Cont: The Trump Presidency X: 10-10 'til we do it again

[Bob001]

NYT reporting that Jared Kushner paid no federal income taxes for years.

Over the past decade, Jared Kushner’s family company has spent billions of dollars buying real estate. His personal stock investments have soared. His net worth has quintupled to almost $324 million.

And yet, for several years running, Mr. Kushner — President Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser — appears to have paid almost no federal income taxes, according to confidential financial documents reviewed by The New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/13/business/jared-kushner-taxes.html

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

"There was NO DEAL made with Turkey for the release and return of Pastor Andrew Brunson. I don’t make deals for hostages. There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!"

Hostages?

 

[William Parcher]

Hostages?

Any turkey raised on a farm for meat is essentially a hostage.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

I feel like we should be talking more about how Trump is going to let the Saudis get away with torturing and murdering a journalist just because they give him money.

And because he loves him those dictators and Trump would like to incarcerate or kill his enemies too. So he probably admires the Prince for it.

 

[Stacko]

Pastor Brunson kneels and prays with Trump.

After the prayer, Trump says, "Can I ask you one question? Who did you vote for?" (via Fox)​

******* hell. There's something deeply wrong with that man.

 

[Sideroxylon]

Trump Tweets

"There was NO DEAL made with Turkey for the release and return of Pastor Andrew Brunson. I don’t make deals for hostages. There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!"

Hostages?

Maybe a reference to Brunson being offered as a bargaining chip to get Fethullah Gülen^WP back to Turkey.

 

[BrooklynBaby]

Any turkey raised on a farm for meat is essentially a hostage.

Not really. There's no way to get money out of its turkey family and loved ones for its release. And even if they could come up with the money, proof-of-life could be a tough nut to crack.

 

[Minoosh]

Maybe a reference to Brunson being offered as a bargaining chip to get Fethullah Gülen^WP back to Turkey.

I have never figured out what it is supposed to be that Gülen did that was so wrong.

Have people loyal to him vs. Erdogan?

 

[The Great Zaganza]

I have never figured out what it is supposed to be that Gülen did that was so wrong.

Have people loyal to him vs. Erdogan?

Gülen lifted Erdogan to power - so naturally the Caliph is worried that he might take it away for him again.

 

[Stacyhs]

Pastor Brunson kneels and prays with Trump.

After the prayer, Trump says, "Can I ask you one question? Who did you vote for?" (via Fox)​

******* hell. There's something deeply wrong with that man.

There is A LOT deeply wrong with that man.

 

[quadraginta]

There is A LOT deeply wrong with that man.

Yesterday during his Ohio rally, after exhorting black people to vote for the GOP, he went on to praise the deeds of Gen. Robert E. Lee profusely.

Constantly setting new standards for tone deafness.

 

[Sideroxylon]

I have never figured out what it is supposed to be that Gülen did that was so wrong.

Have people loyal to him vs. Erdogan?

From my perspective:

Gullen has a dream of bright young Islamists educated into public roles that had been mainly taken up by secular Kemalist elites who held power over uneducated pious masses. He promotes education and science (no evolution though) as compatible and desirable for people of fairh, builds lots of schools and examination preparation schools. All fine with Erdogan’s AKP own Islamist agenda with a lot of people influenced by the Gullen movement helping that party come to power.

Things seem to come unstuck with corruption allegations against Erdogan’s associates and family. For mine this is when Erdogan decides the movement is a danger. Laws passed to have examination prep schools closed and not long after we have the odd coup followed by a massive purge with sackings and jailing (Brunson caught up in this).

https://business.financialpost.com/...hed-in-shoe-boxes-in-turkish-bank-chiefs-home

 

[Safe-Keeper]

Yesterday during his Ohio rally, after exhorting black people to vote for the GOP, he went on to praise the deeds of Gen. Robert E. Lee profusely.

Constantly setting new standards for tone deafness.

That sounds more oike Trump's ultra-short attention span.

 

[FenerFan]

From my perspective:

Gullen has a dream of bright young Islamists educated into public roles that had been mainly taken up by secular Kemalist elites who held power over uneducated pious masses. He promotes education and science (no evolution though) as compatible and desirable for people of fairh, builds lots of schools and examination preparation schools. All fine with Erdogan’s AKP own Islamist agenda with a lot of people influenced by the Gullen movement helping that party come to power.

Things seem to come unstuck with corruption allegations against Erdogan’s associates and family. For mine this is when Erdogan decides the movement is a danger. Laws passed to have examination prep schools closed and not long after we have the odd coup followed by a massive purge with sackings and jailing (Brunson caught up in this).

https://business.financialpost.com/...hed-in-shoe-boxes-in-turkish-bank-chiefs-home

That's a good summary. I would add that over the years a lot of people who were inspired by Gülen joined the police and military or entered the teaching profession at all levels. A huge number of them have been sacked and/or have had their professional lives destroyed since the coup attempt. On top of that, their families in many cases have been socially ostracized because a son, daughter, or sibling was caught up in the frenzy of "purging FETO."
I think Gülen had his "Animal Farm" moment when the corruption scandal broke and couldn't tell who were the pigs and who were the humans . When he spoke out about it all hell broke loose. I think the allegations that he somehow coordinated the coup attempt are nonsense. It's just a coincidence that a number of police and military officers could be called Gülenists because they liked his ideas about Islam in modern Turkey.
Erdoğan was battling against Gülen and his supporters when the coup attempt occurred. It gave him a golden opportunity to really crush them and to do so with massive public support.

 

[FenerFan]

Yesterday during his Ohio rally, after exhorting black people to vote for the GOP, he went on to praise the deeds of Gen. Robert E. Lee profusely.

Constantly setting new standards for tone deafness.

I think you are being a little hard on Trump. I mean, one of his best friends is black, right.

 

[Hlafordlaes]

Wapo: President Trump confirmed Saturday that he is considering a new family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border because he believes the administration’s earlier move to separate migrant children from parents was an effective deterrent to illegal crossings.

Like good little Neo-nazis, Republicans place expediency above all else. Trumpie Boys' little show with children in cages was a just a rehearsal. Next will be journalists, non-whites, and liberals anyone still opposing jackbooted goon squads.

This is outrageous and deserves total opposition across the board to the US. The country has gone rogue, and must be taken down, even if bit by bit. Personally, I'd start by moving the UN and making a concerted effort to replace the US dollar as reserve currency, then nullifying all US patents and trademarks, making them free and open access. That's be nice for starters.

Fat chance, but one can dream.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump tweeted concerning General Lee

"NBC News has totally and purposely changed the point and meaning of my story about General Robert E Lee and General Ulysses Grant. Was actually a shoutout to warrior Grant and the great state in which he was born. As usual, dishonest reporting. Even mainstream media embarrassed!"

 

[Stacko]

I wonder if Trump will give Kevin McCarthy a racist nickname now?

A company owned by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s in-laws won more than $7 million in no-bid and other federal contracts at U.S. military installations and other government properties in California based on a dubious claim of Native American identity by McCarthy’s brother-in-law, a Times investigation has found.

The prime contracts, awarded through a federal program designed to help disadvantaged minorities, were mostly for construction projects at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in McCarthy’s Bakersfield-based district, and the Naval Air Station Lemoore in nearby Kings County.

Vortex Construction, whose principal owner is William Wages, the brother of McCarthy’s wife, Judy, received a total of $7.6 million in no-bid and other prime federal contracts since 2000, The Times found.

…

Wages says he is one-eighth Cherokee. An examination of government and tribal records by The Times and a leading Cherokee genealogist casts doubt on that claim, however. He is a member of a group called the Northern Cherokee Nation, which has no federal or state recognition as a legitimate tribe. It is considered a fraud by leaders of tribes that have federal recognition.

 

[Stacyhs]

I demand he take a DNA test!! (said with righteous indignation)

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Yesterday during his Ohio rally, after exhorting black people to vote for the GOP, he went on to praise the deeds of Gen. Robert E. Lee profusely.

Constantly setting new standards for tone deafness.

A belated apology from Fake News Network NBC:

"CORRECTION: An earlier tweet misidentified the general President Trump described as "incredible" at a rally in Ohio. It was Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, not Gen. Robert E. Lee. An attached video clip lacked the full context for Trump's remark. Here is the full clip."

-- NBC News (Oct 14, 2018)​