Saturday, July 28, 2018
NRA’s Wayne LaPierre ‘shaking in his boots waiting for Mueller to come knocking’: Ex-DOJ official
NRA’s Wayne LaPierre ‘shaking in his boots waiting for Mueller to come knocking’: Ex-DOJ official: "Two former top Department of Justice officials predicted that Maria Butina was not the only Russian operative to penetrate conservative political organizations with close ties to the Republican Party during a Wednesday panel with MSNBC anchor Katy Tur. Butina was indicted on Sunday for being an unregistered foreign agent. A crack shot, Butina had a very close relationship with the National Rifle Association. “Katy, this is a wild, wild story with the potential to send shockwaves not just into Trump campaign officials, but throughout the Republican Party,” explained former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman. The indictment could quickly spill over into special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigations of Donald Trump. “And anyone who was in Paul Erickson’s rolodex, including Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Wayne LaPierre and Scott Walker (R-WI) is right now shaking in his boots waiting for Mueller to come knocking,” Litman explained."
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Bombshell report: Donald Trump was shown definitive proof Putin ordered cyber attacks on the U.S.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7/19/1781882/-Bombshell-report-Donald-Trump-was-shown-definitive-proof-Putin-ordered-cyber-attacks-on-the-U-S
"Donald Trump has seen definitive proof from U.S. Intelligence agencies that Russia was actively (and successfully) working to subvert our election but he has done absolutely nothing about it, still choosing to side with a foreign enemy over our own intelligence agencies."
"Donald Trump has seen definitive proof from U.S. Intelligence agencies that Russia was actively (and successfully) working to subvert our election but he has done absolutely nothing about it, still choosing to side with a foreign enemy over our own intelligence agencies."
Trump Is Selling Out America, and His Supporters Love It
Trump Is Selling Out America, and His Supporters Love It:
"The president of the United States wants to entertain, in the White House, the man U.S. intelligence services say intervened in the election that ultimately landed Trump in the Oval Office. If Putin accepts, he will arrive as an investigation of the election matter by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is ongoing. A Putin visit would no doubt please the evangelical foot soldiers of the Trump base. And it would elate the white supremacists who form the leading edge of support for Trump’s racialized policies on immigration and law enforcement. Of course, the mere fact of the invitation surely pleases Vladimir Putin, patron of the Quisling from Queens. Whatever Putin has on Trump is endangering the republic. It’s a weakness that allows his manipulation by Putin, who has long wished to destroy both the EU and NATO. Congressional leaders surely know this, but other than paying lip service to the obvious fact that Vladimir Putin is not our friend, they’ve yet to rein in the president. After all, the midterms are only months away, and Trump is popular with the Republican base—the people who show up at the polls for midterm elections. Any responsible member of Congress, regardless of party, should be willing to censure this president for his egregious behavior in Helsinki. No read-out or comprehensive statement about what the president and Putin discussed at the closed-door summit has been issued by the White House. Yet, according to the Russians, agreements were made. Meanwhile, something worth contemplating is the $1 billion lent to Donald Trump by a bank with some shady practices. Justin Kennedy, the bank official who made the loan, is the son of the Supreme Court justice who just stepped down in time to give Trump a nomination to make just ahead of the mid-terms. Justin Kennedy made that astonishingly large loan when he was an executive at Deutsche Bank, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. for laundering the money of Russian oligarchs. Maybe there’s something in that billion-dollar loan that Putin has on Trump."
"The president of the United States wants to entertain, in the White House, the man U.S. intelligence services say intervened in the election that ultimately landed Trump in the Oval Office. If Putin accepts, he will arrive as an investigation of the election matter by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is ongoing. A Putin visit would no doubt please the evangelical foot soldiers of the Trump base. And it would elate the white supremacists who form the leading edge of support for Trump’s racialized policies on immigration and law enforcement. Of course, the mere fact of the invitation surely pleases Vladimir Putin, patron of the Quisling from Queens. Whatever Putin has on Trump is endangering the republic. It’s a weakness that allows his manipulation by Putin, who has long wished to destroy both the EU and NATO. Congressional leaders surely know this, but other than paying lip service to the obvious fact that Vladimir Putin is not our friend, they’ve yet to rein in the president. After all, the midterms are only months away, and Trump is popular with the Republican base—the people who show up at the polls for midterm elections. Any responsible member of Congress, regardless of party, should be willing to censure this president for his egregious behavior in Helsinki. No read-out or comprehensive statement about what the president and Putin discussed at the closed-door summit has been issued by the White House. Yet, according to the Russians, agreements were made. Meanwhile, something worth contemplating is the $1 billion lent to Donald Trump by a bank with some shady practices. Justin Kennedy, the bank official who made the loan, is the son of the Supreme Court justice who just stepped down in time to give Trump a nomination to make just ahead of the mid-terms. Justin Kennedy made that astonishingly large loan when he was an executive at Deutsche Bank, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. for laundering the money of Russian oligarchs. Maybe there’s something in that billion-dollar loan that Putin has on Trump."
Monday, July 23, 2018
McConnell Admits He Knew About 2016 Russian Hack, Did Nothing
McConnell Admits He Knew About 2016 Russian Hack, Did Nothing:
"Turn the clock back, back, back with me to December, 2016 when reports of Russian attacks on the 2016 election were oozing out. In particular, let us recall together what active measures Senator Mitch McConnell took to make sure we, the people, had no clue about what they were doing. Please compare and contrast McConnell's 2016 behavior with his 2018 behavior: The Democratic leaders in the room unanimously agreed on the need to take the threat seriously. Republicans, however, were divided, with at least two GOP lawmakers reluctant to accede to the White House requests. According to several officials, McConnell raised doubts about the underlying intelligence and made clear to the administration that he would consider any effort by the White House to challenge the Russians publicly an act of partisan politics."
"Turn the clock back, back, back with me to December, 2016 when reports of Russian attacks on the 2016 election were oozing out. In particular, let us recall together what active measures Senator Mitch McConnell took to make sure we, the people, had no clue about what they were doing. Please compare and contrast McConnell's 2016 behavior with his 2018 behavior: The Democratic leaders in the room unanimously agreed on the need to take the threat seriously. Republicans, however, were divided, with at least two GOP lawmakers reluctant to accede to the White House requests. According to several officials, McConnell raised doubts about the underlying intelligence and made clear to the administration that he would consider any effort by the White House to challenge the Russians publicly an act of partisan politics."
Which Putin-Friendly Russian Oligarch Funded the Alleged Spy Who Penetrated the NRA?
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/maria-butina-nra-putin-russian-oligarch/
"Maria Butina—the 29-year-old Russian who penetrated the NRA and other conservative groups and who this week was arrested and accused of functioning as a spy for Moscow—allegedly had help from from some well-connected and extremely wealthy men in her motherland. According to a filing submitted in court by federal prosecutors on Wednesday, Butina “has ties to the Russian oligarchy.” The document notes that her private tweets, emails, and chats “refer to a known Russian businessman with deep ties to the Russian Presidential Administration.” In other words, a businessman who is close to Vladimir Putin. All of which prompts an important question: Who exactly was this Putin-friendly Russian billionaire who was allegedly assisting Butina? The document doesn’t identify the Russian moneybags. It only includes this description: “This person often travels to the United States and has also been referred to as her ‘funder’ throughout her correspondence; he was listed in Forbes as having a real-time net worth of $1.2 billion as of 2018.” That latter piece of information is a rather specific clue. But if you turn to the Forbeslist, you will find there are 12 Russians listed at the $1.2 billion mark. There are, however, two in this group known to have a close relationship with Putin."
"Maria Butina—the 29-year-old Russian who penetrated the NRA and other conservative groups and who this week was arrested and accused of functioning as a spy for Moscow—allegedly had help from from some well-connected and extremely wealthy men in her motherland. According to a filing submitted in court by federal prosecutors on Wednesday, Butina “has ties to the Russian oligarchy.” The document notes that her private tweets, emails, and chats “refer to a known Russian businessman with deep ties to the Russian Presidential Administration.” In other words, a businessman who is close to Vladimir Putin. All of which prompts an important question: Who exactly was this Putin-friendly Russian billionaire who was allegedly assisting Butina? The document doesn’t identify the Russian moneybags. It only includes this description: “This person often travels to the United States and has also been referred to as her ‘funder’ throughout her correspondence; he was listed in Forbes as having a real-time net worth of $1.2 billion as of 2018.” That latter piece of information is a rather specific clue. But if you turn to the Forbeslist, you will find there are 12 Russians listed at the $1.2 billion mark. There are, however, two in this group known to have a close relationship with Putin."
This Was Among the Most Disgraceful Moments in the Modern History of the American Presidency
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a22164229/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-press-conference-disgrace/
"We have just witnessed one of the most disgraceful moments in the modern history of the United States presidency. Donald Trump, American president, held a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sided, over and over again, with the thuggish authoritarian leader of a geopolitical adversary who engineered an attack on U.S. democracy. He lined up against his own intelligence community, his domestic political opponents, and the free press."
"We have just witnessed one of the most disgraceful moments in the modern history of the United States presidency. Donald Trump, American president, held a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sided, over and over again, with the thuggish authoritarian leader of a geopolitical adversary who engineered an attack on U.S. democracy. He lined up against his own intelligence community, his domestic political opponents, and the free press."
INFOGRAPHIC: Alleged Russian Agent Mariia Butina’s Influence Operation
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/maria-butina-web-connections-republican-party
"The 29-year-old essentially made her very own “Where’s Waldo?” series out of the 2016 GOP presidential campaign. Butina was captured on camera at a 2015 Las Vegas libertarian convention asking then-candidate Donald Trump about U.S. sanctions. She popped up at NRA events throughout the Midwest and at the National Prayer Breakfast in D.C. On the day of President Trump’s inauguration, Butina even sent a selfie to her alleged handler, Russian Central Bank official Alexander Torshin, of her beaming near the U.S. Capitol building. Many of those interactions, like her run-ins with short-lived GOP candidates Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum, were just embarrassing photo ops for those politicians she was allegedly targeting. But some of the connections—like her intimate relationship with GOP operative Paul Erickson and her association with former NRA president David Keene—were involved and forged over years."
"The 29-year-old essentially made her very own “Where’s Waldo?” series out of the 2016 GOP presidential campaign. Butina was captured on camera at a 2015 Las Vegas libertarian convention asking then-candidate Donald Trump about U.S. sanctions. She popped up at NRA events throughout the Midwest and at the National Prayer Breakfast in D.C. On the day of President Trump’s inauguration, Butina even sent a selfie to her alleged handler, Russian Central Bank official Alexander Torshin, of her beaming near the U.S. Capitol building. Many of those interactions, like her run-ins with short-lived GOP candidates Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum, were just embarrassing photo ops for those politicians she was allegedly targeting. But some of the connections—like her intimate relationship with GOP operative Paul Erickson and her association with former NRA president David Keene—were involved and forged over years."
Trump Just Nominated a Pesticide Exec to Oversee Science at the USDA
https://www.motherjones.com/food/2018/07/trump-just-nominated-a-pesticide-exec-to-oversee-science-at-usda/
"If approved by the Senate, Scott Hutchins will be the third major player from Dow Chemical’s pesticide/seed division—now known as Corteva, after Dow’s 2017 merger with DuPont—to hold a high post in Trump’s USDA. Back in April, the administration tapped Ken Isley, a 30-year Dow Agroscience/Corteva veteran, to lead the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. In October 2017, another former Dow man, Ted Mckinney, was confirmed by the Senate as undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. McKinney had served for 19 years on Dow Agroscience’s government affairs (read: lobbying) team."
"If approved by the Senate, Scott Hutchins will be the third major player from Dow Chemical’s pesticide/seed division—now known as Corteva, after Dow’s 2017 merger with DuPont—to hold a high post in Trump’s USDA. Back in April, the administration tapped Ken Isley, a 30-year Dow Agroscience/Corteva veteran, to lead the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. In October 2017, another former Dow man, Ted Mckinney, was confirmed by the Senate as undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. McKinney had served for 19 years on Dow Agroscience’s government affairs (read: lobbying) team."
Trump’s recent behavior is too ridiculous even for Russian state TV
https://thinkprogress.org/donald-trump-russia-state-media-helsinki-vladimir-putin-fox-news-bde2b707a577/
"According to reporter and Russian media analyst Julia Davis, Russia’s state television accused the President of the United States of “licking Putin’s boots” during Monday’s press conference"
"According to reporter and Russian media analyst Julia Davis, Russia’s state television accused the President of the United States of “licking Putin’s boots” during Monday’s press conference"
Prosecutors Say Arrested Russian Gun Rights Activist Was a Spy
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/prosecutors-say-arrested-russian-guns-rights-activist-was-a-spy/
"Maria Butina, the 29-year-old Russian gun rights activist indicted this week for acting as an unregistered foreign agent, was involved with suspected Russian intelligence officials and used sex to gain access to conservative power players, according to a court filing submitted by federal prosecutors Wednesday."
"Maria Butina, the 29-year-old Russian gun rights activist indicted this week for acting as an unregistered foreign agent, was involved with suspected Russian intelligence officials and used sex to gain access to conservative power players, according to a court filing submitted by federal prosecutors Wednesday."
In Helsinki, Trump Shows He Is Indeed Guilty of Collusion
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/in-helsinki-trump-shows-he-is-indeed-guilty-of-collusion/
"Trump working with Putin, in the open, to make the Russian attack on the United States disappear. Trump himself has proven the case."
"Trump working with Putin, in the open, to make the Russian attack on the United States disappear. Trump himself has proven the case."
Scott Pruitt Can’t Escape His Investigations Just Because He Resigned
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/07/scott-pruitt-cant-escape-his-investigations-just-because-he-resigned/
"Scott Pruitt may be out at the Environmental Protection Agency, but he left in the midst of more than a dozen federal investigations into his conduct."
"Scott Pruitt may be out at the Environmental Protection Agency, but he left in the midst of more than a dozen federal investigations into his conduct."
Trump Kills Regulation That Would Have Shed Light On Union-Busting By Employers
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-kills-regulation-that-would-have-shed-light-on-union-busting-by-employers_us_5b4f6b6fe4b0fd5c73c160ea
"The Trump administration has officially killed a regulation that would have required employers to publicly disclose more information about the union-busting consultants they hire."
"The Trump administration has officially killed a regulation that would have required employers to publicly disclose more information about the union-busting consultants they hire."
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Trump Ends NATO Summit by Announcing a Diplomatic Breakthrough That Did Not Happen
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/nato-summit-trump-fabricates-agreement-on-defense-spending.html
"By now, it is beyond cliché to say that Donald Trump approaches his presidency (and/or entire existence) as though it were a reality-television show. But like Trump’s political career itself, that analogy is forever forcing its way into one’s consciousness, no matter how tired and irritating it has become."
"By now, it is beyond cliché to say that Donald Trump approaches his presidency (and/or entire existence) as though it were a reality-television show. But like Trump’s political career itself, that analogy is forever forcing its way into one’s consciousness, no matter how tired and irritating it has become."
On The Seven Republican Senators Who Just Betrayed Us In Moscow
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7/6/1778407/-On-The-Seven-Republican-Senators-Who-Just-Betrayed-Us-In-Moscow
"The whole point of the trip was to assure the Russian that the Republican Party were their best buds, with plenty of money to be made on both sides. And, by the way, that the Russians had nothing really to worry about if they chose to mess with our Democracy again, in say, three months or so, as long as they stay on the right side. By a remarkable coincidence, none of these GOP Senators were up for re-election this year, so it would be a pretty safe bet that no one would remember this little soiree by 2020."
"The whole point of the trip was to assure the Russian that the Republican Party were their best buds, with plenty of money to be made on both sides. And, by the way, that the Russians had nothing really to worry about if they chose to mess with our Democracy again, in say, three months or so, as long as they stay on the right side. By a remarkable coincidence, none of these GOP Senators were up for re-election this year, so it would be a pretty safe bet that no one would remember this little soiree by 2020."
House Republicans Are Trying to Thwart Dem Russia Probe
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/house-republicans-are-trying-to-thwart-dem-russia-probe.html
"Nunes is blocking Democrats from sharing what they’ve learned in witness interviews with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee, tells CNN that some of the witnesses interviewed by House may have lied and he wants to tell Mueller all about it, but he can’t do so without Nunes’s help."
"Nunes is blocking Democrats from sharing what they’ve learned in witness interviews with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee, tells CNN that some of the witnesses interviewed by House may have lied and he wants to tell Mueller all about it, but he can’t do so without Nunes’s help."
The NRA Has Deep Ties to Accused Russian Spy Maria Butina
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/nra-maria-butina-spying-charges-trump-campaign/
"After Trump won the presidential election, according to the court documents made public this week, Butina contacted Torshin. “I am ready for further orders,” she told him."
"After Trump won the presidential election, according to the court documents made public this week, Butina contacted Torshin. “I am ready for further orders,” she told him."
There's a clear and present danger to our elections, and Republicans refuse to act
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7/19/1781955/-There-s-a-clear-and-present-danger-to-our-elections-and-Republican-refuse-to-act
"Lost somewhat in the fall-out of the Surrender Summit between Russian asset Donald Trump and his primary handler Vladimir Putin was a truly alarming report about just how vulnerable our elections systems are to hacking, whether from Russians or just your run-of-the-mill larcenous Republican group. The nation's leading voting machine maker admitted to Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden that for six years it sold systems to a number of states that had software allowing remote access."
"Lost somewhat in the fall-out of the Surrender Summit between Russian asset Donald Trump and his primary handler Vladimir Putin was a truly alarming report about just how vulnerable our elections systems are to hacking, whether from Russians or just your run-of-the-mill larcenous Republican group. The nation's leading voting machine maker admitted to Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden that for six years it sold systems to a number of states that had software allowing remote access."
Trump, Treasonous Traitor
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/15/opinion/trump-russia-investigation-putin.html
"America’s commander wants to be chummy with the enemy who committed the crime. Trump is more concerned with protecting his presidency and validating his election than he is in protecting this country."
"America’s commander wants to be chummy with the enemy who committed the crime. Trump is more concerned with protecting his presidency and validating his election than he is in protecting this country."
Trump Lied About Supporting U.S. Intelligence and No One Seems to Care
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-lied-about-supporting-u-s-intelligence-and-no-one-seems-to-care-700580/
"Trump is deep within the pocket of a manipulative, authoritarian leader determined to drive a wedge between the United States and its closest allies, at the same time compromising America’s democratic process with little recourse."
"Trump is deep within the pocket of a manipulative, authoritarian leader determined to drive a wedge between the United States and its closest allies, at the same time compromising America’s democratic process with little recourse."
Russian Tied To NRA Charged With ‘Infiltrating’ US Political Organizations
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/maria-butina-charged-conspiracy-infiltrate-us-organizations-russia
"A Russian woman with close ties to the National Rifle Association was arrested Sunday and charged with “conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government,” according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday. Mariia Butina is accused of acting as an unregistered agent on Russia’s behalf between 2015 and 2017, in collaboration with “others known and unknown, including an official of the Russian Federation,” according to the complaint. Butina is a former assistant of Alexander Torshin, a top official at the Russian Central Bank who is reportedly under investigation by the FBI for channeling money to the NRA to benefit Trump’s 2016 campaign. The pair have been under scrutiny by journalists and investigators for months, thanks to a bombshell January report in McClatchy that first revealed the FBI’s financial probe. Butina and Torshin have close ties to the NRA, which is not named in the criminal complaint or supporting affidavit but is referred to as a “Gun Rights Organization"."
"A Russian woman with close ties to the National Rifle Association was arrested Sunday and charged with “conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government,” according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday. Mariia Butina is accused of acting as an unregistered agent on Russia’s behalf between 2015 and 2017, in collaboration with “others known and unknown, including an official of the Russian Federation,” according to the complaint. Butina is a former assistant of Alexander Torshin, a top official at the Russian Central Bank who is reportedly under investigation by the FBI for channeling money to the NRA to benefit Trump’s 2016 campaign. The pair have been under scrutiny by journalists and investigators for months, thanks to a bombshell January report in McClatchy that first revealed the FBI’s financial probe. Butina and Torshin have close ties to the NRA, which is not named in the criminal complaint or supporting affidavit but is referred to as a “Gun Rights Organization"."
The Crisis Is Upon Us
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a22165304/donald-trump-press-conference-vladimir-putin-renegade-presidency/
"Putin finds the president* laughable. He has more reason than most to feel that way. He sees him as a particularly intriguing play-toy. Trump deserves Putin's contempt. In fact, these two men deserve each other. Unfortunately, nobody else on planet Earth does."
"Putin finds the president* laughable. He has more reason than most to feel that way. He sees him as a particularly intriguing play-toy. Trump deserves Putin's contempt. In fact, these two men deserve each other. Unfortunately, nobody else on planet Earth does."
Brett Kavanaugh’s Record on the Rule of Law Is Much Worse Than His Defenders Contend
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/07/brett-kavanaughs-record-on-the-rule-of-law-is-much-worse-than-his-defenders-contend.html
"Rule-of-law controversies have virtually defined this administration as the president demands “loyalty” from senior law enforcement officials, insists on immunity from obstruction of justice charges, and boasts of the “absolute” power to pardon anyone for any reason, including himself. He has aggressively staked out these positions, with full support from his legal team, in the context of an unprecedented investigation into a foreign power’s intervention on his behalf in the last election."
"Rule-of-law controversies have virtually defined this administration as the president demands “loyalty” from senior law enforcement officials, insists on immunity from obstruction of justice charges, and boasts of the “absolute” power to pardon anyone for any reason, including himself. He has aggressively staked out these positions, with full support from his legal team, in the context of an unprecedented investigation into a foreign power’s intervention on his behalf in the last election."
Mueller Has the Goods—All of the Goods
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a22143324/russia-indictments-robert-mueller-collusion-donald-trump/
"There's so much more coming. You can feel the hoofbeats of the horseman and the baying of the hounds behind every syllable of this indictment."
"There's so much more coming. You can feel the hoofbeats of the horseman and the baying of the hounds behind every syllable of this indictment."
Corporations Invested Their Tax Cuts Into Stock Buybacks That Didn’t Even Work
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/corporations-are-investing-in-stock-buybacks-that-dont-pay.html
"In the first six months after the Trump tax cuts were passed, corporate investment in equipment declined, America’s projected long-term deficit swelled by nearly $2 trillion, and wages for the vast majority of American workers fell on an inflation-adjusted basis. And there is no sign that reality will start comporting with the GOP’s predictions any time soon. As the Washington Post’s Heather Long notes, Morgan Stanley reported last month that America’s businesses are planning less future capital spending now than they were a few months ago. And that finding is bolstered by a recent survey of 393 businesses from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the audit firm RSM, which found that only 38 percent of those firms plan to increase investment over the next three years. Instead of channeling their profits into productive investment, S&P 500 companies are on pace to plow a record-setting $800 billion into buying back their own stocks. The point of such “stock buybacks” is to increase a firm’s share price (and thus, in many cases, the performance-based pay of its CEO) by reducing the supply of shares on the market."
"In the first six months after the Trump tax cuts were passed, corporate investment in equipment declined, America’s projected long-term deficit swelled by nearly $2 trillion, and wages for the vast majority of American workers fell on an inflation-adjusted basis. And there is no sign that reality will start comporting with the GOP’s predictions any time soon. As the Washington Post’s Heather Long notes, Morgan Stanley reported last month that America’s businesses are planning less future capital spending now than they were a few months ago. And that finding is bolstered by a recent survey of 393 businesses from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the audit firm RSM, which found that only 38 percent of those firms plan to increase investment over the next three years. Instead of channeling their profits into productive investment, S&P 500 companies are on pace to plow a record-setting $800 billion into buying back their own stocks. The point of such “stock buybacks” is to increase a firm’s share price (and thus, in many cases, the performance-based pay of its CEO) by reducing the supply of shares on the market."
Brits Don't Mince Words: The Most Irreverent and Radical Signs From UK's Historic Anti-Trump Protest
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/13/brits-dont-mince-words-most-irreverent-and-radical-signs-uks-historic-anti-trump
"the disgust hundreds of thousands of Britons feel toward Donald Trump and Trumpism could not be suppressed as they took to the streets en masse to show their opposition to the U.S. president's hate-filled policies."
"the disgust hundreds of thousands of Britons feel toward Donald Trump and Trumpism could not be suppressed as they took to the streets en masse to show their opposition to the U.S. president's hate-filled policies."
Russian Asbestos Company Puts Trump's Face, Seal of Approval, on Pallets of Its Products
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/11/russian-asbestos-company-puts-trumps-face-seal-approval-pallets-its-products
"Praising the Trump administration's new asbestos policies, which were announced last month, the company's post thanked the president for supporting recently-resigned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, "who declared that his agency would no longer deal with matters related to side effects potentially caused by asbestos," according to a translation by Guardian."
"Praising the Trump administration's new asbestos policies, which were announced last month, the company's post thanked the president for supporting recently-resigned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, "who declared that his agency would no longer deal with matters related to side effects potentially caused by asbestos," according to a translation by Guardian."
Wis Sen Ron Johnson wants to jam through SCOTUS nom, because he's also caught up in #TrumpRussia
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7/10/1779547/-Wis-Sen-Ron-Johnson-wants-to-jam-through-SCOTUS-nom-because-he-s-also-caught-up-in-TrumpRussia
"I’m becoming pretty confident that Donald Trump isn’t the only Republican that would want GOP hack Brett Kavanaugh installed on the Supreme Court to cover up his crimes"
"I’m becoming pretty confident that Donald Trump isn’t the only Republican that would want GOP hack Brett Kavanaugh installed on the Supreme Court to cover up his crimes"
Brett Kavanaugh, Who Has Ruled Against Campaign Finance Regulations, Could Bring an Avalanche of Big Money to Elections
https://theintercept.com/2018/07/12/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-donor-disclosure/
"In recent years, the Supreme Court has swiftly remade the landscape of American politics, gutting 1960s-era civil rights laws restricting voter suppression, sharply weakening labor unions, and deregulating the campaign finance system to allow for wealthy individuals and corporations to exercise greater influence over elected representatives. With President Donald Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, that influence is poised to grow. Kavanaugh’s appellate court decisions and public comments suggest that he will accelerate the trend toward a political system dominated by wealthy elites — often operating in the shadows, without any form of disclosure."
"In recent years, the Supreme Court has swiftly remade the landscape of American politics, gutting 1960s-era civil rights laws restricting voter suppression, sharply weakening labor unions, and deregulating the campaign finance system to allow for wealthy individuals and corporations to exercise greater influence over elected representatives. With President Donald Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, that influence is poised to grow. Kavanaugh’s appellate court decisions and public comments suggest that he will accelerate the trend toward a political system dominated by wealthy elites — often operating in the shadows, without any form of disclosure."
This Ought to Run in Campaign Ads from Now Through Eternity
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a22063027/republican-senators-russia-4th-of-july/
"The entire Wisconsin Republican Party should be made to drag Johnson around as a deadweight around its ankles. The same should be true of all the Republican senators who made this little junket to visit the Volga Bagmen on this country’s 242nd birthday, and that especially includes Richard Shelby (R-Easy Mark), Republican of Alabama. From the WaPo: Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) told Russia’s foreign minister that while Russia and the United States were competitors, “we don’t necessarily need to be adversaries.” Later on at the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, members attending a plenary session greeted the Americans with applause. “I’m not here today to accuse Russia of this or that or so forth,” Shelby told Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. “I’m saying that we should all strive for a better relationship.” Dude, we are adversaries. You become an adversary when you ratfck our elections. You become an adversary when you ship nerve agents overseas to kill someone living in peace under the protection of one of our allies. We are adversaries because Vladimir Putin stands in proud opposition to everything we were supposed to be celebrating here while you passel of hopeless marks were going to the ballet in St. Petersburg and having your geopolitical pockets picked."
"The entire Wisconsin Republican Party should be made to drag Johnson around as a deadweight around its ankles. The same should be true of all the Republican senators who made this little junket to visit the Volga Bagmen on this country’s 242nd birthday, and that especially includes Richard Shelby (R-Easy Mark), Republican of Alabama. From the WaPo: Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) told Russia’s foreign minister that while Russia and the United States were competitors, “we don’t necessarily need to be adversaries.” Later on at the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, members attending a plenary session greeted the Americans with applause. “I’m not here today to accuse Russia of this or that or so forth,” Shelby told Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. “I’m saying that we should all strive for a better relationship.” Dude, we are adversaries. You become an adversary when you ratfck our elections. You become an adversary when you ship nerve agents overseas to kill someone living in peace under the protection of one of our allies. We are adversaries because Vladimir Putin stands in proud opposition to everything we were supposed to be celebrating here while you passel of hopeless marks were going to the ballet in St. Petersburg and having your geopolitical pockets picked."
You Are Paying for the Trump Brothers to Travel the World on Trump Organization Business
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/you-are-paying-for-the-trump-brothers-to-travel-the-world-on-trump-organization-business/
"It’s not cheap to live like a Trump, and American taxpayers are finding out the hard way. Wherever Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump go, they are accompanied by an entourage of Secret Service agents. Taxpayers don’t pay for the Trumps to travel, but they do foot the bill for their protective details. These trips often include stays in high-priced, luxury hotels, such as the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, where the Trump brothers jetted in February 2017 to meet with Hussain Sajwani, their business partner in a Dubai golf resort. On this trip alone, which included a side visit to the Maldives with Sajwani and his family, the Secret Service racked up $230,000 in travel costs. The eye-popping expenses are contained in documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Extensive details of the Dubai trip’s itinerary—including arrangements for a seaplane to take the brothers and their protective entourage to private islands in the Maldives—are included in the records, which were released by CREW on Wednesday. The Dubai visit was perhaps the most lavish trip the Trump have taken with taxpayer-funded protection, though it was hardly the only one. In January 2017, the Secret Service spent roughly $30,000 to accompany Eric Trump to the Dominican Republic, where he met with his father’s former business partners to explore reviving a collapsed resort project—despite a pledge from the president that his company would engage in no new foreign deals while he was in office. According to the documents obtained by CREW, taxpayers shelled out more than $50,000 for a visit the brothers made to Vancouver, Canada in early February 2017 for the opening of a new Trump hotel there. More than half of those charges were paid to the Trump hotel. The documents also detail a trip to Uruguay by Eric Trump in January 2017, which cost taxpayers at least $97,000."
"It’s not cheap to live like a Trump, and American taxpayers are finding out the hard way. Wherever Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump go, they are accompanied by an entourage of Secret Service agents. Taxpayers don’t pay for the Trumps to travel, but they do foot the bill for their protective details. These trips often include stays in high-priced, luxury hotels, such as the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, where the Trump brothers jetted in February 2017 to meet with Hussain Sajwani, their business partner in a Dubai golf resort. On this trip alone, which included a side visit to the Maldives with Sajwani and his family, the Secret Service racked up $230,000 in travel costs. The eye-popping expenses are contained in documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Extensive details of the Dubai trip’s itinerary—including arrangements for a seaplane to take the brothers and their protective entourage to private islands in the Maldives—are included in the records, which were released by CREW on Wednesday. The Dubai visit was perhaps the most lavish trip the Trump have taken with taxpayer-funded protection, though it was hardly the only one. In January 2017, the Secret Service spent roughly $30,000 to accompany Eric Trump to the Dominican Republic, where he met with his father’s former business partners to explore reviving a collapsed resort project—despite a pledge from the president that his company would engage in no new foreign deals while he was in office. According to the documents obtained by CREW, taxpayers shelled out more than $50,000 for a visit the brothers made to Vancouver, Canada in early February 2017 for the opening of a new Trump hotel there. More than half of those charges were paid to the Trump hotel. The documents also detail a trip to Uruguay by Eric Trump in January 2017, which cost taxpayers at least $97,000."
Trial runs for fascism are in full flow
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-trial-runs-for-fascism-are-in-full-flow-1.3543375
"Fascism doesn’t arise suddenly in an existing democracy. It is not easy to get people to give up their ideas of freedom and civility. You have to do trial runs that, if they are done well, serve two purposes. They get people used to something they may initially recoil from; and they allow you to refine and calibrate. This is what is happening now and we would be fools not to see it. One of the basic tools of fascism is the rigging of elections – we’ve seen that trialled in the election of Trump, in the Brexit referendum and (less successfully) in the French presidential elections. Another is the generation of tribal identities, the division of society into mutually exclusive polarities. Fascism does not need a majority – it typically comes to power with about 40 per cent support and then uses control and intimidation to consolidate that power. So it doesn’t matter if most people hate you, as long as your 40 per cent is fanatically committed. That’s been tested out too. And fascism of course needs a propaganda machine so effective that it creates for its followers a universe of “alternative facts” impervious to unwanted realities. Again, the testing for this is very far advanced. But when you’ve done all this, there is a crucial next step, usually the trickiest of all. You have to undermine moral boundaries, inure people to the acceptance of acts of extreme cruelty. Like hounds, people have to be blooded. They have to be given the taste for savagery. Fascism does this by building up the sense of threat from a despised out-group. This allows the members of that group to be dehumanised. Once that has been achieved, you can gradually up the ante, working through the stages from breaking windows to extermination. It is this next step that is being test-marketed now."
"Fascism doesn’t arise suddenly in an existing democracy. It is not easy to get people to give up their ideas of freedom and civility. You have to do trial runs that, if they are done well, serve two purposes. They get people used to something they may initially recoil from; and they allow you to refine and calibrate. This is what is happening now and we would be fools not to see it. One of the basic tools of fascism is the rigging of elections – we’ve seen that trialled in the election of Trump, in the Brexit referendum and (less successfully) in the French presidential elections. Another is the generation of tribal identities, the division of society into mutually exclusive polarities. Fascism does not need a majority – it typically comes to power with about 40 per cent support and then uses control and intimidation to consolidate that power. So it doesn’t matter if most people hate you, as long as your 40 per cent is fanatically committed. That’s been tested out too. And fascism of course needs a propaganda machine so effective that it creates for its followers a universe of “alternative facts” impervious to unwanted realities. Again, the testing for this is very far advanced. But when you’ve done all this, there is a crucial next step, usually the trickiest of all. You have to undermine moral boundaries, inure people to the acceptance of acts of extreme cruelty. Like hounds, people have to be blooded. They have to be given the taste for savagery. Fascism does this by building up the sense of threat from a despised out-group. This allows the members of that group to be dehumanised. Once that has been achieved, you can gradually up the ante, working through the stages from breaking windows to extermination. It is this next step that is being test-marketed now."
Russian bots are back: #WalkAway attack on Democrats is a likely Kremlin operation
https://www.salon.com/2018/07/09/russian-bots-are-back-walkaway-attack-on-democrats-is-a-likely-kremlin-operation/
"To be clear: This isn’t being circulated by earnest yet misguided voters who formerly identified as Democrats. This is clearly being circulated by trolls connected to the Russian influence operations."
"To be clear: This isn’t being circulated by earnest yet misguided voters who formerly identified as Democrats. This is clearly being circulated by trolls connected to the Russian influence operations."
In Kavanaugh, Trump Found Another Judge Who Will Kiss the Ring
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/will-brett-kavanaugh-do-what-donald-trump-wants.html
"In his writings on and off the bench, he has embraced an unfettered view of executive power, supreme over strictures that may protect the government from itself, if not wholly from any meaningful judicial review. “Kavanaugh has been the creature and servant of political power all his days,” Garrett Epps, a constitutional scholar, wrote in The Atlantic. “It would be the height of folly to expect that, having attained his lifetime’s ambition of a seat on the Supreme Court, he will become anything else"."
"In his writings on and off the bench, he has embraced an unfettered view of executive power, supreme over strictures that may protect the government from itself, if not wholly from any meaningful judicial review. “Kavanaugh has been the creature and servant of political power all his days,” Garrett Epps, a constitutional scholar, wrote in The Atlantic. “It would be the height of folly to expect that, having attained his lifetime’s ambition of a seat on the Supreme Court, he will become anything else"."
Senate Confirms Trump Court Pick With Record Of Attacking Voting Rights
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-court-pick-restrict-voting-rights_us_5b4f5bc7e4b0fd5c73c143c7
"More than 200 civil rights groups opposed Andrew Oldham, but every Republican voted to make him a lifetime federal judge."
"More than 200 civil rights groups opposed Andrew Oldham, but every Republican voted to make him a lifetime federal judge."
The White House Press Room Should Just Be Empty
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a22145043/sarah-sanders-john-kelly-breakfast-lie/
"The daily briefings are now something beyond worthless; they are acts of complicity in a gangster presidency. No journalist with any self-respect ever should appear in that room again."
"The daily briefings are now something beyond worthless; they are acts of complicity in a gangster presidency. No journalist with any self-respect ever should appear in that room again."
Fox's Ed Henry Gushes Over Getting The Last 'Trump-Putin Helsinki 2018' Hat
Fox's Ed Henry Gushes Over Getting The Last 'Trump-Putin Helsinki 2018' Hat:
"Trump's BFFs on state-run TV were thrilled to death to get the last 'Trump-Putin Helsinki 2018' hat during their coverage of his summit in Finland."
"Trump's BFFs on state-run TV were thrilled to death to get the last 'Trump-Putin Helsinki 2018' hat during their coverage of his summit in Finland."
The CIA Still Doesn’t Trust Jared Kushner With Its Most Sensitive Intelligence
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/the-cia-still-doesnt-trust-jared-kushner-with-its-intel.html
"During his first year in the White House, Jared Kushner enjoyed unfettered access to Uncle Sam’s deepest secrets — but only because the White House had allowed him to use an interim security clearance as though it were a permanent one. This was because the FBI declined to officially declare Kushner fit to access “top secret” intelligence for months on end. In February 2018 — when the Rob Porter scandal brought public attention to the White House’s profligate abuse of interim security clearances — Kushner still hadn’t secured the bureau’s seal of approval. This fed suspicion that the president’s son-in-law was a subject of the special counsel’s investigation — a concern buttressed by his real-estate company’s sketchy solicitations of giant loans from foreign governments in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Amid public outcry, Kushner’s clearance was downgraded. Three months later, however, it was restored; and this time, his clearance was of the “permanent” variety. Kushner’s allies celebrated this apparent testament to his safety from Robert Mueller’s probe. Finally, the White House’s resident “Middle East expert” had won the right to review sensitive geopolitical information, thereby clearing the only significant obstacle to a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Or so it seemed. On Thursday night, the Washington Post revealed that the CIA still has not signed off on letting Kushner look at “sensitive compartmented information” — the government’s most sensitive category of secrets, which “primarily involves U.S. intelligence sources and surveillance methods.” It is unclear whether the CIA’s reluctance has anything to do with Kushner’s sketchy real-estate dealings, or discussions with Russian officials about a “secret back channel” during the presidential transition, or anything else that could put the senior White House adviser in legal jeopardy."
"During his first year in the White House, Jared Kushner enjoyed unfettered access to Uncle Sam’s deepest secrets — but only because the White House had allowed him to use an interim security clearance as though it were a permanent one. This was because the FBI declined to officially declare Kushner fit to access “top secret” intelligence for months on end. In February 2018 — when the Rob Porter scandal brought public attention to the White House’s profligate abuse of interim security clearances — Kushner still hadn’t secured the bureau’s seal of approval. This fed suspicion that the president’s son-in-law was a subject of the special counsel’s investigation — a concern buttressed by his real-estate company’s sketchy solicitations of giant loans from foreign governments in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Amid public outcry, Kushner’s clearance was downgraded. Three months later, however, it was restored; and this time, his clearance was of the “permanent” variety. Kushner’s allies celebrated this apparent testament to his safety from Robert Mueller’s probe. Finally, the White House’s resident “Middle East expert” had won the right to review sensitive geopolitical information, thereby clearing the only significant obstacle to a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Or so it seemed. On Thursday night, the Washington Post revealed that the CIA still has not signed off on letting Kushner look at “sensitive compartmented information” — the government’s most sensitive category of secrets, which “primarily involves U.S. intelligence sources and surveillance methods.” It is unclear whether the CIA’s reluctance has anything to do with Kushner’s sketchy real-estate dealings, or discussions with Russian officials about a “secret back channel” during the presidential transition, or anything else that could put the senior White House adviser in legal jeopardy."
HHS Plans to Delete 20 Years of Critical Medical Guidelines Next Week
https://www.thedailybeast.com/hhs-plans-to-delete-20-years-of-critical-medical-guidelines-next-week?ref=home?ref=home
"The Trump Administration is planning to eliminate a vast trove of medical guidelines that for nearly 20 years has been a critical resource for doctors, researchers and others in the medical community. Maintained by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the database is known as the National Guideline Clearinghouse [NGC], and it’s scheduled to “go dark,” in the words of an official there, on July 16. Medical guidelines like those compiled by AHRQ aren’t something laypeople spend much time thinking about, but experts like Valerie King, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Director of Research at the Center for Evidence-based Policy at Oregon Health & Science University, said the NGC is perhaps the most important repository of evidence-based research available. “Guideline.gov was our go-to source, and there is nothing else like it in the world,” King said, referring to the URL at which the database is hosted, which the agency says receives about 200,000 visitors per month. “It is a singular resource,” King added."
"The Trump Administration is planning to eliminate a vast trove of medical guidelines that for nearly 20 years has been a critical resource for doctors, researchers and others in the medical community. Maintained by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the database is known as the National Guideline Clearinghouse [NGC], and it’s scheduled to “go dark,” in the words of an official there, on July 16. Medical guidelines like those compiled by AHRQ aren’t something laypeople spend much time thinking about, but experts like Valerie King, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Director of Research at the Center for Evidence-based Policy at Oregon Health & Science University, said the NGC is perhaps the most important repository of evidence-based research available. “Guideline.gov was our go-to source, and there is nothing else like it in the world,” King said, referring to the URL at which the database is hosted, which the agency says receives about 200,000 visitors per month. “It is a singular resource,” King added."
Now Trump's Cabinet Will Pick Their Own Political Judges All Over the Government
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a22115786/administrative-law-judges-donald-trump-supreme-court/
"It’s been looking for a while like the Republicans are preparing for a possible Democratic shockwave in the November elections by doing all they can to consolidate the gains they’ve made for themselves and for their donor class during their period of controlling the entire government. ( The president* is cooperating in this effort because he knows nothing about anything, and because, winning!) The unseemly haste with which they’re trying to lard up the federal judiciary with embryonic Scalias is the most obvious example. But, as with all things these days, it’s best to keep your eye on the sparrow as well. On June 21, in a case called Lucia v. SEC, and by a resounding 7-2 margin, the Supreme Court ruled that administrative law judges (ALJs)—who preside over quasi-legal proceedings within the various executive agencies—are what are called “inferior officers” of the United States and, as such, can be appointed only by the president or by the head of the agency in question. (The case challenged the bona fides of an ALJ who worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission and who had been appointed, as was customary at the time, from off a master list maintained by the Office of Personnel Management.) These people are more important than they appear to be. Administrative law judges preside over hearings within the agencies. These hearings adjudicate disputes over claims and benefits, as well as cases involving actions taken by the agencies. In the case of the SEC, for example, the agency could choose to take action to enforce financial regulations through the administrative procedures rather than going to court. Now, thanks to the Supreme Court, hundreds of administrative actions likely are now open to review. To repeat, because of the Lucia decision, administrative law judges now can be appointed only by the president or the head of the agency. You can see where this is headed, right?"
"It’s been looking for a while like the Republicans are preparing for a possible Democratic shockwave in the November elections by doing all they can to consolidate the gains they’ve made for themselves and for their donor class during their period of controlling the entire government. ( The president* is cooperating in this effort because he knows nothing about anything, and because, winning!) The unseemly haste with which they’re trying to lard up the federal judiciary with embryonic Scalias is the most obvious example. But, as with all things these days, it’s best to keep your eye on the sparrow as well. On June 21, in a case called Lucia v. SEC, and by a resounding 7-2 margin, the Supreme Court ruled that administrative law judges (ALJs)—who preside over quasi-legal proceedings within the various executive agencies—are what are called “inferior officers” of the United States and, as such, can be appointed only by the president or by the head of the agency in question. (The case challenged the bona fides of an ALJ who worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission and who had been appointed, as was customary at the time, from off a master list maintained by the Office of Personnel Management.) These people are more important than they appear to be. Administrative law judges preside over hearings within the agencies. These hearings adjudicate disputes over claims and benefits, as well as cases involving actions taken by the agencies. In the case of the SEC, for example, the agency could choose to take action to enforce financial regulations through the administrative procedures rather than going to court. Now, thanks to the Supreme Court, hundreds of administrative actions likely are now open to review. To repeat, because of the Lucia decision, administrative law judges now can be appointed only by the president or the head of the agency. You can see where this is headed, right?"
Someone Should Go to Jail for This
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a22108183/trump-administration-separated-children-court-order/
"Try this sometime. You’re in court and the judge gives you a deadline to do something by Day X. Then, when Day X arrives, tell the judge that you’ve only been able to do four percent of what the judge demanded that you do. See where you’re eating dinner that night. This whole thing is preposterous now. The administration* never had a plan to do anything except separate these families and hold the children hostage. It certainly had no plan to reunite the children with their parents. As far as I can tell, it had no plan beyond the phrase, “zero-tolerance.” Now, it’s trying to cobble a policy together as fast as it’s trying to cobble together facilities in which to warehouse terrified toddlers. And all it’s got left is a president* who believes that he doesn’t have to listen to people like federal judges."
"Try this sometime. You’re in court and the judge gives you a deadline to do something by Day X. Then, when Day X arrives, tell the judge that you’ve only been able to do four percent of what the judge demanded that you do. See where you’re eating dinner that night. This whole thing is preposterous now. The administration* never had a plan to do anything except separate these families and hold the children hostage. It certainly had no plan to reunite the children with their parents. As far as I can tell, it had no plan beyond the phrase, “zero-tolerance.” Now, it’s trying to cobble a policy together as fast as it’s trying to cobble together facilities in which to warehouse terrified toddlers. And all it’s got left is a president* who believes that he doesn’t have to listen to people like federal judges."
American Conservatives Played A Secret Role In The Macedonian Fake News Boom Ahead Of 2016
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/american-conservatives-fake-news-macedonia-paris-wade-libert
"it was launched by a well-known Macedonian media attorney, Trajche Arsov — who worked closely with two high-profile American partners for at least six months during a period that overlapped with Election Day. One of those Americans, Paris Wade, is now running for office in Nevada. Arsov also employed other American and British writers, including at least one who currently works for US right-wing conspiracy site the Gateway Pundit. The investigation also reveals that at least one member of Russia’s “troll factory,” who has been indicted by US special counsel Robert Mueller for alleged interference in the election, was in Macedonia just three months before the web domain for the country’s first US-focused politics site was registered. Reporters did not find any evidence connecting the Russian, Anna Bogacheva, to the Veles sites. Arsov denies any links to Russia. But now Macedonian security agencies are cooperating with law enforcement in the United States and at least two Western European countries to probe possible links between Russians, US citizens, and the pro-Trump “fake news” websites, two senior Macedonian officials said. Bogacheva and Arsov are among more than 20 people being looked at in two overlapping investigations in Macedonia, according to the two officials, who hail from different agencies in the country and were interviewed separately."
"it was launched by a well-known Macedonian media attorney, Trajche Arsov — who worked closely with two high-profile American partners for at least six months during a period that overlapped with Election Day. One of those Americans, Paris Wade, is now running for office in Nevada. Arsov also employed other American and British writers, including at least one who currently works for US right-wing conspiracy site the Gateway Pundit. The investigation also reveals that at least one member of Russia’s “troll factory,” who has been indicted by US special counsel Robert Mueller for alleged interference in the election, was in Macedonia just three months before the web domain for the country’s first US-focused politics site was registered. Reporters did not find any evidence connecting the Russian, Anna Bogacheva, to the Veles sites. Arsov denies any links to Russia. But now Macedonian security agencies are cooperating with law enforcement in the United States and at least two Western European countries to probe possible links between Russians, US citizens, and the pro-Trump “fake news” websites, two senior Macedonian officials said. Bogacheva and Arsov are among more than 20 people being looked at in two overlapping investigations in Macedonia, according to the two officials, who hail from different agencies in the country and were interviewed separately."
So Long, Scott Pruitt. We Knew You All Too Well.
https://theintercept.com/2018/07/06/epa-scott-pruitt-resignation-andrew-wheeler/
"In Oklahoma, where he sided with poultry companies in Arkansas to subvert environmental protections for a river in his own state and suppressed a report on corruption at a Superfund site, what he wanted was the political support of a wealthy industry. In Washington, where he had recently expressed interest in Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s job, he wanted the approval of the president. (Pruitt’s resignation letter even seemed to be aimed for the president’s good side: “Truly, your confidence in me has blessed me personally,” he wrote, adding that he believed God “brought me into your service.”) For his part, Trump didn’t care about Pruitt’s scandals as long as he was doing the bidding of industry, which is why it took so long for his tenure to end. When it did, Democrats and environmentalists rejoiced as if the house had fallen on the wicked witch. “Finally,” was the headline quote of a press release from Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who, just hours before, had called for a criminal investigation into Pruitt’s secret calendar. A Washington, D.C., restaurant whipped up a special cocktail for the occasion. Even Republicans joined in the post-Pruitt celebration. The party will be brief. The president has another loyal industry servant primed for service. Former coal lobbyist and current EPA deputy administrator Andrew Wheeler will take over as the agency’s acting director on Monday. His views on climate change, the rollback of the Clean Power Plan, and the ongoing evisceration of other environmental protections are virtually indistinguishable from Pruitt’s. In several ways, Wheeler is a more daunting adversary. He has more experience working to undermine environmental regulations and deeper ties to industry than his predecessor."
"In Oklahoma, where he sided with poultry companies in Arkansas to subvert environmental protections for a river in his own state and suppressed a report on corruption at a Superfund site, what he wanted was the political support of a wealthy industry. In Washington, where he had recently expressed interest in Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s job, he wanted the approval of the president. (Pruitt’s resignation letter even seemed to be aimed for the president’s good side: “Truly, your confidence in me has blessed me personally,” he wrote, adding that he believed God “brought me into your service.”) For his part, Trump didn’t care about Pruitt’s scandals as long as he was doing the bidding of industry, which is why it took so long for his tenure to end. When it did, Democrats and environmentalists rejoiced as if the house had fallen on the wicked witch. “Finally,” was the headline quote of a press release from Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who, just hours before, had called for a criminal investigation into Pruitt’s secret calendar. A Washington, D.C., restaurant whipped up a special cocktail for the occasion. Even Republicans joined in the post-Pruitt celebration. The party will be brief. The president has another loyal industry servant primed for service. Former coal lobbyist and current EPA deputy administrator Andrew Wheeler will take over as the agency’s acting director on Monday. His views on climate change, the rollback of the Clean Power Plan, and the ongoing evisceration of other environmental protections are virtually indistinguishable from Pruitt’s. In several ways, Wheeler is a more daunting adversary. He has more experience working to undermine environmental regulations and deeper ties to industry than his predecessor."
GOP-Controlled House Passes Bill to Eviscerate Nation's Marine Ecosystems, Fisheries
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/12/gop-controlled-house-passes-bill-eviscerate-nations-marine-ecosystems-fisheries
"Conservations, scientists, and members of fishing communities and industry expressed outrage and disappointment after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that experts warn will set the nation's fishing industry back decades by eviscerating protections that have made U.S. fisheries more sustainable and undermining the health of marine ecosystems as well as the communities that live off the ocean."
"Conservations, scientists, and members of fishing communities and industry expressed outrage and disappointment after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that experts warn will set the nation's fishing industry back decades by eviscerating protections that have made U.S. fisheries more sustainable and undermining the health of marine ecosystems as well as the communities that live off the ocean."
'Putin Is the Puppet Master': British Reporter Says the Russian President Is Making Trump 'Dance' @alternet
'Putin Is the Puppet Master': British Reporter Says the Russian President Is Making Trump 'Dance' @alternet:
"He added: "It feels like Putin is the puppet master and he is making Donald trump dance around in front of the world to his Russian tune"."
"He added: "It feels like Putin is the puppet master and he is making Donald trump dance around in front of the world to his Russian tune"."
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