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Trump Threatens to Withhold Payments to Insurers to Press Democrats on Health Bill
‘Democrats will start calling me’ if turmoil hits insurance markets, President Donald Trump tells The Wall Street Journal
By Gerard Baker,
Michael C. Bender and
Carol E. Lee
Updated April 12, 2017 5:06 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—Almost three weeks after canceling a vote on his health-care package over infighting among his fellow Republicans and the opposition of the Democrats, President Donald Trump dug back into the fight on Wednesday, threatening to withhold payments to insurers to force Democrats to the negotiating table.
If you need to see the rest of this .. go use your friend .. ;)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-threatens-to-withhold-payments-to-insurers-to-press-democrats-on-health-bill-1492029844
Obama 2004
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bill O'Reilly is taking a vacation from his Fox News Channel show amid sponsor defections triggered by sexual harassment allegations.
Announcing the break at the end of Tuesday's show, O'Reilly made a point of saying it was planned and long in the works. He said he will return April 24.
Around this time of year, "I grab some vacation, because it's spring and Easter time. Last fall, I booked a trip that should be terrific," he said.
His vacation announcement comes as about 60 companies said they won't advertise on his show. The exodus followed a recent report in The New York Times that five women were paid a total of $13 million to keep quiet about harassment allegations.
Fox Watcher Gabriel Sherman reports that James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch, hopes to make the vacation a permanent one.
James Murdoch wants O'Reilly taken off the air for good, 2 sources say https://t.co/QSWNAd9ZkY
— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) April 12, 2017
more -
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/o-reilly-announces-vacation-amidst-sponsor-backlash
Wash. Post Doesn’t Disclose Writer Supporting Syria Strike Is A Lobbyist For Tomahawk Missile Manufacturer
Blog ››› 5 hours 10 min ago ››› ERIC HANANOKI
The Washington Post is allowing writer Ed Rogers to push for and praise military action against Syria without disclosing that he’s a lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon, which makes the Tomahawk missiles used in the recent strike.
Rogers is a contributor to The Washington Post’s PostPartisan blog, where he wrote an April 8 piece praising President Donald Trump for authorizing the launch of 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airbase that reportedly housed warplanes that carried out chemical attacks against civilians.
In the piece -- headlined “Could it be? Is President Trump on a roll?” -- Rogers wrote that Trump “received bipartisan support for his military strike in Syria,” and added that the fact Trump “launched an attack against Syria while his Chinese counterpart was present and able to witness the aftermath in the media was a powerful stroke of good luck for the White House. In case Xi needed any reminding of just how serious Trump may be about taking action in North Korea, the Syria attack couldn’t have been a better example or come at a better time.”
Rogers previously criticized President Obama for failing to intervene in Syria in a December 19, 2016, Post piece. He wrote: “As troubling as it is that Obama and the Democrats allowed the Russians to interfere in the election and engage in cyberwarfare without any ramifications, we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, it is the Obama administration that has capitulated to Iran at every turn and stood by as Syrian government forces, facilitated by the Russians, slaughtered hundreds of thousands in Syria. Now more than ever, it is clear it is time for an urgent change in our foreign policy. Obama and his team cannot leave office soon enough.”
The Post did not disclose that Rogers and his firm, BGR Group, lobbies on behalf of Raytheon, which manufactures the million-dollar Tomahawk missiles. BGR received $120,000 in 2016 for lobbying on “Defense and communications procurement; Defense appropriations and authorizations,” according to its lobbying disclosure reports (see quarters 1, 2, 3, and 4). Rogers is listed as a lobbyist in those forms. BGR is one of the country's largest lobbying firms, taking in nearly $17 million in reported lobbying income last year.
Rogers isn’t the only commentator to hide conflicts of interest in recent pro-strike punditry. Media Matters has documented that Fox News failed to disclose that military analyst Jack Keane is on the board of directors of General Dynamics, which produces material used in the launching of Tomahawk missiles.
Media Matters previously noted that the Post has allowed Rogers to use his column space to advocate for his clients’ interests, including on climate policies. In late 2015, the paper finally added a note about his specific work in the fossil fuel industry. At the very least, it needs to do it again regarding his financial ties to Raytheon.
Go pick up the embedded links, if interested.. here
https://mediamatters.org/blog/2017/04/11/wash-post-doesn-t-disclose-writer-supporting-syria-strike-lobbyist-tomahawk-missile-manufacturer/215976
I Have a hard time believing that the bible had anything to do with a president ..bound and determined to take us to war with a country that did not attack us. We lost many men and women because of that stupid decision and still at it ... anyway, my point is the fighting is still going on .. we're still there and they are still there .. .. so bibles and qurans ? I don't think so ... it's more like the nature of 'man' always wanting more -more power...
And you think "the Quran" had something to do with 911?
he is also calling Russia OUT ! .. Although officials acknowledged that they have seen no evidence directly linking Russia to the attacks, national security adviser H.R. McMaster said that Russia should be pressed to answer what it knew ahead of the chemical attack since it has positioned warplanes and air defense systems with associated troops in Syria since 2015.
“I think what we should do is ask Russia, how could it be, if you have advisers at that airfield, that you didn’t know that the Syrian air force was preparing and executing a mass murder attack with chemical weapons?” McMaster said on Fox News.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-officials-tell-russia-to-drop-its-support-for-syrias-assad/
along with Tillerson of course
it seems he would have to give you a 'freelance answer' .... and he likes parroting the Koran... so good luck....
Also I believe that McMaster is the man who told trump to stop calling it __________ whatever that was, I can't remember right now ... but he like us we just don't go for it ... neither did Mr. Bush .... certainly not Obama ... no educated gentlemen goes for that kind of talk .. AND most of all it shows the ignorance of the person who uses that type of language .. it seems they do not know that terrorists kill more Muslims than any other people ...
all though I see .. how daesh is rather disgusted with 'sisi' and I don't blame them, the asshole! ... they know how to kill just as good as Al Sisi of Egypt .. . he could have met his match or at least a huge problem ..............that he can't kill his way out of of and that would be a first for him
Why is Matt Taibbi Attempting to Undermine the Russiagate Investigation? -
Rolling Stone's legendary journalist Matt Taibbi has straddled a bizarre fence on the Russiagate investigation, taking
a deeply cautious, wishy-washy position. It's unclear as to why, says Bob Cesca, but it is deeply troubling.
by Bob Cesca
I'm old enough to remember 2013 when the song of the Summer was Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and the news story of the Summer was the endless buffet of NSA PowerPoint documents leaked to reporters by Edward Snowden.
At the time, the crowd of journalists orbiting Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, the primary duo of reporters linked to Snowden, spent most of that year shaking their fists at the U.S. intelligence community, along with Eric Holder and Barack Obama for their part in pursuing Snowden for extradition back to the states. The story unfolded in much the same way as today's Russiagate reporting, with details being uncovered day by day, article by article. One of the big differences between then and now, however, was that the Snowden reporting was confined to whomever was deemed worthy by Greenwald and Poitras -- only a select few journalists were privy to the documents, but it's also safe to assume that Russian intelligence had a copy of everything, too, at least in encrypted form.
Despite the limited number of reporters with Snowden documents in hand, the story launched a million think-pieces, speculative blog posts and more than a few others with new information to lend context to the leaks.
Russiagate, on the other hand, is completely open-source, and the reporting surrounding the Russia/Trump story isn't nearly as limited. The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC News, Buzzfeed, McClatchy, Bloomberg, the BBC, ProPublica and many others are doing extensive and unique reporting on the criminal links between the Trump team and Russian intelligence, not to mention Russian oligarchs and Putin himself. The point being: most publications, while keeping their eyes on the competition, are operating independently of a central source like Snowden. The de-centralized nature of the reporting means it's less likely to be a product of a single ideology, not like the Snowden reporting, which was limited to reporters who were mostly advocating for Snowden himself -- Greenwald especially, who served as Snowden's de-facto media flack and chief spokesperson in the western press.
The point about the independent nature of the journalism occurring around the Russia story appears to have been lost on Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi. A former resident of Russia himself, Taibbi is known for his sharp and fearless commentary on politics and American culture. He's the closest reporter we have to the late Hunter S. Thompson, though Taibbi is no HST. Comparisons aside, Taibbi is famous chiefly because he doesn't pull any punches.
Except on the Russia story, that is.
For some reason.
From the beginning, Taibbi has straddled a bizarre fence on this one, taking a deeply cautious, wishy-washy position. It's unclear as to why, exactly, though there's plenty of room for speculation. It could be because he operates, at least partly, in the Greenwald orbit, with plenty of reader overlap. I have no idea what his motivation might be. It's quite unlike Taibbi to be so noncommittal on any story, much less a story in which Donald Trump, the subject of Taibbi's latest book, is implicated in a scandal that makes Watergate look like jaywalking. It's a scandal that, even if it's only halfway accurate, completely undermines whatever integrity remains in our electoral process, with Vladimir Putin very likely manipulating voters to do his bidding.
And yet Taibbi's latest, "Putin Derangement Syndrome Arrives," continues to foment doubt on the story. Worse, he attempts to cast as loony conspiracy theorists anyone with concerns about Putin's well-documented human rights atrocities, not to mention Putin's unprecedented hacking of our campaign politics (or am I just being deranged?). In fact, we're not just tagged as conspiracy theorists; Taibbi went so far as to compare us to self-proclaimed mad prophets like Glenn Beck during the former Fox News host's bug-eyed chalkboard phase back in 2009-10.
At some point months ago there was a possibility that Russiagate could've been debunked, or it could've faded away without any new or startling details. If this had been the case, I might be inclined to agree with nearsighted deniers like Taibbi. But the exact opposite has happened. Not only have new publications joined the investigation, further nailing down the veracity of the claims through journalistic peer review, but new and increasingly explosive details have emerged -- each story one-upping the previous story.
Hell, this week alone we learned that Russian spies recruited a high profile Trump adviser [ https://www.buzzfeed.com/alimwatkins/a-former-trump-adviser-met-with-a-russian-spy?utm_term=.giPmQbqLD#.wcd3PYGaR ] as a point of contact here. Known in government intercepts as "Male-1," this Trump adviser is on record as having unwittingly teamed up with Victor Podobnyy and Igor Sporyshev, according to Buzzfeed's Ali Watkins, in order to provide assistance on sanctions and energy development. "Male-1," it turns out, is former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page, who's already admitted to meeting with Sergey Kislyak during the Republican National Convention where the Trump team successfully lobbied the party to soften the platform plank on -- you guessed it -- Russian sanctions.
More deranged speculation similar to Glenn Beck's kooky chalkboard? Perhaps -- if Page hadn't literally confirmed to Watkins that he is, in fact, the "Male-1" character noted in the government transcripts. Which he did. For the article. In other words, yes, Page confessed to being "Male-1" and was therefore in cahoots with Russian spies.
Meanwhile, we know for a fact -- again, literally -- that Paul Manafort and Rex Tillerson have extensive financial ties to Russian oligarchs and Putin himself. We know that Betsy DeVos is the sister of Blackwater chief Erik Prince, who tried to set up a backchannel on Syria with the Russians on behalf of the Trump team. We absolutely know that Mike Flynn has extensive links to Putin and Putin's puppet in Turkey, President Erdogan. We know that Trump's Commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, was formerly the vice chairman of, and a major shareholder in the Bank of Cyprus, a reputed money-laundering front for vast amounts of Russian cash, including money that hopped from the Russian "Fertilizer King" to the Bank of Cyprus and then to Donald Trump's bank account in exchange for an overpriced, nouveau-riche property in Palm Beach [ http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article135187364.html ]
that was never lived-in and has since been demolished -- before winning Trump a colossal $60 million profit in the biggest single home real estate deal in American history.
Indeed, even if we strip away the layers and layers of election season collusion; even if we strip away the hacking of the DNC and John Podesta by Guccifer 2.0; even if we ignore the relationship between Putin and Wikileaks; even if we ignore the fact that Trump adviser Roger Stone was aware of the Podesta emails a month before they dropped; even if we disregard the fact that Trump has yet to say a single critical thing about the Putin regime; even if we ignore Trump's syllabus of lies about the very existence of the story in the first place; even if we suggest that Carter Page was lying when he confirmed that he's "Male-1" -- it still leaves dozens of stories about financial linkage between Trump, Trump's closest advisers and billions in cash exchanging hands with Russian oligarchs. These financial stories alone, including the one about the so-called "Fertilizer King," are potentially impeachable given the fact that Trump has refused to divest and refused to release his tax returns. His continued association with the Trump Organization and the volumes of information we know about Trump's ties to Russian money could lead to prosecutable violations of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which bans any public official from taking foreign money.
Matt Taibbi seems to think this is crazy talk, though. He's not alone, of course.
Glenn Greenwald occupies a very similar space -- in his own insufferably persnickety way. But I get Greenwald's objection. If Greenwald joined the chorus on Russiagate, it'd put Greenwald's chief benefactor, Snowden, in jeopardy. Perhaps if the pro-Snowden crowd began to routinely grill Putin for his human rights violations and his bloody crusade against journalists, dissenters and political opponents, Putin might agree to finally extradite Snowden back to the U.S. to face the criminal justice system here. It'd be quite a trophy for Trump, that's for sure. (One of Putin's challengers in the upcoming presidential election, Alexei Navalny, was attacked with indelible green dye, turning his face, hands and teeth green for the foreseeable future. [ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/world/europe/russia-alexei-navalny-green.html?_r=1 ] Seven days later, he was incarcerated for participating in anti-Putin protests. But I guess this is merely Putin derangement syndrome -- right, Matt?)
So, yes, I understand why Greenwald is taking a skeptical posture to protect his guy Snowden in Moscow. But Taibbi? Who the fuck knows. It's a completely disillusioning and upsetting turn to know that one of our best opinion journalists appears to be siding with a legion of Putin apologists who helped get Trump elected, and the same Putin apologists who can't stop downplaying the Russian despot's horrendous record.
Eric Boehlert from Media Matters, who, by the way, was named as one of several derangement sufferers in Taibbi's hit piece, noted on Twitter: "I'm sure glad Rolling Stone didn't publish articles in 1973 complaining that reporters were filing too many Watergate stories." [ https://twitter.com/EricBoehlert/status/849451875493711872 ]
Me, too, Eric.
http://www.banterm.com/issues/2017/4/6/banter-m-issue-75-matt-taibbi-drops-the-ball-on-russiagate-investigation
McFarland Out at NSC
By Josh Marshall
April 9, 2017, 11:11 AM EDT
Here's notable news this morning. K.T. McFarland, a key Flynn holdover at the NSC and a comically unqualified Fox News National Security 'analyst', has been fired as the number two person [ https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-09/mcfarland-to-exit-white-house-as-mcmaster-consolidates-power ] at the National Security Council. This is more house-cleaning by National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. (Initials and Irish surnames? No, no idea. Maybe there's a Times trend piece.)
McFarland's career was typified by conspiracy theories and resume-puffing. She was a research assistant to Henry Kissinger in the early 70s and had a minor speechwriting position in the Reagan Pentagon. Since then she's been in private life, dabbled in politics and been on the Fox News nutball gravy train.
As I noted in November, in one characteristic moment, while she was running against Hillary Clinton for Senate in 2006 (actually making a failed bid for the GOP nomination to run against her), she claimed that Clinton was so worried about her candidacy that she'd sent secret helicopters to surveil her house in the Hamptons as well her apartment in Manhattan.
McFarland will apparently be pensioned off as the Ambassador to Singapore.
Heretofore, Trump had reportedly resisted dismissing McFarland. That appears to have changed along with so much else that did over the last week. By all accounts, McMaster is a competent and highly respected general officer. He's systematically removing the mix of crazies and opportunists installed by Michael Flynn. It is far better to have someone like him in charge of things than someone like Michael Flynn or K.T. McFarland. But that doesn't mean we should be rosy-eyed or uncritical of him either.
I'm so pleased to learn that H. R. McMaster demands a FEW brains to work with him in his highly sensitive job.. and fox news employees .. just will not be able to handle much of anything..real..
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/mcfarland-out-at-nsc
this gives me goosebumps .. - Dutch men hold hands to protest against homophobia
so wonderful ...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39505692
and this one .. ; ) - Dutch protests against attack on gay couple holding hands
5 hours ago
From the section Europe
Protests have been held across the Netherlands in support for a gay couple who were attacked last week, allegedly for holding hands.
Rallies took place in Arnhem, the city where the incident took place, as well as Eindhoven and The Hague.
About 2,500 protesters showed up in Arnhem - many waving rainbow flags.
One of the men, Jasper Vernes-Sewratan, thanked the protesters and said "You have pulled us through this terrible week", AFP news agency reports.
His partner Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, who lost teeth in the attack when he was assaulted with a bolt cutter, was in tears during the rally, AFP added.
Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes (L) and Jasper Vernes-Sewratan (R) thanked the demonstrators for their support
After their story emerged, Dutch men began uploading pictures of themselves holding hands on to social media to stand against homophobia.
The images were shared via the hashtags #handinhand and #allemannenhandinhand (all men hand in hand).
Five teenagers handed themselves in to police after the attack, and appeared in court on Thursday, reports say.
so wonderful .. and so strong!!!!!!!!!...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39541493
well nothing else has worked .. and we just don't know ........you know .. what is it?/?.. something like A child will lead them ? ??? or something like that? ... or did I make that up ??? ... lolol .. didn't mean to ... but who knows ? .. Clinton Bill that is came the closest to getting them together .. but that was another day and time .. seems like forever and he was dealing with Arafat .. and I don't remember who the Israeli pm was at that time ...
well ........I'm off ... have fun whatever you do .. !
for some odd reason alex jones is ticked off with Adam Schiff .. what a bozo he is ..
ALEX JONESS THREAT TO CONGRESSMAN MAY BE A FELONY
BY NINA BURLEIGH ON 4/5/17 AT 3:58 PM
Law enforcement officials are not saying whether they will charge broadcaster Alex Jones, the right-wing conspiracy theorist ally of President Donald Trump, for publicly threatening to “beat” Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and telling Schiff to “fill your hand”—a reference to taking up a pistol.
But, says an attorney with expertise in federal law, Jones’s threats appear to break a federal law, U.S. Code Title 18, Section 115, which makes it illegal to threaten to assault a U.S. official and provides a penalty of up to six years in prison.
“I do think that the combination of Jones’s comments would amount to a threat,” says Amanda Berman, director of legal affairs with Lawfare Project, a consortium of experts on national security law. “It seems to be a clear provocation. Ultimately, the question would have to be put to a judge or jury, but I think there is a legal basis for a conviction based on Jones’s threat, which was made ‘with intent to impede, intimidate or interfere’ with Congressman Schiff’s exercise of his duties as the ranking member of the committee investigating the connection between the Trump campaign/administration and the Russians.”
Schiff likely became a Jones target because he is the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Schiff has said there is “more than circumstantial” evidence of collusion between Trump associates and Russia.
more http://www.newsweek.com/alex-jones-threat-congressman-may-be-felony-579730
If my memory is correct I think that Jared is the only one who can calm 'trump' down ... I read that he talks him to sleep and sometimes has to talk a long time to get him to sleep .. etc...........
I mean .. I know it sounds bizarre to some people, but I look at it just like .... hey, they are a family! If people, any of them, try to get in between that .. I think they lose ..; he trusts them, he can be himself with them ... now please, I doubt he is himself with Melania .. I don't know .... . but I feel like I would bet that he is with Ivanka and Jared ..... .......probably the closest to real feeling love he's ever had . .. I mean of course the wife's but he would have a different view of his wives .. than his kids ...and I think besides loving them, ...he actually respects Jared and his daughter ... I hope so, because from what I'm seeing, he loses them and he's is done! ... I mean done! .... stick a fork in him and turn out the tanning light... ;) I notice that is not being used as much OR his bp has gone done a bit .....
you are entitled to your feelings AND you post what you want .. the only people who can bother you are The moderator and the three of you.
I most certainly do not see anyone around here posting with 'other people' in mind! .. most especially from the idcc board ... screw em!
I mean ... they have been welcomed here as they should be ... .. but so should you .. and everyone ... ... now there is a couple that .. oh well you already know ... ;) F6 has been 'TWO ' good laying out the welcome mat and letting all these people live here if they want to ... even during our democratic primary, my god , there was a russian troll who also literally lived here and if you listened you would have been taken through every thing that wikileaks leaked ... lolol .. but I'm serious ... that is welcoming everyone .... I didn't like it but no one cared .. as it should be ..
goodness ... nothing like hiring people that are actually and literally costing taxpayers money ...
check this one out - https://twitter.com/i/web/status/850372771976818689
I haven't forgotten .. ; )
SHEEESH! everyone is so hungry for something .. a guy goes over and warns everyone in the neighborhood that he is going to send rockets were they rockets? anyway to this empty parking lot, and he did. Now the roads are still great, cars are still driving on those roads today ... and the whole world can't stop talking about how wonderful that non event was..... sheeesh! ... ...... we've become so so, I don't know the word, if something really real happens, how would we act then ? ...
Reports: Trump Weighing Major Shakeup That Could Ax Priebus, Bannon
It this happens sometime, it gives evidence to how smart and how much trump trusts Jared and Ivanka,, they know what behaviors keep his polls down .. they are smarter than all those old bones, I think ..more modern ..AND not so hooked up to the wingnut ideology, in other words, they still know how to live and feel this is what I think .. anyway .. ;)
ByAllegra Kirkland
April 7, 2017, 3:19 PM EDT
The clash between the many rival power centers in President Donald Trump’s White House may finally be coming to a head.
According to twin reports out Friday from Axios and the Wall Street Journal, Trump is fed up with palace intrigue stories about his top aides and is considering removing his Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.
The timing of potential Priebus and Bannon exits, as well as who would replace them if they departed the White House, was unclear from the reports. Of course, Trump is famously mercurial and could just as quickly decide to keep both men on board as dismiss them.
Both sites reported that Trump’s economic adviser, Gary Cohn, is under consideration to replace Priebus. Unnamed White House advisers also told Axios that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and two far lesser-known Trump allies, Blackstone Group’s Wayne Berman and American Continental Group’s David Urban, are other possibilities.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters adamantly denied the reports in a statement to Time’s Zeke Miller, calling it a “completely false story.”
“The only thing we are shaking up is the way Washington operates as we push the President’s aggressive agenda forward,” Walters said.
there is this russian sleeze on cnn at the un .... sarkonov .. something like that ...
he just reminds me of why I hate russia .... and most russians that work for their government .. and leader
this____Israeli army 'among world's child rights violators'
Documented cases of killing and maiming of children prove that Israel is a child rights violator, rights groups say.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/03/israeli-army-world-child-rights-violators-170328061054614.html
yes they were told, it's looks to me like everyone was told but the Poor Syrians ... I've been watching the bbc now ... they are the best
they took us to a hospital where some guys are being treated .. . not dying but seeing that it's syrans I'm sure some will ...god I feel so sorry for those people ...
to think that we we right there ..right to the left to the right up above .. and below for six years .. and we did nothing ......even turkey .. of course I don't like him anymore either ... to me it seems as if the world has been rearranged .. for bad ..
and I also read ... wait a minute ..... I just couldn't believe this one ..be back in just a second .. ;)
on one of the stations they said , I think it was msnbc this was the lightest' action he could take .. there were
tougher ones .. but unless there is more coming .. we know with him it's all mostly talk..
and a little sting .. but not really ... .. I wonder if even anyone will die .. certainly not as many
as the children and parents who have died in the past days ... ..
anyway.. . there really is no way to get even for heartbreak .. .
except ....... ;) I won't say it ...... ;)
so disgusted with them .. there better not be a republican who says one damn word about
ANY other president's spending .. as this particular stupid one does ....
god ...... how could they ever vote for him .. I'll never understand ..
and I will never forgive them... it has changed the way I feel towards being a 'part of 'this country' ...
yea! .. I hope a russian is in the way .... . I'm sure trumpee already warned them ..everyone m ust remember The Russians are the ones who have been keeping ASSAD in power ... so If some get killed .. I'm not crying ... I'm crying for the Syrian People who that bad man has been killing for six damn years! ..
F6, I still think your plan for war is the best one (you were not particularly talking about Syria) .. It is the best one I've ever heard and I think it would work to defeat anyone .. if not .. it sure would put them into a deep state of depression .. for many many moons ... .. ;) .................
The Trumps Are Running The Secret Service Into The Ground
“They are flat-out worn out,” GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz tells The New York Times.
By Nick Wing
04/06/2017 06:18 pm ET
The situation is increasingly dire at the Secret Service, where the task of keeping up with President Donald Trump and his family has strained the agency nearly to the point of breaking, according to a Thursday report in The New York Times.
After a trying campaign season, the Secret Service has undertaken the immense task of providing protection for Trump, a handful of his aides, the president’s four adult sons and daughters along with their spouses and children, and first lady Melania Trump and their 11-year-old son, who both live at Trump Tower in New York. All told, the Secret Service is looking after 40 percent more people than it would in a typical non-campaign year, essentially putting the agency in perpetual campaign mode, the Times reported.
“They are flat-out worn out,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) told the Times.
It’s not just the number of people under Secret Service protection. The president and his family have taken a freewheeling approach to travel in the opening months of his presidency. Trump has spent at least seven weekends at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in the 11 weeks since his inauguration, each trip costing taxpayers an estimated $3 million or more.
The president’s children have also kept an active schedule, making a number of international and domestic trips for both business and pleasure. His sons Donald Jr. and Eric have flown on work junkets to far-flung places including Dubai and Uruguay, each time traveling with Secret Service details whose expenses are paid by U.S. taxpayers. The extended Trump family also jetted off to Aspen, Colorado, last month on a ski vacation that reportedly required the supervision of around 100 Secret Service agents.
The Trump family’s expensive lifestyle has created a mess for the Secret Service. Last month, the agency requested an additional $60 million in spending for fiscal year 2018, according to a Washington Post report, only to be rebuffed by the Office of Management and Budget. Nearly $27 million of that was to be earmarked for security at Trump Tower. The Secret Service’s annual budget is about $2 billion, with a substantial portion dedicated to protection.
As some had feared, the financial stress is forcing the Secret Service to scale back on other operations, like investigations into cyber-hacking, counterfeit currency, financial crimes, and missing or exploited minors, a former agency official told the Times. Some staffers are reportedly being diverted away from these efforts and onto security details.
News of the Secret Service’s budget woes comes as the agency is facing a wave of negative publicity. On Wednesday, CNN reported that an agent on Vice President Mike Pence’s security detail had been suspended for soliciting a prostitute at a Maryland hotel. The agent was reportedly off duty.
The Secret Service has also weathered criticism for a number of recent security breaches, including a March incident in which an intruder was able to reach a door of the White House. It reportedly took agents nearly 20 minutes to apprehend the trespasser. At the time, former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said the agency’s response was proof that Trump was no longer safe in the White House.
Persistent staffing shortages and the recent departure of Secret Service Director Joe Clancy appear to be complicating the agency’s effort to right ship. Clancy stepped down in February, kicking off a frantic search for a new director.
Embedded links, many at this link
https://investorshub.advfn.com/secure/post_new.aspx?board_id=1556
I read that the trump family has spent more than the Obamas did in two whole years ...and we are not even at 6 months yet.
thank you .. and no, I have no idea how that happened ..
Twitter Sues Trump Administration Over Alleged Attempt To Unmask Owner Of Anti-Trump Account
Revealing the user’s identity would be a violation of First Amendment rights, it argues.
By Matt Ferner 04/06/2017 06:13 pm ET
Twitter filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Thursday over allegations that government officials had tried to force the social media company to reveal the identity behind an anonymous account critical of Trump and his immigration policies.
The lawsuit alleges that U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a summons to Twitter in March, demanding that it turn over records that would unmask the identity of the user or users behind the @ALT_uscis, or “ALT Immigration,” account ? an anonymous account that is purportedly run by federal immigration authorities. The account is one of more than a dozen “rogue” federal agency accounts that appeared in the wake of Donald Trump’s January inauguration and posts criticisms of the president’s positions on science, climate change and other issues.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, was also named as a defendant in the suit, which was filed in federal court in San Francisco, where the company is based.
Twitter filed the suit to challenge the order to reveal the account user’s true identity, saying that unmasking users would be a violation of the First Amendment rights of the company and its users.
“Compelled disclosure of the identities of Twitter users who have engaged in pseudonymous speech would chill their exercise of the constitutionally protected right to speak anonymously,” the lawsuit reads. “Moreover, independent of its users’ rights, Twitter’s actions in providing a platform for the dissemination of its users’ speech — including its decision to permit the publication of pseudonymous speech — is fully protected by the First Amendment.”
The American Civil Liberties Union said it would be defending the user behind the account and their right to anonymous speech on the platform.
Steve Bannon Calls Jared Kushner a ‘Cuck’ and ‘Globalist’ Behind His Back
Donald Trump’s two closest aides are fighting “nonstop”
and often “face-to-face,” officials say — and it’s even uglier in private.
Asawin Suebsaeng
04.06.17 9:44 AM ET
Donald Trump’s chief strategist Stephen Bannon has called the president’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner a “cuck” and a “globalist” during a time of high tension between the two top aides, several Trump administration officials told The Daily Beast.
The fighting between Kushner and Bannon has been “nonstop” in recent weeks, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. It’s been an “open secret” that Bannon and Kushner often clash “face-to-face,” according to senior officials.
One official said Bannon has lately complained about Kushner trying to “shiv him and push him out the door” and likened him to a fifth column in the White House.
“[Steve] recently vented to us about Jared being a ‘globalist’ and a ‘cuck’…He actually said ‘cuck,’ as in “cuckservative,’” the administration official told The Daily Beast.
“Cuckservative,” a portmanteau of “cuckold” and “conservative,” has become a favorite slur on the right, used like a sexually and racially charged version of “RINO,” a Republican In Name Only. “Globalist” is a term typically used by nationalist, pro-Trump right-wingers against political opponents; however, the term has also come under fire for at times carrying anti-Semitic tones. (Kushner is Jewish.)
Bannon is a self-described “nationalist” and long-time Republican, while Kushner was, until his father-in-law ran for president, a lifelong liberal and a Democratic donor.
“There’s a big fight [going on],” one senior official said. “It’s all about policy. There’s tension [between them] on trade, health care, immigration, taxes, [terrorism]—you name it.”
The White House and Bannon did not respond to emails seeking comment.
One senior Trump aide said that Bannon was also frustrated with Kushner “continuing to bring in Zeke Emanuel to discuss health care options,” for instance. The aide said Emanuel has had three White House meetings, including one with Trump.
In 2009, conservatives called Emanuel “Dr. Death” for advocating for end-of-life consultations during the crafting of the Affordable Care Act. (He is also the brother of Barack Obama’s former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.)
"Steve thinks Jared is worse than a Democrat, basically," another official close to Bannon said. "[Steve] has a very specific vision for what he believes, and what he shares [ideologically] with Trump. And he has for a long time now seen [Jared] as a major obstacle to achieving that."
Bannon was removed from his post on the National Security Council on Wednesday. One senior Trump administration official told The Daily Beast on Wednesday morning that Bannon was "only on [NSC] to babysit [Michael] Flynn" because Trump "was losing faith" in Flynn, and that Bannon "never went to meetings."
The official also said that the removal had been planned for a while and that it was "in the works from the day" Bannon met National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. Another senior aide told the Beast that "that's [all] spin and CYA, but fine," but mentioned that Bannon still has security clearance.
Furthermore, two big efforts spearheaded by Bannon in the Trump administration recently failed. Trump’s “Muslim ban” executive orders, crafted in large part by Bannon, are at best indefinitely tied up in court, and his pugilistic push on Trumpcare — which included Bannon urging Trump to “keep a shit list” of Republicans who opposed him — didn’t get the job done.
On Wednesday, Politico and The New York Times reported that things had gotten so heated and tense that Bannon was even considering tendering his resignation. Bannon told Politico this was “total nonsense.”
However, it’s clear that Kushner has been expanding his reach and level of influence in Trump’s core circle of advisers, and that the two men are essentially working against one another as they attempt to keep the president’s ear and affections.
“I love a gunfight,” Bannon told his associates and allies since Wednesday, according to Axios.
The Times also reported that “Bannon’s Svengali-style reputation has chafed on a president who sees himself as the West Wing’s only leading man,” and that “several associates said the president had quietly expressed annoyance over the credit Mr. Bannon had received for setting the agenda—and Mr. Trump was not pleased by the ‘President Bannon’ puppet-master theme promoted by magazines, late-night talk shows and Twitter.”
A Republican source close to Trump told The Daily Beast confirmed this level of insecurity over Bannon’s reputation coming from the president, and mentioned that the president was “irked” after catching a glimpse of a recent cold-open on Saturday Night Live.
Bannon was depicted as a Grim Reaper character who manipulates Alec Baldwin’s President Trump into sowing global chaos and diplomatic breakdown. At the end of the scene, “Bannon” tells Trump to give him his Oval Office desk back. Baldwin’s Trump calls the Reaper “Mr. President,” and then proceeds to go sit at his own much smaller, shorter desk, where the president plays with a kid’s toy instead of governing.
good god ... what has this monster brought to our country? I remember you telling us, not that long ago at least two or three months ... we were screeching then about how bad he is/was/and always will be ... and you simply said .. " It's going to get worse " .. you said it probably three times .... all on separate occasions. And each time I thought ... to myself, how could it get worse than this ? Now, I'm going to say it ... could it possibly get worse than this?
why is this important to you ? .. I don't even remember the question anymore .. however, you NEVER
answered my question, do you know any Muslim men and/or Muslim families? ... ..
The crusaders even attacked the Jews ... anyone with a darker skin
very sick people .. all though trumpee has hired a big ole Jew Hater.. so I wonder how you feel about
that? .. and oh yeah, he's a white guy .. lololololol ... .... like who else could it be ?
U.S.
Right-Wing Extremists Are a Bigger Threat to America Than ISIS
By Kurt Eichenwald On 2/4/16 at 6:02 AM
White Males ...kill the most. and MOST of them
identify as Christian
http://www.newsweek.com/2016/02/12/right-wing-extremists-militants-bigger-threat-america-isis-jihadists-422743.html
You Are More Than 7 Times As Likely To Be Killed By A Right-Wing Extremist Than By Muslim Terrorists
https://thinkprogress.org/you-are-more-than-7-times-as-likely-to-be-killed-by-a-right-wing-extremist-than-by-muslim-terrorists-417f3c3461db
National Security Council shakeup: Bannon out, Rick Perry in
Jacob Pramuk | @jacobpramuk
3 Hours Ago
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/steve-bannon-reportedly-removed-from-national-security-council-in-reorganization.html
I was not aware that Perry was running our nuclear stuff .. good god, that means he's involved with the N.K. dilemma?
oh geeez ...........
Right now! you can here and here live the UN deal .. it's good !
well that part is over .. lol ..
http://www.aljazeera.com/
hookkup with the 'News Grid ' if you need to . it's just one click . .
Let's see who we can catch flying in to Seychelles, oh but we must be doing that already ...
yeah .. he really needs a fast talk talk with vlady ... so he can find out what to do ...
he is so pathetic .. In the last couple of weeks 500 more soldiers went into Syria .. and many more are either there now or on their way ... frankly, if I had to work with russia I'd quit ... .. I was so angry when I heard way too many dems praising russia's promise to remove those weapons from Syria, right here on this board! .. I knew russia ! .. up to always they could never EVER be trusted! and here we were .. in the democratic party ohhh kissing russias butt ... because he gave us a way out of .. the horror of fighting for what was right to fight for! .. If there is anything that is right to fight for .. it would have been that ... with OBAMA running it ... but as you, who read KNOW
... the republican congress refused Obama permission to go fight ASSAD! but it gave me my first bad taste of democrats .. .to fall that quick because of some stupid promise and to believe it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.. made by russia ... and turn your back on babies and children ... well, I never forgot it and I never forgot the democrats who agreed with doing that ... The only thing trump is right on is that Yes, .. that buck does stop with Obama ! .. . .I mean GET REAL! . .do you really think any of the congressional stuff would have bothered bush? either Jeb or the one we had?
.. .. hell NO! ... I know another thing .. if Bill or Hillary Clinton had, had the opportunity . .at that time .. . .you would have seen a whole different scenario .. Hillary knew ... she had face to face talked to them and been acutely aware and knew what was going on over there since before Obama was born and she damn well knew first hand! .. .she disagreed with Obama as did many other wise people . .and dems and other stupid ones called her a war monger .. oh .. sheesh! to me these have been the years of screeching no nothing dems ... oh~ . excuse me .... no nothing progs . .ya know? PROGS? .. .progressives ... so . .not only teabaggers make big mistakes .. we can make them too ... .that one was just not forgivable for me and that was the only thing that I strongly disagreed with Obama for ...
and other aspects of that Syria policy .. yes yes.. we are not republicans .. we can disagree with our presidents and other dems ... . LOLOLOLOL ... I read an article this past week in the L.A. times how all ohhh what do you call those people ? .. oh yes .. millennials have returned to their parents homes ... the article had it by country .. and look I don't blame them .. We have people moving out of California due to just that problem .. .. god, who can afford the rent and if you are a one person wage earner .. forget a home forget it .. unless you make snootfuls .. which is not now, nor has ever been a news flash.. ;)
well, I hate to see this inept leader step his ulcerated big foot anywhere in the world .. should we hang on ? ... or just ignore him and let him do his talk talk ? ...christ I wouldn't follow him anywhere! ... he's sooooooooooooooooooo dumb!!!! o.k. .. .ignorant it is !
I wonder if the republicans in congress who said NO OBAMA! yeah, you too you rfkker paul ryan! .. You cannot go fight in Syria! SCREW the CHILDREN! ...TRUST RUSSIA! .. and do nothing ... and he did .. nothing! while progs CHEERED! ... I have an idea that it gives him nightmares and sleepless nights! and I'll stop soon I promise! You all do know right? that after so called removing those nasty ole weapons ... that they were used either that same year again or If NOT that year .. the immediate NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!never ever trust vladies Russia!
In the meantime .. where are those weapons? are they now somewhere in Russia? on a russian ship ? I know we know where some went but NOT enough!
King Abdullah II way outclasses our shameful ignorant president...
Perhaps He can teach some things to trumpee............
oh .. and he even tweets ... loloolololol .. ;)
Some Things I Would Do If I Had the Misplaced Self-Confidence of Jared Kushner
Ellie Shechet Monday 11:55am
Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, appears to have been put in charge of... nearly everything, despite the fact that his only real work experience is in real estate and ruining newspapers. [ https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/30/i-worked-with-jared-kushner-hes-the-wrong-businessman-to-reinvent-government/?utm_term=.066e7ef6a60d ] Today, Kushner is in Iraq with Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for meetings with Iraqi leaders and coalition officials [ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/02/us/politics/jared-kushner-visits-iraq.html?_r=0 ] “to receive an update on the status of the counter-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria.” In addition to defeating ISIS, he’s also busy he’s also busy solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, negotiating trade deals, and reorganizing the government. [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jared-kushner-everything-czar_us_58d95499e4b02a2eaab6664f ]
Can you imagine? Truly, can you imagine possessing the bizarre degree of blind arrogance one would need to willingly take over the most important duties of the most powerful man on earth with absolutely no clue how to actually do those things? It is hard to put myself in that headspace, because I recently whispered “Ooh, sorry” to a car on my way to work, but here are some things I might do if my brain looked more like Jared Kushner’s:
Bannon Loses National Security Council Role in Trump Shakeup
by Jennifer Jacobs
April 5, 2017, 8:29 AM PDT April 5, 2017, 8:47 AM PDT
Intelligence director, Joint Chiefs chairman elevated
McMaster given greater authority over security matters
no doubt trumpeee will and make bannon 2nd veep!
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-05/bannon-removed-from-national-security-council-role-in-shakeup?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business
whooooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! bannon REMOVED from National Security Council !!!!!
next? ....
NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman files direct lawsuit against Trump Administration
by Leslie Salzillo
Tuesday Apr 04, 2017 · 11:46 AM PDT
In a press release this week, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced he has begun legal proceedings against the Trump Administration for “violating federal law by delaying energy efficiency standards for several common consumer and commercial products.” In his statement, Schneiderman says: