The Joy of Trump
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Roseanne Barr blamed her use of Ambien for her 2am tweets.
Roseanne Barr blamed her use of Ambien for her 2am tweets.
Here's how the drug company reacted:
AxiosVerified account @axios
Here's how the drug company reacted:
AxiosVerified account @axios
After being canned by ABC following her racist tweet, Roseanne Barr apologized and blamed her use of Ambien for her 2am tweets. Here's how the drug company reacted:
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Is Ivanka the worst Trump?
Hanlon’s Razor: the idea that you should never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by stupidity
Is Ivanka the worst Trump? Her tweeted portrait of ‘perfect motherhood’ seals it for me
| Arwa Mahdawi
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/29/is-ivanka-trump-worst-tweeted-portrait-border-agents?CMP=share_btn_tw
Hannah Arendt - In Our Time, a BBC Radio 4 program.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the political philosophy of Hannah
Arendt in this episode of In Our Time.
Arendt in this episode of In Our Time.
Hannah Arendt developed many of
her ideas in response to the rise of totalitarianism in the 20th
century, partly informed by her own experience as a Jew in Nazi Germany
before her escape to France and then America.
her ideas in response to the rise of totalitarianism in the 20th
century, partly informed by her own experience as a Jew in Nazi Germany
before her escape to France and then America.
She wanted to understand
how politics had taken such a disastrous turn and, drawing on ideas of
Greek philosophers as well as her peers, what might be done to create a
better political life.
how politics had taken such a disastrous turn and, drawing on ideas of
Greek philosophers as well as her peers, what might be done to create a
better political life.
Often unsettling, she wrote of 'the banality of
evil' when covering the trial of Eichmann, one of the organisers of the
Holocaust.
evil' when covering the trial of Eichmann, one of the organisers of the
Holocaust.
The guests are Lyndsey Stonebridge, Professor of Modern
Literature and History at the University of East Anglia;
Literature and History at the University of East Anglia;
Frisbee
Sheffield, Lecturer in Philosophy at Girton College, University of
Cambridge; and
Sheffield, Lecturer in Philosophy at Girton College, University of
Cambridge; and
Robert Eaglestone, Professor of Contemporary Literature
and Thought at Royal Holloway, University London.
and Thought at Royal Holloway, University London.
The Producer is Simon
Tillotson.
Tillotson.
This is from an episode of In Our Time, a BBC Radio 4 program.
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Courtroom artist sketch of Harvey Weinstein
Jane Rosenberg, courtroom artist extraordinaire, came through with an unforgiving sketch of Harvey Weinstein today. Swipe through this post for more of her iconic sketches
https://nym.ag/2KWTztF
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Russia Election Interference
Jared Kushner receives permanent security clearance, an indication he is no longer a focus of the special counsel
https://wapo.st/2GJwtEf?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.a6cf3474c427
Calling the Nobel Prize Folks
Syphilis is taking it's toll...
Calling the Nobel Prize Folks on his 'special phone'
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Trumpsters
Is that you, Devon Nunez?
Mark Warner: "It would be at best irresponsible, and at worst
potentially illegal, for members of Congress to use their positions to
learn the identity of an FBI source for the purpose of undermining the
ongoing investigation into Russian interference in our election."
Friday, May 18, 2018
Corruptiion
Brian Krassenstein
@krassenstein Follows you
Jessica SchneiderVerified account @SchneiderCNN
A detailed deep-dive from @RonanFarrow about Michael Cohen's banking practices, and potentially missing bank reports. But what's most alarming are payments that seemed to circulate from foreign govts at the same time @potus was visiting those countries.
Climate sceptic group IPA suggested as co-host of Australian visit by Trump's environment chief
In Rebuke of Trump, Tillerson Says Lies Are a Threat to Democracy
“If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom”
- Rex Tillerson
In Rebuke of Trump, Tillerson Says Lies Are a Threat to Democracy
WASHINGTON
— In a veiled rebuke of President Trump, former Secretary of State Rex
W. Tillerson warned on Wednesday that American democracy was threatened
by a growing “crisis of ethics and integrity.”
“If
our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting
of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we
as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom,” he
said in a commencement address at the Virginia Military Institute in
Lexington, Va.
Even small falsehoods
and exaggerations are problematic, Mr. Tillerson said. He did not
mention Mr. Trump by name, although the president is prone to both.
“When
we as people, a free people, go wobbly on the truth even on what may
seem the most trivial matters, we go wobbly on America,” he said.
Mr.
Tillerson arrived in Washington after running Exxon Mobil, one of the
world’s largest corporations, backed by business leaders and some
foreign policy experts as a man who could bring experience and ballast
to an untested administration.
But as
the nation’s top diplomat, he soon found himself at odds with the
president over a variety of issues, including negotiating with North
Korea and extending the Iran nuclear deal, and privately humiliated
until he was fired by a tweet.
Since
then, he has largely been in seclusion at his Texas ranch. He had
agreed to deliver the V.M.I. commencement address before he was fired.
In
his address, he cut to the heart of the most significant criticisms of
the president, that Mr. Trump exaggerates and constructs his own truths
and that he has undermined ethical standards in Washington.
“If
we do not as Americans confront the crisis of ethics and integrity in
our society and among our leaders in both the public and private sector —
and regrettably at times even the nonprofit sector — then American
democracy as we know it is entering its twilight years,” Mr. Tillerson
warned.
Mr.
Tillerson’s 14-month tenure at the State Department was marked by
conflict with Mr. Trump and an exodus of some of the nation’s most
experienced diplomats. In the months before his own departure, Mr.
Tillerson admitted he had only belatedly learned to enjoy the job —
perhaps unsurprising, given that he was at one point notably rebuffed by presidential tweet on North Korea and, at another, forced to deny that he had called Mr. Trump a “moron.”
He
and Mr. Trump disagreed on an array of specific issues, from the Paris
climate accord to free trade. He seemed to reference some of those
disputes in his speech on Wednesday, reminding his audience that the
United States gets much of its strength from a network of alliances.
“One
of America’s great advantages is we have many allies,” he said. “Our
adversaries — China, Russia, Iran and the terrorist organizations — have
few.”
Relations with Europe are at
their lowest point in years, bedeviled by a series of disagreements with
the Trump administration over the climate accord, the Iran deal and
trade disputes. Mr. Tillerson suggested this was problematic.
“We
must never take these long-held allies for granted,” he said. “We must
motivate and strengthen them — not just in our areas of complete
agreement, but particularly in bridging our differences both in trading
relations and in national security matters.”
Mr.
Tillerson made a full-throated appeal for the benefits of free trade,
warning of the “anxiety and fear about growth in foreign markets and
about the global movement of jobs.”
He
said that “every nation has a right to aspire to a better quality of
life, and that free trade and economic growth are the means by which
opportunity is created for all people.” It was a notable defense of free
trade and developing nations from a veteran of an administration that
has threatened to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement and
impose billions of dollars in tariffs on rivals and allies alike, and
uses “America First” as its guiding principle.
Mr.
Tillerson also said citizens must demand that America’s future be
“fact-based, not based on wishful thinking, not hoped-for outcomes made
in shallow promises, but with a cleareyed view of the facts as they are
and guided by the truth that will set us free to seek solutions to our
most daunting challenges.”
In
Washington, just moments before Mr. Tillerson began speaking, his
successor, Mike Pompeo, was holding his first meeting with the entire
staff of the State Department. In his own prepared remarks, Mr. Pompeo
made clear that he intended to make a sharp break from Mr. Tillerson’s
tenure.
“It would be silly today to lay out for you my ‘grand strategy’ for the State Department. I have too much to learn,” Mr. Pompeo said in a dose of humility many diplomats later said was welcome. “Nor will I tick off country-by-country threats. You know all that.”
It was a
reference to Mr. Tillerson’s own first all-hands meeting at the
department, which had amounted to a wide-ranging lecture on world
affairs. Mr. Pompeo did not mention Mr. Tillerson by name but said he
would not try to school a building full of professional diplomats.
Mr.
Pompeo promised to bring the State Department’s “swagger back,” which
he said on Wednesday was an “aggressiveness born of the righteous
knowledge that our cause is just, special and built upon America’s core
principles.”
“We should carry that
diplomatic swagger to the ends of the Earth, humbly, nobly and with the
skill and courage I know you all possess,” he said.
Back
at the V.M.I. campus, Mr. Tillerson told the graduating cadets that as
they entered the world, they must “carefully consider the values and the
culture of the organizations in which you seek to work.”
“Look for employers who set high standards for ethical conduct,” he said.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/tillerson-truth-lies-american-democracy-trump.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share
reVerified account @nickconfessorelobbyists I wrote about last year for @NYTmag: They didn’t drain the swamp. They milked it: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/magazine/how-to-get-rich-in-trumps-washington.amp.html …
Silly DJT
Robert ReichVerified account @RBReich
Trump's Foreign Policy:
1) Abandon traditional allies.
2) Throw out treaties promoting peace and stability.
3) Make dangerous threats to feed his political base at home.
Trump is insane. Get him out of the White House before he kills us all. Don't your @GOP colleagues have any decency left at all? @SpeakerRyan #25thAmendmentNow @HouseGOP
Jumpin' Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash (Lyrics)
I was born in a cross-fire hurricane
And I howled at the morning driving rain
And I howled at the morning driving rain
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
EXCLUSIVE: Scott Pruitt’s aides tried to stop a federal study on water contamination from getting out after being warned the results would cause a “public relations nightmare”
1/ EXCLUSIVE: Scott Pruitt’s aides tried to stop a federal study on water contamination from getting out after being warned the results would cause a “public relations nightmare” https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/14/emails-white-house-interfered-with-science-study-536950 …
POLITICOVerified account @politico
Murdering unarmed civilians
Quite a statement from Doctors Without Borders: “It is unbearable to witness such a massive number of unarmed people being shot in such a short time.” https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/gaza-it-unbearable-watch-such-massive-number-unarmed-people-being-shot …
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Der Spiegel on Trumplandia
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/
Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch: inside the billionaire bromance
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/16/donald-trump-rupert-murdoch-friendship-fox-news
Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch: inside the billionaire bromance
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/16/donald-trump-rupert-murdoch-friendship-fox-news
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/
Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch: inside the billionaire bromance
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/16/donald-trump-rupert-murdoch-friendship-fox-news
Did the FBI Plant a Mole in Trump’s Presidential Campaign?
Did the FBI Plant a Mole in Trump’s Presidential Campaign?
Also, why is the FBI being so difficult with information?
In The Wall Street Journal,
Kimberley Strassel penned an op-ed that suggests the FBI may have
placed a mole within then-GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s
campaign since the department will not reveal its top-secret source.
And
when did the FBI become so secretive? A former FBI agent wrote in the
WSJ that in his time, Congress wouldn’t ever need to request a subpoena
to retrieve information from the bureau.
The FBI Source
She wrote:
Among
them is that the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation
outright hid critical information from a congressional investigation.
In a Thursday
press conference, Speaker Paul Ryan bluntly noted that
Intelligence
Chairman Devin Nunes’s request for details on this secret source was “wholly
appropriate,” “completely within the scope” of the committee’s
long-running FBI investigation, and “something that probably should have
been answered a while ago.”
Translation: The department
knew full well it should have turned this material over to
congressional investigators last year, but instead deliberately
concealed it.
House
investigators nonetheless sniffed out a name, and Mr. Nunes in recent
weeks issued a letter and a subpoena demanding more details.
Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s response was to double down—accusing
the House of “extortion” and delivering a speech in which he claimed
that “declining to open the FBI’s files to review” is a constitutional
“duty.” Justice asked the White House to back its stonewall.
And it even
began spinning that daddy of all superspook arguments—that revealing
any detail about this particular asset could result in “loss of human
lives.”
Strassel
described Rosenstein’s response as desperation and more than likely the
reveal will make the FBI “very uncomfortable.” Strassel continued:
Thanks
to the Washington Post’s unnamed law-enforcement leakers, we know Mr.
Nunes’s request deals with a “top secret intelligence source” of the FBI
and CIA, who is a U.S. citizen and who was involved in the Russia
collusion probe.
When government agencies refer to sources, they mean
people who appear to be average citizens but use their profession or
contacts to spy for the agency.
Ergo, we might take this to mean that
the FBI secretly had a person on the payroll who used his or her non-FBI
credentials to interact in some capacity with the Trump campaign.
This
would amount to spying, and it is hugely disconcerting. It would also
be a major escalation from the electronic surveillance we already knew
about, which was bad enough.
Obama political appointees rampantly
“unmasked” Trump campaign officials to monitor their conversations,
while the FBI played dirty with its surveillance warrant against Carter
Page, failing to tell the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that
its supporting information came from the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Now
we find it may have also been rolling out human intelligence, John Le
Carré style, to infiltrate the Trump campaign.
It’s
very possible that this “source” is someone who already had a place in
the campaign and the FBI merely chose the person.
