by Nomad
Paleobiologist, J. William Schopf, once pointed out that "for four-fifths of our history, our planet was populated by pond scum." Looking back over the last week, it's hard to see much sign that things- at least in the noxious world of politics- have evolved all that much. Despite Trump's campaign promise to drain the swamp, the week proved that the levels of scum are not receding in the slightest.
So it's time to put on our hip waders and take our weekly march into the muck.
Trump Tweets about Secret Meeting
On Monday, President Trump admitted in a tweet something which will, legal experts said, be extraordinarily problematic for his defense against the charge of Russian collusion.
Speaking about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between top campaign aides and a Russian lawyer, Trump confessed that the purpose was to get dirt on Hillary Clinton from sources in the Russian government.
"This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!"
The tweet concedes that the President’s son and top advisers knowingly met with individuals connected to the Russian government, hoping to obtain dirt on their political opponent.
That's a big [expletive deleted] deal.
The tweet seems to admit that both father and son lied about the meeting. Trump, to the American people and his son, to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017. Under oath, Trump Jr. said:
That's a big [expletive deleted] deal.
The tweet seems to admit that both father and son lied about the meeting. Trump, to the American people and his son, to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017. Under oath, Trump Jr. said:
“I did not collude with any foreign government and did not know anyone who did.”Trump’s lawyers claimed in a letter to Mueller that Trump dictated a "short but accurate response" to the New York Times supporting his son's defense, that "there was nothing to the meeting and certainly no evidence of collusion."
The only alternative scenario is that Trump's son also lied to his father about the meeting.
Thus, the last sentence of Trump's tweet "I did not know about it" translates to "Watch me throw my own son under the bus to save my skin."
The latest tweet could also spell trouble for the president's defense team in terms of campaign finance laws. Rather than make the more familiar cash contribution, the Russian government generated “things of value” in the form of hacked Clinton and DNC material that WikiLeaks then made public.
The final piece of the puzzle is incontrovertible proof that Trump or his campaign arranged in advance for the hacking.
Stay tuned, nomads.
Closing the Doors
Thus, the last sentence of Trump's tweet "I did not know about it" translates to "Watch me throw my own son under the bus to save my skin."
The latest tweet could also spell trouble for the president's defense team in terms of campaign finance laws. Rather than make the more familiar cash contribution, the Russian government generated “things of value” in the form of hacked Clinton and DNC material that WikiLeaks then made public.
The final piece of the puzzle is incontrovertible proof that Trump or his campaign arranged in advance for the hacking.
Stay tuned, nomads.
Closing the Doors
It was revealed on Tuesday that the Trump administration would soon be announcing changes to the US legal immigration program.
Under the proposal, reportedly the brainchild of scary Stephen Miller, immigrants would be prevented from obtaining citizenship or green cards if they had ever used social welfare programs like the Affordable Care Act, children's health insurance, or food stamps.
The reforms would not require congressional approval despite affecting more than 20 million immigrants.
The Biggest Grifter
Trump Against the World
Wednesday saw China's announcement that 25% tariffs on $16 billion worth of U.S. goods, including large passenger cars and motorcycles, various fuels, and fiber optic cables.
This move in an escalating trade war is in retaliation for the Trump administration's Tuesday announcement of its own list of tariffs on imports from China due to go into effect on August 23.
The fallout of the news sent the Russian ruble tumbling to its lower level in over two years. On Friday, Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that the sanctions would be viewed as "a declaration of an economic war."
According to the Times of London, Russia threatened to cut off a supply of rocket engines crucial to the U.S. space program in response to new sanctions. Russia supplies RD-180 rocket engines used by NASA and the Pentagon since the US does not have a reliable domestic alternative.
Trump's SCOTUS Trump Card
Given Kavanaugh's view against the limiting of the president's power over executive branch officials, there are also growing concerns that the president's choice may have important consequences for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Before the tweet, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had attempted damage control by appealing to Turkish citizens to exchange any dollars, euros or gold for lira to help the currency.
Make Haste Before the King's Arrival!
On Friday, New York Times reported that senior national security officials attempted to prevent Trump from upending a policy agreement between NATO allies last month.
According to the report, officials like National Security Advisor John Bolton urged alliance's ambassadors to complete the joint communiqué before the forum began. In order to keep international relations from being torn asunder. In this way, Bolton and others successfully circumvented the president.
