politicususa--2020-04-16--Pelosi Rips Trump For Delaying Stimulus Checks So His Name Could Be Printed On Them

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) called Trump ’ s delay of stimulus payments so that his name could be printed on the checks shameful .
Transcript of Speaker Pelosi on CNN ’ s The Lead with Jake Tapper : Jake Tapper .
What ’ s your take on President Trump ’ s name appearing on these stimulus checks ?
Speaker Pelosi .
Shameful .
Just as – in other words , people are really desperate to get a check .
Let me put it in perspective .
The three things that really anger the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them are , one , that our first responders , our health care workers , our police and fire , our EMS , all the people in food and other essential workers , do not have the equipment that they need to keep themselves safe as they manage to attend to the needs of others , that they do not have the ventilators and other equipment to save lives that are in their charge .
That ’ s one .
The second is , they want their checks .
They want their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payment check that you ’ re talking about here .
They want their PPP , the Paycheck Protection Program , checks to come forward , and they ’ re not seeing that .
And the third thing they want is for us not to have any of the billions of dollars that have gone to big business to help keep people employed , they don ’ t want any of that to be used to enrich shareholders , buybacks , bonuses , dividends , CEO pay and the rest of that .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there , that ’ s what we do in the CARES Act , is to make all of this something that would happen .
But , again , the entree , the door opening , the threshold to cross into opening up our economy , is through testing , testing , testing .
People are desperate .
They need to buy food , pay rent , pay their mortgage , utility and credit card bills are piling up , and Donald Trump withheld basic cash relief to them because he wanted his name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus isn ’ t about Donald Trump .
The American people need help , and Trump is busy trying to provoke a constitutional crisis over adjourning Congress .
People are suffering as this president continues to only think about himself .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called Trump’s delay of stimulus payments so that his name could be printed on the checks shameful.
Transcript of Speaker Pelosi on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper:
Jake Tapper. What’s your take on President Trump’s name appearing on these stimulus checks?
Speaker Pelosi. Shameful. Just as – in other words, people are really desperate to get a check. Let me put it in perspective. The three things that really anger the American people, there are others, but three of them are, one, that our first responders, our health care workers, our police and fire, our EMS, all the people in food and other essential workers, do not have the equipment that they need to keep themselves safe as they manage to attend to the needs of others, that they do not have the ventilators and other equipment to save lives that are in their charge. That’s one.
The second is, they want their checks. They want their unemployment check. They want their direct payment check that you’re talking about here. They want their PPP, the Paycheck Protection Program, checks to come forward, and they’re not seeing that.
And the third thing they want is for us not to have any of the billions of dollars that have gone to big business to help keep people employed, they don’t want any of that to be used to enrich shareholders, buybacks, bonuses, dividends, CEO pay and the rest of that.
So, if you put those three things there, that’s what we do in the CARES Act, is to make all of this something that would happen. But, again, the entree, the door opening, the threshold to cross into opening up our economy, is through testing, testing, testing.
Video:
“Shameful.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reacts to President Trump putting his name on paper stimulus checks. https://t.co/IVVzemAR4b pic.twitter.com/gwRK4O6HHn — The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) April 15, 2020
People are desperate. They need to buy food, pay rent, pay their mortgage, utility and credit card bills are piling up, and Donald Trump withheld basic cash relief to them because he wanted his name to appear on the checks.
The coronavirus isn’t about Donald Trump. The American people need help, and Trump is busy trying to provoke a constitutional crisis over adjourning Congress.
People are suffering as this president continues to only think about himself.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-04-15--Trump Tantrums And Threatens To Adjourn Congress (Which He Can’t Do)

Trump threatens to adjourn Congress unless they confirm several of his nominees .
The problem is that Trump doesn ’ t actually have the power to carry out his threat .
Whether it ’ s Russia , Russia , Russia , or whether it ’ s impeachment hoax , or whatever it may be , it ’ s always roadblocks and a waste of time .
If the House will not bring to that adjournment , I will exercise my constitutional authority to adjourn both chambers of congress .
The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro Forma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American people can not afford during this crisis .
It is a scam what they do .
It ’ s a scam .
And everybody knows it .
And it ’ s been that way for a long time .
And perhaps it ’ s never done before , it ’ s never been done before .
Nobody is even sure if it has , but we ’ re going to do it .
We need these people here .
We need people for this crisis , and we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve been waiting for two and a half years , three years for some of these people .
The problem is that the president can only adjourn Congress when the House and Senate can ’ t agree on a date for ending the current session .
The House and Senate have already agreed on a date : Trump is promising to do things that he doesn ’ t have the power to do .
Trump claimed he has the authority to reopen the economy .
He doesn ’ t .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump has tried to blame the states , China , the WHO , the media , and now Democrats in Congress for the coronavirus .
Trump is looking to take attention away from his failed policies .
Trump has no power or authority to adjourn Congress .
It is just more hot air from an impotent president , who wishes he were king .

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Trump threatens to adjourn Congress unless they confirm several of his nominees. The problem is that Trump doesn’t actually have the power to carry out his threat.
Trump said:
Whether it’s Russia, Russia, Russia, or whether it’s impeachment hoax, or whatever it may be, it’s always roadblocks and a waste of time. If the House will not bring to that adjournment, I will exercise my constitutional authority to adjourn both chambers of congress. The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro Forma sessions is a dereliction of duty that the American people cannot afford during this crisis.
It is a scam what they do. It’s a scam. And everybody knows it. And it’s been that way for a long time. And perhaps it’s never done before, it’s never been done before. Nobody is even sure if it has, but we’re going to do it. We need these people here. We need people for this crisis, and we don’t want to play any more political games. I’ve been waiting for two and a half years, three years for some of these people.
Video:
Trump appears to have a limitless supply of dumb things that he can do to harm the country during the coronavirus, including adjourning Congress because he is mad about his unqualified nominees not being confirmed. pic.twitter.com/7ZffoXQibE — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 15, 2020
The problem is that the president can only adjourn Congress when the House and Senate can’t agree on a date for ending the current session. The House and Senate have already agreed on a date:
Article II of the Constitution gives the President the power to adjourn Congress if—and only if—the House and Senate cannot agree on a date for ending the current session. But they have agreed—January 3, 2021. There’s a reason why this power has *never* been exercised before. https://t.co/3536ThYuVT — Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 15, 2020
Trump is promising to do things that he doesn’t have the power to do. Trump claimed he has the authority to reopen the economy. He doesn’t. Trump can’t adjourn Congress.
Donald Trump has tried to blame the states, China, the WHO, the media, and now Democrats in Congress for the coronavirus. Trump is looking to take attention away from his failed policies. Trump has no power or authority to adjourn Congress.
It is just more hot air from an impotent president, who wishes he were king.


politicususa--2020-04-15--MSNBC Dumps Trump Briefing When He Plays A Propaganda Video

MSNBC cut away from Trump ’ s coronavirus briefing when he tried to play a video that he said was from GM because they did not know what was in the video .
Trump said , “ GM will ship over 600 ventilators this month alone with thousands more to come , and we have other companies doing something similar .
And I think they said that there is a brief clip that we have of general motors sent to us by general motors .
And I think they might be wanting to play that for your benefit.
” MSNBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained , “ We ’ re not going to go into videos .
We had no editorial preview on that .
But Austin , I want to talk about the issue of reopening the and how supposedly the financial industry said yeah , everybody wants to reopen , but they had one piece of advice for him , ramp-up testing.
” Trump got away with playing a propaganda video at a previous briefing , but the networks have learned , and they aren ’ t going to be fooled again .
It would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show these videos .
It would be even better if they wouldn ’ t show the president speaking at all and save the live coverage for the health experts .
Little by little , Trump is losing his coronavirus propaganda platform .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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MSNBC cut away from Trump’s coronavirus briefing when he tried to play a video that he said was from GM because they did not know what was in the video.
Trump said, “GM will ship over 600 ventilators this month alone with thousands more to come, and we have other companies doing something similar. And I think they said that there is a brief clip that we have of general motors sent to us by general motors. And I think they might be wanting to play that for your benefit.”
MSNBC’s Chuck Todd cut in and explained, “We’re not going to go into videos. We had no editorial preview on that. But Austin, I want to talk about the issue of reopening the and how supposedly the financial industry said yeah, everybody wants to reopen, but they had one piece of advice for him, ramp-up testing.”
Video:
MSNBC dumps Trump's coronavirus briefing when he tries to play another propaganda video. pic.twitter.com/WDHvTfQgW9 — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 15, 2020
Trump got away with playing a propaganda video at a previous briefing, but the networks have learned, and they aren’t going to be fooled again. It would good practice for all networks not to show these videos. It would be even better if they wouldn’t show the president speaking at all and save the live coverage for the health experts.
Little by little, Trump is losing his coronavirus propaganda platform.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-04-15--Americans Enraged As Trump Launches Broken Stimulus Check Tracking Website

