like my rep needs to be brought to her senses, but I am willing to make some noise somewhere.
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:15 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

BUT a senior doj ethics official said it was a "close call" and he should recuse in an "abundance of caution." [...] Because this was a "close call," senior appointed DOJ officials recommended to whitaker he not recuse.

I am not following this? Does it mean that the ethics officials recommended he recuse while the non-ethics-officials recommended he not recuse, so he went with the latter?
posted by Justinian at 10:19 AM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

I can't decide which I find more insulting to my intelligence, Hoyer's "the climate change experts would be dying to come before them" or McConnell's "we don't need legislation protecting Mueller because there's no indication he's under threat."

Subpoena power would matter not to the willing climate scientists but to the executives of oil companies who would have to answer embarrassing questions under oath such as "How many years has it been since you determines that climate change was real?" and "How much money does your industry devote to funding anti-climate science?"
posted by Gelatin at 10:19 AM on December 20, 2018 [26 favorites]

@kaitlancollins: SIREN: Paul Ryan says Trump informed them he won't sign the spending bill.

@scottwongDC: The House will add “border security” to the government funding bill after GOP leaders met with Trump at WH, @SpeakerRyan says

I can't think of a better way for Trump to get himself impeached than screwing up Congress's Christmas over the damn wall. Any single Republican Senator could have demanded a roll call vote on wall funding last night; not one did—they have so little interest in a wall that not one of them even wanted to make a trivial point in support of it. These people really hate working, and they really hate being stuck in Washington. They will take this extremely personally.
posted by zachlipton at 10:26 AM on December 20, 2018 [49 favorites]

"The president said he would not sign this bill," @SpeakerRyan says of the continuing resolution the Senate passed last night

Merry Christmas, fellow government workers and contractors!
posted by zombieflanders at 10:27 AM on December 20, 2018 [39 favorites]

> They will take this extremely personally.

I've made a lot of spectacularly inaccurate predictions on this site and elsewhere in my life, but boy oh boy was this one ever spot-on.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:30 AM on December 20, 2018 [14 favorites]

::shakes fist at sky:: Doooocyyy!
posted by pjenks at 10:32 AM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

HAHa. Paul Ryan tried to rescue his legacy with a farewell week of hagiography and on his last day (more or less), the President forced him to eat meatloaf yet again.
posted by notyou at 10:33 AM on December 20, 2018 [55 favorites]

@brianbeutler: It takes a real commitment to your own feebleness/disdain for the public to get bullied out of putting a CR that would get ~300 votes on the floor, avoiding a shutdown, when you're 2 weeks away from retirement. Naturally that's how Paul Ryan's fixing to end his career.

@benjysarlin: Paul Ryan spending the last of his time as Speaker presiding over a shutdown to force a border wall would be a pretty representative capper to that part of his career
posted by zombieflanders at 10:36 AM on December 20, 2018 [57 favorites]

I am not following this? Does it mean that the ethics officials recommended he recuse while the non-ethics-officials recommended he not recuse, so he went with the latter?

This seems to clarify it a bit:

@PaulaReidCBS: TAKEAWAY: DOJ ethics officials determined that *IF* AAG Whitaker asked them if he should recuse from Mueller probe, they would advise him that he should recuse himself "out of an abundance of caution." But he never asked. Decided he did not want to recuse because of "appearance."

So he decided not to even ask, because he didn't want to hear the answer. If he had asked, he wouldn't have liked the answer. So he just didn't.

Sounds like a fine subject for the first hearings in next year's House Judiciary Committee.
posted by zachlipton at 10:40 AM on December 20, 2018 [53 favorites]

@burgessev (Politico): Sen. Johnson said at least half the GOP Senators have already gone home.
posted by pjenks at 10:51 AM on December 20, 2018 [15 favorites]

@jordainc (senate correspondant, The Hill):

Sen. Ron Johnson tells us Senate GOP conference found out that Trump won’t sign CR when someone read a tweet during their lunch.
McConnell then left lunch to go talk to Ryan.

god what i would give for something to ruin mitch mcconnell's day this badly without fucking over the entire country
posted by murphy slaw at 10:54 AM on December 20, 2018 [83 favorites]

Also! Just as an exclamation point on the awful governance we’re experiencing, today we have been treated to another example of Ann Coulter forcing Trump to eat the meatloaf. All it took was some mean comments and teeets!
posted by notyou at 11:08 AM on December 20, 2018

GUTLESS PRESIDENT IN WALL-LESS COUNTRY

I'm not going to read an Ann Coulter column, but the title of this one is accurate at least.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:13 AM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

n.b. Yesterday, @TrumpAlerts noticed that @realDonaldTrump appears to no longer follow @AnnCoulter.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:15 AM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

I'm not going to read an Ann Coulter column, but the title of this one is accurate at least.

Ones assumes it is a play on one of the most famous wordplay headlines of all time: "HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR".
posted by Justinian at 11:17 AM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Sooo...even Republicans (albeit retiring ones) think this is dumb? @burgessev:

Corker’s reaction to the GOP predicament was giggling laughter, especially after Cruz walked by and said build the wall.
“You can’t make this up,” Corker said.
Will you come back if there’s a vote?
"I doubt it"

And does Ted Cruz regularly just spend his time wandering the halls of the Capitol and chanting?
posted by parallellines at 11:18 AM on December 20, 2018 [16 favorites]

@ryangrim
People: @realDonaldTrump does not have the power to shut down the government. With a two-thirds vote, Congress can override him and keep it open.

The Senate already voted UNANIMOUSLY to pass its spending bill.

The last House spending bill got 361 votes, way more than needed
posted by Roommate at 11:18 AM on December 20, 2018 [32 favorites]

Incredibly disappointing, but of course, Hoyer will be long dead before climate change would ever truly affect him.

As with every time I hear this statement, I wonder, who only cares about their own life and not that of their own kids, at least? It beggars belief. Is Steny incapable of feeling any guilt about the fate of his grandkids and their kids? I mean, I believe this lack of empathy is possible, I just would not have thought it was so widespread. Especially when speaking of someone who remains inside the Democratic party.
posted by emjaybee at 11:20 AM on December 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

The president has 10 days to sign or veto a bill that has passed both chambers of Congress before his inaction crystalizes into a "pocket veto" that Congress can override. In the interim, Trump can shut down the government merely by doing nothing.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:21 AM on December 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

In order to override Trump's veto the Senate would have to vote. It's not clear that there are even enough Senators left for a quorum? Although... if no-one makes a quorum call I don't know if that matters? Parliamentary procedures are fun.

But the odds of Paul Ryan standing up to Trump are, uh, not high.
posted by Justinian at 11:23 AM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Addendum so as not to abuse editing: That's a brainfart; After 10 days the bill becomes law, rather than being vetoed. Unless Congress goes out of session before the 10-day mark because it's time for a new Congress to be seated. Oh wait, look what's happening next week.

And there's still nothing they can do to force the issue during that time.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:24 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

The Senate already voted UNANIMOUSLY to pass its spending bill.

The last House spending bill got 361 votes, way more than needed.

If a bill passes both chambers with > 2/3 and gets vetoed is a veto override automatic or does Congress need to go through the motions of another vote?
posted by duoshao at 11:24 AM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

They need to hold another vote.
posted by Justinian at 11:27 AM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

Is this Go Fund Me to build the wall real? 4.5 million dollars? Is this real??
posted by yoga at 11:28 AM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Yeah, it's real. Authored by racists who are bad at math.
posted by mcstayinskool at 11:30 AM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

Bad at math how? Is it not really 4.5 million dollars?
posted by yoga at 11:32 AM on December 20, 2018

As with every time I hear this statement, I wonder, who only cares about their own life and not that of their own kids, at least? It beggars belief. Is Steny incapable of feeling any guilt about the fate of his grandkids and their kids? I mean, I believe this lack of empathy is possible, I just would not have thought it was so widespread. Especially when speaking of someone who remains inside the Democratic party.


There are lots of really terrible people inside the Democratic party who are happy to throw away the lives of the marginalized inside and outside of America if it means a) they get richer or more powerful b) BiPaRtIsAn CiViLiTy.

And on the point of climate change, I also think a lot of people across the political spectrum either don't think it's that bad or it will get that bad or that it will get that bad for their kids.
posted by Ouverture at 11:34 AM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

Trump defends Syria decision amid backlash from lawmakers, fresh praise from Putin (WaPo)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:35 AM on December 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Bad at math how? Is it not really 4.5 million dollars?

Bad at math in the sense that 4.5 million is something like one-tenth of one percent of what would be needed to Build the Wall.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 11:36 AM on December 20, 2018 [25 favorites]

After 10 days the bill becomes law, rather than being vetoed.

They don't have 10 days. Either Trump signs it by tomorrow or the government shuts down.
posted by JackFlash at 11:38 AM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Pod Save America pointed out the Trump looks at politics differently. He doesn't care about winning a majority, or policy, or any of the normal stuff politicians care about.

Trump only cares about the support of his crazy 35%

That's what keeps him dangerous to other Republicans, and safe from impeachment. Giving up on the Wall was losing him his crazies.

I think he shuts it down.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:42 AM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

Yeah, but I initially said that after the 10-day mark it would be pocket-vetoed, rather than ending a shutdown by becoming law. Precision matters!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:43 AM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

I don’t know that a dispute between two of the 235 incoming Democratic Representatives over the exact committee structure of the House for the 116th Congress, when this will ultimately be an issue for their caucus as a whole to decide, is necessarily evidence that one of the disputers is racist, sexist, evil, and/or hates his own grandchildren.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:43 AM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

I became somewhat less worried about the "Trump Shutdown" when I saw it would include Homeland Security... you know, the department that includes ICE and the Border Watchers. It'll also include Justice, which means Mueller and Co. would get an unplanned vacation (which I think they need and deserve) but Trump's Evil AGs (Interim and not) won't technically be able to shut anything down (while State AGs keep working), and Interior, which would delay the post-Zinke team from giving more permits for attacks on the environment. Yes, there will be lots of bad things because of the 'calendar year-end' timing (and there's a delayed satellite launch at Vandenberg AFB that may be scrubbed if NASA is not working) but some parts of the government will just get an extra-long Christmas break (and probably not without pay, just pay delayed). I continue the hope that Trump's idiocy and assholishness will continue to go toward demolishing his entire agenda - which IS the Republican Agenda. Any other Republican in the White House would be doing much the same things more competently, and be far less noticed.
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:47 AM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Is this Go Fund Me to build the wall real? 4.5 million dollars? Is this real??

It's up to $6M over four days. Quick math: The gofundme is for $1B. This is 1/25th of the Fox News estimated price. I'll roll with that number. That means they've pulled $1.5M/day during the start, which is the most popular time for one of these campaigns. If the enthusiasm stays at its current level, the campaign will take nearly two years to get the first billion. It would take 45 years to get total $25B needed.

Realistically, the racists who are willing to fund this will fizzle out in a few more days, and there will be $10-30M of money that someone will try to embezzle.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 11:51 AM on December 20, 2018 [32 favorites]

yoga: Is this Go Fund Me to build the wall real? 4.5 million dollars? Is this real??

mcstayinskool: Yeah, it's real. Authored by racists who are bad at math.

Or half-decent at grift.

Burhanistan: Bots and normal ignorant randos are posting that goddamned GoFundMe link for trump’s wall all over Facebook.

Yup, pump up the base and get their money, seems like a winning combination.

Related -- Poll: Americans Want Trump To Compromise On Border Wall To Avoid Possible Shutdown (NPR, December 11, 2018)

As President Trump continues to threaten to potentially shut down the government over his border wall, Americans would prefer to see him compromise to prevent gridlock, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll.

By a 21-point margin — 57 percent to 36 percent — Americans think the president should compromise on the wall to avoid a government shutdown, rather than stand firm. About two-thirds of Republicans say the opposite, and the president has been focused on maintaining his base.

Only 65% of self-identified Republicans say "President Trump should not compromise on the border wall even if it means a government shutdown" (along with 21% of Democrats and 31% of Independents, FWIW).


oneswellfoop: I became somewhat less worried about the "Trump Shutdown" when I saw it would include Homeland Security... you know, the department that includes ICE and the Border Watchers. It'll also include Justice, which means Mueller and Co. would get an unplanned vacation (which I think they need and deserve) but Trump's Evil AGs (Interim and not) won't technically be able to shut anything down (while State AGs keep working), and Interior, which would delay the post-Zinke team from giving more permits for attacks on the environment.

And it'll likely be a paid vacation: Federal employees furloughed in shutdown to be paid ( Eric Yoder for Washington Post, January 23, 2018)

Federal employees who were put on unpaid furloughs during the partial government shutdown will be paid for that time, under the legislation signed late Monday ending the shutdown.

It says employees sent home without pay “shall be compensated at their standard rate of compensation, for the period of such lapse in appropriations, as soon as practicable.” That follows the practice of past shutdowns in which all employees were paid as normal, regardless of whether they continued working or were furloughed.

Although relatively short-lived by the standards of its predecessors in 1995-1996 and 2013, the three-day shutdown that started Saturday had a similarly complex effect on the federal workforce.

Yes, this will be the second partial U.S. Federal government shutdown in 2018. The first United States federal government shutdown of 2018 began at midnight EST on Saturday, January 20, 2018, and ended on the evening of Monday, January 22. The shutdown began after a failure to pass legislation to fund government operations and agencies. (Wikipedia, "United States federal government shutdowns of 2018" -- that's shutdowns PLURAL -- THIS IS NOT NORMAL.)
posted by filthy light thief at 11:53 AM on December 20, 2018 [14 favorites]

Many thanks for the perspective on that GoFundMe, Mister Fabulous.
posted by yoga at 11:53 AM on December 20, 2018

Regarding the GoFundMe; while it is perfectly legal for people to donate money to the US Treasury, it is not legal to have any influence over what happens with that money. That's for Congress to decide.

So, if this doesn't get stolen by whoever's running the GoFundMe campaign; it's just going to pay down the national debt.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 11:56 AM on December 20, 2018 [36 favorites]

Mister Fabulous: Realistically, the racists who are willing to fund this will fizzle out in a few more days, and there will be $10-30M of money that someone will try to embezzle.

Crowdfunding or Crimefunding? Fraudsters Kickstart Money Laundering Campaigns (Dave Roos for HowStuffWorks Money, Nov. 12, 2015)

One of the latest cybercrime trends, according to a report (PDF) from the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), is the use of crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and GoFundMe to drain stolen credit cards, launder money and even fund terrorists.

Embezzlement, and laundering.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:56 AM on December 20, 2018 [17 favorites]

I don’t know that a dispute between two of the 235 incoming Democratic Representatives over the exact committee structure of the House for the 116th Congress, when this will ultimately be an issue for their caucus as a whole to decide, is necessarily evidence that one of the disputers is racist, sexist, evil, and/or hates his own grandchildren.

It's definitely extremely meaningful when there are other committees that aren't “recommendatory.” For example casual googling seems to indicate that the House Small Business Committee has subpoena powers, and IIRC the 1950s committee on pornography had subpoena powers.

Denying that investigative capability to a committee concerned with the fucking destruction of the planet is an act with definite significance, just as the many instances of Republicans refraining to use the investigative powers they had via control of committees to investigate actions by Russian intelligence, question Trump administration and Trump campaign officials, or investigate accusations against Brett Kavanaugh were quite significant.
posted by XMLicious at 12:08 PM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

You know what? If the fucking idiots who voted for Trump want to spend their own money on that stupid wall, that's fine by me. It leaves the government more to spend on actually helping people.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:11 PM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Sherrilyn Ifill: It’s time to face the facts: Racism is a national security issue
posted by homunculus at 12:13 PM on December 20, 2018 [36 favorites]

This is an interesting experiment, and if it weren't so threatening on so many levels I could really appreciate it on an abstract level.

The Senate voted unanamously for the spending bill. Every single Republican voted for it.

Assuming Trump follows through with his threat to shut down the government, they could fix it by overriding his veto.

But that would require Republican Senators to put themselves quite visibly against Trump. Assuming McConnell allows a vote to override Trump's veto to come to the floor it'll be interesting to see which Republicans will vote against a bill that they just today voted for. Because I'm betting a lot of them, probably enough to keep the veto from being overridden, will switch. It's one thing to vote for a bill that doesn't give Trump what he wants, their voters probably wouldn't care so much abotu that.

But voting to override the sacred will of Glorious Leader Trump? I don't see a whole lot of Republicans being willing to do that under any circumstances, especially not on the stupid fucking wall idea that has energized Trump's cultists so much. Pelosi was right, the wall is basically Trump's political dick, voting to override his veto is voting to symbolically emasculate him, and that would be very bad for the political future of any Republican who does so.

Which means I'm pretty sure neither McConnell nor Ryan will permit a veto overriding vote to come to the floor of either chamber, it'd be too harmful to their people no matter how the vote went. For them it's better to let the government shut down even if the Republicans take the blame.

That's something they can hope to weather and recover from by the time 2020 rolls around. But Trump has a long memory for insults and betrayals, and you know he'd take malicious glee in punishing any Republican in Congress who voted to thwart his veto.
posted by sotonohito at 12:24 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

The House already has a standing committee (Science, Space and Technology) responsible for environmental issues, including climate change. The dispute is over whether that’s good enough, or whether there should be a different one.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:26 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

It will be fitting and poetic if, as seems likely, Paul Ryan's speakership will conclude with a Federal government unilaterally shut down by the mercurial impulses of the treasonous monstrosity the Speaker's acts of violently disingenuous pseudo-ideology helped install in the White House. A legacy of avarice, mendacity, and malevolence, and a President who doesn't know what those words mean.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:32 PM on December 20, 2018 [36 favorites]

That GoFundMe could be an interesting way to take in money from outside of the country, or otherwise launder it for nefarious purposes.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:35 PM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Can Congress start a session if the Federal government is shut down?
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:37 PM on December 20, 2018

If they couldn't it would be an infinitely long shutdown since they have to go into session to pass a bill to be signed to reopen the government.
posted by Justinian at 12:38 PM on December 20, 2018 [10 favorites]

Today, the President reneged on his agreement to fund the government, likely leading to a Federal government shutdown just before Christmas. He just tweeted a video of him singing a song, dressed as a farmer at the 2005 Emmy awards. Will this secure the loyalty of his rural base?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:38 PM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

Is it possible that Trump's Secret Service and security details would have to work unpaid while he's golfing at Mara Lago?
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:41 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

That GoFundMe could be an interesting way to take in money from outside of the country, or otherwise launder it for nefarious purposes.

Unless somebody can show an innovative way to divert donations to the Treasury it all just goes to the Treasury general fund, paying down the debt.
posted by scalefree at 12:42 PM on December 20, 2018

clearly bucking for gohmert's "dumbest asshole in congress" belt, rep. matt gaetz (R, FL) announces the GOP's war on christmas:

I don't care if every Senator and Congressman has to cancel their Christmas - we're gonna stay here, we're gonna work, and we're gonna deliver on our promises. #FundTheWall

posted by murphy slaw at 12:44 PM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

AP: N. Korea Says It Won’t Denuclearize Unless US Removes Threat

Just last Friday, @realDonaldTrump tried to reassure everyone about the state of negotiations: "Kim Jong Un sees it better than anyone and will fully take advantage of it for his people. We are doing just fine!"
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:46 PM on December 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

“We Need Wall” (Josh Marshall, TPM op ed)

Here’s one of the weirder dimensions of late 2018 Trumpism. For reasons that are not entirely clear to me the word has apparently come down from the White House that the wall, as in the wall to be built along the southern border, must now be called “wall”. In other words, no definite article, no “the”. President Trump now does this. It was part of a DHS press release a week ago. And today in a congressional hearing, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Rep. Tom Marino: “From Congress I would ask for wall. We need wall.”

