politicususa--2020-02-21--Rachel Maddow Reveals The Real Reason Trump Intervened In The Roger Stone Case

Rachel Maddow reminded America on Thursday night that Donald Trump didn ’ t just intervene in the Roger Stone case because he ’ s a good friend .
No , Trump inserted himself in the case because there is no criminal he isn ’ t willing to protect so long as they ’ re committing crimes on his behalf .
“ It ’ s not just the president ’ s friend here who ’ s getting this intervention , ” the MSNBC host said .
“ He is trying to reward someone and protect someone who broke the law and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the president ’ s behavior.
” It has sort of gone without much mention that it ’ s not just the president ’ s friend here who ’ s getting this intervention .
This is a case where the president is intervening to help himself , because the person who benefitted from what Roger stone did , the person who Roger stone ’ s crimes were designed to protect was the president .
So when the president is trying to intervene in Stone ’ s case to make sure he doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to reward someone and protect someone who broke the law and committed multiple felonies in order to cover up the president ’ s behavior .
There is no criminal Trump isn ’ t willing to protect for political purposes For a few months , Republicans in Congress had to work tirelessly to keep a straight face while pushing the claim that Donald Trump only extorted Ukraine because he ’ s passionate about fighting corruption .
But it ’ s always been laughable to suggest that the man who ran a fake university @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the rule of law .
We saw it in his DOJ intervention to help rescue his felon former campaign adviser Roger Stone .
We saw it in his latest flurry of pardons .
And we ’ re likely to see it again as Trump moves closer to pardoning criminals like Mike Flynn and Paul Manafort .
For Donald Trump , this isn ’ t about protecting a friend .
It ’ s about rewarding a fellow criminal and sending the message to future criminals that he ’ ll give them the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his behalf .

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Rachel Maddow reminded America on Thursday night that Donald Trump didn’t just intervene in the Roger Stone case because he’s a good friend.
No, Trump inserted himself in the case because there is no criminal he isn’t willing to protect so long as they’re committing crimes on his behalf.
“It’s not just the president’s friend here who’s getting this intervention,” the MSNBC host said. “He is trying to reward someone and protect someone who broke the law and committed multiple felonies in order to cover up the president’s behavior.”
Video:
Rachel Maddow reveals the real reason Trump intervened in the Roger Stone case. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/m6eMJnNtNg — PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 21, 2020
Maddow said:
It has sort of gone without much mention that it’s not just the president’s friend here who’s getting this intervention. This is a case where the president is intervening to help himself, because the person who benefitted from what Roger stone did, the person who Roger stone’s crimes were designed to protect was the president. So when the president is trying to intervene in Stone’s case to make sure he doesn’t get in trouble, he is trying to reward someone and protect someone who broke the law and committed multiple felonies in order to cover up the president’s behavior.
There is no criminal Trump isn’t willing to protect for political purposes
For a few months, Republicans in Congress had to work tirelessly to keep a straight face while pushing the claim that Donald Trump only extorted Ukraine because he’s passionate about fighting corruption.
But it’s always been laughable to suggest that the man who ran a fake university and a slush fund charity somehow cares about the rule of law.
We saw it in his DOJ intervention to help rescue his felon former campaign adviser Roger Stone. We saw it in his latest flurry of pardons. And we’re likely to see it again as Trump moves closer to pardoning criminals like Mike Flynn and Paul Manafort.
For Donald Trump, this isn’t about protecting a friend. It’s about rewarding a fellow criminal and sending the message to future criminals that he’ll give them the same treatment if they violate the law on his behalf.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


politicususa--2020-02-21--Steve Schmidt Torches ‘Complicit, Lickspittle’ GOP For Letting Trump Sell America To Russia

Former GOP strategist Steve Schmidt tore into congressional Republicans on Thursday for allowing Donald Trump to sell U.S. democracy to Russia .
During a discussion with MSNBC ’ s Chris Matthews , Schmidt said , “ What this is is an attack on the United States of America by a hostile foreign power , an attack on our elections.
” He added , “ There has to be an appeal to what has been a complicit , compliant , lickspittle Republican Congress who has allowed this president to run amuck.
” What this is is an attack on the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power , an attack on our elections .
And the sovereignty of the American people to pick their leaders is tantamount in my view to an act of war , and to see the president of the United States complicit with it , egging it on , trying to take advantage of it , trying to suppress it is as grave an abuse of power as you can possibly see coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue .
… There has to be an appeal to what has been a complicit , compliant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president to run amuck , to say that this attack by Russia , by other hostile foreign powers on the sovereignty of the country can not be abided , it can not be abetted , it must be repudiated and it must be repudiated by America ’ s political leadership regardless of their partisanship or party .
It ’ s 2016 all over again Thursday ’ s news that Donald Trump is trying to suppress information about Russian involvement in the 2020 election should be no surprise .
After all , he still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Kremlin worked on his behalf to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016 .
Now , the same cycle of election interference that played out four years ago is unfolding again in 2020 .
American democracy is under attack by a foreign foe .
Instead of fighting back , this weak , corrupt president – and a spineless , complicit Republican Party – is allowing them to get away with it .

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Former GOP strategist Steve Schmidt tore into congressional Republicans on Thursday for allowing Donald Trump to sell U.S. democracy to Russia.
During a discussion with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Schmidt said, “What this is is an attack on the United States of America by a hostile foreign power, an attack on our elections.”
He added, “There has to be an appeal to what has been a complicit, compliant, lickspittle Republican Congress who has allowed this president to run amuck.”
Video:
Steve Schmidt tears into Republicans for standing silently as Trump sells American democracy to Russia. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/kH1WHcDo2V — PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 21, 2020
Schmidt said:
What this is is an attack on the United States of America by a hostile foreign power, an attack on our elections. And the sovereignty of the American people to pick their leaders is tantamount in my view to an act of war, and to see the president of the United States complicit with it, egging it on, trying to take advantage of it, trying to suppress it is as grave an abuse of power as you can possibly see coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. … There has to be an appeal to what has been a complicit, compliant, lickspittle Republican Congress who has allowed this president to run amuck, to say that this attack by Russia, by other hostile foreign powers on the sovereignty of the country cannot be abided, it cannot be abetted, it must be repudiated and it must be repudiated by America’s political leadership regardless of their partisanship or party.
It’s 2016 all over again
Thursday’s news that Donald Trump is trying to suppress information about Russian involvement in the 2020 election should be no surprise. After all, he still can’t bring himself to admit that the Kremlin worked on his behalf to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Now, the same cycle of election interference that played out four years ago is unfolding again in 2020. American democracy is under attack by a foreign foe.
Instead of fighting back, this weak, corrupt president – and a spineless, complicit Republican Party – is allowing them to get away with it.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


politicususa--2020-02-21--Top Homeland Security Democrat Calls Trump An Active National Security Threat

Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee , Rep. Bennie Thompson ( D-MS ) , issued a blistering response to Thursday ’ s explosive reporting that Donald Trump fired his acting intelligence chief for warning lawmakers that Russia is meddling in the 2020 campaign .
According to MSNBC ’ s Kyle Griffin , Rep. Thompson said Trump “ is not only refusing to defend against foreign interference , he ’ s inviting it.
” The Democratic lawmaker added , “ [ T ] he President had made clear that he holds no regard for the rule of law or our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Americans deserve better.
” By inviting Russian interference in the U.S. election , Trump is jeopardizing America ’ s national security and undermining democracy .
Every corner of Trump ’ s government is infected In short , Trump didn ’ t want people to find out that Russia was helping him “ win ” another election , so he forced out the acting DNI who briefed lawmakers about the threat .
To make matters worse , the president is replacing the official with one of his diehard supporters .
As PoliticusUSA ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new acting DNI “ has no intelligence community experience.
” In every corner of Trump ’ s government – even national security – the president is making it clear that administration officials should put his political interests over American interests .
The fact that Russia is again actively meddling in another presidential election to help Donald Trump is bad enough .
What makes this situation so much worse is that Republicans in Congress – particularly Mitch McConnell in the Senate – have repeatedly refused to safeguard our elections from such threats , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to show that he doesn ’ t care if Russia meddles again so long as it ’ s done on his behalf .
Donald Trump is a dangerous narcissist .
When given the news that Russia poses an active threat to American democracy , the only thing he cares about is the fact that his intelligence community informed Democrats .

