Wednesday, September 5, 2018.  I’d like to apologize in advance.  I’m going on a trip the next couple days, and need to get things ready.  For that to happen and not be completely swamped, I said to myself “I could really use a slow news day.”

Me and my big mouth.

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

• Jerome Corsi, Conspiracy Theorist, Is Subpoenaed in Mueller Investigation
• Robert Mueller Subpoenas ‘Birtherism’ Conspiracy Theorist 
• Mueller subpoenas Jerome Corsi, birther and ex-Alex Jones associate

Jerome Corsi, a conspiracy theorist with links to both ex-Trump aide Roger Stone and Infowars host Alex Jones, has been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., Friday as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, his attorney says.

Corsi, who has written such books as “Where’s the Birth Certificate?” and “Killing the Deep State: The Fight to Save President Trump” will fully comply with the Mueller team’s subpoena, according to attorney David Gray.

The subpoena was first reported by the New York Times.

 

Gray told NBC News he expects his client will be questioned about his contacts and communications with Stone.

Questions have long swirled about Stone’s possible interactions with WikiLeaks and hacker Guccifer 2.0 during the 2016 campaign, when both entities were releasing Democratic emails that had been hacked by Russian intelligence agents.

We’re up to about ten known associates of Roger Stone that have been requested to appear before a grand jury.  That’s quite a lot for a nothing burger.

• Witnesses in Paul Manafort’s D.C. trial may include consultant who admits foreign money was funneled to Trump inauguration

An American political consultant who is cooperating with federal prosecutors and has admitted in court that he steered $50,000 from a Ukrainian politician to Donald Trump’s inaugural committee is among potential witnesses listed in the upcoming trial in Washington for Paul Manafort.

W. Samuel Patten pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court to failing to register as a foreign lobbyist while working on behalf of a Ukrainian political party.

On Wednesday, as part of pretrial activity in Washington, Patten’s name was among those of 120 people who might testify or be mentioned at the trial of Trump’s former campaign chairman set to open Sept. 24, according to court filings.

In his plea deal, Patten said he was helped by a Russian national who has been linked to Russian intelligence by U.S. prosecutors and who was also an associate of Manafort’s.

The list of people who may testify or be referred to includes many of the vendors, accountants and investigators who took the stand at the recently completed trial in Alexandria, Va., where Manafort was convicted of eight of 18 tax- and bank-fraud charges. But the list for the D.C. trial also includes 23 Ukrainian and four European politicians.

Also on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the District warned attorneys for both sides to drop “unduly prejudicial” tactics they deployed in Virginia.

Jackson postponed ruling on the most contentious requests from the defense and prosecutors to exclude what they see as biasing evidence from the trial.

But in a two-hour-long hearing, Jackson said she followed reports from Manafort’s trial in Virginia and ordered both sides to avoid duplicating some approaches they took there.

• Manafort foreign agent trial to remain in DC, judge rules
• Judge Rules Mueller Probe Can’t Be Discussed at Second Manafort Trial
• Judge Moves Stormy Daniels Hearing to Same Day Manafort’s Second Trial Begins

THE ANONYMOUS OP ED

• I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration 

President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern American leader.

It’s not just that the special counsel looms large. Or that the country is bitterly divided over Mr. Trump’s leadership. Or even that his party might well lose the House to an opposition hellbent on his downfall.

The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.

I would know. I am one of them.

To be clear, ours is not the popular “resistance” of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous.

But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.

That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.

The root of the problem is the president’s amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making.

The root of the problem is the president’s amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making.

Although he was elected as a Republican, the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people. At best, he has invoked these ideals in scripted settings. At worst, he has attacked them outright.

In addition to his mass-marketing of the notion that the press is the “enemy of the people,” President Trump’s impulses are generally anti-trade and anti-democratic.

Don’t get me wrong. There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more.

But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.

From the White House to executive branch departments and agencies, senior officials will privately admit their daily disbelief at the commander in chief’s comments and actions. Most are working to insulate their operations from his whims.

Meetings with him veer off topic and off the rails, he engages in repetitive rants, and his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions that have to be walked back.

“There is literally no telling whether he might change his mind from one minute to the next,” a top official complained to me recently, exasperated by an Oval Office meeting at which the president flip-flopped on a major policy decision he’d made only a week earlier.

…

Astute observers have noted, though, that the rest of the administration is operating on another track, one where countries like Russia are called out for meddling and punished accordingly, and where allies around the world are engaged as peers rather than ridiculed as rivals.

On Russia, for instance, the president was reluctant to expel so many of Mr. Putin’s spies as punishment for the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. He complained for weeks about senior staff members letting him get boxed into further confrontation with Russia, and he expressed frustration that the United States continued to impose sanctions on the country for its malign behavior. But his national security team knew better — such actions had to be taken, to hold Moscow accountable.

This isn’t the work of the so-called deep state. It’s the work of the steady state.

Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.

The bigger concern is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us. We have sunk low with him and allowed our discourse to be stripped of civility

…

There is a quiet resistance within the administration of people choosing to put country first. But the real difference will be made by everyday citizens rising above politics, reaching across the aisle and resolving to shed the labels in favor of a single one: Americans.

• ‘The sleeper cells have awoken’: Trump and aides shaken by ‘resistance’ op-ed
• Donald Trump Has Called People ‘Mentally Retarded’ Multiple Times on Tape, Despite Claiming He’s Never Said It 
• Donald Trump makes the case for his own impeachment
• Donald Trump played the anonymous source game, and it’s coming back to haunt him
• Just Shut Up and Quit 
• New York Times grants anonymity to administration official for essay
• No, anonymous Trump official, you’re not ‘part of the resistance.’ You’re a coward 
• NY Times Op-Ed Editor Describes Process Behind Publishing Anonymous Trump Official’s Op-Ed
• One Word Has People Convinced Mike Pence Wrote Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed
• Rick Wilson: A quick memo for #DeepStateThroat, the WH NYT Op-Ed writer. Thread
• The 25th Amendment: It’s Time For Trump To Leave The Presidency – Rantt
• The Rogue White House Official Who Wrote That Times Op-Ed Is a Moral Coward 
• This Is a Constitutional Crisis 
• Trump calls on NY Times to turn senior official who wrote critical ‘resistance’ op-ed ‘over to government at once!’ 
• Trump’s contempt for his Southern base finally gets GOP senators riled up
• White House ‘scrambling’ to respond to NYT Op-Ed 
• Tom Nichols: If the author of the NYT had used his/her/their name, all we’d be talking about is who they are, where they grew up, their entire career resume, who else they ever worked for, and where they are now. The message of the oped itself would be completely lost. Thread
• Rogue Senior White House Advisor: This New York Times Op-Ed has pissed Trump off more than anything so far, and that brings me an incredible amount of joy.
• Angry White House Staffer: 1. The person indeed exists. 2. They’re far less of a national security risk than you are. 3. There are more. Buckle up, buttercup.
• Rogue White House Senior Adviser: This has always been the goal. A Theocratic Oligarchy. That’s why this SCOTUS pick is so important to the GOP. Trump is but a conduit.

Well, that just fucking happened.  I’m not exactly sure who this was, and I honestly don’t want to know until till this shit is over.  Knowing who they are takes away from the spirit of the message, and that is that Trump is dangerous.  He’s so dangerous that the people that would normally do the boring work of running the government have to actively run interference for this douche taco.  He’s a clear and present danger to the republic.

Now, in a normal universe, with a not clearly insane person as President, people would have resigned en masse over this level of evil.  Instead, we haven’t seen that in this administration.  We haven’t had a long string of people leaving in protest.  Why?

Like I’ve said many times, if this were in a normal universe, those people leaving in protest would produce shame in the office holder.  There would be inquiries, hearings, and the person leaving in protest would be replaced with a qualified candidate capable of doing the job.

We’re not in a normal universe.  In TrumpWorld, the office holder is incapable of feeling shame.  The corrupt GOP will only hold hearings about Hilary’s email server, and that person that left would be replaced by a Trump sycophant.  For some positions that might not sound terrible, but what about important things like the National Security Council or the Secretary of Defense?  There have been half a dozen stories in the last 48 hours about Jim Mattis heading Trump off on starting wars with Iran, North Korea, China, Sudan, Canada, and the NFL.  Imagine if one of Trump’s yes men was in Mattis’s position when the order to assassinate Assad came through, or to preemptively attack North Korea.  We would be stuck in another needless war, and young people would be dying a meaningless death because a madman ordered it and no one said no.

Now, that does bring up another important point.  The job of the military is to follow the chain of command and execute all lawful orders of the Commander In Chief.  Notice the word lawful?  We’ve never had senior staff members flat out ignore the orders of a President before, but we’ve also never had a bad, mad President before.  We’ve had bad Presidents (Buchanan, Pierce, Wilson) and we’ve had mad Presidents (Jackson, Johnson, Nixon), but we’ve never had both.  Earlier tonight with my wife I compared Trump to Joffrey, but then I had to retract it because a Lannister, unlike a Trump, always pays their debts.

WOODWARD

• By calling Jeff Sessions a dumb Southerner, Trump has done the impossible

This side of the n-word, “dumb Southerner” is maybe the most impactful epithet you can throw at someone in the South. “Mentally retarded,” another term Trump reportedly used to describe Sessions, is also high on the list. Trump has since tweeted a denial of using either term.

Calling Southerners some version of dumb is so effective that even Southerners do it to get under each other’s skin.

It stings us all, black and white. We are tired of having to remind people that we don’t “talk different” any more than do Bostonians or Bronx residents, that the pace of the words that flow from our mouths is not indicative of the intellectual activity taking place inside our heads.

That’s why even Trump ally Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, said “I resent that” when asked about Trump’s use of the epithet.

A version of the slur was used in 2000 by a high-profile South Carolina state senator, Arthur Ravenel, for whom one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in North America is named, because the National Association of Colored People initiated an economic boycott of South Carolina to protest the flying of the Confederate flag at the Statehouse.

• WH Official Stopped US Exit From Trade Agreements By Hiding Documents From Trump

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis lashed out at Sean Spicer after the former White House press secretary repeatedly tried to get him to go on Sunday-morning talk shows, according to the journalist Bob Woodward’s soon-to-be-released book, a partial passage of which was tweeted by an Associated Press reporter on Tuesday.

Spicer apparently tried numerous times to get the secretary of defense to go on television, finally causing an exasperated Mattis to respond with a statement far clearer than a simple “no.”

“Sean,” Mattis said, according to the excerpt of the book, “Fear,” tweeted by the AP’s Zeke Miller. “I’ve killed people for a living. If you call me again, I’m going to f—ing send you to Afghanistan. Are we clear?”

• The president refers to his attorney general as “mentally retarded,” and according to Woodward said, “He’s this dumb Southerner.”
• Rick Wilson: Ah, we’re back to this old, trite line. 1. You’re not going to sue. 2. You never sue, because discovery will destroy you. 3. This tweet is an admission of Woodward’s accuracy. 4. He has tapes. Lordy, he as tapes. 5. Everyone who works for you, including Ivanka, hates you.
• “Everybody on the Inside Knows It’s True”: Woodward’s Reality Bomb Is Blowing Up the West Wing
• Trump Says He ‘Probably Would’ve Spoken’ To Woodward ‘If He’d Called.’ He Did.
• Andrew C Laufer, Esq on Bob Wooodward’s book

SCOTUS

• Brett Kavanaugh Is a Dick, and The Look He Gave Fred Guttenberg Proves It
• Brett Kavanaugh’s hearing is a Gilded-Age farce and an affront to the American public
• Claude Taylor: Justice Kennedy ended up selling the Supreme Court seat Kavanaugh now seeks to the #TrumpCrimeFamily Let’s remember that as will history.
• Clinton: ‘Of course’ Kavanaugh will vote to overturn Roe V. Wade
• Comment Of Senator Leahy On His Questioning Of Judge Kavanaugh On Hacked Democratic Files
• Democrats Can Block the Kavanaugh Nomination If They Want To
• Did Brett Kavanaugh Lie to Congress in His First Confirmation Hearing? 
• Grassley falsely claims National Archives curated Kavanaugh’s documents 
• Kavanaugh Declines to Say Whether Presidents Must Comply With a Subpoena
• Kavanaugh refuses to answer questions on Trump pardons
• Kavanaugh stumbled over two critical tripwires
• Kavanaugh: Can’t answer about presidential power 
• Leahy Trips Kavanaugh Up With Questions About Allegedly Stolen Emails
• New Documents Reveal Government Plans to Spy on Keystone XL Protesters
• Missing Kavanaugh Docs Being Kept Secret to Cover up Evidence of Crime, Fmr Fed Prosecutor Says 
• More Than $300,000 Has Been Pledged Against Susan Collins If She Votes for Brett Kavanaugh
• Patrick Leahy Points to Email That Suggests Brett Kavanaugh Lied About Receiving Stolen Documents 
• The Kavanaugh Nomination Must Be Paused. And He Must Recuse Himself.
• Support for Republicans and for Kavanaugh crumbles 
• A Judge Who Can’t Be Vetted Shouldn’t Be Confirmed 
• What you need to know about the ‘stolen email’ allegations against Brett Kavanaugh

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

• The White House is discussing potential replacements for Jim Mattis 
• President Trump claims he has ‘100 pictures’ of Robert Mueller ‘kissing and hugging’ James Comey

TRAITOR TOTS

• Rep. Justin Amash: Don’t Impeach Trump Just Because You ‘Dislike’ Him
• Prosecutors say ‘family values’ Rep. Duncan Hunter spent campaign cash on mistresses — and they have pics to prove it

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) may have illegally spent campaign funds on at least five women who are not his wife — whom he has blamed for financial wrongdoing that has gotten them both indicted.

The California Republican and his wife Margaret were indicted last month on 60 counts related to spending more than $250,000 in campaign cash on themselves, but prosecutors say the “family values” lawmaker may have spent some of that on women with whom he was having a “personal relationship,” reported The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The Hunters overdrew their bank account more than 1,100 times in seven years and were penalized nearly $38,000 in overdraft and other fees, and they also maxed out their credit cards and were hit with about $24,600 in fees and penalties.

Prosecutors say the congressman spent some of the campaign money on five individuals living in Washington, D.C.

Defense attorney Gregory Vega wrote a letter to the Department of Justice complaining that prosecutors had notified him that they have photos of an intoxicated Hunter and some of those women.

“While there may be evidence of infidelity, irresponsibility or alcohol dependence, once properly understood, the underlying facts do not equate to criminal activity,” Vega wrote.

Politico reported in February that Hunter had a reputation for partying and that federal investigators had been eyeing his activities, but the 41-year-old Hunter dismissed the reports as “tabloid trash.”

Hunter and then President Donald Trump have blamed the indictment on partisan bias, without any proof, within the Department of Justice intended to sway the midterm elections.

FIGHTING BACK

• Eric Willis: I will continue to wear my NIKE ARMY boots,because like my fellow soldiers and those who have served before me, we ARE NOT disrespected by Kap. We joined so that we can continue to let others voice their opinions!
• Fundraiser by Marcel McClinton : Nike Drive For Children
• Trump Tweets Nike Getting ‘Killed,’ But So Far Stock Is Up Today 
• Nike’s controversial Kaepernick ad has millennials snapping up the stock
• Nike’s Kaepernick Ad Set to Air on N.F.L.’s Opening Telecast 
• John Kelly Should Testify Against Donald Trump And Resign From White House ‘Horror Show,’ Says Carl Bernstein
• House Intel Dem: Trump collusion with Russia ‘is well established’
• Donald Trump ‘Openly, Publicly’ Colluded with Russia and That’s Been ‘Well Established,’ Says Dem Lawmaker 

IMMIGRATION

• Family separations at the border help fuel new Latino voter drive

COLD WAR 2.0

• Russia sends ‘up to 1,000 tanks towards country’s border with Ukraine’
• UK police name two Russian nationals saying there is “sufficient evidence” to charge them over Salisbury attack
• The Washington Post: British prosecutors charge two Russian citizens in poisoning of ex-Russian spy
• Nielsen calls out Putin for election interference
• Does the term ‘apartheid’ fit Israel? Of course it does.

#NEVERAGAIN

• David Hogg: Imagine if we could put all this anger toward fixing something that affects our veterans/soldiers every day? Just a few examples of the many: -PTSD -Suicide -Military Sexual Assault which there are 112 incidents a day in the US armed forces. -Homelessness -CTE

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

• Rubio Snaps at Alex Jones Not to Touch Him in Tense Exchange: ‘I’ll Take Care of You Myself’
• Alex Jones Calls Marco Rubio Gay, Senator Threatens InfoWars Host. ‘I’ll Take You Out Myself’
• Alex Jones taunts Marco Rubio
• Now We Know Tech Won’t Save Us
• Fox & Friends Outraged Bush and Obama Praised Decency at McCain’s Funeral

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

• Lightning literally struck the White House
• A Daily Caller Editor Wrote For an ‘Alt-Right’ Website Using a Pseudonym
• Analyst who attended meetings with Stephen Miller quits after white nationalist ties surface: report

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

• Trump lies. That makes negotiating NAFTA impossible: Neil Macdonald
• Cohen: Singlehandedly and stupidly, Trump turned free trade with Canada into a crisis
• Soaring bankruptcy rates signal a ‘coming storm of broke elderly,’ study finds
• Student debt crisis is worse than you think
• What Borrowers Need to Know About Navient Lawsuits

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

• Trump’s approval rating drop looks real, could be disaster for GOP in 2018

ILLINOIS

• Louise Neufy: UFC and Viacom (owner of Bellator) have spent hundreds of thousands to lobby AGAINST expanding the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to MMA.
• Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election
• Eric Garland: When you realize his brother Ari Emanuel was Trump’s agent, the guy who sold America a bankrupt Mobster, you’ll be less surprised.
• State Farm To Pay $250M To Settle Rigged-Judge Trial

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

• Plum H.S. Teacher Accused Of Having Sexual Relationship With Student « CBS Pittsburgh
• U.S. Department of Justice looks into social media firms over free speech
• Justice Dept. Demands Millions of North Carolina Voter Records, Confounding Elections Officials
• Giuliani’s Consulting Firm Helped Halt Purdue Opioid Investigation In Florida
• Boston police captain’s son faces 20 years for terror plot

ELECTION 2018

• After upset win, Massachusetts Democrat Ayanna Pressley comes out swinging at Trump
• These 15 House incumbents scrubbed ‘repeal Obamacare’ from their re-election sites
• Report: Georgia voters watch their ballots mysteriously switch
• Judge orders independent candidate off the ballot in Va. congressional race, citing ‘out and out fraud’
• Eight Times Ron DeSantis “Accidentally” Did Racist Stuff
• Eric Holder: Be wary. The blue wave is going to hit gerrymandered seawalls. It is not certain that the wave will reach the shores of justice. In Virginia 10% Democratic blue wave in 2017- did not take control. People must vote in huge numbers and fight for fair districts. VOTE!

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

• How To Build An Effective Left Alternative

RUMOR MILL

• Countercheckist: Yes, Treason. 18 U.S. Code § 2381: “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason…” Sound familiar, @realDonaldtRUmp?
• Lincoln’s Bible: So, let’s dive in again. Shall we? I’m going to thread a bit on Alex Shnaider, Trump’s partner in Trump Toronto. Thread
• Claude Taylor: Let’s call it what it is. A soft coup. No ones going to storm the White House. But it’s starting. Impeachment. Resignation. 25th Amendment. Take your pick. The players are negotiating over which end game while they try to find their balls.
• Ale: Reuters confirming NYT report. Get LOTS of popcorn. Bc there is NO WAY Mueller would accept this unless it was sa mere formality.Aand a way to further nail Trump for lying.
• Eric Garland: <LIVE BULLSHIT TRANSLATION>

That’s it for today.  And I’m back to posting an article on time, at least for tonight.

Like I said earlier, I’ll be traveling for the next couple days.  While I’ll still keep track of the developing news, I might not be able to get a post up for Thursday and Friday.  Worst case scenario, I’ll have something up on Saturday covering both days.  Or, I’ll change the format if I don’t have time to do a full post.

Now that I’ve said that I’ll be busy, watch the Cabinet push for the 25th Amendment or New York state put out a warrant for Donnie Jr., or Putin orders the Pee Tape to be released.  If any of those happen, I apologize in advance.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

• Mueller Will Accept Some Written Answers From Trump – The New York Times
• Mueller tells Trump’s legal team that he will accept written answers on campaign questions
• Jed Shug: Why would Mueller allow Trump to give written answers on Russian conspiracy questions, but not obstruction? It makes a ton of sense to me. Thread…

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III told President Trump’s lawyers in a letter Friday that he will accept written answers from Trump to questions about whether his campaign coordinated with Russia to tilt the 2016 election in his favor, according to two people briefed on the communication.

Mueller did not rule out interviewing the president as part of his wide-ranging inquiry. His Friday letter indicated that he may revisit his long-running request to pose questions to Trump directly about Russia’s activities during the campaign after reviewing his answers.

And the special counsel left open the possibility that he may still try to press Trump in person about a second piece of his investigation: whether the president has sought to block the probe since taking office.

On potential obstruction-of-justice issues, “he said he’d assess it down the road,” said one person familiar with Mueller’s letter who requested anonymity to discuss private communications. “They’re essentially saying, ‘We’ll deal with this at a later date.’”

Before diving into this, I need to clarify something.  This story was originally broken by Maggie Haberman at the New York Times.  I’ve covered Maggie’s “access journalism” before. (Daily Check-In 01/25/2018, Daily Check-In 07/26/2018)

This is an interesting development.  While I’m not completely surprised by this move, I wasn’t expecting it, either.  This letter was delivered on Daily Check-In 08/31/2018.  That was the day that Sam Patten was charged with a FARA violation and right after George Papadopoulos confirmed that Trump gave his approval for his Russian activities.

From what I’m seeing, there are a few different arguments to be made about why this is happening.  I’ve seen responses ranging from “Mueller’s toast” to “Trump is so screwed Mueller doesn’t need anything.”

Here’s what I think.  If Mueller is still negotiating with Trump’s lawyers, it means he wants or needs their input.  He might need it to complete his investigation, to at least give the appearance that they’re only getting around to this now.  It could also be a delaying tactic.  Once Mueller interviews Trump, or if the possibility no longer exists, there will be immense pressure to finish this investigation as soon as possible.  But, by keeping this in a state of limbo, Mueller’s team continues their work on other fronts.

As much as we like to talk about how much Mueller knows, their team is a black box.  Nothing escapes from their cone of silence.  Nobody knows what they’re doing.  All of the information we’ve received over the past year and a half has been from following the court cases and from second and third hand accounts of interviews.  We know some of the people they’re working with, or getting evidence from, but that’s it.  We assume that they have a ton more information than what has appeared in the press, but we’re still on the outside looking in.

Plus, this was a Maggie Haberman story.  There’s a pattern to how these stories go…

1. Something bad happens to Trump or the White House.
2. Trump needs to bitch about something or get a story to the press to distract from it.
3. Trump calls his frenemy Maggie Haberman.
4. They talk for a while, and she gets him to tell her some juicy info that he’s purposefully leaking.
5. Maggie confirms it with another source or asks another journalist to confirm what she heard.
6. Maggie publishes Trump’s distraction piece.

I’m wondering what Trump’s trying to cover up.

• Jury selection begins for second Paul Manafort trial
• How Robert Mueller Outfoxed Donald Trump
• The Trump Foundation’s biggest donation was to refurbish a fountain outside his own hotel
• Mueller Persists Despite Trump Team’s Claim That the Clock Has Run Out

SCOTUS

• We Need Everyone to Take Action to Keep Brett Kavanaugh Off the Supreme Court
• The Still-Secret Brett Kavanaugh Documents Are a Scandal
• Whitehouse Reveals Kavanaugh’s Pro-Corporate, Right-Wing Record in SCOTUS Hearing Opener
• Who is Brett Kavanaugh?
• Shannon Watts: Based on what we already know, the judicial record of Brett Kavanaugh shows he has applied a dangerous interpretation of #2A when determining whether a law is constitutional, and demonstrates an extreme view of the Second Amendment that elevates gun rights over public safety.
• ‘This process is illegitimate’: MSNBC’s Morning Joe says Democrats should walk out of Kavanaugh hearings
• 22 Protesters Arrested So Far During Kavanaugh Hearing
• 70 people were arrested for protesting Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing
• Brett Kavanaugh Is a Lifelong Republican Operative and Will Rule Like One
• Brett Kavanaugh is a threat to women, workers, and the environment
• Dems interrupt Kavanaugh hearing, asking that it be adjourned
• Fred Guttenberg: Just walked up to Judge Kavanaugh as morning session ended. Put out my hand to introduce myself as Jaime Guttenberg’s dad. He pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away. I guess he did not want to deal with the reality of gun violence.
• Harris: ‘We cannot possibly move forward’ with Kavanaugh hearing
• Judge Kavanaugh’s hearing must be delayed
• Kavanaugh hearing: Democrats cry foul over documents, seek to delay proceedings
• McCain’s death didn’t teach Republicans anything. The Kavanaugh hearing proves it.
• Parkland Dad Escorted Out of Hearing After Trying to Shake Kavanaugh’s Hand
• Parkland Dad: Kavanaugh Refused to Shake My Hand
• Parkland father: Kavanaugh asked security to kick me out of hearing
• Protesters dress as ‘handmaids’ for Kavanaugh hearings
• Proving Process a ‘Charade’ and ‘Absurd,’ GOP Claims It Reviewed 42,000 Kavanaugh Documents in Three Hours
• Sen. Durbin: Kavanaugh Lied to Me About His Role in Bush’s ‘Enemy Combatant’ Policy
• Senate Democrats Are Trying to Blow Up the Kavanaugh Hearings and It Might Be Working
• Republicans Who Didn’t Even Hold Hearing on Merrick Garland Complain That Democrats Are Destroying Norms

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

Corruption

• The Daily 202: Trump shows fresh disdain for the rule of law as the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing begins
• Kellyanne Conway’s Husband Retweets Post Saying Donald Trump is Abusing His Office For ‘Corrupt Aims‘
• Trump suggests protesting should be illegal
• Trump again calls for reexamining NBC’s TV license, despite the fact it doesn’t have one
• Toobin: Trump tweet attacking Sessions over indictments ‘may be an impeachable offense’
• Well, I Guess the President Is Openly Pro-Corruption Now

 Fear

• President Trump is unfit for office. Bob Woodward’s ‘Fear’ confirms it.
• Bob Woodward’s new book reveals a ‘nervous breakdown’ of Trump’s presidency – The Washington Post
• Bernstein: Trump presidency a national emergency
• Steve Bannon Screamed At Ivanka Trump: ‘You’re A Goddamn Staffer’ And ‘You Act Like You’re In Charge,’ Woodward Book Says
• Transcript: Phone call between President Trump and journalist Bob Woodward
• Audio and transcript of the phone call between Trump and Bob Woodward
• Trump called Attorney Jeff Sessions a ‘traitor,’ and said ‘Everybody’s trying to get me’ after Mueller appointed, according to explosive Woodward book
• Trump called Sessions ‘mentally retarded’: Woodward book
• Trump Said Condemning White Supremacists Was ‘Biggest F—ing Mistake I’ve Made’: Woodward Book
• Woodward book hits No. 1 on Amazon
• James Mattis Reportedly Ignored Trump’s Order To ‘F**king Kill’ Bashar Assad
• Donald Trump called Jeff Sessions a ‘dumb southerner,’ showing apparent disdain for people who voted for him in 2016
• Lawyer Told Trump He’s Going to Jail if He Testifies to Mueller: Woodward Book
• Ex-Trump Lawyer Told Mueller Trump is too Dumb to Testify

Here we go, here’s what Trump wants to distract from.  Bob Fucking Woodward.  He has a new book coming out next week called Fear, about the inner workings of the Trump White House, and how insanely stupid everything is.

If this story sounds familiar, think Fire and Fury, but by one of the reporters who took down Nixon by reporting on Watergate.  Bob interviewed EVERYONE, and has hundreds of hours on tape.  All of it, from the low-level staffers to the senior members of the administration, all point to the same conclusion: Trump is unfit to serve as President.

I know, right.  This comes as a shock to… like 4 people at this point, but the amazing levels that the staff go to just to keep Trump from causing an active crisis every day is astounding.  Here are some examples mentioned in the book:

• Trump wanted to cancel all trade with South Korea, and almost did until one of his advisers took the letter from his desk and hid it.
• Trump called his speech repudiating the Neo-Nazis at Charlottesville the “biggest fucking mistake of my life.”
• Trump repeatedly called Jeff Sessions a retard, a moron, and would make fun of his accent, his height, and the way he dressed.
• Trump ordered the assassination of the Syrian President (a big no-no), and when he hung up on SecDef James Mattis, Mattis calmly said to everyone in the room “We’re not going to do any of that.”

And it’s not like most of the staff look good in the book, either.  The descriptions fall into three categories.

1. People trying to keep the government working for the good of the country.
2. People along for the ride who can’t figure out what they do.
3. People trying to abuse the system to get what they want out of it.

The first group consists of people like Jim Mattis, H.R. McMaster, and to an extent John Kelly.   This also includes the nameless staffers who keep the wheels of government spinning.

The second group are people like Ivanka and Jared, or Omarosa.  They’re there, but no one knows what they were doing.  They helped Trump get elected, but now just take up space.

The third, and most vile, are the opportunists like Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller.  They are actively perverting their positions to push their corrupt, hate-filled agendas.  Accounts like these will help sort the collaborators from the witnesses.

TRAITOR TOTS

• Giuliani’s estranged wife to pen tell-all book on Rudy’s ‘secret deals and secret handshakes’: report

FIGHTING BACK

• 22 Protesters Arrested So Far During Kavanaugh Hearing
• 70 people were arrested for protesting Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing
• Adam Parkhomenko: 51 Days and counting #KremlinAnnex
• David Frum: Still marveling at how very, very odd it is for an American president to complain about US intelligence trying to recruit informants inside a hostile foreign regime. Incredibly odd. Uniquely odd.
• Jerry Springer slams President Trump: ‘He took my show and brought it to the White House’

NFL

• Nike Debuts Colin Kaepernick Ad, Conservatives Protest by Burning Their Own Gear
• Nike takes on Trump by naming Colin Kaepernick the face of 30th anniversary of ‘Just Do It’
• Denzican Grimes: I’ve seen no fewer than 25 conservatives vowing to buy Converse instead of Nike because of the their decision to make Colin Kaepernick the face of their new campaign, and I REALLY want to tell them, but also I REALLY don’t want to tell them.
• People are destroying their Nike gear to protest Colin Kaepernick’s ‘Just Do It’ campaign
• Tea Pain: Due to the #ColinKaepernick Nike deal, Trumpers are “boycottin’” Nike by settin’ their shoes on fire. Thousands were hospitalized over the weekend because they forgot to take ‘em off first.
• As new NFL season begins, national anthem controversy drags on with no clear solution
• Pat Tillman’s Widow Doesn’t Want Her Husband Used for Anti-Kaepernick Stunts 
• ‘He would be the first to kneel’: Pat Tillman exploited to attack Kaepernick, biographer says
• Man in the hoody: these people smashed their keurigs to support a pedophile so im not surprised they are burning their nike stuff to support police brutality. in like 2 years they are all going to be naked and starving trying to eat their ar-15’s
• Rogue Senior White House Advisor: Nike is smart, but this was inevitable. Eventually every brand & business will come to realize that there’s more value in promoting freedom & equality than capitulating to neo nazis & knuckledraggers. Let them wear unbranded junk – they’ll be even less noticeable.

