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lk2fireone (0)
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| 04-21-18 07:24pm - 2437 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
For many years, Yahoo email was free. With almost no ads. Now, Yahoo email comes with ads that are put into the inbox for emails. And you can't delete them. I try to delete them, and can't. They appear to be a permanent part of the inbox contents. Tricky. But if I upgrade to Yahoo Mail Pro, I can get rid of the ads, with an ad-free account. Cost of Yahoo Mail Pro: $3.49/month $34.99/year. Pretty smart. I'm now looking for a free email plan that doesn't come with ads. Any suggestions for a free email plan that is easy to use? Note: I've had my Yahoo email account for over 20 years now. But I figure it's time to switch. Edited on Apr 21, 2018, 07:29pm | |
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| 04-21-18 04:34pm - 2437 days | #479 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Or maybe real news. It's hard to tell what is fake, what is real, with the Trump presidency. -------- -------- Betsy DeVos’ Department of Education Is Saving Itself Work by Dismissing Hundreds of Civil Rights Cases By Luke Darby 3 hours ago US-POLITICS-EDUCATION-TRUMP SAUL LOEB It's much more efficient to just not worry about students' right. After her disastrous 60 Minutes interview, where she failed to justify or back up any of her policies or beliefs about education, Betsy DeVos may be eager to prove herself competent and effective again. And in a way, she's succeeding: her goals even before becoming Secretary of Education was to undermine public schools, belittle teachers, and prop up student debt collectors. Now that she oversees the country's schools, she can more effectively push for those pet projects while also ripping the teeth out of the agency she runs. Her latest target is the department's Office of Civil Rights, a body tasked with investigating claims of civil rights abuses in schools. Under DeVos, the Department of Education has found a way to completely avoid its duty, simply by inventing a rule that lets them opt out of it, in order to be more "efficient." As the New York Times reports: Among the changes implemented immediately is a provision that allows the Office for Civil Rights to dismiss cases that reflect “a pattern of complaints previously filed with O.C.R. by an individual or a group against multiple recipients,” or complaints “filed for the first time against multiple recipients that” place “an unreasonable burden on O.C.R.’s resources.” So far, the provision has resulted in the dismissal of more than 500 disability rights complaints. Let's break this down. Under DeVos, the Department of Education has instituted a policy that allows them to outright dismiss claims that students' civil rights have been violated. And one of the criteria they're using is "this person has brought too many claims already." According to this rationale, DeVos would argue that laws and civil rights stop applying to individuals if they seek protection too many times. And by refusing to follow through on claims against "multiple recipients," the Education Department is essentially claiming that patterns of abuse or systemic violations don't exist: civil rights can only be violated by one person at a time. DeVos reportedly was not a supporter of Donald Trump during his campaign, which is a sharp irony because she so perfectly distills so much about his administration. If you're in a vulnerable position, if someone with power and authority has the ability to abuse and take advantage of you, then she is dedicated to working against you. She's already made it clear that she's a dedicated opponent to students with disabilities: in October, the department rescinded more than 70 documents that outlined disabled students' rights. The move makes it exponentially more difficult for students and administrators to know what schools' obligations are, and this new move to throw out as many civil rights claims as possible is one more step in undermining the education and safety of vulnerable students. The secretary of education post has long been occupied by a rogue's gallery of people focused on undermining public education and the authority of teachers. But in Betsy DeVos, the Department of Education may have it's first ever secretary who is unabashedly anti-student. | |
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| 04-21-18 03:46pm - 2437 days | #478 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Scott Pruitt is a fantastic person who is ethical and has earned the respect and admiration of people across the country. Also, Pruitt is a great businessman, who was able to buy a house before he entered federal public service below it's former selling price, and able to sell it later for a nice profit. Evidence that Pruitt is a superb businessman who in capable of running the EPA. ----------- ----------- NYT: Pruitt purchased home from lobbyist in 2003, using a shell company By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN Updated 5:49 PM ET, Sat April 21, 2018 NYT: Pruitt purchased home from lobbyist (CNN)EPA chief Scott Pruitt purchased a house in 2003 from a retiring lobbyist through a shell company registered to a business partner who now holds top political job at the agency The New York Times reported Saturday. As a state senator in 2003, Pruitt became an owner of an Oklahoma City house held by a shell company registered under the name of a business partner and law school friend, Kenneth Wagner, the Times reported, citing a review of real estate and other public records. Wagner is now a senior adviser for regional and state affairs at the EPA. The mortgage on the house was issued by a local bank led by another business associate, Albert Kelly, the Times said, citing the records. Kelly is now also one of Pruitt's top aides at the EPA, in charge of its Superfund program. The purchase price of $375,000 was $100,000 less than what the lobbyist, Marsha Lindsey, had paid just a year earlier -- a difference picked up by her employer, telecom company SBC Oklahoma, the Times reported. Lindsey turned over the deed to a relocation company SBC hired to handle her move and severance for about what she had paid for the house, which in turn signed the property over to health care executive Jon Jiles, a donor to Pruitt's campaigns, at the discounted price, according to records the Times reviewed. The next month, Jiles transferred the deed to the shell company, Capitol House LLC, for which he was listed as the manager and Wagner the registered agent. A month later, Kelly's bank approved a mortgage in the amount of $420,000 in the name of the shell company. Real estate records did not show Pruitt's involvement, the Times reported. But an EPA spokeswoman confirmed to the newspaper that Pruitt was one of the five investors in the shell company. The shell company sold the property a couple of years later for $95,000 more than it paid, the Times reported. Pruitt's financial disclosures in Oklahoma, however, did not mention the shell company or the proceeds, potentially violating the state's ethics rules, the newspaper said. Oklahoma ethics rules require that officials disclose their businesses or entities in which they hold securities valued at $5,000 or more, the Times reported. The report comes as Pruitt faces scrutiny for a string of ethically questionable arrangements or actions on his part that have surfaced over the past year, including questions about the size and cost of his 24-hour security detail; a $50-a-night room rental agreement he held with a lobbyist whose husband's firm lobbies the EPA. EPA inspector general to begin second review of Pruitt's security detail An EPA spokeswoman told the Times that Pruitt's business arrangements with Kelly and Wagner "were ethical" and his stake in the shell company "a simple real estate investment." "Mr. Wagner and Mr. Kelly left high-profile positions in law and banking in Oklahoma, to serve in the administration," the spokeswoman said in an email to the Times. "They are dedicated E.P.A. employees who have earned the respect and admiration of E.P.A. career employees across the country." | |
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| 04-21-18 03:45pm - 2437 days | #477 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
My guess: the Dems are finally learning from the Republicans about raising money. Ethical, or dirty tricks, as usual? Your guess is? | |
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| 04-21-18 02:08pm - 2437 days | #475 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Where there's smoke, there might be fire. Democrats sue Donald Trump's campaign, Trump's son, Trump's son-in-law, the Russian Federation, and Wikileaks. Will Trump stand up like a man and admit the truth: that he is a puppet of Russia's Vladimir Putin? Enquiring minds want to know. Trump, the first President of the United States, who was a deep undercover agent for Russia. That is why Trump fears the Deep State, because he is afraid they will out him as a foreign agent--working for Mother Russia. That is why Trump keeps marrying these foreign women, so if they discover his secret identity, they can not testify against him without the fear of being deported as illegal immigrants. --------- --------- Dems' lawsuit alleges conspiracy between Trump camp, Russia Associated Press TOM LoBIANCO and LARRY NEUMEISTER,Associated Press 2 hours 30 minutes ago In this April 18, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump listens during a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club, in Palm Beach, Fla. The Democratic National Committee on Friday sued President Donald Trump's campaign, Trump's son, his son-in-law, the Russian Federation and WikiLeaks. The Democrats accuse the defendants of conspiring to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election after breaking into DNC computers and stealing tens of thousands of emails and documents. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) NEW YORK (AP) — A lawsuit by Democratic Party accuses Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Russia, WikiLeaks and Trump's son and son-in-law of engaging in a conspiracy to undercut Democrats in the 2016 election by stealing tens of thousands of emails and documents. The lawsuit filed Friday in Manhattan federal court seeks unspecified damages and an order to prevent further interference with computer systems of the Democratic National Committee. "During the 2016 presidential campaign, Russia launched an all-out assault on our democracy, and it found a willing and active partner in Donald Trump's campaign," said Tom Perez, the DNC chairman, in a statement. He called it an "act of unprecedented treachery." The Democrats accuse Trump and his associates of trading on relationships with Russian oligarchs tied to President Vladimir Putin and of collaborating with Russia as it worked to undermine Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The president has said repeatedly there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia. On Friday, his campaign scorned the lawsuit as "frivolous" and predicted it would be quickly dismissed. "This is a sham lawsuit about a bogus Russian collusion claim filed by a desperate, dysfunctional and nearly insolvent Democratic Party," Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. He said the campaign would seek to turn the tables on the Democrats, using the legal discovery process to try to pry documents from the DNC including any related to a dossier detailing allegations of links between Trump and Russia. The dossier, a collection of memos, was written by an ex-British spy whose work was funded by Clinton and the DNC. Trump himself tweeted that the DNC lawsuit could be "very good news," saying his campaign "will now counter for the DNC Server that they refused to give to the FBI" as well as Hillary Clinton's emails. The spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement Saturday that media reports on the suit indicate that "it seems to be a distinct attempt of the Democrats to make excuses for their defeat." The legal challenge, she said, is a Democratic attempt "to give new breath to internal political dismantling and to further heat up anti-Russian sentiments." The Democrats' lawsuit doesn't reveal new details in the sprawling storyline of connections between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives working on behalf of the Kremlin. Instead it knits many of the threads that have emerged in public over the past two years to paint a picture of an alleged conspiracy between the Trump campaign, the Kremlin and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The DNC says the "brazen attack on American democracy" began with a cyberattack on DNC computers and phone systems in 2015, allowing the extraction of tens of thousands of documents and emails. WikiLeaks then blasted out many of the documents on July 22, 2016, shortly before Clinton was to be nominated -- upsetting the Democrats' national convention. That added up to a "campaign of the presidential nominee of a major party in league with a hostile foreign power to bolster its own chance to win the presidency," the DNC lawyers wrote. That conspiracy violated the laws of the U.S., Virginia and the District of Columbia, the lawsuit says, and "under the laws of this nation, Russia and its co-conspirators must answer for these actions." The DNC accuses Donald Trump Jr. of secretly communicating with WikiLeaks, and blames the president, too, saying he praised the illegal dissemination of DNC documents throughout fall 2016, making it a central theme of his speeches and rallies. The DNC also fingers Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner as a co-conspirator for his role overseeing the Trump campaign's digital operation. WikiLeaks responded to the lawsuit caustically. "DNC already has a moribund publicity lawsuit which the press has become bored of--hence the need to refile it as a 'new' suit before midterms," the group said in a tweet. "As an accurate publisher of newsworthy information @WikiLeaks is constitutionally protected from such suits." Special counsel Robert Mueller has filed charges against multiple former Trump campaign aides stemming from his federal Russia probe. But Mueller has directly accused only former Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos of trying to work with Russian operatives to support the Trump campaign. Mueller also has indicted 13 Russian individuals working for the Internet Research Agency accused of running an elaborate scheme to meddle in the U.S. elections. The indictment alleges one of Putin's close allies, Yevgeny Prigozhin, oversaw the effort. The hacking of the DNC has long been a sore spot for Democrats across the board since Clinton's stunning loss in November 2016. The hack and subsequent release of the emails hit the party just before it formally nominated Clinton, and the emails remained a major issue through Election Day. This is the second time in recent history that the DNC has sued a Republican president. The Democrats sued Richard Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President in 1973, following the break-in at the DNC's Watergate Hotel headquarters. __ LoBianco reported from Washington. ___ Associated Press reporters Chad Day in Washington and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report. | |
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| 04-21-18 06:39am - 2437 days | #474 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
My ideals have been shattered. Is Trump the man of a thousand myths? Trump needs to move to Russia, where he can put all the lying fake-news slimeball reporters into the Gulag Archipelago. ------------ ------------ Politics Trump Lied He Was 'Ladies Man' At All-Male School, Biographer Says HuffPost Lee Moran,HuffPost 3 hours ago A biographer of Donald Trump says the president’s habit of lying can be traced back to his school days. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael D’Antonio, who wrote the 2016 book The Truth About Trump, on Friday told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the president has been fabricating stories since childhood. “This is Donald, really going back to his school days when he was a boy, he insisted to others that he had hit home runs he had never hit in ball games,” D’Antonio said. The author made the comments while discussing reports that Trump previously tried to deceive journalists by using false names in phone interviews. Trump “left the New York Military Academy declaring himself the greatest baseball player in New York state and it just went on and on and on,” D’Antonio said. “He was named the ladies man at a school that had no young women at it, so you tell me, he has been doing this forever.” This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-20-18 02:35pm - 2438 days | #473 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
OF COURSE, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT TRUMP DIDN'T LIE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SLIP IN MEMORY. THAT TRUMP FORGOT HE SLEPT IN MOSCOW, AND THAT'S WHY HE TOLD COMEY HE DID NOT SLEEP IN MOSCOW. BUT THEN AGAIN, MAYBE THE HOOKERS KEPT HIM UP ALL NIGHT, AND HE DID NOT GET ANY SLEEP. THAT'S ALSO POSSIBLE. SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT TRUMP MIGHT HAVE TOLD COMEY HE NEVER SLEPT IN MOSCOW, AND THAT WAS A TRUE STATEMENT. AND MY FAITH IN TRUMP IS RESTORED, ONCE AGAIN. | |
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| 04-20-18 02:30pm - 2438 days | #472 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
NO. SAY IT ISN'T TRUE. MY FAITH IN THE WORLD IS SHAKEN. HAS TRUMP ACTUALLY TOLD A LIE? IS IT POSSIBLE? Trump told Comey he never slept in Moscow. But he did. ------- ------- Trump told Comey he never slept in Moscow. But he did. Michael Isikoff 2 hours 22 minutes ago Donald Trump, James Comey and the newly released memos. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP) WASHINGTON — The newly released memos by FBI Director James Comey reveal that President Trump repeatedly pushed back hard on claims that he once consorted with prostitutes in Moscow, claiming that he didn’t even spend a night in the Russian capital during his 2013 trip there. At a Jan. 27, 2017, private dinner with the president, Comey wrote, Trump was adamant that the claim about hookers in Moscow, made in a dossier compiled by a former British spy Christopher Steele, was a “complete fabrication.” He told Comey he had checked with associates and was reminded “that he didn’t stay overnight in Russia” on the trip, during which he presided over the Miss Universe contest. After flying into Moscow in the morning, he “departed for New York that same night,” Trump told Comey, according to one of the former FBI chief’s memos. But there is abundant evidence that Trump’s account to the FBI director was false: Social media posts, photographs and the account of at least two associates — including Trump’s former security chief — indicate that Trump arrived in Moscow on Nov. 8, 2013, spent the night at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, and didn’t leave the city until after the Miss Universe was finished late on the evening of Nov. 9. Indeed, Trump himself had previously boasted of spending more time in Moscow than he admitted to Comey. “I called it my weekend in Moscow,” Trump said during a Sept. 15 radio interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.” As recounted in the book “Russian Roulette” by myself and David Corn, Trump flew to Moscow on Nov. 8, 2013, aboard a plane owned by Phil Ruffin, a wealthy Las Vegas casino magnate, after attending a celebration for evangelist Billy Graham’s 95th birthday the night before in North Carolina. Trump then attended a lunch that day with Russian businessmen at the Nobu restaurant, a swank eatery co-owned by actor Robert De Niro and Aras Agalarov, a billionaire oligarch who was Trump’s partner in the Miss Universe pageant. A photograph of Trump in front of the Nobu restaurant, standing in broad daylight side by side with Emin Agalarov, the pop-singer son of Aras Agalarov, was posted by the restaurant on its Facebook page. It is dated Nov. 8, 2013. The posting corroborates the account of Rob Goldstone, Emin Agalarov’s British publicist, who in “Russian Roulette” describes the Nov. 8 lunch in great detail as well as Trump’s attendance at a birthday party for Aras Agalarov later that night. According to Goldstone, Trump stayed at the party until 1:30 a.m. before returning to his hotel room at the Ritz Carlton. The next day, Nov. 9, Trump is still in Moscow, tweeting about the great time he was having in Moscow and how he was looking forward to the Miss Universe pageant that night. “I was just given a great tour of Moscow — fantastic, hard working people. CITY IS REALLY ENERGIZED! The World will be watching tonight!” Trump wrote in a tweet posted at 6:21 a.m. on Nov. 9. Keith Schiller, Trump’s longtime security chief, who accompanied him on the trip, corroborated that Trump spent the evening in the city at the Ritz Carlton Hotel when he testified behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee. As recounted by NBC News, the New York Times and other news organizations, Schiller told the panel that on the day they arrived he was approached by an unidentified Russian who offered to send five prostitutes to his hotel room that evening — an offer that Schiller said he turned down. “That night, two sources said, Schiller said he discussed the conversation with Trump as Trump was walking back to his hotel room, and Schiller said the two men laughed about it as Trump went to bed alone,” according to the NBC News account of Schiller’s testimony. “Schiller testified that he stood outside Trump’s hotel room for a time and then went to bed. “One source noted that Schiller testified he eventually left Trump’s hotel room door and could not say for sure what happened during the remainder of the night.” Trump’s apparently false account to Comey doesn’t prove that the allegation about hookers in Moscow is true. Comey has told interviewers this week that he doesn’t know whether the prostitutes claim in the Steele dossier is true, and in “Russian Roulette,” Steele is quoted as telling associates he now believes that there is only a “50-50” chance that the incident actually happened. Still, if Trump could be shown to have consciously lied to Comey — as opposed to misremembering his visit to Moscow — he could theoretically be vulnerable to either being charged with lying to the FBI or obstructing justice, according to Sol Wisenberg, a former federal prosecutor who served as a deputy independent counsel under Ken Starr investigating false statements by Bill Clinton. “You could say it’s an element in obstruction because you’re not allowed to lie to a law enforcement officer,” Wisenberg said. Copies of redacted versions of the memos of former FBI Director James Comey are pictured in Washington on April 19, 2018. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP) Given the unique circumstances of the conversation between Comey and Trump, Wisenberg said he viewed such charges, based on the president’s apparently false claim about his Moscow trip, as unlikely in the absence of other compelling evidence. Still, Wisenberg said he thought Trump’s assertion to Comey was “significant,” especially given that, according to the ex-FBI director’s memo, Trump suggested to Comey in the same meeting that he should “investigate the whole thing to prove [the dossier] was a lie.” Nor was this the only questionable assertion Trump made to Comey about the alleged incident. According to a later memo from Feb. 8 recounting a meeting Comey had with Trump in the Oval Office, the president repeated his insistence that he never spent the night in Moscow and called the claim about prostitutes “nonsense.” “‘[T]he hooker thing’ is nonsense but … Putin told him ‘we have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world,’’’ Comey notes in his memo, adding that Trump “did not say when Putin had told him this.” There is no evidence that Putin ever made such a remark to Trump — or that Trump had ever even communicated directly with Putin until the Russian president sent him a congratulatory telegram on the day after the 2016 election. CNN quoted a statement from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denying the account: “President Putin could not say such a thing and did not say it to President Trump, taking into account that they had never communicated before Trump became President.” Although Trump had occasionally boasted of his “relationship” with Putin in the past, he insisted in an interview with ABC News in July 2016 that he had never met with Putin and said, “I have never spoken to him on the phone.” | |
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| 04-20-18 02:16pm - 2438 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
'Smallville' actress charged with sex trafficking for alleged involvement in NXIVM cult Taryn Ryder 33 minutes ago Allison Mack attends Amazon Studios’ premiere of Lost in Oz. (Photo: Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Amazon Studios) Allison Mack has been arrested for her alleged involvement in a sex cult. On Friday, both the Smallville actress and Keith Raniere were charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York confirmed to Yahoo Entertainment. Raniere, the founder of the self-help group NXIVM and the alleged cult leader, was arrested last month. Within NXIVM, there was reportedly a secret “sorority” called DOS, also known as “Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions.” Mack, 35, was allegedly a DOS Master who recruited and directed slaves to have sex with Raniere, also known as “Vanguard.” “As alleged in the indictment, Allison Mack recruited women to join what was purported to be a female mentorship group that was, in fact, created and led by Keith Raniere,” U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said in a statement. “The victims were then exploited, both sexually and for their labor, to the defendants’ benefit. This Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to prosecuting predators who victimize others through sex trafficking and forced labor.” Yahoo reached out to a representative for Mack, who had no comment. Keith Raniere (Screenshot: YouTube) The actress — who played Chloe Sullivan on the CW show from 2001 to 2011 — has frequently mentioned Raniere on her website and on social media. Mack’s former Smallville co-star Kristin Kreuk was once a member of NXIVM. Allison Mack and Kristin Kreuk (The CW) However, Kreuk released a statement saying she had no idea about DOS. Mack was set to be arraigned Friday afternoon. Raniere will be arraigned at a later date. The FBI is asking “anyone who might have been a victim” to reach out so it can continue to unravel this “pyramid scheme.” | |
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| 04-19-18 05:05pm - 2439 days | #468 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: US Senate confirms climate change denier to lead NASA. My hope is that NASA will admit the Earth is flat. If the Earth was a round ball, we would all fall off. So now that we have a leader who understands science and the scientific method, we can teach in our schools the truth: the Earth is flat, there is no Climate Change, and Trump is the leader chosen by God Himself to lead the United States to greatness. Let us also hope that Jim Bridenstine, the new leader of NASA, will have companies he owns or has shares in, to help NASA with new contracts and projects. "The former Navy Reserve pilot previously served as executive director of the Air and Space Museum & Planetarium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During his tenure, the nonprofit suffered financial losses, and an investigation by the Project On Government Oversight found that Bridenstine used the nonprofit’s resources to benefit a company he co-owned, according to a report from The Daily Beast this week." Because what's a little graft between friends of Trump? ----------- ----------- Senate Confirms Climate Change Denier To Lead NASA HuffPost Chris D'Angelo,HuffPost 5 hours ago WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), a former Navy pilot with no scientific credentials and who doesn’t believe humans are primarily to blame for the global climate crisis, to lead NASA. Bridenstine will become the first elected official to hold the NASA administrator job. He joins a Cabinet already loaded with people who question the near-universal scientific consensus that climate change is real and that human activity is the primary cause. The final vote ― which was 50-49 along party lines ― came one day after the Senate narrowly advanced Bridenstine’s nomination, thanks to an about-face from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and a key vote from Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). Rubio, who in September told Politico that he worried about Bridenstine’s nomination “could be devastating for the space program,” said in a statement Wednesday that he decided to support the nominee in order to avoid “a gaping leadership void” at NASA. Much like the procedural vote on Wednesday, which was temporarily deadlocked at 49-49, Thursday’s confirmation ultimately hinged on Flake, who voted in favor only after a bit of drama that included a long discussion with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and stepping out for a phone call, as CNN’s Manu Raju reports. Bridenstine will replace Robert Lightfoot Jr., who has been serving as acting administrator since previous NASA administrator, Charles Bolden Jr., resigned from his post in January. In a statement following Thursday’s vote, Bridenstine said he is humbled by the opportunity. “I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President’s vision for American leadership in space,” he said. The Senate confirmation comes more than seven months after President Donald Trump tapped Bridenstine for the post. Democrats skewered Bridenstine during the confirmation process, pegging him as “extreme” and unqualified to oversee a scientific agency with an annual budget of more than $18 billion. Echoing previous statements, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said on the Senate floor Wednesday that he finds Bridenstine’s behavior in Congress “as divisive as any in Washington.” And he called Bridenstine’s previous comments about climate change “troubling.” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said before Thursday’s vote that it is “downright dangerous” to put someone without the appropriate expertise in charge of NASA. “And quite frankly it is even more frightening to have a leader who has made a career out of ignoring scientific expertise,” he said. In a June 2013 speech, Bridenstine peddled a debunkedargument made by climate change skeptics, claiming that global temperatures “stopped rising 10 years ago.” He said “the people of Oklahoma are ready to accept” an apology from then-President Barack Obama for what Bridenstine called a “gross misallocation” of funds for climate change research instead of weather forecasting. Critics have also pointed to Bridenstine’s history of opposing equal rights for same-sex couples ― in 2013, he suggested LGBTQ people are sexually immoral ― and voiced concern about his ability to manage an agency of more than 17,000 employees. Bridenstine has no formal background in science or engineering. The former Navy Reserve pilot previously served as executive director of the Air and Space Museum & Planetarium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During his tenure, the nonprofit suffered financial losses, and an investigation by the Project On Government Oversight found that Bridenstine used the nonprofit’s resources to benefit a company he co-owned, according to a report from The Daily Beast this week. Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and James Inhofe (Okla.), have flocked to Bridenstine’s defense. On Wednesday, Cruz called Bridenstine a “strong leader” and said he could think of few people more inspirational or qualified. And he blasted “cynical politicians” for “attempting to malign his character.” In a Twitter post, Inhofe said Bridenstine “has the experience to take our space program to new heights b/c of his background as an aviator, passion for space & work to modernize our nation’s space program.” At his confirmation hearing in November, Bridenstine said NASA was “at a critical time in its history” and that he would build off the hard work of the previous administration. “Humanity is ready to go to deep space for the first time in 45 years,” he said. This article has been updated to include Bridenstine’s statement and additional details about the final vote. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-19-18 01:56pm - 2439 days | #467 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Politics in the real world. Can New York limit the power of a Presidential pardon? Can Trump's enemies limit the power of Trump to shield criminals from New York laws? -------- -------- New York Attorney General Pushes To Sidestep Any Trump Pardons HuffPost Nick Visser,HuffPost 16 hours ago New York’s attorney general has asked officials to change state law so President Donald Trump’s aides can be tried for any criminal acts committed in the state, even if they have been given a presidential pardon. In a letter sent to New York’s top lawmakers, including Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) said that he was troubled by Trump’s frequent discussion of his ability to issue pardons and that he was worried those who had committed crimes in the state would escape prosecution. New York has a double jeopardy law that prevents individuals from being charged with the same crime twice, even if the charges originated at the federal level. “New York’s statutory protections could result in the unintended and unjust consequence of insulating someone pardoned for serious federal crimes from subsequent prosecution for state crimes,” Schneiderman wrote in the letter, dated April 18. “Even if that person was never tried or convicted in federal court, and never served a single day in federal prison.” New York currently has 12 exceptions carved out of its double jeopardy law, and Schneiderman has proposed the pardon issue be carved out in a similar fashion. The Constitution protects against multiple prosecutions for the same offense, but only at the federal level. “Since the Nation’s founding, presidents have used this power sparingly, largely to do justice, rather than subvert it,” Schneiderman writes in his letter. “Yet recent reports indicate that the President may be considering issuing pardons that may impede criminal investigations.” There’s no indication that the attorney general’s office plans to prosecute any current or former aides, but as The New York Times noted, Schneiderman has long clashed with Trump. The president himself has called him “the nation’s worst AG.” Trump’s lawyers reportedly raised the idea of pardons last year for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and onetime Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, according to the Times. Both have been indicted as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the presidential election, and Flynn has already pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Last week, Trump issued a contentious pardon of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney in the George W. Bush administration. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in 2007 after a leak that revealed the name of a CIA agent. “I don’t know Mr. Libby, but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly,” Trump said in a statement. “Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life.” Schneiderman said he hoped to hold any pardoned aides accountable for their actions in the state, saying he didn’t believe the broad nature of state law was meant to help criminals avoid prosecution. “The Legislature could not possibly have intended this result,” he wrote. “I stand ready to work with you to advance such legislation.” This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-18-18 02:17pm - 2440 days | #466 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Standing up for the truth: Trump and his party speak the truth, no matter what. That's why I support Trump, President for Life of the United States. Barbara Bush, who just died (wife of evil ex-president George Bush), was a nasty drunk. Where else will the American public get to hear the truth, about these lying politicians? Edit: why does Stone add: "May she rest in peace"? Shouldn't he have said: May she rot in hell? Seems like that would be more like what he is thinking. ------------ ------------ Roger Stone Disses Barbara Bush as a ‘Nasty Drunk’ on News of Her Death [The Wrap] Jon Levine The WrapApril 18, 2018 Trump political consigliere Roger Stone unloaded on Barbara Bush in an Instagram post on Tuesday evening just hours after her death. There, Stone wrote that the former first lady was a “nasty drunk” and posted a quote from him suggesting that if you lit her body on fire it would “burn for three days.” “Barbara Bush was a nasty drunk. When it came to drinking she made Betty Ford look like Carrie Nation #blottoBabs,” said Stone. “Barbara Bush drank so much booze, if they cremated her … her body would burn for three days.” The former first lady died last night after several years in failing health. She was 92. “She said far worse things about me,” Stone told TheWrap. “Barbara Bush was a vindictive, entitled, mean spirited woman. May she rest in peace.” Stone was banned from Twitter last year over a series of expletive-ridden tweets aimed at a number of media personalities. He has increasingly moved his most fiery content to Instagram, where he remains in good standing — for now. The self-described political “dirty trickster” has long been a ferocious critic of the Bush family and even dedicated a full-length book documenting their misdeeds in 2016. “Jeb! and the Bush Crime Family: The Inside Story of an American Dynasty,” — came out just days before Donald Trump was elected president. “This book is very tough,” reads an editorial review of the work on Amazon from Donald Trump. Stone has been associated with the real estate magnate for decades and was one of the earliest boosters in Trump’s unlikely rise to the White House in 2016. Stone’s tough rebuke of Barbara Bush is contrary to the prevailing sentiments that have overflowed on social media and beyond after her death Tuesday evening, with most choosing to remember the former first lady more fondly. Edited on Apr 18, 2018, 05:12pm | |
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| 04-18-18 01:06pm - 2440 days | #465 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I can understand a guy making his girlfriend sign a contract before she moves into his house. It's his house. But making her sign a 75 page contract before she can move in? Why not just make it a one-page contract, stating she has no rights in the relationship, that she is a guest who can be pushed out for no reason, without any liability on the part of the guy? Why take 75 pages to cover the girl's lack of rights? Sounds like John Cena and Donald Trump have the same mental process. ------------ ------------ Couples 9 hours ago John Cena made Nikki Bella sign a 75-page contract before she moved in with him By Katherine Lam | Fox News WWE stars John Cena and Nikki Bella split: What went wrong? Just days before their wedding, WWE stars John Cena and Nikki Bella called it quits. What went wrong between them? Insiders say Cena got cold feet. John Cena once made Nikki Bella sign a 75-page contract before the former couple moved in together in 2013. Before Bella could set her suitcase in Cena’s house years ago, she was handed the over-the-top contract that labeled her as a “guest” in Cena’s house. Detailed in the first season of “Total Bellas,” Bella told her twin sister Brie Bella she didn’t understand why she had to sign a contract. “I just don’t understand it. I just don’t know what to feel. I’m so confused,” Nikki said, according to People. “It kind of makes me second-guess where John and I stand in our relationship. I love John but maybe he knows that he doesn’t want to be with me forever?” The contract stated Nikki Bella -- who announced her split with Cena this week -- would have to vacate the home immediately if the WWE stars broke up. “Is that all I’m ever going to be in [John’s] heart, is a guest? Am I ever going to have that permanent spot in the rest of [his] life?” she said after seeing the contract. Cena eventually convinced his then-girlfriend to sign the contract, explaining that the agreement was done to protect his finances so he can support his family members. “You met my family. You think my mom paid for that house herself? She didn’t. My brother lives in that house, they’re expecting a child. My younger brother, he’s got medical problems. I make sure he’s okay. I always tell them, I’m a horrible brother, but I try to be the best provider that I can," Cena said in 2016. "I just don’t want to ever be in a position where that’s in jeopardy.” In another 2016 episode, Cena compared the contract to a prenuptial agreement. “Having been through that process, here is how I view it. It is like buying a handgun for home defense. It gives you a sense of security, and it gives you a failsafe in case something happens,” Cena said. “And those who buy a handgun for self-defense pray, pray they never have to use it. Without it, it’s a dog fight.” “I had to have [Nikki] sign an agreement to live in the house,” he said. “And that’s – it wasn’t a one-page; it’s a 75-page agreement.” The WWE stars announced Sunday they ended their engagement, calling it a “difficult” decision after six years of dating. "While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another," the couple said via Instagram. "We ask that you respect our privacy during this time in our lives." The couple began dating in 2012 and Cena, 40, proposed to his longtime love at WrestleMania 33 last year. Cena was previously married to Elizabeth Huberdeau but got divorced in 2012 after three years. Fans were stunned by the news of the Cena and Bella’s breakup as the former lovebirds had recently gushed over their upcoming nuptials. Fox News’ Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report. | |
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| 04-18-18 11:11am - 2440 days | #463 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Do I respect James Comey? For making public the FBI investigaton of Hillary Clinton, days before the presidential election? Comey says he had to make the choice between being open (releasing the news of the investigation) or keeping it secret. This sounds like a piece of shit. Comey says "You must tell the truth". But standard FBI procedure (just like standard police procedure) is to deny releasing facts to the public--until the FBI and police are ready to do so. The FBI standard procedure is to refuse to admit to any ongoing investigation. So Comey says he was forced to make public the FBI investigation into Clinton. (At the same time, keeping secret the FBI investigation into Trump.) Hypocrisy? Or stupidity? Or playing politics, which is against FBI standard procedure. | |
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| 04-18-18 10:45am - 2440 days | #460 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: As President, Trump has the power and responsibility to re-write history to explain to the American public the way things are. Go, Trump, the Greatest President For Life the United States has ever had. ------ ------ Trump rewrites history on rationale for firing Comey ZEKE MILLER ,Associated Press•April 18, 2018 PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is attempting to rewrite history on his rationale for firing James Comey as FBI director last year. In a Wednesday morning tweet sent as Comey promotes his criticism-filled new book, Trump says he "was not fired because of the phony Russia investigation." But in an interview days after the sudden firing, Trump revealed that the probe into potential collusion during the 2016 campaign was on his mind at the time he made the decision. The White House's initial explanation for Trump's decision was Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation, and it released a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein justifying the decision. But two days after firing Comey, Trump undercut that rationale. In the interview with NBC on May 11, 2017, Trump said, "In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story.'" Trump decided to fire Comey over the objections of his top advisers at the time, including chief of staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon. Comey's firing, and Trump's subsequent suggestion that the Russia investigation was a factor in the decision, led Rosenstein to appoint special counsel Robert Mueller to oversee the investigation. Mueller is now investigating the Comey firing as part of an investigation of potential obstruction by the president. Appearing Wednesday on ABC's "The View," Comey said he doesn't know why Trump fired him. But he said the president's Wednesday tweet that Comey was not dismissed because of the "phony Russia investigation" illustrates a problem the former FBI director said he's been trying to highlight during his book-promotion tour. "It matters that the president is not committed to the truth as a central American value," Comey said. In an interview with ABC that aired Sunday, Comey said there is "certainly some evidence" that Trump had obstructed justice when Comey said the president pushed him to take a lenient stance toward former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States. ____ AP Writer Darlene Superville contributed from Washington. | |
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| 04-18-18 12:20am - 2440 days | #458 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Is it possible Sean Hannity is lying? Or, to put it more politely, shaping the truth? Hannity said Michael Cohen was never his lawyer. But Hannity also claims that any conversations between Hannity and Cohen are protected by attorney-client privilege (even though Hannity claimed Cohen was never his lawyer, and never represented Hannity, and never billed him). But Cohen (or one of Cohen's lawyers) stated in court that Hannity was a client of Cohen. And now a Fox Judicial Analyst says that Hannity's claims are bogus It will take time before any of the truth is revealed to the public. That time will be never, if Cohen or Hannity's lawyers have their way. They want all the evidence buried, and never revealed in public. But we will have to wait for the judicial system, and the Mueller investigation, and any other investigations to reveal facts to the public. -------------------- -------------------- Fox News' Judicial Analyst Absolutely Shreds Hannity's Cohen Claim HuffPost Ed Mazza,HuffPost 3 hours ago Fox News host Sean Hannity’s legal claim is getting torn to pieces on his own network. On Monday, Hannity was revealed as the “mystery client” of Michael Cohen, the personal attorney to President Donald Trump who is now embroiled in a federal investigation. Hannity claimed he never hired Cohen but also insisted he had a right to privacy in his conversations with him under attorney-client privilege. Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano, a former judge, isn’t buying it. “I love him and, you know, I’ve worked with him for 20 years,” Napolitano said Tuesday. “He can’t have it both ways.” He told “Outnumbered Overtime” host Harris Faulkner: “If he was a client, then his confidential communications to Mr. Cohen are privileged. If Mr. Cohen was never his lawyer, then nothing that he said to Mr. Cohen is privileged.” Hannity had also claimed he “may have” paid Cohen $10 to get that privilege, a strategy that is often used as a plot device on shows such as “Breaking Bad.” But Napolitano said it doesn’t work that way in the real world. “I must tell you that that is a myth,” Napolitano said. “The attorney-client privilege requires a formal relationship reduced to writing for a specific legal purpose,” “So anything that is there regarding Sean Hannity can be revealed?” Faulkner asked. “In my view, yes,” Napolitano said. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-17-18 06:26pm - 2441 days | #457 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: EPA Chief has a car/truck with Kevlar-like seat covers. He also has a soundproof phone booth in his office. He also wanted a bullet-proof desk, but that hasn't been approved yet. (A bullet-proof desk? Why not just hire Superman, who has a bullet-proof chest?) ---------- ---------- MSNBC Why would an EPA chief need a car with ‘Kevlar-like seat covers’? 04/17/18 11:20 AM—Updated 04/17/18 12:02 PM By Steve Benen The Rachel Maddow Show, 4/16/18, 9:53 PM ET Pruitt waste of taxpayer money on soundproof booth broke law: GAO Yesterday was not a good day for embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. We’ve known for a while that the Oklahoma Republican spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a soundproof phone booth for reasons that have never made any sense, but we learned yesterday that as far as the Government Accountability Office is concerned, the purchase violated federal spending laws. But that doesn’t mean things can’t get worse for the far-right EPA chief. Take this new Washington Post report, for example. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt upgraded his official car last year to a costlier, larger vehicle with bullet-resistant covers over bucket seats, according to federal records and interviews with current and former agency officials. Recent EPA administrators have traveled in a Chevrolet Tahoe, and agency officials had arranged for Pruitt to use the same vehicle when he joined the administration in February. But he switched to a larger, newer and more high-end Chevy Suburban last June. The article added that the head of Pruitt’s security detail “subsequently approved the addition of Kevlar-like seat covers to the vehicle at a cost of hundreds of dollars.” That’s the same security official, Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, who’s reportedly “clashed – at least once physically – with top E.P.A. officials who challenged Mr. Pruitt’s spending, and has steered at least one E.P.A. security contract to a business associate.” This is what’s become of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Donald Trump era. For what it’s worth, it would be easier to justify “bullet-resistant covers” for Scott Pruitt’s seats if there were evidence of expansive security threats against the EPA chief, but there aren’t. The latest documents from the agency show those security threats don’t really exist. (The career EPA staffer who approved this evidence was removed from his post.) And, of course, Pruitt’s “Kevlar-like seat covers” are also emblematic of Pruitt’s paranoia. As we discussed just yesterday, for example, the EPA chief also explored the possibility of getting a bullet-proof desk. This fit into an amazing pattern. Pruitt, for example, has a massive, around-the-clock security detail. He’s spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on a professional sweep of his office searching for possible surveillance devices. And thousand more on a sound-proof phone booth. And thousands more on first-class air travel, apparently afraid of the riff raff who fly coach. CNN reported that the EPA’s custodial staff is not allowed to enter Pruitt’s office on their own, and in the hallway around Pruitt’s office, “security employees check government IDs against a list of employees who are approved for access.” And before you think Trump keeps this guy around because he’s ruthlessly effective at gutting environmental safeguards, let’s also not forget that reports on Pruitt’s competence have been greatly exaggerated. | |
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| 04-17-18 05:54pm - 2441 days | #456 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday thwarted a bipartisan effort to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job. The bill is not needed, because Trump would not fire Mueller. And even if Trump did fire Mueller, Trump is the President, and should not be angered. So fire Mueller, because it's good for the country, good for Trump. And Trump has the constitutional right, as President, to fire anyone he wants. Even slimeballs like Comey. And McCabe. And even you and I, if we were working for Trump. Slimeballs, beware!!! ------- ------- As GOP balks, McConnell shuts down bill to protect Mueller ABC News ABC News 2 hours 18 minutes ago Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday thwarted a bipartisan effort to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job, saying he will not hold a floor vote on the legislation even if it is approved next week in the Senate Judiciary Committee. McConnell said the bill is unnecessary because President Donald Trump will not fire Mueller. "We'll not be having this on the floor of the Senate," McConnell said on Fox News. His comments came amid widespread opposition to the bill among members of his caucus, with several GOP senators saying the bill is unconstitutional. Others said it's simply not good politics to try and tell Trump what to do, likening the legislation to "poking the bear." | |
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| 04-17-18 11:58am - 2441 days | #455 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
The other side of the picture. A report that says the US missile strike on Syria failed. That shows that listening to what Trump says (and US generals and politicians) can give you a completely fake idea of what happens. Which should have been obvious. But it still bears repeating. At a cost of over $100 million dollars to US taxpayers, what did we accomplish? A chance for Trump to show how powerful he is. Expensive window dressing. -------- -------- Israeli intelligence reportedly says Trump's Syria strike failed, didn't take out much of anything Alex Lockie 2018-04-17 USS Michigan loading TomahawkUS Navy sailors load a missile into a submarine. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Samuel Souvannason/US Navy Israeli officials cited in a Ynetnews report characterized the missile strike on Friday by the US, the UK, and France on suspected chemical weapons facilities in Syria as a failure. Multiple Israeli government and military sources suggested the strike was not effective in hurting Syria's ability to conduct chemical attacks. These officials also criticized President Donald Trump's talking about the strike beforehand. The latest strike most likely didn't change anything on the battlefield in Syria, and it's hard to know how much of the chemical weapons stockpile it hit. The strike by the US, the UK, and France in Syria on Friday involved 105 missiles fired from air and sea to rain down thousands of pounds of explosives on three targets suspected of being chemical weapons facilities— but Israeli officials cited in a recent news report characterized it as a failure. "If President Trump had ordered the strike only to show that the US responded to [Syrian President Bashar] Assad's use of chemical weapons, then that goal has been achieved," Israel's Ynetnews quoted a senior defense official as saying. "But if there was another objective — such as paralyzing the ability to launch chemical weapons or deterring Assad from using it again — it's doubtful any of these objectives have been met." An intelligence official who talked to Ynetnews wasn't as forgiving. "The statement of 'Mission Accomplished' and (the assertion) that Assad's ability to use chemical weapons has been fatally hit has no basis," the official said, most likely referring to a recent tweet from President Donald Trump. Unlike the US's strike in April 2017, the latest one did not target Syrian jets or airfields — though the earlier attack apparently had little impact, as Syrian jets took off from the damaged airfield within 24 hours and reports of chemical warfare persisted. Israel is apparently not impressed with Trump's tough talk t4 air base homsThe Tayfur, or T-4, military air base near Homs, Syria. Google Maps The Israeli officials seemed to take issue with Trump's talking about plans to strike before doing so. Israel is suspected of carrying out a silent but lethal air war against Iranian-aligned militias in Syria, though Israel seldom comments on whether it took part in specific strikes, and if it does, it's always after the fact. "If you want to shoot — shoot, don't talk," Ynetnews quoted an Israeli diplomatic source as saying. "In the American case, this is mostly talk. They themselves show actions are not going to follow." After Trump tweeted a warning last week to "get ready" for incoming missiles, it appears Russia and Syria moved assets to more protected locations in an attempt to limit the available targets for a strike. Nobody knows how many chemical weapons Assad has left Syria Chemical AFP The US said the strikes hit the "heart" of Syria's chemical weapons infrastructure but acknowledged that some "residual" capabilities remained. The strike did not deal any damage to Syria's air force, which the US suspects of deploying the weapons. While Ynetnews' sources estimated that the strikes didn't take out the bulk of Syria's chemical weapons, it's hard to know the extent of its current stockpile or exactly where all the stores could be. International inspectors certified in 2013 that Syria had destroyed its chemical weapons facilities as a result of a deal brokered by Russia. But reports of chemical attacks have surfaced regularly since then, and Islamist rebels fighting in the town of Douma — the site of the suspected chemical attack earlier this month that sparked the US and allies' strike on Friday — say Assad is using the terrifying weapons to win on the battlefield. "They bombed and bombed, and we weren't defeated by conventional weapons, so they found the only way was to use chemical [weapons]," an official in the rebel group Jaysh Al Islam told Reuters. Despite the US and allies' latest missile strike, the Syrian government has strengthened and fortified its position by clearing out more rebel strongholds. The UK has acknowledged that the intention of the strikes was not to turn the overall tide in the war and was essentially meant as a punitive action to compel Assad not to use chemical weapons. SEE ALSO: Trump's Syria strikes might have been illegal — and it shows Congress has limited power to stop him from going to war | |
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| 04-17-18 11:00am - 2441 days | #454 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: I regret copying news about America's slimeball, James Comey, who was fired as FBI Director for cause. Donald Trump, the greatest President the US has ever had, revealed the truth about Comey, and called him a slimeball, a leaker, a liar. And the President wants Comey to be put in jail, where Comey belongs. A better solution would be to call on the CIA to do some wet work on Comey. The President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. He controls the FBI, the CIA, the Armed Forces. With all his powers, can't he order these expert killers to eliminate (assassinate) a known enemy of the United States? James Comey has proven to be an enemy of the US, by his attacks on the President. End of story: ------ ------ Good Morning America James Comey responds to critics like President Trump in live interview Good Morning America MEGHAN KENEALLY,Good Morning America 2 hours 10 minutes ago President Donald Trump's calls for James Comey to be jailed are "not normal," the former FBI director said in a live appearance on "Good Morning America" today. "That is not normal," Comey said. "That is not OK. First of all, he's just making stuff up. But, most importantly, the president of the United States is calling for the imprisonment of a private citizen, as he's done for a whole lot of people who criticize him. That is not acceptable in this country." This morning's appearance on "Good Morning America" was the former FBI director's first live interview at the launch of his book tour, having already given taped interviews including his first with ABC News, which aired on Sunday. Comey pointed to the tweets as examples of how he says Trump misunderstands or disrespects the rule of law. "I hope people read the book and see why the rule of law is such an important value in this country, and key to that is that the president doesn't get to decide who goes to jail," Comey said of his new book, "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” which was released today. Trump's tweets and accusations have numbed the U.S. public, Comey said, expressing hope that his book will serve as a wake-up call. “We’re numb to it,” he said. “We wake up in the morning and see the president of the United States is accusing people of crimes without evidence and pronouncing them guilty and saying they should be in jail. That should wake all of us up with a start, but there's been so much of it that we're a little bit numb and that's dangerous.” PHOTO: James Comey appears on 'Good Morning America,' April 17, 2018. (ABC News) The tweets in question came April 15, hours before the airing of Comey's first interview with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos. "The big questions in Comey’s badly reviewed book aren’t answered like, how come he gave up Classified Information (jail), why did he lie to Congress (jail), why did the DNC refuse to give Server to the FBI (why didn’t they TAKE it), why the phony memos, McCabe’s $700,000 & more?" Trump wrote. A day later, Trump accused Comey of "[commiting] many crimes." "Comey drafted the Crooked Hillary exoneration long before he talked to her (lied in Congress to Senator G), then based his decisions on her poll numbers. Disgruntled, he, McCabe, and the others, committed many crimes!" he tweeted Monday. He discussed two recent incidents that Comey says demonstrates Trump's lack of understanding of the U.S. legal system was when he called the FBI's raids of his lawyer Michael Cohen's office, home and hotel room "an attack on our country." PHOTO: ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos speaks to James Comey on 'Good Morning America,' April 17, 2018. (Paula Lobo/ABC) "Yeah, it shows me he either doesn't know or doesn’t care what the rule of law looks like,” Comey said. “Nobody broke into anybody's office. It doesn't happen. The FBI gets a search warrant from a federal judge and conducts itself professionally, completely and politely by the accounts of the people involved. So it's a total distortion of the way things work.” Trump’s recent pardoning of Scooter Libby, a chief of staff to then-Vice President Dick Cheney, was “an attack on the rule of law,” Comey said. “There's a reason president George W. Bush, for whom Scooter Libby worked, refused to pardon him after looking at all the facts in the case. It was an overwhelming case. There's no reason that's consistent with justice to pardon him. And so it's an attack on the rule of law, in my view,” Comey said. Comey also responded to the belief by some that he took cheap shots at the president in his book -- which were repeated in the ABC News special Sunday -- in commenting on the color of the president's skin, the size of his hands and the length of his tie. Comey opens up about the shocking way he found out he was fired by Trump 'Morally unfit': The moments that mattered in James Comey's explosive interview Comey weighs in on 5 key political players in his exclusive interview with ABC News "I'm not trying to make fun of President Trump. I'm not trying to make fun of anybody," he said, defending such descriptors as instances where he was trying to describe the scene for the reader. "I'm trying to be an author,” he said, “and bring the reader into the room.” PHOTO: A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey (Flatiron Books) Comey, 57, also raised concerns about former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was his boss during the Obama administration. Lynch's actions during the Clinton email saga "worried" him, he said in his book and in the ABC News special. In the hours before the interview aired, Lynch released a lengthy statement saying she "did what I always do: rise above politics and uphold the law." Comey never came to her with any concerns, she also noted. When asked this morning whether he should have, Comey said, "maybe, but I really don't think so even in hindsight." "There should have been a discussion about whether she should be involved in the matter but what she did was say, ‘I’m going to stay involved, but I'll accept his recommendation,’ which put me and the FBI in a terrible spot," he told Stephanopoulos today. Personal history Comey's book focuses on leadership and he pointed to two people -- one of whom he knows well and one he has never met -- who serve as examples for him. The first is his wife of more than three decades, Patrice Comey. He described their courtship as "a series of events of me chasing her, trying to convince her to love me." He discussed a moment of her leadership, which he says should serve as an example to others, that came in the wake of the death of their son Collin, who was "born healthy and died a little over a week later from a preventable infection." PHOTO: Patrice Comey spoke to ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos during a '20/20' special that aired on Sunday, April 15, 2018. (ABC News) “She made it her mission to try to change medical practice across the country so that all mothers will be tested for this bacteria, which is harmless to the moms but can kill their babies. And so if you have a baby today in the United States you are tested for group B strep and if you have it, you're treated with antibiotics during delivery and your baby will be fine,” he said. “She took something awful and turned it into something good, which is the reason it's in the book, which is about leadership. It changed how I think about being a person and being a leader,” he added. The second source of inspiration is a person better known to the world: NBA player LeBron James. Comey called James "a man I've never met," whom he says he resembles "only in being the same height." "I used to talk about him all over the FBI. He illustrates what the endless pursuit of excellence looks like. ... It's because he measures himself not against the others but against himself," Comey said. He said that he read that James, whom he called “the best basketball player on the earth today,” looks for ways to improve his game during the off-season. During his tenure at the FBI, Comey would extend that example to the bureau, saying, "we have to find parts of our game to make better -- look at LeBron James!" ABC News' Kelly McCarthy contributed to this story. | |
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| 04-16-18 11:29pm - 2441 days | #452 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Republicans are invested in saving taxpayer dollars. The Department of the Interior looked at $200K estimates to fly new flags for the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Instead, they paid for 3 flags at a cost of $189.51 each to use on existing flag poles that were already in place. My God, the Republicans will soon wipe out the deficit that the US is facing. Thank God, and Trump our glorious President for Life. -------- -------- Interior looked at $200k estimate to fly secretary's flag By Miranda Green - 04/16/18 02:31 PM EDT The Interior Department took estimates for setting up four flag poles outside its main building in Washington, D.C., to fly personal flags for Secretary Ryan Zinke at a cost as high as $200,000, according to internal emails released Monday by the agency. The department ultimately decided against installing the new poles, the documents show, choosing instead in March 2017 to use three smaller, existing poles on top of its building. It approved the purchase of three flags at a cost of $189.51 each from the National Flag Company, according to the emails. The flags are 5 feet by 9.5 feet. The emails were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and posted publicly by Interior. Zinke has received media attention for his desire to fly specialized flags above the department that would signify his presence. Zinke is a former Navy SEAL. An Interior spokeswoman said he wanted to fly the flag as a way of restoring honor and tradition to the department. "Secretary Zinke has a deep respect for tradition. Since his confirmation, the Secretary has made a concerted effort to uphold, and in this case, revive long-held traditions at Interior," Spokeswoman Heather Swift told the Hill. She confirmed that no action was taken on ordering a new pole. Critics have mocked the use of the flags, comparing Zinke to the Queen of the United Kingdom. The emails showed that the General Services Administration provided an estimate to Interior that placed the new poles to fly the specialized flags would cost $40,000 to $50,000 per pole. The new poles were needed because Interior intended to fly much larger flags, which the existing poles would not have been able to accommodate. In one email released by Interior, Office of Facilities and Administrative Services Director Joseph Nassar wrote that the larger flags would have "compromised" the existing poles. Nassar added in his email that the only viable locations for the new, larger poles would be at two Washington, D.C., parks located close to the department's entrance. The parks are considered federal property, as are all parks in the city. "The parks are the recommended choice because if we installed poles closer to the building (e.g., landscape beds or near steps), the flags would smack up against the building when it is windy," Nassar wrote. | |
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| 04-16-18 07:32pm - 2442 days | #451 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
The missile strike on Syria did not come cheap. It gave Donald Trump the chance to speak on national TV, showing what a powerful leader he is. But the strike cost US taxpayers well over $100 million. A fact Donald forget to report. ------- ------- CNBC US taxpayers paid millions of dollars for the airstrikes on Syria. Here's a breakdown of key costs U.S. forces fired 66 Tomahawk cruise missiles on three Syrian targets early morning local time, making for a price tag of $92.4 million for those missiles alone. The U.S. fired 19 of a different kind of missile on Syria, for a cost of $26.6 million. The final bill isn't clear, however. Amanda Macias | @amanda_m_macias Published 4 Hours Ago Updated 3 Hours Ago CNBC.com A B-1B Lancer takes off from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, to conduct combat operations on April 8, 2015. CNBC breaks down the missiles used in Syria Strikes 3 Hours Ago | 02:06 The U.S. strike on Syrian chemical weapons facilities over the weekend cost taxpayers a lot of money, although the total bill isn't clear. To start, U.S. forces fired 66 Tomahawk cruise missiles on three Syrian targets early morning local time, making for a price tag of $92.4 million for those missiles alone. With an estimated cost of $1.4 million each, Raytheon's Tomahawk missile has an intermediate range of 800 to 1,553 miles and can be deployed from more than 140 U.S. Navy ships and submarines. What also makes the Tomahawk exceptionally lethal is its capability to carry a 1,000-pound conventional warhead which can be reprogrammed midflight. Friday night Eastern time, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to conduct missile strikes, along with French and U.K. forces, against the Syrian government. The use of Tomahawk missiles came as no surprise. It's the weapon that "presidents reach for first in a crisis" according to missile defense expert Thomas Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Tomahawks have been deployed more than 2,300 times since joining the U.S. Navy's arsenal in the 1980s. The Tomahawk is half the length of a standard telephone pole, travels at the cruising speed of a commercial airliner, and can carry a 1,000-pound warhead the distance from New York City to Kansas City. Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles Extended Range, or JASSM-ER, a stealthy long-range air-to-ground missile, made its combat debut in the Syrian strikes. The missile can strike more than 500 miles away and has an estimated cost of $1.4 million each, according to a GAO report. In which case, the price point for the 19 missiles the U.S. fired on Syria is $26.6 million. In addition, the U.S. Air Force deployed a pair of B-1B Lancers, one of the world's most technologically advanced strategic bombers. The aircraft is believed to have an operating cost of approximately $70,000 per flight hour. It is unclear how long the Lancers flew and from where they were deployed. The Pentagon and U.S. Air Force did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for clarity on the extent of the B-1B's role. The mission also involved aerial refueling tankers, surveillance aircraft and U.S. fighter jets that were tasked with escorting the bombers to their targets. And while the cost and types of the additional aircraft involved are unknown, the total number of Tomahawks and JASSM-ERs cost $119 million. Compared with last year's strike, the hourlong bombing campaign on Friday was "double the size" with a total of 105 weapons sent upon Syrian chemical facilities at nearly the same time. Last year, the Trump administration lobbed a total of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Navy destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross in the eastern Mediterranean. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon on Saturday, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie described the strikes on the three targets as "precise, overwhelming and effective." "We are confident that all of our missiles reached their targets. At the end of the strike mission, all our aircraft safely returned to their bases," McKenzie said. The latest strike — carried out in conjunction with French and British allies — dispatched a slew of air and naval military assets to the region. Department of Defense photo The coordinated efforts, which were spurred in response to a suspected chemical attack carried out by the Syrian regime, were launched from widely dispersed combat aircraft, submarines, and ships. Here's a roundup of the U.S., British, and French combat assets deployed in the unnamed operation: USS John Warner, a U.S. Virginia-class submarine, fired six Tomahawk cruise missiles from its position in the Mediterranean Sea USS Monterey, a U.S. Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, fired 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles from its position in the Red Sea USS Laboon, a U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, also launched another seven Tomahawks from its position in the Red Sea USS Higgins, another Arleigh Burke destroyer, sent an additional 23 Tomahawks from the North Arabian Gulf French frigate Languedoc launched three naval versions of a SCALP missile, a long-range deep strike weapon, from its position in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Two U.S. B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by U.S. fighter jets launched 19 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) British Typhoon and Tornado aircraft launched 8 2,900 pound Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have a range of more than 300 miles French Rafales and Mirages shot nine SCALP missiles | |
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| 04-16-18 06:57pm - 2442 days | #450 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
EPA Chief Scott Pruitt decides that it's OK for public citizens to live near toxic wastes. (After all, he lives in Washington DC, home of the toxic Donald Trump, so the rest of the country can live near toxic wastes, as well.) ----------- ----------- EPA Takes Toxic Site Flooded By Harvey Off Special Cleanup List April 16, 20185:31 PM ET Rebecca Hersher Satellite images show the San Jacinto Waste Pits near Houston on Sept. 2, 2017 (left) when the site was still flooded after Hurricane Harvey and on Jan. 24, 2018 after the waters had receded. Satellite image  2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar companyThe Environmental Protection Agency has removed a toxic waste site flooded by Hurricane Harvey from a special list of contaminated sites that require the personal attention of the agency's leader, because it says there's been significant progress on a cleanup plan. The San Jacinto Waste Pits are a heavily contaminated area near Houston that is right next to homes and schools, and that has frightened residents for decades. Monday's decision to take it off the list, and to add other sites, underscores the delicate equilibrium between rigorously protecting public health and expediting the cleanup of toxic waste areas across the country. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt calls this a priority for his agency. Last year, Pruitt appointed a task force to recommend ways to speed up decisions about toxic waste sites. One of their recommendations was that Pruitt personally push for legally-binding cleanup plans at a handful of locations. One of those sites was the San Jacinto Waste Pits. It's a pair of pits in the middle of the San Jacinto River that were used as a dumping area for toxic waste from a paper mill in the 1960s. The area full of chemicals called dioxins and furans, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department warns people should not eat fish and crabs from the area because the animals may be contaminated. It took decades for the site to get any federal attention. In 2008, the EPA added the San Jacinto Waste Pits to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites, which is meant to funnel money and attention to toxic areas that are a threat to human health. The Superfund program has been plagued with budget shortfalls for years, and nationwide, many communities have complained that cleanup progress is slow, inadequate or both. Floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey ripped apart fences and flooded Interstate 10 east of Houston last year. The San Jacinto Waste Pits Superfund site is on the other side of the road. Rebecca Hersher/NPR For years before Hurricane Harvey, progress on the pits was slow and the two companies responsible for the waste opposed any plan that required them to remove any contaminated rock and dirt. "For folks who live near the site or see that site every single day, [remediation] can't happen fast enough," says Jacqueline Young of Texas Health and Environment Alliance, an advocacy group that leads the local effort to clean up the pits. But, she adds, "we need to take time to make sure that all the fine details can be worked out. At the end of the day, we have hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of contaminated material in a dynamic river, and that's not something that you can just go in and start digging." In 2011, the EPA oversaw the installation of a temporary concrete cap meant to protect the river from contamination while the agency and the two companies came up with a more permanent cleanup plan. That still left the site vulnerable to rainstorms or hurricanes, since Houston lies along the flood-prone Gulf. When Hurricane Harvey inundated the area last year, the normally-placid San Jacinto became a raging torrent of muddy water that ripped away chunks of the temporary caps. Inspectors found a plume of contamination both up and downstream from the pits. When the water subsided, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt visited the site, and promised to expedite the clean up. Less than a month later, the EPA announced a $115 million plan to remove the contaminated material, and last week, a judge signed off on an agreement that requires the two companies responsible for the waste to develop specific cleanup plans for both pits. Today's announcement that the waste pits no longer need Pruitt's personal attention cited "cleanup activities progress and completion of specific milestones and timelines." A former copper mine in Nevada was also removed, and three other areas in California, Delaware and Minnesota were added to the list. For the San Jacinto Waste Pits, the two companies have 29-months to come up with a specific cleanup design. Rock Owens, an environmental lawyer with the office of the Harris County Attorney, notes this means at least two more hurricane seasons will pass before waste material is actually removed. Both Owens and Young, of the Texas Health and Environment Alliance, credit the relatively fast pace of recent EPA decision-making in part to the Pruitt's personal attention. "Scott Pruitt has made it clear that Superfund sites are a high priority," says Owens. Now that the EPA chief's attention is shifting to contaminated sites elsewhere in the country, Young says her group will be watching carefully to make sure companies don't fall behind schedule. "Folks are not particularly excited about the 29-month estimate," says Young. She notes that even though many environmental advocates agree with the current pace of cleanup planning at the waste pits, people who live near the site are understandably concerned about the immediate risk of another flood. "We will do everything we can to make sure the plan moves forward and doesn't take any longer than it needs to," she says. | |