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Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), issued a blistering response to Thursday’s explosive reporting that Donald Trump fired his acting intelligence chief for warning lawmakers that Russia is meddling in the 2020 campaign.
According to MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin, Rep. Thompson said Trump “is not only refusing to defend against foreign interference, he’s inviting it.”
Homeland Security Chair Thompson: “By firing Acting DNI Maguire because his staff provided the candid conclusions of the Intelligence Community to Congress regarding Russian meddling … the President is not only refusing to defend against foreign interference, he’s inviting it.” — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 20, 2020
The Democratic lawmaker added, “[T]he President had made clear that he holds no regard for the rule of law or our system of government. It is frightening. Americans deserve better.”
By inviting Russian interference in the U.S. election, Trump is jeopardizing America’s national security and undermining democracy.
Every corner of Trump’s government is infected
In short, Trump didn’t want people to find out that Russia was helping him “win” another election, so he forced out the acting DNI who briefed lawmakers about the threat.
To make matters worse, the president is replacing the official with one of his diehard supporters. As PoliticusUSA’s Jason Easley noted on Thursday, the new acting DNI “has no intelligence community experience.”
In every corner of Trump’s government – even national security – the president is making it clear that administration officials should put his political interests over American interests.
Trump doesn’t care that Russia is meddling
The fact that Russia is again actively meddling in another presidential election to help Donald Trump is bad enough.
What makes this situation so much worse is that Republicans in Congress – particularly Mitch McConnell in the Senate – have repeatedly refused to safeguard our elections from such threats, and the president of the United States continues to show that he doesn’t care if Russia meddles again so long as it’s done on his behalf.
Donald Trump is a dangerous narcissist. When given the news that Russia poses an active threat to American democracy, the only thing he cares about is the fact that his intelligence community informed Democrats.
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politicususa--2020-02-21--Trump Fired His Intel Chief Because He Gave Info To Adam Schiff

Trump fired his Director of National Intelligence because the election security office held a briefing and gave information to Rep. Adam Schiff .
Maguire had been considered a leading candidate to be nominated for the post of DNI , White House aides had said .
But Trump ’ s opinion shifted last week when he heard from a GOP ally that the intelligence official in charge of election security , who works for Maguire , gave a classified briefing last Thursday to the House Intelligence Committee on 2020 election security .
It is unclear what the official , Shelby Pierson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ angered Trump , but the president erroneously believed that she had given information exclusively to Rep. Adam B. Schiff ( D-Calif. ) , the committee chairman and that the information would be helpful to Democrats if it were released publicly , the people familiar with the matter said .
As the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee , Adam Schiff is legally entitled to information on US election security .
Schiff was well within his constitutional oversight requirement to get the information , and it is revealing that none of the information was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the briefing occurred a week ago , Donald Trump is afraid of Adam Schiff , and he is also trying to punish him by withholding information that will prevent the chairman from carrying out his oversight duties .
It isn ’ t enough that Senate Republicans committed treason and enabled Putin with their show impeachment trial .
Trump is trying to destroy any mechanism that can provide a check on his behavior .
Trump is obsessed with erasing the 2016 Russia scandal that he alerted the entire country of he and Putin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Trump fired his Director of National Intelligence because the election security office held a briefing and gave information to Rep. Adam Schiff.
The Washington Post reported:
Maguire had been considered a leading candidate to be nominated for the post of DNI, White House aides had said. But Trump’s opinion shifted last week when he heard from a GOP ally that the intelligence official in charge of election security, who works for Maguire, gave a classified briefing last Thursday to the House Intelligence Committee on 2020 election security.
It is unclear what the official, Shelby Pierson, specifically said at the briefing that angered Trump, but the president erroneously believed that she had given information exclusively to Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the committee chairman and that the information would be helpful to Democrats if it were released publicly, the people familiar with the matter said.
As the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff is legally entitled to information on US election security. Schiff was well within his constitutional oversight requirement to get the information, and it is revealing that none of the information was leaked out by Democrats, even though the briefing occurred a week ago,
Donald Trump is afraid of Adam Schiff, and he is also trying to punish him by withholding information that will prevent the chairman from carrying out his oversight duties.
It isn’t enough that Senate Republicans committed treason and enabled Putin with their show impeachment trial. Trump is trying to destroy any mechanism that can provide a check on his behavior.
Trump is obsessed with erasing the 2016 Russia scandal that he alerted the entire country of he and Putin’s plot to steal another election.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-21--Trump Is Worried The Coronavirus Will Cost Him The Election

Privately , Trump is worried that a US coronavirus outbreak will slow down the economy and cost him the election .
The Trump administration is bracing for a possible coronavirus outbreak in the United States that could sicken thousands — straining the government ’ s public health response and threatening an economic slowdown in the heat of President Donald Trump ’ s reelection campaign .
“ The biggest current threat to the president ’ s reelection is this thing getting out of control and creating a health and economic impact , ” said Chris Meekins , a Raymond James financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official .
It is revealing that Trump is worried about a virus outbreak not because of what it could do to public health , but the impact that it would have on his reelection campaign .
Trump is more worried about bad economic numbers than Americans getting sick and dying .
Trump brags , boasts , and blusters , but he understands that his margin for error is close to zero .
If the economy slips , Trump could be toast .
Trump is running on economic numbers .
He doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a nice looking number that he thinks he can campaign on .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Privately, Trump is worried that a US coronavirus outbreak will slow down the economy and cost him the election.
Politico reported:
The Trump administration is bracing for a possible coronavirus outbreak in the United States that could sicken thousands — straining the government’s public health response and threatening an economic slowdown in the heat of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.
…..
“The biggest current threat to the president’s reelection is this thing getting out of control and creating a health and economic impact,” said Chris Meekins, a Raymond James financial analyst and former Trump administration HHS emergency-preparedness official.
It is revealing that Trump is worried about a virus outbreak not because of what it could do to public health, but the impact that it would have on his reelection campaign. Trump is more worried about bad economic numbers than Americans getting sick and dying.
Trump brags, boasts, and blusters, but he understands that his margin for error is close to zero. If the economy slips, Trump could be toast. Trump is running on economic numbers. He doesn’t care about people. He just wants to have a nice looking number that he thinks he can campaign on.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-02-21--Bernie Sanders Knew For A Month That Russia Was Helping His Campaign, But Said Nothing

Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) has known for a month that Russia was trying to help his presidential campaign , but didn ’ t speak out until it went public .
U.S. officials have told Sen. Bernie Sanders that Russia is attempting to help his presidential campaign as part of an effort to interfere with the Democratic contest , according to people familiar with the matter .
This is not in the same universe as Trump openly conspiring with and covering for Russian election interference , but Sen. Sanders could have mitigated a lot of damage that he may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarm as soon as he was briefed on this threat .
Not saying anything lends the appearance that Sen. Sanders was going to keep his mouth shut and accept the Russian interference if it got him the nomination .
It might not be a fair or accurate impression , but it is impression that will be created in some primary voters ’ minds .
Sanders told reporters that he was briefed about a month ago on this , and responded when asked what he was going to do about it , “ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role they will play .
We were told that Russia , maybe other countries involved this campaign .
Look .
Here ’ s the message .
To Russia , stay out of American elections .
And what they are doing , by the way , the ugly thing that they are doing , and I have seen some of their , you know , their tweets and stuff , is they try to divide us up .
That ’ s what they did in 2016 .
That is the ugliest thing they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , trying to cause hatred in America .
It is an ugly business and all of us have got to say , sorry , you are not going to do this in this election .
As President Of The United States , Mr. Putin , you will not interfere in our elections.
” The Russians are trying to pick the Democratic nominee to give Trump the easiest path possible to reelection .
Sen. Sanders may not want Russia ’ s help , but he didn ’ t speak up and denounce it after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has known for a month that Russia was trying to help his presidential campaign, but didn’t speak out until it went public.
The Washington Post reported:
U.S. officials have told Sen. Bernie Sanders that Russia is attempting to help his presidential campaign as part of an effort to interfere with the Democratic contest, according to people familiar with the matter.
This is not in the same universe as Trump openly conspiring with and covering for Russian election interference, but Sen. Sanders could have mitigated a lot of damage that he may suffer if he would have sounded the alarm as soon as he was briefed on this threat. Not saying anything lends the appearance that Sen. Sanders was going to keep his mouth shut and accept the Russian interference if it got him the nomination.
It might not be a fair or accurate impression, but it is impression that will be created in some primary voters’ minds.
Sanders told reporters that he was briefed about a month ago on this, and responded when asked what he was going to do about it, “We have — it was not clear what role they will play. We were told that Russia, maybe other countries involved this campaign. Look. Here’s the message. To Russia, stay out of American elections. And what they are doing, by the way, the ugly thing that they are doing, and I have seen some of their, you know, their tweets and stuff, is they try to divide us up. That’s what they did in 2016. That is the ugliest thing they’re doing is trying to cause chaos, trying to cause hatred in America. It is an ugly business and all of us have got to say, sorry, you are not going to do this in this election. As President Of The United States, Mr. Putin, you will not interfere in our elections.”
Video:
Bernie Sanders, who has known for a month that Russians were trying to interfere to help his campaign, blames rival Democrats for the leading the news on Nevada caucus eve. pic.twitter.com/fJvItg006s — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 21, 2020
The Russians are trying to pick the Democratic nominee to give Trump the easiest path possible to reelection.
Sen. Sanders may not want Russia’s help, but he didn’t speak up and denounce it after he found out about it.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-21--Trump Is Targeting And Removing Never Trumpers From The Government

Donald Trump is looking to remake the federal government by targeting and removing anyone who criticizes or opposes him .
Axios reported : Johnny McEntee called in White House liaisons from cabinet agencies for an introductory meeting Thursday , in which he asked them to identify political appointees across the U.S. government who are believed to be anti-Trump , three sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios .
– Trump has empowered McEntee — whom he considers an absolute loyalist — to purge the “ bad people ” and “ Deep State.
” – McEntee told staff that those identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by shifting them around agencies .
The big changes aren ’ t expected to come until after the November election , providing that Trump wins a second term .
Over the last few weeks , what the nation is witnessing is a president who is amping up to take control of the federal government , and remove any institution or person that could check his power and behavior .
Trump isn ’ t going to coast quietly through his second term , as so many presidents have done before him .
Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his power , so he is setting the stage for an unprecedented purge to remove qualified public servants and replace them with loyalists .
If Trump gets his way , there will no limiting his crime and corruption .
Donald Trump is making his intentions clear , which is why voters must stop him in November .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Donald Trump is looking to remake the federal government by targeting and removing anyone who criticizes or opposes him.
Axios reported:
Johnny McEntee called in White House liaisons from cabinet agencies for an introductory meeting Thursday, in which he asked them to identify political appointees across the U.S. government who are believed to be anti-Trump, three sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios.
…..
– Trump has empowered McEntee — whom he considers an absolute loyalist — to purge the “bad people” and “Deep State.”
– McEntee told staff that those identified as anti-Trump will no longer get promotions by shifting them around agencies.
The big changes aren’t expected to come until after the November election, providing that Trump wins a second term. Over the last few weeks, what the nation is witnessing is a president who is amping up to take control of the federal government, and remove any institution or person that could check his power and behavior.
Trump isn’t going to coast quietly through his second term, as so many presidents have done before him. Trump is out to destroy any shred of limitation of his power, so he is setting the stage for an unprecedented purge to remove qualified public servants and replace them with loyalists.
If Trump gets his way, there will no limiting his crime and corruption. Donald Trump is making his intentions clear, which is why voters must stop him in November.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-21--Bloomberg Accuses Sanders Supports Of Vandalizing Campaign Office

The Mike Bloomberg campaign is accusing Bernie Sanders supporters of vandalizing their campaign office in Knoxville , TN .
Bloomberg Campaign Manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA : This latest incident at our Knoxville campaign office is exactly what we ’ ve been warning about .
We don ’ t know who is responsible for this vandalism , but we do know it echoes language from the Sanders campaign and its supporters .
Over the past week , we ’ ve seen similar attacks against Mike Bloomberg 2020 offices in multiple states .
Fortunately , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to end before someone gets hurt .
We call on Bernie Sanders to immediately condemn these attacks and for his campaign to end the Trump-like rhetoric that is clearly encouraging his supporters to engage in behavior that has no place in our politics .
Team Bloomberg said that they have had campaign offices in Ohio and Michigan vandalized with similar language as that of the Sanders campaign .
It is important to remember that this is just an allegation made by one campaign against the supporters of another , but it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week that supporters of Sen. Sanders have been called for their behavior .
Pete Buttigieg questioned Sen. Sanders about the behavior of his supporters online .
If it is proven that Sanders supporters are engaging in acts of criminal vandalism against the Bloomberg campaign , it will be on Bernie Sanders to set the tone and be firmer with his supporters .
So far , this is only an allegation , but it is a signal of the ugliness that is growing within the Democratic primary campaign .
For more discussion about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group .

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The Mike Bloomberg campaign is accusing Bernie Sanders supporters of vandalizing their campaign office in Knoxville, TN.
Bloomberg Campaign Manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
This latest incident at our Knoxville campaign office is exactly what we’ve been warning about. We don’t know who is responsible for this vandalism, but we do know it echoes language from the Sanders campaign and its supporters.
Over the past week, we’ve seen similar attacks against Mike Bloomberg 2020 offices in multiple states. Fortunately, no one has been injured. But this needs to end before someone gets hurt.
We call on Bernie Sanders to immediately condemn these attacks and for his campaign to end the Trump-like rhetoric that is clearly encouraging his supporters to engage in behavior that has no place in our politics.
Team Bloomberg said that they have had campaign offices in Ohio and Michigan vandalized with similar language as that of the Sanders campaign.
It is important to remember that this is just an allegation made by one campaign against the supporters of another, but it is the second time in less than a week that supporters of Sen. Sanders have been called for their behavior. Pete Buttigieg questioned Sen. Sanders about the behavior of his supporters online.
If it is proven that Sanders supporters are engaging in acts of criminal vandalism against the Bloomberg campaign, it will be on Bernie Sanders to set the tone and be firmer with his supporters.
So far, this is only an allegation, but it is a signal of the ugliness that is growing within the Democratic primary campaign.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-21--Trump Is Melting Down For A 2nd Day Over 30 Seconds Of Bad Fox Coverage

Trump has been melting down for nearly two days over 30 seconds of coverage on Fox News that was critical of him .
This is the few seconds of coverage that triggered Trump : What set Trump off was A.B .
Stoddard saying on Cavuto , “ Donald Trump had many disastrous debate performances .
Many answers were so cringeworthy that you couldn ’ t believe that he was still standing on the stage , and he ’ s President.
” Trump spent 20 minutes ranting about the comment at his rally : The insanity has continued into Friday as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Stoddard was right .
Trump ’ s debate performances were awful .
He was bad in the primary debates .
He was even worse in the general election debates , and yet Trump is still President .
Trump can ’ t handle even a second of bad coverage from Fox News .
The President is trying to get a TV host fired because the coverage didn ’ t fawn all over him .
Trump is falling apart because a Fox News guest spent about 15 seconds telling the truth .
For more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Trump has been melting down for nearly two days over 30 seconds of coverage on Fox News that was critical of him.
This is the few seconds of coverage that triggered Trump:
Here's the Cavuto segment that just triggered Trump into attacking Fox News. "I think that Donald Trump had disastrous debate performances. Many answers were so cringeworthy you just couldn't even believe he was still standing on the stage" — A.B. Stoddard pic.twitter.com/42DhfpjQGt — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 20, 2020
What set Trump off was A.B. Stoddard saying on Cavuto, “Donald Trump had many disastrous debate performances. Many answers were so cringeworthy that you couldn’t believe that he was still standing on the stage, and he’s President.”
Trump spent 20 minutes ranting about the comment at his rally:
Trump slams Fox News’ Neil Cavuto and former anchor Shepard Smith pic.twitter.com/JPe2JoAAp6 — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 21, 2020
The insanity has continued into Friday as Trump is threatening to get Cavuto fired:
So @TeamCavuto has very bad ratings on @foxnews with his Fake guests like A.B.Stoddard and others that still haven’t figured it all out. Will he get the same treatment as his friend Shepherd Smith, who also suffered from the ratings drought? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2020
Stoddard was right. Trump’s debate performances were awful. He was bad in the primary debates. He was even worse in the general election debates, and yet Trump is still President.
Trump can’t handle even a second of bad coverage from Fox News.
The President is trying to get a TV host fired because the coverage didn’t fawn all over him.
Trump is falling apart because a Fox News guest spent about 15 seconds telling the truth.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-23--White House Weaponizes Russia Intel Against Him As Sanders Has Big Day In Nevada

As Sen. Bernie Sanders looks to be having a big day at the Nevada caucus , the White House is @ @ @ @ @ Russia is helping Sanders , not Trump .
If Bernie Sanders is the Democratic nominee @ @ @ @ @ endless attacks that portray Sanders as a communist who Putin wants to see in the @ @ @ @ @ reality , the opposite .
Trump has been Putin ’ s dream president , and @ @ @ @ @ divide the Democratic Party and be the fall guy for election interference to benefit Trump @ @ @ @ @ on his way to a big day in Nevada .
Still , Trump is showing @ @ @ @ @ use his power as president to weaponize the Executive Branch against any Democratic nominee .
@ @ @ @ @ of Sanders but thinks that he has found the perfect patsy to take the fall @ @ @ @ @

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As Sen. Bernie Sanders looks to be having a big day at the Nevada caucus, the White House is claiming that intel shows that Russia is helping Sanders, not Trump.
O’Brien said:
National security adviser Robert O'Brien tells ABC in interview to air tomorrow that he hasn't seen any evidence of Russia seeking to help Trump. Asked whether Russia might be helping Sanders, he says reports could be credible. "That's no surprise. He honeymooned in Moscow." — Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 22, 2020
If Bernie Sanders is the Democratic nominee, prepare for months of endless attacks that portray Sanders as a communist who Putin wants to see in the White House, when in reality, the opposite. Trump has been Putin’s dream president, and Trump is using Sanders to divide the Democratic Party and be the fall guy for election interference to benefit Trump.
Sen. Sanders is well on his way to a big day in Nevada. Still, Trump is showing that he is prepared to use his power as president to weaponize the Executive Branch against any Democratic nominee.
Trump isn’t afraid of Sanders but thinks that he has found the perfect patsy to take the fall for Russian election interference.


politicususa--2020-02-22--Trump Could Face Criminal Charges If He Pardons Roger Stone

Donald Trump appears to be on the path to issuing a pardon of Roger Stone , his former campaign adviser who was just sentenced to more than three years in prison for lying and witness tampering .
But according to former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner , a pardon of Roger Stone could be used in a potential conspiracy charge against Trump once he leaves office .
“ I think once Donald Trump is out of office , that will be used as an overt act in a conspiracy charge against Donald Trump for defrauding the United States , ” Kirschner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more to come on this.
” You know , I think we all sense that a pardon is likely to come for Roger Stone .
Can I tell you , Joy , there may be no way of stopping that .
But as a former career prosecutor , here is how I would use that .
Judge Amy Berman Jackson , a really fine , respected jurist who was the judge in Roger Stone ’ s case , said on the record at Roger Stone ’ s sentencing hearing on Thursday that Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his tampering with a witness was designed to cover up for the president of the United States .
If the president decides to grant the person who perpetrated that cover-up a pardon , I think that would be corrupt .
I think once Donald Trump is out of office , that will be used as an overt act in a conspiracy charge against Donald Trump for defrauding the United States .
There is so much more to come on this .
Stone ’ s crimes were designed to cover up for Trump Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just important because of the length of time he ’ ll be spending behind bars .
Just as key was Judge Amy Berman Jackson ’ s explanation for the sentence .
As Glenn Kirschner noted on Saturday , Jackson said on the record that Stone ’ s crimes for which he was sentenced were designed to directly cover up for Donald Trump .
So if this president turns around and pardons Stone , it would be – as Rep. Adam Schiff said this week – another “ breathtaking act of corruption ” for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and political consequences .

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Donald Trump appears to be on the path to issuing a pardon of Roger Stone, his former campaign adviser who was just sentenced to more than three years in prison for lying and witness tampering.
But according to former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, a pardon of Roger Stone could be used in a potential conspiracy charge against Trump once he leaves office.
“I think once Donald Trump is out of office, that will be used as an overt act in a conspiracy charge against Donald Trump for defrauding the United States,” Kirschner said. “There is so much more to come on this.”
Video:
‘There is so much more to come on this’: @glennkirschner2 explains why a Roger Stone pardon could lead to conspiracy charges against Donald Trump once he leaves office. #ctl #p2 #amjoy pic.twitter.com/pRKDetyw5F — PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 22, 2020
Kirschner said:
You know, I think we all sense that a pardon is likely to come for Roger Stone. Can I tell you, Joy, there may be no way of stopping that. But as a former career prosecutor, here is how I would use that. Judge Amy Berman Jackson, a really fine, respected jurist who was the judge in Roger Stone’s case, said on the record at Roger Stone’s sentencing hearing on Thursday that Roger Stone’s lies to Congress and his tampering with a witness was designed to cover up for the president of the United States. If the president decides to grant the person who perpetrated that cover-up a pardon, I think that would be corrupt. I think once Donald Trump is out of office, that will be used as an overt act in a conspiracy charge against Donald Trump for defrauding the United States. There is so much more to come on this.
Stone’s crimes were designed to cover up for Trump
Roger Stone’s sentence wasn’t just important because of the length of time he’ll be spending behind bars. Just as key was Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s explanation for the sentence.
As Glenn Kirschner noted on Saturday, Jackson said on the record that Stone’s crimes for which he was sentenced were designed to directly cover up for Donald Trump.
So if this president turns around and pardons Stone, it would be – as Rep. Adam Schiff said this week – another “breathtaking act of corruption” for which he should and could face legal and political consequences.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


politicususa--2020-02-22--Court Tosses Devin Nunes’ Phony Russia Dossier Lawsuit In The Trash And Tells Him To Give Up

One of Donald Trump ’ s favorite Republican henchmen in Congress , California Rep. Devin Nunes , had his phony Russia dossier lawsuit thrown in the trash by a federal judge .
According to Politico , “ A federal judge has tossed out a racketeering lawsuit House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes filed last year against the private investigation firm at the heart of the Trump-Russia saga.
” Alexandria , Virginia-based U.S. District Court Judge Liam O ’ Grady ’ s two-page order made short work of Nunes ’ suit , which sought $ 9.9 million in damages from Fusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nonprofit watchdog group , Campaign for Accountability .
The judge also signaled that pressing on with the legal battle could result in sanctions against Nunes and his attorney , Steven Biss .
The California GOP lawmaker claimed that he was a victim of “ active , coordinated and ongoing corruption , fraud and obstruction of justice ” by the defendants that stemmed from his efforts to investigate the firm ’ s role in stoking suspicions about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ’ s ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign .
Nunes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act , claims that after he challenged the accuracy of the dossier , Fusion GPS , Simpson and CfA morphed that effort into one targeting him with a series of ethics complaints and other adverse publicity .
However , O ’ Grady said the allegations in the complaint were too vague to meet standards the Supreme Court laid out in 2007 for the amount of detail needed to move forward with a civil case .
He also suggested his Virginia courtroom might not be the right place to sue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t about winning a lawsuit Of course , Rep. Devin Nunes knows that these lawsuits against media outlets and critics are frivolous and he ’ s unlikely to win any of them .
But this isn ’ t about winning lawsuits .
It ’ s about riling up the base and keeping Donald Trump – his boss – happy .
As GOP strategist Rick Wilson said on Saturday , “ I suspect most of his frivolous lawsuits will end up just this way , but [ Devin Nunes ] is suing not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundraising and get booked on Fox.
” Outside of the MAGA bubble in which he and the president live , Devin Nunes is a joke that should be laughed out of every room he enters .

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One of Donald Trump’s favorite Republican henchmen in Congress, California Rep. Devin Nunes, had his phony Russia dossier lawsuit thrown in the trash by a federal judge.
According to Politico, “A federal judge has tossed out a racketeering lawsuit House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes filed last year against the private investigation firm at the heart of the Trump-Russia saga.”
More from Politico:
Alexandria, Virginia-based U.S. District Court Judge Liam O’Grady’s two-page order made short work of Nunes’ suit, which sought $9.9 million in damages from Fusion GPS, its founder Glenn Simpson and a nonprofit watchdog group, Campaign for Accountability. The judge also signaled that pressing on with the legal battle could result in sanctions against Nunes and his attorney, Steven Biss. The California GOP lawmaker claimed that he was a victim of “active, coordinated and ongoing corruption, fraud and obstruction of justice” by the defendants that stemmed from his efforts to investigate the firm’s role in stoking suspicions about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign. … Nunes’ suit, filed under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, claims that after he challenged the accuracy of the dossier, Fusion GPS, Simpson and CfA morphed that effort into one targeting him with a series of ethics complaints and other adverse publicity. However, O’Grady said the allegations in the complaint were too vague to meet standards the Supreme Court laid out in 2007 for the amount of detail needed to move forward with a civil case. He also suggested his Virginia courtroom might not be the right place to sue.
For Nunes, this wasn’t about winning a lawsuit
Of course, Rep. Devin Nunes knows that these lawsuits against media outlets and critics are frivolous and he’s unlikely to win any of them.
But this isn’t about winning lawsuits. It’s about riling up the base and keeping Donald Trump – his boss – happy.
As GOP strategist Rick Wilson said on Saturday, “I suspect most of his frivolous lawsuits will end up just this way, but [Devin Nunes] is suing not to get justice but to pump his email fundraising and get booked on Fox.”
Outside of the MAGA bubble in which he and the president live, Devin Nunes is a joke that should be laughed out of every room he enters.
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politicususa--2020-02-22--Fox Does Putin’s Dirty Work With Claims Democrats Are On Russia’s Payroll

Fox News is falsely claiming that it ’ s Democrats and the media who are on Russia ’ s payroll , not anyone associated with Trump .
Sara A. Carter said , “ Russia wants to sow chaos , right ?
And think about this , they don ’ t even need to worry about the Kremlin , the GRU , or their agents .
They have their agents right here in the United States that are buying their chaos hook , line , and sinker .
They just put something out there and we see the Democrats , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disinformation coming straight from Russia .
That includes Hillary Clinton , John Brennan , Eric Holder , and anyone else in the media that wants to dish out Russian disinformation , so if there is anybody on Russia ’ s like payroll , so to speak , it ’ s them .
It ’ s not anybody around Donald Trump.
” According to Fox News , the real Russian agents aren ’ t the people at the cable network that pushes Russian propaganda and the man in the White House who chooses to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The problem is with Democrats who are trying to save the country by standing up to Russian disinformation and attack .
The Fox News claim is absurd and shows how sensitive they are to the notion that Russia is helping Donald Trump .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Fox News is falsely claiming that it’s Democrats and the media who are on Russia’s payroll, not anyone associated with Trump.
Sara A. Carter said, “Russia wants to sow chaos, right? And think about this, they don’t even need to worry about the Kremlin, the GRU, or their agents. They have their agents right here in the United States that are buying their chaos hook, line, and sinker. They just put something out there and we see the Democrats, the anti-Trump media jumping on board dishing out disinformation coming straight from Russia. That includes Hillary Clinton, John Brennan, Eric Holder, and anyone else in the media that wants to dish out Russian disinformation, so if there is anybody on Russia’s like payroll, so to speak, it’s them. It’s not anybody around Donald Trump.”
Video:
This is galactic level stupidity. Sara says if anyone is on Russia’s payroll, it’s Democrats, the media Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, John Brennan, and “Chris O'Donnell” pic.twitter.com/NU79DFDrbU — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) February 22, 2020
According to Fox News, the real Russian agents aren’t the people at the cable network that pushes Russian propaganda and the man in the White House who chooses to believe Putin over his own intelligence agencies.
The problem is with Democrats who are trying to save the country by standing up to Russian disinformation and attack.
The Fox News claim is absurd and shows how sensitive they are to the notion that Russia is helping Donald Trump.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-02-22--Trump Defends Bernie Sanders On Russian Election Interference

Trump is trying to pick his general election opponent while dividing the Democratic Party by defending Sen. Sanders on Russian election interference .
Trump is trying to split Democrats because he knows that he can ’ t beat a united party .
In this respect , he and Sen. Sanders share a goal .
The Sanders strategy is to try to win the Democratic nomination in a split party with only his base of support .
Anytime Trump is defending Sanders , it is bad for Bernie Sanders .
The Sanders campaign caused this mess for themselves by not saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Russia was interfering to help their campaign .
The idea that Sanders couldn ’ t say anything because the briefing was classified is nonsense .
Presidential candidates don ’ t get classified briefings until they are the nominee .
Sanders would have been briefed on the interference as a candidate , not a senator .
If the briefing were classified , it still would have been classified after the media reported it .
Media reports don ’ t declassify information .
Sanders or his campaign have never said that the briefing was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it wouldn ’ t prevent Sanders from talking .
The American people have heard elected officials like Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff say that they can ’ t discuss the details of a briefing , but they can generally characterize it .
The Sanders campaign could have taken the lead on this and spoken out .
Instead , they chose to stay silent , and now they are stuck with Trump defending them , which is the last thing in the world that Bernie Sanders wants .
Trump is trying to pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is helping him .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Trump is trying to pick his general election opponent while dividing the Democratic Party by defending Sen. Sanders on Russian election interference.
Trump tweeted:
MSDNC (Comcast Slime), @CNN and others of the Fake Media, have now added Crazy Bernie to the list of Russian Sympathizers, along with @TulsiGabbard & Jill Stein (of the Green Party), both agents of Russia, they say. But now they report President Putin wants Bernie (or me) to win. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2020
Trump is trying to split Democrats because he knows that he can’t beat a united party. In this respect, he and Sen. Sanders share a goal. The Sanders strategy is to try to win the Democratic nomination in a split party with only his base of support.
Anytime Trump is defending Sanders, it is bad for Bernie Sanders.
The Sanders campaign caused this mess for themselves by not saying anything for a month when they knew that Russia was interfering to help their campaign.
The idea that Sanders couldn’t say anything because the briefing was classified is nonsense. Presidential candidates don’t get classified briefings until they are the nominee. Sanders would have been briefed on the interference as a candidate, not a senator.
If the briefing were classified, it still would have been classified after the media reported it. Media reports don’t declassify information. Sanders or his campaign have never said that the briefing was classified. Even if the briefing classified, it wouldn’t prevent Sanders from talking.
The American people have heard elected officials like Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff say that they can’t discuss the details of a briefing, but they can generally characterize it.
The Sanders campaign could have taken the lead on this and spoken out. Instead, they chose to stay silent, and now they are stuck with Trump defending them, which is the last thing in the world that Bernie Sanders wants.
Trump is trying to pick his general election opponent, and Russia is helping him.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-02-23--Adam Schiff Obliterates Trump’s Call For An Investigation Of Him

After Trump accused Adam Schiff of being the leaker of the Sanders/Russia briefing , Chairman Schiff destroyed Trump .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ have not been briefed on that at all .
Nobody told me about it .
@ @ @ @ @ Schiff and his group , they leaked it to the papers as usual .
They @ @ @ @ @ for leaking that information .
He should not be leaking information out of intelligence .
@ @ @ @ @ Schiff.
” Chairman Schiff was correct .
Trump is floating a false claim distraction .
@ @ @ @ @ that he can think of to take attention away from the fact that Russians interfered @ @ @ @ @ He tried to get Ukraine to interfere and help in 2019 , and the Russians @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Trump ’ s call for an investigation into Schiff is another attempt by @ @ @ @ @ blame for his own behavior on to his opponents .
Nobody is fooled the real @ @ @ @ @ interference from Russia is Donald Trump .

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After Trump accused Adam Schiff of being the leaker of the Sanders/Russia briefing, Chairman Schiff destroyed Trump.
Trump told reporters, “I have not been briefed on that at all. Nobody told me about it. They leaked it — Adam Schiff and his group, they leaked it to the papers as usual. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information. He should not be leaking information out of intelligence. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Schiff responded on Twitter:
Nice deflection, Mr. President. But your false claims fool no one. You welcomed Russian help in 2016, tried to coerce Ukraine’s help in 2019, and won’t protect our elections in 2020. Now you fired your intel chief for briefing Congress about it. You’ve betrayed America. Again. https://t.co/WlMDaz8stF — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 23, 2020
Chairman Schiff was correct. Trump is floating a false claim distraction. The President is doing everything that he can think of to take attention away from the fact that Russians interfered for him in 2016. He tried to get Ukraine to interfere and help in 2019, and the Russians are interfering for Trump in 2020.
Trump’s call for an investigation into Schiff is another attempt by the president to pass the blame for his own behavior on to his opponents.
Nobody is fooled the real criminal who is soliciting election interference from Russia is Donald Trump.


politicususa--2020-02-23--Biden Hits Sanders: Russia Isn’t Trying To Help Me Get The Nomination

Former Vice President Joe Biden refused to play the media ’ s stop Bernie game , but he did say that the Russians aren ’ t trying to help him win the nomination .
MARGARET BRENNAN : Bernie Sanders .
Can you stop him , in terms of the momentum he has ?
The Bloomberg campaign , as you know , is out saying that for moderates like yourselves , he ’ s going to basically end up with an insurmountable delegate lead because of his early success .
BIDEN : I told you , I ’ m not going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t know .
It ’ s not about who I stop .
It ’ s why I ’ m running , why I ’ m telling the people that I should be the next president and why I ’ m the best guy to beat Trump .
All those other polls you all cite also show I ’ m the most person- I ’ m the- the person most likely to be Trump .
I ’ m the person that , in fact , in- in those polls in addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only one , in terms of the Russians and all these stuff you ’ ve all been reporting .
The Russians don ’ t want me to be the nominee .
They spent a lot of money on bots on Facebook and they ’ ve been taken down saying Biden is a bad guy .
They don ’ t want Biden running .
They ’ re not- no one ’ s helping me to try to get the nomination .
They have good reason .
MARGARET BRENNAN : Who informed you of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligence officials told you about some kind of meddling with the campaign ?
BIDEN : I have not spoken to the intelligence community , but I think the intelligence community should inform the rest of us who are running what they told Senator Sanders .
Biden ’ s right on both counts .
The primary isn ’ t about “ stopping Sanders , ” which is a media and Sanders campaign narrative .
Biden has spent much of his campaign talking about the past instead of explaining why people should vote for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was also correct .
Bernie Sanders is the candidate who the Russians want to see win the Democratic nomination .
It doesn ’ t matter if Sen. Sanders doesn ’ t want their help .
They are helping him out of the belief that helping Sanders helps Trump .
Biden may have been one of the first candidates to take a Russia jab at Bernie Sanders , but with another debate coming up this week , he won ’ t be the last .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel @ @ @ @ @

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Former Vice President Joe Biden refused to play the media’s stop Bernie game, but he did say that the Russians aren’t trying to help him win the nomination.
Transcript via Face The Nation:
MARGARET BRENNAN: Bernie Sanders. Can you stop him, in terms of the momentum he has? The Bloomberg campaign, as you know, is out saying that for moderates like yourselves, he’s going to basically end up with an insurmountable delegate lead because of his early success.
BIDEN: I told you, I’m not going to play this game with you. I don’t know. It’s not about who I stop. It’s why I’m running, why I’m telling the people that I should be the next president and why I’m the best guy to beat Trump. All those other polls you all cite also show I’m the most person- I’m the- the person most likely to be Trump. I’m the person that, in fact, in- in those polls in addition to that, I’m the only one, in terms of the Russians and all these stuff you’ve all been reporting. The Russians don’t want me to be the nominee. They spent a lot of money on bots on Facebook and they’ve been taken down saying Biden is a bad guy. They don’t want Biden running. They’re not- no one’s helping me to try to get the nomination. They have good reason.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Who informed you of that? Was it Facebook or have U.S. intelligence officials told you about some kind of meddling with the campaign?
BIDEN: I have not spoken to the intelligence community, but I think the intelligence community should inform the rest of us who are running what they told Senator Sanders.
Video:
Can Biden halt @BernieSanders' surge? "I don't know,” he tells @margbrennan. “It's not about who I stop. It's why I'm running, why I'm telling the people that I should be the next president and why I'm the best guy to beat Trump.” WATCH –> pic.twitter.com/TwsxfWyh0v — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 23, 2020
Biden’s right on both counts. The primary isn’t about “stopping Sanders,” which is a media and Sanders campaign narrative. Biden has spent much of his campaign talking about the past instead of explaining why people should vote for him in 2020.
The former vice president was also correct. Bernie Sanders is the candidate who the Russians want to see win the Democratic nomination. It doesn’t matter if Sen. Sanders doesn’t want their help. They are helping him out of the belief that helping Sanders helps Trump.
Biden may have been one of the first candidates to take a Russia jab at Bernie Sanders, but with another debate coming up this week, he won’t be the last.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-02-23--National Security Adviser Lies And Says There’s No Evidence Of Russia Helping Trump

Trump ’ s national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien claimed that he has seen no evidence that Russia is trying to help Trump .
STEPHANOPOULOS : Well , non-story — obviously , a lot of people don ’ t think it ’ s a non-story .
Obviously , the lawmakers who were briefed don ’ t think it ’ s a non-story .
And the reports are that the election security official who briefed Congress , Shelby Pierson , said several times during the briefing that Russia had developed a preference for President Trump .
Was she not telling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well , what I heard from the Republican lawmakers there , and again I wasn ’ t at the hearing , so I can ’ t comment what , what happened to the hearing , and I ’ m not going to play that Washington game , but what I heard from Republican lawmakers is that there was zero intelligence that was proffered to them to support that sort of comment .
I haven ’ t seen any of that intelligence .
So if it ’ s out there , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I highly doubt it because , look , it ’ s a commonsense question .
Why would Russia want the president who has rebuilt the American military , who has given the Ukrainians lethal arms , javelin missiles and has sanctioned the Russians far more than any president in recent history , why would they want him reelected ?
I mean , that just doesn ’ t make common sense .
There is a evidence provided by the intelligence community that Russia prefers Trump .
There is also evidence all over Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
There is also the Mueller report that details over the course of hundreds of pages , Russia ’ s preference for Trump .
O ’ Brien ’ s answer was totally absurd , and it is also laying the groundwork for Trump ’ s national security team to place all of the blame for Russian election interference on Bernie Sanders .
Trump is using the national security apparatus of the Executive Branch to smear Democrats and hide Russian election interference .
It is an abuse of power to influence the presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien claimed that he has seen no evidence that Russia is trying to help Trump.
Transcript via ABC’s This Week:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, non-story — obviously, a lot of people don’t think it’s a non-story. Obviously, the lawmakers who were briefed don’t think it’s a non-story. And the reports are that the election security official who briefed Congress, Shelby Pierson, said several times during the briefing that Russia had developed a preference for President Trump. Was she not telling the truth?
O’BRIEN: Well, what I heard from the Republican lawmakers there, and again I wasn’t at the hearing, so I can’t comment what, what happened to the hearing, and I’m not going to play that Washington game, but what I heard from Republican lawmakers is that there was zero intelligence that was proffered to them to support that sort of comment. I haven’t seen any of that intelligence. So if it’s out there, it’s something I haven’t seen. But I highly doubt it because, look, it’s a commonsense question. Why would Russia want the president who has rebuilt the American military, who has given the Ukrainians lethal arms, javelin missiles and has sanctioned the Russians far more than any president in recent history, why would they want him reelected? I mean, that just doesn’t make common sense.
There is a evidence provided by the intelligence community that Russia prefers Trump. There is also evidence all over Russian controlled social media accounts that Russia prefers Trump. There is also the Mueller report that details over the course of hundreds of pages, Russia’s preference for Trump.
O’Brien’s answer was totally absurd, and it is also laying the groundwork for Trump’s national security team to place all of the blame for Russian election interference on Bernie Sanders.
Trump is using the national security apparatus of the Executive Branch to smear Democrats and hide Russian election interference. It is an abuse of power to influence the presidential election.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-02-23--Trump Confirms He’s The Bernie/Russia Leaker With Attack On Adam Schiff

Trump demanded an investigation of Rep. Adam Schiff for the leak of the intel that Russia is helping Sanders , which suggests that Trump is the leaker .
Trump told reporters while leaving the White House for India : I have not been briefed on that at all .
Nobody told me about it .
They leaked it — Adam Schiff and his group , they leaked it to the papers as usual .
They ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information .
He should not be leaking information out of intelligence .
They ought to investigate Adam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know the Democrats are treating Bernie Sanders very unfairly and it sounds to me like a leak from Adam Schiff because they don ’ t want Bernie Sanders to represent them .
It sounds like it ’ s ’ 16 all over again for Bernie Sanders .
He had a great victory yesterday , but you know what happening , you can see the handwriting on the wall .
Contrary to Trump ’ s fantasies , Adam Schiff is not a leaker , and he would have nothing to gain from harming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one known leaker in the Gang of Eight who get these briefing , and that is Rep. Devin Nunes .
Trump is denying a media report that he was briefed on Russia helping Sanders , but even if he weren ’ t directly briefed , he would have been told by Nunes , and the White House could leak it to the media .
The President is trying to turn Democrats against each other , and Bernie Sanders is his weapon of choice for this mission .
Trump wants Sanders to be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Russian election interference , and run a campaign that will be all about Bernie Sanders , not Donald Trump .
Trump trying to get Schiff investigated for the Sanders/Russia story is confirmation that the real leaker is Donald Trump .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Trump demanded an investigation of Rep. Adam Schiff for the leak of the intel that Russia is helping Sanders, which suggests that Trump is the leaker.
Trump told reporters while leaving the White House for India:
I have not been briefed on that at all. Nobody told me about it. They leaked it — Adam Schiff and his group, they leaked it to the papers as usual. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information. He should not be leaking information out of intelligence. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff.”
What it could be is you know the Democrats are treating Bernie Sanders very unfairly and it sounds to me like a leak from Adam Schiff because they don’t want Bernie Sanders to represent them. It sounds like it’s ’16 all over again for Bernie Sanders.
He had a great victory yesterday, but you know what happening, you can see the handwriting on the wall.
Video:
WATCH: After press reports that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election, Trump blames House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff and calls for an investigation into the leak. #MTP Pres. Trump: "Nobody said it to me at all. Nobody briefed me about that all." pic.twitter.com/LYeemOptQh — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 23, 2020
Contrary to Trump’s fantasies, Adam Schiff is not a leaker, and he would have nothing to gain from harming a Democratic presidential campaign. There is one known leaker in the Gang of Eight who get these briefing, and that is Rep. Devin Nunes.
Trump is denying a media report that he was briefed on Russia helping Sanders, but even if he weren’t directly briefed, he would have been told by Nunes, and the White House could leak it to the media.
The President is trying to turn Democrats against each other, and Bernie Sanders is his weapon of choice for this mission. Trump wants Sanders to be the nominee so that he can blame him for Russian election interference, and run a campaign that will be all about Bernie Sanders, not Donald Trump.
Trump trying to get Schiff investigated for the Sanders/Russia story is confirmation that the real leaker is Donald Trump.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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politicususa--2020-02-23--Opinion: 2020 Campaigns Need to Challenge Trump on Civil Rights

Arguing to center LGBTQ people in contemporary discussions about , and activism for , civil rights , certainly risks igniting an inflammatory comparative oppressions debate about which groups are most marginalized and under assault in U.S. society .
Racism is alive and well in America .
Voter suppression efforts , particularly against African Americans , are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to disenfranchising African Americans .
White nationalism and more pervasive and often less dramatic and thoroughgoing institutionalized white supremacy , endorsed and encouraged by the highest office in the land , validate a reign of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives of people of color , particularly African Americans , in the U.S .
Immigrants of color are being caged and criminalized .
And one could go on—unfortunately , on and on .
When it comes to equal rights , and hence civil rights , for women , well , Virginia just recently became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment , and the ERA still faces substantial obstacles—and heated defiance—in making its way into the Constitution .
Our nation still trembles , indeed inflames , when it comes to validating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.
” And , of course , the all-out assault on abortion rights underscores the ongoing assault on women ’ s civil rights .
And yet , while it is indisputable that women and people of color have been denied civil rights , their personhood has nonetheless been acknowledged in civil rights legislation .
The 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination on the basis of race , color , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This language does not include , apparently , LGBTQ people .
The Supreme Court is currently deliberating a case brought heard last October arguing that the word “ sex ” should include sexual orientation and gender identity .
While the verdict is not in , a good portion of the justices ’ discussion and questions seemed less than promising for the case ’ s success .
For example , Justice Samuel Alito at one point responded to attorney Pamela Karlan , representing two of the plaintiffs , “ You ’ re trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understood sex to mean in 1964.
” But beyond the question of whether or not LGBTQ people will find their collective personhood recognized and protected in U.S. law , active efforts are alive and well across the nation and in the Trump administration to exclude LGBTQ from already existing legal protections , rolling back rights already granted .
The Iowa GOP , for example , recently filed a bill to remove transgender people from the state ’ s civil rights protections .
These rights were written into law for LGBTQ people in 2007 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gender identity to its anti-discrimination law .
According to Alex Bollinger , reporting for LGBTQ Nation , passage of the bill would “ make it the first state to give civil rights protections to transgender people – or any class at all – and then take them away.
” Passage of the bill would mean one could be fired , denied housing , and more , simply for being transgender , for being who you are .
In fact , transgender people in America are already enduring—and have persistently endured– the consequences of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lola Fadulu , in The New York Times , wrote an extensive piece chronicling the Trump administration ’ s myriad rollbacks of Obama-era executive orders .
The piece begins with the story of Nicolas Talbott , a transgender graduate student at Kent State University who is also enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps program .
Because of Trump ’ s ban on transgender people in the military , Talbott was informed that he could stay in the program but would not be eligible to actually become an officer and would also no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and student loan forgiveness he had been promised and which others in the program received .
Fadulu provides a laundry list of such rollbacks and consequences individuals have suffered .
The onslaught on LBGTQ people , and transgender people in particular , is intensifying and widespread , and they are being written out of the law .
Or else negatively written into it .
The Governor of Tennessee recently signed legislation enabling foster care agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ parents .
Back in 2017 , Education Secretary Betsy DeVos began rolling back Obama-era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equal protection in their schools .
And , of course , the nation ’ s Attorney General William Barr freely denounces LGBTQ people in the name of religious liberty .
Here ’ s Barr , enumerating in a recent speech at Notre dame law School what he sees as the secular assault on “ religious liberty ” : “ The first front relates to the content of public school curriculum .
Many states are adopting curriculum that is incompatible with traditional religious principles according to which parents are attempting to raise their children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opt out for religious families .
Thus , for example , New Jersey recently passed a law requiring public schools to adopt an LGBT curriculum that many feel is inconsistent with traditional Christian teaching .
Similar laws have been passed in California and Illinois .
And the Orange County Board of Education in California issued an opinion that “ parents who disagree with the instructional materials related to gender , gender identity , gender expression and sexual orientation may not excuse their children from this instruction.
” Hatred of LGBTQ people is being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such that they have no legal grounds to challenge discrimination or to seek protection .
Law and language don ’ t always materialize into reality .
Historically , when it comes to marginalizing women and people of color nd denying them the rights of liberty , life and equal protection , the law and language haven ’ t served .
But they are there and not unimportant .
Getting Civil Rights language and law for LGBTQ people matters .

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Arguing to center LGBTQ people in contemporary discussions about, and activism for, civil rights, certainly risks igniting an inflammatory comparative oppressions debate about which groups are most marginalized and under assault in U.S. society.
Racism is alive and well in America. Voter suppression efforts, particularly against African Americans, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to disenfranchising African Americans. White nationalism and more pervasive and often less dramatic and thoroughgoing institutionalized white supremacy, endorsed and encouraged by the highest office in the land, validate a reign of terror and more general de-valuing of the lives of people of color, particularly African Americans, in the U.S. Immigrants of color are being caged and criminalized. And one could go on—unfortunately, on and on.
When it comes to equal rights, and hence civil rights, for women, well, Virginia just recently became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, and the ERA still faces substantial obstacles—and heated defiance—in making its way into the Constitution.
Our nation still trembles, indeed inflames, when it comes to validating this simple statement statement in the ERA :
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.”
And, of course, the all-out assault on abortion rights underscores the ongoing assault on women’s civil rights.
And yet, while it is indisputable that women and people of color have been denied civil rights, their personhood has nonetheless been acknowledged in civil rights legislation. The 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
This language does not include, apparently, LGBTQ people. The Supreme Court is currently deliberating a case brought heard last October arguing that the word “sex” should include sexual orientation and gender identity.
While the verdict is not in, a good portion of the justices’ discussion and questions seemed less than promising for the case’s success. For example, Justice Samuel Alito at one point responded to attorney Pamela Karlan, representing two of the plaintiffs, “You’re trying to change the meaning of what Congress understood sex to mean in 1964.”
But beyond the question of whether or not LGBTQ people will find their collective personhood recognized and protected in U.S. law, active efforts are alive and well across the nation and in the Trump administration to exclude LGBTQ from already existing legal protections, rolling back rights already granted.
The Iowa GOP, for example, recently filed a bill to remove transgender people from the state’s civil rights protections. These rights were written into law for LGBTQ people in 2007 when the state added sexual orientation and gender identity to its anti-discrimination law. According to Alex Bollinger, reporting for LGBTQ Nation, passage of the bill would “make it the first state to give civil rights protections to transgender people – or any class at all – and then take them away.”
Passage of the bill would mean one could be fired, denied housing, and more, simply for being transgender, for being who you are.
In fact, transgender people in America are already enduring—and have persistently endured– the consequences of this lack of protection.
Last December Lola Fadulu, in The New York Times, wrote an extensive piece chronicling the Trump administration’s myriad rollbacks of Obama-era executive orders. The piece begins with the story of Nicolas Talbott, a transgender graduate student at Kent State University who is also enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps program. Because of Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military, Talbott was informed that he could stay in the program but would not be eligible to actually become an officer and would also no longer be eligible for the health insurance and student loan forgiveness he had been promised and which others in the program received.
Fadulu provides a laundry list of such rollbacks and consequences individuals have suffered.
The onslaught on LBGTQ people, and transgender people in particular, is intensifying and widespread, and they are being written out of the law.
Or else negatively written into it. The Governor of Tennessee recently signed legislation enabling foster care agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ parents.
Back in 2017, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos began rolling back Obama-era protections for transgender students, denying them equal protection in their schools.
And, of course, the nation’s Attorney General William Barr freely denounces LGBTQ people in the name of religious liberty.
Here’s Barr, enumerating in a recent speech at Notre dame law School what he sees as the secular assault on “religious liberty”:
“The first front relates to the content of public school curriculum. Many states are adopting curriculum that is incompatible with traditional religious principles according to which parents are attempting to raise their children. They often do so without any opt out for religious families.
Thus, for example, New Jersey recently passed a law requiring public schools to adopt an LGBT curriculum that many feel is inconsistent with traditional Christian teaching. Similar laws have been passed in California and Illinois. And the Orange County Board of Education in California issued an opinion that “parents who disagree with the instructional materials related to gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation may not excuse their children from this instruction.”
Hatred of LGBTQ people is being legalized, actually written into law, such that they have no legal grounds to challenge discrimination or to seek protection.
Law and language don’t always materialize into reality. Historically, when it comes to marginalizing women and people of color nd denying them the rights of liberty, life and equal protection, the law and language haven’t served. But they are there and not unimportant.
Getting Civil Rights language and law for LGBTQ people matters.


politicususa--2020-02-24--Biden Jumps To A 15 Point Lead Over Sanders In South Carolina

A new poll shows former vice president Joe Biden leading Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) by 15 points in South Carolina .
PPP ’ s newest poll of Democratic primary voters in South Carolina finds it looking like a two person race , with only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders reaching double digits in their support .
Biden gets 36 % to 21 % for Sanders , with Elizabeth Warren at 8 % , Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer at 7 % , Tulsi Gabbard at 6 % , and Amy Klobuchar at 3 % rounding out the field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s support in the 15-20 % range .
If he has indeed collapsed , as our poll seems to suggest , it appears his former supporters are making their way to Biden and helping him to open a bigger lead in the state .
The key to Biden ’ s success continues to be strong support from African Americans- he gets 50 % to 21 % for Sanders , with no one else polling above 6 % .
Biden is the only candidate with more than a 50 % favorability rating .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is at 47/35 , Warren at 46/31 , Steyer at 45/24 , Buttigieg at 41/35 , and Klobuchar at 39/26 .
No other candidate is going to come out of South Carolina with delegates , besides Biden and Sanders , if this poll is accurate .
If Steyer is on the decline , it should mean the end of his campaign , and Buttigieg and Klobuchar ’ s single-digit showings should be a sign to both of them , especially Klobuchar , that she has no path forward .
If Sanders loses to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African-Americans , it will put an end to the story of Sen. Sanders ’ s “ expanding coalition.
” A big Biden win in South Carolina would shake up the race beneath Sanders and could be the first step in adding clarity to the muddled Democratic field .

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A new poll shows former vice president Joe Biden leading Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) by 15 points in South Carolina.
Via Public Policy Polling:
PPP’s newest poll of Democratic primary voters in South Carolina finds it looking like a two person race, with only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders reaching double digits in their support. Biden gets 36% to 21% for Sanders, with Elizabeth Warren at 8%, Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer at 7%, Tulsi Gabbard at 6%, and Amy Klobuchar at 3% rounding out the field.
Other recent polls have found Steyer’s support in the 15-20% range. If he has indeed collapsed, as our poll seems to suggest, it appears his former supporters are making their way to Biden and helping him to open a bigger lead in the state. The key to Biden’s success continues to be strong support from African Americans- he gets 50% to 21% for Sanders, with no one else polling above 6%.
….
Biden is the only candidate with more than a 50% favorability rating. He comes in at 61/20. Sanders is at 47/35, Warren at 46/31, Steyer at 45/24, Buttigieg at 41/35, and Klobuchar at 39/26.
No other candidate is going to come out of South Carolina with delegates, besides Biden and Sanders, if this poll is accurate. If Steyer is on the decline, it should mean the end of his campaign, and Buttigieg and Klobuchar’s single-digit showings should be a sign to both of them, especially Klobuchar, that she has no path forward.
If Sanders loses to Biden by double-digits and gets crushed with African-Americans, it will put an end to the story of Sen. Sanders’s “expanding coalition.” A big Biden win in South Carolina would shake up the race beneath Sanders and could be the first step in adding clarity to the muddled Democratic field.


politicususa--2020-02-24--Trump Supporting House Candidate Suspends Campaign After Heroin Overdose

Chris Taylor , a veteran who was running for the House on a platform of finishing the wall and supporting Trump , suspended his campaign after he ODed on heroin .
The Arizona Republic reported that Taylor said : Today , I have suspended my campaign for the US House of Representatives and am seeking treatment for substance abuse disorder .
I will fully cooperate with local authorities on any matters arising from my recent relapse and overdose .
I ’ m not going to hide from this .
I ’ m not ashamed of what happened .
I wish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have supported me .
I don ’ t know what went wrong .
I recently relapsed after having so many solid years in sobriety .
I have to figure out where I went wrong .
Taylor is reported to have been battling opioid addiction for years .
His overdose is a reminder that drug addiction doesn ’ t recognize political parties , race , or gender .
Anyone can become addicted , and addiction can return at any time .
Republicans have struggled to recruit quality House candidates .
On paper , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but he is a living reminder that the opioid crisis that Trump claims to have defeated is still raging across the country .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Chris Taylor, a veteran who was running for the House on a platform of finishing the wall and supporting Trump, suspended his campaign after he ODed on heroin.
The Arizona Republic reported that Taylor said:
Today, I have suspended my campaign for the US House of Representatives and am seeking treatment for substance abuse disorder. I will fully cooperate with local authorities on any matters arising from my recent relapse and overdose.
I’m not going to hide from this. I’m not ashamed of what happened. I wish to sincerely apologize to the amazing people who have supported me. I don’t know what went wrong. I recently relapsed after having so many solid years in sobriety. I have to figure out where I went wrong.
Taylor is reported to have been battling opioid addiction for years. His overdose is a reminder that drug addiction doesn’t recognize political parties, race, or gender. Anyone can become addicted, and addiction can return at any time.
Republicans have struggled to recruit quality House candidates. On paper, Taylor has a bio that looks appealing, but he is a living reminder that the opioid crisis that Trump claims to have defeated is still raging across the country.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-24--Judge Blasts Roger Stone While Refusing To Step Down

Judge Amy Berman Jackson blasted Roger Stone while rejected a defense request that she step down from the case due to “ bias.
” Stone is trying to get rid of the judge and get a new trial with claims of bias , but Judge Berman Jackson wrote in response to his motion : At bottom , given the absence of any factual or legal support for the motion for disqualification , the pleading appears to be nothing more than an attempt to use the Court ’ s docket to disseminate a statement for public consumption that has the words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in it .
Judges can not be ‘ biased ’ and need not be disqualified if the views they express are based on what they learned while doing the job they were appointed to do .
The defendant has not suggested that the Court said one word about him outside of the courtroom , or to anyone other than the parties , at any time .
Its characterization of the jurors ’ service was voiced on the record , and it was entirely and fairly based on the Court ’ s observations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nine days of voir dire and trial , when they were uniformly punctual and attentive , and through their thoughtful communications with the Court during deliberation … and the delivery of the verdict .
Roger Stone ’ s motion was all about laying the groundwork for Trump to claim judicial bias as his reason for pardoning him .
The judge has not been biased against Stone .
She has been fair to a defendant who violated or skirted her orders numerous times during the case .
Stone and Trump can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laying a bogus pardon pretext that is visible from a mile away .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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Judge Amy Berman Jackson blasted Roger Stone while rejected a defense request that she step down from the case due to “bias.”
Stone is trying to get rid of the judge and get a new trial with claims of bias, but Judge Berman Jackson wrote in response to his motion:
At bottom, given the absence of any factual or legal support for the motion for disqualification, the pleading appears to be nothing more than an attempt to use the Court’s docket to disseminate a statement for public consumption that has the words’ judge’ and ‘biased’ in it.
…..
Judges cannot be ‘biased’ and need not be disqualified if the views they express are based on what they learned while doing the job they were appointed to do.
….
The defendant has not suggested that the Court said one word about him outside of the courtroom, or to anyone other than the parties, at any time. Its characterization of the jurors’ service was voiced on the record, and it was entirely and fairly based on the Court’s observations of the jurors in the courthouse; through the nine days of voir dire and trial, when they were uniformly punctual and attentive, and through their thoughtful communications with the Court during deliberation … and the delivery of the verdict.
Roger Stone’s motion was all about laying the groundwork for Trump to claim judicial bias as his reason for pardoning him. The judge has not been biased against Stone. She has been fair to a defendant who violated or skirted her orders numerous times during the case.
Stone and Trump can’t bully the judge, but they are laying a bogus pardon pretext that is visible from a mile away.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-24--Bad News For Trump As Poll Shows Impeachment Helped House Democrats

A new Gallup Poll revealed that support for House incumbents is at its highest level since 2012 , which means impeachment didn ’ t hurt Democrats .
According to Gallup , “ Democrats have a solid majority in the U.S. House of Representatives , and the elevated 59 % of Americans saying their member of Congress deserves reelection augurs well for their bid to maintain their majority next year .
This assumes , however , that the 59 % holds for the remaining nine months before Election Day .
If Americans still feel their member deserves another term at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could mean a favorable environment for Democrats ’ prospects of maintaining power in at least one chamber of Congress.
” Trump thinks that he is going to use impeachment to get his revenge on Nancy Pelosi for impeaching him , but the numbers suggest that if Trump tries to win back the House , he will be wasting his time .
The conventional wisdom among Trump supporters that impeachment would hurt the House Democratic majority is turning out to have been very wrong .
Impeachment has made House Democrats more popular with voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation is focused on House and Senate races , it looks Speaker Pelosi is going to guide House Democrats to a smooth majority victory in November .
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group .

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A new Gallup Poll revealed that support for House incumbents is at its highest level since 2012, which means impeachment didn’t hurt Democrats.
The poll:
Most Americans (59%) say the U.S. representative in their local congressional district deserves to be reelected, and 35% say the same for most members of Congress. https://t.co/FN976hba89 pic.twitter.com/pmRX86E5JS — GallupNews (@GallupNews) February 24, 2020
According to Gallup, “Democrats have a solid majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the elevated 59% of Americans saying their member of Congress deserves reelection augurs well for their bid to maintain their majority next year. This assumes, however, that the 59% holds for the remaining nine months before Election Day. If Americans still feel their member deserves another term at a similar level closer to November, this could mean a favorable environment for Democrats’ prospects of maintaining power in at least one chamber of Congress.”
Trump thinks that he is going to use impeachment to get his revenge on Nancy Pelosi for impeaching him, but the numbers suggest that if Trump tries to win back the House, he will be wasting his time.
The conventional wisdom among Trump supporters that impeachment would hurt the House Democratic majority is turning out to have been very wrong. Impeachment has made House Democrats more popular with voters back home in their districts.
While the nation is focused on House and Senate races, it looks Speaker Pelosi is going to guide House Democrats to a smooth majority victory in November.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook


politicususa--2020-02-28--Rachel Maddow Destroys All Of Trump’s Coronavirus Lies In 90 Seconds

It took Rachel Maddow just 90 seconds on Thursday night to shred all of Donald Trump ’ s latest lies about the worldwide coronavirus outbreak , which is getting worse by the day .
On her program , the MSNBC host said that she typically doesn ’ t dwell on the monsoon of lies that come out of this White House on a daily basis , but the president ’ s words matter in the midst a global health crisis .
“ The president is telling the public things that are not true about the coronavirus , and specifically about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States , ” Maddow said .
“ This is a problem.
” She said the president ’ s lies are “ causing confusion for people who are trying to understand the scale of this problem and how our lives are going to change here and what public health interventions might have to be.
” In a case like this , in a public health crisis like this , the president ’ s words are very consequential in themselves .
And what he ’ s been saying about the coronavirus is not his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ignore it , bragging , making stuff up about his enemies and the press and all that stuff .
I mean , the president is telling the public things that are not true about the coronavirus , and specifically about how it is being handled in the United States , and this is a problem .
The president again tonight says it ’ s only 15 cases of coronavirus in the United States .
It is not 15 cases .
It is at least 60 cases of coronavirus in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to insist that the number of cases is going to drop .
It ’ s going to go away , it ’ s going to become near zero when even his own administration ’ s health officials are saying we need to prepare for the fact that the number of cases in the United States is going to go up .
The president is saying the number of cases is going to go to zero , it ’ s going to drop away .
It ’ s not .
It ’ s going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not telling you the truth about that .
The president has said that in the last two days that the coronavirus is less lethal , has a lower fatality rate than the common flu .
That is quite dramatically , mathematically incorrect .
But him insisting on that is causing confusion for people who are trying to understand the scale of this problem and how our lives are going to change here and what public health interventions might have to be .
Trump is the least equipped person on the planet to manage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand that our leaders – whether Republican or Democrat – assess the problem in an honest way and work together to solve it .
Donald Trump can do neither of those things because he can not see outside of himself .
He refuses to tell the truth about the coronavirus outbreak because he knows it will shine a light on his administration ’ s utter incompetence in dealing with it .
So instead of redoubling his efforts and pledging to do better going forward , he is burying his head in the sand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over his disastrous response to a looming global pandemic .
With the president unwilling to tell the truth – and perhaps unable to even accept it – about this outbreak , the United States will be much less able to confront it .

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It took Rachel Maddow just 90 seconds on Thursday night to shred all of Donald Trump’s latest lies about the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, which is getting worse by the day.
On her program, the MSNBC host said that she typically doesn’t dwell on the monsoon of lies that come out of this White House on a daily basis, but the president’s words matter in the midst a global health crisis.
“The president is telling the public things that are not true about the coronavirus, and specifically about how it is being handled in the United States,” Maddow said. “This is a problem.”
She said the president’s lies are “causing confusion for people who are trying to understand the scale of this problem and how our lives are going to change here and what public health interventions might have to be.”
Video:
Maddow said:
In a case like this, in a public health crisis like this, the president’s words are very consequential in themselves. And what he’s been saying about the coronavirus is not his usual, you know, feel free to ignore it, bragging, making stuff up about his enemies and the press and all that stuff. I mean, the president is telling the public things that are not true about the coronavirus, and specifically about how it is being handled in the United States, and this is a problem. The president again tonight says it’s only 15 cases of coronavirus in the United States. It is not 15 cases. It is at least 60 cases of coronavirus in the United States, not 15. The president continues to insist that the number of cases is going to drop. It’s going to go away, it’s going to become near zero when even his own administration’s health officials are saying we need to prepare for the fact that the number of cases in the United States is going to go up. The president is saying the number of cases is going to go to zero, it’s going to drop away. It’s not. It’s going to go up. The president is not telling you the truth about that. The president has said that in the last two days that the coronavirus is less lethal, has a lower fatality rate than the common flu. That is quite dramatically, mathematically incorrect. But him insisting on that is causing confusion for people who are trying to understand the scale of this problem and how our lives are going to change here and what public health interventions might have to be.
Trump is the least equipped person on the planet to manage a global health crisis
Moments of crisis demand that our leaders – whether Republican or Democrat – assess the problem in an honest way and work together to solve it.
Donald Trump can do neither of those things because he cannot see outside of himself. He refuses to tell the truth about the coronavirus outbreak because he knows it will shine a light on his administration’s utter incompetence in dealing with it.
So instead of redoubling his efforts and pledging to do better going forward, he is burying his head in the sand hoping that made-for-TV press conferences will paper over his disastrous response to a looming global pandemic.
With the president unwilling to tell the truth – and perhaps unable to even accept it – about this outbreak, the United States will be much less able to confront it.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter