The Political Thread

Sept 25, 2018 9:53:52 GMT -5 michcusejoe5 said:

Sept 25, 2018 9:43:59 GMT -5 chuckthblade said:

Well, the women themselves are certainly credible witnesses. Only three people were in the room- Kav, Judge and Ford. I Guess you are saying that Kav and Judge were never there and Ford is hallucinating. Why is she so uncredible to you? Chua denied grooming applicants as anyone would who would want to keep their job while other students confirmed what others have said to the contrary. Kav’s roommate has just gone on the record saying that he was frequently drunk and when so was abusive and mean. That behavior certainly fits the mold on a lot of levels. Every day new revelations unwind this farce which is precisely why the opposition is desperate to get the vote done and delivered. I agree with you about Avenatti, but that’s not why Kav made the totally berserk statement regarding his virginity. He comes off as an almost pathetic wimp looking for sympathy from the enabler’s 35% base. BTW, what do you mean infanticide? Are you referring to a woman’s right of control over her own human body?
Do you realise that nearly 70% of the public agree with Roe v Wade? Your solution is to leave that decision in the hands of some old white guys who are out of touch with the realities of women’s absolute refusal to go back to the Stone Age of coat hanger procedures? Dream on, mich. The days of white privelage and control are swirling down the drain. I’ll repeat what seems obvious. Investigate the case, subpoena if necessary and let the whole truth come into play. The embarrassment that you refer to is your incessant defense of a clearly deeply flawed man with quite frankly some manhood issues lurking around his psyche. Kind of reminds me of another guy who clearly Kav looks to as a role model. That explains a lot.

Like I said, discourse is impossible with a person operating in bad faith. You are willfully ignoring facts, many many many have been presented here and everything you have tried to throw out has not stuck for a reason therefore you have to pivot to other talking points, and are willing to destroy a man's personal and professional life by brandishing him a rapist for the remainder of his days despite a complete lack of evidence. This is a repulsive thing to do and anyone who engages such practice is astoundingly immoral. Lets be honest, there could be a full investigation that comes up with nothing and people like you would never change your tune...this is exactly why you still refer to Clarence Thomas as a sexual predator like you did in your original post.

Also, please keep pretending you are some kind of independent moderate as if it lends you some kind of extra credibility, despite the fact that you hit Leftist Bingo with every post you make.

Michcusejoe5: Must be terrifying to see your Belief System (Dark Age Beliefs = GOP) crumbling in front of your eyes = All the Lies, all the Corruption, all Ethics Violations, all the Sexual Accusations, etc. etc. etc. AND SO MUCH MORE...

You LOVE to say the Women have No Evidence; tell me, "What Evidence Do You Have That This Nominee Is Not Guilty" Just as I thought = NONE.

You should save your time & effort and go out & PLAY GOLF. 

You & others like you are Out-Of-YOUR-League here when it comes to protecting this nominee without any evidence.

Why aren't you screaming for a MORE in-depth FBI Investigation; that could potentially clear your Judge?

AH, that's right, I remember now, if folks that are interviewed LIE to the FBI = A FEDERAL CRIME.

I know how you feel for I used to BELIEVE that 'The Chocolate Easter Bunny' had something to do with Jesus's Death on the Cross. However, my Father beat that stupid idea out of my head...so, I know what you are going thru.

WE do not HATE Donald...WE just want to "MAKE AMERICA SANE AGAIN'; where the TRUTH, FACTS & REALITY mean just that...

IT ONLY GETS WORST FOR YOUR KIND (see below--everyday something new, more disgusting, corrupt, etc. etc. etc.):

--09-24-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/avenatti-promises-new-kavanaugh-accuser-to-come-forward-in-next-48-hours/ar-AAABd5w?li=BBnb7Kz

Michael Avenatti said Monday night that he has new information regarding allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Avenatti — the lawyer also representing adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is suing President Donald Trump — said on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" that he has multiple clients and "at least one" is prepared to come forward publicly within the next 48 hours.

He did not provide any evidence for his claims, which he is making as Kavanaugh faces a confirmation vote in the Senate.

"At this point, Chris, it's clients. We're going to make a public disclosure within the next 48 hours of detailed allegations, as well as the identity of at least one of my clients relating to what she witnessed and experienced concerning Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge, and ultimately we're going to let the American public decide who's telling the truth," Avenatti told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Avenatti had previously alluded to representing an additional accuser who would be coming forward soon. In an interview with Fox News earlier Monday, Kavanaugh vehemently denied allegations Avenatti alluded to on Twitter.

"That's totally false and outrageous," he said. "I have never done any such thing, known about any such thing. When I was in high school, and I went to an all-boys Catholic high school where I was focused on academics and athletics and going to church every Sunday at Little Flower and working on my service projects and friendships."

Despite Republican efforts to keep Kavanaugh's confirmation on track, the process continues to be a slog following accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate sexual behavior from two women who have come forward on the record.

In the first alleged instance, the accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while the two were at a party during their high school years. She said Kavanaugh classmate Mark Judge was in the room when the alleged assault happened. Judge has denied the allegation.

The second alleged incident took place while Kavanaugh and that accuser, Deborah Ramirez, were attending Yale. Ramirez claimed Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a college party.


--09-23-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/minnesota-legislator-quits-race-after-daughter-says-he-molested-her/ar-AAAudf8?li=BBnbfc   ANOTHER GOP GETS  CAUGHT IN A SEXUAL SITUATION…  
A Minnesota state representative has ended his reelection campaign after his daughter alleged that the Republican lawmaker touched her inappropriately for more than 10 years, beginning when she was 9.

In a statement Friday, Jim Knoblach, of St. Cloud, Minn., denied the accusations but said he was ending his campaign because he was “not willing to spend six weeks fighting with my daughter in the media.”

“I love my children more than anything, and would never do anything to hurt them,” Knoblach’s statement read. “Her allegations are false.”

Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post

Knoblach’s announcement came as Minnesota Public Radio News prepared to publish a lengthy report that detailed the allegations against the eight-term state representative and included interviews with his daughter, Laura Knoblach, who shared extensive documentation with the station.

In that account, Laura Knoblach, who is now 23, said the abuse began when she was 9 years old and her father entered her room after she had gone to bed, got in and laid down behind her.

She told the station that Knoblach routinely kissed her arms and neck and bit her ears. On dozens of occasions, she said, he approached her from behind while they were together in the kitchen and pressed his body against hers, pinning her against the refrigerator or dishwasher.

“He would put his arm around me and not let me get up or get away and he would lick my neck or bite my ear,” she said in her interview with the radio station.

When Laura Knoblach was 15, she said, her father once pinned her down and asked if she liked the way he was touching her. She was afraid, she told the station, and felt as though she didn’t have a choice, so she said yes.


AND MORE ON DONALD, HIS LIES, HIS INCOMPETENCY; HIS CARTEL OF CORRUPTION AND RELATED ARTICLES:


Under pressure, he LIES even more.

After Labor Day, Donald’s Lies have been on a Super Speed Rail. The other day, he LIED 120 times in JUST 125 minutes.

The Problem is this…

What if Donald comes on ALL Media Channels and says, “ We found a North Korea Freighter just outside of our National Waters…are satellites picked-up, that they were arming missiles to launch to our West Coast Cities or further. We sank the freighter and have Declared War on North Korea…”

The question would be for ALL of us: “Is Donald telling the truth or this is just lie that will get us into a Major Bloody War that might drag China & Russia into this mess?”

Do you understand the problem?

--09-12-18 Donald even lies, about Disasters: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-disputes-puerto-rico-storm-death-toll-blames-democrats/ar-BBNgWK8?li=BBnb7Kz  
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday disputed Puerto Rico's official death toll of 3,000 from last year's Hurricane Maria, bristling at criticism of his administration's handling of that disaster as another hurricane barreled toward the Southeast.

The Republican president went on to accuse Democrats of inflating the death toll to make him look bad, without providing evidence.

Puerto Rico’s official death toll from Hurricane Maria, the most powerful storm to hit the Caribbean island in almost a century, was raised last month from 64, a number widely discounted as far too low, to nearly 3,000, based on a study ordered by the governor of the U.S. territory.

In a tweet, Trump said 3,000 people did not die in the storms.

"When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000," Trump wrote on Twitter.

The tweets drew the ire of Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan who has sharply criticized both the president and his administration's response to the storm last year that devastated the U.S. territory.

"This is what denial following neglect looks like: Mr Pres in the real world people died on your watch. YOUR LACK OF RESPECT IS APPALLING!" she wrote on Twitter.

The Puerto Rico report found that an estimated 2,975 deaths could be attributed directly or indirectly to Maria from the time it struck in September 2017 to mid-February of this year.

--AND 09-14-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-creates-political-storm-with-false-claim-on-puerto-rico-hurricane-death-toll/ar-BBNiCfh?li=BBnb7Kz  
As Hurricane Florence churned toward the Carolinas, President Trump on Thursday diverted attention from the government’s preparations for the monster storm to his personal grievances over last year’s Hurricane Maria by falsely claiming a conspiracy to inflate the death toll in Puerto Rico.