I really hope that these racist white pieces of shit don’t try to adopt Converse as the footwear of choice for their klan rally.  Not only is Converse owned by Nike, but they’ve already co-opted hand signs, white polo shirts, khakis, tiki torches, bald heads, and being a fat white guy.  There’s not much left for the rest of us.

IMMIGRATION

• A 5-Year-Old Girl in Immigrant Detention Nearly Died of an Untreated Ruptured Appendix

COLD WAR 2.0

• James Mattis Reportedly Ignored Trump’s Order To ‘F**king Kill’ Bashar Assad
• Amid illiberal revolution in Hungary, a university with U.S. roots fights to stay
• Turkey’s woes could be just the start as record global debt bills come due

#NEVERAGAIN

• Shannon Watts: An Arkansas woman with a concealed carry license pointed her gun at children on school grounds. This member of our well regulated militia is being held on bond at a local detention center.
• Police: Local Woman Admits Pointing Gun At Kids – Fort Smith/Fayetteville News | 5newsonline KFSM 5NEWS
• Shannon Watts: Based on what we already know, the judicial record of Brett Kavanaugh shows he has applied a dangerous interpretation of #2A when determining whether a law is constitutional, and demonstrates an extreme view of the Second Amendment that elevates gun rights over public safety.
• Fred Guttenberg: Just walked up to Judge Kavanaugh as morning session ended. Put out my hand to introduce myself as Jaime Guttenberg’s dad. He pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away. I guess he did not want to deal with the reality of gun violence.
• Parkland Dad Escorted Out of Hearing After Trying to Shake Kavanaugh’s Hand
• Parkland Dad: Kavanaugh Refused to Shake My Hand
• Parkland father: Kavanaugh asked security to kick me out of hearing

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

• Amazon becomes the country’s second $1 trillion company
• Bernie Sanders to introduce legislation to tax Amazon, Walmart for workers’ welfare benefits
• There’s one simple explanation for the wage stagnation ‘puzzle’ confounding top Fed officials

TALKING ABOUT RACE

• The ‘Trump effect’: How a norm-scrambling presidency is changing the way one S.C. subdivision talks about race

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

• North Carolina’s unconstitutional gerrymandered map will be used in midterms
• Republicans Who Didn’t Even Hold Hearing on Merrick Garland Complain That Democrats Are Destroying Norms
• Arizona governor expected to appoint ex-senator Jon Kyl to fill McCain’s seat
• Bill Kristol: The Democrats would be crazy not to put a major national buy behind an ad quoting sleazy details from the Collins and Hunter indictments and pointing out they still serve as GOP members of Congress and Trump embraces them. The punch line: Drain the swamp! Vote Democratic in 2018.
• Want to save the GOP, Republicans? Vote for every Democrat on this year’s ballot.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

• Police: Local Woman Admits Pointing Gun At Kids – Fort Smith/Fayetteville News | 5newsonline KFSM 5NEWS
• We gathered data on every confirmed, line-of-duty police killing of a civilian in 2014 and 2015. Here’s what we found.
• The secret operation to deport America’s last living Nazi defendant

#METOO

• USA Gymnastics CEO resigns amid doctor’s sex abuse fallout
• NBC News chairman, under fire, defends losing blockbuster Weinstein story

PRIESTS

• As crisis envelops Catholic Church, is Pope Francis facing a ‘watershed moment’?
• Pope Benedict, in retired seclusion, looms in the opposition to Pope Francis

ELECTION 2018

• North Carolina’s unconstitutional gerrymandered map will be used in midterms
• Ron DeSantis trailing Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum in Florida: Poll
• Ted Cruz wants you to know that Democrat Beto O’Rourke uses bad words
• A ‘jaw-dropping’ 15 million super-environmentalists don’t vote in the midterms
• Bill Kristol: The Democrats would be crazy not to put a major national buy behind an ad quoting sleazy details from the Collins and Hunter indictments and pointing out they still serve as GOP members of Congress and Trump embraces them. The punch line: Drain the swamp! Vote Democratic in 2018.
• Want to save the GOP, Republicans? Vote for every Democrat on this year’s ballot.
• Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Has Plunged and so Have Republicans’ Midterm Chances, New Poll Indicates
• Energized against Donald Trump, Democrats reach +14 in the midterms
• Voters want a check on this lawless, raging president. This new poll confirms it.
• Georgia voters watch their ballots mysteriously switch
• Voting precincts closed across Georgia after election oversight lifted
• Heavily spliced Ted Cruz video falsely depicts Beto O’Rourke saying he’s ‘grateful’ for flag burning
• Massachusetts voters to settle Democratic Party brawls

RUMOR MILL

• Countercheckist: We have been presented with a rare opportunity. This attack on our institutions has opened the door for us to come together and rebuild our country to what it deserves to be. Thread
• Rick Wilson on Steve Bannon, and how he can go fuck himself.
• Lincoln’s Bible: Today is a good day to remind everyone that Bannon tried like hell to be a screenwriter. It was his dream, & he lapped up to people like me for approval – licking every “Hollywood” boot he could find. It was an epic FAIL b/c he’s the worst writer in all history. #SycophantHack

That’s it for Tuesday.  Kavanaugh’s hearing is taken most of the oxygen out of the room, and it’s a little depressing to be honest.  Watching this shitshow proceed from the most corrupt political party this side of the old Soviet Union makes my skin crawl.  Grassely and the Republicans are trying to ram Kavanaugh through this nomination with no remorse, no compunction of decency, and no respect for their own rules. Kavanaugh is corrupt, lacks all basis of ethics, and the fact that he holds the views that a President is above the law and yet was nominated by an unindicted co-conspirator to a lifetime position for the highest court in the land makes me sick.  There is an active cover-up going on at this point to railroad him onto the court.

I am honestly afraid at this point for what comes next.  Removing a Supreme Court Justice is the same process for removing a President: Impeachment and trial in the Senate.  I’m worried that someone, thinking they’re on the right side of history, will see him and try to pull a Pelican Brief move of their own.  In a future post, I’ll recommend how to fix the courts in the future, but for right now, I’m nervous.

One thing that does help is stepping back and looking at everything in the large picture.  There are multiple investigations into Trump’s world from several jurisdictions, the blatant corruption is on display for the world to see, and the old white men in power will, sooner rather than later, die of natural causes and be replaced by younger, darker, smarter men and women.

It’s just hard to remember that from a distance.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Monday, September 3rd and the weekend.

Friday, August 31, 2018

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

• Wife of Former N.R.A. President Tapped Accused Russian Agent in Pursuit of Jet Fuel Payday – The New York Times

WASHINGTON — For the young Russian gun rights activist studying in the United States, it would have been an unimaginably rich payday: $1 million to help broker the sale of Russian jet fuel to an American middleman. All she had to do was secure the fuel.

So the activist, Maria Butina, whom American prosecutors now accuse of being a covert Russian agent, reached out to contacts in her homeland — and turned on the charm. In a July 2017 email, she told one man that his passport photo was “a handsome one.”

The following month, she told another Russian contact that she had labeled him in her phone as “the lovely Shakhov.” Every time he called, she was notified that “‘the lovely Shakov is calling you,’” Ms. Butina wrote. “Good feelings.”

A year later, Ms. Butina, 29, is in a jail cell outside Washington, awaiting trial. Federal prosecutors have depicted her as a character out of “Red Sparrow,” the spy thriller about a Russian femme fatale. Ms. Butina, supported by Russian intelligence, managed to infiltrate conservative groups and advance Moscow’s interests in the United States, prosecutors say.

In their telling, she used gun rights — Ms. Butina had started a pro-gun group in Russia — to gain a toehold in American conservative circles, and then struck up a romance with a far older Republican operative to open doors further. She has denied the allegations.

Ms. Butina’s efforts to deal in Russian jet fuel, detailed in hundreds of pages of previously unreported emails, were notable not just for their whiff of foreign intrigue but for whom they involved: David Keene, a former president of the National Rifle Association and a prominent leader of the conservative movement, who has advised Republican candidates from Ronald Reagan to Mitt Romney. They also involved Mr. Keene’s wife, Donna, a well-connected Washington lobbyist, and Ms. Butina’s boyfriend, Paul Erickson, who ran Patrick J. Buchanan’s 1992 presidential campaign and who moved in rarefied conservative circles despite allegations of fraud in three states.

Jet fuel?  Really?  This is getting weirder by the minute.

Private planes require fuel, which can get pretty expensive.  Sometimes, the biggest expense for owning a private plane is the fuel needed to fly.  Donna Keene, the wife of former NRA Presisdent David Keene, approached our Russian spy to arrange a deal get her a deal on jet fuel, and offered her a sweet pay day in return.

This tells us that the Keene family knew that Butina was well connected in Russia.  VERY well connected.  There’s no way they can play stupid and go “we thought she was just a college student or activist.”  You don’t offer someone a million bucks to set up a deal like this unless you know that said someone is well connected.  And in Russia, well connected means ties to Oligarchs/Mafia/Government.  Usually all three.

This claim of jet fuel reminds me of a storyfrom Louise Mensch last year involving human trafficking and stakes in jet fuel stakes.  I don’t know if there is a connection, but it might be worth remembering.

• Agents Tried to Flip Russian Oligarchs. The Fallout Spread to Trump. – The New York Times

Between 2014 and 2016, the F.B.I. and the Justice Department unsuccessfully tried to turn Mr. Deripaska into an informant. They signaled that they might provide help with his trouble in getting visas for the United States or even explore other steps to address his legal problems. In exchange, they were hoping for information on Russian organized crime and, later, on possible Russian aid to President Trump’s 2016 campaign, according to current and former officials and associates of Mr. Deripaska.

In one dramatic encounter, F.B.I. agents appeared unannounced and uninvited at a home Mr. Deripaska maintains in New York and pressed him on whether Paul Manafort, a former business partner of his who went on to become chairman of Mr. Trump’s campaign, had served as a link between the campaign and the Kremlin.

The attempt to flip Mr. Deripaska was part of a broader, clandestine American effort to gauge the possibility of gaining cooperation from roughly a half-dozen of Russia’s richest men, nearly all of whom, like Mr. Deripaska, depend on President Vladimir V. Putin to maintain their wealth, the officials said.

Interesting.  Trump, the first Pro-Crime President in recent history, attacks the people behind an operation aimed at getting Oligarchs to flip on Russian Mafia.  It’s almost like he’s doing this to shield himself and his companies from the eyes of law enforcement.

• How the FISA Court Really Works – Lawfare
• Netanyahu asked U.S. to cut aid for Palestinian refugees

This would normally go in the Cold War section, but Bibi’s ties to Kushner and Trump bring this to the Russian section.

New York

• From October 2016: Trump boasts about his philanthropy. But his giving falls short of his words.
• Kushner Cos. Amassed $500,000 in Unpaid New York City Fines
• New York has quickly become the ‘biggest threat’ to Trump 
• New York to Sue Trump Over Hurricane Maria Response: Cuomo

Rudy’s Disinformation

• How Rudy Giuliani Turned Into Trump’s Clown
• Giuliani: Team Trump Will Likely Try To Block Mueller Report’s Release
• Giuliani’s writing a report to smear Mueller — on personal stationery
• Rudy Giuliani On White House Blocking Release Of Full Mueller Report: ‘I’m Sure We Will’

Fuck off Rudy.  So, if his newest rantings are to be held to any veracity, he’s saying that he’s working on a voluminous counter report to Mueller’s report, but they (The White House) will block the Mueller report anyway, even though there is not a single tool for them to do so since it is a report from a independent investigator, and the report would be handed to multiple groups at the same time, most of which the White House has no control over.

• Past failures to punish white-collar crime helped produce Trump
• Paul Manafort’s Daughter Files for Name Change
• It’s Not Just Robert Mueller. President Donald Trump Faces Six Separate Investigations And Lawsuits.

McCAIN

• McCain ends 81-year journey with burial at Naval Academy
• McCain’s funeral was a melancholy last hurrah for what’s been lost in Trump era
• Trump allies fume at McCain memorial addresses, urge counterattack
• Trump met with protests during trips to Virginia golf club amid McCain services
• Trump criticized for tweeting and playing golf during John McCain’s funeral
• Washington Mourns John McCain – And Its Own Demise Under Trump – POLITICO Magazine
• ‘America was always great’: Meghan McCain rebukes Trump
• Donald Trump’s Treatment Of John McCain ‘Disrespectful’ American Legion Members Say
• Former McCain aides praise memorial service as ‘America’s rebuke’ to the ‘meanness and cruelty’ of Trump
• Ivanka and Jared Deserved Better Seats at McCain’s Funeral, Former Trump Aide Fumes

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

• Donald Trump complained that coverage of John McCain’s death was “over-the-top”, and that it distracted from his recent trade deal with Mexico, report says
• Trump attacks union leader on Labor Day
• Trump Leaves 13 Agency Watchdog Positions Unfilled
• Trump to skip summits in Singapore, Papua New Guinea; Pence to attend | Article [AMP] | Reuters
• ‘Two Easy Wins Now in Doubt.’ Trump Attacks Jeff Sessions Over Charges Against Republican Congressmen
• Trump Blasts Sessions Over Investigations Into GOP Lawmakers 
• Trump rolls back worker safety rules 
• State Department Team Fighting Russia Election Interference Still Waits For Funds
• Trump has visited his golf courses on 196 of his 590 days in office

TRAITOR TOTS

• Trump loyalist Nunes finds himself in tighter race than usual as Democratic rival rises in the polls
• Trump retweets GOP Senate candidate upset by federal pay freeze
• Are Trump supporters evil, or just wrong? Political scientists struggle with morality
• Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen Gave $100,000 To Help GOP Keep The House, Filings Show
• Seahawks owner Paul Allen gives $100,000 to help Republicans keep control of U.S. House | The Seattle Times
• Is it God’s plan for Mike Pence to be president?
• Rest in peace, Lindsey Graham

FIGHTING BACK

• Steve Bannon no longer headlining festival after Jim Carrey, other celebs pull out
• New Yorker Disinvites Bannon From Festival Following Backlash 
• Donald Trump Isn’t the Victim of a Witch-Hunt. He’s Leading It.
• Impeachment talk has perils for both parties
• Is Trump a fascist? Learning about how fascism works can help prevent its spread in America
• John Kerry: Trump ‘really just doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He makes things up.’
• Presidential obstruction of justice: The case of Donald J. Trump
• Reporter’s Widow Rips Trump: ‘My Husband Was Not An Enemy of the People’
• Republican Senator Slams Trump’s DOJ Attack: US ‘Not Some Banana Republic’ 
• Sally Yates: Repeatedly trying to pervert DOJ into a weapon to go after his adversaries, and now shamelessly complaining that DOJ should protect his political allies to maintain his majority in the midterms, is nothing short of an all out assault on the rule of law.
• Trump ‘Is Mentally Ill,’ Doctor and Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean Says

IMMIGRATION

• America should pay reparations to ICE detainees who have suffered human rights abuses
• Mollie Tibbetts’ father asks people to stop using her death in immigration debate
• Mollie Tibbetts’ father: ‘Don’t distort her death to advance racist views’
• ‘Don’t Use Mollie’ To Push Racism, Says Dad Who Points To ‘Heartless’ Donald Trump Jr.
• My Children Were Denied Passports Because They Were Delivered by a Midwife
• Former ICE Chief Thomas Homan To Be Honored At ‘Anti-Muslim Hate Group’ Convention

COLD WAR 2.0

• Yascha Mounk: A party with recent roots in the neo-Nazi movement may come first or (more likely) second in Swedish elections this Sunday, and far too few people are paying attention to this stunning development. (Thread.)
• Want to hit Putin where it hurts? Target his friends
• Scandal-hit Danske branch handled $30bn of Russian money
• Trump’s meeting with North Korea was ‘failed summit’ that was ‘all about show’: Leon Panetta
• China officially bans ABC website, claims internet is ‘fully open’ – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• ‘Strange disappearance’ of WikiLeaks consultant in Norway
• Putin blundered while shouting at Ukraine’s president, Hollande says – Business Insider

#NEVERAGAIN

• Shannon Watts: “When my daughter was brutally shot down with an AR-15 gun, I switched to become a Democrat. I feel that the Democratic Party better aligns with banning assault weapons.”
• Mother Of Parkland Victim Wins School Board Seat: ‘I Won’t Stop’ Until Kids Are Safe : NPR
• Shannon Watts: A Texas father and his adult son shot their neighbor five times during a dispute over trash. These members of America’s well regulated militia are expected to be charged with murder.
• Texas father, son accused of killing neighbor | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• DeVos says school funds can be used to purchase guns
• Dick’s Sporting Goods’ gun policy, Under Armour weighs on sales – CBS News
• Shannon Watts: Per usual, the @NRA is spreading misinformation: Dick’s Sporting Goods had a tough quarter because of Under Armour — not guns. “‘Dick’s disappointing earnings are not about their ban on assault rifle sales or any of their other social stances,’ Bob Phibbs, CEO of Retail Doctor.”

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

• Renato Mariotti: We’ve entered the “Trump has been framed” stage of the Trump disinformation campaign.
• Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro Says Trump Is Innocent and Has Been Framed
• Fox News’ Brit Hume to Trump: Sessions’s job ‘is not to play goalie for a president’
• Fox & Friends Outraged Bush and Obama Praised Decency at McCain’s Funeral
• Trump Has Normalized Racism, Lying, Scapegoating and Corruption, Says Fox News Analyst
• Trump-acolyte Corey Stewart flips position and says president has finally crossed a line
• President Trump’s Description of What’s ‘Fake’ Is Expanding

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

• Trump threatens to leave Canada behind on NAFTA, warns Congress not to ‘interfere’
• What Just Happened? $30 Trillion to the Richest White Americans Since 2008 
• A growing number of Americans want to join a union 
• AFL-CIO chief: Trump has done more to hurt workers than help them
• Trump attacks union leader on Labor Day
• Check Your Wallet: Can You Find the $4,000 Trump Promised You?
• Get Sick, Go Bankrupt and Die
• On Labor Day, Critics Say It’s Clear What Side Trump Is On: ‘Not the Working Class. Just the Ruling Class’ 
• Like frogs in a slowly boiling pot, Americans are finally realizing how dire their labor situation is 
• The Shaming of Geoffrey Owens and the Inability to See Actors as Laborers, Too
• President Donald Trump started his Labor Day with an attack on a top union leader
• AP Fact Check: Trump’s imaginary wages, trade falsehoods

SCOTUS

• Hours before Kavanaugh nomination hearings, Bush lawyer releases 42,000 pages of documents to Judiciary Committee
• Klobuchar: Kavanaugh confirmation process is ‘not normal’
• Opinion | If You Confirm Brett Kavanaugh, You’re Complicit In Trump’s Federal Crime
• Oppose the Confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States
• Schumer Calls Withholding of Kavanaugh Documents “Friday Night Document Massacre”
• Senate given 42,000 pages of Kavanaugh documents, Schumer says
• The Justice Department Was Behind The Decision To Keep 100,000 Pages Of Kavanaugh’s Record Secret
• White House Invokes Executive Privilege On Vast Cache of Kavanaugh Documents
• Brett Kavanaugh May Soon Unshackle All Rich Political Donors: The Supreme Court nominee opposes even the most basic campaign finance limits.
• Dem senator: Confidential documents would ‘strongly bolster’ argument against Kavanaugh’s nomination
• Democrats Aim to Derail Kavanaugh With Eye on Abortion, Mueller 
• Democrats Denounce Trump Administration Decision to Withhold 100,000 Pages of Brett Kavanaugh’s Records
• Durbin: White House is saying ‘American people have no right to know’ Kavanaugh’s background by withholding documents
• Democrats slam White House for withholding documents on Supreme Court nominee

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

• Here’s the photo of a very white summer intern class the White House didn’t release
• Omarosa Manigault Newman wandered around the White House taping ‘nearly every conversation she had’ on her personal cell phone

FIXING THE INTERNET

• How a Twitter account convinced 4,000 companies to stop advertising on Breitbart
• California restores Obama-era net neutrality protections
• Infowars’ return to Twitter proves once again Jack Dorsey doesn’t get it 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

• Kasich: ‘Our party is shrinking’
• Congressional Republicans Don’t Even Pretend to Stand up to Trump Anymore
• Pennsylvania GOP Official Resigns After Calling Protesting NFL Players ‘Baboons’ and ‘Ignorant Blacks’ on Facebook
• Republicans who accept Trump’s endorsement are validating his misconduct
• WATCH: California Democrats Attack the GOP Culture of Corruption –

POLLS

• Pro-Trump guest grilled on Fox News: Why are president’s poll numbers so low if Americans are happy? 
• Trump Job Approval – Disapprove 60%, Approve 36% (ABC News/Washington Post 8/26-8/29) 
• Half of all Americans support Trump impeachment proceedings: poll

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

• Federal Bureau of Investigation – FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin – Oath of Office
• Grand Jury Must Be Convened to Investigate Kris Kobach, Court Rules
• Kris Kobach will now have to campaign while under investigation by a grand jury
• A grand jury will investigate whether Kris Kobach intentionally botched voter registration in 2016
• Spicy Mic on Kansas, Kris Kobach, and Grand Juries
• Louisiana state police circulated a fake Antifa members list taken from Neo-Nazi websites: Lawsuit
• Cops took $10K of their casino winnings during a traffic stop. And it was legal 
• 15 prisoners died in one month in Mississippi. Their families want to know why.

ELECTION 2018

Florida

• Gillum says Medicare for all requires corporate tax increase
• Gillum: Florida would tax corporations, join other states to pay for Medicare for all
• ‘We Negroes’ robocall is an attempt to ‘weaponize race’ in Florida campaign, Gillum warns

Texas

• They Found Beto O’Rourke’s First Album, And It’s … Actually Pretty Good
• Ted Cruz Chastises Beto O’Rourke For F-Bombs, But Only Makes Him Seem Cooler
• O’Rourke bets national attention lifts him in Texas race
• With Beto O’Rourke on the Rise, Anti-Cruz Billboards Featuring Trump Could Arrive Right on Time 
• Trump’s “Lyin’ Ted” tweets will be wheeled around Texas for the midterms 
• David Hogg calls B.S. on Trump’s plan to campaign for Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas – ThinkProgress
• David Hogg raises thousands for anti-Ted Cruz billboard in Texas
• David Hogg raises thousands to place billboard of Trump’s anti-Cruz tweet in Texas
• David Hogg teams up the with anti-NRA billboard guy to take on Ted Cruz – twitchy.com
• Donald Trump Endorsed Ted Cruz. Now People are Pointing Out all of the Nasty Things He Used to say About Him
• Donald Trump’s Old Tweets About Ted Cruz Will be Posted on Texas Billboard After David Hogg Campaign
• Avenatti to hold ‘resistance rally’ in Texas the same night as Trump’s campaign rally for Cruz
• Michael Avenatti says he’ll lead counter rally to Trump-Cruz event
• Vaccine exemptions in Texas quadruple in last decade, state data show

• Campaigns Are at Serious Risk of Being Hacked, and Congress Is Doing Nothing to Help Them
• Barack Obama set to hit the midterm campaign trail
• Ahead of midterms, Democrats lead in cash, candidates and voters
• 2018 midterm elections: 10 states will decide the fight for the Senate
• ‘Two easy wins now in doubt’: Trump renews attack on Sessions, citing indictments of two GOP congressmen ahead of midterms
• There are no Democrats from Arkansas in Congress. Clarke Tucker hopes to change that.
• Bernie Sanders: Trump is a ‘pathological liar’
• Biden: ‘Everything’ at stake for Democrats in midterms
• WATCH: California Democrats Attack the GOP Culture of Corruption –
• There are no Democrats from Arkansas in Congress. Clarke Tucker hopes to change that.

ENVIRONMENT

• Chicago’s Trump Tower sued for violating clean water laws; Trump Organization calls it politics 

#METOO

• Ariana Grande reminds us women have no safe place in America 
• Sex abuse was rampant in the ‘80s music industry

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

• Gillum says Medicare for all requires corporate tax increase
• Gillum: Florida would tax corporations, join other states to pay for Medicare for all
• Colin Kaepernick to be face of new Nike ad campaign 

IN OTHER NEWS…

• Brazil museum fire: ‘incalculable’ loss as 200-year-old Rio institution gutted
• Truck carrying Axe body spray explodes in Texas
• Massacre in Myanmar: One grave for 10 Rohingya men

RUMOR MILL

The Kasparov Conversations

• Garry Kasparov: Those who stand against Trump will move on to many different things when he’s gone, but those who still support him should never be forgotten or forgiven.
• Benjamin Wittes Responding to Garry Kasparov (Thread) “I’ve got a little list”; I’ve got two of them, to be precise.”
• Garry Kasparov’s Rebuttal to Ben (Thread)
• Alt US Press Sec: In response to the above conversations

This thread captures my sentiments of post-Trumpism politics as well, although perhaps a bit more temperately. Yes, those us comprising #TheResistance can, and should, move back into our more natural political configurations.

Where we differ, perhaps, is on how to respond to those who aided and abetted Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors, embraced his autocratic tendencies, and furthered his anti-democratic aims. For them there can be no redemption.

Those who undermined investigations crucial to the national security, engaged in espionage, ignored court orders, caged children, plotted mass ethnic cleansing, planned the false imprisonment & military oppression of their domestic political foes deserve more than “contempt.”

To those little Quislings, those happy collaborators, those torch-bearing, swastika-waving, child-torturers, I have one message for when this is over: Run. Run as far and as fast as you can, because for the rest of your lives the instruments of American justice will pursue you.

For you have broken more than the Laws of the USA. You have violated the International Law, the Law of War and Crimes against Humanity, and the very Laws of Nature herself. For that, there will be no forgiveness. You will be found. You will be tried. And you will be punished.

As you are guilty of grave crimes, you will either suffer the full punishments of the very Law you sought to place yourselves above… or you will run, like the Nazis before you. But forgiveness? If you want forgiveness pray that your God is merciful. You shall not find it here.

Lady Justice holds a set of scales in one hand, and in the other… a sword. We tried a gentle Reconstruction once. It didn’t work out. We won’t make the same mistake twice. The sword is there for a reason.

• Countercheckist: McCain’s memorial wasn’t a funeral. It was a wake-up call; a rallying cry; a call to arms; and a remembrance of who we were, still are, and will be again. Let his example & legacy guide us to victory, and towards our national redemption.
• Countercheckist: No nation has arisen to fill the global leadership void created by the tRUmp admin. America’s role in the global order is indispensable. When we don’t lead, the forces of tyranny go to work. We must step up and reclaim our role as democracy’s protector & superpower.
• Greg Olear: So Trump sees this as a binary, us-or-them, Manichean choice: with him or against him? He is, for once, exactly right. You’re pro-Trump, or you’re pro-America. No third option. Silence is tacit approval of Trump. Let’s take a closer look: [THREAD]
• John Schindler: Trump has been pushing this exact same message — screw our freeloading allies — for 31 years this month. Coincidentally, that was right after his first trip (of many) to Moscow. This BS has always sounded better in the original Russian.
• Lincoln’s Bible: Justice Kennedy and his mob connections
• Eric Garland rant on MSM
• Logic_Triumphs: An anonymous source says: The year was 1986. Donald Trump needed money to support his real estate empire. American banks did “due diligence” and refused to loan him the money. Well connected Russians stepped in and gave Donald money. A traitor was born.
• Louise Neufy: This is cute because @NoahShachtman is Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Beast, who chose to print an excerpt from LOLyer @LannyDavis’s propaganda book smearing @Comey-without noting that Lanny filed FARA & does “Media Strategy” for Upper-Echelon-Russian-Mob-Associate Dmyrto Firtash (Thread).
• Pace: Guess what? @PressSec received a bribe through her father. Her dad was flown to Qatar, stayed at the best palace, give $50,000 in cash, women and dancers… Then daughter gets a $40,000 “loan.”
• Pace: Trump has not filled 13 major law enforcement positions that are required by law to be filled. Why? They are Inspector Generals, which investigate fraud in government.
• John Schindler: Trump has been pushing this exact same message — screw our freeloading allies — for 31 years this month. Coincidentally, that was right after his first trip (of many) to Moscow. This BS has always sounded better in the original Russian.

That’s it for the Labor Day weekend.  I’d like to say it wasn’t as crazy as expected, but it most of that was due to Senator McCain’s funeral and it being a holiday weekend.

I might not be available the whole week this week.  I have a small road trip scheduled and might not have access to everything I use to keep up with this site.  My posting patterns might change for a couple days.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Friday, August 31, 2018

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

Patten and Manafort

• Paul Manafort Associate Sam Patten Charged With Illegal Foreign Lobbying
• Paul Manafort associate who worked with Cambridge Analytica charged
• Manafort Ally Charged by U.S. Worked With Indicted Russian, Cambridge Analytica
• Manafort associate pleads guilty to illegal lobbying, will cooperate with prosecutors
• Manafort Associate Sam Patten Is Charged With Lobbying Violation
• Shimon Prokupecz: Significance of today: With Samuel Patten’s guilty plea we now have direct confirmation that foreign money was used to buy tickets to Donald Trump’s inauguration. Paid by foreigners through straw purchasers His cooperation with Mueller crucial now in that larger investigation
• Patten sought tickets to Trump inauguration for Ukrainian oligarch, prosecutors say | TheHill
• Among Other Things, Sam Patten Plea Signals that Mueller Referrals Will Include False Congressional Testimony – emptywheel
• Associate of indicted Russian admits to Trump inaugural ticket scheme
• Lobbyist charged with failing to register as a foreign agent
• READ: Plea Agreement For Newly Convicted GOP Operative – Talking Points Memo
• Robert Mueller got another cooperator
• Washington consultant for Ukraine party pleads guilty to violating lobbyist disclosure law – The Washington Post
• Mueller Makes Major Connection, Tying Secret Ukrainian Money to Trump Inauguration
• Paul Manafort associate who worked with Cambridge Analytica charged

A Republican political consultant linked to Paul Manafort, who also once worked for Cambridge Analytica, has been charged with operating illegally in the US as an agent for pro-Russia politicians from Ukraine.

Sam Patten is accused of “willfully” acting as an agent for the Ukrainian political party Opposition Bloc between 2014 and this year, according to a filing to federal court in Washington DC on Friday.

Patten, 47, was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara) by failing to register with the US government as an agent for a foreign country. 

The charge was brought by the US attorney’s office in the capital. The case was referred to that office by Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian election interference, links between Trump aides and Moscow and potential obstruction of justice by the president.

There were rumblings from Daily Check-In 08/30/2018 that something big was coming down from Mueller’s office.  Maybe an indictment, maybe some new arrests, maybe Roger Stone was FINALLY going away.  Instead, we got something different.  Sam Patten, a 47 year old Republican lobbyists, pled guilty to failing to register with the Attorney General under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) for his work in Ukraine alongside Paul Manafort.  At first glance, this doesn’t seem too big.  He’s just another dirty lobbyist in Washington who ignored the law and took a payday shilling for tyrants and terrorists.  But a deeper dive shows this is far, far greater than just that.

Patten worked alongside Manafort representing the Opposition Bloc, the political party that rose in Ukraine following Yanukovitch fleeing to Moscow.  This work was mentioned briefly in Manafort’s tax trial.  Patten is pleading guilty to not registering as a lobbyist for them before working for them.

But there are three other very important takeaways from this deal.

Patten’s indictment mentions that he acted as a straw buyer to get Ukrainian money into Trump’s Inauguration Committee.  A straw buyer is a middleman used for Money Laundering to hide the original source of payment.  Since it is illegal for a foreigner to donate money to an American political campaign in any way, shape, or form, they’ll use middlemen to make the final purchase.  A foreigner, let’s say a Russian using Ukrainian money, will pay Bob’s Legitimate Business their donation plus a “processing fee” to make sure that the donation to the campaign comes from an American company.  Not only did Patten take part in this process, but he set it up.  He had his choice of straw buyers, and chose to do it himself.  He knows all of the players.  So does Mueller.

Next, Patten lied to the Senate, and they caught him on it.  The Special Counselor’s investigation into Sam Patten didn’t start with the criminal referral from the Senate Intelligence Committee, but it certainly helped spur it along.

Finally, and I think most importantly, Patten worked for Cambridge Analytica from 2014 to 2015.  During the same time period he’s representing Putin’s cronies in Ukraine, he’s working for SCL/Cambridge Analytica testing messaging on Putin that was later used during the 2016 campaign.  He knows who was involved, who did what, and who worked with whom.

And now Mueller has it all, too.

Now, why was Patten’s deal announced now?  Because Paul Manafort’s FARA trial starts in a few weeks, and he will be a cooperating witness at the trial.  And what better way to give Trump and his team a heart attack than to let them stew over the holiday weekend knowing that Robert Mueller has now tied money laundering and foreign money directly to his inauguration slush fund, and that he is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from tying Putin’s Russians directly to Trump.  Hell, the connection’s been made, it’s just a matter of showing how many connections there are.

Papadopoulos

• Papadopoulos says Trump “approved” his proposed meeting with Putin ahead of the 2016 election
• Papadopoulos Sentencing Document Out
• Papadopoulos: Trump ‘nodded’ at suggestion of Putin meeting

In George Papadopoulos’s deal, he said that Trump approved of his attempts to set up a meeting with Vladimir Putin.  We’ve discussed before his possible meeting with Putin in Greece (Daily Check-In 11/06/2017), and his connections with Russian Intelligence started long before that, whether he knew it or not.

Page.  Papadopoulos. Sessions.  Kushner.  Erik Prince.  The Mayflower Meeting. The June 9th Meeting.  The RNC at Cleveland.  And those are just the meetings that we know of.

Butina

• U.S. prosecutors ask judge to gag Mariia Butina lawyer: MSNBC Rachel Maddow Video

It’s about fucking time.  Robert Driscoll has been bitching about how poorly Butina’s been treated or how bad the case is against her for 6 weeks on Fox News, most of the time never disclosing that he is her attorney.  That’s like hearing some formerly respected politician turned hack talking about how an anti-corruption campaign in Romania is bad for the stability of the country without finding out that the politician in question is a lobbyist for them.

Yes, I’m talking about Rudy.

Ohr

• AP sources: Lawyer was told Russia had ‘Trump over a barrel’
• AP: Justice lawyer was told Russia had ‘Trump over a barrel’
• Does President Trump want Bruce Ohr fired because he’s so good at uncovering Russian crime?
• Eric Tucker: SCOOP from me and @ChadSDay: At a July 2016 breakfast between Chris Steele and Bruce Ohr, Steele told him that Russian intelligence believed it had Trump “over a barrel.” Details of that breakfast were shared this morning in a private interview with lawmakers

The part of the campaign against the investigation that really makes me scratch my head is looking at this from a distance.

Imagine, for a second, that you were talking to someone who just woke up from a coma, or time travelled from the 1980’s.  Say, 1988, while Regan was President and before the Soviet Union fell.  Imagine that this person, let’s call him Marty, asked for the TL:DR; on the Russian Investigation and what was happening in Congress because of it.

“The current President has multiple and repeated ties to the Russian Mob, and his only remaining defense is to use his allies in Congress to attack the FBI and Justice officials that specialize in fighting Russian Organized Crime.”  When Marty asks which party it was that was getting all soft on the Ruskies, and he jokingly says the Democrats, you’d do a double take and say “Fuck no.  It’s the Republicans.  The Democrats are the ones fighting against Russia.  The Republicans are bought and paid for by Moscow.”  At that point, Marty tries to figure out what he screwed up to end up in this future.

Stone

• Roger Stone’s public antics about the Mueller investigation continue

Justice League Lineup

• Two prosecutors leave Mueller’s office
• Two prosecutors leave Mueller’s office – CNN Politics

Prosecutors Ryan Dickey and Brian Richardson are no longer working for the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, the Justice Department confirmed.

Both lawyers were relatively junior but frequently spotted members of Mueller’s corps. Both have worked on court cases that Mueller opened as part of his investigation into Russian interference and coordination with the Trump campaign in the 2016 presidential election.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel, declined to explain on Thursday what the departures mean for the state of Mueller’s office.

I’ll update The Justice League post shortly.

COHEN

• “There’s Nothing Mueller Doesn’t Know”: How Valuable Is Michael Cohen to the Mueller Probe?
• Michael Cohen Makes $7M Flipping Apartments — While Crying Broke On GoFundMe
• Cohen’s Guilty Plea Solidifies Already-Strong Case for Dissolving ‘Fraudulent’ and ‘Criminal’ Trump Organization, Watchdog Says
• New York attorney general: No backing down on Trump lawsuit
• New York’s attorney general says Trump Foundation bankrolled political campaign, pursues lawsuit

Out of all of the lawsuits, investigations, depositions, dastardly deeds, criminal, and civil procedures progressing against the Trump Criminal Family, the most dangerous to him right now is the series of moves that New York State is pursuing.  They are not beholden. to Federal DOJ memoranda or guidelines, and state charges are outside of a Presidential Pardon.  Even if the Supreme Court rules that a POTUS can’t be charged by a state while in office, there’s nothing to stop New York from going after his children.

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

• The 43 most staggering lines from Donald Trump’s Indiana speech
• 6 takeaways from Trump’s Evansville rally
• Trump Announces Rally for Lyin’ Ted
• ‘Absolutely Repulsive’: After $1.5 Trillion Tax Giveaway to the Rich, Trump Cancels Modest Pay Raise for Federal Workers
• Just Hours After Ordering Pay Cut for Millions of Public Workers, Trump Proposes $100 Billion Gift to Richest 1%
• Trump calls North Carolina redistricting ruling ‘unfair’
• Trump Campaign Takes ‘Inexperienced Volunteer’ Who Blocked Photo ‘Off The Road’
• Trump confirmed that his administration may try a legally dubious maneuver to create a $100 billion tax cut that overwhelmingly benefits the wealthy
• Trump is using taxpayers to enrich himself, his family and his friends

ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS

• Shannon Watts: He gave this speech the same day a U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts arrested a Trump supporter for threatening to fatally shoot journalists. Thread
• Kaz Weida: Donald Trump has used the phrase “enemy of the people” to refer to the media 10 times in the last 3 months alone. (THREAD)

POLLS

• Poll by sinking poll, Trump inches toward impeachment
• Poll: 49 percent say Congress should begin impeachment
• Poll: 60 percent disapprove of Trump, while clear majorities back Mueller and Sessions
• Poll: 63% approve of Mueller probe
• Poll: Nearly half of Americans say Congress should try to impeach Trump
• Poll: Trump disapproval rating hits 60 percent, a new high – AOL News
• Poll: Trump disapproval rating up to 60 percent
• Poll: Two-thirds of Americans oppose Trump pardoning Manafort
• Trouble for Trump: Disapproval at a high, half favor impeachment (Poll) 
• Trump: Well Over Half of Women Want President to Be Impeached, Says Poll
• Donald Trump Impeachment Support More Than 10 Points Higher Than Approval Rating: New Poll
• 60 percent disapprove of Trump, while clear majorities back Mueller and Sessions
• Donald Trump’s approval rating sinks to lowest of his presidency
• Trump’s approval rating among black voters is a whopping 3 percent

Just 3 percent of black Americans polled said they approved of Trump’s performance, compared to the president’s 36 percent approval overall. An overwhelming 93 percent of black Americans, meanwhile, said they disapprove. Those numbers have plummeted, data over time shows; just months ago his approval among black Americans was nearly 20 percent.

Non-white respondents overall largely disapprove of Trump, with 78 percent saying that he’s handling the presidency poorly and 19 percent saying he’s doing well. Those numbers were on the upswing, but sunk back down to the consistent low marks that Trump has received since entering office. Women also disapprove of Trump at higher rates: Sixty-six percent of women disapprove of his performance, and 54 percent of men agree.

Among white respondents, 45 percent approve of the president, while 51 percent disapprove. Trump’s approval ratings are worse than ever among all demographic groups — 60 percent disapproval overall is the highest the Post has ever found.

The Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted Aug. 26-29, reaching 1,003 adults by phone. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

When the result is less than the margin of error, this could be interpreted as being statistically zero.  It is so small as to be damn near non-existent.  The result is so small that we’re not sure if it exists or if it’s a problem with the way the survey was performed.

TRAITOR TOTS

• Breitbart Readers Viciously Attack Karl Rove For Mildly Criticizing Trump – The Daily Banter

Rudy

• Giuliani preps report to rebut potential Mueller findings – CNNPolitics
• Giuliani: Trump’s legal team almost done with ‘voluminous’ counterreport to Mueller | TheHill

Fuck off, Rudy.  We don’t believe a word you say, you’re borderline senile, and you probably shit yourself on the way to the Fox News Studio.

But here are two questions to this rambling ball of interest conflicts.

1. How can you prepare a comprehensive counter report when the original report isn’t complete, submitted, or or even required, if his previous cries of “get off my lawn” are to be believed?
2. Why would an innocent person need to preemptively prepare a counter report on criminal activity they allegedly committed?

McCAIN

• John McCain Is More Popular Among Democrats Than Republicans After His Death: Poll
• John McCain’s Funeral Was Designed to Be a Final Swipe at Trump
• McCain funeral: McCain lies in state at U.S. Capitol as Pence, congressional leaders honor late senator
• Meghan McCain glares at Vice President Mike Pence as he speaks at her father’s memorial ceremony
• Pence, McConnell, Ryan: Three men unfit to eulogize John McCain – The Washington Post
• Pence: John McCain will be remembered for serving the country honorably

FIGHTING BACK

• Active Measures: Homepage for the movie
• Meet PoppinKREAM, the Reddit Power User Fighting a One-Person Battle for a Fact-Based Internet

The citations linked back to Trump’s initial tweet, a fact-checking website, and the Washington Post. The comment went on to remind readers that “we know for a fact that Russia did hack the DNC and the Clinton Campaign,” and to reprint the indictment brought by Robert Mueller against 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking the 2016 presidential election. Though the comment was soon “brigaded” by a passel of aggressive pro-Trump commenters who came over from The_Donald full of insults and yelling, the user’s work stood on its own: extensive, well-sourced, and convincing. Welcome to the world of PoppinKREAM, the most meticulous Redditor of them all.

It is generally safe to assume that everybody on the internet is, in one way or another, full of shit. This is especially true for internet comment sections—and especially especially true on Reddit—both of which combine discursivity and anonymity in ways that make it very difficult to easily tell if any given commenter actually knows what he or she is talking about. Millions of times per day, website commenters around the world make broad and vague claims about anything and everything, only to respond, when asked for links to articles that would support their arguments, by saying, “Google it. I don’t have time to do your research for you.”

PoppinKREAM is an exception to this very depressing rule. PoppinKREAM always has time to do your research for you. (That’s the PoppinKREAM difference!) A ubiquitous presence on r/politics and other newsy subreddits, PoppinKREAM eschews memes and banter in favor of extensive, endnoted comments that calmly and repeatedly establish a narrative of corruption in Trumpworld. In a sea of uninformed opinion and misinformation, PoppinKREAM stands out by sourcing their work.

Long time readers are very familiar with PoppinKREAM and their work.  I’ve referenced their posts many times, and PK’s work was the starting ground for The Justice League.  PK’s work is similar to what I do here, but different.  I’m a longtime Redditor, but my posts are nowhere near as impactful as theirs.  Also, I like the format of a website a little better.  Reddit formatting can get a little wonky.

• Axios AM – August 31, 2018 – Axios  Mueller’s Secret Files
• As Summer Ends, the Smoke Around Trump Is Leading to Fire
• The Trump Impeachment Threat Just Got More Real
• Eminem attacks Donald Trump on surprise album Kamikaze
• Senate cancels postal service hearing; Trump’s Amazon crusade delayed

IMMIGRATION

• Federal judge refuses to shut down DACA program
• ‘Birtherism Is Now Federal Policy’
• Still separated: Nearly 500 migrant children taken from their parents remain in U.S. custody
• Trump officials identify 497 migrant children still in custody

COLD WAR 2.0

• Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko killed in explosion in Ukraine
• Ukrainian Separatist Leader Zakharchenko Killed In Cafe Bombing
• Steel exec mysteriously falls to his death within view of Kremlin
• Britain’s belated charm offensive in Africa – Doing the Brexit shimmy
• Calls for protests and cancellation of Donald Trump’s Irish visit
• Home | Sky News Australia: Trump Trip cancelled

#NEVERAGAIN

• Shannon Watts: Highly trained police officers are able to hit a moving target about 30 percent of the time, but these armed, volunteer “marshals” are going to take out active shooters in crowded classrooms full of children. This is the Texas governor’s solution.
• School safety panel will recommend best practices in report
• Shannon Watts: The assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education confirms the agency plans to let states decide if they want to use federal grants to purchase guns for schools or to train personnel. We must stop this: https://every.tw/booksnotbullets #BooksNotBullets
• Former ER Actress Vanessa Marquez Shot and Killed By Police After Pointing BB Gun at Officers
• David Hogg: I have a senator that cares more about a flagpole in a movie than kids being shot and killed everyday in his own state. #ThisIs @marcorubio

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

• Fox News host: Trump ‘radicalized’ by Fox News
• Can U.S. Democracy Survive Russian Information Warfare? | Event | Zócalo Public Square
• Laura Ingraham show plays ‘Shock the Monkey’ song before interviewing Ron DeSantis about ‘monkey up’ controversy
• Sciutto: Trump’s latest conspiracy is a lie – CNN Video
• Fox News ‘Radicalized’ Donald Trump, Network Host Says

FIXING THE INTERNET

• Calif. Senate approves net neutrality rules, sends bill to governor
• California passes strongest net neutrality law in the country
• Golden State passes gold-standard net neutrality bill by 58-17

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

• White House tries to recover after leak of Trump’s off-the-record slam on Canada
• Trump Confirms His ‘Insulting’ Comments About NAFTA Talks With Canada
• Wilbur Ross Loses Key Aide as Trade Disputes Escalate
• Bombshell leak to Toronto Star upends NAFTA talks: In secret ‘so insulting’ remarks, Trump says he isn’t compromising at all with Canada | The Star
• Canada, U.S. NAFTA talks turn tense, Ottawa won’t sign ‘just any deal’
• Deep Texas-Canada ties hang in balance as Trump’s NAFTA deadline looms
• Trump reportedly said he won’t compromise with Canada on NAFTA
• US-Canada Nafta talks break up without deal
• Ford cancels Focus crossover model, cites Trump tariffs
• The economy may be booming, but nearly half of Americans can’t make ends meet

SCOTUS

• Kavanaugh won’t commit to recusal from Trump, Mueller-related matters
• Trump administration withholds 100K Kavanaugh pages
• Trump administration withholds 100K Kavanaugh pages ahead of Supreme Court Justice decision

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

• Trump’s Ftc Releases Nearly 500 Pages Of Material On Conflicts Of Interest — And Redacts It All
• Betsy DeVos sides with predatory for-profit colleges over America’s students
• President Trump is considering Washington litigator Pat Cipollone to replace outgoing White House counsel Donald McGahn

PUERTO RICO

• Puerto Rico is asking for statehood. Congress should listen.
• Trump didn’t do ‘a fantastic job’ in Puerto Rico. Ask the loved ones of 2,975 dead

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

• Former GOP leader in Connecticut resigns from party: ‘I blame President Trump’
• The White Nationalists in the Trump Administration Aren’t There by Accident
• Now People Are Getting Neo-Nazi Robocalls About Mollie Tibbetts’s Death
• County GOP official called NFL players who kneel ‘baboons’
• P.A. Republican County Official Resigns After Calling NFL Players ‘Baboons’ on Facebook: Reports
• Trump’s War On Mueller Is Backfiring And Splintering The Republican Base – Rantt

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

• Former FIFA Executive, President of CONMEBOL and Paraguayan Soccer Official Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Racketeering and Corruption Offenses
• Former ER Actress Vanessa Marquez Shot and Killed By Police After Pointing BB Gun at Officers
• Real Estate Developer Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Operating Years-Long Real Estate Investment Scheme In And Around New York City | USAO-SDNY | Department of Justice
• Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson Indicted on Wire and Tax Fraud Charges | OPA
• Two Indicted for Making Corporate Contributions to U.S. Senate Campaign | OPA | Department of Justice
• Hacker sentenced to prison for role in Jennifer Lawrence nude photo theft
• Megyn Kelly: Obama ‘swung the pendulum too far’ in favor of college sexual assault victims

ELECTION 2018

• Manchin leads Morrisey by 8 points in new poll
• Lawsuit requiring Georgia to use paper ballots in next election moves forward
• Why so many people are coming to see Beto O’Rourke: A revolt against Trump and a demand for compassion
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Demonstrates How Beto O’Rourke Could Beat Ted Cruz in Texas
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Being Held To A Higher Standard Than Men
• Kane Sworn in As the New Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee
• Racist robocalls tied to neo-Nazi group target Andrew Gillum
• Ron DeSantis Leaves Racist Facebook Group, Says He Was Unknowingly a Member
• John Kerry won’t rule out a 2020 presidential run

ENVIRONMENT

• Detroit public schools shut off drinking water because of ‘elevated levels’ of lead, copper

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

• Republican lawmakers in this U.S. territory just voted to legalize marijuana
• It’s Not the ‘Future of Work,’ It’s the Future of Workers That’s in Doubt

RUMOR MILL

• Molly McKew: Here’s the president’s son posting an article from a Russian disinformation channel. Friends don’t let friends zerohedge, folks.
• Countercheckist: There’s a lot of RUMINT flying around re: indictments today. Months ago I was told early September would see movement from OSC. @thespybriefhad the same info. Given McCain’s memorial, it’s possible we won’t see anything today. But don’t despair, good things are happening. 😉
• Lincoln’s Bible: Mob distinctions
• Louise Neufy: The fact that TRUMP = MOB is finally breaking though in MSM, hooray!

That’s it for Friday.  I’ve decided to put the weekend events on Monday’s post.  There was enough crazy shit that happened on in one day to include McCain’s funeral with this.

With the news of Sam Patten and the Mueller lawyers, I will have to update The Indicted, Cooperating Witnesses, and The Justice League.  If I get time before Monday, I’d also like to update the Cast of Characters to include the Rumor Mill members and start up on a Russian page.

Also, we’re finishing up August and heading into September.  For a while, I’ve reported on rumors that included something big happening in early September.  Whether it be for political purposes to prevent influencing the midterm elections, or that’s just how things have proceeded, September has been looked at as a pivotal time in these events.  The House was on break during August, and Manafort’s FARA trial starts up later this month, but one of the long-held rumors was that the Mueller Team would submit the first half of their report, focusing on Obstruction of Justice, to Congress.  The report, which would almost certainly recommend impeachment and removal from offie to allow criminal charges to be pressed against Trump, would force the Republicans in Congress to make a choice: either serve the country or serve Trump.  If they choose the latter, then they are all but conceding the House to Democrats in January, and only delaying the inevitable.

I wonder what will happen.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur