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| Waves as they approach the coast of California. From Smithsonian Magazine |
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
TODAY'S BIG NUGGET: The "Who Called It" Nugget!!
Karen McDougal is the woman with the best chance of bringing down Trump from Think Progress
".... Daniels and McDougal have sued, asking the court to formally invalidate their agreements and let them speak freely. But the nature of the agreements signed by Daniels and McDougal are quite different. From a legal perspective, the structure of McDougal’s contract appears to be worse for Trump and his associates."
See the Daniels story from News Nuggets 1568! To quote myself from March 11: "ALL of the women who have signed NDAs with Trump will go back and find that he didn't sign their agreements either -- and thus they would be free to speak. It is my sense that some of those cases go way beyond consensual affairs but deal with sexual harassment, rape, and worse." And here we are just 10 days later! I thought I was going out on a limb with my prediction. I am going to follow on here with another prediction: it is now not a question as to if any more will come forward. The question is how many? I feel like I should start a pool! Now, the second issue I raised in my last post was "It seems to me that law abiding people sign an NDA. More nefarious folks simply blackmail. I suspect Trump has had to deal with both types many times." What could this look like? See the following nugget! -- Nuggetsman
".... Daniels and McDougal have sued, asking the court to formally invalidate their agreements and let them speak freely. But the nature of the agreements signed by Daniels and McDougal are quite different. From a legal perspective, the structure of McDougal’s contract appears to be worse for Trump and his associates."
See the Daniels story from News Nuggets 1568! To quote myself from March 11: "ALL of the women who have signed NDAs with Trump will go back and find that he didn't sign their agreements either -- and thus they would be free to speak. It is my sense that some of those cases go way beyond consensual affairs but deal with sexual harassment, rape, and worse." And here we are just 10 days later! I thought I was going out on a limb with my prediction. I am going to follow on here with another prediction: it is now not a question as to if any more will come forward. The question is how many? I feel like I should start a pool! Now, the second issue I raised in my last post was "It seems to me that law abiding people sign an NDA. More nefarious folks simply blackmail. I suspect Trump has had to deal with both types many times." What could this look like? See the following nugget! -- Nuggetsman
Why Have Security Clearance? The Trump Example
The Stormy Daniels Saga Shows How Vulnerable Trump Is To Blackmail from the Huffington Post
"I mention the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes things we had to deal with not to be a martyr or because any of us felt the intensity of the questioning was unfair or inappropriate. I tell you this because it was a job to complete this form, and it was a job we all — senior advisers and junior assistants alike — took seriously. We knew that the security of the United States could be compromised if we screwed up the SF86. ... We are talking about the president. With every passing news cycle, the current administration is learning this lesson, about the importance of telling the truth, an even harder way. The total failure to follow protocol, to tell the truth about staffers’ backgrounds, is biting them in the ass."
"I mention the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes things we had to deal with not to be a martyr or because any of us felt the intensity of the questioning was unfair or inappropriate. I tell you this because it was a job to complete this form, and it was a job we all — senior advisers and junior assistants alike — took seriously. We knew that the security of the United States could be compromised if we screwed up the SF86. ... We are talking about the president. With every passing news cycle, the current administration is learning this lesson, about the importance of telling the truth, an even harder way. The total failure to follow protocol, to tell the truth about staffers’ backgrounds, is biting them in the ass."
A GREAT DETAILED PRIMER on Firing or Not Firing
Trump would love to fire Mueller. But here’s why he’s been afraid to so far. from Vox
"It is certainly possible that Trump could change his mind and decide that, despite all this, Mueller’s probe is so dangerous that it’s worth casting caution to the wind and firing him. But he’s been afraid to take that step so far — and for some very good reasons."
"It is certainly possible that Trump could change his mind and decide that, despite all this, Mueller’s probe is so dangerous that it’s worth casting caution to the wind and firing him. But he’s been afraid to take that step so far — and for some very good reasons."
Assessing Trump's Young Presidency: Check out the Superlatives!
Trump’s presidency is unravelling. But he won’t fall without a push (Gary Younge) from the Guardian (of the UK)
"Witnessing Trump’s presidency unravel so spectacularly provokes a perverse joy. The venality is so baroque, the vulgarity so ostentatious, the inconsistencies so stark, the incompetence so epic and the lies so brazen, it leaves you speechless. His vanity is without guile and the scandals that embroil him without end. Almost everything he says and does has been publicly contradicted, by himself, usually on Twitter. "
"Witnessing Trump’s presidency unravel so spectacularly provokes a perverse joy. The venality is so baroque, the vulgarity so ostentatious, the inconsistencies so stark, the incompetence so epic and the lies so brazen, it leaves you speechless. His vanity is without guile and the scandals that embroil him without end. Almost everything he says and does has been publicly contradicted, by himself, usually on Twitter. "
Trump "growing into his Presidency"
White House shakeup shows Trump tired of hearing 'no' for an answer from Reuters
" Almost 14 months into Donald Trump’s turbulent White House tenure, loyalists are in, dissenters are out and the president himself is acting on his own instincts more swiftly than ever to make decisions on policies from trade to North Korea."
Oh happy day!
" Almost 14 months into Donald Trump’s turbulent White House tenure, loyalists are in, dissenters are out and the president himself is acting on his own instincts more swiftly than ever to make decisions on policies from trade to North Korea."
Oh happy day!
On Trump's New Cabinet: There's Madness to His Method
Trump is systematically removing the guardrails in his cabinet from the New Republic
"These changes suggest a president who is convinced that he has grown into the job and, more troublingly, has come to resent the numerous guardrails that were erected around him to protect the country (and the world) from his erratic instincts. Trump is remaking his cabinet—filling it with hawks and cable news pundits—into his own image."
"These changes suggest a president who is convinced that he has grown into the job and, more troublingly, has come to resent the numerous guardrails that were erected around him to protect the country (and the world) from his erratic instincts. Trump is remaking his cabinet—filling it with hawks and cable news pundits—into his own image."
The Politics of Sophistry and Cynicism
Trump's maximal tribalism (Damon Linker) from The Week
"Without fully grasping the consequences of his words and deeds, President Trump has done more than any previous president to advance a politics of sophistry and cynicism. It's a politics defined by the unrelenting effort to prove that every apparent act of virtue is in fact an example of something lower — of the very tribalism that motivates Trump's every public utterance and act."
"Without fully grasping the consequences of his words and deeds, President Trump has done more than any previous president to advance a politics of sophistry and cynicism. It's a politics defined by the unrelenting effort to prove that every apparent act of virtue is in fact an example of something lower — of the very tribalism that motivates Trump's every public utterance and act."
2018 House Election Prediction Nugget!
Insiders See Democratic House Gains of 30-45 seats from Roll Call
"Seven and a half months before the midterm elections, the combination of attitudinal and behavioral evidence leads to a single conclusion: The Democrats are very likely to win control of the House in November. Just as important, Republican and Democratic campaign strategists also agree that an electoral wave has already formed. The attitudinal evidence begins with national polling."
I think this analysis is VERY CONSERVATIVE! If Dems do as well in November as they have done on average in the special elections from last year and this year, the GOP actually has close to 110 House seats in danger. Now -- I think there is no way the Dems will get anything close to 110. I am predicting more like a 65-70 seat pickup. No one else is predicting this. You heard it here first. One caveat: I fully expect Russian hackers will be targeting election outcomes by finding ways to actually alter vote totals. If this happens on anything like a meaningful scale, all bets are off.
"Seven and a half months before the midterm elections, the combination of attitudinal and behavioral evidence leads to a single conclusion: The Democrats are very likely to win control of the House in November. Just as important, Republican and Democratic campaign strategists also agree that an electoral wave has already formed. The attitudinal evidence begins with national polling."
I think this analysis is VERY CONSERVATIVE! If Dems do as well in November as they have done on average in the special elections from last year and this year, the GOP actually has close to 110 House seats in danger. Now -- I think there is no way the Dems will get anything close to 110. I am predicting more like a 65-70 seat pickup. No one else is predicting this. You heard it here first. One caveat: I fully expect Russian hackers will be targeting election outcomes by finding ways to actually alter vote totals. If this happens on anything like a meaningful scale, all bets are off.
The Bigger Picture on Russian Poisoning in the UK
Poisoning of Russian ex-spy puts spotlight on Moscow’s secret military labs from the Washington Post
"During his last run for the presidency, in 2012, Russian leader Vladimir Putin startled U.S. military experts with a mysterious pledge to develop novel kinds of weapons to counter the West’s technological edge. Armies of the future, he said, would need weapons “based on new physical principles” including “genetic” and “psychophysical” science."
There is every indication that Putin has been investing A LOT in unconventional forms of weaponry. We are now somewhat privy to the kind of cyber warfare he will wage. Russia has long been the leader in chem-bio WMDs. This seems like a clear extension of that. If you want to see the bigger historical picture, see David Hoffman's Pulitzer prize winning book, The Dead Hand.
"During his last run for the presidency, in 2012, Russian leader Vladimir Putin startled U.S. military experts with a mysterious pledge to develop novel kinds of weapons to counter the West’s technological edge. Armies of the future, he said, would need weapons “based on new physical principles” including “genetic” and “psychophysical” science."
There is every indication that Putin has been investing A LOT in unconventional forms of weaponry. We are now somewhat privy to the kind of cyber warfare he will wage. Russia has long been the leader in chem-bio WMDs. This seems like a clear extension of that. If you want to see the bigger historical picture, see David Hoffman's Pulitzer prize winning book, The Dead Hand.
On the McCabe Firing
I stand with Andrew McCabe (Ronald Klain) from the Washington Post
"A president who doesn’t respect the rule of law will always have the upper hand over imperfect but fundamentally decent civil servants."
"A president who doesn’t respect the rule of law will always have the upper hand over imperfect but fundamentally decent civil servants."
Immigration Nugget
Is it still worth trying to come to America as an asylum seeker? I don't think so (Luis Mancheno) from the Guardian (of the UK)
"I know you will come because I am a refugee living in the United States and I know what it means to escape death. I am so ashamed that we will do this to you and I am angry because my new country has betrayed me and every other person who believed in it. This place is not what it used to be. Just know that."
"I know you will come because I am a refugee living in the United States and I know what it means to escape death. I am so ashamed that we will do this to you and I am angry because my new country has betrayed me and every other person who believed in it. This place is not what it used to be. Just know that."
Gun Control Reform Nugget!
Maher panel proposes a new way of taking down the NRA — and the gun organization should be afraid from Raw Story
"“Why does the NRA get a tax exemption and how to do we take it away?” host Bill Maher proposed as his audience applauded. “They would like to say that they don’t run a political action committee, but they do have that wing, saying they are a grassroots non-profit organization,” Sirius radio host Nayyera Haq explained as comedian Pete Dominick interjected, “Elect Democrats.”"
"“Why does the NRA get a tax exemption and how to do we take it away?” host Bill Maher proposed as his audience applauded. “They would like to say that they don’t run a political action committee, but they do have that wing, saying they are a grassroots non-profit organization,” Sirius radio host Nayyera Haq explained as comedian Pete Dominick interjected, “Elect Democrats.”"
Sunday, March 11, 2018
TODAY'S BIG NUGGET: The Trump Presidency: "Worse Than I Had Imagined..."
It’s Worse Than We Thought (Josh Marshall) from Talking Points Memo
"While I’ve been following the Trump era for going on three years and long been a pessimist about the depth of his corruption – both venal and otherwise – the last two weeks has made me think the situation is significantly worse than I’d imagined. Let me refer very briefly to two points."
"While I’ve been following the Trump era for going on three years and long been a pessimist about the depth of his corruption – both venal and otherwise – the last two weeks has made me think the situation is significantly worse than I’d imagined. Let me refer very briefly to two points."
Trump, Now Liberated to Act on His Impulses... ?!
“Trump is Going for a Clean Reset": Fuming in the West Wing (Gabriel Sherman) from Vanity Fair
"Donald Trump was telling friends he was tired of being reined in. “I’m doing great, but I’m getting all these bad headlines,” Trump told a friend recently. A Republican in frequent contact with the White House told me Trump is “frustrated by all these people telling him what to do.” With the departures of Hope Hicks and Gary Cohn, the Trump presidency is entering a new phase—one in which Trump is feeling liberated to act on his impulses."
AH! So what we have seen so far has been the buttoned down, under-control Trump!!
"Donald Trump was telling friends he was tired of being reined in. “I’m doing great, but I’m getting all these bad headlines,” Trump told a friend recently. A Republican in frequent contact with the White House told me Trump is “frustrated by all these people telling him what to do.” With the departures of Hope Hicks and Gary Cohn, the Trump presidency is entering a new phase—one in which Trump is feeling liberated to act on his impulses."
AH! So what we have seen so far has been the buttoned down, under-control Trump!!
America: A Hapless Cartoon Character on the World TV Screen
Trump is Wile E. Coyote (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
" When it comes to global diplomacy, America under President Trump has become something of a hapless cartoon villain, detonating bombs on itself and running into walls — while our nimbler adversaries dart away in a blur of dust. ... His strategy, if you can call it that, has been to disrupt America’s traditional economic and security relationships and commitments. He must imagine that this gives him new leverage, but mostly the result has been a series of self-inflicted wounds."
" When it comes to global diplomacy, America under President Trump has become something of a hapless cartoon villain, detonating bombs on itself and running into walls — while our nimbler adversaries dart away in a blur of dust. ... His strategy, if you can call it that, has been to disrupt America’s traditional economic and security relationships and commitments. He must imagine that this gives him new leverage, but mostly the result has been a series of self-inflicted wounds."
Time for Kushner's Close Up -- and It Isn't Pretty!
The corruption of Kushner (Ryan Cooper) from The Week
"Obviously, the Kushner situation is galactically worse than Trump simply hiring a relatively dim relative. Indeed, Kushner (who recently lost his Top Secret security clearance) is also up to his armpits in extremely shady business deals that reek of corruption. In a healthy democracy, law enforcement would already be closing in. ... Let's just run through just a few publicly known facts and see if we can't connect the dots."
"Obviously, the Kushner situation is galactically worse than Trump simply hiring a relatively dim relative. Indeed, Kushner (who recently lost his Top Secret security clearance) is also up to his armpits in extremely shady business deals that reek of corruption. In a healthy democracy, law enforcement would already be closing in. ... Let's just run through just a few publicly known facts and see if we can't connect the dots."
For Christians, After Trump, What Could They Ever Be "Public Witnesses" To?
The Last Temptation (Michael Gerson) from the Atlantic
"Loyalty to Trump has involved progressively more difficult, self-abasing demands. And there appears to be no limit to what some evangelical leaders will endure. ... The moral convictions of many evangelical leaders have become a function of their partisan identification. This is not mere gullibility; it is utter corruption. Blinded by political tribalism and hatred for their political opponents, these leaders can’t see how they are undermining the causes to which they once dedicated their lives. Little remains of a distinctly Christian public witness."
"Loyalty to Trump has involved progressively more difficult, self-abasing demands. And there appears to be no limit to what some evangelical leaders will endure. ... The moral convictions of many evangelical leaders have become a function of their partisan identification. This is not mere gullibility; it is utter corruption. Blinded by political tribalism and hatred for their political opponents, these leaders can’t see how they are undermining the causes to which they once dedicated their lives. Little remains of a distinctly Christian public witness."
Prince and Obstruction of Justice?
Erik Prince Might Want To Shift Investments To Private Prison Industry from Talking Points Memo
"Prince appears caught conducting clandestine business, which may not be criminal in itself (you can meet people in the Seychelles) but may or may not be part of a broader criminal conspiracy. But here he may be caught not only in a lie but a highly material lie and perhaps one that is so clear-cut and designed to impede a lawful investigation that he can be prosecuted for it."
Prince has been one of the more prominent war profiteering shit heels for many years. This couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!
"Prince appears caught conducting clandestine business, which may not be criminal in itself (you can meet people in the Seychelles) but may or may not be part of a broader criminal conspiracy. But here he may be caught not only in a lie but a highly material lie and perhaps one that is so clear-cut and designed to impede a lawful investigation that he can be prosecuted for it."
Prince has been one of the more prominent war profiteering shit heels for many years. This couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!
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