Tuesday, January 7, 2020

#BREAKING: CNN, Fox reporting no American casualties after missile strikes from Iran into Iraq. Some Iraqis have been injured, both news orgs say.


Latest: There are casualties among the Iraqis at Ain al-Asad airbase following the attack early Wednesday local time, an Iraqi security source tells CNN.


This is the moment when national leaders could turn away from the humanitarian catastrophe of an unnecessary war.


#BREAKING NATO says taking some personnel out of Iraq temporarily


If the reports are accurate that Pentagon officials couldn't be reached because they left home early due to the minor "snow" warning, I don't even know what to say. If shit is that disorganized and lackadaisical, we're in trouble.


Aides are making urgent preparations at this hour for Trump to address the nation, per @jeffzeleny . The specific timing TBD & could be delayed given we are still learning info but two officials say a speech is being prepared and plans are being made for Oval address.


CNN: As President Trump confers with his top advisers tonight at the White House, aides are making urgent preparations at this hour for a possible address to the nation after Iran fired missiles at US forces in Iraq.


IRGC reporting that a 2nd wave of missiles has been launched.


Gen. McCaffery: "Our only good response at this point is an overwhelming dominance of air and naval power that can be employed against the Iranian homeland" Talking like this before we even know the damage is reckless.


US stock futures dropped after rockets hit an airbase that houses US forces in Iraq.


GOP Rep. Michael Waltz says Iranian missile attack could be a sign of "future de-escalation"


As we pray for our troops & civilians, there is still no coherent strategy from @realDonaldTrump. The @WhiteHouse can't adequately answer simple questions like, what are our goals with Iran? Did a drone strike advance those goals? Does Iraq voting us out advance those goals?


Trump started a war with Iran. No one has explained why


It’s mostly an empty target — designed for the symbolism. But it is a provocation for POTUS.


Crisis Reminder: Never believe initial reports. Wait for confirmation. Especially, do not trust attention-seeking social media dipshits, trolls and related disinformateurs, plus authoritarian regimes (allow for overlap)


From senior US military source in Iraq: “Under missile attack from Iran. These are either cruise missiles or short range ballistic missiles. All over the country.”


Reports say Iran is firing dozens of missiles into Iraq, hitting U.S. forces at Al Asad Airbase. Early reports say 20 U.S. troops have died, amid 60+ missile strikes so far. If true, then we are at the precipice of another horrible war in the Middle East.


Would you visit a trump Property after Iranian Presidential Adviser Posted A List Showing Their Locations?


Trump Inaugural Committee donor Imaad Zuberi to plead guilty to obstruction after charge today with obstruction of justice by Manhattan prosecutors for back-dating donor check, deleting emails, he previously pled guilty to $1mil in illegal contributions


NEW: GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter has submitted his letter of resignation, effective Jan. 13, after pleading guilty last month to misusing campaign funds.


Fox Business host Stuart Varney could hardly contain his glee regarding the impact Soleimani’s assassination could have on the stock market. He even noted that if you buy stocks in “missiles and guns and stuff like that, you could do well today.”


Imaad Zuberi, a major donor to President Trump’s inaugural committee, was reportedly charged with obstructing a federal probe into whether foreign nationals were illegally giving money to Trump’s inaugural fund


Good piece here by former homeland security advisor Lisa Monaco -- with a reminder that the position of NSC cyber-coordinator, "the quarterback of government-wide responses to global cyberthreats," was eliminated in 2018


Call your Republican senators now and every day until this is no longer a thing.


This is madness. The mastermind of the world’s greatest propaganda machine congratulating the world’s biggest purveyor of lies and conspiracies. Trump and Zuck profit off each other. This is how democracies die!


NEW: White House @PressSec Stephanie Grisham wants Americans to stop questioning whether the US intelligence agencies @realDonaldTrump has spent years attacking had sufficient information to justify the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.


Please. Fewer stories about how clever and canny and stoic and strategic Mitch is and more stories about how he's forcing his members to fall in line behind an insane strategy to conduct the most important trial in generations without witnesses.


What @marcorubio proposes here is not at all how a trial works. It’s how a double standard works: There’s one standard of justice for the people and another standard of justice for President Trump and other elites. Worth repeating.


