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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Scandalous

The Atlantic: Scandalous Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - In debating whether collusion is a crime, Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani are successfully changing the subject from political misconduct to legalistic parsing. by David A. Graham
Even if Mueller does come back with evidence of major crimes, then what? He has reportedly told the White House he’ll abide by Justice Department guidance that says a sitting president can’t be charged with crimes. That means the fate of the probe will come back to Congress after all.

Italy Goes Off The Deep End

The Daily Beast: ‘Zero Tolerance’ Unleashes Murderous Violence in Italy—and Trump Thinks It’s Just Great - Attacks on people of color have multiplied dramatically since Steve Bannon favorite Matteo Salvini took over. On Monday his puppet prime minister basked in Trump’s approval. by Barbie Latza Nadeau

Trump World

NY Times: A Migrant Boy Rejoins His Mother, but He’s Not the Same - Parents reunited with young children are reporting mental health issues. One 5-year-old boy has started a new life with his mother in Philadelphia, but signs of trauma remain.
A 3-year-old boy who was separated from his mother has been pretending to handcuff and vaccinate people around him, behavior he almost certainly witnessed in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to those working with him. A pair of young siblings burst into tears when they spotted police officers on the street.

Most children who are experiencing problems so far display acute anxiety around routines that separate them briefly from their parents, such as when the adult bathes or goes into another room, said those who are monitoring these reports.

Panic

Salon: Panic on Team Trump: Is Robert Mueller closing in on criminal conspiracy charges? As Rudy Giuliani spins a story no one can follow and his boss melts down on Twitter, intriguing hints emerge by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Giuliani Insists Breaking The Law Not A Crime

The Onion: Giuliani Insists Breaking The Law Not A Crime

A Space Suit For Mars

Japanese Multiplication!

  Follow along, you will get the hang of it, it's very cool.

Read This

This is a must read.

The New York Review Of Books: Flynn, Comey, and Mueller: What Trump Knew and When He Knew It by Murray Waas
Previously undisclosed evidence in the possession of Special Counsel Robert Mueller—including highly confidential White House records and testimony by some of President Trump’s own top aides—provides some of the strongest evidence to date implicating the president of the United States in an obstruction of justice. Several people who have reviewed a portion of this evidence say that, based on what they know, they believe it is now all but inevitable that the special counsel will complete a confidential report presenting evidence that President Trump violated the law.

Have An Excellent Tuesday

installation in Oslo, Norway by Kristian Nygård in 2014





Morning Joe - Giuliani Debates Himself In Second Meeting Talk

Lawrence O'Donnell - Republicans Agree, Shutdown Is Bad For The GOP

The Real Deal

The Palmer Report: The real reason Rudy Giuliani is behaving like this by Bill Palmer

A Total Joke

Guardian UK: Trump turns against 'total joke' Koch brothers after North Dakota snub - Conservative billionaires won’t back Republican in Senate race - President: ‘I made them richer. Their network is overrated’
“The globalist Koch Brothers, who have become a total joke in real Republican circles, are against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade. I never sought their support because I don’t need their money or bad ideas. They love my Tax & Regulation Cuts, Judicial picks & more."

Kansas

Guardian UK: Kansas primary: a test for red state Democrats in the Trump era - The candidates are largely ideologically aligned and differ only slightly on policy, but represent the party’s competing impulses
Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district. But Patrick Miller, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said Yoder has reason to worry.

“This is one of those suburban, well-educated, affluent battlegrounds where the Republican brand is souring,” Miller said.

Kavanaugh

NY Times: Trump’s Supreme Betrayal By Paul Krugman
Kavanaugh is, to put it bluntly, an anti-worker radical, opposed to every effort to protect working families from fraud and mistreatment.

Another Huge Trump Tax Cut For The Fabulously Wealthy

NY Times: Trump Administration Mulls a Unilateral Tax Cut for the Rich
The Trump administration is considering bypassing Congress to grant a $100 billion tax cut mainly to the wealthy, a legally tenuous maneuver that would cut capital gains taxation and fulfill a long-held ambition of many investors and conservatives.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are +11 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

CNN: Apple results; Central bank actions; Earnings abound by Alanna Petroff

Monday, July 30, 2018

Rudy's Fake News

The Daily Beast: Giuliani Knows ‘Collusion’ Isn’t a Crime—But Conspiracy Is and Trump Looks Guiltier Today - The president can’t be charged with a crime that doesn’t exist, so no wonder Rudy keeps saying this. The crimes he can be charged with are very real though. by Elie Honig

Paranoid

Politico: Inside the Mind of Donald Trump - He’s grandiose, deceitful and paranoid—but don’t let him drive you crazy. By BANDY X. LEE and TONY SCHWARTZ
Given Trump’s volatility, incuriosity and severely limited attention span, his decisions are not significantly influenced by reflection or analytical reasoning. Because he cannot tolerate even the mildest criticism, he is largely immune to learning and growth. Instead, unable to regulate his emotions, he reacts angrily, and often with threats of revenge, to any challenge to his authority. Even success provides him with only momentary satisfaction.

We'll See

Salon: Tipping point for Donald Trump: Will his (alleged) crimes finally drive away his supporters? Donald Trump’s supporters will never admit they were wrong. But they may soon be too embarrassed to defend him by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - Minotaur Wondering If There More To Life Than Bashing In Heads Of Those Who Dare Wander Into Labyrinth

The Onion: Minotaur Wondering If There More To Life Than Bashing In Heads Of Those Who Dare Wander Into Labyrinth

Amazing Science Toys And Gadgets

'No Angels'

Samantha Fish

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Giorgio Morandi





Morning Joe - Trump Goes Back To Basics Ahead Of Midterms

Morning Joe - Fact-Checking Trump's Remarks On The Economy

The Hard Way

The Palmer Report: New York Times learns about Donald Trump the hard way by Bill Palmer

Why

Guardian UK: Why is Paul Manafort risking it all to face Mueller charges in court? The decision to take his chances at trial has startled observers, and raised question as to whom he might be protecting
Donald Trump’s former presidential campaign chairman will this week risk spending the rest of his life in prison, rather than help Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion with Russia.

He's Coming Back

Guardian UK: Donald Trump, 'worst politician ever', on path to re-election, Thomas Frank says - Political analyst says Trump could ‘blunder into re-election’ unless Democrats target working class disaffection

Bullet

NY Times: Michael Cohen Takes a Bullet - If Trump’s personal lawyer really puts family and country first, he could earn a sliver of redemption. By Charles M. Blow
For this, Trump world will seek to destroy him. Michael Cohen will indeed take that bullet, metaphorically speaking of course — not for Trump, but from him.

Shutdown Fever

NY Times: G.O.P. Faces Another Midterm Threat as Trump Plays the Shutdown Card
“I would be willing to ‘shut down’ government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. “Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!”

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +33 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: CBS board meets; Stock markets dip; Caterpillar earnings by Alanna Petroff

Friday, July 27, 2018

Weekend!

  Enjoy the weekend, see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Monet

One More Time


Stephen Colbert - Trump Whines 'This Never Happened To Obama'

The Shelters

ProPublica: Immigrant Youth Shelters: “If You’re a Predator, It’s a Gold Mine” - We obtained police reports and call logs from more than two-thirds of the shelters housing immigrant children. Here’s what they show. by Michael Grabell and Topher Sanders

It Already Is Ugly

The Daily Beast: ‘Dead to Each Other’: Team Trump Prepares to ‘Bury’ Michael Cohen, ‘Weakling’ and ‘Traitor’ - This could get ugly. by Betsy Woodruff and Asawin Suebsaeng

Resist GOP Resist

Salon: Republican resistance to Trump growing, from Helsinki to the heartland: Will it make any difference? The blowback to Trump’s bluster begins to snowball. Is the Republican rebellion real this time? by Sophia Tesfaye

The Onion - House Conservatives Introduce Resolution To Impale Rod Rosenstein

The Onion: House Conservatives Introduce Resolution To Impale Rod Rosenstein

Progress

Scientific American: Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Significantly Slowed Patients’ Cognitive Decline - The surprising results have buoyed hopes for treatment By Damian Garde
After 18 months, patients who got the drug, called BAN2401, performed 30 percent better on a cognitive test than those getting placebo.

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Martin Johnson Heade 1819 - 1904




Lawrence O'Donnell - Cohen Prepared To Assert To Mueller Trump Knew

Morning Joe - What Does Cohen Stand To Gain From New Revelation?

