palmerreport--2020-06-29--Even Donald Trump’s beloved Rasmussen poll now says he’s totally hosed

To give you an idea how skewed the Rasmussen poll tends to be in favor of Donald Trump and the Republicans , we ’ ve often seen Trump bragging about his fairly strong Rasmussen numbers , even when every other poll has said that he was doing fairly poorly .
But now that the walls are completely caving in on Trump , even Rasmussen says he ’ s hosed .
The latest Rasmussen poll has Donald Trump ’ s approval rating at just 42 % , a significant drop from the 50 % to 51 % range that Rasmussen used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ importantly , Rasmussen says that Trump ’ s disapproval rating is now at 55 % .
It ’ s one thing for people to shift from approval to neutral ; it ’ s another thing to see them shifting from approval all the way to disapproval .
At this point FiveThirtyEight says Trump ’ s average approval rating is about 40 % , while RealClearPolitics says it ’ s about 41 % .
This naturally raises questions about how anyone can still be supporting Trump after all his scandals , crimes , plague @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality these are extraordinarily low numbers , when you consider that for partisan reasons , 40 % is usually seen as the floor for any functioning president .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
To give you an idea how skewed the Rasmussen poll tends to be in favor of Donald Trump and the Republicans, we’ve often seen Trump bragging about his fairly strong Rasmussen numbers, even when every other poll has said that he was doing fairly poorly.
But now that the walls are completely caving in on Trump, even Rasmussen says he’s hosed. The latest Rasmussen poll has Donald Trump’s approval rating at just 42%, a significant drop from the 50% to 51% range that Rasmussen used to have Trump pegged at. More importantly, Rasmussen says that Trump’s disapproval rating is now at 55%. It’s one thing for people to shift from approval to neutral; it’s another thing to see them shifting from approval all the way to disapproval.
At this point FiveThirtyEight says Trump’s average approval rating is about 40%, while RealClearPolitics says it’s about 41%. This naturally raises questions about how anyone can still be supporting Trump after all his scandals, crimes, plague, betrayals and failures. But in reality these are extraordinarily low numbers, when you consider that for partisan reasons, 40% is usually seen as the floor for any functioning president.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-06-29--Vladimir Putin, the man who murdered my neighbor

I run at least six miles every day , and three quarters of a mile into my favorite running route lies the former home of the late Dawn Sturgess .
I pass her house four times on my route so her tragedy serves as my constant reminder of the depth of degeneracy that exists in the world .
Dawn Sturgess was murdered by the most powerful evil man alive , Vladimir Putin .
Dawn was a woman who struggled most of her life with addiction , and her plight was made all the more poignant by her determination to turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a better mom to her little girl .
That chance was taken away from her when she accidentally ingested a deadly binary nerve agent called novichock and died on July the 8th , 2018 , aged 44 .
The poison was intended for a Russian defector living in England .
Dawn got in the way .
I never knew her .
She was just another neighbor in a neighborhood of thousands .
But she was a human being who lived nearby , and when she died it became personal .
We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sisters ’ keepers , and I and everyone else in the community bore the common sadness of her tragic end .
Somehow we had failed her .
The lead story in the British newspaper , the Guardian , says that the same Russian intelligence unit behind Dawn ’ s death secretly offered to pay Taliban-linked fighters to kill British and American soldiers in Afghanistan .
But I know better .
It wasn ’ t a Russian intelligence unit behind those killings anymore than it was the guns or the bombs or the poisons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one else .
Russian intelligence was merely the tool he used .
Nothing like this is ever done without Putin ’ s express command , personal deliberation and detailed instruction .
No such operation could exist inside Russia without it being Putin ’ s idea , and anyone who tries to do otherwise won ’ t be alive for very long .
Naturally , Donald Trump ’ s White House denies any knowledge of this latest outrage against America ’ s fighting men and women emerging from Putin ’ s Russia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will come out in the end .
There are too many John Boltons still at work inside the West Wing who will get betrayed , forgotten , abandoned and disavowed by America ’ s most faithless friend , Donald Trump .
In the end they will be happy to turn state ’ s evidence on the narcissistic bastard ’ s knowledge , if any , of the doings of his buddy in Moscow .
As Chaucer put it , murder will out .
Meanwhile Trump ’ s outrage at the revelation of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonexistent .
His tweets these days are full of distractions , endless recyclings and renewed focus on footage of the minority of Black Lives Matter protesters who have turned violent , “ Sleepy Joe ” Biden has now suddenly become “ Corrupt ” Joe Biden .
Fifteen tweets in a row are a series of wanted posters , “ attempts to identify ” unlawful protesters painting graffiti on or toppling racist statues .
Not a single word about Putin ’ s call to murder American soldiers in Afghanistan .
Not one .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s cynical use and manipulation of Donald Trump .
Putin knew that ordering the murder of American troops probably wouldn ’ t matter to Trump .
But it was still a chance he took .
But Putin loves the thrill of the chance .
It ’ s why he left behind his novichok calling card here in England .
He could have just as easily gone after his spy with a gun or a knife , or made it look like an accident or suicide .
But no , he wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agent developed in the Soviet Union in the early 70s .
Similarly , Putin knew sooner or later his bounty on American soldiers would get out .
In fact , he knew that the bounty served very little strategic or even tactical advantage , at least not enough to justify the inevitable blowback .
It was just a supremely evil thing to do and he wanted to add it to his resume .
Like the novichok , the murder of American troops is Vlad shouting to the rest of the world “ Look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin , the most dangerous man in the world .
I can kill anyone and I will get away with it !
” And so he has , without so much as a peep of protest from the weakling Donald Trump .
The official word from the White House on this act of war was a noncommittal disavowal .
Trump had no knowledge of the operation , the tepid denial goes .
Meanwhile Trump ’ s boast at how he ’ s “ rebuilding the military , ” rings hollow against the backdrop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to murder American troops .
Why , if I didn ’ t know any better , I ’ d wonder if Trump ’ s 2016 emphasis on the deaths in Benghazi on Hillary Clinton ’ s watch wasn ’ t counterfeit outrage after all .
By the way , back to the murder of Dawn Sturgess , the Russian nerve agent novichok is virtually undetectable .
More of it could be scattered around England and no one would know about it .
It is virtually indestructible and it will persist in its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fifty years .
The world ’ s most evil man , Vladimir Putin , inflicted it on me and my neighbors for the next two generations , and the world ’ s second most evil man , Donald Trump , doesn ’ t care .
That ’ s one of the many reasons this election is so personal for me .
I want Joe Biden to defeat Donald Trump this November for a number of reasons , among them is that Trump is best friends with the man who murdered my neighbor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gentlemen , brothers and sisters , comrades and friends , stay safe .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
I run at least six miles every day, and three quarters of a mile into my favorite running route lies the former home of the late Dawn Sturgess. I pass her house four times on my route so her tragedy serves as my constant reminder of the depth of degeneracy that exists in the world. Dawn Sturgess was murdered by the most powerful evil man alive, Vladimir Putin.
Dawn was a woman who struggled most of her life with addiction, and her plight was made all the more poignant by her determination to turn her life around so she could be a better mom to her little girl. That chance was taken away from her when she accidentally ingested a deadly binary nerve agent called novichock and died on July the 8th, 2018, aged 44. The poison was intended for a Russian defector living in England. Dawn got in the way.
I never knew her. She was just another neighbor in a neighborhood of thousands. But she was a human being who lived nearby, and when she died it became personal. We’re supposed to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, and I and everyone else in the community bore the common sadness of her tragic end. Somehow we had failed her.
The lead story in the British newspaper, the Guardian, says that the same Russian intelligence unit behind Dawn’s death secretly offered to pay Taliban-linked fighters to kill British and American soldiers in Afghanistan. But I know better. It wasn’t a Russian intelligence unit behind those killings anymore than it was the guns or the bombs or the poisons. It was Vladimir Putin — and no one else. Russian intelligence was merely the tool he used. Nothing like this is ever done without Putin’s express command, personal deliberation and detailed instruction. No such operation could exist inside Russia without it being Putin’s idea, and anyone who tries to do otherwise won’t be alive for very long.
Naturally, Donald Trump’s White House denies any knowledge of this latest outrage against America’s fighting men and women emerging from Putin’s Russia. Whether that’s true or not will come out in the end. There are too many John Boltons still at work inside the West Wing who will get betrayed, forgotten, abandoned and disavowed by America’s most faithless friend, Donald Trump. In the end they will be happy to turn state’s evidence on the narcissistic bastard’s knowledge, if any, of the doings of his buddy in Moscow. As Chaucer put it, murder will out.
Meanwhile Trump’s outrage at the revelation of the doings of his best Russian friend is nonexistent. His tweets these days are full of distractions, endless recyclings and renewed focus on footage of the minority of Black Lives Matter protesters who have turned violent, “Sleepy Joe” Biden has now suddenly become “Corrupt” Joe Biden. Fifteen tweets in a row are a series of wanted posters, “attempts to identify” unlawful protesters painting graffiti on or toppling racist statues. Not a single word about Putin’s call to murder American soldiers in Afghanistan. Not one.
It’s important to note Vladimir Putin’s cynical use and manipulation of Donald Trump. Putin knew that ordering the murder of American troops probably wouldn’t matter to Trump. But it was still a chance he took. But Putin loves the thrill of the chance. It’s why he left behind his novichok calling card here in England. He could have just as easily gone after his spy with a gun or a knife, or made it look like an accident or suicide. But no, he wanted to use a rare and deadly binary nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union in the early 70s.
Similarly, Putin knew sooner or later his bounty on American soldiers would get out. In fact, he knew that the bounty served very little strategic or even tactical advantage, at least not enough to justify the inevitable blowback. It was just a supremely evil thing to do and he wanted to add it to his resume. Like the novichok, the murder of American troops is Vlad shouting to the rest of the world “Look at me, I’m Vladimir Putin, the most dangerous man in the world. I can kill anyone and I will get away with it!”
And so he has, without so much as a peep of protest from the weakling Donald Trump. The official word from the White House on this act of war was a noncommittal disavowal. Trump had no knowledge of the operation, the tepid denial goes. Meanwhile Trump’s boast at how he’s “rebuilding the military,” rings hollow against the backdrop of his indifference at Putin’s order to murder American troops. Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d wonder if Trump’s 2016 emphasis on the deaths in Benghazi on Hillary Clinton’s watch wasn’t counterfeit outrage after all.
By the way, back to the murder of Dawn Sturgess, the Russian nerve agent novichok is virtually undetectable. More of it could be scattered around England and no one would know about it. It is virtually indestructible and it will persist in its current lethal state on the order of fifty years. The world’s most evil man, Vladimir Putin, inflicted it on me and my neighbors for the next two generations, and the world’s second most evil man, Donald Trump, doesn’t care. That’s one of the many reasons this election is so personal for me. I want Joe Biden to defeat Donald Trump this November for a number of reasons, among them is that Trump is best friends with the man who murdered my neighbor. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-06-29--Embarrassing: GOP Senators try to coddle Donald Trump like a fragile baby as he falls to pieces

With Donald Trump ’ s numbers now so low that he ’ s on track to take the Republican Senate down with him , it ’ s no wonder GOP operatives are now openly discussing the possibility of him dropping out of the 2020 race .
It ’ s also not surprising that Republican Senators are now trying to coddle an increasingly infantile Trump like a baby , in the feeble hope of saving him from himself .
It ’ s not just that Mike Pence has finally admitted that people should be wearing masks .
Republican Senator Lamar Alexander @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump to start wearing one .
Alexander played to Trump ’ s narcissism , insisting that “ millions of Americans admire him ” and would therefore wear a mask as well .
It ’ s notable that Alexander is retiring at the end of this year , so he ’ s not even begging for his own seat to be saved ; he seems to simply be coddling Trump in the feeble hope of saving the GOP from being taken down with Trump .
This comes even as former Vice President Dick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men wear masks , ” in an obvious shot at Donald Trump ’ s unwillingness to wear one .
It ’ s not clear the extent to which Trump is refusing to wear a mask because he thinks it ’ s a wedge issue he can exploit , vs the extent to which Trump is simply too vain to wear one .
Either way , even his own joke of a party is worried that his idiocy is going to cost them .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
With Donald Trump’s numbers now so low that he’s on track to take the Republican Senate down with him, it’s no wonder GOP operatives are now openly discussing the possibility of him dropping out of the 2020 race. It’s also not surprising that Republican Senators are now trying to coddle an increasingly infantile Trump like a baby, in the feeble hope of saving him from himself.
It’s not just that Mike Pence has finally admitted that people should be wearing masks. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander went on CNN and all but begged Donald Trump to start wearing one. Alexander played to Trump’s narcissism, insisting that “millions of Americans admire him” and would therefore wear a mask as well.
It’s notable that Alexander is retiring at the end of this year, so he’s not even begging for his own seat to be saved; he seems to simply be coddling Trump in the feeble hope of saving the GOP from being taken down with Trump.
This comes even as former Vice President Dick Cheney is now insisting that “real men wear masks,” in an obvious shot at Donald Trump’s unwillingness to wear one. It’s not clear the extent to which Trump is refusing to wear a mask because he thinks it’s a wedge issue he can exploit, vs the extent to which Trump is simply too vain to wear one. Either way, even his own joke of a party is worried that his idiocy is going to cost them.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--Mary Trump just scored a major victory over Donald Trump

When a judge announced a restraining order this week against Mary Trump ’ s new tell-all book against Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ this didn ’ t mean Donald Trump had somehow magically stopped the book from coming @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t set to ship for four weeks , and the restraining order was @ @ @ @ @ things have quickly shifted in Mary Trump ’ s favor .
The court of appeals @ @ @ @ @ order against Simon & Schuster , essentially giving the publisher the all-clear to bring the @ @ @ @ @ as Donald Trump and Mary Trump fight their court battle .
In other words , @ @ @ @ @ continue pursuing legal action and financial penalties against Mary Trump , her book is going @ @ @ @ @ the day it ’ s supposed to hit the market .
The book is already @ @ @ @ @ Amazon bestseller charts based on preorders alone , even though Mary hasn ’ t yet @ @ @ @ @ on a book tour .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
When a judge announced a restraining order this week against Mary Trump’s new tell-all book against Donald Trump, Palmer Report explained that this didn’t mean Donald Trump had somehow magically stopped the book from coming to market. The book isn’t set to ship for four weeks, and the restraining order was just temporary.
But now things have quickly shifted in Mary Trump’s favor. The court of appeals has struck down the restraining order against Simon & Schuster, essentially giving the publisher the all-clear to bring the book to market, even as Donald Trump and Mary Trump fight their court battle.
In other words, even though Donald Trump can continue pursuing legal action and financial penalties against Mary Trump, her book is going to hit the market on the day it’s supposed to hit the market. The book is already at #4 on the Amazon bestseller charts based on preorders alone, even though Mary hasn’t yet done any interviews or embarked on a book tour.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--Donald Trump’s Russia scandal just got even uglier for him

Day by day , it ’ s getting harder to sweep Donald Trump ’ s criminal betrayal of the United States under the rug .
Unfortunately for him , by pretending that he was never briefed on the matter of Russian bounties on US soldiers , he provoked the ire of intelligence communities yet again , and we may inevitably have congressional investigations coming .
Even without them , we ’ re already seeing the scandal get uglier .
A number of people in the resistance might think this is something that Trump will get away with , that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that so far Republicans don ’ t yet know how to spin it .
Of course there will be the die-hard Trump supporters who will stay with him no matter what , but the GOP desperately needs to come up with some line or story the whole party can get behind and use to defend him .
Joe Biden may have thwarted that when he spoke in Wilmington on Tuesday , suggesting that Trump committed a dereliction of duty if he failed to read his briefing – pointing out that when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every day .
It ’ s pretty plausible that this is what happened – and even if Trump didn ’ t read his briefing , it ’ s almost certain he found out about it some other way and chose not to act .
More important was the way Biden put a face to the story .
He told of when he and his wife first heard the news and Jill Biden asked him how he ’ d react if his son Beau was still on active duty when this information came out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the numerous military families that lost loved ones as a result of Trump ’ s negligence .
These are the people who should be the focus of the story every time the media reports on it , and the ones who deserve answers .
Biden made that clear in his speech , promising that he intends to take the job of being president seriously .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Day by day, it’s getting harder to sweep Donald Trump’s criminal betrayal of the United States under the rug. Unfortunately for him, by pretending that he was never briefed on the matter of Russian bounties on US soldiers, he provoked the ire of intelligence communities yet again, and we may inevitably have congressional investigations coming. Even without them, we’re already seeing the scandal get uglier.
A number of people in the resistance might think this is something that Trump will get away with, that he’ll win somehow. The thing is that so far Republicans don’t yet know how to spin it. Of course there will be the die-hard Trump supporters who will stay with him no matter what, but the GOP desperately needs to come up with some line or story the whole party can get behind and use to defend him. Joe Biden may have thwarted that when he spoke in Wilmington on Tuesday, suggesting that Trump committed a dereliction of duty if he failed to read his briefing – pointing out that when he was vice president, he did so every day.
It’s pretty plausible that this is what happened – and even if Trump didn’t read his briefing, it’s almost certain he found out about it some other way and chose not to act. More important was the way Biden put a face to the story. He told of when he and his wife first heard the news and Jill Biden asked him how he’d react if his son Beau was still on active duty when this information came out.
Biden urged Americans to think of the numerous military families that lost loved ones as a result of Trump’s negligence. These are the people who should be the focus of the story every time the media reports on it, and the ones who deserve answers. Biden made that clear in his speech, promising that he intends to take the job of being president seriously.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-01--Reality just hit Donald Trump smack in the face

Donald Trump may be wholly incapable of embracing reality on any level , and if anything , his delusional nature @ @ @ @ @ continue to unravel for him .
But sometimes reality has a way of reaching out @ @ @ @ @ the face .
We suppose Donald Trump is still trying to convince himself that his @ @ @ @ @ bust because protesters blocked his millions of fans from entering the building , or because @ @ @ @ @ .
Maybe Trump has even convinced himself by now that all those empty seats were @ @ @ @ @ none of those delusions are enough to make his upcoming Alabama rally happen , because @ @ @ @ @ CNN says that Alabama politicians were pressuring Trump to cancel his rally in the state @ @ @ @ @ be true .
But this also gives Trump and his handlers a convenient excuse to @ @ @ @ @ rally that probably would have been just as poorly attended as his Tulsa rally , @ @ @ @ @ of giving another speech to a building full of empty chairs .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Donald Trump may be wholly incapable of embracing reality on any level, and if anything, his delusional nature is getting worse as things continue to unravel for him. But sometimes reality has a way of reaching out and hitting Trump smack in the face.
We suppose Donald Trump is still trying to convince himself that his Tulsa rally was only a bust because protesters blocked his millions of fans from entering the building, or because of some other absurd reason. Maybe Trump has even convinced himself by now that all those empty seats were in fact full. But none of those delusions are enough to make his upcoming Alabama rally happen, because it just got canceled.
CNN says that Alabama politicians were pressuring Trump to cancel his rally in the state, and that may well be true. But this also gives Trump and his handlers a convenient excuse to pull the plug on a rally that probably would have been just as poorly attended as his Tulsa rally, thus saving him the embarrassment of giving another speech to a building full of empty chairs.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-01--Donald Trump and the GOP just failed again

Donald Trump and the Republicans have failed again .
As the number of Covid-19 cases increases , day after day , and Trump seeks court intervention to end Obamacare , the people have spoken .
The United States has broken a record for the number of new daily cases , and estimates continue to grow .
We were promised the best health care , but the Republicans are no closer to providing it today than when Trump rode down the gilded escalator .
One thing Republicans like Rand Paul have long agreed upon is the limiting of safety net programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the states , Republicans have been pushing block grants , which include work requirements .
Approximately fourteen states failed to opt into the Medicaid expansion .
Without the expansion , the safety net medical insurance is only available for households with minor children .
Block grants would give a fixed amount of money to the states , and no additional money would come from the federal government as it does under Medicaid .
One of the reddest states in the nation , Oklahoma , gave the choice of block grants or Medicaid expansion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republicans are on the wrong side .
The expansion won by a slim margin as voters see the rapid increase of Coronavirus cases and the need for guaranteed health care .
This vote makes nearly a quarter of a million people eligible for Medicaid , not counting those forced to apply due to a loss of health care from pandemic related job losses .
Ultimately , block grants might lead to a decrease in federal spending for medical care , but this would hardly be the “ amazing , yet cheap ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for five years .
Missouri will put the same issue on their ballot .
In addition to Oklahoma , four other states have told Republicans what they think of block grants .
Republicans have attempted to convince voters that giving the power to the states will yield more significant benefits to the state residents .
Trump has tried to proclaim block grants as a way to allow states to cover more people than the ACA .
Conversely , states could also limit coverage .
Donald Trump may be surprised to find that voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Donald Trump and the Republicans have failed again. As the number of Covid-19 cases increases, day after day, and Trump seeks court intervention to end Obamacare, the people have spoken. The United States has broken a record for the number of new daily cases, and estimates continue to grow. We were promised the best health care, but the Republicans are no closer to providing it today than when Trump rode down the gilded escalator.
One thing Republicans like Rand Paul have long agreed upon is the limiting of safety net programs like Medicaid. To shift responsibility to the states, Republicans have been pushing block grants, which include work requirements. Approximately fourteen states failed to opt into the Medicaid expansion. Without the expansion, the safety net medical insurance is only available for households with minor children. Block grants would give a fixed amount of money to the states, and no additional money would come from the federal government as it does under Medicaid.
One of the reddest states in the nation, Oklahoma, gave the choice of block grants or Medicaid expansion to the voters. Once again, the Republicans are on the wrong side. The expansion won by a slim margin as voters see the rapid increase of Coronavirus cases and the need for guaranteed health care. This vote makes nearly a quarter of a million people eligible for Medicaid, not counting those forced to apply due to a loss of health care from pandemic related job losses. Ultimately, block grants might lead to a decrease in federal spending for medical care, but this would hardly be the “amazing, yet cheap” health care Donald Trump has been promising for five years. Missouri will put the same issue on their ballot.
In addition to Oklahoma, four other states have told Republicans what they think of block grants. Republicans have attempted to convince voters that giving the power to the states will yield more significant benefits to the state residents. Trump has tried to proclaim block grants as a way to allow states to cover more people than the ACA. Conversely, states could also limit coverage. Donald Trump may be surprised to find that voters read, even if he doesn’t.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-01--Donald Trump’s “Lone Ranger” debacle proves he’s even further gone than we thought

Yesterday Donald Trump tweeted “ THE LONE WARRIOR ” in all capital letters , with no context or explanation .
Plenty of observers asked if he ’ d meant to call himself “ The Lone Ranger ” instead .
Sure enough , Trump revealed on Fox Business Channel today that he really did mean The Lone Ranger – and for a reason that ’ s even stupider than we could have imagined .
Trump said today that the one time he wore a mask , he liked it because it made him look like The Lone Ranger .
No really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s difficult to even know where to start with this .
For instance , there ’ s an obvious psychopathy in that his opinion on lifesaving masks is only evolving because he liked how his mask made him look .
Then there ’ s the fact that The Lone Ranger wore a mask over the top part of his face , as a disguise .
So either Trump thinks The Lone Ranger was wearing a mask over his mouth , or Trump intends to wear a mask over his eyes .
Pick one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Lone Ranger as “ The Lone Warrior ” yesterday .
He ’ s just that far gone , psychologically and cognitively .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Yesterday Donald Trump tweeted “THE LONE WARRIOR” in all capital letters, with no context or explanation. Plenty of observers asked if he’d meant to call himself “The Lone Ranger” instead. Sure enough, Trump revealed on Fox Business Channel today that he really did mean The Lone Ranger – and for a reason that’s even stupider than we could have imagined.
Trump said today that the one time he wore a mask, he liked it because it made him look like The Lone Ranger. No really, he said this. It’s difficult to even know where to start with this. For instance, there’s an obvious psychopathy in that his opinion on lifesaving masks is only evolving because he liked how his mask made him look.
Then there’s the fact that The Lone Ranger wore a mask over the top part of his face, as a disguise. So either Trump thinks The Lone Ranger was wearing a mask over his mouth, or Trump intends to wear a mask over his eyes. Pick one. And again, Trump referred to The Lone Ranger as “The Lone Warrior” yesterday. He’s just that far gone, psychologically and cognitively.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-01--Will Donald Trump drop out?

Will Donald Trump drop out?

Last Summer Anthony Scaramucci predicted that Donald Trump would resign by March of 2020 .
While I ’ m sure that ’ s a prediction that “ the Mooch ” wishes he ’ d never made , he risked very little in making it .
In today ’ s whirlwind news cycle such things are only ever registered when they come true .
Like people claiming to be psychics , all you have to do is make enough predictions and , unless your name is Sylvia Browne , sooner or later at least one or two of them will come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prediction that Trump would win the 2016 election not come true , it would have all but been forgotten , just like his prediction that Mitt Romney would win in 2012 almost entirely has .
These days it ’ s become fashionable to predict that Donald Trump will drop out of the race in November , thanks in part to a report from “ a number of GOP insiders.
” While a prediction of Trump dropping out is a safer bet than a prediction of Trump resigning , certainly , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Come November nobody will remember nor care , and the predictor ’ s reputation will be reset for the next time .
Unlike the guy who says , “ I don ’ t give advice and I ’ d advise you do the same , ” I ’ m not going to wag any fingers at predictors , because I have a prediction of my own .
I predict that Donald Trump won ’ t drop out , but I have some ( I think ) pretty solid reasons for saying so .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll remind you later .
I don ’ t mind being wrong about this and I ’ ll say it in advance , because I don ’ t even want the smallest chance of a possibility that Donald Trump could win a second term .
So being wrong about this would be excellent news indeed .
But I don ’ t think he will drop out because Donald Trump is a narcissist , and unless you ’ ve personally known any narcissists like I have , my reasons may not seem so obvious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of admission of defeat , an acknowledgement that Trump is not the all-knowing , endlessly beloved , perfect president we all know him to be .
It ’ s a conclusion that I don ’ t think Trump the narcissist is constitutionally capable of reaching .
Running and losing is another matter .
If he loses he ’ s got a ready made excuse , one that he ’ s been working on now for some time .
Trump will claim rampant voter fraud .
How that plays out in his remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s guess .
Establishing a commission to “ prove ” voter fraud would be tricky .
For one thing they would have to come up with that pesky little thing that all conspiracy theorists absolutely hate : actual evidence .
Also , dropping out means going to jail .
Trump obviously doesn ’ t want that .
So why would he drop out of a race that he might win ?
Winning a second term very well may spare him going to prison .
I know what some of you are thinking , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before , which is a form of admission of defeat , so why not drop out so he doesn ’ t have to face the indignity of losing ?
It ’ s a valid point .
But I think there is a difference .
For one thing , in the upper stratosphere of big business , bankruptcy doesn ’ t carry the same automatic stigma it does for more commonplace household bankruptcies .
Sometimes it ’ s seen as a clever ploy .
The intrepid bankrupt businessman often as not comes out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suddenly unencumbered .
It ’ s an occasion for much backslapping .
The only incumbent president in my lifetime to drop out of a presidential race was Lyndon Johnson .
Johnson ’ s decision was an act of courage .
He saw that he was made so historically unpopular because of Vietnam that he couldn ’ t win in 1968 and dropped out for the good of the party .
He was hoping Hubert Humphrey would carry the day , and that he would spare the Democratic Party the bitter , partisan fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump .
He ’ s not capable of making a decision for the good of anyone but himself .
As I said , if Trump drops out he ’ s going to jail for sure .
If he remains and contests the election he at least has a chance , however slim .
Besides , as a narcissist , Trump believes his chances are better than they are .
He really does believe a lot of his own propaganda , that the unfavourable polls are fake , that he really is America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on .
I know Donald Trump as he actually is , a child rapist , a murderer , a thief , a conman , a thing of evil , and I want him gone in November , and we must all unite to vote to see that happen .
And , as ever , ladies and gentlemen , brothers and sisters , comrades and friends , stay safe .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Last Summer Anthony Scaramucci predicted that Donald Trump would resign by March of 2020. While I’m sure that’s a prediction that “the Mooch” wishes he’d never made, he risked very little in making it. In today’s whirlwind news cycle such things are only ever registered when they come true. Like people claiming to be psychics, all you have to do is make enough predictions and, unless your name is Sylvia Browne, sooner or later at least one or two of them will come true. Had Michael Moore’s prediction that Trump would win the 2016 election not come true, it would have all but been forgotten, just like his prediction that Mitt Romney would win in 2012 almost entirely has.
These days it’s become fashionable to predict that Donald Trump will drop out of the race in November, thanks in part to a report from “a number of GOP insiders.” While a prediction of Trump dropping out is a safer bet than a prediction of Trump resigning, certainly, it’s every inch as safe to make. Come November nobody will remember nor care, and the predictor’s reputation will be reset for the next time.
Unlike the guy who says, “I don’t give advice and I’d advise you do the same,” I’m not going to wag any fingers at predictors, because I have a prediction of my own. I predict that Donald Trump won’t drop out, but I have some (I think) pretty solid reasons for saying so. If I’m wrong I’ll remind you later. I don’t mind being wrong about this and I’ll say it in advance, because I don’t even want the smallest chance of a possibility that Donald Trump could win a second term. So being wrong about this would be excellent news indeed.
But I don’t think he will drop out because Donald Trump is a narcissist, and unless you’ve personally known any narcissists like I have, my reasons may not seem so obvious. But dropping out would be a kind of admission of defeat, an acknowledgement that Trump is not the all-knowing, endlessly beloved, perfect president we all know him to be. It’s a conclusion that I don’t think Trump the narcissist is constitutionally capable of reaching.
Running and losing is another matter. If he loses he’s got a ready made excuse, one that he’s been working on now for some time. Trump will claim rampant voter fraud. How that plays out in his remaining 78 days in office is anyone’s guess. Establishing a commission to “prove” voter fraud would be tricky. For one thing they would have to come up with that pesky little thing that all conspiracy theorists absolutely hate: actual evidence.
Also, dropping out means going to jail. Trump obviously doesn’t want that. So why would he drop out of a race that he might win? Winning a second term very well may spare him going to prison.
I know what some of you are thinking, he’s filed bankruptcy six times before, which is a form of admission of defeat, so why not drop out so he doesn’t have to face the indignity of losing? It’s a valid point. But I think there is a difference. For one thing, in the upper stratosphere of big business, bankruptcy doesn’t carry the same automatic stigma it does for more commonplace household bankruptcies. Sometimes it’s seen as a clever ploy. The intrepid bankrupt businessman often as not comes out the other side as rich as ever and suddenly unencumbered. It’s an occasion for much backslapping.
The only incumbent president in my lifetime to drop out of a presidential race was Lyndon Johnson. Johnson’s decision was an act of courage. He saw that he was made so historically unpopular because of Vietnam that he couldn’t win in 1968 and dropped out for the good of the party. He was hoping Hubert Humphrey would carry the day, and that he would spare the Democratic Party the bitter, partisan fight to come.
Such motivations are beyond Donald Trump. He’s not capable of making a decision for the good of anyone but himself. As I said, if Trump drops out he’s going to jail for sure. If he remains and contests the election he at least has a chance, however slim. Besides, as a narcissist, Trump believes his chances are better than they are. He really does believe a lot of his own propaganda, that the unfavourable polls are fake, that he really is America’s favorite president, and so on.
I know Donald Trump as he actually is, a child rapist, a murderer, a thief, a conman, a thing of evil, and I want him gone in November, and we must all unite to vote to see that happen. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-01--Donald Trump just gave something away about his Russian bounty scandal

For days , Donald Trump has been trying to avoid taking a position on the Russian plot to have Taliban terrorists murder U.S. soldiers .
He tried claiming he ’ d never been briefed on it .
He tried having some of his lackeys toss shade on it .
But sooner or later Trump was going to have to take a position : would he side with the United States or would he side with Russia ?
Jarringly , yet predictably , Donald Trump has decided to side with Russia .
This morning he tweeted : “ The Russia Bounty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fake News tale that is told only to damage me and the Republican Party .
The secret source probably does not even exist , just like the story itself .
If the discredited @ nytimes has a source , reveal it .
Just another HOAX !
” So there it is .
Trump has decided to write off this scandal as a mere “ hoax.
” In so doing , he ’ s accusing the U.S. intel community and the media of having made up the whole thing .
We also suppose he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of not really being dead or something , which is offensive beyond words .
Donald Trump is also giving away that he has no idea how to respond to this scandal .
No one outside his shrinking base is going to believe the “ hoax ” claim , and in fact his offensive position on this scandal should serve to turn more of the people in the middle against him .
But if Trump were to take any other position he ’ d be offending Vladimir Putin , and Trump would rather throw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offend Putin .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
For days, Donald Trump has been trying to avoid taking a position on the Russian plot to have Taliban terrorists murder U.S. soldiers. He tried claiming he’d never been briefed on it. He tried having some of his lackeys toss shade on it. But sooner or later Trump was going to have to take a position: would he side with the United States or would he side with Russia?
Jarringly, yet predictably, Donald Trump has decided to side with Russia. This morning he tweeted: “The Russia Bounty story is just another made up by Fake News tale that is told only to damage me and the Republican Party. The secret source probably does not even exist, just like the story itself. If the discredited @nytimes has a source, reveal it. Just another HOAX!”
So there it is. Trump has decided to write off this scandal as a mere “hoax.” In so doing, he’s accusing the U.S. intel community and the media of having made up the whole thing. We also suppose he’s accusing the murdered U.S. soldiers of not really being dead or something, which is offensive beyond words.
Donald Trump is also giving away that he has no idea how to respond to this scandal. No one outside his shrinking base is going to believe the “hoax” claim, and in fact his offensive position on this scandal should serve to turn more of the people in the middle against him. But if Trump were to take any other position he’d be offending Vladimir Putin, and Trump would rather throw away his presidency and his future than offend Putin.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-01--Donald Trump goes berserk about “Black Lives Matter” being painted on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tow

Donald Trump goes berserk about “Black Lives Matter” being painted on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower

When New York City decided to paint “ Black Lives Matter ” on the street outside Trump Tower , it was both the right thing to do , and something that the city knew would piss off Donald Trump .
Sure enough , now that the paint is about to hit the pavement , Trump is going nuclear about it – in particularly offensive fashion .
Trump tweeted this bizarre screed : “ NYC is cutting Police $ ’ s by ONE BILLION DOLLARS , and yet the @ NYCMayor is going to paint a big , expensive , yellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , denigrating this luxury Avenue .
This will further antagonize New York ’ s Finest , who LOVE New York & vividly remember the horrible BLM chant , “ Pigs In A Blanket , Fry ‘ Em Like Bacon ” .
Maybe our GREAT Police , who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates & disrespects them , won ’ t let this symbol of hate be affixed to New York ’ s greatest street .
Spend this money fighting crime instead !
” Two things stand out here .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the phrase “ Black Lives Matter ” is “ denigrating ” Fifth Avenue .
That ’ s about as blatantly racist as you can get .
Second , Trump is calling on the police to somehow stop it from being painted .
Considering it ’ s being painted at the order of the mayor , Trump appears to be urging the police to commit crimes by interfering with the painting process .
Trump is completely out of his mind .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
When New York City decided to paint “Black Lives Matter” on the street outside Trump Tower, it was both the right thing to do, and something that the city knew would piss off Donald Trump. Sure enough, now that the paint is about to hit the pavement, Trump is going nuclear about it – in particularly offensive fashion.
Trump tweeted this bizarre screed: “NYC is cutting Police $’s by ONE BILLION DOLLARS, and yet the @NYCMayor is going to paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury Avenue. This will further antagonize New York’s Finest, who LOVE New York & vividly remember the horrible BLM chant, “Pigs In A Blanket, Fry ‘Em Like Bacon”. Maybe our GREAT Police, who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates & disrespects them, won’t let this symbol of hate be affixed to New York’s greatest street. Spend this money fighting crime instead!”
Two things stand out here. First, Trump is flat out stating that the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is “denigrating” Fifth Avenue. That’s about as blatantly racist as you can get. Second, Trump is calling on the police to somehow stop it from being painted. Considering it’s being painted at the order of the mayor, Trump appears to be urging the police to commit crimes by interfering with the painting process. Trump is completely out of his mind.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--Republican tricks of the trade

Republican tricks of the trade

Many of you have heard of Stella , the elderly woman who sued McDonald ’ s because she burned herself with their coffee .
If you haven ’ t heard the story , let me give you a brief recap .
Here ’ s how the usual narrative goes .
In 1992 , 79 year old Stella Liebeck bought a cup of takeout coffee at a McDonald ’ s drive-thru in Albuquerque and spilled it on her lap .
She sued McDonald ’ s and a jury awarded her nearly $ 3 million in punitive damages for the minor burns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have held her case up as an exemplar of how rotten the court system is , how dishonest people who sue people are and how deceptive and greedy lawyers can be .
Right ?
Now let me tell you what actually happened .
Mrs. Liebeck ’ s coffee wasn ’ t just hot it was dangerously hot .
McDonald ’ s corporate policy was to serve it at a temperature that could cause serious burns quickly .
Mrs. Liebeck ’ s injuries were far from frivolous .
She suffered third-degree burns and needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Liebeck ’ s case was far from an isolated event .
McDonald ’ s had received more than 700 previous reports of injuries from its coffee , including reports of third-degree burns .
McDonald ’ s even paid settlements in some cases .
Mrs. Liebeck offered to settle the case for $ 20,000 to cover her medical expenses and lost income .
But McDonald ’ s never offered more than $ 800 , so the case went to trial .
The jury found Mrs. Liebeck to be partially at fault for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injuries accordingly .
But the jury ’ s punitive damages award made headlines — upset by McDonald ’ s unwillingness to correct a policy despite hundreds of people suffering injuries , they awarded Liebeck a much higher amount — that was later reduced by more than 80 percent by the judge .
The final award that Mrs. Liebeck received came in the form of an undisclosed settlement .
We don ’ t know what it was but it was a tiny fraction of the fabled three million .
Yet a whole culture has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s used to this day as an exemplar of how exceedingly litigious the United States supposedly is .
The lore to “ prove ” how out-of-control litigious America supposedly has gotten has been surrounded by a host of fake cases that never even happened .
Included among them is a mother suing a department store for injuries she received from her toddler son .
That “ case ” and others were manufactured from whole cloth to prove a nonexistent point .
Now that you understand what actually happened with Mrs. Liebeck , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the forces at work here .
Imagine it yourself , the entire country was trembling with rage that an evil , malignant , corrupt little old grandmother would dare to inconvenience the poor little innocent , multinational , billion dollar corporation called McDonalds .
You see what I mean .
It was a coup for corporate America , a bold excoriation of a little old lady in the defense of the one percent .
And we fell for it , hook line and sinker .
And it ’ s such an old story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I would bet dollars to donuts that many reading these words even now feel a tug of resistance because they don ’ t want to believe me .
People want to hate Stella because they ’ ve been taught to hate her much of their lives .
Giving up the prejudices of hatred is tough to do and many people will look for ways to avoid it , even at the expense of logic and common sense .
Whether or not this story was deliberately exploited by American conservative forces , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routinely manipulated into siding with the bad guys .
The alt-right practice this manipulation as an art form , and they are constantly exploiting our willingness to vilify the wrong people .
The excoriation of the so-called “ cancel culture ” is a case in point , where celebrities or companies are boycotted because of their bigoted or intolerant statements or political positions .
The ability of large groups to form boycotts is nothing new and has been going on since the time of the Romans .
The boycott is a way of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the one percent , the big guys , who are greedy to keep all the power to themselves , don ’ t like it and want to stop it .
So they give it a pejorative that they call “ cancel culture.
” These pejoratives are hurled at our feet every day in the form of slogans .
We want to “ defund the police.
” We focus on Black Lives Matter to the exclusion of the damage some of the demonstrators cause , meaning we want to “ destroy the cities.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and military base names , statues and bases that were created during Jim Crow in order to combat the spirit of segregation and give unmerited honour to men who fought for cessation and the promotion of slavery , we ’ re accused of “ destroying our culture and our history.
” And so on .
These decoy causes are exploited and emphasised in order to distract from the underlying injustices they hide .
Conservatives in power will deal with those injustices , they say , when the looting stops , or whatever the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the time , they tell us .
Now is never the time .
The evil that persists beneath it all is the tacit approval of racist acts through non-condemnation of those acts , or tacit approval of runaway gun culture through non-condemnation of the hundreds of thousands of American deaths caused by guns , or the non-condemnation of the poverty and oppression created by the so-called “ pro-life movement ” that can not tolerate abortion .
There ’ s always some shiny object to distract us and keep the power in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is why so many Trump supporters are frankly stupid .
They are the trees that keep voting for the axe because he is just like them in that his handle is made of wood .
The evil we are fighting is vast and clever , composed of men and women full of counterfeit outrage intended to inspire anger and fear .
It is no accident that fear is at the root of most of the evil they do .
It is in the etymological root of the words they use to self-identify : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so on .
Donald Trump is the final expression of just how far this evil can go , and just how far they are willing to go .
We must come together and defeat both Trump and the evil forces that created him this November .
This is a struggle for the soul of the Republic , and it ’ s one we absolutely must win .
And , as ever , ladies and gentlemen , brothers and sisters , comrades and friends , stay safe .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Many of you have heard of Stella, the elderly woman who sued McDonald’s because she burned herself with their coffee. If you haven’t heard the story, let me give you a brief recap.
Here’s how the usual narrative goes. In 1992, 79 year old Stella Liebeck bought a cup of takeout coffee at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Albuquerque and spilled it on her lap. She sued McDonald’s and a jury awarded her nearly $3 million in punitive damages for the minor burns she suffered. Ever since then people have held her case up as an exemplar of how rotten the court system is, how dishonest people who sue people are and how deceptive and greedy lawyers can be. Right?
Now let me tell you what actually happened. Mrs. Liebeck’s coffee wasn’t just hot it was dangerously hot. McDonald’s corporate policy was to serve it at a temperature that could cause serious burns quickly. Mrs. Liebeck’s injuries were far from frivolous. She suffered third-degree burns and needed skin grafts on her thighs and elsewhere.
Liebeck’s case was far from an isolated event. McDonald’s had received more than 700 previous reports of injuries from its coffee, including reports of third-degree burns. McDonald’s even paid settlements in some cases.
Mrs. Liebeck offered to settle the case for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses and lost income. But McDonald’s never offered more than $800, so the case went to trial. The jury found Mrs. Liebeck to be partially at fault for her injuries, reducing the compensation for her injuries accordingly. But the jury’s punitive damages award made headlines — upset by McDonald’s unwillingness to correct a policy despite hundreds of people suffering injuries, they awarded Liebeck a much higher amount — that was later reduced by more than 80 percent by the judge. The final award that Mrs. Liebeck received came in the form of an undisclosed settlement. We don’t know what it was but it was a tiny fraction of the fabled three million.
Yet a whole culture has grown up around this case and it’s used to this day as an exemplar of how exceedingly litigious the United States supposedly is. The lore to “prove” how out-of-control litigious America supposedly has gotten has been surrounded by a host of fake cases that never even happened. Included among them is a mother suing a department store for injuries she received from her toddler son. That “case” and others were manufactured from whole cloth to prove a nonexistent point.
Now that you understand what actually happened with Mrs. Liebeck, perhaps you have a better understanding of the forces at work here. Imagine it yourself, the entire country was trembling with rage that an evil, malignant, corrupt little old grandmother would dare to inconvenience the poor little innocent, multinational, billion dollar corporation called McDonalds. You see what I mean. It was a coup for corporate America, a bold excoriation of a little old lady in the defense of the one percent. And we fell for it, hook line and sinker.
And it’s such an old story and so thoroughly ingrained in our zeitgeist that I would bet dollars to donuts that many reading these words even now feel a tug of resistance because they don’t want to believe me. People want to hate Stella because they’ve been taught to hate her much of their lives. Giving up the prejudices of hatred is tough to do and many people will look for ways to avoid it, even at the expense of logic and common sense.
Whether or not this story was deliberately exploited by American conservative forces, it is typical of how we Americans are routinely manipulated into siding with the bad guys. The alt-right practice this manipulation as an art form, and they are constantly exploiting our willingness to vilify the wrong people.
The excoriation of the so-called “cancel culture” is a case in point, where celebrities or companies are boycotted because of their bigoted or intolerant statements or political positions. The ability of large groups to form boycotts is nothing new and has been going on since the time of the Romans. The boycott is a way of giving power to the little guys, and the one percent, the big guys, who are greedy to keep all the power to themselves, don’t like it and want to stop it. So they give it a pejorative that they call “cancel culture.”
These pejoratives are hurled at our feet every day in the form of slogans. We want to “defund the police.” We focus on Black Lives Matter to the exclusion of the damage some of the demonstrators cause, meaning we want to “destroy the cities.” When we want to remove statues and military base names, statues and bases that were created during Jim Crow in order to combat the spirit of segregation and give unmerited honour to men who fought for cessation and the promotion of slavery, we’re accused of “destroying our culture and our history.” And so on.
These decoy causes are exploited and emphasised in order to distract from the underlying injustices they hide. Conservatives in power will deal with those injustices, they say, when the looting stops, or whatever the latest excuse may be. Now is not the time, they tell us. Now is never the time.
The evil that persists beneath it all is the tacit approval of racist acts through non-condemnation of those acts, or tacit approval of runaway gun culture through non-condemnation of the hundreds of thousands of American deaths caused by guns, or the non-condemnation of the poverty and oppression created by the so-called “pro-life movement” that cannot tolerate abortion. There’s always some shiny object to distract us and keep the power in the hands of the one percent. That is why so many Trump supporters are frankly stupid. They are the trees that keep voting for the axe because he is just like them in that his handle is made of wood.
The evil we are fighting is vast and clever, composed of men and women full of counterfeit outrage intended to inspire anger and fear. It is no accident that fear is at the root of most of the evil they do. It is in the etymological root of the words they use to self-identify: homophobic, islamophobic, xenophobic, and so on.
Donald Trump is the final expression of just how far this evil can go, and just how far they are willing to go. We must come together and defeat both Trump and the evil forces that created him this November. This is a struggle for the soul of the Republic, and it’s one we absolutely must win. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--This is devastating to Jared Kushner

This is devastating to Jared Kushner

The only thing worse than having an incompetent , negligent , traitorous , illegitimate President of the United States ?
@ @ @ @ @ farming things out to his idiot son-in-law .
That ’ s precisely what Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ Kushner for the past three-plus years .
This new ad from Meidas Touch is nothing @ @ @ @ @ Kushner , as it spells out the endless string of idiotic Trump regime failures at @ @ @ @ @ if the video below won ’ t load , watch it here instead ) :

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
The only thing worse than having an incompetent, negligent, traitorous, illegitimate President of the United States? When that illegitimate President keeps farming things out to his idiot son-in-law. That’s precisely what Donald Trump has been doing with Jared Kushner for the past three-plus years.
This new ad from Meidas Touch is nothing short of devastating to Jared Kushner, as it spells out the endless string of idiotic Trump regime failures at the hands of Kushner (if the video below won’t load, watch it here instead):
📺 NEW VIDEO When America needed leadership most, he went to Jared. We paid the price.#HeWentToJared pic.twitter.com/Nrx38n0Cl7 — MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) July 2, 2020
.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


SMOKING GUN

The thing about Donald Trump ’ s Russian bounty scandal is that there was a money trail , which meant that sooner or later the media and/or whistleblowers would expose it .
The first half of the money trail came yesterday when it was reported that the U.S. intelligence community had tracked payments from the Kremlin to the Taliban .
Now the other half of the trail has been exposed .
The New York Times is reporting that Rahmatullah Azizi , a contractor in Afghanistan , has been handing out Kremlin cash to Taliban operatives who have killed U.S. soldiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all : “ Prizes of as much as $ 100,000 per killed soldier were offered for American and coalition targets.
” This is nothing short of a smoking gun .
It proves that Vladimir Putin really has been paying the Taliban to murder U.S. soldiers .
It also makes clear that this is the kind of substantive plot that the U.S. intelligence community would absolutely have made a point of telling Donald Trump about – which means he ’ s lying when he says he was never briefed about it .
Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plot against the United States .
Lock him up .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
The thing about Donald Trump’s Russian bounty scandal is that there was a money trail, which meant that sooner or later the media and/or whistleblowers would expose it. The first half of the money trail came yesterday when it was reported that the U.S. intelligence community had tracked payments from the Kremlin to the Taliban. Now the other half of the trail has been exposed.
The New York Times is reporting that Rahmatullah Azizi, a contractor in Afghanistan, has been handing out Kremlin cash to Taliban operatives who have killed U.S. soldiers. This one chilling sentence says it all: “Prizes of as much as $100,000 per killed soldier were offered for American and coalition targets.”
This is nothing short of a smoking gun. It proves that Vladimir Putin really has been paying the Taliban to murder U.S. soldiers. It also makes clear that this is the kind of substantive plot that the U.S. intelligence community would absolutely have made a point of telling Donald Trump about – which means he’s lying when he says he was never briefed about it. Trump is now proven complicit in a deadly terrorist plot against the United States. Lock him up.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--Things are about to come to a head

Things are about to come to a head

Thursday we ’ ve got a high-level briefing to be given by CIA director Gina Haspel , DNI John Ratcliffe , and NSA director Paul Nakasone to the Gang of Eight .
Ratcliffe and Nakasone will defend Trump , and Haspel will parse out a word salad so as to stay in her position .
Though these people will attempt to spin the intel to make it seem Trump didn ’ t have direct , concrete information that Russia was placing bounties on our service members , in the end , none of this will matter .
Of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and should be reacted to with the strongest appropriate force .
And maybe in the backchannels on the ground this will happen .
But Haspel , Ratcliffe and Nakasone are never going to go against Trump because they ’ re his appointees .
Pelosi , who ’ s one of the Gang of Eight , knows this .
The point of calling the meeting is to create pressure against Trump in his relationship with Putin .
As much focus as possible needs to be placed on this relationship in order to understand that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the iceberg here .
Trump will always protect Putin and therefore , Russia , and every Republican knows this .
An enormous part of their political funding comes from the NRA which has served as a conduit for Russian money .
Republicans are for Russia and only Russia .
In addition , Putin is considered the richest man on earth because of his raping the finances of the former Soviet Union .
We don ’ t know if Trump bows to Putin because he is personally in debt to him or would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money , but if Trump has to walk over our dead soldiers in order to lick Putin ’ s ass , you can bet he won ’ t think twice about it .
Our military will go after the Taliban and Russia in their channels .
Our channel is to keep the pressure on Trump to cease his corrupt relationship with Putin .
And we must vote .
We can ’ t survive another four years of this .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Thursday we’ve got a high-level briefing to be given by CIA director Gina Haspel, DNI John Ratcliffe, and NSA director Paul Nakasone to the Gang of Eight. Ratcliffe and Nakasone will defend Trump, and Haspel will parse out a word salad so as to stay in her position. Though these people will attempt to spin the intel to make it seem Trump didn’t have direct, concrete information that Russia was placing bounties on our service members, in the end, none of this will matter.
Of course, the entire Russian-Taliban bounties are an outrage and should be reacted to with the strongest appropriate force. And maybe in the backchannels on the ground this will happen. But Haspel, Ratcliffe and Nakasone are never going to go against Trump because they’re his appointees. Pelosi, who’s one of the Gang of Eight, knows this. The point of calling the meeting is to create pressure against Trump in his relationship with Putin. As much focus as possible needs to be placed on this relationship in order to understand that our dead military are just the tip of the iceberg here.
Trump will always protect Putin and therefore, Russia, and every Republican knows this. An enormous part of their political funding comes from the NRA which has served as a conduit for Russian money. Republicans are for Russia and only Russia. In addition, Putin is considered the richest man on earth because of his raping the finances of the former Soviet Union.
We don’t know if Trump bows to Putin because he is personally in debt to him or would like to be in on the oligarch money, but if Trump has to walk over our dead soldiers in order to lick Putin’s ass, you can bet he won’t think twice about it.
Our military will go after the Taliban and Russia in their channels. Our channel is to keep the pressure on Trump to cease his corrupt relationship with Putin. And we must vote. We can’t survive another four years of this.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-03--Mitch McConnell just put a deadline on Donald Trump’s downfall

All along there ’ s never been any doubt that Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans would selfishly sell out Donald Trump if his numbers got ugly enough .
The only question has been whether Trump ’ s numbers would reach that threshold .
Now that Trump ’ s numbers have indeed collapsed , McConnell is indeed making preparations for Trump ’ s downfall – and he appears to be making sure everyone knows it .
Two different news outlets are now reporting that Mitch McConnell has penciled in a deadline for Donald Trump to turn around his disastrous poll numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t happen , McConnell will advise Republican Senators to distance themselves from Trump in their reelection bids .
Vanity Fair says the deadline is around Labor Day – which is the first week of September – while Reuters says the deadline is “ perhaps as soon as August.
” So what ’ s really going on here ?
McConnell ’ s working theory appears to be that if Donald Trump doesn ’ t turn it around by this August-September deadline , then he ’ s not going to turn it around – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off trying to save themselves by kicking dirt on Trump ’ s proverbial grave .
What stands out is that this deadline was leaked to two different news outlets in rapid succession .
This suggests that McConnell is making a point of leaking this story , as a way of sending a clear signal to everyone involved that Trump is on the clock .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
All along there’s never been any doubt that Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans would selfishly sell out Donald Trump if his numbers got ugly enough. The only question has been whether Trump’s numbers would reach that threshold. Now that Trump’s numbers have indeed collapsed, McConnell is indeed making preparations for Trump’s downfall – and he appears to be making sure everyone knows it.
Two different news outlets are now reporting that Mitch McConnell has penciled in a deadline for Donald Trump to turn around his disastrous poll numbers, and that if it doesn’t happen, McConnell will advise Republican Senators to distance themselves from Trump in their reelection bids. Vanity Fair says the deadline is around Labor Day – which is the first week of September – while Reuters says the deadline is “perhaps as soon as August.” So what’s really going on here?
McConnell’s working theory appears to be that if Donald Trump doesn’t turn it around by this August-September deadline, then he’s not going to turn it around – and in such case Republican Senators are better off trying to save themselves by kicking dirt on Trump’s proverbial grave. What stands out is that this deadline was leaked to two different news outlets in rapid succession. This suggests that McConnell is making a point of leaking this story, as a way of sending a clear signal to everyone involved that Trump is on the clock.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-03--It’s time to talk about what’s going on with Donald Trump’s cognitive abilities

Frustrated by the rather childish and amateur Trump campaign ads on my Facebook newsfeed , I asked whether Donald Trump was running for president of the United States or president of his fifth grade student council .
Not only does he use the same repetitive nonsense about Joe Biden losing his cognitive abilities , the production value of these ads is terrible .
I ’ m probably not alone in this either – seeing that it ’ s a desperate and hollow attack that doesn ’ t distract from how woefully incompetent Donald Trump has been as president .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Donald Trump ’ s latest scandal involving Russia – namely , Trump ’ s attempts to plead ignorance on the whole thing – he decided to go there and ask if Trump ’ s memory was okay .
Biden pointed out : “ This president talks about cognitive ability .
He doesn ’ t seem to be cognitively aware of what ’ s going on .
He either reads and/or gets briefed on important issues and he forgets it , or he doesn ’ t think it ’ s necessary that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a serious concern that Palmer Report has been asking for awhile , and it ’ s time that the mainstream media starts to ask it as well .
Joe Biden pushed even further , asking why Trump didn ’ t check with the intelligence communities to see if the issue had been resolved , which means he ’ s either physically incapable of performing his duties as president , or dangerously corrupt , though the majority of our readers have probably believed it to be a combination of both of these things for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought re-election and the subject of his age came up at a debate , he famously quipped that he would refuse to exploit his opponent ’ s “ youth and inexperience ” – a reply that even got a laugh from his opponent , former Vice President Mondale .
Many people remember that as the moment when it was clear Reagan would win .
For Joe Biden , this may have been one of those moments .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Frustrated by the rather childish and amateur Trump campaign ads on my Facebook newsfeed, I asked whether Donald Trump was running for president of the United States or president of his fifth grade student council. Not only does he use the same repetitive nonsense about Joe Biden losing his cognitive abilities, the production value of these ads is terrible. I’m probably not alone in this either – seeing that it’s a desperate and hollow attack that doesn’t distract from how woefully incompetent Donald Trump has been as president.
When Biden himself was being interviewed on television about Donald Trump’s latest scandal involving Russia – namely, Trump’s attempts to plead ignorance on the whole thing – he decided to go there and ask if Trump’s memory was okay. Biden pointed out: “This president talks about cognitive ability. He doesn’t seem to be cognitively aware of what’s going on. He either reads and/or gets briefed on important issues and he forgets it, or he doesn’t think it’s necessary that he needs to know it.”
This is a serious concern that Palmer Report has been asking for awhile, and it’s time that the mainstream media starts to ask it as well. Joe Biden pushed even further, asking why Trump didn’t check with the intelligence communities to see if the issue had been resolved, which means he’s either physically incapable of performing his duties as president, or dangerously corrupt, though the majority of our readers have probably believed it to be a combination of both of these things for a long time.
When President Reagan sought re-election and the subject of his age came up at a debate, he famously quipped that he would refuse to exploit his opponent’s “youth and inexperience” – a reply that even got a laugh from his opponent, former Vice President Mondale. Many people remember that as the moment when it was clear Reagan would win. For Joe Biden, this may have been one of those moments.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--Perfect timing: SDNY’s Geoffrey Berman is testifying to the House Judiciary Committee

Today the SDNY and its new Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss arrested Jeffrey Epstein ’ s alleged co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell .
It served as a reminder that when Donald Trump and Bill Barr managed to oust Geoffrey Berman from the SDNY two weeks ago , they failed to take control of the SDNY ’ s criminal cases .
It ’ s now clear that Berman sacrificed his job and career in order to keep the SDNY intact , confirming that he ’ s one of the good guys .
Now Berman is taking the next logical step by testifying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN says that the testimony will be behind closed doors , which make sense , as he ’ ll be asked about ongoing criminal cases that can ’ t be discussed publicly .
But here ’ s the thing .
We ’ ve consistently seen that whenever someone testifies to Congress behind closed doors , various committee members quickly begin giving the non-secret portions of the testimony to the media .
So next week we should start seeing headlines revealing just what Trump and Barr were really up to when they ousted Berman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Today the SDNY and its new Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss arrested Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. It served as a reminder that when Donald Trump and Bill Barr managed to oust Geoffrey Berman from the SDNY two weeks ago, they failed to take control of the SDNY’s criminal cases.
It’s now clear that Berman sacrificed his job and career in order to keep the SDNY intact, confirming that he’s one of the good guys. Now Berman is taking the next logical step by testifying to the House Judiciary Committee next week. CNN says that the testimony will be behind closed doors, which make sense, as he’ll be asked about ongoing criminal cases that can’t be discussed publicly. But here’s the thing.
We’ve consistently seen that whenever someone testifies to Congress behind closed doors, various committee members quickly begin giving the non-secret portions of the testimony to the media. So next week we should start seeing headlines revealing just what Trump and Barr were really up to when they ousted Berman and tried to take over the SDNY.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--The real reason the SDNY Public Corruption Unit is handling the Ghislaine Maxwell case

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested today and hit with half a dozen charges in relation to Epstein ’ s rape of underage girls , meaning today is a good day for justice , and a bad day for Maxwell .
As it turns out , today is also a bad day for at least one public official .
Former SDNY employee and current CNN legal analyst Elie Honig has pointed out that the SDNY Public Corruption Unit doesn ’ t take up these kinds of sex trafficking cases “ unless there is some potential angle against a public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office is a suspect or target in the Epstein-Maxwell crime spree .
Former FBI Assistant Director and current NBC News legal analyst Frank Figliuzzi responded to Honig and stated his expectation that the public official in question is former Trump Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta , the former prosecutor who helped let Epstein off the hook years ago , and who may have obstructed justice in the process .
Of course there is also the possibility that the “ public official ” in question is Donald Trump himself .
He had a suspicious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became even more suspicious when Epstein died while in the custody of Trump ’ s Department of Justice .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested today and hit with half a dozen charges in relation to Epstein’s rape of underage girls, meaning today is a good day for justice, and a bad day for Maxwell. As it turns out, today is also a bad day for at least one public official.
Former SDNY employee and current CNN legal analyst Elie Honig has pointed out that the SDNY Public Corruption Unit doesn’t take up these kinds of sex trafficking cases “unless there is some potential angle against a public official.” This means someone in high office is a suspect or target in the Epstein-Maxwell crime spree.
Former FBI Assistant Director and current NBC News legal analyst Frank Figliuzzi responded to Honig and stated his expectation that the public official in question is former Trump Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, the former prosecutor who helped let Epstein off the hook years ago, and who may have obstructed justice in the process.
Of course there is also the possibility that the “public official” in question is Donald Trump himself. He had a suspicious decades-long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, which became even more suspicious when Epstein died while in the custody of Trump’s Department of Justice.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--Donald Trump’s Tulsa debacle gets even uglier as rally attendee Herman Cain hospitalized with corona

Donald Trump’s Tulsa debacle gets even uglier as rally attendee Herman Cain hospitalized with coronavirus

Donald Trump ’ s Tulsa rally was an instant embarrassment for him , with the building only filled to one-third capacity .
Now the rally is turning into even more of a debacle .
Trump surrogate Herman Cain , who was at the rally , has now been hospitalized with coronavirus .
Cain ’ s people made the announcement on his Twitter account this afternoon .
It ’ s not clear when or where he caught the virus .
But the Tulsa rally was a little under two weeks ago , which fits within the timeframe for developing symptoms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ good chance that Cain caught the virus at the Trump rally , and has been spreading it around ever since .
Herman Cain ’ s people have announced that he ’ s not on a ventilator .
But he ’ s 74 years old , putting him in a high risk category for coronavirus complications .
His Twitter feed reveals that he was not wearing a mask at the Trump rally , a reminder that not wearing a mask is always a poor choice .
Here ’ s the thing .
If Cain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally , it raises questions about how many other Trump surrogates may have caught it at the rally .
Did Cain have contact with Donald Trump ?
Did Trump and Cain both have contact with the same infected person ?
This keeps getting uglier .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Donald Trump’s Tulsa rally was an instant embarrassment for him, with the building only filled to one-third capacity. Now the rally is turning into even more of a debacle. Trump surrogate Herman Cain, who was at the rally, has now been hospitalized with coronavirus.
Cain’s people made the announcement on his Twitter account this afternoon. It’s not clear when or where he caught the virus. But the Tulsa rally was a little under two weeks ago, which fits within the timeframe for developing symptoms. In other words there’s a good chance that Cain caught the virus at the Trump rally, and has been spreading it around ever since.
Herman Cain’s people have announced that he’s not on a ventilator. But he’s 74 years old, putting him in a high risk category for coronavirus complications. His Twitter feed reveals that he was not wearing a mask at the Trump rally, a reminder that not wearing a mask is always a poor choice.
Here’s the thing. If Cain did catch the coronavirus at the Trump rally, it raises questions about how many other Trump surrogates may have caught it at the rally. Did Cain have contact with Donald Trump? Did Trump and Cain both have contact with the same infected person? This keeps getting uglier.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--Speaker Nancy Pelosi drops the hammer on Donald Trump

There ’ s no remaining doubt that Donald Trump knew all along about the Russian bounty plot against the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ doing what he always does when a story isn ’ t going his way : @ @ @ @ @ a hoax .
But Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is having absolutely none of @ @ @ @ @ MSNBC and spelled out exactly what Donald Trump means when he calls the Russian bounty @ @ @ @ @ ( if the video below won ’ t load on your device , go here @ @ @

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
There’s no remaining doubt that Donald Trump knew all along about the Russian bounty plot against the U.S. military. Now Trump is doing what he always does when a story isn’t going his way: he’s calling it a hoax. But Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is having absolutely none of it.
Pelosi appeared on MSNBC and spelled out exactly what Donald Trump means when he calls the Russian bounty scandal a “hoax” (if the video below won’t load on your device, go here instead):
When the President calls anything a "hoax", we know it’s likely a confirmation of the facts and certainly his confession of planned inaction. pic.twitter.com/zOVLZMJJMh — Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) July 1, 2020
.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-07-02--The real reason the SDNY chose now to arrest Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell

The inevitable finally happened today when the SDNY arrested Jeffrey Epstein ’ s associate Ghislaine Maxwell and hit her with half a dozen charges related to her alleged role in Epstein ’ s rape of underage girls .
On the surface , this is a welcome development .
Of course it leads to a lot of questions and some skepticism .
Back when the Feds arrested Epstein , he promptly died in what was a suspicious suicide .
Some observers still suspect Attorney General Bill Barr had Epstein bumped off in order to keep Epstein from flipping on his longtime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now suspect Barr is planning to have Ghislaine Maxwell bumped off in prison .
But even if you believe Barr had Epstein killed , you can ’ t pull off two phony suicides in the same case and still call it coincidence .
Barr is rapidly revealing that he ’ s not the brightest , but even he ’ s not that stupid – is he ?
Skeptics are also wondering if Barr had Maxwell arrested in the hope of coercing her into falsely implicating the Clintons in Epstein ’ s crimes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revenge on the Clintons .
But this theory falls apart when you consider that everyone including Maxwell knows that Trump and Barr are likely to be gone from office in six months , and after that , any such dishonest plea deal would only land her in more legal trouble .
If you believe that timing is everything , it ’ s worth considering that just a couple weeks ago , Donald Trump and Bill Barr tried and failed to take over the SDNY and put their own lackey in charge .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a specific arrest or criminal case they were trying to foil .
Now suddenly Jeffrey Epstein ’ s associate Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested .
It feels like the most plausible scenario is that Barr knew Maxwell ’ s arrest was coming and tried ( but failed ) to stop it .
But we ’ ll see how this one plays out .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
The inevitable finally happened today when the SDNY arrested Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell and hit her with half a dozen charges related to her alleged role in Epstein’s rape of underage girls. On the surface, this is a welcome development. Of course it leads to a lot of questions and some skepticism.
Back when the Feds arrested Epstein, he promptly died in what was a suspicious suicide. Some observers still suspect Attorney General Bill Barr had Epstein bumped off in order to keep Epstein from flipping on his longtime friend Donald Trump. Those same observers now suspect Barr is planning to have Ghislaine Maxwell bumped off in prison. But even if you believe Barr had Epstein killed, you can’t pull off two phony suicides in the same case and still call it coincidence. Barr is rapidly revealing that he’s not the brightest, but even he’s not that stupid – is he?
Skeptics are also wondering if Barr had Maxwell arrested in the hope of coercing her into falsely implicating the Clintons in Epstein’s crimes, in order to help Donald Trump get revenge on the Clintons. But this theory falls apart when you consider that everyone including Maxwell knows that Trump and Barr are likely to be gone from office in six months, and after that, any such dishonest plea deal would only land her in more legal trouble.
If you believe that timing is everything, it’s worth considering that just a couple weeks ago, Donald Trump and Bill Barr tried and failed to take over the SDNY and put their own lackey in charge. At the time we all wondered if there was a specific arrest or criminal case they were trying to foil. Now suddenly Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested. It feels like the most plausible scenario is that Barr knew Maxwell’s arrest was coming and tried (but failed) to stop it. But we’ll see how this one plays out.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.