Wasn't this the same guy that spilled secrets about Israel to Russia?
that one actually was a conference call
Wasn't this the same guy that spilled secrets about Israel to Russia?
that one actually was a conference call
From the developing What the Fuck Just Happened Today feed:
A former GOP congressional candidate in Madison, Wisconsin was arrested for "trying to buy radioactive material with the intent to kill someone." Jeremy Ryan, who ran against House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2014 and ran again in the 2018 primaries, was arrested for allegedly attempting to buy a "lethal dose of a radioactive substance" online between March and October 2018. Ryan's target has not been identified by police, and he is currently facing up to life in prison if convicted. (Daily Beast / WKOW)A former GOP congressional candidate in Madison, Wisconsin was arrested for "trying to buy radioactive material with the intent to kill someone." Jeremy Ryan, who ran against House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2014 and ran again in the 2018 primaries, was arrested for allegedly attempting to buy a "lethal dose of a radioactive substance" online between March and October 2018. Ryan's target has not been identified by police, and he is currently facing up to life in prison if convicted. (Daily Beast / WKOW)
The right have lost their god damn minds.
How very russian.
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/25/day-644/
Day 644: Boring
1/ Trump dismissed a report that Chinese and Russian spies were eavesdropping on his cellphone conversations, calling the report "boring" and "soooo wrong!" Trump's aides have repeatedly warned him that his calls from his personal iPhone are not secure and that Chinese and Russian spies are listening, but Trump refuses to give up his iPhone. U.S. officials said they have been concerned for months that Trump discusses sensitive information on an unsecured cellphone with informal advisers, including Sean Hannity of Fox News. "I only use Government Phones," Trump tweeted in response to the reports, "and have only one seldom used government cell phone." (New York Times / NBC News)
Chinese and Russian spies are routinely eavesdropping on Trump's cellphone calls, despite aides repeatedly warning him that his personal iPhone is not secure. (Day 643)
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/24/day-643/#7-chinese-and-russian-spies-are-rout
China suggested that Trump exchange his iPhone for a cellphone made by Chinese manufacturer Huawei, "if they are really concerned about security issues." (Talking Points Memo)
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/china-denies-nyt-trump-iphone-spying-report
Trump's tweet claiming that he only uses his government phones was sent from an iPhone. Trump has two iPhones: one for Twitter and other basic web apps, and one for making phone calls. (Yahoo News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-tweet-claiming-apos-only-181337023.html
2/ At least 10 pipe bombs have been sent to high-profile Democrats and critics of Trump: George Soros, Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, John Brennan, Maxine Waters, and Robert De Niro. All of the 10 packages that have been discovered had the return address for Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democratic congresswoman from Florida. None of the packages exploded. (Reuters / Washington Post / New York Times)
Two suspicious packages addressed to Joe Biden were intercepted at post offices in Delaware. Law enforcement officials are trying to track down the package, which has been deemed suspicious because one of them was misaddressed and shipped to the return address, just like some of the other packages. (CNN / The Hill)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/25/politics/bombs-suspicious-packages-what-we-know/index.html
Two suspicious packages were intercepted on their way to Maxine Waters. (Reuters)
Another suspicious package was sent to a restaurant owned by Robert De Niro. The device arrived at the Tribeca Grill in Manhattan early Thursday morning. (BBC)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45975447
The explosive device sent to CNN's offices in New York included an ISIS flag meme that has been circulating in right-wing online circles since 2014. The image features a black flag with the Arabic symbols replaced by the silhouettes of three women and an inscription in the middle that reads, "Get 'Er Done," which is comedian Larry the Cable Guy's catchphrase. (NBC News)
3/ Trump blamed the "Mainstream Media" and "Fake News" for the "anger" in the U.S. a day after CNN and Democrats were the targets of explosive devices. "A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News," Trump tweeted. "It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!" (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/25/politics/trump-blames-media-for-anger-after-attacks/index.html
Lou Dobbs: suspicious packages mailed to Democrats and CNN are "fake news." He called them "fake bombs" in a tweet, which he later deleted. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/25/media/lou-dobbs-fake-bombs/index.html
Newt Gingrich: The media has "earned" the label "the enemy of the people." (Axios)
4/ Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor claimed that Jamal Khashoggi's murder was now "premeditated." Saudi officials have shifted the official story of his disappearance, saying that Khashoggi left the consulate alive, that he might have been the target of "rogue" agents, and that he had been killed accidentally in fistfight. (New York Times / Washington Post)
The Saudi intelligence chief blamed for the murder of Khashoggi met with Michael Flynn and members of the transition team shortly before Trump's inauguration. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri and the team discussed a strategy for eroding and ending the current Iranian regime. The January meetings have also come under scrutiny by Robert Mueller's office as part of his probe. (Daily Beast)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/saudi-spy-met-with-team-trump-about-taking-down-iran
5/ Text messages show that Roger Stone tried to get a presidential pardon for Julian Assange. In January, Stone texted Randy Credico that he is "working with others to get JA a blanket pardon. It's very real and very possible. Don't fuck it up." Stone claims that Credico was his back channel to WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, a claim Credico denies. (Mother Jones)
Mueller's team is investigating whether Jerome Corsi knew stolen emails would be leaked and passed information about them to Roger Stone. Mueller has obtained communications suggesting that Corsi might have had advance knowledge that the emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman had been stolen and handed to WikiLeaks. (NBC News)
Notables.
Trump is preparing to order at least 800 Army troops to the southern border to help border patrol authorities stop a caravan of migrants from Central America moving through Mexico toward the U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders as soon as today. (CNN / NBC News / New York Times)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/25/politics/mattis-troops-southern-border/index.html
Chuck Grassley referred Michael Avenatti and his client Julie Swetnick to the Justice Department for criminal investigation, alleging that they made "materially false" statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee about Brett Kavanaugh. (CNBC / Politico / Axios / Washington Post)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/25/grassley-avenatti-swetnick-criminal-probe-940581
Trump plans to propose changes to how Medicare pays for certain drugs. The move is meant to address the issue of "foreign freeloaders," who he says drive up the cost of healthcare in the U.S. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/25/trump-medicare-drug-prices-plan-888607
A former GOP congressional candidate in Wisconsin was arrested for "trying to buy radioactive material with the intent to kill someone." Jeremy Ryan, who ran against Paul Ryan in 2014, was arrested for allegedly attempting to buy a "lethal dose of a radioactive substance" online between March and October 2018 and is facing up to life in prison if convicted. (Daily Beast / WKOW)
Democrats are a polling error away from not even winning back the House.
Democrats are a polling error away from not even winning back the House.
I'm going to have to say "Citation Needed" here, because 538 still gives them a 5 in 6 (83.8%) chance and none of today's WTF stories really go into the midterms.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/house/
The overall polling is going down for Democrats, Trump's approval is going up and the overblown caravan story is going to be the Comey letter of the election.
Sadly, I can't help but think Kaiolino is right, as whenever things seems to get worse here, it usually does.
Oh, and Republicans are rigging the vote by removing polling places and kicking hundreds of thousands of people off the voter rolls.
I've Never thought the Blue Wave was going to happen.
We live in a conservative hellscape. Republicans are Ruthless assholes and Democrats are spineless idiots.
I've Never thought the Blue Wave was going to happen.
We live in a conservative hellscape. Republicans are Ruthless assholes and Democrats are spineless idiots.
It seemed like it could go either after the Kavanaugh hearing (Republicans painting the Democrats as those trying to hurt an "innocent" man's reputation, Democrats painting the Republicans as those who continously playdown or ignore sexual abuse, even at the court level), but this is precisely it.
the next two years are going to be awful.
Trump's neanderthal rhetoric against the media doesn't help one lick.
The Blue Wave was never a sure thing, but unless you all know something I don't it's still looking more likely than not. We still have an above 80% chance to get the House, (84.3% to be exact, which is actually up more than half a percentage point since I posted that 538 link) even if we don't get the Senate, which is and always has been a long shot.
So barring some still-yet-to-be-provided hard evidence you're aware of that I'm not that would cast doubt on one of the more accurate pollsters out there, let's please be careful about the doomsaying.
I would like to point out that we do have a serial bomber in the news, so it might be too early to call the election yet. A lot could change with a news cycle this crazy.
Apparently Cory Booker and James Clapper have had bombs mailed to them? I would assume Elizabeth Warren is next.
From the developing What the Fuck Just Happened Today feed:
A former GOP congressional candidate in Madison, Wisconsin was arrested for "trying to buy radioactive material with the intent to kill someone." Jeremy Ryan, who ran against House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2014 and ran again in the 2018 primaries, was arrested for allegedly attempting to buy a "lethal dose of a radioactive substance" online between March and October 2018. Ryan's target has not been identified by police, and he is currently facing up to life in prison if convicted. (Daily Beast / WKOW)A former GOP congressional candidate in Madison, Wisconsin was arrested for "trying to buy radioactive material with the intent to kill someone." Jeremy Ryan, who ran against House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2014 and ran again in the 2018 primaries, was arrested for allegedly attempting to buy a "lethal dose of a radioactive substance" online between March and October 2018. Ryan's target has not been identified by police, and he is currently facing up to life in prison if convicted. (Daily Beast / WKOW)
The right have lost their god damn minds.
Elect a Black President who supports the expansion of basic human rights to numerous minority groups, and then right in the next administration, crazy white people do shit like this. …What are these people so afraid of? It seems like a kneejerk response to a bunch of social progress that has been made over the last 10 years and I just. don't. get. it.
Remember a couple things.
1-the media is more interested in "both sides equal, it's a close race" narratives.
2-Lots of people that were republicans, are not happy with the administration and so aren't responding to polls AS republicans at this point, but aren't saying they're democrats either. This leads to both being more middleground folks than usual, and any poll among Trump supporters having higher percentages than they used to.
If you have 4 out of 10 republicans as adamant Trump supporters, that's 40%. But If 2 of those decide to go neutral, and you poll the EXACT SAME PEOPLE, suddenly you'll get 4 out of 8 republicans, which is 50%, and 2 neutral guys who aren't counted in such polls. That's part of the reason Trump's republican approval ratings are so high, everyone moderate isn't answering the polls as republican right now.
The results in basically every single race since the 2016 elections, with Democrats taking places they haven't in decades, or having tight races within a point of error that Trump won by 20% a year earlier? The frustration of having the last election stolen and the actual results thereof have motivated a lot of folks.
All that said, polling all said Hillary was going to win too, and she did get the popular vote by a mile, but Comey's election surprise that he was blackmailed into, and all the Russia bots feeding false stories were enough. And with all the gerrymandering nd voter suppression and the Kavanaugh thing having apparently been energizing and whatnot who knows. Republicans might win everything by .01 percent.
If we can just get 2 extra seats in the Senate we're in much, much better shape than we were, since there'll be a check then, and McConnell won't be in charge. A full blown veto-proof majority would be great obviously, but that's always been a longshot, but just two more would go such a long way. I dunno about the House since that needs to sway by about 20 seats, but that's also so much bigger and wilder its hard to tell.
Reuters notification
"Person taken into custody in Miami area regarding suspicious packages - law enforcement source" - Get updates at Reuters.com
–--
Wait, since when was Comey blackmailed into anything?
Wait, since when was Comey blackmailed into anything?
Not in the Comey himself had dirty secrets blackmail, but in that he was forced into what he did because the FBI itself was getting screwed. "Blackmailed" is more shorthand explanation than actual blackmail you're thinking of.
The NY FBI branch was super anti-Hillary and in Trump's pocket and feeding info to Trump's crew. One FBI agent going by the fake name "Thomas Paine" launched the fake news website True Pundit (on the same day Don Jr. had his Russia meeting in Trump Tower. Isn't that a funny coincidence.) That's why they sat on memos about Anthony Weiner's laptop without looking at them for as long as they did, and they would have leaked the information if Comey didn't say anything official.
That's why he broke so many protocols like not saying anything political 60 days before an election, and timed his announcement when he did despite it being nothing, because the same message would have come out unnoficially within a day or so anyway and been uncontrolled.
Ah. Yeah, at first glance blackmail struck me as a very inaccurate term to use
A bit more info on the apprehended bomb suspect
"Suspect in custody in Florida in wave of parcel bombs" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-packages/suspect-in-custody-in-florida-in-wave-of-parcel-bombs-idUSKCN1MZ1CP
There's an official news conference planned later in the day
This chain of bomb threats is not doing republicans any favors, just saying.
I've Never thought the Blue Wave was going to happen.
We live in a conservative hellscape. Republicans are Ruthless assholes and Democrats are spineless idiots.
Are we talking politicians or voters?
Cause the idiot part definitely played a part in 2000 and 2016 with some of them voting Republican in the general elections that were held both years.
If we can just get 2 extra seats in the Senate we're in much, much better shape than we were, since there'll be a check then, and McConnell won't be in charge. A full blown veto-proof majority would be great obviously, but that's always been a longshot, but just two more would go such a long way. I dunno about the House since that needs to sway by about 20 seats, but that's also so much bigger and wilder its hard to tell.
I don't know how much you've been following House/Senate races, but at this point it's way more likely that the House flips but the Senate stays about the same. The House is always a lot more responsive to changes in mood, and with the bad map for Senate Democrats, they'll be lucky to gain even one net seat. The House, meanwhile, is likely to flip by about 20-30 seats minimum. If the Senate flips, the House will DEFINITELY have flipped.
It's worth noting that Democrats are also likely to pick up a fair number of governorships too, which certainly isn't nothing.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/26/politics/cory-booker-package/index.html
Fifty-six year old Cesar Sayoc is the man arrested for the Democrat targeted bombs.
He's a registered Republican whose van "looks like Steve Bannon if he was a Transformer", going by one description I saw.
If he wasn't the MAGA Bomber before, he probably will be now.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Just got in my early voting thanks to my workplace having it available. Voted Dem as much as possible, and alternatives where not. Only voted R where a Republican was running unopposed.
I'm in such a red state it likely won't effect much, but it won't be because I didn't vote at least.
Congratulations to the geniuses at the Democratic campaign offices, who decided that ignoring the president with a record low approval and who has been under investigation for a year and a half is not worth focusing on.
Congratulations to the geniuses at the Democratic campaign offices, who decided that ignoring the president with a record low approval and who has been under investigation for a year and a half is not worth focusing on.
For context, the headline of the link is "Surprise: Democratic candidates aren't talking much about Trump. Here's why." with an addendum of "The fewest campaign attack ads focusing on an incumbent president at this stage of the midterms in more than 15 years."
It goes on to describe the Democrats not running a slew of Trump attack ads despite how easy he makes it and explains their given reasons why.
Here's a portion of it. TL;DR the general feel is that attacking Trump for his various statements and actions does more harm than good because it distracts from other, just as important issues that voters are more likely to care about and that focusing on Trump directly as much as they did in 2016 was a mistake.
Interviews with Democratic officials, allied groups and volunteers on the ground point to an array of overlapping causes that help explain the party's lack of focus on hostility to Trump as a way to drive voters to the polls.
First, Democratic operatives assume that attitudes toward Trump — while critical to the midterms — are already "baked in" thanks to his omnipresence in the political conversation. With the president constantly setting news cycles on fire, there's more value in promoting topics that might otherwise fall out of the conversation.
"Nobody will cover or talk about health care unless we pay for it," Nick Gourevitch, a Democratic pollster at Global Strategy Group, told NBC News. "And directly because of Democrats advertising on health care, we are now seeing Republicans — and the president — respond and engage on the issue, which is a debate Democrats welcome because voters trust us more on the issue."
In the latest period covered by the Wesleyan Media Project, almost no ads mentioned Russia or Robert Mueller's investigation even as stories on these topics have dominated cable news and front pages at major papers.
Democrats worry that training their fire on Trump when he makes false or offensive claims, while sometimes necessary, could also distract from messages that address voter concerns more directly.
"From what I have seen, most Democratic candidates are doing this right," Dan Pfeiffer, a former aide to President Barack Obama and co-host of Pod Save America, told NBC News. "Trump wants everyone to follow him down the rabbit hole, because every moment we spend yelling about the latest Twitter outrage is a moment not spent on the messages that we know work with the voters that will decide the election."
Part of this shift is a reaction to the 2016 election. There's a widespread belief among Democrats that the party erred in running ads about Trump's offensive rhetoric rather than puncturing his populist appeal on economic issues.
Another big factor in the lack of Trump-centric messaging is the midterm map, which includes an unusually high number of races in deep-red territory. Democratic Senators in Indiana, North Dakota, West Virginia and Montana have even run re-election ads showcasing their support for Trump policies like building a border wall.
They aren't coming up with this out of thin air, either, as they are signs that prospective voters in some locals do care about other issues more and that leading with the anti-Trump angle turns then away.
But Democratic targets this year also include dozens of incumbents and open seats in more rural districts that Trump won in 2016. In many races, Democratic candidates are emphasizing their independence from partisan politics and are trying to peel off voters who might otherwise support the president.
It's not just persuadable Trump voters that Democrats are worried about alienating, though.
Progressive groups working on voter turnout at the grassroots level say that leading with anti-Trump information for voters is sometimes counterproductive with key liberal-leaning demographic groups, including millennials and Latinos. Some activists fear that the noise around the president might discourage those who may not be likely to vote from participating in politics rather than psyche them up to cast ballots.
Officials with For Our Future, the get out the vote group backed by Democratic donor Tom Steyer and a coalition of labor groups, said at a briefing with reporters last week that their research found anti-Trump appeals varied significantly in effectiveness depending on the region.
Voters in well-off suburbs might name Trump as a top concern, but in more diverse and urban areas he was often far down down the list behind issues like health care, education or gun violence, some of them highly specific to the state or city.
"Trump is always going to animate the electorate, there's no way to get away from him," said Justin Myers, CEO of For Our Future. "I think it's important that we have something to give folks to vote for."
At a meeting of College Democrats at the University of Florida last week, several students complained that they felt overwhelmed by the media's focus on the president. They said they encouraged their members to focus on policy issues, state and local races, and grassroots organizing rather than venting about the White House.
TL;DR the general feel is that attacking Trump for his various statements and actions does more harm than good because it distracts from other, just as important issues that voters are more likely to care about
At least from the campaign I'm working on, I can confirm this is 100% why, at least, WE decided to not continue to make ads specificly targetting Trump. Our first ad DID that, and -while especially in the last few weeks many people have confirmed their vote for our Dem candidate in response to the current POTUS administration- what we've heard from voters are that they wanna hear about the policy. What the person running wants to accomplish, not what they want to stop or prevent.
Every time I've canvassed, I've been able to confirm much more votes for our Dem candidate by speaking about his position to protect their healthcare and expand on it, compared to the times I've ripped the Trump admin or wanting to remove protections on their healthcare.
Being optimistic about what we CAN do compared to the bad things we can stop just motivates people to actually get out to vote!
There's also a very blunt reality that focusing on Tangerine Trujillo as the main avenue of attack is just going to rile up his herrenvolk base even more.
They love Trump. They're ambivalent on their congressman.
@Cyan:
There's also a very blunt reality that focusing on Tangerine Trujillo as the main avenue of attack is just going to rile up his herrenvolk base even more.
They love Trump. They're ambivalent on their congressman.
Pretty much. I'd say Dems have about hit their max in terms of getting people wanting to vote this year. Now, it's mainly about doing what can be done to depress Republican enthusiasm.
These are the stickers on the bomber's vehicle.
Just… wow. If the police had that on file he was probably a top suspect in about 20 seconds.
Notably, Faux News is blurring those stickers out because of course they are.
They are? That's just sad, really.
Anywho…
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/26/day-645/
Day 645: This "Bomb" stuff.
1/ Trump is considering an executive order to close the southern border to Central Americans and deny them the opportunity to seek asylum, similar to 2017's "travel ban." The proposed order has not been finalized, but would put in place new rules that would disqualify migrants from claiming asylum who cross the border in between ports of entry. Current U.S. law allows foreign nationals fleeing persecution to apply for asylum once they reach American soil. (San Francisco Chronicle / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)
[emoji419] The Re-Up: Day 8. Trump executive order suspends admission of all refugees for 120 days while a new system is put in place to tighten vetting for those from predominantly Muslim countries and give preference to religious minorities. Trump said that the goal is to screen out “radical Islamic terrorists” and that priority for admission would be given to Christians. (Washington Post)
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis approved a request from the Department of Homeland Security to provide additional U.S. troops on the U.S.-Mexcio border. The Pentagon sent about 2,000 troops to the border earlier this year. (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/mattis-approves-sending-more-troop-to-mexican-border-1540566532
2/ FBI agents arrested Cesar Sayoc Jr., a registered Republican voter, in connection with the 12 suspected mail bombs sent to Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, George Soros, Cory Booker, John Brennan, Robert De Niro and other critics of Trump. Agents also seized his white van, which had most of its windows covered in pro-Trump stickers, including Trump standing on a tank in front of fireworks and an American flag, crosshairs over the faces of Clinton, Michael Moore and Obama, and a "CNN Sucks" sticker. Authorities said they were looking at "right-wing paraphernalia" found at the scene. In 2002, Sayoc was arrested for allegedly making a threat to throw, place, project or discharge a destructive device. (CNBC / Miami Herald / NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/26/person-in-custody-in-connection-with-mail-bomb-probe.html
Two more suspicious packages, addressed to Sen. Cory Booker and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, were intercepted. Booker's package was addressed to his office in Camden, NJ, while Clapper's was addressed to CNN's New York offices. Law enforcement officials are treating the bombs as a matter of domestic terrorism. (CNN / CNBC / NBC News)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/26/politics/cory-booker-package/index.html
3/ Trump tweets that 'this "Bomb" stuff' is hurting Republicans in the midterms because the "news [is] not talking [about] politics." Trump's allies have suggested – without evidence – that the packages are the work of liberals to undercut Republicans ahead of the November election. A few hours after his tweet, Trump said these "terrorizing acts are despicable" and "the bottom line is that Americans must unify." (New York Times / Washington Post / The Guardian)
Trump complained that Twitter reduced his follower count, accusing the company of "total bias." Trump did not provide evidence to support his claim, but added that "a few weeks ago [Twitter] was a Rocket Ship, now it is a Blimp!" (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/26/trump-twitter-follower-count-943005
Notables.
George Papadopoulos is considering withdrawing from a cooperation agreement he entered into with Robert Mueller. The former Trump-campaign adviser said he believes he has been "set up" by the government and that his plea deal was the result of inadequate counsel. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a foreign professor. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/26/papadopolous-plea-deal-942346
Papadopoulos requested immunity to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Legal experts believe the former Trump-campaign adviser is worried that his testimony could implicate him in a crime. (The Atlantic)
Trump spent $10,000 in charity money on a portrait of himself because no one else wanted it. During a 2014 auction benefiting the Unicorn Foundation at his Mar-a-Lago country club in Florida, Trump opened the bidding on the portrait with a $10,000 bid. Nobody else bid. Trump billed the Donald J. Trump Foundation for the cost. (New York Post)
The Trump administration admitted that it failed to account for at least 14 migrant children who were separated from their families at the southern border. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement told a federal court that it separated 2,668 children from their parents instead of 2,654. The latest HHS filing said it "recently completed another review of case management records to ensure that its characterization of certain children in ORR care remain accurate." (The Hill / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/26/hhs-identify-separated-migrant-children-942313
National security adviser John Bolton said Putin has been invited to visit Washington, D.C., early next year. It would be Putin's first visit to the White House since September 2005. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/26/putin-white-house-2019-942355
More to counter the Blue Wave doomspeak:
CNN Key Races: House cleaning before Election Day
With 10 days until Election Day, Democrats are poised to make significant gains in the US House, propelled by eye-popping fundraising hauls from Democratic challengers and a clear edge on the generic congressional ballot.