The IRS unveiled a tool for people to track their stimulus payment checks , but there is a problem .
The website doesn ’ t work and is locking users out .
This is the message that one gets after entering their information on the website : Trump can ’ t even launch a website for people to track if their stimulus checks have been issued , and the American people are not happy : The odds are that people are getting the Payment Status Not Available message because the system is overwhelmed with requests , which could have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fact that the United States is currently experiencing a pandemic and the economy is tanking .
The rollout of the stimulus checks wouldn ’ t be such a disaster if Trump wouldn ’ t have delayed the payments so that his signature could appear on the checks .
Republicans mocked Obama when the ACA website failed , but what Trump did is much worse .
He delayed a program during a national emergency , and then couldn ’ t get his administration put up a website that worked .
Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so it is no surprise that the website is another piece of evidence of Trump ’ s incompetence .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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The IRS unveiled a tool for people to track their stimulus payment checks, but there is a problem. The website doesn’t work and is locking users out.
This is the message that one gets after entering their information on the website:
Trump can’t even launch a website for people to track if their stimulus checks have been issued, and the American people are not happy:
The IRS payment site is live, but it doesn’t work. I file very simple taxes and filed on time for 2018. Yet the site says “payment status not available” and that they can’t determine my eligibility at this time. So it’s shit, just like everything else this administration does. — Kristin (@YankeeSpice) April 15, 2020
IRS: We have accepted and processed your 2019 tax return. IRS Get My Payment: Payment status not available. Can't determine eligibility. Also IRS: You're locked out for 24 hours you peasant. #AmericaInANutshell#StimulusCheck — David Burant (@drburant) April 15, 2020
The odds are that people are getting the Payment Status Not Available message because the system is overwhelmed with requests, which could have been easily anticipated and prepared for due to the fact that the United States is currently experiencing a pandemic and the economy is tanking.
The rollout of the stimulus checks wouldn’t be such a disaster if Trump wouldn’t have delayed the payments so that his signature could appear on the checks.
Republicans mocked Obama when the ACA website failed, but what Trump did is much worse. He delayed a program during a national emergency, and then couldn’t get his administration put up a website that worked.
Trump’s entire coronavirus response has been a failure, so it is no surprise that the website is another piece of evidence of Trump’s incompetence.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-04-15--Kellyanne Conway Makes False Claim About The Nature of the Name “Covid-19”

Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway defended President Donald Trump amid criticisms over his decision to defund the World Health Organization ( WHO ) as the nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic .
“ The President took decisive and immediate action at the end of January to shut down flights to China , ” she said during an appearance on “ Fox and Friends.
” “ That was criticized by the WHO .
It was criticized by other people as xenophobic and racist and travel bans don ’ t work .
Well , this one sure did .
We have every right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know because what ’ s happened here in this global pandemic.
” Conway then implied that WHO was possibly obscuring the actual facts and figures on the pandemic and had multiple chances to address the problem of coronavirus before it snowballed .
“ But there ’ s another reason , some of the scientists and doctors say that there could be other strains later on .
This could come back in the fall in a limited way .
This is Covid-19 , not Covid-1 , folks , ” she said .
“ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World Health Organization facts and figures would be on top of that .
This is just a pause right now .
So there is an investigation , examination to what happened .
But people should know the facts.
” You can watch the exchange below .
This is false : The reason why the coronavirus is named “ Covid-19 ” is because the virus emerged in 2019 and was named in accordance with WHO “ best practices.
” “ Following WHO best practices for naming of new human infectious diseases , which were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World Organisation for Animal Health ( OIE ) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO ) , ” WHO notes in February 11 Situation Report .
“ WHO has named the disease Covid-19 , short for ‘ coronavirus disease 2019 . '
” “ This name was chosen because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003 , ” WHO continues .
“ While related , the two viruses are different .
”

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Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway defended President Donald Trump amid criticisms over his decision to defund the World Health Organization (WHO) as the nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.
“The President took decisive and immediate action at the end of January to shut down flights to China,” she said during an appearance on “Fox and Friends.” “That was criticized by the WHO. It was criticized by other people as xenophobic and racist and travel bans don’t work. Well, this one sure did. We have every right to know. And every right to know because what’s happened here in this global pandemic.”
Conway then implied that WHO was possibly obscuring the actual facts and figures on the pandemic and had multiple chances to address the problem of coronavirus before it snowballed.
“But there’s another reason, some of the scientists and doctors say that there could be other strains later on. This could come back in the fall in a limited way. This is Covid-19, not Covid-1, folks,” she said. “You would think that people charged with the World Health Organization facts and figures would be on top of that. This is just a pause right now. So there is an investigation, examination to what happened. But people should know the facts.”
You can watch the exchange below.
Kellyanne Conway: "This is COVID-19, not COVID-1 folks, and so you would think the people in charge of the World Health Organization, facts and figures, would be on top of that." pic.twitter.com/losQ3H4ZhW — Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) April 15, 2020
This is false: The reason why the coronavirus is named “Covid-19” is because the virus emerged in 2019 and was named in accordance with WHO “best practices.”
“Following WHO best practices for naming of new human infectious diseases, which were developed in consultation and collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),” WHO notes in February 11 Situation Report. “WHO has named the disease Covid-19, short for ‘coronavirus disease 2019.'”
“This name was chosen because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003,” WHO continues. “While related, the two viruses are different.”


politicususa--2020-04-15--Democrat Maxine Waters Claims Trump Is ‘Slow Walking America to Dictatorship’

President Trump ’ s actions are leading the U.S. toward dictatorship , a senior Democrat has said .
Congresswoman Maxine Waters slammed the President for opposing vote by mail and warned Americans to ‘ beware.
’ Waters has been a harsh critic of Trump ’ s and she didn ’ t hold back in a 4 am tweet on Wednesday .
“ Press attacks , owns AG Barr , controlling our courts including Supreme Court , firing inspector generals , complimenting Putin & Kim Jong Un , now trying to defund US Postal Service , & opposing vote by mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of President Trump ’ s response to the Coronavirus .
She sent a series of tweets on Tuesday condemning his approach and calling for more to be done .
She focused on news reports that stimulus checks to Americans will be delayed because Trump has insisted on placing his signature on them .
“ People may think it ’ s a BOGUS check from a BOGUS president !
” Waters remarked .
“ If that is not enough , commandeering medical equipment meant for first responders , doctors , nurses & health personnel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused Trump of “ recommending untested medicine , claiming authority to determine when to open up schools & when COVID19 is no longer a threat.
” Trump and Waters have a history .
The President has launched stinging attacks on the California Democrat in the past .
“ Crazy Maxine Waters , said by some to be one of the most corrupt people in politics , is rapidly becoming , together with Nancy Pelosi , the FACE of the Democrat Party , ” he tweeted in 2018 .

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President Trump’s actions are leading the U.S. toward dictatorship, a senior Democrat has said. Congresswoman Maxine Waters slammed the President for opposing vote by mail and warned Americans to ‘beware.’
Waters has been a harsh critic of Trump’s and she didn’t hold back in a 4 am tweet on Wednesday.
“People beware! ” Waters wrote. “Trump is slow walking America to dictatorship.”
“Press attacks, owns AG Barr, controlling our courts including Supreme Court, firing inspector generals, complimenting Putin & Kim Jong Un, now trying to defund US Postal Service, & opposing vote by mail!”
People beware! Trump is slow walking America to dictatorship. Press attacks, owns AG Barr, controlling our courts including Supreme Court, firing inspector generals, complimenting Putin & Kim Jong Un, now trying to defund US Postal Service, & opposing vote by mail! — Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) April 15, 2020
Waters has been highly critical of President Trump’s response to the Coronavirus. She sent a series of tweets on Tuesday condemning his approach and calling for more to be done.
She focused on news reports that stimulus checks to Americans will be delayed because Trump has insisted on placing his signature on them.
“People may think it’s a BOGUS check from a BOGUS president!” Waters remarked.
“If that is not enough, commandeering medical equipment meant for first responders, doctors, nurses & health personnel,” Waters went on.
She accused Trump of “recommending untested medicine, claiming authority to determine when to open up schools & when COVID19 is no longer a threat.”
Trump and Waters have a history. The President has launched stinging attacks on the California Democrat in the past.
“Crazy Maxine Waters, said by some to be one of the most corrupt people in politics, is rapidly becoming, together with Nancy Pelosi, the FACE of the Democrat Party,” he tweeted in 2018.
Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter


politicususa--2020-04-15--Trump Barged Into Coronavirus Meeting And Announced That He Wants His Own Radio Show

Trump showed up to a coronavirus task force meeting and announced that he wanted to start his own White House talk radio show in the middle of a pandemic .
On a Saturday in early March , Donald J. Trump , clad in a baseball cap , strode into the Situation Room for a meeting with the coronavirus task force .
He didn ’ t stop by the group ’ s daily meetings often , but he had an idea he was eager to share : He wanted to start a White House talk radio show .
At the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country , and Mr. Trump would soon announce a ban on European travel .
A talk radio show , Mr. Trump excitedly explained , would allow him to quell Americans ’ fears and answer their questions about the pandemic directly , according to three White House officials who heard the pitch .
There would be no screening , he said , just an open line for people to call and engage one-on-one with the president .
Trump wanted to spend two working hours a day , every weekday of his presidency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off of the idea , because he didn ’ t want to compete with Rush Limbaugh and refused to do his show on evenings or weekends .
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are sick .
Tens of thousands of people are dead , with thousands more dying each day , and Donald Trump ’ s big idea to deal with a public health crisis is a talk show .
Trump ’ s working schedule is only a few hours a day , and he spends two of those hours on television at coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump isn ’ t interested in keeping the American people safe .
He is all about optics and his reelection campaign .
Donald Trump is a president who is literally all talk and no action .

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Trump showed up to a coronavirus task force meeting and announced that he wanted to start his own White House talk radio show in the middle of a pandemic.
Via The Washington Post:
On a Saturday in early March, Donald J. Trump, clad in a baseball cap, strode into the Situation Room for a meeting with the coronavirus task force. He didn’t stop by the group’s daily meetings often, but he had an idea he was eager to share: He wanted to start a White House talk radio show.
At the time, the virus was rapidly spreading across the country, and Mr. Trump would soon announce a ban on European travel. A talk radio show, Mr. Trump excitedly explained, would allow him to quell Americans’ fears and answer their questions about the pandemic directly, according to three White House officials who heard the pitch. There would be no screening, he said, just an open line for people to call and engage one-on-one with the president.
Trump wanted to spend two working hours a day, every weekday of his presidency, hosting a talk radio show. Trump-backed off of the idea, because he didn’t want to compete with Rush Limbaugh and refused to do his show on evenings or weekends.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are sick. Tens of thousands of people are dead, with thousands more dying each day, and Donald Trump’s big idea to deal with a public health crisis is a talk show. Trump’s working schedule is only a few hours a day, and he spends two of those hours on television at coronavirus briefings that have turned into propaganda rallies.
Trump isn’t interested in keeping the American people safe. He is all about optics and his reelection campaign.
Donald Trump is a president who is literally all talk and no action.


politicususa--2020-04-15--Leading Medical Journal Editor: Trump Cutting Funding to WHO Is ‘A Crime Against Humanity’

The editor of one of the world ’ s leading medical journals has condemned withholding funding from the WHO .
President Donald Trump made the decision after repeatedly criticizing the organization .
Richard Horton is editor of the British medical journal The Lancet .
His publication is one of the best of its kind in the world with a name that ’ s instantly recognizable .
Horton took to Twitter to express his outrage at Trump ’ s actions .
“ President Trump ’ s decision to defund WHO is simply this—a crime against humanity , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every citizen must resist and rebel against this appalling betrayal of global solidarity.
” The President took aim at the World Health Organization as criticism of his own handling of Coronavirus mounted .
He ’ s claimed the body spread Chinese government disinformation .
“ The WHO ’ s attack on travel restrictions put political correctness above life-saving measures , ” he said .
Trump accused the WHO of failing to “ obtain , vet and share information in a timely and transparent fashion.
” The organization has refuted this along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced a ‘ review ’ into U.S. funding for the WHO that could last for three months .
The American Medical Association also disagreed with the President .
“ Fighting a global pandemic requires international cooperation and reliance on science and data .
Cutting funding to the WHO – rather than focusing on solutions – is a dangerous move at a precarious moment for the world , ” they said in a statement .

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The editor of one of the world’s leading medical journals has condemned withholding funding from the WHO. President Donald Trump made the decision after repeatedly criticizing the organization.
Richard Horton is editor of the British medical journal The Lancet. His publication is one of the best of its kind in the world with a name that’s instantly recognizable.
Horton took to Twitter to express his outrage at Trump’s actions.
“President Trump’s decision to defund WHO is simply this—a crime against humanity,” he said.
President Trump’s decision to defund WHO is simply this—a crime against humanity. Every scientist, every health worker, every citizen must resist and rebel against this appalling betrayal of global solidarity. https://t.co/7hTwUZ4lJV — richard horton (@richardhorton1) April 14, 2020
“Every scientist, every health worker, every citizen must resist and rebel against this appalling betrayal of global solidarity.”
The President took aim at the World Health Organization as criticism of his own handling of Coronavirus mounted. He’s claimed the body spread Chinese government disinformation.
“The WHO’s attack on travel restrictions put political correctness above life-saving measures,” he said.
Trump accused the WHO of failing to “obtain, vet and share information in a timely and transparent fashion.” The organization has refuted this along with leading scientists and governments.
The President announced a ‘review’ into U.S. funding for the WHO that could last for three months.
The American Medical Association also disagreed with the President.
“Fighting a global pandemic requires international cooperation and reliance on science and data. Cutting funding to the WHO – rather than focusing on solutions – is a dangerous move at a precarious moment for the world,” they said in a statement.
Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter


politicususa--2020-04-15--Stimulus Checks Will Be Delayed As Treasury Dept Orders Trump’s Name Be Printed On Them

It ’ s official : The United States Treasury Department is ordering that physical stimulus checks being sent to millions of Americans must have Donald Trump ’ s name printed on them .
The move means that Americans in desperate need of cash in the middle of a severe economic downturn will have to wait even longer to get it , all so the president can score political points .
According to The Washington Post , “ The Treasury Department has ordered President Trump ’ s name be printed on stimulus checks the Internal Revenue Service is rushing to send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a process that is expected to slow their delivery by several days , senior agency officials said.
” More from the report : The unprecedented decision , finalized late Monday , means that when recipients open the $ 1,200 paper checks the IRS is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days , “ President Donald J. Trump ” will appear on the left side of the payment .
It will be the first time a president ’ s signature appears on an IRS disbursement , whether a routine refund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government has issued to taxpayers in recent decades either to stimulate a down economy or share the dividends of a strong one .
While some people receiving the checks — the centerpiece of the U.S. government ’ s economic relief package to stave of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic — may not care , or observe , whose name appears on them , the decision is another sign of Trump ’ s effort to cast his response to the pandemic in political terms .
While Americans struggle , Trump remains focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans die and millions lose their jobs as a result of this global health crisis , Donald Trump remains focused on himself .
He knows his response to this pandemic has been an unmitigated disaster that has cost thousands of lives and sent the U.S. economy into a free fall .
He ’ s hoping that slapping his name on $ 1,200 checks to the American people will paper right over it .
But Donald Trump ’ s damage has already been done , both from a public health and economic standpoint .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ ll be seeing the name of the man who deserves blame , not thanks .

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It’s official: The United States Treasury Department is ordering that physical stimulus checks being sent to millions of Americans must have Donald Trump’s name printed on them.
The move means that Americans in desperate need of cash in the middle of a severe economic downturn will have to wait even longer to get it, all so the president can score political points.
According to The Washington Post, “The Treasury Department has ordered President Trump’s name be printed on stimulus checks the Internal Revenue Service is rushing to send to tens of millions of Americans, a process that is expected to slow their delivery by several days, senior agency officials said.”
More from the report:
The unprecedented decision, finalized late Monday, means that when recipients open the $1,200 paper checks the IRS is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days, “President Donald J. Trump” will appear on the left side of the payment. It will be the first time a president’s signature appears on an IRS disbursement, whether a routine refund or one of the handful of checks the government has issued to taxpayers in recent decades either to stimulate a down economy or share the dividends of a strong one. While some people receiving the checks — the centerpiece of the U.S. government’s economic relief package to stave of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic — may not care, or observe, whose name appears on them, the decision is another sign of Trump’s effort to cast his response to the pandemic in political terms.
While Americans struggle, Trump remains focused on himself
As tens of thousands of Americans die and millions lose their jobs as a result of this global health crisis, Donald Trump remains focused on himself.
He knows his response to this pandemic has been an unmitigated disaster that has cost thousands of lives and sent the U.S. economy into a free fall. He’s hoping that slapping his name on $1,200 checks to the American people will paper right over it.
But Donald Trump’s damage has already been done, both from a public health and economic standpoint.
When the American people open their checks, they’ll be seeing the name of the man who deserves blame, not thanks.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


politicususa--2020-04-15--Nancy Pelosi Rips Trump To Shreds, Calling Him A ‘Weak’ Leader Who Caused Needless Death

In a devastating letter to Democratic colleagues Tuesday , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decimated Donald Trump for his mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis , calling him a “ weak person ” and a “ poor leader ” whose incompetence caused needless death and economic hardship .
“ The truth is because of an incompetent reaction to this health crisis , the strong economy handed to Donald Trump is now a disaster , causing the suffering of countless Americans and endangering lives , ” she wrote .
“ The truth is a weak person , a poor leader , takes no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” In order to move forward , we must first understand the truth of what has put us in this position : • The truth is that Donald Trump dismantled the infrastructure handed to him which was meant to plan for and overcome a pandemic , resulting in unnecessary deaths and economic disaster .
• The truth is that in January Donald Trump was warned about this pandemic , ignored those warnings , took insufficient action and caused unnecessary death and disaster .
• The truth is that Donald Trump told his most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoax and that it would magically disappear , thus endangering lives and paving the way for economic disaster .
• The truth is that we did not have proper testing available in March despite Trump repeatedly claiming that we did ; and even now , we do not have adequate tests , masks , PPE , and necessary equipment , which creates unnecessary death and suffering .
• The truth is because of an incompetent reaction to this health crisis , the strong economy handed to Donald Trump is now a disaster , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endangering lives .
• The truth is a weak person , a poor leader , takes no responsibility .
A weak person blames others .
Speaker Pelosi knows how to get under Trump ’ s thin skin Nancy Pelosi ’ s assessment of Donald Trump ’ s poor leadership throughout this crisis isn ’ t just accurate , but it ’ s also likely to get under the president ’ s thin skin .
After all , if there is one thing this president wants to be known for in the history books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong leader .
But in one crisis , Trump has confirmed what America already knew : He ’ s the weakest , most incompetent president this country has ever seen .
His failures have had devastating , deadly consequences .
Nancy Pelosi ’ s letter on Tuesday served as a not-so-subtle reminder to Trump that he will not be remembered kindly in the history books .

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In a devastating letter to Democratic colleagues Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decimated Donald Trump for his mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis, calling him a “weak person” and a “poor leader” whose incompetence caused needless death and economic hardship.
“The truth is because of an incompetent reaction to this health crisis, the strong economy handed to Donald Trump is now a disaster, causing the suffering of countless Americans and endangering lives,” she wrote. “The truth is a weak person, a poor leader, takes no responsibility. A weak person blames others.”
More of Pelosi’s devastating letter:
In order to move forward, we must first understand the truth of what has put us in this position: • The truth is that Donald Trump dismantled the infrastructure handed to him which was meant to plan for and overcome a pandemic, resulting in unnecessary deaths and economic disaster. • The truth is that in January Donald Trump was warned about this pandemic, ignored those warnings, took insufficient action and caused unnecessary death and disaster.
• The truth is that Donald Trump told his most loyal followers that the pandemic was a hoax and that it would magically disappear, thus endangering lives and paving the way for economic disaster. • The truth is that we did not have proper testing available in March despite Trump repeatedly claiming that we did; and even now, we do not have adequate tests, masks, PPE, and necessary equipment, which creates unnecessary death and suffering. • The truth is because of an incompetent reaction to this health crisis, the strong economy handed to Donald Trump is now a disaster, causing the suffering of countless Americans and endangering lives. • The truth is a weak person, a poor leader, takes no responsibility. A weak person blames others.
Speaker Pelosi knows how to get under Trump’s thin skin
Nancy Pelosi’s assessment of Donald Trump’s poor leadership throughout this crisis isn’t just accurate, but it’s also likely to get under the president’s thin skin.
After all, if there is one thing this president wants to be known for in the history books, it’s that he was a strong leader.
But in one crisis, Trump has confirmed what America already knew: He’s the weakest, most incompetent president this country has ever seen. His failures have had devastating, deadly consequences.
Nancy Pelosi’s letter on Tuesday served as a not-so-subtle reminder to Trump that he will not be remembered kindly in the history books.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


politicususa--2020-04-14--Breathless Trump Stumbles As Latest Propaganda Briefing Goes Up In Flames

Donald Trump was wheeled out of the Oval Office on Tuesday for his daily coronavirus propaganda briefing , and he found a new scapegoat for his failure to respond to this crisis : the World Health Organization ( WHO ) .
With a straight face , the president accused the WHO of “ severely mismanaging and covering up ” the pandemic , saying the organization failed to act early to curb the spread of the coronavirus .
As a result , as PoliticusUSA ’ s Jason Easley noted , the president says he is freezing funding for the global health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the middle of a deadly pandemic that has swept the U.S. More projection from a president who refuses to accept responsibility At the beginning of this crisis , Trump refused to take any responsibility for the failures of his response – whether it was downplaying the virus or failing to implement widespread testing .
On Tuesday , the desperate president continued to point fingers at everyone else for his failures , but the fact remains that the United States coronavirus outbreak and death toll has been uniquely devastating compared to much of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. leads the world in number of coronavirus infections ( more than 600,000 ) and deaths ( about 26,000 ) .
There are two versions of Trump – neither should be president What stood out more than anything about this particular briefing – even more than the president ’ s continued refusal to take responsibility for his incompetence – is just how small and out of his depth Trump looked .
After his meltdown during Monday ’ s coronavirus briefing , Trump appeared out of breath , even deflated , on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simple script he was given .
Aaron Rupar of Vox highlighted some of Trump ’ s reading struggles throughout the event .
Ultimately , there appear to be two versions of Donald Trump : the seemingly doped up , semi-literate version the country saw on Tuesday , and the one who threw out the script during an out-of-control temper tantrum on Monday .
Neither should be president of the United States .

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Donald Trump was wheeled out of the Oval Office on Tuesday for his daily coronavirus propaganda briefing, and he found a new scapegoat for his failure to respond to this crisis: the World Health Organization (WHO).
With a straight face, the president accused the WHO of “severely mismanaging and covering up” the pandemic, saying the organization failed to act early to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
As a result, as PoliticusUSA’s Jason Easley noted, the president says he is freezing funding for the global health organization, pending an investigation – in the middle of a deadly pandemic that has swept the U.S.
More projection from a president who refuses to accept responsibility
At the beginning of this crisis, Trump refused to take any responsibility for the failures of his response – whether it was downplaying the virus or failing to implement widespread testing.
On Tuesday, the desperate president continued to point fingers at everyone else for his failures, but the fact remains that the United States coronavirus outbreak and death toll has been uniquely devastating compared to much of the world.
As of this writing, the U.S. leads the world in number of coronavirus infections (more than 600,000) and deaths (about 26,000).
There are two versions of Trump – neither should be president
What stood out more than anything about this particular briefing – even more than the president’s continued refusal to take responsibility for his incompetence – is just how small and out of his depth Trump looked.
After his meltdown during Monday’s coronavirus briefing, Trump appeared out of breath, even deflated, on Tuesday and often struggled to read from the simple script he was given.
Aaron Rupar of Vox highlighted some of Trump’s reading struggles throughout the event.
adventures in reading with Trump pic.twitter.com/y9r3t2q5if — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2020
Ultimately, there appear to be two versions of Donald Trump: the seemingly doped up, semi-literate version the country saw on Tuesday, and the one who threw out the script during an out-of-control temper tantrum on Monday.
Neither should be president of the United States.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


politicususa--2020-04-14--Trump Loses It And Threatens To Leave His Own Coronavirus Briefing

Trump was pushed on people not being able to get tested and social distancing , so he blew up and threatened to leave his own coronavirus briefing .
Q : Today 600,000 cases , 25,000 deaths .
I know you want to blame the W.H.O .
I ’ ve spoken to hundreds of people across the country in the last few weeks who say they still can ’ t get tested and they aren ’ t social distancing .
They aren ’ t — Trump : Excuse me .
I know your question .
You ready ?
The governors are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s up to the governors .
Go ahead , please .
Q : They say they ’ re following your lead , that they are not social distancing — Trump : The governors are doing the testing .
It ’ s now not up and hasn ’ t been up to the federal government .
Go ahead .
Trump : I told them when they put this guy here , it ’ s nothing but trouble .
He ’ s a showboat .
If you keep talking , I ’ ll leave and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of these people .
If you keep talking , I ’ m going to leave and you can have it out with them .
Trump was asked a question about people not being able to get tested and being like him and not practicing social distancing .
He responded by throwing a fit and threatening to walk out of his own press briefing .
Donald Trump can ’ t make it through a single one of these briefings without losing it in some way .
Trump ’ s plan to blame the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already fallen apart .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Trump was pushed on people not being able to get tested and social distancing, so he blew up and threatened to leave his own coronavirus briefing.
The exchange:
Q: Today 600,000 cases, 25,000 deaths. I know you want to blame the W.H.O. I’ve spoken to hundreds of people across the country in the last few weeks who say they still can’t get tested and they aren’t social distancing. They aren’t —
Trump: Excuse me. I know your question. You ready? The governors are supposed to do testing. It’s up to the governors. Go ahead, please.
Q: Mr. President, that’s not the
Trump: Quiet.
Q: That’s not the question.
Trump: Quiet. Quiet.
Q: They say they’re following your lead, that they are not social distancing —
Trump: The governors are doing the testing. It’s now not up and hasn’t been up to the federal government. Go ahead.
Trump: I told them when they put this guy here, it’s nothing but trouble. He’s a showboat. If you keep talking, I’ll leave and you can have it out with the rest of these people. If you keep talking, I’m going to leave and you can have it out with them.
Video:
Trump blows up and threatens to leave his own press conference when he was asked about people not being able to get tested. pic.twitter.com/wo0yWK9xBX — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 14, 2020
Trump was asked a question about people not being able to get tested and being like him and not practicing social distancing. He responded by throwing a fit and threatening to walk out of his own press briefing.
Donald Trump can’t make it through a single one of these briefings without losing it in some way. Trump’s plan to blame the governors and the WHO for the pandemic has already fallen apart.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-04-14--Trump Falsely Blames The WHO For His Failed Coronavirus Response

Trump is blaming the WHO for his own failed response to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States as he has announced that he is halting funding to the organization .
The reality is that the W.H.O .
Failed to adequately obtain , vet , and share information in a timely and transparent fashion .
The world depends on the W.H.O .
To work with countries to ensure that accurate information about international health threats is shared in a timely manner .
And if it ’ s not , to endly tell the world the truth about what is happening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basic duty and must be held accountable .
It ’ s time after all of these decades .
The W.H.O .
Failed to investigate credible reports from sources in Wuhan that conflicted directly with the Chinese government ’ s official accounts .
There was credible information to suspect human-to-human transmission in December 2019 , which should have spurred the W.H.O .
to investigate and investigate immediately .
Through the middle of January , it parroted and publicly endorsed the idea that there was not human to human contraction happening .
The W.H.O.
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More time was lost than N the delay it took to get a team of international experts in to examine the outbreak , which we wanted to do , which they should have done .
The inability of the W.H.O .
To obtain virus samples to this date has deprived the scientific community of essential data .
New data that emerges across the world on a daily basie points to the unreliability of the initial reports and the world received automatic sorts of false information about transmission and mortality .
Trump has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his failed response to the virus .
Trump had months of warnings that he chose to ignore .
Donald Trump didn ’ t prepare the country for the coronavirus pandemic , so he is falsely blaming the World Health Organization for his ineptitude .
Pulling funding from the WHO in the middle of a global pandemic is one of the dumbest moves that a president could make , but that is exactly what Trump has decided to do .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Trump is blaming the WHO for his own failed response to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States as he has announced that he is halting funding to the organization.
Trump said:
The reality is that the W.H.O. Failed to adequately obtain, vet, and share information in a timely and transparent fashion. The world depends on the W.H.O. To work with countries to ensure that accurate information about international health threats is shared in a timely manner. And if it’s not, to endly tell the world the truth about what is happening. The W.H.O. Failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable. It’s time after all of these decades. The W.H.O. Failed to investigate credible reports from sources in Wuhan that conflicted directly with the Chinese government’s official accounts. There was credible information to suspect human-to-human transmission in December 2019, which should have spurred the W.H.O. to investigate and investigate immediately.
Through the middle of January, it parroted and publicly endorsed the idea that there was not human to human contraction happening. The W.H.O.’s wasted tremendous amounts of time. More time was lost than N the delay it took to get a team of international experts in to examine the outbreak, which we wanted to do, which they should have done. The inability of the W.H.O. To obtain virus samples to this date has deprived the scientific community of essential data. New data that emerges across the world on a daily basie points to the unreliability of the initial reports and the world received automatic sorts of false information about transmission and mortality.
Video:
Trump falsely blames the WHO for his failed coronavirus response. Just a reminder, it wasn't the WHO that blew it on testing. That was Trump. It wasn't the WHO that rejected a national shutdown. That was also Trump. pic.twitter.com/KcVM96vH5V — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 14, 2020
Trump has been looking for a scapegoat to blame for his failed response to the virus. Trump had months of warnings that he chose to ignore. Donald Trump didn’t prepare the country for the coronavirus pandemic, so he is falsely blaming the World Health Organization for his ineptitude.
Pulling funding from the WHO in the middle of a global pandemic is one of the dumbest moves that a president could make, but that is exactly what Trump has decided to do.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-04-14--Sanders Tells His Supporters It Would Be Irresponsible Not To Support Biden

Sen. Bernie Sanders has a message for his supporters .
It would be irresponsible not to support Joe Biden and work toward progressive policies to defeat Trump .
The AP reported on their interview with Sanders : Sanders said his supporters have a simple choice now that Biden has emerged as the presumptive nominee : “ Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction ?
Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” He continued : “ I believe that it ’ s irresponsible for anybody to say , ‘ Well , I disagree with Joe Biden — I disagree with Joe Biden !
— and therefore I ’ m not going to be involved.
’ ” Sen. Sanders is correct .
There is not much difference between progressives and non-progressives on the issues and the outcomes that they want to achieve .
The best way for some of the priorities of Sanders and his supporters to become law is to get Joe Biden elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that issue or ideological purity doesn ’ t matter if you don ’ t win .
The potential for four more years of Trump is a bigger threat to the country than the disagreement over how universal healthcare coverage is achieved .
Biden has given Sanders and his supporters a seat at the table , and it would be irresponsible to everything that they have worked for to turn it down .
Bernie Sanders is doing his part to unite the left in support of Joe Biden .
For more discussion about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MSNBC group .

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Sen. Bernie Sanders has a message for his supporters. It would be irresponsible not to support Joe Biden and work toward progressive policies to defeat Trump.
The AP reported on their interview with Sanders:
Sanders said his supporters have a simple choice now that Biden has emerged as the presumptive nominee: “Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction? Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in modern American history to get reelected?”
He continued: “I believe that it’s irresponsible for anybody to say, ‘Well, I disagree with Joe Biden — I disagree with Joe Biden! — and therefore I’m not going to be involved.’”
Sen. Sanders is correct. There is not much difference between progressives and non-progressives on the issues and the outcomes that they want to achieve. The best way for some of the priorities of Sanders and his supporters to become law is to get Joe Biden elected.
One of the lessons of 2016 is that issue or ideological purity doesn’t matter if you don’t win. The potential for four more years of Trump is a bigger threat to the country than the disagreement over how universal healthcare coverage is achieved.
Biden has given Sanders and his supporters a seat at the table, and it would be irresponsible to everything that they have worked for to turn it down.
Bernie Sanders is doing his part to unite the left in support of Joe Biden.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-04-14--Trump In Total Collapse As 73% Say The Economy Is Not Good/Poor

The American people are feeling the economic pain caused by President Donald Trump ’ s coronavirus response as 73 % rate the economy as not good or poor .
Trump ’ s approval rating on his handling of the coronavirus now matches his job approval rating of 46 % .
Trump continues to hijack the coronavirus briefings , and it is leading to the worst poll numbers on his response to the virus since early March .
The poll contains one other key finding .
Ten percent of those who said that they approved of Donald Trump said that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was important to support the president during a crisis , which suggests that Trump ’ s approval rating is overinflated .
Donald Trump ’ s real approval rating is likely closer to 36 % than the 46 % that the Navigator Research tracking poll registered .
If the economy is mired in a recession on Election Day , Donald Trump is going to lose .
Trump wanted to run his entire reelection campaign on an economy that is now in a state of collapse .
Te coronavirus could make it possible that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing will have no issues to run on in November .
The economic pain is here .
The American people are feeling it , and once the rally around the flag mentality wears off , Trump ’ s numbers are going to show it .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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The American people are feeling the economic pain caused by President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response as 73% rate the economy as not good or poor.
Via Navigator Research:
How would you rate the state of the US economy? Americans interviewed April 8-13:
Excellent/good: 𝟐𝟒%
Not so good/Poor: 𝟕𝟑% Americans interviewed March 6-8:
Excellent/Good: 𝟓𝟑%
Not so good/Poor: 𝟒𝟐% pic.twitter.com/0l3gWsKwzW — Navigator Research (@NavigatorSurvey) April 14, 2020
Trump’s approval rating on his handling of the coronavirus now matches his job approval rating of 46%. Trump continues to hijack the coronavirus briefings, and it is leading to the worst poll numbers on his response to the virus since early March.
The poll contains one other key finding. Ten percent of those who said that they approved of Donald Trump said that they were doing so because they thought that it was important to support the president during a crisis, which suggests that Trump’s approval rating is overinflated.
Donald Trump’s real approval rating is likely closer to 36% than the 46% that the Navigator Research tracking poll registered.
If the economy is mired in a recession on Election Day, Donald Trump is going to lose. Trump wanted to run his entire reelection campaign on an economy that is now in a state of collapse.
Te coronavirus could make it possible that Trump’s Seinfeld like presidency about nothing will have no issues to run on in November.
The economic pain is here. The American people are feeling it, and once the rally around the flag mentality wears off, Trump’s numbers are going to show it.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-04-14--Adam Schiff: Trump’s Power Isn’t Absolute “But His Incompetence Is”

Representative Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) took President Donald Trump to task for his assertion that the economy would reopen soon amid the coronavirus pandemic .
“ There is no ‘ reopening ’ without a plan to get the virus under control and keep it that way , ” Schiff wrote on Twitter .
“ Trump ’ s false claims of absolute power are alarming , of course .
But his failure to scale up testing is unforgiveable and deadly .
His power isn ’ t absolute—but his incompetence is.
” Schiff ’ s criticisms came after Trump ignored the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolute authority ” as president .
“ I have the ultimate authority , ” the president told reporters yesterday in response to a question about what authority he has to reopen the economy .
“ When somebody is the president of the United States , the authority is total and that ’ s the way it ’ s got to be .
… It ’ s total .
The governors know that.
” Schiff is presently conducting an investigation into the Trump administration ’ s coronavirus response .
“ We are right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did the intelligence community make us aware of at the end of last year or earlier this year ?
Other committees are doing like analyses , ” Schiff told MSNBC ’ s “ AM Joy ” on Sunday .
“ It is very important , I think , in reviewing the intelligence component to this to realize the intelligence piece is just one piece of the warnings coming to the administration .
A lot of those warnings were in the public domain .
They came from public health organizations , like WHO or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and ignored those warnings.
” He added : “ We are diving deeply into what does the intelligence community know , what resources we would bring there , and what do we need to do prospectively to better protect the country in the future .
That last piece , how do we protect the country in the future , is really the mission of that independent commission we based on , we used the model the 9/11 commission .
”

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Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) took President Donald Trump to task for his assertion that the economy would reopen soon amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“There is no ‘reopening’ without a plan to get the virus under control and keep it that way,” Schiff wrote on Twitter. “Trump’s false claims of absolute power are alarming, of course. But his failure to scale up testing is unforgiveable and deadly. His power isn’t absolute—but his incompetence is.”
There is no “reopening” without a plan to get the virus under control and keep it that way. Trump’s false claims of absolute power are alarming, of course. But his failure to scale up testing is unforgiveable and deadly. His power isn’t absolute — but his incompetence is. https://t.co/1qrLRa6E4b — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 14, 2020
Schiff’s criticisms came after Trump ignored the Constitution and claimed that he has “absolute authority” as president.
“I have the ultimate authority,” the president told reporters yesterday in response to a question about what authority he has to reopen the economy. “When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total and that’s the way it’s got to be. … It’s total. The governors know that.”
Schiff is presently conducting an investigation into the Trump administration’s coronavirus response.
“We are right now going through our intelligence holdings. What did the intelligence community make us aware of at the end of last year or earlier this year? Other committees are doing like analyses,” Schiff told MSNBC’s “AM Joy” on Sunday.
“It is very important, I think, in reviewing the intelligence component to this to realize the intelligence piece is just one piece of the warnings coming to the administration. A lot of those warnings were in the public domain. They came from public health organizations, like WHO or CDC or his own National Security Council, and ignored those warnings.”
He added: “We are diving deeply into what does the intelligence community know, what resources we would bring there, and what do we need to do prospectively to better protect the country in the future. That last piece, how do we protect the country in the future, is really the mission of that independent commission we based on, we used the model the 9/11 commission.”


politicususa--2020-04-14--Congressional Body Finds Tax Changes in Coronavirus Bill Overwhelmingly Benefits Millionaires

A nonpartisan Congressional body has found that a tax change included in Congress ’ s coronavirus relief legislation overwhelmingly benefits those who make more than $ 1 million annually .
Senate Republicans had introduced a provision that “ suspends a limitation on how much owners of businesses formed as ‘ pass-through ’ entities can deduct against their nonbusiness income , such as capital gains , to reduce their tax liability , ” according to The Washington Post .
The Joint Committee on Taxation ( JCT ) , the nonpartisan congressional body , found that taxpayers will shoulder the cost of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 90 million in 2020 alone .
More than 80 percent of the benefits go to about 43,000 taxpayers who make over $ 1 million annually , with less than three percent going to Americans who make less than $ 100,000 annually .
“ It ’ s a scandal for Republicans to loot American taxpayers in the midst of an economic and human tragedy , ” the two lawmakers said in a statement .
“ Congress should repeal this rotten , un-American giveaway and use the revenue to help workers battling through this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the $ 1,200 payment should start receiving their stimulus checks as part of the $ 2.2 .
trillion CARES Act this week .

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A nonpartisan Congressional body has found that a tax change included in Congress’s coronavirus relief legislation overwhelmingly benefits those who make more than $1 million annually.
Senate Republicans had introduced a provision that “suspends a limitation on how much owners of businesses formed as ‘pass-through’ entities can deduct against their nonbusiness income, such as capital gains, to reduce their tax liability,” according to The Washington Post.
The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), the nonpartisan congressional body, found that taxpayers will shoulder the cost of suspending the limitation to the amount of $90 million in 2020 alone. More than 80 percent of the benefits go to about 43,000 taxpayers who make over $1 million annually, with less than three percent going to Americans who make less than $100,000 annually.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) requested the JCT analysis.
“It’s a scandal for Republicans to loot American taxpayers in the midst of an economic and human tragedy,” the two lawmakers said in a statement. “Congress should repeal this rotten, un-American giveaway and use the revenue to help workers battling through this crisis.”
Millions of Americans who qualified for the $1,200 payment should start receiving their stimulus checks as part of the $2.2. trillion CARES Act this week.


politicususa--2020-04-14--Obama Drops The Hammer On Trump While Endorsing Joe Biden

President Obama delivered a strong nearly 12-minute endorsement of Joe Biden , while in the process burying Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus .
Obama said , “ Choosing Joe to be my Vice President was one of the best decisions I ever made , and he became a close friend .
And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a President right now.
” Obama later added a brutal burial of Trump by praising Biden : Joe helped me manage H1N1 and prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America ’ s standing and leadership in the world on the other threats of our time , like nuclear proliferation and climate change .
Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery .
And I know he ’ ll surround himself with good people – experts , scientists , military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government , and know how to work with our allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people ’ s interests above their own .
Former President Obama didn ’ t need to mention Trump ’ s name .
By contrasting all of Biden ’ s attributes with what is completely missing in the current president , he sent a loud an.d clear message to voters .
Obama put to bed one of Trump ’ s favorite conspiracies with a strong endorsement of his former vice president .
Joe Biden is everything that Trump isn ’ t and will never be .
Barack Obama is ready to lead the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next President Of The United States .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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President Obama delivered a strong nearly 12-minute endorsement of Joe Biden, while in the process burying Trump’s response to the coronavirus.
Obama said, “Choosing Joe to be my Vice President was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend. And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a President right now.”
Video:
I’m proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let's go: https://t.co/maHVGRozkX — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2020
Obama later added a brutal burial of Trump by praising Biden:
Joe helped me manage H1N1 and prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic we’re seeing now. He helped me restore America’s standing and leadership in the world on the other threats of our time, like nuclear proliferation and climate change.
Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery. And I know he’ll surround himself with good people – experts, scientists, military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government, and know how to work with our allies, and who will always put the American people’s interests above their own.
Former President Obama didn’t need to mention Trump’s name. By contrasting all of Biden’s attributes with what is completely missing in the current president, he sent a loud an.d clear message to voters.
Obama put to bed one of Trump’s favorite conspiracies with a strong endorsement of his former vice president.
Joe Biden is everything that Trump isn’t and will never be. Barack Obama is ready to lead the charge to elect Joe Biden to be the next President Of The United States.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-04-14--Trump Accuses Democratic Governors of ‘Mutiny’ While Comparing Himself to Famously Tyrannical Captai

Trump Accuses Democratic Governors of ‘Mutiny’ While Comparing Himself to Famously Tyrannical Captain

President Donald Trump accidentally compared himself to a captain known for tyrannical behavior on Tuesday .
He was attempting to criticize Democratic governors .
“ Tell the Democrat Governors that ‘ Mutiny On The Bounty ’ was one of my all time favorite movies , ” Trump wrote .
“ A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch , especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain.
” The President may be referring to the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty .
Trump would have been around 16 when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruel and dishonest Captain Bligh whose actions lead the crew to overthrow him .
As some Twitter users were quick to point out , Trump ’ s analogy places him in the role of the notoriously unpopular captain .
Trump ’ s tweet was most likely a response to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo .
The Democrat slammed Trump ’ s claim to ‘ total authority ’ on reopening states and threatened to sue if he tried .
“ If he thinks he ’ s going to force this state — or any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do something that is reckless or irresponsible that could endanger human life , literally , ” Cuomo said on Monday .
On Tuesday morning , Cuomo went a step further , comparing Trump to a tyrannical king .
Ironically , Trump has now compared himself to another vicious leader .
“ And all that annoying federal state back-and-forth that our Founding Fathers went through , he just disregarded that and said ‘ total authority.
’ Then , we could ’ ve had King George Washington .
”

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President Donald Trump accidentally compared himself to a captain known for tyrannical behavior on Tuesday. He was attempting to criticize Democratic governors.
“Tell the Democrat Governors that ‘Mutiny On The Bounty’ was one of my all time favorite movies,” Trump wrote.
“A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain.”
“Too easy!” he said.
Tell the Democrat Governors that “Mutiny On The Bounty” was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020
The President may be referring to the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty. Trump would have been around 16 when it was released. It features the cruel and dishonest Captain Bligh whose actions lead the crew to overthrow him.
As some Twitter users were quick to point out, Trump’s analogy places him in the role of the notoriously unpopular captain.
Trump’s tweet was most likely a response to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The Democrat slammed Trump’s claim to ‘total authority’ on reopening states and threatened to sue if he tried.
“If he thinks he’s going to force this state — or any state, for that matter — to do something that is reckless or irresponsible that could endanger human life, literally,” Cuomo said on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, Cuomo went a step further, comparing Trump to a tyrannical king. Ironically, Trump has now compared himself to another vicious leader.
“He basically declared himself King Trump, right?” Cuomo said.
“And all that annoying federal state back-and-forth that our Founding Fathers went through, he just disregarded that and said ‘total authority.’ Then, we could’ve had King George Washington.”
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politicususa--2020-04-16--Devin Nunes Demands Criminal Charges To Distract From Coronavirus

Rep. Devin Nunes ( R-CA ) showed up on Fox News and demanded that people involved with the Russia investigation be charged with crimes as he tried to distract from the coronavirus .
Nunes said on Fox News ’ s Hannity , “ Roger Stone is in jail right now .
Ok , because of these dirty cops and the obstruction of justice trap that the Mueller team put together .
I hope that there better be people charged with lying and obstructing a congressional investigation because we should have been given this information.
” Roger Stone is not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ruling on his request for a new trial .
` Nunes has been showing up on Fox News with increasing frequency and getting more crazy with each appearance .
Reading between the lines , it is obvious that Trump ’ s state-run media and his biggest supporters in Congress , like Nunes , are desperate to change the subject to anything that is not the coronavirus , Trump ’ s failed response , and the collapsing US economy .
Rep. Nunes is looking wild-eyed and frazzled as it is clear that even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump presidency is slipping into oblivion .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) showed up on Fox News and demanded that people involved with the Russia investigation be charged with crimes as he tried to distract from the coronavirus.
Nunes said on Fox News’s Hannity, “Roger Stone is in jail right now. Ok, because of these dirty cops and the obstruction of justice trap that the Mueller team put together. I hope that there better be people charged with lying and obstructing a congressional investigation because we should have been given this information.”
Video:
Devin Nunes: Roger Stone is in jail right now ok because of these dirty cops and the obstruction of justice trap that the Mueller team put together pic.twitter.com/SvlGBsmwTF — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 16, 2020
Roger Stone is not in jail. He is out and awaiting a ruling on his request for a new trial. `
Nunes has been showing up on Fox News with increasing frequency and getting more crazy with each appearance.
Reading between the lines, it is obvious that Trump’s state-run media and his biggest supporters in Congress, like Nunes, are desperate to change the subject to anything that is not the coronavirus, Trump’s failed response, and the collapsing US economy.
Rep. Nunes is looking wild-eyed and frazzled as it is clear that even he is starting to realize that the Trump presidency is slipping into oblivion.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-04-16--Rachel Maddow Obliterates Trump’s Coronavirus Testing Lies

Rachel Maddow cut through Trump ’ s happy talk and obliterated the administration ’ s lies on coronavirus testing and availability in the US .
This is data from the American Clinical Laboratory Association , which does the vast majority of all coronavirus testing , in the United States , they do two-thirds of the testing .
Look , since the first week of April , their test numbers are actually down .
Right ?
You heard all of this happy talk about how we ’ re going to reopen the country , and what we need to have in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are seriously going to even approach talk about responsibly opening anything back up , our test numbers ought to be skyrocketing right now .
They have been terrible in the past .
They ought to be going through the roof right now if we ’ re even going to approach the question of opening anything back up .
Right ?
You know that testing has been bad from day one .
But the federal government ’ s response on this specific salient , seminal thing , it ’ s getting worse over time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a national testing strategy has been a day one debacle in this crisis .
I think it ’ s important to realize that despite whatever happy talk you have been hearing about it , and despite all of the discussion about how important it is , when you look at what they ’ re actually doing , the number of tests performed in America is dropping .
Don ’ t pay attention to what they ’ re saying .
Look at what they are doing .
America ’ s performance in terms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people is bad and getting worse by the day .
The Republican happy talk about relaxing restrictions and reopening the economy is an attempt to ignore a public health crisis and squeak through an election in November .
If the economy is reopened , the coronavirus will surge into a second wave and the nation will need to go into a bigger and longer lockdown .
Testing is going down when it should be going up , and this appears to be by Republican design .
The situation is getting worse , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything that comes from Trump or his party .
Republicans can deny testing , but the can ’ t hide illness and death caused by this virus .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Rachel Maddow cut through Trump’s happy talk and obliterated the administration’s lies on coronavirus testing and availability in the US.
Maddow said:
This is data from the American Clinical Laboratory Association, which does the vast majority of all coronavirus testing, in the United States, they do two-thirds of the testing. Look, since the first week of April, their test numbers are actually down. Right? You heard all of this happy talk about how we’re going to reopen the country, and what we need to have in place to reopen things. If we are seriously going to even approach talk about responsibly opening anything back up, our test numbers ought to be skyrocketing right now. They have been terrible in the past. They ought to be going through the roof right now if we’re even going to approach the question of opening anything back up. Right? You know that testing has been bad from day one. But the federal government’s response on this specific salient, seminal thing, it’s getting worse over time, not better. A lack of a national testing strategy has been a day one debacle in this crisis.
I think it’s important to realize that despite whatever happy talk you have been hearing about it, and despite all of the discussion about how important it is, when you look at what they’re actually doing, the number of tests performed in America is dropping. Don’t pay attention to what they’re saying. Look at what they are doing. America’s performance in terms of getting coronavirus testing made available to the American people is bad and getting worse by the day.
Video:
.@maddow delivers the truth about coronavirus testing and Trump, "Don't pay attention to what they're saying. Look at what they are doing. America's performance in terms of getting coronavirus testing made available to the American people is bad and getting worse by the day." pic.twitter.com/6rOib2b9F0 — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 16, 2020
The Republican happy talk about relaxing restrictions and reopening the economy is an attempt to ignore a public health crisis and squeak through an election in November.
If the economy is reopened, the coronavirus will surge into a second wave and the nation will need to go into a bigger and longer lockdown. Testing is going down when it should be going up, and this appears to be by Republican design.
The situation is getting worse, not better. Don’t believe anything that comes from Trump or his party. Republicans can deny testing, but the can’t hide illness and death caused by this virus.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-01-07--Kevin McCarthy Blames Adam Schiff For Trump’s Attack On Iran

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that if Adam Schiff would not have impeached Trump , the president would not have attacked Iran .
McCarthy said on Fox and Friends , after Schiff criticized Trump ’ s Iran attack , “ You know , what ?
He ’ s the chairman of the Intel Committee .
Maybe had he spent the last year working on that , trying to protect from what is happening in Iran from the bombing of the tankers , Saudi Arabia taking down our drone , instead of taking that committee and making an impeachment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Nikki Haley went on Fox News and equated Democrats to Iranian terrorists .
Kevin McCarthy is trying to blame impeachment and Adam Schiff for Trump ’ s reckless and dangerous attack on Iran .
Impeachment is not to blame for Trump ’ s bad decisionmaking .
Adam Schiff is not the commander in chief .
He doesn ’ t make national security policy .
Chairman Schiff held impeachment hearings because the president illegally withheld congressionally appropriated funds in an effort to get a foreign country to investigate a political opponent .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump abused his presidential powers to distract from impeachment .
The Iran strike is not playing the way that Trump and his party hoped .
It hasn ’ t distracted from impeachment or made the president more popular , which is why Republicans are blaming Democrats , instead of taking responsibility for Trump ’ s dangerous actions .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that if Adam Schiff would not have impeached Trump, the president would not have attacked Iran.
McCarthy said on Fox and Friends, after Schiff criticized Trump’s Iran attack, “You know, what? He’s the chairman of the Intel Committee. Maybe had he spent the last year working on that, trying to protect from what is happening in Iran from the bombing of the tankers, Saudi Arabia taking down our drone, instead of taking that committee and making an impeachment, he would have never made that comment.”
Video:
On Fox & Friends, Kevin McCarthy suggests that if Adam Schiff had "been trying to protect us" from Iran instead of doing impeachment, Trump wouldn't have droned Soleimani. pic.twitter.com/VFyhLsIgtb — Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) January 7, 2020
Nikki Haley went on Fox News and equated Democrats to Iranian terrorists. Kevin McCarthy is trying to blame impeachment and Adam Schiff for Trump’s reckless and dangerous attack on Iran. Impeachment is not to blame for Trump’s bad decisionmaking.
Adam Schiff is not the commander in chief. He doesn’t make national security policy. Chairman Schiff held impeachment hearings because the president illegally withheld congressionally appropriated funds in an effort to get a foreign country to investigate a political opponent.
It is not Adam Schiff’s fault that Trump abused his presidential powers to distract from impeachment.
The Iran strike is not playing the way that Trump and his party hoped. It hasn’t distracted from impeachment or made the president more popular, which is why Republicans are blaming Democrats, instead of taking responsibility for Trump’s dangerous actions.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-01-07--Nikki Haley Equates Democrats To Iranian Terrorists

Nikki Haley said on Fox News that the only people who are mourning Soleimani ’ s death are Democrats and Democratic presidential candidates .
Haley said on Fox News , “ You don ’ t see anyone standing up for Iran .
You ’ re not hearing any of the Gulf members .
You ’ re not hearing China .
You ’ re not hearing Russia .
The only ones who are mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat ( sic ) leadership and our Democrat ( sic ) presidential candidates .
No one else in the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evil veins .
They knew what he was capable of and the destruction and the lives lost based from his hands.
” Haley ’ s comments are a textbook example of why so many Republicans won ’ t vote for a Democrat , no matter who that Democrat is .
In the Republican Party , Democrats aren ’ t the political opposition .
Democrats are worse than Putin and equal to Iranian terrorists .
Haley took one true statement , Soleimani was a bad guy and mixed it with a false statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iranian general .
They point out that no one should shed a tear over his death .
Democrats are concerned about Trump ’ s decisionmaking process , failure to consult with Congress , and the long-term ramifications that could potentially start a new war in the Middle East .
Nikki Haley wasn ’ t just pandering to the Fox News crowd .
She was showing why Trump ’ s Republican Party has become a faction that is hostile toward the majority of the American people .
For more discussion about this story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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Nikki Haley said on Fox News that the only people who are mourning Soleimani’s death are Democrats and Democratic presidential candidates.
Haley said on Fox News, “You don’t see anyone standing up for Iran. You’re not hearing any of the Gulf members. You’re not hearing China. You’re not hearing Russia. The only ones who are mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat (sic) leadership and our Democrat (sic) presidential candidates. No one else in the world, because they knew that this man had evil veins. They knew what he was capable of and the destruction and the lives lost based from his hands.”
Video:
“The only ones mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat leadership and Democrat Presidential candidates.” pic.twitter.com/IZJJqpxkBE — Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) January 7, 2020
Haley’s comments are a textbook example of why so many Republicans won’t vote for a Democrat, no matter who that Democrat is. In the Republican Party, Democrats aren’t the political opposition. Democrats are worse than Putin and equal to Iranian terrorists.
Haley took one true statement, Soleimani was a bad guy and mixed it with a false statement. Democrats are not mourning the death of the Iranian general. They point out that no one should shed a tear over his death. Democrats are concerned about Trump’s decisionmaking process, failure to consult with Congress, and the long-term ramifications that could potentially start a new war in the Middle East.
Nikki Haley wasn’t just pandering to the Fox News crowd. She was showing why Trump’s Republican Party has become a faction that is hostile toward the majority of the American people.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-01-07--Rachel Maddow Puts Mike Pence At The Center Of Trump’s Criminal Ukraine Plot

Donald Trump was impeached over his criminal scheme to get nonexistent political dirt from Ukraine , but Vice President Mike Pence was at the center of the plot , too .
As Rachel Maddow pointed out on Monday , multiple officials in the administration were essentially trying to reassure the Pentagon that Trump ’ s quid pro quo with Ukraine would be complete and the military aid would be released once Pence met with the president of Ukraine .
In other words , the VP wasn ’ t out of the loop ; he was very much a key player @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was Mike Pence who was supposed to personally get the assurance from the Ukrainian government at that meeting that they were going to announce the investigations ?
” Maddow asked .
We now know that after all those weeks of consternation and conflict and concern and CYA inside the administration , we know right before Vice President Pence went and took this meeting at the highest levels of the Defense Department , the chief of staff to the Secretary of Defense was reassuring other officials inside the Pentagon , ‘ Oh , don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be over soon .
When Mike Pence takes that meeting with Zelensky on Tuesday , it ’ s all going to get sorted.
’ Why did he think it was all going to get sorted ?
President Trump was just impeached for demanding that Ukraine give him investigations into Joe Biden that would help him in his 2020 reelection effort and him conveying to Ukraine that they wouldn ’ t get their much-needed military aid until they made that commitment to do those investigation .
Right ?
‘ You won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agree to do those investigations .
Announce publicly you ’ re doing those investigations or you ’ re never going to see that military aid.
’ We now know that in the Defense Secretary ’ s office , they thought that that would all click into place as soon as this meeting between Mike Pence and the Ukrainian president took place .
So it was Mike Pence who was supposed to personally get the assurance from the Ukrainian government at that meeting that they were going to announce the investigations ?
Because that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s what everybody was waiting on .
They can ’ t get the military aid until they announce the investigations .
‘ Don ’ t worry , they ’ ll be able to get the military aid as soon as Mike Pence has that meeting.
’ Throughout this impeachment saga , Mike Pence has largely flown under the radar as most of the attention is fixed on Trump or other officials in the administration who testified during the House inquiry .
But as Maddow noted on Monday – and as other evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the vice president was a key player in Trump ’ s plot to extort a foreign power into handing over dirt on a political opponent .

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Donald Trump was impeached over his criminal scheme to get nonexistent political dirt from Ukraine, but Vice President Mike Pence was at the center of the plot, too.
As Rachel Maddow pointed out on Monday, multiple officials in the administration were essentially trying to reassure the Pentagon that Trump’s quid pro quo with Ukraine would be complete and the military aid would be released once Pence met with the president of Ukraine.
In other words, the VP wasn’t out of the loop; he was very much a key player in the scandal.
“So it was Mike Pence who was supposed to personally get the assurance from the Ukrainian government at that meeting that they were going to announce the investigations?” Maddow asked.
Video:
Maddow said:
We now know that after all those weeks of consternation and conflict and concern and CYA inside the administration, we know right before Vice President Pence went and took this meeting at the highest levels of the Defense Department, the chief of staff to the Secretary of Defense was reassuring other officials inside the Pentagon, ‘Oh, don’t worry. This is all going to be over soon. When Mike Pence takes that meeting with Zelensky on Tuesday, it’s all going to get sorted.’ Why did he think it was all going to get sorted? President Trump was just impeached for demanding that Ukraine give him investigations into Joe Biden that would help him in his 2020 reelection effort and him conveying to Ukraine that they wouldn’t get their much-needed military aid until they made that commitment to do those investigation. Right? ‘You won’t get the military aid unless you agree to do those investigations. Announce publicly you’re doing those investigations or you’re never going to see that military aid.’ We now know that in the Defense Secretary’s office, they thought that that would all click into place as soon as this meeting between Mike Pence and the Ukrainian president took place. So it was Mike Pence who was supposed to personally get the assurance from the Ukrainian government at that meeting that they were going to announce the investigations? Because that was the deal, right? That’s what everybody was waiting on. They can’t get the military aid until they announce the investigations. ‘Don’t worry, they’ll be able to get the military aid as soon as Mike Pence has that meeting.’
Mike Pence was a key player in Trump’s Ukraine plot
Throughout this impeachment saga, Mike Pence has largely flown under the radar as most of the attention is fixed on Trump or other officials in the administration who testified during the House inquiry.
But as Maddow noted on Monday – and as other evidence has shown – it’s clear that the vice president was a key player in Trump’s plot to extort a foreign power into handing over dirt on a political opponent.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


politicususa--2020-01-07--Trump’s Own Defense Secretary Says It Would Be A War Crime To Carry Out His Iran Policy

Secretary of Defense Mike Esper is openly shooting down Donald Trump ’ s promise to bomb cultural sites in Iran if the conflict in the region continues to escalate .
According to The New York Times , “ Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sought to douse an international outcry on Monday by ruling out military attacks on cultural sites in Iran if the conflict with Tehran escalates further , despite President Trump ’ s threat to destroy some of the country ’ s treasured icons.
” The Times reports that Esper even went as far as calling Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iran a “ war crime.
” More from the report : Mr. Esper acknowledged that striking cultural sites with no military value would be a war crime , putting him at odds with the president , who insisted such places would be legitimate targets .
Mr. Trump ’ s threats generated condemnation at home and abroad while deeply discomfiting American military leaders who have made a career of upholding the laws of war .
“ We will follow the laws of armed conflict , ” Mr. Esper said at a news briefing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites would be targeted as the president had suggested over the weekend .
When a reporter asked if that meant “ no ” because the laws of war prohibit targeting cultural sites , Mr. Esper agreed .
“ That ’ s the laws of armed conflict.
” The furor was a classic controversy of Mr. Trump ’ s creation , the apparent result of an impulsive threat and his refusal to back down in the face of criticism .
When Mr. Trump declared on Saturday that the United States had identified 52 potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani , none of those targets qualified as cultural sites , according to an administration official who asked not to be identified correcting the president .
Donald Trump ’ s Iran policy has been a dumpster since the very beginning of his administration , from his decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement to the killing of Qassem Soleimani .
As a result , the region has become more unstable , Iran is again racing to develop a nuclear weapon and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region by thousands more troops .
Instead of tamping town the rhetoric as America moves closer to war , Trump continues to use his Twitter account to throw gasoline on the fire and make the situation more unstable – even promising to commit what his own Defense Secretary is calling war crimes .
For all of his tough talk , Donald Trump is among the weakest commanders-in-chief this country has ever seen , and it ’ s putting lives at risk .

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Secretary of Defense Mike Esper is openly shooting down Donald Trump’s promise to bomb cultural sites in Iran if the conflict in the region continues to escalate.
According to The New York Times, “Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sought to douse an international outcry on Monday by ruling out military attacks on cultural sites in Iran if the conflict with Tehran escalates further, despite President Trump’s threat to destroy some of the country’s treasured icons.”
The Times reports that Esper even went as far as calling Trump’s desire to strike “cultural sites” in Iran a “war crime.”
More from the report:
Mr. Esper acknowledged that striking cultural sites with no military value would be a war crime, putting him at odds with the president, who insisted such places would be legitimate targets. Mr. Trump’s threats generated condemnation at home and abroad while deeply discomfiting American military leaders who have made a career of upholding the laws of war. “We will follow the laws of armed conflict,” Mr. Esper said at a news briefing at the Pentagon when asked if cultural sites would be targeted as the president had suggested over the weekend. When a reporter asked if that meant “no” because the laws of war prohibit targeting cultural sites, Mr. Esper agreed. “That’s the laws of armed conflict.” The furor was a classic controversy of Mr. Trump’s creation, the apparent result of an impulsive threat and his refusal to back down in the face of criticism. When Mr. Trump declared on Saturday that the United States had identified 52 potential targets in Iran if it retaliates for the American drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, none of those targets qualified as cultural sites, according to an administration official who asked not to be identified correcting the president.
Trump’s Iran policy is a dumpster fire
Donald Trump’s Iran policy has been a dumpster since the very beginning of his administration, from his decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement to the killing of Qassem Soleimani.
As a result, the region has become more unstable, Iran is again racing to develop a nuclear weapon and the U.S. is increasing its presence in the region by thousands more troops.
Instead of tamping town the rhetoric as America moves closer to war, Trump continues to use his Twitter account to throw gasoline on the fire and make the situation more unstable – even promising to commit what his own Defense Secretary is calling war crimes.
For all of his tough talk, Donald Trump is among the weakest commanders-in-chief this country has ever seen, and it’s putting lives at risk.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter