Bolton Gone

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

And of course, we learn this by tweet: ….I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019 I suspect this may have something to do with all the leaks … Read More

NC-9 Special Election Today Is A Bellwether

Ken AshfordElection 2018, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Remember North Carolina 9th District? They are having a special election today. Remember why? If not, here’s what happened… Essentially, there was a  a ballot fraud scandal which led the state elections board earlier this year to invalidate the 2018 results and overturn what had appeared to be a Republican victory In February, the state election board, after hearing four days … Read More

Trump Destroying National Security Apparatus As CIA Loses Critical Asset Due To Trump

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Russia, Trump & Administration, White House SecrecyLeave a Comment

The Washington Post has the goods on the spy who came out of the cold: In 2017, the United States extracted from Russia an important CIA source who had provided information about the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to current and former officials. The operation, known as an exfiltration, followed mounting concerns among U.S. officials that the individual could be … Read More

Nothing To Do With Me?

Ken AshfordEmoluments Violation, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

NYT: WASHINGTON — Back in 2014, soon after acquiring a golf resort in Scotland, Donald J. Trump entered a partnership with a struggling local airport there to increase air traffic and boost tourism in the region. The next year, as Mr. Trump began running for president, the Pentagon decided to ramp up its use of that same airport to refuel … Read More

This Won’t Fly

Ken AshfordGun Control, Mental Health, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Not the answer: The White House is considering a controversial proposal to study whether mass shootings could be prevented by monitoring mentally ill people for small changes that might foretell violence. Former NBC Chairman Bob Wright, a longtime friend and associate of President Trump’s, has briefed top officials, including the president, the vice president and Ivanka Trump, on a proposal to create … Read More

I Got Nothing

Ken AshfordTrump & Administration, War On ChristmasLeave a Comment

Sometimes Trump does shit that is so alarming that you just can’t get your head around it. Here are Trump’s tweets on… well, read them. Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday. They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, … Read More

Trump Turnberry Resort Brings Emoluments Clause Back Into Focus

Ken AshfordEmoluments Violation, Political Scandals, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Hmmmmm: The U.S. Air Force has ordered a world-wide review of how it chooses overnight accommodations on long flights following revelations that air crews had occasionally stayed at President Donald Trump’s Scotland resort while refueling at a small commercial airport nearby. The review comes as additional instances of military personnel staying at Trump properties have been uncovered. The C-17 crew’s … Read More

Whither Weather

Ken AshfordDisasters, Trump & Administration, WeatherLeave a Comment

Last week, I largely avoided the controversy about Trump and Hurricane Dorian, mostly because it was such a small thing that I didn’t believe it would turn into a big thing. But that, of course, is why the Hurricane Dorian controversy — or “Sharpiegate” — is actually relevant: it shows the chaotic and psychotic nature of Trump, who was unwilling … Read More

House Judiciary To Focus On Hush Money To Porn Star Scandal

Ken AshfordCongress, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

I’ve always thought that the Stormy Daniels scandal was much worse for Trump than L’Affaire Russe, if only because it doesn’t involve dark unknowable Russians AND the White House cannot hide everything in executive privilege. It seems others agree: House Democrats plan to shift their focus this fall to President Trump’s alleged role in the hush money scheme that led … Read More

Huge Win: NC Court Strikes Down GOP-Gerrymandered Districts; Orders New Map

Ken AshfordConstitution, Courts/Law, Election 2020, Local Interest, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

In a 357-page decision, a unanimous three-judge panel on Tuesday ordered drawing of new legislative maps in North Carolina, ruling in Common Cause v. Lewis that the current maps constitute “extreme partisan gerrymandering” and violate three separate provisions of the state constitution. “The 2017 Enacted Maps, as drawn, do not permit voters to freely choose their representative, but rather representatives are … Read More

DOJ Inspector General Report Is Not The Bombshell Trump Supporters Made It Out To Be

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz issued a scathing report Thursday on the conduct of former FBI Director James Comey during the first few months of the Trump administration detailing his actions that violated FBI and DOJ policy. But despite its harsh tone, the narrowly tailored report failed to find Comey guilty of any serious criminal wrongdoing while revealing the IG’s actually … Read More

So What’d I Miss?

Ken AshfordDisasters, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

It’s hard to escape US news no matter where you are, and where I was was Norway. No point in recapping it all, since it is all laid out in the Weekly Lists here and here, but the highlights of course are Trump’s peculiar behavior about buying Greenland, insulting non-white Congresspeople, declaring himself “the Chosen One”, screwing up the stock … Read More

State Of The Dem Presidential Nominee Race

Ken AshfordDemocrats, Election 2020Leave a Comment

Look, this is a snapshot of a flowing river. Things are going to change. But generally, Warren’s star is on the rise. Sanders’s star is on the fall. But Biden remains on top among all demos except the liberal youth. It seems that if Biden fades, the biggest beneficiary is Harris.

The President Of The United States Wants To.. *checks notes* … Buy Greenland?

Ken AshfordTrump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Trump made his name on the world’s most famous island. Now he wants to buy the world’s biggest. The idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland has captured the former real-estate developer’s imagination, according to people familiar with the deliberations, who said Mr. Trump has, with varying degrees of seriousness, repeatedly expressed interest in buying … Read More