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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#252926: Aug 24th 2018 at 8:33:53 AM

John Mc Cain is ending his cancer treatment, and moving into palliative/end of life care.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/24/politics/john-mccain-cancer-treatment/index.html?adkey=bn

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#252927: Aug 24th 2018 at 8:35:28 AM

I’m sorry for Mc Cain’s family, and no one deserves cancer.

That said, I’m not going to miss him, and I’m already dreading the saccharine eulogies.

If you’d like a deep read on McCain, here’s a profile from 2008 that is what moved my opinion on him from respected-ish opponent to outright disdain.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#252928: Aug 24th 2018 at 8:44:12 AM

The whitewashing is going to be painful, for the life of me I see nothing logical about the idea that it's fine to rag on someone when they're alive but once they die it becomes verboten to speak the truth about their actions or views.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Aug 24th 2018 at 11:44:45 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#252929: Aug 24th 2018 at 8:52:59 AM

The goddamn Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization has been granted immunity by the Cohen prosecutors!

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/24/politics/allen-weisselberg-immunity-cohen-investigation/index.html?adkey=bn

Ladies and gents, I think they might have something yuge on their hands. No way this guy doesn't know something damning, right?grin

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#252930: Aug 24th 2018 at 8:54:40 AM

[up]Well damn, things are going to be interesting.

And right before/during the midterms too evil grin

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#252931: Aug 24th 2018 at 8:57:52 AM

Man, I hope he's got the goods. I want to see some carnage in the courtroom and Trump flipping out with some corroborating self-incriminating tweets.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
tryrar Since: Sep, 2010
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#252933: Aug 24th 2018 at 9:04:07 AM

[up]Huh, I completely missed that.

I suppose this thread can move too fast even for me tongue

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#252934: Aug 24th 2018 at 9:24:03 AM

Speaking of flipping... Anyone else laughed out loud when Trump whined that flipping "almost ought to be illegal"? Like, why almost?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
danime91 Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#252935: Aug 24th 2018 at 9:26:58 AM

Because it hasn't actually got Trump convicted of anything yet. When that does happen, then flipping should be illegal!

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#252936: Aug 24th 2018 at 9:44:52 AM

[up]Just Trump being his typically incoherent self.

It is darkly hilarious when a Head of State thinks that cooperating with the authorities should be illegal.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#252937: Aug 24th 2018 at 9:49:52 AM

And in news that should surprise no one, the White House allegedly quashed a bill aimed at protecting our electoral process by requiring voting machines that, if electronic, still have a paper ballot attached to safeguard against tampering and which can be used for easy referral.

Edited by ironballs16 on Aug 24th 2018 at 9:53:02 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#252938: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:04:04 AM

Mueller has asked that Michael Flynn's sentencing be delayed.

Tuesday’s filing indicates that Mueller’s team could believe Flynn has more information that is useful to the investigation, or that sentencing hearings might reveal parts of the investigation that Mueller would like to keep under wraps.

Edited by Parable on Aug 24th 2018 at 10:03:45 AM

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#252939: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:19:15 AM

They got his fucking CFO.

He's done.

Oh really when?
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#252942: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:28:06 AM

[up][up] Like a UFO, but instead of being mysterious beings who kidnap you for experimentation, they’re bland rich people who kidnap your money for experimentation (i.e. giving it to CE Os). tongue

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#252943: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:30:53 AM

[up]Ok I like this explanation [lol]

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#252944: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:36:26 AM

Well, follow the money. Nothing nails someone as well as a paper trail.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#252945: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:40:24 AM

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/08/24/day-582/

Day 582: You can do it.

1/ The chief financial officer at the Trump Organization was given immunity by federal prosecutors in New York in exchange for information about Michael Cohen as part of their criminal investigation into hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen Mc Dougal during the 2016 presidential campaign. Allen Weisselberg, who is identified in court filings as "Executive-1," helped authorize $420,000 in reimbursements to Cohen and was granted immunity in exchange for his grand jury testimony about his role in the payments last month. According to prosecutors, Cohen – then Trump's attorney – sent an invoice to Weisselberg in January 2017 for "Payment for services rendered for the month of January and February, 2017," which reflected Cohen's $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels in October 2016, as well as an additional $50,000 for "tech services." Weisselberg directed another Trump Organization executive to "pay from the Trust" and to "post to legal expenses." Executives at the Trump Organization "'grossed up' for tax purposes" the reimbursement, doubling the invoice to $360,000, adding a $60,000 bonus. After he was elected, Trump handed over control of his financial assets and business interests to Eric and Trump Jr., and Weisselberg. (Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Washington Post)

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/trump-org-cfo-allen-weisselberg-given-immunity-prosecutors-testify-n903566

2/ The Manhattan district attorney's office is considering criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two senior company officials in connection with Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. The state's investigation would focus on whether the Trump Organization violated state tax law for listing Cohen's reimbursement as a legal expense. Federal prosecutors have said the payments were based on "sham" legal invoices in connection with a nonexistent retainer agreement, and that Cohen did no legal work in connection with the matter. The New York State attorney general's office is seeking a referral from the state Department of Taxation and Finance, which is needed to conduct the inquiry and to prosecute any violations of state tax law. (New York Times / Los Angeles Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/nyregion/trump-organization-criminal-charges-vance.html

