Wednesday
Oct242018
The Commentariat -- October 25, 2018
Afternoon Update:
MSNBC is reporting that the FBI now believes that all the package bombs were sent through the mail. Also, at least some of the packages come from Florida. ...
... Laura Jarrett of CNN: "The FBI said in a tweet Thursday morning that it could confirm three more packages that were 'similar in appearance to the others.' 'One in New York addressed to Robert DeNiro, and two in Delaware addressed to former Vice President Joseph Biden,' said the tweet from the FBI's official account. This brings the total to 10 suspicious packages that have been discovered since earlier this week." This is a running report on developments. ...
... Jonathan Chait: "... the important issue here is not Trump's inability to convincingly advocate civility for an entire news cycle.... The issue is Trump's conviction that he should not be subjected to any scrutiny or criticism.... What has given Trump's version of it unusual virulence is his belief that the media should be an uncritical conduit for his lies. This is the true through line of his entire career.... What has given Trump's version of it unusual virulence is his belief that the media should be an uncritical conduit for his lies. This is the true through line of his entire career. [As a businessman,] he was fanatical about intimidating reporters with legal threats.... In his incarnation as a political candidate, Trump has mostly lost his ability to intimidate the media with legal threats. (Politicians have a prohibitively high standard for libel in the United States.) But his expectation and worldview are the same.... It is a supreme irony that Trump used his speech last night to delegitimize criticism. 'No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historical villains.' But ... Trump, in his psychological makeup and aspirations, is precisely such a historical villain." ...
... Stephen Collinson of CNN: "... the President has chosen not to rise above the tumult or even console or counsel those who opposed him. He did not mention the victims by name. Or give any indication that he is concerned that some people might see his flaming rhetoric as a spur to violence. Trump's response to Wednesday's events was a reminder of the gap between presidential expectations and performance that has often been evident in his response to grave national moments, crises and natural disasters." ...
... Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post: "At a raucous rally in Montana last week, a Trump supporter -- juiced up by the president's crude praise of a congressman who body-slammed a reporter -- looked directly at CNN reporter Jim Acosta. Then he ran his thumb across his throat. And laughed. Later, Acosta described 'the Trump effect.' 'It has normalized and sanitized nastiness and cruelty in a way that I just never thought I would see,' he said, shortly after that Montana rally. The Trump effect is a straight line from years of his hateful rhetoric to real-world danger. It's a line that goes directly from disrespect to pipe bomb. And -- almost inevitably-- it will eventually go from failed attempt to spilled blood. If you can't see it, you aren't looking." ...
... Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs, who is prone to peddling conspiracy theories and is a prominent supporter of President Trump, asserted without evidence on Thursday that it was 'fake news' that suspicious packages were mailed this week to high-profile Democrats and the New York City offices of CNN. 'Fake bombs,' Dobbs wrote in a tweet posted to his verified account Thursday morning. 'Who could possibly benefit by so much fakery?' Dobbs deleted his tweet after immediate and widespread condemnation. Authorities have said that the bombs found in the packages were rudimentary, but functional. After Dobbs deleted the tweet, he posted a second tweet which carried the same suggestion. In the second tweet, Dobbs wrote that 'Fake News had just successfully changed the narrative from the onslaught of illegal immigrants and broken border security to "suspicious packages."' Dobbs later deleted that tweet as well."
Barbara Starr of CNN: "Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders as soon as Thursday that could send 800 or more troops to the border with Mexico to help border patrol authorities stop a caravan of migrants from Central America moving through Mexico to enter the US, according to three administration officials.... The troops will not engage in lethal operations to stop the migrants. Instead they are expected to provide fencing, wall materials and other technical support at several key points along the border where it is believed the migrants may try to cross. The troops will also provide tents and medical care for border authorities in those areas.... President Trump hinted at the upcoming effort with a Thursday morning tweet, saying 'I am bringing out the military for this National Emergency.'"
Julian Borger of the Guardian: "The US mission to the United Nations is seeking to eliminate the word 'gender' from UN human rights documents, most often replacing it with 'woman', apparently as part of the Trump administration's campaign to define transgender people out of existence. At recent meetings of the UN's Third Committee, which is concerned with 'social, humanitarian and cultural' rights, US diplomats have been pushing for the rewriting of general assembly policy statements to remove what the administration argues is vague and politically correct language, reflecting what it sees as an 'ideology' of treating gender as an individual choice rather than an unchangeable biological fact." Mrs. McC: Oh great. Now we're trying to spread discrimination around the world. And you thought Trump wasn't trying to be a world leader.
Dan Friedman of Mother Jones: "In early January, Roger Stone, the longtime Republican operative and adviser to Donald Trump, sent a text message to an associate stating that he was actively seeking a presidential pardon for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- and felt optimistic about his chances. 'I am working with others to get JA a blanket pardon,' Stone wrote, in a January 6 exchange of text messages obtained by Mother Jones. 'It's very real and very possible. Don't fuck it up.' Thirty-five minutes later Stone added: 'Something very big about to go down.'... As [Robert] Mueller's team zeroes in on Stone, they have examined his push for an Assange pardon ... and have questioned at least one of Stone's associates about the effort."
*****
Scarcely a day goes by that President Trump doesn't prove anew he is the worst president* in American history. Today is no exception. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie
A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News. It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet this morning ...
Stop blaming others. Look in the mirror. Your inflammatory rhetoric, insults, lies, & encouragement of physical violence are disgraceful. Clean up your act....try to act Presidential. The American people deserve much better. BTW, your critics will not be intimidated into silence. -- John Brennan, in response to Trump's tweet ...
... Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn of Mother Jones: "Hours after explosive devices were sent to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and CNN, President Trump told a crowd in Mosinee, Wisconsin that bombs are bad, but so is [are!] the media. 'Any acts or threats of political violence are an attack on our democracy itself,' the president, who only last week celebrated a congressman's physical attack on a reporter, said. 'Such conduct must be fiercely opposed and firmly prosecuted,' he went on. 'We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony. Those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective,' he continued, weeks after calling Democrats 'evil.'" ...
... Andrew Restuccia & Gabby Orr of Politico: Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump decried "'political violence' and presenting himself as a bipartisan healer during remarks at the White House.... 'Those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective,' a staid Trump said later at the start of a rally in Wisconsin, adding later, 'By the way, do you see how nice I'm behaving today? Have you ever seen this?' Trump's solemn remarks were a jarring contrast with his typical raucous political rallies, where he regularly whips his supporters into a frenzy by mocking his critics and political opponents. In Trump's world, [Hillary] Clinton should be imprisoned, [Barack] Obama 'founded' ISIS, CNN is 'fake news,' billionaire George Soros is funding liberal protesters and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who called on activists to confront administration officials, should 'be careful what you wish for.'... During his Wednesday rally, Trump couldn't help but take some shots at the media and the Democrats. 'The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories,' he said.... 'They've got to stop.'" ...
... Veronica Rocha of CNN: At the Wisconsin rally, "... Donald Trump pointed the finger Wednesday night at Democrats and the news media for the turbulent national political environment, on the same day explosive devices were mailed to the Obamas, the Clintons, CNN and other public officials. Trump took no responsibility for the tone of the political discourse. [Besides citing media 'negative & oftentimes false attacks & stories,] he complained of 'mobs' -- a reference to protesters, who opposed Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination and confronted Republican senators on Capitol Hill, and who have challenged GOP lawmakers and Trump Cabinet officials at restaurants and in public. 'No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historical villains, which is done often and all the time. It's got to stop. We should not mob people in public spaces or destroy public property. There is one way to settle our disagreements -- it's called peacefully, at the ballot box. That's what we want,' Trump said." ...
I will always remember where I was when the president responded to a mass internal assassination attempt with a powerful, stirring 'Ditto!' -- Joel Stein, in a tweet today ...
... Marcus Gilmar of Mashable: "As authorities investigated explosive devices sent to the home of Hillary Clinton, the office of Barack Obama, and the building that houses CNN's New York office..., Donald Trump incurred the wrath of Twitter for putting in the least possible effort condemning the threats by quote-tweeting Vice President Pence. Earlier in the day, Pence sent a tweet condemning the actions as 'cowardly' and 'despicable,' the kind of message you expect from a leader. Trump, then, decided the best he could do was a quote tweet of Pence with an added line that amounts to 'Yeah, what he said!'... Later on Wednesday afternoon, both First Lady Melania Trump and the president gave fuller statements on the incidents, though President Trump didn't mention any of the recipients by name." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Explosive devices were sent to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as to CNN's offices in New York, sparking an intense investigation on Wednesday into whether a bomber is going after targets that have often been the subject of right-wing ire. The three devices were similar to one found Monday at the home of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist and liberal donor who has come under fierce criticism from conservatives and conspiracy theorists. None of the devices harmed anyone. Law enforcement officials said they were investigating whether all the devices were sent by the same person or persons. Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama, Mr. Soros and CNN have all figured prominently in the pantheon of conservative political attacks -- many of which have been led by President Trump. He has often referred to major news organizations as 'the enemy of the people,' and has had a particular animus for CNN." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... The story has been updated multiple times. The lede & new information as of 7 pm Wednesday: "Pipe bombs were sent to several prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, setting off an intense investigation on Wednesday into whether a bomber is going after political figures vilified by the right wing. CNN received a similar bomb, addressed to John O. Brennan, a career intelligence officer who served as Mr. Obama's C.I.A. director. The discovery of the device caused a mass evacuation of the Time Warner Center in Midtown Manhattan, where the network is located.... Mr. Brennan [is] a Republican and a harsh critic of Mr. Trump. The president revoked his security clearance in what was seen as an act of retribution.... All the packages were mailed in manila envelopes lined with Bubble Wrap and bearing return addresses with the name of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman and a former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, the F.B.I. said. The mailing labels were computer-printed and six first-class stamps were affixed to all of the envelopes. A fifth device sent to Mr. Obama's attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., was apparently misaddressed, and because Ms. Wasserman Schultz's name was on the return address, it was ultimately delivered to her district office in Florida, the F.B.I. said.... Another package addressed to a Democrat, Representative Maxine Waters of California, was intercepted at a Congressional mail facility, Ms. Waters said in a statement. In recent months, Mr. Trump and Ms. Waters have often ridiculed each another." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Good for the Times for implicitly laying the blame on Trump. And think of that: the POTUS* is -- as we've said for a long time -- inciting violence against his political enemies. This is, needless to say, a first in modern American history. Investigators certainly will find the perp. ...
... AP: "The FBI is confirming that two additional suspicious packages, addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters, have been intercepted that are similar in appearance to five others that were received. The FBI updated its tally in a tweet Wednesday night. It came as federal authorities said a package addressed to Waters with similar markings and characteristics to the other devices was intercepted at a Los Angeles mail facility. Earlier in the day, Waters said her Washington office was the target of a suspicious package, though it wasn't immediately clear if that was related to the others." ...
... Here's the FBI's statement on the packages. ...
... AP: "A law enforcement official says a package addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden appears similar to packages containing bombs sent to prominent Democrats and has been intercepted at a Delaware mail facility.... The FBI confirms there is law enforcement activity at the U.S. mail facility in New Castle, Delaware. It says federal agents and New Castle County Police are responding to the facility." ...
... Daily Beast: "A suspicious device addressed to Robert De Niro has been sent to an address in New York City, two law enforcement sources told The Daily Beast. One of the officials said the device was 'identical' to those sent to former president Obama and the Clintons yesterday. De Niro has been repeatedly critical of President Trump...." ...
... Tucker Higgins of CNBC: "The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday that reports of a suspicious package addressed to the White House are 'incorrect.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "In the home stretch of the fall campaign, President Trump has called Democrats 'evil' and argued they are 'too dangerous to govern.' He has denounced Barack Obama's presidency and demonized former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, inspiring chants of 'Lock her up!' at his rallies. The president has also used his bully pulpit to taunt Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) as a 'low I.Q. individual,' impugn former CIA director John Brennan and fan conspiracy theories about liberal philanthropist George Soros. And he has called the news media 'the enemy of the people,' singling out CNN's reporting as 'fake news.' This week, these targets of Trump's rhetoric became the intended targets of actual violence in the form of pipe bombs, many of which turned up Wednesday. Investigators have not disclosed information about the origin of the packages, and no evidence has surfaced connecting the acts to any political campaign. Still, a common theme among the targets was unmistakable: Each has been a recurring subject of Trump attacks.... The president sounded a call to all Americans to unite, though he did not address the tone of his own campaign rhetoric.... Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) responded in a joint statement: 'President Trump's words ring hollow until he reverses his statements that condone acts of violence.'" ...
... Here is Schumer & Pelosi's joint statement. ...
... Here are notes & a statement CNN president Jeff Zucker sent to staff. ...
... Democrats Did It. Kelly Weill & Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "Minutes after news broke of 'potential explosive devices' being mailed to the homes of former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with CNN's New York City studio, the dark corners of the conservative Internet were declaring it a plot to gin up empathy for Democrats. Cries that the bomb threats was merely a 'false flag' operation were evident on Twitter and pro-Trump forums. Many of the personalities pushing the claim were fringe types. But not all of them. Popular talk radio host Rush Limbaugh hinted that the attempted bombings were set-up by Democrats, saying they would serve a political 'purpose.' 'It's happening in October,' Limbaugh said. 'There's a reason for this.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Dan Spinelli of Mother Jones: “'Breaking! Alex Jones Predicted False Flag Attack to Blame Patriots,' read the top headline Wednesday morning on Infowars, which Jones owns and operates.... Michael Flynn Jr., the son of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, called the packages a 'political stunt' given the 'suspicious timing' of Wednesday's news.... Ann Coulter ... called bombs 'a liberal tactic.'... John Cardillo, a host on Newsmax, a conservative media outlet run by Trump golfing buddy Christopher Ruddy, said investigators should look at 'far left groups' who 'know they're losing.'" ...
... They Have No Shame. Will Sommer: "House Republicans' campaign committee released a new ad attacking billionaire Democratic donor George Soros as a 'radical' on Wednesday, just two days after a bomb was found in Soros's mailbox. The new ad from the National Republican Campaign Committee's independent expenditure arm..., is aimed at Minnesota House candidate Dan Feehan, who is locked in a close contest with Republican Jim Hagedorn." ...
... Todd Gillman & Robert Garrett of the Dallas Morning News: "On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz joked that his opponent, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, could share a jail cell with Hillary Clinton and spoke darkly of Democratic mobs. A day later, federal authorities said they'd found seven mail bombs sent to the former secretary of state and others, among them former President Barack Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder, billionaire Democratic donor George Soros and CNN -- a network that drew chants of 'CNN sucks!' at Cruz's big rally with ... Donald Trump on Monday night. Stumping in Dallas on Wednesday, Cruz denounced overheated rhetoric and political violence of any kind -- and lay the bulk of blame on the left for poisoning the nation's civic discourse.... He rejected the idea that he or Trump shares responsibility for stirring passions.... The White House rejected the possibility that attacks on liberal politicians and the news network Trump loves to bash were inspired by his harsh rhetoric, describing Democrats as 'evil' and journalists as the 'enemy of the people.'" ...
... Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: Meghan McCain, a host of ABC's "The View" and a daughter of John McCain, said Mitch McConnell's being heckled in restaurants was like Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton's getting bombs in the mail. Mrs. McC: Uh-huh. ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: In case you're thinking that the bomber(s) could be a "false flag" -- and that's not impossible -- there's this: Ben Collins of NBC News: "An image on the explosive device sent to former CIA Director John Brennan on Tuesday appears to be a parody of an ISIS flag taken from a meme that has been circulating on right-wing corners of the internet since 2014. The print-out appears to show a parody flag that replaces Arabic characters with the silhouette of three women in high heels, and a middle inscription reading 'Get 'Er Done' -- which is the catchphrase of standup comedian Larry the Cable Guy.... The 'Get 'Er Done' flag was originally created in 2014 by the right-wing parody site World News Bureau, for an article titled 'ISIS Vows Retribution For Counterfeit Flags.' It has since been shared as a meme on right-wing websites and forums.... The explosive device also appears to have a picture of a face next to the fake ISIS flag. The identity of the person in that picture is still unknown." (It looks like a slimmed-down Trump to me, but the photo -- which apparently came from Jim Acosta of CNN -- is grainy.) If the would-be bomber is a leftist or a foreign terrorist, s/he would have to at least be familiar with right-wing memes.
** China & Russia, if You're Listening... Matthew Rosenberg & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "When President Trump calls old friends on one of his iPhones to gossip, gripe or solicit their latest take on how he is doing, American intelligence reports indicate that Chinese spies are often listening -- and putting to use invaluable insights into how to best work the president and affect administration policy, current and former American officials said. Mr. Trump's aides have repeatedly warned him that his cellphone calls are not secure, and they have told him that Russian spies are routinel eavesdropping on the calls, as well. But aides say the voluble president, who has been pressured into using his secure White House landline more often these days, has still refused to give up his iPhones. White House officials say they can only hope he refrains from discussing classified information when he is on them.... Mr. Trump is supposed to swap out his two official phones every 30 days for new ones but rarely does, bristling at the inconvenience." The Chinese have a strategy for manipulating the content of Trump's calls.
... Mrs. McCrabbie: That's so surprising, because even now Trump periodically complains that Jeff Sessions hasn't put Hillary Clinton in jail yet for using a private e-mail server, which had the potential to become compromised (even tho the FBI says it wasn't). Maybe Trump thinks only men have the right to be reckless & irresponsible. As the reporters point out, Trump also still "basks" in chants of "Lock Her Up!" at his rallies. ...
The so-called experts on Trump over at the New York Times wrote a long and boring article on my cellphone usage that is so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it. I only use Government Phones, and have only one seldom used government cell phone. Story is soooo wrong! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet this morning ...
... Kimberly Dozier of the Daily Beast: "'It's far from a secret that cellular phone calls bouncing off towers are interceptable,' said Todd Rosenblum, a former intelligence official whose past posts include Homeland Security deputy undersecretary of Intelligence. 'The fundamental issue is that the president is not willing to adhere to the most basic norms of telephony operational security.' He added: 'The Chinese and Russians can and do augment what they learn about his emotional state and priorities in his tweets with more specific data spilled during unprotected cellular phone calls.'" ...
... Jeet Heer of the New Republic: "The saving grace of the situation can be found in President Trump's paranoia and lack of policy of knowledge, both of which act as guardrails preventing him from blurting out important secrets. 'Administration officials said Mr. Trump's longtime paranoia about surveillance -- well before coming to the White House he believed his phone conversations were often being recorded -- gave them some comfort that he was not disclosing classified information on the calls,' The New York Times observes. 'They said they had further confidence he was not spilling secrets because he rarely digs into the details of the intelligence he is shown and is not well versed in the operational specifics of military or covert activities.'" ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: That's ridiculous. Even though Trump can't understand or remember the details of policy briefings, he can likely remember the picture -- or his distorted version of the big picture -- and discuss it with his supposed friends. Since he loves to boast about his power & his plans, you know he's sharing them.
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie Bonus. I think I heard about this when it happened two weeks ago, but I didn't know there was video! Rachel Maddow brought up the Charmin-on-his-shoe episode in connection with the China-is-listening story, so here ya go:
... I've had many an embarrassing moment in my life, but so far to the best of my knowledge, not this one.
Megyn Kelly (Mrs. McC: that's the byline, & I'm going with it) of the Hill: "President Trump said in an early morning tweet on Thursday that he is 'bringing out the military' to secure the border with Mexico, calling it a 'National Emergency.' 'Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council is right when he says on @foxandfriends that the Democrat inspired laws make it tough for us to stop people at the Border,' Trump tweeted. 'MUST BE CHANDED, but I am bringing out the military for this National Emergency. They will be stopped!'" Mrs. McC: Does anyone know what "CHANDED" means? "Changed" or "challenged"?
Matt Phillips of the New York Times: "The stock market stumbled yet again on Wednesday, as the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500-stock index shed more than 3 percent despite solid earnings reports from companies like Boeing and Altria. Declines in the tech sector generated significant pressure.... Stocks have fallen for 13 of the past 15 trading days, including a 3.3 percent drop on Oct. 10 that was the market's worst fall in eight months. The S.&P. 500 is now down more than 0.6 percent for the year." ...
... Damian Paletta & Danielle Paquette of the Washington Post: "U.S. stock markets fell sharply Wednesday, erasing all gains for the year and muddying one of President Trump's favorite talking points two weeks before the midterm elections.... The financial swoon threatens to undermine a market rise for which Trump has frequently claimed credit and to highlight controversial aspects of Trump's agenda, including tariffs many companies are blaming for their struggles and a tax cut that polls suggest the public views as inadequately helpful for the middle class.... 'I have created such an incredible economy,' Trump said in Montana last week. 'I have created so many jobs.'... In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he falsely denied imposing any tariffs on imports, even though he has implemented numerous tariffs against a range of countries this year.... Trump has also promised a 10 percent middle-class tax cut, a proposal that caught his aides by surprise and that lawmakers said was exceedingly unlikely in the near future.... Trump has increasingly looked to shift focus away from economic indicators he once touted and toward immigration and other issues -- and assign blame elsewhere for any economic setbacks. He has pummeled the Federal Reserve...." ...
... Arthur Delaney of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump struggled mightily Tuesday to explain a new tax cut proposal he first mentioned in an offhand remark last week. The president said in an interview with Wall Street Journal reporters that he'd been working on the proposal 'for a long time' with Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.... 'I would have put it into the original bill,' Trump said, referring to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which he signed into law last December. 'But we couldn't have done it originally because we ― you know, we've become ― I mean, we're doing really well. The numbers are really good.'... Finally, Trump gave up. 'In fact, if you call Kevin Hassett, let him tell you, because I was going over it,' the president said, referring to his top economic adviser." Hassett told reporters to go to the press office. "The press office has not provided any additional information. It's almost as if there is no proposal at all.... 'The thing that's amazing to me is this keeps happening and all the policy reporters in town kind of take it seriously,' [said Howard Gleckman of the Tax Policy Center], pointing out that Trump has previously made slippery promises about taxes, immigration plans and health care." Thanks to MAG for the link.
Jordan Weissman of Slate: "... now that we are approaching the final days of the midterm races, [Donald Trump's] flights of fabulism seem to be reaching bizarre new altitudes. For instance: [in a tweet Wednesday, Trump claimed,] 'Republicans will totally protect people with Pre-Existing Conditions, Democrats will not! Vote Republican.' This is the sort of night is day, black is white, opposite-day variety of lie that Trump sometimes resorts to when he is desperate or frustrated.... Republicans spent much of 2017 attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which bans insurers from discriminating against patients with pre-existing conditions. Democrats fought to protect it. Meanwhile, the White House has backed a federal lawsuit in Texas that seeks to strike down all of Obamacare, including its pre-existing condition rules, as unconstitutional. To say Democrats 'will not' protect Americans with pre-existing conditions, while Republicans 'totally' will is a simply surreal and childlike argument.... Because everything Trump does comes garnished with a grotesque twist of irony, the president is pushing all of this out at precisely the moment his own administration is undercutting the pre-existing conditions protections that already exist.... This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a new rule that would give states the option to let residents use their Obamacare premium subsidies to buy skimpy, 'limited duration' health plans."
Ken Dilanian & Anna Schecter of NBC News: "Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office has obtained communications suggesting that a right-wing conspiracy theorist might have had advance knowledge that the emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman had been stolen and handed to WikiLeaks, a source familiar with the investigation told NBC News. Mueller's team has spent months investigating whether the conspiracy theorist, Jerome Corsi, learned before the public did that WikiLeaks had obtained emails hacked by Russian intelligence officers -- and whether he passed information about the stolen emails to Donald Trump associate Roger Stone, multiple sources said. Mueller's investigators have reviewed messages to members of the Trump team in which Stone and Corsi seem to take credit for the release of Democratic emails, said a person with direct knowledge of the emails."
Saudi Story 4.0 (or so). Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor said on Thursday that the death of the Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been 'premeditated,' the latest change in the kingdom's official story of how he was killed. Saudi officials previously said that a 15-man team that had flown to Turkey to confront Mr. Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, leading to a 'fistfight' with Mr. Khashoggi. When he screamed, one of the men put him in a chokehold, killing him accidentally, they had said. The Saudi prosecutor's new statement, which was announced through the kingdom's state-run news media, said the conclusion was based on new information received from a joint Saudi-Turkish investigation taking place in Turkey. The latest change is almost certain to cast further doubt on the kingdom's explanation of what happened to Mr. Khashoggi." ...
... John Hudson, et al., of the Washington Post: "CIA Director Gina Haspel listened to audio purportedly capturing the interrogation and killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, giving a key member of President Trump's Cabinet access to the evidence used by Turkey to accuse Saudi Arabia of premeditated murder. Haspel, who departed for a secret trip to Turkey on Monday, heard the audio during her visit, according to people familiar with her meetings.... A person familiar with the audio said it was 'compelling' and could put more pressure on the United States to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the death of Khashoggi, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post. 'This puts the ball firmly in Washington's court,' said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and scholar at the Brookings Institution. 'Not only will there be more pressure now from the media but Congress will say, "Gina, we would love to have you come visit and you can tell us exactly what you heard."'" ...
... Kevin Sullivan & William Branigin of the Washington Post: "In his first public comments since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi security agents in Istanbul three weeks ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Wednesday that his country is doing all it can to complete an investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. Addressing a gathering of more than 3,000 business leaders from around the world at the Future Investment Initiative, Saudi Arabia's signature economic forum, often called 'Davos in the Desert,' Mohammed acknowledged no responsibility in the case. He called the killing 'a heinous crime' that was 'really painful to all Saudis' and to all other people. He accused unidentified critics of trying to use the case to 'drive a wedge' between Saudi Arabia and Turkey and pledged that this would not happen as long as his father is king and he is the crown prince." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "The image of the Saudi crown prince shaking the hand of a son of the slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi stoked outrage on social media on Wednesday as suspicions continue that the crown prince had a role in the killing.... The younger Mr. Khashoggi appears stone-faced when the crown prince shakes his hand.... Mr. Khashoggi's son Salah is a dual Saudi-American citizen and has been barred from leaving the kingdom, friends of the family say, presumably to keep his relatives who are already in the United States from speaking out about the killing." The caption on the photo of the two men that accompanies the story calls the meeting "staged."
Chris Opfer of Bloomberg: "The Justice Department [Wednesday] told the U.S. Supreme Court that businesses can discriminate against workers based on their gender identity without violating federal law. Solicitor General Noel Francisco told the high court that a civil rights law banning sex discrimination on the job doesn't cover transgender bias. That approach already has created a rift within the Trump administration, contradicting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's view of the law it's tasked with enforcing. A Michigan funeral home wants the high court to overturn a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit decision finding that the company violated federal workplace discrimination law when it fired Aimee Stephens, a transgender worker. The EEOC successfully sued on behalf of Stephens in that case, but the Justice Department has the sole authority to represent the government before the Supreme Court. The DOJ told the high court that the Sixth Circuit got the case wrong.... The Supreme Court is expected to decide in the coming months whether to take up the case. It's also been asked to consider two other cases testing whether sexual orientation bias is a form of sex discrimination banned under the existing law."
Election 2018
See also stories linked above related to Donald Trump's lies about tariffs, fake middle-class tax cuts & pre-existing conditions.
Jacqueline Alemany of the Washington Post: "Republicans are starting to point to evidence -- and some fresh numbers -- that their chances of retaining the House majority when voters go the polls in 13 days may have slightly improved. And even some Democrats agree.... Most of the battleground House races are being fought on Republican turf (63 out of 69 seats, according to a new Washington Post-Schar School poll). That means that Democrats have a built-in edge that makes it easier to capture the net 23 seats needed to regain House control. But there's decent evidence those House races remain tight or could be tightening. That's not to say Democrats aren't still favored to take over the House -- by polls, history and sky-high enthusiasm to vote against President Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Florida. David Smiley & Joey Flechas of the Miami Herald: "Sequels rarely live up to the original. But in their second and final meeting before the Nov. 6 election for Florida governor, Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum delivered a bare-knuckle brawl of a debate so heated that a racial slur was spelled out letter by letter on live television. DeSantis, a Trump-endorsed former congressman, painted his opponent as a corrupt on-the-take politician. Gillum, the unapologetically liberal mayor of Tallahassee, cast DeSantis as a vapid extremist who encourages racism."
Georgia. Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Georgia election officials to stop summarily tossing absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures, delivering a crucial win to voting-rights advocates -- and to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams -- less than two weeks before Election Day. The ruling resulted from two lawsuits filed earlier this month after election officials in a single Atlanta suburb, Gwinnett County, rejected hundreds of absentee ballots with signature discrepancies, missing addresses or incorrect birth years.... U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May ... ordered Secretary of State Brian Kemp to instruct all local election officials to stop rejecting absentee ballots over the mismatched signatures. Instead, such ballots will be marked 'provisional,' and the voter will be given the right to appeal the decision or confirm his or her identity. Kemp and the Gwinnett County election board were named as defendants in the suit."
Montana. Eli Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "The Republican National Committee sent out a mailer in a key state in the battle for the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections that erroneously informed voters about how to vote absentee. The mailer told voters in Montana, where incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D) is engaged in a competitive fight against Republican challenger Matt Rosendale, that absentee ballots could be postmarked until the day before the election as long as they were received within 10 days of Nov. 6. But election officials told local reporters that the state's rules stipulate that ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, regardless of the postmark. The RNC said the error was a mistake it was working to fix."
Texas. Dallas Morning News Editors: "... we favor U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke for U.S. Senate. The pivotal issue before our country is public leadership, and here we believe O'Rourke's tone aligns with what is required now. This inclusive and hopeful tone, along with O'Rourke's approach of starting with shared principles and working toward solutions, offset any policy differences we have with him. Leadership is more than policy, and whether we are addressing the very real challenges before us now turns on our ability to find points of agreement.In this respect, O'Rourke is the stronger candidate. In conducting his campaign, he has displayed a demeanor that offers respect for each person and a humbleness that will allow him to open the door to working with those who hold political views different from his." Mrs. McC: The editorial board of the Morning News is super-conservative: "On economic policy, for example, we supported the president's tax cuts that Cruz voted for. And we stand with Cruz in looking to remove federal regulations that stifle job creation."
Adam Goldman & Ali Winston of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. arrested the leader of a violent California neo-Nazi gang on a federal conspiracy charge after he fled the country earlier this month. Robert Rundo, 28, of Huntington Beach, Calif., is being held at the federal jail in downtown Los Angeles. He was charged in a criminal complaint that was unsealed Tuesday. Mr. Rundo apparently crossed into Mexico two weeks ago from California and then made his way to Central America. He was later brought back to the United States, where he was arrested Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, according to two people familiar with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. He is the founder of the Rise Above Movement, a neo-Nazi gang based in Southern California whose members were involved in violent activity at protests throughout California in 2017. He and three other Californians associated with the group -- Robert Boman, 25, Tyler Laube, 22, and Aaron Eason, 38 -- were charged with inciting riots, according to court documents. Mr. Boman and Mr. Laube were arrested on Tuesday morning in Southern California. The F.B.I. said it was still searching for Mr. Eason."
Michelle Boorstein of the Washington Post: "Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced Wednesday that his office is running an 'ongoing investigation' into the state's two Catholic dioceses and whether there has been any sexual abuse and coverup. The announcement comes a day after D.C.'s top prosecutor made a similar announcement. The statement said the probe was launched in response to the Pennsylvania grand jury report released this summer, 'that documented decades of sexual abuse and coverup by Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania.' It also announced the creation of a hotline staffed by state police investigators and a website for reporting clergy abuse." (Also linked yesterday.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Brian Stelter of CNN: "Two years of pent-up bitterness and backbiting about Megyn Kelly have finally come to a head at NBC News. Her exit from the 9 a.m. hour of the 'Today' show appears to be imminent. Variety reported on Wednesday evening that Kelly and NBC News executives have had conversations about a new role for her. A person familiar with the matter confirmed that to CNN Business and said Kelly's show will be ending. Negotiations about the end date and other details are still underway, the person said. Kelly's offensive remarks about blackface Halloween costumes on Tuesday have raised more questions about her future at NBC.... Kelly started her show on Wednesday by apologizing for comments made the previous day. Her audience gave her a standing ovation, but disappointment inside NBC News runs deep and isn't likely to fade anytime soon. NBC News chair Andy Lack condemned her racially insensitive comments during a town hall meeting with staffers on Wednesday morning." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Ah, well, if she gets canned, Kelly will have time to make a nice Halloween costume. ...
... Ah, Looks as if She'll Stay at NBC. Brian Steinberg of Variety: "Megyn Kelly and NBC News have engaged in conversations about her taking a new role at the news division, according to a person who has spoken with the anchor, suggesting both sides have grown weary of the intense scrutiny being placed on her morning program, 'Megyn Kelly Today' and casting significant doubt on its future. Word of the shift comes after Kelly stirred outrage on Tuesday during a segment in which she questioned why it was wrong for people to don 'blackface' for Halloween costumes. The backlash contributed to [talent agency] CAA dropping Kelly as a client on Wednesday, according to an industry source (and first reported by the Hollywood Reporter). But the conversations about ending the 9 a.m. daytime show began before the controversy, the latest since the anchor joined NBC News in March of 2017." Mrs. McC: Maybe you can think of a job Kelly could handle at NBC. (And don't assume she can type or sort mail.) ...
... Update. Or Maybe Not. "Megyn Kelly Today" without Megyn Kelly. Joe Concha of the Hill: "Megyn Kelly will not be appearing on her NBC show on Thursday, two days after the host's controversial comments about blackface as a Halloween costume drew stinging criticism from inside the network, according to multiple reports. Two sources close to the situation tell The Hill that NBC and Kelly are working on an exit deal. The negotiations come less than two years after Kelly jumped from Fox News to NBC News in January 2017."
News Lede
Washington Post: "Typhoon Yutu's 180 mph winds overturned cars, knocked down hundreds of power poles and left an island of thousands without a medical center and another without an airport. Buildings were reduced to haphazard piles of tin and wood; if a structure wasn’t made of concrete, one resident said, it was probably wiped out by the mos powerful tropical cyclone to hit any part of the United States since 1935. Yutu spent roughly seven hours thrashing the small islands of Saipan and Tinian, the most populous part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, early Thursday morning local time. Residents of the islands north of Guam are accustomed to typhoons but quickly attested that this was the worst they'd seen. Yutu's gigantic eye enveloped much of Saipan and all of Tinian, leaving the islands 'mangled,' as one local official told The Washington Post. Rescue and relief operations have begun, but officials say their efforts are being hampered by dangerous weather and widespread destruction, which includes 'extensive damage to critical infrastructure,' according to an update Thursday from the governor's office. One woman on Saipan, who took shelter in an abandoned building that collapsed on her, died during the storm."
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Reader Comments (22)
Had a few minutes to look up why George Soros so angers the Right. I've never wholly understood it.
From what I can tell they hate him because the supports democracy, minorities' rights and international organizations that recognize and further humanity's common interests.
It's interesting that in the Pretender Era the new nationalist Republican Party no longer even pays lip service to any of these one-shared ideals, which may be why a man demonized primarily by the party's fringe is now targeted by the party leadership...They too have apparently slipped over sanity's edge.
(It can't be because he's Jewish. After all, Sheldon Adelson is, too, and Repugs love him.
@Ken Winkes: Just because Republicans accept Sheldon Adelson's money doesn't mean they're not anti-Semitic. (Sorry, a lot of negatives in that sentence.) Both Soros & Adelson fit into the far-right/Nazi conspiracy theory that Jews control the world & are responsible for most of what's wrong with it.
The difference is that Adelson is willing to help Republicans. But Adelson's help -- humungous campaign contributions -- comes at a price: they must accept his far-right Israel agenda (right down to calling the occupied territories not "occupied" but "disputed"), & when possible, they should help him advance his business objectives (Trump reportedly even touted Adelson's hopes for a Japanese gaming license to Shinzo Abe). I'd guess Republicans actually resent Adelson more than Soros because Adelson controls them to a degree Soros does not, right down to what words they're allowed to use.
When Trump told Jewish Republicans "I'm a negotiator like you folks," it was an embarrassing display of anti-Semitism, even tho he thought he was saying something nice & "inclusive." It doesn't occur to someone like Trump that stereotyping an ethnic group is offensive, especially, as in this case, when it feeds into that Jews-control-the-world anti-Semitic theory.
I don't think Republicans "love" Sheldon Adelson (he's not very lovable); I think they tolerate him because they need his support. And many Republicans certainly are anti-Semitic in that they "otherize" Jews, at least, & blame them for vast powers they do not have, at worst.
Bea,
Thanks for yanking my tongue out of my cheek where I had awkwardly placed it in my concluding parenthetical. With or without negatives, your explanation of the difference between the way Soros and Adelson are perceived by Republicans is sharply drawn.
I had meant only to illustrate that the anti-Semitism that infects so much of the Repugnant base can apparently be sponged away with wads of cash, that Soros' major sin was giving money to the wrong causes and the wrong party, with maybe a hint of the implication that for Republicans, money is the only way to measure loyalty or value.
@Ken Winkes: Sorry, I didn't notice where your tongue was!
I'm glad to be part of that "angry democrat mob". You know, the
mobs who scour the beaches picking up trash left by you-know-whos,
clean up the hiking trails where you-know-whos leave their
recyclable water and drink containers, who volunteer to help out
in the gardens at our public areas, museums, etc. None of us are
part of the one percent and none of us are Rs, so guess that makes
us a radical, angry mob.
A National Emergy!
“A video going viral on social media appears to show first lady Melania Trump having to remind President Donald Trump to sign a bill targeting the country’s opioid crisis as he began walking away from the signing ceremony.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-melania-trump-reminder-opioid-bill_us_5bd17f6ce4b055bc94888aed
Forrest,
Concerned about the environment and willing to do something about it? You are definitely radical AND angry. Ha.
Sometimes Mother Nature (or mothers in nature) get their revenge on the ignorant, anti-environmental schmucks.
Years ago I was on a hiking/climbing trip to Baxter State Park in Maine to climb Mt. Katahdin. Typically the day after doing the mountain, we'd do an easy hike to stretch out a bit. Earlier in the week we came across a couple of idiots in a nearby campsite. Their idea of a campfire was to chop branches off live trees, stick them in a barrel, pour gasoline over the whole thing and light it up. We tried to explain that this was not exactly zero impact hiking, that they should be foraging in the woods for downed trees and branches for their fire. They laughed and called us names, you know, "tree hugger" and I think there were a few "assholes" too.
The day after our mountain trip, I was on a trail by a large pond with another member of our group. He found a large boulder and sat up there to cast for a few fish. We heard a noise up the trail and here come those two idiots. Even worse, they noticed a moose calf by the edge of the pond and went down to grab it for pictures. I looked at my buddy and said "Should I tell them?" He said "I guess, if you wanna be nice". So I walked over and let them know that if there was a calf here, his mom was not far away, because he was little, and she would not be happy with a couple of jamokes messing around with her baby. I got another "Asshole" for my trouble. I grinned and said "Okay" and joined my buddy on his boulder to watch the fun.
Sure enough, less than two minutes later, we heard this enormous crashing sound coming our way through the brush. The idiots looked up at us and yelped "What's that?" I said, "You'll see." The best thing was there was nowhere for them to go. The trail was cut off and the water was at their backs. Suddenly, here comes mom out of the brush, all 700 pissed off pounds of her, straight at these jerks. She head butted one guy about 15 feet into the water and chased the other guy up the trail (and by the way, no human outruns a moose). Their expensive Nikon camera was in the drink.
We had a good laugh. It made our whole day.
What does "chanded" mean? It's the future imperfect of "covfefe."
Or maybe the past gerundative participial.
We'll see what happens.
As Aunt Hattie mentioned yesterday referencing Junior's comment about the bombs sent to critics of his fat ass dad, "Bombs? Big deal? What about us?", fat ass dad's response is pretty much the same. "Bombs are bad, but people criticizing me are worse! What about me?"
Because it's always all about the members of the Trump Crime Family.
Immigrants have a tough life so they're trying to come here? Fuck them. They don't have to deal with CNN asking questions about your buddy assassinating some pain in the ass journalist, and picking out new drapes for Mar a Lago, and figuring out which account to use to hide the graft, and how to decide which of our private golf courses to play at this weekend. Now those are problems, lemme tell you.
Winger responses range from "Democraps did it!" to "Oh, big deal" to "Well, no one actually died. So what?"
When someone riding a bike gave Trump the finger, they were yelping about the insane level of incivility on the part of liberals. But if high profile Democrats get bombs sent to them, it's "Oh, grow up."
Just imagine the bed wetting if McConnell, Trump, Adelson, and Jon Voight had bombs sent to them. They'd be talking about martial law.
@Akhilleus
You're so right about the martial law thing. Those rich white men are so aggrieved!
On the militarization of the border:
Thought all had the legal right to seek asylum here, that requests for asylum were subject to adjudication, but I see no report that the military will be setting up civilian courthouses to handle the expected influx.
I'm sure I'm missing something here, as I was with the Soros animus I commented on last night.
Expect the ACLU and others will weigh in on this one, too.
Simple solutions for simple minds.
I'm old enough to remember when you could tell if you were really somebody important by whether you appeared on Nixon's enemies list. I was always dismayed that I didn't rate.
My oh my, how we've progressed. Now if you're the president's enemy you don't get your name on some silly list.
Every time you think this couldn't get any worse, it gets worse.
@Patrick: "Chanded" is the future imperfect of "covfefe" had me rolling.
Is Megyn Kelly really an idiot? She doesn't seem like it (at least all the time, not like Trump), but she consistently comes out with ridiculous statements. Santa and Jesus are white? Telling a "Will and Grace" fan that "this gay thing will work out well for you"? Bugging Jane Fonda about plastic surgery? And now this bit about how dressing up in blackface was cool when she was a kid. No. It wasn't. Did she grow up in Alabama in the 50's? No. It wasn't even cool when I was a kid and that was a few years before she was halloweening.
Even the concept "blackface" is insulting. I remember watching "Amos 'n Andy" TV reruns when I was kid, thinking "This isn't even funny. These guys are idiots". But they were made to look like idiots because, well, black people, of course. And that's what blackface calls up for millions of people, Steppinfetchits and Amos 'n Andy.
No wonder she was so popular on Fox.
In some situations, she comes across as bright and quick. She's educated, has a law degree (but hey, so does Ted Cruz, and Trump is supposedly the smartest person in history). So it shows you that education is no guarantee of moral clarity.
Or common sense.
Naturally, the right will all be up in arms about how she's being attacked for a simple racial slur. Big deal.
Bombs, racial slurs, attacking journalists? Such crybabies, those liberals.
Coming from the exasperated cynicism department, this whole "mass freelancing of attempted political assassinations" episode is going to be magically forgiven in the national narrative in the span of a few days. The stark reality today is that it would take the actual (inevitable?) disfigurament/death of someone to actually get anything to change or any reckonings to be had.
Notice how quite the GOP is, again, as always, as Trump goes back in the attack against the same press getting bomb threats. Conservatives can brush off a massive 10 bomb parade against their political adversaries, but yelling at Mitch McConnell is shameful.
Expect more boasts of body slamming because the no 1 goal of the right today, beyond dismantling effective governance, is "triggering" libs.
They're all fucking demented. Nothing will change.
One Ringy-dingy...
Trump's use of his personal phones for kvetching to his pals and asking for their regular opinions of how much greater he is today than yesterday creates inroads for Chinese and Russian intelligence services that are just as valuable (maybe more so) than learning the details of policy plans.
What they can glean is his state of mind, his fears, his suspicions, his psychological weaknesses, what pushes his buttons.
Sharp card players are constantly on the lookout for tells that give them insight into their opponents' mental state and likely strategy. They don't get the "policy details" (the actual cards they're holding), but they can see how they react to what those cards are (or aren't) and that can be just as useful.
And Trump may not be blurting out details of defense plans or foreign policy initiatives, but I can't imagine he's the least bit circumspect or careful about what sorts of things are bugging him and how his weaselly little mind works.
If you want to manipulate someone, find out what gets them worked up, what and whom they fear or trust or hate.
As those sharp card players will tell you, that's money in the bank, baby.
I can't wait for the press to be all over Trump's personal cell phone use like flies on shit, after sleuthing around for months about Hillary's potential"confidential intel" in her emails.
Oh yeah. Not. This too will go under the rug, because nothing matters anymore. Not even national security. Our best bet is that our leader is such a fucking moronic narcissist that the only info the Russians, Chinese, (and who else? Everyone I imagine. Def the Israelis and certain Europeans) can glean is how super fantastic he is and who has the best tits on Fox News and how his golf game is soaring. The fact that our foreign adversaries have been recording his private conversations is in itself a form of blackmail, and a trap he set on himself for being, again, a fucking idiot. And none of the "adults" could get Donny Diapers to knock off his extremely dangerous habit. What does that tell you about power dynamics in the West Wing?
Not good things.
An ironic thing about Russkis and Manchus (and anyone who wants to) listening in to DiJiT's phone calls is that they get info that U.S. cabinet agencies can't get. DiJiT doesn't take notes or do memcons, so whatever he's saying is lost to his staff and the agencies involved in doing whatever is discussed. The FBI and HSA can listen in on the Chinese and Russkis to learn what they are saying about DiJiT -- but they can't listen in to DiJiT himself.
The guy gives away everything. Storewise.
Remember this? "there were rules" how hysterical things got that Obama wanted to continue using his Blackberry after he was first elected?
"He won the fight, aides disclosed Thursday, but the privilege of becoming the nation’s first e-mailing president comes with a specific set of rules.
“The president has a BlackBerry through a compromise that allows him to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends,” said Robert Gibbs, his spokesman, “in a way that use will be limited and that the security is enhanced to ensure his ability to communicate.”
First, only a select circle of people will have his address, creating a true hierarchy for who makes the cut and who does not.
Second, anyone placed on the A-list to receive his e-mail address must first receive a briefing from the White House counsel’s office.
(Boldface mine).
The president* of fear and violence and his supporters acted quickly in the face of a national emergency (sorry, not emergy), when high level political figures were targeted by a bomber.
Oh....they didn't do anything about the bombs, or do anything to address the culture of fear and violence they've been whipping up. Silly. No, but they were really quick to blame someone else.
Because that's what they do.
Create terrible situations then blame others. Typically, they blame the victims. That's their specialty. Someone sent you a bomb? Don't look at us. You probably sent it to yourself. Or someone in your Democrat Mob did.
We're blameless. As always. All we're trying to do is salute the flag, praise Jesus, help our Glorious Leader take back America from wetbacks and niggers and queers and uppity broads, Nosy Parker reporters, and tree hugging liberal traitors. They all deserve a serious beating, or worse. But don't look at us if you're thinking of blaming someone for an atmosphere of violence.
Or else we'll come looking for you.
From the Pay Attention to What I Do, not What I Say Department (Blight House extension):
Trump tweets "I rarely use my cellphone". At the bottom of his tweet it indicates that the tweet was sent from his iPhone.
Not only that, but every tweet sent in the last two weeks by the Orange Monster, 76 in all, have been sent from his personal cellphone.
Not just a liar, but an obvious liar. But then that's always been, well, obvious.
Thanks, Mattis for helping to circumvent US and international asylum laws. All these "grown ups" in the room have me worried. If, and that's not that big an if anymore, Trump ordered the troops to fire on these "dangerous" migrants seeking asylum what percentage would pull the trigger? During the campaign Trump said he would order the assassination of civilians who were related to possible terrorists. He also wanted to assassinate Assad and wondered why we can't just nuke countries. Violence is one of the few answers Trump has for unwelcome situations. He also probably thinks it would make him look "presidential" to be giving orders to the military.
On the other hand, it is amazing how much people like Trump and Dobbs insult the border agents all the time with no consequences. They tell everyone that they are incompetent and worthless over and over. Now they have to send down another platoon of real men to do job of these lazy border patrol agents can't.
"Trump’s solemn remarks" He read off of a telepromter! He has done this again and again. He reads someone else's words and then goes on to tell us what he truly believes. Reading is not presidential. I'm tired of listening to journalists and commentators say "if only he had said/done this..." Trump is Trump. Stop pretending he could be someone else. He is not a trainable little puppy. Rewarding good behavior is not going to make him behave well. He does not care about the tone of coverage as long as people on television are talking about him.