Despite this success, President Trump used the NATO meeting to question a major pillar of the defense alliance by questioning whether an attack on one NATO ally was an attack on them all. Without a mutual defense principle, the organization would make smaller member nations, especially in Eastern Europe, vulnerable to a Russian invasion.
Trump's Hypocrisy on Race and Violence
On the first anniversary of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Trump on Saturday condemned "all types of racism and acts of violence.” His tweet encouraged all Americans to "come together."
His critics pointed out that only a week ago, Trump was stoking racial divisions with attacks on black athletes and other minorities.
A year ago, the president was roundly condemned for not speaking out in clear and unambiguous terms about the events in Charlottesville.
Instead, he pleaded a case of false ethical equivalence between neo-Nazis or white supremacists and the people who had come to protest against them. He asserted that “many sides” bore responsibility.
Hope you have a relaxing weekend.
Under the proposal, reportedly the brainchild of scary Stephen Miller, immigrants would be prevented from obtaining citizenship or green cards if they had ever used social welfare programs like the Affordable Care Act, children's health insurance, or food stamps.
The reforms would not require congressional approval despite affecting more than 20 million immigrants.
Meanwhile, it was announced this week that Melania Trump's parents successfully obtained their US citizenship. Slovenia-born Viktor and Amalija Knavs were sponsored through heir adult daughter. That technique, called family visas or chain migration, is one of the very immigration loopholes that the administration has sought to end.
The First Lady's own immigration lawyer Michael Wildes spoke out against the proposed changes to chain migration “unconscionable.”
The First Lady's own immigration lawyer Michael Wildes spoke out against the proposed changes to chain migration “unconscionable.”
First Amendment be Damned, say Many Republicans
According to a piece in the Daily Beast, a recent poll, Republican voters believed that President Trump "should have the authority to close down news outlets engaged in bad behavior."
Thirty-six percent, however, disagreed with the statement. 48% said they believed "the news media is the enemy of the American people" with 79% saying they believe "the mainstream media treats President Trump unfairly."
This week, the United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross was publicly accused of stealing as much as $120 million from former business partners.
A lawsuit by Ross' ex-business partner David Storper alleges that Ross stole his interests in a private equity fund, transferred them to himself, then tried to cover it up with bogus paperwork. But that is certainly not the full story when it comes to allegations against Ross.
Dan Alexander of Forbes investigated the allegations and wrote:
A lawsuit by Ross' ex-business partner David Storper alleges that Ross stole his interests in a private equity fund, transferred them to himself, then tried to cover it up with bogus paperwork. But that is certainly not the full story when it comes to allegations against Ross. Over several months, in speaking with 21 people who know Ross, Forbes uncovered a pattern: Many of those who worked directly with him claim that Ross wrongly siphoned or outright stole a few million here and a few million there, huge amounts for most but not necessarily for the commerce secretary. At least if you consider them individually.
But all told, these allegations—which sparked lawsuits, reimbursements and an SEC fine—come to more than $120 million. If even half of the accusations are legitimate, the current United States secretary of commerce could rank among the biggest grifters in American history.
Wednesday saw China's announcement that 25% tariffs on $16 billion worth of U.S. goods, including large passenger cars and motorcycles, various fuels, and fiber optic cables.
This move in an escalating trade war is in retaliation for the Trump administration's Tuesday announcement of its own list of tariffs on imports from China due to go into effect on August 23.
The United States and China trade goods and services worth about $650 billion each year, the largest trading relationship in the world between two countries.
In a surprising move, the Trump administration announced plans to punish Russia for its assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal with a chemical weapon earlier this year.
The sanctions will reportedly limit Russia's ability to purchase sensitive national security goods from the United States, such as engines, circuits and other items.The fallout of the news sent the Russian ruble tumbling to its lower level in over two years. On Friday, Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that the sanctions would be viewed as "a declaration of an economic war."
"And it would be necessary, it would be needed to react to this war economically, politically, or, if needed, by other means. And our American friends need to understand this."What does this ominous remark actually mean in practice? It didn't take long to find out.
According to the Times of London, Russia threatened to cut off a supply of rocket engines crucial to the U.S. space program in response to new sanctions. Russia supplies RD-180 rocket engines used by NASA and the Pentagon since the US does not have a reliable domestic alternative.
So much for Mike Pence's Space Force.
September 4th is the opening date for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing. It is expected to last three or four days. The date aligns with Mitch McConnell's plan to get Kavanaugh on the bench before the midterm elections.
Wonder what the rush is for?
Wonder what the rush is for?
Senate Republicans and Democrats fought over access to Kavanaugh's records which may show "behind-the-scenes involvement in the Bush administration's torture and other detainee policies after the terrorist attacks."
Trump and the Collapse of the Turkish Lira
On Friday, the president took aim at the economy of a NATO ally, Turkey by announcing a doubling of tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports. This was in retaliation for the arrest and imprisonment of an American pastor on charges of aiding a terrorist organization.
According to Bloomberg:
Trump's tweet sent the value of the Turkish lira into free-fall losing more than 18 percent of its value in one day. He might want the world to think he was totally responsible but, the truth is the lira has lost nearly 40 percent of its value since the start of the year.
Turkey makes up 62 percent of bar used to reinforce concrete and masonry structures coming into the U.S. It also accounts for 37 percent of imported pipes for piling, which is used for foundation support and construction, and 14 percent of cold-rolled sheet.
Even though the tariffs themselves are minor and impact around $1 billion (€875 million) in trade, the news of the sanction caused a tremor in market confidence in the already vulnerable Turkish economy.
Before the tweet, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had attempted damage control by appealing to Turkish citizens to exchange any dollars, euros or gold for lira to help the currency.
“Change the euros, the dollars and the gold that you are keeping beneath your pillows into lira at our banks. This is a national, domestic battle.This will be my people’s response to those who have waged an economic war against us.”His advice went unheeded- even amongst his most loyal supporters- and the lira continued to plunge against the dollar. In light of the market mayhem, international investors were warning of a meltdown of the Turkish economy.
According to the report, officials like National Security Advisor John Bolton urged alliance's ambassadors to complete the joint communiqué before the forum began. In order to keep international relations from being torn asunder. In this way, Bolton and others successfully circumvented the president.
Despite this success, President Trump used the NATO meeting to question a major pillar of the defense alliance by questioning whether an attack on one NATO ally was an attack on them all. Without a mutual defense principle, the organization would make smaller member nations, especially in Eastern Europe, vulnerable to a Russian invasion.
Trump's Hypocrisy on Race and Violence
His critics pointed out that only a week ago, Trump was stoking racial divisions with attacks on black athletes and other minorities.
Instead, he pleaded a case of false ethical equivalence between neo-Nazis or white supremacists and the people who had come to protest against them. He asserted that “many sides” bore responsibility.
"You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people—on both sides.”
His remarks offered more evidence that if Trump is not a racist, he is at least a man who has no moral compass whatsoever.
Trump might have condemned violence in his tweet but all through the campaign, candidate Trump regularly encouraged his supporters to be as aggressive as they liked to protesters. ABC News provides us with more examples:
Trump might have condemned violence in his tweet but all through the campaign, candidate Trump regularly encouraged his supporters to be as aggressive as they liked to protesters. ABC News provides us with more examples:
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on the day of the Iowa caucuses, for instance, he told audience members he would pay their legal fees if they engaged in violence against protesters.The list of racially-divisive remarks- along with obvious "dog whistles" that Trump has made before and after becoming president is long enough for some in the media to call it a "common thread" in his career.
At a Las Vegas rally later that month, he said security guards were too gentle with a protester. "He's walking out with big high-fives, smiling, laughing," Trump said. "I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell you."
As this post goes to press, Sunday is just waking up. A white nationalist rally is scheduled to take place across the street from the White House to mark the anniversary of the Charlottesville riot. Thousands of demonstrators are expected to attend. Several counterprotests have also received permission to gather nearby.I will add any late-breaking developments as an update.
All righty, then. That's the Sunday wrap up for this week.
Note: You might have noticed that I skipped over the details of the Manafort trial. If you are interested in following the day by day developments in the case, here is a good link, courtesy of Bloomberg.
All righty, then. That's the Sunday wrap up for this week.
Note: You might have noticed that I skipped over the details of the Manafort trial. If you are interested in following the day by day developments in the case, here is a good link, courtesy of Bloomberg.
And Now Let's Chill
This week's Sanity Sunday music break features the soulful music of Van Morrison who turns 73 at the end of this month.- Brown Eyed Girl
- And It Stoned Me
- Tupelo Honey
- Domino
- Into the Mystic
- Moondance
- Queen of the Slipstream
- Days Like This
- When the Leaves Come Falling Down
- Sweet Thing
- Have I Told You Lately
- Someone Like You
Hope you have a relaxing weekend.