Trump 10: Orange Voldemort Rises

[Ali]

12 minutes ago, Childless said:

Any "Christian" that voted for Trump is a sell out.  They sold their morals down the river for power.  And that my friends is why I refuse to call myself a Christian.  I do not want to be associated with those people.  Weak character and weak faith.  Why would I waste my time at church when everything the teach and preach is a farce?

I am a Christian and having a hard time with the way Christians are acting. I don't think their actions is reflective of true Christianity or what the bible teachers.

[GreyhoundFan]

"It’s time to make Republicans pay for their supreme hypocrisy"

Quote

You want bipartisanship on Supreme Court nominations? Let’s have a consensus moment around Sen. Ted Cruz’s idea that having only eight Supreme Court justices is just fine.

“There is certainly long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices,” the Texas Republican said last year when GOP senators were refusing even to give a hearing to Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s nominee.

Cruz cited a Democratic court appointee, Justice Stephen Breyer, to give his case heft. He noted that “Justice Breyer observed that the vacancy is not impacting the ability of the court to do its job.”

If that argument was good in 2016, why isn’t it valid in 2017? After all, some Republicans were willing to keep the seat vacant indefinitely if Hillary Clinton won the presidential election. “I would much rather have eight Supreme Court justices than a justice who is liberal,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in October.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) went further: “If Hillary Clinton becomes president, I am going to do everything I can do to make sure four years from now, we still got an opening on the Supreme Court.”

Yes, Republicans do have a principle on nominations: When the Supreme Court’s philosophical majority might flip, only Republican presidents should be allowed to appoint justices.

We are in for a festival of GOP hypocrisy in the debate over President Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

Republicans will say that because he is decent and well-qualified, Democrats have no business blocking him. But it’s hard to find someone more decent or qualified than Garland, as many Republicans acknowledged. Garland’s experience, temperament and character mattered not a whit to the GOP. In fact, the party seemed to fear that in a hearing, he’d come off as too sensible.

And you can count on charges that Democrats are being “partisan” in their concern that Gorsuch, based on his record, is a conservative judicial activist who will tilt sharply toward corporations over workers, and against environmental and other forms of protective regulation.

But conservative judicial mavens have already made clear that outcomes-oriented jurisprudence is their thing now, even if they disguise it behind grandiloquent words such as “originalism” and “textualism.” Trump, after all, picked Gorsuch from a roster prepared for him by right-wing interest groups.

Let this nomination also be the end of any talk of Trump as a pro-worker “populist.” Gorsuch is neither. Trump could have made things harder for Democrats and progressives by nominating a genuine moderate. Gorsuch may be nice and smart, but “moderate” he isn’t.

At least I understand Republican and conservative hypocrisy on this subject: They are focused on power and who will wield it. I find it harder to understand well-meaning people who were appalled by the hyper-politicization involved in the Garland blockade but now claim that an effort to stop Gorsuch’s confirmation will only make matters worse.

Worse? Really?

If someone slugs you, should you be condemned if you defend yourself by swinging back? If a bully makes someone’s life miserable, will taking him on and calling his bluff only make matters worse?

Perhaps you think the above is hyperbolic, and I accept that my line of thinking won’t appeal to pacifists. But if you are not a pacifist, ask yourself how this procedural extremism will be halted if one side is rewarded for violating all the conventions and rules of fair play and the other side just meekly goes along.

The Rubicon was crossed with Garland. Conservatives complain about the treatment of Robert Bork when he was nominated to the court in 1987, and they turned the word “Borked” into a battle cry. But Bork got a hearing and a vote on the Senate floor, which he lost. To be “Merricked” is to be denied even a chance to make your case.

The Garland case was only a particularly egregious example of what we have to fear even more of in the months to come. The road to the outrages we are seeing from Trump was paved by his party’s violation of long-standing norms. Such norms were brushed aside again Wednesday when the Senate Finance Committee suspended the rules to ram through two Trump Cabinet nominees. How often will Republicans run roughshod over their opponents to do Trump’s bidding?

There comes a time when the only way to stand up against future abuses is to insist that there will be no reward for the abuses that have led us to this point. If not now, when?

I'm normally not a big fan of tit for tat, but the Democrats really need to adopt the Republican tactics.

[JMarie]

1 hour ago, Penny said:

Read on CNN a few minutes ago that at the National Prayer breakfast, Cheeto ask for prayers that Celebrity Apprentice ratings will improve.  The man thinks only about himself. 

Don't worry about Arnold.  He can fend for himself.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arnold-schwarzenegger-hits-back-at-trump-with-suggestion-to-swap-jobs_us_58934ce5e4b0af07cb6bcd51

Quote

“Hey, Donald, I have a great idea,” the bodybuilder-turned-entertainment-icon-turned-governor-turned-back-to-entertainment-icon began. “Why don’t we switch jobs? You take over TV, because you’re such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job. And then people can finally sleep comfortably again. Hm?”

 

 

[iweartanktops]

1 hour ago, Penny said:

Read on CNN a few minutes ago that at the National Prayer breakfast, Cheeto ask for prayers that Celebrity Apprentice ratings will improve.  The man thinks only about himself. 

WHAT? You're serious, huh?

26 minutes ago, Ali said:

I am a Christian and having a hard time with the way Christians are acting. I don't think their actions is reflective of true Christianity or what the bible teachers.

I'm not sure what I believe, but I was raised Christian, and I am VERY familiar with the Bible. It's like Christians are just ignoring everything it says and everything Jesus taught. 

And can someone PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS:

 

Can we talk about what the hell this is?? I was under the impression that National Freedom Day is... The 4th of July? Am I the idiot here? 

[47of74]

25 minutes ago, Childless said:

Any "Christian" that voted for Trump is a sell out.  They sold their morals down the river for power.  And that my friends is why I refuse to call myself a Christian.  I do not want to be associated with those people.  Weak character and weak faith.  Why would I waste my time at church when everything the teach and preach is a farce?

I think of myself more as an Episcopalian, not so much as a Christian. 

Most times the last thing on Earth I would rather do is call myself a Christian when we have people who tell everyone in ear shot that their Christian and voted for the Fornicating Hole of a Donkey and his groupies in Congress.    Calling myself an Episcopalian doesn't have anywhere near the level of negative connotations that calling myself a Christian has anymore.

I wonder if when all is said and done the people who do try to follow the teachings of one Jesus Christ will have to find a new term to describe themselves since Christian is so poisoned now.

[TeddyBonkers]

What the shit is THIS?

huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-religious-freedom-executive-order_us_5892a812e4b0af07cb6b8672?

(Sorry, should I break links to huffpo, or no? I did just to be safe)

Relevant info:

President Donald Trump may soon hand a major victory to conservative Christians with a “religious freedom” executive order that would cripple anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, among others.

A draft of an executive order says the government will not force individuals or organizations to engage in activities that may “violate their conscience.” The Huffington Post obtained the draft, titled, “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom,” from two sources. 

If signed, the order would appear to allow employers to deny employee health coverage for contraception and abortion. It also would permit federally funded adoption and family services organizations to discriminate against same-sex couples.

Further, it would protect the tax-exempt status of any religious organization or privately held company that “believes, speaks, or acts (or declines to act) in accordance with the belief that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, sexual relations are properly reserved for such a marriage, male and female and their equivalents refer to an individual’s immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy, physiology, or genetics at or before birth, and that human life begins at conception and merits protection at all stages of life.”

 

And since I'm new in the political forum, I thought I'd mention that I consider myself to be a Christian, and before this election I considered myself to be conservative. But if THIS is what we're calling conservative now, then forget it.

[47of74]

18 minutes ago, Ali said:

I am a Christian and having a hard time with the way Christians are acting. I don't think their actions is reflective of true Christianity or what the bible teachers.

Like I said above, me too. 

It seems to me if you read Luke 18 that too many Christians today are more like the Pharisee described therein.  They love to tell the world how much better they are than others, but the money doesn't go where the cakehole is with them.

Quote

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

 

[Mecca]

I saw this today and thought I would share it with you all. 