Meltdown

The Palmer Report: Rudy Giuliani has midnight meltdown after Donald Trump’s treason with Russia is exposed by Bill Palmer

'The Rat'

Guardian UK: A secret tape, a rightwing backlash: is Michael Cohen about to flip on Trump? Judging by the change of tone in rightwing media about Trump’s former aide – where he has been branded ‘The Rat’ – the White House seems to think Cohen will strike a deal with prosecutors

Now, The Denials

Guardian UK: Donald Trump denies knowing of Russia meeting and attacks Michael Cohen - President issues volley of tweets after explosive CNN report - Trump attacks former lawyer’s use of Clinton-linked counsel

GDP

NY Times: G.D.P. Grew at 4.1% Rate in U.S. in Latest Quarter. Here’s What That Means. By Ben Casselman

Reunite

NY Times: Federal Authorities Say They Have Met Deadline to Reunite Migrant Families
“The only deadline they are meeting is the one they have set for themselves,” said Lee Gelernt, lead counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a federal lawsuit challenging the family separations. “The government should not be getting applause for cleaning up their own mess, but moreover, they’re still not meeting the deadline for all the families.”

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 9:10 a.m. ET DOW futures are +8 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

CNN: Big GDP report; Amazon delivers; Chipotle surges by Alanna Petroff

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Now We're Talking

HuffPo: Michael Cohen Says Trump Knew About Trump Tower Meeting With Russians In Advance: CNN

Because Putin Owns Trump

NBC News: Foreign Affairs chair says Trump is ignoring sanctions on Russia for former spy poisoning - Rep. Ed Royce is asking the president for new sanctions on Russia for attack in Britain. by Josh Lederman
The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is chastising President Donald Trump for ignoring a deadline to decide whether Russia should face sanctions for the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a military-grade nerve agent.

Twittler

QZ: Robert Mueller is investigating Trump’s Twitter. These 22 tweets might raise an eyebrow

Doomed

The Atlantic: The Doomed Republican Attempt to Impeach Rod Rosenstein - A push by House conservatives to remove the deputy attorney general is thin on substance and futile in practice. by David A. Graham

Dana Rohrabacher

ABC News: From Russia to Bistro Bis: The Calif. congressman who dined with alleged Russian agent By Ali Dukakis

License

The Daily Beast: They Want Trump’s Liquor License Yanked—and They Just Might Win - Seven District of Columbia residents noticed that D.C. law says you have to be ‘of good character’ to have a liquor license. They want Trump’s taken away. And they might succeed. by Liz Mair

The Tapes

Salon: Is Donald Trump in deep legal trouble over the Michael Cohen tapes? Let’s ask John Edwards - Edwards’ career was destroyed by a case less blatantly illegal than this. Trump is clearly feeling the heat by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Trump Vindicated After Rest Of Leaked Recording Reveals Him Urging Racial Reconciliation, Calling For Interfaith Dialogue, Condemning Gender Inequality

The Onion: Trump Vindicated After Rest Of Leaked Recording Reveals Him Urging Racial Reconciliation, Calling For Interfaith Dialogue, Condemning Gender Inequality

Car Emissions

Scientific American: Plan to Weaken Car Emissions Rules Could Reopen Key Climate Case - The Supreme Court previously ruled the EPA had authority to regulate greenhouse gases By Anne C. Mulkern

Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Yuko Shimizu




Lawrence O'Donnell - More Cohen Tapes Coming? Michael Cohen 'Kicks Back' At Trump

Rachel Maddow - NRA Quiet On Alleged Role As Russian Conduit In Butina Charges

Scorched

The Palmer Report: Michael Cohen goes scorched earth against Donald Trump by Bill Palmer

Bernie In Kansas

Guardian UK: They thought this was Trump country. Hell no - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders visited Wichita, Kansas, to woo progressives in support of congressional candidate James Thompson. Is the red state ready to turn blue? by Sarah Smarsh in Wichita, Kansas

Of Course

Guardian UK: Maria Butina: ties emerge between NRA, alleged spy and Russian billionaire - Senior NRA figures met with the wife of Konstantin Nikolaev, who allegedly gave financial support to Butina

Clueless In The White House

NY Times: Trump Has No Idea What His Tariffs Have Unleashed for Farmers - His trade war will hurt business at a time when the rural population is aging, and it will probably hollow out farm communities. By Robert Leonard - Mr. Leonard is the news director for the radio stations KNIA and KRLS.
The president is here to trumpet a $12 billion plan to aid American farmers. Why do they need aid? For Iowans, it’s because 33 percent of our economy is tied, directly or indirectly, to agriculture, and Mr. Trump recklessly opened trade wars that will hit “Trump country” — rural America — hardest and that have already brought an avalanche of losses. Indeed, the impact of his tariffs will probably be felt by family farms and the area for generations.

Liar

NY Times: What Doesn’t Kill Him Makes Him Stronger - The more Trump lies, the more he is empowered to lie. By Charles M. Blow
Facts don’t matter to millions of Americans anymore. That is just the truth. Republicans bewitched by Donald Trump have devalued the import of truth.

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +64 and the price of oil per barrel is slightly down. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: Facebook reeling; Trade relief; China blocks Qualcomm by Alanna Petroff

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Black

Black wolf - photo by Bjorn Reibert

One Can Hope

The Daily Beast: Michael Cohen’s Tape Sounds Like He Could Bring Down Trump - The president could be liable for conspiracy based on what he discussed with his fixer. It’s a lot like mafia cases we’ve prosecuted. by Miriam Rocah and Elie Honig

The Onion - Michael Cohen Promises More Damaging Recordings Of Trump Already Public

The Onion: Michael Cohen Promises More Damaging Recordings Of Trump Already Public

The Unreality Campaign

Salon: Donald Trump’s unreality campaign in overdrive: If Democrats win in November — it’s the Russians! Trump to followers: “What you’re seeing … is not what’s happening.” Will he claim “blue wave” is a Russian hoax? by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - ‘Who Sent You Here,’ Whispers Woman To Big Tray Of Cheese Danishes Confronting Her In Break Room

The Onion: ‘Who Sent You Here,’ Whispers Woman To Big Tray Of Cheese Danishes Confronting Her In Break Room

Savant

Scientific American: Brain Gain: A Person Can Instantly Blossom into a Savant--and No One Knows Why - Some people suddenly become accomplished artists or musicians with no previous interest or training. Is it possible innate genius lies dormant within everyone? By Darold A. Treffert

Under The Surface

Scientific American: Deep within Mars, Liquid Water Offers Hope for Life - Radar observations have revealed what appears to be a buried lake on Mars, the first-ever stable reservoir of liquid water found on the Red Planet By Lee Billings
If confirmed, this would be the first-known reservoir of liquid water on present-day Mars—a keystone in the search for past or even present life on the Red Planet, potentially offering fresh clues about how Earth’s neighbor so profoundly transformed billions of years ago from a warmer, wetter world to its current freeze-dried state.

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Milton Avery




Lawrence O'Donnell - Avenatti - Where Are The Rest Of The Tapes?

Rachel Maddow - Trump White House Cuts Putin Support For Trump Out Of Transcript

Morning Joe - Does Cohen Tape Show Trump Knew What Was Going On?

Fatal - One Can Only Hope

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump’s fatal mistake

Protest

Guardian UK: Swedish student's dramatic plane protest stops man's deportation 'to hell' - Elin Ersson refused to take her seat on flight at Gothenburg airport until man being sent to Afghanistan was removed

The Tape, Another look

Guardian UK: Cohen tape: Trump heard discussing buying rights to Playboy model's story - Lawyer for Cohen says audio, given to CNN, shows client tried to handle payment legally while Trump wanted to pay in cash

Thin Skinned Baby

NY Times: Spotting CNN on a TV Aboard Air Force One, Trump Rages Against Reality
Melania Trump’s television aboard Air Force One was tuned to CNN. President Trump was not pleased.

He raged at his staff for violating a rule that the White House entourage should begin each trip tuned to Fox — his preferred network over what he considers the “fake news” CNN — and caused “a bit of a stir” aboard Air Force One, according to an email obtained by The New York Times.

The Tape

NY Times: Cohen Releases Tape of Trump, Inflaming Feud
...Mr. Trump appears to have knowledge about hush money payments to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are -70 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Trump meets EU; Facebook earnings; Fiat Chrysler update by Ivana Kottasová

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Conspire

  The Cohen tape released tonight proves one very damning thing. As Trump suggests to Cohen to pay off McDougal with cash causing the exclamation of no no no from Cohen, we learn that Trump is quite willing to conspire with someone to commit a crime.

'Essence'

Lucinda Williams

Cirrhosis

NY Times: More Americans Are Dying of Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer - Death rates from both diseases have risen sharply, particularly among young adults over the last decade. A possible villain: the Great Recession. By Nicholas Bakalar

Approved

Quinnipiac Poll: HALF OF U.S. VOTERS SAY RUSSIANS HAVE SOMETHING ON TRUMP, BUT VOTERS SAY BOTH SIDES AT FAULT FOR BAD RELATIONS
American voters give President Trump a negative 38 – 58 percent job approval rating, compared to a negative 43 – 52 percent rating in a June 20 Quinnipiac University Poll after the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The president’s only clear support among listed groups is from Republicans, who approve 82 – 15 percent, and white evangelical Christians, who approve 71 – 26 percent.

Pointedly Confusing

Salon: Donald Trump’s latest conspiracy theory is impossible to follow: That’s the point - Most Fox News viewers couldn’t explain Trump’s Carter Page conspiracy theory on a bet. Maybe that’s the idea by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - Trump Warns Iran That U.S. Won’t Tolerate Widespread Suffering In Any Country Besides America

The Onion: Trump Warns Iran That U.S. Won’t Tolerate Widespread Suffering In Any Country Besides America

Smarter

NY Times: A Smarter Way to Think About Financial Decisions - It’s as simple as reframing how you think about your money.

Crying Wolf

The Daily News: Donald Trump, the Boy President Who Cried Wolf - Two years ago, that deranged Iran tweet would have shocked. Now, it’s like, sure, buddy, whatever. This may sound like progress, but it’s not. by Matt Lewis

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Jeanne Mammen 1890 - 1976




Lawrence O'Donnell - Trump's Iran Threat Shows ‘Panic’

Rachel Maddow - Bad News For Manafort Seen In Naming Of New Witnesses

The Endgame

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump’s spectacularly stupid endgame by Bill Palmer

The Old Fetus Grift

Guardian UK: Trump lawyer uses administration actions to fundraise for his own group - Jay Sekulow, whose activist group has directed millions to his family, has telemarketers cite Planned Parenthood ‘investigation’
One of Donald Trump’s lawyers is using the Trump administration’s scrutiny of Planned Parenthood to raise money for his conservative activist group, which has directed millions of dollars to his law firm and his family.

Jay Sekulow, a personal attorney to the president, has contracted telemarketers to collect money from the public for his not-for-profit organisation using a script that highlights the justice department’s examination of foetal tissue transfers by groups including the women’s clinic network.

Petty

NY Times: Trump’s New Target in the Politics of Fear: Citizenship - The president has embraced McCarthy-era scare tactics. We may need a constitutional amendment to guarantee that citizenship can’t be revoked. By John Ganz

Hardly Clear

NY Times: Trump’s Twitter Threat vs. Iran: Loud but Hardly Clear
President Trump’s vituperative tweet against Iran late on Sunday showed his determination to use the same approach that he took to engineer a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea. But Mr. Trump’s top advisers are far more united in their hostility to engaging with Iran, and Iran is far less likely to bend to such pressure.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:18 a.m. ET DOW futures are +127 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised significantly higher.

CNN: Earnings on tap; Google powers ahead; PSA surge by Alanna Petroff

Monday, July 23, 2018

GOP Rep. Jason Spencer

  Please watch the clip, it is a riot and, you will cringe.

The Daily Beast: GOP Rep. Jason Spencer Rejects Calls to ‘Resign Immediately’ Following Sacha Baron Cohen Prank - The Georgia lawmaker who shouted the ‘N-word’ in Sunday night’s episode of ‘Who Is America?’ remains determined to finish out his term. by Matt Wilstein

Cracking Up

The Palmer Report: As the pressure mounts, Donald Trump and his Trump-Russia pals are completely cracking up by Bill Palmer

'10 Types Of Hugs And What They Really Mean'

Carter Page - FISA

Salon: Carter Page and the FISA conspiracy theory: Trump’s back to claiming it’s all a “hoax” - Release of the FISA documents undercuts the “deep state” theory — but not for Trump or his Twitter followers by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Every Driver In Roundabout Just Winging It

The Onion: Every Driver In Roundabout Just Winging It

Autism Study

Scientific American: Study Ties Autism to Maternal High Blood Pressure, Diabetes - Children born to women who had diabetes or high blood pressure while pregnant are at an increased risk of autism, two new studies suggest By Nicholette Zeliadt

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Ann Hoi


Morning Joe - Trump biographer Tony Schwartz - Trump Lies

Morning Joe - Trump's Iran Threats Won't Get Us Anywhere

'Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen'

Louis Armstrong

'Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen'

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump reveals just how much Trump-Russia trouble he’s in by Bill Palmer

Cannabis Beer

Guardian UK: 'It hits you very quickly': Canada brews first cannabis beer - Entrepreneurs across the country are racing to capitalise on drug’s legalisation
“That’s not what we do. Our beer is brewed from the stalks, stem and roots of the cannabis plant.”

Carter Page

Guardian UK: Trump-Russia: FBI believed Carter Page 'collaborated and conspired' with Moscow - Former Trump adviser denies being ‘agent of foreign power’ - President accuses own government of serious malpractice

Suffer

Guardian UK: Trump says Iran will 'suffer consequences' after speech by president Rouhani - US president issues late-night tweet in capital letters, saying Iran must ‘never, ever threaten the United States again’
NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN”.

The message continued: “WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”

Nunes Caught In His Lies

NY Times: How a Trump Decision Revealed a G.O.P. Memo’s Shaky Foundation
The records again cast an unflattering light on Representative Devin Nunes, the committee’s chairman, who led the attack on the F.B.I. surveillance, though he admitted in February that he had not read the application documents. Mr. Nunes has taken repeated steps to try to bolster Mr. Trump and undercut the Russia investigation.

Endangered No More

NY Times: Lawmakers, Lobbyists and the Administration Join Forces to Overhaul the Endangered Species Act
The myriad proposals reflect a wish list assembled over decades by oil and gas companies, libertarians and ranchers in Western states, who have long sought to overhaul the law, arguing that it represents a costly incursion of federal regulations on their land and livelihoods. Until now, those efforts have largely failed, even during periods when Republicans controlled both the White House and Congress.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 9:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are -1 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open slightly lower.

CNN: Earnings bonanza; Shock at Fiat Chrysler; Ryanair struggles by Alanna Petroff

Friday, July 20, 2018

Weekend!

  Enjoy the weekend, see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Monet

Trump's Dividend

Bloomberg: China Buys Record Amount of Russian Soy as It Shuns U.S. Growers By Anatoly Medetsky

The Hack

MSNBC: Hacked Rep. Ashford: ‘Why Was There No Call to Action’ from DCCC? by Martin Rather

3-D

CNN: Americans can legally download 3-D printed guns starting next month By David Williams

Nunes

Another GOP grifter

McClatchyDC: Nunes used political dollars for $15K in Celtics tickets, winery tours and Vegas trips By Kate Irby

The Borowitz Report - Leaders Of ISIS And Al Qaeda Puzzled Why Trump Has Not Invited Them To White House

New Yorker: Leaders of ISIS and Al Qaeda Puzzled Why Trump Has Not Invited Them to White House

The Visit

Salon: Team Trump in chaos: Helsinki wasn’t enough — now Vladimir Putin’s coming to the White House - Dan Coats and Christopher Wray both hint they may quit, Senate rebukes Trump — and now Putin plans a fall visit by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Scientists Theorize What Earliest Dinosaur Researchers May Have Looked Like

The Onion: Scientists Theorize What Earliest Dinosaur Researchers May Have Looked Like

Hehe

NY Times: Michael Cohen Secretly Taped Trump Discussing Payment to Playboy Model
President Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, secretly recorded a conversation with Mr. Trump two months before the presidential election in which they discussed payments to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump, according to lawyers and others familiar with the recording.

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Edward Hopper 1882 - 1967




Rachel Maddow - Sally Yates

Morning Joe - Joe Scarborough Says GOP Should Be Repulsed By Helsinki Remarks

Flake

The Palmer Report: Jeff Flake might finally be doing something useful to help stop Donald Trump by Bill Palmer

The Invitation

Guardian UK: Trump's invitation to Putin draws rebukes from Democrats and his intelligence chief - Director of national intelligence Dan Coats said he would ‘look for a different way’ when asked if another meeting was a good idea

Kasich

Guardian UK: Interview - ‘It’s pretty lonely out here’: why John Kasich is willing to criticize Trump by Ben Jacobs in Colombus, Ohio - The Ohio governor discusses being a prominent critic within the Republican party and the patterns he sees as midterms approach

Marina Gross

NY Times: Who Heard What Trump Said to Putin? Only One Other American

Mississippi

NY Times: What It Takes to Get an Abortion in the Most Restrictive State in the U.S. By AUDREY CARLSEN, ASH NGU and SARA SIMON

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are -126 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Trump vs. the Fed; GE earnings; Skechers slump by Alanna Petroff

Thursday, July 19, 2018

The Alarm Bells Are Screaming

NY Times: Trump Is Being Manipulated by Putin. What Should We Do? Lawmakers must keep the American people informed of the current danger, writes a Republican congressman from Texas. By Will Hurd - Mr. Hurd, a former C.I.A. officer, is a congressman from the 23rd District of Texas.
The president’s failure to defend the United States intelligence community’s unanimous conclusions of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and condemn Russian covert counterinfluence campaigns and his standing idle on the world stage while a Russian dictator spouted lies confused many but should concern all Americans. By playing into Vladimir Putin’s hands, the leader of the free world actively participated in a Russian disinformation campaign that legitimized Russian denial and weakened the credibility of the United States to both our friends and foes abroad.

Faster

NY Times: Nike Says Its $250 Running Shoes Will Make You - Run Much Faster. What if That’s Actually True? By KEVIN QUEALY and JOSH KATZ

Disapprove

CBS: CBS News poll: Most Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of Putin summit By Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Kabir Khanna
Only a third of Americans (32 percent) approve of the way Donald Trump handled his summit in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a CBS News poll shows. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans approve.

Contain

The Atlantic: The White House Can't Contain the Russia Story - President Trump’s communications shop has little control over his message on a normal day, let alone in a news-heavy week like this one. by Rosie Gray

Deadbeat

Chicago Tribune: Trump misses property tax deadline on Chicago tower, four other properties

Shaken

Salon: Republicans are shaken after Helsinki — but still fear the wrath of Trump’s voters - Many Republicans still think they can win with “witch hunt” hysteria — and maybe with a little help from Moscow by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Mueller Reveals Russia Investigation Just Elaborate Sting To Nail Clinton Child Sex-Slavery Ring

The Onion: Mueller Reveals Russia Investigation Just Elaborate Sting To Nail Clinton Child Sex-Slavery Ring

Boy Toy

The Daily Beast: Accused Russian Spy’s Boy Toy Is a Serial Fraud: Lawsuits - Long before Paul Erickson was introducing a bogus Russian ‘gun-rights activist’ around Washington, he was peddling bogus investments, angry former business partners said in court. by Adam Rawnsley

Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Shizu Okino

Morning Joe - Amb. Michael McFaul Reacts To The WH And Russia's Request

Rachel Maddow - Trump Admin Waffles On Standing Up For Americans Against Putin

Nonsense Gets The Boot

Guardian UK: California court kills billionaire's plan to divide state in three - A measure that would have split the state into separate parts will no longer appear on the ballot

Putin's Puppet

Guardian UK: Trump now claims he was 'very strong' with Putin on election meddling - After clashing statements on who was responsible, president claims he told Russian leader: ‘We can’t have this’

Treason

NY Times: Trump Says He Laid Down the Law in His Latest Account of His Meeting With Putin

Negative

NY Times: Trump’s Negative Space By Carmel McCoubrey
For all we know, the president may have just invented a new grammatical form: the triple negative.

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. At 9:10 a.m. ET DOW futures are -81 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Big earnings day; Dollar strength; eBay drops by Alanna Petroff

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Trump Knew And Lied

NY Times: From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered
Two weeks before his inauguration, Donald J. Trump was shown highly classified intelligence indicating that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had personally ordered complex cyberattacks to sway the 2016 American election.

The Door Is Open

Reuters: New York governor opens door to criminal case against Trump Foundation

Spy

Business Insider: National security experts warn Trump is behaving more and more like a 'controlled spy'

Funny Stuff - Paper Is Not Dead

Jim On Spotify

  Follow me and listen to my music work for free on Spotify.

The Unwinding

New Yorker: The Unwinding of Donald Trump By David Remnick
Trump’s penchant for bald deception and incoherence is not an aberration. It is his daily practice. The vague sense of torpor and gloom that so many Americans have shouldered these past two years derives precisely from the constancy of Trump’s galling statements and actions.

Jordan

MSN: Rep. Jim Jordan reportedly named in new Ohio State lawsuit by Eric Garcia

You Got It

The Daily Beast: Fox News Host: Trump ‘Sounds Insane’ on Latest Russian Meddling Denial - The president left a normally supportive Fox News host baffled after saying Russia is not still trying to interfere with U.S. elections. by Matt Wilstein

Stop


WTF?

Salon: President Donald Trump contradicts nation’s top spy, claims Russia is not targeting the US - Less than 24 hours after affirming he had “full faith” in U.S. intelligence, Trump contradicts top spy’s findings by Joseph Neese

The Onion - World Wonders What Trump Has On United States That’s Forcing Nation To Keep Him In Power

The Onion: World Wonders What Trump Has On United States That’s Forcing Nation To Keep Him In Power

NGC 1052-DF2

Scientific American: Oddball Galaxy Puts Dark Matter Theory to the Test - Critical responses have broadsided a study claiming the discovery of a galaxy missing evidence of invisible mass By Ramin Skibba

Seth Meyers - Trump's Summit With Putin

From July 16th

Stephen Colbert - Trump Walks Back His 'Would' For A 'Wouldn't'

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Horace Pippin 1888 - 1946




Lawrence O'Donnell - Could Trump’s Tax Returns Explain Helsinki Performance?

Rachel Maddow - Congress Begins To Shape Plan For Protecting US From Trump Crisis

Michael Avenatti Protests Trump At The White House July 17th

Rohrabacher

The Palmer Report: Dana Rohrabacher is officially screwed – and other Republicans in Congress are going down with him by Bill Palmer

Russian Spy

Guardian UK: How Maria Butina, accused Russian spy, worked her way into top US circles - Criminal charges open new front in bid to counter Russian disruption and suggest American associates of Butina, 29, may be under threat

Trump Is Deranged

Guardian UK: Summit critics have Trump derangement syndrome – says Trump - US president hits out at comments about his relationship with Putin

Resign

NY Times: Trump and Russia: One Mystery, Three Theories - An agnostic's guide to our president’s strange conduct. By Ross Douthat
...collusion wasn’t just something Trump’s team stumbled into during the campaign but something connected to a much longer-running Russian intelligence operation, and that Trump’s relationship to the Russian state is not just a personal or ideological affinity or a campaign-season alliance but a partnership forged through blackmail or bribery or both.

Please Resign

NY Times: A Besieged Trump Says He Misspoke on Russian Election Meddling
Under unrelenting pressure from congressional Republicans, his own advisers and his allies on Fox News, President Trump abruptly reversed course on Tuesday and claimed he had misspoken during a news conference with President Vladimir V. Putin about whether Russia tried to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. At 9:10 a.m. ET DOW futures are +6 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

CNN: Google's punishment; Elon Musk apologizes; Morgan Stanley earnings by Alanna Petroff

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Legitimacy

The Atlantic: Trump’s Crisis of Legitimacy - The president understands the stakes of the Russia story more clearly than most of his followers. by David Frum

The DNC Server

Politico: What Mueller Knows About the DNC Hack—And Trump Doesn’t - The president’s bizarre obsession with “the DNC server” defies logic or even a basic understanding of what actually happened. By THOMAS RID

Truth Be Told


Oops

  All you gotta do is say praise the lord and all is fine.

NY Times: Trump Now Says He Accepts U.S. Intelligence Reports on Russian Election Meddling
President Trump said on Tuesday that he had misspoken a day earlier in Helsinki, Finland, when he appeared to take the word of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia over the conclusion of his own intelligence agencies on Russian election meddling in 2016. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he “accepts” those findings.

The Onion - Supporters Praise Trump For Upholding Traditional American Value Of Supporting Murderous Dictators For Political Gain

The Onion: Supporters Praise Trump For Upholding Traditional American Value Of Supporting Murderous Dictators For Political Gain

Embarrassed

Axios: Trump officials embarrassed by Putin show

A Standard Disgrace

The Weekly Standard: Editorial: A Punishable Disgrace by The Editors
His words on Monday encouraged the nation’s enemies, insulted its intelligence officers, made the president himself look like a fool, and thus brought disgrace on the presidency.

Puppet

Salon: America’s day of shame: Donald Trump acts as Putin’s puppet. Will Republicans do anything? Political and media class erupts at President Trump after spectacle of shame in Helsinki. But will anything change? by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - GOP Leaders Move Goalposts On Opposing Trump To Him Being Filmed Masturbating On U.S. Flag In Arlington Cemetery

The Onion: GOP Leaders Move Goalposts On Opposing Trump To Him Being Filmed Masturbating On U.S. Flag In Arlington Cemetery

The Fall

NY Times: Fall of the American Empire By Paul Krugman

Stephen Colbert - How Republican Lawmakers Responded To Trump’s Russian Meddling Denial

Treason


What They Said

NY Times: How Republican Lawmakers Responded to Trump’s Russian Meddling Denial

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Manuel Pailos





Lawrence O'Donnell - Putin Made A Big Mistake In His Presser With Trump

Morning Joe - Yesterday, Trump Showed Cowardice On The World Stage