Feels like he's trying new things to keep people off balance.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:51 PM on December 20, 2018 [23 favorites]

U.S. stocks drop deep on concerns over government shutdown (WaPo)

The art of the deal.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:52 PM on December 20, 2018 [24 favorites]

You know what? If the fucking idiots who voted for Trump want to spend their own money on that stupid wall, that's fine by me. It leaves the government more to spend on actually helping people.

It's obvious that people aren't quite getting what's (likely) going on here.

If I am a criminal organization with lots of ill gotten gains, I could start up a GoFundMe, and then donate to myself all of my illegal money. Once my GoFundMe is funded, I just keep the money and not do whatever the GoFundMe/Kickstarter/whatever was about.

Yeah, some moron civilians find out about it and also donate money, but fuck them they are morons. Also, since sending money to GoFundMe/Kickstarter/whatever isn't investing or donating to charity or something else that's different from setting your money on fire, there really isn't a recourse when you keep the morons' money as part of your money laundering scheme.

And since "We'll fund Trump's MAGA wall ourselves!" is so ridiculous on its face, only the real morons will get involved. That means even a lower chance of getting the scam found out since you won't be dealing with the smartest people.

See also: listing some music on Bandcamp or whatever and then buying shitloads of it using stolen credit cards. Or Jill Stein "recount" $7m.
posted by sideshow at 12:53 PM on December 20, 2018 [19 favorites]

"We need wall."

Neanderthal GOP finally embraces neanderthal-speak.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:54 PM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

He's now saying that we don't necessarily have to say "wall", we can say "steel slats". I wonder if this is a prelude to caving on today's decision.

steelslats

we need steelslats


posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:54 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

Video of some guy spray painting swastikas on Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star from this morning + TMZ gallery of previous vandalizings
posted by growabrain at 12:56 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

My hypothesis is that they're demanding "wall" rather than "the wall" so Trump can declare victory with every linear foot of wall they get, instead of having to admit that he'll never get *the* wall.

Alternative theories: 1. He's gone full Hulk. 2. Russian doesn't use definite articles.
posted by kelborel at 12:57 PM on December 20, 2018 [25 favorites]

"Wall" might be cheaper to make if Trump stops embargoing foreign steel.
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:57 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

My sense is that "we need wall" is a weird linguistic contrivance DHS invented to avoid all questions or accountability about the scope of the wall. "We need wall" works like "we need security" or "we need peace" or "we need janitorial" in that you don't actually have to specify how much you want, how much it costs, where it comes from, how you're going to get it, etc... If you say "we need a wall," that implies you need Trump's 2,000 mile wall, and you're a failure until you get it. If you say "we need wall," you can put up a couple "artistically designed steel slats" somewhere and declare victory.
posted by zachlipton at 12:58 PM on December 20, 2018 [32 favorites]

"Wall" might be cheaper to make if Trump stops embargoing foreign steel.

Does Mexico make steel?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 1:00 PM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Neanderthal GOP finally embraces neanderthal-speak.

Please, we're much more erudite than that... Australopith!
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 1:00 PM on December 20, 2018 [30 favorites]

Help me out here - I can't believe that the FOX new right would be advocating for a government shut down merely to fund a border wall. There must be some sort of grift at the heart of this desire, right? How does the far right financially profit from a shutdown? Do they all own stock in wall-focused construction companies? There's got to be a profit angle for them, right?
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:01 PM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Is it possible that Trump's Secret Service and security details would have to work unpaid while he's golfing at Mara Lago?

That wouldn't exactly be a new thing for them:
U.S. Secret Service says 1,100 employees face unpaid overtime, August 21, 2017
posted by paper chromatographologist at 1:02 PM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

The smart thing to do would be to take your Wall GoFundMe $$$ and dump it into a nonprofit that pays you a million dollar salary. As long as there was a fine print in the fundraising saying something like, "In the event this money is not accepted by the government to build the wall, we will use it to fund a Make America Safe Again SuperPAC."

That PAC doesn't have to actually do anything. If it works for Matt Whitacker it "should" work for whoever.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:04 PM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

Help me out here - I can't believe that the FOX new right would be advocating for a government shut down merely to fund a border wall. There must be some sort of grift at the heart of this desire, right?

There's no rational, self-serving motive. They hate the government because it helps minorities. They like the wall because it hurts minorities. A shutdown is a win-win for them.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:05 PM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

oneswellfoop: "It'll also include Justice, which means Mueller and Co. would get an unplanned vacation (which I think they need and deserve)"

While special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign is under the purview of the Department of Justice, it will not be affected by any appropriations stalemate, since it has its own permanent source of funding, CNN reports.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:05 PM on December 20, 2018 [19 favorites]

From something called the Hmm Daily:

Donald Trump’s original campaign promise, chanted back at him by his supporters, was to “build the wall”: one wall, a specific and identifiable structure, whose purpose would be to seal the border between the United States and Mexico. This was always, like every Trump project, ridiculous—even the Great Wall of China is not really a single thing—and nothing remotely resembling it is ever going to happen.

So instead the Department of Homeland Security is talking about building “wall,” with no “the” or “a,” as an undifferentiated substance. It lists individual wall projects and multiple walls, all subsumed under greater wall-ness. Building “the wall” would be a project with a fixed (if absurd) goal and a particular budget; building “wall” is vague and open-ended. Consider Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall,” in which the poem itself deals with a particular wall but the title expands to the generic condition of wall-making. The task of building a wall is something that can fail; the process of building wall may go on forever.

posted by Atom Eyes at 1:05 PM on December 20, 2018 [13 favorites]

How does the far right financially profit from a shutdown?

They hate the federal government as a whole, some because "it's socialism when the government does anything and the more a government exists the more socialist it is" and some because "it's run by Jews and ethnic minorities," and they want it to die. The harm and the damage are the profit.

Do they all own stock in wall-focused construction companies? There's got to be a profit angle for them, right?

The collapse of American civilization is their profit angle.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:06 PM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

My 401k compared to this time last year has grown less than the value of a Toyota Yaris. There's no recourse at all over this stupid trade war and shutdown blustering tanking my retirement and I'm pissed.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:06 PM on December 20, 2018 [20 favorites]

The task of building a wall is something that can fail; the process of building wall may go on forever.

Ahh... I would have gone with "war on un-wall-ness". We won't rest until we've vanquished all un-wall-ness.
posted by duoshao at 1:09 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

My apologies: the source memo references by TPM seems to have correct articles now. For that matter, so does Trump's tweets which mention the wall.
posted by ZeusHumms at 1:12 PM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

And since "We'll fund Trump's MAGA wall ourselves!" is so ridiculous on its face, only the real morons will get involved.

I think this is the purpose of the GoFundMe drive: get a bunch of the absolutely DUMBEST marks to donate money, don't reach the funding goal, return their money, and then use the resulting harvested personal information for a bunch of OTHER scams (political and otherwise).
posted by The Tensor at 1:13 PM on December 20, 2018 [10 favorites]

Ethics officials said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say.
posted by waitingtoderail at 1:14 PM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

Let me see if I have this right. In a few hours today:

- Our allies in Syria let word out that we completely blindsided them in the middle of military operations
- The administration announced plans that could take away food assistance from 750,000+ people (by their own estimates), something Congress explicitly just refused to do
- The administration announced immediate plans to force people seeking asylum to remain in Mexico, upending the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees
- The President decided he wants to shut down the government, which is controlled by his own party, because most all of his own party refuses to spend billions of dollars on a wall/artistically designed steel slats
- The Acting Attorney General, who is utterly unqualified and not confirmed by the Senate, was told by ethics officials to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation but refused to do so
- We learned the nominee for Attorney General spends his spare time writing 20-page letters to DOJ and the President's lawyers explaining how Trump can't commit crimes at work
- We learned that Russian agents requested secret records from the US Government on Clinton backers soon before the Trump Tower meeting
- The Secretary of Homeland Security started talking like The Hulk
- The President of the United States tweeted out video of himself singing the Green Acres theme

What the everloving fuck is going on?
posted by zachlipton at 1:15 PM on December 20, 2018 [136 favorites]

And a bunch of Trumpers with more money than sense are learning through a handy visual progress bar how much $1 billion really is.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:17 PM on December 20, 2018 [22 favorites]

Metafilter: What the everloving fuck is going on?
posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:18 PM on December 20, 2018 [30 favorites]

We learned that Russian agents requested secret records from the US Government on Clinton backers soon before the Trump Tower meeting
There was A LOT more in that Buzzfeed story. Possble FSB moles hired by Treasury, FinCEN agents locked out of their own database (unable to assist UK after Grande bombing), 10 FinCEN agents going whistleblower over failure of Treasury to investigate many reports and alarms.
posted by Harry Caul at 1:19 PM on December 20, 2018 [21 favorites]

What the everloving fuck is going on?

Elementary Chaos Theory says that as the system grows more unstable, the magnitude of the swings become larger and larger until it crashes. Notice how even the smallest gains from Mueller's team are amplified by our hopes and dreams.
posted by mikelieman at 1:22 PM on December 20, 2018 [44 favorites]

Our allies in Syria let word out that we completely blindsided them in the middle of military operations

With one exception…

Axios: Trump briefed Netanyahu in advance on Syria pullout. "President Trump updated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Monday about his decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria, Netanyahu said today in a statement."

Which could be a reaction to what CNN reports: Trump's Syria Withdrawal Hurts Netanyahu, US Reputation, Israelis Say "Political figures said the move was acutely embarrassing for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made his close relationship with President Donald Trump one of the cornerstones of his foreign policy."
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:25 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I disagree with that list. There is nothing that says the steel slats will be artistically designed.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 1:29 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Jonathan Chait (we don't have to all say how much we dislike the guy and everything he's ever written), Why Fox News Made Trump Shut Down the Government

But then right-wing media threw a fit. A backdrop here is that numerous right-wing infotainers build their audience by promoting irrational confrontational tactics. Figures like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and the cast of Fox & Friends don’t have serious, substantive policy disagreements with Republican leaders, but they do like to goad them into hopeless confrontations by pretending they will create leverage that does not exist. Under the Obama administration, conservative media promoted a series of government shutdown threats out of the belief that they could be used to make Obama give them policy concessions. For whatever reason, they’re not going along with the plan of pretending the wall is getting built, and instead they’re demanding Trump shut down the government to get the wall.

And when right-wing infotainers demanded this, Trump “alternately seethed and panicked about the stream of invective he’s hearing from allies on television,” as Politico reports.

@AsteadWesley: This gets a thing people sometimes misunderstand: conservative media isn't just reflecting and defending Trump's interests. Many times, they're driving those interests, and the WH is reacting to Fox News and the online voices that shape Fox

@poniewozik: People get it wrong when they say we have "State TV." We have a TV State.
posted by zachlipton at 1:29 PM on December 20, 2018 [56 favorites]

Given the number of moderate GOP reps that are heading out the door, is it possible for them to join with Dems and sign a discharge petition to bypass Ryan and get the Senate- passed bill to a vote?
posted by Rhaomi at 1:38 PM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

hey i know it's a real slow news day, otherwise i wouldn't even bother bringing this up…

Jake Tapper, CNN:

Breaking: Officials throughout the Trump administration are bracing themselves for the president to make a similar announcement as he did about Syria except this time about US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan — though they caution the president has not yet made a final decision.

:-|
posted by murphy slaw at 1:41 PM on December 20, 2018 [22 favorites]

Another GoFundMe for a different Wall

At least that wall seemed to be working.
posted by homunculus at 1:42 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Breaking: Officials throughout the Trump administration are bracing themselves for the president to make a similar announcement as he did about Syria except this time about US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan — though they caution the president has not yet made a final decision.

Stopped clock and all that.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:43 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

full article here:

Administration officials brace for Trump announcement on Afghanistan

which notes the complication of a unilateral withdrawal:

The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. Any withdrawal would be complicated by the fact that the United States is part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

posted by murphy slaw at 1:47 PM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Axios: House to Vote on New Funding Bill with $5.7 Billion for Border Wall

"After meeting with President Trump at the White House Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan introduced a new short-term spending bill that includes a proposed $5.7 billion in funding for border security."
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:50 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Well, we all know how cautious he'll be after he learns that this is a NATO-led mission.
posted by Rykey at 1:51 PM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

It's been like 30 seconds, so another thing has happened. Please, make the things stop happening.

@ZoeTillman: NOW: A federal judge has sentenced James Wolfe, the former director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee, to *two months in prison* for lying to the FBI about his contact with reporters. Story shortly.

----

@johnrobertsFox: After @realDonaldTrump blew off an Oval Office farewell with @SenBobCorker , Corker now says he's heading home to Chattanooga tomorrow, regardless of whether he is needed for a vote on a border security funding measure.

@mkraju: Carlos Curbelo, whose loss Trump ridiculed, will oppose $5B for wall. Other Rs also are expected to vote no. Curbelo criticized leaders for listening “to the extremes.” Asked if leaders communicated next plan to them after $5B fails, Curbelo said: “I don’t think they have one.”

It turns out that ridiculing people who you'll need to get what you want is a bad political strategy.
posted by zachlipton at 1:51 PM on December 20, 2018 [61 favorites]

The first wall gofundme mentioned in this thread was started by Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage.

Triple Amputee Veteran Brian Kolfage Vows to Haul Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg into Court (October 19, 2018, Breitbart)

Kolfage, who lost three limbs fighting in the Iraq War in 2004, was the administrator of the widely-read conservative Right Wing News page on Facebook, which had more than three million followers. He also founded a coffee company, Military Grade Coffee, which had more than 200,000 customers and is how he makes a living for his family.

But earlier this month, Facebook deleted both pages, without warning and without explanation. When Facebook rolled out new rules nine months ago, Kolfage contacted Facebook to make sure his pages were in compliance.

After months of emailing, he finally had a scheduled appointment with a Facebook executive on October 3, 2018. However, after he raised more than $600,000 in support of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Facebook canceled the meeting and deleted both of his pages. To add insult to injury, Kolfage had over the years dropped more than $300,000 in advertising on his pages.

“This isn’t about me. This is about free speech,” he said. “Everyone should be rallying around this. Everyone should be pissed off about this. Regardless of my politics, they came after my primary source of income because of my politics, and that’s what’s wrong. And that’s why everyone should be rallying around me.”

Donald Trump Jr. expressed sympathy, via Twitter.
The Guardian on the Facebook admin actions in general.
Kolfage has had other Facebook issues, but those involved lawsuits with fellow users.
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:53 PM on December 20, 2018

My hypothesis is that they're demanding "wall" rather than "the wall" so Trump can declare victory with every linear foot of wall they get, instead of having to admit that he'll never get *the* wall.

Alternative theories: 1. He's gone full Hulk. 2. Russian doesn't use definite articles.

Family love Michael.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:53 PM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

Stopped clock and all that.

I don't want to hear any hot takes about how Actually Trump Did A Good Thing until we've had several years to assess the way the withdrawal was handled and its impact on the people still stuck there.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:54 PM on December 20, 2018 [39 favorites]

Oh, that Sheldon Whitehouse article! Reading that made me wonder if he's a secret megathread reader. I do so love being able to cast a vote for him. Between him and Rep. David "Regulate Facebook" Cicilline, I am so proud of my RI Congresscritters. (Senator Reed is... fine, I guess, but I don't think we'll be losing much when Rep. Langevin loses his seat after the census.)
posted by Ruki at 1:58 PM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Ted Lieu is one of the people saying Trump's right to withdraw from Syria because there was never any Congressional authorization so the entire thing is illegal. Which......jeez. It's got to be possible to simultaneously think that sending troops anywhere in the Middle East is is likely to get more people killed unnecessarily, even relative to the status quo of the Syrian civil war. It's like treating an arrow wound -- the arrow is definitely not supposed to be there, but yanking it out just causes more damage and what you need is surgery.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:00 PM on December 20, 2018 [21 favorites]

On MSNBC, Bill Kristol says he asked "someone close to Mattis" whether all this will be enough to get him to resign, and the person said no, he's too scared of what would happen without him.

I'm beginning to think that Donald Trump just isn't cut out for this line of work
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:00 PM on December 20, 2018 [33 favorites]

ZeusHumms: "Wall" might be cheaper to make if Trump stops embargoing foreign steel.

ZenMasterThis: Does Mexico make steel?

Trump’s "buy American" pledge may be at risk with his border wall -- Current trade agreements mean foreign companies might well get in on the building of the president’s wall (T. Christian Miller for ProPublica, via Salon, March 31, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 2:03 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Talking Points Memo, House GOP Lurches Toward Show Vote On Trump’s Wall As Shutdown Looms, for this delightful quote:

Retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) summed up the ludicrousness of Trump’s response, bursting out laughing when he was told by reporters that Trump had reversed himself and rejected a bipartisan compromise to keep the government open until early February.

“Who knows?” he said when asked what he thought would happen next, according to NBC. “Does the person sitting beside him at the [White House] know?”

What a way to run a country!
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:05 PM on December 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

If Mattis truly believes that he needs to remain in place to prevent further disaster, he still has a moral obligation to resign January 3rd and vigorously campaign for the new Democratic House to impeach the President, or for the 25th Amendment to be activated. (He will not do that.)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:07 PM on December 20, 2018 [16 favorites]

Current trade agreements mean foreign companies might well get in on the building of the president’s wall

THAT'S IT!

Trump never meant to say Mexico would pay for the wall, he meant to say we'd pay Mexico to build the wall!

Now it all makes sense.
posted by sotonohito at 2:10 PM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

I'm happy to let the self-selected adults in the room explain themselves when all this is over. I'm willing to believe that for some of them, staying on board and blowing smoke up Trump's ass and keeping the nuclear football hidden is the best thing they can do for their country, or at least they genuinely believe it is. I have no idea if Mattis falls under this category or not; we will not know what the fuck is going on in these people's heads for quite some time. But it's simply not true that for one and all, the best thing to do is quit and join #TheResistance.
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:12 PM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

BuzzFeed, Aram Roston, Jerry Falwell: I Lent $1.8 Million To A Venture Involving A Pool Attendant

The prominent evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. has for the first time acknowledged putting up $1.8 million for a business venture managed by a young pool attendant whom he and his wife befriended during a stay at a luxury hotel in 2012.
...
Falwell played a key role in the 2016 presidential election four years later when he abruptly endorsed Donald Trump and helped to deliver the overwhelming support of white evangelical Christians.

BuzzFeed News has previously reported that Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, helped broker the crucial endorsement. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in federal court earlier this month after pleading guilty to lying to Congress and unrelated illegal campaign finance violations. Those violations involved payoffs to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.
...
"My wife and I provided a loan of $1 million" for the purchase of the youth hostel, Falwell wrote. “Later, my wife and I provided additional funds of $800,000 for renovations of Alton Hostel which are being treated as an additional loan.”

The filing does not explain why Falwell chose to invest so heavily in the venture, or why Granda was selected as the local manager despite having no evident experience in real estate or hotel management.
...
The same year that Granda and Falwell developed a friendly relationship, the former pool attendant was introduced to Trump at Liberty University. Trump was visiting to give a convocation speech. Michael Cohen also attended. It was unclear what Granda, who was not a Liberty student, was doing there.

The story is careful to stick to what specifically has been proven (there's nothing more than "a friendly relationship,") but the missing links are conspicuous. It's not a great looking story—whether it's blackmail is far from clear at this point—, but it seems like one with more shoes left to drop.
posted by zachlipton at 2:14 PM on December 20, 2018 [36 favorites]

Bill Kristol says he asked "someone close to Mattis" whether all this will be enough to get him to resign, and the person said no, he's too scared of what would happen without him.

He's doing a pretty bad job of it. Mattis obsequiously complied with Trump's little dog and pony show on the border to support racist Republicans in the election. Fucking around with the lives of the military on political deployments to stay on Trump's good side doesn't sound like respect for the troops or his sworn duty to the country.
posted by JackFlash at 2:15 PM on December 20, 2018 [9 favorites]

How does the far right financially profit from a shutdown?
...
Do they all own stock in wall-focused construction companies? There's got to be a profit angle for them, right?


Contrary to Littlefinger's assertion chaos is not a ladder. It is quicksand. And people can't socially climb or fall if everyone is stuck in quicksand. The number one goal of the rich is to preserve or enhance their higher relative status in society and if possible cement it into an aristocracy. So a big hit to the economy doesn't matter much to them as long as it preserves or increases their relative advantage over others. Essentially they are cool with personally losing millions as long as it means the poor also collectively lose billions.
posted by srboisvert at 2:15 PM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

Mattis obsequiously complied with Trump's little dog and pony show on the border to support racist Republicans in the election. Fucking around with the lives of the military on political deployments to stay on Trump's good side doesn't sound like respect for the troops or his sworn duty to the country.

He's a concentration camp commandant. There will be no rehabilitation.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:18 PM on December 20, 2018 [15 favorites]

Bill Kristol says he asked "someone close to Mattis" whether all this will be enough to get him to resign, and the person said no, he's too scared of what would happen without him.

He's doing a pretty bad job of it. Mattis obsequiously complied with Trump's little dog and pony show on the border to support racist Republicans in the election. Fucking around with the lives of the military on political deployments to stay on Trump's good side doesn't sound like respect for the troops or his sworn duty to the country.

Nuclear football. Everything else pales in comparison.

If Mattis can keep that amphetamine-snorting narcissist from going all Dead Zone when the walls finally close in, that's a win.
posted by leotrotsky at 2:21 PM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

On MSNBC, Bill Kristol says he asked "someone close to Mattis" whether all this will be enough to get him to resign, and the person said no, he's too scared of what would happen without him.

Mattis may be overstating his ability to sway Trump.

WaPo: Mattis, Once One of ‘My Generals,’ Loses His Influence With Trump

The retired four-star Marine Corps general Trump likes to call by his detested nickname, “Mad Dog,” is now at a low point in his influence with Trump and potentially also a short-timer, current and former U.S. officials said.

Mattis is also frustrated that Trump vetoed his choice to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking miliary officer. Trump announced this month that he has chosen Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Army’s chief of staff, to replace the current chairman, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., who is due to step down next fall. Mattis had recommended the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. David L. Goldfein, people familiar with the discussions said.

Trump also sidestepped Mattis’s concern about deploying U.S. forces to the U.S.-Mexico border this fall with only a vague mandate for border security. Mattis has told Pentagon leaders that he is following orders and they must do the same, U.S. officials said.[…]

The relationship between the two men has shown signs of strain in recent months, and Trump continues to weigh whether he should keep Mattis in the role and tells advisers in the Oval Office that he doesn’t agree with his defense secretary on much, according to current and former administration officials.

Incidentally, an unnamed senior U.S. administration official tells Foreign Policy that Trump informed Mattis about the Syria pullout last week, but this could be a false leak. Lindsey Graham says it isn’t supported by Mattis or Pompeo or was advised by Bolton (Newsweek)—“It came from the president himself.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:22 PM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Well, on that note, Trump just tweeted that Mattis will be “retiring.”

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....

....equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:23 PM on December 20, 2018 [20 favorites]

Uh. Trump just tweeted that Mattis is out at the end of Feb.

Hold on to your butts people, things are gonna get weird.
posted by Justinian at 2:23 PM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

well crap.
posted by leotrotsky at 2:24 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

So, okay. This has been quite the news day. What the hell is going on with Trump? This seems like a notable amount of wild decisions. Is there even any point to trying to triangulate a source or cause for today's flailing?
posted by yasaman at 2:26 PM on December 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Literally two minutes between "Mattis is the only thing between us and Armageddon" and "Trump tweets that Mattis is out."
posted by diogenes at 2:31 PM on December 20, 2018 [66 favorites]

I think that Trump is beginning to understand that it is hard to envision a future in which he and much of his family does not end up either in jail, or pardoned and awaiting trial for state crimes. He does not like this scenario and he is struggling to see an alternative. It's even possible that some foreign leader has communicated that an alternative could be arranged, if only President Trump would take certain actions. Actions that others might see as erratic, at best.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:32 PM on December 20, 2018 [14 favorites]

It Is So Much Worse Than I Thought
How can a family that can’t run a charity run a country?
by Charles M. Blow / NYtimes

I don't really know what to quote, I guess we're all kind of overwhelmed today (including those of us on that side of the Atlantic that includes Brexit) so I'll just take the opening:

But since I have written almost exclusively about Trump for more than two years, please allow me this parting assessment: It is so much worse than I thought.

My original objections to Trump, the things that pushed me into the Resistance, were his immorality, dishonesty, fraudulence and grift.

I freely admit now that I was seeing only the pointy edge of an enormous machine. I had no idea how immoral Trump actually is.

posted by mumimor at 2:33 PM on December 20, 2018 [34 favorites]

From that WaPo article: "Mattis has told Pentagon leaders that he is following orders and they must do the same, U.S. officials said."

This is why civilian leadership at the DoD is so important. He can do what the president asks for or he can be fired, he has no legal obligation to follow orders. Mattis should know that.
posted by peeedro at 2:36 PM on December 20, 2018 [38 favorites]

Well Trump just tweeted that Mattis will be “retiring.”

His resignation letter [photo]: "Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position"

That's not a retirement.

I'm honestly surprised Mattis has a letter prepared and wasn't just surprised to be fired by tweet.
posted by zachlipton at 2:41 PM on December 20, 2018 [37 favorites]

Mattis should know that.

After Nuremberg, everyone should know that.
posted by JackFlash at 2:41 PM on December 20, 2018 [28 favorites]

Yep, Mattis quit in protest. So I guess he found his line? Everybody else in this government should do the same.

Bill Kristol says he asked "someone close to Mattis" whether all this will be enough to get him to resign, and the person said no

Is there literally nothing Bill Kristol can't be wrong about?
posted by Justinian at 2:42 PM on December 20, 2018 [38 favorites]

On MSNBC, Bill Kristol says he asked "someone close to Mattis" whether all this will be enough to get him to resign, and the person said no, he's too scared of what would happen without him.

Ah, there's the "wrong all the time about everything" Bill Kristol we all remember.

Seeing a lot of people come away thinking Mattis wasn't okay with the Syria moves (also maybe whatever else is coming), and that's really the wrong take. The message here is the alleged adult in the room couldn't stop these moves. Everyone who's been hoping Mattis will guide Trump away from nonsense needs to give up their make-believe.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:42 PM on December 20, 2018 [38 favorites]

Everyone who's been hoping Mattis will guide Trump away from nonsense needs to give up their make-believe.

Well, they didn't with Kelly et al, so I guess they're not learning.
posted by Melismata at 2:44 PM on December 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position"

"These and other subjects" include not being a dick to our allies and not changing posture toward Russia and China at the drop of a hat.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:45 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

"After failing to gut food stamps in the Farm Bill, Trump has announced he plans to sidestep Congress & unilaterally slash the program by fiat—just days before Christmas."

Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?
posted by mmoncur at 2:49 PM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

Lidsey Graham: It is with great sadness that I was informed of the resignation of General Mattis.

Trump's "retirement" tweet held up well.
posted by diogenes at 2:52 PM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

Secretary of Defense General Mattis's resignation letter states:

1) I believe we should respect our allies, and you, Mister President, do not.
2) I believe we should be "clear-eyed" regarding "malign" foreign nations such as "China and Russia, for example". You, Mister President, do not.
3) I believe we should promote our "security, prosperity and values", and you, Mister President, do not.

And finally...

4) By the way, I'd like to keep the job until February 28th. Does that sound okay? Thanks a bunch! - Jim

Let's also take a moment to note that I was 100% correct about him not resigning on January 3rd
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:00 PM on December 20, 2018 [34 favorites]

Fucking shitballs, what the fuck is going on? Is Mueller going to indict Trump tomorrow or something?
posted by medusa at 3:00 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

the race is on, can trump's entire cabinet resign before he either fires them or the government shuts down due to the lack of a continuing resolution
posted by murphy slaw at 3:04 PM on December 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Susan Collins asks Trump, "Are you ruining my life?

Welcome to our world, Senator Collins.
posted by mmoncur at 3:06 PM on December 20, 2018 [30 favorites]

Because there's always, always, ALWAYS a fucking tweet:

Congratulations to Chuck Hagel on one of the shortest tenures as Sec. of Defense. Another terrible appointee by Obama.

-- @realdonaldtrump, Nov. 24, 2014

Hagel lasted 721 days.
Mattis lasted 700 days.
posted by Rhaomi at 3:07 PM on December 20, 2018 [56 favorites]

Secretary of Defense General Mattis's resignation letter states:

We should not lose sight of the real audience for that letter. It's not like Trump reads. He's not talking to Trump; he's talking to the rest of the world. He says all the right things to sound like the guy who tried to keep us on the rails, which also has the benefit of ignoring all the areas where he was complicit.

I'm a long way from thinking charitably of Mattis until and unless he really comes clean, and I don't think he's gonna.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:08 PM on December 20, 2018 [33 favorites]

*clicks the new post button as fast as possible while praying that nothing happens for at least 30 seconds*

It's a NEW THREAD
posted by zachlipton at 3:09 PM on December 20, 2018 [39 favorites]

Trump is paying for Wall with money saved by cutting definite articles.
posted by notyou at 3:10 PM on December 20, 2018 [6 favorites]

Fucking shitballs, what the fuck is going on?

-all of us, every moment of every day for the past two years
posted by showbiz_liz at 3:10 PM on December 20, 2018 [29 favorites]

"Did he just say that?" she asked as she left a Republican lunch. "Ugh, are you ruining my life?"

No, Senator Collins. But he ruined Jakelin Caal's life.

And you helped.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:10 PM on December 20, 2018 [47 favorites]

Welcome to our world, Senator Collins.

human technology here at the end of TYOOL 2018 is not yet sufficiently advanced for us to detect the violin playing sad songs for this personal tragedy

maybe if her boy trump hadn't slashed NSF budgets, but honestly, that violin is pretty dang small
posted by halation at 3:10 PM on December 20, 2018 [13 favorites]

It's more of a Planck Bass
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:12 PM on December 20, 2018 [18 favorites]

🥛🍪🍪
posted by Brak at 3:17 PM on December 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

DO YOU WANT TO BE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE?
posted by homunculus at 3:43 PM on December 20, 2018 [11 favorites]

In October there was published a book "Identity Crisis" which is a number crunchy analysis of the whole 2016 cycle, all the way back to the shadow primaries of both parties, and compares it with data going back to 1990.

one takeaway is that Hillary Clinton got the predictable negatives among misogynist men, but she didn't get any boost among women, or at least not one that showed up in polling. She got the all the downsides of a female identity but no upside. That's relevant to the shadow primary discussion that was derailing this thread earlier.

another weird thing is that before 2008, a lot of voters literally did not know which party had which position on racial issues; some of the "increasing polarization" comes from people literally discovering what the party positions are because Obama made certain things unmistakable.

i've been debating how to share this, because it's both relevant and also a derail, and I'm finally dropping it here so I can share it without derailing anything.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 5:03 PM on December 20, 2018 [30 favorites]

I think it's important enough and will generate enough conversation that it should be fleshed out in a stand-alone post.
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:45 PM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

He's a concentration camp commandant. There will be no rehabilitation.

There will be. He has a lifetime appointment on the defense contractor/speaking/elite consultant/guest lecturer grift train just like everyone else from this administration that has paid no consequences whatsoever for serving in it. Harvard Kennedy School on line 1.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:00 PM on December 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

I imagine whoever is most like General Jack D. Ripper (from Dr. Strangelove) in real life will be Trump's pick for SoD.
posted by perhapses at 7:53 PM on December 20, 2018

homunculus: "@rebeccavallas: "After failing to gut food stamps in the Farm Bill, Trump has announced he plans to sidestep Congress & unilaterally slash the program by fiat—just days before Christmas.""

It's like he feels the need to ramp the cartoon villainy up to 11 by literally taking candy from babies.

:> "It Is So Much Worse Than I Thought
How can a family that can’t run a charity run a country?"

The Cheeto couldn't keep a _CASINO_ afloat.
posted by Mitheral at 8:02 PM on December 20, 2018 [4 favorites]