Trump is censoring a highly acclaimed journalist because of Russia. Everyone should be outraged.

Now, the USA government won't stand up to Trump's Russia, either. This is pure and unadulterated corruption.

March 28, 2019
By Manu Raju and Jennifer Hansler

..."If the department (click here) rescinded the award because of statements made by a journalist, exercising her right to freedom of speech, it would mean that the Department is using political fealty to the President as an eligibility criteria for receiving a government award designed to highlight courage," said Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the panel. "Furthermore, misleading the public and Congress about the true reasons behind its actions would harm the Department's reputation here in the United States and around the world, and undermine its credibility regarding future pronouncements from the press podium."...

The Russians are going to prison for their hate campaign that could have endangered Ms. Aro's life.

18 October 2019

When Jessikka Aro started investigating pro-Kremlin Twitter accounts, she was targeted by trolls both online and in real life

A Finnish court (click here) has sentenced the founder of a pro-Russian website to 22 months in prison on charges of defamation and negligence.

The court said MV-Lehti published offensive content about Jessikka Aro, an investigative journalist.

Ilja Janitskin and two other journalists were ordered to pay 136,000 euros (£119,300) in compensation.

Aro had been the subject of a hate campaign following her reporting on online Russian propaganda.

MV-Lehti is a well-known right-wing, anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic, pro-Russian publication.

Malpractice

The Barr Report has no legal standing. It is a letter. There is no EVIDENCE to back up anything in his letter.

It is a cover-up.

If that letter went before a judge, the judge more than likely would say, "So, what?"

There is nothing to the letter. A judge could not make a decision about anything based on that letter. Why would anyone else?

It is a summary of what Barr believed he read. Let him testify under oath to every statement he made and provide the proof of why he made those statements. This ridiculous. There is no legal standing to that letter.

Why are the Republicans seeking to destroy the intelligence committee?

Not long ago, the Republican members of Congress worried about Putin's influence within the USA.

May 17, 2017
By Sarah D. Wire

In a private meeting (click here) with Republican colleagues last year, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy commented that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and California congressional colleague Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) were being paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy said in the recording of a June 15 exchange obtained and published by the Washington Post. At that point, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) cut off the conversation and swore those present to secrecy.

Hello? Really? Pouting? Too, bad. I strongly suggest the Republicans get on board with national security and now. I find it disgusting that there is a cover up in the DOJ to the Mueller Report and Republicans are running in the direction of corruption. Perhaps the Republicans know exactly what occurred in Helsinki. Do, tell.

March 28, 2019
By Grace Segers

Every Republican (click here) on the House Intelligence Committee is calling on Chairman Adam Schiff to resign Thursday, accusing the California Democrat of weaving a "demonstrably false" narrative of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and "undermining" the credibility of the panel.

It is time for Barr to put on his big boy pants and send the Mueller Report in full to the US House.

The Congress has every right to those documents and even a judge thinks so in relation to the FBI notes that Comey wrote about Trump. The judiciary is not fooled by this dodging and cover-up by Barr.

There isn't anything to redact by the DOJ. Barr is under the impression he can hide things from Congress. Congress does oversight. There is no way the Mueller Report is anything that needs to be kept away from Congress. Congress can decide what needs to be redacted and submitted to the country. 

A cover up by Barr is not going to stand. Former Director Comey's notes are very important. He was fired and then Trump hosts high ranking Russians in the Oval Office to provide highly classified material. If anything, the DOJ should be sharing all this information with Congress for them to process in the methods available to them.

Covering up the Mueller Report and making it necessary for Congress to go to court to receive records that should be available to them is anti-American. It is also a national security issue.

March 28, 2019

House aide: (click here) Barr does not intend to give Congress a complete copy of the report from special counsel Robert Mueller.

Attorney General William Barr does not intend to give Congress a complete copy of the report from special counsel Robert Mueller.

That's according to a House Democratic aide who briefed reporters on Thursday on condition of anonymity.

The aide said Barr spoke with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler late Wednesday and indicated he was redacting grand jury information from the confidential report. While grand jury information is often confidential, it can be unsealed in some situations.

The aide added Nadler offered to work with Barr to have the information unsealed.

House Democrats are pressing for the full release of Mueller's report.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Barr's four-page synopsis "condescending" and "arrogant" and said Democrats need to draw their own conclusions about what Mueller found....

Back to court for the Grand Jury proceedings. Barr should be running to Congress with the documents they want. He should be as concerned for the country's national security as Congress.

...The aide said Barr spoke with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler late Wednesday and indicated he was redacting grand jury information from the confidential report. While grand jury information is often confidential, it can be unsealed in some situations....

No surprise, Guiliani says what?

“We’re now trying to prove who did it,” Giuliani said in a new interview with The Atlantic. “The premise is, somebody had to have started the ‘He colluded with the Russians’” narrative.

Who did it? Honestly. The firing of James Comey is obstruction of justice, especially considering the Russians were at the White House doorstep in less than twenty-four hours later. Comey was fired via Twitter sometime in the afternoon and the Russians were at the White House the next morning. That is obvious.

Comey had already begun a Russian investigation before he was fired. The Comey investigation started with the Russian hacking of the Clinton Campaign and DCCC emails. Firing Comey to end the FBI investigation is obstruction of justice.

So, now the FBI had to continue the investigation without Comey and that is why Rod Rosenstein asked Robert Mueller to be a Special Council to pick up where Comey left off.

Who did it? Trump shot himself in the foot the day he fired Comey and brought the Russians into the Oval Office to receive classified documents.

TRUMP CAUSED HIS OWN INVESTIGATION.

Oh.

This is not the first time she intervened with Trump Company buildings. When a Florida tower was going badly and no one would touch it because the building would sink in the sand, it was Ivanka that tried to talk to another building to pick-up the Florida project.

THERE WERE SANCTIONS! (click here)

2014! 2014! 2014! This was not news to anyone running for office for the 2016 election and yet Trump goes on live television and asked Russia to invade any place in the USA where 30,000 Clinton emails could be found. 

...In addition, the United States has imposed sanctions on Russia in response to human rights abuses, election interference and cyberattacks, weapons proliferation, illicit trade with North Korea, support to Syria, and use of a chemical weapon...

Everyone knew these sanctions were in place because Russia is a BAD ACTOR. And, today, Barr wants to exonerate Trump with a cover-up of the Mueller Report.

June 15, 2015. June 15, 2015. June 15, 2015. June 15, 2015 is the day Trump announced his campaign for president. 

Enough of this. A man running for president not only ignored all the sanctions levied against Russia, but he also solicited Russia to look for emails. That is called CYBERATTACKS OR CYBER WARFARE. Enough of this charade.

...Goldstone (click here) also said Donald Trump Jr.—currently under fire for agreeing to meet with a Kremlin-connected lawyer for dirt on Hillary Clinton during his father’s campaign—was spearheading his father’s real-estate efforts in Moscow. The new details come as it was revealed that the younger Trump met with the Russian lawyer at the behest of Agalarov’s son Emin, a pop singer. The Agalarovs, who are also tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin, were reportedly the driving force behind Trump Jr.’s meeting with the Russian lawyer....

27 March 2019
By Bob Brigham

Ivanka had articles written about her during Trump's campaign because she was able to handle her father. She was very involved in the campaign, evidently, while she was assisting with a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Trump family biographer (click here) and Vanity Fair national correspondent Emily Jane Fox published an explosive report on Michael Cohen Wednesday.

Cohen was convicted of lying to Congress in his testimony over President Donald Trump, the Trump Organization and the Trump Tower Moscow deal. Fox is well-known for getting Cohen to reveal significant details of his ongoing case.

According to documents reviewed by Fox, prior to Cohen’s first testimony when he lied to Congress, Ivanka’s attorney Abbe Lowell sought Cohen to include testimony that he has since said is false.

“[Ivanka] was not involved in the backs and forths with [Felix Sater] and [Michael Cohen],” was one suggested edit to the prepared testimony.

“She was not in any meetings or calls with people putting it together (esp. from that country),” was an additionally suggested edit.

In subsequent testimony, Cohen testified he briefed Ivanka Trump “approximately 10” times on the Russian real estate deal....

I want to hear Steven Moore explain derivatives and their role in the 2008 global economic collapse.

Any job in economics requires a working knowledge of differential calculus. From the looks of things he can't even read a tax table.

His dispute with the IRS is since 2014. I can't imagine anyone with outstanding tax debt and able to pay it allowing interest to build up for five years. I think this is something that should worry responsible people at the Fed.

27 March 2019
By Jon Swaine

Stephen Moore, (click here) the conservative economics commentator chosen by Donald Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve board, is being pursued by the US government for $75,000 in taxes that it alleges he owes.

A claim for the debt was filed against Moore by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in January last year at the circuit court in Montgomery county, Maryland, where Moore has a home....

Trump is going to crash American health care. A lawsuit that closes down the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act will leave health care providers in the breach.

It is not the way to govern. The Republicans had two years to full fill Trump campaign promises. The 2018 election resulted in a Democratic majority in the US House with a desire to resolve the problems and issues Americans face today. So, in order to appear to be in charge of the country, Trump reached into his second string of options and pulled out a lawsuit that would crash the American health care system.

This is not the way to govern the USA. The Republicans could not provide an alternative to the ACA for two years. This attempt to slam dunk the issue is irresponsible. It just is.

Oh, yeah.

What's his name???.....Oh, yeah, Barr. His OPINION about the definition of obstruction is not widely accepted. Lawyers, no matter who they are cannot simply drum up a heady definition when applying the law.

In a way, Barr is the epitome of the Defense Attorney. He is so Trumpy, no one should stand for it.

Basically, Trump replaced Cohen with Barr.

Perhaps the Deutsche Bank records should be made public to explain to the American people what a "pass through" is and how it opens the USA up to danger. I am not so sure Deutsche Bank should be doing business with the USA with such financial instruments.

Russia should be living with the Ruble and not laundered western currency.

No, I didn't see the Mueller Report. Isn't it obvious what is in the report though? The Mueller Report needs to go to Congress ASAP because it is a national security issue, including elections.

You can choose your friends, but, you can't choose your family.

Russia recently held a summit without the leaders of Afghanistan. It should be no surprise Nazarbaev has resigned his presidency. Putin is encouraging a new and friendly face for Kazakhstan.

Hello? No one should be surprised Trump wants the USA troops out of the region. I dislike war as much as anyone. But, it is also good to note when the USA's best interests are worrisome.

Trump will cower to Russia every time. He must have a yellow streak down his back to envy a highway. Vladimir must have an incredible wet kiss. It's obvious, right? Otherwise, why would Trump's pandering to Russia be so easy to detect. Panic. Trump panics when Russia is involved.

Congress needs to do something about the guy. Russia is parking military weaponry, including nuclear capacity, in the Western Hemisphere with impunity. Trump is already ignoring Congress, too. There are reports long overdue and Trump does nothing to enforce the deadlines.

March 26, 2019

By Pete Baumgartner

2012 - With the withdrawal (click here) of international forces from Afghanistan by 2014, role of the regional countries should increase in Afghanistan, particularly Kazakhstan’s potential economic and spiritual support is very important for Afghanistan.

The major economic strides (click here) made by energy-rich Kazakhstan during President Nursultan Nazarbaev's nearly 30-year reign often overshadow reports chronicling an undemocratic, repressive tenure punctuated by jailings and the suspicious deaths of opposition leaders, activists, and journalists.

In power since the 1980s, Nazarbaev surprised many Kazakhs and outside observers on March 19 when he announced an abrupt end to his presidency.

The one-time steelworker and former Communist Party apparatchik leaves behind a legacy of economic progress striped with despotic rule that squelched democratic norms, shuttered independent media outlets, and suppressed protests or virtually any hint of opposition to his government.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in a recent report that the Kazakh government "heavily restricts" freedom of assembly, speech, and religion, while democracy watchdog Freedom House calls Kazakhstan a "consolidated authoritarian regime." Its annual reports conclude that the country has become less democratic and more repressive over the past decade.

Reporters Without Borders ranked Kazakhstan 158th out of 180 countries worldwide in press freedom in 2018, while the religious-freedom watchdogForum 18 says Kazakhstan "restricts freedom of religion and belief." The Oslo-based organization said it has recorded "increasing numbers" of people jailed for their religious beliefs.

Nazarbaev's presidency was marked by numerous suspicious deaths -- many of them unsolved -- of journalists, activists, protesters, businessmen, and politicians, as well as others who were detained or imprisoned, often on what rights activists describe as trumped-up, politically motivated charges....

While the DOJ reviews the Mueller Report for felony and misdemeanor content from a copy of the report, the original along with supporting documents should have immediately been sent to Congress. The delay of Congressional review by the DOJ is egregious and completely inappropriate. It is unconstitutional.

The Justice Department is supposed to uphold the law, including the responsibilities of the Congress, not break them.

There is every reason to believe, what's his name....Barr, is playing politics to favor Trump with the withholding of the Mueller Report. Legislation has to be written and passed in time to benefit the 2020 elections. Americans have a right to be free of foreign interference when the cast their ballot.

The problem with returning Russian spies such as Butina back to Russia is their ability to know how to impact the elections within the country.

This is Trump's latest boy toy, Alex Ovechkin. A Russian migrant that is CAPTAIN of the Washington (as in DC) Capitals hockey team. Trump lauded over him when the TEAM visited the White House. According to the White House schedule, Alex even visited the Oval Office. How many times in a presidency do Russians actually visit the Oval Office?

Ovechkin is a friend and political operative of Vladimir Putin. He has a political organization that supports Putin. Ovechkin even took the Stanley Cup to display in Red Square (click here).

It is only appropriate to wonder what national security secrets left the Oval Office with Ovechkin's visit?

While Pompeo shakes his fist at Russia's nuclear build up in Venezuela...

...Trump has no problem with the idea of a military build up by Russia in Cuba. Russia actually has 38 million Euros? Really, Donald? Lifting sanctions to Donald's oligarch friends is a problem.

There is collusion and there is collusion. The US Treasury is busy trying to keep Donald happy by lifting USA sanctions passed by Congressional legislation while colluding with military threats to the USA in the Western Hemisphere.

February 6, 2019

Moscow - Russia has approved a 38 million euro ($43.27 million) (click here) loan for Cuba’s defense sector, a senior Russian defense official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

The deal was first announced in November after Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Moscow.

It has now been finalised by Russia, Dmitry Shugayev, head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said in an interview published in Russia’s Kommersant newspaper.

The Special Olympics builds American citizens.

Special Olympics (click here) is not (just) nice, not charity, not just sports; Special Olympics is important; Special Olympics makes invaluable contributions to the lives of athletes that extend well beyond sports.

Handicapped young people frequently receive accommodations to achieve academic success. Those accommodations do not challenge a person to reach beyond their handicaps to find new competency. The Special Olympics is an exclusive way for our handicapped citizens to find new ability. It challenges every athlete to reach to their best self.

The Special Olympics is where handicapped citizens actually achieve greatness. It is the place where competition is possible that leads to sincere achievement. The Special Olympics is more than simply an inclusive event where the handicapped can pretend to be successful. The Special Olympics provides a platform for handicapped Americans to challenge themselves while making friends that face the same challenges.

Betsy DeVos is about the most stupid administrator the US Department of Education has ever witnessed. She uses the idea of fundraising and pandering to the wealthy for tax credits as a pinnacle achievement while defunding the public venue for students. She is horrible. She thinks if Americans are defunded by the federal government they will find "Angel Donors" that will provide all American learners need and then some. That is about as stupid as it comes.

Congress is going to build in rigidity to the USA military budget. That is probably very important regardless of the wall. But, in building in a more rigid budget for the USA military there needs to be a Congressional Ad Hoc Committee composed of members of Congress as well as senior military members. The Ad Hoc Committee should be able to meet for urgent needs and immediate movement for bills before Congress to adjust the budget.

The USA Congress had confidence in the USA military's use of the country's taxes. The manifestation of manipulation by the Executive Branch is an attack on the USA Constitution which separates powers of the government. That should never happen. Congress needs to retake it's status and soon.

The most recent egregious abuse of the Executive Branch is sequestering a two year long investigation to the Russian intrusion on the 2016 elections. It is not appropriate for Congress to be treated as a second class citizen. The Mueller Report needs to proceed to the US Congress for assessment to legislation. The entire idea that an Attorney General can prevent Congress from reading a vital report only leads to greater and greater suspicion to the relationship between Russia and the current Executive Branch.

Barr was not elected.

Congress was.

Perhaps this is the year the Supreme Court will believe in the voter and the vote rather than corruption.

Mayor Andrew Gilliam has launched a campaign to register new voters. Applause, applause. But, there are profound problems with voting and manipulation of the vote by the State of Florida. Recently, young voters from Parkland, Florida had a higher number of refused absentee ballots than any other city or town or demographic in the area.

I recognize the need to register new voters, however, that effort may fall flat if the manipulation of the vote continues in Florida and other states where obvious corruption manifested.

The Democrats are always the Big Tent party and that is a good thing, but, they have to also attack the problems that beset the Democrats since the Supreme Court diminished the impact of the Voting Rights Act.

The Supreme Court heard arguments today regarding gerrymandering. This might be the year the people of the USA will finally have their wishes come true. It was just last week when Justice Thomas actually asked a question. It may be a sign that anything is possible this year.

With the abuses of voting in North Carolina, the Justices may see things differently.

March 26, 2019
By Anne Branigan

This year, a Supreme Court (click here) stacked with conservative judges may finally decide the fate of political gerrymandering. The issue comes up to the Supreme Court again on Tuesday when judges will hear oral arguments involving redrawn district maps—one involving a Democrat-controlled legislature in Maryland, the other a Republican legislature in North Carolina.

If it feels like déjà vu, it’s because the issue has come before the high court before. Historically, the court has been reluctant to interfere with the ways state legislatures draw up voting districts—a task which falls to the party in power and is inherently political. As one might expect, majority parties tend to redraw state legislative and congressional district boundaries to allow themselves to keep power....

Governor Matt Brevin should be investigated for child abuse.

Brevin's circumstances is not impoverishment. He could completely afford vaccines for his children. To think he intentionally exposed his children to chickenpox is a worry.

Bevin exposed nine children to the virus rather than the vaccine (click here). He is using his own children as a campaign tool.

There was a time in the USA when children died of chickenpox exposure and to have a Governor or any other elected official throw caution to the wind and promote disease exposure over vaccinations is completely irresponsible. It isn't as if his children contracted the virus from casual social interaction. Brevin deliberately exposed his children to it.

Varicella-related outpatient (click here) visits declined 84% in 2012 versus the prevaccination period (1994-1995) with 95% decline among infants aged <1 year and 75%-89% decline among persons aged 1-49 years.

Varicella hospitalizations declined 93% in 2012 versus the pre-vaccine period; during the 2-dose varicella vaccination period (2006-2012), hospitalizations declined38%

Varicella deaths declined by 87% during 2008 to 2011 as compared to 1990 to 1994 based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). In children and adolescents less than 20 years of age, varicella deaths declined by 99% during 2008 to 2011 as compared with 1990 to 1994.

Varicella incidence among HIV-infected children declined 63% during 2000-2007 compared to 1989-1999.

Varicella vaccination provides indirect benefits to people who are not eligible for vaccination. Varicella incidence among infants, a group not eligible for varicella vaccination, declined by 90% from 1995 to 2008.

The responsible way for a governor to indicate he is a skeptic of vaccines is to organize a panel of experts to explore the positive and negative outcomes of any vaccine. Above is a reporting e-page of the CDC. There are children alive today because of the vaccines they receive. There is no doubt about it what so ever at all. The disease rate is down and the death rate is down. 

I find Brevin to not only be an abusive father, but, a negligent governor as well. He should never have promoted anti-vaccine dialogues.

So, Jessie Smollett is not guilty and prosecutors have erased all traces of their victimizing campaign against him. Of course, the men that actually did attack Mr. Smollett walked and cannot be charged again because of double jeopardy. 

There is a lot wrong here. The Chicago Mayor needs to investigate the issues surrounding the entire episode.

The reason the two men who attacked Jessie Smollett were released with charges dropped is because of a story they told. What prosecutors didn't do in this case is maintained the charges of assault and battery. They committed the crime.

Let's say everything they said was true. There is a difference between carrying out a crime as opposed to reporting the intended fraud to the police. The men carried out the crime. Those charges should never have been discharged without due process.

It is looking like the truth about Matt Whitaker is up to the Congress. The Inspector General may not be able to come to a conclusion.

Considering Matt Whitaker was soon to leave the DOJ as Trump's Acting Attorney General, it may explain why he was so self-righteous and basically annoyed he had to answer questions before the Congressional panel. The Acting AG knew once he left the DOJ the mechanisms within the government to analyze employees' work would not be able to subpoena him. It would seem that Congress has the only right to subpoena and bring testimony to the Inspector General.

There are more people affiliated with Trump that seeks any avenue available to avoid analysis and law enforcement. Is Whitaker the one that got away?

By Murray Wass

On March 2, former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker (click here) abruptly resigned from a new Justice Department position only two weeks into the job—after he learned that he would likely be fired if he refused to answer questions from the department’s Inspector General about his controversial tenure as the nation’s top law enforcement official.  

As a result, investigators may never learn whether President Trump attempted to enlist Whitaker in an effort to impede a federal criminal investigation into whether the president himself conspired to violate campaign finance laws. And Whitaker most likely will no longer be compelled to answer questions on a wide variety of other issues by investigators for the Justice Department he once headed. The department’s Inspector General has no authority to subpoena or require testimony from former officials, whereas those who still work for the department are subject to severe disciplinary measures if they refuse to cooperate with investigators, most often resulting in their immediate dismissal. By resigning, Whitaker most likely will have evaded the IG’s questioning.

The Inspector General is currently reviewing requests to the department from at least ten senators to investigate Whitaker’s conduct as acting attorney general....

In regard to the Special Council Report:

Please remember Former Director Mueller realizes this is Russia, an enemy of the USA. While he had no problem indicting individual Russians, to indict a president enamored with Russia is not his to make, it is up to Congress. That is another reason why AG Barr is completely wrong about writing a stupid letter rather than forwarding the report and supporting documents to Congress.

Robert Mueller is also an American. He no different than any other American expects the government to function.

The "thing" with the GOP about all this is that what Trump is doing is legal. It is permissible under the USA Constitution. Maybe. I believe there is a lawsuit by Mr. McCabe in the courts. But, it isn't that Trump does these things, it is the manner in which he has done them. In the case of Mr. McCabe he publicly embarrassed him and deprived him of a retirement every agent seeks if they are a career agent. That was a power play, grossly inappropriate and mentally cruel, that was used to set an example for all other government employees regarding LOYALTY. LOYALTY is not a constitutional right, either. We are a country of laws, not men.

The GOP is very, very wrong in substituting political animus for governance.

It is time for the media networks and the candidates to sue the White House once again.

Every candidate running for any office in the USA should be interested in the fact the White House is attempting to threaten network CEOs unless they follow the Trump agenda for American viewing.

You know what gave me the idea there was a real pathology with President Trump?

FBI Agent McCabe. 

Trump absolutely enjoyed depriving Agent McCabe of his fully vested retirement. Not only did Trump enjoy it, but he was also enjoying it in full view of the public (power). Trump not only enjoyed the idea of torturing an FBI Agent with financial demise in public, but he also enjoyed it in the closing days of the employ of Agent McCabe. Sorry, folks but that is a pathology no one should ignore. The President of the USA cut off the fully vested retirement of an FBI agent DAYS before he was to retire. That is not a mentally healthy president. 

Not only was that cruel and unusual treatment of a dedicated government employee that is involved with national security but, Trump's zealotry is contagious to the public. 

And it doesn't end there. There are examples after examples of his pathology that screams out loud and it is in public display.

Now, Trump wants to control every media network with a prescribed agenda. I don't think so. We have enough trouble holding onto a civilized society.