U.S. Military’s Space in Trump Tower Costs $130,000/Month Property is being leased by a military office that supports the White House; government agency says its owner isn’t affiliated with the Trump Organization July 18, 2017 Updated July 19, 2017 WASHINGTON—The U.S. government is paying more than $130,000 a month to lease space in Trump Tower for the military office that supports the White House, even though Donald Trump hasn’t spent a night at the New York skyscraper since becoming president. The government signed a $2.39 million lease to rent a 3,475 sq. ft. space in the building for the military from April 11, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2018, nearly 18 months in total, according to lease documents [ https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/GSADOC.pdf ] that The Wall Street Journal obtained through a freedom of information request. The government agreed to pay $180,000 for the last 20 days of April 2017 and $130,000 a month thereafter, according to the contract released by the General Services Administration, the agency that negotiates office space agreements for the government. The GSA redacted large portions of the lease, including the name of the person who owns the Trump Tower space the government is renting. A Pentagon official wrote in a letter seen by the Journal that the space is owned privately by someone unaffiliated with the Trump Organization and that the department sees no way in which Mr. Trump can benefit from the rent money. Records indicate the owner is Joel R. Anderson, Mr. Trump’s neighbor. The military’s lease in Trump Tower puts the space far above market rate for similarly sized apartments in the luxury high rise market and makes it one of the most expensive residential rentals in Manhattan. The U.S. military uses the White House Military Office to provide medical, food, transportation and communications services that by regulation need to be close to the president at all times. The military also ensures that the so-called nuclear football—the briefcase that allows the president to authorize a nuclear attack—accompanies the commander in chief during his travels. Its operations are separate from those of the Secret Service. The rental figure, which hasn’t been disclosed previously, is only for the Defense Department. Other agencies, such as the U.S. Secret Service, also face increased costs stemming from Mr. Trump’s frequent visits to his other properties and his large family. The Secret Service, for example, requested an additional $25.7 million in the 2018 budget [ https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CFO/17_0524_U.S._Secret_Service.pdf ] to cover expenses associated with securing Trump Tower and the president’s “protective footprint” in New York City. The most expensive Trump Tower listing recently was a 3,725 sq. ft., three-bedroom apartment on the 62nd floor. It was listed in the spring of 2016 for $50,000 a month unfurnished and $60,000 a month furnished, according to Streeteasy.com. [...] https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-militarys-space-in-trump-tower-costs-130-000-a-month-1500428508 [with comments]
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The Secret Service is Sick of Getting Hosed by Donald Trump After a dispute with the Trump Organization, the Secret Service has ditched the skyscraper for a comparatively cheap trailer. August 4, 2017 ince Donald Trump packed up his bathrobes [ https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/02/07/photo-of-trump-in-a-bathrobe-emerges-amid-spat-with-new-york-tim/21709047/ ] and self-tanning formula last January and begrudgingly moved into that “dump [ https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/08/donald-trump-white-house-dump ]” on Pennsylvania Avenue, rare is the weekend that he hasn’t fled D.C. In the winter and spring, he’d jet down to his Palm Beach palace, Mar-a-Lago, entertaining world leaders and crashing weddings [ https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/02/mar-a-lago-members-trump-presidency ]. As the days have gotten hotter and the president has presumably begun to shvitz, he’s moved things north to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where on Friday he’ll begin a 17-day vacation [ http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-as-trump-plans-17-day-vacation-his-1501784708-htmlstory.html ]. The one place he surprisingly hasn’t visited, however, is his beloved Trump Tower apartment in Midtown Manhattan (although that may have more to do to with the throngs of protesters [ http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/politics/donald-trump-new-york-city/index.html ] who have become fixtures outside the building). Still, by law, the Secret Service treats Trump Tower as the president’s main residence and must keep a team there to protect it. Which it was doing from inside the skyscraper until recently, when it was forced to move to a trailer on the street after lease negotiations broke down with the Trump Organization. Per The Washington Post [ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-vacates-trump-tower-command-post-in-lease-dispute-with-presidents-company/2017/08/03/7338de16-785d-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304_story.html ]: "The Secret Service has vacated its command post inside Trump Tower in Manhattan following a dispute between the government and President Trump’s company over the terms of a lease for the space, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Previously, the Secret Service had stationed its command post—which houses supervisors and backup agents on standby in case of an emergency—in a Trump Tower unit one floor below the president’s apartment. But in early July, the post was relocated to a trailer on the sidewalk, more than 50 floors below, a distance that some security experts worry could hamper the agency that protects the president’s home and family." While it’s not clear exactly where the talks broke down, people familiar with the matter told the Post “the sticking points included the price and other conditions of the lease,” and the statement from Trump Organization spokeswoman Amanda Miller seems to support that. “After much consideration, it was mutually determined that it would be more cost effective and logistically practical for the Secret Service to lease space elsewhere,” Miller said in an e-mail. In June, Bloomberg reported [ https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/06/donald-trump-net-worth-drops ] that the president’s net worth had taken a hit thanks to his three Manhattan office properties dropping in value, including Trump Tower. So you’ll have to forgive the people working on his behalf if they tried to make up some of the gaps by hosing the Secret Service on rent. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/08/trump-tower-secret-service
Trump’s Interests vs. America’s, Secret Service Edition The security detail at Trump Tower has moved into a nearby trailer after a lease dispute with the president’s company. Aug 4, 2017 https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/08/donald-trump-conflicts-of-interests/508382/ [massive compilation of coverage of Trump's numerous conflicts of interest, beginning with this Secret Service/Trump Tower situation; with comments]
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Full Show - Muslim Hordes Destroy Europe / Elon Musk Warns AI Could Destroy The World - 07/18/2017
Published on Jul 18, 2017 by Ron Gibson
Tuesday, July 18th 2017[, with Paul Joseph Watson hosting the fourth hour]: Health Bill Collapses - For a second time, the Senate's efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare have failed, as President Trump recommends letting the health care bill completely implode. We'll also continue covering the mainstream media's obsession with the Trump-Russia collusion narrative. Former Congressman Dr. Ron Paul joins the show to give a progress report on President Trump's first few months in office and share his views on military spending.
Mueller now investigating Donald Trump Jr.'s Russia meeting Donald Trump Jr. on Fox News on July 11, 2017. July 18, 2017 Updated July 19, 2017 WASHINGTON – Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is now reviewing Donald Trump Jr.'s 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer who offered damaging information related to Hillary Clinton's campaign, a lawyer for one of the participants said Tuesday. New York attorney Scott Balber told USA TODAY that Ike Kaveladze, identified as the eighth party to last year's meeting involving Trump Jr., former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and White House adviser Jared Kushner, has vowed to submit to questioning by Mueller's investigators. "Mr. Kaveladze intends to fully cooperate," Balber said, adding that a representative of Mueller's team contacted his office Saturday as new details of Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya continued to emerge. Mueller and multiple congressional committees are investigating possible collusion between Trump associates and Russians seeking to interfere in the presidential election. Although Trump Jr. initially said he took the meeting to discuss the U.S. adoption of Russian children, he later acknowledged seeking damaging information about his father's opponent Hillary Clinton. [...] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/19/special-counsel-bob-mueller-now-investigating-donald-trump-jr-s-russia-meeting/490720001/ [with embedded video, and comments]
Trump dictated son’s misleading statement on meeting with Russian lawyer President-elect Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. at a news conference at Trump Tower in New York on Jan. 11, 2017. July 31, 2017 On the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Germany last month, President Trump’s advisers discussed how to respond to a new revelation that Trump’s oldest son had met with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign — a disclosure the advisers knew carried political and potentially legal peril. The strategy, the advisers agreed, should be for Donald Trump Jr. to release a statement to get ahead of the story. They wanted to be truthful, so their account couldn’t be repudiated later if the full details emerged. But within hours, at the president’s direction, the plan changed. Flying home from Germany on July 8 aboard Air Force One, Trump personally dictated a statement in which Trump Jr. said he and the Russian lawyer had “primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children” when they met in June 2016, according to multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations. The statement, issued to the New York Times as it prepared a story, emphasized that the subject of the meeting was “not a campaign issue at the time.” The claims were later shown to be misleading. Over the next three days, multiple accounts of the meeting were provided to the media as public pressure mounted, with Trump Jr. ultimately acknowledging that he had accepted the meeting after receiving an email [ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/11/donald-trump-jr-s-emails-about-meeting-a-russian-government-attorney-annotated/ ] promising damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s campaign. The extent of the president’s personal intervention in his son’s response, the details of which have not previously been reported, adds to a series of actions that Trump has taken that some advisers fear could place him and some members of his inner circle in legal jeopardy. As Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III investigates potential obstruction of justice as part of his broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, these advisers worry that the president’s direct involvement leaves him needlessly vulnerable to allegations of a coverup. “This was ... unnecessary,” said one of the president’s advisers, who like most other people interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations. “Now someone can claim he’s the one who attempted to mislead. Somebody can argue the president is saying he doesn’t want you to say the whole truth.” [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-dictated-sons-misleading-statement-on-meeting-with-russian-lawyer/2017/07/31/04c94f96-73ae-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304_story.html [with embedded video, and (over 17,000) comments]
Trump had undisclosed hour-long meeting with Putin at G-20 summit July 18, 2017 After his much-publicized two-and-a-quarter-hour meeting early this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Germany, President Trump chatted informally with the Russian leader for up to an additional hour later the same day. The second meeting, undisclosed at the time, took place at a dinner for G-20 leaders, a senior administration official said. At some point during the meal, Trump left his own seat to occupy a chair next to Putin. Trump approached alone, and Putin was attended only by his official interpreter. In a statement issued Tuesday night after published reports of the conversation, the White House said that “there was no ‘second meeting’ between President Trump and President Putin, just a brief conversation at the end of a dinner. The insinuation that the White House has tried to ‘hide’ a second meeting,” it said, “is false, malicious and absurd.” “All the leaders” circulated around the room throughout the dinner, and “President Trump spoke with many leaders,” the statement said. “As the dinner was concluding,” it said, Trump spoke “briefly” with Putin, who was seated next to first lady Melania Trump. The dinner conversation with Putin was first reported Monday by Ian Bremmer, president of the New York-based Eurasia Group, in a newsletter to group clients. Bremmer said the meeting began “halfway” into the meal and lasted “roughly an hour.” The senior administration official said it began with the dessert course, but did not comment on its length. Pool reporters covering Trump noted that his and Putin’s motorcades were among the last to leave the event, departing within minutes of each other just before midnight. Trump lashed out at the media for reporting on his undisclosed meeting with Putin, saying the “fake news” was “sick” and “dishonest.” But the president distorted what news outlets, including The Washington Post, had reported, saying the story was about a “secret dinner” when in fact it was reported as an undisclosed meeting with Putin at a dinner of the G-20 leaders and their spouses. Trump also incorrectly stated that journalists knew about his meeting with Putin; in fact, they did not until Tuesday, when the White House confirmed that the two presidents met during the dinner. In the first of two tweets, Trump wrote [ https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/887475373981696000 ]: “Fake News story of secret dinner with Putin is ‘sick.’ All G 20 leaders, and spouses, were invited by the Chancellor of Germany. Press knew!” Trump then tweeted [ https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/887477071160762369 ], “The Fake News is becoming more and more dishonest! Even a dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany is made to look sinister!” The dinner encounter appeared to underscore the extent to which Trump was eager throughout the summit to cultivate a friendship with Putin. During last year’s election campaign, he spoke admiringly of the Russian leader and at times seemed captivated by him. Meeting each other face-to-face for the first time at the Hamburg summit, the two presidents seemed to have a chemistry in their more formal bilateral session, evidenced by the fact that, despite being scheduled for 35 minutes, it continued for more than two hours. But Trump’s newly revealed conversation with Putin at the G-20 dinner is likely to stoke criticism — including perhaps from some fellow Republicans in Congress — that he is too cozy with the leader of a major U.S. adversary. Putin’s official interpreter provided the only Russian-English interpretation, the White House statement said, because the president was seated next to the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “Each couple was allowed one translator,” it said. “The American translator accompanying President Trump spoke Japanese.” The only version of the conversation provided to White House aides was that given by Trump himself, said the administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity before the White House statement was issued. Reporters traveling with the White House were not informed during the trip, and there was no formal readout of the chat. The official Trump-Putin meeting, earlier in the day, led to confusion over whether Trump agreed, as Putin later implied, to accept the Kremlin’s denial of any wrongdoing regarding interference in last year’s election. [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-had-undisclosed-hour-long-meeting-with-putin-at-g20-summit/2017/07/18/39c18dd4-6bd0-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html [with embedded videos, and (over 5,000) comments]
Russia’s Lavrov Says Trump May Have Met Putin More Times Jul 21 2017 MOSCOW — President Donald Trump may have held more meetings with Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit earlier this month, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday — but he shrugged off the importance of the encounters. “They might have met even much more than just three times,” he told NBC News’ Keir Simmons in an exclusive interview, dismissing speculation about the leaders' meetings. "Maybe they went to the toilet together," he joked. Asked whether the two presidents had other conversations or met in the corridors of the G-20 meeting, Lavrov used the analogy of children mingling at a kindergarten. “When you are bought by your parents to a kindergarten do you mix with the people who are waiting in the same room to start going to a classroom?” he asked. He added: "I remember when I was in that position I did spend five or ten minutes in the kindergarten before they brought us to the classroom.” [...] http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-putin-may-have-met-more-times-says-russia-s-n785146 [with embedded video]
President Trump held a second informal meeting - with no U.S. government record of it - on the same day that he had already held a more than two-hour official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Duration: 6:30
Trump won’t take responsibility for Trumpcare fail
All In with Chris Hayes 7/18/17
The president refuses to take responsibility for the failure of the Republican Obamacare repeal effort - despite playing a big role in that failure. Duration: 3:48
When Trump plays with trucks, a health care bill dies
All In with Chris Hayes 7/18/17
Thing 1/Thing 2: So far, every time President Donald Trump climbs into a truck in front of the cameras, a Republican health care bill dies. Duration: 2:19
Trump, Putin had second, undisclosed, hour-long encounter at G20
The Rachel Maddow Show 7/18/17
Ian Bremmer, political scientist and president of The Eurasia Group, talks with Rachel Maddow about the revelation of an undisclosed second encounter between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that left US allies concerned and no official record. Duration: 11:04
Another person ID'd at Trump Jr collusion meeting of, now, eight
The Rachel Maddow Show 7/18/17
Rachel Maddow reports on the revelation of the identity of an eighth attendee at the meeting where Donald Trump Jr was told he'd receive anti-Hillary Clinton intel from the Russian government. This new person has an uncomfortably close history with money laundering. Duration: 17:42
Rachel Maddow updates the show's running list of what Russia would likely want to get out of a pliant U.S. leader, including weaker election security and cyber policy. Duration: 3:18
Wendy Sherman, former under secretary of State for political affairs, talks with Rachel Maddow about how the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. State Department serves Vladimir Putin's goals as the US abandons its role as leader of the community of nations. Duration: 5:45
Trump's undisclosed hour with Putin, a former Russian spy
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 7/18/17
Former State Department officials Michael McFaul and Evelyn Farkas are worried about the unattended and undisclosed conversation between Pres. Trump and Putin, and David Frum points out that Putin is a former Russian intelligence agent. Duration: 13:50
Planned Parenthood was key in building the resistance to GOP health care bill by organizing protests and helping get the bill's opponents to town hall meetings. Planned Parenthood's Cecile Richards joins Lawrence O'Donnell in an exclusive interview. Duration: 5:10
We may never know what Trump & Putin discussed at second meeting
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 7/18/17
Pres. Trump took to Twitter to blast the 'fake news' after reports surfaced he had a second undisclosed meeting with Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. Our expert panel reacts. Duration: 10:19
Eighth attendee of Trump Jr's meeting with Russians identified
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 7/18/17
Who is Ike Kaveladze, the eighth person - and fourth Russian - we now know was in that June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Donald Trump Jr? Ken Vogel of The New York Times discusses. Duration: 2:00
Sen. Klobuchar to GOP on health care: Open the door & let us in
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 7/18/17
Calling for bipartisan action, Senate Democrat Amy Klobuchar joins MSNBC's Brian Williams to react to the major collapse of the Republican Health Care bill on Capitol Hill. Duration: 3:50
Book details 'strange motivations' of Trump aide Steve Bannon
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 7/18/17
How did Donald Trump end up with a man like Steve Bannon working so closely to him in the White House? Author Joshua Green discusses his new book about Bannon, 'Devil's Bargain.' Duration: 4:56
How the Republican Health Care Bill Came and Went: The Daily Show
Published on Jul 18, 2017 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
While the Republican health care bill collapsed in the Senate before going to a vote, President Trump was too busy kicking off "Made in America" week to help his party.
Keegan-Michael Key Brings Luther, Obama's Anger Translator, Out Of Retirement
Published on Jul 18, 2017 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Keegan-Michael Key's famous character Luther, Obama's anger translator, rode off into the sunset at the end of the 44th President's second term. Or so we thought...
NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Talks Suing Donald Trump
Published on Jul 19, 2017 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman talks to Seth about how he wound up on Donald Trump's enemies list, what it's like to sue the President and protecting the country from Washington D.C.'s bad idea toxic volcano.
[from the show which began late July 18, 2017 (U.S. central time)]
this is part 4 of a 14-part post which proceeds (point arising on the given) day by (point arising on the given) day from July 15, 2017 through July 28, 2017 -- the preceding part is the post to which this is a reply; the next part is a reply to this post -- the following 'see also (linked in)' listing, updated for any intervening posts along the way, is common to all 14 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 
AI
