Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Part 154, some of Russian meddling, and related, material from F6 big ones. These from Sunday, 02/25/18,
headed, When Will This Stop? 17 Shot Dead in Florida School Massacre, the 18th School Shooting of Year
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=138819059

This one is OT, but worth the watch. The twenty-third, about one third down

What Life Is Like For Afghans Facing The Deadliest Taliban Yet: VICE on HBO, Full Episode

Published on Feb 15, 2018 by VICE News [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZaT_X_mc0BI-djXOlfhqWQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews , https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews/videos ]

After more than 16 years of war, Afghan civilians live each day under constant threat, as U.S. forces and the Afghan government struggle to secure the country.

Despite hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the war since 2001, U.S. goals are far from within reach. Meanwhile, the Taliban has never been stronger, controlling more land than ever before and establishing footholds in nearly every province in Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump has vowed to undo some of the terror group’s grip on the country and force it back to the negotiating table. But his new strategy, which centers on thousands of additional U.S. troops and an intensification of airstrikes, has only just begun to produce gains.

The Taliban, facing renewed pressure, have increased terror attacks on major cities, striking at the heart of Kabul recently, in a series of devastating attacks that left hundreds of civilians dead in the span of a week.

VICE’s Ben Anderson travelled to Afghanistan in October 2016 as the Taliban were on the verge of retaking Helmand Province, once a crucial territory in the U.S. war. Reconnecting with families he’d visited years earlier, he saw just how little has been done to contain the Taliban’s influence across the country’s rural landscape, and the challenges that await Afghan and U.S. forces.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/59kdyn/what-life-is-like-for-afghans-facing-the-deadliest-taliban-yet

READ: U.S. troops will face the deadliest Taliban yet
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/j5db78/u-s-troops-will-face-the-deadliest-taliban-yet

READ: Gruesome Kabul hotel attack shows ugly reality of Afghanistan’s endless war
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/kzn9j3/gruesome-kabul-hotel-attack-shows-ugly-reality-of-afghanistans-endless-war

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHSfcziIuo [with comments]

Skip two to

No, Trump’s lawyer did not admit to paying porn star himself

The Beat with Ari Melber
2/15/18
Stormy Daniels could tell-all after Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, breaks his silence on a $130,000 payoff to the adult film star
weeks before the 2016 election. The lawyer who filed the FEC complaint leading to Cohen’s statement joins The Beat exclusively.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber/watch/no-trump-s-lawyer-did-not-admit-to-paying-porn-star-himself-1162818115973

A few more down

Will Bannon be held in contempt of Congress?
All In with Chris Hayes
2/15/18
After refusing to answer questions from the House Intelligence Committee and invoking a form of
executive privilege, Bannon should be held in contempt, says committee member Rep. Eric Swalwell.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/will-bannon-be-held-in-contempt-of-congress-1162884163602

A bit farther down, these three

Queen for a day' likely means another witness flip for Mueller
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/15/18
Barbara McQuade, former U.S. attorney, helps Rachel Maddow understand what it means that former Trump campaign staffer
Rick Gates had a "Queen for a day" interview with Robert Mueller's team, and why Donald Trump should be worried.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/-queen-for-a-day-likely-means-another-witness-flip-for-mueller-1162949187818

*

When does a payment count as a campaign contribution?
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/15/18
Ellen Weintraub, vice chair of the Federal Election Commission, talks with Rachel Maddow about factors
use by the FEC for assessing whether an individual's expenditure qualifies as a campaign contribution.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/when-does-a-payment-count-as-a-campaign-contribution-1165406275717

*

No transparency required in how inauguration funds are spent
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/15/18
Ellen Weintraub, vice chair of the Federal Election Commission, talks with Rachel
Maddow about why an inappropriate use of inauguration fund money might go unnoticed.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/no-transparency-required-in-how-inauguration-funds-are-spent-1165410371614

Into the second half

Lawrence: Mueller likely has a third cooperating witness

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
2/15/18
A new report says ex-Trump adviser Rick Gates has likely struck a plea deal with Mueller and may cooperate with the Russia probe. Plus,
Steve Bannon met with Mueller for 20+ hours. Lawrence O'Donnell discusses with John Heilemann, Jill Wine-Banks and Ron Klain.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-mueller-likely-has-a-third-cooperating-witness-1162966595624 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH6c8z7uDC0 [with comments]

Skip two to

Robert Mueller has now met repeatedly with Steve Bannon
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
2/16/18
We've learned it's been a busy week for Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. What could it all
mean for the Trump White House? Vivian Salama, Matthew Nussbaum, and Mieke Eoyang react.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired February 15, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/robert-mueller-has-now-met-repeatedly-with-steve-bannon-1162999876001

Skip a few to

20 Signs of Impending Tyranny


Published on Feb 16, 2018 by Mike Malloy

As tyrants take control of democracies, they typically:

1. Demand personal loyalty from all appointees.

2. Organize military parades and other choreographed shows of force.

3. Threaten to fire independent prosecutors who get too close to the truth.

4. Spread conspiracy theories about "deep state" forces seeking to oust the tyrant.

5. Refer to top-ranking military leaders as "my" generals.

And 15 others...

6. Threaten to jail political opponents.

7. Claim to have won an election by a landslide even after losing the popular vote.

8. Stoke tensions abroad, even the specter of nuclear war, to distract from the tyrant's efforts to consolidate power at home.

9. Circumvent the independent press and communicate directly with followers.

10. Vilify legislators and judges who are critical of the regime.

11. Repeatedly claim massive voter fraud in the absence of any evidence, in order to restrict voting in subsequent elections.

12. Turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize the regime, calling them “deceitful” and “scum.”

13. Repeatedly tell big lies, causing the public to doubt the truth and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals

14. Blame economic stresses on immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias and hatred against them.

15. Threaten mass deportations, registries of religious minorities, and the banning of refugees.

16. Attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and limit civil liberties.

17. Appoint family members to high positions of authority.
18. Draw no distinction between personal property and public property, profiteering from public office.

19. Make personal alliances with foreign dictators, but express indifference if not defiance toward leaders of democracies.

20. Maintain a powerful propaganda arm that claims to be "fair and balanced" but only amplifies the tyrant's lies and accusations.
Full post: https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/posts/1854121851267069
[originally aired February 15, 2018]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYleY_474lg [with comments]

To "stashed February 15, 2018:"

Priebus: Chaos reigned in early days of Trump White House
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/priebus-chaos-reigned-in-early-days-of-trump-white-house/

“Who Needs a Controversy Over the Inauguration?”: Reince Priebus Opens Up About His Six Months of Magical Thinking
Months after his chaotic resignation as chief of staff, and with his successor on the hot seat, Priebus comes clean about everything: the inauguration crowd-size fiasco, the decision to fire Comey, the Mooch, the tweets, how he helped saved Jeff Sessions’s job, and his mercurial former boss. “I still love the guy,” he says.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/reince-priebus-opens-up-about-his-six-months-of-magical-thinking

Trump Said Inauguration Crowd Numbers Were 'Bullshit' Says Reince Priebus In New Book
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-said-inauguration-crowd-numbers-were-bullshit-says-reince-priebus-new-807887

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dlI5wfYcjGLJ7YMfUMjXPZZai_CaM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

Stormy Daniels has a ‘Monica Lewinsky dress’ to test for Trump’s DNA, report [ https://theblast.com/stormy-daniels-dress-donald-trump-dna/ ] says
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/02/15/stormy-daniels-has-a-monica-lewinsky-dress-to-test-for-trumps-dna-report-says/

Scandal-Ridden Scoundrel
By Charles M. Blow
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/opinion/scandal-ridden-scoundrel.html

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dzp7l1G7NQOoFbMcw1g9HyHujjVRM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

Riding an Untamed Horse: Priebus Opens Up on Serving Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/us/politics/riding-an-untamed-horse-priebus-opens-up-on-serving-trump.html

Priebus reveals ugly new details about Trump’s fury over Russia probe
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/02/15/priebus-reveals-ugly-new-details-about-trumps-fury-over-russia-probe/

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dPlP3ut2JIJ40_Mrw6sDq61ItKPZM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

Steve Bannon met with Mueller multiple times over the past week - spent a total of some 20 hours in conversations with the team led by Mueller
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/steve-bannon-met-mueller-multiple-times-over-past-week-n848421

Bannon met with special counsel investigators two days this week
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-bannon/bannon-met-with-special-counsel-investigators-two-days-this-week-idUSKCN1FZ2JY

Bannon interviewed by Mueller in past week: report
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/374079-bannon-interviewed-by-mueller-twice-in-past-week-report

White House "scripted" House's Russia questions for Bannon
The former Trump political adviser met with the House Intelligence Committee, and has also had multiple meetings with special counsel Robert Mueller in recent days.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/15/steve-bannon-scripted-questions-russia-probe-414755

more: https://www.google.com/search?q=bannon+mueller

GOP leaders consider steps, including contempt, after Bannon refuses most questions
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/bannon-returns-to-house-intelligence-committee-under-subpoena/2018/02/15/e2051a68-1267-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html

Bannon stonewalls House panel after WH advised him to invoke executive privilege
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/politics/bannon-contempt-hearing/index.html

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d9wXT9DbJ9i_kFMvKQ9YX9xpMFadM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

Exclusive: A top Trump campaign adviser close to plea deal with Mueller
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/politics/rick-gates-plea-deal-mueller-russia-investigation/index.html

Rick Gates is reportedly close to becoming Mueller’s third cooperating ex-Trump aide
CNN reports Gates is finalizing a plea deal with Mueller.
https://www.vox.com/2018/2/15/16955292/rick-gates-plea-deal

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dtjrUMD1ExT-acMfpuHtzRLTNaBsM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

U.S. Condemns Russia for Cyberattack, Showing Split in Stance on Putin
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/politics/russia-cyberattack.html

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d6sHNsHOeDG9YgMzcW9RWL1kNmCrM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

White House officials are asked if they are vulnerable to blackmail
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/white-house-officials-are-asked-if-they-are-vulnerable-blackmail-n848456

Dozens of Vulnerable Trump Admin Officials Could Be Accessing Secrets Without Clearance, Say Democrats
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-officials-access-secrets-without-clearance-806530

more: https://www.google.com/search?q=white+house+officials+are+asked