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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
On a different note...Trump's trip to France really starts "great". He has barely landed and has already tweeted his complains about Macron calling for an European army.
He really doesn't know what he wants, doesn't he? On the one hand he whines that the US does way too much for NATO, but when a couple of NATO countries decide to come together in order to take more responsibility on their own, he whines that they should trust in NATO instead.
But then I always knew that the whole "pay fair share" nonsense from the US was never about the US actually wanting for the European countries to do more on their own, but simply about extortion (since Trump and a huge chunk of Americans still don't get how NATO actually works). At the end of the day the US has zero interest in the other NATO members organising, because that would mean losing control.
Whoever usually posts the WTFJH feed here whenever it's updated apparently forgot to post yesterday's feed. I'm too busy to do that myself, but here's one piece from the notables that must be brought up.
Yeah, I've slacked off a bit on the WTF feed this week, since we had midterms taking up most of the discussion, and most of the stories were related. I'll post todays and links to the past couple days:
Wednesday: Presidental harrassment
1/ Trump was involved in "nearly every step" of the hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen Mc Dougal and he may have violated federal campaign-finance laws in the process. David Pecker, chief executive of American Media Inc., offered to use the National Enquirer to buy their silence, eventually paying Mc Dougal $150,000 after Trump asked Pecker to kill her story. As a presidential candidate, Trump "directed deals in phone calls and meetings" related to the two women with Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in August to campaign-finance violations. Cohen also admitted that he arranged payments to Daniels and Mc Dougal at the direction of "a candidate for federal office" with the intention of influencing the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. (Wall Street Journal)
2/ Trump claimed that he did not discuss Robert Mueller's Russia probe with Matthew Whitaker before appointing him acting attorney general. Trump defended Whitaker, calling him a "highly respected man," but also said "I don't know Matt Whitaker." Trump has been in more than a dozen meetings with Whitaker in the Oval Office. (Washington Post / Politico / CNBC / NBC News)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/09/trump-whitaker-attorney-general-979015
Trump called George Conway "Mr. Kellyanne Conway" after he wrote an op-ed arguing that Trump's appointment of Whitaker is unconstitutional because he wasn't confirmed by the Senate. George is the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. (ABC News)
3/ A federal appellate court panel ordered Mueller to explain how the firing of Jeff Sessions could influence the case between the special counsel and Andrew Miller, the former Roger Stone aide who is challenging Mueller's appointment on constitutional grounds. The judges will likely ask for supplemental briefing to address the legal issues tied to the handover from Rod Rosenstein to Whitaker. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/09/mueller-sessions-whitaker-doj-shakeup-979657
4/ Trump signed a presidential proclamation blocking migrants who cross into the U.S. illegally from seeking asylum. The proclamation is aimed primarily at several thousand migrants traveling north through Mexico in caravans. The new rules will change longstanding asylum laws that allow people who are fleeing persecution and violence in their home countries to seek protection in the U.S. and prevent people from seeking that protection if they don't enter the country at an official port of entry. (New York Times / Politico / ABC News)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/08/trump-moves-to-restrict-asylum-access-at-the-border-978233
5/ Before resigning, Jeff Sessions signed a memorandum limiting the use of consent decrees between Justice Department officials and local police departments. Consent decrees allow federal law enforcement officials to use court-enforced agreements to overhaul local police departments accused of civil rights abuses and violations. Sessions added three new requirements for the agreements: top political appointees must sign off on the deals, department lawyers must show evidence of additional violations beyond unconstitutional behavior, and the deals must have a sunset date. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/us/politics/sessions-limits-consent-decrees.html
6/ Trump threatened to revoke more press passes, saying he doesn't how long Jim Acosta's credentials will be suspended, "but it could be others also." Trump went on to attack April Ryan from American Urban Radio Networks, calling her a "loser" who "doesn't know what the hell she is doing," and then bashed CNN reporter Abby Phillip for asking Trump if he wants Whitaker to "rein in Mueller." Trump replied: "What a stupid question that is. What a stupid question […] you ask a lot of stupid questions." (CNN / Politico / The Hill)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/09/trump-cnn-white-house-access-980280
Notables.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-ginsburg-idUSKBN1ND20M
Trump is telling people he wants to replace Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross by the end of the year. Trump is considering former wrestling executive Linda Mc Mahon, as well as Ray Washburne, who he appointed as head of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation as possible replacements. (CNBC)
Trump said he has no plans to fire Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Earlier this week, Trump said he would be "looking at different people for different positions" after the midterms, mentioning Zinke in particular. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/09/trump-not-firing-zinke-980424
Zinke is exploring potential roles at Fox News, the energy industry, and other business sectors as it becomes increasingly likely that he will leave his role as Secretary of the Interior as ethics investigations into his behavior in office continue to mount. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/08/ryan-zinke-fox-news-956537
The Pentagon's No. 3 official resigned. John Gibson, the Department of Defense's chief management officer, submitted his resignation on Monday and will leave Nov. 30. Gibson served in the role for less than nine months. (The Hill)
A federal judge blocked construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying the Trump administration "simply discarded" and ignored "inconvenient facts" about how the project would impact climate change. Two days after taking office, Trump signed an executive order approving the project that had been blocked by Obama because of environmental concerns. (New York Times / Washington Post)
Edited by sgamer82 on Nov 9th 2018 at 5:47:41 AM
"I've said it before. Trump's comments about NATO and military spending are 100% about getting more money into the MIC.
"
Kinda, he also does to feel superior to other, he dosent want macron to organized better, he want everyone to not do stuff so he can complain about it.
"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"![]()
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Additionally, the ACLU is already set to challenge it in court. And the upcoming Dem House has implied that they'll be investigating and challenging it also.
One who happens to be interfering in Europe's affairs and screwing everything up there too. Ugh. Fucking hate that racist fascist son of a bitch. I bring this up because my grandfather watched Vice News on the TV loud enough that I couldn't ignore it, who brought up Bannon going on a neverending tour of Europe and supporting far right groups there.
Edited by CookingCat on Nov 9th 2018 at 5:13:32 AM
Apparently Sinema's a full percentage point over her opponent.
Georgia is irrelevant when it comes to the senate, the third race is Mississippi, which will most likely fall to the Republicans. It's not a loss, though, since it was staunch Republican all along.
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-2 is the current net-loss. It could end up with 0 if everything goes well.
Edited by Swanpride on Nov 9th 2018 at 5:41:53 AM
So you're saying that it's not unlikely for the three remaining Senate seats to flip Democrat?
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

I am sure all those people who fought to have their voting right restored (which are no all of the ones who were disfranchised but still a LOT) and who will be able to vote next election, WILL actually use the right to do so and next to none of them will vote for the party which denied them for so long. You know, if you are actually fighting for something you know who is responsible for you not getting it and who most likely got enough voters to the ballots to ensure that your rights would be restored.
And if you look at the numbers and how close the numbers are now and during every other election in Florida, yes, those votes WILL make a difference.
Exactly this, we can't be sure how many of them will vote or whom they'll vote for (but I am skeptical that they'll flock the Republicans considering their demographics) but the idea that they will just succumb to apathy just defies belief.
As a rule, it's difficult to take something for granted that you only recently got back.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Nov 9th 2018 at 4:35:10 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang