Monday April 8 to Wednesday April 10 2019
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
Mueller Report and Barr
- Nadler Doubles Down On No Redactions: We’re ‘Entitled To See All’ Of Mueller Report
- Nancy Pelosi: “I don’t trust Barr. I trust Mueller.”
- Everyone is asking for the Mueller report, and you can too: The Justice Department has been flooded with public records requests since the Russia probe wrapped.
- Attorney general says he believes ‘spying did occur’ in campaign probe of Trump associates
- Attorney General William Barr says Mueller report’s release likely ‘within a week’
- Barr Dances Around Question When Asked If WH Has Seen Mueller Report
- ‘All Part of the White House’s Cover-Up’: Fmr Watergate Prosecutor Says AG Barr Gave Trump Intel from Mueller Report
- Barr says he thinks the government spied on the Trump campaign
- Barr to Assemble Team to Look at DOJ, FBI Actions in Trump Probe: ‘the move means the AG is looking into allegations that the DOJ and the FBI were operating with an “anti-Trump bias” while examining Trump and potential collusion with Russia
- Barr: No Evidence That Trump Investigation Was Improper
- Bill Barr: I’m Not Giving Congress Unredacted Mueller Report. The AG said a redacted version could come within a week. But he’s not giving in to congressional demands for the full copy.
- William Barr Gives Trump What He Wants, Forms Team to Investigate the F.B.I
- William Barr Goes Full Trump
- William Barr Is Shooting Squid Ink for Republicans to Hide Behind
- William Barr’s Mueller cover-up reveals America’s delusional dreamland about democracy
- Kyle Griffin: A.G. Bill Barr says that he does not intend to release the full, unredacted report to the Judiciary Committee.
- Kaitlan Collins: Barr says Mueller was given the opportunity to review the four-page summary he released, but Mueller declined.
- Julia Davis: Is it because Mueller’s team prepared their own summaries and he didn’t want to give the appearance of endorsing the Barr letter by reviewing it?
- Caroline Orr: Biggest takeaway from AG Barr’s testimony thus far: He won’t say if anyone at the White House has been briefed on the Mueller report, but did say that he doesn’t believe the public or even Congress should see the unredated report.
- Asha Rangappa: Hmmm. I’m old enough to remember when Bill Clinton talking with AG Lynch about grandkids on the tarmac tainted the entire investigation on HRC. But now we don’t need to know if AG discussed an investigation *with the subject himself*??? OK. 👌🏽
- MSW Podcast: Barr is refusing to say whether the White House has seen the Mueller report, telling Dems to just “read his letters.” Why can’t he just answer that question? Seems very odd as it would be simple to say “the White House hasn’t seen the report”.
- Natasha Bertrand: Barr says he has “no plan” to exert executive privilege over aspects of Mueller’s report. (This is the second time he’s used the words “no plan” to characterize the exec privilege deliberations.)
- Tea Pain: FANTASY: “I tried to use as much of the special counsel’s language as I could.” – William Barr FACT: Not a single complete sentence from Mueller’s Report appears in Barr’s March 24th summary.
- Angry White House Staffer: I can’t wait for the whole report to come out, mostly because it’s going to put a stop to — or at least seriously slow down — this bullshit. FWIW, the ‘oranges’ of the investigation were solid. You can’t just walk down and get a warrant from FISC on a whim. Also, here’s Barr admitting that this is nothing but a political stunt, because he hasn’t seen any evidence of wrongdoing by the FBI in regards to handling the Trump investigation
- Why Donald Trump wants the Mueller report, and his taxes, kept secret: Unsealed court documents reveal more of Trump’s long, shady history with mobster and informant Felix Sater
- William Barr Accidentally Concedes His Reason for Withholding the Mueller Report Is Baloney
- Wait, What? Attorney General Claims Spying Occurred on Trump’s Campaign Then Provides No Evidence
- FBI brass discussed possibility Trump fired Comey ‘at the behest of’ Russia
- FBI confirms Comey was a witness in Mueller investigation
- Rod Rosenstein allegedly said 2 members of Trump’s cabinet were open to invoking the 25th Amendment after Comey’s firing
- Newly released testimony: Top FBI lawyer says agency concerned Trump obstructed justice
- Mueller witnesses worry about release of testimony
- Julia Davis: Current and former Trump admin officials who cooperated w/ the #MuellerInvestigation worry about release of testimony: “Very high,” is how one Republican source described the tension. “They cooperated and had to tell the truth. He is going to go bonkers.”
- Natasha Bertrand: Sam Patten’s attorneys say he concealed a payment from a Ukrainian oligarch to Trump’s inaugural because he was “blinded by a desire to accommodate his client.” His lawyers also say that he “erred” in deleting 200k emails following his interview with the Senate Intel Committee.
CONGRESS
Mueller
- House Judiciary Committee calls on Robert Mueller to testify
- The Forgotten Reason Congress Needs to See the Mueller Report: Legislators have a responsibility to police obstruction of justice, according to the Constitution.
- The full Mueller report could be released — if the House opens impeachment hearings
- Nadler Doubles Down On No Redactions: We’re ‘Entitled To See All’ Of Mueller Report
- Nancy Pelosi: “I don’t trust Barr. I trust Mueller.”
Barr’s Testimony
- Pelosi says Barr comments undermine his role: Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she doesn’t trust Attorney General William Barr and suggested his congressional testimony Wednesday undermined his independence as the nation’s top law enforcement officer
- Pelosi: Barr is ‘going off the rails’
- Adam Schiff just issued a stark warning about William Barr
- Attorney General Barr Testifies on President’s 2020 Justice Department Budget Request
- Attorney General Barr says he would favor making marijuana illegal across the United States
- Thread by @TomJChicago: “(1) Today’s William Barr show bothered many people. Besides listening to shameless GOP Reps attempt to protect Trump & Putin, I’m OK wit […]”
- Adam Schiff: Today we learned: Barr still won’t commit to giving Congress the full unredacted Mueller report, Barr won’t request court approval to give us grand jury material, and Barr won’t even say if the White House has seen, or been briefed on, the report. Trump got his Roy Cohn.
- Adam Schiff: In two years, post-Watergate rules have been obliterated. After Trump, a president under investigation can: Fire the FBI Director leading the probe, Fire the Attorney General not protecting him, and appoint one who will. It’s the most profound attack on rule of law in decades.
- Caroline Orr: Attorney General Barr was just given a chance to clarify himself re the FBI “spying” on the Trump campaign. He said he wants to make sure there wasn’t any “unauthorized surveillance” — even though there’s no evidence to suggest that there was.
- Adrienne Cobb: Wow. Barr just said intelligence agencies spied on the Trump campaign, saying he doesn’t know if it was proper. That’s why he’s reviewing how Mueller’s investigation began. Literally spreading Trump’s bullshit. When aides to a presidential nominee brag about their connections to Russia and tell people Russia has dirt on the nominee’s opponent, our intelligence agencies better investigate the nominee or they wouldn’t be doing their job.
- Natasha Bertrand: Barr when asked whether he has evidence of wrongdoing by FBI or Mueller during 2016 probe and special counsel probe: “I have no specific evidence that I would cite right now, I do have questions about it.” Also says he’s “not putting together a panel” to look into it.
Taxes
- Treasury denies Democrats’ request to hand over Trump’s tax returns by the end of Wednesday, says it will confer with Justice
- They Say It’s Bad Now But Republicans Disclosed Private Tax Returns In 2014 — They used the very same law to attack Obama officials that Democrats are hoping will shed light on Trump’s finances.
- Grassley unintentionally contradicts White House claims that Congress can’t see Trump tax returns – The senior GOP senator and finance committee chair acknowledged the law gives Congress the power to get anyone’s tax returns.
- The IRS chief must release Trump’s tax returns — and Mnuchin must not stop him
- IRS commissioner: No rule against releasing Trump’s tax returns while under audit
- Lawmakers Just Confronted the IRS Over Tax Audits That Target the Poor — Following up on ProPublica stories about the IRS, lawmakers pressed the commissioner on the agency’s disproportionate focus on auditing the working poor while examinations of the rich plummeted.
- Mick Mulvaney rewrites history, claims Trump never promised to release his tax returns | The White House wants you to forget that candidate Trump repeatedly promised to release his tax returns.
- Mitt Romney Is Now Running Interference on Trump’s Tax Returns, Because Of Course He Is — One of the few Republicans alive who could credibly challenge this president* will instead do nothing.
- Trump campaign spokeswoman complains Congress is not asking for other presidents’ tax returns — Every other modern president has voluntarily released their tax returns.
- Trump says ‘people don’t care’ about his tax returns, but polls show otherwise
- White House starts to sound desperate on secrecy of Trump’s tax returns
- Mnuchin reveals White House lawyers consulted Treasury on Trump tax returns, despite law meant to limit political involvement
- Natasha Bertrand: Treasury lawyers consulted with the White House general counsel’s office about the potential release of Trump’s tax returns before Democrats formally requested them, even though the process is designed to be walled off from White House interference.
- Angry White House Staffer: This is a really stupid hill for Mnuchin to die on. He could end up in jail over Trump’s taxes.
- Adam Schiff: You seem confused, Mr. Mulvaney. When the law says the IRS “shall” provide tax returns upon the request of the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, it doesn’t mean: Unless the President fears it, Tweets about it, Or his lawyer complains about it. Shall means shall.
- Tea Pain: Barr won’t comment if White House has seen the full report, which means it has and explains why Trump is attackin’ Mueller’s team again.
Drug Investigation
- Republicans Are Warning Drug Companies Not To Cooperate With A Congressional Investigation
- Republicans Warn Drug Companies Not To Cooperate With A Congressional Investigation: The House Oversight Committee is attempting to study how drug companies set prescription drug prices, but Republicans have warned the industry that it may be better for them not to cooperate.
- Jon Swaine: Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows have written to drug companies to warn them against cooperating with a congressional investigation
- Lincoln’s Bible: In two short years, every single falsehood of @GOP is revealed. Fake patriots. Fake family values. Fake fiscal conservatives. Fake hawks for National security. Fake freedom lovers. Fake oath takers of the Constitution. Fake, fakeity FRAUDS. They’re brilliant as oligarchs, though.
Tax Prep
- Congress Is About to Ban the Government From Offering Free Online Tax Filing. Thank TurboTax.
- Congress just passed a bill prohibiting the IRS from creating a free tax filing system
- Why are Democrats helping Republicans do the bidding of the tax-prep industry?
- Democrats Better Wise Up and Serve Taxpayers, Not TurboTax
COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS
Iran
- In unprecedented move for the U.S., Trump administration declares elite Iranian military unit a terrorist organization
- Trump blasted any company doing business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as “bankrolling terrorism.” But Trump’s own business partners were suspected of helping launder money for the guard through his Trump Tower Baku project in Azerbaijan
- Trump Designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a Foreign Terrorist Group
- Trump Did Business With an Oligarch Linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
- Trump Had No Problem With Iran’s Revolutionary Guard When He Was Doing Business With Its Associates: According to an exhaustive report, the group the president just labeled a terrorist organization reportedly had financial ties to the Trump family business.
- Lincoln’s Bible: Good for @maddow, and everyone who works on that show. Keeping Trump Org’s ADMITTED money-laundering for IRG terror regime at the top of the news cycle is pretty important. Shame on every other news outlet that fails to report.
Mar-A-Lago
- This Whole China-Mar-a-Lago Story Is Sketchy as Hell
- Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Scandal Just Got Bigger
- Schumer Wants Ousted Secret Service Chief To Testify On Mar-A-Lago ‘Vulnerabilities’
- The Congolese ruling family allegedly laundered millions through a Trump condo in NY
- Trump hotels exempted from ban on foreign payments under new stance: Department of Justice
- Donald Trump ‘named co-conspirator in a crime by prosecutors’
TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A INDIVIDUAL-1
DHS Purge
- A ‘near-systematic purge’ is happening at the Department of Homeland Security as Secret Service director is reportedly ousted
- No, 13,506 Marines have not volunteered for White House duty since Trump’s inauguration
- Secret Service chief is leaving Trump administration, White House says
- The President of the United States Told Law Enforcement to Break the Law
- Trump called Secret Service director ‘Dumbo’ because of his ears: NY Times
- Trump is removing US Secret Service director
- Trump Just Purged DHS Because Its Leaders Weren’t Breaking the Law Enough
- Trump removes Secret Service director as purge of DHS leadership widens
- Kevin McAleenan is taking over DHS. Will he be ‘tough’ enough for Trump?
- Trump Purge Set to Force Out More Top Homeland Security Officials
- Kyle Griffin: Trump mocked the man, a retired Marine major general, who he just ousted as head of the Secret Service. NYT reports Trump made fun of Randolph Alles’s looks, calling him Dumbo because of his ears, two officials said.
- Greg Olear: You know how the 1st rule of eating in restaurants is, “You don’t mess w/people who prepare & serve your food?” Trump trolling the head of the Secret Service is like that, seems to me, only waaaaay dumber. This may be the stupidest thing he’s done yet—& that’s saying something.
- Rick Wilson: Fun legal question: Do cabinet members need to be confirmed to take action on a 25th Amendment question over the President’s competence to serve?
- Adam Schiff: A quick update on our national security leadership: Defense Secretary: Vacant. DHS Secretary: Vacant. UN Ambassador: Vacant. FEMA Director: Vacant. Secret Service Director: Vacant. ICE Director: Vacant. DHS Deputy: Vacant. President: Present, but unaccounted for.
- ‘I’ve been battling Nadler for years’: Feud between Trump, Democrat rooted in decades-old New York real estate project
- Trump Federal Reserve Nominee Admitted ‘I’m Not an Expert on Monetary Policy’
- Trump seeks to campaign on problems he promised to fix
SAUDI ARABIA
- “It Looks Bad. It Smells Bad. It Is Bad”: Democrats Are Digging into Kushner’s Cozy Relationship with M.B.S.
- Federal Watchdog Probes Trump Admin Push for Saudi Nuke Deal
- Exclusive: Jeff Bezos to meet with federal prosecutors on extortion and hacking claims
- National Enquirer expected to be sold imminently as parent company faces pressure
TRAITOR TOTS
The Streisand-Nunez Effect
- Devin Nunes Sues McClatchy Newspaper Chain, Alleging ‘Character Assassination’
- #YachtCocaineProstitutes Is What Happens When You File a Meritless Lawsuit
- Devin Nunes doesn’t want you to see #YachtCocaineProstitutes trending
- Devin Nunes Is The Dumbest Person On Twitter
- Rick Wilson: Absolutely not. No one should use #YachtCocaineProstitutes in reference to Devon “Boldface” Mooooones.
- Rick Wilson: I love the fact that Devin Nunez went on national television and stuck his dick in the toaster again.
FIGHTING BACK
- Warner Bros. files copyright claim after Trump shares video with music from ‘Dark Knight’
- Warner Bros. Is Filing A Copyright Claim Against Trump’s 2020 Video For Using The “Dark Knight Rises” Score
- PostimusMaximus: So the President telling people to break the law is just universally an impeachable offense right? Regardless of what Law? Can we hurry this up?
- Tea Pain: We are witnessin’ an orchestrated cover-up at every level of government to protect Donald Trump from his criminal, corrupt and un-American behavior. #ReleaseTheFullMuellerReport #ReleaseTrumpsTaxes
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Justifying the Psychopathy of Narcissistic, Dishonest Billionaires Is Very 2019
- End Constitutional Catch-22 and impeach President Trump
- George Conway Adds ‘Windmill Cancer Survivor’ To His Twitter Profile, Mocking Donald Trump’s Claim
- Lawmakers announce bill to grant Puerto Rico statehood
EMERGENCIES, SHUTDOWN, & IMMIGRATION
- Federal Judge Issues a Timely Reminder to Trump That the Rule of Law Still Applies at the Border
- Trump pushed to close El Paso border, told agents not to admit migrants and to resume family separations
- President Told Border Agents to Break the Law
- Jake Tapper: Trump Coached Border Agents To Turn Away All Immigrants — And Lie To Judges | Border Patrol bosses in California later told agents to ignore the president and follow the law, the CNN host said, citing sources.
- Twelve days of chaos: Inside the Trump White House’s growing panic to contain the border crisis
- Fox News’s Shep Smith corrects Trump for saying Obama first separated children from family at the border
- U.S. asylum process is at the center of Trump’s immigration ire
- Federal judge blocks Trump administration program forcing asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting court hearings
- Trump is booting out anyone who tells him his immigration ideas are illegal. Experts are worried about what will happen next.
- Trump Told Stephen Miller He’s ‘in Charge’ of Immigration Policy
- Trump tries to falsely blame Obama for his own family separation policy
- Trump denies plan to separate migrant families, blames Obama for ‘cages’
- Trump’s claim that ‘our country is full’ echo far-right parties dating to the Nazis
- Trump’s Incompetence Is Creating a Stephen Miller Presidency
- Trump’s support of renewed child separation policy led to collision with Nielsen
- Melissa Kester: Trump is a sadistic SOB. All malignant narcissists are.
- Rick Wilson: This morning as Stephen Miller anointed himself in the tears of immigrant children, he stared into the mirror, smiled, and whispered, “You’re next, Jared. Mark my words…you’re next.” The camera pulls back and we see a room in which every wall is covered in pictures of Ivanka.
- Asha Rangappa: Stephen “Tool” Miller is the genius who reportedly drafted Travel Ban 1.0 after looking things up on the Google. He might want to Google “qualified immunity” because if he is given more authority over immigration policies he’s going to need a legal defense. 🛠️
- Jake Tapper: Trump administration officials also say WH adviser Stephen Miller wants the president to get rid of the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Lee Cissna and DHS general counsel John Mitnick.
- Cancel Kirstjen Nielsen – Her role in terrorizing children should make her a permanent pariah.
- Dem Chairman Says Trump Violating Law Of Succession With Nielsen Replacement
- Kirstjen Nielsen Will Have a Book Deal and a Think-Tank Job Before You Can Say ‘Kids in Cages’ | We should know by now that crimes against humanity never kept anyone out of a cable news Green Room.
- Trump administration cancels deal allowing Major League Baseball to sign Cuban players
- Trump administration cancels MLB deal with Cuba
- Trump administration considers revised version of family separation tactic
RACISM, RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM
- Trump’s claim that ‘our country is full’ echo far-right parties dating to the Nazis
- Tea Pain: If you think because you’re a Christian you’re safe under the Trump regime, think again. Fascists abhor a vacuum and are always lookin’ for a new enemy, even within the fold. Nobody is safe under Trump’s reign of terror.
- Formal and casual White House photos show distance between Trump and increasingly diverse nation
- The Republican Party Will Do Anything to Camouflage That White Supremacy Is a Critical Part of Its Base
- America isn’t full – America is growing more slowly than at any time since the Great Depression.
- Candace Owens Fumes as Her Own Words on Hitler, Nationalism Are Played in Congress
- Ex-ICE head: Trump had ‘single dumbest idea I’ve ever heard’ – CNN Video
- Hillary Clinton: ‘White nationalists certainly think MAGA is a white nationalist slogan’
- Ilhan Omar straight-up called Stephen Miller a white nationalist
- Judge demands white supremacist appear in person for deposition. He refuses, saying he is afraid to come to US.
- New Zealand’s parliament has voted to ban all types of semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles following the Christchurch attacks
- No, gun control regulation in Nazi Germany did not help advance the Holocaust
- Omar: ‘Stephen Miller is a white nationalist’
- Ted Lieu plays a clip of Candace Owens’ comments on Hitler to ridicule Republicans for inviting her to a hearing on white nationalism
- Facebook Tells Congress New Zealand Shooting Video Wasn’t ‘Gruesome’ Enough to Flag
- The Stephen Miller Presidency: The more politically frustrated Trump becomes, the more he embraces his most extreme adviser. Brace yourself, America.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Sec. Nielsen Oversaw One of the Largest-scale Human Rights Violations in Recent History’
SCOTUS & COURTS
- Federal Judge Issues a Timely Reminder to Trump That the Rule of Law Still Applies at the Border
- ‘Kick Kavanaugh off campus’: Students decry George Mason’s decision to hire Supreme Court justice
#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS
- Allison Mack of ‘Smallville’ Pleads Guilty in Case of Nxivm ‘Sex Cult’ Where Women Were Branded
- I was criticized for taking my baby to work in 1985. Are things better for parents today?
- Patriots owner Robert Kraft ramps up fight to keep massage parlor videos in prostitution case secret
- She was vilified for accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment. Eight years later, she has no regrets.
- Texas lawmakers consider the death penalty for abortion – WTTG
COLD WAR 2.0
- European leaders offer a long Brexit delay, avoiding chaotic exit on Friday
- Theresa May pleads for Brexit delay at emergency E.U. summit
- This is a pivotal week for Brexit. Here are four ways it could end.
- An 11-year-old boy was killed by a speeding car in Kabul. He was also a casualty of war.
- British military called on to strip the Sultan of Brunei of honorary appointments awarded to him by the Queen, as backlash against new anti-LGBT laws grows
- China Considers Ban On Cryptocurrency Mining Because It’s A Stupid Waste Of Energy
- Russia asks Interpol to arrest Kremlin critic Bill Browder again – letter
- Bill Browder: Putin just never gives up. Russia asks Interpol to arrest me for the 7th time on the same set of illegitimate and politically motivated charges (which were rejected 6 time before by Interpol)
- Bill Browder: Shocking development. On April 15-19 Interpol’s Commision for the Control of Files will consider Russia’s 7th attempt to use Interpol channels to have me arrested after Interpol rejected Russia’s previous 6 attempts as politically motivated.
- Interpol is being manipulated by Russia, says anti-Putin campaigner as he faces 7th arrest attempt
- Bill Browder: Russia is going to Interpol for the 7th time to have me arrested (the first 6 were rejected as politically motivated). Something needs to be fixed at Interpol if dictators can go back unlimited times to chase their enemies with bogus warrants
- 4Corners: “In Australia, it is clear that the Chinese Communist Party is working to covertly interfere with our media and universities and also to influence our political processes and public debates.” ‘Interference’ is coming up tonight on #4Corners. #auspol
- Last Stop for Some of Danske Bank’s Dirty Money: Spanish Real Estate
- Bill Browder: BREAKING: Spanish anti corruption prosecutor Jose Grinda files application to the court in Spain alleging €35 million from the crime that Sergei Magnitsky exposed and was killed over ended up in Spain to make real estate and other purchases. I was in Madrid last May for this case to give evidence to Spanish prosecutor Grinda when I was arrested coming out of my hotel room on a Russian Interpol warrant. This is exactly what Putin is trying to prevent me from doing, which is why the Russians chase me around the world.
- In tightly fought election, Netanyahu appears set to clinch fifth term in office
- Israel’s high-stakes elections: What you need to know as Netanyahu faces his toughest test
- Netanyahu’s rival party is conceding defeat in Israeli election, clearing path for prime minister to retain power for fifth term
#NEVERAGAIN
- Kara Oko: Our @cbschicago crew on the ground at #Batavia High School is seeing police officers blocking all entrances to the school, and waving off cars trying to get in. Police have not yet confirmed reports of man with rifle entering school.
- Shannon Watts: Reminder that right now, @NRA lobbyists are working across the country in states like Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri and others to arm teachers, or to allow civilians to bring guns into schools or school parking lots.
- Suit filed over gun controls inspired by synagogue shooting
- Shannon Watts: THEY DID IT!!! Alabama @MomsDemand volunteers showed up at the statehouse today and helped stop a vote on the @NRA’s priority, a permitless carry bill. Showing up is half the battle – and our volunteers show up every time. 💪💪💪#ALpolitics. How many showed up? Over 100 Alabama @MomsDemand volunteers – up from 20 last year. Some of the most energized and fastest growing #MomsDemandAction chapters are in red states. See what happens when you mess with moms? #alpolitics.
- New Zealand’s parliament has voted to ban all types of semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles following the Christchurch attacks
- No, gun control regulation in Nazi Germany did not help advance the Holocaust
- Waffle House good Samaritan shot to death paying for meals, handing out $20 bills
FIXING THE INTERNET
- House votes to reinstate Obama-era net neutrality rules
- House approves Save the Internet Act that would reinstate net neutrality
- 190 House Republicans vote against bill to reinstate popular ‘net neutrality’ internet protections
- Netflix isn’t killing movie theaters: Viewers who stream more also go to cinemas more
- Facebook Tells Congress New Zealand Shooting Video Wasn’t ‘Gruesome’ Enough to Flag
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Sanders Says He Agreed to Fox News Town Hall to Send Simple Message to Trump Voters: ‘He Lied to You’
- Bernie Sanders Says Fox News Is A Propaganda Arm Of Trump Administration
- National Enquirer expected to be sold imminently as parent company faces pressure
WHITE HOUSE CHAOS
TRADE WAR, HEALTH CARE, & ECONOMY
- Congress Is About to Ban the Government From Offering Free Online Tax Filing. Thank TurboTax.
- Congress just passed a bill prohibiting the IRS from creating a free tax filing system
- Why are Democrats helping Republicans do the bidding of the tax-prep industry?
- Democrats Better Wise Up and Serve Taxpayers, Not TurboTax
- Amazon in Seattle: Economic godsend or self-centered behemoth?
- Burger King’s chopsticks ad is just the latest example of branding gone wrong
- Alabama 5th most federally dependent state
- Republicans Warn Drug Companies Not To Cooperate With A Congressional Investigation: The House Oversight Committee is attempting to study how drug companies set prescription drug prices, but Republicans have warned the industry that it may be better for them not to cooperate.
- US has regressed to developing nation status, MIT economist warns
- The case for grown-up slumber parties – The Lily
- ‘Retail apocalypse’ now: Analysts say 75,000 more U.S. stores could be doomed.
- Millennials being squeezed out of middle class, says OECD
STUDENT ISSUES
Operation Varsity Blues
- Actress Lori Loughlin, 15 other parents indicted in college admissions scandal with conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering
- Caroline Orr: #BREAKING: Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, along with 14 other parents, were just indicted on *new* charges (conspiracy to commit money laundering) related to the college admissions scandal.
- Lori Loughlin indicted by federal grand jury, charged with money laundering
- Felicity Huffman, 12 other parents to plead guilty in college admissions scandal
- Louise Mensch: Felicity Huffman’s guilty plea and apology isn’t going to make her crime go away. However, it is the best possible statement she could have made under the circumstances. She makes no excuses and gives herself no wiggle room. It’s a complete acceptance of guilt and responsibility. I’m sure it was a crisis PR person who crafted the statement, but if so, they are good at their job, and Huffman was sensible to take that advice.
- The college-admissions scandal rattled rich parents. But will it change them?
- 2 students accused of jamming school’s Wi-Fi network to avoid tests
- Texas Tech agrees to stop using race in medical school admissions
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- The Republican Party Will Do Anything to Camouflage That White Supremacy Is a Critical Part of Its Base
- A QAnon Believer Is Running for Congress and Is Currently Unopposed in His Republican Primary
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Allison Mack of ‘Smallville’ Pleads Guilty in Case of Nxivm ‘Sex Cult’ Where Women Were Branded
- He found a body at his childhood home’s backyard during renovations. It was his mom
- Man arrested in 1973 cold case murder of 2 young women who were slain on vacation in Virginia Beach
- Police officers who fined stalking victim before she was murdered face disciplinary action
- The Lyon sisters vanished four decades ago. Here’s how the case was finally solved.
PRIESTS & RELIGION
- Evangelicals Side With Trump Over Jesus on Immigration
- Conservatives Don’t Hate Socialism, They Hate Equality
- Our Rapidly Blossoming Authoritarian State Is Headed to Another Level
ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE
That’s the super massive black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, about 53 million light years away. It’s so big that the entire solar system could fit inside.
- Bones discovered in an island cave may be a new human species
- The secret weapon of the sports gambler who just broke the single-game ‘Jeopardy!’ record? Children’s books.
- ‘Potentially historic’ central U.S. storm to deliver blizzard conditions and strong winds through Thursday
- Aegean Sea sees “very unusual” spike in dolphin deaths
- As White House questions climate change, U.S. military is planning for it
- Brain zaps boost memory in people over 60, study finds
- Denver weather: Shifting from 80 degrees to 22 degrees and up to 7 inches of snow in one day
- ‘Extraordinary’ 500-year-old library catalogue reveals books lost to time
- From moms to medical doctors, burnout is everywhere these days
- Good-bye glaciers: 390 billion tons of snow and ice melts each year as globe warms | “Over 30 years, suddenly almost all regions started losing mass at the same time,” said study lead author. “That’s clearly climate change if you look at the global picture.”
- Monkeys With Superpower Eyes Could Help Cure Color Blindness
- New York orders measles vaccinations in Brooklyn amid outbreak, mayor says
- Review | Museums wants 2 show u memez now. They shud be careful.
- Saturated fat, good or evil? How to decipher contradictory nutritional research.
- Washington state raises smoking age to 21
- John Kerry: Ocasio-Cortez offered ‘more leadership in one day’ than Trump on climate
THINKING AHEAD
- Ricky Davila: Pete Buttigieg about his sexuality: “That’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand: That if you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is not with me. Your quarrel is with my creator.” Can I get an AMEN this morning! 🔥👏
- Sanders Says He Agreed to Fox News Town Hall to Send Simple Message to Trump Voters: ‘He Lied to You’
- Bernie Sanders Says Fox News Is A Propaganda Arm Of Trump Administration
- Sanders says he’s a millionaire, will release tax returns by Monday
- Bernie Sanders Calls for Ban on Anti-Union Laws
- Bernie Sanders video mocks Trump for being the “only person in the world” who believes wind turbines cause cancer
- Beto O’Rourke: “I don’t think that wind turbines cause cancer. In fact, I think they cause jobs”
PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
IN OTHER NEWS…
- Virginia wins its first NCAA basketball championship, defeating Texas Tech, 85-77
- How extraordinary was Virginia’s title run? Just count up the miracles.
- The vigilante shaming influencers for bad behavior in national parks
- Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama hospitalized with chest infection
- A legend passes: Dick Cole, last of the Doolittle Raiders, dies at 103
RUMOR MILL
- Andrew Laufer, ESQ: So we have @RepMarkMeadows & @Jim_Jordan writing letters to pharmaceutical cos advising them not to comply w Congressional investigations & @DevinNunes filing frivolous lawsuits against critics. What could possibly have these & others so nervous & in need of distractions?
- Countercheckist: It seems ppl are starting to come around to the idea that tRUmp & Co’s legal troubles are not over despite what he and his band of d-squad flunkies have to say on the matter. Hang in there, patriots. The truth will come out. 🙂
- Claude Taylor: This is the IRS Commissioner on turning over Trump’s tax returns as required by law. Check out his hands. He’s petrified.
- Countercheckist: When MD’s & drug makers push opioids on patients, they damage the trust ppl have in our medical practitioners. When politicians engage in corruption, they damage the trust ppl have in our govt. Our system(s) don’t work if ppl have lost faith in them. Ppl need to remember that.
- Sara Danner Dukic: Aunt Becky and Lynette’s money laundering charges stem from using a charity to hide what they were actually doing with the added bonus of skimping out on their taxes. #foreshadowing *cough* Trump Foundation *cough* Inaugural Fund
- Countercheckist: The question people should be asking: Who’s funding Devin Nunes’ frivolous lawsuits? B/c based on his stated finances, I doubt he could afford 2 separate, expensive lawsuits that he’s likely to lose.
- Greg Olear: Barr is a traitor. RIP, Barr As White Hat. Methinks the leaks will now begin in earnest.
A conversation between Greg Olear and Louise Mensch that spawned from this tweet.
No he is not
I hope you’re right. But: If he’s acting undercover, he crossed a line today. It’s like in Reservoir Dogs where Mr. Orange shoots the woman in the car. There is no reason, none, why MOCs w/security clearance should not see the unredacted report.
Nunes had his clearance restored. You want him to see Grand Jury material on his own prosecution? No you don’t, homie 🙂
Then they need to indict him and then release the report to the MOCs. The lack of arrests is disturbing to me.
the sealed indictments will remain sealed, my sources estimated, until about two weeks after Congress gets a version of this report. They have not changed that view since I received it.
Good. I will happily eat crow on this. I’d prefer the report not be leaked illegally. I want the process to play itself out.
Sources said the thinking was lawmakers would need time to absorb the bombshell, and releasing all the indictments on the same day / period as the bombshell would make the cases look political. Hence the lag, these sources estimated.
Thanks.
If I’m wrong I too will eat crow. Time will tell
Take what she said with a heavy grain of salt.
That’s it for the last few days. A lot has happened, but I don’t have the energy to break it all down right now. I’m getting my ass kicked with taking care of someone who doesn’t care about the work being done on their behalf. Every day there’s a new development, and it’s almost always a bad one. Except for his health, that seems to be improving.
I’m writing down all of the crap that I can. There’s too much here for a post or two. This is probably a book or two worth of content.
The part that really hurts is how I’m supposed to handle all of his crap without being toxic around my own kids. There is no love lost between him and I. That would imply there was love to begin with.
As for the fight, a spoiler for the next post. Julian Assange was arrested by the British at the request of the Americans. That happened early Thursday morning. I don’t know when the next post will be. I’d like to get one for just Thursday, but it will probably be Monday, covering Thursday through the weekend. I’m already quadruple booked this weekend, and any more stuff will push me to the ‘crawl under a desk and cry’ point.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 