BREAKING: Justice Dept. no longer recommends frm Nat Sec Advisor Michael Flynn be sentenced at low end of guildeline range, which would have meant no jail time. Citing his behavior and not accepting responsibility for his actions, prosecutors rec guideline sentence. 0-6 months


Ohio farmer who left GOP over Trump's agricultural policy to challenge Jim Jordan


Romania, Slovakia and Croatia are withdrawing their troops from #Iraq.


Sen. Elizabeth Warren to @TheView on escalating tensions with Iran: "It is the responsibility of the commander in chief not to ask our military to solve problems that cannot be solved militarily."


NEW: The Pentagon has identified the service member killed in a terror attack on a U.S. base in Kenya as Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr., 23, of Evergreen Park, Illinois.


Secretary Rapture thinks he knows what "Iranians hold dear."


NEW from @burgessev @marianne_levine : McConnell prepares to move forward on impeachment trial rules without Democrats


U.S. officials reportedly pressed Trump to kill a high-level Iranian figure months ago when the "maximum pressure" campaign was faltering. Were recent and "imminent" attacks pretext for killing Soleimani?


Democrats prep climate legislation in case of 2020 breakthrough


Cartoon


The paper, which is an update on previous research, found that “approximately 100 percent” of import taxes fell on American buyers.


Perspective: It’s Republicans, not Democrats, threatening our constitutional order


The smiling and laughing makes me think that this guy might just be making stuff up.


Somewhere in a diner in Pennsylvania, a fat old white guy in a red hat is slurping coffee and saying to his friends: "See, this is why I went for Trump. We need guys who'll stand up for Persian culture so that our lives here in this empty factory town will be less miserable."


Ivanka Trump’s CES keynote address sparks backlash. Critics say there are women with more technical experience who are better qualified to speak at the annual technology conference.


Call their bluffs. Reopen House hearings. Subpoena Bolton. Yeah. Just like that


QaNoN is now considered a “domestic terrorism threat” and based upon that there have been “previously undisclosed QANoN arrests.” Good.


Meanwhile Putin's in what was formerly Syria with his pet Assad. Who do you think they're praying for?


So the claim that specific intelligence showed imminent attacks were planned was a lie? It sounds like he's saying there was no intelligence and they relied on publicly available news reports. This is truly a presidential administration that has no more credibility left to burn


The Holocaust Museum’s director on the warning signs of fascism. "Nazis didn’t fall out of the sky in January '33."


#BREAKING: Russian President Putin arrives in Damascus in visit to meet Assad


Fox host defends America committing war crimes: "I don't care about Iranian cultural sites and I'll tell you why. If they could ... they would destroy every single one of our cultural sites and build a mosque on top of it"


Since when did the Pentagon start putting its “mistakes” in Arabic?


The United States has entered a serious national security conflict, and the whole world knows our president is a habitual liar.


Update: This sitting U.S. congressman (whose own family campaigned against him) still hasn’t deleted this photoshopped image.


It Was 'Safer BEFORE Soleimani Was Killed,' Retired Admiral Tells Jake Tapper


If this is true, then ⁦@SpeakerPelosi⁩ should refuse to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate indefinitely. No firm agreement to call witnesses = no Senate trial.


Turkey and Russia will inaugurate a third natural-gas pipeline between their countries on Wednesday, deepening Ankara’s reliance on Russian energy


Today marks the 301st day without a traditional White House briefing, longest stretch of time with no briefing. The previous record was 42 days


Trump touts Rep. McCarthy’s propaganda. But Rep. McCarthy accepted money from indicted-foreigner and likely instrument of Putin (who lied about receiving $1M from Kremlin connected oligarch in Sept. 2019). Connect the dots and recognize the hostile takeover of our republic.


“Among those who have also left was director of DARPA, the acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, the principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence, and the assistant secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs.”


“The U.S. government launched a pilot program to collect DNA from ppl in immigration custody and submit it to the FBI, w/ plans to expand nationwide. The info would go into a massive criminal database run by the FBI, where it would be held indefinitely.”


Why won’t Democrats be nicer to the president who may have started gulf war three to distract from his own impeachment. God, Democrats are so partisan.


As the US bizarrely attacks Iraq with threats of sanctions, Russia swoops in offering an air defense system along with support and solidarity. Another opportunity for Russia in the region at the expense of US unpredictability.


Worth repeating. The Senate impeachment trials of both Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton featured new testimony that the House had not relied upon when it passed their Articles of Impeachment. You can argue things should be different now, but that's actually how it worked before.


Exactly which members of the Democratic leadership and exactly which Democratic Presidential candidates have mourned the "loss" of Soleimani? Be specific, ma'am, with exact quotes. Show your work.


NEWSWEEK - "Evangelical Christians overwhelmingly support President Donald Trump because they believe he'll cause the world to end."


Trump administration blocks Iran’s top diplomat from entering the United States to address the UN over Soleimani killing


Crazed Trump supporters plotted to kidnap child they believed was being abused by Satanists: police


Trump calls for speedy end to impeachment amid escalating tensions with Iran TRUMP EXPOSED for the psychotic, mendaciously manipulative, unpresidential horror show he is. Ordering killings, driving the US into war w/ Iran to deflect from/dodge impeachment


U.S. warns American merchant ships to be cautious near Iranian waters


Will the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan be followed by yet another trillion-dollar war in the Middle East, this time with Iran? Before taking that immensely consequential step, it’s worth remembering how we got here.


State Dept announces @SecPompeo will make press statement at 10AM/ET. He's sure to face questions about Iran/Iraq situation. Same for Pres Trump, at photo op this afternoon at start of Oval Office meeting with Greek PM Mitsotakis.


Why the did cost of a room at Trump's DC hotel jump $6,000 one night last month? We now have the answer.


Rick Perry wasted absolutely no time in rejoining the board of a pipeline company—just one month after he left the Energy Department. That might be a record


UPDATE: At least 35 people were killed and 48 injured in the stampede, state television reported.


A 6.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, just one day after a 5.8 magnitude quake shook the island, according to the United States Geological Service earthquake map


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has seized the spotlight amid the escalating U.S. confrontation with Iran. As he’s done so, he’s come across to some observers as an unofficial secretary of defense


Video shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo helping free a man who was stuck in a van turned on its side in an accident on a busy highway in New York


Suddenly, it appears the U.S. intelligence community is back in good standing over at Fox News


Hey ⁦@ChrisMurphyCT⁩ let’s see if we can raise some money for Barbara Bollier, who is a very impressive state Senator running for the United States Senate in Kansas?


Has a president ever been on the cusp of war with a thinner roster of national security advisers, weaker relations with western allies or more damaged credibility with public?


Good on @SenatorRomney. Now let's see if three more Republicans have even an ounce of integrity to join him.


I don’t trust this guy as far as the car threw me. He’s going to be the shot that brings down the elephant now that we’re just inches away from the war for which he’s been slavering his entire adult life? Please.


"Soldiers deploying to Middle East not allowed to take cell phones" Reason given is the security of troops. Real reason is that no footage of war crimes can be taken and transmitted to the press


A senior employee at a for-profit immigrant detention center in Nevada was active on the neo-Nazi site Iron March and aspired to establish a white nationalist chapter in his area. He's still employed there—and is now a captain


Stunning. One official tells The Post that the administration’s plan is to wait “at least a little while” on the making a decision to sanction Baghdad — to see if the Iraqis actually make good on their threat to evict American troops


Remember Alexander Haig, "I'm in charge here at the White House" What if Pompeo knows Trump is going down and he will have to step in. He's not running for Senate, he's been urging Trump to kill Solimani for months. This is some Star Chamber shit


Opinion: Trump has all of MacArthur’s arrogance — but none of his strategic wisdo


Just now @barbarastarrcnn says: “Milley and Esper, at least today, have been very adamant, as you would expect, that the US military will follow the law.” Imagine having to report this.


Federal prosecutors told a judge Monday they are prepared to release sealed materials in search and seizure warrants against Roger Stone issued during the FBI probe into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia


going to be thinking about this quote from steve schmidt about lindsey graham for awhile in this rolling stone piece by @markbinelli


No one wants to pay for healthcare/ college because it’s “socialist” but are cool with us handing over Iraq to Iran after losing 4,287 US lives in that war & hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths & spending 1.1 Trillion dollars of taxpayer $ on it on it.


Another video from Solleimani's funeral stampede, #Kerman #Iran Sources claiming the death toll rises to 35


“The fact that they did not mention Soleimani’s name, or reaction from Tehran, indicates that Soleimani’s killing is a sensitive issue to the Pyongyang regime,”


BREAKING: Iran state TV says a stampede erupts at funeral procession for general slain in US airstrike, killing some mourners.


With #Ukraine celebrating #Christmas today, please spare a thought for #Ukrainian soldiers on the front line. Yesterday, 2 more soldiers were wounded by Russia's forces. And several have already died this year holding the line


“The fact that they did not mention Soleimani’s name, or reaction from Tehran, indicates that Soleimani’s killing is a sensitive issue to the Pyongyang regime,”


Trump Boasts of Soleimani Killing in 2020 Campaign Email ‘ANOTHER DEAD TERRORIST’ For the small price of your contact details, supporters can praise the president for the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Jamie Ross Reporter Updated Jan. 06, 2020 5:29PM ET / Published Jan. 06, 2020 9:43AM ET REUTERS Republicans have balked at the suggestion that President Donald Trump’s decision to eliminate the the powerful Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani had anything to do with the 2020 election. It may, then, be quite difficult for them to explain this. Trump’s 2020 campaign sent out an email hit Sunday all about Soleimani’s killing. Written from Trump’s first-person point-of-view, the email was sent under the subject line “Another Dead Terrorist” and describes the Iranian general as a “monster responsible for THOUSANDS of American deaths.” It then urges supporters to click through to a link to share their thoughts on the assassination, as well as their contact details. The triumphant email reveled in the drone strike on Soleimani that has brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. It said the slaying was a reminder that “America has the greatest military on Earth,” and that “terrorists have NO place in our world.” The email also contained a poll asking Trump supporters if they think the U.S. military is the best in the world—a question that seems unlikely to split the crowd. Biden Suddenly on the Defensive After Soleimani Killing ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? Scott Bixby The email went on to attack Democrats, stating, “While radical Democrats like Elizabeth Warren, Ilhan Omar, and Bernie Sanders are busy criticizing me for eliminating a deadly terrorist, my administration is busy keeping our promise to support our military and put America FIRST.” It dismisses the thoughts of Democrats and “FAKE NEWS,” and tells the recipient on the email that Trump wants to hear “REAL Americans like [insert name] from [insert place] think.” It goes on: “My team is sending me the responses first thing tomorrow morning, so be sure to respond NOW ... Please take the Official Trump Military Survey before 11:59 PM TONIGHT to make sure I see your response.” Trump’s decision to assassinate Soleimani has catapulted U.S. policy in the Middle East to the center of the political debate at the start of election year. Trump hopes voters will back his decision, and has repeatedly spoken about Soleimani’s history of attacks against U.S. interests and allies. The fresh debate came after weeks during which all Capitol Hill talked about was Trump’s impeachment by the House of Representatives.


Rain pours in Sydney, Australia, giving residents hope as the region grapples with devastating bushfires.


Iran is assessing 13 scenarios to respond to the killing of Qassem Soleimani and says even the weakest of those options would be a 'historic nightmare' for the U.S.


Nicolle Wallace says it is a decent bet that Bolton knows that there are four Republican Senate votes to subpoena him


Perspective: The president didn’t threaten just Iran’s culture sites. He threatened culture.


A jet belonging to the CEO of a Russian bank who knows Trump, no less. Or perhaps 24-hour round-trips from Moscow to Fort Lauderdale while the president is nearby are quite routine!


Kentucky under Mitch McConnell: 48th in Health Care quality 45th in Fiscal Stability 44th in Employment 44th in Economic Opportunity 44th in Health Care 43rd in Higher Education 39th in Economy 38th in Education He's been in office for 35 YEARS. Vote him out.


Once again, @marcorubio shows he has no interest in getting to the truth. Once again, Rubio displays zero courage.


Russian oligarchs used connections to Jared Kushner to push their agenda in the Trump administration. That Kushner works in the White House and has a security clearance is not only unethical, but poses national security risks


As a conservative Christian ethicist, minister, Republican, and student of scripture, this is #heresy — eerily similar to what many “Christian” leaders said about allegiance to Hitler


Malaysian PM Mahathir draws parallels between the assassination of Iranian general Soleimani and the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi


Trump Rape Accuser May Seek President’s Taxes in Lawsuit


Without watching, I’m assuming this is about Melania and Barron Trump.


Any “step toward a withdrawal will be viewed as an unmistakable Iranian success and a no less unmistakable American defeat,” said Rob Malley adding it was one of the “more striking ripple effects of the reckless decision to kill Qassem Soleimani”


Germany moves some troops from Iraq due to safety concerns following the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general


Trump admin denies Iran top diplomat visa to attend UN meeting


Muslims should unite after Iran commander's killing: Malaysian PM


Someone reminded me today that last year Pompeo said God might have sent Trump to protect Israel from Iran. When it comes to the admin’s credibility crisis, it’s not just the constant lies, but also this sort of nonsense.


Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has called reports that dozens of Canadian and American citizens faced hours of questioning at the U.S.-Canada border because of their Iranian heritage over the weekend "deeply alarming"


Almost every Trump voter I met in 2016 said it was time for someone to run govt like a business—efficient, responsive, etc This is an underlying failure of Trump’s presidency: The government is a mess. No CEO could keep their job amid such chronic turmoil & dysfunction. Will he?


Joint Chiefs Chair GEN Milley: “That letter is a draft it was a mistake, it was unsigned, it should not have been released…poorly worded, implies withdrawal, that is not what’s happening”


Iran believes it will hurt Trump more if they target his real estate properties instead of military sites. They're not wrong


Why is a disorganized and chaotic Administration such a danger to national security? This actually happened: They sent a letter — by mistake — to the Iraqi government to inform them our counter-ISIS forces are withdrawing. The dysfunction starts at the top.


Why did Ambassador John Bass resign? He’s one of our best. Any know any details?


U.S. Vice President Pence to lay out Iran policy in speech Monday: White House official


A GOP congressman tweeted a fake image of Obama with the Iranian President. They never met.


Every budget Trump has proposed has included drastic cuts to *federal* housing assistance programs. Homelessness declined sharply under Obama. The federal government is not powerless, but Trump wants to spite blue states that broadly dislike him.


McConnell has it backwards. Witnesses are disclosed beforehand so the parties can prepare to examine them at trial.


Time to hold more hearings. Subpoena Bolton to the House. Stand resolute. Take no prisoners.


Pentagon Rules Out Striking Iranian Cultural Sites, Contradicting Trump Start the Esper firing clock.


Within the last24 hours, the US was and then was not bombing Iranian cultural sites and was and then was not preparing to withdraw US forces from Iraq.


Stephen Colbert: “This is it, folks. This is what’s been keeping you up at night for the last three years. It wasn’t the baggy suits. It wasn’t ‘covfefe.’ It was his ability to wage war with no understanding of the consequences.”


Here's a live look outside of Mar-a-Lago where a boat with an inflatable rat that resembles President Donald Trump has anchored.


Is that 80 million before or after taxes?


Secretary Esper seems to have remembered Nuremberg. “Just following orders” doesn’t cut it as a defense to a war crime.


This is the argument that Trump made a year ago: We're no better than the Russians. Except this is worse: Bernie is saying that killing QS is like killing dissidents. This is the juvenile moral comprehension of a teenager. Which only puts him a few years ahead of Trump.


US accuses Russia, China of blocking UN statement on Baghdad embassy attack: 27 countries spoke out against the attack “in stark contrast to the UN Security Council’s silence due to two permanent members–Russia & China–not allowing a statement to proceed.”


“‘The entire [Trump Tower] Baku deal is a giant red flag—the direct involvement of foreign government officials and their relatives in Azerbaijan with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Corruption warning signs are rarely more obvious.’”


Saudi Arabia is sending a delegation to Washington to urge restraint with Iran on behalf of Gulf states. The message will be: “please spare us the pain of going through another war” (aka, be careful what you wish for)


#Breaking: Netanyahu distances Israel from Trump. "The assassination of Soleimani isn't an Israeli event but an American event. There's no need to be dragged into it."


Trump is sucking us into another war with lots of arrogance and little strategy, writes


REMINDER: We are being held hostage by trump and 53 republican senators. Why are we allowing them to destroy us? We outnumber the trump supporters by 5 to 1. Do you think it's time to RISE UP and have CONTINUOUS massive protests until trump is gone?


Pompeo today told Mitch McConnell that he does not plan to run for US Senate in 2020, NYT reports


Warren: Trump inability to get story straight on Iran shows his real motives


Warren: Bloomberg 'skipping the democracy part' of the primary


Warren: Trump embodies the corruption he campaigned against in 2016


Iraq withdrawal letter screw-up shows Pentagon tainted by Trump


Internal document suggests Pence role in Trump Ukraine scandal