Thursday, January 9, 2020

“This is a state­ment of the Con­gress of the US and I will not have that statement be diminished by whether the president will veto it or not,” Pelosi said.


JUST IN: The House has voted to approve a resolution aimed at restraining the President's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval


New York City Bar Association asks Congress to investigate U.S. Attorney General William Barr


If McConnell does this, redraft the articles, vote on them again, and start over. At some point, the Kentucky Gravedigger of Democracy has to face some opposition somewhere.


Nancy Pelosi on holding the articles of impeachment: "I'll send them over when I'm ready."


“The New York City Bar Association has asked Congress to investigate Barr, saying his recent actions & statements have positioned the DOJ & its prosecutors as “political partisans willing to use the levers of govt to empower certain groups over others.”


One Russian paper today argues that “Russia is the main beneficiary of the US-Iranian confrontation. By weakening each other, Washington and Tehran are broadening Moscow’s corridor of possibilities in the Middle East.”


IMO, the most powerful investigation into AGBarr would focus on his handling of inmate Jeffrey Epstein, while in his care. Worth it for the imploding MAGA heads alone, when their “Epstein didn’t kill himself” hashtag crashes into Trump’s AG accountability.


NEW: Federal officials revealed that video of the cell where Jeffrey Epstein reportedly made his first suicide attempt was accidentally destroyed


Pelosi says "no" they don't need to move expeditiously on sending the articles to the Senate when I asked her to reconcile the delay with Dems calling Trump a "clear and present danger." She also quips that McConnell is the clear and present danger


New - This is pretty bad. The FCC funds a program offering free Android phones to low-income people. The Android phones come pre-loaded with Chinese malware... that you can't remove.


The Iranians look like right idiots shooting down a civilian airliner that had just left one of their major airports 2 min prior. It will be interesting if Tehran now releases the black boxes, unless they have more to hide


Trump signaling here that even if Bolton were to testify before the Senate, WH would move to limit his testimony


#BREAKING: @CBSNews has learned U.S. officials are confident that Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner in the hours after the Iranian missile attack on U.S. targets. 176 people were killed, including at least 63 Canadians.


JUST IN: Prosecutor took campaign donations from sex offender's family, then pressed for a controversial pardon that Bevin granted


Sarah Sanders can’t think of anything dumber than the Constitution.


Evangelical leaders who lay their loyalty and faith on the altar of @realDonaldTrump are betraying their congregants and their country.


Jay Sekulow, Pat Cipollone Will Defend Trump at Impeachment Trial.


The story of the Iran nuclear deal is actually simply: Obama placed enormous sanctions on Iran that would only be lifted if Iran gave up their nuclear program. Iran gave up their nuclear program with unprecedented verification. Obama lifted those sanctions. Trump hates Obama.


At last, we get to discuss Trump SoHo, Felix Sater, and the Trumps committing crimes.


No, it’s not a cult.


Throw Susan Collins the hell out of the Senate by electing Democrat @SaraGideon


In a just society, the architects of the Iraq war — which has left a half-million people dead — would face war crimes charges. Instead, they’re “experts” praising Trump’s decision to assassinate Soleimani and offering insight on the way forward with Iran.


Two-thirds of Puerto Rico without power and quarter without running water, after strongest quake to hit island in 102 years


Mike Pence urges public to blindly trust Trump: "To protect sources & methods we're simply not able to share with every member of Congress the intelligence that supported the president's decision ... [but] I can assure your viewers that there was a threat of an imminent attack."


Schumer: "I have called for the Senate to issue subpoenas for relevant docs and testimony from four current and former senior members of the admin with firsthand knowledge of the delay of military assistance to Ukraine and the efforts to pressure Ukraine."


"President Trump has aligned himself with a false gospel. Both he and it promise you'll get what you want if you do what they want,"


Republican leadership has assigned Georgia's new interim senator to a committee that oversees the federal agency that regulates her husbands business


Not sure that praising camping out in freezing weather to hear Sniffy McAdderall snuffle his way through a few dozen lies is a helpful endorsement of your party, but whatever.


Who needs democracy when you can remember to wish your friend from high school who bullied you and you haven't spoken to in 15 years a happy birthday?


Andrea Mitchell: Trump has 'the worst national security team I've ever seen'


FALSE. Conservatives Mike Lee and Rand Paul confirmed there was nothing even remotely "compelling" about the briefing and that important questions were NOT answered. If @marcorubio will lie about this, you can no longer believe anything he says.


Monday night, both Murkowski and Collins said that there’s no need at all for taking former national security adviser John Bolton up on his offer to testify in an impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate, or for any witnesses at all to talk to them. They are backing Majority


What Will Happen to Trump’s Republican Collaborators?


It would be a shame to not point out that of the 7 bills Bernie has passed, 2 are to rename post offices and 1 was a Vermont state holiday. So he has only has 4 real bills enacted since 1991


Russia attacked Ukraine 5 times yesterday, January 8th. Heaviest bombardments by the Russian invaders were against the Vil'nyi ("Free") farmstead: a settlement liberated by the Poroshenko gov't which lies NE of the Zolote "disengagement area" surrendered by the Zelenskyy gov't.


“It’s unbelievable that this would find its way in the dark of night into this bill that’s not even being debated by the Senate, that’s giving away its authority to control and have oversight over this board.”


“If concern about climate change, the environment, or your personal health are motivating factors for you when it comes to deciding what you eat -- remember that those same issues are factors when it comes to food packaging,”


Real quid pro quo: McConnell keeps funds flowing to Collins' campaign, gets her vote on impeachment


A scoop from @AndreaWNYC: the Kushners lied on 1940s immigration forms to increase their chances. A totally defensible move. But also, a cruel irony, since Trump launched a "task force" to strip citizenship from immigrants who lied on citizenship docs.


We have hypersonic missiles under construction? Wha?


Facebook has heard the criticism and has decided to keep letting Trump and other politicians lie in ads


Here is my theory. Donnt Dimwit got Adderalled up at Maralago and trying to look tough in front of his friends, decided to murder QS. And announce it. His son went on public media bragging. Trump is a sociopath and deserves electric chair.


Anyone who has the opportunity to talk frankly to a large public about the President’s clear impairment and is not doing that will regret it later on, of that I am sure.


“Kamo Moskovsky, an alleged Russian organized crime kingpin, has been arrested in Ukraine on suspicion of illegal border-crossing and planning to obtain control over criminal groups in the country.”


To me the most important takeaway from Iran’s strike is just how precise their SRBMs were. Have to think even Iran was surprised and relieved. The accuracy revolution is real and no longer a monopoly of the US. This has huge implications for modern conflict, and limited war.


NEW: Today Trump will propose exempting projects without significant federal funding from environmental reviews that have been required for 50 years, a major shift in national policy.


Here's Ainsley Earhardt on Fox News Channel laughing about Iran having "state-run television over there."


Facebook: We won’t stop politicians from lying in ads on our platform


Obama killed Bin Laden and we all cheered. Next


Yes, yes. You love war. We know.


Reminder that Esper described the intel as “exquisite”.


‘What drugs is he on?’ Trump sparks concern by slurring and sniffling through Iran remarks Is Donald a druggie? A burned-out junkie?


“Destroying 100% of ISIS.” ”Great and unmatched wisdom." "I am the chosen one." "What you are seeing and what you are reading is not what's happening." "I alone can fix it." "The press is the enemy of the people." This is the language of an authoritarian.


Trump allies fear ‘clown show’ if Jim Jordan or Matt Gaetz join impeachment defense team — but they might anyway


Australian authorities issue new warnings and evacuation notices across the country’s heavily populated southeast as monster bushfires regenerate


From The Post's Editorial Board: The IRS is auditing a smaller proportion of tax returns. That’s a problem.


Ask your dad


The GOP has fixed the primary in Wisconsin just as in Minnesota. Wisconsin Republicans can’t vote for ⁦⁦@GovBillWeld⁩. Corrupt. President Trump will be the only Republican on Wisconsin's 2020 primary ballot.


So far Nancy has a whole lot better record dealing with trump than the senate democrats do. I’m with her. I’d be inclined To pull the impeachment back into House committees, enforce the subpoenas and Then send the whole thing over.


Oh, my God. If only, if only. Please, please watch this. Think of what the last three years would have been if only she had won.


Just as Christians wouldn’t want their lives to be dictated by Muslim beliefs or Wiccan principles, I do not want Christian “values” imposed on me. They can worship all they want, but please leave me out of it! Why is this so hard for evangelicals to grasp?


LIVE: Hong Kong Exchanges CEO Charles Li says what makes Hong Kong great is 'one country, two systems'


Read up from this tweet and behold the people who run the companies that will guide us to our doom.


Trump urged NATO “to become more involved in the Middle East” during a phone call with the alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg


This is the 4th time today FOX News has baselessly vilified/dehumanized Democrats on the air. This is dangerous. See Rwanda. They need to STOP.


The House of Representatives is set to vote today on a resolution aimed at restraining Trump's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval


Just saying that I never once heard of anyone in White House in 8 years ever having to run to a lawyer after talking to President Obama (much less have to lawyer up). For Trump, he’s like a Full Employment Act for lawyers.


Lindsey Graham: ‘You’re empowering the enemy’. Lindsey don’t get it. Trump IS the enemy.


Headline Translation: Jury Foreman, meets defendant at his residence to coach him on how the trial will be run.


This display of independent thinking is precisely why McConnell does not want witnesses at Trump's Senate trial.


“Trump’s real-es­tate busi­ness is telling po­ten­tial bid­ders for its mar­quee Wash-ing­ton ho­tel that they have un­til Jan. 23 to make an of­fer, ad­vanc­ing a po­ten­tial sale to the next stage.”


Here is ABC’s trailer. Take note a few seconds in ...watch the sequence when the women (same victims in the Herald’s doc) list their ages...same photos..same construction. Really ABC? It took you a year to do a rehash of other journalists’ work?


To stack tools at Home Depot you have to pass a drug test. To become the man who carries nuclear codes that could destroy the world, you apparently don't need doodly-squat.


In Statement Ukrainian International Airlines says: “Given the crew's experience, error probability is minimal. We do not even consider such a chance.” 1) The Captain Volodymyr Gaponenko, 11600 hours on Boeing 737 aircraft including 5500 hours as captain.


Okay seriously @gop. These are not slips of the tongue. He's fucking high! Do you have any idea how bad we look in the world's eyes right now? We are a laughingstock.


President Donald Trump's showdown with Iran mercifully ended short of a full-blown war. But the near miss did nothing to defuse a confrontation almost certain to boil up again soon.


The Mike Lee comments are amazing because they make every other Republican who came out of the briefing praising it look like sycophantic morons


Alright #Resistance: I’m a Progressive Dem running against Jim Jordan 🤡 for Congress. We have 44.5k followers. Let’s get to 50k TODAY and send a message - fire Jordan!


"Adderall," slurring," and "Teleprompter" are all in the top 20 Twitter trends in the US. It's almost like people are waking up to the fact that something is seriously off about the president's affect, cognition, and communication.


Our kids are feeling the stress and need help.


The thing that’s so interesting about this is that Tulsi is still pretending to be a Democrat


The latest Reuters-Ipsos poll shows that 54 percent of adults disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran, up 9 points from a poll in mid-December.


Facebook won’t limit how politicians target ads or lie to voters under new rules

Do you want democracy or memes?

The President Of The United States is high on national television. This is @realDonaldTrump


I've been seeing how Russian disinformation micro-targets US servicemembers, vets and their families since my time at DOD. But it seems the Trump administration doesn't care.


Every day. Every single day things are coming to light that the #Trump administration tried to block. To prove his innocence. Newly released docs reveal the lengths to which the Trump administration tried to stop Ukraine ambassador from testifying


I only know of one guy who has attacked gold star families.


Reminder that as this crisis escalates, we have no Director of National Intelligence, no Dep Dir, no Homeland Security Secretary, no Dep Sec, no head of CBP or ICE, no State Dept Under Sec of Arms Control, no Asst Sec for Europe, and no Navy Sec.


"re-education golf", great way to put it. Whenever Lindsey wanders too far away off-leash, Trump reins him in with a round of re-education golf. Trump is an expert at blackmail, and he obviously has something very ugly hanging over Lindsey's head.


In reality, Trump's speech was incoherent (as usual), with constant sniffing and mispronouncing words


Mitch runs the country and destroys it from within whilst we are all distracted by a clown. President Mitch McConnell


“Sophomoric and utterly unconvincing” “I was utterly unpersuaded about any evidence about the imminence of a threat that was new or compelling.” Rep. Gerry Connolly, member of House Foreign Affairs Committee


Reminder: Per the Mueller report and our 302s, McFarland was so concerned by a request from the president at the end of her tenure as deputy NSA that she consulted a top NSC lawyer & wrote a memo about the request that Mueller's team eventually obtained.


Melania Trump Savagely Mocked After Sitting in Oval Office Meeting — ‘Why is She There?’


How does Trump walk away without taking any questions? This has the feel of a made-for-TV vanity project, not an effort to inform his fellow citizens of the facts during a time of crisis.


Poll: Only 29 percent of people worldwide are confident in Trump to do the right thing


Be honest: Who’ll be surprised if the “imminent threat” turns out to be a lie just like the “perfect phone call?” I hope I’m wrong, but...


This could not be more serious: According ti members of both parties, the Trump admin today gave a briefing to Congress that included no intelligence justifying his unprecedented airstike on a civilian airport, then threatened members of Congress not to critique their actions.


On whether Obama admin paid for missiles that hit Iraqi bases per @realDonaldTrump, @AmbassadorRice: "This is another series of despicable lies by President Trump. Fact that 3 years after taking office he remains obsessed w/ Pres Obama shows (his) extreme weakness & insecurity."


Trump hoped killing an Iranian terror commander would rally Americans to his flag. Nope.


"Can we ask you about the Iran briefing?" "Some people are calling it the worst briefing they've ever gotten."@SpeakerPelosi: "Well there's stiff competition for that from this administration."


As I said on @ErinBurnett @cnn last night before all the commentary of “the Iranians were just sending a message.” No, you don’t shoot over a dozen missiles to avoid casualties. The current pablum on this is amateurish


We still know little about how much $ the federal govt has paid @realdonaldtrump's businesses: records have been released so slowly that we're just now learning about 2017. If you know something, let's talk...fahrenthold@washpost.com


The Trump administration wants to delay disclosing the amount the Secret Service spends protecting Trump and his family until after the election. Hiding costs from voters is not the kind of thing you do if everything is above board.


"Music-streaming giant Spotify is host to dozens of user-generated playlists with titles praising Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, mocking Holocaust victims, and featuring photos of swastikas and white nationalist hate symbols." @Spotify. Do better, please


"Trump is threatening to leave the party if we don't treat him fairly. Here's my advice to @realDonaldTrump if you can't take it, leave."


Folks, prior impeachment trials set no precedents regarding rules and procedure. Unlike during the Clinton investigation, Pres. Trump has blocked witnesses and documents. We shouldn't compare the two or adopt the same rules.


JUST IN: GOP Sen. Mike Lee says classified briefing on Iran was "probably the worst briefing I've seen, at least on a military issue, in the nine years I've served in the United States Senate."


It’s like a retired booking agent took out a dusty old Rolodex with the names of everyone who got it completely wrong in 2003 and is now just flooding the airwaves with a reboot of their godawful advice.


Did any broadcast network note that the president’s speech this morning seemed... off? I know NBC didn’t. Seemed pretty obvious, no?


“Insulting and demeaning to the Constitution”


Sen. Mike Lee said he now plans to vote in favor of the war powers resolution from Tim Kaine. "That briefing changed my mind." Sen. Rand Paul, standing next to Lee, concurred, saying, "Today, this is Sen. Lee and I saying, we are not abdicating our duty."


I’m really having a hard time coming to terms with agreeing with Rand Paul. Just me?


THREAD: 1/ The assertion by Lindsay Graham that today’s bizarre performance by Sniffles The Clown was on par with “Tear Down This Wall” is part of the Saddamification of the GOP. What are the new rules?


I don’t know why so many of my colleagues are reluctant to say in print or on the air what many of us saw in the room during today’s Iran speech. @realDonaldTrump appeared sedated. He slurred his speech and had trouble pronouncing words. He sniffed constantly. Why?


Trump deleted his tweets about targeting 52 sites. All of his tweets about Iran.


Rand Paul responds to Lindsey Graham on CNN: "I think it’s sad when people have this fake sort of drape of patriotism and anybody that disagrees with them is not a patriot ... He insults the constitution ... by making light of it ... I think that’s a low gutter type of response."


According to the Daily Kos, supposedly "bipartisan" Senator Susan Collins will support Moscow Mitch right down the line: no witnesses, quick show trial, Trump found innocent. Hey hey, ho ho, Susan Collins has to go. — Stephen King


The victory that Republicans seem to be claiming is that Trump convinced Iran to stop attacking the U.S. 2 problems with this: (1) It’s not true. They hit us hard last night and DoD says they were aiming to kill us. (2) When Obama left, the Iranians weren’t shooting at us.


Senator Mitch McConnell: 1 year ago today, the House introduced the bipartisan, universal background checks bill. 315 days ago, the House passed the bill and sent it to the Senate. Why won’t you allow a vote? Americans want us to pass #HR8 NOW. It would save lives.


John Kerry: "It is an outright lie by the president" that Iran was given $150 billion, "they were not."


New: Iran intel showed Soleimani had broadly been pushing for more aggressive posture toward the US and creating conditions that might ultimately endanger Americans in the region, not plotting an imminent attack, lawmakers tell me


This increasingly fervid and masturbatory language -- I'm sorry, but there's no other way to describe it -- makes me feel so sorry for him, and whatever daily panic and terror grips him and has morphed him into this [expletive language deleted]


Yeah, if Reagan was sniffing uncontrollably, about to pass out from being totally out of breath and mispronounced Gorbachev’s name, they would be *exactly* the same.


How does the media play clips of Trump's breathless, bizarre speeches and not say a damn word about his obvious impairment?


This is what Trump does. He corrupts. He corrodes. Just sick.


On MSNBC. Thursday 10 AM ET. HALLIE JACKSON. Trump pulls back from escalation after huge blunder of killing murderous Quds Force commander. Iranian strike ineffectual. But will be follow on strikes. US in damaged position. Vulnerable on ground in Iraq.


“I walked into the briefing undecided. I walked out decided,” @SenMikeLee says announcing support for Dem war powers resolution. @RandPaul agrees. Lee’s words describing briefing: “.. un-American, unconstitutional ... wrong ... insulting ... completely unacceptable.”


McConnell and Trump today talked impeachment. McConnell was at WH to intro Trump to a judge, though they later talked trial, per sources. Source says WH has NOT seen resolution setting up trial rules. WH and McConnell on same page: They want a quick trial.


“Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff”


John Kerry: "The United States has been weakened by the steps this president has taken ... we are not safer because this president has been willing to personally invoke his anti-Obamaism to such a degree that he's run the risk of war."


They say that eyes are the windows to the soul. What do you see when you look at *these* eyes?


Just asked Graham about the criticism from Paul and Lee over Iran briefing. “I think they’re overreacting. I’m going to let people know ..to play this game with the war powers act, which I think is unconstitutional, is that whether you mean to or not, you’re empowering the enemy”


For years Donald Trump bashed NATO and suggested that the USA leave NATO. Yet today (Jan 8, 2020) Donald called on NATO to assist (by supporting him) with the mess he created in Iran. THIS exemplifies what is wrong with Donald. No one is useful to him. Until they are needed.


That’s always the source of the most potent cognitive dissonance: his followers believe there’s always a plan, that there’s always a three dimensional chess game going on...when it’s not


I happen to be a Democrat and I prosecuted terrorists for living. Sent many to prison for life. I don’t know what Doug Collins has ever done to for America except preen and sound stupid.


Trump, who campaigned on #DrainTheSwamp, is trying to prevent taxpayers from finding out how much they’re spending on his travel to and from properties he still owns and profits from


Trump said he killed Soleimani to avenge the death of an Iraqi immigrant.


Here’s the unclassified version of what Trump sent Congress after the hit on Suleimani. From all we’ve seen, including the redacted parts here and the briefing, the facts do not show an imminent threat. We must pass a bill making clear Trump can’t start a war without a vote.


Lindsey Graham just said, with a straight face "We need a nuclear deal (with Iran) that does not ensure them a pathway to a bomb." You mean like the deal Obama made? The one that was working until Trump tore it up?


Damn, if Mike Lee is this pissed over a bad military briefing from the White House, wait until he finds out that Trump withheld foreign aid from the government of Ukraine to bully them into taking down a political rival in the 2020 presidential election


Pope Francis is absolutely right. As a nation, we have a moral obligation to ensure everyone has access to the care they need. Health care is a right for all — not a privilege for the few.