[King Lear]

He does understand all there is to know about healthcare though, so that's something right?

Anyway, the letter from 45's attorneys detailing no transactions with Russia - "with a few exceptions" is out: https://twitter.com/...046936630317056

[worry]

What'll be funny is if the ultimate revelation is that Trump's connections to Russia have little to do with the election except as a byproduct of much more mundane real estate developer/mafia/Russian mob ties and related criminal behaviors, and that's what has got him in such a tizzy.

[Cause]

 Vengeance, on 12 May 2017 - 06:53 PM, said:

Yes he did. He also tried to explain economics to the editors of the economist....... I stopped reading the Economist because I found that there articles didn't go deep enough into the subject matter that I wanted. But they understand both micro and macro economics. Something that Trump has 0 understanding of.

He explains everything like he is a toddler teaching other toddlers.

Supposedly his simple English was an asset during election campaigning but I dont see it.

[QuickTidal]

 worry, on 12 May 2017 - 08:12 PM, said:

What'll be funny is if the ultimate revelation is that Trump's connections to Russia have little to do with the election except as a byproduct of much more mundane real estate developer/mafia/Russian mob ties and related criminal behaviors, and that's what has got him in such a tizzy.

Right? I mean it's GOTTA be something. If you have zilch to worry about and are as "clean" as you claim you are, you LET the FBI director and team complete their investigation and you come out the other side smelling of roses and saying "See? Nothing there."

You don't freak out and fire the guy...while trying to shout that there is nothing to be investigated...because that is shady AF and there is no other way to look at it.

[QuickTidal]

The funniest bit though...is that the tax law firm (Morgan Lewis) that made that claim that Trump had no Russian ties/investments (...with a few exceptions)...a claim that can't be verified until/if Trump releases his tax returns...

...and you can't make this shit up....

has been named Law Firm of the Year by Russia.

I mean...LOL, wot?

[worry]

Is this being widely covered? For some reason Turkish nationals in Dictator Erdogan's security force seem to feel comfortable violently attacking American citizens in America's capitol city.

https://twitter.com/...631567972540417

[Silencer]

 worry, on 17 May 2017 - 05:32 AM, said:

Is this being widely covered? For some reason Turkish nationals in Dictator Erdogan's security force seem to feel comfortable violently attacking American citizens in America's capitol city.

https://twitter.com/...631567972540417

First I've heard of it, but then it appears that VOA Turkish is the only people with footage of it - bunch of news stations and sites in the comments asking for permission to use it.

From what I can gather, the protesters were against the imprisonment of a political opponent to Erdogan, and the bodyguards, under the protection of diplomatic immunity, decided that was grounds for violence. But at this point that is pure speculation on the part of the Twittersphere. Diplomatic Immunity is stupid, when it comes to things like this, btw.

[Aptorian]

That was crazy looking footage. At some point the police should have just started shooting people in suits. What kind of assholes run over a street just to kick somebody lying on the ground in the head? Seriously.

[Tapper]

This really doesn't surprise me at all. Dutch newspapers ran a lot of stories on the Turkish community before the referendum on Erdogan's expansion of powers, and there was A LOT of intimidation of voters going on, including a telephone number people could call to name those who would vote against Erdogan's wishes.

[QuickTidal]

So, the Comey memo seems like it might bear some interesting fruit, no?

[Coltaine -]

 Tapper, on 17 May 2017 - 10:02 AM, said:

This really doesn't surprise me at all. Dutch newspapers ran a lot of stories on the Turkish community before the referendum on Erdogan's expansion of powers, and there was A LOT of intimidation of voters going on, including a telephone number people could call to name those who would vote against Erdogan's wishes.

We had the same problems in Germany. Also some Imams were spying on the people going to their mosques.

Everytime you think it can't get worse ... . Wasn't there also a case in Turkey a few months ago, with a member of the parliament kicking protesters or am I misrembering something?

[Cause]

So what are the odds that Trump makes it to the end of his term.

More controversy about interfering with the fbi and now more about leaking secret information

[QuickTidal]

 Cause, on 17 May 2017 - 03:38 PM, said:

So what are the odds that Trump makes it to the end of his term.

