The Trump Presidency (Act V - The One Where Everybody Dies)

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Reuters say the memo will be released today

 

[Puppycow]

So now Dr. Cha is out of consideration for Ambassador, he has published an editorial about how to deal with North Korea in the Washington Post:

Victor Cha: Giving North Korea a ‘bloody nose’ carries a huge risk to Americans

It's basically a hawkish approach he recommends, but not a preemptive strike.

Another piece says that McMaster is the one pushing for a preemptive strike

 

[KatieG]

Sometimes the jokes write themselves:

‘Get out of the country!’: Navajo lawmaker harassed by Arizona Trump supporters accusing him of being here ‘illegally’

I did actually have to look twice when I saw the original post on FB.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

A senior Democrat has reportedly said that the changes to the memo "water down" the claims made within, indicating that the Republicans are not comfortable with the allegations

I'm left wondering whether this, if true, leaves the Republicans vulnerable. I say that because of this tweet:

On a technical point, the vote that the committee took on Monday to release the memo explicitly described it as the version reviewed by the House beginning Jan. 18.

The tweet also contains a screenshot of the documentary evidence substantiating that claim.

I wonder if that means that a Democrat could legally release the memo as originally written and shown to the White House. If so, then that would show what it originally said, what the changes were, and that Republicans are lying about the changes. Might be an interesting move.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Do you not realize that they actually don't give a damn?

This isn't about facts or truth, it's about getting and keeping political power. The GOP will throw anyone under the bus, lie, cheat, and steal in their obsessive rush to achieve those ends.

They can not be truly republican, they care about the rule of law far to much to be true republicans. The president promised to purge the disloyal in the state of the union that is the new standard for what it means to be a republican and if they let laws, facts and morals get in their way they are clearly only RINOs.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

CBS Breaking News!

That could explain a lot!

 

[The Don]

The same "Promises but no policies" could equally be said about healthcare and infrastructure (and maybe several other major policy areas).

 

[C_Felix]

I can barely keep up with all the happenings, claims, reports, rumors...etc...

 

[Tero]

I’m a legal immigrant. Less than 400 came from my country that year.

Trump speech came back to immigrants. I tried to lecture to a Trumpist onan another forum. It’s no longer a solution to round up illegals. Plus the birth rate in Mexico is now just slightly over death rate. Our conversation, with most of his eliminated.

Me: We bring in 1 million immigrants every year. Very few of them end up in jail the first year and most end up finding a job. Immigrants are not a problem.

Baby boomers retiring before they are 65 are a problem. Millions of them.

He: Nobody is saying immigrants are the problem. Illegal immigrants are "a" problem.

Me: Just giving you the big picture. We will absorb them all. Legal or not. All part of the process. Just like fungi process dead wood into CO2. Then we make more people out of that.

Trump is fixing a problem that will be fixed just by time. Just like we came and took over from the natives

 

[phiwum]

I’m a legal immigrant. Less than 400 came from my country that year.

Trump speech came back to immigrants. I tried to lecture to a Trumpist onan another forum. It’s no longer a solution to round up illegals. Plus the birth rate in Mexico is now just slightly over death rate. Our conversation, with most of his eliminated.

What an unintentionally remarkable term.

 

[BobTheCoward]

I’m a legal immigrant. Less than 400 came from my country that year.

Trump speech came back to immigrants. I tried to lecture to a Trumpist onan another forum. It’s no longer a solution to round up illegals. Plus the birth rate in Mexico is now just slightly over death rate. Our conversation, with most of his eliminated.

Me: We bring in 1 million immigrants every year. Very few of them end up in jail the first year and most end up finding a job. Immigrants are not a problem.

Baby boomers retiring before they are 65 are a problem. Millions of them.

He: Nobody is saying immigrants are the problem. Illegal immigrants are "a" problem.

Me: Just giving you the big picture. We will absorb them all. Legal or not. All part of the process. Just like fungi process dead wood into CO2. Then we make more people out of that.

Trump is fixing a problem that will be fixed just by time. Just like we came and took over from the natives

If legal immigration is not a problem, why cut legal immigration in half, stop the diversity visa, and stop us citizens from getting visas for family members?

 

[Bob001]

Interesting video story about the artist who throws projections on the Trump hotel:

He turned his anger into art protesting government policies. Bell is now best known for his rogue light projections onto Trump’s hotel, where he has streamed images reading “◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊” and “resist” as “mile markers” of a crumbling democracy, to remind people: This is not normal.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blog...o-resist-trumps-hotel/?utm_term=.510c1baebad0

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

It seems that Nunes, in a formal meeting (the one of which the transcript has been posted above), was twice asked whether the memo would be released as seen "word for word" and gave answers which appeared to respond affirmatively, but which were actually misleading. In other words, if he didn't then know it would be altered before it was released, he knew it was enough of a possibility not to commit himself on the record to saying that it would.

 

[Tero]

If legal immigration is not a problem, why cut legal immigration in half, stop the diversity visa, and stop us citizens from getting visas for family members?

Some bureaucrat made a decision. They only have the staff to deal with so many cases. Refugee cases take more work. If you pardoned all the illegals with no criminal record, you would free up staff to process the million that come every year. It’s possible Trump could do this, as only Republican presidents are allowed to do this without a huge outcry.

Besides, a small number of immigrants will end up as Republicans. No worries!

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

The White House has agreed, at the FBI's request, to redact the portions of the memo which reveal law enforcement methods. Also in that link: Republican senator Thune believes that the Senate Intelligence Committee needs to see the memo before it's released, and that the Democrats' memo should be released at the same time. So at least one Republican cares about national security over party, or at least is willing to make statements that indicate he is.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Trump Jr. is claiming McCabe was fired, and because of the contents of the Nunes memo

It was good enough to fire McCabe, no one argues its factually inaccurate, but now days later they want to protect the names of those involved in a scandal that was big enough to fire a senior official a month before retirement? They don’t deserve a pass on that!

 

[Fast Eddie B]

It has to be pathological.

He’s bragging the audience for his SOTU address was the “highest in history”.

Well...

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Trump Jr. is claiming McCabe was fired, and because of the contents of the Nunes memo

It has to be pathological.

...

And hereditary.

 

[Stacko]

Israeli investigative reporter says Trump shared more information than has been publicly revealed with the Russians.

DAVIES: So if I understand it, you know of specific information that the U.S. shared with the Russians that has not been revealed publicly and that you are not revealing publicly?

BERGMAN: The nature of the information that President Trump revealed to Foreign Minister Lavrov is of the most secretive nature. And that information could jeopardize modus operandi of Israeli intelligence.

DAVIES: And this is different from what was publicly reported at the time. There were some question about, you know, plans for, I think, laptop computers on airlines. This - you're referring to something that we don't yet know.

BERGMAN: Most of it, we don't yet know. And there were conflicting reports. I cannot - in order not to be part of disclosing secret information and jeopardizing Israeli and the U.S. ability to track down terrorists and proliferate, I prefer not to go into the details of that.

 

[bruto]

If legal immigration is not a problem, why cut legal immigration in half, stop the diversity visa, and stop us citizens from getting visas for family members?

Why indeed? One possible answer is that our president is a fool. If you have a better one, you could give it.