Trump drew immediate rebukes from Democrats as well as some Republicans for denying a sweeping study, which was accepted by Puerto Rican authorities, estimating that there were 2,975 “excess deaths” on the island in the six months after ­Maria made landfall. Providing no evidence, Trump incorrectly alleged that Democrats raised the death toll “in order to make me look as bad as possible.”

The Trump administration came under sharp criticism for its recovery efforts after Maria, which devastated the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico in September 2017, despite the president’s insistence this week that his handling of Maria was an “incredible, unsung success.”

With his Thursday statements, Trump sought to minimize the deaths of thousands of American citizens while appearing to shirk responsibility for the government’s performance in responding to natural disasters. He also sought refuge as he habitually does in conspiracy theories, claiming that a hidden hand was at work to sabotage him.

In so doing, Trump exposed political vulnerabilities for his party eight weeks before the midterm elections — particularly in Florida, where Puerto Rican immigrants make up a prized voting bloc. Republican candidates in the state’s hotly contested gubernatorial and Senate races distanced themselves from his comments.

“I disagree with @potus,” tweeted Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), a Trump ally running for Senate. “I’ve been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand.”

Trump’s charge about the Puerto Rico storm — a humanitarian crisis that continues to affect life on the island a year later — baffled his advisers as well as officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who have been working to prepare the Carolinas for Hurricane Florence, the potentially deadly storm that made landfall Friday.

Trump’s aides said they have tried to focus the president’s attention on Florence, noting that he has been engaged in daily disaster briefings and called governors, senators and other officials representing North Carolina and South Carolina.

Officials have brought large, colored charts and graphs into the Oval Office to illustrate Florence’s dangerous path for Trump, who is a visual learner. READ MORE…

--09-20-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/%e2%80%98he-is-vulnerable%e2%80%99-trump-feels-angry-unprotected-amid-mounting-crises/ar-BBNzrye?li=BBnb7Kz   He should be worried; on the other hand an Orange Jump Suit would match his hair & skin tone…

President Trump’s declaration that “I don’t have an attorney general” was not merely the cry of an executive feeling betrayed by a subordinate.

It was also a raw expression of vulnerability and anger from a president who associates say increasingly believes he is unprotected — with the Russia investigation steamrolling ahead, anonymous administration officials seeking to undermine him and the specter of impeachment proceedings, should the Democrats retake the House on Nov. 6.

In a freewheeling and friendly interview published Wednesday, Trump savaged Attorney General Jeff Sessions, mocking the nation’s top law enforcement official for coming off as “mixed up and confused” during his Senate confirmation hearing and for his “sad” performance on the job.

Though Trump has long railed against Sessions, both publicly and privately, for recusing himself from overseeing the Justice Department’s Russia probe, the president’s comments to Hill.TV brought his criticism to a new level.

“I don’t have an attorney general,” Trump said. “It’s very sad.”

Publicly, at least, Trump is going through the ordinary motions of being president. He met with the visiting president of Poland and on Wednesday toured the flood-ravaged Carolinas to survey damage from Hurricane Florence.

He also prepared to hit the campaign trail with rallies in Nevada on Thursday and in Missouri on Friday, and next week he will host scores of foreign dignitaries at the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan.

Behind the scenes, however, Trump is confronting broadsides from every direction — legal, political and personal.

The president, as well as family members and longtime loyalists, fret about whom in the administration they can trust, people close to them said, rattled by a pair of devastating, unauthorized insider accounts this month from inside the White House.

A senior administration official penned an anonymous column in the New York Times describing a “resistance” within to guard against the president’s impulses, while Bob Woodward’s new book, “Fear,” offers an alarming portrait of a president seemingly unfit for the office.

“Everybody in the White House now has to look around and ask, ‘Who’s taping? Who’s leaking? And who’s on their way out the door?’ It’s becoming a game of survival,” said a Republican strategist who works in close coordination with the White House, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. READ MORE…

--09-24-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/15-books-that-have-been-written-about-the-trump-white-house/ss-BBNmQ5X?li=BBnbcA1   SEE THE SLIDE SHOW.

--09-19-18: www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/new-china-tariff-list-creates-risk-of-downward-cycle-for-us-auto-industry/ar-BBNwhKP?li=BBnb7Kz  
DETROIT – New tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on auto parts from China will hit carmaker profits, cut sales and threaten to "start a downward cycle" in the critical industry, analysts unanimously agree.

In addition, if you're in the market for a new car, you probably should head to a dealership soon, because prices will be going up.

Trump's latest round of tariffs on Chinese imports will add costs to more than 100 car parts – a 10 percent levy on everything from tires and brake pads to engines and batteries – that go into vehicles made and sold in the U.S.

"It's going to be felt by Americans, and it's going to be a big deal," said Peter Nagle, senior analyst at IHS Markit. "Tariffs are taxes on consumption. Eventually costs will be passed down to the consumer. This will drive vehicle costs higher. It also includes a lot of body shop equipment."

He escalated a trade war between the two largest economies on the globe with the announcement on Monday of $200 billion in new tariffs.

A 10 percent tax on thousands of imports from China takes effect on Sept. 24, rising to 25 percent on Jan. 1. China hit back on Tuesday, levying tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. products.

"Tariffs are taxes on American consumers. We're going to sell fewer. And not only do we buy car parts from the rest of the world, we sell parts to the rest of the world," she said. "It's all going to cost more. ... It starts a downward cycle that isn't good."

"China can wait us out," she said. "For the car industry, this means a lot of efficiency they've gained from building up the global supply chain is lost."

"It covers literally everything that goes into the construction of an automobile, from the smallest components and material inputs like the cords in tires and shafts and gears and bearings all the way up to completed engines and in some cases chassis with engines mounted," he said.

National Automobile Dealers Association president and CEO Peter Welch said industry analysis outlined a scenario where a 25 percent tariff would increase the price of the typical vehicle sold in the United States by about $4,400.

A Center for Automotive Research study commissioned by the National Automobile Dealers Association found a 25 percent tariff would result in:
2 million fewer new vehicles sold per year.

Total U.S. employment losses of nearly 714,700, and GDP losses of $59.2 billion.
A loss of 117,500 of 1.1 million U.S. new-car dealership jobs, with the average franchised dealership losing seven jobs.

An increase in used car prices due to heightened demand and constricted supply.
Increases in the cost of vehicle maintenance and repair due to higher automotive parts prices, “so even holding on to an existing vehicle will become more expensive.”

“NADA recognizes the importance to the United States of leveling the trade playing field; eliminating unfair trade practices; and keeping America’s automotive industry strong,” he said.

“But a 25 percent tariff applied to all imports would hurt auto manufacturers, dealers, consumers and the economy as a whole. And the hardest hit would be our customers.”

Tariffs are a direct hit to consumers' pocketbooks, said Gloria Bergquist, vice president of communications and public affairs at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. READ MORE…

--09-13-18: www.cbsnews.com/news/major-u-s-trade-groups-link-up-in-anti-tariff-coalition/  
As the Trump administration readies major trade actions this month, including a potential $200 billion in new tariffs on imported Chinese goods, America's biggest trade associations -- representing a wide swath of industries -- have formed what they say will be a sweeping campaign against tariffs.

Americans for Free Trade, a group of more than 80 associations, said it represents thousands of businesses and workers.

It's joining with the already-formed Farmers for Free Trade in a campaign the groups are calling "Tariffs Hurt the Heartland." They plan events in Chicago, Nashville, Pennsylvania and Ohio starting next week, according to a statement posted on a new website.

"Every sector of the U.S. economy stands to lose in a trade war," Matthew Shay, who heads the National Retail Federation, said in the statement. "The stakes couldn't be higher for American families, businesses, farmers and workers threatened by job losses and higher prices as a result of tit-for-tat tariffs."

The coalition posted a searchable map linking users to stories from farmers and businesses saying they're harmed by tariffs. The move comes just as Bloomberg reports the White House is proposing a new round of trade talks with China, after the previous four attempts faltered.

President Donald Trump's push to impose tariffs on China and other countries is aimed at deterring what he views as unfair trade practices and, equally important, to encourage American consumers and businesses to buy and sell more goods made at home. The White House is pushing tariffs as a powerful negotiating tool for winning what it says are better trade deals for all Americans.

But most economists say trade deficits aren't necessarily bad or even a helpful measure for gauging a nation's economic health. That's because a trade gap can reflect a strong economy and currency, which in turn make imports less expensive. That's case now in the U.S., and that combination can bolster both the U.S. and global economy. READ MORE…

AND MORE TRADE 09-15-18: finance.yahoo.com/news/brutal-map-shows-u-s-farmers-want-trump-end-trade-war-123443562.html  

--09-19-18: us.cnn.com/2018/09/19/politics/the-gops-older-voter-problem/index.html  
In CNN surveys conducted in early August and early September, registered voters who are 65 years of age and up preferred Democratic congressional candidates to Republicans by margins of 20 and 16 percentage points, respectively.

CNN is not the only news organization to report this kind of GOP deficit among seniors. A late August Washington Post-ABC News survey found that if older voters were casting their ballots today, they would back Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives over Republican candidates by a whopping 22-point margin, 57% to 35%.

Similarly, a national poll by Marist College conducted in early September found that among voters 60 years of age and up, they favored Democratic congressional candidates by a 15-point margin. READ MORE…

--09-14-18 BRAVO MR. OBAMA: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/obama-blasts-gop-they-%e2%80%98put-up-with-crazy%e2%80%99/ar-BBNiMCd?li=BBnbcA1  
Former President Obama on Thursday slammed the Republican party for tolerating "crazy" behavior from its leaders.

"What you're seeing is Republicans in Congress who are bending over backwards to try to shield and deflect oversight of this behavior and accountability and consequences," he said, speaking at a rally in Ohio for gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray.

"This is serious. You know it is. And frankly even some of the Republicans know it is. They will say it, they just don't do anything about it. ... [They say,] 'we'll put up with crazy'" in exchange for tax reform and deregulation.

Obama called for a return to "checks and balances" in the upcoming election, calling it a chance to "restore some sanity" to politics. Although he avoided mentioning President Trump by name, throughout the speech he blasted the Republican party's leadership.

"This is not normal what we're seeing. It is radical," he said. "It is a vision that says that it's more important for those who are in power to protect that power even when it hurts the country."

He referred to "political darkness" that has descended on politics and blasted "demagogues," commenting that good leaders get the job done rather than tweeting to take credit for it.

"When we don't vote, when we take our voice for granted, demagogues get out there and they promise simple fixes," he said. "They'll try to pretend like they have answers even when they don't know the problem. ... We don't need leaders yakking and yakking everyday instead of doing the work."

09-14-18: NOT GOOD FOR DONALD; UNLESS HE PARDONS MANAFORT: www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-14/manafort-agrees-to-plead-guilty-to-avoid-new-washington-trial?srnd=premium  
Paul Manafort has decided to plead guilty to charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and avoid a second criminal trial, but it’s unclear whether he will cooperate with Mueller’s inquiry into Russian election interference.

Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, agreed to plead to conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiracy to obstruct justice by tampering with witnesses.

He also agreed to forfeit several properties, according to a filing Friday in federal court in Washington. The charges relate to Manafort’s work on behalf of Ukraine over a decade, not the 2016 election.

His decision to plead guilty came just days before jury selection was set to begin Sept. 17 in Washington, where Mueller accused him of conspiring to launder money, acting as an unregistered foreign agent of Ukraine and obstructing justice. Manafort, 69, was convicted last month of bank and tax fraud after a trial in Alexandria, Virginia.

Mueller, who is primarily examining Russian election interference, has secured guilty pleas and cooperation from several people, include former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Trump’s former fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted financial crimes and is helping federal prosecutors in New York.

Court officials set an 11 a.m. hearing for Manafort to plead guilty.

Manafort’s Admissions
In pleading guilty, Manafort would admit he broke the law -- a concession he refused to make throughout his Alexandria trial and since he was charged almost a year ago in Washington.

Manafort faces up to a decade in prison after the Virginia jury verdict, and a conviction in Washington could have increased his prison time. He could also get a pardon from Trump, which would set off a political firestorm.

As part of the plea, Manafort would forfeit property obtained through his conspiracy, including a brownstone in Brooklyn, a condominium in Soho, an expansive home in the Hamptons and a house in Arlington, Virginia, where his daughter has lived, according to a court filing. He will also surrender a life insurance policy and bank accounts.

The new charges lay out much of the same evidence that led to his conviction in Alexandria, including how he earned millions of dollars as a consultant to former President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine and his pro-Russia Party of Regions and was paid by wealthy Ukrainian businessmen through Cyprus accounts.

Prosecutors said he used that untaxed income to support a lavish lifestyle. READ MORE…

--AND: 09-16-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/paul-manafort-forfeits-dollar22-million-in-new-york-real-estate-in-plea-deal/ar-BBNnAyR?li=BBnb7Kz
Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, is forfeiting an estimated $22 million worth of real estate in New York — including three Manhattan apartments, a Brooklyn townhouse and a home in the Hamptons — as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors announced on Friday.

Under the terms of the deal, Mr. Manafort agreed to tell all he knows to the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mr. Manafort, 69, said he would turn over to the government the five properties in New York, including an apartment in Trump Tower, as well as the contents of three bank accounts and his life insurance policy.

Two of the Manhattan apartments, in SoHo, are estimated to be worth $3.2 million and $4.1 million, according to an estimate by Zillow, the online real estate company. Mr. Manafort’s apartment in Trump Tower in Midtown has an estimated value of $3 million.

The most valuable real estate Mr. Manafort has agreed to give up is his home in the Hamptons, which is estimated to be worth $7.3 million, according to Zillow. The website says the two-story, 5,600-square-foot house in Water Mill has 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and a tennis court.