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| 04-16-18 05:42pm - 2442 days | #449 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
The Michael Cohen legal sideshow: Gasps, pratfalls and paparazzi Hunter Walker 1 hour 25 minutes ago NEW YORK — Even before Sean Hannity was named as the mystery “third client” of President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen, the hearing over how to handle the evidence FBI agents seized from Cohen’s office and residences last week was a media circus, featuring the best-known adult actress in America and her omnipresent lawyer, fringe political candidates, and people who literally fell to the ground. Before Cohen made his appearance, there was already a spectacle outside. Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, was circling the federal district courthouse in Lower Manhattan, making as many as 10 circuits of the block. Avenatti is now at least as recognizable as his client, who has said she had a sexual liaison with President Trump. The sight of him pacing the sidewalk prompted a frenzy of reporters and cameramen sprinting after him. One man somersaulted over a pile of garbage bags as he walked backward, peppering Avenatti with questions. “We don’t want anybody having to find a lawyer or something,” Avenatti quipped, as the man struggled back onto his feet. Daniels is suing Trump and Cohen to nullify a nondisclosure agreement she signed after receiving a $130,000 payment from Cohen in 2016. The agreement was designed to prevent Daniels from discussing her decade-ago relationship with Trump, who has denied knowing anything about the agreement between Daniels and Cohen. Inside the courthouse, a long line of reporters waited for hours to get into Judge Kimba Wood’s courtroom, along with curious members of the public, including a long-shot congressional candidate from Manhattan’s Upper East Side named Peter Lindner. He handed out cards emblazoned with his campaign slogan (“For Pete’s Sake”) and key elements of his platform, including marijuana legalization. Another man in the line said he was an attorney who skipped out of work to watch the proceedings. “Does everyone in your office want to come to this?” one reporter asked him. “Of course,” he said. “Who doesn’t want to be at this hearing?” Court officers admitted people to the courtroom on the 21st floor in small groups. One woman who came to watch the trial became angry as press were let in first. “I pay taxes and I’m a citizen!” she exclaimed. Yahoo News managed to get a seat in the back, next to a man in a suit and Yankees cap. He opened up a briefcase that contained two unopened packs of Parliament Lights, a well-worn Bible, and a deck of playing cards. The man read from his Bible as he waited for the hearing to start. Cohen came in about 20 minutes before the start of the hearing. After he sat down, one of his lawyers, Stephen Ryan, gave his back a reassuring rub. The hearing concerned a motion by Cohen to review the documents taken by the FBI before prosecutors see it. Lawyers for Trump and the president’s eponymous real estate company also appeared in support of the motion. During the discussion, prosecutors pointed out that Cohen’s legal team would not disclose the name of one of his three clients. The judge ordered Cohen’s lawyers to reveal the identity of the mystery client. It was Fox News host Sean Hannity, which prompted gasps from the crowd. Although the nature of Cohen’s work for Hannity did not come up in the courtroom, the attorney is best-known for arranging hush-money payments between certain male clients and the women who claim to have had relations with them. All electronic devices are banned in the courtroom. Yahoo News was among several members of the media who jumped up and sprinted outside to report on Hannity’s relationship with Cohen. Hannity has denied being Cohen’s client. As the hearing drew to an end, the two imposing bodyguards accompanying Daniel and Avenatti huddled over how Daniels could exit the courtroom safely and make a public statement outside. “For years, Mr. Cohen has acted like he is above the law,” Daniels told reporters outside. “My attorney and I are committed to making sure that everyone finds out the truth and the facts of what happened, and I give my word that we will not rest until that happens.” Ultimately, Judge Wood denied Cohen’s request for a temporary restraining order to block prosecutors from reviewing the documents seized in the raid. She outlined a process for both Cohen’s attorneys and the government lawyers to review the materials while leaving open the possibility that she might appoint a special master who would examine documents that may constitute privileged communications between Cohen and his clients. After the hearing, members of the media rushed after Daniels. Cohen and many of the other lawyers remained in the courtroom. Joanna Hendon, who is representing Trump, grabbed one of Cohen’s attorneys, Todd Harrison, by the elbow and asked to speak with him away from Cohen. “Can we talk outside the presence of your client?” Hendon asked. The pair left together. Cohen was preoccupied with the courtroom sketch artists. He asked to see the drawings they made of him. “I’m better-looking,” Cohen declared after reviewing a sketch. Cohen was apparently less interested in talking to the press. He did not respond to questions from Yahoo News about whether he has anything he would want to hide in the documents or reports that, in spite of his denials, special counsel Robert Mueller has evidence he visited Prague in 2016 as alleged in the infamous Trump dossier. The phalanx of photographers waiting outside didn’t have any better luck getting Cohen to talk, and he rode off without comment. “The Michael Cohen Show” will continue playing at the courthouse and the Loews Regency Hotel, where Cohen has been holding court on the sidewalk. And based on Cohen’s complex web of million dollar deals and foreign ties, the real spectacle might be inside those 10 boxes of documents and electronic devices the FBI took from his office. | |
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| 04-16-18 03:15pm - 2442 days | #448 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Updates are coming faster and faster, lately. The scum is rising to the surface. Sean Hannity had the chance to break a major news story: that he is a client of Michael Cohen. But he missed his opportunity, when Cohen's lawyer revealed that Hannity is the third client of Cohen. But maybe Sean Hannity can still make news, by revealing what scandals Cohen fixed for Hannity. Enquiring minds want to know: what dirt did Cohen bury for Hannity? Of course, Hannity later denied Cohen was his lawyer. And we can take that to the bank: all republicans are famous for never telling lies. Just like George Washington, who must have been a Republican before the party ever started. (Since Hannity said Cohen never represented him, and Hannity never paid Cohen to be his lawyer, I wonder why Cohen's lawyer said Hannity was a client of Cohen.) It takes a lawyer to understand the truth of these matters. ---------- ---------- U.S. Sean Hannity Was Apoplectic Over The FBI Raid Of Michael Cohen. Now We Know Why. HuffPost Amanda Terkel,HuffPost 1 hour 11 minutes ago Sean Hannity was livid the day that the FBI raided the office and hotel room of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer. He said it showed that special counsel Robert Mueller was “out to get the president,” and he blasted the media for giving the raid so much coverage. “The media, while they are obsessing over Michael Cohen ― yeah, there are really important stories to bring to you,” Hannity said on his Fox News show. But what he never revealed is why he doesn’t want the media to pay attention to the story: because he is one of Cohen’s clients. Cohen has done legal work for just three clients since leaving his position last year as counsel for Trump’s private company. It was previously reported that the first two clients were the president and GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy. Broidy had an affair with a former Playboy model. She became pregnant during their relationship, and Cohen helped arrange payments to her to keep her quiet. On Monday, Cohen’s lawyer revealed that Hannity was Cohen’s third, secret client, although it’s unclear what the nature of the work was. Cohen is under federal criminal investigation for possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations in connection with his business dealings. The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan is handling the case. Mueller, who is investigating Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, referred the matter to the U.S. attorney’s office but has not been involved since. Hannity said on his radio show Monday that he has known Cohen “a long, long time” and tried to play down his involvement in his life. “Let me be very clear to the media: Michael never represented me in any matter. I never retained him in the traditional sense. ... I never received an invoice from Michael. I never paid legal fees to Michael,” Hannity said. “But I have occasionally had brief discussions with him about legal questions. I wanted his input and perspective. I assumed those conversations were attorney-client confidential.” “Not one of any issues I ever dealt with Michael Cohen on ever, ever involved a matter between me and a third party,” he added. He also tweeted that his discussions with Cohen were primarily about real estate. Hannity appears to be specifically trying to put to rest any speculation that he was in a situation similar to Broidy. Federal investigators are also reportedly interested in records Cohen has regarding a payment he made to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had an affair with Trump and received money from Cohen to stay silent in the run-up to the election. On Monday, Fox News hosts found themselves in the strange position of reporting breaking news on their own colleague. Shep Smith had to report that his own colleague, Sean Hannity, was a Michael Cohen client. (Fox News) Hannity never addressed his conflict of interest in his initial coverage of the Cohen raid. On his radio show on April 9, Hannity said the incident showed “that there’s no limit at all into the fishing expedition that Mueller is now engaged in and if he has access to everything that his personal attorney has.” Jen Bendery contributed reporting. | |
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| 04-16-18 09:39am - 2442 days | #3 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I'm just a PU member, not a staff PU member, so this is just my opinion: My take: The rules were supposed to be a guideline on how the reviews were supposed to be treated. Actually, this is a problem that the PU software programmer needs to fix, so that reviews that hit the 6-month limit are listed as expired. Eventually, the review is put into the "expired" category, and a new review by the member is allowed to be written. I don't think there is a specific timeline for this to happen. Your work-around solution of deleting the contents of a former review and re-writing it with new content, would not work for a couple of reasons: -The review would not be treated as a new review, so it would be buried in the past review pile. -You would not be eligible to earn points for the re-written review, because it would be treated as an update, instead of a new review. I hope this helps. It's frustrating, but this is the way reviews are currently handled. Maybe Amanda or PU staff can fix the software updates program so that reviews will expire after 6 months. But in a special case (not this one on Naughty America), if the site needed a special update, and the time was less than 6 months, currently, that would fall under a major update of the old review, and would not be eligible for placement as a new review, and would not be eligible to earn any points (as far as I can see). I hope this helps. Edited on Apr 16, 2018, 09:44am | |
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| 04-16-18 09:22am - 2442 days | #447 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
NO MORE LOYALTY James Comey’s ABC Interview Has Furious FBI Insiders Lashing Out The ex-director’s first TV interview finally broke the loyalty of one longtime FBI colleague, others reacted with disbelief as their former boss pontificated. Jana Winter 04.16.18 3:51 AM ET James Comey’s first interview since President Trump fired him as director of the FBI has enraged his former agents, who deluged The Daily Beast with their disdain as they watched him tell his side of the story to George Stephanopoulos on Sunday night. Seven current or former FBI agents and officials spoke throughout and immediately after the broadcast. There was a lot of anger, frustration, and even more emojis—featuring the thumbs-down, frowny face, middle finger, and a whole lot of green vomit faces. One former FBI official sent a bourbon emoji as it began; another sent the beers cheers-ing emoji. The responses became increasingly angry and despondent as the hourlong interview played out. “Hoover is spinning in his grave,” said a former FBI official. “Making money from total failure.” When a promo aired between segments announcing Comey’s upcoming interview with The View, the official grew angrier. “Good lord, what a self-serving self-centered jackass,” the official said. “True to form he thinks he’s the smartest guy around.” A current FBI official said it was bizarre that Comey seemed so pleased with the whole episode. “It’s how happy he looked on TV while cashing in on the biggest mistake in history. His mistake,” they said. “Jim Comey made that mistake. We all just wonder what could have been and what we could’ve done to change it.” There was one former official who spoke out in support of Comey, saying the former director had seemed honest and heartfelt. “I thought he was highly trustworthy and very transparent, like watching someone in confession,” the former official said. “It seems like he’s still wrestling with it.” The six others who spoke to The Daily Beast did not respond positively to the interview by its end. One longtime Team Comey source—who is still an FBI agent—sent thumbs-up emojis repeatedly during the first half hour, but even this loyalist began to lose patience by the halfway mark—sending a frowny face. A few minutes later there was a nauseous emoji, and then a poop emoji after the final segment. Another former FBI official not historically known for their use of emojis, sent a bowing emjoi which—they explained in a follow up message—they believed to mean “slamming my head into something, obviously.” An additional source, who works frequently with the FBI, said they had refused to watch the extended cut of the interview altogether. “Didn’t watch it—I don’t care, he’s basically a scumbag. I don’t know how they’re letting him write a book in the middle of an investigation that he’s part of. I wonder if he had his book cleared by the intelligence community? He’s supposed to but I bet he didn’t.” The former FBI director was fired by President Trump on May 9, 2017. Comey responded by leaking his memos about conversations with Trump to The New York Times, which kick-started the special counsel investigation led by Comey’s predecessor, Robert Mueller. That investigation focuses on Russia influencing the 2016 election and any potential connections, assistance, or cooperation of those in Trump’s orbit. Comey quickly wrote a book about his experiences with Trump, which comes out this week. The interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos was the first stop of his book publicity tour. The much-anticipated book has been met with less than positive responses from those on the Hillary Clinton campaign. Comey has been named by Hillary Clinton as a major reason for her loss in 2016. Clinton insiders told The Daily Beast that Comey should “beg for forgiveness,” not use his book to try and explain away his actions. Days before the election, Comey publicly announced that he was reopening the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server, but he made no mention of the simultaneous inquires being made into Russian links to members of Trump’s team. This was seen by many inside the FBI as Comey inserting the agency into the campaign, which was especially unwise coming so close to the election, when the agency tries to abstain from anything that could have political consequences. Comey’s ouster by Trump came as a surprise to him—and everyone else—and resulted in what appeared to be a massive outpouring of support from within the FBI and those close to the bureau—there were even T-shirts printed bearing Comey’s face. FBI sources who did not support Comey’s decision to announce the reopening of the Clinton email investigation still stood by him at the time and were outraged at the way in which Trump fired the director. He learned of his dismissal after reading it on a television screen inside the Los Angeles FBI building where he was speaking to agents. Those same current and former FBI agents and officials—and others—did not respond well to Comey’s interview Sunday night. Support for Comey has dwindled as those who worked closely with him and initially supported him began to see his book and his public interactions—including Twitter selfies in Iowa—as self-serving and gauche, four sources said. Their anger has grown in recent months as agents have come to see Comey as the reason for the “current shitshow… that is the Trump presidency,” one former official, who voted for Trump, explained. Hence the onslaught of emojis when the interview with Comey began airing Sunday night. The final message sent by one source early Monday morning was the bright red SOS emoji. | |
