[no, umm, 'presidential' Weakly Address on December 23, 2017]
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GOP Tax plan: massive tax cuts for wealthy only
AM Joy 12/23/17
The GOP tax plan will save the average person about $20 per pay check, while rich members of Donald Trump’s administration will save millions. Joy Reid and her panel discuss this disparity.. Duration: 14:19
The GOP tax plan contains massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, but much smaller benefits for everyone else. Joy Reid and her panel debate whether Donald Trump will be able to sell the general public on the plan. Duration: 11:56
Steve Bannon president: Running after Roy Moore failure?
AM Joy 12/23/17
Steve Bannon might run for president according to a new report, despite the failure of Roy More to win the Alabama U.S. Senate seat. Joy Reid and Vanity Fair’s Gabe Sherman discuss. Duration: 4:45
Mueller probe: Trump allies malign FBI, but Dems resist
AM Joy 12/23/17
Donald Trump and some Republicans continue to criticize James Comey, the FBI, and its leaders, but it will not stop Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Joy Reid and her panel[, including Malcolm Nance,] discuss. Duration: 18:16
Uranium One: distraction from Trump and Mueller probe?
AM Joy 12/23/17
Calls for aspects of the Uranium One investigation to be investigated emerge despite the story being thoroughly debunked. Joy Reid and her panel discuss. Duration: 10:33
Republican leaders told Donald Trump multiple times how great they think he is because of the passing of the GOP tax plan. Trump biographer Tim O’Brien joins Joy Reid on what he says is the president’s bottomless need for love. Duration: 7:01
What if one of the apostles had the mentality of a modern conservative Christian? To any non-Christian conservatives out there: this isn't really about you. You can, at least, be consistent. This is about the hypocrisy of being both *Christian* and conservative. I don't have a problem with refusing to "turn the other cheek". I don't have a problem with "worldly possessions". Consider that 80% of Evangelicals voted for Donald Trump (and that Trump claims to be Christian). That is off the charts hypocrisy. These are the modern day Pharisees. Jesus mixes with Trump like water with oil.
Stoking Fears, Trump Defied Bureaucracy to Advance Immigration Agenda The changes have had far-reaching consequences, both for the immigrants who have sought to make a new home in this country and for America’s image in the world. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/23/us/politics/trump-immigration.html
F.B.I. Director Wants to Move Forward, but the President Is Making His Job Harder WASHINGTON — When President Trump tapped Christopher A. Wray to be his next F.B.I. director, it signaled a clear break from the tenure of James B. Comey, whom Mr. Trump had grown to distrust and eventually fired. It seemed Mr. Trump would let his handpicked F.B.I. director do his work unimpeded, giving Mr. Wray some breathing room. “I know that he will again serve his country as a fierce guardian of the law and model of integrity,” the president said in June. But nearly five months since Mr. Wray started the job, Mr. Trump has not made Mr. Wray’s life easier as he seeks to restore the public’s confidence in the country’s premier law enforcement agency — one that the president says is in “Tatters.” Mr. Trump’s verbal assaults have put Mr. Wray and his leadership team in a difficult position. Mr. Wray is trying to move past his predecessor’s era and make sure there is not a whiff of politics at the F.B.I. He has promised the F.B.I.’s work would be based on the “facts, the law and the impartial pursuit of justice — period.” Yet Mr. Trump and his allies in Congress are making that task much harder. Current and former F.B.I. officials say Mr. Trump’s criticisms, and those of normally supportive Republican members of Congress, have damaged morale in some quarters of the bureau. Senior agents have expressed fear that if their names appear in the news media, they will be singled out for attack by politicians. [...] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/us/politics/fbi-director-president-trump.html
'Anyone can be attacked for partisan gain': Comey issues rare statement in defense of top FBI lawyer Former FBI director James Comey publicly defended James Baker, a top lawyer at the FBI who was recently reassigned to a different role under FBI director Christopher Wray. Comey said it was sad that "we are now at a point" when "anyone can be attacked for partisan gain." It was the first time Comey weighed in on the FBI's activities since his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June, one month after he was fired. Though it's normal practice for a new FBI director to bring in their own general counsel, some observers questioned the timing of Baker's reassignment, which comes as Republicans are pressuring the bureau to get rid of officials perceived as biased against President Donald Trump. http://www.businessinsider.com/james-comey-defends-james-baker-fbi-trump-russia-2017-12
With few options, Israeli couples turn to rogue weddings JERUSALEM (AP) — Rabbi Chuck Davidson is a criminal in the eyes of Israeli law. However, he wouldn’t be put behind bars for his crime in most countries. His offense: conducting rogue weddings in defiance of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate. Even though Davidson belongs to the officially recognized Orthodox stream of Judaism, he is among a growing cohort of Jewish groups running afoul of the law by performing weddings without the rabbinate’s sanction. Critics like Davidson believe the rabbinate has grown too strict in its interpretation of religious law, making it unnecessarily difficult for Jewish couples to marry. [...] https://www.apnews.com/3b1692c9d1f240808a63398e37f6574b/With-few-options,-Israeli-couples-turn-to-rogue-weddings
At Vice, Cutting-Edge Media and Allegations of Old-School Sexual Harassment - this one a long time coming - teased/rumored weeks ago A media company built on subversion and outlandishness was unable to create “a safe and inclusive workplace” for women, two of its founders acknowledge. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/23/business/media/vice-sexual-harassment.html
MSNBC Brass Sinks to New Low of Incompetence by Firing Joan Walsh This week MSNBC took a step closer to the dark side by canceling without any warning the contract for the knowledgable and widely popular commentator Joan Walsh. This is an utterly unconscionable act not to mention stupid business decision and should be reversed immediately. https://rewire.news/article/2017/12/23/msnbc-brass-sinks-new-low-incompetence-firing-joan-walsh/
North Korea: Trump praises latest UN sanctions over missiles US President Donald Trump has praised the UN Security Council for imposing tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to ballistic missile tests. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42464011