Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Part 169, some of Russian meddling, and related, material from F6 big ones. These posted Thursday, 03/22/18, covering March 2,
2018, and headed, Civil Rights Leader Who Desegregated U. of Georgia on Student-Led Movements of 1960s and Today
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139495429

Twenty-fourth and fifth

Trump's Nixon problem: How abusing privilege can be criminal 'obstruction'

The Beat with Ari Melber
3/2/18
MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber reveals Watergate archival material showing how the abuse of executive privilege can be a crime -- and an impeachable offense. The lawyer who wrote Nixon’s articles of impeachment says Trump may be walking the “same plank,” while Melber invokes lyrics from Mobb Deep to show why there is no lawful “halfway privilege.”
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber/watch/trump-s-nixon-problem-how-abusing-privilege-can-be-criminal-obstruction-1175585859612 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt3OVgMTcPg [with comments]

*

Devastating: Watch Trump go from “I’ve met him” to “I never met Putin”

The Beat with Ari Melber
3/2/18
NPR reports on a Putin-connected Russian using the NRA to meet Trump in 2015 as Mueller eyes whether Trump knew Putin before he was elected.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber/watch/devastating-watch-trump-go-from-i-ve-met-him-to-i-never-met-putin-1175585859876 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9HY7Aw_jdU [with comments]

Starting thirteen more down, these five

Trump "unglued" amid White House chaos

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/2/18
Trump decided to start a trade war while angry and "unglued," NBC News reports. Ex-Obama economic adviser Austan Goolsbee says
Trump "fired a shot" at our allies. USA Today's Susan Page and Neera Tanden join Ari Melber to react to the latest White House "lunacy."
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/trump-unglued-amid-white-house-chaos-1175745603737 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9mQYgDB03E [with comments]

*

Are Kushner's businesses tied to Trump policies?

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/2/18
NBC News reports that Mueller is looking at whether Kushner's foreign business ties affected White House policy. Ari
Melber discusses with Maya Wiley and Natasha Bertrand how any unusual influence could result in criminal charges.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/are-kushner-s-businesses-tied-to-trump-policies-1175742019941 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NA_DlfTgqA [with comments]

--

Chaotic week seems to signal Trump White House is in crisis

The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/3/18
A wild and chaotic week at the Trump White House saw resignations, policy reversals, and a report
of one insider saying the president was 'unglued.' Our panel breaks down Trump's very bad week.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 2, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/chaotic-week-seems-to-signal-trump-white-house-is-in-crisis-1175780931601 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK5MOWQEUvo [with comments]

*

Chaos leads to fear & loathing from Trump White House staff

The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/3/18
After more departures and reports of chaos behind the scenes, reports paint
a picture of a beleaguered staff inside Trump's White House. Our panel reacts.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 2, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/chaos-leads-to-fear-loathing-from-trump-white-house-staff-1175782467667 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS8dXbFTnUI [with comments]

*

Trump was angry and 'unglued' when he started a trade war
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/3/18
Exclusive NBC News reporting states that Trump was angry and 'unglued' when he decided to announce new tariffs on steel
and aluminum kicking off fears of an escalating trade war. Stephanie Ruhle, who broke the news, and Sahil Kapur join.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 2, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/trump-was-angry-and-unglued-when-he-started-a-trade-war-1175783491605

From the later comedy section

Robert Mueller Is Hot On Trump's Tail

Published on Mar 3, 2018 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Special counsel Robert Mueller is now gathering evidence from beauty pageants,
controversial documents, and one anonymous source extremely close to Trump.
[originally aired March 2, 2018]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxAmKMLA7us [with comments]

To "stashed March 2, 2018:"

Mueller team asking if Kushner foreign business ties influenced Trump policy
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/mueller-team-asking-if-kushner-foreign-business-ties-influenced-trump-n852681

Jared Kushner’s Real-Estate Firm Sought Money Directly From Qatar Government Weeks Before Blockade
https://theintercept.com/2018/03/02/jared-kushner-real-estate-qatar-blockade/

Kushner family solicited Qatari investment just before blockade: report
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/376436-kushner-family-company-solicited-qatari-government-investment-just

Jared Kushner Is Deep in It Now
What happens next?
By Charles P. Pierce
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a19038509/jared-kushner-loan/

Jared Kushner’s many, many scandals, explained
From the Russia investigation to the security clearance troubles to loans to his family business.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/1/17053398/jared-kushner-scandals-russia-clearance-loans

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

Qatar Refused to Invest in Kushner’s Firm. Weeks Later, Jared Backed a Blockade of Qatar.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/weeks-before-blockade-qatar-denied-money-to-kushners-firm.html

Jared Kushner Backed Qatar Blockade a Month After Qataris Wouldn’t Finance His Property: Report
http://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-backed-qatar-blockade-after-qataris-wouldnt-finance-his-property-828847

NYT [ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/us/politics/trump-chaos-oval-office.html ]: Trump asking John Kelly for help in pushing Ivanka, Kushner out of White House
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/02/politics/trump-john-kelly-ivanka/index.html

Who Will Leave Trump White House Next? Administration Said to Be in ‘Chaos’ Amid Russia Probe, Kushner Scandals
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-white-house-leave-next-hicks-mcmaster-828448

Seth Meyers Isn’t Done Laughing at “Cartoonishly Corrupt” Jared Kushner ( https://youtu.be/2c8h9-DR6xQ [included in the post to which this is a repy])
“How much more suspicious can Jared Kushner get? . . . He lurks ominously in the background of every White House photo like he’s the ghost of a boy Trump killed with an errant tee shot.”
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/jared-kushner-white-house-seth-meyers-late-night

Scandals Swirl Around Jared Kushner
https://www.wnyc.org/story/the-many-scandals-of-jared-kushner/

President Trump May Be Secretly Undermining Jared and Ivanka, Too
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/trump-may-be-secretly-undermining-jared-and-ivanka-too.html

‘Jared has faded’: Inside the 28 days of tumult that left Kushner badly diminished
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jared-has-faded-inside-the-28-days-of-tumult-that-left-kushner-badly-diminished/2018/03/02/62acb9ce-1ca8-11e8-9de1-147dd2df3829_story.html

WaPo Report Describes Jared Kushner’s Diminished WH Role in Brutal Detail : ‘The Fall of The House of Kushner’
https://www.mediaite.com/online/wapo-report-describes-jared-kushners-diminished-wh-role-in-brutal-detail-the-fall-of-the-house-of-kushner/

Fox & Friends spent 22 seconds this week covering Jared Kushner. Here is what it covered instead.
Since February 28, Fox & Friends has spent just 22 seconds covering Kushner’s downgraded security clearance, ignoring three other bombshell reports
https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/03/02/fox-friends-spent-22-seconds-week-covering-jared-kushner-here-what-it-covered-instead/219542

Trump has privately asked John Kelly to help him move Ivanka and Jared Kushner out of the White House
President Donald Trump has reportedly grown frustrated at his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and daughter. Ivanka, both of whom work as senior advisers in the White House.
Though Trump reportedly told the two to keep serving, he privately asked White House chief of staff John Kelly for help to remove them, according to aides cited by The New York Times.
The two are believed to be locked in a power struggle with Kelly, who has also grown frustrated with them.
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-wants-to-kick-jared-kusher-ivanka-trump-out-of-white-house-2018-3

The Root of White House Chaos? A Weak President
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/opinion/trump-hicks-kushner.html

Never have we seen such chaos and corruption
By Eugene Robinson
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/never-have-we-seen-such-chaos-and-corruption/2018/03/01/f64c5c2e-1d8f-11e8-9de1-147dd2df3829_story.html

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/de0GdVqWDGPxbaMd8TXZNyRJM1Y_M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

Trump was angry and ‘unglued’ when he started a trade war, officials say
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-was-angry-unglued-when-he-started-trade-war-officials-n852641

more: https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+was+angry+and+unglued

Cramer: If Gary Cohn resigns, watch out stock market
A resignation by Gary Cohn would be a tough day for the stock market, CNBC's Jim Cramer says.
Media reports cast doubt on Cohn's future at the White House after he was unable to dissuade President Trump from imposing steel and aluminum tariffs.
Cohn "is someone who makes you feel that there is not as much chaos," Cramer says.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/02/cramer-if-gary-cohn-resigns-watch-out-stock-market.html

Trump Is ‘Losing a Limb’ With the Departure of Hope Hicks
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/business/media/hope-hicks-departure-trump.html
also at https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/03/01/trump-losing-limb-with-departure-hope-hicks/s3Y5SJoJ2Xtb62k2n7joYL/story.html

more: https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+is+losing+a+limb

Leaked: Secret Documents From Russia’s Election Trolls
An online auction gone awry reveals substantial new details on Kremlin-backed troll farm efforts to stir up real protests and target specific Americans to push their propaganda.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-secret-documents-from-russias-election-trolls-leak

Leaked documents shed light on the astonishing intricacy of Russia's trolling operation
Leaked documents reviewed by The Daily Beast show the lengths a notorious Russian troll farm, the Internet Research Agency, went to in order to stoke conflict and spread disinformation during and after the 2016 US election.
In addition to operating on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the IRA conducted a substantial amount of activity on Reddit and Tumblr.
The troll farm specifically reached out to unwitting American activists working on causes the Kremlin wanted to brew tensions about, including "migration policy," "the ruling political oligarch," "false promises of America," and "air strike costs."
http://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-documents-on-internet-research-agency-trolling-operation-disinformation-campaign-2018-3

more: https://www.google.com/search?q=internet+research+agency

Trump rips 'Alex Baldwin' on Twitter, says 'terrible impersonation' was 'agony' to watch
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2018/03/02/trump-rips-alec-baldwin-his-impersonation-twitter-agony-those-who-were-forced-watch/388067002/

Why Putin Is Rattling His Superweapons
He wants respect, but he'll end up getting an arms race Russia can't win.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-03-02/putin-nuclear-revelations-ring-hollow

Russian banker said he met Trump through NRA
The Russian banker under scrutiny for money transfers to the National Rifle Association said the organization helped him meet President Trump.
Alexander Torshin, a deputy head of Russia’s central bank, is one of his country's strongest supporters of the NRA, even hosting dinners for an American delegation that came to Moscow in 2015.
A report earlier this year said federal investigators were looking into whether his payments to the group were funneled towards Trump’s election as part of what Fusion GPS investigator Glenn Simpson said was a “very concerted effort” by Russian officials to get in with the gun lobby.
Further digging by NPR into Torshin's prolific Twitter use found that he also mentioned in December 2015 that he knew the then-candidate.
Responding to a tweet from a Russian journalist about Larry David saying Trump is racist, Torshin said “comics should make people laugh! Right? There he is trying! I know D. Trump (through NRA). A decent person.”
Torshin had said earlier that year that he saw Trump, who denies meeting Torshin, in Nashville, where the NRA convention was held in 2015, and that he has “traditional family values.”
Other tweets show Torshin, a lifetime member of the NRA who met with Donald Trump Jr. in 2016, talking about meeting top officials in the group including during the late 2015 Moscow trip that included Trump-supporter Sheriff David Clarke.
It is not illegal for foreigners such as Torshin to be part of the NRA or for them to give funds to the group, though it would break federal law if the NRA used those funds for election purposes.
The NRA, currently under pressure for opposing even moderate gun reforms such as raising the age to buy an assault rifle, spent $55 million on the 2016 election, including $30 million for Trump.
Torshin has previously been accused of financial wrongdoing by Spanish officials who said he helped launder money for the Russian mob on the resort island of Mallorca.
Trump posted on Twitter Thursday that he had a “good (great) meeting” with the NRA, though he has said after the Parkland school massacre that he would support modest gun control measures such as raising the minimum age to be an assault rifle, which is opposed by the lobby.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/russian-banker-met-trump-nra-article-1.3850535
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/03/02/russian-banker-said-he-met-president-trump-through-nra/23375234/

Depth Of Russian Politician's Cultivation Of NRA Ties Revealed
A prominent Kremlin-linked Russian politician has methodically cultivated ties with leaders of the National Rifle Association and documented efforts in real time over six years to leverage those connections and gain deeper access into American politics, NPR has learned.
Russian politician Alexander Torshin said his ties to the NRA provided him access to Donald Trump — and the opportunity to serve as a foreign election observer in the United States during the 2012 election.
Torshin is a prolific Twitter user, logging nearly 150,000 tweets, mostly in Russian, since his account was created in 2011. Previously obscured by language and sheer volume of tweets, Torshin has written numerous times about his connections with the NRA, of which he is a known paid lifetime member. NPR has translated a selection of those posts that document Torshin's relationship to the group.
[...]
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/01/590076949/depth-of-russian-politicians-cultivation-of-nra-ties-revealed
http://www.wbur.org/npr/590076949/depth-of-russian-politicians-cultivation-of-nra-ties-revealed

more: https://www.google.com/search?q=alexander+torshin

A Week of Policy Surprises Leaves Even Trump’s Supporters Confused
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/us/politics/trump-policy-surprises-confusion.html

Sarah Huckabee Sanders clarifies: Trump said lots of stuff this week he may not mean
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/02/sarah-huckabee-sanders-clarifies-trump-said-lots-of-stuff-this-week-he-may-not-mean/

Putin tells U.S. to send evidence of vote meddling
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-putin-reaction/putin-tells-u-s-to-send-evidence-of-vote-meddling-idUSKCN1GF0AS

Vladimir Putin made an absurd argument for why he can't respond to accusations of Russian election interference
Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an interview with NBC's Megyn Kelly that he would not be able to respond to the US's accusations of Russian election interference if the underlying conduct did not violate Russian law.
The US intelligence community concluded last year that Russia-linked actors interfered in the 2016 US election on specific orders from Putin.
When Kelly pressed him about the different facets of Russia's meddling and the recent indictment of over a dozen Russian nationals and three Russian entities, Putin said the request had to move through "official channels" and not through the press or "yelling and hollering" in Congress.
President Donald Trump, who has been reluctant to confront Russia over its aggression, has not publicly commented on whether he will pressure Putin to deliver the defendants.
http://www.businessinsider.com/vladimir-putin-russia-election-interference-megyn-kelly-2018-3

more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dyhnXHwV7a51z4MyrFM8-HkTBMrtM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en

Ex-CIA Boss Brennan Rattled About National Security After Trump’s Alec Baldwin Tweet
After Putin’s boast about nuclear missiles, the former director said he was chilled by Trump’s priorities: “This is surreal.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cia-john-brennan-security-concerns-trump-baldwin_us_5a99d0c7e4b089ec353a44e8

Leaked Emails Appear To Show A Top Trump Fundraiser Abusing His Power
The messages suggest that Elliott Broidy tried to use his influence with the Trump administration for personal gain.
Emails and documents an anonymous group leaked to HuffPost this week appear to show a Los Angeles lawyer asking for more than $80 million to scuttle a Department of Justice investigation into a multibillion-dollar scandal involving Van Gogh paintings, the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street,” the prime minister of Malaysia — and the lawyer’s husband, a Republican National Committee deputy finance chair Elliott Broidy, trying to use his influence with the Trump administration to help.
[...]
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elliott-broidy-trump-malaysia-doj_us_5a988471e4b0a0ba4ad18d65