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| 04-16-18 07:47am - 2442 days | #446 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: James Comey's brain is dying from an over-load of US politics. When asked if Donald Trump should be impeached, Comey answered, No. Although Comey states Trump is morally unfit to be President of the United States, Comey believes that to impeach Trump would be wrong: The people of the United States must let Trump finish his term of office, and then vote Trump out of office. This proves that Comey is a delusional man, who should never be allowed to run the FBI or any important business ever again. Maybe Comey was damaged by his association with Trump, and needs medical treatment. Unfortunately, I have sincere doubts that Comey can think in a clear and positive way.  ----- ----- Politics James Comey Gives A 'Strange Answer' When Asked If Donald Trump Should Be Impeached HuffPost Ed Mazza,HuffPost 10 hours ago Former FBI Director James Comey hopes President Donald Trump isn’t impeached. “I’ll give you a strange answer,” Comey said when George Stephanopoulos asked about the issue in an interview that aired on Sunday night. “I hope not because I think impeaching and removing Donald Trump from office would let the American people off the hook and have something happen indirectly that I believe they’re duty bound to do directly.” Comey then urged Americans to “stand up and go to the voting booth and vote their values.” He added: “We’ll fight about guns. We’ll fight about taxes. We’ll fight about all those other things down the road. But you cannot have, as president of the United States, someone who does not reflect the values that I believe Republicans treasure and Democrats treasure and Independents treasure. That is the core of this country. That’s our foundation. And so impeachment, in a way, would short circuit that.” Comey also said he wanted special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to continue. “...As a citizen, I think we owe it to each other to get off the couch and think about what unites us,” he said. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-16-18 07:28am - 2442 days | #445 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: First question: why is news about Donald Trump so often fake? Is it because Donald Trump is the gold mine source of fake statements and lies? President Donald Trump is fighting to protect and expand the rights of criminals everywhere. The President wants a criminal to be able to see and inspect all documents seized by the FBI as part of their investigation. Trump is the President of all Americans, law-abiding and criminals too. If attorney-client privilege is dead, as the President claims, then the FBI has the right to examine evidence against the President. The President wants it both ways: Criticize the FBI for killing attorney-client privilege, but claim attorney-client privilege to deny the FBI the right to examine and use documents obtained through a legal process. Only a great mind like President Trump can see an argument from opposite sides, and speak from both sides of his mouth. What a man to lead our great cunty. --------- --------- Donald Trump wants to review documents seized from Michael Cohen's office before investigators see them President claims attorney-client privilege 'is dead' Devlin Barrett Washington 2 hours ago Trump wants to review documents seized from his lawyer before investigators see them President Donald Trump asked a federal judge on Sunday night to allow him to review documents that FBI agents seized from the office of his longtime lawyer before criminal investigators have a chance to see the material. The request underscores the high stakes in an ongoing legal fight in federal court in New York, where Michael Cohen, Trump's lawyer, is also fighting to get a chance to review material seized as part of a criminal investigation of his business dealings. Trump's request, in the form of a letter from other lawyers representing him, could further complicate a hearing set for Monday afternoon. During that session, lawyers for Cohen are expected to tell the judge overseeing the case how many legal clients he has and how many seized documents he thinks might be covered by attorney-client privilege. Cohen is set to attend the hearing. Also expected to be on hand is adult-film star Stormy Daniels, whom Cohen secretly paid $130,000 in 2016 to keep quiet the details of an alleged sexual liaison she had with Trump. Prosecutors indicated in court filings Friday that Cohen has been under criminal investigation for months by the U.S. attorney in Manhattan and that a grand jury has been hearing evidence in the case. Last week's raid of Cohen's office and residences infuriated the president, who argued on Twitter that attorney-client privilege “is dead.” Prosecutors have defended the search in part by saying that the investigation has shown that Cohen does not do much legal work and does not appear to have many clients. Cohen, through his lawyers, has argued that the government's policies to protect information covered by the attorney-client privilege are not enough, and that his own lawyers should be allowed to review the seized material before investigators do. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood on Sunday night, other lawyers working on Trump's behalf argue that the president should have a chance to review the material ahead of investigators. The eight-page letter written by Trump's lawyer, Joanna Hendon, accuses the Justice Department of acting in “an aggressive, intrusive, and unorthodox manner” in an attempt to “eliminate the president's right to a full assertion of every privilege argument available to him.” The FBI executed search warrants last week on Cohen's office, home, security deposit box and hotel room. It is unusual, but not unprecedented, for agents to search a lawyer's records, and there is a policy in place designed to shield information covered by the attorney-client privilege. That procedure involves having a “taint team” of prosecutors outside the investigation review all the material and separate what is covered by the privilege. A lawyer's communications with a client are not covered by the privilege if those discussions do not involve legal advice, or were used to further a crime or fraud. Under the procedure, the taint team would turn over to the case investigators all the material that is relevant and not covered by attorney-client privilege. World news in pictures “The president objects to the government's proposal to use a 'taint team' of prosecutors from the very office that is investigating this matter to conduct the initial privilege review of documents seized from the President's personal attorney, Michael Cohen,'' Hendon's letter said. She added that “the president respectfully requests” that the judge issue an order barring the taint team from conducting an initial review of the seized material and require the government to turn over a copy of that material to Cohen's lawyers. Then, the president wants the court to direct Cohen “to identify to the president all seized materials that relate to him in any way and to provide a copy of those materials to him and his counsel,” according to the letter. Any disputes about what material was or wasn't covered by the attorney-client privilege would then be decided by a judge, under the president's proposal. People familiar with the Cohen investigation have said he is being investigated for possible bank and wire fraud. Prosecutors are examining whether crimes were committed as part of any pattern or strategy of trying to buy the silence of people who could offer accounts that could have damaged Trump's candidacy in 2016. In addition, the FBI is also looking into whether any fraud was committed in connection with Cohen's ownership of taxi medallions - assets whose value has plummeted in recent years. Washington Post | |
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| 04-15-18 09:27pm - 2443 days | #443 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Libby leaked to harm a critic of Bush. He outed the identity of a covert CIA agent. Which was illegal. No two ways about it. And he lied under oath to protect himself instead of admitting guilt. Which seems to be two different crimes: perjury plus obstruction of justice. So Libby was found guilty. But President Bush commuted his sentence so he did not have to go to jail. Bush did not give him a full pardon. When Comey gave information to the press, I don't know if it was illegal. Comey was head of the FBI, so giving information to the press, even in secret, might not be illegal. But since Comey is now a critic of Trump, Trump feels free to call Comey a slimeball, a leaker, a liar, which fits Trump's style of bashing his critics and opponents. Trump has no consistency other than to do or say whatever he thinks, because that's the way he acts. The facts have little or nothing to do with it. If Comey broke the law by giving out news, to Congress or to the press, then I assume that the Justice Department would already have had him arrested, and put in jail. So Trump calling Comey a slimeball and leaker and liar is probably protected political speech. And it would be expensive and difficult to sue Trump for slander. That's part of Stormy Daniels' problem. I read one of the Non-disclosure agreements that Cohen had. I didn't make a copy of the NDA, but I was amazed at the details of the NDA: I assume that the Stormy Daniels NDA includes: If the NDA is legally binding: Then Daniels could be forced to pay back the $130,000 payment she got if she breaks the agreement. She could be liable for a $1 million penalty for each time she broke the agreement. Not only does Daniels have to never reveal any details on the subject, but all artifacts concerning the event are required to be turned over to Cohen. Plus Daniels, in addition to never revealing any details of the subject, has to deny the event ever took place (which would require Daniels to lie, as far as I can see). That's what I remember from reading a NDA contract that Cohen had with someone. | |
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| 04-15-18 06:28pm - 2443 days | #441 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: President Trump demands former FBI chief James Comey be put in jail. Trump calls the former chief a slimeball and a slippery liar. I always thought the FBI was supposed to be the US law enforcement that we could trust. But now I have doubts. Serious doubts about their integrity, their truthfulness, their honesty. Can Trump clean house at the FBI? Or will the United States sink into a pool of slime, dragged down by lying, corrupt FBI agents and other civil servants? --------- --------- Politics Donald Trump demands former FBI chief James Comey is jailed The Telegraph Julie Allen,The Telegraph 7 hours ago Donald Trump, the US president, has called for former FBI director James Comey to be jailed, accusing him of revealing classified information and of lying to Congress. In addition to suggesting the former intelligence chief be incarcerated, Mr Trump called him "slippery" and a "slimeball" and said he would go down as the worst FBI director in history, during a Twitter rant which spanned the course of two hours on Sunday morning. He also challenged accusations made by the former FBI director in a tell-all book that is due for release this week. Mr Trump wrote: "The big questions in Comey’s badly reviewed book aren’t answered like, how come he gave up Classified Information (jail), why did he lie to Congress (jail), why did the DNC refuse to give Server to the FBI (why didn’t they TAKE it), why the phony memos, McCabe’s $700,000 & more?" He added: "I never asked Comey for Personal Loyalty. I hardly even knew this guy. Just another of his many lies. His “memos” are self serving and FAKE!" And shortly after came: "Slippery James Comey, a man who always ends up badly and out of whack (he is not smart!), will go down as the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!" The two men have been involved in a ferocious war of words since the president fired Mr Comey last May amid the investigation into his 2016 campaign and Russian meddling in the election. It was Mr Comey's firing that prompted the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey later testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee that President Trump had asked him for "loyalty" at a January dinner. And that alone in the Oval Office, Mr Trump had said to him that he "hoped" he could let the investigation into former national security director Michael Flynn "go". His evidence opened up the president to accusations of obstruction of justice, which Mr Trump has repeatedly and strongly denied. Mr Comey's memoir, "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership" is released on Tuesday, but has already become a bestseller thanks to huge pre-publication sales. On Sunday, ABC was due to air a lengthy interview to kick off Mr Comey's book tour, which was expected to attract millions of viewers. Extracts that emerged last week showed Mr Comey likened the president to an “unethical” mob boss who is "untethered" to the truth, casts his inner circle poorly and details an obsession with a dossier written by former British spy Christopher Steele who wrote of rumoured engagements with prostitutes. Mr Comey writes: “What is happening now is not normal. It is not fake news. It is not okay,” describing “the forest fire that is the Trump presidency”. Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s approval rating stands at its highest since his first 100 days in office at 40 per cent. The Washington Post-ABC News poll showed his popularity up four per cent from January. Among white voters, he has 53 per cent support, up seven points since the beginning of the year and among white men without college degrees he is up six percent to 70 per cent. Almost three-quarters of conservatives approve of the president in the latest poll, 74 per cent, up nine points from January. | |
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| 04-15-18 05:53pm - 2443 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
As Prince heirs stew, bankers and lawyers cash in on estate Associated Press STEVE KARNOWSKI,Associated Press 7 hours ago FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2007, file photo, Prince performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI football game in Miami. The saga to settle Prince's estate provides a cautionary tale about what can happen when someone dies without leaving a will, as he did when he died of an accidental opioid overdose at his Paisley Park studio April 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As the second anniversary of Prince's death approaches, his heirs have yet to collect a dollar of his estimated $200 million estate. But bankers, lawyers and consultants have earned millions from it. The long saga to settle the estate provides a cautionary tale about dying without a will, as Prince did when he died of an accidental opioid overdose at his suburban Minneapolis studio on April 21, 2016, and the heirs can't quit squabbling. Here's a look at where things stand: NO DOUGH YET Even though it's been nearly two years since Prince died, the executor of the estate, Comerica Bank and Trust, can't split the money among Prince's six surviving siblings until the Internal Revenue Service and executor agree on the estate's value when Prince died. It's not clear when that might happen. The IRS and state of Minnesota are entitled to collect about half, though the estate can stretch out the payments over time. THE ESTATE'S VALUE Court filings several months after Prince's death suggested that it was worth around $200 million before taxes. The actual value remains one of the biggest secrets in the case, hidden in sealed and redacted documents. The actual valuation could have gone up or down since then. That's because the various attorneys, accountants and industry experts at that point had not yet finished appraisals and deals for the use of his music, videos and assets including his Paisley Park studio. Attorneys for the heirs did not return calls for this story or declined to comment. FRICTIONS AND FACTIONS The six heirs have been bitterly split. Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson and John R. Nelson form one faction that has battled Comerica and other heirs on several fronts, including Comerica's decision to move the contents of Prince's vault of recordings from Paisley Park to Los Angeles. But the six showed rare unity last week when Tyka Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson joined the other three in strenuously objecting to an unspecified "entertainment transaction" in the works that they say would be "an embarrassment to Prince's legacy." The volume of heavily redacted and sealed court filings and counter-filings suggests it's big, but the public portions don't say whether it's a new music rights deal to replace a failed agreement with Universal Music Group or something else. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Most of the siblings have kept low public profiles. Sharon Nelson has been the most outspoken. She recently released an album of music composed by her father and Prince's father, the late jazz musician John L. Nelson. She also tweeted fresh criticism of Comerica last week, asking why Prince fans haven't been offered any new music. WHO IS GETTING PAID SO FAR? A small army of lawyers and the taxman. Public filings don't say how much the estate has already paid the IRS and state of Minnesota, but Comerica and its lawyers have already collected at least $5.9 million in fees and expenses, according to a filing last month. "There is legitimate concern that at the end of the Estate's administration there will be little, if anything left to pass on to the Heirs," attorneys for Sharon, Norrine and John wrote in that filing. The $5.9 million doesn't include a pending request for nearly $2.9 million in fees and expenses for Comerica and its lawyers. Nor does it include fees for the heirs' lawyers and other attorneys, or fees for the estate's main music adviser, Spotify executive Troy Carter. Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide has admonished everyone to keep spending under control, writing that the estate "is not an unlimited resource!" A SETTLEMENT? The agenda for Wednesday's hearing also includes a Comerica motion to approve some sort of settlement. Nearly all details have been redacted, but one dispute that appears ripe for a settlement is the estate's lawsuit against Jay Z's Roc Nation and the Tidal streaming service over alleged copyright violations. Whatever the settlement is about, Sharon, Norrine and John oppose it. They say the estate could win more in litigation. | |
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| 04-14-18 04:27pm - 2444 days | #440 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Politics FBI Seized Recordings Between Michael Cohen And Stormy Daniels' Former Lawyer: Report HuffPost Antonia Blumberg,HuffPost 22 hours ago Among the documents seized during an FBI raid targeting President Donald Among the documents seized during an FBI raid targeting President Donald Trump’s personal attorney are recordings of conversations Michael Cohen had with the former lawyer to two women who claim to have had affairs with Trump, according to a CNN report. The FBI raided Cohen’s New York office and hotel room on Monday seeking, among a number of things, information regarding the role he may have had in attempting to suppress information about the alleged affairs. Agents seized Cohen’s computers and phones, as well as documents related to a payment of $130,000 he said he made to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. A source familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday that the FBI had also seized recordings Cohen made of his communications with Keith Davidson, who had represented both Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. “Attorney Davidson never consented to any recordings of his conversations with Mr. Cohen,” a spokesman for Davidson told CNN. “If they in fact do exist, Attorney Davidson will pursue all his legal rights under the law.” It is illegal in some states ― including California, where Davidson is based ― to record phone conversations without both parties’ consent. Cohen is known to tape conversations with associates and store them, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Experts described the recordings to the Post as a potential “gold mine” for the FBI, saying that if they exist and are admissible in court, they could prove valuable to prosecutors. Trump expressed outrage after the FBI raid, calling it a “disgraceful situation” and a “total witch hunt” during off-the-cuff remarks to reporters. On Tuesday, he tweeted that “attorney-client privilege is dead!” Lawyer Michael Avenatti, who currently represents Daniels, responded to the CNN report in a tweet on Friday. Both Daniels and McDougal were reportedly paid large sums of money to keep their stories about the alleged 2006 affairs with Trump quiet. The women are now pursuing litigation in order to be released from their agreements. Trump reportedly called Cohen on Friday to “check in,” The New York Times said Friday, citing two people briefed on the call. The call could prove to be problematic depending on what the two discussed, given that Cohen is currently under criminal investigation. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Yahoo View If Michael Cohen goes down, does Trump go with him? | |
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| 04-14-18 04:16pm - 2444 days | #439 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Home / Top News / U.S. News House oversight committee expands probe into EPA's Pruitt By Susan McFarland | April 14, 2018 at 3:22 PM The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is expanding an investigation into alleged ethical and spending abuses by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo April 14 (UPI) -- Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are expanding their investigation into alleged ethical and spending abuses by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy on Friday sent a letter requesting more information from Pruitt, accused of excessive spending on travel, vehicles, staff raises and over-the-top security features such as a $43,000 soundproof phone booth. The committee asked for documents about Pruitt's security detail and its lead member, Pasquale Perrotta. Also being sought is information about the lease for a bedroom in a Capitol Hill condominium that Pruitt rented last year. Gowdy's letter was sent one day after lawmakers heard details from the EPA's former deputy chief of staff for operations, Kevin Chmielewski, who said those who questioned Pruitt's unethical behavior were retaliated against. Chmielewski said Pruitt insisted on staying at expensive hotels while traveling even if they exceeded allowable federal spending limits and told staff to book him on Delta Air Lines so he could accrue frequent flier miles. The committee also is asking to meet with Chmielewski and Perrotta; Ryan Jackson, Pruitt's chief of staff; Millan Hupp, an aide; and Sarah Greenwalt, senior counsel to Pruitt. Jahan Wilcox, EPA spokesman, said the agency had "responded to Chairman Gowdy's inquiries and we will continue to work with him." Last month, Pruitt was scrutinized after travel documents released showed the EPA spent close to $90,000 to send him and his staff to Italy for one day for the G7 environmental summit. Included in that amount was a $36,000 military flight so Pruitt could join President Donald Trump at a Cincinnati event, then make it to New York in time for his flight to Rome. Related UPI Stories Watchdog: EPA chief's trip to Italy cost taxpayers $120,000 E.P.A. broke law by not releasing smog data, judge rules Trey Gowdy steps down from Ethics Committee, citing 'challenging workload' | |
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| 04-14-18 04:10pm - 2444 days | #438 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Important development in the Trump case against Stormy Daniels. The Ninth Circuit points out in the order, filed Friday, that the court does not have to dismiss a case because all the parties agree to dismiss it, and lists reasons not to dismiss the case, including that "Naruto is not a party to the settlement agreement." Naruto is the name of the monkey in the photo. (So is Trump a party of the Stormy Daniels lawsuit? Even though he did not sign the non-disclosure agreement?) Even though the monkey was the author of the photo, because monkeys are not legally capable of being authors under copyright law, the photo cannot be copyrighted. ---------- ---------- Despite settlement, high court to rule in monkey selfie case By Susan McFarland | April 14, 2018 at 4:15 PM Despite a settlement between a photographer and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the U.S. Court of Appeals is is refusing to dismiss the monkey selfie copyright case. PETA contended that the photo taken with the photographer's equipment belonged to Naruto, a crested macaque monkey. Image courtesy of PETA April 14 (UPI) -- Months after a photographer and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals settled the monkey selfie copyright case, the U.S. Court of Appeals is refusing to dismiss the case and will soon come out with an official appellate decision. The Ninth Circuit states wariness of "abetting 'strategic behavior' on the part of institutional litigants," is reason for denying the parties' joint motion to dismiss the case, which vacates a lower court order from U.S. District Judge William Orrick III of the Northern District of California. The original settlement ended a two-year court battle between PETA and photographer David Slater, who agreed that 25 percent of any revenue derived from the self-portrait by Naruto, a crested macaque monkey, will be dedicated to charities protecting macaque habitats in Indonesia. The Ninth Circuit points out in the order, filed Friday, that the court does not have to dismiss a case because all the parties agree to dismiss it, and lists reasons not to dismiss the case, including that "Naruto is not a party to the settlement agreement." The photograph was taken in 2011 by a Naruto, then 7. He took Slater's camera and snapped a photograph of himself with it, court documents say. PETA has contended that by republishing the photo, Naturo's copyright rights were infringed. After the photo was posted online it made its way to Wikimedia Commons and was uploaded as a public domain image - something the website found allowable because the monkey was the author of the photo and because monkeys are not legally capable of being authors under copyright law, the photo cannot be copyrighted. | |
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| 04-14-18 03:45pm - 2444 days | #437 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: As far as I can see, FBI Director James Comey tried to swing the national election to help Donald Trump win over Hilary Clinton, by sending a letter to Congress just days before the election was held, stating that Clinton was still the subject of an FBI investigation for emails. The move would violate the policies of an agency that does not reveal its investigations or do anything that may influence an election. This was probably not illegal. But it sure as hell was unethical, an attempt to influence voters in a Presidential election by the FBI. The FBI is not supposed to be influenced by politics. Or to influence politics. But it sure as hell tried with the Clinton-Trump campaign. A decision that came back to bite the FBI in the ass after Trump was elected President. Comey's defense that he was trying to do his duty is a fucking lie: He tells Congress that the FBI has re-opened its investigation into Hilary Clinton. But does not tell Congress that the FBI is also investigating Donald Trump. -------- -------- The New York Times U.S. Comey Tried to Shield the F.B.I. From Politics. Then He Shaped an Election. As the F.B.I. investigated Hillary Clinton and the Trump campaign, James B. Comey tried to keep the bureau out of politics but plunged it into the center of a bitter election. By MATT APUZZO, MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT, ADAM GOLDMAN and ERIC LICHTBLAU APRIL 22, 2017 WASHINGTON — The day before he upended the 2016 election, James B. Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, summoned agents and lawyers to his conference room. They had been debating all day, and it was time for a decision. Mr. Comey’s plan was to tell Congress that the F.B.I. had received new evidence and was reopening its investigation into Hillary Clinton, the presidential front-runner. The move would violate the policies of an agency that does not reveal its investigations or do anything that may influence an election. But Mr. Comey had declared the case closed, and he believed he was obligated to tell Congress that had changed. “Should you consider what you’re about to do may help elect Donald Trump president?” an adviser asked him, Mr. Comey recalled recently at a closed meeting with F.B.I. agents. He could not let politics affect his decision, he replied. “If we ever start considering who might be affected, and in what way, by what we do, we’re done,” he told the agents. But with polls showing Mrs. Clinton holding a comfortable lead, Mr. Comey ended up plunging the F.B.I. into the molten center of a bitter election. Fearing the backlash that would come if it were revealed after the election that the F.B.I. had been investigating the next president and had kept it a secret, Mr. Comey sent a letter informing Congress that the case was reopened. What he did not say was that the F.B.I. was also investigating the campaign of Donald J. Trump. Just weeks before, Mr. Comey had declined to answer a question from Congress about whether there was such an investigation. Only in March, long after the election, did Mr. Comey confirm that there was one. For Mr. Comey, keeping the F.B.I. out of politics is such a preoccupation that he once said he would never play basketball with President Barack Obama because of the appearance of being chummy with the man who appointed him. But in the final months of the presidential campaign, the leader of the nation’s pre-eminent law enforcement agency shaped the contours, if not the outcome, of the presidential race by his handling of the Clinton and Trump-related investigations. An examination by The New York Times, based on interviews with more than 30 current and former law enforcement, congressional and other government officials, found that while partisanship was not a factor in Mr. Comey’s approach to the two investigations, he handled them in starkly different ways. In the case of Mrs. Clinton, he rewrote the script, partly based on the F.B.I.’s expectation that she would win and fearing the bureau would be accused of helping her. In the case of Mr. Trump, he conducted the investigation by the book, with the F.B.I.’s traditional secrecy. Many of the officials discussed the investigations on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Mr. Comey made those decisions with the supreme self-confidence of a former prosecutor who, in a distinguished career, has cultivated a reputation for what supporters see as fierce independence, and detractors view as media-savvy arrogance. The Times found that this go-it-alone strategy was shaped by his distrust of senior officials at the Justice Department, who he and other F.B.I. officials felt had provided Mrs. Clinton with political cover. The distrust extended to his boss, Loretta E. Lynch, the attorney general, who Mr. Comey believed had subtly helped play down the Clinton investigation. His misgivings were only fueled by the discovery last year of a document written by a Democratic operative that seemed — at least in the eyes of Mr. Comey and his aides — to raise questions about her independence. In a bizarre example of how tangled the F.B.I. investigations had become, the document had been stolen by Russian hackers. The examination also showed that at one point, President Obama himself was reluctant to disclose the suspected Russian influence in the election last summer, for fear his administration would be accused of meddling. Mr. Comey, the highest-profile F.B.I. director since J. Edgar Hoover, has not squarely addressed his decisions last year. He has touched on them only obliquely, asserting that the F.B.I. is blind to partisan considerations. “We’re not considering whose ox will be gored by this action or that action, whose fortune will be helped,” he said at a public event recently. “We just don’t care. We can’t care. We only ask: ‘What are the facts? What is the law?’” But circumstances and choices landed him in uncharted and perhaps unwanted territory, as he made what he thought were the least damaging choices from even less desirable alternatives. “This was unique in the history of the F.B.I.,” said Michael B. Steinbach, the former senior national security official at the F.B.I., who worked closely with Mr. Comey, describing the circumstances the agency faced last year while investigating both the Republican and Democratic candidates for president. “People say, ‘This has never been done before.’ Well, there never was a before. Or ‘That’s not normally how you do it.’ There wasn’t anything normal about this.” | |
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| 04-14-18 11:08am - 2444 days | #436 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I thought that "Wag the Dog" (1997) was a great movie. And it validated the use of warfare as a political tool. As well as teaching us about the perils of over-reaching ego in what happened to Dustin Hoffman. The man was a genius, but he did not understand political reality. Unlike Donald Trump, who insults people the better to making them bosom friends. | |
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| 04-14-18 09:51am - 2444 days | #433 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I wonder: Is it hypocrisy when the US criticizes and attacks any country developing nuclear and chemical weapons, when the US is almost certainly the country with the largest arsenal of nuclear and chemical weapons? And Trump boasts that the US is spending billions to make its nuclear weapons ever more powerful. | |
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| 04-14-18 09:37am - 2444 days | #432 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I think it's pretty plain that the "Springtime for Trump" was satire. I doubt that merc77 is a fan or supporter of Trump or Mike Pence. However, even Russia is now comparing Trump with Hitler. ---------- ---------- A high-ranking Russian politician is comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler Business Insider Alison Millington Apr 14th 2018 7:48AM A leading Russian politcian is comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. Alexander Sherin's comments came after the US-led launch of missile strikes on Syria on Friday night. Russia has had military presence in Syria since 2015 and has warned there will be 'consequences' of the attacks. A high-ranking Russian politician has compared U.S. President Donald Trump to former German dictator and Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The comments came after the U.S., UK, and France launched missile strikes on Syria Friday night, for which Russia, who has had military presence in the country since 2015, has warned there will be "consequences." According to The Guardian, Alexander Sherin, Russia’s deputy head of the state Duma’s defence committee, said Trump "can be called Adolf Hitler no. 2 of our time because, you see, he even chose the time that Hitler attacked the Soviet Union," referencing the strike time of around 4 a.m. Sherin also described the air strikes as "a targeted threat against Russia." Russia’s ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has also issued a statement lashing out against the U.S.-led coalition campaign, whose military action is a response to an apparent chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people earlier this month. "The worst apprehensions have true," ambassador Anatoly Antonov said. "Our warnings have been left unheard. A pre-designed scenario is being implemented. "Again, we are being threatened," Antonov continued. "We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences. All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris." The statement went on to say that "insulting the President of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible. "The U.S. — the possessor of the biggest arsenal of chemical weapons — has no moral right to blame other countries," Antonov added. | |
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| 04-14-18 08:51am - 2444 days | #430 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Looking at the bright side of Trump's Presidency. Trump threatens Beijing. Trump threatens Russia. If Trump sends nuclear missiles at China, Russia, and North Korea, the US can wipe out foreign enemies. And Trump is the man with courage enough to defend America from its enemies. Go, Trump. ----------------- ----------------- World China Says It Urgently Needs a Powerful Military As Trump Threatens Beijing Newsweek Cristina Maza,Newsweek 23 hours ago Chinese President Xi Jinping made a surprise visit to the South China Sea Thursday to observe naval exercises and spend time with his country’s sailors, according to the state-run media. Pictures of Xi during the visit showed him wearing military fatigues while aboard ship and eating with members of China’s navy. He also stressed that it is "urgent" for China to build a powerful navy. The naval exercises are being carried out as tensions in the region ratchet up over China’s military dominance. During Xi’s visit, Bejing announced its intention to stage live fire drills next week in the Taiwan Strait, the area of water separating China from Taiwan. They will be the first fire drills in the Strait since 2015, and some analysts have suggested that the drills are meant to show Washington that China is firmly in control of the region. Chinese officials were reportedly unhappy that the U.S. signed the Taiwan Travel Act in March, which will permit high-level government officials to visit the small island nation. China considers Taiwan a province and for decades has insisted that its allies follow a strict “One China” policy that does not recognize Taipei’s independence. Congress, however, recently signed the Taiwan Travel Act with unanimous votes in both the House and the Senate. Other military experts suggested that the Chinese exercises were meant to call attention away from the current tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Syria, and that they represent a gesture of support for Moscow on the part of Beijing. Meanwhile, they could also be a response to exercises conducted by the U.S. military in the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday. The U.S. Navy had flown a small group of military officials from the Philippines to the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier as it traversed the South China Sea on its way to the Philippine capital Manila. China has built a collection of military facilities on small islands around the South China Sea. In 2016, an international court ruled that the “nine-dash line”—a demarcation line China uses to lay claim to parts of the South China Sea—is inconsistent with the international laws on maritime resources. In response, the U.S has maintained a policy of using U.S. Navy vessels and aircraft to patrol the South China Sea in order to assert freedom of navigation rights. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all lay claim to disputed parts of the South China Sea. This article was first written by Newsweek | |
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| 04-14-18 08:42am - 2444 days | #429 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Finally, another bit of comedy. Newsman Brian William confuses Trump with Obama. Perfectly understandable: they were both Presidents. Plus, they are friends who often go golfing. So what if one is white and the other is black. Remember the Ebony and Ivory song by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder? Trump and Obama will go down in history as musical twins. ---------- ---------- Fox News ENTERTAINMENT 11 hours ago MSNBC's Brian Williams confuses Trump with Obama, internet reacts Fox News Brian Williams mistakenly refereed to President Trump as "President Obama." Brian Williams mistakenly refereed to President Trump as "President Obama." (NBC) It doesn’t take much to create a social media frenzy. Brian Williams, the former host "NBC Nightly News" and now host of MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour With Brian Williams,” was trending on Twitter early Saturday after mistakenly referring to President Trump as "President Obama." Williams' report was about the U.S. announcement that it would strike against Syria in response to an alleged chemical attack last week. “It all started, nine o’clock Eastern time, with about a five-minute address by President Obama,” Wiliams said, matter-of-factly to the camera. “Here’s a portion of that.” The newsman, who lost his coveted network anchor chair in 2015 after being suspended for misrepresenting himself when he claimed his helicopter was hit by enemy fire during the Iraq War, was lambasted on social media for Friday night’s flub. Williams reportedly corrected his error, but social media had a field day. “Honestly, I can understand Brian Williams confusion. Bombing Syria is totally something President Obama would have done too,” one person tweeted. | |
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| 04-14-18 08:40am - 2444 days | #428 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
You calling Trump a redneck? You calling rednecks gay? Say what you mean, dude. Can't disrespect the greatest President who ever was. | |
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| 04-14-18 02:13am - 2444 days | #425 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Trump responds to Comey's book by calling him an 'untruthful slime ball' “James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR,” Trump wrote on Twitter. Let us hope the US government will assign medical helpers to help Comey in this time of crisis. Because Comey needs all the support we can give this poor individual who has been trashed by the greatest President the US has ever had. ---------- ---------- Politics Trump responds to Comey's book by calling him an 'untruthful slime ball' Dylan Stableford 20 hours ago President Trump tore into James Comey on Friday in a pair of tweets aimed at discrediting Comey’s new book, which details the former FBI director’s interactions with the president before his firing last year. “James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. “He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted,” the president continued. “He lied to Congress under OATH. He is a weak and untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst ‘botch jobs’ of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey!” Trump’s comments came a day after numerous excerpts from Comey’s upcoming memoir, “A Higher Loyalty,” were published online. In them, Comey describes Trump as “untethered to the truth,” likens him to a mob boss, and recounts a meeting with the president in which the former FBI director says Trump asked him to investigate salacious allegations from the so-called dossier to disprove the claims to first lady Melania Trump. Related: What’s in James Comey’s book? “He brought up what he called the ‘golden showers thing’ … adding that it bothered him if there was ‘even a 1 percent chance’ his wife, Melania, thought it was true,” Comey writes, according to an excerpt published by the New York Post. “He just rolled on, unprompted, explaining why it couldn’t possibly be true, ending by saying he was thinking of asking me to investigate the allegation to prove it was a lie. I said it was up to him.” “He said, you know, ‘If there’s even a 1 percent chance my wife thinks that’s true, that’s terrible,’” Comey told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in a separate interview, parts of which aired Friday morning. “And I remember thinking, ‘How could your wife think there’s a 1 percent chance you were with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow?’ I’m a flawed human being, but there is literally zero chance that my wife would think that was true. So, what kind of marriage to what kind of man does your wife think there’s only a 99 percent chance you didn’t do that?” Stephanopoulos asked Comey whether believed Trump’s denial. “Honestly, I never thoughts these words would come out of my mouth, but I don’t know whether the current president of the United States was with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow in 2013,” Comey said. “It’s possible, but I don’t know.” Comey said he first informed Trump about the dossier in a private meeting that followed one where U.S. intelligence officials briefed Trump on Russian interference in the 2016 election. According to Comey, Trump appeared less concerned by Russia’s attack on the election than how it could undermine his victory. “President-elect Trump’s first question was to confirm that it had no impact on the election,” Comey said. “And then the conversation, to my surprise, moved into a PR conversation about how the Trump team would position this, and what they could say about this, with us still sitting there.” Comey added: “That’s just not done. That the intelligence community does intelligence; the White House does PR and spin.” The former FBI director also said he was struck by what the Trump team didn’t ask. “No one to my recollection asked, ‘So, what’s coming next from the Russians? How might we stop it?'” Comey said. | |
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| 04-13-18 10:57pm - 2444 days | #424 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
HHS official shared post saying 'forefathers' would have 'hung' Obama, Clinton for treason By Andrew Kaczynski, Chris Massie and Nathan McDermott, CNN Updated 4:04 PM ET, Fri April 13, 2018 Ximena Barreto (CNN)A political appointee at the Department of Health and Human Services shared an image in 2017 that said "our forefathers would have hung" Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for treason, a CNN KFile review has found. Ximena Barreto is a far-right political pundit who in December 2017 joined the Trump administration as deputy director of communications at the department. Barreto was placed on leave by the department on Monday after the liberal watchdog Media Matters reported that Barreto called Islam "a cult" and pushed the false Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which alleged that Clinton was part of a child-sex ring based in part at a Washington, DC, pizza restaurant. A subsequent KFile review of her Twitter account "RepublicanChick" found that Barreto also repeatedly used the hashtag #BanIslam and twice shared conspiracy theories about the death of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich. Barreto also shared a conspiracy theory that French President Emmanuel Macron was controlled by the Rothschild family and that Clinton and Obama were controlled by investor and Democratic mega-donor George Soros. Both the Rothschilds and Soros are frequent targets of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. A department spokesperson did not comment on tweets unearthed by KFile and reiterated to CNN that Barreto has been placed on administrative leave while they look into the matter. Prior to joining HHS, Barreto was a far-right political pundit and Trump-supporting blogger. She co-hosted a YouTube show called "The Right View by Deplorable Latinas." A now-removed biography on her personal website said she "has worked as a political activist, and worked hundreds of hours with Republican candidates (sic) campaigns, including John McCain, Ted Cruz and President Donald Trump." Here's what Barreto tweeted: On Barack Obama In May of 2017, Barreto retweeted an image saying the "our forefathers would have hung" Clinton and Obama for treason. In August of 2017 Barreto retweeted an image of a statue of Obama labeling him "a Muslim terrorist." In January of 2017, Barreto wrote in a tweet that Obama was a "pansy and a traitor." On Seth Rich In October 2016, Barreto implied Rich was killed by either Clinton or the Democratic National Committee, using the hashtags #KilledByTheDNC #HillaryBodyCount #ClintonBodyBags In May, 2017, Barreto retweeted a video about Rich, saying that "the media blackout and the silence from Washington on Seth Rich should scare the hell out of you." On Islam On five separate occasions found by KFile's review, Barreto tweeted the hashtag "#BanIslam" in asserting that those participating in the Women's March had turned their back on "real oppression." She also tweeted "#DeportLSarsour," referring to Women's March organizer Linda Sarsour. In other tweets, she called for a boycott of Amazon for an ad that showed a Christian priest and Muslim imam together, saying that "an Imam would never sit with a priest FYI". On Hillary Clinton, Democrats and Emmanuel Macron In a tweet in August of 2016, Barreto falsely claimed that Clinton aide Huma Abedin's family had terrorist ties. In April of 2017, Barreto spread a conspiracy theory that Macron was controlled by the Rothschilds and that Clinton and Obama were controlled by Soros. "Macron is just a political puppet of the Rothschilds, just like Obama and Hillary are Soros Puppets!" she wrote. | |
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| 04-13-18 07:06pm - 2445 days | #422 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Trump got rid of McCabe 2 days before FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was due to retire, thus denying McCabe the ability to receive pension benefits for years. The reason Trump (or his henchman, Sessions) gave was that McCabe was not honoring the public trust, that McCabe had misled investigators. In an opposite course of action, Trump has now pardoned former Vice President Dick Cheney's aide for four counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. Way to go, Trump. Fire someone on trumped up charges, and deny him the benefits he would have received if he had retired two days later. And pardon someone else who had been convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. Trump, probably one of the most corrupt and slezoid Presidents we've ever had. -------------------- -------------------- WHY NOW? 8 hours ago Trump Pardons Former Cheney Aide Scooter Libby for Perjury in CIA Case JAMES LAWLER DUGGAN/Reuters President Trump on Friday officially pardoned former Dick Cheney chief of staff I. “Scooter” Lewis Libby for his 2007 convictions on four counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. “Before his conviction, Mr. Libby had rendered more than a decade of honorable service to the Nation as a public servant at the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the White House,” Trump’s press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an official statement. “His record since his conviction is similarly unblemished, and he continues to be held in high regard by his colleagues and peers. In light of these facts, the President believes Mr. Libby is fully worthy of this pardon.” In a statement, the president wrote: “I don’t know Mr. Libby, but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly. Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life.” Cheney told NBC News that he was “grateful that President Trump righted this wrong by issuing a full pardon to Scooter, and I am thrilled for Scooter and his family.” President George W. Bush commuted Libby’s sentence, but did not issue a full pardon. | |
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| 04-13-18 01:19pm - 2445 days | #420 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Were these assholes using campaign contributions for these payoffs? Or their own personal money? ----------- ----------- Trump fundraiser resigns from RNC after payout report Associated Press TOM LoBIANCO,Associated Press 52 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) — A top fundraiser for President Donald Trump has resigned from the Republican National Committee following a report that he paid $1.6 million to a Playboy playmate he had an affair with. Elliott Broidy told RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Friday afternoon that he was resigning immediately, an RNC official familiar with the discussion said. The official requested anonymity to discuss a private phone call between McDaniel and Broidy. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen helped negotiate a non-disclosure agreement between Broidy and the model last year. The unidentified playmate elected to have an abortion after discovering she was pregnant. Broidy apologized to his wife for the affair in a statement provided to The Associated Press Friday. | |
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| 04-13-18 01:04pm - 2445 days | #419 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Scott Pruitt Spending Abuses: EPA Chief’s Former Aide Says It’s Even Worse Than You Think Newsweek Josh Keefe,Newsweek Thu, Apr 12 11:28 AM PDT Just when it looked as though things couldn’t get any worse for Scott Pruitt, new accusations of misuses of taxpayer funds have been levied against the embattled Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Five congressional Democrats sent Pruitt a letter on Thursday detailing accusations made against Pruitt by Kevin Chmielewski, former Donald Trump campaign aide who served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations under Pruitt. Chimielewski met with congressional Democrats this week and painted a picture of Pruitt as a feckless manager who wasted taxpayer money and took retribution against employees who tried to stop his reckless spending. Chmielewski told Democrats that when he first arrived at the EPA to work for Pruitt, EPA Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson told him “the nightmare is now yours.” Trending: Lawyers Like Trump’s Are Hired to Keep Secrets and Do the Dirty Work | Opinion “Mr. Chmielewski said those words turned out to be accurate,” the Democrats wrote in their letter to Pruitt, which was also sent to the chairs of Senate and House oversight committees. In the letter, the Democrats asked Pruitt for documents related to the allegations, which built on previous scandals surrounding the former Oklahoma attorney general, including controversies over a $50-a-night Washington D.C. rental from an energy lobbyist, an expensive security detail and first-class travel, the installation of a $43,000 soundproof phone booth in his office, the use of motorcade sirens to get through slow traffic, and pay raises for two aides that were procured by going around the White House. Chmielewski confirmed many of these reports. Even before the new allegations, the accumulating scandals led members of both parties to call on Pruitt to resign. Chmielewski, who has been placed on leave, described several other alleged instances of Pruitt abusing his authority. The Democrats who signed the letter, Senators Tom Carper and Sheldon Whitehouse, as well as Representatives Elijah Cummings, Gerald Connolly and Don Beyer, said they found Chmielewski “to be a credible professional who continues to express deep loyalty to the President and Vice-President.” An EPA spokesperson previously said that accusations that Pruitt mismanaged taxpayer funds were from “disgruntled employees.” Among the new allegations made by Chmielewski: Pruitt had one aide “act as [his] personal real estate representative, spending weeks improperly using federal government resources and time to contact rental and seller’s agents.” He had aides seek to get a $100,000-a-month contract for a private jet rental, a cost that would have greatly exceeded his annual $450,000 annual travel budget. Chmielewski said he was ultimately able to stop the contract. Most popular: Husband Dismantled His Wife's Parachute Prior to 4,000 foot Jump, Prosecutors Say Pruitt, according to Chmielewski, designed his schedule around places he wanted to visit, and then would tell staff to justify the destination after the fact. The letter said he would give orders to “‘find me something to do [in those locations]’ to justify the use of taxpayer funds.” This would often involve flying to Pruitt’s home state of Oklahoma for long weekends, Chmielewski said. What's more, Chmielewski alleged, Pruitt would make staff book flights on Delta in order to get personal frequent flier miles using government funds. There are also numerous allegations about the EPA chief's hotel spending. Among them is the charge that Pruitt stayed in the nicest hotels, resulting not only in costs that exceeded the government’s per diem limit, but bills that exceeded the 300 percent per diem cap that was only allowed in “exceptional circumstances.” Pruitt is also accused of refusing to stay in Australian and Italian hotels that were recommended by the U.S. Embassy because of security concerns, instead demanding to stay at more expensive hotels that required even more taxpayer funds to pay for additional security. Pruitt is said to have punished his chief of staff for raising concerns about his travel costs by texting him that he was not allowed at meetings in which travel was planned. Pruitt did share some of the luxury with his staff, Chmielewski said, including flying top aide Samantha Dravis first class on a return flight from Morocco “even though there was no legal justification for her to do so.” This article was first written by Newsweek | |
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| 04-12-18 09:09pm - 2446 days | #417 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Is Donald Trump a member or former member of the PU site? Would he ask the PU staff, in the interests of national security, or personal loyalty, to destroy any records of his membership? Here is an example of Trump asking the FBI director to investigate if there are any "pee tape" copies. Trump gives the reason that he wants to reassure his wife, Melania. Which sounds like bullshit. What he really wanted, was to know if there were any copies, so that he could bury them away under a non-disclosure agreement. --------- --------- 5 hours ago Comey: Trump Asked Me to Investigate ‘Pee Tape’ Allegations REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst President Donald Trump asked James Comey to consider investigating the “pee tape” allegations in order to “reassure Melania” that they were untrue, the fired FBI director wrote in his new book, according to the New York Post. “He brought up what he called the ‘golden showers thing’…adding that it bothered him if there was ‘even a one percent chance’ his wife, Melania, thought it was true,” Comey wrote in A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, which is set to be released Tuesday. “He just rolled on, unprompted, explaining why it couldn’t possibly be true, ending by saying he was thinking of asking me to investigate the allegation to prove it was a lie. I said it was up to him.” The so-called "pee tape" was mentioned in the infamous Steele dossier, which claimed Trump had watched Russian prostitutes urinate in a Moscow hotel room in 2013. Comey said the conversation took place at the same dinner where Trump allegedly asked him for “loyalty” in January 2017. Comey wrote that he told the president that an investigation may “create a narrative that we were investigating him personally.” Trump replied that he “might be right,” but asked him to consider it anyway, according to the book. “In what kind of marriage, to what kind of man, does a spouse conclude there is only a 99 percent chance her husband didn’t do that?” Comey wrote. The Associated Press also reports that Comey claims in the book that Trump is “untethered to truth.” Comey’s interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos is due to air Sunday before the book's release. Read it at New York Post | |
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| 04-12-18 09:07pm - 2446 days | #416 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Ming the Merciless was always a big hero of mine. Plus, he had a fantastic looking daughter. | |
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| 04-12-18 04:19pm - 2446 days | #407 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I'd mainly agree with you. But I think it's more like Trump accusing a fired employee of faults Trump has in spades. Trump is just employing the Trump style of attacking people with lies. I doubt that Comey is as skilled as Trump in character assassination. So Comey is probably sticking closer to the truth. While Trump has a complete disregard for the truth. | |
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