What stupid shit has Trump done today?

[chandlerp]

If he can close the border why does he need a wall?

 

[spring-peeper]

Trump campaign unveils ‘Pencil-neck Adam Schiff’ T-shirts for sale

President Trump is taking his displeasure with U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a step further with the sale of “Pencil-Neck Adam Schiff” T-shirts.

The term stems from a Trump campaign rally held Thursday in Grand Rapids, Mich., where the president blasted the House Intelligence Committee chairman over his Trump-Russia collusion claims. The tee features Schiff with a pencil for a neck and sells for $28, according to a tweet from the campaign website.

 

[CRI]

Prolly his son in law, so close enough to Trump.

Bezos Investigation Finds the Saudis Obtained His Private Data

When the terms for avoiding publication of personal photos were presented to Jeff Bezos, he responded immediately: “No thank you.” Within hours, he wrote an essay describing his reasons for rejecting AMI’s threatening proposal. Then he posted it all on Medium, including AMI’s actual emails and their salacious descriptions of private photos. (After the Medium post, AMI put out a limp statement saying it “believed fervently that it acted lawfully in the reporting of the story of Mr. Bezos.”)

Bezos directed me to “spend whatever is needed” to learn who may have been complicit in the scheme, and why they did it. That investigation is now complete. As has been reported elsewhere, my results have been turned over to federal officials. Since it is now out of my hands, I intend today’s writing to be my last public statement on the matter. Further, to respect officials pursuing this case, I won’t disclose details from our investigation. I am, however, comfortable confirming one key fact:

Our investigators and several experts concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos’ phone, and gained private information. As of today, it is unclear to what degree, if any, AMI was aware of the details.

 

[spring-peeper]

Trump twists circumstances of a migrant girl's death: AP fact check

President Donald Trump is misrepresenting the circumstances of a 7-year-old migrant girl's death as he seeks to steer any potential blame for it away from his administration. Mr. Trump, after mockingly painting asylum seekers as a "con job" in a rally the previous night, asserted on Friday that Jakelin Caal Maquin was given no water by her father during their trek to a remote border area and that the dad acknowledged blame for his daughter's death on Dec. 8.

Those assertions are not supported by the record.

MR. TRUMP: "I think that it's been very well stated that we've done a fantastic job. ... The father gave the child no water for a long period of time - he actually admitted blame." - to reporters Friday.

THE FACTS: An autopsy report released Friday found that Guatemalan girl died of a bacterial infection just more than a day after being apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol. The El Paso County Medical Examiner's office said traces of streptococcus bacteria were found in Jakelin's lungs, adrenal gland, liver, and spleen, and she experienced a "rapidly progressive infection" that led to the failure of multiple organs.

Neither the autopsy report, nor accounts at the time by Customs and Border Protection , spoke of dehydration. And through family lawyers, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz said after his girl's death that he made sure she had food and water as they traveled through Mexico.

Moreover, the Border Protection timeline on her case said she was checked for medical problems upon her apprehension and: "The initial screening revealed no evidence of health issues."

 

[Supine]

It turns out Trump cheats at golf. I'm shocked

https://nypost.com/2019/03/30/trump-is-the-worlds-worst-cheat-at-golf-players-and-celebs-say/

 

[CRI]

More, "What stupid stuff has the Trump-packed US Supreme Court done."

Supreme Court rules man can be executed by lethal injection after claim it would cause 'severe pain'

He suffers from a condition known as cavernous hemangioma, in which tumors grow in his head, neck and throat. He argued that the chemical used in the injection, pentobarbital, would cause the tumors to rupture and suffocate him during his execution, causing him "excruciating pain."

But Gorsuch wrote in his opinion issued Monday that the Eighth Amendment “does not guarantee a prisoner a painless death — something that, of course, isn’t guaranteed to many people, including most victims of capital crimes.” Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh joined in Gorsuch’s opinion. Thomas and Kavanaugh also each wrote a concurring opinion.

In the court’s dissenting option, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that Bucklew “cites evidence that executing him by lethal injection will cause the tumors that grow in his throat to rupture during his execution, causing him to sputter, choke, and suffocate on his own blood for up to several minutes before he dies.”

True, no one is ever guaranteed a painless death, but in this case, it's the state that is deliberately causing a person's death, and doing so knowing that it will cause significant pain and suffering. Also, Gorsuch mentioning that victims of capital crimes aren't guaranteed a painless death makes it sound like the purpose is retribution, not justice.

 

[Don Troooomp]

Not that we didn't already know, but I wasn't aware of just how stupid this had got.

White House 'reversed security clearance denials'

A White House whistleblower has told Congress that dozens of rejected security clearance applications were overturned by the Trump administration.

Tricia Newbold claimed applications that were denied for "serious disqualifying issues" were later reversed with little explanation.

The veteran White House security adviser testified to the Democratic-led House Oversight and Reform Committee.

Democrats have long claimed that White House officials have abused clearances.

Ms Newbold, who works as an adjudications manager in the White House Personnel Security Office, cited "grave" security risks arising from the intervention of her colleagues.

Still, it's probably just parking tickets - or maybe not

She added that rejections occurred due to a variety of reasons, including "foreign influence, conflicts of interest, concerning personal conduct, financial problems, drug use, and criminal conduct".

 

[CRI]

Not that we didn't already know, but I wasn't aware of just how stupid this had got.

White House 'reversed security clearance denials'



Still, it's probably just parking tickets - or maybe not

Maybe it's just me, but I still find it hard to believe that people in America aren't both livid and terrified by this and similar revelations. I mean, I know plenty are (all my relatives, for example), but there are plenty who'll just shrug with a "meh" as they order their coffee on the way to work, and quite a few will actually think it's a good thing that Trump got round the rules to appoint his family, business colleagues, donors, etc.

Maybe it's just the sheer volume, scale and speed of criminal activity from Trump, his administration and the GOP generally that's overwhelmed the senses, making people almost shut off from reality. For others, it's like they have taken a strange pill that makes them think good things are bad and bad things are good. (To be fair, I think it's the same with Brexit in the UK, so .)

How about this then?

Exclusive: Homeland Security Disbands Domestic Terror Intelligence Unit

The Department of Homeland Security has disbanded a group of intelligence analysts who focused on domestic terrorism, The Daily Beast has learned. Numerous current and former DHS officials say they find the development concerning, as the threat of homegrown terrorism—including white supremacist terrorism—is growing.

In the wake of this move, officials said the number of analytic reports produced by DHS about domestic terrorism, including the threat from white supremacists, has dropped significantly. People in and close to the department said this has generated significant concern at headquarters.

Predict the responses to this news will be a few with "OMFG, this is terrible," more with a, "Was a waste of money anyways, coz terrorists are all brown!" and the largest contingent with, "That was a tall SOYA latte I ordered . . . "

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

White House 'reversed security clearance denials'

You have to commend this whistleblower. Its the triumph of hope over experience. She's going to get all kinds of kickback for this, including threats to her life, and absolutely nothing will change. Trump has adequately proved that he could shoot someone in the middle of the street in front of thousands of witnesses and he'd get away with it.

 

[spring-peeper]

U.S. deems Canada ‘major money laundering country’ as gangs exploit weak law enforcement

The U.S. Department of State has designated Canada a “major money laundering country” where foreign drug-trafficking gangs are exploiting weak law enforcement and soft laws.

The March 2019 report, which places Canada on a short list of countries vulnerable to significant drug money laundering transactions — such as Afghanistan, the British Virgin Islands, China, Colombia and Macau — underlines a number of threats reported over the past year in Global News investigations, such as the laundering of fentanyl-trafficking proceeds from China through British Columbia casinos, real estate and underground banks.

 

[spring-peeper]

Trump incorrectly says that his father was born in Germany

President Trump on Tuesday incorrectly said his father was from Germany while expressing frustration about the country’s payments toward NATO.

“Germany, honestly, is not paying their fair share,” Trump said at the White House, before noting that he has “great respect" for German chancellor Angela Merkel and "great respect for the country.”

“My father is German, was German,” he continued. “Born in a very wonderful place in Germany, so I have a great feeling for Germany.”


The Washington Post said it as least the third time Trump has made this particular claim about his father, Fred Trump, who was born in New York City in 1905.

Trump’s grandfather, Friedrich Trump, was born in Kallstadt, Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1885, according to a report from The Post in 2016.

After finding success in the U.S., Friedrich Trump attempted to resettle in Germany, according to The Associated Press. But The Post added that he was expelled in 1905 for apparently emigrating illegally. He returned with is wife to the U.S. when she was pregnant with Fred Trump.

 

[CRI]

You have to commend this whistleblower. Its the triumph of hope over experience. She's going to get all kinds of kickback for this, including threats to her life, and absolutely nothing will change. Trump has adequately proved that he could shoot someone in the middle of the street in front of thousands of witnesses and he'd get away with it.

Chair of the House Oversight Committee trying his damnedest to do something about it though.

House Dems approve subpoena for White House security clearances probe

“Tricia Newbold came forward at great personal risk to warn the Congress and the nation about the grave security risks she has been witnessing first-hand over the past two years,” Cummings said, later telling reporters that it was possible he could issue the subpoenas “immediately.”

 

[CRI]

Sometimes, just sometimes, there are no words . . .

How Trump Administration Is Tracking Migrant Girls' Periods to Stop Them From Getting Abortions

There are 28 pages detailing the periods, pregnancies and reason for the pregnancy (whether by rape or not) of teen girls in custody, some of whom are as young as 12. There may well be reasons for the government to track whether or not a woman is pregnant, and how far along in her pregnancy she is, but there’s no reason to track the cause of her pregnancy.

It’s almost certainly an attempt to bar them from getting abortions. We know that, because the tracking was done by the anti-abortion advocate Scott Lloyd, the head of refugee resettlement at the height of the children separation (he has since been removed from that post).

And what happens when these children are born? Well, that’s hard to say. However, we know that many migrant children have gone to Bethany Christian Services, an organization that has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos. It is also an agency that allegedly won’t place children with LGBTQ couples.

Now, why would there be a benefit to creating a supply of children to be adopted by Christian, heterosexual families? Well, partly for money. As Kathryn Joyce notes in her book The Child Catchers, “Hefty adoption fees provide lots of incentive to increase the 'supply' of adoptable children, recruiting 'orphans' from intact but vulnerable families.”

 

[Ming]

U.S. deems Canada ‘major money laundering country’ as gangs exploit weak law enforcement

Totally. There’s loads of gangs in BC. I work with a guy who used to be in The United Nations. Major problems with adulterated ‘down’ (new name for heroin except there’s hardly any around, its mostly fentanyl or carfentanil). We give our patients Narcan kits when they go on passes. We’ve had a few od’s on the wards too. It’s a nightmare.

 

[spring-peeper]

Totally. There’s loads of gangs in BC. I work with a guy who used to be in The United Nations. Major problems with adulterated ‘down’ (new name for heroin except there’s hardly any around, its mostly fentanyl or carfentanil). We give our patients Narcan kits when they go on passes. We’ve had a few od’s on the wards too. It’s a nightmare.

Somehow, I thought the US would be going on about the SNC mess.

I like the idea of safe injection sites and think they should be made readily available.

The Ontario premiere, Ford, wants to cancel some if not all of the safe injection sites. Then this -> Raising brother Rob’s addiction issues ‘disgusting,’ Premier Ford says

As for laundering money. I live near Cornwall, ON. With a Mohawk reservation on the island between Canada and the US, there is a lot of smuggling around here. The river is very busy at night as the boats (summer) and snowmachines (winter) zipping around with no lights on.

 

[Ming]

Somehow, I thought the US would be going on about the SNC mess.

I like the idea of safe injection sites and think they should be made readily available.

The Ontario premiere, Ford, wants to cancel some if not all of the safe injection sites. Then this -> Raising brother Rob’s addiction issues ‘disgusting,’ Premier Ford says

As for laundering money. I live near Cornwall, ON. With a Mohawk reservation on the island between Canada and the US, there is a lot of smuggling around here. The river is very busy at night as the boats (summer) and snowmachines (winter) zipping around with no lights on.

Lots of high end condos with no lights on at night in downtown Vancouver because they're empty. I'm into harm reduction too.

 

[extra dry]

U.S. deems Canada ‘major money laundering country’ as gangs exploit weak law enforcement

What about hummm...the swiss, or Guiense? (or how ever it spelt)

 

[CRI]

Good! Trump will be shitting himself over this, so expect him to do something extra reckless when the files land on Cummings' desk.

Cummings: Tax firm asks for subpoena before providing Trump docs

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) told reporters that Mazars USA, a tax and accounting firm, has asked the committee for a so-called “friendly” subpoena so that it can formalize the process of complying with the panel’s request. “They have told us that they will provide the information pretty much when they have a subpoena,” Cummings said. “And we’ll get them a subpoena.”

 

[CRI]

Good! Trump will be shitting himself over this, so expect him to do something extra reckless when the files land on Cummings' desk.

Cummings: Tax firm asks for subpoena before providing Trump docs

Also this!

House Ways and Means chair requests Trump’s tax returns from IRS - The Boston Globe

 

[CRI]

Definitely looks like there's a lot more in there . . . and someone will surely sing.

Some on Mueller’s Team See Their Findings as More Damaging for Trump Than Barr Revealed

Some of Robert S. Mueller III’s investigators have told associates that Attorney General William P. Barr failed to adequately portray the findings of their inquiry and that they were more troubling for President Trump than Mr. Barr indicated, according to government officials and others familiar with their simmering frustrations.

 

[Don Troooomp]

Definitely looks like there's a lot more in there . . . and someone will surely sing.

Some on Mueller’s Team See Their Findings as More Damaging for Trump Than Barr Revealed

That is exactly why I assumed Barr and Trump were lying about the conclusions .. and very probably the collusion.

In other enjoyable news,

House Democrats have formally demanded Donald Trump’s tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service, marking a major bid to obtain information about the president’s finances and business dealings.

House Democrats formally demand Trump's tax returns from IRS

 

[Yossarian]

That is exactly why I assumed Barr and Trump were lying about the conclusions .. and very probably the collusion.

In other enjoyable news,



House Democrats formally demand Trump's tax returns from IRS

With a Trump loyalist overseeing the IRS, I think all that's going to happen is a long court battle and more "witch hunt" tweets from Trump, followed by a statement from Steven Munchkin saying that while they're not going to release Trump's full tax returns because of reasons, he has personally looked at them and didn't see anything dodgy.

I don't know if there could be anything to change the minds of Trump supporters at this point anyway, unless he's secretly been making donations to Planned Parenthood.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-mental-health-pre-dementia_n_5ca51ea2e4b0409b0ec32806
"Hillary wanted to put up wind. Wind. If you ― if you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations: Your house just went down 75 percent in value. And they say the noise causes cancer. You tell me that one, OK? “Rrrrr, rrrrr” ― you know the thing that makes the ― it’s so noisy. And of course it’s like a graveyard for birds. If you love birds, you’d never want to walk under a windmill because it’s a very sad, sad sight. It’s like a cemetery. We put a little, we put a little statute for the poor birds. It’s true. You know in California, if you shoot a bald eagle, they put you in jail for five years. And yet the windmills wipe ’em all out. It’s true. They wipe ’em out. It’s terrible. And I told the other day at CPAC. Great people at CPAC. We had an incredible thing. I had nothing to do. It was early on a Saturday morning. I had just gotten back from dealing with Kim Jong Un. We had a walk. He wasn’t ready for a deal but that’s OK because we get along great. He wasn’t ready. I told him, you’re not ready for a deal. That’s the first time anybody has ever told him that and left. It never happened to him before. Nobody’s ever left. But I said you’re not ready for a deal, but we’ll make a deal. We have a good relationship. We have a good relationship. But I told a story about, at CPAC. The woman, she wants to watch television. And she says to her husband, “Is the wind blowing? I’d love to watch a show tonight, darling. The wind hasn’t blown for three days. I can’t watch television, darling. Darling, please tell the wind to blow.” No, wind’s not so good. And you know, you have no idea how expensive it is to make those things. They’re all made in China and Germany, but the way, just in case you’re ― we don’t make ’em here, essentially. We don’t make ’em here. And by the way, the carbon, and all those things flying up in the air, you know the carbon footprint? President Obama used to talk about the carbon footprint, and then he’d hop on Air Force One, a big 747 with very old engines, and he’d fly to Hawaii to play a round of golf. You tell me, the carbon footprint."

 

[Yossarian]

But I told a story about, at CPAC. The woman, she wants to watch television. And she says to her husband, “Is the wind blowing? I’d love to watch a show tonight, darling. The wind hasn’t blown for three days. I can’t watch television, darling. Darling, please tell the wind to blow.” No, wind’s not so good.

 

[Don Troooomp]

I love the news

Trump hit with ‘accidental’ 1-day investigative assault

In a single day, House Democrats demanded President Donald Trump’s tax returns for six years, moved to get a decade’s worth of his financial records and prepared to issue a subpoena for the full Mueller report from the Justice Department.

Not that I think Barr and Trump are liars, but I think they're liars

 

[CRI]

I'm sure this is fine . . .

Pork industry soon will have more power over meat inspections

The Trump administration plans to shift much of the power and responsibility for food safety inspections in hog plants to the pork industry as early as May, cutting the number of federal inspectors by about 40 percent and replacing them with plant employees.

Under the proposed new inspection system, the responsibility for identifying diseased and contaminated pork would be shared with plant employees, whose training would be at the discretion of plant owners. There would be no limits on slaughter-line speeds.

 

[CRI]

Sure, this is fine as well.

A $230,000 debt and a LinkedIn message led an ex-CIA officer to spy for China

 

[spring-peeper]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-mental-health-pre-dementia_n_5ca51ea2e4b0409b0ec32806
"Hillary wanted to put up wind. Wind. If you ― if you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations: Your house just went down 75 percent in value. And they say the noise causes cancer. You tell me that one, OK? “Rrrrr, rrrrr” ― you know the thing that makes the ― it’s so noisy. And of course it’s like a graveyard for birds. If you love birds, you’d never want to walk under a windmill because it’s a very sad, sad sight. It’s like a cemetery. We put a little, we put a little statute for the poor birds. It’s true. You know in California, if you shoot a bald eagle, they put you in jail for five years. And yet the windmills wipe ’em all out. It’s true. They wipe ’em out. It’s terrible. And I told the other day at CPAC. Great people at CPAC. We had an incredible thing. I had nothing to do. It was early on a Saturday morning. I had just gotten back from dealing with Kim Jong Un. We had a walk. He wasn’t ready for a deal but that’s OK because we get along great. He wasn’t ready. I told him, you’re not ready for a deal. That’s the first time anybody has ever told him that and left. It never happened to him before. Nobody’s ever left. But I said you’re not ready for a deal, but we’ll make a deal. We have a good relationship. We have a good relationship. But I told a story about, at CPAC. The woman, she wants to watch television. And she says to her husband, “Is the wind blowing? I’d love to watch a show tonight, darling. The wind hasn’t blown for three days. I can’t watch television, darling. Darling, please tell the wind to blow.” No, wind’s not so good. And you know, you have no idea how expensive it is to make those things. They’re all made in China and Germany, but the way, just in case you’re ― we don’t make ’em here, essentially. We don’t make ’em here. And by the way, the carbon, and all those things flying up in the air, you know the carbon footprint? President Obama used to talk about the carbon footprint, and then he’d hop on Air Force One, a big 747 with very old engines, and he’d fly to Hawaii to play a round of golf. You tell me, the carbon footprint."

You forgot to add the part about windmills causing cancer.

"And they say the noise causes cancer. You told me that one, OK." (Then he made circles with his hands and a noise with his mouth.)

 

[chandlerp]

I didn't, you can see it right there in the second line

 

[spring-peeper]

I didn't, you can see it right there in the second line

yip - there it is.

Really do wish people would modify the post instead of leaving it as a hard-to-read post.