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Thursday Open Thread

Time for a new open thread. I know there's lots of attention being paid to the impeachment and Ukraine matters, but surely other things are happening.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    (Sigh!) Hoo boy! (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 07:37:47 PM EST
    NBC News | January 16, 2020
    Georgia election server showed signs of tampering, expert says - "A computer security expert says he found that a forensic image of the election server central to a legal battle over the integrity of Georgia elections showed signs that the original server was hacked. The server was left exposed to the open internet for at least six months, a problem the same expert discovered in August 2016. It was subsequently wiped clean in mid-2017 with no notice, just days after election integrity activists filed a lawsuit seeking an overhaul of what they called the state's unreliable and negligently run election system."

    "A republic -- if you can keep it."

    GA is not alone (none / 0) (#8)
    by ragebot on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 07:54:51 PM EST
    Why are you linking to WND? (5.00 / 5) (#11)
    by desertswine on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 09:27:37 PM EST
    It's not credible.  At all.  

    I deleted that comment (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 02:49:37 PM EST
    and the replies addressing it. WND is not a source that should be cited here. It's worse than the Enquirer. The commenter either knew better and posted anyway, or was trying to stir up trouble. Readers who have done that regularly in the past have since been banned. For now, I'm just giving a warning to the commenter who posted the WND article.

    Parent
    Thank you, Jeralyn. (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 05:34:16 AM EST
    I gladly sacrifice my response for the cause. WND is free-range crackpot territory.

    ;-D

    Parent

    If we had more Nancy's (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 08:24:21 AM EST
    We would not be so f'ed.

    Maher returned last night with a Nancy interview.

    She was great.

    "You have to be able to take a punch.  You have to be able to throw a punch.

    For the children"

    Honestly (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 08:28:02 AM EST
    she has been brilliant. I did doubt her strategy but it is turning out to be slowly killing the GOP. This death by 1,000 cuts has completely thrown them off kilter and messaging.

    Parent
    Absolutely nothing (none / 0) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 08:50:55 AM EST
    In Trumps life experience like Nancy.  He is lost.

    He might as well try to figure out how to deal with a cyanide breathing alien with eight legs.

    Parent

    But I daresay most of them likely aren't happy about it and really wish he wasn't so g*ddamned guilty. It's their unspoken awareness of his guilt that is the potential wild card here.

    Personally, I think another few bombshell revelations may well induce enough GOP senators to vote to convict Trump, perhaps six to seven of them, so that the overall number constitutes a substantive majority. That said, it will still be well short of the 67 votes needed to remove Trump from office.

    However, all bets are off if Republicans collectively start to panic, because then emotions are in play and everything will be on the table, from resignation and removal to a declaration of martial law.

    Trump is no Nixon. He's a malevolent and narcissistic grifter who has no respect whatsoever for either our country or its democratic institutions. He will probably not go meekly or quietly, particularly if he has reasons to believe that he'll face criminal indictment and prison once he's out of power.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I Expect New Revelations (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by RickyJim on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 08:22:56 AM EST
    all this year.  There will be House hearings and new impeachment charges, all the way past the election, even if Trump wins.  I can't imagine that impeachment won't be the biggest issue in the campaign.

    Parent
    Impeachment should be the biggest issue. (none / 0) (#48)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 05:04:18 PM EST
    The very relevance of our Constitution and its guiding democratic principles are now at stake here, not to mention our national security. Trump has betrayed our country to the Russians and is unfit for public office.

    As I said in an earlier thread, Senate Republicans in Washington still have an opportunity here to show some backbone and do the right thing, rather than blindly follow "Moscow Mitch" McConnell down the rabbit hole and thus render Congress the impotent equivalent of the Russian Duma under the Czar and the Putin regime.

    This is a national nightmare.

    Parent

    Walking and chewing whatever (none / 0) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 05:26:31 PM EST
    Far from it (none / 0) (#79)
    by TrevorBolder on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 04:56:55 PM EST
    Explosive hearings, Durham to come, all with facts, explosive facts

    Parent
    Yeah, sure. Right. (5.00 / 2) (#88)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 06:38:42 PM EST
    Who are the three Ukrainians that were interviewed by John Durham at Attorney General William Barr's behest? The Impeachment Report released by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence strongly suggests that they are Yuriy Lutsenko, Viktor Shokin and Konstiantyn Kulyk, all three of whom coincidentally retained Victoria Toensing as their counsel:

    "Beginning in mid-April, Ms. Toensing signed retainer agreements between diGenova & Toensing LLP and Mr. Lutsenko, Mr. Kulyk, and Mr. Shokin -- all of whom feature in Mr. Solomon's opinion pieces. In these retainer agreements, the firm agreed to represent Mr. Lutsenko and Mr. Kulyk in meetings with U.S. officials regarding alleged 'evidence' of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, and to represent Mr. Shokin 'for the purpose of collecting evidence regarding his March 2016 firing as Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the role of Vice President Biden in such firing, and presenting such evidence to U.S. and foreign authorities.' On July 25, President Trump would personally press President Zelensky to investigate these very same matters."

    And for the record, just so you know who these guys are, since I'd otherwise offer better than even odds that you likely don't:

    • Yuriy Lutsenko, who served as Ukraine's Prosecutor General from May 2016 to August 2019, short-circuited his own department's investigation into Paul Manafort's ties to former President Viktor Yanukovych and declined to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigations into Manafort's activities in Ukraine and Russia.
    • Viktor Shokin was the former Ukraine Prosecutor General who was fired in March 2016, and was widely considered to have been a key obstacle in the fight against corruption, having blocked numerous criminal and civil complaints against allies and influential figures.
    • Kostiantyn Kulyk was the Deputy Head of the Department of International Legal Cooperation of the Prosecutor General's Office, until he was dismissed from his post by President Zelensky last month amid charges of having colluded with Rudy Giuliani.

    Perhaps you ought to instead educate yourself about these matters, rather than do the bidding of your Fox News programs by coming here to pee on our legs and claim that it's raining.

    >:-(

    Parent

    Notwithstanding the troll attack (5.00 / 1) (#90)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 06:54:08 PM EST
    I would like to end the day (going to see Jojo Rabbitt) on a positive note.

    Polls are moving.  There are now multiple major polls over 50% for conviction and removal.

    538 poll of polls is over 50% for the first time.

    That may or may not happen.  As I've saud before it's a win win for us.  

    The most encouraging news is the massive support for opening up the trial to more witnesses and evidence.  Over 70% in multiple polls.  68% of republicans in one major poll.

    Don't sweat the trolls.  As Bubba said, a hit dog howls.

    Parent

    Well, enjoy "Jojo Rabbit." (none / 0) (#93)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 07:37:32 PM EST
    I know we certainly did. ;-D

    Parent
    Seriously? (2.00 / 1) (#89)
    by TrevorBolder on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 06:50:37 PM EST
    Perhaps you should stay off Maddow, she has been horribly wrong for 3 years, meanwhile , Devin Nunes was right all along.
    The Ukraine is/was (hopefully) a cesspool, tons of American taxpayer money was deposited there from 2008 to 2016. Thats where you will find your corruption. Lots and lots of money, 8 years to roll around in it. Pelosi's son, Kerry's son in law, Hunter, all worked in the Ukraine oil/gas industry. You have got to be kidding me. You do not want to dig here.
    But , I will leave you with words to cheer you up, your favorite Trumper, Americas Mayor, will be rolling out some of the coverups he found. As you feel he is a bumbling, senile drunk, I can only guess all this will backfire on him (why isn't he in jail yet?)  Or, maybe it won't. Things are heating up, strap yourself in.  Those illegal FISA warrants will cough up some interesting stuff as well

    Parent
    I don't watch (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by Jeralyn on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 07:21:31 PM EST
    Maddow or any cable news. But I read court pleadings and briefs and opinions and documents obtained under the FOIA that the government fought to conceal.

    As to the conspiracy theory spouted by Carter Page/Rudy Giuliani/Victoria and Joe/and the many Trump associates who have been charged and pleaded guilty to a feferal crime, it's bubbe meise. I doubt we will be discussing it here -- it's just a distraction and has nothing to do with the charges against Trump.

    Parent

    He lost me here (5.00 / 2) (#112)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 08:29:27 AM EST
    Devin Nunes was right all along.



    Parent
    That is where I get my updates (none / 0) (#104)
    by TrevorBolder on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 07:31:47 PM EST
    On this scandal. Twitter feeds that link to all the court pleadings, briefs, links to the IG report, FOIA requests. I have learned so much about what actually happened, all through the above documentation, sadly because our media refuses to cover it.
    It is not a conspiracy theory, not any more. Barr has already confirmed spying was done on a Presidential campaign, and then the President. He is now looking into whether it was legally predicated, who made the decisions, and why. Their connections and contacts. It is not a theory, but it will be the largest scandal in this countries history. It also connects to all the illegal unmaskings the Obama Admin conducted on American citizens from the NSA database. No, these are not charges against Trump, these were criminal actions conducted against our constitution, because our leaders thought they knew better.

    Parent
    Buckle up, buckaroo (none / 0) (#128)
    by Jack E Lope on Mon Jan 27, 2020 at 03:31:38 PM EST
    The Ukraine is/was (hopefully) a cesspool, tons of American taxpayer money was deposited there from 2008 to 2016. Thats where you will find your corruption.

    So, you are saying that Dubya started some corruption that Obama continued upon his assumption of the office in 2009?  

    Or, was this just some off-the-cuff claim?   Or, maybe, you got that info from Twitter feeds?  (The Twit-feeds may have links, but one can not always be sure the linked documents say what the Tweeter claims they say....   Twitter does not filter out lies.)

    Parent

    Stampede (none / 0) (#41)
    by Coral on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 07:52:39 AM EST
    Don't believe the GOP Senators will fold, but if they do in face of more incontrovertible evidence, they are likely to do so en masse.

    Their total lack of courage, or even a smidgen of honesty, continues to shock me. It's beyond anything I've ever witnessed.

    Shows the impact of Fox News. Had no idea how effective a full-fledged propaganda network could be.

    Parent

    we get (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 01:02:57 PM EST
    to witness first hand the answer as to why so many Germans went along with Hitler or shrugged their shoulders. You see the power of propaganda large with the GOP base.

    Parent
    And the Magic United Kingdom bit (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 08:48:05 AM EST
    Was just the best.  I so completely agree with every word.

    Parent
    Yes, Speaker Pelosi (none / 0) (#32)
    by KeysDan on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 10:02:43 AM EST
    was great.  And, looked great  In her beautiful "Red Carpet" ensemble, that surely will be one more reason to send the television-obsessed Trump to the ledge.

    Parent
    I didn't mention that (none / 0) (#33)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 10:08:59 AM EST
    Because...
    But yeah she looked great.  She sounded great.  I loved it when crazed winger Joe Walsh said she was a superstar and she should be president.  And did not retreat when....challenged.

    Parent
    The (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 10:27:26 AM EST
    She makes smile. (none / 0) (#38)
    by leap on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 04:15:50 PM EST
    Thanks for linking to that.

    Parent
    Your (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 09:02:46 AM EST
    But honestly, he really needs to leave Brazil now and desist from any further activity as some sort of crusader for a free press in that country. He's been clearly sited in the Bolsonaro regime's crosshairs and these fascist thugs have proved themselves fully capable of turning such crusaders into martyrs in relatively short order. Don't court a needless fate, Greenwald. Get out and live to fight another day.

    Tulsi Gabbard is suing Hillary Clinton (5.00 / 2) (#68)
    by Yman on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 11:02:37 AM EST
    ... for defamation.

    Clearly a publicity stunt for her faltering campaign.  I doubt it even gets top discovery, but if it survives summary judgment it could be entertaining.

    ... I apologize. She's become a source of continuous embarrassment to her district.

    Parent
    If like me you need a distraction (5.00 / 1) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 09:51:32 AM EST
    Syfy is running the hour long episodes.
     one that just turned up on my DVD is very timely.   Sorry I can't find the full episode except on CBS All Access (free trial?) but here's a great review on Coming Soon

    Why Rod Serling's "He's Alive" is THE TWILIGHT ZONE's Most Important Episode

    SHOCK slips into THE TWILIGHT ZONE to examine what might be the show's crowning achievement.

    It's a great thing.  But the really interesting part was how white supremacists were viewed and dealt with back in the good old days shortly after that war thing was fought to defeat them.

    You know, back when they were not in the Oval Office.  

    SNL (5.00 / 1) (#120)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 07:39:21 AM EST
    Among the (none / 0) (#122)
    by KeysDan on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 01:42:53 PM EST
    best ever.

    Parent
    Well, there's baseball. (none / 0) (#1)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 02:57:43 PM EST
    Jeralyn: "I know there's lots of attention being paid to the impeachment and Ukraine matters, but surely other things are happening."

    The burgeoning scandal over revelations of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing during their 2017 championship season has now cost three managers their jobs over the last few days -- A.J. Hinch (Astros) in Houston, Alex Cora (Red Sox) in Boston and just today, Carlos Beltran (Mets) in Queens, NY.

    There is also growing anger among sports journalists over the revelations, with some veteran writers and broadcasters even calling for MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to vacate the Astros' 2017 World Series title. And nowhere is that anger more palpable than in L.A.:

    "For three years we've wondered, and now we know. How did the Houston Astros' hitters so easily pound three of the Dodgers' hottest pitchers in two key games in Houston in the 2017 World Series? How did they so easily wreck Yu Darvish for four runs in the second inning of a Game 3 Astros victory? How did they so effortlessly score 10 runs against Clayton Kershaw and Brandon Morrow in the Game 5 victory? They cheated, that's how."

    How oddly coincidental, yet somehow historically appropriate, that this scandal should explode on the 100th anniversary of the first public leveling of allegations that eight key members of the Chicago White Sox had conspired to throw the previous year's World Series to the Cincinnati Reds on behalf of gambling interests.

    Sadly, those particular revelations proved all too true, and the resultant federal criminal indictment of eight White Sox players and five racketeers severely impugned the game's institutional integrity, from which Major League Baseball took a long time to recover. The federal criminal trial in Chicago during the summer of 1921 was itself the subject of scandal, with incriminating evidence against the players -- including depositions and confessions -- mysteriously disappearing from the courthouse during the proceedings.

    "Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ball game, no player who undertakes or promises to throw a ball game, no player who sits in confidence with a bunch of crooked ballplayers and gamblers, where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball again."
    - Kennesaw Mountain Landis, Commissioner of Baseball (August 3, 1921)

    Despite the White Sox players' eventual acquittal in court by a Chicago jury that had clearly been favorably predisposed toward them from the outset, there's really no question regarding their actual guilt, given that several of them had already publicly confessed to their respective parts in the scheme not only to the authorities but also the local media. And so, only one day after that acquittal, all eight players were subsequently banned for life from professional baseball by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis.

    Aloha.

    Leo Durocher's 1951 Giants (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by jondee on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 05:47:08 PM EST
    of the "Shot Heard Round The World" fame, were rumored to have a fairly elaborate sign stealing system set up at the Polo Grounds involving a telescope behind the center field wall and a buzzer in the dugout.

    Poor Ralph Branca never suspected what he was up against.

    Parent

    Funny you should mention that. (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 07:28:16 PM EST
    I just finished reading an article in today's Los Angeles Times which confirmed what you alluded as rumored was in fact true, that the New York Giants illegally stole signs from their visiting opponents during home games at the Polo Grounds in the 1951 season:

    "Herman Franks, a former Dodger who had become a Giants coach, was stationed in the home clubhouse, above the 483-foot mark in center field. From a darkened window, he spied on catchers with a telescope, then relayed the signs. When a buzzer rang in the New York bullpen -- conveniently located in play back then, in deep right-center field -- a Giants player who might waggle a white towel would signal to the hitter what kind of pitch was coming."

    Aloha.

    Parent

    There's debate over Shoeless Joe Jackson's (none / 0) (#12)
    by McBain on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 08:51:40 AM EST
    alleged guilt in the 1919 scandal.
    And finally, there's the matter of Jackson's play on the field. During the 1919 championship, the slugger made no errors and racked up 12 hits, a World Series record that stood until 1964. His batting average for the series (.375) was the highest on either team. If Jackson did try to throw the championship, his supporters argue, he did a pretty poor job.

    So, not sure if all the allegations were true.  However, from your quote of Commissioner Landis..
    "...no player who sits in confidence with a bunch of crooked ballplayers and gamblers, where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball again."
    The evidence that Jackson knew about the fix and didn't do anything is much stronger.

    As for the current scandal, I have no idea what to do about the Astros players who may have cheated.  How do we know who did what, who knew what?

    Parent

    On September 28, 1920 Jackson frankly admitted to a federal grand jury that he had taken a bribe, even if it was less than what he thought they had agreed upon:

    "They promised me $20,000, and paid me five."

    Jackson further admitted to grand jurors that he believed his teammate Chick Gandil had welched on him and instead pocketed the remaining $15,000 himself. He also testified to his knowledge of the meeting his teammates had with racketeers during the 1919 World Series, and acknowledged that he had said nothing about it to White Sox management.

    There are some advocates who continue to argue on Jackson's behalf that his actual game performances during the 1919 World Series belie any claims of his active participation in the Black Sox scandal. In fact, Shoeless Joe did indeed hit for a then-Series record .375 with 12 base hits, a feat which stood for 45 years until Bobby Richardson of the New York Yankees broke it in 1964.

    But unfortunately, Shoeless Joe's grand jury transcript clearly shows otherwise. By his own admissions before that body, there's really no question as to his own culpability in the affair, even if it was arguably less than that of his teammates.

    The bottom line here is that Jackson pocketed the $5,000 given to him by gambling interests to throw the 1919 World Series, and he failed to inform anyone in authority about the fix. Therefore, regardless of the jury's verdict of not guilty in his 1921 criminal trial, Jackson deserved his subsequent lifetime banishment from baseball by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Say it ain't so... (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by desertswine on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 05:39:12 PM EST
    One factor not yet explained (none / 0) (#22)
    by Repack Rider on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 05:15:01 PM EST
    Stealing signs does you no good if you don't get the information to the batter. Every batter who took advantage of it must know how the signals were sent.

    Why don't we ask them?

    Parent

    I spoke too soon (none / 0) (#23)
    by Repack Rider on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 05:35:06 PM EST
    Avenue 5 (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 04:43:37 PM EST
    From the creator of Veep.

    There are many surprises contained within Avenue 5, HBO's new sci-fi comedy about a space cruise to Saturn that goes awry. Some of these are good, and it would ruin many of the show's jokes to reveal them here. But the biggest surprise is a disappointing one: that Veep creator Armando Ianucci's first TV series since he left behind Selina Meyer is kind of an unwieldy mess. The good surprises may eventually solve the bad one, but it's hard to tell based on the four episodes provided for review.

    Sunday after the new episode of The Outsider.  Which you really should be watching.

    Trailer (none / 0) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jan 16, 2020 at 04:47:19 PM EST
    2nd season of Watchman (none / 0) (#13)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 11:32:20 AM EST
    not looking so good

    Parent
    I would rather (none / 0) (#14)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 12:35:06 PM EST
    It not be done if it's not as good.  Not likely without Lindelof.

    Parent
    ya I agree (none / 0) (#15)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 01:42:50 PM EST
    Are you a Leftovers fan (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 01:47:24 PM EST
    That did not get enough love IMO.

    if you missed it try it.  It's very Lindelof.

    Parent

    I didn't see it (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 02:34:49 PM EST
    I will check it out

    Parent
    Been watching it again (none / 0) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jan 20, 2020 at 11:40:27 AM EST
    Buddy and me talking about what it all means.
    I think it's a warning.
    Its like a weather man using current conditions to make a forecast.
     In this parallel world the bad guys are totally recognizable.  As are the good guys.  Us.  The warning being if we want to win, if we really want to win, this is what we will become.
    Every tactic against white supremacy made complete sense.

    So, do you want to win?  This is us.

    And I don't think he was saying we should not do whatever it takes.  We are the good guys after all.

    Just good to do it with eyes open.


    Parent

    And (none / 0) (#56)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jan 20, 2020 at 12:16:10 PM EST
    Bloomberg (none / 0) (#80)
    by TrevorBolder on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 05:03:15 PM EST
    Is looking to swoop in during a contested convention. His entrance should probably prevent anyone from garnering any candidate from winning on the 1st ballot, and then Ta Da....enter the Super Delegates.
    That is Bloombergs play, hell, he already has the endorsement of San Fran's mayor, he is working the field.
    I also expect Madame Sec to drop some feelers into the arena if it does appear that there will be a brokered convention

    Parent
    I pleased you think you (5.00 / 1) (#83)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 05:36:21 PM EST
    Have it all figured out.  I doubt very much you do.

    Soros just pledged a billion to beat Trump.  Bloomberg has said he will spend it all.

    It's not Madam Secretary you should be worried about.

    Parent

    Do you really (none / 0) (#85)
    by TrevorBolder on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 06:08:00 PM EST
    See 1 candidate winning this on the 1st ballot, especially with Bloomberg now in the race, siphoning off more votes from Joe and Pete?
    Seriously, do you, then who?
    I do not see it, but I didn't say that is what would happen, I thought I said that was Bloombergs strategy.
    Not worried about Madame Sec, didn't say I was worried about Madame Se, just see her throwing her name out there if it becomes clear this may very well go to a contested convention.
    The only issue with a contested convention, if the SuperDelegates hand over the nomination to Bloomberg, or Amy, the Bernie Bros will not be happy, and many Warren supporters as well. The Bern will bend the knee again (Soros will smile on him) but the Bernie Bros might not be as pliant

    Parent
    Dear God - you guys are still obsessed (5.00 / 1) (#118)
    by Yman on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 09:46:36 PM EST
    I also expect Madame Sec to drop some feelers into the arena if it does appear that there will be a brokered convention.

    The nicest thing about "expectations" is they don't have to be based on facts,  evidence, or reality.

    Parent

    True tho (none / 0) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 05:02:03 PM EST
    Yesterday Bloomberg was endorsed by London Breed the mayor of San Francisco.

    You didn't mention that today Lori Lightfoot the mayor of Chicago is publically considering an endorsment.

    He has getting the endorsement of big city mayors, mostly of color, right across the country.

    This is very very smart.

    Parent

    Yes, the more (none / 0) (#101)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 06:34:11 PM EST
    I see of Biden the less I'm thinking he can handle this. If we're going to have a 70 year old I would rather have him than the other 2.

    Parent
    Guardian (none / 0) (#121)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 09:43:00 AM EST
    Why are California's mayors lining up to endorse Mike Bloomberg?

    Bloomberg, one of the richest people in the United States, has for years invested in developing political and support network for local leaders, providing them access to both money and expertise. All three California mayors who recently announced endorsements went through Bloomberg's Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a training program for city mayors - Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs and San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo in 2018, and Breed in 2019. Tubbs attended the CityLab Summit in Paris in 2017, another Bloomberg-sponsored conference.
    In San Francisco, Bloomberg's support included a $275,000 donation to support a soda tax and $7.1m to defeat an initiative to reverse a ban on e-cigarette sales - both measures supported by Breed. In 2018, San Jose received up to $2.5m from Bloomberg Philanthropies to tackle climate change. In June, Bloomberg Philanthropies donated $500,000 to a Stockton-based education reform group.
    "Mike has made significant investments in San Francisco, in cities throughout California, and indeed across the nation," Breed said on Facebook.
    It's significant that Bloomberg has been able to win the endorsements of black trailblazing mayors like Tubbs and Breed.



    Parent
    please watch the insults (none / 0) (#102)
    by Jeralyn on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 06:58:29 PM EST
    to those who respond to your ocmments. You don't get to decide who responds to your comments. Comments are for anyone to respond to. Comments are not a discussion between two two commenters but to encourage discussion among all readers. Tnanks!

    Parent
    I missed (none / 0) (#105)
    by TrevorBolder on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 07:36:07 PM EST
    The Lightfoot endorsement.
    But these endorsements are to help him win the primary, where is not loved, quite possibly reviled by a significant portion of the far left portion of the party.

    A smart move to win the primary, but even with this added support, I still believe it will come down to a brokered convention, that is Bloombergs path to victory

    Parent

    Trevor, how important (none / 0) (#106)
    by Jeralyn on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 07:38:36 PM EST
    do you think it is that Bloomberg is advertising twice an hour on Telumundo in the prime 9 pm hour, with the opening shot of the ad being a protestor holding an "impeach Trump" poster after which he says his campaign is about progress not politics?

    Parent
    This is nice (none / 0) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 03:57:00 PM EST
    Thanks to a lease agreement struck by a local radio operator, a Kansas City area radio station can now broadcast Kremlin-funded propaganda six hours a day, The Kansas City Star reports.

    RM Broadcasting LLC has agreed to broadcast programming from the Russian state media program Radio Sputnik.

    The Star reports that the lease agreement lets RM Broadcasting air Sputnik's programming "from 6 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. seven days a week. KCXL's website, which says that it's the radio station that will `tell you the things that the liberal media wont (sic) tell you,' lists Radio Sputnik in its morning programming."

    As The Star points out, Sputnik, along with the Kremlin-funded outlet RT,  "contributed to the influence campaign by serving as a platform for Kremlin messaging to Russian and international audiences," according to an assessment from the Director of National Intelligence.



    Chris Collins wins! (none / 0) (#21)
    by desertswine on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 05:00:45 PM EST
    It went on for decades (none / 0) (#25)
    by RCBadger on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 07:15:19 PM EST
    And Manchester was not the only city where it was happening.  The police refused to do anything and the media refused to run stories on it because no one wanted to look racist.

    Here's a report on the Rotherham scandal which was another Northern city where girls were being groomed and abused by British men of Pakistani Muslim descent:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scand

    Incidentally, if you have BRITBOX which you can get as an add-on with AMAZON PRIME, you can get the BBC miniseries "Three Girls" which is a dramatization about the girls who were abused in Rotherham and the trials of several of the accused men.

    Given everything that's happening ... (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jan 17, 2020 at 08:48:17 PM EST
    ... right now in our country, allegations of "Muslim rape gangs" in England -- some of which are almost two decades old -- are kind of low on the rungs of my ladder in terms of importance. I'll leave to the British those problems which are Britain's.

    Parent
    I liked Andrew Yang on Maher. (none / 0) (#35)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 02:11:27 PM EST
    I think I may join the Yang Gang. Ironically, Yang signs are the only signs I've seen for any Democratic candidate in my area.

    I mistakenly said that there were only white people left in the race when Booker dropped out. I had forgotten about Yang.


    I like Yang more (none / 0) (#44)
    by CST on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 11:33:41 AM EST
    Than a lot of the people running.  Not a big fan of running for president as your first elected office though.

    But I wouldn't mind if he sticks around.

    Parent

    I would appreciate (none / 0) (#36)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Jan 18, 2020 at 02:45:00 PM EST
    readers not citing sources such as WND or other right wing propoganda publications here. It debases the site.

    My Bad (none / 0) (#65)
    by ragebot on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 03:42:40 AM EST
    For the most part I tend to ignore the URL and just read the blurb.  

    Parent
    Hugh Hewitt (none / 0) (#43)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 10:45:28 AM EST
    Just said on MTP (saw reporting not the show) he will vote for Bernie Sanders in the open primary in his state.

    This is said to be part of a larger effort to boost Bernie from the right.

    Draw your own conclusions

    A number of (none / 0) (#46)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 01:06:11 PM EST
    Republicans have now suddenly embraced socialism. LOL. I can get about 3 or 4 conclusions about all of this none of them good.

    Parent
    Ray Donovan season finale tonight (none / 0) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 04:28:21 PM EST
    They say there is going to be one more season.  

    Marathon on SHO.   I really think this might be the episode when Ray finally rids the world of Mickey.

    Such a great show.

    Sad day in Honolulu this morning. (none / 0) (#49)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 05:24:52 PM EST
    Two HPD officers were shot and killed in a residential community on Hibiscus Drive in the Diamond Head area outside Waikiki, after they had responded to a domestic violence call.

    The alleged suspect who may still be at large is a man in his 60s who had reportedly threatened his landlady as she tried to evict him. She was also shot, and is currently listed in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center. The suspect then set multiple fires that have now consumed at least elven homes.

    Today's incident marks the first time since 1987 that Honolulu police officers have been killed by gun violence in the line of duty. And it further underscores why most police officers list domestic violence calls as their most feared and potentially dangerous job hazard.

    Think peace.

    ... in this morning's mayhem in Honolulu on the lower slopes of Diamond Head. Another five homes were extensively damaged in the fires set by the suspect, 69-year-old Jerry Hanel, who is now believed to have perished in the maelstrom.

    The 77-year-old landlady was stabbed multiple times but was not shot as reported earlier. Two female residents of homes that were destroyed remain unaccounted at this time. Hopefully, they were not at home.

    Tiffany Enriquez, a mother of three children, is the first female officer to be killed in the line of duty in HPD history. Fellow officer Kaulike Kalama was shot and killed as he attempted to come to Enriquez's aid after she was shot.

    It's been a heartbreaking day for HPD and the city. It's not an understatement to say that such incidents of extreme violence are quite rare in Honolulu, which prides itself on being the safest big city in America.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    UPDATE: We're getting more details. (none / 0) (#58)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Jan 20, 2020 at 10:46:42 PM EST
    Good news that one of the two residents unaccounted for is instead safe and sound. She was away on a visit with some friends, saw the news video and realized her house was a total loss, and called the authorities to say she was okay.

    Unfortunately, the 77-year-old landlady, Lois Cain, is believed to have perished yesterday. The woman who was stabbed multiple times and is presently hospitalized was not Ms. Cain but rather, one of her tenants from nearby house who saw the suspect attack Ms. Cain and attempted to intervene.

    The entire center of the block on Hibiscus Drive looks like a war zone. This is an old bungalow neighborhood on the edge of Waikiki that dates back to the 1910s, and many of these homes were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    According to neighbors, the 69-year-old suspect Jerry Hanel was a longtime resident of the community who had a fairly significant recent history of mental illness, and had become very paranoid and hostile. They said his landlady and others had been trying to get him help but he refused. Apparently this wasn't his first run-in with the police.

    Makes one wonder if this tragedy wasn't somehow avoidable.

    Parent

    The reports I'm reading are that (none / 0) (#61)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Jan 21, 2020 at 12:40:56 PM EST
    several neighbors had restraining orders against the guy and the landlady had served him with an eviction notice (which he had refused to sign).

    Parent
    Jerry Hanel had been a resident for years. (none / 0) (#62)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Jan 21, 2020 at 01:19:41 PM EST
    He was an immigrant from the Czech Republic. More context provided by neighbors and acquaintances over the last 24 hours attest to his growing mental instability and deterioriation, particularly after his dog died, an event which seems to have rendered him emotionally untethered.

    My wife and I also learned that a good friend of hours had been visiting an elderly aunt and uncle at their house on Hibiscus Drive, and she was preparing to take them to church when the mayhem broke out. They were initially trapped in the house due to the gunfire and then when the firestorm broke out, they had to escape through the back yard and through a fence to reach safety upslope at the Hawaii School for Girls campus on the old Benjamin Dillingham estate at La Pietra.

    Their house suffered a lot of superficial damage to the front yard and exterior paint, as well as significant smoke damage to the interior, but the structure held and was saved in part by being across the street from the event and not directly adjacent to Lois Cain's property, where Hanel lived.

    Ms. Cain has still not been heard from by anyone, and authorities fear that she either died in the fire or Hanel killed her beforehand. All told, a terrible tragedy, but it also could have been much worse. Three others who were assaulted by Hanel managed to escape, thanks to the timely intervention of neighbors.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    ... that two sets of human remains have been found by forensic investigators in the ashes of Lois Cain's house. So the final tally is four dead, two badly injured, seven homes destroyed and five more severely damaged.

    This incident has really rattled Honolulu residents because as I noted earlier, moments of extreme mass violence like this just don't happen often in Hawaii. The last one I remember is the Xerox shooting in the Kalihi district back in Nov. 1999, in which seven men were killed by a disgruntled and disturbed co-worker.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Ya, I saw that. (none / 0) (#77)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 02:06:16 PM EST
    I read the remains were a woman and a man, likely Cain and Hanel.

    My bet, regarding HI and mass violence, is that its rate is probably proportional to its population.

    Parent

    Actually, no, it's not. Not even close. (none / 0) (#78)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 04:54:36 PM EST
    SUO: "My bet, regarding HI and mass violence, is that its rate is probably proportional to its population."

    For a municipality of its size (992,605 residents in 2016, plus another 100,000 tourists on a daily basis), the City and County of Honolulu probably has the lowest violent crime rate of any big city in the country. In 2016, for example, the number of murders / manslaughters was 16, of which only one was committed by a firearm.

    Further, the State of Hawaii's homicide rates is almost always among the five lowest in the country of all the states. In 2014, for example, our state's homicide rate was 1.8/100,000 pop., whereas New York's was 3.1, California's was 4.1, Illinois's was 5.5, Florida's was 5.8, and Louisiana's was 10.8. The state with the lowest homicide rate was New Hampshire at 0.9.

    Hawaii society is not a violent one.

    Parent

    Well, your comment that I responded to (none / 0) (#82)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 05:19:15 PM EST
    was about Hawaii and "extreme mass violence," not Honolulu and Hawaii violent crime and homicide rates.

    I can't really find any stats on "extreme mass violence" but I can on "mass shootings."

    Between 1982 and Dec 2019
    , HI has had 1 mass shooting. CA, in comparison, has had 20 in the same time period but with 26X the population.

    So, without getting too persnickety with the numbers, the rates between the two states are fairly proportional by population.

    (Btw, if it turns out Hanel shot Cain and himself in addition to the two police, that will double HI's mass shooting rate between 1982 and the present.)

    Parent

    The mass shooting you cited ... (none / 0) (#92)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 07:35:36 PM EST
    ... was the one I had earlier mentioned, the Nov. 1999 tragedy at the Xerox Corporation building in Honolulu, during which seven company employees were shot and killed by a deranged co-worker. And that's the point. Compared to much of the rest of the country, the statistical record shows that Hawaii has been a relatively peaceful state.

    Parent
    Um, I think you need to review. (none / 0) (#98)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 11:12:37 PM EST
    The actual statistical record shows that HI has approximately the same mass shooting rate per capita as CA. And, if it turns out that a few days ago Hanel shot Cain and himself, HI's mass shooting rate per capita will be more than twice that of CA.

    You can decide for yourself what your definition of "a relatively peaceful state" is.

    Parent

    After an hour of creepy reality tv schlock... (none / 0) (#51)
    by desertswine on Sun Jan 19, 2020 at 09:43:36 PM EST
    the NYT throws its weight behind both Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar.  

    Watching some of it (none / 0) (#54)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jan 20, 2020 at 09:44:00 AM EST
    Basically "if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be"

    Oh, and aliens!

    I wonder if these ivory tower times dweebs ever actually watch the news

    Parent

    Very funny (none / 0) (#53)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jan 20, 2020 at 08:21:43 AM EST
    `It's a great people repellent': Larry David's `Curb Your Enthusiasm' mocks Trump's MAGA hat-wearing supporters

    In the 10th season opener of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, creator and star Larry David mocked Trump and his supporters by using the infamous red "Make America Great Again" hat to repel both frenemies and innocent bystanders alike throughout the episode. Some of those scenes can be seen in the embedded videos below.



    Hey fishcamp (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jan 20, 2020 at 02:13:55 PM EST
    Wind chill advisory possible for interior S. Fla., 40s at the coast

    How are we holding up?  Very cold here.  But this ain't s FL

    Miami is colder than us (none / 0) (#59)
    by fishcamp on Tue Jan 21, 2020 at 07:51:01 AM EST
    down here in the keys.  It was 55 this morning and they say tomorrow night will be 45 degrees, but I doubt it.  Today is sunny and will probably be in the 70's later.  Hope you're staying warm up north.

    Parent
    It was 49 degrees last nite... (none / 0) (#69)
    by fishcamp on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 04:33:35 PM EST
    Better than here (none / 0) (#70)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 04:59:30 PM EST
    WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THURSDAY... * WHAT: SNOW, SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN. *

    Parent
    The Supreme Court (none / 0) (#60)
    by KeysDan on Tue Jan 21, 2020 at 12:18:37 PM EST
    denied motions to fast-track petins filed by the US House of Representatives and a group of Blue States, asking to weigh in on the constitutionality of the ACA Act's individual mandate. The US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit agreed with a federal district court in Texas that the mandate is unconstitutional now that there is no longer a penalty for failing to buy health insurance, but the court of appeals sent the case back to the district court for it to consider what parts, if any,of the ACA will survive.

    The denial of the motions means that the responses to the petitions will not be due until February or March, too late for the court to hear oral arguments this term even if the petitions are granted.

    The Trump Administration has refused to defend the ACA and has argued that there is "no emergency."

    The court's decision means that the fate of Obamacare is up in the air, at least, until after the November 2020 presidential election. Which is, I believe, the point.

    The Democratic primary contenders, and, ultimately, the Democratic nominee, need to campaign on the premise that the ACA will be found wanting by this Supreme Court (elections have consequences), if Trump has his way leaving behind differences among tactics for achieving universal health care coverage, not only details of Medicare for All, but also, the Klobuchar-type building on an ACA that may no longer exist.

     The Democrats need to focus on the Republican plan to take away health care from those who have it as well as the plan to undermine and limit coverage (e.g., preexisting conditions) of the employee or other coverage they now have.

    The SC tends (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by ragebot on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 03:47:54 AM EST
    to favor elections resolving things if it can.  If Trump wins in 2020 Obamacare would be under attack (possibly with additional justices Trump appointed).  If Sanders wins Obamacare would be replaced by some type of single payer system.  If Biden wins I suspect Obamacare would still be modified.

    So if the SC did fast track the case what ever they decided would be overtaken by events.

    Parent

    If Trump wins in 2020, (5.00 / 3) (#67)
    by KeysDan on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 10:24:11 AM EST
    Medicare and Social Security will both be on the cutting block.  Cutting Social Security "could be fun", according to Trump.

    Parent
    Congrats to Yankee captain.. (none / 0) (#64)
    by desertswine on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 12:39:06 AM EST
    Derek Jeter, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  He was a superb ballplayer and had a great career.  No cheating either.

    No Yankee fan here, but ... (none / 0) (#72)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Jan 22, 2020 at 05:31:15 PM EST
    ... every baseball fan ought to appreciate what Jeter brought to the game. His Hall of Fame selection is a well-earned and well-deserved honor.

    Parent
    He was the ultimate Yankee (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by CST on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 01:55:41 PM EST
    And for that he got a standing ovation at Fenway Park.  If that isn't a sign he deserves the Hall of Fame, I don't know what is.

    Parent
    They (none / 0) (#74)
    by FlJoe on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 09:41:26 AM EST
    come to snuff the rooster
    An Indian man has died after a tussle with his rooster -- on their way to a cockfight.
    Saripalli Chanavenkateshwaram Rao, 50, was hit in the neck with a blade tied to the rooster's claw on January 15. A police spokesman told CNN the father of three was taken to hospital, where he later died from a stroke.
    but he ain't going to die.

    Rest in peace, Jim Lehrer (1934-2020). (none / 0) (#75)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 01:38:22 PM EST
    The co-founder (with Robert MacNeil) and longtime anchor of the PBS NewsHour (originally known as "The MacNeil-Lehrer Report") passed away today at age 85. He became a well-respected pillar of the east coast media establishment through both his professionalism and his longevity, and is being remembered today by many of its members as both a friend and mentor.

    Now that the final 2 FISA warrants (none / 0) (#81)
    by TrevorBolder on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 05:10:31 PM EST
    These were the final 2 FISA warrants on Carter Page, and they still reserve judgement on the 1st warrants granted on Page.  So what happens to the prosecutions if they used any evidence received or learned from these warrants, including all 2 hop information. This could get messy

    WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has concluded that two of the four court orders allowing the FBI to conduct secret national security surveillance on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page were not valid because the government made "material misstatements" in obtaining them, according to a newly declassified judicial order.

    The disclosure by James Boasberg, the top judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, underscores the extent to which the FBI bungled its handling of a highly sensitive case, a failure that is continuing to have serious policy and political repercussions.

    The order says the department told the court it now believes it did not have probable cause to believe that Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power, which was required to obtain the surveillance.

    The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FBI declined to comment.



    You mean (none / 0) (#84)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 05:37:08 PM EST
    THe "justice department" I think.

    Parent
    What I mean (none / 0) (#87)
    by TrevorBolder on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 06:13:01 PM EST
    Is that the repercussions from this will be massive, every case that use evidence collected through these illegal FISA warrants are now subject to reversal, and from the language in the filings, it appears the 1st FISA warrants have not been cleared either

    Parent
    Oh, please. (5.00 / 1) (#91)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 07:24:37 PM EST
    First of all, none of this means the FBI didn't have an initially valid reason to initially look into Carter Page. After all, due to his trips and ties to Russia, he'd been on agents' radar since 2013. But once investigators in the Russia probe had determined him to be a relatively harmless creature rather than a bona fide national security threat, they should've broken off the chase. They didn't.

    In a March 23, 2017 interview, Page admitted his knowledge that he was being recruited by Russian intelligence officers and that he believed the more immaterial non-public information he gives them, the better off the country would be. So basically, yeah, he was talking to the Russians, but since he was never in a position to know anything substantive about the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russian intelligence, so what?

    Rather, the FBI's mistake -- and I won't minimize that it was indeed a major abuse of power from a civil rights standpoint -- was its continued surveillance of Page, even after agents had already determined that: (1) He was not acting in a clandestine manner which warranted a FISA court order; and (2) He was likely at best a peripheral and inconsequential figure in their investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

    Certainly, because Page was never in direct contact with either Trump or his inner circle, the FBI's continued probe of him ultimately proved to be both sideshow and distraction, not to mention a waste of agency resources. In short, the FBI was sloppy. In my opinion, federal investigators really have no business retaining any of the information gathered in their surveillance and investigation of Page, given his non-factor status in connection to the Trump-Russia scandal.

    That's the primary purpose of this January 7 FISA Court order, to ensure that the FBI complies with its prior agreement to "sequester all collection the FBI acquired pursuant to the Court's authorizations," and to further explain to the Court why the agency even needs to keep this data at all.

    Educate yourself and get some perspective, rather than merely parrot Fox News's "Deep State" nonsense.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Trump (5.00 / 1) (#95)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 08:56:04 PM EST
    appointees signed off on those warrants IIRC Rosenstein and the neo confederate elf were the ones that signed them.

    Parent
    They were (none / 0) (#107)
    by TrevorBolder on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 07:39:25 PM EST
    Still invalid, prepared by the FBI, where 1 former lawyer, Clinesmith, has already been caught altering a e mail and inserting it into the backup for the FISA.

    Anything Mueller did using anything gathered from these warrants is in real jeopardy of being reversed.

    And the 1st 2 FISA warrants are still being reviewed and will likely be determined invalid also

    Parent

    Educate yourself (none / 0) (#94)
    by TrevorBolder on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 07:39:39 PM EST
    2 hop rule , 2 hops from any of Pages contacts in the campaign. Why did they run Stefan Halper at Page twice, the IG report confirmed this.
    And the reason they needed the FISA on Page,
    Admiral Mike Rogers, NSA Director, shut down the contractors access to NSA data, performed a audit and then shut down that program. He knew the Trump campaign was being spied on, he went to Trump Tower during the transition, the next day the Trump campaign moved their HQ to a Trump golf course.  And Clapper and Brennan then recommended that Obama fire Rogers.
    This is grow exponentially, Muellers cases are now in jeopardy, and Durhams cases will stick. Buckle Up

    Parent
    You know, (5.00 / 2) (#96)
    by MKS on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 09:52:55 PM EST
    full sentences with subjects, verbs and direct objects would be helpful.  

    That would be a good start.  Then we can work on complete paragraphs.

    And, maybe, just maybe, you can provide citations and links, and perhaps even a quote or two if you want to get fancy.

    I do remember, if I am not wrong, you were predicting all kinds of vague doom based on the latest investigation into Hillary and the FBI's handling of the FISA warrants....But of course no doom and a finding of no political bias.  

    So you are 0 for 1.  

    Parent

    And some periods (5.00 / 1) (#97)
    by MKS on Thu Jan 23, 2020 at 09:59:12 PM EST
    and other appropriate punctuation, and leaving off the comma splices, would be nice too.

    Parent
    Well (5.00 / 2) (#99)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 06:15:15 AM EST
    when English is a second language and Russian is your first you're gonna have problems with grammar.

    Oh, yeah, he's been predicting gloom and doom for quite a while now and as far as links, he'll link to wingnut welfare so not worth asking for those.  He even admitted one time that he gets all his information off of conspiracy theorists on twitter.

    Parent

    All of that (none / 0) (#108)
    by TrevorBolder on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 07:44:26 PM EST
    information I found from reading Twitter links, mostly from attorneys, they would provide links to the IG report. Stefan Halper should be a household name, the amount of money he was paid over several years and buried in the DOD budget is criminal by itself.
    The NSA Director Mike Rogers, that anecdote, readily available only to those who look for it. That is a remarkable story, just the facts alone, make your own conclusions, but the sad fact is , it has to be searched out because our media appears to be covering up legitimate news

    Parent
    You keep saying that (5.00 / 1) (#126)
    by Yman on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 09:33:49 PM EST
    "Buckle up".  Along with other laughable attempts at sounding ominous.

    You realize how ridiculous it sounds, right?  It's you trying to be funny?  Dear God - for your sake - I hope so.

    Parent

    Reading from Drumpf's teleprompter? (none / 0) (#129)
    by Jack E Lope on Mon Jan 27, 2020 at 03:39:21 PM EST
    I wondered what he did with that obviously-broken teleprompter that ruined his speech at the anti-abortion rally last week.

    Parent
    In addition to new space (none / 0) (#109)
    by desertswine on Fri Jan 24, 2020 at 11:08:45 PM EST
    camouflage uniforms, Space Force has a new logo.

    Look familiar?

    Ancient alien theorists say yes (none / 0) (#110)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 07:02:46 AM EST
    Love he made the federation "whoosh" look more like a weapon.

    Parent
    That tweet thread gave me some much needed (none / 0) (#111)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 07:04:51 AM EST
    LOLs

    Parent
    Mahers closing segment (none / 0) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 08:35:36 AM EST
    Was about comedy and it was as serious as a heart attack.

    Trump will not leave if he loses.  We all need to try to understand this.  

    watching this will be worth the creeps it gives you because he is absolutely dead right

    And I loved the segment with the head of PETA

    Happy Chinese New Year.. (none / 0) (#115)
    by desertswine on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 02:49:39 PM EST
    I'm supposed to be very (none / 0) (#116)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 03:10:24 PM EST
    Compatible with rats.  I'm a rabbit.  A metal rabbit.  In another life when I was a freelance animator in NYC I was Metal Rabbit Animation with the logo being a demented looking rabbit with a mohawk and a guitar.

    Happy new year.

    Parent

    This is a metal rat year (none / 0) (#117)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jan 25, 2020 at 03:15:03 PM EST
    2020    Rat    zi    gēng    Metal    Yang


    Parent
    Baby singing Thunderstruck (none / 0) (#119)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 06:29:34 AM EST
    You've probably seen this

    if not you're welcome.  Happy sunday

    Kobe Bryant and four others killed (none / 0) (#123)
    by McBain on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 01:46:55 PM EST
    in a helicopter crash according to ESPN.
    Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, 41, is among five people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, a source confirmed to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.


    That link has been updated... (none / 0) (#125)
    by McBain on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 05:17:47 PM EST
    Bryant was on his way to a travel basketball game with his daughter Gianna Bryant, who was 13, when the helicopter crashed, sources told Wojnarowski. Those aboard the helicopter also included another player and parent. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a news conference later Sunday that there were no survivors, and according to the flight manifest, there were nine people on board the helicopter.

    Horrible tragedy.  Donald commented on helicopter accidents in Hawaii a few weeks ago.  I've read mixed reports on the safety of helicopter travel in general.  

    Parent

    THE WUHAN VIRUS IS SPREADING (none / 0) (#124)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jan 26, 2020 at 03:57:18 PM EST
    HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

    The virus can cause pneumonia and is blamed for more than 800 illnesses and 26 deaths. British researchers estimate the virus has infected 4,000 people.

    A second person in the U.S. who visited China has been diagnosed with the Wuhan virus, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Public health workers are monitoring 63 additional patients from 22 states.

    Influenza has already sickened at least 13 million Americans this winter, hospitalizing 120,000 and killing 6,600, according to the CDC. And flu season hasn't even peaked. In a bad year, the flu kills up to 61,000 Americans.

    Worldwide, the flu causes up to 5 million cases of severe illness worldwide and kills up to 650,000 people every year, according to the World Health Organization.

    And yet, Americans aren't particularly concerned.

    Fewer than half of adults got a flu shot last season,



    My sister lives in Nanjing. (none / 0) (#127)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Jan 27, 2020 at 03:16:09 PM EST
    The city is practically closed for business. They are in lockdown mode until Feb.9. They are advising people to stay home as much as possible. As of yesterday you cannot enter the subway without a face mask. There have been 8 cases reported in Nanjing.


    Parent