3/ After Jeff Sessions said he would not be influence by politics, Trump tweeted that Sessions must "look into all of the corruption on the 'other side,'" adding: "Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!" On Thursday, Trump criticized Sessions in a Fox News interview for failing to control the Justice Department, after which Sessions said the Department of Justice "will not be improperly influenced by political considerations." Trump mocked Sessions' response, tweeting, "Jeff, this is GREAT, what everyone wants." In particular, Trump wants Sessions to investigate "deleted Emails, Comey lies and leaks, Mueller conflicts, Mc Cabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr, FISA abuse, Christopher Steele and his phony and corrupt Dossier, the Clinton Foundation, illegal surveillance of Trump Campaign, Russian collusion by Dems - and so much more." Nearly all which Sessions has recused himself from. (Associated Press / New York Times)

https://apnews.com/ce61480b906b432e9b5f7004263f78c0/Trump-escalates-feud-with-Sessions

"Moves are being made" to remove Sessions after the midterm elections, according to Sen. Bob Corker. "It's apparent that after the midterms, [Trump] will make a change and choose someone to do what he wants done." (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/23/jeff-sessions-senate-support-republican-leaders-trump-794870

poll/ 35% of Americans think Trump's tariffs will leave them worse off financially, while 19% expect improvement. 40% expect the tariffs to help the economy, while 44% expect them to hurt, and 16% expect them to make no difference. 38% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the presidency. (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/f9cc2156eef0458da7347d9608deef95

Notables.

Trump told the Italian prime minister that he is ready to help fund the country's public debt next year by buying Italian government bonds. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told officials about Trump's offer after attending a meeting in Washington about three weeks ago. Conte didn't give any additional details about the plan or say whether he believes it would work. (Il Corriere della Sera / Reuters / NBC News / Bloomberg)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-us-debt/trump-offered-italy-help-to-fund-public-debt-next-year-newspaper-idUSKCN1L90KC

Blackwater founder Erik Prince is once again trying to convince Trump to let him privatize the war in Afghanistan. Prince hasn't spoken with Trump recently, but he has been making the rounds in the media and talking up his plan to replace U.S. and coalition forces with private contractors. Very few defense officials think Prince's plan will work, but some are concerned that Trump might entertain the idea. "We have to take this seriously because the commander-in-chief might take it seriously," said author and former mercenary Sean Mc Fate, "and if the only logic is that everything else we have tried has failed so anything can work in the future, that’s an absurd logic." Prince is the brother of Sec. of Education Betsy De Vos. (The Hill)

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/403146-faced-with-opposition-erik-prince-shops-his-plan-for-afghanistan

The former Air Force linguist and intelligence contractor who in 2017 leaked a top-secret government report on Russian hacking efforts to The Intercept was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison. Reality Winner pleaded guilty in June, and is the first person to be sentenced under the Espionage Act since Trump became president. She received the longest sentence ever imposed by a federal court for the unauthorized released of classified information to the media. Trump tweeted about Winner's sentence, comparing her actions to Hillary Clinton's. "Ex-NSA contractor to spend 63 months in jail over ‘classified’ information," Trump tweeted. "Gee, this is ‘small potatoes’ compared to what Hillary Clinton did! So unfair Jeff, Double Standard." (New York Times / Gizmodo / Time)

http://time.com/5377202/donald-trump-reality-winner-sentence-unfair/

John Mc Cain will end medical treatment for his brain cancer. Mc Cain, 81, was first diagnosed with glioblastoma in the summer of 2017. (New York Times / Politico / CNBC)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/24/mccain-to-discontinue-medical-treatment-795472

Edited by sgamer82 on Aug 24th 2018 at 11:41:53 AM

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#252946: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:40:44 AM

Remind me what it means when someone is granted immunity?

i'm tired, my friend
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#252947: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:41:35 AM

You give full cooperation to the authorities in exchange for no charges being laid.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#252948: Aug 24th 2018 at 10:42:04 AM

[up][up]If I understand it correctly it means that they want be prosecuted for anything they have to say, thus they can flip without fear of legal consequences.

Edit: [nja] <shakes fist>

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Aug 24th 2018 at 1:44:11 PM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#252949: Aug 24th 2018 at 11:20:51 AM

I hope the CFO heralds that we're in the final stages, because I think we're running out of time. Trump's planning to get rid of Sessions once the midterm is up.

If we haven't closed the book on the guy before then, he's going to appoint someone to bury it.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#252950: Aug 24th 2018 at 11:23:38 AM

[up]And then a Democratic Congress could very well be in place to appoint Mueller as an independent investigator, I think it's a mistake to hold such a certain position on Trump's ability to shut down the investigation.

Short of a Red Wave I just don't think that such a thing is plausible if it's even possible.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang

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