Friday, November 9, 2018 and the weekend
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
- #ProtectMueller Protesters Shut Down Streets in Midtown Manhattan: “We Have to Resist”
- #ProtectMueller Trends on Twitter as Protests Break Out in Several Cities Over Sessions’ Firing
- #ProtectMueller: Hundreds of Vermonters mobilize in streets of Burlington
- Protect Mueller protests are erupting across the country
- 18 Attorneys General Call On Whitaker To Recuse From Mueller Probe Oversight
- ‘Trump just crossed a red line’: Protesters rally nationwide in support of Mueller probe
- ‘He’s a F*cking Fool’: Justice Department Officials Trash Their New Boss
- Dems May Tack Mueller Protection Onto Must-Pass Year-End Spending Bill
- Flake: Whitaker shouldn’t oversee Mueller probe
- Trump blasts Flake for pushing measure to protect Mueller
- GOP Sen. Collins calls for vote on bill to protect Mueller from being fired
- If Trump and Whitaker Undermine the Mueller Investigation, That’s an Impeachable Offense
- If Trump Fires Mueller
- If Trump Wants the Russia Investigation to End, He Should Stop Committing Crimes
- In photos: #ProtectMueller protests in cities all across America
- Jeff Sessions says he doesn’t regret recusing himself, is confident Mueller probe conducted ‘appropriately and with justification’
- Judges order Mueller to explain impact of Sessions-Whitaker DOJ shakeup
- McConnell rejects vote on bill to protect Mueller, says special counsel is ‘not under threat’
- Mueller ‘Ready To Indict Some Folks,’ Former FBI Official Says
- Mueller is “ready to indict some folks” says ex-FBI assistant director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi
- Mueller Protest draws crowd in Nashville
- Opinion | Mueller Has a Way Around Trump and His Minions
- Opinion | Republicans claim protecting Mueller is unconstitutional. Here’s why they’re wrong.
- Paul Manafort may be stalling in cooperating with Mueller
- Team Mueller is Holding ‘Dozens of Sealed Indictments,’ According to Intel Source
- Trump Denies Knowing Attorney General Matt Whitaker, Who He Met a Dozen Times
- Trump distances himself from Whitaker amid scrutiny over past comments and business ties
- Whitaker’s term as U.S. attorney in Iowa draws scrutiny
- Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker once said Jews, Muslims and Atheists should not be federal judges
- As a Senate candidate, Whitaker said he could not support ‘secular’ judicial nominees and that courts should be ‘inferior branch’
- Before he led the Justice Department, Matthew G. Whitaker promoted company accused of deceiving clients
- Exclusive: Trump loyalist Matthew Whitaker was counseling the White House on investigating Clinton
- FBI Is Investigating Florida Company Where Whitaker Was Advisory-Board Member
- Federal investigators scrutinized Whitaker’s role in patent company accused of fraud, according to people with knowledge of case
- Threatening to Subpoena New Attorney General, Democrats Demand Recusal of ‘Political Lackey’ Matthew Whitaker
- I Was the Subject of a Political ‘Witch Hunt.’ Matt Whitaker Directed It.
- Tensions rising between Mueller, Manafort over level of cooperation: Sources
COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS
- Trump properties earned over $3 million from midterm campaigns
- Trump properties made millions off the midterm election. The president continues to use the White House to line his pockets.
- Donald Trump Played Central Role in Hush Payoffs to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal
- A new report says Trump was directly involved in campaign finance crimes
To get a sense of what prosecutors might be driving at, it’s useful to review the specific campaign finance charges Cohen pleaded guilty to back in August.
First was “causing an unlawful corporate contribution” to a federal campaign. Prosecutors alleged that Cohen “caused” AMI’s $150,000 payment to Karen McDougal, and that that violated the law because it was effectively a campaign contribution for Trump, in excess of the legal limit on what a corporation like AMI is permitted to give to a campaign.
Second was that Cohen made an “excessive campaign contribution” himself, by paying $130,000 to Stormy Daniels. This, too, was effectively a campaign contribution for Trump above what Cohen was permitted to give, prosecutors said.
Now, prosecutors have amassed evidence Trump — Cohen’s employer — was personally involved in and informed about both of these payments, and was encouraging Cohen to make them happen.
So it certainly seems that Trump himself may be vulnerable to similar charges, considering how involved he was in both of these payments.
But don’t expect him to be indicted anytime soon. Even before Whitaker arrived at the Justice Department, it was highly unlikely federal prosecutors would actually try to indict a sitting president — DOJ has long held that that can’t be done.
What the SDNY prosecutors’ next move will be, then, remains unclear. It’s possible they’d amass evidence on crimes committed by Trump, and leave it to Congress to decide what to do with that evidence. Trump could also theoretically be charged after he leaves office. But the Journal piece is a reminder that this investigation remains very much alive.
- An Open-and-Shut Violation of Campaign Finance Law
- Michael Avenatti calls for “immediate indictment” of Donald Trump after report that president directed hush payments
- Michael Cohen told prosecutors that Trump demanded he “get it done” over paying off Stormy Daniels: Report
- NBC News: Trump likely faced indictment but for presidency
- Rep. Jerry Nadler says hush payments ‘might very well be an impeachable offense’
- Report reveals President Trump likely committed several crimes by paying off Stormy Daniels, ethics experts say – NY Daily News
- Sen. Blumenthal: Trump did commit a crime – CNN Video
TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET
- Trump Is Trapped, and Trying to Protect Himself at All Costs
- Trump on pace to surpass 8 years of Obama’s travel spending in 1 year
- Trump: A ‘new Election’ could be needed after ‘Theft’ in Florida, Arizona
- Is Anyone Surprised Trump Doesn’t Know the Difference Between Baltic States and the Balkans?
- ‘The guardrails are off’: Trump takes aggressive moves he resisted before elections
- A psychologist warns that Trump’s ‘malignant narcissism’ could lead to fascism
- Analysis | Trump ties his unfounded allegations of voter fraud in Florida to his Russia conspiracy theory
- Trump wants no more relief funds for Puerto Rico
- Chris Hayes: “Donald Trump is cornered and dangerous”
COLD WAR 2.0: VETERANS DAY EDITION
- Veterans haven’t received GI Bill benefits for months due to ongoing IT issues at VA
- CNN’s Acosta in Paris to cover Trump visit
- Trump Dissed Marines Killed in WWI Carnage Caused By His Kind of ‘Nationalism’
- Twitter Pelts Trump With Photos Of Obama In The Rain After He Ditches Cemetery Visit | HuffPost
- Winston Churchill’s grandson: Trump ‘pathetic,’ ‘inadequate’ for missing WWI ceremony due to weather
- ‘Real low energy’: Critics pile on after Trump cancels visit to U.S. military cemetery outside Paris
- As the world marks 100 years since the end of WWI, nationalism is on the rise again
- France Asked Trump And Putin To Stay Away From Each Other At Paris Commemoration
- Leaders of France and Germany in poignant show of unity 100 years after WW1
- Macron reportedly asked Putin not to privately meet Trump during WWI commemorations — but they talked anyway
- One Dutch community has kept alive the memory of eight American airmen for 75 years
- Opinion | I was Pat Tillman’s wife, but I can’t speak for him. Neither can you.
- Photo Shows Trump Beaming When Putin Joins World Leaders at Paris Event
- Trump and Macron meet amid tensions over Macron’s military comments
TRAITOR TOTS
- Lindsey Graham in 2017: ‘Holy hell to pay’ if Sessions is fired. In 2018: ‘When was that? What year?’
