Monday, April 1, 2019

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

Clearance Reversals

• White House whistleblower says 25 security clearance denials were reversed during Trump administration
• GOP Downplays Whistleblower’s Clearance Concerns: She Said ‘Only 4-5’ People Posed ‘Very Serious’ Problems 
• John Bolton may have been denied a White House security clearance
• Republicans: Relax, Trump Only Endangered National Security 4–5 Times, Tops
• Trump White House security clearance crisis: “Kushner problem” getting worse fast
• Whistleblower says Ivanka, Jared got security clearance over experts’ advice
• Whistle-Blower Tells Congress of Irregularities in White House Security Clearances 
• White House Insists That Trump Really Is Dumb Enough to Close the Border 
• White House Whistle-Blower Did the Unexpected: She Returned to Work 
• Angry White House Staffer: I’ve gone over this pretty extensively, but this is outrageous. 25 security clearance denials have been overridden by the Trump administration. Security experts denied these 25 clearances due to fear of blackmail, foreign influence, financial entanglements, etc. They were approved anyway because nepotism is very legal and very cool. Reminder: Tricia Newbold also suffers from a rare form of dwarfism. As retaliation for her disclosure, her boss, Carl Kline, suspended her without pay, and moved her files to a shelf she couldn’t reach. Because that’s where we’re at now.
• Whistle-Blower Tells Congress of Irregularities in White House Security Clearances
• Natasha Bertrand: A whistle-blower working inside the White House told the House Oversight Committee that senior Trump administration officials granted security clearances to at least 25 individuals whose applications had been denied by career employees…
• Asha Rangappa: This is insane. The background check process is a safeguard to prevent against undue foreign influence (like the electoral college, congressional oversight, and counterintelligence investigations) — this is like the Titanic when every compartment in the hull got breached
• Tim Mak: The whistleblower who raised concerns about White House security clearances, Tricia Newbold, was suspended w/o pay for 2 weeks. The stated reason? Failure to follow a new policy to scan documents in separate pdf files instead of a single pdf file
• ThreadReader from Tim Mak about Newbold’s abuse
• The Trump People Didn’t Even Craft a Decent Lie About the Security Clearances

We talked about the clearance overrides before on Daily Check-In 01/31/2019, but the scope of the problem is finally coming into view.  At least 25 security clearances that were denied for various reasons were overridden.  The whistleblower who raised this issue and told the press about it also told Congress about it, too.  This included several senior White House officials

These people shouldn’t be anywhere near secret information, let alone the most sensitive secrets this country has.

 

Mueller Report

• “This Is Spy-Hunting”: Inside the Dark Heart of the Mueller Report
• Democrats to authorize subpoena for full Mueller report 
• Don’t Wait For a Redacted Mueller Report | The law is clear: The House Judiciary Committee is entitled to the full 400 pages. 
• Here Come The Subpoenas: Welcome To The Rest Of The Trump Administration.
• House Democrats could subpoena for full Mueller report this week 
• House Democrats Will Subpoena Mueller Report 
• We can’t trust William Barr to decide how much of Mueller’s findings we see

I’m going to say this everyday until we see the report, but let’s wait before we see the full report before we hit the “Everything is terrible” button. (Daily Check-In 03/22/2019)

One thing I’ve gotten pretty good at over the last two years is reading legal documents.  It doesn’t take 400 pages to say “We ain’t find shit.”  Plus, Barr’s Summary was a prime example of lawyerball. (The Last Few Days – 03/27/2019).   He’s been described as a “Lawyer’s Lawyer.”  In other words, the lawyer that a lawyer calls when they’re in such deep shit they need a lawyer.

 

• Chris Vickery: If Cambridge Analytica (and its co-conspirators) ran 100s of thousands of iterations of the same advertisement and recorded reactions for each down to the individual level in order to cause behavior change, how’s that different from no-consent medical experimentation? It’s not. THREAD
• Thread by @VickerySec: “If Cambridge Analytica (and its co-conspirators) ran 100s of thousands of iterations of the same advertisement and recorded reactions for ea […]”

 

CONGRESS

• House Judiciary plans to authorize subpoenas for Mueller’s full report
• Kyle Cheney: BREAKING: House Judiciary Committee planning to authorize subpoenas Wednesday for the full MUELLER report. Will also vote on subpoenas for MCGAHN, BANNON, HICKS and REINCE. Vote would give Nadler authority to issue subpoenas at any time. Story TK w/ @dsamuelsohn
• Angry White House Staffer: Big boom. Turns out Nadler wasn’t playing around when he gave Barr an April 2 deadline.
• Here Come The Subpoenas: Welcome To The Rest Of The Trump Administration.
• Congress must find out how reckless the White House has been with security clearances

 

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

• Friendly reminder: We still haven’t seen Trump’s tax returns
• Davis says evidence shows Trump Jr. could be indicted

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A INDIVIDUAL-1

• Trump Got No Bump From Mueller. He Should Worry. 
• The Trump People Didn’t Even Craft a Decent Lie About the Security Clearances
• The president is now making 22 false claims a day. Media coverage has got to reflect that.

 

SAUDI ARABIA

• Energy Secretary Rick Perry Approves Deal to Sell Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia
• It’s been six months since Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, and Trump has done nothing
• Khashoggi children have received houses in Saudi Arabia and monthly payments as compensation for killing of father
• Walter Shaub: I don’t know what to make of Bezos’ claim SA hacked his phone. *If* true, ties to Trump would be stunning: SA funnels cash to T via hotel T covers for SA murder of WaPo writer WaPo criticizes T & SA T bashes WaPo owner B SA & Trump fixer AMI attack B T pushes nuclear tech for SA. Again I don’t know if it’s true that SA hacked his phone. What I do know is that FBI needs to investigate this claim. But this highlights why Trump’s congressional allies attacking FBI for investigating Trump is so dangerous. Their message is “back off Trump, he’s above the law.” Correction: The claim comes from the Gavin de Becker, the security expert Bezos hired to investigate this matter.

 

TRAITOR TOTS

• After Years Of Blocking Obama’s Nominees, McConnell Slams Dems’ ‘Historic Obstruction’ 
• Trump’s Choice of Rick Scott to Build a Republican Healthcare Plan Shows the Henhouse Is Full of Foxes 

 

CULT 45

• Most Republicans don’t accept a basic Mueller finding: That Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 election 

 

FIGHTING BACK

• Dan Rather: Sort of curious to see how President Trump handles April Fools Day on Twitter… Does he tell the truth?
• Ocasio-Cortez fires back at Liz Cheney: ‘You get your news from Facebook memes’

 

EMERGENCIES, SHUTDOWN, & IMMIGRATION

• AP sources: Trump considers adding ‘immigration czar’
• Adrienne Cobb: Trump considering adding ‘immigration czar’ He has 2 potential candidates: Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli — both far-right conservatives with strong views on immigration

 

SCOTUS & COURTS

• Bernie Sanders floats modified term limits for Supreme Court justices 
• The Supreme Court’s Conservatives Just Legalized Torture

 

#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS

• Rick Wilson: If you don’t smell a gigantic rat with this Lucy Flores interview I can’t help you. as somebody who’s done a hell of a lot of media training I can tell when somebody’s been prepped for an interview to within an inch of their life. And she was prepped af for that interview.
• Joe Walsh: So if Biden now has women problems, then what does Trump have?

 

COLD WAR 2.0

• Turkey’s Erdogan says his party may have lost Istanbul mayorship
• Russia Ordered a Killing That Made No Sense. Then the Assassin Started Talking.

 

#NEVERAGAIN

• NRA Rallies to Preserve the Gun Rights of Convicted Stalkers, Abusive Boyfriends

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

• The president is now making 22 false claims a day. Media coverage has got to reflect that.

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

• The White House doesn’t care expected Fed pick owes $75,000 in taxes, didn’t pay child support, was found in contempt of court

 

TRADE WAR, HEALTH CARE, & ECONOMY

• America would run out of avocados in three weeks if Trump shuts down the U.S.-Mexico border | Nearly half of all imported U.S. vegetables and 40 percent of imported fruit are grown in Mexico. 
• Average Americans can’t afford a home in 70 percent of the country 
• Buffalo airport drops planned Chick-fil-A
• California accounted for nearly three-quarters of US jobs added in February

 

STUDENT ISSUES

• Dem lawmaker calls for DeVos to resign, cites use of ‘racist research’ 

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

• Private Prisons Are a Failed Experiment
• Rapper Nipsey Hussle killed in shooting outside his L.A. store

 

ELECTIONS

• Ohioans might vote on issue to give presidency to national popular vote winner 
• Sen. Ted Cruz Is Suing To Get Rid Of Limits On How Much Money He Can Raise To Repay Himself For Campaign Loans

 

THINKING AHEAD

• Rick Wilson: If you don’t smell a gigantic rat with this Lucy Flores interview I can’t help you. as somebody who’s done a hell of a lot of media training I can tell when somebody’s been prepped for an interview to within an inch of their life. And she was prepped af for that interview.
• Joe Walsh: So if Biden now has women problems, then what does Trump have?
• Beto O’Rourke Pledges Executive Order Requiring Monthly Town Halls for Cabinet Members 

 

RUMOR MILL

• Lincoln’s Bible: The White House & @GOP enablers are getting set to push an INSANE position thru the MSM hellscape. As w/ the Barr memo swallowers, pay attn to who entertains the following INSANE argument: “Any foreign influence over Trump or Kushner disappeared when they took the White House.”
• Countercheckist: NYC has successfully integrated generations of immigrants into our social fabric. It’s a city built on the American dream. That dream sent skyscrapers towards the heavens, and later sent astronauts beyond them to the moon. We’re capable of great things when we dream big.
• Eric Garland: No, it’s the partnership with Russian organized crime and spy agencies to attack American democracy that won’t be tolerated. Oh, and partnership with the Chinese Communist Party and the Triads. That’s out, too. BTW, such good luck your father-in-law was so generous to you just before the crash of 2008.
• Lincoln’s Bible: THREAD. We’re heading into the most highly-weaponized, information landscape in political history. Very sophisticated techniques/tools are now in the hands of everyday campaign operatives. These operatives & their “ops” share a singular aim: DIVIDE & CONQUER. Some thoughts…/1
• Thread by @LincolnsBible: “THREAD. We’re heading into the most highly-weaponized, information landscape in political history. Very sophisticated techniques/tools are n […]”
• Thread by @saradannerdukic: “We’re at a very critical point right now. Alongside the attempt to degrade our trust in what we’ve seen with our very own eyes, they also wa […]”

 

That’s it for Monday.  At least, this is all I grabbed.  I’m still trying to get things under control around everything else.  I’d like to get back in the swing of things, but I’m tired.  I don’t know if I’ll do a Daily post each day this week, just because of how much I have to deal with.

Like I said yesterday (Daily Check-In 03/29/2019), I’m in the middle of a whole bunch of stuff.  I don’t like feeling this tired all of the time.  The hardest part is trying to keep up appearances.  I’ll spare the long story for now, but I didn’t have the greatest childhood.  Dealing with him is bringing a lot of those old problems back to the forefront.  I need to decompress after dealing with him. Which, of course, is right when the rest of the family asks questions about how he’s doing today.  I’m glad they text, because that gives me a chance to vent and say what I really want to say before I type a polite response.

Here’s a tip: set up your will and power of attorney before you get sick.  It’s a lot less of a pain in the dick for whomever has to clean up your mess.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

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

• The U.S. government’s counterterrorism center doesn’t track white supremacists. Some think it should. 

 

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

• Georgia Anti-Abortion ‘Heartbeat Bill’ Could Have a $9.52 Billion Negative Economic Impact, Passes House 

 

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

• Boeing Crashes Highlight the High Costs of Cheap Government 

 

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

Thursday, March 28, 2019

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

Barr Summary and Mueller Report

• ‘There’s nothing routine about this’: Barr’s move to send Mueller’s report to the White House before the public sets off alarm bells
• A Mueller mystery: How Trump dodged a special counsel interview — and a subpoena fight
• Attorney General Barr agrees to testify before House committee 
• Barr Won’t Commit to Turning Over Full Mueller Report: Source 
• Comey: ‘It doesn’t make sense’ that Mueller didn’t rule on obstruction of justice
• Mueller Report Exceeds 300 Pages, Raising Questions About Four-Page Summary 
• Mueller’s report is more than 300 pages, attorney general tells top Democrat
• Lincoln’s Bible: The panic resumes. Wonder why… Maybe a 3 page memo with a cover page and oddly plucked excerpts did not exonerate? Wut you think?
• Angry White House Staffer: For a report that supposedly exonerates POTUS, there sure are a lot of republicans who don’t want it to be public 🤔

At least 300 pages.  The Barr Summary was 3 pages and a cover, yet didn’t contain a complete quoted sentence.  Plus, he’s sending it over to the White House first for them to redact and edit before it gets to Congress?

The Fix is in.  If there’s one thing I’m confident of in this mess, someone from the White House will leak the report almost immediately. They’ll do so with Whistleblower protections, too.

 

• Adam Schiff Blasts Republicans: They ‘Think It’s OK’ Russia Meddled in Our Election 
• Adam Schiff Presents His ‘Evidence of Collusion’ | The House Intelligence Committee chairman and foe of President Trump delivered a fiery speech on Thursday morning 
• Adam Schiff’s Clapback at Republicans Lays Out the Case for Releasing the Mueller Report 
• Trump-Russia collusion evidence detailed by Schiff in damning address in Congress: ‘You might think it’s ok’ 

 

Butina

• Maria Butina, Russian who conspired to infiltrate NRA, to be sentenced April 26
• Special counsel briefly interviewed Maria Butina, sources say
• Natasha Bertrand: Can confirm…and if there is an NRA money laundering angle here, it wasn’t part of Butina’s case, I’m told. She was asked by Mueller’s team about JD Gordon and other contacts w/Trump’s campaign.

 

Kushner

• Jared Kushner interviewed by Senate Intelligence Committee 
• Jared Kushner seen leaving secret Senate Intelligence Committee hearing room, days after Mueller report submitted 

 

The Beat Goes On…

• Mueller grand jury continuing ‘robustly,’ as U.S. prosecutors take over subpoena fight with foreign state-owned company
• No, the FBI did not say Michael Flynn did not lie, as Donald Trump said 
• Former CIA leaders give ‘briefing book’ to 2020 candidates to counteract ‘fake news’ and ‘foreign election interference’
• Ex-Trump aide details president’s alleged effort to cover up the Trump Tower meeting
• Prison ‘street cred’ and a standing ovation: George Papadopoulos on doing time ‘in Trump Country’
• Want to know what’s next in Russian election interference? Pay attention to Ukraine’s elections

 

Saudi Arabia

• Trump Admin Weirdly Eager to Hand the Saudis Nuclear Secrets 
• Trump administration authorized nuclear energy companies to share technological information with Saudi Arabia
• U.S. approved secret nuclear power work for Saudi Arabia

 

CONGRESS

• Adam Schiff Blasts Republicans: They ‘Think It’s OK’ Russia Meddled in Our Election 
• Adam Schiff Presents His ‘Evidence of Collusion’ | The House Intelligence Committee chairman and foe of President Trump delivered a fiery speech on Thursday morning 
• Adam Schiff’s Clapback at Republicans Lays Out the Case for Releasing the Mueller Report 
• Schiff on Trump: ‘I think it’s immoral. I think it’s unethical. I think it’s unpatriotic’ 
• Schiff recites long list of Trump’s Russia contacts after Republicans call for his resignation 
• Trump-Russia collusion evidence detailed by Schiff in damning address in Congress: ‘You might think it’s ok’ 
• Under partisan fire, Adam Schiff presents his case without apology 
• Schiff shames grandstanding GOP with litany of Trump corruption 
• Napolitano: Schiff is ‘Correct’ to Conclude Mueller Report Will Have Evidence of Conspiracy
• Watch: Adam Schiff lists all the ways he says Trump campaign colluded with Russia, shuts off Republican’s Mic 
• Adam Schiff: I say this to the President, and his defenders in Congress: You may think it’s okay how Trump and his associates interacted with Russians during the campaign. I don’t. I think it’s immoral. I think it’s unethical. I think it’s unpatriotic. And yes, I think it’s corrupt.
• Rick Wilson: Stiffen your spines, folks. Fight is still on.
• PostimusMaximus: Journalists : If you fall into this “journalists messed up” meme of the alt-right bunch you actually are idiots. The reporting is all correct. Everything that was reported to have happened still happened. (Its the entire reason I started doing this stuff to begin with) Thanks @RepAdamSchifffor making this as clear as possible. Everything that happened with Russia still happened. None of it was ok.
• Answering the liberal clamor, Pelosi rolls out limited proposals on health care and environment
• Pelosi to Mika: I intend to use ‘full force’ to have report released 
• Pelosi: ‘Arrogant’ Of Barr To Expect That Dems Would Blindly Accept His Summary 
• House votes to condemn Trump ban on transgender military service

 

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

• Trump’s Financial Statements Are so Full of Lies That His Accountants Put a Warning Label on Them: Newly Obtained Documents Show the Brazen Methods with Which the President Inflated and Deflated His Assets to Banks and Insurance Companies.
• Trump’s odd financial statements: Omitted debts, overvalued assets and broken accounting rules
• Trump said investigating his finances would be a ‘red line.’ New York prosecutors are about to cross it. 

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A INDIVIDUAL-1

• Trump may not be a Russian agent. He’s just a Russian stooge. 
• Trump says he is rescinding his proposed cut to Special Olympics budget amid a bipartisan outcry
• Trump told Hannity he won’t rule out pardoning Michael Flynn and others in first interview since Mueller probe ended
• Trump pressures wary Republicans to produce replacement for health-care law
• Trump: If Barr Had Always Been AG, Mueller Probe ‘Would Not Have Happened’ 
• Trump’s spin on the Mueller report not sticking with Americans 
• Trump’s Treachery Goes Way Beyond Russia: He’s not working for Putin. He’s working for any dictator who flatters him. 

 

TRAITOR TOTS

• Trump Ally Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University Landed Pentagon Contract Months After Trump’s Election
• Bernhardt’s past lobbying casts shadow in interior secretary confirmation hearing
• Rand Paul blocks resolution calling for Mueller report release 
• This Lindsey Graham quote perfectly explains the GOP’s codependent relationship with Trump

 

CULT 45

• As Grand Rapids awaits Trump, both sides of the political divide find their anger stoked by the Mueller report
• It took Trump 90 seconds to lie about the “Mueller report” during Michigan speech 

 

FIGHTING BACK

• Dem accuses McConnell of ‘collusion’ for blocking Mueller report release 
• Dems demand Mueller’s full 300 pages, mock ‘scaredy-cat’ GOP 
• Poll: After Barr Letter, Overwhelming Majority Wants Full Mueller Report Released 

 

PUERTO RICO

• Statehood bill could make Puerto Rico a state before 2020 
• U.S. lawmakers unveil bill to make Puerto Rico 51st state, as Trump escalates feud with island officials

 

EMERGENCIES, SHUTDOWN, & IMMIGRATION

• ‘We Are Running Concentration Camps’: Images From El Paso Stir Outrage Over Migrant Treatment 
• Man stopped by ICE uses ‘know your rights’ training, prevents immigrants’ arrest
• Trump renews threat to close the southern border, blasts Mexico on immigration

 

RACISM, RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

• Booker: Trump is ‘complicit’ in white supremacist violence
• Buttigieg: ‘Americans are being radicalized’ by Trump administration 
• Nathan Bernard: . @benshapiro is threatening to sue @TheEconomist for exercising free speech. Prosecutors recently found the alt-right terrorist who shot up a mosque in Quebec City was a Shapiro superfan, studying Ben’s content closely before killing. Extremists heed Ben’s words, he’s their sage.

 

SCOTUS & COURTS

• In veteran’s disability case, Supreme Court considers junking longtime deference to federal agencies
• Supreme Court declines to stop Trump administration’s ban on bump stocks

 

#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS

• NRA Opposes Expansion of the Violence Against Women Act
• College student accuses former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder of sexual harassment

 

COLD WAR 2.0

• How to Sell a Massacre
• EU states unanimously announce: We do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights

 

#NEVERAGAIN

Australia

• How to Sell a Massacre
• Al Jazeera English: THREAD Days after the Christchurch massacre, New Zealand banned assault rifles. But in Australia, the right-wing @OneNationAus party wants to weaken gun laws with the help of the NRA. Our 3 year undercover investigation reveals #HowToSellAMassacre http://aljazeera.com/howtosellamassacre …
• 911corlebra777: Part 2 is currently airing in Australia right now. For American peeps, the NRA offered to ghost write articles for Australia’s One Nation Party. Not sure if the NRA has broken US FARA laws here
• Al Jazeera English: In part 2 of #HowToSellAMassacre the NRA set up a meeting for One Nation at US energy giant Koch industries. In return, One Nation offered them extraordinary influence on Australian politics. Watch now: https://aje.io/dq2f3

 

NRA Attacking Parkland Students

• NRA officer enlisted a Sandy Hook truther to sow doubt about Parkland shooting, emails show 
• NRA safety officer enlisted a Sandy Hook truther to sow doubt about Parkland shooting, emails show
• Exclusive: NRA Official Sought Sandy Hook Hoaxer To Question Parkland Shooting, Emails Show | HuffPost
• Sebastian Murdoc: NEW: An @NRA official emailed a Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist who has harassed the parents of dead children to question the school shooting in Parkland, Florida last year. “Just like [Sandy Hook], there is so much more to this story,” The NRA’s Mark Richardson said in an email obtained by HuffPost. “[The Parkland shooter] was not alone.” The man he emailed, Wolf Halbig, has gone on Infowars and discussed the sick theory that 6-year-old Avielle Richman didn’t die. The child’s father, Jeremy, died Monday in a suspected suicide.
• Sara Danner Dukic: This is what the NRA is doing with Cambridge Analytica and our metadata.

 

• NRA Opposes Expansion of the Violence Against Women Act
• Supreme Court declines to stop Trump administration’s ban on bump stocks

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

• U.S. Must Put a Ban on Google Helping China Develop a Global Digital Dictatorship
• Vermont House overwhelmingly approves community broadband
• FCC “fined” robocallers $208 million since 2015 but collected only $6,790
• HUD charges Facebook with housing discrimination over its targeted advertising platform

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

• Republican Party says it will personally target reporters critical of Trump 
• Fox’s Napolitano predicts Mueller report will prove Schiff ‘correct’ on some collusion 
• Fox’s Judge Napolitano: Schiff ‘Is Correct’ That Mueller Report Will Show Evidence of Trump-Russia Collusion 

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

• Mulvaney pushes the health-care fight Trump wants despite GOP’s misgivings

 

737

• Boeing, initially defensive, now ‘humbled’ by 737 Max crisis

 

TRADE WAR, HEALTH CARE, & ECONOMY

• A $768.4 million Powerball ticket was sold in Wisconsin. Here’s why huge jackpots are the new normal.
• Alaska’s governor wants to give more cash to residents — and cut public services
• Homeless, living in a tent blocks from the U.S. Capitol — and working full-time
• If the GOP built their ideal health-care system . . . it’d be Obamacare 
• Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan to step down immediately

 

STUDENT ISSUES

• ‘Think of the mothers of sons’: Notre Dame mom begs female students to stop wearing leggings, sparking protests
• Their parents dragged them into the college bribery scandal. Can a PR expert pull these kids out?

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

• Rick Wilson: Senate leadership staffer: “We’re putting the special olympics $ back in. They had to go and fuck up a good day.” My reply: “Are you new here?”
• Republican Party says it will personally target reporters critical of Trump 

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

• ‘Bye, Jayme,’ man who kidnapped girl and murdered her parents says as he leaves court
• A fifth-grader was injured in a classroom fight with another student. Days later, she died.
• K-Pop Crime Cartel Revealed as Korea’s Burning Sun Scandal Expands
• U.S. jury says Bayer must pay $80 million to man in Roundup cancer…
• Trump says FBI and Justice Department will review the Jussie Smollett case

 

PRIESTS & RELIGION

• John Gray asks Relentless Church members to give $250K to help pay for church roof
• Mike Huckabee Thinks Chick-fil-A Has a Legal Right to Be in Every Airport

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

• Christopher Titus: I would like clean air and water. It would be nice to use renewable energy and create a new economy that made us a leader in new technologies, I’d like to let the coal miners out of the mines and let them install solar panels in the fresh air. I that makes me ELITE okay.
• ‘Sleep is critical to human existence’: Judge orders county jail to stop constantly waking up female inmates
• ‘Weather’s going to be turnt, right?’: A news team’s experiment in teen slang left viewers ‘cringing’
• After Cyclone Idai, bodies litter Mozambique’s fields, and the true death toll may never be known
• American scientists to climb Mount Everest to study pollution
• As vast swaths of Australia dry out, a mental health crisis takes shape
• California’s water infrastructure could be tested this spring as massive winter snowpack melts away
• First living HIV-positive donor provides kidney for transplant in medical breakthrough
• The Doomsday Vault’s home is already altered by climate change. A report says it could get worse.
• Want to rescue a dog from overseas? It might carry a new strain of disease, researchers say.

 

ELECTIONS

• New Mexico’s open Senate seat gives Hispanics a chance to break through

 

THINKING AHEAD

• Americans evenly divided on whether Trump or a Democrat will prevail next year, poll finds
• Booker: Trump is ‘complicit’ in white supremacist violence
• Buttigieg: ‘Americans are being radicalized’ by Trump administration 
• Joe Biden’s treatment of Anita Hill poses new problems as he ponders a presidential campaign
• Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar, Fla., joins the Democratic presidential field
• Former CIA leaders give ‘briefing book’ to 2020 candidates to counteract ‘fake news’ and ‘foreign election interference’

 

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

• Europe bans single-use plastics. And glitter could be next.

 

RUMOR MILL

• MSW Podcast: Well, it appears as though we won’t find out who the mystery company from country A is for a while because it’s part of a “robust” open and ongoing grand jury investigation. YOU DON’T SAY.
• Tea Pain: Trump to Hannity: “I was the most innocent human being.” …to ever be implicated in multiple felonies. #Individual1
• Scott Stedman: Really weird, why are Fox News hosts claiming to know the page count of the Mueller report?

 

That’s it for Thursday.  This update is pretty short and light on extra content.  I’m still trying to get back in the swing of things.  This past week has left me exhausted and dejected.  I need some time off from everything, but I can’t get it.  Every time I go to relax or unwind for a few minutes, another person has questions that only I can answer.  I’m ready to take a nap right here at the keyboard, but that would be a bad idea.

I’ll try to rest a little this weekend.  Highly unlikely, but I’ll try.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

March 22 to March 27, 2019.  My last post before this was Daily Check-In 03/22/2019 right after news broke that Mueller submitted his report to the Department of Justice.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

Barr Submits His Summary

• Nadler says he will call on Barr to testify over DOJ handling of Mueller report
• READ: Barr’s letter to Congress summarizing Mueller findings
• Reuters Live Updates: What is in the Mueller report?
• Attorney general issues key findings from Mueller’s Russia report
• Attorney General delivers summary of special counsel’s report.
• House Democrats to call on Barr to testify about Mueller report
• Mueller did not find Trump conspired with Russia
• Why Did Barr Share Only Four Incomplete Sentences From the Mueller Report?
• Who is Attorney General Barr, the man deciding what parts of the Mueller report to release?
• William Barr Did What He Was Hired to Do
• “A Crime in Public View”: How William Barr Pardoned Donald Trump
• A former prosecutor explains why Barr’s hasty obstruction conclusion should raise red flags
• Barr Authored Memo Last Year Ruling Out Obstruction of Justice
• Barr is wrong: Obstruction of justice doesn’t require another underlying crime
• Has “Cover-Up General” William Barr Struck Again? Barr’s history of helping Republican presidents in legal crises may explain why Trump brought him back in to head the Justice Department
• Hiding the Full Mueller Report Is Another Gift to Vladimir Putin
• Holder: Barr burying Mueller report, just ‘beginning’ obstruction
• Mueller did not find evidence the Trump campaign conspired with Russia, attorney general says
• Mueller Report Emboldens Russia, Increases Chance Of 2020 Election Interference, Experts Argue
• Mueller report fallout: Trump, Russia, others react to Barr summary
• Pelosi says Barr believes Trump is ‘above the law’
• Pelosi: No Reason To Trust Barr, That Boot-Licking Hack 
• Preet Bharara: Mueller Aimed To ‘Punt’ To Congress, Barr Snagged Ball To Spin For Trump
• The “Barr Summary” Is Meaningless. Release the Entire Report.
• The White House will get the Mueller report before the public does in case it wants to make redactions, Barr says
• Here’s what Rep. Nadler says about Mueller report
• Special Counsel: No Russia Collusion ‘Despite Multiple Offers’
• Special Counsel did not find any evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election
• President Trump on Mueller report findings: ‘This was an illegal takedown that failed’
• Mueller report finds no evidence that Trump campaign colluded with Russia: Justice Department
• House Judiciary chair vows to haul in the attorney general for questioning over the Mueller report
• Robert Mueller Report Attorney General Barr Part II
• Renato Mariotti: Well, now we know what Attorney General Barr was doing for the last two days. He was “engaged in discussions” with DOJ officials to make a hasty decision about obstruction of justice because Mueller decided not to make one.
• Katie Brenner: Per a DOJ official: #Mueller was not consulted in the creation of this letter to Congress, nor was he at the department today. It was the product of Barr, Rosenstein and advisors including from the office of legal counsel.

Welcome to the crazy spin and deflection part of the investigation.  William Barr, Attorney General for Trump, released a summary that Mueller didn’t find evidence of collusion with Russia, nor did he find enough evidence for an obstruction of justice indictment.

So yeah, the fix is in.

Barr’s summary, which was less than four pages, contains no quotes from Mueller’s report longer than a sentence fragment, has minimal sourcing, and is designed to obfuscate and distract.  It defines collusion so narrowly that only direct and knowing coordination between the Trump Campaign officials that were members of the campaign at the time and direct members of the Russian government, the Internet Research Agency, or the GRU count.  This would not include Roger Stone, who talked with Wikileaks and the GRU since he was not an official member of the campaign at the time.  This doesn’t include Erik Prince or George Nader’s work since they weren’t members of the campaign at the time.  This doesn’t include Paul Manafort or Rick Gates working with Konstantin Kilimnik, since “Kostya from the GRU” isn’t an active member of the GRU.  Their work with Oleg Deripaska doesn’t fit this definition since he isn’t a member of the Russian Government.

So, actions that meet the legal definition of a criminal conspiracy don’t fit for Barr’s definition of collusion.

As far as obstruction goes, Mueller left that to Barr to choose whether to charge Trump.  Barr, who has gone on the record many times saying that a President cannot obstruct justice, did not elect to charge Trump.

Any idea that William Barr is not a bad actor went flying out the window with the appearance of the rule of law.

 

Tweets and stories from before the summary was released

• Mueller’s Findings Will Remain Confidential at Least Another Day
• President Trump spends the first 24 hours after the Mueller probe ends in Twitter silence
• After claiming ‘no collusion’ 231 times, Trump says nothing about the end of the Mueller investigation
• Tea Pain: Congratulations, @realDonaldTrump. With the Mueller probe over, you’re now only under 17 criminal investigations!
• Bob Bensch: (UPDATE) The minimum number of *active* investigations targeting Trump, many involving pre- and post-election multinational collusion: ✅SDNY✅EDNY✅EDVA✅USDC-DC✅NYCDA✅NYAG✅NJAG✅MDAG✅DCAG✅SCO*✅FBI✅CIA✅HPSCI✅SSCI✅HJC✅HOC✅HFSC✅HWMC *Ongoing cases.
• John Dean: Trump and his minions think they dodged a bullet. I have a notion — only a recurring thought — that Mueller delivered a bomb to AG Barr, who is now trying to figure out how to tell Trump in a way that doesn’t cause him to start World War III. Barr knows he works for a psycho.
• Ming: Is Barr taking heart medicine yet?
• Caroline Orr: The summary is just the first step, and it’s only delivered to congressional leaders. After that, Barr will consult with Rosenstein and Mueller regarding what information to release to Congress and the public. That’s where to focus.
• Caroline Orr: #BREAKING: Per @NBCNews, Attorney General William Barr will NOT be submitting a summary of the Mueller report to Congress today. (From Saturday)
• MSW Podcast: It seems like all trump supporters have collectively forgotten that a couple of weeks ago, Mueller team member Von Grack was appointed to head a new FARA enforcement unit at the DoJ. They probably weren’t aware.
• Medhi Hassan: Imagine, just imagine, if Mueller had been silent for past 2 years, held everything back, & then on Fri evening, announced 37 (!) indictments, including of Trump’s lawyer, national security adviser & campaign manager. We’d be in shock. The White House would be in chaos & crisis. THREAD
• PostimusMaximus: If we are being realistic, Kushner/Ivanka crimes seem less Mueller more “Whoever is handling the saudi/qatar/china/financial stuff. Jr you could say the meeting to get dirt was a crime maybe? That would depend on a few things. And Trump himself wouldn’t be indicted.
• Kaz Weida: You know what the Mueller report anxiety feels like? It’s like midterm elections. It took a while for the scope of the wave to take shape. Because the Resistance had high expectations, the slow trickle win didn’t take the shape of the crashing wave we were expecting. (THREAD)
• MSW Podcast: Barr will not submit the Mueller report summary conclusions today according to the DoJ. Interesting…
• PostimusMaximus: Hope everything is less crazy today. Though we are still probably stuck in bad-takesville.

Narrator: We’re still stuck in bad-takesville.

 

Shock and Confusion

• James Comey says he is confused by Mueller’s decision on obstruction
• Comey: Imagine if it was Obama and Iran, not Trump and Russia
• Comey: Trump’s Comments On Firing Me Sounded Like Obstruction Of Justice
• Rachel Maddow Lists The Questions ‘Driving Me Nuts’ About Barr’s Summary Of Mueller Report

 

The Cover-Up

• McConnell blocks resolution calling for Mueller report to be released publicly
• Mitch McConnell blocked a resolution to release the full Mueller report, 3 days after saying he wanted ‘openness and transparency’ about it
• Mitch McConnell Blocks Resolution to Release Full Mueller Report
• Mitch McConnell tries gaslighting on Obama, Russia
• Mitch McConnell Wants to Bury the Mueller Report, Of Course
• McConnell blocks resolution calling for Mueller report to be released publicly
• McConnell blocks resolution calling for release of Mueller report for second time 
• McConnell blocks vote on release of Mueller report for 2nd time 
• McConnnell blocks resolution to release full Mueller report
• Caroline Orr: Mitch McConnell may not just be covering for Trump here — he may be covering for himself, and for the Republican Party.
• Thread by @RVAwonk: “Mitch McConnell may not just be covering for Trump here — he may be covering for himself, and for the Republican Party. We already know tha […]”
• MSW Podcast: When we get the full Mueller report, MSW is going to read it in it’s entirety as a podcast.
• Twitter reacts to Mitch McConnell blocking resolution to release full Mueller report: “Trump is guilty”
• Tea Pain: BREAKING: Mitch McConnell moves to block release of Mueller Report. To paraphrase Leonard Cohen, “There’s a leak in everything. That’s how the truth gets out.”
• Angry White House Staffer: This is why I’m so damn confused / pissed at Barr right now. I have other reporter contacts telling me they’re hearing exactly the same thing. If true, they won’t be able to sit on this forever.
• Virginia Heffernan: Good Source (Thread of screenshots from a source describing how bad the report is for Trump)
• Trinity Resists: June 2018—AG Barr wrote an unsolicited 19 page memorandum to DAG Rosenstein called Mueller’s “Obstruction” Theory on why a sitting POTUS should not be indicted. 👉https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/549-june-2018-barr-memo-to-doj-mue/b4c05e39318dd2d136b3/optimized/full.pdf … Barr never would’ve found obstruction on Trump. He did exactly what Trump wanted him to do.
• Look at All the Weasel Words Bill Barr Used to Protect Trump
• ArsonCrafts: “Collusion” (at least per Barr’s letter) appeared to be narrowly defined-down to two things: 1. Agreement or coordination with Internet Research Agency 2. Agreement or coordination with GRU (particularly, with respect to the “hacking” component, not necessarily distrubution). What about “collusion” in the sense of any quid pro quo, such as Trump Tower Moscow in exchange for easing sanctions??? If Barr’s definition of collusion is all Mueller could look at, much had to be farmed out by Mueller elsewhere.
• Opinion | Trump won with illicit help. He abused his power. His AG is blocking a full reckoning.
• Caroline Orr: #BREAKING: Citing “national security concerns,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just blocked a non-binding resolution to make special counsel Mueller’s full report publicly available. The non-binding resolution to release the full Mueller report was brought forth by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The House version passed unanimously. Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham are the only senators who objected to the measure.
• Angry White House Staffer: Make no mistake about this selective “leaking” from DOJ. This is just Barr authorizing people to speak to reporters on background — you know, the thing McCabe supposedly got fired for — to push the narrative.
• Tea Pain: The Mueller Report was filed almost 72 hours ago and we’ve yet to see a single complete sentence from it. #ReleaseTheFullMuellerReport
• Nadler: Barr Won’t Commit To Releasing Unredacted Mueller Report And Evidence 
• The longer the Mueller report is hidden, the bigger the political problem 

Remember the names of those blocking the release of the report.

 

Congressional Reactions

• ‘Undoubtedly there is collusion’: Trump antagonist Adam Schiff doubles down after Mueller finds no conspiracy
• Adam Schiff Threatens to Subpoena Mueller’s Evidence If Necessary
• Attorney General Barr Faces Bipartisan Pressure To Make Mueller Report Public
• Attorney General Expected to Miss Deadline for Giving Mueller Report to Congress, Will Not Commit to Releasing It In Full
• Bill Barr agrees to testify on “very substantial” Mueller report
• Democrats demand Barr release full Muller investigation report
• Dispute erupts over Mueller’s findings on Trump, Russia and obstruction of justice
• House Democrats Request Mueller’s Full Report Be Sent by April 2
• Key Democrat says Mueller report summary puts matters ‘squarely in Congress’ court’
• Republicans and Democrats brace for renewed battles over Mueller report
• Republicans block U.S. Senate Democrats’ move on making Mueller report public
• Sen. Hirono on Mueller report: “There’s more to come”
• Sen. Whitehouse statement on Barr Summary: “Now is not the time for a cover-up”

 

We Want To See The Report

• Democracy Requires a Public Mueller Report 
• Democratic chairmen call on Barr to submit Mueller report to Congress by April 2
• Trump’s attorney doesn’t want Trump’s ‘confidential’ written responses to Mueller released
• Watchdog sues for full release of Mueller report
• Release the Report
• Privacy Advocates Sue Justice Department, Seeking to Compel Full Public Release Of Mueller Report
• National security expert: No point in DOJ covering up Mueller report because staffers will just leak it anyway
• Nobody Has Actually Seen the Mueller Report
• Pelosi calls Mueller report summary ‘insufficient,’ seeks full report
• Poll: 84 percent want Mueller report made public
• If Mueller’s report is great news for Trump, why can’t we see it?
• I wrote the special counsel rules. The attorney general can — and should — release the Mueller report.

 

Reactions from the Rumor Mill and Beyond

• George Conway: Mueller report must have ‘something pretty damning’ if it can’t exonerate Trump
• ‘If. F******. Only’: Monica Lewinsky Imagines Life if Ken Starr’s Report Got Mueller Treatment, Released as AG Summary
• It’s Mueller time but don’t forget: Trump has undermined the very idea of America
• Liberal Redneck – Mueller Report Schmueller Report – YouTube
• Majority of Americans Say Trump Interfered in Mueller investigation: Fox News Poll
• Michael J. Stern: “No indictments doesn’t mean no evidence.”
• Monica Lewinsky: ‘If only’ the Starr report was handled like Mueller’s 
• Mueller report ‘undoubtedly’ proves conspiracy, obstruction: Judge Napolitano
• Reaction to the Mueller Report News Has Been a Goddamn Embarrassment
• Two covers off the New York Times, 45 years & 3 weeks apart.
• Watergate Figure John Dean Suspects Barr May Be Hiding Something ‘Fairly Ugly’.
• Adam Schiff: Mueller spent two years investigating obstruction of justice and found evidence that “does not exonerate” Trump. Barr took two days to set aside that evidence. The entire report must be published and evidence provided to Congress so the American people can judge for themselves. Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to establish conspiracy, notwithstanding Russian offers to help Trump’s campaign, their acceptance, and a litany of concealed interactions with Russia. I trust Mueller’s prosecutorial judgement, but the country must see the evidence.
• Rick Wilson: Trump fluffers trying to dunk on me, begging for a reply. Bless your hearts. Y’all enjoy your day.
• Greg Olear: Barr did a book report on War & Peace and concluded it’s not about Russia. Maybe we should reserve judgment until we read what Tolstoy wrote?
• 911corlebra777: It would seem IC ain’t buyin it. I don’t know what Barr’s motivations are, but one thing is clear to me, his summary has further divided America & runs contrary to the evidence that was in front of our own eyes, & that we know US & Allied IC hold
• Renato Mariotti: It’s not that Mueller couldn’t make a decision about obstruction. It’s that he didn’t want to, possibly because he is cautious and understood its potential impact on the nation. Yet Barr took it upon himself to do, in two days, what Mueller was unwilling to do after two years.
• Tea Pain: Let’s be clear. Bob Mueller did not “exonerate” Trump. William Barr did.
• Alyssa Milano: Well, if there was nothing in the report why won’t they just release it? If the report fully exonerated him or his family, he’d have it all out in seconds. Wouldn’t he?
• Andrew Laufer, ESQ: Ok folks. What ‘Barr’s Brief’ of Mueller’s report barely touches upon are the prosecutions which have been farmed out to a number of USAOs. It also doesn’t mention any state AG actions which were also coordinated with Mueller’s team. Further, it doesn’t discuss prosecutions /1. THREAD
• Thread by @lauferlaw: “Ok folks. What ‘Barr’s Brief’ of Mueller’s report barely touches upon are the prosecutions which have been farmed out to a number of USAOs. […]” #MuellerReport
• Joe Walsh: Unanswered questions: 1. Why did everybody on Team Trump lie about Russia? 2. What is the obstruction that Mueller found? 3. We know Russia was trying to help the Trump campaign. Did Trump himself know that Russia was helping? The whole Mueller report must be made public.
• Emptywheel: Folks, this letter doesn’t even clear Trump of “collusion,” or even “conspiracy.” FAR from it.
• Greg Olear: I’m not gonna lie: with the possible exception of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, yesterday was the worst I’ve felt since Election Day 2016. I barely slept, tossing & turning & doubting my own sanity. Which is EXACTLY what these traitors want. Some thoughts: [THREAD]

Check the Rumor Mill for the full text of this thread.

• PostimusMaximus: Ok you know my thoughts. Going to avoid toxic hellscape twitter again for the rest of the day. (You should do the same!) All I can really say is to breath, the world isn’t ending, we are stuck where we’ve been looking for answers. Our battle continues onward.
• Countercheckist: Let. The. Process. Play. Out. All of it.
• John Schindler: Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Bluto knew. So does @RepAdamSchiff. Dems taking the House in NOV means this is far from over. The fight’s just been kicked to the Hill now. But Trump clearly knew what he was doing when he appointed Barr AG.
• Louise Mensch: Thread: Yes, I see what Barr says. I do not resile from any of my reporting. I believe my sources. I trust @SpeakerPelosi to get the report. I trust Mueller. Let’s see his report. Now let’s examine what the letter says, ideally calmly. THREAD
• Thread by @LouiseMensch: “Thread: Yes, I see what Barr says. I do not resile from any of my reporting. I believe my sources. I trust @SpeakerPelosi to get the report. […]”
• Caroline Orr: As you evaluate information & reporting on the Mueller report over the next few days, remember that everything we are hearing is based on what Attorney General Barr is telling us. In other words, the guy who was hand-picked by Trump is now hand-picking the info you’re getting.
• Walter Shaub: No. Trump asked Comey to let Flynn go; had McGahn tell Yates to buzz off and pry into a FISA warrant; fired Comey; fired Sessions; and, with help from Congress, attacked DOJ & FBI. What kept him from shutting it down were his own incompetence and the will of the American people.
• MSW Podcast: Anyone who tells you there is NO evidence of coordination or obstruction is wholly incorrect. That is not what this summary says.
• Angry White House Staffer: I’m going to add Barr to my wall of shame, right next to Kavanaugh. I know many of you probably feel like I let you down — I do too, and I’m sorry. I still want to see the full report. This stinks. Mueller didn’t spend two years indicting people for lying about Russia for this.
• Joe Walsh: EVERYBODY on Trump’s team who had contacts with Russia lied about those contacts with Russia. EVERYBODY. Including Trump. I sure hope the Mueller Report tells us WHY everybody on Team Trump lied about Russia.
• Tea Pain: Trump is “happy” to… 1) Release his tax returns 2) Sit down with Mueller 3) Release the Mueller Report Which should we expect first?
• Joe Walsh: We all need to accept the results of the Report, but we can’t do that until we all see the Report.
• For Democrats, the Mueller report turns their politics upside down

 

The Beat Goes On…

• After Mueller: The Ongoing Investigations Surrounding Trump
• Don’t Believe Trump or Barr. The Investigations Are Just Beginning.
• Um, no, the Mueller investigation wasn’t a waste — and it definitely wasn’t a hoax
• FBI expected to brief House and Senate ‘Gang of 8’ on Mueller’s counterintel findings
• Fox’s Judge Napolitano: ‘There Is Something There’ on Conspiracy in Mueller Report
• Robert Mueller Deferred Obstruction Decision Because ‘Special Counsel Regulations Are Defective,’ Ex-Mueller Assistant Says
• The Critical Part of Mueller’s Report That Barr Didn’t Mention
• The Mueller Investigation| FRONTLINE 2019 – Part one goes inside the president’s confrontations with the Department of Justice and the FBI in the early days of the Russia investigation.
• Andrew Laufer, ESQ: The OSC isn’t permanent. This is exactly why Mueller has been passing off matters, like Michael Cohen, to other USAOs. Awfully quiet at Mar-a-Lago this weekend…..
• Shimon Prokupecz: Rick Gates’ case before Judge Amy Berman Jackson will be handed off to the DC US Attorney’s Office, the special counsel’s office said on Saturday. @kpolantz
• Countercheckist: Pay attention, patriots. OSC’s investigation has morphed into an octopus w/ tentacles spanning DC, SDNY, EDNY, EDVA etc etc. This ensures said cases can’t be killed, and doesn’t rest everything on a single court case in a single venue. Relax. Let the process play out.
• Andrew Laufer, ESQ: No. Not at all. Rick Gates is still cooperating on multiple investigations and Mueller has seeded numerous prosecutions with other USAOs, like Michael Cohen, since the OSC isn’t permanent.
• Julia Ainsely: Breaking: @KenDilanianNBC reports that the FBI is prepared to brief the Gang of 8 on the findings of Mueller’s counterintelligence investigation into Trump (i.e. whether the president is under the influence of a foreign power)
• Angry White House Staffer: (I told you we weren’t close to done) Patience, folks. This was always going to be Congress’ job one way or another. I say again: for there to be enough derogatory information in Mueller’s report that Trump’s partisan AG acknowledged no exoneration, there’s way more coming. Reminder: Barr’s summary mentioned NOTHING of CI at all. Other than perhaps alluding to “other cases”
• Christopher Wylie: Whatever this report says, here’s what I know: when I was at Cambridge Analytica, the company hired known Russian agents, had data researchers in St Petersburg, tested US voter opinion on Putin’s leadership, and hired hackers from Russia – all while Bannon was in charge.
• Mmpadellan: There are PLENTY of instances where murderous gangsters and thugs were not convicted because of insufficient evidence. It doesn’t make them innocent. FUN FACT: Al Capone, known gangster and murderer, was convicted of tax evasion. #ReleaseTheFullMuellerReport
• Evidence Suggests Trump Definitely Committed Bank Fraud
• Ex-Trump aide: Hope Hicks threatened to conceal documents on Trump Tower statement
• AOC tweets ‘But his WhatsApp’ at Kushner news. Hillary Clinton responds, ‘Tell me about it’
• Graham encouraged McCain to turn Trump-Russia dossier over to FBI
• Grand jury in Russia probe is ‘continuing robustly’ 
• Let’s not lose sight of the real scandal: Trump was elected with Russia’s help
• Mass Protest Vowed If Demand for Public Release of Mueller Report Not Met 
• Majority in Fox News poll says Trump has tried to interfere in Russia investigation
• Most Americans believe Russia has ‘kompromat’ on Trump 
• Prosecutors left a trail of breadcrumbs about Trump’s finances, and House Democrats are now digging deeper
• Seth Abramson: “What we call the “Trump-Russia” investigation is a web of criminal, counterintelligence, and Congressional investigations… Mueller is part of the “criminal” investigation… And here’s the key: all three of these investigations are ongoing.”
• Why so many of President Donald Trump’s aides lied to protect him in Russia investigations
• Forget Mueller. Forget Impeachment. A Million People Should Surround the White House and Demand Trump’s Resignation

We still haven’t seen the report, but it’s important to remember that there is a ton of other work going on.  Including the grand jury investigating Russia, multiple states investigating the Inaugural Committee, 4 or 5 Congressional investigations, and enough work in the state of New York to drown Trump and his family for decades.

 

Supreme Court

• Supreme Court rejects foreign company’s bid to review Mueller subpoena
• U.S. top court rebuffs mystery company in Mueller subpoena fight
• Steve Herman: #SCOTUS refuses to hear a bid by an unidentified company owned by a foreign government to contest a grand jury subpoena related to the special counsel’s investigation.
• Brad Heath: The Supreme Court said today it won’t hear the case of a mystery company, owned by a mystery country, challenging a subpoena from Mueller’s grand jury.
• Adrienne Cobb: SCOTUS will not consider overturning the appeal of the mystery company fighting a grand jury subpoena. This means the company will continue to be fined $50k a day until it complies with the subpoena.

 

CONGRESS

• Kyle Griffin: Judiciary Committee member Ted Lieu tells @MSNBC that House Democrats have sent document preservation letters to the Justice Department to make sure that all of Robert Mueller’s work is preserved.
• Waters: Deutsche Bank providing Trump financial records for House probe
• Deutsche Bank Providing Donald Trump Financial Records as Investigations Continue after Mueller Report
• Deutsche Bank turns over records on Donald Trump’s business to Maxine Waters’ committee 
• Elijah Cummings Seeks 10 Years of Trump’s Financial Records 
• Elijah Cummings: The White House hasn’t turned over a single piece of paper to my committee
• Cummings: We could be headed toward constitutional crisis
• House Oversight Committee requests 10 years’ worth of Trump’s financial records to answer questions raised by Michael Cohen’s testimony
• Nadler: DOJ withholding underlying evidence of Mueller report would be ‘equivalent to a cover up’
• Nadler: Trump Has No Right To Executive Privilege Over ‘Evidence Of Wrongdoing’
• Democrats are ‘absolutely’ willing to go to the Supreme Court if full Mueller report is not released, Nadler says
• Schiff brushes off calls for resignation: ‘I am more than used to attacks by my GOP colleagues’
• Schiff defiant: ‘Undoubtedly, there is collusion’ 
• Whether Trump Obstructed Justice Isn’t the Attorney General’s Call to Make. It’s Congress’ Decision.
• Ocasio-Cortez mocks Sen. Mike Lee: ‘If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything’
• Sanders, Pelosi, Ocasio-Cortez hang transgender pride flags in Congress
• Senate Democrats push to match House’s ethics and election reforms

 

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

• FBI releases documents on Trump Organization after years of resistance
• As Mueller Report Lands, Prosecutorial Focus Moves to New York 
• Greg Olear: “Reports…about Trump’s son Don Jr. being aware he was ‘going to be indicted’…have been floating for weeks. No report indicated that it was only going to be Mueller to indict him…state charges were always the only alternative guaranteeing justice would be served….”
• Line crossed: Three SDNY chiefs say Trump can be indicted
• Lawyer Who Bested Roy Cohn Tapped for Big Gig in SDNY
• ‘We know how to do this better than anybody’: Southern District of NY on the job after Mueller probe ends
• Federal Prosecutors in California Are Now Looking Into Trump’s Inaugural Committee
• “She Was Not Involved”: E-mails Show Ivanka’s Lawyer Asked for changes to Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony 

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A INDIVIDUAL-1

• Caroline Orr: Speaking to reporters moments ago, Trump called the Mueller report a “complete and total exoneration.” The report literally says: “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
• Walt Shaub: Yesterday, Trump claimed Mueller’s report exonerated him totally and completely, found no wrongdoing whatsoever, held him and his team entirely blameless. Today, Trump and McConnell are doing all they can to hide that report from you.
• Trump Aided and Abetted Russia’s Attack. That Was Treachery. Full Stop.
• Trump: Mueller Probe ‘Would Not Have Happened’ If Barr Had Been AG Then
• Trump Accuses FBI Officials Who Investigated Him of Treason
• Trump administration asks court to completely invalidate Obama’s Affordable Care Act
• Trump Could Be ‘Useful Idiot’ Who Has Been Victim Of ‘Greatest Collection Of Coincidences,’ Congressman Suggests
• Trump Fed Pick Stephen Moore Owes $75,000 to IRS, Court Document Says 
• Trump Is Bullying the Media Into Falsely Exonerating His Russia Corruption
• Trump ‘Pathologically Incapable Of Telling The Truth.’ Schiff Says Mueller Shouldn’t Have Accepted Written Response From President
• Trump rips McCain, says he gave Steele dossier to FBI for ‘very evil purposes’
• Trump said “he trusted an ex-KGB agent” over FBI and “lied” about “connections with Russia,” MSNBC’s Scarborough reminds viewers 
• Trump surprises Republicans — and pleases Democrats — with push to revive health-care battle
• Trump wants to give 62 cents of every dollar to the military. That’s immoral
• Kid Rock and “down to earth” Donald Trump enjoy Florida golf resort trip that probably cost taxpayers millions
• Trump won with illicit help. He abused his power. His AG is blocking a full reckoning.
• With Mueller gone, can Trump pursue his dream of a Russian reset?
• With Mueller’s probe finished, Trump faces question of whether to pardon aides caught up in it
• Donald Trump is very committed to taking away your health insurance 

 

TRAITOR TOTS

• Graham delivers laughs — and loyalty — at Mar-a-Lago dinner
• Bill Kristol: “Graham did not mention Trump’s repeated criticism of his longtime friend, the late Sen. John McCain.” I hope when each of us is gone our longtime friends will not to be too timid to defend our honor in the presence of our enemies.
• Jon Cooper: BREAKING: GOP Rep. Devin Nunes paid $148,979 to a political consultant who’s worked for candidates and political parties in Russia. This same consultant was also in Russia in 2016, and appeared on the Russia Today propaganda network in July of 2017. Uncovered by @TheDemCoalition.
• Betsy DeVos Took Money From the Special Olympics to Enrich Herself 
• Five Trump trips to Mar-a-Lago would cover Betsy Devos’s proposed Special Olympics cuts 
• ‘Shame On You’: Betsy DeVos Slammed For Trying To Defund Special Olympics 
• Big Show passionately rips Betsy DeVos apart for her Special Olympics budget cut
• Devin Nunes Event Axed After Planned ‘Cattle Call’ Protest To Honor Cow Twitter Account
• Kellyanne Conway is no ‘badass’ – and she’s certainly no feminist

 

CULT 45

• Amy Walter: The Benghazi report/FBI report on the email server did not exonerate Hillary Clinton in the minds of many Rs (‘lock her up’)including Trump. Why would anyone expect that the Mueller report would or should do so for Trump?

 

FIGHTING BACK

• Julia Ainsley:People are asking about reading the Barr letter while this guy carried on in the background. Yes it was aggravating, but the same rights that protect his behavior also protect my right to deliver the news. As long as they stay peaceful, I have no problem with protesters. 
• Opinion | George Conway: Trump is guilty — of being unfit for office
• Ralph Nader: Americans Should Be Demanding Trump’s Resignation
• Dear Colleague: The American People Have a Right to the Truth, The Watchword is Transparency
• Democrats largely give up on impeachment in wake of Mueller report
• Warren reintroduces bill requiring presidential divestment
• We need to stop giving Trump a pass on his ignorance

 

PUERTO RICO

• ‘Enough with the insults’: Puerto Rico’s governor says Trump won’t meet about Hurricane Maria recovery
• Puerto Rico faces food-stamp crisis as Trump privately vents about federal aid to Hurricane Maria-battered island
• Trump complains to senators that Puerto Rico is getting too much hurricane relief funding
• Trump says hurricane-hit Puerto Rico has received too much aid 

 

EMERGENCIES, SHUTDOWN, & IMMIGRATION

• House fails to override Trump veto on southern border emergency
• Pentagon announces $1 billion transfer for border barriers, angering Democrats
• Trump says barbed wire ‘can be a beautiful sight.’ Many border communities disagree 
• House Armed Services chairman denies $1 billion transfer for Trump wall 
• Thousands of Immigrant Children Said They Were Sexually Abused in U.S. Detention Centers, Report Says 
• Man stopped by ICE uses “know your rights” training, prevents immigrants’ arrest
• U.S. has hit ‘breaking point’ at border amid immigration surge, Customs and Border Protection commissioner says
• Gay, transgender detainees allege abuse at ICE facility in New Mexico
• ‘This is not Mexico’: Texas official criticizes county judge for speaking Spanish
• After a fight with Hispanic men, he shot the first Hispanic man he saw, police say. His victim was a cop.
• Facebook Bans White Nationalism and White Separatism
• Facebook says it will now block white-nationalist, white-separatist posts

 

RACISM, RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

• Man who toppled over 100 headstones at Jewish cemetery in St. Louis sentenced to 3 years probation – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
• Mali violence: Men disguised as hunters kill at least 134 Muslim farmers
• Undercounting hate: FBI will not report its hate crime numbers again this year as required by law
• Neo-Nazi sympathizer pleads guilty to federal hate crimes for plowing car into crowd of protesters at ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville
• Omar: White supremacist attacks are rising because Trump publicly says ‘Islam hates us’
• Self-professed neo-Nazi who drove into Charlottesville crowd pleads guilty to federal hate crimes
• U.S.’s biggest Christian charity reportedly channeled $56.1 million to purported hate groups
• GOP congressman quotes Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ to slam Trump’s adversaries as liars
• Charlottesville students walk out of class after racist threat closed schools
• Omar requests ‘accountability’ for GOP lawmaker who quoted Hitler on House floor
• Rep. Omar: Gay Conversion Therapy Is ‘Torture’
• The untold story of Roseanne Barr’s explosive tweet — and what came next

 

SCOTUS & COURTS

• Steve Herman: #SCOTUS refuses to hear a bid by an unidentified company owned by a foreign government to contest a grand jury subpoena related to the special counsel’s investigation.
• Brad Heath: The Supreme Court said today it won’t hear the case of a mystery company, owned by a mystery country, challenging a subpoena from Mueller’s grand jury.
• Adrienne Cobb: SCOTUS will not consider overturning the appeal of the mystery company fighting a grand jury subpoena. This means the company will continue to be fined $50k a day until it complies with the subpoena.
• North Carolina GOP Bragged About Gerrymandering. It Still May Not Be Enough To Convince SCOTUS. 
• The Supreme Court is seizing power from the presidency because Donald Trump is stupid
• The U.S. Deserves Its Own Nuremberg Trials
• Judge blocks Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky, Arkansas

 

#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Epstein

• Judge overseeing key Jeffrey Epstein-related suit dies
• Lincoln’s Bible: Fresh hell. Judge overseeing key Jeffrey Epstein-related suit dies https://politi.co/2TXOdqZ via @politico

 

• Why NASA’s historic all-female spacewalk isn’t happening
• Women who say they were sickened by breast implants demand FDA action: ‘I was not warned.’
• FDA wants women to get breast-density information along with mammogram
• Women need better information on breast implants, panel says
• Teen boys rated their female classmates based on looks. The girls fought back.

 

COLD WAR 2.0

• Garry Kasparov: The private-state nature of corrupt criminal dictatorships like Putin’s Russia confounds law enforcement the way hybrid war confounds traditional military response.
• Thread by @Kasparov63: “The private-state nature of corrupt criminal dictatorships like Putin’s Russia confounds law enforcement the way hybrid war confounds tradit […]”
• Travis Atkins died smothering a suicide bomber’s blast in Iraq. Now he’ll receive the Medal of Honor.
• Assad loyalists are turning on Syria’s government as living standards deteriorate
• Egyptian singer banned after claiming lack of free speech
• In Ukraine’s bizarre presidential race, one long-shot candidate is looking for a spouse
• John Brennan: North Korea ‘Duped’ Trump Into ‘Mindlessly’ Quashing Sanctions

 

BREXIT

• Brexit: Theresa May bows to pressure and suggests she will resign if her deal passes
• No majority for any of Brexit options
• ‘One million people’ on march to demand second EU referendum
• Theresa May says she will resign as prime minister after she ‘delivers Brexit’

 

#NEVERAGAIN

Parkland

• Parkland student dies in ‘apparent suicide’, police say
• David Hogg: How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything? Rip 17+2 🧡😭
• Shannon Watts: The aftershocks of the Parkland shooting tragedy continue to reverberate throughout the community, and the death toll from that day is still rising more than a year later. Today is the one-year anniversary of the March for Our Lives. Congress owes it to our children to ACT.
• Starving for attention in order to stop gun violence | Opinion
• Emma Gonzalez: Please give this article a few moments of your time, the Hunger 9 in our own Liberty City is doing a hunger strike to bring attention to the gun violence they face
• David Hogg: Stop saying “you’ll get over it.” You don’t get over something that never should have happened because those that die from gun violence are stolen from us not naturally lost. Trauma and loss don’t just go away, you have to learn to live with it through getting support. Also putting a msd strong sticker on everything and acting like everything is fine while everyone is in pain yet no one is talking about it is not how we stop this.
• ‘Heartbreaking’: Sandy Hook Father Dies in Apparent Suicide
• Three tragic deaths reverberate across U.S. amid steady rise in suicides
• No guns for teachers, American educators say, demand mental health resources instead
• Study suggests mass shootings can inadvertently promote the idea of using guns to empower oneself

 

NRA Australia Interference

• 911corlebra777: The PM has spoken. One Nation repeatedly met with NRA officials & Koch industries officials.I don’t know what US law covers the American side, but the fact they agreed to meetings with One Nation, a far right political party, is horrific
• Scott Morrison: Reports that senior One Nation officials courted foreign political donations from the US gun lobby to influence our elections & undermine our gun laws that keep us safe are deeply concerning. Australia’s gun laws are world’s best thanks to John Howard & we will not be changing them. Thankfully our Gov has also made laws to criminalise taking foreign political donations so foreign lobbyists cannot seek to influence our politics. It took a Coalition Gov to do both.

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

• Facebook Bans White Nationalism and White Separatism
• Facebook says it will now block white-nationalist, white-separatist posts
• How Microsoft found a Huawei driver that opened systems to attack
• Bill That Would Restore Net Neutrality Moves Forward Despite Telecom’s Best Efforts to Kill it
• Spam has taken over our phones. Will we ever want to answer them again?

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

• Adrienne Cobb: Yet again, the GOP and Russia are pushing the same narrative
• Julia Davis: Even before seeing the #MuellerReport, the Russians are triumphant, believing that the Special Counsel’s investigation “against #Russia and Trump” did not yield any evidence of “collusion.”
• Trump ramps up attacks on the media following Mueller report summary
• Trump’s campaign asks networks to ban guests who’ve made misleading claims. Uh, guys?
• ‘I am pissed off’: Hannity and other Fox News hosts rage at Democrats, media over Mueller report
• Rudy Giuliani Falsely Claims Robert Mueller Was Paid $30 Million for Probe, Fox News’ Sean Hannity Doesn’t Correct Him

 

737

• Boeing and FAA near completion of 737 Max 8 flight control system overhaul
• Flight cancellations mount as FAA keeps Boeing 737 Max planes grounded
• They didn’t buy the DLC: feature that could’ve prevented 737 crashes was sold as an option
• Boeing rejects calls for broader oversight of flight safety Global aviation industry converges on Renton, Wash., as Boeing details 737 Max software fix
• Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max makes emergency landing in Orlando
• Global aviation industry converges on Renton, Wash., as Boeing details 737 Max software fix

 

TRADE WAR, HEALTH CARE, & ECONOMY

• As more museums say no to Sackler donations, family trust halts its giving
• As opioid crisis explodes, few youths get drug treatment — especially youths of color
• How Billionaires Are Using Hate to Divide Us – The only way to deal with them is with solidarity 
• GoFundMe CEO Says His Site Has Revealed Massive Problems With US Healthcare 
• ‘Jesus Christ himself isn’t worth 500 times his median workers’ pay’: Disney heiress criticizes CEOs for high salaries
• Leaked Audio Exposes Oil & Gas Execs Laughing With Joy Over Cozy Access to Trump Officials 
• Massive charges $227,000 haunt woman after emergency, out-of-network OHSU stay for heart attack 
• Purdue Pharma, state of Oklahoma reach settlement in landmark opioid lawsuit
• Trump’s ‘economic illiteracy’ caused the US-China trade war, says professor 
• Trump’s tariffs are costing Americans $1.4 billion each month
• U.S. Posts The Biggest Monthly Budget Deficit In American History 
• We Already Spend More Than Medicare for All Would Cost Us 
• Sanders: ‘You’re damn right’ health insurance companies should be eliminated
• House GOP leader McCarthy sought to deter Trump from pursuing destruction of Obamacare
• Elizabeth Warren comes out in support of a national right-to-repair law for farm equipment 
• Analysis | Ocasio-Cortez’s righteous — and accurate — anger about poverty and the environment

 

STUDENT ISSUES

• Yale rescinds admission of student linked to scandal involving soccer coach
• David Hogg: It’s crazy how the bathrooms in Congress literally look better than almost every classroom in the United States.
• Report: U.S. government wasted up to $1 billion on charter schools and still fails to adequately monitor grants

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

• ‘WTF Is Wrong With Them’: Republicans Horrified as Trump Goes After Obamacare Again 
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Removing Trump Won’t Fix Problem With GOP Or ‘Dark Money That Funded Him’
• America’s Corruption Is a National Security Threat
• Barbara Bush failed to grasp how the Bushes helped pave the way for Trump 

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Avenatti Charged

• Michael Avenatti is accused of trying to extort Nike
• Attorney Michael Avenatti charged with extortion by federal prosecutors in New York
• PostimusMaximus: Avenatti is totally helpful and going to become President though guys. Reddit told me so!
• He’s defended Michael Jackson and Colin Kaepernick. Now Mark Geragos is tangled up with the Avenatti case.

 

• A brutal attack almost killed her husband. It transformed Abby Maslin into a different person.
• Charges dropped against ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of lying about a hate-crime attack, his attorney says
• Why prosecutors dismissed the charges against Jussie Smollett
• Duke settles research misconduct case, agrees to pay U.S. government $112.5 million
• An unsolved homicide haunted a city for decades. Officials say the killer was there all along.

 

PRIESTS & RELIGION

• Joel Osteen’s protégé says the devil is trying to ‘mute’ him after his mistress releases suggestive voicemails
• A Secret Database of Child Abuse
• What caused the clergy sex abuse crisis? Catholic universities are pushing for debate on the answer.

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

• Why NASA’s historic all-female spacewalk isn’t happening
• Women who say they were sickened by breast implants demand FDA action: ‘I was not warned.’
• A cruise ship sailed into an intense cyclone. These warning signs showed trouble was brewing at sea.
• Hangover-free alcohol could be available in just a few years
• How 3-D Printing Could Break into the Building Industry
• In blow to climate, coal plants emitted more than ever in 2018
• In the 1970s, the U.S. Army went to war with an unlikely foe: Starlings
• This anxiety-inducing fitness test purports to tell you how long you’ll live. We investigated.
• Welcome to Babcock Ranch, the Sunshine State’s first solar-powered town
• Florida neighborhood besieged by thousands of poisonous toads ‘covering every square inch’
• Male Birth Control Pill Passes Human Safety Tests
• A helicopter landed in a California poppy field during the super bloom, and officials are furious
• A senator’s argument against the Green New Deal: A machine gun-toting Ronald Reagan riding a velociraptor
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Tears Into Republicans Painting Green New Deal as “Elitist” – “Tell that to the kids in the south Bronx…tell that to the families in Flint.” 
• An HIV treatment cost taxpayers millions. The government patented it. But a pharma giant is making billions.
• Butterflies were symbols of rebirth. Then they started disappearing.
• Senate defeats Green New Deal, as Democrats call vote a ‘sham’
• The White House And Federal Scientists Are Pushing The Myth That Marijuana Is Laced With Fentanyl 
• He won the lottery 14 times using math. But his biggest jackpot still came down to luck.

 

ELECTIONS

• Florida agreed to let felons vote. Now Republicans are trying to limit who is eligible.
• It’s Time to Kill the Electoral College, One of America’s Original Sins 
• Poll: Voters prefer popular vote over Electoral College 
• Majority of Americans support getting rid of the Electoral College 
• North Carolina GOP Bragged About Gerrymandering. It Still May Not Be Enough To Convince SCOTUS. 
• Obama cautions freshman House Democrats about the price tag of liberal policies
• Voter Turnout Is Surging — And Mitch McConnell Is Terrified

 

THINKING AHEAD

• New Fox News Poll Has Biden Unseating Trump
• Denzican Grimes: Friendly reminder that in 2020, the Senate seats of Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell are up for grabs. Voting out Trump, Graham and McConnell in the same year would be wonderful.
• Report: Election administration failures affected 278000 voters in Texas in 2018. That is larger than the margin of Cruz over Beto.
• Beto calls for nationwide marijuana legalization: ‘Why are we still arresting and jailing people?’ 
• Beto O’Rourke is getting all the attention, but Elizabeth Warren’s economic policy proposals are leading the 2020 pack 
• Buttigieg surges to third place in new Iowa poll 
• Buttigieg: ‘I do not approve’ of Chick-fil-A’s politics, but ‘I kind of approve of their chicken’ 
• Buttigieg: Trump ‘should never have been able to come within cheating distance of the Oval Office’ 
• Openly Gay, Openly Christian Buttigieg Challenges the Religious Right
• Kamala Harris makes a point in Houston: It’s not just O’Rourke and Sanders who can draw crowds
• Elizabeth Warren Says America Should ‘Never Elect A Man Like Donald Trump Again’
• Elizabeth Warren says she doesn’t trust William Barr’s judgment on Donald Trump, Mueller report obstruction decision 
• Win-win? Trump and 2020 Democrats both argue the end of the Mueller probe offers advantages.
• 2020 Democrats Are Calling for Abolishing the Electoral College—It Nearly Happened a Few Decades Ago 
• Joe Biden on Anita Hill: ‘To this day, I regret I couldn’t come up with a way to get her the kind of hearing she deserved’
• Stacey Abrams predicts female or minority candidate will prevail as Democratic presidential nominee

 

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

• NJ approves bill allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives
• Veterans talking veterans back from the brink: A new approach to policing and lives in crisis
• Kliff Kingsbury plans to give Cardinals ‘cellphone breaks’ because they need ‘that social media fix’

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

• Apple auditions for Hollywood: The making of a streaming service
• Apple’s ‘show time’ event puts the spotlight on subscription services
• Looking for Cinderella? Check out Anteaters and the South
• Review | Apple now wants to be your cable provider, newsstand, credit card and arcade. But will it save you money?
• The Rapper And The Billionaire: How Ice Cube And Jeweler Carolyn Rafaelian Got Together To Bid For A $10 Billion Chunk Of Disney
• What is ‘Us’ about? Winston Duke is ready to tell you.
• Review | ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ finds a little life left in the mockumentary format
• Review | Ariana Grande reached the height of her fame by making heavy feel light

 

RUMOR MILL

• Eric Garland: The gaslighting will increase. Defy it. The truth about treason is in front of everyone’s face. THREAD.
• Greg Olear: I’m not gonna lie: with the possible exception of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, yesterday was the worst I’ve felt since Election Day 2016. I barely slept, tossing & turning & doubting my own sanity. Which is EXACTLY what these traitors want. Some thoughts: [THREAD]

I’m not gonna lie: with the possible exception of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, yesterday was the worst I’ve felt since Election Day 2016. I barely slept, tossing & turning & doubting my own sanity. Which is EXACTLY what these traitors want. Some thoughts: [THREAD]

1/ Obvious: Barr’s summary is NOT the full report. People much smarter than me pointed out all the strange things about it:

Greg Olear added,

2 Ari Melber notes there is not a single full sentence quote from Mueller. Neal Katyal tore it to pieces on MSNBC. Barb McQuade said “I’ve never seen anything like this before”. Unbelievably, Mueller was not even consulted about the letter. …

2/ The likeliest explanation is that Barr is a bad actor. I mean, he DID write that asinine attack on the OSC, which prompted Trump to hire him. Maybe he really does feel that way. At best, Barr was a very conservative establishment Republican. At worst? He’s a traitor.

3/ Barr’s absolution does not change the facts on the ground. Trump & his minions REALLY DID meet with Russians—many, many, many times—during 2016. If those meetings don’t constitute coordination/conspiracy/collusion, then what do those words even mean?

4/ At the time, Steve Bannon said they couldn’t collude with the GOP in Pennsylvania, let alone the Kremlin. So: Trump’s excuse for all the Russia meetings is that he’s a stupid, disorganized, ineffectual dipshit. If that’s the case, this is almost worse than him colluding.

5/ But let’s look at what Barr asks us to believe…and Mueller, too, if Barr’s summary winds up being delivered in good faith. [Note: there were reports last week of a squabble between Barr & Mueller…now we can guess why].

6/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Trump hired Paul Manafort, well known to him as a Russian mob actor, to run his campaign.

7/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Dimitri Simes, a top FSB agent, recruited Jared Kushner and organized the Mayflower Hotel event of 27 April 2016, so Candidate Trump could meet Sergei Kislyak in person.

8/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Maria Butina, a Russian spy, infiltrated the NRA’s leadership and slept her way through lower-rung GOP.

9/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Junior, Jared & Manafort met at Trump Tower with two Russian agents and a money laundering expert to discuss “adoptions.” (Bonus: IT WASN’T OBSTRUCTION when Junior and Trump both lied about it).

10/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Carter Page, one of Trump’s foreign policy advisers, spoke at the New Economic School in Moscow, meeting with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister (!) and the CEO of Rosneft (!!).

11/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign chair, shared US polling data with a Russian spy.

12/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Kislyak met with Jeff Sessions, JD Gordon, and Carter Page at the RNC in Cleveland—or when they changed the language in the Republican platform, at Trump’s request, to align the GOP position on Ukraine w/Putin’s own position.

13/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Michael Cohen went to “Prague” (or someplace near there) to pay off Russian hackers.

14/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Jeff Sessions, the first Senator to endorse Trump, met with Kislyak in his Senate offices. IT WASN’T OBSTRUCTION when Sessions lied about this meeting to Congress.

15/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Kushner and Mike Flynn snuck Kislyak into Trump Tower for a secret meeting, and IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Kush suggested having a backchannel through the Russian embassy, so Trump & Putin could communicate privately.

16/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when a big-wig at a Qatari shell company met with Trump, Flynn, and Cohen at Trump Tower, in the wake of the Rosneft deal mentioned in the Steele dossier. (Qatar helped facilitate the deal w/the Russian company).

17/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Kushner met Sergei Gorkov, VEB president, at Newark Airport in December 2016, even though VEB was on the sanctions list. IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Gorkov left the meeting and flew directly to Putin to report back.

18/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Erik Prince and Elliott Broidy, shadow reps of Trump, met with a Russian wealth fund manager in the Seychelles.

19/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Cohen and Felix Sater met with a Putin agent at the Loews Regency in NYC in January 2017 to negotiate the lifting of sanctions.

20/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION OR OBSTRUCTION when Trump met with Kislyak and Sergei Lavrov, the chief FSB spy in the US, in the Oval Office the day after he fired James Comey for Russia-related reasons—and at Kushner’s urging.

21/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Roger Stone coordinated with WikiLeaks, a Russian intelligence cut-out, to help Trump in the election. Junior and Senior Trump extolling WikiLeaks was also not coordination.

22/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when the Trump campaign worked with Cambridge Analytica (#CamAnal) to sabotage the election. Or when Trump ordered Bannon to bring Brittany Kaiser from Cambridge Analytica to the US immediately (h/t @TomJChicago).

23/ IT WASN’T COORDINATION when Trump went on TV and begged Russia to hack HRC’s emails.

24/ The obstruction examples are even MORE egregious, and I won’t bother with them here.

25/ Any document, whether authored by Barr, Mueller, or the reincarnated spirit of Otto von Bismarck, can’t JUST tell us there wasn’t coordination. It MUST explain why ALL of these examples listed here ARE NOT coordination. If it can’t, it’s just Vichy PR.

26/ The bad guys are going to gloat today. It’s going to be awful. It’s going to make you want to vomit. Try not to take it in. Try to ignore it.

This is NOT over, no way, no how. The traitors WILL pay for their crimes. SDNY, EDVA and the NY AG are ready to roll. OSC still has Stone, Gates, Flynn to handle. Justice deferred is still justice. WE SHALL PREVAIL. [END]

• Thread by @gregolear: “I’m not gonna lie: with the possible exception of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, yesterday was the worst I’ve felt since Election Day 2016. I bar […]” #CamAnal
• Truth Takes Time
• Alias Vaughn: I finally wrote my 1st piece on the Mueller investigation. This should have happened months ago, but the tragedy of my mother’s cancer and her passing prevented me from posting on my page on The Maven, a great site I’ve been cooperating with. I now start.
• Tea Pain: “We all assumed Bob Mueller would swoop in, carpet-bomb the Trump Treason Team with dozens of indictments, mount his trusty steed “Justice,” and ride off into the sunset.”
• Post | Tea Pain USA | @TeaPainUSA | All aboard the Tea Pain Train!
• PostimusMaximus: Its pointless to argue with people acting in bad faith online, but its important to keep making something clear : Everything that was reported by actual news outlets, and by the indictments, still happened. So regardless of what @ggreenwald ‘s dumb ass wants to say, it matters.
• Ming: I only concede that I have not worked hard enough. Trump and the foreign influence that birthed and sustains him must go.
• Tea Pain: Republican snowflakes are demandin’ we apologize to Trump, so here goes…. “Donald Trump, we are truly sorry the interactions with the Russians you lied about don’t amount to criminal conspiracy.”

 

That’s it for the last few days.  More like the past week.  Like I said in my last post, I’ve got my hands full dealing with some family issues.  I hope to get back to a somewhat regular schedule soon, but we’ll have to see how things go.  My father had a massive stroke at some point last week.  I don’t want to go into too many details now, but there’s a lot that I have to deal with.  My brother and I have to take over his finances and care, but he sure as shit didn’t set himself up for success.  I would like to thank everyone that has reached out and offered to help.  Where and whenever possible, I’ll take it.

As much as I’d like to promise to get back to daily updates, I can’t.  Not only do I not promise anything, I also know that there’s so much on my plate now that I have to take some time off here and there to get caught up with those issues.  For example, I now have to take care of his budget while handling mine, and I have to do it while keeping all funds separate.  I don’t want to accidentally pay one of his bills from my account then get put on the hook for it.

It also makes me realize how much I need to do and set up for my family.  If something happens to me, I need to make sure they’re taken care of.  Nothing is promised to us but the here and now.  Tomorrow is just a promise that will one day be broken.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen on any front.  I feel like I’ve missed the last big game with an injury.  I know I could have and should be on the line fighting this battle, but I just can’t stay focused for too long.  It probably also doesn’t help that in the last week I’ve had maybe 4 hours of downtime combined.  I’ve also spent a lot of time on a new subreddit, /r/raisedbynarcissists.  It’s helping me cope with a lot fo stuff I’ve gone through and am going through right now.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur