A union that represents agents for the U.S. Border Patrol deleted a 2012 page from their website that said building walls or fences along the U.S./Mexico border to stop desperate migrants would be “wasting taxpayer money.” Read the rest
On Fox News tonight, unofficial Trump spokesperson and noted racist Lou Dobbs went full fascist. Read the rest
When top German officials had their emails and social media hacked and dumped, people wondered whether the attack was some kind of well-financed act of political extremism, given that the targets were so high-profile (even Chancellor Angela Merkel wasn't spared) and that politicians from the neofascist Alternative for Germany were passed over by the hacker. Read the rest
Hackers have published a big dump of private data related to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and hundreds of other of the country's politicians, in what is said to be the biggest data dump of its kind ever in Germany. Read the rest
“The honorable Nancy Pelosi of California, having received the majority of the votes cast is duly elected the representative for the 116th Congress.”
And after those words were spoken, cheers and clapping and a standing ovation for the Speaker-Elect. Read the rest
Is that a threat? Read the rest
“Sanctions are Coming - November 4.”
For today's Cabinet meeting at the White House, there was a weird Trump Game of Thrones political meme poster, wall sized, displaying Trump's face and those words, placed right on the middle of the table as some kind of weird creepy internet fascist prop. Read the rest
Ronald Reagan may be sainted by the right, but 2018 was the year conservatives broke with his slavish, simpleminded adherence to the Chicago School antitrust theory that says that governments should only regulate monopolies when they give rise to higher consumer prices -- it's also the year the right realized that extreme market concentration in the tech sector could lead to a future in which conspiracy theorists, Nazis, "white identity enthusiasts," and crank misogynists might find themselves with nowhere to talk and be heard by others. Read the rest
Here's who is getting rich off Trump's immigrant detention camps. Read the rest
If the government shutdown extends beyond New Year's Day, Donald Trump's political tantrum will close the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington, DC, among many other sites important to Americans. Read the rest
A long-chewed-on mystery about Michael Cohen's activities in the Trump-Russia conspiracy may now be resolved, thanks to data leaked by Cohen's cellphone. Operational security will get you every time, dumb criminals. Read the rest
The mad dog's sick of being chained out in the yard. He'll be leaving officially early next year, but the announcement comes a day after Trump personally decided, on an apparent whim, to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria.
Read the restMr Trump tweeted that General Mattis "was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations". He did not name a successor, but said one would be appointed shortly.
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria, calling it “the right decision.” Nice to know the boss approves! Read the rest
Lock him up.
Donald Trump's disgraced former national security advisor Gen. Michael Flynn went to court today to be sentenced for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Sergei Kislyak, the former Russian ambassador to the United States.
Flynn's sentencing will be delayed, to give him time to finish fully cooperating with federal prosecutors.
Judge Sullivan repeated a statement that he will not make any promises about no jail time when it comes time to deliver Flynn's sentence.
In the Washington courtroom, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan pressed Flynn and his attorneys aggressively during the hearing about the guilty plea, and his interactions with the FBI.
Prosecutors say Flynn may continue to help the government in ongoing investigations.
The judge began by basically calling bullshit on the last-minute court filings by Flynn's defense teams last week, which implied the former general was entrapped into lying by crooked FBI agents.
This was a bogus implication, and Judge Sullivan was not pleased.
The judge queried Flynn and his team, point by point, essentially asking them if they wanted to relitigate that part of the legal process -- the FBI part.
In response, Flynn told the judge, “I was aware that lying to the FBI was a crime.”
“Are you continuing to accept responsibility for your false statements,” Judge Sullivan asked.
“I am, your honor,” said Flynn.
Trump began the day of his former National Security Advisor's trial by wishing Flynn 'good luck.'
Not a good look for Individual-1.
After a series of interrogations from the judge, and responses from Flynn and attorneys, Judge Sullivan asks one final time, and still sounding skeptical:
"If you want to proceed because you are guilty of this offense..."
Flynn replies that he is, and says wants to proceed. Read the rest
Saeb Erekat is a Palestinian negotiator. The Palestinians and Jared Kushner, Trump son-in-law and ostensibly the man charged with attaining middle-east peace, have apparently not been talking much lately. Erekat explains why: “This White House needs giant statesmen, not real estate agents."
Read the restI told him ‘look: if you do this [move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem], you will have disqualified yourself from any role in the peace process.’
He replied: ‘Don’t threaten me.’
I said ‘read my lips: you will have disqualified yourself from any role in the peace process.’
He said ‘you don’t know the changes that are happening around you in the Arab world.’
I told him, ‘the best thing for me is to be a student — so teach me.’
‘DON’T BE SARCASTIC,’ he shouted.
I said ‘I’m not being sarcastic. What do you mean by changes? Do you think Arab countries will open embassies in Tel Aviv and accept Jerusalem, with the Al-Aqsa mosque, as Israel’s capital?
