Saturday, February 10, 2018

Under Trump, the GOP has decided not to govern, but to rule


What does the President have to hide? — Nancy Pelosi


Newsweek editors confront top exec in heated meeting: "Are we running a money laundering operation?"


Trumps Infrastructure Plan May Ignore Climate Change. It Could Be Costly


This Democratic prosecutor is making the case for unseating Devin Nunes


This is how to sneak oil into North Korea


"White nationalist can't find a lawyer to defend him for Charlottesville"


Bush WH lawyer: Trump blocking Dem memo "another example of this White House being its own worst enemy"


Based on the Times' reporting, this appears to be a Russian dangle and disinformation operation intended to set up and embarrass U.S. intelligence, while discrediting investigations into Trump's Russia ties. Moscow's meddling on his behalf continues.


BREAKING: Donald Trump will not approve the release of the Democratic memo. "Democrats are not going to be happy, obviously,"


Nighthawks: Lawmakers drift through a surreal overnight shutdown drama


Investors brace for more swings as U.S. inflation specter rises


BIG NEWS overnight - #Israel struck x12 military targets across #Syria (4+ directly controlled by #Iran)


Impose Sanctions On Turkey - WSJ


“‘He often goes off on tangents during the briefing and you'd have to rein him back in,’ one official said. Some days, there would only be a few minutes left — and the briefers would have barely broached the topics they came to discuss, one senior U.S. official said.”


Trump's Palestine deal is a real estate transaction


COREY LEWANDOWSKI criticizes White House's handling of Rob Porter scanda


If Trump didn't know Porter didn't have clearance, that means someone gave Porter classified material without him being cleared to see it and without Trump waiving that clearance. Isn't that illegal?

ICYMI

WH Counsel Don McGahn was notified at least 4 times over past year of Porter allegations. Instead of Porter being shown the door, FBI background check seems to have been circumvented to keep Porter on staff. This is a serious security breach


Israel: In new 'large-scale strike,' military bombs 12 Syrian, Iranian targets


The Latest: Vice President Mike Pence and his wife did not stand for the combined Korean team’s entrance.


“The CIA, which is now headed by a Trump loyalist, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, has at times been reluctant to stay involved in the operation, apparently for fear of obtaining the Trump-related material offered by the Russians, according to sources close to the negotiations.”




Ex-Bush lawyer: Trumps memo decision a massive strategic miscalculation


SpaceX launched its #FalconHeavy rocket for the first time ever on Tuesday. Here's a look back, in pictures


Israel carries out “large-scale attack” in Syria after Israeli jet crashes under anti-aircraft fire


The Trump White House’s laughable spin that releasing the Nunes memo is all about ‘transparency’


U.S. intelligence officials have opened a secret communications channel with Russian operatives, who have tried to sell both Trump-related materials and documents stolen from the NSA and obtained by Russian intelligence

ICYMI

For his 1993 book, Harry Hurt III acquired Ivana’s divorce deposition, in which she stated that Trump raped her

From discovery at their divorce

Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell: I trust the DOJ. "I don't trust the President."


JUST IN: Trump campaign chair in KY pleads guilty to sex trafficking of minors: 21 counts against 19 victims, to get 20 yrs in prison, “felony trafficking of a minor, felony inducing a minor to engage in sex, and a third count of giving alcohol to a minor”


Scientists rebuff EPA chief's claim that global warming may be good

ICYMI

Netanyahu has criticized Israel's top police officer amid reports he could be indicted as part of a corruption probe as early as next week.


Israel bombed Syria today


If the president really believes the Nunes memo vindicates him, as he has said, what is he hiding by blocking the Schiff memo? — Sen Dianne Feinstein


Trump has privately questioned the credibility of Rob Porter's accusers, three sources with direct knowledge tell The Daily Beast. Trump has apparently asked repeatedly if there are any reasons Porter’s ex-wives could have to make up such claims.


The whole point of that dumb Nunes memo was to set up Rod Rosenstein to be fired in order to get at the Mueller investigation. And now the position of his next-in-line has been vacated


Communications officer Mercedes Schlapp told some staffers to come to her with questions because Hope Hicks was “dealing with a lot” and “not able to perform the duties of communications director right now,”


Trump has floated 3 potential Kelly replacements


Teachers unions blocked from delivering complaints to DeVos

ICYMI

House Intelligence Dems: This Russia investigation kind of sucks


Rooney: Entire Republican Staff of House Intelligence Committee Is Under Investigation

ICYMI

Big Thread: Trump changed the order of succession at DOJ last year — Alt_SeanSpicer'sMic


What a sick joke. Putin is the problem in Syria, not the solution. He owns & protects Assad, including his chemical weapons.


"A beater is always a beater"


HEADS UP! With the news that Rachel Brand is steppin' down at DOJ, we need to be super alert. Her replacement appears to be Trump recent appointee Robert Higdon. Tea Pain don't believe in coincidences


W.H. Counsel Don McGahn writes to Devin Nunes that Trump is unable to declassify the Democratic memo “at this time”


JUST IN: Thirty to 40 White House officials and administration political appointees are still operating without full security clearances, including Jared Kushner, senior adviser to President Donald Trump


Trump blocks release of Russia memo drafted by Democrats


After ignoring urging of FBI & DOJ not to release misleading Nunes memo because it omits material facts, @POTUS now expresses concerns over sharing precisely those facts with public and seeks to send it back to the same Majority that produced the flawed Nunes memo to begin with


Firings/Resignations/Departures under Trump*


A second White House aide, speechwriter David Sorensen, has resigned amid past domestic abuse allegations, which he denie


Second WH official resigns over domestic abuse allegations


As a House Judiciary Cmte Member with oversight over @FBI, @TheJusticeDept & FISA, I read both memos. @POTUS wrongly claimed he is vindicated. The #DemocraticMemo shows absolutely, positively that @realDonaldTrump is not vindicated. That's why he blocked it


Two U.S. officials tell WaPo that they don't expect Jared Kushner to receive a permanent security clearance in the near future


Connecting dots: “In January, the incoming Trump administration chose Porter to be White House staff secretary.” Who was head of the transition and would have known about his security clearance problems? @VP Pence.


What is more important than the truth? Nothing. So what are @realDonaldTrump, his administration & many House Republicans so afraid of when it comes to confronting Russia?


CNN confirms that David Sorenson, a member of the administration’s speechwriting team, has resigned after being accused of domestic abuse, becoming the second official to step down over such in the last 48 hours.


Pelosi on Trump blocking release of Dem memo: "Clearly, the president has something to hide"


Trump has consistently responded to the allegations of assault or abuse against women by expressing sympathy for the men being accused


.@SenatorCardin has repeatedly asked: “How many of Congress’ Russian sanctions has @POTUS enforced? None. Zero. It is the unanimous view of our entire intelligence community that Russia interfered in our elections, and will again. Yet @POTUS chooses to believe Mr. Putin.”


Trump’s refusal to release Democratic response to #NunesMemo makes a mockery of national security and common sense


All Americans should read this article - Russia launched full scale intel op on 🇺🇸 in 2015 & it’s still going in 2018, Kremlin still winning because we have not responded & Our leadership lacks courage to accept it & mount a fight


W.H. Counsel Don McGahn writes to Devin Nunes that Trump is unable to declassify the Democratic memo “at this time”


Senator's fake news on FBI texts risks his reputation and the Republican cause


Trump rejects Democratic rebuttal of Nunes, exposes GOP memo game

Rep. Jim Himes talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump's rejection of the Democratic rebuttal to the Nunes memo.


Wittes: Brand denies undue pressure to leave Justice Department

Benjamin Wittes, editor in chief of Lawfare and friend of Rachel Brand, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump's hollowing-out of the Justice Department and what Rachel Brand has told him about her decision to resign.


Trump closer to ending Russia probe as Rachel Brand quits DoJ

Rachel Maddow shows how the Nunes memo was a ploy to give Donald Trump an excuse to fire Rod Rosenstein who oversees Mueller's Trump Russia investigation. With Rachel Brand out, Rosenstein's next-in-line position is empty.


So this is how Fridays are now?

Rachel Maddow reviews all of the news that broke today, noting that Fridays in the Trump era so far are too busy to leave her desk