Trump

[Tolvo]

Also somewhat related. One of the fine people Trump mentioned at Charlotesville previously.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/us/charlottesville-james-fields-trial/index.html

This also doesn't contain one part that is to quell the conspiracy theory that the car crash caused her to have a heart attack. James Fields is guilty on all accounts and will be spending life in jail likely.

https://wset.com/news/local/medical-examiner-heather-heyer-died-of-blunt-force-injury-during-unite-the-right-rally

A car crash that split her aorta.

http://www.nbc29.com/story/39577456/fields-trial-day-6

Trump at least eventually relented that there were bad people on both sides, a very milquetoast statement. Then went on to defend those at the rally.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/04/us/charlottesville-james-fields-trial-tuesday/index.html

Also as mentioned above, he liked to share images of cars running over protectors and professed his hatred of anyone "Anti-white" and who he considered a communist and was a self professed Neo Nazi, he even sent his own mom a picture of Hitler.

Just thought I'd mention this in regards to the sorts of people that seem to rally for Trump and those with him and who support him.

[Various]

Even if somehow the threat of being run over caused her to have a heart attack, so that it rather than blunt force trauma of the impact that killed her, it would be a distinction without a difference.

[Tolvo]

Very much so yeah. Basically it's just conspiracy theory stuff to try and keep up the illusion that Neo Nazis aren't violent.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/james-alex-fields-found-guilty-killing-heather-heyer-during-violent-n945186

Especially since James Fields was part of the Vanguard, and was part of the squads that bring shields to rallies to form shield walls(Poorly I might add. These aren't nice linden wood shields with bosses and iron rims but are mostly pieces of crap) and beat counter-protesters. On top of desiring to run over antifascists before this event happened.

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/420239-childrens-singer-raffi-on-criticizing-trump-you-have-to-fight

Also weird Trump related story. I didn't realize the Bananaphone guy frequently tweets about how Trump is evil in between writing children's songs.

[legomaster00156]

I remember memorizing the lyrics to Baby Beluga when I was a kid. 

[gaggedLouise]

White House just confirmed John Kelly is leaving: he will be out of the building within a matter of weeks, as soon as Trump can find a replacement.

[Tolvo]

https://www.vox.com/2018/12/8/18131757/trump-france-riots-paris-agreement

So Trump is talking about how he believes people in France are commonly chanting that they want him, and using it to try and deny climate change.

He also has retweeted Charlie Kirk using the Neo Nazi term Cultural Marxist(Which comes from the original Nazi term, even used by Hitler himself, Cultural Bosheviks) to explain the protests.

https://thinkprogress.org/donald-trump-jr-robert-mueller-russia-investigation-donald-trump-moscow-project-michael-cohen-kimberly-guilfoyle-2016-election-1da210d03a18/

I also just saw this get reported. But I wonder if the headline is misleading. The article has good information, but I don't see anything in it actually about Don Jr hiding in Canada? I know Think Progress can have good articles but clickbait headlines but this one seems pretty egregious.

[Tolvo]

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/12/in-trumpworld-they-know-someone-is-coming-to-town-and-its-not-santa

Ah ok it looks like he is spending time in Canada and is hiding from the public. Thinkprogress just didn't for some reason actually put that part in the main article.

[gaggedLouise]

Trump's intended pick to succeed John Kelly refuses to take the job. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/09/politics/ayers-white-house-chief-of-staff/index.html

Obviously didn't want to become, in time, one more of the rats running to escape the Trump ship. :)

[Tolvo]

That general he's been eyeing also might not accept a role from Trump given that almost everything he has publicly said is against Trump, the only thing they really agree on is military budget.

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/12/15/putins-proxies-helped-funnel-millions-gop-campaigns

Also a little look into the finances from Russia that supported Trump, Paul Ryan, and Mitch, during the election.

[Various]

Interesting comment by Bernstein that Mueller is new territory for Trump as everything else's he's ever encountered in life he can bluster, lie, or buy his way out of. This he can't.

[Tolvo]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/09/politics/james-comey-donald-trump-2020/index.html

Comey has come out in support of whoever opposes Trump and to use every breath to try and get Trump out of office.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/09/politics/trump-tweets-james-comey-testimony/index.html

This comes after Trump has claimed that Comey, without evidence, has lied to congress.

[TheGlyphstone]

At this point 'Trump claims' and 'without evidence' is more or less redundant.

[gaggedLouise]

At this point 'Trump claims' and 'without evidence' is more or less redundant.

I'm reminded of the syntax textbook that listed a number of different permutations and variations of the phrase "Presidents can lie", all with various emphatic breakouts and attributes (the last one ran "Presidents of America can distort the truth").

[Various]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/09/politics/james-comey-donald-trump-2020/index.html

Comey has come out in support of whoever opposes Trump and to use every breath to try and get Trump out of office.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/09/politics/trump-tweets-james-comey-testimony/index.html

This comes after Trump has claimed that Comey, without evidence, has lied to congress.

He was instrumental in putting him in the Oval Office so I have exactly zero sympathy for him.

[AmberStarfire]

I was just reading this one:
https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/donald-trump-has-been-threatened-with-impeachment-and-jail-time-over-muellers-latest-filings/news-story/634072cd374a701c55e57b203075bcf6

My concern is he's going to get very upset at that kind of stuff, and that may or may not be a good thing when he's currently in a position of power.

[gaggedLouise]

I was just reading this one:
https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/donald-trump-has-been-threatened-with-impeachment-and-jail-time-over-muellers-latest-filings/news-story/634072cd374a701c55e57b203075bcf6

My concern is he's going to get very upset at that kind of stuff, and that may or may not be a good thing when he's currently in a position of power.

*takes up chanting* "Lock him up! LOCK HIM UP!!" :)

(Okay, I get your point, but Trump has the ability to get very angry and feel persecuted over almost anything that concerns his person and his personal brand)

[Tolvo]

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/12/trump-quietly-shuts-hiv-cure-research-appease-religious-right/

It looks like Trump's halt to HIV research is starting to get enforced.

[SweetSerenade]

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/12/trump-quietly-shuts-hiv-cure-research-appease-religious-right/

It looks like Trump's halt to HIV research is starting to get enforced.

I don't usually post here, but I had that shared by an IRL friend and I saw it. First thing I did was double check, and yes -yes it is happening - and yes, I am very pissed. That is just, it's ridiculous. If we could cure HIV it would change so much. What happened to separation of Church and State?

[Tolvo]

Technically it isn't in the constitution, but is something Thomas Jefferson did write. So technically you can ignore it if you want, but it is a very controversial thing to do depending on in what way. This is both abortion related(Since it is about using fetus cells) and about LGBTQIA+ people(HIV's main associated victims in the USA, especially associated due to the AIDs crisis and the largest numbers of victims come from those communities).

But this isn't exactly new. Reagan and George HW Bush both did similar things. Reagan with an outright ban internally on research and aid. While Bush tried to keep up a public appearance did underfund and slash what he could get away with.

Our country is not legally recognized as one but is very much a Christian nation, with heavy Christian influence in the government especially Trump's Administration which has lots of powerful evangelical lobbying groups working with them, and Vice President Mike Pence. If you're not Christian it isn't news to you, especially since even a few years ago certain states had rules against non-Christians running for political offices.

[TheGlyphstone]

It's called the establishment clause in the First Amendment. Strictly all it does is forbid the government from designating an official religion, forbidding the practice of a religion, or unduly favoring one religion over another. Its the last bit that gets super fuzzy and where all the wiggle room for interpretation has come over the years.

[Tolvo]

I was meaning the Separation of Church and State part isn't in the constitution. But yeah the other parts are.

[Tolvo]

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/maria-butina-accused-russian-agent-reaches-plea-deal/story?id=59719083

So Maria Brutina a Russian guns rights activist, former romantic partner Paul Erickson and associate of the NRA, has pleaded guilty to working with the Russian government, specifically those who work with/for Putin, to illegally set up back channels with the aid of Erickson to make connections between the NRA and Russia, as well as setting up Trump and Russia connections. She only had access to Trump herself in rare instances, but Erickson did have regular contact with Trump's team. There is allegedly more and she's going to be cooperating with authorities to uncover all the Russian ties to Putin's government that she was involved with and knows about, including many other Republicans.

[gaggedLouise]

Trump's intended pick to succeed John Kelly refuses to take the job. 

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/09/politics/ayers-white-house-chief-of-staff/index.html

Obviously didn't want to become, in time, one more of the rats running to escape the Trump ship. :)

How about Trump's reaction to this? According to a White House source close to him, quoted by CNN, he is "super pissed" over the trouble finding a new Majordomo and about the tightening Russia investigation.

And who presented this at CNN if not - Jim Acosta. :)

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/12/10/kelly-replacement-search-ayers-jim-acosta-pkg-tsr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/

[gaggedLouise]

Trump says he would willingly risk a government shutdown, he would even "be proud of it" to push through his cherished wall project (video on CNN). *facepalm*

[Nachtmahr]

Trump says he would willingly risk a government shutdown, he would even "be proud of it" to push through his cherished wall project (video on CNN). *facepalm*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URqbv9R7a7k

Listening to Trump talk for longer than 30 seconds at a time is challenging at the best of times, but this was really tough to get through. Not only because of the amount of abject nonsense that's coming out of his mouth, but because of how he repeats the same things over and over, almost like he keeps forgetting that he's already said it. I never thought I'd say that I admire Pence for anything - but his ability to keep a straight face and carry himself as though that whole affair wasn't messed up is astonishing. I would love to know how he manages to stay so zen in a situation like that.

Second of all - a blue tie? I'm not actually American, nor an expert on American politics, but I'd have assumed that a Republican president wearing a blue tie would be a bit of a faux pax.

Getting back on topic, I can't say that I'm a fan of Pelosi to be honest. I don't think she's the sort of leader that the Democrats need right now, but it is what it is. What I will say is that it was enjoyable to watch her at least stand her ground and, while neither one of them really "chewed him up", at least bite into him and his rhetoric.

There's really nothing new here though. Trump is throwing a tantrum over the fact that he can't have his wall. Judging by his rhetoric, he seems to think that he could push it through the House if he wanted to, but he won't because he can't win? That part really didn't make a whole lot of sense. I'd say he was losing his grip, but none of this is new territory for him I don't think.

All in all, quite a circus.