More controversy about interfering with the fbi and now more about leaking secret information

I think if "Obstruction of Justice" can be proven to some extent VIA the Memo (and testimony that the memo is truthful)...the political pressure on the Republicans will be IMMENSE and will be hard to ignore (the way a lot of the stuff in his first four months have largely been ignored)...that coupled with a few other revelations this week seem to be the tipping point towards the path in that direction...only time will tell who will have the brass cojones to do it on the R side. It's at the very least more of a possibility now than it was a few weeks ago.

45 is a loose canon every single moment he's in office, and no one is able to reign him in from what he wants to do. It shows in things like the McMaster guy swearing up and down that the report about the whole thing was totally false...only to have to walk that back after 45 basically admitted it on Twitter. His default is "throw everyone under the bus" and they can sort it out. He's still acting like he's running a company full of sycophants who will listen to him, and he can do what he likes unchecked.

But yeah, at this point "History is watching" and "You will be judged for allowing this to go on"...I would imagine are ringing in the ears of even the staunchest Republican supporters.

I am also wondering how Pence escapes any blame when these things seem to go so deep...in which case wouldn't Paul Ryan then become acting President?

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 17 May 2017 - 04:18 PM

[Vengeance]

 Briar King, on 17 May 2017 - 04:24 PM, said:

 worry, on 17 May 2017 - 05:32 AM, said:

Is this being widely covered? For some reason Turkish nationals in Dictator Erdogan's security force seem to feel comfortable violently attacking American citizens in America's capitol city.

https://twitter.com/...631567972540417

Was that even real? It felt very produced to me but I haven't been watching news today.

Yeah it is real.

https://www.theguard...n-washington-dc

[Terez]

Interesting McCain comment here:

Quote

Watergate took months. This thing seems to be taking hours.

[Tiste Simeon]

Guys it's OK, Putin says Trump is innocent!

Also, Trump saying no politician in history has been treated so unfairly is astonishing!

[worry]

Was that the first accusation of "fake news" on the board? I think that calls for a celebration!

I don't think Trump will last 4 years, and I'm not ashamed (at all) of the schadenfreude I feel about all the tantrums he's throwing right now, but I don't think he's going down without a fight either and I don't necessarily think it'll be fully satisfying when it happens. We'll see. I read a small series of Tweets last night that I tend to agree with: https://twitter.com/...689724794994688 (I'll copy the pertinent ones here, it's not long).

When the GOP finally jumps ship, it will happen incredibly swiftly & almost all at once. They will dodge culpability. "We need to move on."
Dems will let them, in part b/c they've focused on Trump himself & Russia, not the depravity that brought us here.
The Republican Party today, as an institution, is morally diseased. Just say it. Run on it. Tell the story. Start from Iraq. Remind people.
The fact that this party survived the Bush administration to torpedo a Dem presidency, win 1,000+ seats, & elect this drooling, groping fool.
But the Dems will 100% let them get away with this without a course correction. It will happen. Just watch.

So IF it happens, I tend to think that's how it will. The alternative requires a real bloodbath in the 2018 elections from actual progressives, not centrist Dems, and I don't know if that'll happen. These dirtbag Dems think it's cute that they can "fundamentally disagree" with Republicans on their bills to force kids and the elderly to starve to death, and can still go to the gym or a restaurant together when the workday is done.

[worry]

Yah it's truly nuts footage. There's a longer (like 20 minutes) Facebook video here: http://www.cnn.com/2...urkish-embassy/

Not that I suggest watching 20 minutes of a violent attack, just saying the longer context bears out what happened.

[Terez]

Two major breaking stories. I'm very worried that the second is going to get overshadowed by the first.

1. Robert Mueller appointed Special Counsel to oversee the criminal investigation into the entire Trump-Russia affair

https://www.nytimes....estigation.html

2. Kevin McCarthy is on tape saying he believed that Trump was on Putin's payroll, and Paul Ryan swore everyone present to secrecy

https://www.washingt...3e8c_story.html

This post has been edited by Terez: 17 May 2017 - 10:31 PM

[worry]

They're claiming it was a joke. I think it was clearly meant as a laugh line, but not a false one. Tone suggests they believed what they were saying, but laughing at the absurdity of the reality. And yah, Dana Rohrabacher is corrupt as hell.

This post has been edited by worry: 17 May 2017 - 10:36 PM