Friday, March 15, 2019 and the weekend. Beware the Ides of March.
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
- Mueller: Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates ‘continues to cooperate’ in investigations
- Carrie Johnson: JUST IN: The government is not done with Rick Gates. Special counsel lawyers tell the judge Gates “continues to cooperate with respect to several ongoing investigations, and accordingly the parties do not believe it is appropriate to commence the sentencing process at this time.”
Rick Gates is STILL cooperating with several investigations. Several. This includes an investigation into the inaugural campaign, connections to Elliot Broidy and 1MDB, Manafort’s dealings with Russia, the NRA serving as a backchannel to launder Russian money into the RNC, and a few likely others.
- Head of Asian GOP group says he “wouldn’t rule out” illegal foreign donations to Trump
- Former spa owner and frequent Mar-a-Lago guest sparks concerns about ‘porous’ environment at president’s club
- Founder of busted Florida massage parlor chain reportedly orchestrated donations to Trump campaign from spa employees
- Spa operator brought head of Chinese Communist Party’s Florida group to mingle with Trump aides
- Scott Stedman: NEW: Cindy Yang brought the head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Florida group to Trump fundraiser. Interesting: 5 days ago, the Florida branch of the Chinese Communist Party dissolved its nonprofit.
This is starting to look a lot more like a a pay to play scam rolled in with blackmail and human trafficking each and every day.
- Opinion | Presidents’ young children should be left alone. That rule doesn’t apply to Ivanka and Don Jr.
- Roger Stone trial set for Nov. 5 as judge weighs whether his book violated gag order
Can Roger Stone keep his mouth shut for 8 months? Can he do it for 8 minutes?
- The House voted 420-0 to release the Mueller report. So why is Lindsey Graham blocking it?
- Lindsey Graham Blocks House Vote to Make Mueller Report Public
Lindsey Graham has gone full traitor. At this point, my money is on underage gay partner kompromat.
- Manafort’s sentencing shows again that white-collar criminals get off lightly
- Dems fear Trump is looking at presidential pardons
- Documents shed light on Russian hacking of Democratic Party leaders
- Deripaska Sues Over U.S. Sanctions, Claims $7.5 Billion Loss
- Zoe Tillman: NEW: Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska is suing the US government to challenge the sanctions against him
- 3 15 19 Deripaska Complaint
- Russian oligarch sues US Treasury over sanctions
- Bill Browder: Russian oligarch Deripaska sues US Treasury over sanctions – I wonder how he paid his lawyers if his accounts were frozen
- Cockrum-versus-Trump-Campaign.pdf
- Thread by @rgoodlaw: “Breaking: Federal court holds First Amendment does not protect Trump Campaign in alleged conspiracy with Russia-Wikileaks. Court holds that […]” #Cockrum
- Andrew Laufer, ESQ: Boom. The first amendment doesn’t protect one from the consequences of committing acts of espionage. h/t @rkumar9844
- Exclusive: Washington Autopsy Files Reveal Lesin Sustained Broken Bone In Neck
- From 2016: Another Defector Dead in Washington
- Julia Davis: Mikhail Lesin, the former Russian press minister who turned up dead in a Washington hotel room in 2015, sustained a fracture to a neck bone just below the jaw line “at or near the time” of his death, according to recently released Washington autopsy files.
- Steele says he used unverified information to support details about web company in dossier
- Tea Pain: That’s how dossiers work. They are preliminary intelligence work product, not an official report. Steele himself put an 80% percent ratin’ on it’s accuracy. All in all, it’s proven itself right again and again. History will judge Steele a hero.
- Trump Abruptly Changes His Tune: ‘There Should Be No Mueller Report’
- Trump says ‘there should be no Mueller report’ a day after House unanimously votes to make it public
COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS
- Trump Should Pay $5.6 Million Penalty Over Charity, New York AG Says
- NY AG: President Trump Must Personally Pay $8.4 Million to Settle Lawsuit Against Trump Foundation
President Donald Trump should pay a $5.6 million penalty on top of $2.8 million in restitution for spending money from his charitable foundation on business and political purposes, the New York attorney general told a judge in seeking a ruling without a trial.
Neither Trump nor his three eldest children, all of whom had senior roles at the Donald J. Trump Foundation, have provided evidence rebutting the state’s claims that they failed to meet as a board, oversee grant-making or implement policies to protect the charity’s funds from abuse, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in court papers Thursday.
Trump used his charity to pay part of his settlement into Trump University, as well as various political and personal expenses.
Aside from the illegalities of all of this, his behavior lends credence to the likelihood that Trump is broke AF.
SHUTDOWN & IMMIGRATION & EMERGENCIES
- Trump admin tracked individual migrant girls’ pregnancies
- MSNBC: Now on @MSNBC: @Maddow Exclusive: Trump admin. spreadsheet tracked girls’ pregnancies. THREAD
- Lincoln’s Bible: And yet, the same admin says it can’t keep track of a child’s parent/ family, or how many children they have separated. That is too hard. But tracking girls’ periods – day by day? They have spreadsheets packed with data for that.
- One Year Ago, America Stole My 7-Year-Old. I Want Him Back.
- James Comey: Republican senators, who are sacrificing core principles, are likely telling themselves: “The country needs me; I have to do this or I will lose in a primary.” No, the country needs you to have enough integrity to risk losing your job for what is right.
- Evan McMullin: You aren’t a constitutional conservative if you vote against upholding the Constitution. It really is that simple.
- Trump issues first veto in targeting congressional rejection of his emergency declaration
- Nancy Pelosi: The House and Senate resoundingly rejected @realDonaldTrump’s lawless power grab, yet the President has chosen to continue to defy the Constitution, the Congress & the will of the American people. On March 26, the House will once again act to protect our Constitution and our democracy from the President’s emergency declaration by holding a vote to override his veto. House Republicans will have to choose between their partisan hypocrisy and their sacred oath to support and defend the Constitution. #FakeEmergency
- Pelosi says U.S. House to vote March 26 on overriding Trump border-wall related veto
- Trump tried to make the GOP border emergency fight about him. He lost anyway.
- ‘The Conveyor Belt’: U.S. officials say massive smuggling effort is speeding immigrants to — and across — the southern border
- U.S. weighs plan to phase out family detention at Texas facility, despite migration surge
- A clear majority of Americans oppose Trump’s emergency declaration
- Trump’s national emergency opposed by majority of Americans
- Gardner burned by hometown paper for upholding Trump’s emergency declaration
- How a teenager duped a powerful Texas Republican into posing with an ‘Abolish ICE’ painting
TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A INDIVIDUAL-1
- Trump is ‘dangerous’ and ‘may fabricate’ another national emergency to remain in power after 2020, Harvard law professor warns
- Following the massacre in NZ, Trump says ‘I don’t really’ see white nationalists as a threat
- Trump issues first veto in targeting congressional rejection of his emergency declaration
- Trump Abruptly Changes His Tune: ‘There Should Be No Mueller Report’
- Trump administration struggles for path forward on nuclear talks as tensions with North Korea mount
- Trump deletes Breitbart post about how ‘tough’ his supporters can get
- Trump Encourages Violence From His Supporters. They’re Listening.
- Trump finally found a ‘small group of people’ that doesn’t constitute a crisis: White nationalists
- Trump goes after McCain over dossier for second straight day
- Trump Has Touted Debunked Story About U.S. General Killing 49 Muslims To End Terrorism
- Trump is cornered, with violence on his mind. We must be on red alert
- Trump lashes out at McCain seven months after senator’s death
- Trump once again bashes John McCain over health-care vote
- Trump Raises Specter Of Supporters Turning Violent If They Don’t Get Their Way
- Trump spent Friday morning offering sympathy to himself
- Trump Still Won’t Name ‘White Supremacist Terrorism’ and His Base Loves It
- Trump suggests, for the first time, there should be ‘no Mueller report’
- Trump: It Would Be “Very Bad” If My Biker Friends Got “Tough” On Left Wing Opponents
- Trump’s impeachment doesn’t have to wait. The Founding Fathers never wanted it to be an insurmountable hurdle.
- Trump’s media attacks are an abuse of power. We’re holding him to account | Journalists and attorneys are partnering together in a new amended lawsuit filed by Pen America arguing Trump is violating the first amendment
- Trump’s Biker Threat Came From the Putin Playbook, But Tweet Deleted After Mosque Massacre
- When Trump raises the prospect of political violence, there’s a problem
- Trump commands Fox News to air Jeanine Pirro’s show after the network skipped an episode following comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar’s hijab
- Trump criticizes ‘Saturday Night Live’ after show airs rerun
- Trump Rails Against SNL, Despite Show Being a Rerun, Calls For FCC ‘Collusion’ Investigation Into Comedy Show
- Angry White House Staffer: So… Trump is threatening SNL with the FCC? Lol. What a thin-skinned, petulant manbaby
- Tea Pain: Trump is mournin’ the #NewZealandMosqueAttack by callin’ for the return of White Supremacist Tucker Carlson and Anti-Muslim bigot Jeanine Pirro.
737
- How the FAA allows jetmakers to ‘self certify’ that planes meet U.S. safety requirements
- U.S. and Boeing have long had a special relationship
- Black box data shows ‘clear similarity’ between Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes, Ethiopia’s transport minister says
- Opinion | This is what happens when corporations run the government
TRAITOR TOTS
- This American sells Russia radio airtime. The U.S. says that makes his firm a foreign agent.
- Jackie Speier wants to fine Jared and Ivanka $1000 a day for working in White House+
CONGRESS
- Pelosi Is Wrong. Trump Is More Impeachable Than Ever.
- Pelosi tamps down talk of Trump impeachment — welcome words for centrist Democrats
- ‘Grand inquisitors of the realm’: How Congress got its power to investigate and subpoena
- Bucking NDA, ex-Fox News reporter plans to tell Congress about outlet’s role in Trump hush money story
FIGHTING BACK
- Jon Zal: I was a cop in the Army. Trump’s assertion that the brave citizens who uphold our laws, defend our Constitution & keep us safe are going to do violence to their fellow Americans on behalf of a corrupt, racist, draft-dodging, reality-TV host is as laughable as it is disgusting. Are there bad actors in the military and in law enforcement? Yes … just as there are bad actors in every other profession and every other group of humans in general … but Trump does not “have” The Police and The Military writ large. Fuck that.
- Meghan McCain: No one will ever love you the way they loved my father…. I wish I had been given more Saturday’s with him. Maybe spend yours with your family instead of on twitter obsessing over mine?
- Meghan McCain tells Trump “No one will ever love you like they loved my father” in response to tweet bashing John McCain’s role in dossier and Obamacare vote
- Reddit: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower, 5-Star General & President
- Asha Rangappa: The people who Trump hates the most are those who are a constant reminder of his own failures and inadequacies. Values Trump can’t stand: Courage Strength (the real kind) Truth Moral Principle Authenticity Compassion Curiosity Unity Charity Love Forgiveness Feel free to add on.
- Washington Post Editorial Board Condemns Donald Trump’s Response To Mosque Shootings
- CNN’s Jim Acosta: ‘The White House Can’t Whitewash The White Nationalism’
- The Washington Post: Trump called these countries a profane name. We sent a travel writer to celebrate them.
- A derelict commander in chief: Trump can’t keep us safe
- Preet Bharara: ‘I didn’t call Trump back and it’s one of the best decisions I ever made’
- The 567 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List
- Let’s address the elephant in the room: Why does it take Trump so long to tweet?
- Hirono calls out Trump for ‘appalling’ comments she says encourage violence
- How presidential empathy can improve politics
RACISM, RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM
New Zealand
- Christchurch Mosque Shooter Calls Trump ‘Symbol Of White Identity’ But Not ‘Policy Maker’
- Fox News Analyst on New Zealand Suspect: ‘Very Understandable’ What Shooter ‘Was Trying to Do On a Political Level’
- Less than 24 hours after mass shooting at mosques, New Zealand vows to ban semi-automatic rifles
- Main suspect in New Zealand shootings that killed 50 charged with murder, believed to be lone gunman
- New Zealand attack exposes how little the U.S. and its allies share intelligence on domestic terrorism threats
- New Zealand pulls Murdoch’s Sky News Australia off the air over mosque massacre coverage
- New Zealand shows willingness to curb guns after one, not 1,981 mass shootings
- New Zealand’s Prime Minister Is Showing the World What Real Leadership Looks Like; Trump, she says, “asked what support the US could provide. My message was sympathy and love for all Muslim communities.”
- New Zealanders mourn, vow to stand together — but also to debate sensitive issues
- Rush Limbaugh suggests New Zealand shootings may be false flag attack by a leftist to smear conservatives
- Students at center of viral Chelsea Clinton video at New Zealand vigil speak out
- The New Zealand shooting was inspired by the hate America is exporting. We need to deal with that reality.
- Trump Condemns ‘Horrible Massacre’ in New Zealand—but Doesn’t Mention Terrorism
- Trump just called immigration an ‘invasion.’ So did the New Zealand shooter.
- Trump Just Echoed the New Zealand Shooter’s Language About an ‘Invasion’ Hours After the Attack
- Trump says he sees no rise in white nationalism after New Zealand attack
- When gunman advanced on New Zealand mosque, this man ran at him | CBC News
- ‘Garry’s getting shot’: This 1990 massacre was New Zealand’s worst before mosque attacks
- ‘Let’s get this party started’: New Zealand shooting suspect narrated his chilling rampage
- “It’s Like a Virus”: Fighting the Hate that Fueled the New Zealand Massacre Requires a Global Response
- 49 killed in terrorist attack at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand
- A Suspect In New Zealand Mass Shootings Appears To Be A White Supremacist. In a manifesto, the alleged gunman said he was motivated by American extremism.
- A teenager egged the Australian senator who blamed the Christchurch shooting on immigration — then got punched in the face
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out NRA After New Zealand Shootings: ‘What Good Are Your Thoughts and Prayers?’
- At New Zealand vigil, Chelsea Clinton confronted over her criticism of Rep. Ilhan Omar
- Australia bans Milo Yiannopoulos after comments on New Zealand mosque attacks
- Boundless racism, zero remorse: A manifesto of hate and 49 dead in New Zealand
- Christchurch mosque shootings: New Zealand to ban semi-automatic weapons
- Christchurch quietly rallies, the day after a trauma it can barely comprehend
- Civil rights icon John Lewis after New Zealand mosque attacks: ‘We cannot sow seeds of hatred’
- Does anyone doubt that Donald Trump inspired the New Zealand massacre?
- Erin Burnett: Trump’s ‘Invasion’ Talk in Aftermath of New Zealand Massacre is ‘Just White Supremacy’
- The Christchurch mosque shooter, steeped in online culture, knew how to make his massacre go viral
- Trump denies ‘rising threat’ from white nationalism in wake of Christchurch mosque atrocity
- Three days after Christchurch shootings, families wait to bury the victims
- Facebook removed 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch attacks within 24 hours — and there were still many more.
- Rogue Senior White House Advisor: Every problem we face as a society at present is due in part or in full to right wing extremism. We cannot, as a civilization, ignore this reality any longer.
- Caroline Orr: This is why I’m not ready to write off the New Zealand mosque shooter’s reference to PewDiePie as “just trolling.” Sure, part of it was likely trolling meant to provoke a response. But PewDiePie is also a critical stepping stone on the pathway to radicalization. Online radicalization is a process. There are many different gateways to extremism, and PewDiePie is a prime example. Once you start watching his YouTube videos, the site’s algorithm starts recommending other, more extreme content/channels.. and down the rabbit hole you go. 2/ Sometimes, the pathway to extremist content is more explicit. In Dec, PewDiePie gave a shout-out to his favorite YouTube pages during his (#)SubscribeToPewDiePie battle. One was a neo-Nazi page, feat. Nazi propaganda superimposed on children’s cartoons. 3/
- Operation Wolverines: #pewdiepie inserts Nazi invectives capsuled in “irony humor”. It’s a known way to radicalize; the most interesting part is when you call them on it, their moment of self actualization hurts and they lash out. #christchurchterrorattack THREAD
- Shannon Watts: In the wake of a horrific hate crime, the President continues to try to pit Americans against one another based on our religion, or our skin color, or our politics. It’s shameful. Christchurch #NewZealandShooting
- Claude Taylor: NZ shooter. White supremacist from Australia. Don’t use his name/picture. Don’t post his video. Don’t give the satisfaction. Honor the victims.
- Angry White House Staffer: Mosque shooter names Trump as inspiration in manifesto. Trump is attacking his own intelligence community and promoting cultural division on Twitter. Must be Friday.
- Malcom Turnbull: When Lucy & I went with John & Bronagh Key to the Bataclan in 2015 we could not imagine a terrorist attack in Christchurch. Today our love, prayers and solidarity are with the people of New Zealand whose compassion, humanity & diversity will triumph over this hateful crime. THREAD
- Lincoln’s Bible: Okay, here we go. THREAD I have deleted an original tweet & my thread that followed. Because it was weaponized, just as I knew it would be. It happened incredibly fast. AND, every one of my followers deserves a clear explanation, from me, of what I was intending, & what happened.
- Thread from Lincoln’s Bible
- Opinion | The New Radicalization of the Internet
- Michael Skolnik: Christchurch Mosque: White supremacist. Tree Of Life Synagogue: White supremacist. Mother Emanuel AME Church: White supremacist. Oak Creek Sikh Temple: White supremacist. Overland Park Jewish Center: White supremacist. Islamic Center of Quebec City: White supremacist.
- AOC: All of these are terrorist incidents. We have a responsibility to understand how white supremacy + online radicalization works, because it is impacting our entire society. President Trump defunded Federal programs designed to fight the spread of white supremacist hate groups. THREAD
- Thread by @AOC: “All of these are terrorist incidents. We have a responsibility to understand how white supremacy + online radicalization works, because it i […]”
- Trump says white nationalism is not a rising threat after New Zealand attacks: ‘It’s a small group of people’
- Ryan Goodman: Breaking: Federal court holds First Amendment does not protect Trump Campaign in alleged conspiracy with Russia-Wikileaks. Court holds that Supreme Court case (Bartnicki) does not apply for the reasons that Bob Bauer and I argued here: THREAD
- Dan Rather: White nationalism is a threat. Access to heavy weaponry is a threat. Incitement of racial, ethnic, and religious divisions is a threat. They’re not the only threats facing global stability. But they’re real, with long, bloody, historical roots no matter what a President may say.
- Rantt Media: 49 Muslims were murdered in New Zealand by a radical right-wing terrorist In our partnership with the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (@C4ARR) we’ve highlighted the threat of right-wing extremism & how to combat it Trump says it’s not a threat—Let’s educate him THREAD
- Threadreader Rantt Media
- Caroline Orr: Just in: The New Zealand Police Commissioner says the number of people killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks has increased to 50.
- Shannon Watts: New Zealand P.M Jacinda Ardern: “I can tell you one thing right now. Our gun laws will change.” As the nation’s law stands now, anyone over age 16 with an entry-level gun license can keep any number of rifles and shotguns “without an official record.”
- Denzican Grimes: New Zealand hasn’t had a mass shooting in 29 years. And yet in response to the massacre the prime minister immediately banned seni-automatic guns. This is leadership.
- Laurence Tribe: Relative to population (NZ = 5m, USA = 320m), these 50 dead are like 3,200 dead in the US. So this was New Zealand’s 9/11. But this attack on Muslims was Trump-inspired White Nationalist terrorism. That’s worth thinking about. Think, then mobilize!
- HBCUs seeing resurgent appeal amid rising racial tensions
- It’s Time to Attack White Nationalism for the Terror Group It Is
- It’s Time to Confront the Threat of Right-Wing Terrorism
- More than 1 million sign petition to have Anning removed from Parliament
- U.S. sees steady rise in violence by white supremacists
- US Muslim advocacy group to Trump: ‘We hold you responsible’ for increase in Islamophobia
- White supremacist threat rising, security experts warn
- White supremacists and radical Islamists sound exactly alike
- Milo Yiannopoulos banned from entering Australia following Christchurch shooting comments – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- Qasim Rashid ESQ: This is New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, grieving with the Muslim community as they mourn the 49 departed, & wearing a hijab in solidarity.❤️What a powerful example of compassion and leadership. May she & her nation prosper in love & peace.❤️#NewZealandMosqueAttack. WOW! PM Jacinda Ardern says NZ Govt will: •Cover funeral costs •Provide financial support (for up to years) for those who will suffer income loss due to the terror attack •Do so *regardless* of immigration status & citizenship❤️🤯#NewZealandStrong
- 911corlebra777: THREAD Mosque open day had been planned before the attack in NZ. It was decided in Australia that it would continue despite the current events.This is the way we combat hate & division. Our views are very much dependent upon the American experiment
THREAD Mosque open day had been planned before the attack in NZ. It was decided in Australia that it would continue despite the current events.This is the way we combat hate & division. Our views are very much dependent upon the American experiment
We in Australia have adopted the creed of the United States. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We looked to that light burning on a hill, America, to guide our actions in a plural democratic world. We still do
Why do you think your Allies are fighting so hard for you? America has inspired the world to greater heights, to be better than what we currently are. We took your inspiration and injected it in our own democracies. We owe the Republic a debt of honour
You are still that country of principles. The heart of America is of a society inclusive of all. The truth of America is that of a refuge from tyranny. We your friend’s still believe you are that rightous people. Honor the Republic, protect the Constitution
- Federal prosecutors bring terror charges against group arrested in New Mexico compound case
- FBI seeing uptick in domestic terror arrests
- Racist tirade caught on video costs Hamden school employee her job
- Man accused of mailing bombs to prominent Democrats to plead guilty
SCOTUS & COURTS
#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS
- Rams Front Office and NFL Hid Sexual Battery Charges from Media in the lead up to the Super Bowl
- Ruby witness Imane Fadil dies, said was poisoned (6) – English Service
- Model To Be Key Witness In Upcoming Silvio Berlusconi Sex Trial Has Been Poisoned
- Bill Browder: More horrifying details from the Italian press on the suspected poisoning of Iman Fadil who was a witness against former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi (Putin’s best friend). “They said she had died after a “month of agony”.
- MSNBC: Now on @MSNBC: @Maddow Exclusive: Trump admin. spreadsheet tracked girls’ pregnancies. THREAD
- Lincoln’s Bible: And yet, the same admin says it can’t keep track of a child’s parent/ family, or how many children they have separated. That is too hard. But tracking girls’ periods – day by day? They have spreadsheets packed with data for that.
- Posters Proclaiming Michael Jackson’s Innocence to Be Removed From London Buses
- Johnny Depp was abused by ex-wife Amber Heard, new evidence shows
- Judge blocks Kentucky’s ‘fetal heartbeart’ abortion law
- Kentucky’s only abortion clinic resumes seeing patients as ‘fetal heartbeat’ law blocked
- Landlines, love interests and budding sexuality: How ‘Pen15’ gets middle school girls right – The Lily
COLD WAR 2.0
- US bars entry to ICC investigators, says ‘attacking America’s rule of law’
- US bars entry to International Criminal Court investigators
- Julia Davis: US to revoke visas for International Criminal Court staff: The U.S. will revoke or deny visas to International Criminal Court personnel who attempt to investigate or prosecute alleged abuses committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan or elsewhere, Pompeo said
- Russia Vows To Respond To Fresh EU Sanctions
- Bill Browder: Russia Vows To Respond To Fresh EU Sanctions. Funny thing is that nobody in the EU cares. They’re not going on vacation to Siberia or keeping their money at Sberbank
- Lincoln’s Bible: Imagine if instead of plundering all of Russia’s resources 4 themselves, Putin & his oligarchs had cared enough about their home 2 reinvest those trillions in it. What could they have built? But they’re nihilist mobsters. And those mobsters build nothing. They only steal & kill.
- No Brexit deal vote ‘without DUP support’
- The Marines don’t want you to see what happens when propaganda stops and combat begins
- The US journalist detained for 544 days in Iran warns: ‘Trump’s foreign policy is misguided and under-informed’
- Afghan official says any U.S. deal with the Taliban would ‘dishonor’ American troops as relations sink
- France repatriates five children of French militants who joined the Islamic State
- Footage Contradicts U.S. Claim That Nicolás Maduro Burned Aid Convoy
- Israel says it struck 100 targets in Gaza after two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv
- Maduro’s muscle: Politically backed motorcycle gangs known as ‘colectivos’ are the enforcers for Venezuela’s authoritarian leader
- North Korea threatens to suspend denuclearization talks with the United States
#NEVERAGAIN
- Shannon Watts: The @NRA will likely go dark today after the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, but it’s important to remember that the gun lobby – which has tentacles across the world – regularly foments hatred against Muslims in order to sell guns. #NewZealandShooting
- Shannon Watts: New Zealand P.M Jacinda Ardern: “I can tell you one thing right now. Our gun laws will change.” As the nation’s law stands now, anyone over age 16 with an entry-level gun license can keep any number of rifles and shotguns “without an official record.”
- Denzican Grimes: New Zealand hasn’t had a mass shooting in 29 years. And yet in response to the massacre the prime minister immediately banned seni-automatic guns. This is leadership.
One mass shooting in New Zealand, and they’re moving to make sure this never happens again. THIS is how normal people react to tragedy.
- Missouri lawmaker introduces bill that would require AR-15 ownership
- Messenger: Missouri Republicans get new rallying cry for gun-porn legislation: Not a Good Choice
- Jess Piper: Missouri: The Shoot Me State. “There’s even a bill that would require every adult in Missouri between the ages of 18 and 35 to own an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, the assault weapon of choice among mass shooters in this country.” Please text ACT to 644-33. This number connects you to @MomsDemand. Help us fight the gun lobby and “guns everywhere” mentality. @MissouriGOP pushes these bills every year. We are already ranked #5 in gun deaths without this bill.
- Shannon Watts: Imagine telling our children that they must decide whether they want to run, hide, or fight for their lives during a potential active shooting instead of simply passing laws that data shows would protect them. Please let this be a false alarm…
- NEWS | Division of Public Safety & Security
- U of M says ‘no appearance of active threat’ on campus after reported active shooter threat
- Adam Schiff: The Sandy Hook families have won a major court battle, overcoming the gun industry’s unique “liability shield” so their lawsuit can go forward. This is an important step towards accountability in the gun industry. I will be introducing a bill to repeal this immunity altogether.
- Shannon Watts: .@BetoORourke in Iowa: “Thirty thousand plus gun deaths in this country every year because we have yet to follow the lead of @MomsDemand. Thank you for what you’re doing.”
- Shannon Watts: The Second Amendment ratifies the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense – it’s not a suicide pact.
- ‘Our friends are dying, so we march’: Students rally to fight gun violence
- As Dick’s Sporting Goods pulls guns from shelves, retail industry asks whether firearms are still sporting goods
FIXING THE INTERNET
- PostimusMaximus: Something people could actually do a better job with is talking about platforms in a way that is more true to what they actually are. The_Donald is not all of reddit and /pol/ is not all of 4chan. That’s why I tend to call things out by their board names. Its harder with youtube/twitter/fb because there aren’t clearly defined borders, but designating what “circles” of these websites are the problem is more useful to diagnosing the problem than pointing to the website as a whole imo.
- Oliver Darcy: You don’t have to go to places like 4-chan to see vile/racist commentary. Just go to some of the far-right websites in the US, and look at the comments / message boards. Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, InfoWars — many reprehensible comments from users on stories re: terror attack.
- Man in the Hoody: if a shooter films a shooting, part of their plan is for u to share the video. if u do, ur helping the shooter. don’t do it.
- Reddit Bans Gory Subreddits After New Zealand Shooting
- PostimusMaximus: If you go on the_donald right now you mostly see posts attacking muslims. But its not a hate sub right @reddit @alexisohanian ? Its all just free speech where nobody gets hurt right? Scroll down the first page. Convince me its not just an anti-muslim sub. Its literally all anti-muslim rhetoric or trying to paint the shooter as someone who isn’t just another alt-right nut. https://www.reddit.com/r/the_donald They were quite a fan of the widely condemned Senator from Australia.
- YouTube says it bans preteens from its site. But it’s still delivering troubling content to young children.
- WhatsApp founder warns world to ‘delete Facebook’ immediately
- The WhatsApp Cofounder Who Sold To Facebook For $19 Billion Tells Students To Delete Facebook
- Facebook says its top product executive, Chris Cox, is leaving, the highest-level departure in years
- Opinion | Why social media and terrorism make a perfect fit
- Opinion | The World Wide Web just turned 30. We’re celebrating with anti-tech fervor.
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Julia Davis: #Russia’s state TV: Dmitry Kiselyov’s Sunday show spends an entire segment slurring #Ukraine’s President Poroshenko as “Porky,” claiming that’s his American nickname & predicting there might be blood, unless he is kept out of the second round of voting. Election interference 101.
- AOC: If you want to know what subconscious bias looks like, it’s a headline saying “AOC is underwater with every group EXCEPT women, nonwhites, and 18-34 year olds.” So older, conservative white men are considered “everyone” and everyone else is discounted as an exception. Cool 👍🏽 The reason people know more is bc Fox News has turned into “AOC TMZ” (no offense to TMZ), so awareness is growing w/ GOPers @JaneMayerNYer has reported deeply on this propaganda machine + it will be aimed at any Dem they want. Nothing changes that. We can’t be scared by that.
- How long can famous people get away with dismissing criticism as ‘bullying’ from ‘haters’?
- Why White Supremacists Love Tucker Carlson
- Fox News won’t air ‘Justice with Jeanine’ on Saturday after Pirro’s comments about Omar
WHITE HOUSE CHAOS
TRADE WAR, HEALTH CARE, & ECONOMY
- America’s Economy Is Rigged From Top to Bottom
- Americans are dying because they can’t afford their insulin. That’s now a 2020 campaign issue.
- Few Americans see savings from Trump’s tax reform: Reuters/Ipsos poll
- GM hasn’t paid US income tax for years; Ford rarely does. Both get fat refunds. Here’s why
- JPMorgan’s Private Prison Pullback: A Generational Shift, or Low-Risk Lip Service?
- Looking to sell your home this spring? New report suggests the best day to list for quickest sale and maximum profit.
- Medicare wellness visits are supposed to be free — unless you call it a physical.
- Trump’s trade war cost U.S. economy $7.8 billion in 2018: study
- Trump’s tax cuts are punishing states that voted for Clinton, data suggest
- Why Americans must rise to the challenge of an aging population
- Opinion | This is what happens when corporations run the government
STUDENT ISSUES
Operation Varsity Blues
- ‘Fuller House’ Also Drops Lori Loughlin After College-Bribery Indictment
- ‘Three spots’: Alleged bribery of tennis coach stings Georgetown admissions
- As Hallmark fires Lori Loughlin, here’s why her alleged role in the college bribery scandal hit a nerve
- Lawsuit alleges universities connected to bribery and cheating scandal failed to give honest applicants a fair review
- Millennials really are special, data show
- Of Course College Admissions Rigged for the Rich. The Whole Economic System Is
- Opinion | Our big college admissions scandal just made the U.S. look a lot more like the rest of the world
- A new story of school segregation in North Carolina: A private white-flight academy is turning charter
- Rescinded admissions, a class-action suit: Fallout from college scandal spreads
- The real college crisis: Student debt drags down economy
- University of Tennessee will be free for low-income students starting in fall 2020
- Pace: Lori Loughlin’s Husband Is Apparently A Vocal Trump Supporter Who Frequently Complains About People Not ‘Carrying Their Own Weight’ AHAHAHHAHAHAHA
- US actresses sued in college cheating scam
- Melissa Kester: My daughter went briefly to the high school #OliviaJade went to and made this video on Youtube about her experience that’s blowing up on youtube right now. Super proud of her for speaking her truth about that culture …
- I went to school with Olivia Jade… the real problem Recently Lori Loughlin was charged with the crime of paying $500,000 to have her daughters admitted to USC by a scheme of pretending they were on the rowing … youtube.com
- Federal authorities have demanded records from prestigious LA prep schools as part of the college… The Department of Justice sought records from several notable Southern California prep schools during its investigation into a colossal college che… thisisinsider.com
- Audacious college admissions scandal left so many red flags missed by so many Rick Singer’s scheme — fraudulent testing, creating star athletes out of kids who’d never played the sports, millions in bribes — was so over the top. But for all the red flags and some of America’s… latimes.com
- After overcoming homelessness, this teen was accepted to 17 colleges
- How Coach K mastered the one-and-done era
- Purdue University bans Netflix, other streaming services for students in academic buildings
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- NC GOP falsely says Democrats ‘forced’ a special election
- The Right Has Mainstreamed the Rhetoric of Mass Killers
- Weak Mitch McConnell Can’t Control His Party, or the President
- No, the Republican Party Is Not Turning on Donald Trump
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Jury deadlocks on officer who shot unarmed caretaker with autistic man
- Kaz Weida: Which part of shooting an unarmed caretaker in a situation that absolutely did not call for violence is confusing? I’d like to have more than a few words with this god damn jury.
- Atlanta police will no longer ask about marijuana use on applications
- Legalizing Marijuana, With a Focus on Social Justice, Unites Democrats
- New York Mafia still active, but flashy ‘mob hits’ decline as witnesses flip and law hits harder
- Opinion | Mass murderers crave publicity. Maybe giving them less would be helpful.
PRIESTS & RELIGION
ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE
- ‘It’s my future’: Generation Z is going on strike to save the planet – Students around the world are walking out of class to demand climate action.
- Across the globe, a question of air safety becomes a question of American leadership
- After Last Version Blocked, Iowa’s New Ag-Gag Bill ‘Gives Middle Finger to Free Speech, Consumer Protection, Food Safety, and Animal Welfare’
- Capturing wild animals for study can stress them to death. Is it worth it?
- DNA on ancient tobacco pipe links Maryland slave site to West Africa
- Emergencies declared across Midwest amid ‘historic’ flooding
- For some worms, decapitation isn’t the end — they just grow a new head
- Nike’s self-lacing shoes stopped lacing. Blame the Internet.
- Opinion | Trump is right. Daylight saving time should be permanent.
- School climate strikes draw thousands to the streets in cities across the globe
- Super-fast engine set for key tests
- Their ancestors fled U.S. slavery for Mexico. Now they’re looking north again.
- There are about as many Sanders-to-Sanders Democrats as Clinton-to-Biden ones
- Thousands of scientists are backing the kids striking for climate change
- Dems introduce bill to protect science research from political interference
- The Trump administration is opening millions of new acres to drilling — and that’s just the start
- U.S. hopes to send more experts to Congo as Ebola outbreak rages
- Opinion | The world’s second-worst outbreak of Ebola is underway in Congo. Where is the concern?
ELECTIONS
- Cruz Fined $35K by FEC for Keeping Voters in the Dark About Over $1 Million in Loans
- Ted Cruz campaign inaccurately reported loans from Goldman Sachs, Citibank, FEC says
- Ted Cruz Just Got a Big Fine From the Federal Elections Commission For Hiding Wall Street Money
- Washington Senate passes bill that would keep Trump off 2020 ballot unless he releases tax returns
- Washington state passes bill mandating political candidates release tax returns in order to appear on ballot
- Delaware moves to give its Electoral College votes to the popular vote winner
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs National Popular Vote Act
- Colorado signs on to popular-vote effort ahead of 2020 presidential election
- 1.5 million felons can now vote in Florida because of these men
- Federal Court Strikes Down GOP Gerrymander Affecting African Americans in Mississippi
- Iowa Republicans push bill to restrict public student voting rights
THINKING AHEAD
- Greg Olear: Let’s talk about Bernie Sanders. I know a lot of well-meaning folks dig him, but—reality check—he would be a HORRIBLE candidate in a general election. [THREAD]
- Threadreader on Greg Olear
- Caroline Orr: Tulsi Gabbard produces better pro-Kremlin talking points than the Kremlin does. “We’re risking nuclear war if we don’t let Russia do whatever it wants” is one of the most prominent Kremlin talking points. It’s meant to control foreign policy decisions in other countries. And Tulsi Gabbard is all-in on it.
- Shannon Watts: .@BetoORourke in Iowa: “Thirty thousand plus gun deaths in this country every year because we have yet to follow the lead of @MomsDemand. Thank you for what you’re doing.”
- Ahmed Baba: I keep a lot of my opinions on Dem internal squabbling to myself & try and stay above the fray, but damn. Nuance is dead. All I have to say is thank god Twitter isn’t an accurate depiction of what’s unfolding in the real world. If it was Trump will win again in 2020. Shape up. THREAD
- Americans are dying because they can’t afford their insulin. That’s now a 2020 campaign issue.
- Andrew Yang is running for president. Haven’t heard of him? You will soon.
- As the Democratic field grows, Stacey Abrams weighs a presidential race
- Bernie Sanders’ campaign becomes the first-ever to unionize
- Bernie Sanders’ Staff Forms First-Ever Union For Presidential Campaign Workers
- Beto O’Rourke’s hacking universe, explained
- Beto O’Rourke’s political career drew on donations from the pro-Republican business establishment
- Bill Maher scolds Democrats for avoiding Fox News: ‘How very Trump of you’
- Despite verbal miscues, presidential hopeful Harris draws little criticism from voters
- He’s running — almost. Joe Biden gets ahead of himself in Saturday speech, to cheers from the crowd.
- Hoping for a fresh start, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand releases video, plans rally at Trump hotel
- Jeb Bush says a Republican should run against Trump in 2020
- Many Republicans would consider a Trump primary challenger — but not enough to unseat him
- Opinion | Beto O’Rourke’s 2020 campaign is a youthful folly
- Pete Buttigieg says he has hit 65,000 donors. Here’s why that’s significant.
- Pete Buttigieg, the young and openly gay Midwest mayor, finds a voice in crowded Democratic presidential field
- SF meets Andrew Yang, a presidential candidate who’s attracting support from Millennials
PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
- America’s Economy Is Rigged From Top to Bottom
- Opinion | The Catch-22 of American socialism
- Stop Joe McCarthy-ing the ‘Socialist’ Bogeyman and Fix America’s Broken Capitalism
- Bernie Sanders isn’t a radical: Noam Chomsky is exactly right regarding how mainstream Bernie’s policies really are
- Sen. Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign staff will join a union
- Capitalism is destroying the Earth. We need a new human right for future generations | George Monbiot
- Democrats Must Expose Trump’s Betrayal of Working People
- Atlanta police will no longer ask about marijuana use on applications
- Legalizing Marijuana, With a Focus on Social Justice, Unites Democrats
- Most states have the death penalty. Few actually carry out executions.
- How a 1937 mafia hit led to the wrongful conviction that inspired Gov. Gavin Newsom to end the death penalty in California
- New Mexico state Senate votes to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day
- Opinion | Happy birthday, C-SPAN. We need you more than ever.
IN OTHER NEWS…
- An Upstate 4th-grader was barred from writing about her gay grandfather. Now she’s suing.
- Fire breaks out at casket factory, explodes into 9-alarm blaze and forces evacuations in East Boston
- In Ireland, Bloody Sunday’s ‘communal wound’ reopened on St. Patrick’s Day’s eve
- Southern Poverty Law Center fires co-founder, declines to say what he’s alleged to have done
RUMOR MILL
- Tea Pain: Trump, who has the highest security clearance, suddenly declares there “should be no Mueller report.” Heh, heh. This is gonna be great!
- Countercheckist: It’s funny seeing Snowden fans now screeching about IC not doing enough domestic surveillance on white nationalists. And while having no idea what kind of ops CI/CT already conducts. At least these ppl are consistent in having no idea what they’re talking about…
- Ming: Those chan boards get increased scrutiny now from USIC/LE and allies. This good time to be watching more closely regardless.
- Rick Wilson: Just sharing a moment with a friend as we both work out how badly screwed one of our former Never Trump colleagues has been after embracing Trump, kissing the ring, kissing the ass of Trump’s grifter mafia and STILL getting screwed by Team Trump. ETTD, sport. Warned you.
- Tea Pain: 49 New Zealand Muslims were gunned down by a Trump admirer while they prayed and Trump spends his executive time fomentin’ religious division and frettin’ about the Mueller report.
- Thread by @LincolnsBible: “Translation of this rant: 1. Barr has the report. 2. Sen. Hawley’s Daily Caller-generated questions during Barr’s confirmation, & Barr’s […]”
- Lincoln’s Bible: Translation of this rant: 1. Barr has the report. 2. Sen. Hawley’s Daily Caller-generated questions during Barr’s confirmation, & Barr’s ability to give rapid fire answers aligned with that propaganda, showed every1 that Barr consumes vast amounts of far right propaganda. (cont) 3. Barr is the audience of 1 for everything happening to feed the “Mueller report is invalid, so throw it in the trash” narrative out of Trump & @GOP. Barr’s memo was the salvo for it to begin with. Trump is both reminding Barr & giving him cover. 4. The Mueller report is not the same as the investigations coming out of the special counsel. It’s a report. There is real panic that Barr will follow the long arm of justice, & even if he buries the report, will allow the indictments & continuing investigations to roll along.
- https://twitter.com/geokelley/status/1106635050429411328?s=12
- Countercheckist: Instead of racing to the bottom by arguing who’s the bigger terrorist, or the one more fairly covered by the media, condemn all acts of terror unequivocally. No whataboutisms. I’ve had enough of unspeakable tragedy & barbarity giving partisan hacks something to do.
- Eric Garland: Mobsters warned that the Global Mob won’t allow a peaceful transfer to the rule of law. No surprise. They will lose. The transfer is happening.
That’s it for the last few days. I wanted to go into more detail on a few more things, but I’m having technical difficulties right now. Nothing too big or dangerous, but facing a tech bottleneck right now.
Things are getting crazy. Monday morning brings more details about the level of how fucked the Deputy Finance Chair of the RNC is. No, not Michael Cohen, but Elliot Broidy.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 
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