Sunday, February 23, 2020

BREAKING: Judge Amy Berman Jackson has denied the motion from Roger Stone to disqualify her from presiding over his case, stating that the record back to Jan 2019 shows she took each issue he raised seriously and that recusal is not warranted. @CourthouseNews


Justice Sotomayor warns the Supreme Court is doing special favors for the Trump administration The ordinary rules no longer apply when the Trump administration shows up in court.


The U.S. bombed an al-Shabaab compound near Dujuuma, Somalia, on Sunday, the seventh in a series of strikes on the terrorist group this month


A judge at Woolwich Crown Court will begin hearing arguments from lawyers for U.S. authorities, who want to try Julian Assange on espionage charges that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.


Bernie Sanders wants a new NATO — and he wants Russia to be part of it. Who does that remind you of?


“It’s like a knife in the throat,” a Russian think tanker said. “The things Sanders says even Russian communists would be too scared to say. He is a real communist. I always said to Americans, ‘Your brilliant future is our horrible past.’“


Let’s not mince words: Trump and his GOP defenders appear to be actively abetting an attack on our country


“The ideal scenario is to maintain the schism and uncertainty in the States till the end,” says Pavolvovsky. “Our candidate is chaos.” — great reporting by @juliaioffe and a must-read piece to understand the Kremlin playbook for 2020


In the two weeks since the GOP Senate refused to hold Trump accountable, he has: —Intervened in the sentencing of his accomplice —Called for prosecution of his “enemies” —Punished those who spoke out out —Fired the DNI for briefing Congress Are they proud of their vote now?


While there’s no silver bullet to solve the homelessness crisis, I‘ve introduced a bill to help increase the supply of affordable housing. Everyone deserves a safe and dignified space to call home. Let's work to make that vision a reality


Russian state media praises Trump’s authoritarian tendencies, predicting civil war in the United States in the event he is not re-elected. They believe that a Trump dynasty will rule the United States for decades to come, with the president’s children following in his footsteps.


A view from Russia: “Our candidate is chaos.” “Sanders looks like the mad professor from ‘Back to the Future,’ which is why he’s very convenient for starting a pan-American brawl. Let them all fight each other while we lay another gas pipeline somewhere!”


So Sanders also wants a “new” NATO with Russia as a member. #NeverBernie #NeverTrump Wonder why.....???


Scoop: Trump will ask Congress for emergency funds to fight coronavirus, although health officials fear the request - potentially $1B - will be too small and quickly exhausted.


Downballot Democratic candidates move away from a prospective Bernie Sanders nomination, knowing that tying themselves to him will cost Democrats their House majority. Sadly, a Sanders nomination will likely lose Democrats the House in any case.


You can spend all day tweeting about the primaries to your heart's content, but it won't have much effect. Go make some calls for the candidate you support, and remember what brings us all together in the end. We believe in a nation that does not relish hatred. We must win.


'Just get Mike Bloomberg in there': Clint Eastwood distances himself from Trump


HOW DREAMS CHANGE UNDER AUTHORITARIANISM When the Nazis came to power, a writer began collecting people’s dreams and uncovered the effects the regime had on the collective unconscious.


Iran reports 43 people infected with coronavirus, eight dead


Pretty awesome how the Russian oligarchs with post-Soviet KGB/SVR guidance have bought their way to control of the CIA, DIA , and other elements of the US Intelligence Community.


The morning after the Nevada caucuses, with 50% of precincts reporting at this point: 1. Bernie Sanders: 46.6% 2. Joe Biden: 19.2% 3. Pete Buttigieg: 15.4% 4. Elizabeth Warren: 10.3% 5. Amy Klobuchar: 4.5%


In a speech delivered soon after media outlets called the caucuses for Sanders tonight, Buttigieg warned Democrats to “take a sober look at what's at stake” before “we rush to nominate Senator Sanders”


There will soon be no Senate-confirmed director of the National Counterterrorism Center, director of national intelligence, homeland security secretary, nor leaders of any of the three main border security and immigration agencies


Buttigieg criticized what he called Sanders' "inflexible, ideological revolution," saying his view of "capitalism as the root of all evil" would reorder the economy in the ways most Americans wouldn’t support.


Clint Eastwood definitively declaring himself anti-Trump is a good thing, period.


Translation: “Go Bernie go. I really want to run against you in a general election.”


James Carville: This thing is going very well for Vladimir Putin


“...If you’re voting for him because you think he’ll win the election because he’ll galvanize sleepy parts of the electorate, then politically you’re a fool”


"Understand this: I am not in this fight to talk about change. I am in this fight to MAKE change."


This Joe Biden Ukraine story disappeared out of the headlines in the same way that caravan filled with MS13 gang members coming to slaughter us all disappeared after the 2018 midterms. It's almost as if Trump and Republicans manufactured it for political reasons.


Buttigieg, in his speech tonight, explicitly makes a case against Sanders:


The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s independence, designed by a Democratic-controlled Congress to insulate the agency from political pressure, now risks being its downfall


3+ years of Trump propaganda can’t erase the reality. The Russians DID help to elect Trump. Whether their intervention was decisive is unknowable but there is good reason to think it was, as I argued in @PostOpinions


The “Miracle on Ice" was 40 years ago today. Four decades later, half the country is ok losing to Russia


Trump “told advisers he does not want the administration to do or say anything that would further spook the markets. He remains worried that any large-scale outbreak could hurt his reelection bid” Public health takes a backseat to politics

ICYMI

Same President who was willing to compromise national security by demanding a political favor from Ukraine before giving them aid to defend against Russia will downplay info about Coronavirus to avoid any damage to the markets that could...keep him from getting reelected.


