by Nomad
This edition of Weekly Review covers a lot of ground. While the last seven days weren't particularly dramatic, there were quite a few noteworthy events.
This is the man in charge of overseeing the defense of our nation.
Whether Lavrov's claim of access to inside information was true or not is unclear but experts said that the statement fits into Russia's overall strategy of sowing doubts and confusion in the minds of the American people about their government.
That, however, may not have been the aim of Lavrov's boast. It feeds into security fear amongst NATO allies that the US has been so badly compromised that it can no longer be trusted.
On Tuesday, the Paul Manafort trial began. As part of the Mueller investigation in possible collusion with Russian, the former Trump campaign manager has been charged with bank fraud and tax crimes.
According to the prosecution, Manafort made tens of millions of dollars while working for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine and stashed this money in secret offshore accounts to avoid taxes.
In opening arguments, the prosecution said Manafort opened more than 30 bank accounts in three countries to hide his cash. Manafort, he added, failed to report $15 million in income to the IRS from 2010 to 2014.
But by 2016, due to his lavish lifestyle, Mr. Manafort was broke. His former client, the Ukrainian president Viktor F. Yanukovych, had been deposed and his business was on the verge of collapse. Why, then, the prosecution asks, did he volunteer to work unpaid in a top post in the Trump campaign? Would the answer to that have anything to do with Manafort's close relationship with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska- Putin's long-time friend?
His defense attorney attempted to shift the blame to Manafort's longtime business associate Rick Gates. Gates has pleaded guilty in the case, and he is expected to testify for prosecutors. Referring to Gates, Manafort's lawyers said that his client simply placed his trust in "the wrong person."
If that's Manafort's defense, he had better hope Trump plans to pardon his former campaign manager. If not, Mr.Manafort may spend the rest of his life behind bars.
By Tuesday, the answer became obvious when Trump repeated Giuliani's dubious claim that "Collusion is not a crime, but that doesn't matter because there was no collusion." In a barrage of tweets, the president repeated the phrase like a mantra.
This talking point seemed to magically appear all over the right-wing media at the same time. Critics pointed out that this defense was little more than a word game because, while "collusion" may not be a crime, its synonym "conspiracy" most certainly is a crime.
If true, this would be very bad news for Republicans come November and Trump's taunting would be throwing fuel to the fire.
But this is just Trump doing what Trump apparently does best: sabotaging his own cause.
It doesn't take an expert to see that Trump's tweet was little more than an attempt to shut down the investigation. In fact, the attorney general has limited options, since he has recused himself from overseeing the special counsel’s inquiry.
Walking back from this tweet, the spokesperson for the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, claimed that it was "not an order." The president, she said, was angry and was simply "fighting back."
This gesture is in sharp contrast to the boasts that Trump made a month ago claiming Kim Jong Un had agreed to a full de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Meanwhile, US intelligence agencies reported signs that North Korea was constructing new a ballistic missile. The construction was reportedly taking place at the same factory that produced the country’s first missile capable of reaching the US.
With the administration representing two opposing realities, that of the president and that of the intel agencies- the whole event was disorienting. Who's in charge? Is anybody in charge?
During the press conference, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told reporters that he was not "in a position to understand fully" what was discussed between Putin and Trump at the summit. This implies that Trump still has briefed his own advisors what went on and what was discussed.
Flashback to the Trump-Putin summit.
In related news, at noon on Saturday, young activists held nationwide protests in support of gun law reform. The center of those demonstrations was the NRA ’s headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. According to website, the National March on the NRA, was "created by, inspired by, and led by young people of all ethnicities, religions, and sexualities across the country" who are
Russia Brags About Infiltration
The week started off with a mysterious remark from Russia's top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, On Monday, Lavrov claimed Russia now has access to insider information about U.S. military plans. Addressing the Terra Scientia on Klyazma River National Educational Youth Forum, he explained that Moscow would be"provided with information about the schemes harbored by the militaries of both the U.S. and other Western countries against the Russian Federation."The State Department declined to comment on Lavrov's remarks. However, the Defense Secretary, James Mattis put his own spin on the Russian admission, saying that it was "most important that we talk with those countries we have the largest disagreements with."