More than 100 Democratic challengers out-raised their GOP opponents in the third fundraising quarter. More than 60 of them collected more than $1 million. Several recent surveys show Democrats with a high single-digit advantage in terms of party preference among likely voters in November. The latest USA Today/Suffolk poll found Democrats leading 51% to 43% on the generic ballot, with 56% of respondents saying they want a Congress that mostly "stands up" to the President compared with 35% who want a chamber that mostly "cooperates" with him.
At the same time, President Donald Trump has seen an uptick in his approval rating, giving Republicans hope they'll be able to defend some seats in parts of the country where the President remains popular. The challenge for the GOP is much of the competitive House landscape crosses suburban terrain where the President's standing is on shaky ground, creating a drag on incumbents in tough contests.
With those Democratic advantages in mind, CNN is moving nine contests within the competitive range of races in the party's direction. Two races, meanwhile, are shifting towards Republicans.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/10/active-shooter-reported-pittsburgh-synagogue/
Probably too early to make a call on the shooter's motive but as Trump will probably disavow his rhetoric and normalizing anti-Semitism serving as a potential catalyst for it or worse offering some tone-deaf feedback….
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/10/active-shooter-reported-pittsburgh-synagogue/
Probably too early to make a call on the shooter's motive but as Trump will probably disavow his rhetoric and normalizing anti-Semitism serving as a potential catalyst for it or worse offering some tone-deaf feedback….
I don't want to speak on his motives at this point, but speaking of Trump, his answer to this is apparently that the synagogue should've been packing heat. He really sucks at making the pro-NRA argument, as he has at saying anything really.
Hope Maggie Haberman is happy that "genius" Trump's "savvy" rhetoric got a dozen people killed.
I don't want to speak on his motives at this point, but speaking of Trump, his answer to this is apparently that the synagogue should've been packing heat. He really sucks at making the pro-NRA argument, as he has at saying anything really.
I'd say I called it but it's too damn easy with him and all these "safe spaces need guns types".
I'm honestly tired of the rhetoric of "in order to prevent gun violence, we need to make sure everyone can threaten back with their own gun violence."
Mutually assured destruction just gets more innocent people killed, and makes sure everyone lives in fear. People should be allowed to be happy, and that just can't be done if they are afraid all the time, everywhere.
Much clickbait.
Even then no one should have a problem with it if Bernie is still mulling his options…..so a significant percentage of his base can drop the ball again when he doesn't get the nod.
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/29/day-648/
Day 648: Purveyor of hate speech.
1/ A man armed with a semiautomatic assault-style rifle shot and killed 11 people during Shabbat services at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the deadliest attack on Jews in the history of the United States. Robert Bowers was charged with 29 counts of federal crimes of violence and firearms offenses. He also faces state charges, including 11 counts of homicide. Bowers told police during the shootout: "I just want to kill Jews." (Washington Post / The Guardian / CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/28/us/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/index.html
2/ Trump: "If there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been able to stop him." Trump added that the shooting "has little to do" with gun laws, but, "if they had protection inside, the results would have been far better." (CNN / New York Times)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/27/politics/trump-jba-death-penalty-pittsburgh/index.html
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto: Armed guards are not the answer. "We should try to stop irrational behavior from happening at the forefront," Peduto said. "And not try to create laws around irrational behavior to continue." He added: "I don't think that the answer to this problem is solved by having our synagogues, mosques and churches filled with armed guards or schools filled with armed guards." (NBC News)
3/ The former president of the Pittsburgh synagogue labeled Trump the "purveyor of hate speech" and said he would not be welcome in the city. Lynette Lederman's comments followed an open letter signed by a coalition of local Jewish leaders that states: "President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you fully denounce white nationalism." More than 30,000 people have signed the open letter. (The Guardian / The Guardian)
4/ Trump will visit Pennsylvania to commemorate the the victims of the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue despite Pittsburgh's mayor requesting that the trip be postponed until after the funerals are held. (NPR / Washington Post / New York Times)
5/ Trump called for unity but blamed the media for the "anger and outrage" in the country, accusing the press of being "the true Enemy of the People" for what he called "fraudulent" reporting regarding the wave of pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats and the gunman who massacred Jewish worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue. The media is "doing everything in their power to blame Republicans, Conservatives and me for the division and hatred that has been going on for so long in our Country," Trump wrote in a separate tweet, claiming "it is their Fake & Dishonest reporting which is causing problems far greater than they understand!" Sarah Sanders also accused the media of blaming Trump for the pipe bombs and synagogue shooting. (Washington Post / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/29/trump-slams-fraudulent-media-945103
6/ A third suspicious package was mailed to CNN. The package was intercepted at a post office in Atlanta, where the network is headquartered, and was "similar in appearance to" the ones addressed to John Brennan and James Clapper. (NBC News / The Guardian / CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/29/media/cnn-atlanta-suspicious-package/index.html
poll/ 54% of Americans believe that Trump's decisions and behavior as president have encouraged white supremacist groups. 69% say they would like Trump's speech and behavior to be more consistent with his predecessors, or that he has damaged the dignity of the office. 58% disapprove of Trump's job performance as president. (Public Religion Research Institute)
Notables.
The U.S. military will deploy more than 5,000 troops to the southwest border in anticipation of the arrival of the caravan of migrants currently in Mexico. Trump tweeted: "This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!" (Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Washington Post / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/29/trump-military-caravan-migrants-945683
A new lawsuit accuses Trump, Trump Organization, Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump of using the Trump name to encourage vulnerable people to invest in sham business opportunities. The 160-page complaint alleges that Trump and his family received payments from three business entities in exchange for promoting get-rich-quick schemes that harmed investors as legitimate opportunities. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/nyregion/trump-acn-lawsuit.html
Former President Jimmy Carter called on Brian Kemp to resign as Georgia's Secretary of State in order to avoid damaging public confidence in the outcome of his contested race against Democrat Stacey Abrams. Stepping aside, Carter wrote a letter to Kemp, "would be a sign that you recognize the importance of this key democratic principle and want to ensure the confidence of our citizens in the outcome." (NBC News)
Trump's private schedules show he has up to nine hours a day of unstructured "executive time." Official meetings, policy briefings and public appearances consumed barely more than three hours of his day. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/29/trump-daily-schedule-executive-time-944996
Also:
Week of Oct 21 – 27: What We Learned in the Russia Probe
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Supreme Court turns away Pennsylvania electoral map dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a bid by Republican legislators in Pennsylvania to reinstate a congressional district map struck down by that state's top court as unlawfully biased in favor of Republicans.
…
The justices, with no noted dissents, on Monday rejected the Republican appeal of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling throwing out the previous Republican-drawn map because it violated the state constitution's requirement that elections be "free and equal" by marginalizing Democratic voters.
The high court previously rejected two Republican requests to block the new district boundaries that the state high court issued to replace the old map, which had been in effect since 2011. Republicans have held 13 of the state's 18 U.S. House seats since 2011 despite Pennsylvania being a closely divided bellwether state
Whoever this "counsel" is either lied to him or he's telling a clear and obvious lie.
Whoever this "counsel" is either lied to him or he's telling a clear and obvious lie.
Pretty sure this is an attention getting move from both Axios and Trump. In the case of Trump, either he spoke without thinking or is trying to drum up GOP support for midterms. Either is possible.
Axios is everything wrong with American journalism today.
Derp Führer really was told he can undo a constitutional amendment with an Executive Order?!?!
In 6-14 years when we finally, maybe get another Dem in office, if Gerrymandering and spinelessness hasn't eliminated the party by then, does this mean this hypothetical future president can just cancel the 2nd amendment?
No, because it's unconstitutional, Trump's a fucking moron and the Axios reporter fed him that answer so he could turn it into clickbait.
Gorsuch and maybe Kavanaugh would sign off on this if it reached the Supreme Court but I don't think even Roberts could convince himself that ruling in favor in Trump on this wouldn't make the court look like a group of morons.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
It's been a while since we checked in on the Continuing Misadventures of Mike Pence, Esquire. He brought out a rabbi to say a prayer in support of some House candidates in Michigan. This being Pence, the "rabbi" was one of those Evangelicals who pretend to be Jews as part of a weird and kind of pathetic conversion trick.
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/30/day-649/
Day 649: Blatantly unconstitutional.
1/ Trump traveled to Pittsburgh to offer condolences to the families of the 11 victims of the mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue hours after the first funerals were held. Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto explicitly asked Trump not to visit and did not appear with Trump. Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Pat Toomey also all declined to appear with Trump. More than 1,000 people declared Trump "unwelcome in our city and in our country." Earlier, Trump said: "I really look forward to going. I would have done it even sooner, but I didn't want to disrupt any more than they already had disruption." (CNN / NPR / Washington Post)
https://www.npr.org/2018/10/30/662017268/trump-to-visit-pittsburgh-but-not-everyone-will-welcome-him
Robert Bowers complained about immigrant "invaders" six days before the shooting. There is no invasion, but right-wing media has been heavily using the word "invasion" in relation to the Central American migrant caravan this month. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/29/media/pittsburgh-suspect-invasion/index.html
Shep Smith breaks with Fox News on the migrant caravan: "There is no invasion. No one is coming to get you. There is nothing at all to worry about." The migrants are "more than two months away — if any of them actually come here," Smith added.(HuffPost)
The Kansas man convicted of a 2016 plot to massacre Somali Muslim refugees asked for a more lenient sentence, arguing that Trump's rhetoric should be taken into account as the "backdrop" for the case. (Washington Post)
Pence hosted an election event with a so-called "Christian rabbi." Instead of opening up with prayers for the 11 Jews shot dead, Loren Jacobs praised Jesus Christ and then offered prayers for four Republican candidates. (Yahoo News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/pence-stuns-jews-prayers-christian-rabbi-temple-massacre-151030236.html
2/ In an attempt to energize his base before the midterm elections, Trump claimed he can defy the constitution and end birthright citizenship via executive order. Trump said he discussed the idea with the White House counsel and that "it's in the process, it will happen, with an executive order." (Axios / Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/30/trump-end-birthright-citizenship-947962
3/ The consensus among legal scholars is that Trump cannot end birthright citizenship by executive order. To end the constitutional right to citizenship for babies born in the U.S. to non-citizen, Trump would have to find a way around the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Amendments to the Constitution cannot be overridden by presidential action. (New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post)
https://apnews.com/7bc17837af16492b81e1f3fff913e3e5
Paul Ryan: "Obviously" Trump cannot end birthright citizenship by executive order. It would involve a "very, very lengthy" constitutional process to change the 14th Amendment, which was adopted in 1868 to protect citizenship rights for freed slaves. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/politics/donald-trump-ending-birthright-citizenship/index.html
The American Civil Liberties Union called Trump's plan "blatantly unconstitutional." (Twitter)
Lindsey Graham said he will introduce legislation to support Trump's plan to limit birthright citizenship. (Reuters)
4/ Trump falsely claimed that America is the "only country in the world with birthright." At least 30 countries worldwide offer it, including Canada and Mexico. (Daily Beast / Axios)
poll/ 40% of voters under 30 said they will definitely vote this year. In 2014, 26% said they would definitely vote. Trump holds a 26% approval rating among those age 18 to 29. (Washington Post)
Voting machines in five Texas counties have been changing ballots. The state blamed voters for the error, saying they were using the selection wheel before the screen finished rendering. (Washington Post)
Notables.
Robert Mueller asked the FBI to investigate a claim by a woman who was offered money to make up sexual harassment claims against him. The scheme was brought to the special counsel's attention by journalists who were told about it by a woman alleging that she had been offered roughly $20,000 by a GOP activist named Jack Burkman "to make accusations of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment against Robert Mueller." (The Atlantic)
The Interior Department's Inspector General referred Ryan Zinke to the Justice Department for further investigation. Justice Department prosecutors will now explore whether a criminal investigation is warranted. An agency's inspector general only refers cases to the Justice Department when it has determined that there could be potential criminal violations. (Washington Post)
Trump wants Stormy Daniels to pay $342,000 for his attorney fees after defeating her defamation lawsuit. U.S. District Judge S. James Otero threw out the lawsuit earlier this month over a tweet by Trump in which he accused Clifford of "a total con job." The judge awarded Trump "reasonable" attorneys’ fees. (Bloomberg)
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to delay a trial over adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. (Washington Post)
Fewer than 1,000 U.S. defense jobs would be created as a result of Trump's $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, despite Trump's claims that the deal would create "500,000 jobs." One forecast shows the potential for up to 10,000 new jobs in Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
Trump called Florida's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum a "thief" who runs a corrupt city. Trump provided no evidence to support that claim, or his claim that Gillum was under investigation by the FBI. The Tallahassee city government, where Gillum is mayor, is currently being investigated, but there is no evidence that Gillum is personally under scrutiny, nor has he been charged with any wrongdoing. (NBC News)
The U.S. is preparing additional tariffs on all remaining Chinese imports if Trump and Xi Jinping fail to "make great deal with China" and reconcile the ongoing trade dispute. Trump added that "it has to be great because they've drained our country." (Bloomberg / CNBC) / Reuters)
Trump: "If you want your stocks to go down, I strongly suggest voting Democrat." (CNBC)
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/10/30/day-649/
Robert Mueller asked the FBI to investigate a claim by a woman who was offered money to make up sexual harassment claims against him. The scheme was brought to the special counsel's attention by journalists who were told about it by a woman alleging that she had been offered roughly $20,000 by a GOP activist named Jack Burkman "to make accusations of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment against Robert Mueller." (The Atlantic)
I've been following this story a little bit. From what I gather, the people in charge of this scam made a ton of stupid mistakes, and several idiots might get arrested for it. I can say with little sarcasm, it's a feel good story.
Don't put your hopes on a youthquake.