Monday, May 21st and Tuesday, May 22nd.
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
The Ledes
- The princes, the president and the fortune seekers
- FBI warned Trump in 2016 Russians would try to infiltrate his campaign
- RNC paid nearly half a million dollars to law firm representing Hope Hicks and others in Russia probes – The Washington Post
- Rosenstein statement about the OIG investigation
The Gulf Meeting Fallout
- Don’t get distracted. The biggest weekend story was the other 2016 Trump Tower meeting.
- Why the New Times Report on the Gulf Meeting Is Freaking Trump Out
- AP Investigation: How two men leveraged access to Trump and Persian Gulf crown princes into millions of dollars – The Washington Post
Rudy Giuliani is a liar, demented, or both
- Giuliani ‘Made Up’ Mueller’s Trump-Russia Probe September 1 Deadline, Report Says
- Rudy Giuliani’s New Approach to the Mueller Probe? Make Shit Up, Apparently
Trump in a Panic
- Donald Trump Comes Unglued Amid Growing Pressure From Bob Mueller
- Clapper: Trump tweets are ‘disturbing assault’ on Justice Department’s independence
- The Trumpire strikes back: White House launches incoherent counterattack on Mueller probe
- Trump Goes Nuclear After Report His Son Entertained Illegal Campaign Aid
Burning the Source
- Nunes says he won’t meet with DOJ officials until they hand over documents | TheHill
- Who is Stefan A. Halper, the FBI source who assisted the Russia investigation?
- DOJ, Trump strike murky deal in FBI informant spat – POLITICO
- Republican lawmakers will review classified information on FBI source Thursday, White House announces
- GOP lawmakers to review classified information on FBI source
- Feinstein to Rosenstein: Protect Special Counsel Investigation
- Rep. Nadler: Trump trying to “find an excuse” to fire Rosenstein
Reactions and OpEds
- Richard Painter says there is more evidence against Trump than there was against Nixon – CBS News
- The constitutional crisis is here: WaPo OpEd
- Presidential historian: Impeachment will be the ‘season finale’ of Trump
COHEN: THE TAXI KING FLIPS
- Michael Cohen’s Business Partner Agrees to Cooperate as Part of Plea Deal
- Cohen’s business partner strikes plea deal: report | TheHill
Evgeny Friedman, the “Taxi King” and former business partner of Michael Cohen, decided to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion and receive 5 years probation and testify against Michael Cohen. It was either that, or face up to 125 years in prison.
Evgeny Freidman, welcome to Cooperating Witnesses.
- Michael Cohen payments put spotlight on New York investment firm linked to Russian billionaire
- Michael Cohen Has Become a Trumpworld Pariah: ‘Time to Keep a Distance’
- Michael Cohen Met With Qatari Official and Nuclear Plant Owner Last Month – Mother Jones
- Hey, Look: More Evidence That Broidy May Have Been Covering for Trump in That Playmate Affair
Don’t be surprised when it comes out that Trump knocked up the Playmate, not Broidy.
EPA ROUGHOUSING
- Guards “forcibly” prevent AP reporter from attending EPA summit
- EPA Bars AP, CNN From Summit on Contaminants
- The Latest: EPA bars AP, CNN from summit on contaminants
The Environmental Protection Agency is barring The Associated Press, CNN and the environmental-focused news organization E&E from a national summit on harmful water contaminants.
The EPA blocked the news organizations from attending Tuesday’s Washington meeting, convened by EPA chief Scott Pruitt.
EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox told the barred organizations they were not invited and there was no space for them, but gave no indication of why they specifically were barred.
Pruitt told about 200 people at the meeting that dealing with the contaminants is a “national priority.”
Guards barred an AP reporter from passing through a security checkpoint inside the building. When the reporter asked to speak to an EPA public-affairs person, the security guards grabbed the reporter by the shoulders and shoved her forcibly out of the EPA building.
COLD WAR 2.0
- US asks EU to go after Russian and African villains
- Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill [HL] – Hansard Online
- Bill Browder: Magnitsky part of UK action on Russia
- Trump says summit with Kim may be delayed
- Republican Rubio threatens ‘veto-proof congressional action’ to check Trump’s move to save Chinese company ZTE
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Trump Quotes ‘Fox & Friends’ in Claim Ex-CIA Director Could Go to Jail For Starting Russia Investigation
- The Parkland students outpaced them. So the pro-Trump media was prepared for the Santa Fe school shooting.
- Fox News Viewers Really Don’t Like Lifelong Republican Robert Mueller
- ’60 Minutes’ correspondent: Trump said he attacks the press so no one believes negative coverage
- Trump Falsely Claims Russia Investigation Started Because of Steele Dossier
FIXING THE INTERNET
- FCC Commissioner Says the Agency Is a Shill for ISPs as She Slams the Door on Her Way Out
- Senators Demand FCC Answer for Fake Comments After Realizing Their Identities Were Stolen
- This is kind of a big deal. Two Senators, one Republican and one Democrat, who were impersonated during net neutrality repeal, call on FCC to investigate millions of fake comments – Fight for the Future – Medium
- Twitter Bots May Have Boosted Donald Trump’s Votes by 3.23%, Researchers Say
- Twitter Bots Helped Trump and Brexit Win, Economic Study Says
- Israeli Intelligence Company Formed Venture With Trump Campaign Firm Cambridge Analytica
WHITE HOUSE CHAOS
- FEMA Denies Contract Extension In Puerto Rico, Power Crews Head Home : NPR
- ‘Weird, odd, a dumpster fire’: Trump’s North Korea summit coin ridiculed
- ‘Too inconvenient’: Trump goes rogue on phone security
- Trump ignores White House’s secure phone rules because they are ‘inconvenient’, says report
- Trump’s Unsecured iPhones Make Clinton’s Basement Server Look Like Fort Knox
- Trump Is Doing Same Thing He Demanded Clinton Be Locked Up For
- If Clinton’s email prompted an investigation, so should Trump’s cellphone use
CORRUPTION ON A RIDUNKULOUS SCALE
- Trump’s D.C. Hotel Gave a Sweetheart Rate to a Pro-Immigrant Worker Group
- ‘Clown Prince’ Jared: Exposing the Billion Dollar Scheme to Push Trump to Punish Qatar for the Saudis
- Elliott Broidy’s Company Got Its Biggest U.S. Government Contract Ever While He Pitched Trump Administration
- Top Trump fundraisers who sought to negotiate $1 billion in business deals with Middle East princes called Jared Kushner a ‘Clown Prince
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- R. Kelly Accused of Sexual Battery, False Imprisonment, Transmitting Sexual Disease in New Lawsuit
- Third white supremacist found guilty of beating black man during Charlottesville protest
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- Neil Gorsuch Just Demolished Labor Rights in a Frontal Attack on the New Deal
- Supreme Court Decision Delivers Blow To Workers’ Rights
- Supreme Court Says Employers Can Bar Worker Class-Action Suits
- Rudy Giuliani won deal for OxyContin maker to continue sales of drug behind opioid deaths
- Blankenship to wage third-party bid after losing primary
- White House Official Rewards Paul Ryan’s Loyalty With Talk of Ousting Him as Speaker
- Clapper: Ryan and McConnell didn’t care about election interference as long as Trump won
SAY GOODBYE TO THE ECONOMY
- Harley-Davidson took its tax cut, closed a factory, and rewarded shareholders
- Congress passes rollback of banking rules put in place after financial crisis, sending bill to Trump to sign
- Goldman Sachs: Trump’s tax cuts could cause recession
#NEVERAGAIN
- Jim Carrey: New Pledge for a Generation Betrayed.
- It’s time designate the NRA a domestic terrorist organization
- The US has had 57 times as many school shootings as the other major industrialized nations combined
- Betsy DeVos will likely face school shooting questions in Capitol Hill return
- Things blamed for the deadly Texas school shooting: Ritalin. Abortion. The media. Schools. And doors.
- While 2nd amendment defenders argue guns are to protect them from government tyranny, Malaysia – where guns are illegal – successfully overthrew a corrupt government without weapons.
- No links between Ritalin and school shootings, as NRA’s Oliver North claimed
BLUE WAVE
- ‘Jesus never charged a leper a co-pay’: the rise of the religious left
- 72% of Democrats Say Opposing Trump Isn’t Enough, Want Congressional Candidates to Push Progressive Agenda
- Congress must act to restore the integrity of American elections
- Dems want to scrap tax cut for rich to fund teachers’ raises
- Dems take aim at the Republicans’ ‘culture of corruption’
- Democrats’ newest midterm pitch: A crackdown on corruption
RUMOR MILL
- Eric Garland: We got this
- August 17, 2016 is a critically important date because it’s the date that Trump was directly briefed by the Intel community that his campaign was being targeted by Russians. Here’s an analysis of why that’s important.
- Spicy Mic: Russia Today (RT) & FARA …buh bye
- What the Hunt for a Top Nazi War Criminal Tells Us About Trump’s Russia Problem – Observer
That’s it for today. And yesterday. I try to put a post together every night, but sometimes that’s not possible.
It’s easy to get lost in sadness, despair, and depression when it feels like everything if falling apart, but the men and women working in the background to bring these villains to justice. America is a country of laws, not people, money, or personalities.
It feels like nothing’s happening, but Justice is like a zombie horde. Slow, methodical, and relentless. And nothing can stop it.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 
3 thoughts on “Daily Check-In 05/21/2018”