Russian Cyber Hacks on U.S. Electoral System Far Wider Than Previously Known Attackers said to take measure of voting systems, databases A ‘red phone’ warning to the Kremlin from Obama White House June 13, 2017 Russia’s cyberattack on the U.S. electoral system before Donald Trump’s election was far more widespread than has been publicly revealed, including incursions into voter databases and software systems in almost twice as many states as previously reported. In Illinois, investigators found evidence that cyber intruders tried to delete or alter voter data. The hackers accessed software designed to be used by poll workers on Election Day, and in at least one state accessed a campaign finance database. Details of the wave of attacks, in the summer and fall of 2016, were provided by three people with direct knowledge of the U.S. investigation into the matter. In all, the Russian hackers hit systems in a total of 39 states, one of them said. The scope and sophistication so concerned Obama administration officials that they took an unprecedented step -- complaining directly to Moscow over a modern-day “red phone.” In October, two of the people said, the White House contacted the Kremlin on the back channel to offer detailed documents of what it said was Russia’s role in election meddling and to warn that the attacks risked setting off a broader conflict. The new details, buttressed by a classified National Security Agency document recently disclosed by the Intercept, show the scope of alleged hacking that federal investigators are scrutinizing as they look into whether Trump campaign officials may have colluded in the efforts. But they also paint a worrisome picture for future elections: The newest portrayal of potentially deep vulnerabilities in the U.S.’s patchwork of voting technologies comes less than a week after former FBI Director James Comey warned Congress that Moscow isn’t done meddling. [...] https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-13/russian-breach-of-39-states-threatens-future-u-s-elections [in full at/see also in particular (linked in) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=132192209 and preceding (and any future following)]
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Jeff Sessions personally asked Congress to let him prosecute medical marijuana providers June 13, 2017 Attorney General Jeff Sessions is asking congressional leaders to undo federal medical marijuana protections that have been in place since 2014, according to a May letter that became public Monday [ https://www.scribd.com/document/351079834/Sessions-Asks-Congress-To-Undo-Medical-Marijuana-Protections ]. The protections, known as the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, prohibit the Justice Department [ https://www.congress.gov/amendment/113th-congress/house-amendment/748/text ] from using federal funds to prevent certain states "from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana." In his letter, first obtained by Tom Angell of Massroots.com [ https://www.massroots.com/news/exclusive-sessions-asks-congress-to-undo-medical-marijuana-protections ] and verified independently by The Washington Post, Sessions argued that the amendment would "inhibit [the Justice Department's] authority to enforce the Controlled Substances Act." He continues: "I believe it would be unwise for Congress to restrict the discretion of the Department to fund particular prosecutions, particularly in the midst of an historic drug epidemic and potentially long-term uptick in violent crime. The Department must be in a position to use all laws available to combat the transnational drug organizations and dangerous drug traffickers who threaten American lives." Sessions's citing of a "historic drug epidemic" to justify a crackdown on medical marijuana is at odds with what researchers know about current drug use and abuse in the United States. The epidemic Sessions refers to involves deadly opiate drugs, not marijuana. A growing body of research (acknowledged by the National Institute on Drug Abuse [ https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine ]) has shown that opiate deaths and overdoses actually decrease in states with medical marijuana laws on the books. That research strongly suggests that cracking down on medical marijuana laws, as Sessions requested, could perversely make the opiate epidemic even worse. [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/13/jeff-sessions-personally-asked-congress-to-let-him-prosecute-medical-marijuana-providers/ [with embedded videos, and comments]
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White Evangelicals Are Why America Can’t Have Nice Things
Evangelicals see themselves as the most persecuted group in America, despite not actually knowing any of the people they feel are getting a better deal.
By Brynn Tannehill 06/13/2017 08:42 am ET | Updated June 14, 2017
Thus, the cabinet, and senior appointed positions have been filled with people who have little to no experience with the functions they have been put in charge of. While the effects of some of these appointments (e.g. Ben Carson at Housing and Urban Development) may not be apparent for years, others have immediate impact. Dysfunction at the Department of State results in diplomatic incidents whose effects ripple outwards at nearly the speed of light in the age of social media [ https://www.vox.com/world/2017/3/10/14882684/state-department-mexico-briefing ].
Policy and governance based on misinformation, ignorance, or against the advice of experts is unlikely to be successful. Whatever good comes of it is based purely on luck. Indeed, White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon admits that the purpose of these appointments is to render the government agencies they’re in charge of incapable of functioning [ http://fortune.com/2017/02/25/bannon-trump-cabinet-cpac/ ].
What hasn’t been addressed previously is the question of what the people most likely to believe falsehoods have in common? Who actually believes random conservative idiots with money [ http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/17/politics/betsy-devos-grizzly-bears-donald-trump-guns/ ] and a fear of grizzly bear attacks in schools are better at running government agencies than people with experience and education? Who completely rejects science? What sorts of people are completely out of touch with America and the world as it exists today?
A recent Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey appears to have answered all of these.
It’s white Evangelical Christians.
A recent Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) [ https://www.prri.org/ ] survey of 2031 Americans found that White Evangelicals hold views as a group that are not only profoundly out of step with the rest of American culture, they are absurdly out of touch with reality.
The study found that white Evangelicals are now the only remaining major religious group where a majority is in favor of allowing businesses to refuse service to LGBT people.
Where the loss of connection with reality becomes apparent is in the perception of persecution. Fifty-seven percent of white Evangelicals believe there is “a lot” of discrimination against Christians. However, only 46 percent of this same group perceives LGBT people being discriminated against, and only 44 percent see a lot discrimination against Muslims. Similarly, 43 percent see “a lot” of discrimination against white people, but only 27 percent see a similar level of discrimination against black people.
White Evangelicals are heavily insulated from other groups. Seventy percent of Americans have a friend or family member who is gay and 63 percent of Republicans do as well. However, only 53 percent of white Evangelicals do, the lowest of any group surveyed, including people over 65 years old. The PRRI survey also found that 21 percent of Americans have a friend or family member who is transgender, and 11 percent of Republicans. Again, white Evangelicals were the lowest of any group at only 8 percent.
Despite not actually knowing any LGBT people, this demographic feels fully competent to dictate policy to them, including healthcare. This would be akin to letting a group of people who had never seen an airplane, much less been in one or flown it, write the Federal Aviation Administration’s manual for pilots [ https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/aim.pdf ].
In short, white Evangelicals see themselves as the most persecuted group in America by a wide margin, despite not actually knowing any of the people they feel are getting a better deal. This is entirely nonsensical given that the party they elected is effectively control of 68 out of 99 states legislative bodies [ http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/14/1598918/-Republicans-now-dominate-state-government-with-32-legislatures-and-33-governors ], 33 out of 50 state governor’s offices, the Executive Branch, and both Houses of the legislative branch. By nearly every statistical measure, white Evangelicals, and even more so those supporting the administration [ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-mythology-of-trumps-working-class-support/ ], are better off financially than the people they feel are getting a better deal (blacks and LGBT people in particular).
As a result, there is strong evidence to suggest that the Venn diagram of people who reject science, expertise, and factual news has a very high degree of overlap with the white Evangelical demographic. As a result of this deliberate ignorance and social isolation, the ability of many branches of the Federal government to function is in jeopardy. Education, clean air, clean water, health care, good diplomatic relations, and civil rights protections for everyone who isn’t white and Christian are all in deep trouble.
White Evangelicals are why America can’t have nice things.
How The Religious Right Pioneered Propaganda As News
Wally McNamee via Getty Images
Before Fox News, there was Pat Robertson’s ‘700 Club,’ where I was an executive producer.
By Terry Heaton 06/16/2017 12:10 pm ET
So-called “fake news” took center stage on several occasions during former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week. More than once, Comey pointed to specific articles by the New York Times as not true or completely false. However, he did validate others, including one in which he himself had been the Times’ source. The fake news meme has become one of the most troubling arguments in the history of contemporary journalism, ever since Donald Trump used the term to describe CNN at his first press conference as president.
Americans find themselves drowning in this unseemly and childish battle for the soul of news and information purveyance, and the undiscussed problem is that the entire mess is built on the false narrative of “the liberal (elite) press.” I know, because I was among the people who advanced the concept and shaped the discussion in the early ‘80s, as senior and executive producer of Pat Robertson’s flagship television program The 700 Club.
Before Fox News, there was The 700 Club with CBN News and “TV Journalism With A Different Spirit.” We knew what we were doing in the exploitation of the word “liberal,” and truth-telling demands its deconstruction today. The all-or-nothing split between conflicting political narratives has reached its pinnacle with the election of Donald Trump, and it needs to be hacked into a million pieces.
William F. Buckley was among the first to give the word “liberal” a pejorative interpretation, but it was the wordsmith William Safire writing for Spiro Agnew who in 1969 elevated it to a political talking point in his famous speech that opened the war against the press during Richard Nixon’s secret battles in Vietnam. The word became the central weapon in a strategy that involved attacking the messenger instead of changing the message.
That political strategy has been so effective to date that it has given birth to the idea that mainstream news is actually “fake news” and not to be believed in the administration of President Donald Trump. The number of people who now believe this falsehood is staggering, and it poses a real threat to our democracy.
At The 700 Club, we exploited attacking the press in order to insert ourselves to the right of everybody else in presenting a Biblical, a.k.a. Republican perspective on current events. We offered a daily news program that expressed Republican party talking points that we marketed as a Christian worldview. Thus began the shifting of evangelicals to the GOP and the shifting of the GOP to the right. We served as the intellectual wing of the Moral Majority, although there was no theological love lost between Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
So let’s look at these events closely, because it has a direct bearing on the conflict today. Let me be very clear: the right-wing “news” that we created was a political response to the progressive nature of news and information. It’s important to understand this, because “right-wing news” is oxymoronic. There is no such thing, because the right represents olds, not news. By definition, news is new, and new is progressive. That conservatives view this as a bias is fine, but elevating that to some evil command-and-control mechanism for political liberals is a false narrative. Rush Limbaugh has made a living off of this phony hegemony, as well as Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and whole host of mostly broadcasting personalities. Why? Because it sells and has been selling for almost 50 years.
But it’s entirely false, for the press is not the purveyor of fake news. That title belongs with those who create stories for political gain and clickthroughs. It may be politically expedient to label the mainstream as fake, but in order to do so, one’s source must be propaganda and nothing else. To us in the early ‘80s, it was easy to stake our claim in the world of journalism without complaint, because the press thought us outside Hallin’s Sphere of Legitimate Controversy and therefore unnecessary to cover. In his 1986 book The Uncensored War, Daniel C. Hallin identified three spheres of coverage by the Washington press corps.
Ron Powers once said of us on CBS Sunday Morning that we were “so slanted as to be vertical,” but for the most part, we operated without notice, which gave us the time to write our playbook, the one borrowed in order to create Fox News.
The editorial commentators of media companies determine their political leanings, not the content of the news itself. To behave otherwise is a violation of journalistic ethics and tenets, and no self-respecting news outlet would deliberately compromise its relationship with viewers or readers for political gain. It’s just not their cultural role. Only political propagandists are permitted such luxury, and where that is disguised as news, it cannot be trusted. And yet many people do, because their ears have been trained by people such as myself to identify clever social engineering as information they need in order to get back what they feel has been taken from them or get what feel they deserve from life.
We need to grow out of childish ranting that “Billy started it” or “everybody is doing it too” and let our inner adults take over. Democracy doesn’t stand a chance without an independent Fourth Estate.
The Deadly Consequences Of Texas’ Anti-LGBT Adoption Bill As the deadline to veto the anti-LGBT measure approaches, the lives of thousands of Texas foster children hang in the balance. 06/15/2017 For a state that prides itself on being “pro-life,” Texas lawmakers sure seem hell-bent on ensuring that children in the state’s foster care system experience the absolute worst possible outcomes. House Bill 3859 [ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=HB3859 ], which passed the Legislature [ https://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/21/senate-passes-religious-protections-child-welfare-agencies/ ] last month, allows child placement agencies that receive taxpayer money to claim religious objections to certain groups of people—effectively giving them a license to deny adoption and fostering opportunities to LGBTQ, single, or non-Christian parents. Assuming Gov. Greg Abbott doesn’t veto HB 3859 before a Sunday, June 18 deadline, the law will also allow these publicly funded child welfare services to send LGBTQ foster children to so-called “conversion therapy.” For the almost 30,000 children in Texas foster care, the consequences of HB 3859 will be devastating—and yes—potentially deadly. [...] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-deadly-consequences-of-texas-hb-3859_us_5942d4b4e4b0d188d027fca6 [with embedded video, and comments] [id.]
Texas Governor Who [Illegally] Chopped Down Old Tree Will Chop Down Law Protecting Old Trees June 15 2017 The liberty-lovin’ Texas Legislature meets once every two years, which isn’t always enough time to enact a liberty-lovin’ agenda. Which is why, last week, Gov. Greg Abbott called the legislature in for a special July session covering issues like abortion, property taxes, and school financing—the statehouse equivalent of summer school. And then, in the middle of an ambitious 19-item agenda [ https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-special-session ], there was this: a bill to pre-empt local laws protecting old trees. For Abbott, the arboreal beef is personal. [...] http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2017/06/15/texas_governor_who_chopped_down_old_tree_will_chop_down_law_protecting_old.html [with comments] [id.]
Joe Straus Likens Gov. Abbott’s Special Session Menu to Horse Poo Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Gov. Greg Abbott's special session of the 2017 Legislature: "With all this manure, there must be a pony in here somewhere." Jun 16, 2017 Last week, during Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s often-postponed news conference to announce that, yes indeed, the Texas Legislature would convene for a special session beginning July 18 [ http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/06/06/gov-abbott-rewards-the-hostage-takers-adds-bathroom-bill-to-special-session-menu ], he rattled off 20 items he’d like to git er dunn. On Wednesday, San Antonio’s own Joe Straus criticized Abbott’s artisanal, handheld menu of legislative issues, and likened the governor’s farm-to-fork entrées to manure-to-mouth table scraps. According to the Texas Tribune [ https://www.texastribune.org/2017/06/14/straus-special-session ], the Texas House Speaker – talking to a crammed room of superintendents and school board members at the Texas Association of School Boards’ yearly summer leadership institute – blasted the Texas Senate’s so-called cloak-and-dagger strategy of focusing on piddly bathroom bill legislation rather than tackling real-deal issues such as public-education funding. Straus’ opening salvo included “a joke about an optimistic boy who surprises his psychiatrist when he gets excited by ‘a room full of horse manure,’ reports the Trib. “The boy said, ‘With all this manure, there must be a pony in here somewhere,’” said Straus during the TASB conference at the Marriott Rivercenter. Two bills that rotted in the Texas House during the 2017 Lege – establishing a commission to study school finance reform, and creating a voucher-esque program to bankroll private school and homeschooling costs for kids with disabilities – are among the 20 items Abbott laid out for the special session, which can last up to 30 days. “Even if we approved vouchers, they still cut out the vast majority of the funding we had proposed for public schools, so there was hardly anything left,” said Straus, who added that the Senate made approximately $1 billion in public school funds go poof. [...] http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/06/16/joe-straus-likens-gov-abbotts-special-session-menu-to-horse-poo [no comments yet] [id.]
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Full: AG Rosenstein Testifies at Senate Budget Hearing 6/13/17
The House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee holds a hearing on the FY 2018 budget request for the Department of Justice. Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson presides. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testifies.
Andy Slavitt was acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2015 to 2017.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had a problem when the American Health Care Act arrived from the House last month. What to do with a bill that is clogging your agenda but only 8 percent of Americans want you to pass and members of your own caucus swore was dead on arrival? McConnell couldn’t have missed the town halls filled with angry Americans who rely on Medicaid and see the Affordable Care Act’s protections for those with preexisting conditions as a godsend. The House bill — which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would cause 23 million [ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/us/politics/cbo-congressional-budget-office-health-care.html ] to lose coverage and end those protections for many — threatened all of that.
Faced with that reality, McConnell could have started over and had the Senate develop its own legislation, perhaps even working with Democrats on a bipartisan alternative that could withstand the test of time. Instead, McConnell put a plan in place to pass something close to the House bill using three simple tools: sabotage, speed and secrecy.
• Sabotage: Given the unpopularity of the AHCA, Republicans have just one argument: Obamacare has failed. The GOP premise is “bad” beats “dead.” The problem is the facts don’t support this. Medicaid — which accounts for the bulk [ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/15/rand-paul/medicaid-expansion-drove-health-insurance-coverage/ ] of the ACA coverage expansion — is successful, popular and bipartisan. The ACA’s individual insurance exchanges got off to an uneasy start, but after five years, insurer filings and independent reports all point to profitable insurers and stable or stabilizing markets — at least until President Trump intervened to rattle insurers.
• Secrecy. None of this will work if the content of the bill cannot be kept secret for as long as possible. A small group of Republicans is amending the House bill behind close doors. And for all the talk of having the Senate start over and fix the bad House bill, their reported changes appear to be minimal, and to follow the blueprint laid out by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn [ http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/cbo-estimate-revised-house-health-care-bill-changes-little ] (R-Tex.) that: “80 percent of what the House did we’re likely to do.” The ACA’s expansion of Medicaid would end. The caps on Medicaid spending imposed by the House bill would remain. With state approval, insurers would still be able to offer Swiss cheese policies that drop benefits people with preexisting conditions need most.
Of course there’s a better way. Not long ago, Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine) [ http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/senate-obamacare-repeal-bipartisan-talks-238320 ] and Capito talked about finding solutions that would lead to more people covered, not fewer. That’s an approach that could bring many Democrats to the table. Given the Senate’s narrow margins, by voting no, the three of them or others have the power to change the course we’re on and put health-care reform on a path to long-term political stability. And McConnell himself might not even mind. Something short of 50 votes will preserve the Senate’s role as our deliberative body with the good judgment not to bow to the political winds, particularly when the country needs its checks and balances to work like never before.
AP sources: Trump tells senators House health bill ‘mean’ President Donald Trump speaks [YouTube above] before having lunch with Republican Senators and White House staffers in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Jun 13, 2017 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump told Republican senators Tuesday that the House-passed health care bill he helped revive is “mean” and urged them to craft a version that is “more generous,” congressional sources said. Trump’s remarks were a surprising slap at a Republican-written House measure that was shepherded by Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and whose passage the president lobbied for and praised. At a Rose Garden ceremony minutes after the bill’s narrow House passage on May 4, Trump called it “a great plan.” The president’s criticism, at a White House lunch with 15 GOP senators, also came as Senate Republican leaders’ attempts to write their own health care package have been slowed by disagreements between their party’s conservatives and moderates. Trump’s characterizations seemed to undercut attempts by Senate leaders to assuage conservatives who want restrictions in their chamber’s bill, such as cutting the Medicaid health care program for the poor and limiting the services insurers must cover. Moderate GOP senators have been pushing to ease those restrictions. Facing expected unanimous Democratic opposition, Republicans will be unable to pass a Senate bill if just three of the 52 GOP senators vote “no.” Alienating any of them could make approving the measure trickier for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who’s been hoping for a vote before Congress’ July 4 recess. Trump’s comments were described by two GOP congressional sources who received accounts of Tuesday’s White House lunch. They spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal a closed-door conversation. Their descriptions of Trump’s words differed slightly. One source said Trump called the House bill “mean, mean, mean” and said, “We need to be more generous, more kind.” The other source said Trump used a vulgarity to describe the House bill and told the senators, “We need to be more generous.” Two other congressional GOP officials confirmed that the general descriptions of Trump’s words were accurate. The sources say the president did not specify what aspects of the bill he was characterizing. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to comment, telling reporters aboard Air Force One Tuesday evening, “We don’t comment on rumors or private conversations.” [...] After the meeting with senators, Trump flew to Wisconsin, where, for the second week in a row, he highlighted [YouTube above] the stories of people whose health care premiums have increased — people the White House has dubbed “Obamacare victims.” After meeting with two such couples after landing in Milwaukee, Trump pointed to “millions of American families” he said “continue to suffer from Obamacare while Congressional Democrats obstruct our efforts to rescue them.” Trump did not discuss the House GOP health care plan in any detail, but said the Senate is getting ready to do something. https://apnews.com/b5383189b4dc4dea94890f13846c2639/AP-sources:-Trump-tells-senators-House-health-bill-'mean [with embedde video]
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Centene Will Enter Health Insurance Exchanges in 3 New States Centene will enter health insurance exchanges in three new states for 2018, in addition to expanding its presence in six other marketplaces. June 13, 2017 Centene Corporation will expand its presence in a number of state health insurances exchanges in 2018, building on its successful 2017 marketplace results. The payer is planning to enter the Kansas, Missouri and Nevada health insurance exchanges. It will also expand its 2018 footprint in six existing markets: Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Washington. [...] https://healthpayerintelligence.com/news/centene-will-enter-health-insurance-exchanges-in-3-new-states
The Saucy Sock Puppet of the Trump-Nominated Judge An attorney up for a federal bench seat made his views plain while writing blog posts under a pseudonym. 06.14.17 Progressive groups are banding together in an effort to defeat the judicial nomination of John Bush, a Kentucky attorney who took pot shots at liberals and others while blogging under the pseudonym G. Morris [ https://www.buzzfeed.com/zoetillman/one-of-trumps-judicial-nominees-blogged-under-a-pen-name ], and once cheered a sign warning vandals who “trespassed and stole my Palin-McCain sign,” that if they do it again, “you will find out what the 2nd Amendment is all about!!!” Bush, 52, chairs the Louisville chapter of the conservative Federalist Society and is on the list of potential Supreme Court nominees assembled by the conservative Heritage Foundation for then-candidate Donald Trump when he needed to convince evangelicals of his bona fides on abortion rights. Bush’s credentials as an anti-abortion advocate are front and center in his record as an attorney working with the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, which lists “Right to Life” as one of its areas of litigation, and in his many pseudonymous posts on “Elephants in the Bluegrass,” the blog founded by his wife, Bridget Bush. She’s on the board of Kentucky Opportunity Coalition, a “dark money” group that doesn’t disclose its donors and that raised $14 million for fellow Kentuckian and Senate leader Mitch McConnell’s reelection. Writing as G. Morris, Bush equated abortion with slavery as the “two greatest tragedies in our country.” He called the effort to find an alternative to embryonic stem cell research a “liberal pet peeve.” And when he thought the Affordable Care Act wouldn’t pass, he cheered: “The witch is dead.” An unabashed Trump supporter, he ripped Ted Cruz, who sits on the judiciary committee, as a “sore loser” during the campaign and wrote from the Republican National Convention about whether Hillary Clinton would look better in black stripes or orange. Bush disclosed his online identity on the questionnaire [ https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Bush%20SJQ.pdf ] judicial nominees submit to the Senate Judiciary Committee. His comments there are the sort that have traditionally concerned senators, and his blogging life is likely to dominate Wednesday’s hearing as he contends for a lifetime seat on the Sixth Circuit, which has jurisdiction over Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, states expected to generate a number of court cases related to reproductive freedom. [...] Also appearing on the witness stand Wednesday morning will be another prolific blogger, Damien Schiff, nominated for a 15-year term on the Federal Claims court. Writing under his own name, he has called Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy a “judicial prostitute” because the Reagan-appointed Kennedy doesn’t always vote with the Court’s conservative bloc. “It would be wonderful for reporters to ask (senators) if they believe Kennedy is a judicial prostitute, and if not, how can they justify a vote for Damien Schiff,” Nan Aron said at the conclusion of the call with reporters. [...] http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-saucy-sock-puppet-of-the-trump-nominated-judge
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One of the most prestigious brands in medicine is jumping into Obamacare Delos Cosgrove, Chief Executive and President, Cleveland Clinic at the Washington Post RNC Convention Headquarters last summer. June 15, 2017 At a time when many health insurers are exiting the exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act or thinking about it, one of the top-ranked hospitals in the country is jumping in — and they're doing it through an alliance with a health insurer co-founded by Ivanka Trump's brother-in-law, Joshua Kushner. Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit academic medical center, is partnering with Oscar Health to sell individual insurance plans in five northeast Ohio counties. The plans will be available on the exchanges, where people can use government subsidies to purchase health coverage as well as off the exchanges, where people bear the full cost of their health coverage. [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/15/one-of-the-most-prestigious-brands-in-medicine-is-jumping-into-obamacare/ [with comments]
I’ve covered Obamacare since day one. I’ve never seen lying and obstruction like this. Jun 15, 2017 Republicans do not want the country to know what is in their health care bill. This has become more evident each day, as the Senate plots out a secretive path toward Obamacare repeal — and top White House officials (including the president) consistently lie about what the House bill actually does. There was even a brief moment Tuesday where Senate Republicans flirted with the idea of banning on-camera interviews in congressional hallways, a plan quickly reversed after outcry from the press. [...] https://www.vox.com/health-care/2017/6/15/15807986/obamacare-lies-obstruction
Full Show - The American People Face the Greatest Propaganda Assault in History - 06/13/2017
Published on Jun 13, 2017 by The Alex Jones Channel
Tuesday, June 13th 2017[, with appearances by Lionel, Roger Stone and Steve Pieczenik]: Deep State Goes After Trump - Former FBI Director Mueller has hired a Clinton Foundation lawyer for the investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 elections. Alex Jones hosts as he takes on attacks from all media outlets after his interview with Megyn Kelly triggered millions of liberals. We'll discuss the media's reaction to the controversial Trump-themed "Julius Caesar" play in NYC. Also, we examine Europe's continuing struggle to fight radical Islam and the slow-motion collapse of Venezuela.
FULL HEARING: Jeff Sessions Testifies About Russia, Comey Firing at Senate Intel Committee Hearing
Published on Jun 13, 2017 by FOX 10 Phoenix
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ highly anticipated testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday will be public, committee leaders announced, agreeing to calls from numerous lawmakers and the AG himself to put the hearing on the record.
The attorney general over the weekend agreed to speak to the same committee that heard last Thursday from fired FBI Director James Comey, to answer questions regarding the Russia investigation.
It had been unclear whether the attorney general would speak in closed or open session. But the committee put out a statement Monday saying the hearing is now set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday in open session.
A Justice Department spokesperson said Sessions requested the hearing be public.
NEW: Trump administration cold to new Russia sanctions
All In with Chris Hayes 6/13/17
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is questioned by Sen. Bob Menendez and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the Trump administration's plans on Russian sanctions. Duration: 0:43
Cory Booker: Sessions should not be attorney general
All In with Chris Hayes 6/13/17
The Democratic Senator from New Jersey tells Chris Hayes that Jeff Sessions' testimony before the Intelligence Committee 'is just another example' of why Sessions should not have his current job. Duration: 5:30
Hayes: Why did 3 Trump associates lie about Kislyak? [the YouTube title: "Rep. Jim Jordan: My Interactions With Robert Mueller Have Been Disappointing"]
All In with Chris Hayes 6/13/17
‘It doesn’t strike you as weird that three people close to the president, under penalty of perjury, gave misleading or false answers about meeting with Russian officials?’ asks Chris Hayes of GOP Rep. Jim Jordan. Duration: 5:52
Nixon-era fmr. Rep.: Sessions testimony a ‘cover-up’
All In with Chris Hayes 6/13/17
Former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, who served on the Judiciary Committee during its drafting of the articles of impeachment against then-President Nixon, says Sessions' refusal to answer questions is 'what I call in good old Watergate language a cover-up.' Duration: 5:08
Rachel Maddow shows what a rarity it is for an FBI director to be fired and runs through the series of failed explanations for Donald Trump's firing of James Comey up to today's refusal by Jeff Sessions to answer questions in the Senate. Duration: 25:52
New Trump team strategy: refuse to answer Trump Russia questions
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/13/17
Rachel Maddow looks at the emerging pattern of Trump White House officials who are using specious, non-legal excuses to refuse to answer certain questions in Trump=Russia Congressional hearings. Duration: 6:10
Senator Schumer: 'Sessions is in dereliction of his duty'
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/13/17
Senator Chuck Schumer, top Senate Democrat, talks with Rachel Maddow about Trump officials making non-legal excuses for not answering questions from members of Congress in the Trump-Russian investigation. Duration: 6:20
Schumer: Republicans hiding health bill because they're ashamed
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/13/17
Chuck Schumer, top Senate Democrat, talks with Rachel Maddow about why Republicans are hiding the drafting of their version of an Obamacare replacement. Duration: 4:10
Schumer: Logical that 'fearless prosecutors' would worry Trump
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/13/17
Senator Chuck Schumer, top Democrat in the Senate, talks with Rachel Maddow about possible explanations for why Donald Trump fired Preet Bharara after first telling him he could stay as U.S. attorney. Duration: 1:37
Rachel Maddow relays a new report claiming that Donald Trump's lawyer, Marc Kasowitz boasted of getting former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara fired by telling Donald Trump, "This guy is going to get you." Duration: 1:21
Watergate prosecutor: 'Sessions was not even a credible witness'
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 6/13/17
Jeff Sessions stonewalled in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee today, says fmr. Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman, not answering questions he should have been required to under oath. Lawrence O'Donnell also discusses with Ron Klain and Karine Jean-Pierre. Duration: 7:49
Exclusive: Sen. Franken says Sessions violated his recusal
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 6/13/17
In an exclusive interview with Lawrence O'Donnell, Sen. Al Franken responds to what Jeff Sessions said today about his now-infamous answer to Sen. Franken that he "did not have communications with the Russians." Duration: 9:53
After Sessions hearing, White House still has no Russia strategy
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/13/17
After a fiery and frustrating appearance in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee from Atty General Sessions, the White House reportedly still has no strategy to deal with questions over Russia. Duration: 7:57
Jeff Sessions said 'I don't recall' a lot during Senate hearing
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/13/17
Over and over again, Attorney General Jeff Sessions answered question after question from Senate Intelligence Committee members by saying, 'I don't recall.' Duration: 1:20
Jeff Sessions changing his story on meetings with Russians?
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/13/17
During his Senate testimony, Jeff Sessions seemed to offer a new version of events behind his meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Julia Ioffe of The Atlantic joins MSNBC's Brian Williams. Duration: 2:57
Senators weren't happy with how often Sessions wouldn't answer
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/13/17
Jeff Sessions left senators confused after refusing to answer questions during his Senate testimony. Fmr. Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks & fmr. DOJ lawyer Carrie Cordero join. Duration: 3:53
White House: Trump has the right to fire Special Counsel Mueller
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/13/17
Will Pres. Trump fire Special Counsel overseeing the FBI's Russia investigation Bob Mueller? The Washington Post's Ashley Parker & New York Times' Jeremy Peters discuss. Duration: 7:13
Rumors over Robert Mueller's Fate & Jeff Sessions in the Senate Hot Seat: The Daily Show
Published on Jun 13, 2017 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
The media fixates on a rumor that President Trump is considering firing special prosecutor Robert Mueller, and beleaguered Attorney General Jeff Sessions defends his honor.
Dennis Rodman Visits The 'Stoner Paradise' Known As North Korea
Published on Jun 14, 2017 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
After all of President Trump's campaign promises, who would have thought the man with bizarre hair negotiating with North Korea would be Dennis Rodman?
Jeff Sessions Testifies; GOP Writes Secret Health Care Bill: A Closer Look
Published on Jun 13, 2017 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth takes a closer look at Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Senate testimony and President Trump's allies call for the firing of the special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller.
On "Day 145" of the Donald Trump White House Regime we find out that Jeff Sessions is Defiant and Invokes Executive Privilege before the Senate Intelligence Committee, he says "I Don't recall". This has become a Global Embarrassment, The Trump Rich Asshole Club. It is Official now the Country Power Structure has been turned over to the Military Industrial Complex and this Month (June) They Celebrate Trannies ! This is beyond bizarre !
Texas cops find $1M worth of meth-laced lollipops Six hundred pounds of the drug-laced candy had been loaded into the back seat of the vehicle, according to police. “They had so many narcotics in their vehicle they couldn’t close the back hatch of their car.” June 14, 2017 http://wfla.com/2017/06/14/texas-cops-find-1m-worth-of-meth-laced-lollipops/ [no comments yet]
North Texas mayors reject protectionist “Buy American” iron and steel bill Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price The mayors of Dallas and Fort Worth are siding with Canadian officials over the potentially negative impact a “Buy American” iron and steel measure could have on Texas-Canada trade relations. June 14, 2017 The mayors of two North Texas cities are siding with Canadian officials over the potentially negative impact a “Buy American” iron and steel measure could have on Texas-Canada trade relations. Both Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, who are on a trade mission to Toronto and Montreal this week, said they had concerns with a law that will require large state projects — such as buildings, roads and bridges — to purchase iron and steel from an American supplier if the cost doesn’t exceed 20 percent more than the price of cheaper, foreign imports. The measure [ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=SB1289 ] was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott [ https://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/ ] Friday and goes into effect Sept. 1. The law has grabbed the attention of several Canadian officials, who wrote [ https://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/16/canadian-officials-upset-republican-buy-american-iron-and-steel-bill/ ] in a May 15 letter to Texas senators that they were “deeply concerned” with how the law would impact Texas-Canada trade. They asked members of a legislative conference committee to tack on an amendment that would exempt Canadian steel, but their request was denied. "I didn’t like that [law],” Rawlings said in an interview on BNN, Canada's Business News Network. “I think it was pointed at China, but it has some repercussions here in Canada, and we need to go back and talk to [Abbott] about that.” In a statement to The Texas Tribune on Wednesday, Price said she was concerned with some of the unintended consequences the measure could have on "our positive Texas-Canada trade relationship" and planned to work with lawmakers to "explore potential changes to this law." "It is critical we support our strong trade relationship with Canada, while also promoting efforts to support the American marketplace and American jobs,” she said. [...] According to Canadian officials, Canada is the top export destination for U.S. steel products, representing roughly $9.7 billion in trade last year. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said in a written statement that she had met with both Texas mayors on Monday and was hoping to work with Texas lawmakers to seek an exemption for the province. “The strong relationship between Ontario and Texas is long-standing and vital to the economies of both regions,” she wrote. “We are disappointed that Texas has passed discriminatory Buy American provisions.” Creighton [the bill's originator] has previously said [ https://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/03/trump-their-side-republicans-hopeful-buy-america-iron-and-steel-bill/ ] that the aim of his bill was not to penalize Canada but to ensure "foreign governments like China and Turkey can’t create a foreign steel market that would gut the American market." “We stand firm for Texas jobs and manufacturers and against communist China flooding the market to hurt those stakeholders,” he said. [...] https://www.texastribune.org/2017/06/14/north-texas-mayors-reject-protectionist-buy-american-iron-and-steel-bi/ [with comments]
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Full Show - Liberal Terrorist Shoots Congressman On Trump's Birthday - 06/14/2017
Published on Jun 14, 2017 by The Alex Jones Channel
Wednesday, June 14th 2017[, with an appearance by Jerome Corsi, and Roger Stone hosting the fourth hour]: Republicans Targeted by Leftist Gunman Amid Baseball Practice - A leftist gunman is dead in Virginia after shooting at Republicans practicing baseball. We'll look at the motivations that led to the incident, and also look at the aftermath of a building fire in London described as "hell on earth." Actor Antonio Sabato Jr. joins the show to discuss his congressional run, his RNC endorsement of Donald Trump and the subsequent blacklist that followed. Also, former NSA technical director turned whistleblower William Binney and documentary filmmaker Friedrich Moser discuss "A Good American," a look at the NSA's role in 9/11.
Senate Approves Russia Sanctions, Limiting Trump's Oversight
Schumer arrives to talk to media on Capitol Hill on May 23, 2017. (Yuri Gripas / Reuters)
A new bipartisan deal prohibits the president from rolling back sanctions without Congress’s approval.
By Aria Bendix Jun 14, 2017
In an overwhelming vote of 97-2, the U.S. Senate approved a new round of sanctions on Russia in response to the nation’s likely interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as its involvement in the Syrian civil war. The deal also prevents President Trump from loosening or rolling back restrictions on Russia without Congress’s approval, representing one of the most significant GOP-enforced checks on the president to date. Only two GOP senators, Utah’s Mike Lee and Kentucky’s Rand Paul, voted against the sanctions. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, a democrat, was absent for the vote.
The decision comes amid an ongoing investigation to determine whether members of the Trump administration colluded with Russian officials to influence the results of the election—and could signal a growing bipartisan concern over Trump’s reported sympathy toward Russia. On Tuesday, ahead of the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Trump administration “has been too eager—far too eager, in my mind—to put sanctions relief on the table.” He added that the new sanctions will “send a powerful, bipartisan statement that Russia and any other nation who might try to interfere with our elections will be punished.”
While the new sanctions package still awaits approval from the House of Representatives and a signature from the president, Tuesday’s sweeping bipartisan support suggests the deal is unlikely to be vetoed. In an effort to ensure the deal’s approval, senators also attached it as an amendment to a popular bill sanctioning Iran for its ballistic missile testing. Still, some Democrats are worried about how the White House will respond. One of the bill’s key negotiators, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, told reporters [ http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/14/senate-passes-russia-sanctions-trump-limits-239553 ] that “people in the White House, we hear, are making calls in the House to try to stop [the bill], slow it, weaken it, dilute it.”
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued the Trump administration should have more oversight over future sanctions. While Tillerson admitted that “Russia must be held accountable for its meddling in U.S. elections,” he added: “We would ask for the flexibility to turn the heat up when we need to, but also to ensure that we have the ability to maintain a constructive dialogue.” The president, he said, should have the authority to “adjust sanctions to meet the needs of what is always an evolving diplomatic situation.”
But, for some of the deal’s most ardent supporters, diplomatic relations—or lack thereof—between the U.S. and Russia are less ambiguous. “Vladimir Putin’s brazen attack on our democracy is a flagrant demonstration of his disdain and disrespect for our nation,” said Arizona Senator John McCain shortly before the vote. “This should not just outrage every American, but it should compel us to action.” If Tuesday’s vote is any indication, most senators agree that firm action is necessary, but question whether Trump or his advisors feel the same.
Putin sarcastically offers Comey political asylum in Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to the media after his annual televised call-in show in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 15, 2017. Putin has his annual live call-in show, a TV marathon lasting for hours in which he may for the first time declare his intention to seek another term in 2018, comment on the latest opposition protest and talk about Russia-U.S. ties and other issues. Jun 15, 2017 MOSCOW (AP) — Wading into the furor surrounding the investigations of the Trump White House, President Vladimir Putin used a national call-in show Thursday to disparage what he called U.S. “political infighting” that is blocking better relations with Russia. The Russian leader even sarcastically offered political asylum to fired FBI Director James Comey. Putin mixed the tough talk with benevolent promises about the Russian economy to disgruntled callers complaining about decrepit housing and low salaries during the four-hour marathon intended to burnish his father-of-the-nation image. But the 64-year-old wouldn’t say if he plans to seek another term in the 2018 election, although he is widely expected to do so. Putin reaffirmed his denial of allegations by U.S. intelligence agencies that the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 U.S. election, saying that Russia has openly expressed its views and hasn’t engaged in any covert activities. He also tried to turn the tables on the U.S., saying it has sought to influence Russian elections by funding nongovernmental organizations as part of its aspirations for world domination. “Turn a globe and point your finger anywhere, you will find American interests and interference there,” he said. Putin also likened Comey to Edward Snowden, a contractor who leaked thousands of secret documents from the National Security Agency and has been living in Russia since being granted asylum in 2013. “It sounds and looks very weird when the chief of a security agency records his conversation with the commander in chief and then hands it over to media via his friend,” Putin said. “What’s the difference then between the FBI director and Mr. Snowden?” he asked. “In that case, he’s more of a rights campaigner defending a certain position than the security agency chief.” On an acerbic note, he added that if Comey “faces some sort of persecution in connection with that, we are ready to offer political asylum in Russia to him as well.” The remarks reflected Putin’s frustration with the investigations into alleged links between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia. The inquiries have dogged the White House, shattering Moscow’s hopes for improving ties with Washington. He called the allegations a reflection of “exacerbating political infighting.” On a conciliatory note, Putin added that Russia still hopes for normalization of ties with the U.S. “We don’t see America as our enemy,” he said. He said Moscow and Washington could cooperate to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and pool efforts to tackle the North Korean nuclear and missile problem. The two countries also could cooperate on global poverty and preventing climate change, he said, adding that the U.S. remains the essential player on climate despite Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris accord. Moscow also hopes that the U.S. could play a “constructive role” in helping settle the Ukrainian crisis, he said. During the tightly choreographed show, Putin said the country has climbed out of recession despite ongoing Western sanctions, adding that the restrictions have forced Russians to “switch on our brains” to reduce dependence on energy exports. He deplored the U.S. Senate’s decision Wednesday to impose new sanctions as yet another attempt to “contain” Russia, but he insisted that such measures have only made the country stronger. The Senate voted to punish Moscow for the alleged election meddling by approving a wide-ranging package of sanctions that target key sectors of Russia’s economy and individuals who carried out cyberattacks. The bill follows several rounds of other sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union over Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its support for pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine. Putin argued that Russia has done nothing to warrant the Senate move, calling it an “evidence of a continuing internal political struggle in the U.S.” [...] https://www.apnews.com/93574365220f471887b5d585ce474e12/Putin-sarcastically-offers-Comey-political-asylum-in-Russia
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Amid uproar, Southern Baptists condemn ‘alt-right’ movement Barrett Duke, chairman of the 2017 Committee on Resolutions, answers questions at a news conference following the passage of nine resolutions on Tuesday, June 13, 2017 in Phoenix. The Southern Baptist Convention, home to prominent evangelical supporters of President Donald Trump, adopted a statement on moral leadership at the group’s annual meeting Tuesday that avoided pointed criticism of current political officeholders. Jun 14, 2017 PHOENIX (AP) — Southern Baptists on Wednesday formally condemned the political movement known as the “alt-right,” in a national meeting that was thrown into turmoil after leaders initially refused to take up the issue. The denomination’s annual convention in Phoenix voted to “decry every form of racism, including alt-right white supremacy as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and “denounce and repudiate white supremacy and every form of racial and ethnic hatred as a scheme of the devil.” Tuesday night, Southern Baptist officials who oversaw the resolutions had refused to introduce a different repudiation of the “alt-right,” which emerged dramatically during the U.S. presidential election, mixing racism, white nationalism and populism. Barrett Duke, who leads the resolutions committee, had said the original document contained inflammatory and broad language “potentially implicating” conservatives who do not support the “alt-right” movement. Introducing the new statement Wednesday, Duke apologized “for the pain and confusion that we created,” but said the committee had been concerned about potentially giving the appearance of hating their enemies. Duke said the committee members “share your abhorrence of racism” and were grateful for the chance to “speak on ‘alt-right’ racism in particular and all racism in general.” The resolution was adopted after a short but emotional discussion. “We are saying that white supremacy and racist ideologies are dangerous because they oppress our brothers and sisters in Christ,” said the Rev. Russell Moore, who leads the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist public policy arm. “If we’re a Jesus people, let’s stand where Jesus stands.” Charles Hedman of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in South Bend, Indiana, said far-right groups had been distributing racist material outside the convention hall Tuesday night. He said some pastors had told him they would have to leave the denomination if the convention failed to denounce white supremacy Wednesday. “We must stand strong,” Hedman said. “We must all issue an apology that we didn’t act on this yesterday.” The initial proposal that Southern Baptists had rejected came from a prominent black Southern Baptist pastor, the Rev. William McKissic of Arlington, Texas. His resolution repudiated “retrograde ideologies, xenophobic biases and racial bigotries of the ‘alt-right’ that seek to subvert our government.” After McKissic made an unsuccessful plea for reconsideration from the floor of the Phoenix meeting late Tuesday, pressure began building online and at the convention for the Southern Baptists to say something. Several Southern Baptists were panicked, contending that silence would be misinterpreted as support for white supremacy. The denomination was formed in the 19th century in defense of slaveholders and has been trying to overcome its racist history. [...] Debate also underscored ongoing tensions among Southern Baptists whether Donald Trump, a thrice-married casino and real estate mogul, was morally fit to be president. Moore vehemently condemned candidate Trump. At the same time, several prominent Southern Baptists, including former presidents of the denomination, signed on as evangelical advisers to the Republican’s campaign. They remain among the president’s most steadfast supporters. When Trump won with 80 percent of the white evangelical vote, Moore faced a backlash within the denomination. That landslide support for Trump left black evangelicals feeling alienated and disappointed given their concerns about Trump’s past treatment of blacks, his rhetoric about Mexicans and his promised policies. https://www.apnews.com/af8bbb6403ad4218a72acd1789e1ce80/Amid-uproar,-Southern-Baptists-condemn-'alt-right'-movement
Six Michigan officials criminally charged in Flint water crisis Jun 14, 2017 Six current and former Michigan and Flint officials were criminally charged on Wednesday for their roles in the city's water crisis that was linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that caused at least 12 deaths, the state's attorney general said. Five of the officials, including Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, were charged with involuntary manslaughter stemming from their roles in handling the crisis, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. Involuntary manslaughter is a felony that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Lyon, 49, was also charged with one count of misconduct in office. The felony charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. Four current and former state and Flint officials were also charged with involuntary manslaughter. The four had all been previously charged with lesser crimes in connection with the water crisis. The state's chief medical executive, Eden Wells, was charged Wednesday with obstruction of justice and lying to police. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said in a statement that Lyon and Wells have his "full faith and confidence" and would remain on duty and help in Flint's recovery. An attorney for Lyon could not be reached for comment. It was not immediately known if Wells had an attorney. Schuette said his team had not spoken with Snyder as part of the investigation. "We attempted to interview the governor. We were not successful," Schuette said. He declined to elaborate. Previously, Schuette, when asked if Snyder was a target in the investigation, said there were no targets but "nobody is off the table." Some critics have called for high-ranking state officials, including Snyder, to be charged. Snyder previously said he believed he had not done anything criminally wrong. "The governor isn't going to speculate on where the investigation is or is not headed, but he continues to cooperate fully," Snyder's spokeswoman Anna Heaton said. Snyder's attorney, Brian Lennon, said in a statement that Snyder was made available to testify under oath this spring after being told a subpoena would be produced, but that never occurred. He added that Snyder previously testified under oath to Congress. Wednesday's charges stem from more than 80 cases of Legionnaires' disease, including the fatalities, that were believed to be linked to the water in Flint after the city switched its source to the Flint River from Lake Huron in April 2014. Lyon was aware of the Legionnaires' outbreak in Genesee County at least one year before he informed the public, according to court documents. His deliberate failure to inform the public resulted in the death of Genesee Township resident Robert Skidmore, 85, from Legionnaires' in December 2015, the documents said. Wells lied to police about when she became aware of the outbreak, according to the documents. She also threatened a team of independent researchers who were studying the source of the disease, court documents said. [...] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-water-idUSKBN195234
Special counsel is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice, officials say
By Devlin Barrett, Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima and Sari Horwitz June 14, 2017
The special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election is interviewing senior intelligence officials as part of a widening probe that now includes an examination of whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice, officials said.
Trump had received private assurances from then-FBI Director James B. Comey starting in January that he was not personally under investigation. Officials say that changed shortly after Comey’s firing.
Five people briefed on the interview requests, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said that Daniel Coats, the current director of national intelligence, Mike Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, and Rogers’s recently departed deputy, Richard Ledgett, agreed to be interviewed by Mueller’s investigators as early as this week. The investigation has been cloaked in secrecy, and it is unclear how many others have been questioned by the FBI.
The NSA said in a statement that it will “fully cooperate with the special counsel” and declined to comment further. The office of the director of national intelligence and Ledgett declined to comment.
The White House now refers all questions about the Russia investigation to Trump’s personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz.
“The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal,” said Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Kasowitz.
The officials said Coats, Rogers and Ledgett would appear voluntarily, though it remains unclear whether they will describe in full their conversations with Trump and other top officials or will be directed by the White House to invoke executive privilege. It is doubtful that the White House could ultimately use executive privilege to try to block them from speaking to Mueller’s investigators. Experts point out that the Supreme Court ruled during the Watergate scandal that officials cannot use privilege to withhold evidence in criminal prosecutions.
The interviews suggest that Mueller sees the question of attempted obstruction of justice as more than just a “he said, he said” dispute between the president and the fired FBI director, an official said.
Investigating Trump for possible crimes is a complicated affair, even if convincing evidence of a crime were found. The Justice Department has long held that it would not be appropriate to indict a sitting president. Instead, experts say, the onus would be on Congress to review any findings of criminal misconduct and then decide whether to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Comey’s statement before the House Intelligence Committee upset Trump, who has repeatedly denied that any coordination with the Russians took place. Trump had wanted Comey to disclose publicly that he was not personally under investigation, but the FBI director refused to do so.
Soon after, Trump spoke to Coats and Rogers about the Russia investigation.
Officials said one of the exchanges of potential interest to Mueller took place on March 22, less than a week after Coats was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official.
Coats told associates that Trump had asked him whether Coats could intervene with Comey to get the bureau to back off its focus on former national security adviser Michael Flynn in its Russia probe, according to officials. Coats later told lawmakers that he never felt pressured to intervene.
Coats and Rogers refused to comply with the president’s requests, officials said.
It is unclear whether Ledgett had direct contact with Trump or other top officials about the Russia probe, but he wrote an internal NSA memo documenting the president’s phone call with Rogers, according to officials.
Mueller is overseeing a host of investigations involving people who are or were in Trump’s orbit, people familiar with the probe said. The investigation is examining possible contacts with Russian operatives as well as any suspicious financial activity related to those individuals.
Comey’s carefully worded comments, and those of Andrew McCabe, who took over as acting FBI director, suggested to some officials that an investigation of Trump for attempted obstruction may have been launched after Comey’s departure, particularly in light of Trump’s alleged statements regarding Flynn.
“I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning, but that’s a conclusion I’m sure the special counsel will work towards, to try and understand what the intention was there, and whether that’s an offense,” Comey testified last week.
Mueller has not publicly discussed his work, and a spokesman for the special counsel declined to comment.
Accounts by Comey and other officials of their conversations with the president could become central pieces of evidence if Mueller decides to pursue an obstruction case.
Investigators will also look for any statements the president may have made publicly and privately to people outside the government about his reasons for firing Comey and his concerns about the Russia probe and other related investigations, people familiar with the matter said.
Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week that he was certain his firing was due to the president’s concerns about the Russia probe, rather than over his handling of a now-closed FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state, as the White House had initially asserted. “It’s my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,” Comey said. “I was fired, in some way, to change — or the endeavor was to change the way the Russia investigation was being conducted.”
The fired FBI director said ultimately it was up to Mueller to make a determination whether the president crossed a legal line.
In addition to describing his interactions with the president, Comey told the Intelligence Committee that while he was FBI director he told Trump on three occasions that he was not under investigation as part of a counterintelligence probe looking at Russian meddling in the election.
Republican lawmakers seized on Comey’s testimony to point out that Trump was not in the FBI’s crosshairs when Comey led the bureau.
After Comey’s testimony, in which he acknowledged telling Trump that he was not under investigation, Trump tweeted that he felt “total and complete vindication.” It is unclear whether McCabe, Comey’s successor, has informed Trump of the change in the scope of the probe.
Mueller Seeks to Talk to Intelligence Officials, Hinting at Inquiry of Trump
Robert S. Mueller III in 2012. J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and MATT APUZZO JUNE 14, 2017
WASHINGTON — Robert S. Mueller III [ http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/robert_s_iii_mueller/index.html ], the special counsel examining Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, has requested interviews with three high-ranking current or former intelligence officials, the latest indication that he will investigate whether President Trump obstructed justice, a person briefed on the investigation said on Wednesday.
Mr. Mueller wants to question Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence; Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency; and Richard Ledgett, the former N.S.A. deputy director.
Mr. Mueller’s office has also asked the N.S.A. for any documents or notes related to the agency’s interactions with the White House as part of the Russia investigation, according to an intelligence official.
The F.B.I.’s gathering information about the possibility of a crime does not necessarily mean prosecutors are building a case against the president. In the early stages of investigations, F.B.I. agents typically want to gather all the facts. Agents then present those facts to prosecutors, who decide whether they want to take the case.
A spokeswoman for the White House referred all questions on the matter to Mr. Trump’s outside lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz. A spokesman for Mr. Kasowitz said, “The F.B.I. leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal.”
The White House could try to assert executive privilege to keep the intelligence officials from discussing conversations between them and the president with Mr. Mueller. But that could set up a fight in court, where judges have generally held that criminal investigators can demand information that would normally be privileged.
The Justice Department appointed Mr. Mueller last month to investigate whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russian operatives to influence the outcome of last year’s presidential election. Mr. Mueller inherited the criminal investigations into Mr. Flynn and Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. He was also given the authority to investigate obstruction.
While Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, has not said what exactly prompted him to appoint Mr. Mueller, his decision came after The New York Times published details about an Oval Office meeting Mr. Comey had with the president at the White House in February. During the meeting, the president brought up Mr. Flynn and told Mr. Comey, “I hope you can let this go,” according to the memo. Mr. Comey told the Senate that he viewed that as a clear directive from the president to drop the investigation.
A former senior official said Mr. Mueller’s investigation was looking at money laundering by Trump associates. The suspicion is that any cooperation with Russian officials would most likely have been in exchange for some kind of financial payoff, and that there would have been an effort to hide the payments, probably by routing them through offshore banking [ http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/offshore_banking/index.html ] centers.
Adam Goldman, Matthew Rosenberg and David E. Sanger contributed reporting.
Trump, DeVos 'Betray' Students With Gift to Predatory For-Profit Schools "Students cheated by their school are entitled to loan forgiveness," wrote Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. The Department of Education will delay Obama-era rules designed to help students defrauded by for-profit colleges June 14, 2017 https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/06/14/trump-devos-betray-students-gift-predatory-profit-schools [with comments]
Betsy DeVos rolls back regulations holding for-profit colleges accountable Education Secretary Betsy DeVos with President Donald Trump in Wisconsin on Tuesday. Trump’s team just killed two brand-new rules to protect students—and taxpayers—from scams like Trump University. Jun 15, 2017 https://thinkprogress.org/devos-forprofit-foxes-henhouse-337f4fec3ab4 [with comments]
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Infowars Nightly News LIVE - Liberal Hate Becomes Real Terror
Streamed live on Jun 14, 2017 by The Alex Jones Channel
Washington Post reporter Sari Horwitz explains the breaking report that Special Counsel Robert Muller has widened the investigation to look into the president and obstruction of justice. Duration: 3:56
Trump investigation puts WH officials in tough position
All In with Chris Hayes 6/14/17
Former chief Justice Department Spokesman Matthew Miller explains why top Trump administration officials may not be able to avoid testifying about the president. Duration: 5:04
Jeffries: Game will go on and we'll 'all come together'
All In with Chris Hayes 6/14/17
‘We are going to compete, both Democrats and Republicans…and then we’ll all come together as Americans afterwards,’ says Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, along with his Republican colleague Leonard Lance, in the wake of the shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice. Duration: 4:19
Daniel Hernandez, who helped save the life of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords when he was her intern, says ‘there’s so much work that we should have done and continue to need to do to make sure this doesn’t happen again.' Duration: 6:56
How bad does it have to get for House Republicans to turn on the President? Jason Johnson, Jennifer Rubin, Josh Barro, and Chris Hayes discuss. Duration: 3:33
Gunman injures congressman, four others in shooting rampage
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/14/17
Rachel Maddow reports on what is known so far about the mass shooting at a Republican congressional baseball team practice, the shooting suspect, James Hodgkinson, killed by police, and the heroics of those who responded to the shooting. Duration: 11:58
Special counsel investigating Trump for obstruction: WaPo
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/14/17
Adam Entous, national security reporter for the Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about breaking news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Donald Trump for possible obstruction of justice in the firing of James Comey. Duration: 9:05
Rachel Maddow reports on an update on the condition of Rep. Steve Scalise, who was badly wounded in a mass shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice, and talks with Amber Phillips, reporter for the Washington Post, about the harrowing scene. Duration: 6:07
Former mayor reveals details of talks with suspected gunman
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/14/17
Bill Euille, former mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, talks with Rachel Maddow about his past encounters with the suspected gunman, killed by police after opening fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice. Duration: 7:42
Congressman Dan Kildee talks with Rachel Maddow about the shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice and the criminal charges, including involuntary manslaughter, being filed by the Michigan attorney general against officials in the Flint water crisis. Duration: 6:12
Criminal investigation of Trump a turning point in Russia probe
The Rachel Maddow Show 6/14/17
Ari Melber, MSNBC chief legal correspondent, talks with Rachel Maddow about the legal implications of the revelation that Donald Trump is being investigated for obstruction of justice for firing James Comey over the Russia investigation. Duration: 5:35
Report: Trump now under investigation for possible obstruction
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 6/14/17
The Washington Post was first to report special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Trump for obstruction of justice, a turning point in the widening probe. WaPo reporter Devlin Barrett and W.H. experts Richard Painter and Ron Klain join Lawrence O'Donnell. Duration: 16:44
Report: Mueller probe looking into possible financial crimes
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 6/14/17
Lawrence O'Donnell talks to David Ignatius and David Cay Johnston about a Washington Post report that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating possible financial crimes among Trump associates. Duration: 6:06
Lawrence O'Donnell explains why this shooting was different than most and dedicates the last word to the Capitol Police who saved lives at a congressional baseball practice. Duration: 5:17
Team Trump doesn't deny report Mueller is investigating Trump
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/14/17
With reports now stating Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Pres. Trump for possible obstruction of justice, the president's personal legal team denied absolutely nothing in those reports. Our panel reacts. Duration: 7:14
Candidate Trump warned Clinton would face investigations
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/14/17
At the end of the 2016 campaign, Candidate Trump warned repeatedly Hillary Clinton's ability to govern would be hurt by 'years' of investigations. The Washington Post's Philip Rucker reacts. Duration: 1:50
Lawmakers & other witnesses describe terrifying Virginia shooting
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/14/17
Republican Rep. Steve Scalise was among four people wounded when a gunman opened fire at a Virginia baseball field. Those on hand, including several lawmakers, describe what they saw. Duration: 1:35
Fmr. NYPD Commissioner Bratton: 'We cannot live in fear'
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/14/17
Former NYPD Commissioner and MSNBC Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Bill Bratton reacts to the shooting that occurred while lawmakers were holding baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia. Duration: 2:51
Can Special Counsel Robert Mueller indict Pres. Trump?
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 6/14/17
What happens if Special Counsel Mueller investigates the president and finds evidence of obstruction? MSNBC's Brian Williams talks to AP White House Correspondent Jonathan Lemire. Duration: 0:50
The Rikers Debaters | June 14, 2017 Part 3 | Full Frontal on TBS
Published on Jun 14, 2017 by Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Brace yourself for an honest-to-god positive Rikers story. Produced by Razan Ghalayini. For more info on The Rikers Debate Project, visit http://rikersdebateproject.org/ .
this is part 3 of a 4-part post, which concludes with my next post, a reply to this post; part 2 is the post to which this is a reply -- the following 'see also (linked in)' listing is common to all 4 parts
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in addition to (linked in) the post to which this is a reply and preceding and (any future other) following, see also (linked in):
Market Data 
Markets 
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AI
