Thursday, April 5th.
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
- Mueller’s team has been getting a lot more aggressive with how it approaches potentially hostile witnesses
- Trump’s feud with Amazon is really about the Washington Post’s success
- Paul Manafort Trying to Stop Robert Mueller from Indicting Him So Much
- ‘I don’t understand what’s left to your case’: U.S. judge casts doubts on Manafort suit challenging Mueller
- Former Trump aide Paul Manafort approved ‘black ops’ to help Ukraine president
- The Department of Justice Thinks That Collusion Is a Crime
- Trump & the UAE: Connecting the dots
- Mueller’s Russia probe shows it pays to cooperate
- House Russia investigation: How the probe went off the rails
- How the House Intelligence Committee Broke
- Nunes presses FBI for new Trump-Russia document
- Mueller is investigating a meeting Jared Kushner had with former United Arab Emirates adviser George Nader
- These Messages Show Julian Assange Talked About Seeking Hacked Files From Guccifer 2.0
As Manafort’s first trial date approaches, we’ll hear more and more about all of his attempts to kill this investigation, followed by the inevitable smackdown delivered by Mueller.
CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA AND FACEBOOK
- Robert Mercer backed a secretive group that worked with Facebook, Google to target anti-Muslim ads at swing voters
- Robert Mercer Bankrolled Group That Pushed Anti-Muslim Ads to Swing-State Voters
- How Cambridge Analytica’s parent company helped ‘man of action’ Rodrigo Duterte win the 2016 Philippines election
- Facebook sent a doctor on a secret mission to ask hospitals to share patient data
- Not 50 Million, Not 87 Million… Facebook Admits Data From ‘Most’ of Its 2 Billion Users Compromised by ‘Malicious Actors’
Robert Mercer is literally the Far Right-Wing version of the boogeyman they claim George Soros to be. Mercer is literally evil. And he knows he’s screwed.
Remember back last year (Daily Check-In 11/2/2017) that Robert Mercer stepped down from his business ventures and shifted everything over to his daughters, just a few days after Manafort and Gates were first charged? He knows that soon, the knives will be out for him, and there will be no quarter given to him or his family for their attack on democracy itself.
Also, if anyone reading this owns Facebook stock, I recommend selling it off. I don’t usually advise a sell-off when a company gets bad news, but this is “destruction of a business model” bad news.
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Fox News Melts Down After Hillary Clinton Mocks Them For ‘Trying To Impeach Me’
- Liberal consumer watchdog wants to buy ad time on Sinclair stations to air anti-Sinclair ads
- The White House won’t admit that Trump gets ideas from Fox News
- Sinclair Anchors Seethe as Execs Tell Them: Hang in There
- The Sinclair Horrorshow Is the Result of Decades of Failing to Take Media Consolidation Worries Seriously
- Ex-Sinclair employee: It was biased before it was pro-Trump
- How To Hit Sinclair Where It Hurts, According To An Anonymous Sinclair Anchor
- We’re journalists at a Sinclair news station. We’re pissed. – Vox
Their proposed merger to Tribune MUST be stopped.
#NEVERAGAIN
- Laura Ingraham’s advertisers aren’t really staging a boycott. It’s a capital strike.
- Police shoot and kill Brooklyn man after mistaking a metal pipe for a gun
- Ace Hardware Quietly Drops Laura Ingraham’s Show (Exclusive)
COLD WAR 2.0
- Russian fighter jet flies with 5 feet of US Navy plane, State Department says
- Trump Wouldn’t Let U.S. Ambassador To Russia Publicly Speak Out Against Moscow
- Feds Say They’ve Detected Apparent Rogue Spy Devices In D.C.
- Brennan rips Trump: ‘Your self adoration is disgraceful’
WHITE HOUSE CHAOS: SCOTT PRUITT MAKES CASE FOR MOST CORRUPT TRUMP OFFICIAL
- Fox News reporter confronts Pruitt: Are you draining the swamp by renting from lobbyist?
- John Kelly to Scott Pruitt: The Scandals Need to Stop
- Multiple EPA officials demoted after questioning Pruitt spending: report
- EPA ethics official says he didn’t have all the facts on Pruitt’s lease
- Top Pruitt aide resigns amid growing scandal at EPA
- Can Scott Pruitt Poison the Environment Enough to Save His Job?
- Fox News (Yes, Fox News) Just Exposed Scott Pruitt as the Ultimate Swamp Creature
- Cummings Calls for Hearing With Pruitt and Top Aides | Committee on Oversight and Government Reform – Democrats
- Rob Porter is now working for Trump’s re-election campaign
Scott Pruitt has passed from normally corrupt to criminally corrupt in a matter of days. I am honestly surprised that in a cabinet with Wilbur Ross, Betsy DeVos, and Steve Mnuchin, that Scott Pruitt is the most corrupt.
Now that I’ve said this, let’s see how long it takes before we find out that Linda McMahon runs a sweatshop full of slaves to make WWE’s merchandise. (Please don’t be true).
SAY GOODBYE TO THE ECONOMY
- Trump has “no idea what he’s doing” with trade war, Republican strategist warns
- Trump tweets fifth Amazon attack in a week, zeroes in on Washington Post coverage of tariffs
- MSNBC’s Steve Schmidt warns Trump is starting to wreck the economy because he’s an ‘imbecile’
- The Washington Post: Trump seeks an additional $100 billion in tariffs against China in escalation of trade confrontation
- Jeff Bezos Has Lost $16 Billion Since Donald Trump Started Tweeting About Amazon
- JPMorgan’s Dimon says Trump likely to be a one-term president | Article [AMP] | Reuters
- Analysis | They voted for Donald Trump. Now soybean farmers could get slammed by the trade war he started.
Trump is about to lose his support on Wall Street. They are greedy AF, but their greed can be counted on. As long as they can continue to make money, they’re okay with other problems. But fuck with their bottom line, and they’ll end you.
STORMYWATCH, FROM THE STORMCENTER 6000 METEOROPORNOLOGICAL CENTER
- The Washington Post: Trump says he didn’t know his attorney paid $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels
- Stormy Daniels’ Lawyer Just Thanked Trump for Helping His Case
- CNN segment goes off-the-rails after Stormy Daniels’ lawyer calls her former attorney an ‘absolute tool’
Just when I thought that this couldn’t get stupider, Trump says, to the press, that he didn’t know that his lawyer paid off Stormy Daniels.
If he’s telling the truth, then Cohen can say goodbye to his legal license.
If Trump’s lying, then Cohen and Trump are in even bigger legal trouble.
The only workable defense at this point for Cohen would be if, IF, he had previous authorization to work on similar cases, then he might be able to operate without Trump’s know-how on each and every case. Problem is, that raises a bigger question…
How many women has Cohen worked to fix?
AND NOW, THE WEATHER (CLIMATE)
- Another busy Atlantic hurricane season expected, but unlikely as brutal as the last one
- American conservatives are still clueless about the 97% expert climate consensus
- Shell also knew about climate change impacts more than 20 years ago
When it comes to climate change, one argument I’ve heard from conservatives is always the “scientists can’t agree.”
Here’s an analogy that might help…
Playoff hockey starts in a week. Two fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins are arguing with each other about whether Phil Kessel should be on a power play line with Evgeni Malkin or Sydney Crosby, or a super line with both. The fans argue the pros and cons of all of the options, then finish this with a good old fashion “Fuck the Flyers!” Someone who doesn’t follow hockey hears this and assumes that hockey doesn’t exist.
That is “scientists can’t agree” argument. They are the spectator watching the argument.
RED STATE TEACHER STRIKES
- What striking teachers teach us
- Oklahoma GOP lawmakers says 25 percent of the teacher protestors are paid actors bussed in from Chicago
- Oklahoma teachers jingle keys, chant ‘Where’s my car?’ at governor
TRUMP HATES BROWN PEOPLE
- Mexico Border Wall: Oregon Governor Tells Trump She’ll Refuse Order To Send Guard Troops South
- Donald Trump wrongly claims border wall is under construction
- Trump Devotee Charged With Terrorist Plot Texted Undercover FBI Agent About Muslim ‘Cleanse’
- Arizona lawmaker: I’ll ‘gladly’ work with Trump on immigration ‘when his ideas aren’t stupid’
- White House defends citizenship question on census, lies about it being on the 2010 census | TheHill
- Mexican senators call on Peña Nieto to halt cooperation with US after Trump attacks
CAN WE GET BACK TO POLITICS?
- Americans urged to carry opioid overdose antidote naloxone
- Massachusetts can sue Equifax over data breach, judge rules
- More and more, prominent Republicans are sounding the alarm about November
- Cyclist fired for flipping off the President’s motorcade is suing her former employer
- New report details campaign spending on baby showers, celebratory dinners by Rep. John Duncan (R) of Tennessee
- McConnell: Blocking Garland most ‘consequential’ decision of career
- Dwayne Johnson: Trump proves to many that ‘not everybody should run for president’ | TheHill
RUMOR MILL: CREDULITY ABOUT THE DAILY MAIL
There are a few media organizations that, despite being big names, don’t have a sterling reputation. One of those is the Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail is a British tabloid newspaper, about a step or two above the National Enquirer in legitimacy, but a few rungs below The Onion for satire. Political reporting isn’t
So, when they release a story that says the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was bragging about using U.S. Intelligence given to him by Jared Kushner to go after his enemies, I take it with a grain of salt.
Don’t get me wrong, from everything I’ve seen about their meeting and the timing of MSB going after his enemies, it makes sense. I’m just skeptical about this story coming from the Daily Mail. But, then again, like one of my old coaches used to say “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut from time to time.”
If this story gets picked up by other outlets, I’ll gladly admit that the Daily Mail broke the story first.
That’s it for today. Well, yesterday. I needed to get some sleep. Last night was the first time I had more than 5 hours of sleep on a weeknight in a few weeks.
As far as Friday is concerned, I hope to start that article right after this one is published. I have a few big things going on tonight, but worst case scenario, I’ll publish something Saturday morning.
This weekend is a big one for wrestling fans and in honor of that, my weekend post will be about WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump, and how he is the ultimate heel, (bad guy), and why and how his presidency could work as a great angle (story).
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 