- How Brad Parscale, once a ‘nobody in San Antonio,’ shaped Trump’s combative politics and rose to his inner circle
- Trump World didn’t realize the acting AG would be seen as a ‘crackpot’
- Zinke is the Cabinet official most vulnerable to Democratic probe, White House fears
RIGHT WING TERRORISM &WHITE NATIONALISM
- 55,000 of my neighbors voted for a neo-Nazi
- Analysis | Trump said it is ‘racist’ to ask him about his nationalism. Here’s why it’s necessary.
- Anti-fascist protesters target Tucker Carlson’s home
- PayPal shuts down accounts for Proud Boys and founder McInnes as well as antifa groups
- As the world marks 100 years since the end of WWI, nationalism is on the rise again
- Trump’s insults toward black reporters, candidates echo ‘historic playbooks’ used against African Americans, critics say
- Mail bombing suspect Cesar Sayoc indicted on 30 counts
- Man suspected of sending possible bombs to Trump critics charged in 30-count indictment
- A senator from Mississippi joked about ‘public hanging.’ Her black opponent called it ‘reprehensible.’
SCOTUS
- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is ‘Cracking Jokes’ After Breaking Ribs, Nephew Says | HuffPost
- Ginsburg’s hospitalization a reminder of Trump’s power to shape Supreme Court
- Trump can’t immediately end DACA, appeals court panel says, setting up Supreme Court fight
KHASHOGGI & SAUDI ARABIA
FIGHTING BACK
- Ice Cube Taunts Donald Trump With Explicit New Track ‘Arrest The President’ | HuffPost
- #ProtectMueller Trends on Twitter as Protests Break Out in Several Cities Over Sessions’ Firing
- Joe Walsh: This morning, he: Called reporters BY NAME “losers.” Threatened to ban other reporters. Lied. Said he didn’t know Matt Whitaker, whom he’s met with often. Without any proof, alleged voter fraud in FL & tied it to the deep state in the FBI. And Republicans won’t say shit.
- House Democrats May Investigate Alleged Trump Ties to Russian Money Laundering
- House Democrats to further probe Trump’s possible role in Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal payments
- Trump to be investigated by Congress over use of state powers to target media
- Democrats load “subpoena cannon” with 85+ Trump targets
- Democrats signal aggressive investigations of Trump while resisting impeachment calls
- Investigations are coming: Democrats will make government ethics the priority for 2019
IMMIGRATION
- ICE Is Imprisoning a Record 44,000 People
- Noted white supremacist Steve King lies about calling immigrants ‘dirt,’ but it was recorded
- Steve King did, in fact, call immigrants ‘dirt’
- Trump administration tightens immigration asylum rules as caravans continue to push for U.S. border
- Lawsuit seeks to block Trump from restricting asylum for migrants who enter U.S. illegally
- Analysis | The Trump administration’s fuzzy math on ‘criminals’ in the caravan
- Dem senator: Scandalous that troops at border will miss Thanksgiving for ‘no national security reason’
- Troops deployed to U.S.-Mexico border lack hot food, electricity
- Analysis | Fertility rates around the world are declining. Some Trump supporters won’t like the solution.
- Trump can’t immediately end DACA, appeals court panel says, setting up Supreme Court fight
- Judge Cites Trump’s ‘Shithole Countries’ Remark In Ruling On Census Lawsuit
#NEVERAGAIN
- The 12 lives lost at the California bar shooting
- ‘A surreal shock’: Las Vegas shooting survivors live through California massacre
- ‘Being silenced is not acceptable’: Doctors express outrage after NRA tells them ‘to stay in their lane’
- ‘It can’t be any worse’: Thousand Oaks grieves after massacre as questions remain about gunman
- Thousand Oaks gunman had ‘several contacts’ with police over the years
- Thousand Oaks gunman had a history of angry outbursts
- Thousand Oaks parents: ‘I don’t want prayers. I don’t want thoughts. I want gun control.’
- Don Lemon Asks Donald Trump: Which Caravan Did Thousand Oaks Shooter Belong To? | HuffPost
- Mrs. Rogers at Pittsburgh’s Rally for Peace: ‘Let us replace guns with hugs’
- Guard, officer killed in the nation’s latest mass shooting, stoking debate about active-shooter defenses
- I see the same fear I felt at Pulse in Thousand Oaks shooting survivors’ eyes
- Inside, it was ‘like hell.’ Another mass shooting in another public place claims 12 lives
- Calif. shooter used high-capacity magazine that voters outlawed, but ban was blocked by lawsuit
FIXING THE INTERNET
- What does an elected official in Virginia have to do with whether President Trump can block people on Twitter? A lot.
- Facebook Is the Least Trusted Major Tech Company When it Comes to Safeguarding Personal Data, Poll Finds
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Sarah Huckabee Sanders promoted literal “fake news”.
- Sarah Sanders promotes an altered video of CNN reporter, sparking allegations of visual propaganda
- ‘What a stupid question’: Trump demeans three black female reporters in three days
- Cuomo: Trump gets too many breaks for lying – CNN Video
- Expert: Acosta video distributed by White House was doctored
- Famed First Amendment lawyer says CNN should sue the White House over Acosta access
- Trump bump: Jim Acosta’s Twitter followers soar to 1 million after White House clash
- Trump calls April Ryan a ‘loser,’ threatens to revoke more press credentials
- Trump to be investigated by Congress over use of state powers to target media
MICHELLE OBAMA
- For eight years, Michelle Obama watched every word. In her memoir, she’s done with that.
- Michael Cohen: I pray Michelle Obama’s words will unite country again
- Michelle Obama is one of millions who struggled with infertility. Here’s why her broken silence could matter.
- Michelle Obama rips Trump in new book
- Michelle Obama says she will ‘never forgive’ Trump for putting her ‘family’s safety at risk’
- Michelle Obama: ‘I’d never forgive’ Trump for ‘birther’ conspiracy
- Michelle Obama: ‘I stopped even trying to smile’ during Trump’s inauguration
TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY
- Trump’s Rising Debts Will Soon Force The U.S. To Spend More On Interest Than Medicaid, Defense
- Kentucky hasn’t seen major change in coal jobs since Trump’s election
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- GOP Senator in Mississippi Jokes About ‘Public Hanging’ Ahead of Runoff Against Black Challenger
- Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith Joked About Going to a ‘Public Hanging’
- Republican Senators Have Surrendered Their Institution to the Dear Leader
- Republican Tolerance for Despotism Keeps Rising
- Republicans must ask why people with racist values embrace the GOP
- Republicans Need to Stop Baselessly Accusing Democrats of Stealing Elections
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Statement of United States Attorneys Matthew Schneider and Andrew Birge Regarding the Passage of Proposal One
- How a mythical pink dolphin is making it harder to fight child sex abuse in the Amazon
ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE
- Fast-moving wildfires threaten Southern California, forcing more than 100,000 to flee
- ‘The whole place was in flames’: Residents flee as Camp Fire tears through California towns
- At least five dead, Paradise ‘pretty much destroyed’ as wildfire rages in Northern California
- California wildfires rage, north and south, killing at least nine and putting tens of thousands at risk
- Trump blames ‘gross mismanagement’ as wildfires leave trail of death, destruction in California
- FDA plans curbs on e-cigarette sales over concerns about surge in teen vaping
- Federal judge blocks Keystone XL pipeline, saying Trump administration review ignored ‘inconvenient’ climate change facts
- Noam Chomsky: The Future of Organized Human Life Is At Risk Thanks to GOP’s Climate Change Denial
- Perspective | The sneaky science behind your child’s tech obsession
- VA secretary says he will continue agency’s controversial experiments on dogs
- Democrats Plan to Revive House Climate Committee
- Judge blocks Keystone XL pipeline, says government cannot ignore ‘inconvenient’ facts
- Keystone XL Pipeline blocked by federal judge in major blow to Trump administration
- Nancy Pelosi plans to push for revival of climate change committee in new Congress
- Perspective | VA, skirting court order, kills ‘official time’ for medical professionals
ELECTION 2018
- ‘Just Count the Votes’: Where Voter Suppression Not Quite Enough, GOP Now Trying to Stop Ballot-Counting in Multiple States
- ‘It’s a sea change:’ CIA agent, nuclear engineer, flight attendant among the record number of women headed to Congress
- After Scott requested investigation, law enforcement says no voter fraud allegations found
- Analysis | One state fixed its gerrymandered districts, the other didn’t. Here’s how the election played out in both.
- Analysis | Texans preferred O’Rourke to Cruz — at least, Texans born in Texas did
- Andrew Gillum in Broward: ‘Count every vote. Every last one of them.’
- Barack Obama’s endorsement was far more valuable than Donald Trump’s during 2018 midterms
- Beto O’Rourke helped turn Texas courts blue
- Cindy McCain rips Arizona GOP over mail-in ballots lawsuit: ‘I am one of those mail in ballots’
- Democrat Harley Rouda wins California U.S. House seat, defeats 15-term Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
- Democratic candidates in Florida pull into recount range as the state once again becomes the epicenter of a post-election fight over ballots
- Democrats could win 40 House seats, the most since Watergate
- Democrats made massive state-level gains in the midterms
- Dozens of mail-in ballots sitting in Miami distribution center: report
- Ex-Bush strategist: Count all the votes in Florida, don’t repeat mistakes of 2000
- Exit poll: More native Texans voted for O’Rourke than Cruz
- Florida county collects uncounted ballots left in a mail facility
- For Democrats, a midterm election that keeps on giving
- Georgia Democrats, Abrams’ campaign files lawsuit to challenge rejection of votes
- Georgia Officials Kept Hundreds of Voting Machines Locked in Warehouses on Election Day
- Georgia Vote Shows Signs of Tampering, Civil Rights Group Says
- Gillum Rallies Supporters to Defend Voting Rights as Contentious Florida Recount Continues
- Gillum responds to Scott lawsuit: ‘Counting votes isn’t partisan — it’s democracy’
- GOP Rep. Denham falls behind Democrat as 3 other Republicans lose ground in Friday’s ballot tally – Los Angeles Times
- Half of white women continue to vote Republican. What’s wrong with them? | Moira Donegan
- Hawaii GOP lost by largest margin since statehood
- Judge sides with Democrats, Dougherty must accept late-arriving absentee ballots
- Marco Rubio: Democrats Are Trying to Steal Florida Senate Race by Counting All the Votes
- Nevada Democrats’ blue wave washes away Trump’s Chumps
- Nelson releases video: ‘Rick Scott is trying to stop all the votes from being counted’
- Opinion | Three days later: Hey, Republicans really did get clobbered
- Photos Show Scores of Uncounted Ballots in Opa-locka Mail Center
- Prospect of another recount in Florida sparks partisan showdown
- Recount to begin in Florida Senate and governor’s races, in echo of 2000 presidential election
- Representative democracy? Democrats won popular vote for House, Senate and President but control only one
- Republican crybabies need to get a grip in McSally-Sinema race
- Republican dubbed ‘Russia’s favorite congressman’ loses seat after 30 years
- Republicans Freak Out as New Ballots Threaten Florida Senate Win
- Rick Scott thinks he can win his Senate race by interrupting vote counting
- Scarborough: GOP trying to stop vote count in Florida is ‘third-world country stuff’
- Sinema defeats McSally in Arizona, Cook Political Report projects
- Sinema grows U.S. Senate race lead over McSally for fourth straight day ktar.com
- Sinema widens lead over McSally in Arizona Senate race
- Sinema’s lead in Arizona grows as some GOP officials distance themselves from Trump’s claims of misconduct
- Teacher Says She Discovered Ballot Box Left Behind at Florida Polling Site
- There’s no evidence of voter fraud in Florida. Trump is claiming it’s happening anyway.
- California has 4.5 million ballots left to count. That could spell trouble for GOP
- Federal Judge Orders Georgia to Reveal Tally of Provisional Ballots
- I’m a former Florida congressman and my vote was rejected over a signature ‘mismatch’
- The Latest: Democrat Katie Hill Defeats Rep. Steve Knight
- Kyrsten Sinema’s lead over Martha McSally widens in roller-coaster U.S. Senate race to replace Jeff Flake
- Two former McCain aides blast GOP for casting doubt on results of Senate race in Arizona
- Don’t let Brian Kemp steal Georgia’s gubernatorial election
- Opinion | Now I know what it feels like to live in a banana republic
- Opinion | Trump lost. And it wasn’t even close.
THINKING AHEAD
- Analysis | The top 15 Democratic presidential candidates for 2020, ranked
- Opinion | Beto O’Rourke should run for Senate in 2020. He could win.
- Analysis | What Tuesday tells us about the 2020 election
IN OTHER NEWS…
PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
- The Counterattack Against Rigged Elections Begins as Reform Succeeds in Several States
- Ocasio-Cortez rips Fox News for cracking ‘jokes’ about her finances: It shows what they really think of working-class people
- Sanders to Re-Introduce $15 Minimum Wage Bill in First Week of New Congress
RUMOR MILL
- PostimusMaximus: Reminder that Russia says Trump is meeting with Putin this weekend, just after trying to hamper the Russia probe for a 2nd time. Last time he did this he told the Russians that firing Comey would ease pressure of probe and decided to give away some allied secrets. (He’s tried to stop the probe like 100 times but I’m going to consider this the biggest one since Comey)
- Rogue Senior White House Advisor: Easily the most pious, phony BS of all time has to be Trump telling people to “respect the office of the Presidency”, as if a guy who’s dripped mayo on the Resolute Desk & called reporters stupid is somehow the arbiter of respect. Get outta here.
- Team Mueller is Holding ‘Dozens of Sealed Indictments,’ According to Intel Source
- Countercheckist: “Mueller is holding “dozens of sealed indictments” of people associated with the president… “Nobody who’s close to the Russians is getting out of this.” Bingo. As previously stated; move over “blue wave,” It’s time for tRUmp’s “Mueller apocalypse.” 🙂
Indictments of Stone, a friend of the president since the 1970s, or worse Trump’s son and namesake, seem certain to push the White House into greater paroxysms of rage. What might happen then is anybody’s guess. Trump’s desperation to shut down the Mueller inquiry before it cuts very close to home is therefore understandable.
It’s also a fool’s errand. In truth, it’s far too late to shut the Special Counsel down altogether. Mueller and his staff, veterans of Beltway wars, were not surprised by this week’s events. They were prepared. Any efforts by Acting AG Whitaker to block indictments will go public quickly and throw Washington into deep crisis. For Trump, there are no exits or off-ramps left.
When Mueller informs the public of more indictments is an open question. That they are coming, however, is not. And there are lots of them. The Special Counsel has been at work for almost 18 months now. An Intelligence Community official who assisted the Special Counsel’s investigation told me this week that Team Mueller is holding “dozens of sealed indictments” of people associated with the president, his 2015-16 campaign, and his administration. “Nobody who’s close to the Russians is getting out of this,” said the IC official. When will those indictments start being unsealed? Watch this space.
Sadly, that didn’t happen.
That’s it for the last few days. Like I said on Daily Check-In 11/08/2018, I was out for the last few days. Surprisingly, all hell did not break loose. Instead, a whole new hell opened up on the Stormy front. 36 sources went on the record for that story to say that Trump was intimately involved with the Daniels and McDougal cover-up. 36. That’s a lot of fucking people to corroborate a story.
There’s a reason why that unless there’s some crazy stuff going on that the two top groupings are the Russian Investigation and the Cohen matters. Ok, I cheat a bit and include all of the other lawsuits in the Cohen section, but Cohen’s investigation might be the one that brings Trump down faster. It’s not his greatest threat, but it’s the closest.
My schedule should return to semi-normal this week.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 
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