Friday, July 5, 2019

Russian official with ties to lawyer in Trump Tower meeting dies in helicopter crash


There you have it. A taxpayer- funded campaign ad. Your tax dollars coopted for the benefit of a man whose idea of public service is the public serving him. Tens of millions effectively given to the Trump Campaign. This is what it was all about. This and revenue for his hotel.


They have until 2pm to update the court


45% of American adults want Trump impeached and removed from office, according to Gallup. To compare, no more than 35% of adults ever wanted to impeach Clinton. Support for impeaching Nixon hit 46% only in April 1974 — just months before he resigned


Trump used our taxpayer dollars to create a backdrop, complete with military flyovers, so he could cut a campaign ad.


Californians: if you’re not already prepared for a major earthquake, do so now. This can’t wait.


SDNY Judge Furman found the question was illegal, not unconstitutional. (Two other federal judges found it was both.) Background from January:


Stop building a space ship to Mars and just plant some damn trees


Hey media--Trump cannot issue an executive order to include a citizenship question in the Census. The Census requirement is found in Article I (not Article II) and thus is a right of Congress, not the President.


President Trump says he’s looking into using an executive order to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census


“Trump basically threw his administration’s lawyers ‘under the bus’ by demanding a reversal, ... ‘and now they’re throwing him back under the bus.’” Question: How much room is left under that bus?


#Job growth since 2008 (millions)


It’s telling how quickly the Corporate Mouthpiece began grumbling after last week’s Kisor decision. The big influencers had hoped for a 5-4 partisan decision weakening public protections more than this one did. Grumble, grumble.


‘The president, aided and abetted by the attorney general, tears at the very fabric of our Constitution.’ — Rep Raskin listed all of Trump’s misdeeds and it is jaw-dropping


Trump’s ‘moral freak show’ will permanently stain Christianity — according to this prominent former evangelical


Donald Trump Dropped Fireworks Tariff The Same Day Company Donated $750K In Fireworks For His Show


Trump’s Not-Crazy Speech Just Highlighted Norms He’s Crushed


"There's only one reason why this treaty is in jeopardy," says #NATO chief @jensstoltenberg, "and that is Russia's continued violation." Today's NATO-Russia Council was a last chance, he says, before the treaty is declared dead Aug 2.


If you read one thing on #4thofJuly, I hope it’s this painful, necessary, infuriating read by ⁦@AdamSerwer⁩: “The Detention Camps at the Border Are a Crime”


Trump’s * other * favorite crown prince in action: MBZ (of UAE).


BREAKING: A magnitude 5.0 aftershock just struck the Searles Valley. I felt it here (once again) in Santa Clarita.


Even Trump's cherry-picked polls show he's not popular


"Critics of the media suggest that we stop feeding his ego and start ignoring him. I wish we could," @MaxBoot writes. "But how do you ignore the man with his finger on the nuclear button?"


Opinion: Trump tried to make Independence Day all about him. He ended up looking small.


This picture looks doctored


Qanon fans also showed up sporting t-shirts of JFK Jr., who they believe faked his death 20 years ago and will reemerge today as part of a wide-ranging deep-state conspiracy to prosecute Democrats for child-sex slavery


Three years ago this morning


"...the outstanding value of loans against art in America reached $17bn-20bn in 2017, up 13% from the previous year. Industry insiders say such lending has continued to grow at double-digit rates since then."


Lou Dobbs calls US Generals snowflakes. For following DOD policy. Because he is an ass


Anchorage is bracing for something it has never before seen — a potential high of 90 degrees. Get out the fan. If you can find one.


Brazil deforestation exceeds 88% in June under Bolsonaro


Oh I see, the tanks--which were paid for and transported to DC using taxpayer funds--will be viewed mostly by donors who got tickets from the @GOP Republican National Committee. This is a mockery of our Independence Day. And my question to the @FEC, why is this even legal?


Read the Court’s gerrymandering opinion and weep — for the Court and for the premature death of representative democracy. But read this essay and cheer — for the undying power of human reason to expose error, reveal hypocrisy, and challenge power:


Gold tanks


It means the Fed should start hiring people directly to fix roads and bridges and upgrade electrical grids, build and operate the Fed bullet train network, and design and deliver a nationwide Fed public WiFi system.


A truly American pie for the bbq today


Here is my breakdown of the funniest and saddest moments from the #TrumpSpeechFail, so that you can still stay above it all but have a good laugh. Happy 5th of July, we made it...barely


Huh. JFK Jr. didn't come back. I woke up in my bed instead of GITMO.#QAnon is still a fraud based on a farrago of conspiracy horseshit believed only by morons who are dumber than the average sack of hair. All these things are true.


At least one other social media group with an apparent nexus to Customs and Border Protection has been discovered to contain vulgar and sexually explicit posts, according to screenshots shared with two sources familiar with the Facebook pages.


"This doesn’t look like the best economy ever": 40% of Americans say they still struggle to pay bills


Fact check: there were no airports during the Revolutionary War. The Wright Brothers “achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903” according to the National Park Service


If the House has the brains to impeach Trump there likely won’t be a Mitch McConnell. He can’t handle an impeachment trial in the Senate, will look like a fool and get voted out. Do Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Have a Plan for Mitch McConnell?


Trump’s event in DC today has drawn an embarrassingly small crowd — despite his desperate attempts to boost attendance by adding flyovers and a display of tanks.


Put your bone spurs aside!


You have got to be kidding me! You have to use fake pictures? People in this picture are wearing coats, sweaters, sweatshirts, knit hats. It’s 85-90 degrees in July you idiot. My God / what the f@ck is wrong with you people?


the militarization of the 4th of July is deeply weird, made only weirder by watching him through a plexiglas, rain-streaked shield and his stilted delivery. My favorite part was encouraging OTHER people to join the military


Usually the White House press office sends out a transcript of presidential remarks - but no such transcript appears to exist (unless WWR missed it) from last night's speech - where Trump botched numerous historical dates and facts that any schoolchild should know


Behind the fencing that created first and second class citizens, the partisan gift of tickets to the RNC, the wasted federal appropriations, the show of military hardware that made us look weak, the dry and inaccurate speech, there was—as always in this administration—corruption.


And the Russian hits just keep on coming — Mark Hertling


REALLY????? I cant ever recall JACKIE KENNEDY going out in public with a see thru dress and NO BRA


Trump’s sad, strange Fourth of July - New York Daily News


As @realDonaldTrump and corrupt Minnesota politicians invite Glencore owned PolyMet Mining to pollute the Lake Superior watershed, we see the environmental mess Glencore makes around the globe. Shameful. Anglo Mines Pollute South Africa Water, Group Says


It appears most of the folks down on the National Mall won’t be able to get very close to the tanks and military vehicles down by the Lincoln Memorial. That area is behind a lot of fencing and security (accessible to VIP’s and other ticketed guests).


If the point is to honor the men and women who serve in our military why is the crowd behind him almost all white people? This is obviously a Trump political rally.


Happy Fourth of July, everybody! This is always a great day in the Obama family: a chance to celebrate America—and Malia’s birthday, too. Hope all of you are able to get some time with friends, family, and fireworks


Is there any reason why the President doesn't offer his Wife his jacket? Also.. Life happens and Nipples show. But, is this staged? Is there any way a Woman of Melania's age would wear such a dress without a bra and NOT realize she'd be showing Nipple?


Trump’s undocumented former employees want to be spared deportation. So they’ve asked the president for a meeting.


#Russia's state TV condescendingly describes "our Trump's parade" as "re-election BS" [фигня], hosts & experts mock the lack of intercontinental ballistic missiles, laugh at "old, rusty tanks with peeling paint," conclude that "Trump attempts—but fails—to keep up with Putin."


D.C. is empty.


They turned off the webcam on the Washington Monument overlooking the Mall


So only the fancy republicans can see the tanks?


Not much of a turnout


Fun Fact: The sole reason the British lost the Revolutionary War was that they failed to defend the airports


Elizabeth Warren on Trump's July 4 event: "Trump's handing out tickets to his big donors. That's a campaign event. And if he's going to do a campaign event, then it should be paid for by his campaign contributions. It should not be paid for by the American taxpayer."


As @kendallybrown points out, Trump, while struggling to read in this clip, claims that the American military "took over the airports" during a battle that took place well before airplanes were even invented


No airports involved in the war of 1812


Gosh, can anyone guess why the webcam on the National Mall was down today?


More proof that God has a sense of humor and karma is real


After 241 years to get it right you would think America's first dictator would at least be the most terrifying dictator the world has ever seen but this guy is a freaking clown.


You sure bro? @realDonaldTrump


Hey @SteveKingIA: I don't always praise fictional military personnel, but when I do, I prefer praising Lt. Daniel Kaffee.#AFewGoodMen


On this day 243 years ago, the world became a brighter place. 13 radically different colonies came together to speak as one against tyranny. Our common ground is the very Republic we celebrate today. It’s up to us to keep America’s light shining. Happy #4thofjuly2019, patriots


“Today we come together as one nation,” Trump told the crowd, which was divided by a fence that kept VIP guests separated from ordinary spectators.


In Washington, DC, Trump celebrated Swamp Day by: 1.) Making July 4th an ode to himself; 2.) Diverting $2.5 million in Park funds to pay for it; 3) Taking $750,000 in fireworks from a donor; and 4) Postponing tariffs on China the same day, as the donor wanted. Happy 4th!


What a disgraceful statement.


Before you defend Trump for writing Aircraft One, @dmartosko, you should note that’s not the plane’s callsign ever. It is, however, the callsign of the Russian president’s plane.


BREAKING: West Virginia coal tycoon Chris Cline is dead after a helicopter crash in the Bahamas.


Today, I’m declaring my independence


A fitting legacy.


A special message from @RepAdamSchiff & @HouseDemocrats as Americans celebrate the birth of our democracy



The flyovers and military presence were illegal if this was a campaign rally which it sure looked like. Who distributed the tickets?


Dear @asmMelendez: No, this was a partisan event where the @GOP Republican National Committee doled out VIP passes to donors. Our taxpayer funds were subsidizing a campaign event. Also, I served on active duty in the American military to defend your right to call people names


What is the key takeaway? While the Russians proudly boast of "owning" Trump, they despise him — and loathe all of us, Americans. The Kremlin does not wish us well. If you see anyone wearing "I'd Rather Be A Russian" T-shirt, be sure to tell them that


Heading towards the Lincoln Memorial


Pres Trump his own Master of Ceremonies and impresario for a long patriotic speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Heavy focus on history of our powerful Armed Forces. No partisan attacks on his political enemies. Central focus on Trump. Angry 4th of July.


Trump's July 4 speech was a "triumph of low expectations" that just proved he can read a Teleprompter


A new Pew Research Center survey shows how the public reacts to Trump's comments:


“No one can take away our freedom, except me.”


Military source tells me several performances have been cut from Trump’s look-at-me show.


As I have been reporting for months, @BorisJohnson colluded with representatives of the Russian government during #Brexit. Including, but certainly not limited to, @SNalobin.


It's LITERALLY raining on Trump's parade


Trump is slurring his words and talking about airports before they even existed. Happy 4th of July!


Just your typical 4th of July BBQ


#Russia's state TV panel laughs at the excitement of @FoxNews anchors gushing about Trump's parade: "Two tanks is all they've got! Their paint is peeling, their uniforms are wrinkled! Trump should have asked our Defense Ministry to teach them how to organize military parades."


"In one insane 24-hour period, the Trump administration shelved a proposed change to the census, then unshelved it, then admitted it has no idea what’s going on."


We came. We saw. We Rat.


Your Majesty, I captained the “Virginia Atlantic” flight full of lissom Red Coates intending to find safe haven in Jamestown; but I regret to report Air Craft One attack’d the Porte. Project Runway was perforce abandoned. Yet spirits are high


With the embarassingly low turnout for the #TrumpParade and now there's #RainOnTrumpsParade... can we get our $92 million back? Asking for 40,000+ homeless vets.


I’m howling. It’s pouring rain at Trump’s event and no one is there!



Much rain here at the Lincoln Memorial.


On foreign policy, Biden says President Trump is dissing allies and “embracing thugs.” “If he wins reelection, I promise you there will be no NATO in 4 years or 5 years.”


Biden on how he’d approach North Korea and denuclearization: “I’d make it real clear: Look you want to talk, you want to deal with us, you want sanctions lifted — show me something ahead of time. Show me.”


Recently unveiled documents show that ICE generated a “target list” for immigrant raids with the help of personal information collected by private data companies like Palantir, which was co-founded by Peter Thiel


.@CharlesMBlow: "The slide of this nation into a nearly unrecognizable state continues unabated. Donald Trump is recreating America in his own image: an abominable one."


Russian state-run media took Trump’s July 4 event as an opportunity to "troll" the U.S.


Aircraft One is more your speed, to be honest. You shouldn’t have deleted. You should be on Putin’s plane. You’d be happier in Moscow.


#earthquakemode A reported M5.0 earthquake just occurred in the same region as yesterday 16KM W of Searles Valley, CA. #LAFD is entering the earthquake mode and will conduct survey's of all 106 local fire station districts


As expected, Trump's "Me the People" parade is a complete disaster. It makes his Inauguration look like a U-2 concert