This guy is a dick: Stephen Miller, the senior advisor to President Donald Trump, would have a sneaky way to ruin the day of Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and get her to stop resisting new immigration policy proposals. Quartz reports “former agency officials,” said Miller would leak the monthly number of immigrants apprehended at the border and those … Read More
Kirstjen Nielsen Ousted As Secretary Of Human Cruelty
So Kirstjen Nielsen, whose legacy will be the most heartless and lawbreaking immigration policy this nation has known in at least 70 years, wasn’t heartless and lawbreaky enough for Donald Trump, who accepted her resignation Sunday evening so he can move immigration policy in “a tougher direction.” Trump essentially fired Nielsen because he wants a “tougher” approach to the migrant crisis … Read More
Surprise, Surprise: Barr’s “Summary” Of The Mueller Report Is Watered Down
The headline says it all: Yup. And we learn that the report was prepared “so that the front matter from each section could have been released immediately — or very quickly,” according to one DOJ official. “It was done in a way that minimum redactions, if any, would have been necessary, and the work would have spoken for itself.” Mueller’s … Read More
NCGOP Corruption Exposed
The Republican Party here in North Carolina has a list of horribles that only Trump could admire. Their antics have been covered in depth regarding their blatant racist gerrymandering, their attempts to neuter the Democratic governor, the current election scandal, or and overt racist voter suppression. But now they are getting caught — and not politically, but by the law: Federal prosecutors … Read More
DHS Disbands Its Domestic Terrorism Unit
This is very bad: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has disbanded an Intelligence and Analysis unit whose members had focused on domestic terrorism, including white supremacist violence. Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast reports: Numerous current and former DHS officials say they find the development concerning, as the threat of homegrown terrorism — including white supremacist terrorism — is growing. … Read More
Trump v PR
Where to begin? Puerto Rico did got 91 billions dollars. Here’s the best possible estimate: Federal Emergency Management Agency: $15 billion obligated ($9.9 billion in outlays) Army Corps of Engineers: $2.5 billion approved ($3 million in outlays) Community Development Block Grants-Disaster Recovery (Housing and Urban Development): $20 billion approved, of which $1.5 billion has been obligated Small Business Administration: $1.95 billion for homes/business loans … Read More
Whistleblower Says White House Reversed 25 Security Clearance Denials
WaPo: A White House whistleblower told lawmakers that more than two-dozen denials for security clearances have been overturned during the Trump administration, calling Congress her “last hope” for addressing what she considers improper conduct that has left the nation’s secrets exposed.Tricia Newbold, a longtime White House security adviser, told the House Oversight and Reform Committee that she and her colleagues … Read More
Barr To Give “Full” Mueller Report to Congress by mid-April
But first, he’s going to redact: (1) stuff required to be redacted under federal rules of criminal procedures;(2) stuff that reveals intelligence community sources and methods;(3) stuff that relates to ongoing matters (like investigations that Mueller farmed out to other prosecutors); and(4) stuff that might embarrass “peripheral third parties” See, it’s that fourth thing… amIrite? But at least the President … Read More
NPR/Marist Poll Shows People Want To See Mueller Report
Some graphs from today’s NPR/Marist Poll: I think there is a problem with the question. Does this mean they are satisfied with Mueller’s thoroughness, or satisfied with the outcome? Huge difference, and I think that makes the results meaningless. Democrats, Republicans and Independents all want to see the full report. Curious that 40% of Republicans don’t want to see the … Read More
You May Think That’s OK…
Rep. Adam Schiff (D- CA) responded to members of the House after some Republican congressmen called for Rep. Schiff to resign as chairman of the House Intelligence committee.
GOP Confused And Concerned About Trump’s Attack On Obamacare
Reflecting widespread concerns within his party, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has told President Trump he disagrees with the Trump administration’s attempt to get the entire Affordable Care Act thrown out in court. McCarthy told Trump over the phone that the decision made no sense — especially after Democrats killed Republicans in the midterms in part over the issue of pre-existing … Read More
Three Myths About The Barr Summary
Myth No. 1: Mueller found no evidence of collusion. (Wrong, wrong, wrong.) Regrettably, “[a]ll three major news networks were consistent in saying that the special counsel found no evidence of collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.” Both CNN and MSNBC heralded that “TRUMP CLAIMS ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL EXONERATION’” on Russia. Fox claimed “MUELLER PROBE FINDS NO PROOF … Read More
Barr’s Parsing Has Not Gone Unnoticed
Emptywheel: I’ve made this point implicitly a few times, but it bears making explicitly. We have proof that Bill Barr’s memo spins the known contents of the Mueller Report to minimize the complicity of Trump’s flunkies. That’s because we can compare what we know about Roger Stone’s efforts to optimize the release of the emails Russia stole with the language used in the memo. … Read More
Trump Makes Policy Shift To Kill ALL Of The Affordable Care Act
The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday announced that it is siding with a district court ruling that found the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The move is an escalation of the Trump administration’s legal battle against the health care law. The DOJ previously argued in court that the law’s pre-existing condition protections should be struck down. Now, the administration argues the … Read More
Yeah, But Is Trump Still A Russian Dupe?
I’m seeing an awful lot of hot takes about the Mueller report — winners and losers, who got it most wrong, etc., — and it’s sort of flabbergasting to me that we’re already rolling with these since NO ONE HAS READ THE FUCKING REPORT AND KNOWS WHAT IS IN IT. I’m assuming that is the Republican plan: gaslight us for … Read More