Thursday, December 20, 2018

This chaos, both foreign and domestic, is putting America in danger and must stop immediately.


HAPPENING NOW: Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Schumer hold news conference amid turmoil over possible government shutdown.


Schumer: "President Trump is throwing a temper tantrum."


Same. No time for #happytalk now. Jim Mattis has kept the Trump admin from making several truly disastrous errors. Without his stable & firm hand, I fear what Donnie may do, especially as Mueller closes in on him & his family


Stephen Miller is pretty much shouting about the wall and border security on CNN. @wolfblitzer tells him, "Calm down a minute. We don't have to yell."


Trump voters can now show exactly how much they’re willing to pay for the wall they believed Mexico was paying for


Enough with treason in plain sight


Gen Joe Votel, the head of US Central Command, feels "punched in the gut" by the decision to withdraw troops from Syria. US military commanders were "shocked" by the President's decision, but now are making plans to withdraw.


Mattis’ resignation letter makes it clear. “My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues.”


Defense Secretary James Mattis has resigned. Here’s the letter


Old Marines never die, but they do resign after the President ignores their advice, betrays our allies, rewards our enemies, and puts the nation’s security at risk. Turn out the lights when Mattis leaves; we will not see his like again while Trump remains in office.


Mattis is believed to have pushed back on Trump’s decision this week to abruptly withdraw American troops from Syria


#BREAKING: President Trump says Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will retire at the end of February after serving the administration for two years


Rep. Meadows tells federal employees who won’t get paid during shutdown: You signed up for this


"Every time Gatwick tries to reopen the runway, the drones reappear" - Transport Secretary Chris Grayling describes the drones that have caused chaos at Gatwick Airport


A Justice Dept official tells @NicolleDWallace that the overall management of the Special Counsel investigation & Robert Mueller will remain in the office of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, not Matt Whitaker.


Trump has lost even his most despicable supporters. Ann Coulter on Trump: “a joke presidency who scammed the American people" "They're about to have a country where no Republican will ever be elected President again"


Update: Contrary to earlier report, DOJ ethics official told Whitaker's team that acting attorney general should recuse from Mueller probe


"Six sources told BuzzFeed News that at least two FinCEN analysts were reported to Treasury’s inspector general over suspicions that they might have been working against the interests of the US.”


New: Trump's tax returns. Mueller has them, Dems want to get them - and make them public.


Russian Agents Sought Secret US Treasury Records On Clinton Backers During 2016 Campaign


Corker: “Ya’ll have fun! I may not see ya’ll again for a while...” Q: You’re not going to come back from TN for votes? Corker: “I doubt it.”


Perspective: A recession is coming. Trump is going to make the recovery worse.


Another brutal day on Wall Street leaves Dow down 10 percent for December, headed for its worst month in nearly a decade.


NEW YORK (AP) -- Dow sinks 500 points, bringing its losses since Friday to over 1,800 points; Nasdaq down 20 percent from its August peak.


MORE: "Critical financial records on some Trump associates and Russian figures, collected by FinCEN analysts, have not been turned over to Congress, despite numerous requests.”


Pelosi's tactic on a privileged resolution to avert a shutdown is interesting tactic. Hse must consider resolution right away, either w/up or down vote or vote to set aside resolution. So what Pelosi is doing is DARING GOP 2 vote against resolution IN FAVOR of keeping gov't open


U.S. sergeant at İncirlik detained by Turkish police


Senate passed CR without a single objection. House could likely pass it with a veto proof majority to keep the government open. Which means Paul Ryan is choosing to end his career in a government shutdown to satisfy President Trump.


“I have made my position very clear. Any measure that funds the government must include border security, has to. Not for political purposes, but for our country, for the safety of our community,” President Donald Trump says amid the threat of a partial government shutdown


The Dow has fallen more than 2%


More: Trump won't sign the Senate’s spending bill to avert a government shutdown this weekend because it doesn’t include his border funding demands, Ryan says after meeting with the president


BREAKING: Ryan says Trump won't sign Senate-passed stopgap bill


BOOM! US Treasury officials used a Gmail back channel with Russia as the Kremlin sought financial info on its enemies — including key figures in the Trump Tower meeting where Russians offered "dirt" on Clinton


We need answers as to why William Barr proactively drafted a memo against Special Counsel Mueller's investigation. There’s no reason for a lawyer in private practice to do this unless he was attempting to curry favor with President Trump.


BREAKING: The House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously to release documents regarding Roger Stone’s testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller.


Sen. Lindsey Graham says Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria is "a big gift" to Iran and ISIS: "The only reason they're not dancing in the aisles in Tehran and ISIS camps is they don't believe in dancing."


New: Nasdaq falls 20% below its highest-ever point, reaching bear market territory. Dow fell below 23,000 points for the first time in 2018.


Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein Announces Charges Against Chinese Hackers


Brazil top prosecutor indicts President Temer for corruption


Maybe Judge Emett Sullivan casually used the word “treason” because the redacted material suggested that Flynn was working with Trump to help Turkey and Russia carve up Syria, which would give “aid and comfort” to ISIS, our ENEMY. Note Trump’s sudden withdrawal from Syria today.


U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross twice submitted sworn statements to ethics officials saying he had divested stock that he in fact still owned, a new document obtained by the Center for Public Integrity reveals.


Sr. Admin. official tells me re Syria withdrawal: “Senior officials across the Administration agree that the President’s decision-by-tweet will recklessly put American and allied lives in danger around the world, take the pressure off of ISIS allowing them to reconstitute


Opinion: In a single tweet, Trump destroys U.S. policy in the Middle East


Trump’s Top AG Pick Claims Mueller Misunderstands Obstruction of Justice


I am now told that the following people are going to the White House:


Interesting Rosenstein comment about the Barr memo: "Our decisions are informed by our knowledge of the actual facts of the case, which Mr. Barr didn’t have.”


Exclusive: Whitaker told he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller investigation


BREAKING HERE: the Wall for the Gateway Tunnel? Top source tells key group of House Repubs want GOP to make offer to Dems - they agree to wall money and WH/GOP funds Gateway. (Key project for Schumer and Dems in New York.) Obviously v v fluid now, but this is serious idea.


Flashback: Four hours ago Trump tweeted the border was “tight” without a wall.


Trump sold out his country for a Moscow hotel. Now he's compromised, beaten and weak. He's desperately beggin' for Russia's help by handin' Syria over to Putin and liftin' sanctions on oligarchs, but Trump is about to learn that Russia was never his friend.


Here is the DC lawsuit. Any reporter covering Facebook yesterday should have read it. It alleges FB knew personal data on 70mm users was harvested by GSR and sold to Cambridge Analytica then chose not to inform public for 2 1/2 years.


Assad has committed acts of genicide for YEARS against the ethnic populations that counts for 80%+ of Syria’s population. They will not accept his rule outside Shi’a areas near Damascus again. Therefore, the power vacuum will remain open indefinitely so long as he’s in power...


This is what #Treason looks like. It’s not some cloak and dagger movie or a spy novel, it’s a frail weak old man so afraid to face justice for his decades of mafia crime that he’ll abandon all of us people if our enemy tells him to. Treason is cowardice in action. Trump = Treason


The Trump 2020 campaign is reportedly using a shell company to buy ads in coordination with the NRA, using the same potentially illegal techniques as the 2016 campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.


You literally said “Isis has been defeated” yesterday


Did Trump cut a deal for Erdogan to buy Patriot missiles in return for US withdrawal from Syria? Jonathan Alterman of ⁦@CSIS⁩: “It would be disturbing if a strategic gesture was made for commercial reasons.”


#BREAKING: Israel's State Attorney recommends PM Netanyahu be tried for bribery in two criminal cases. In another, State Attorney recommends he be tried for breach of trust. Attorney General will begin assessing recommendations in coming days.


I never thought Trump would pardon #Manafort. I always believed Trump would use US resources to pay off Manafort's debt to #Deripaska in exchange for his silence. And here we are


Lawyer Alan Dershowitz accused in second Epstein sex case. Lawyer claims victim says she was ordered to have sex with the noted lawyer — when he was representing Epstein.


U.S. voters say 3 to 1 that any president should face indictment, per @QuinnipiacPoll. 71–21%, including 49–38% among Republicans, believe any president should be subject to being charged with a crime while in office, rather than after a president leaves office.


Re Syria announcement, a retired General tells me: “the President is untethered from normal processes or thoughtful counsel. The consequences of decisions, some which are taken emotionally vice carefully are likely to be high - the costs of which will be borne by others.”


Putin about meeting Trump: "We can see what's happening there. With changes in Congress, there'll be new attacks against the President. I don't know whether he'll be ready for direct dialogue with Russia under those conditions."


How can ISIS hit us if they’ve been “defeated?”


Turkey says Syrian Kurdish militants will be buried in ditches: Anadolu


Trump’s AG pick, Bill Barr, sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to the Justice Department this year excoriating Mueller’s obstruction of justice investigation. He apparently told Trump about the memo and said it could come up during his confirmation hearings.


Putin, Erdogan, and Trump all now say that ISIS is defeated in Syria, as Russia welcomes the White House's abrupt announcement of troop withdrawal. Putin called the U.S.' presence there "illegitimate"


Trump admits ISIS hasn’t been defeated — but says they’re Russia and Iran’s problem now


It's now startlingly obvious that Russia wants to boost Trump to harm America


UPDATE: NY AG says that @realDonaldTrump's Fdn will have to sell off its 3 physical possessions, including a Tim Tebow-signed helmet, and 2 paintings of Trump himself. Trump paid $42K for them, using foundation $. Now says they're worth $975 combined.


This is Trump’s “Mission Accomplished” moment. The UN estimates there are still 20,000-30,000 ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria. With US troops gone, they are likely to stage a resurgence.


Did he make a new hummus? Cause all I have seen so far is him ignoring a Yemeni genocide, allowing a King to murder a journalist, flooding more weapons into the region, and now creating a rebirth opportunity for ISIS.


Analysis: Michael Flynn hoped cooperating would keep him out of prison. Here’s why he may face five years.


President Trump plans to make more people work for food stamps


Power Up: Its Trump versus My generals on Syria


#Putin: the #Orthodox church split is bad for religious freedom and will lead to a "division of property" that could be "difficult, even bloody." He also talks about defenseless, unarmed people left to the whims of fate.


At #Putin's annual press conference, he speaks out in support of #Brexit, says it reflects "the will of the people," but quickly adds: "It's none of our business - lest they accuse us of something again." #Russia #PutinPresser2018


Trump's top AG pick slammed Mueller's obstruction of justice probe in memo to Justice Dept: report


The Latest: Putin welcomes U.S. decision to leave Syria.


Trump didn't bother to invite Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dunford to the Syria meeting and kept him in the dark until after the decision was made


SDF: U.S. withdrawal from Syria will spark Islamic State revival


Syrian #Kurds allied with US shocked, scared by news of troop withdrawal


PsyOps. For nuclear weapons to maintain their leverage on human thought, the possibility of their use must remain relevant. The only way Putin remains untouchable is through the active threat of first-strike nuclear annihilation. Retaliatory strikes are for losers


The government is requesting that a gag order remain in place for the duration of Maria Butina's cooperation


Johnson & Johnson loses bid to have $4.7 billion talc verdict set aside, vows to appeal


Putin warned of a “nuclear catastrophe” if the U.S. stations new missiles in Europe


Breaking: Russian President Vladimir Putin says he agrees with President Trump on ISIS defeat, Syria withdrawal. At his annual press conference in Moscow, Putin said, “As for defeating ISIS, I do generally agree with the president of the US,” calls withdrawal “correct” decision


#BREAKING US approves $3.5 billion Patriot missile sale to Turkey


Secret Experiment in Alabama Senate Race Imitated Russian Tactics


Special Counsel Robert Mueller will likely save any findings that touch personally on Donald Trump for his final report


Mike Flynn’s Disastrous Day in Court Blows Apart Trump’s Deep State Conspiracy Theory


Remember the Big Story in the Russia Scandal: Donald Trump Betrayed America


Russia's Putin says threat of nuclear war should not be underestimated


Putin says imposing new sanctions against Russia ‘makes no sense’


This and US Syria withdrawal on the same day? Putin must feel the need to accelerate his time-table, ticking off items on his wish list.


U.S. Exit Seen as a Betrayal of the Kurds, and a Boon for ISIS


Trump’s inexplicable decision to abruptly withdraw U.S. troops from Syria is the single largest gift to Putin that Putin has received since Trump became president. A major and unrecoverable strategic blunder by the US


We were FBI agents. We want to know why Flynn lied to the bureau.


Trump announces Syria plan counter to U.S. goals


Corker says Trump abruptly cancelled planned meeting amid concerns over pulling troops from Syria


Pelosi draws link between Trump decision to pull troops from Syria and Flynn's sentencing


Stocks slide as Fed's 2019 rates guidance disappoints


Just throwing this little bit of logic out there. If the wall is meant to stop the flow of drugs, couldn't drugs just be passed through these artistically designed steel slats?


Mueller call for Stone transcript suggests charges likely soon


INBOX: DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO ANNOUNCE NATIONAL SECURITY ACTION INVOLVING CHINA Thursday at 10:30am at the DOJ


New letter - signed by Lindsey Graham, Jeanne Shaheen, Joni Ernst, Angus King, Tom Cotton and Marco Rubio - to Trump demanding he “reconsider” Syria move. “The withdrawal of American presence from Syria also bolsters two other adversaries to the United States, Iran and Russia.”


"STAND-IN SANTA": Former Pres. Barack Obama played Santa Claus for all the kids at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C


Trump leaves Americans guessing with lurching Syria pullout tweet