Friday, March 29, 2019 and the weekend.
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
- Grand jury investigation started by Mueller ‘continuing robustly,’ prosecutor says
- After the Mueller gaslighting, we know the adults won’t save us. But the kids might
- Attorney general: DOJ to release Mueller report ‘by mid-April, if not sooner’
- Barr Says Mueller Report Will Be Made Public by mid-April
- Barr Says Report Out By “Mid-April, If Not Sooner.”
- Barr says the Mueller report is almost 400 pages long and will be released to Congress and the public by mid-April
- CNN Poll: Majority says Trump not exonerated of collusion after Barr’s summary
- Democrats intensify demand for Robert Mueller’s full report
- Democrats say they may subpoena Mueller report if it’s not delivered by Tuesday deadline
- How the Mueller report can still threaten Trump’s legitimacy | The special counsel likely wrote it as a facts-only road map for congressional investigators.
- Justice Dept. expects to release Mueller report to Congress by ‘mid-April, if not sooner’
- Lawyers went to ‘extraordinary lengths’ to block Trump-Mueller talk
- Mark Hamill: Can the media PLEASE stop citing the “conclusions” of the Mueller Report when, in fact, we only have a three-and-a-half page interpretation by the biased Mr. Barr, who argued it’s impossible for a President to obstruct justice? #ReleaseTheFullMuellerReport
- Media owe no apology to Trump or anyone else for covering Mueller investigation
- Most Americans don’t think Trump is in the clear yet on Russia, new poll finds
- Mueller report on Trump and Russia to released to public by mid-April
- Mueller Report To Be Given To Congress By Mid-April, Attorney General Barr Says
- Mueller report will be delivered by ‘mid-April, if not sooner,’ attorney general tells Congress
- Nadler says Mueller report should be released to Congress without redactions
- New Barr letter: Mueller report will be sent to Congress by mid-April
- Only 29% of Americans Believe Mueller Cleared Trump of Wrongdoing
- Poll: After Barr Letter, Overwhelming Majority Wants Full Mueller Report Released
- Republicans are obstructing attempts to get the full Mueller report
- The Criminal Investigations That Sprouted From Mueller
- The Mueller investigation is over, but other legal probes of Trump’s world continue
- The Mueller report is more than 300 pages long. We’ve seen 101 words
- William Barr Can’t Hide the Mueller Report
- Attorney General Barr’s new Letter lays out his latest Coverup Scheme – Byline Times
- Caroline Orr: During Barr’s tenure as AG in the early 90’s, he earned the nickname “Coverup General” for his role in suppressing evidence of then-POTUS George HW Bush’s involvement in Iraqgate & Iran-Contra. Now, he’s poised for round 2. My latest, for @BylineTimes: The first time Barr covered up for a Republican president, he got away with it. Whether the “Coverup General” gets away with it a second time is now up to Congress, and the American people, to decide. Barr indicated in his letter that no one, incl Congress, will get to see the unredacted Mueller report. If that stands, there’s no way for anyone to verify whether his redactions were reasonable & necessary for nat sec reasons or whether they were only necessary to protect Trump.
- 30-year-old spy Maria Butina will be sentenced in April for conspiring to infiltrate the NRA on behalf of Russia
- Maria Butina Seeks Speedy Deportation Back to Russia
- Rafienkian & Alpeteki EDVA March 29/30 Update
- Eric Garland: How much of traitor is Flynn, and how screwed is Team Trump? Turkish agents actually owned part of Flynn Intel Group when he was picked for APNSA. Here’s Flynn’s FARA filing, WHICH WAS PARTIALLY FINANCED BY FOREIGN AGENTS. LIKE THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT FARA STOOD FOR. https://docs.voanews.eu/en-US/2017/03/13/a0407cba-6dc0-4ea7-a4de-4793c1c651b5.pdf PS. This, among many other reasons, is why the Transition Team is in QUITE A BIT OF TROUBLE. Thus, don’t sweat President Pence.
- Michael Flynn’s FARA Filing
CONGRESS
- House Dem: Mueller report will show ‘plenty of reason to be concerned’ about Trump campaign contacts with Russia
- House Judiciary chair still wants Mueller’s report by April 2
- Adam Schiff delivers massive smackdown: Trump is “immoral,” “unpatriotic” and “corrupt”
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has the GOP Rattled
- AOC and Elizabeth Warren lunch together on Capitol Hill. Bernie Sanders not invited
- As Pelosi Unveils ACA Fix, Medicare for All Backers Say ‘Now Is Not the Time for Watered-Down, Incremental Measures’. “Democrats have an opportunity to show real leadership with the transformative change that will most protect all Americans.”
- It’s official: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the new Republican bogeyman
- Senate re-introduces bill to help advanced nuclear technology
- Trump’s North American trade deal at risk of stalling in Congress
COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS
- Enough collusion talk. It’s time to focus on Trump’s corruption
- New York attorney general announces sweeping lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, Sackler family
- Trump Has Allegedly Been Committing Financial Fraud For Years
- Trump said investigating his finances would be a ‘red line.’ New York prosecutors are about to cross it.
- Trump Tower Chicago Could Be Engaged in ‘Vacancy Fraud,’ a Chicago Politician Alleges
- Trump’s businesses are full of dirty Russian money. The scandal is that it’s legal.
TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A INDIVIDUAL-1
- The White House, Not DeVos, Wanted to Slash Special Olympics Budget But The President Was More Than Happy To Look Like The Hero Who Saved The Day By Restoring The Event’s Funding
- Trump’s Treachery Goes Way Beyond Russia: He’s not working for Putin. He’s working for any dictator who flatters him.
- Donald Trump’s ‘party of health care’ has spent a decade failing to repeal and replace Obamacare
- Donald Trump “Poisons Our Political Dialogue,” Says Congressman In Response to President Naming Adam Schiff “Pencil-Neck”
- Donald Trump Supporters Are Failing To Accept Reality Over Mueller’s Report, John Brennan’s Spokesman Says
- Obamacare didn’t implode, so now Trump is trying to blow it up
- Trump Absurdly Claims He Has ‘Taken Better Care Of Puerto Rico Than Any Man Ever’
- Trump says Great Lakes have ‘record deepness’
SAUDI ARABIA
- Bezos Investigation Finds the Saudis Obtained His Private Data
- Saudis gained access to Amazon CEO Bezos’ phone: Bezos’ security chief
- Caroline Orr: wow. Jeff Bezos’ investigator Gavin de Becker has concluded that the Saudis obtained access to Jeff Bezos’ private information via his cell phone — and they may be the initial source for the National Enquirer’s coverage of Bezos’ extramarital affair.
- Thread by @RVAwonk: “wow. Jeff Bezos’ investigator Gavin de Becker has concluded that the Saudis obtained access to Jeff Bezos’ private information via his cell […]”
- Trump administration authorized nuclear energy companies to share technological information with Saudi Arabia
- If You Cannot Trust Saudis With Bone Saw, Says US Lawmaker, ‘You Should Not Trust Them With Nuclear Weapons’
- Opinion | How the mysteries of Khashoggi’s murder have rocked the U.S.-Saudi partnership
- Some of Khashoggi’s killers received training in US: WaPo report
CULT 45
- ‘Sickening’: Trump Mocks Asylum-Seekers Fleeing Violence at Michigan Rally
- At Trump rallies, the new ‘lock her up’ is ‘AOC sucks’. The freshman congresswoman’s response: “I’ll fight for their right to health care anyway.”
- I’ll Never ‘Understand’ the People Who Cheer for This Maniac
- Ocasio-Cortez responds to ‘AOC sucks’ chant: Trump just wants another woman to ‘vilify’
- The pro-Trump conspiracy theory known as ‘QAnon’ has moved from the fringes of the internet to feature prominently at Trump rallies
FIGHTING BACK
- NY Times Reacts to Trump Demanding Their Pulitzer Should Be Yanked: Every Article ‘Has Proven Accurate’
- Swamp Monsters Emerge On Camera During Trump Nominee’s Confirmation Hearing | HuffPost
- We asked more than 1,800 young people what they think is the biggest issue facing America, and the most popular answer was Trump
- Joe Walsh: I don’t want a President who uses the power of his office to tell us what private businesses we should avoid, who should be fired, and what media outlets should have their Pulitzer Prizes taken away. I don’t want a King.
- Josh Jordan: NBC News/WSJ Poll: Trump approval dips to 43-53 following the Mueller report, down from 46-52 in February. 29% say the Mueller report clears Donald Trump while 40% say it does not. Polling is pretty clear that the Mueller report is not changing people’s beliefs on Trump/Russia. NBC/WSJ poll: 50% of voters are “very uncomfortable” with Trump as a 2020 candidate, including 50% of independents, 56% of suburban women, and 57% of moderates. The flip-side is that many Dem candidates have more voters uncomfortable than comfortable with them as candidates.
EMERGENCIES, SHUTDOWN, & IMMIGRATION
- U.S. cuts off federal aid to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras
- Julia Davis: The world according to #FoxandFriends: ‘Trump Cuts U.S. Aid To 3 Mexican Countries’
- AOC: “3 Mexican Countries.” Just a reminder that these are the same folks who assert their superiority by belittling the intelligence and good faith of others.
- Trump Just Threatened to Close the Southern Border Next Week, Which Is What Fox News Called on Him to Do Last Night
- Trump threatens to completely close southern border as early as next week if Mexico doesn’t stop ‘illegal immigration’
- Americans’ Donated Airline Miles Have Helped Reunite Hundreds Of Families Separated At The Border By Trump Administration
- Obama’s DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson: ‘We are truly in a crisis’ at southern border
- The US Is Holding Hundreds Of Shivering Immigrants In A Pen Underneath A Texas Bridge
- Former Trump Family Driver Has Been in ICE Custody for 8 Months
- Trump twists circumstances of a migrant girl’s death: AP fact check
- Autopsy For 7-Year-Old Migrant Who Died In U.S. Custody Shows She Died Of Sepsis
- Migrant Girl’s Autopsy Shows She Would Have Been Visibly Sick for Hours, Doctors Say
RACISM, RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM
SCOTUS & COURTS
- Mitch McConnell moving toward “nuclear option” to approve Trump’s judges even faster
- Mitch McConnell Plans To Change The Rules Again To Confirm Trump Judges | The GOP leader, who blocked lots of Obama’s court picks, is ready to make it easier to confirm district judges now.
- Supreme Court stops execution because of religious concerns, a contrast to last month
#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS
COLD WAR 2.0
- Article 50 petition to cancel Brexit passes 6m signatures
- Brexit live updates: Parliament again rejects Theresa May’s Brexit deal on day Britain was supposed to ‘take back control’
- Brexit: Parliament again rejects Theresa May’s deal, on the day Britain was supposed to ‘take back control’
- Reaction as Brexit vote defeated
- The unexpected spaces inside Ukrainian prisons
- Gazans have paid in blood for a year of protests. Now many wonder what it was for.
- One of Russia’s Richest Women Killed in German Plane Crash
#NEVERAGAIN
- Alex Jones says ‘form of psychosis’ made him believe events like Sandy Hook massacre were staged
- Alex Jones, Under Oath, Testifies ‘Psychosis’ Made Him a Sandy Hook Hoaxer
- How Alex Jones and Infowars Helped a Florida Man Stalk Sandy Hook Families
- Alex Jones claims ‘psychosis’ made him question Sandy Hook massacre
- 911corlebra777: I hope they take him for every. last. dollar
- Lincoln’s Bible: Is his Russian passport real? Seriously asking.
- Sandy Hook Families Just Proved Congress Lied to Pass One of the NRA’s Favorite Bills
- NRA Official Contacted Sandy Hook Hoaxer to Spread Doubt About Parkland the Day After the Shooting
- Shannon Watts: .@KimsMom3 – whose daughter was fatally shot inside her Santa Fe, Texas, high school – asked her Congressman @TXRandy14 at a town hall today why he votes against gun safety laws. He told her the Second Amendment is God-given right. He has an @NRA A-rating.
- US school shootings: Have drills gone too far?
- Shannon Watts: Yes. Because our mostly male lawmakers and school leaders would rather pretend they’re Rambo than do their actual jobs: Pass evidence-based laws that keep guns away from dangerous people.
- Columbine students start campaign to share images of their death if they’re killed in gun violence
FIXING THE INTERNET
- Ajit Pai wants to cap spending on broadband for poor people and rural areas
- Will Russia Disconnect From the Internet on April 1?
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Fox News’ Chris Wallace Sets Record Straight: Russia Investigation Did Not Start With Trump Dossier
- Julia Davis: My fave part of this livestream was when Skabeeva told Popov: “We’re not on TV right now — we don’t have to lie.”
- News outlet that covered ‘lizard people’ and called Obama a demon just interviewed Trump Jr.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out ‘Far-right Propaganda…Dedicated to Maligning Me,’ Before Trump Rally Crowd Chants ‘AOC Sucks’
WHITE HOUSE CHAOS
- Trump Fed Pick Was Held In Contempt for Failing to Pay Ex-Wife Over $300,000
- Stephen Moore Shows the Three Simple Steps to a Trump Nomination: Suck Up, Bullshit, Repeat
- Stephen Moore, who once ran a political group fined $350,000, wants to take the Fed in a direction Trump supports
- The White House, Not DeVos, Wanted to Slash Special Olympics Budget But The President Was More Than Happy To Look Like The Hero Who Saved The Day By Restoring The Event’s Funding
- ‘It’ll happen fast’: Trump creates problems and then rushes in to solve them
- WH Chief Of Staff Mulvaney Dodges Questions About Pre-Existing Conditions
737
TRADE WAR, HEALTH CARE, & ECONOMY
- ‘Clearly an end-run’: Federal judge rejects Trump’s health-care plan to go around Obamacare
- As IPO soars, can Uber and Lyft survive long enough to replace their drivers with machines?
- As Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan Reaches for Golden Parachute, Warren Says ‘If He Broke the Law, He Should Go to Jail Like Anyone Else’
- Nikki Haley is wrong: Finland takes care of new moms way better than the US
STUDENT ISSUES
- Abuse of ‘extended time’ on SAT and ACT outrages learning disability community
- The most consequential, and least informed, decision that college students make
- The share of Americans not having sex has reached a record high
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- Conservatives Can’t Distinguish Between Democratic Reform and Authoritarianism
- GOP cruelty is a pre-existing condition
- They Never Have Enough Money – Why is Trump going after Obamacare yet again? Because the modern Republican Party has one guiding purpose: to shovel as much money as possible to the rich.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Rick and Ann Scott’s financial trail leads to Cayman Islands tax haven
- Arizona Republican Allegedly Paid Two Boys $10 for Sex on Numerous Occasions
- Chris Rock Throws Shade at Jussie Smollett at NAACP Image Awards
- Jussie Smollett case prompts criticism from prosecutors and Trump amid questions about dropped charges
PRIESTS & RELIGION
- U.S. Methodist leaders lay plans to resist vote against same-sex marriage
- Ryan Burge: The 2018 GSS was just released and there’s some big news. Those of “no religion” (23.1%) are statistically the same size as evangelicals (22.8%). There was also a small resurgence of mainline Protestants, while Catholics are down 3% in the last four years.
ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE
- PostimusMaximus: We have to act quickly on Climate no matter how impossible it seems. The US is ultimately going to shape global response. If we pull off something dramatic, we can help poorer countries do the same. If we don’t lead, the entire world will act too slowly. Is pulling it off by 2030 crazy? Sure. It will take unbelievable effort I’m not sure we can hit. But what would be crazier to me is continuing to pretend like its not the emergency that it is, and pushing it back to a point where it’s too late to fix it.
- ‘Huge Victory for Our Oceans’: Trump Effort to Open Arctic to Oil and Gas Drilling Ruled Illegal
- Amphibian apocalypse is twice as bad as scientists thought
- Judge restores Obama-era drilling ban in Arctic
- North Dakota fossil ‘mother lode’ records Earth-shaking asteroid’s impact: study | The Japan Times
- Paywalls block scientific progress. Research should be open to everyone | Jason Schmitt
- The Trump administration planned a road cutting through an Alaska wildlife refuge. A federal judge says that violates federal law
- U.S. judge scraps Trump order opening Arctic, Atlantic areas to oil leasing
- Federal judge declares Trump’s push to open up Arctic and Atlantic Ocean to oil and gas drilling illegal
ELECTIONS
- Ocasio-Cortez Tells Small Donors to Cut Off DCCC Donations, Give Directly to Candidates Instead
- Merkley Introduces Legislation to Ensure Equal Representation for Every American: Would End Electoral College, Embrace Full Representation for D.C., Puerto Rico & Territories
- Dem senator introduces bill to abolish Electoral College
- First of its kind study shows CEO political donations favor GOP
- GOP Gears Up For Battle As Dems Aim To Eradicate Partisan Gerrymandering
THINKING AHEAD
- Trump aides fear ‘tired’ president is wearing down and may not have the energy for 2020 campaign: report
- Rick Wilson: We could have had Jeb, but no. Y’all wanted an obese old wattle-jowl.
- Cheri Jacobus: Joe Biden is tacky and inappropriate in that he is often “grandpa” affectionate with women and girls, but he is NOT a sexual harasser. That said, this is a great teachable moment for him and all men in his generation to understand what is welcome and appropriate, and what is not
- Shannon Watts: .@BetoORourke called out @MomsDemand at every stop today during his presidential campaign kickoff tour across Texas, and at every stop, Moms Demand Action volunteers were there to make sure gun sense was on the agenda. Expect us at all candidates’ events between now and 2020.
- Claude Taylor: Vent. Joe ain’t perfect. He’s Joe. Mayor Pete needs better college friends and to back off Hilary. Beto shouldn’t skateboard. Does Cory have a not perfect enough gf? Is Amy mean? C’mon people. We have a great field. Let’s celebrate it and ixnay the circular firing squad. Thanks
- 2020 presidential election: Jay Inslee releases 12 years of tax returns, asks Trump to match
- All About Pete: Only accept politicians who have proved they actually care about people other than themselves…
- Bernie Sanders hires former reporter who secretly advised campaign, deleted 20K tweets: report
- Bernie Sanders vows to cut prescription drug prices by half if he’s elected
- Bill Weld Is Taking On The Trump Monster Because Some Republican Has To
- Break ’em up, say Dems: Why the 2020 field is taking aim at monopolies. From meatpacking to big tech, presidential contenders say market concentration is harming the economy.
- Buttigieg slams Trump’s ‘MAGA’ slogan as ‘false promise’ to workers affected by automation
- Flake says he’d rather see a Democrat win if Trump is GOP’s 2020 nominee
- Midwestern mayor Buttigieg wows progressive Dems in San Francisco
- Pete Buttigieg is the poster child for a changing America
- Pete Buttigieg, suddenly a hot Democratic ticket, draws a crowd in SF
- Sanders: ‘Thousands of people will literally die’ if Trump ‘gets his way’ on health care
- Trump isn’t too worried about losing Pennsylvania. A new poll suggests he should be.
- Tulsi Gabbard’s Financial Disclosures Leave Out Ties To Koch-Funded Think Tank
- Poll: Trump Trails Every Top 2020 Dem In Pennsylvania
IN OTHER NEWS…
- Bonnie and Clyde were Depression-era Kardashians: A source of public fascination
- Does Netflix have a killer problem?
- For decades, Garfield telephones kept washing ashore in France. Now the mystery has been solved.
RUMOR MILL
- MSW Podcast: Trolls have regrouped and are back today. Wonder what’s brewing…
- Angry White House Staffer: I’ve said it before: Imagine how dangerous this administration would be if it wasn’t utterly incompetent
- PostimusMaximus: There’s maybe a handful of retracted or uncorroborated Trump-Russia stories out of several hundred. I would know, I literally have a collection of all of them from the past 2 years. Glenn of course doesn’t want to admit that though.
- 911corlebra777: Nice thread full of receipts. State & Federal attorneys need to be all over this like a rash. Plenty of evidence the rules are being broken. Fix the dark money in politics, and you’ve solved half your problems right there
- Milo M. :Mitch McConnell has one of these, too. Note Senate Leadership Fund’s treasurer, Caleb Crosby, and it’s address: 45 North Hill Drive Suite 100, Warrenton, VA. The treasurer and address are the same as those for One Nation, a (501)(c)(4).
- Thread by @Ex67T20: “@nickconfessore Mitch McConnell has one of these, too. Note Senate Leadership Fund’s treasurer, Caleb Crosby, and it’s address: 45 North Hil […]”
That’s it for the last few days. And I’m having to skip from doing this daily for the next few weeks at least. I haven’t devoted as much time as I’d like to fighting the fight. Instead, I’m dealing with insurance companies, lawyers, and other bureaucracies. Like Warren Zevon said “Send lawyers, guns, and money, the shit has hit the fan.”
As I stated last week, I’m going through some stuff involving my father. He had a massive stroke about two weeks ago, and he’s currently in rehab. Unfortunately, the rehab stay is probably only going to be a couple weeks, unless they recommend him for an off-site rehab. If they don’t, he’ll need a place to go to since his house is not an option. Even if he could take care of himself, his house is beyond disgusting. And of course, everything is fucking expensive. I’m half tempted to find the shady nursing homes they show on 60 Minutes. They looked like they weren’t too expensive.
So, between raising two young kids including an infant, a full time and then some job, researching for this site and writing every day, I now get to juggle all of that with taking care of a stroke victim that is too stubborn to die. In his life he has survived a Widow Maker heart attack, diabetes, another heart attack that ended in a quadruple bypass, hypertension, a likely case of COPD, flirted with kidney failure, and multiple injuries and accidents that each carry their own death toll. He has or had 7 of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S. The only things missing are cancer, Alzheimers (which there is a family history), and suicide.
When all this shit is resolved, I’m taking a couple days off. From everything. I’m exhausted.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 
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