[VelociRapture]

1 hour ago, mamallama said:

I guess I'm a twisted optimist but I'm kind of heartened by the latest crazy.  I hope he doubles down on his religious freedom and say requires scarlet A's for adulterers or moves to bring back stoning for adultery.  The crazier he goes the sooner he'll implode.  The more rational these laws are the more likely it will be that we'll be in for the long haul.  Now we just have to make sure he takes the Republican party with him.  

Now I'm off to start my own religion giving me the right to shit on people who rub me the wrong way.

 

Would you literally be shitting on people? Asking for a friend who may want to join up... 

 

2 hours ago, 47of74 said:

That really pisses me off how Agent Fuck Face treated the Australian government.  I have a lot of good friends in Australia that I've met on my travels.   

Yeah I saw that too.  There ain't enough bleach left on Earth to scrub that mental image  from my brain.

It's like... I wanted to look away... but it was mesmerizing... 

[Ali]

12 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

 

\Like I said above, me too. 

It seems to me if you read Luke 18 that Christians today are more like the Pharisee described therein.  They love to tell the world how much better they are than others, but the money doesn't go where the cakehole is with them.

 

Have you been ease dropping on my conversations with Mr. A? I have been ranting about this a lot recently. Have these people ever read the gospels?

14 minutes ago, TeddyBonkers said:

And since I'm new in the political forum, I thought I'd mention that I consider myself to be a Christian, and before this election I considered myself to be conservative. But if THIS is what we're calling conservative now, then forget it.

Mr. A and I feel the same way. Before this election, we considered ourselves Conservatives and Republicans. Now we call ourselves Independents and I am anxious to get involved with campaigning for Democrats in the 2018 election.

[Mecca]

FYI, The Women's March is still going strong. The next action is to form and attend huddles in your area to continue to work on things as a group in the place you live. Here is a link if anyone would like to check it out. 

https://www.womensmarch.com/100/action2?link_id=2&can_id=a4e3fbcd2b87e51073eb10085169086c&source=email-time-to-huddle-4&email_referrer=time-to-huddle-4&email_subject=time-to-huddle

[onekidanddone]

How the fuck do the POS POTUS and VP blather on about Black  History Month and only talk about white people? The orange shit stain talks about himself and VP talks about Lincoln. We have a day for Lincoln in a few weeks. Can they even think of one ....not even ONE person of color?

I can't keep going like this. Getting apoplectic non stop.  I just keep popping the Xanax.  I've started going to the local UU church to attend their Social Action and legislative action meetings.  I'm not a member of the church, but it is either fight back in my small way or roll over and show them my jugular 

8 minutes ago, Mecca said:

FYI, The Women's March is still going strong. The next action is to form and attend huddles in your area to continue to work on things as a group in the place you live. Here is a link if anyone would like to check it out. 

https://www.womensmarch.com/100/action2?link_id=2&can_id=a4e3fbcd2b87e51073eb10085169086c&source=email-time-to-huddle-4&email_referrer=time-to-huddle-4&email_subject=time-to-huddle

Booked marked. Thank you

[TeddyBonkers]

Just now, onekidanddone said:

How the fuck do the POS POTUS and VP blather on about Black  History Month and only talk about white people? The orange shit stain talks about himself and VP talks about Lincoln. We have a day for Lincoln in a few weeks. Can they even think of one ....not even ONE person of color?

 

Yes, he can. Fredrick Douglass, who DT probably believes is still alive (although a wee bit aged) and was...was the first...the first black postman? Baseball player? Freedom Rider!  

 

[onekidanddone]

2 minutes ago, TeddyBonkers said:

Yes, he can. Fredrick Douglass, who DT probably believes is still alive (although a wee bit aged) and was...was the first...the first black postman? Baseball player? Freedom Rider!  

 

Hey I follow Frederick Douglass on the twitter.  You know what Abraham Lincoln  said " Never trust what you read on the inter webs".

[TeddyBonkers]

Because this seems particularly apropos:

Spoiler

 

 

[sawasdee]

I've been so angry, depressed and hopeless, I've not signed in recently.

I've just been out with non Thai - mainly British - "friends" who without exception think Trump is great. I left. I now refuse to discuss politics with people too stupid to understand the implications to the constitution of his actions.  The level of ignorance, both amongst my circle and, more importantly, in the US, is breathtaking. I feel so sorry for all my US friends, both virtual and IRL, who are living with this - and am so scared for the world, when I look at the chaotic decisions of the last few days. I really feel that the Doomsday Clock is ticking.

And as for Steve Bannon - he makes Dick Cheney look relatively benign! That he has a seat on the NSC, and Four Star Generals and Intelligence Chiefs do not - is the stuff of nightmares.

[fraurosena]

There are so many noteworthy things in this Reuters article I'm not even going to attempt to highlight them. It's not that long though. Bewarned, each and every paragraph contains another level of stupid and/or scary and it will have you gnashing your teeth:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-idUSKBN15H1RU?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

Wut? Is this guy for real? According to John F. Kelly, the border wall between America and Mexico will be finished in two years... 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/01/dhs-secretary-border-wall-should-be-finished-in-two-years.html

For those of you who don't want to give Faux News any clicks I've quoted the text under the spoiler.

Spoiler

MCALLEN, Texas –  EXCLUSIVE: In his first television interview as Homeland Security secretary, retired four-star Marine Gen. John F. Kelly told Fox News he wants the U.S.-Mexico border wall finished in two years – setting an ambitious schedule for the project ordered last week by President Trump. 

"The wall will be built where it's needed first, and then it will be filled in. That's the way I look at it," Kelly said. "I really hope to have it done within the next two years."

Fox News traveled with Kelly in McAllen, Texas, on Wednesday where he saw first-hand the challenges for Border Patrol agents. The Rio Grande Valley, known as the "RGV sector," is among the busiest. On any given day, Border Patrol agents pick up at least 600 people who have crossed the Mexican border, entering the U.S. illegally. 

Those personnel, he explained, are all part of the broader plan for securing the border.  

"Any discussion about the protection of our southwest border involves discussion of physical barriers but also of technological sensors, things like that,” he said. “But it's a layered approach, and it’s got to be backed up by great men and women who are going to make sure that the wall is intact."  

But first, the department faces the tough task of funding – and then building – what would be the largest-ever construction project undertaken by the president who made his name in real estate. 

Kelly, who was tasked by the president’s executive order with overseeing the planning and construction of the wall, echoed Trump in saying they already “have the authority” under existing law. 

“We're looking at the money aspect,” he acknowledged. But he said the White House is working with Congress on the timetable. 

“I think the funding will come relatively quickly and like I said, we will build it where it's needed first as identified by the men and women who work the border," Kelly emphasized.

Kelly said it will be only a matter of months before construction begins. 

Kelly also said he supported a "surge" of resources to the border so that processing those who cross illegally can happen in a matter of weeks, not "600 plus days."

"If we could surge the court proceedings -- immigration court proceedings on the border -- and within the law, do it very rapidly ... I think that alone would act as a huge deterrent for people who are considering making the trip up," he said. 

As for hostility to the wall from Mexico, Kelly said the safety of Americans comes first, though he wants to build a partnership on shared border issues. "I'd really like to establish a relationship on this, on the other side. It would be a mutually beneficial relationship."

Kelly also defended his agents in the wake of last week’s controversial executive order suspending the refugee program and restricting travel from seven mostly Muslim countries. As his agency came under fire over the weekend, he said the department worked to verify reports of mistreatment, and could not. Kelly suggested critics had blown the issue out of proportion. 

"Mr. Trump is not loved by everyone in America, and I think this very rapid succession of decisions, I don't think the American public is really all that used to people making decisions,” he said. “I really don't think they're used to people that say things on the campaign trail actually turning them into action."

Asked if the pace had come as a "shock" to the public, Kelly said: "Yes, I think so. But I will tell you the men and women of Homeland Security did a great job out on the front lines, in this case mostly at the airports. People were treated with dignity and respect."

Kelly knocked down media reports that he first learned of the executive order by watching television, the day it was signed, a story first reported by the New York Times: "As soon as I was confirmed which was on Friday a couple of weeks ago, inauguration day, I knew that they were being developed.”

Asked if he was "blindsided by the order," Kelly said, "Not at all. I saw the initial couple of cuts on them probably on Tuesday maybe Thursday, knew it was coming soon and then it came. "

After more than 45 years of service, Kelly retired last year, and did not plan a return to Washington or full-time employment. He said it all changed with a cold call from the transition team when he and his wife Karen were relaxing. 

Kelly was initially skeptical about the caller, who is now White House chief of staff.

"We were sitting on the couch when I got the original call on a Saturday afternoon and Reince Priebus called me,” he said. “I don't know him. Once he convinced me it was really Reince Priebus, he said, ‘Would you come up and talk to Mr. Trump, he'd like to talk to you about a position in the administration.’ And I said, ‘I can do that, I'll be up tomorrow.’”

He told his wife he thought the Trump administration was about to offer him a job. 

“She said, ‘take it, your whole life, our whole life, the Kelly family is a life of service.’"

 

[AuntK]

1 hour ago, Childless said:

Any "Christian" that voted for Trump is a sell out.  They sold their morals down the river for power.  And that my friends is why I refuse to call myself a Christian.  I do not want to be associated with those people.  Weak character and weak faith.  Why would I waste my time at church when everything the teach and preach is a farce?

I still call myself a Christian because Cheeto is far, far from being Christ-like. In fact, I don't even think he knows what it means, he doesn't even know enough about the Bible and Chritianity to fake it very well.  But check out this pastor's opinion, he says it much better than I can.

http://www.johnpavlovitz.com/2017/02/02/its-time-we-stopped-calling-donald-trump-a-christian/

[Dark Matters]

OMG OMG OMG!  Orange Chump is going to get us into another war if his enablers don't keep a tighter rein on him.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/trump-okd-yemen-raid-without-sufficient-intel-leaving-seal-and-child-dead-military-officials/

The U.S. military said on Wednesday it was looking into whether more civilians were killed in a raid on al Qaeda in Yemen on the weekend, in the first operation authorized by President Donald Trump as commander in chief.

U.S. Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens was killed in the raid on a branch of al Qaeda, also known as AQAP, in al Bayda province, which the Pentagon said also killed 14 militants. However, medics at the scene said about 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that an investigating team had “concluded regrettably that civilian non-combatants were likely killed” during Sunday’s raid. It said children may have been among the casualties.

[JMarie]

1 hour ago, iweartanktops said:

WHAT? You're serious, huh?

I'm not sure what I believe, but I was raised Christian, and I am VERY familiar with the Bible. It's like Christians are just ignoring everything it says and everything Jesus taught. 

And can someone PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS:

 

Can we talk about what the hell this is?? I was under the impression that National Freedom Day is... The 4th of July? Am I the idiot here? 

They've been in office less than two weeks and already came up with two new holidays.  First, inauguration day is now National Day of Patriotic Devotion, and now this.

[iweartanktops]

7 minutes ago, JMarie said:

They've been in office less than two weeks and already came up with two new holidays.  First, inauguration day is now National Day of Patriotic Devotion, and now this.

Apparently it's an actual thing, but I'm still pissed. He fucking wrote a tweet for BHM and talked about white people! What the hell?? I know, I know... He doesn't know anything else to say, because he knows nothing about Black history. But fuck. Couldn't he have taken a few minutes to Google or something?? I guess we don't deserve that kind of time and thought. 

[AuntK]

1 hour ago, Ali said:

I am a Christian and having a hard time with the way Christians are acting. I don't think their actions is reflective of true Christianity or what the bible teachers.

OK, I don't believe that all Christians are acting in support of Trump, some of these so-called Christians aren't Christians at all.  The others? I have no explanation for how they can close their eyes and ignore his blatantly unChristian actions, but am I heartened by the fact that there are some Christian pastors who are calling him out!

[GreyhoundFan]

"President Trump appears to have purposefully hidden his use of a hair-loss drug"

Spoiler

President Trump's personal physician,  Harold Bornstein, is still talking to the press, and still saying some strange things.

In a new interview with the New York Times, Bornstein discloses that Trump takes a couple of previously undisclosed drugs: finasteride, a prostate drug that can be (and in Trump's case is) used as a hair-loss treatment, and another drug for rosacea, a skin problem.

Here's the Times report:

President Trump takes medication for three ailments, including a prostate-related drug to promote hair growth, Mr. Trump’s longtime physician, Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, said in a series of recent interviews.

The other drugs are antibiotics to control rosacea, a common skin problem, and a statin for elevated blood cholesterol and lipids.

Dr. Bornstein, who spoke by telephone in four interviews over the past month, also said that Mr. Trump takes a daily baby aspirin to reduce the risk of a heart attack. Over all, he pronounced Mr. Trump healthy and his medical care “as exactly up to date.”

The Times notes that Trump's use of the hair-loss drug "has not been publicly known." But that seems to be a charitable characterization; a less-charitable one would be that his use of these drugs was deliberately hidden.

When he was a presidential candidate, Trump and Bornstein made two separate medical disclosures — one in a hyperbolic letter from Bornstein that was widely derided for claiming that Trump would be the healthiest president ever (despite being the oldest ever elected), and a second in an at-times-strange interview Trump did with Dr. Oz, the controversial TV host and commentator.

In the initial letter, Bornstein only disclosed that Trump takes “81 mg of aspirin daily and a low dose of a statin.” There was no mention of any other medications, though the letter didn't necessarily say these were the only drugs he was taking.

But in the interview with Oz, Oz seemed to be led to believe that the statin was the “only” drug Trump was taking, and Trump didn't correct him. Here's the transcript:

OZ: You're only on the statin drug you mentioned. If a patient of mine had these records, I’d be really happy. And I’d send them on their way.

TRUMP: That's good.

OZ: I must say, I would have shared this earlier. Why didn't you blast this out?

TRUMP: I didn't think it was necessary, you know, the public has known me for a long time.

The two quickly moved on to other topics.

In a separate portion of the interview, Oz gave Trump another chance to mention his use of finasteride, when he mentioned how good Trump's prostate specific antigen, or PSA, level was. Finasteride helps lower PSA, but Trump again didn't mention that he was taking a drug that might have that benefit (emphasis added):

OZ: Bladder or prostate issues? I saw the one letter released had a low PSA.

TRUMP: My PSA has been very good. I don't know what's going on, but so many of my friends are having problems where they're getting the operation or they’re going for radiation. And it's always the first number I ask for. I say give me that number. I want to know, and my number’s been -- as you say it's been a very good number.

Trump has never been a model of personal disclosure — whether on his personal finances (he still hasn't released his tax returns) or his medical history. The Oz interview, notably, didn't include a public medical report and relied upon Oz to relay all the information.

But Trump was clearly given two opportunities to disclose these drugs — three, if you include his first medical letter — and he declined in each case.

He needs to get his money back -- the hair drugs he has taken apparently didn't grow real hair.

 

"The leaks coming out of the Trump White House right now are totally bananas"

Spoiler

Here are a few leaks that have come out of the Trump administration in just the last 24 hours:

* President Trump abruptly ended a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after condemning a refugee deal with the country and telling Turnbull "this was the worst call by far" he has had with a world leader.

* Trump threatened — his administration insisted it was "light-hearted" — Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto with sending American troops into his country.

* The White House asked Judge Thomas Hardiman to drive toward D.C. to amp up the drama in advance of Trump's Supreme Court pick on Tuesday night. (Hardiman was passed over in favor of Colorado federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch.)

I wrote recently that not only was this the leakiest White House I'd ever seen but also that the leaks — whether purposely or not — seemed to cast the president as a child who badly needs to be managed. What's truly remarkable is that the leaking appears to be growing even more frequent and even more deleterious to President Trump's image within just the last few days.

The first two leaks are of partial transcripts of phone calls between Trump and other world leaders. How many people have access to those transcripts? And who working for Trump could possibly think it's a good idea to leak out transcripts that show Trump attempting to bully two staunch allies? This explanation, making the rounds on Twitter Thursday morning, doesn't exactly help Trump, either.

The third leak is, to me, perhaps the most baffling. White House press secretary Sean Spicer spent a decent chunk of his briefing on Wednesday disputing media reports that Hardiman and Gorsuch had both been encouraged to come to Washington in a sort of "Cannonball Run"-like competition to fill the vacant seat on the highest court in the country.  Which makes this sentence — and its sourcing — from Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush all the more amazing:

Three administration officials who did not want to be identified said Judge Hardiman hit the road to Washington to help them maintain the illusion that the selection process was still competitive.

Three. Administration. Officials. These are not people opposed to Trump. This is not the loyal opposition. These are people who work within Trump's administration, people he and his team hired to help him run the country. And this trio of people are confirming information that makes it very clear the president wanted to run his Supreme Court announcement like a cliffhanger episode of reality TV.

Why all the leaking? I've got two theories:

1. Trump only really listens to things once they are presented to him via the media. Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway acknowledged in the campaign that the best way to get through to him was often to talk on cable TV or to other reporters. There's no indication that Trump has changed his voracious media consumption habits since he formally entered the White House. So it's uniquely possible that these leaks are aimed at reining him in, showing him that when he acts like this with, say, world leaders, it makes him look bad.

2.  There are people at senior levels within the administration who have major concerns about Trump and his fitness for office. In the long tradition of whistleblowers, they are using selective leaks to make sure that people know what is really going on inside the White House.

Neither theory is a good thing for Trump. He is someone who has made very clear — both in the business world and in his brief stint in politics — that he expects unflinching loyalty from his staff. He's not getting anything close to that right now — and I have to assume, knowing what we know about him, it's driving him crazy.

I'd say any sort of staff purge is unlikely this early in a presidency. But that would be based on the old rules governing how you do politics. And if President Trump has proven anything, it's that he doesn't play by those rules.

There are Tweets screencapped in the article. They are good.

Governing by leak. Lovely.

 

What the Damned Hell?: "Treasury allowing for some transactions with Russian intelligence agency"

Quote

(CNN)The Treasury Department said Thursday it will allow for some companies to do limited business with Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the FSB.

The move is a minor easing of a sanction put in place at the end of the Obama administration that limits business to $5,000 for any calendar year.

A top State Department official said the move was made as a technical fix to the sanctions that were put in place to avoid "unintended consequences" of US government business with Russia.

The White House said Thursday it was not easing sanctions of Russia, calling the move a routine adjustment.

"We're not easing sanctions," White House press secretary Sean Spicer during his daily briefing. "From what I understand it's a fairly common practice for the Treasury Department, after sanctions are in place, to go back and look at whether or not there needs to be specific carve-outs for different industries or products or services."

He said the move didn't reflect a shift in policy, but rather a "regular course of action."

The fix was in the works soon after the sanctions were put in place because FSB is also involved in customs and border checks on trade. The sanctions had the unintended consequence of preventing US businesses from being able to pay some necessary trade-related costs to the Russian government.

US intelligence agencies accused the FSB of being involved in the election-related hacking last year.

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.

This is how things start..."a minor easing". ARGH.

[Cartmann99]

4 hours ago, Keyleigh said:

Have you guys had the 4th season of Sherlock air? It's looking like it will be the last.  

The fourth season premiered here on New Years Day. I was so mad when I started seeing reports that it might be the last season. Throw me a bone here, I don't watch Dancing With The Real Construction Workers Of Lower Hooterville, Let's Wander Around Naked In Some Godawful Place And Bitch About It, or those Kardashian nutbags, but I do watch Sherlock. 

[iweartanktops]

40 minutes ago, AuntK said:

OK, I don't believe that all Christians are acting in support of Trump, some of these so-called Christians aren't Christians at all.  The others? I have no explanation for how they can close their eyes and ignore his blatantly unChristian actions, but am I heartened by the fact that there are some Christian pastors who are calling him out!

I agree. I do know many Christians who are using their brains, and you know, actually try to be like Jesus and stand for what he stood for.