The brownstone townhouse in the upscale neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, is estimated to be worth $4.1 million.

The assets will end up in the Justice Department’s Asset Forfeiture Fund, which is used to cover costs related to law enforcement. The fund can also be used to finance “certain general investigative expenses,” according to the Justice Department’s website.

The first four and a half months of the special counsel investigation cost taxpayers nearly $7 million, including $3.2 million in direct spending by Mr. Mueller’s team. The investigation has lasted about 16 months.

--AND 09-15-18: slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/paul-manafort-guilty-plea-will-hurt-donald-trump.html   HOW MANAFORT MIGHT HURT DONALD:
First, without knowing all of what has been uncovered by Mueller’s investigators, here are some areas where Manafort’s testimony could further a case against Trump:

• Manafort pleaded guilty to orchestrating his conspiracy on behalf of the Party of Regions, with support from former deputy Rick Gates and Kiev-based consultant Konstantin Kilimnik. The latter is alleged in other Mueller filings to have had ongoing “ties to Russian intelligence” in 2016, when Manafort was on the Trump campaign.

In another filing, Gates—who is also cooperating with Mueller—was said to have described Kilimnik as a “former Russian Intelligence Officer with the GRU.” The GRU was the organization at the center of the attacks on the 2016 election. As part of his cooperation deal, Manafort will have to divulge the full extent of his relationship with Kilimnik. If Kilimnik knew anything about the hacking efforts and spoke with Manafort about it, Manafort would now be expected to tell Mueller and the grand jury.

• The fact that Kilimnik was allegedly involved in—and thus knew of—Manafort’s crimes would mean that Russia would have had obvious leverage over Trump’s campaign chairman. Manafort will have to explain this.

• There’s another point of leverage Manafort will have to plausibly and fully explain: Emails made public last year that indicate he offered Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska “private briefings” on the Trump 2016 campaign, with Kilimnik as his intermediary. Manafort is also alleged in court filings to owe Deripaska many millions of dollars. In communications with Kilimnik, Manafort pointed to his work in the Trump campaign and asked, “How do we use to get whole?”

• During the 2016 national convention, Trump campaign officials reportedly worked to undercut the Republican Party platform’s position supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Manafort will have to explain what exact role he had in that episode and what Trump and other campaign officials knew of actions he may have taken regarding the platform.

• Manafort was in the room during Donald Trump Jr.’s Trump Tower meeting with Russian intermediaries who promised “dirt” on Hillary Clinton as part of their efforts to support Trump’s campaign. Manafort can describe the details of the meeting from the inside. And, so far, Trump has maintained publicly that he didn’t know anything about the meeting beforehand. Manafort is in a position to potentially elucidate whether that’s true.

• Trump political consultant and confidante Roger Stone is reportedly an ongoing subject of the Mueller probe. Manafort and Stone worked together for many years and founded a political consulting firm together. Manafort could be a critical witness against his old friend, who has already shown to have been in communications with WikiLeaks during the period that they were releasing Democratic emails hacked by Russians.

The above deal largely with hypotheticals. While it is difficult from our current vantage to see which of these avenues might actually further the case against the president, there are other more concrete ways Trump is damaged by the news:

• Trump’s position that the Mueller probe is a witch hunt that has only sought to bring down innocent men keeps weakening when innocent man, after innocent man, after innocent man, after innocent man confesses to federal felonies.

• As the Washington Post noted, another prong of Trump’s attack against Mueller has been knocked down with the Manafort plea: his claim that it is a money pit. Trump has repeatedly criticized the cost of the investigation, calling it “the World’s most expensive Witch Hunt.” As part of his agreement, Manafort is surrendering bank accounts and properties potentially worth tens of millions of dollars. Journalist Marcy Wheeler argued that the investigation has already likely paid for itself.

• As Wheeler and other commentators have also noted, the plea agreement knocks down virtually any avenue Trump might have to obstruct the investigation by pardoning Manafort. The president had previously appeared very open to that possibility, saying that Manafort had been treated “very unfair,” saying he felt “very badly” and “very sad” for Manafort, and saying he “respect[ed]” Manafort for not “flipping.” Now that Manafort has entered the black box of federal cooperation with no apparent way for Trump to learn what he’s told prosecutors and the grand jury, there is no upside—and still plenty of downside—for Trump to attempt to pardon Manafort. READ MORE…

--09-15-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wealthiest-republican-supporter-in-ohio-quits-party/ar-BBNlUBg?li=BBnb7Kz  
The wealthiest supporter of the GOP in Ohio said Thursday that he is no longer a member of the Republican Party.

"I just decided I'm no longer a Republican," L Brands CEO Leslie Wexner said during a panel discussion at a leadership summit, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Wexner, who said he's been a Republican since college, added that he is now an independent, before saying that he "won't support this nonsense in the Republican Party" anymore.

"I haven't run an ad in the newspaper that said, 'I quit,'" he said.

The Columbus Dispatch noted that Wexner said he's instead been writing notes to friends who are lawmakers and telling them that he's no longer a member of the GOP.

The development came just a day after former President Obama slammed GOP lawmakers during a rally in Ohio for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray.

"What you're seeing is Republicans in Congress who are bending over backwards to try to shield and deflect oversight of this behavior and accountability and consequences," Obama said.

"This is serious. You know it is. And frankly even some of the Republicans know it is. They will say it, they just don't do anything about it. ... [They say,] 'we'll put up with crazy' in exchange for tax reform and deregulation."

Wexner called Obama's visit to Ohio this week a "great moment for the community," according to the Dispatch.

"I was struck by the genuineness of the man; his candor, humility and empathy for others," Wexner said.

The newspaper noted that the comments stand in stark contrast to what the GOP supporter has said about President Trump.

The billionaire CEO reportedly said in a speech last year that he was "ashamed" by Trump's response to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that erupted in violence and led to the death of a 32-year-old woman. READ MORE…

--09-14-18 BRAVO: www.huffingtonpost.com.mx/entry/jerry-brown-trump-climate-change-liar_us_5b9ae116e4b0c875d14a15ac  
California Gov. Jerry Brown bashed President Donald Trump’s record on the environment Thursday, saying that Trump will be remembered on climate change as a “liar, criminal, fool — pick your choice.”

The Democrat spoke out against the president in introductory remarks at the Global Climate Action Summit that he’s co-hosting in San Francisco.

Brown also ripped Trump for taking steps to try to dismantle California’s vehicle emissions standards, rolling back federal controls on power plant pollution, and easing regulations on methane emissions from oil and gas operations.

“When Trump says, in effect, ‘We like more methane going into the air,’ that is highly destructive, very highly destructive,” Brown said.

He characterized Trump’s designs to dismantle environmental protections as a “major assault on the well-being of the people of California and America and the world. It borders on not only insanity but criminality.”

Despite Trump’s position, Brown underscored that thousands of cities and states are committed to reducing global warming even without the president’s support.

The Trump administration and California, the fifth-largest economy in the world and the state with many of the strictest environmental rules in the nation, have been at loggerheads over the environment right from the start.

Brown on Monday signed into law Senate Bill 100 which pledges that the state will obtain 100 percent of California’s electricity from clean sources by 2045. The measure also establishes benchmarks requiring energy providers to generate 50 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2026.

After signing the law, Brown complained to Bloomberg that Trump has “designated himself” the “enemy of the people,” adding: “I’m calling him out because climate change is a real threat of death, destruction and ultimate extinction.”

--09-18-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-fbi-official-andrew-mccabe-has-book-deal/ar-BBNv6mV?li=BBnbfcL  
NEW YORK — Just months after the publication of James Comey's "A Higher Loyalty," another former FBI official will take on President Donald Trump.

Andrew McCabe, the former FBI deputy director ousted this year amid repeated attacks from Trump and a critical Justice Department report, has a book deal.

St. Martin's Press announced Tuesday that "The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump" will come out Dec. 4.

St. Martin's is calling the book a candid account of his career and defense of the FBI's independence.

According to the publisher, McCabe will describe "a series of troubling, contradictory, and often bizarre conversations" with Trump and other high officials that led him to believe the "actions of this President and his administration undermine the FBI and the entire intelligence community" and threaten the general public.

"I wrote this book because the president's attacks on me symbolize his destructive effect on the country as a whole," McCabe said in a statement issued through St. Martin's.

"He is undermining America's safety and security, and eroding public confidence in its institutions. His attacks on the most crucial institutions of government, and on the professionals who serve within them, should make every American stand up and take notice."

With the bureau, McCabe had worked on everything from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to the Boston Marathon bombing. "The Threat" is likely to draw comparisons to "A Higher Loyalty," the best-seller by Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017. Both books come from divisions of Macmillan.

McCabe had been with the FBI for more than 20 years when Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired him in March, just before McCabe's planned retirement.

His ouster came as a report from the Department of Justice's inspector general faulted him for misleading investigators looking into the leak of information for a 2016 Wall Street Journal story about the FBI's probe into the Clinton Foundation. McCabe denied the charges.
READ MORE…

--09-20-18: us.cnn.com/2018/09/20/politics/trump-spain-sahara-wall-intl/index.html   
SHOWS how STUPID Donald is…

Spain’s Foreign Minister, claims that Trump said to him that Spain should build a wall across the Sahara desert to deal with the issue of migration from Africa.

Borrell made the remarks in a speech Tuesday during a lunch at Club Siglo XXI in Madrid, in reference to the expected massive growth in the number of young Africans seeking work in the next two decades. He did not specify where Trump had spoken but described it as happening "recently."

"You need to build a wall around the Sahara," Trump said, according to Borrell. The minister impersonated Trump's voice as he spoke, according to an audio file heard by CNN.

The White House disputed the account.

"While we can confirm that the President has discussed migration challenges with Spanish interlocutors, we do not have record of this specific comment," a senior White House official told CNN.

According to the Spanish foreign minister, Trump, asked if he was aware of the size of the Sahara, replied: "It can't be bigger than our border with Mexico."

Borrell continued: "Well, yes, it is way bigger than the border with Mexico, and in any case it wouldn't be very useful to do that."

A spokesman for the Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed to Borrell's comments to CNN but said the ministry had no further comment in relation to the minister's remarks.

The Sahara desert extends for nearly 3,000 miles across the African continent.

Around a dozen countries lie wholly or in part within the Sahara, including Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Egypt, Algeria, Chad and Niger. Spain is not one of them, so any wall would have to be built entirely on other nations' land.

The US-Mexico border is a little under 2,000 miles long. READ MORE…

--09-24-18: www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/obama-white-house-counsel-gregory-craig-under-scrutiny-by-prosecutors-in-offshoot-of-mueller-probe/ar-AAAy2Lk?li=BBnb7Kz  
Federal prosecutors have stepped up their investigation of prominent Washington attorney Gregory Craig for work he conducted at his former law firm on behalf of the Ukrainian government in 2012, an effort coordinated by Paul Manafort, according to people familiar with the matter.

Shortly before Manafort pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction this month, attorneys for Craig received requests for information from prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, who are investigating Craig’s activities as an offshoot of the broader probe led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, according to one person with knowledge of the exchange.

Craig’s case — and that of two Washington lobbyists who worked with Manafort on Ukrainian matters — were referred last April to New York prosecutors, who appear to be focused on whether the three failed to register as foreign agents while working with Manafort’s Ukrainian clients.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office of the Southern District of New York declined to comment. No charges have been filed, and representatives for the three men have expressed confidence that their clients did not violate the law.

Still, the investigation of Craig — a White House counsel for President Barack Obama — along with lobbyists Vin Weber and Tony Podesta, has shaken Washington’s lobbying and legal community, which until recently had faced little scrutiny of its representation of foreign clients.

“There is a rising level of concern, particularly from law firms providing services to foreign governments,” said Joshua Ian Rosenstein, an expert on foreign lobbying registration compliance at the Sandler Reiff law firm.

Since Manafort’s pleadeal , Rosenstein said the volume of calls he has received on the topic has spiked.

“New and existing clients are asking very specific questions now” about the rules and regulations governing representation of foreign governments, he said.

--09-23-18: slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/paul-gosars-siblings-six-siblings-of-republican-congressman-call-on-voters-to-support-his-opponent.html  
Six of Rep. Paul Gosar’s nine siblings are taking a family feud to a whole new level, starring in a series of ads for their brother’s Democratic opponent in November, David Brill. In the ads, Tim, David, Grace, Joan, Gaston, and Jennifer Gosar all speak directly to the camera and explain why they think their brother does not have the best interest of Arizona’s 4th district.

“If he actually cared about people in rural Arizona, I bet he’d be fighting for Social Security, for better access to health care,” Jennifer Gosar says in one ad.

In another ad, the siblings repudiate their brother’s views and make clear they don’t share his values. “It would be difficult to see my brother as anything but a racist,” Grace Gosar says in one of the ads.

Joan Gosar, for her part, says at one point that her brother “traded a lot of the values we had at our kitchen table.”

Rep. Gosar responded to the ads on Saturday by criticizing his siblings but painting it as nothing more than a family squabble. “You can’t pick your family.

We all have crazy aunts and relatives etc and my family is no different,” he wrote on Twitter. “I hope they find peace in their hearts and let go all the hate.”

In another tweet, Gosar also characterized his siblings who spoke up as “liberal Democrats who hate President Trump” and called them “disgruntled Hillary supporters” who “put political ideology before family.”

The tension in the Gosar family became public around a year ago when they wrote a letter to the Kingman Daily Miner distancing themselves from their brother.

They spoke up at the time after Gosar suggested in an interview that George Soros may have been a Nazi collaborator, reports the Arizona Republic. READ MORE…