This is the man in charge of overseeing the defense of our nation.
Whether Lavrov's claim of access to inside information was true or not is unclear but experts said that the statement fits into Russia's overall strategy of sowing doubts and confusion in the minds of the American people about their government.
That, however, may not have been the aim of Lavrov's boast. It feeds into security fear amongst NATO allies that the US has been so badly compromised that it can no longer be trusted.
Second Amendment Madness
An issue that has been quietly brewing for over two years now finally came to a head this week: downloadable guns. Gun control advocates point out that 3D-printable guns online would be"without serial numbers and therefore untraceable, that they could be in some cases undetectable by metal detectors, and that they would enable more people to get guns without submitting to background checks."
Ironically, even the NRA- which represents both gun owners and gun manufacturers- would find it difficult to support essentially free guns.
In an attempt to put this genie back into the bottle, a federal judge ruled it was illegal to post blueprints for 3D-printable guns online. That decision comes too late for the hundreds of designs which have already been available online and are now being distributed over the so-called Dark Web.
Manafort Goes the Magnifying Glass
On Tuesday, the Paul Manafort trial began. As part of the Mueller investigation in possible collusion with Russian, the former Trump campaign manager has been charged with bank fraud and tax crimes.According to the prosecution, Manafort made tens of millions of dollars while working for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine and stashed this money in secret offshore accounts to avoid taxes.
In opening arguments, the prosecution said Manafort opened more than 30 bank accounts in three countries to hide his cash. Manafort, he added, failed to report $15 million in income to the IRS from 2010 to 2014.
But by 2016, due to his lavish lifestyle, Mr. Manafort was broke. His former client, the Ukrainian president Viktor F. Yanukovych, had been deposed and his business was on the verge of collapse. Why, then, the prosecution asks, did he volunteer to work unpaid in a top post in the Trump campaign? Would the answer to that have anything to do with Manafort's close relationship with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska- Putin's long-time friend?
His defense attorney attempted to shift the blame to Manafort's longtime business associate Rick Gates. Gates has pleaded guilty in the case, and he is expected to testify for prosecutors. Referring to Gates, Manafort's lawyers said that his client simply placed his trust in "the wrong person."
If that's Manafort's defense, he had better hope Trump plans to pardon his former campaign manager. If not, Mr.Manafort may spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Collusion's Not a Crime
For most of this week, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been making the rounds in the tiresome and agonizing defense of the president. Giuliani's performance had a lot of legal experts wondering who Rudy thought he was fooling.By Tuesday, the answer became obvious when Trump repeated Giuliani's dubious claim that "Collusion is not a crime, but that doesn't matter because there was no collusion." In a barrage of tweets, the president repeated the phrase like a mantra.
Collusion is not a crime, but that doesn’t matter because there was No Collusion (except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats)!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2018
This talking point seemed to magically appear all over the right-wing media at the same time. Critics pointed out that this defense was little more than a word game because, while "collusion" may not be a crime, its synonym "conspiracy" most certainly is a crime.
Trump Throws Fuel to the Republican Bonfire
In what might be the first shots in a turf war, President Trump lashed out at the Koch brothers, calling them "globalists" who "have become a total joke in real Republican circles." His remarks came after an announcement by Koch's Americans for Prosperity which stated that the brothers would no longer solely support Republicans in the mid-terms.If true, this would be very bad news for Republicans come November and Trump's taunting would be throwing fuel to the fire.
As if that wasn't enough damage, Trump, speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Thursday evening, stated that he said he would rather have a government shutdown fight over his immigration and border security demands before the midterm elections in November. This wasn't a one-off remark, CNN pointed out.
Trump tweeted last weekend that he would be willing to shut down the government if Democrats in Congress did not agree to impose his preferred immigration laws and to fund his border security measures, including the wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. He reiterated the threat in person on Monday, although he said he would "leave room for negotiation."To be clear, an unpopular government shutdown would be a disaster for the Republicans who are already facing the threat of a voter revolt.
But this is just Trump doing what Trump apparently does best: sabotaging his own cause.
Stop the Witch Hunt
In what many see as the president most blatant attempt at obstruction, Trump called on the head of the Justice Department, Jeff Sessions, to "stop the rigged witch hunt right now " on Wednesday...This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
It doesn't take an expert to see that Trump's tweet was little more than an attempt to shut down the investigation. In fact, the attorney general has limited options, since he has recused himself from overseeing the special counsel’s inquiry.
Walking back from this tweet, the spokesperson for the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, claimed that it was "not an order." The president, she said, was angry and was simply "fighting back."
"There is a reason that the President is angry and frankly most of America is angry as well. And there is no reason he shouldn't be able to voice that opinion."The question is whether Trump's idea of "fighting back" includes obstruction.
Bones and Ashes
In other mid-week news, the president thanked the North Korean leader for a "nice letter" and for returning select remains from the Korean War. The unverified remains were transported to the US in 55 flag-draped coffins and were received by Vice President Mike Pence.This gesture is in sharp contrast to the boasts that Trump made a month ago claiming Kim Jong Un had agreed to a full de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Meanwhile, US intelligence agencies reported signs that North Korea was constructing new a ballistic missile. The construction was reportedly taking place at the same factory that produced the country’s first missile capable of reaching the US.
Ongoing Threat
On Thursday, top officials from four U.S. intelligence agencies held a press conference to warn about the "pervasive" and "ongoing" threats from foreign actors, including Russia, to interfere in upcoming U.S. elections. The threat, they said, was "real." When asked directly whether Russian was helping one party more than another, the officials refused to say.With the administration representing two opposing realities, that of the president and that of the intel agencies- the whole event was disorienting. Who's in charge? Is anybody in charge?
In Finland, President Trump handed Putin what was called an "unalloyed diplomatic triumph" when he refused to support the collective conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies.
Arriving home, he walked back with a weak excuse. (He cited a "minor" grammatical mistake.) But then, in a tweet dated just seven days ago, Trump called the Russian interference claim "a big hoax."
Arriving home, he walked back with a weak excuse. (He cited a "minor" grammatical mistake.) But then, in a tweet dated just seven days ago, Trump called the Russian interference claim "a big hoax."
During the press conference, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told reporters that he was not "in a position to understand fully" what was discussed between Putin and Trump at the summit. This implies that Trump still has briefed his own advisors what went on and what was discussed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the summit “fabulous” and “better than super,” according to Russian news agencies, while Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was snickering with exuberance as he watched the news conference from the sidelines.
Even as that bewildering and humiliating scene was unfolding, the Justice Department was in the process of filing indictments of 12 Russian-government agents for election interference.
Within hours of the intel press conference, the president was at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and once again proclaiming the Russian interference was nothing more than a hoax.
This claim was found in documents filed in a New York federal court in late July, which were first reported by Rolling Stone. The NRA is currently engaged in a lawsuit with New York State Department of Financial Services and Gov. Andrew Cuomo after the state agency encouraged financial services companies in New York not to do business with the gun rights organization after the Florida shooting.
Within hours of the intel press conference, the president was at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and once again proclaiming the Russian interference was nothing more than a hoax.
NRA Out of Ammo?
At the close of the work week, the National Rifle Association (NRA) announced that the gun rights organization was in financial jeopardy and might "be unable to exist… or pursue its advocacy mission."This claim was found in documents filed in a New York federal court in late July, which were first reported by Rolling Stone. The NRA is currently engaged in a lawsuit with New York State Department of Financial Services and Gov. Andrew Cuomo after the state agency encouraged financial services companies in New York not to do business with the gun rights organization after the Florida shooting.
This news came as quite a shock. During the 2016 election cycle, the NRA and its affiliates reportedly spent a record $54 million to secure Republican control of the White House and Congress, including at least $30.3m to help elect Donald Trump.
Is this just a new form of fund-raising? That's what David Hogg, one of the Parkland teens that became the face of the anti-gun violence movement March for Our Lives,, tweeted in response to the latest news.
At the same time as the NRA announcement, authorities have accused Kremlin-backed oligarchs of attempting with the help of indicted Russia agent, Maria Valeryevna Butina is, to infiltrate and to funnel money to selected candidates.
(Incidentally, in case you missed it, this week, Mother Jones theorized a connection between the FBI raid on Butina's apartment and a subsequent shakeup of the NRA leadership.)
Is this just a new form of fund-raising? That's what David Hogg, one of the Parkland teens that became the face of the anti-gun violence movement March for Our Lives,, tweeted in response to the latest news.
The NRA is trying to fool us into believing this DO NOT believe it. The NRA is still one of the greatest threats to American lives today. They simply need donations now that Maria Butina and @torshin_ru have been reviled. https://t.co/435OiqYAJx— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) August 4, 2018
At the same time as the NRA announcement, authorities have accused Kremlin-backed oligarchs of attempting with the help of indicted Russia agent, Maria Valeryevna Butina is, to infiltrate and to funnel money to selected candidates.
(Incidentally, in case you missed it, this week, Mother Jones theorized a connection between the FBI raid on Butina's apartment and a subsequent shakeup of the NRA leadership.)
"demanding that our country becomes better by putting lives over money and stopping lobbyist groups — that also happen to be foreign conduits like the NRA — from having a say about whether we live or die."
"Diplomatic" Trump
In a sign of worsening tensions between the United States and Turkey, Turkish president Recep Erdogan ordered the freezing of assets of two unnamed US officials on Saturday. This move comes in retaliation for Trump imposing sanctions on Turkey's justice and interior ministers earlier in the week.
The current dispute stems from the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson on charges of conspiring to overthrow the Turkish government.
On Saturday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro survived an assassination attempt when a pair of drones exploded during a televised speech. In May, President Trump called upon Maduro to
Donald Trump, at a rally in Ohio on Saturday, provided us with a fitting punchline to all of the week's events. There, he said that the presidency has changed him.
So, there you have it, another week of confusion, hypocrisy and madness in the Trump era. What do you think was the most important news story of the week was?
The playlist consists of:
On Saturday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro survived an assassination attempt when a pair of drones exploded during a televised speech. In May, President Trump called upon Maduro to
"restore democracy, hold free and fair elections, release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and end the repression and economic deprivation of the Venezuelan people."
Maduro blamed "right-wing elements" for the attempt on his life.
I’ve become much more diplomatic.The most amazing part? Not one person in the crowd burst out laughing.
* * *
So, there you have it, another week of confusion, hypocrisy and madness in the Trump era. What do you think was the most important news story of the week was?
Time to Soothe Savage Breasts
Now it is time to formally close this week and around here, we wave goodbye with music. The theme of this Sanity Sunday is a selection of orchestral arrangements of familiar rock or pop tunes. I hope you enjoy it.The playlist consists of:
- Bossard Quartet - Mr. Blue Sky
- Stringspace Orchestra - Stand By Me
- Indiana University Orchestra- Bohemia Rhapsody
- Stringspace Orchestra - Fields of Gold
- Brooklyn Duo - The Sound of Silence
- Duo Rosanna - Scarborough Fair
- Brooklyn Duo - Zombie
- CARisMA Guitar Duo - Cavatina from The Deer Hunter
- C-JAM - Who Wants To Live Forever
- Brooklyn Duo feat. Escher Quartet - Creep
- 12cellos - The Long and Winding Road
- Brooklyn Duo - Hallelujah
That about wraps things up for another week. We have somehow survived. Have a great Sunday, my friends.