However, the DOJ has
also said that revealing the name could possibly “damage international
relationships.” Strassel wrote that means the person “may be overseas,
have ties to foreign intelligence, or both.”
Yes,
it’s possible another foreigner is part of this puzzle. I mean,
everyone is all uppity about Russia interfering in our election, but
remember an Australian diplomat “reported the Papadopoulos
conversation,” former British spy Christoper Steele authored the
dossier, and a former British diplomat told Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
about said dossier.
FOREIGNERS EVERYWHERE.
If
the FBI actually planted someone in the campaign, that deserves an
investigation like the Russia-Trump collusion.
It’s an intrusion into a
presidential campaign and, in my opinion, no better than a foreign
government doing the same thing. Actually, it sickens me more to think
of our agencies doing it.
The
DOJ claims the FBI triggered its investigation into possible collusion
after it received a tip in July 2016 about an over talkative George
Papadopoulos.
We
still need these answers: When did the FBI receive that infamous Steele
dossier? When did the FBI receive the Papadopoulos information?
We
also need to know when this “source” started because if the person came
into play before the Papadopoulos information the FBI “was spying on
the Trump campaign before that moment,” which means that the department
“had been spurred to act on the basis of something other than a junior
campaign aide’s loose lips.”
FBI’s Secretive Behavior
Let’s also look at the hostile behavior from the FBI and DOJ. The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed about it from retired FBI special agent Thomas Baker on the same day as Strassel’s piece.
Baker cannot believe
the department’s “shocking disrespect for Congress” because during his
33 years at the FBI, “lawmakers’ requests for information got prompt
responses.” Baker wrote (emphasis mine):
Former
Directors William Webster (1978-87) and Louis Freeh (1993-2001)
insisted that the FBI respond promptly to any congressional request. In those days a congressional committee didn’t need a subpoena to get information from the FBI.
Yes, we were particularly responsive to the appropriations committees,
which are key to the bureau’s funding. But my colleagues and I shared a
general sense that responding to congressional requests was the right thing to do.
The bureau’s leaders often reminded us of Congress’s legitimate oversight role.
This was particularly true of the so-called Gang of Eight, which was
created by statute to ensure the existence of a secure vehicle through
which congressional leaders could be briefed on the most sensitive
counterintelligence or terrorism investigations.
This Gang of Eight is not the same Gang of Eight formed in 2013 who wrote an immigration bill.
No,
this Gang of Eight includes eight senators who receive briefings on
classified information.
This is why Baker cannot believe that the FBI
and DOJ have guarded information so closely or that former FBI Director
James Comey didn’t tell Congress about the investigation on Trump.
THIS
IS WHY CONGRESS HAS THE GANG OF EIGHT.
Baker said not using this group
of senators “is inexplicable” because they EXIST FOR THIS VERY REASON.
Rupert M also owns Trumps favorite TV News station, Fox News (State TV)... LOL
Like everything in this sordid affair, i try to look at what motivates the writer:
A:
The Wall Street
Journal is owned by media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who purchased the
company for $5 billion in 2007 through his company, News Corporation.
The sale ended the 105-year-long ownership of the Wall Street Journal by
the Bancroft family. Murdoch, one of the world’s most powerful media tycoons,
founded Fox Broadcasting in 1986. As of 2015, the Murdoch family
controls a media empire consisting of 120 newspapers in five countries,
multimedia company 21st Century Fox and book publisher HarperCollins.
Founded in 1889, the Wall Street Journal has long dominated American
business publishing and was the country's first national newspaper.
Most members of the Bancroft family said they would not have sold the company to Murdoch had they known of the conduct of his employees in the phone-hacking scandal.
Even before news broke of the scandal, many members of the family showed concern over Murdoch's journalistic practices and attempted to put an independent panel in place to safeguard the paper's ethics.
Phone-Hacking Scandalv
Not long after News Corp purchased the Wall Street Journal, news broke that journalists at British newspapers owned by Murdoch were tapping phone lines to get the inside scoop for their stories. While Murdoch says he had no direct involvement, the scandal forced the closure of the News of the World, Britain’s top-selling newspaper and led to criminal charges against many senior journalists. As a result, Murdoch dropped his bid to purchase the BSkyB satellite network.Most members of the Bancroft family said they would not have sold the company to Murdoch had they known of the conduct of his employees in the phone-hacking scandal.
Even before news broke of the scandal, many members of the family showed concern over Murdoch's journalistic practices and attempted to put an independent panel in place to safeguard the paper's ethics.
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