Dear @realDonaldTrump If you can stand and preach on the steps of the Oval Office, show some stones and go in the Briefing room and take a few questions from us. It is cowardly to preach to a camera.


Yep, and he will never get anything through McConnell’s senate and we will probably lose the House. I just can’t understand how people aren’t talking about his senate record


What national security adviser Robert O'Brien is saying about Russia briefing 'conflicts' with what lawmakers were told


Coronavirus: 'Narrowing window' to contain outbreak, WHO says


Russia once ran a thing called the Soviet Union, dubbed by some the "prison of nations." One of the few alliances in history in which the leader attacked member nations


"The Swamp" means people with knowledge and experience that might lead them to be anything less than blindly loyal to Trump personally. He's only draining accountability, the national interest, & the Treasury.


This weekend seems to be an interesting demonstration of who was in this war because of the Kremlin and who was in this war because of partisan politics in the US.


Schumer raises security concerns on TSA’s use of TikTok app


I suspect the existential threat of the climate crisis, especially for younger Americans, hangs over this election in ways that are under appreciated by many in the political and punditry class.


Trump flew back to his own Las Vegas hotel each night during the western-states swing that wrapped up Friday, rather than in the other cities he was actually visiting. That likely cost taxpayers $1m extra, and diverted thousands of $ into his own pocket


Obama should gather Warren, Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar in a room and basically work as a mediator until they figure out which one of them is allowed to stay in the race.


America ; voting in an extremist to defeat an extremist is not the answer. Sanders is the flip side of the coin Trump's imprimatur is on, & just as counterfeit. Both men are antithetical to the values of the American Republic. Choose wisely


This is why I’m an ardent defender of the First Amendment. Because government officials, including @realDonaldTrump, want to regulate free speech. The First Amendment prevents that from happening


Elizabeth Warren town hall in Seattle


The best outcome is to make this a Biden vs Bernie showdown and get it over with.


Hard to know whether Sanders is electable until we see how he handles a fusillade of negative ads. But a Sanders nomination will likely lead to an even more divisive election (if that’s possible).


Russia's comment on the Nevada caucuses


Multi-headed dragon reflects Russia's multi-dimensional information assault on the US.


By the same logic, why not get rid of universities too and just have everyone educate themselves surfing the internet?


Can someone explain why @TheDemocrats permit states — like South Carolina — to hold open primaries? I think it’s crazy to allow Republicans to help choose the Democratic presidential nominee. Who agrees with me?


Vote Blue No Matter Who works on twitter. It won’t work in the margins where close elections are won or lost. Just 77k in 3 states, WI, MI, PA, gave Trump the Electoral College.


An hour a day is the most Trump could shoot on ‘Apprentice’ most days he would cancel outright and waste crews work day. Below is an example of that behavior, he was often just too high to work. Lots of Benzo’s w/ Adderall when he travels now.


I ain’t a socialist. I ain’t a plutocrat. I’m a Democrat — and I'm proud of it.


This will happen, and it will work. Right now the GOP is helping Bernie. Polls will shift dramatically once Trumpers start hammering him.


As he's demonstrated around the globe, and in France in particular, Putin will support radicals on the left and the right even at the same time. Radical agendas that marginalize moderates & cause chaos. Divide and conquer.


You can all stop explaining to me what Sanders will do and why it'll be awesome or terrible. The Electoral College is going to obviate all those discussions. If he gains the nomination, start thinking ahead to dealing with that second Trump term.


For everybody hastening to bow the knee to Putin ally @BernieSanders, may I remind you that @MikeBloomberg hasn’t even been on a ballot yet. I don’t mean by that that he will definitely be the choice of the moderates - but if it were over before Super Tuesday he wouldn’t run.


Teachers deserve fair pay, and students need more mental health resources. And as a former special ed teacher, I know those educators need manageable workloads to best support their students. I stand with the teachers of @SPFE28.


I blame Harry Reid for getting rid of the filibuster for judges. That allowed Trump to jam through lots of ultra conservative judges. And getting rid of the filibuster altogether will make things even worse. The filibuster has helped protect key laws cherished by Democrats.


“Trump has effectively flipped the circuit.“ Trump's reactionary & unqualified judicial nominees will have an impact on all aspects of our lives long after he is removed. He has now named 10 judges to the 9th Circuit — more than 1/3 of its active judges


“Trump has flipped the 9th Circuit — and some new judges are causing a ‘shock wave'”: In today’s edition of The Los Angeles Times, Maura Dolan has this front page article in which new Ninth Circuit Judge Daniel P. Collins stars as the villain.


Clint Eastwood says Mike Bloomberg in office is the "best thing we could do"


When Trump wins again, during his second term we will have the most serious civil-military crisis in our history. It'll make Truman-Macarthur look like a mild spat. What form it will take, I can't predict, but it'll happen


Sophie Scholl, 21, was executed 77 years ago today in Germany for leading a student resistance against Hitler. These were her last words as recorded by her cellmate Else Gebel.


Nevada - We have not learned a thing


There could be a fecal-oral route for coronavirus after live virus particles were found in stool specimens, according to Chinese researchers