Presiderp Twerp

[bodysong]

Presiderp Twerp the Hare-Brained had 12 days of privacy-

How is his backchannel doing, these days ?

Much is fubar, and Putin is smiling.

Mike Pompeo admits that there was no imminent threat
to the US homeland posed by Qasem Soleimani

https://www.salon.com/2020/01/03/mik...imani_partner/

Mike Pompeo claims killing Soleimani made Americans safer,
as his own department tells them to run

State Department has just released a security alert saying,
“Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region,”
American citizens are urged to “depart Iraq immediately.”
As an even greater example of safety, the instructions are
to “depart via airline while possible, and failing that, to
other countries via land.“ Depart via airline while possible?

(oops! Too late, by the time the notification went out.
Message- shelter in place. Hide!)

For Americans who were thinking they might seek shelter
at the embassy, think again. The State Department instructs
that “U.S. citizens should not approach the Embassy.”

Daily Kos

 

[bodysong]

Presiderp Twerp the Hare-Brained

Nancy Pelolsi is in no hurry- Presiderp is antsy.

His emails!

(much of the communications about Urkraine scandal are made public, unredacted)

Ambassador Sondland's lies are about to hit the fan. (Will be recalled and questioned.)

His Benghazi!

Supporters of the Iranian-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah
attacked the embassy compound in protest of U.S. airstrikes over
the weekend. Unarmed Baghdad protesters destroyed empty
gatehouses outside of the American Embassy compound.

US official told CBS News that the compound had not been breached
but that protesters had scaled a wall with a ladder and get into a
reception area outside it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50956111

2 men that have the authority to negotiate, murdered by drone attack

Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force unit

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy of the Popular Mobilization Units

Distract/ Divert -Delay- Deflect- Deny
Divide-Deceive - Discredit- Denigrate
Deconstruct/ Disable Dis-integrate

What Legal Authority Did Trump Have to Assassinate Qasem Soleimani?

Mike Pompeo admits that there was no imminent threat to the US
homeland posed by Qasem Soleimani

January 3, 2020

https://www.salon.com/2020/01/03/mik...imani_partner/

Soleimani was an enemy of the United States.
That’s not a question.

The question is this - as reports suggest, did America just assassinate,
without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful
person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 3, 2020

U.S. strike on top Iranian commander sharply divides Congress

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...wers-congress/

Kaitlan Collins ✓
Twitter › kaitlancollins

The US will deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East
as tensions with Iran mount following the airstrike that killed
Qasem Soleimani, a US defense official tells CNN.

1 hour ago

Trump has been surveying people this a.m. about the strike, per multiple
people. It’s still unclear when he gave final approval, though Sen. Graham’s
comments show it’s been on the table since at least early this week.

2 hours ago

"Leningrad Lindsey" Graham, who was seen at Mar-a-Lago on Monday
and Tuesday, says on Fox News,

“I was briefed about the potential operation when I was down in Florida.”

6 hours ago

The White House says not to expect a statement tonight, instead
referring to the Pentagon, which said this strike was carried out
at the direction of President Trump. The president hasn’t made
any public appearances today, but was seen by CNN cameras
on the golf course earlier.

16 hours ago

 

[bodysong]

Putin gets what Putin wants- Presiderp Twerp Trumpypants gets manipulated


The fact Mr Trump did not think it necessary to inform Britain
of his rash decision to assassinate Qassem Suleimani –
Iran’s second most important leader after Ayatollah Khamenei –
ought to tell Boris Johnson the Clown-ish Prime Minister how
little the White House thinks of him.

Because the prime minister refused to return home early,
(from his dream vacation in the Caribbean) his foreign secretary
ate his own words in public.

Dominic Raab was given a dressing down by his US counterpart
after first siding with Europe over the almost certainly illegal killing
of the thuggish Suleimani. It was disappointing to see Mr Raab
replace his temperate response with self-serving US propaganda.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...w-on-trumps-war-uk-goes-from-poodle-to-lapdog

Dominic Raab confirmed he would meet the US secretary of state,
Mike Pompeo, in Washington this week, in a visit that he said had
already been planned.

But asked whether he would be taking a “tough message” to Pompeo
and his boss, Donald Trump, Raab said:
“We’re on the same page with our American partners;
we’ll continue to talk to them.”

Raab also defended the prime minister’s decision
not to curtail his holiday on the tropical island of
Mustique when news of Suleimani’s death emerged.

(Boris The Clown was PM Theresa May's foreign secretary,
Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab has been appointed
Foreign Secretary by Boris Johnson. -

https://www.npr.org/2019/07/24/7448...-johnson-takes-the-helm-as-u-k-prime-minister

Shadow foreign secretary and Labour leadership contender,
Emily Thornberry drew parallels with the build-up to the 2003
invasion of Iraq. “What we should be saying quite clearly, now, is:
‘We will not be involved in this,’” she said, adding,
“I believe that when I say that, I speak on behalf of
the majority of the British people.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...thetic-to-us-over-killing-of-qassem-suleimani

Qassem Soleimani had made the very fact of his survival part
of his considerable mystique. George W. Bush did not choose
to kill him. President Barack Obama did not kill him ( because
the death of Muammar Gaddafi' warned him of unforseen possible
consequences.) Israeli forces agreed with the Obama administration's
assesment- And chose not to kill him, though they could have.

“We need de-escalation,” one anxious Iraqi official told The Daily Beast, “
and this is the mother of all escalations.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-obama-bush-and-bibi-all-passed-on-killing-qassem-soleimani

 

[bodysong]

Presiderp murdered the messenger ?

Iran ends nuclear deal commitments as fallout from Suleimani
killing spreads

5 January 2020

Adel Abdul Mahdi, who stepped down as leader last November
and now serves in an acting capacity, said “urgent procedures”
were needed to start a US exit, which he described as necessary
to restore “our national sovereignty”.

Abdul Mahdi said he had been due to meet Suleimani on the morning
he was killed by a US Reaper drone on a road leaving Baghdad airport.

“He was to come to me with a message from Iran responding to the
message we delivered from Saudi to Iran,” he added. Suleimani and
an Iraqi official, Mohammed al-Hashimi, otherwise known as
Abu Jihad, had acted as conduits in a recent Saudi-initiated
move to de-escalate tensions between the two regional
heavyweights.

Shortly after Abdul Mahdi’s statement, the US announced that it
was suspending operations against the Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq
and a five-year-old training mission to equip local forces.
A US statement claimed the suspension was a reaction to rocket
attacks on US bases, carried out in recent weeks by Shia militia
members.

Suleimani was the second most powerful person in Iran and the
most influential Iranian outside the country, travelling the region
like a Persian viceroy as he directed conflicts in Iraq, Syria and
Lebanon, and as far away as Yemen.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-suleimani-killing-iraqi-parliament-us-troops

 

[bodysong]

"You have to wonder if this has been properly thought through.”
- Jack Watling, a research fellow at the Royal United Service Institute

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...st-retaliate-against-us-say-military-analysts

Elizabeth Warren Questions Timing Of Soleimani Killing Amid
Trump's Impeachment. “Why now, why not a month ago,
why not a month from now?

No coherent answers from Trump administration.

Trump now on the golf course; his 257th day at a Trump golf club
and 338th at a Trump property since taking office in January 2017

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 5, 2020

Date: January 5, 2020 at 2:30:09 PM EST

Subject: [WH Pool] Out of town pool report #3

At 2:28 the motorcade pulled out of Trump International
Golf Club

publicpool.kinja.com/

Date: January 5, 2020 at 2:42:34 PM EST

Subject: [WH Pool] Out of town pool report #4

POTUS motorcade pulled back into Mar-a-Lago at 2:39 pm.

According to CNN's tally, he has spent 256 days at a Trump
golf club and 337 days at a Trump property as President --
and more than one out of every five days in 2019.

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 4, 2020

Motherfucker!

If Russian reports are correct and this is the personal jet
of Herman Gref, the CEO of Russia's biggest bank just
flew into Ft. Lauderdale in the dead of night.

(pic)

— Scott Stedman (@ScottMStedman) January 4, 2020

POTUS may have also been triggered by Instagram memes
rather than any dog-wagging

 

[bodysong]

Twitter War!

Did Presiderp Twerp feel enraged, that his turf on the internet,
and very own personal space on twitter had been invaded,
and his very own weapons were used against him ?

Presiderp could not very well block communications from Iran's leader...

It began in 2018, with the Trump adminstration putting presssure on Iran-

Iran's president Hassan Rouhani responded-
“America should know that peace with Iran is the mother
of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars."

Presiderp Twerp tweeted in all caps-

“To Iranian President Rouhani:

NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN
OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES
THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY
HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE

WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND
FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH.
BE CAUTIOUS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018

The timing of Trump's heated remarks also raised the question
of why he decided to issue his tweet late Sunday — after a week
of negative attention for his meeting with Russian President
Vladimir Putin last Monday, and the revelation that his former
attorney Michael Cohen recorded him in 2016 discussing payments
to a woman who claimed she had an affair with Trump.

https://www.npr.org/2018/07/23/631454795/trump-to-irans-president-never-ever-threaten-the-u-s-again

Before his assassination, and immediately following Trump's insult,
Iran's General Qasem Soleimani said-

“It is not in our president’s dignity to respond to you,” he told Trump
via Iran’s Tasnim news agency. If you begin the war, we will end
the war. You know that this war will destroy all that you possess.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...n-the-war-we-will-end-it-tasnim-idUSKBN1KG106

Qasem Soleimani shared with his nearly 70,000 Instagram followers
an image of the White House exploding, which was later archived
by the Middle East Media Research Institute. The poster that it appeared
to have been taken, is the 2013 film “Olympus Has Fallen,”
and it was doctored so that Soleimani stands in front of the inferno
with a walkie-talkie in his hand.

New CJL Report: IRGC Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani,
Designated By U.S. Treasury Dept., Is Active On Instagram;
Posts Include Image Of White House Exploding

(pic)

Steve Stalinsky (@SteveStalinsky) August 17, 2018

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...y-Instagram-memes-rather-than-any-dog-wagging

Presiderp's Disinformation Campaign Begins, after the Assassination
of General Qasem Soleimani

 

[bodysong]

Confusion surrounds memo indicating potential withdrawal
of US troops from Iraq

The future of the US presence in Iraq is in question after a military
memo seemed to indicate a potential withdrawal of American troops
from the country.

The memo stated troops would begin “onward movement” from Iraq.
However, secretary of defense Mark Esper said the memo was
inaccurate “There’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq.”

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Mark Milley,
said the letter had been sent in error.

The back-and-forth began as the Trump administration scrambled
to respond to Iraqi demands for the troops to leave after last week’s
assassination in Baghdad of Iran’s top general, Qassem Suleimani.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...mp-impeachment-news-today-iran-latest-updates

Future of US military presence in Iraq in question amid confusion
in Washington

US letter said troops would begin ‘onward movement’ from Iraq,
but defense secretary insists no decision was made to evacuate

Allies to the US are responding in kind, with British officials are now
pointing to Esper’s clarification, describing the original letter from
the US-led coalition circulating in Iraq as “very unclear” and
“not what it seems” without giving further details.

The Trump administration refused a visa to the Iranian foreign
minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to come to New York to
address the UN security council on Thursday, violating the
UN headquarters agreement, the Foreign Policy website r
eported. A spokesman for the Iranian mission said it had
not been informed of any decision, and a UN spokesman
declined to comment.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/06/us-allies-trump-suleimani-killing-reaction-response

 

[bodysong]

Posing for the camera, for the pic that will go with the "hot" headlines

Presiderp has a hot new war show- Just look at the Generals!

"...sweet-talking his base, chest-thumping, dishonest insults,
and incoherent messaging"

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/01/the-strategy-behind-trumps-incoherent-iran-address.html

 

[bodysong]

Why did Presiderp Do It ? (As if, American citizens will ever see "behind the curtain."*

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/01/gr...e-driving-force-behind-trumps-attack-on-iran/

*
Nancy Pelosi intended to confront Presiderp, if he dared to show up-
A skit was performed by Presiderp, and the politicians assembled
in the meeting room were used as props- a curtain hid what was set up
in the White House garden- a podium, so that the Presiderp could tell
his lies, immediately, before the truth smacked him.

 

[bodysong]

Ultimately, the Iran debacle is another example of the ways
Donald Trump is singular and “unique” among American presidents —
in the worst possible sense. None of his predecessors have embodied
Trump’s racism, cruelty, ignorance, greed, corruption, violence, misogyny,
apparent sociopathy and laziness all in one person.

https://www.salon.com/2020/01/09/am...-trump-is-blinded-by-greed-and-self-interest/

 

[bodysong]

Presiderp is drumming up attention to himself,
just because FOX TV is giving him some air-time

Drags up the dregs- old issue

"I made a deal, I saved a country, and I just heard
that the head of that country is now getting the
Nobel Peace Prize for saving the country. I said,
'what, did I have something do with it?'" --

Trump whines about not having a Nobel Peace Prize

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 10, 2020

Although he (Presiderp) did not name the Nobel Peace Prize winner
or the country, it is clear that Mr Trump was referring to Ethiopian
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Did Trump help broker peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea?

Not really - the US's influence in the peace talks was minimal.
The United Arab Emirates, which has a lot of influence in the
Horn of Africa, was key in helping to bring the two parties together,
says the BBC's former Ethiopia correspondent, Emmanuel Igunza.

Saudi Arabia also played a key role in helping end the dispute.

Why did Trump make the comments now?

This is not clear, given that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded
on 11 October last year, and Mr Abiy gave his acceptance speech
in Oslo, Norway, on 10 December.

Interestingly, Mr Trump has not officially congratulated Mr Abiy
but his daughter, Ivanka Trump, who serves as his senior adviser,
and the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have done so.

However, Mr Trump has publicly said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize
for, among other things, his efforts to convince North Korea's leader
Kim Jong-un to give up nuclear weapons.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51063149

 

[bodysong]

Presiderp Twerp's handlers took him to
a whiste stop town on Cape Cod- (MA)
to keep him occupied.

There were good arguments to get Trump on Air Force One-
#1- Compete directly with a Kennedy that is at town hall meetings
#2 Pull a few local Trump supporters out of the mire Trump created.
#3 Visit a few incredibly wealthy donors, privately
#4 Pick up some cash bags at private fundraiser
#5 A tiny rally (hotel near the tiny airport ? 50 people!
(or at the airport hangar ?)

President Obama and Michelle Obama are getting
positive press-

Nominating “American Factory” was the equivalent of sending
an Oscar invitation to Barack and Michelle Obama.

NY Times

Jan. 13, 2020

Netflix documentary “American Factory,” which Michelle and
Barack Obama produced, has been nominated for an Oscar.

Hours after Issa Rae and John Cho announced the 2020 Oscar
nominations Monday morning, the lucky nominees took to
social media to share their gratitude.

Glad to see American Factory’s Oscar nod for Best Documentary.
It’s the kind of story we don’t see often enough and it’s exactly
what Michelle and I hope to achieve with Higher Ground.

Congrats to the incredible filmmakers and entire team!

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 13, 2020

So thrilled that Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar, and all of the incredible
people behind #AmericanFactory are nominated for the
Best Documentary Oscar! We’re so proud of them and
amazed by their talent for storytelling.
See for yourself now on @Netflix.
(pic)

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 13, 2020

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-01-13/oscar-nominations-2020-reactions

Oscar Predictions

Emily Yahr

Sonia Rao

Travis M. Andrews

Elahe Izadi

Bethonie Butler

Best documentary feature

“American Factory”

“The Edge of Democracy”

“Honeyland”

“For Sama”

“The Cave”

Immediate analysis:
This may be “American Factory’s” category to lose.
The feature, which was produced by the Obamas and
follows an Ohio auto-glass manufacturing plant’s transition
to Chinese ownership, already won the directing award at Sundance.
Even more notable is what’s missing: “One Child Nation” and “Apollo 11,”
the latter of which did incredibly well at the box office for a documentary
and topped some experts’ prediction lists for the feature to win in this category.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/01/13/oscar-nominations-2020/

The Obamas Congratulate ‘American Factory’ Filmmakers
On Oscar Nomination, Say Docu Is What They
“Hope To Achieve With Higher Ground”

https://deadline.com/2020/01/americ...nar-julia-reichert-jeff-reichhert-1202828874/

 

[bodysong]

Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig have
a new book about the Trump presidency, “A Very Stable Genius,”
based on hundreds of hours of interviews with more than 200
sources, and much of it backed by documentary evidence.

In one episode from the book, Trump agreed early in his presidency
to take part in an HBO documentary featuring judges, lawmakers
and all the living presidents reading aloud from the Constitution.

But Trump struggles and stumbles over the words, according
to the book, and blames others in the room for his bungling.


“It’s like a foreign language,” he complained, according to the book.


"It's like a foreign language," Trump said.

Trump literally unable to read US Constitution while filming HBO documentary:

— Raw Story (@RawStory) January 15, 2020

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/01/tr...ution-while-filming-hbo-documentary-new-book/

 

[bodysong]

Trump took credit for Obamacare-

Trump’s long-standing lie is that he has a plan to help people
with preexisting conditions afford insurance, or will shortly
unveil such a plan. His most recent version of this lie goes
even farther. Trump is now saying that he actually created
the protection for preexisting conditions, and that Democrats
are trying to take it away:

....and, if Republicans win in court and take back
the House of Represenatives, your healthcare,
that I have now brought to the best place in many years,
will become the best ever, by far.

I will always protect your Pre-Existing Conditions,
the Dems will not!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 13, 2020

This is the literal polar opposite of reality.

- Jonathan Chait

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/01/trump-preexisting-conditions-lie-health-care-obamacare.html

Maggie Haberman ✓
Twitter › maggieNYT

“The conversation was typical of Mr. Trump’s approach to
negative reactions to his policies or statements — never accept
blame, and fault advisers. At no point did the president acknowledge
that he had chosen to publicly announce the ban.

28 minutes ago

bodysong comment- all over the map, on flavoured vape pens.

 

[YDB95]

This is the literal polar opposite of reality.

The Republicans pull that trick all the time, and - with their base at least - it works. Look no further than Dumpington's rants about the Civil Rights Act.

 

[bodysong]

Trump reportedly said he regretted that his administration
got involved in vaping policy, according to a new report
in Axios, citing sources familiar with the president’s private
conversation:

Caitlin Owens (@caitlinnowens)

Trump told Azar yesterday that he regrets his involvement
with the admin's vaping policy. "I should never have done that
f***ing vaping thing,” he said.

With @jonathanvswan

January 17, 2020

According to Axios, the president told his health secretary,
“I should never have done that fucking vaping thing.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...ates?page=with:block-5e2245ed8f0879d539efa5a3

Jonathan Swan ✓
Twitter › jonathanvswan

Sources familiar with the conversation said Trump
wasn't expressing regret for the specific vaping policy
outcome, which the team believes is the right one,
but rather for personally wading into vaping
in the first place rather than leaving it to the FDA.

(link to Axios)

6 hours ago


The president has pushed a ban on flavored vapes.

 

[bodysong]

'He ‘can’t understand why he is being impeached':
CNN reports Trump is asking

’why are they doing this to me?’

(Trump was) telling people around him Friday night at Mar-a-Lago
that he ‘can’t understand why he is impeached,'”

CNN’s Jim Acosta reported Saturday.
“‘Why are they doing this to me,’ the source quoted
Trump as saying repeatedly.”

“Why are they doing this to me,” Trump is asking people down
at Mar-a-Lago this weekend. Trump wanted TV ready attorneys
and was fixated on Dershowitz who needed convincing to join
Trump’s trial team.


— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 18, 2020


bodysong comment-

Is this the line that Trump means to to take ?

It complements the "perfect phone call" line.

All adds up to "What did I do ?"


https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/he...rump-is-asking-why-are-they-doing-this-to-me/

 

[bodysong]

Wonkette

We Couldn't Even Go A Full MLK Weekend
Without A Mass Shooting

5 hours ago

Before a nerve-wracking situation in Virginia-

(Presiderp ) decided to weigh in Friday afternoon on Twitter.

The annual rally supporting unregulated gun ownership
in Virginia was huge this year, whipped up by a tweet
from President Trump warning:

“Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great
Commonwealth of Virginia,” Trump tweeted.

“That’s what happens when you vote for Democrats, they will take your guns away."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...c41a76-3702-11ea-9541-9107303481a4_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...7f3af0-3bc2-11ea-baca-eb7ace0a3455_story.html

"The Democrat Party in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia
are working hard to take away your 2nd Amendment rights,”
Trump tweeted.

politico

2020/01/20

2 dead, 15 wounded in shooting outside Kansas City bar, police say

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...-shooting-outside-kansas-city-bar-police-say/

 

[JackLuis]

At tense Virginia rally, gun rights activists vow their fight is just getting started

About 22,000 people attended the rally, 6,000 on Capitol Square and 16,000 outside the security gates, authorities said.

RICHMOND, Va. ─ Thousands of gun rights activists, banned from carrying their weapons out of fear of violence, crammed into the Virginia Capitol on Monday to urge state lawmakers to reject sweeping measures to limit the spread of firearms.

The rally, planned for weeks as part of a citizen-lobbying tradition held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, has focused national attention on Virginia's attempts to enact new gun regulations, pushed by Democrats who took control of the Statehouse for the first time in 26 years. Gun control supporters say they are acting on voters' wishes, propelled by a mass shooting in May in Virginia Beach.

Gun rights proponents warn that the measures ─ including bills that would impose universal background checks, ban military-style rifles and allow authorities to temporarily take guns from people deemed dangerous to themselves or to others ─ will snowball into attempts to disarm the public.

Well, nobody died.

 

[bodysong]

Trump plots a flashy series finale for impeachment

01/27/2020

President Donald Trump is already itching to broadcast
the series finale of his impeachment.

In recent days, he and top White House aides have been
considering how he should celebrate his presumed
acquittal.

Every campaign rally morphs into a celebration of his presidency
and often, a retelling of his November 2016 upset win even as he
enters the fourth year of his presidency.

In March 2017, Trump hosted a victory lap in the Rose Garden
after the House voted to repeal and replace Obamacare —
a celebration that ultimately proved premature since the Senate
lacked the votes to kill off the sweeping health care law.

More recently, Trump held a White House ceremony in the
East Room of the White House to highlight his and the Senate’s
record of filling judicial nominations with over a hundred
conservative judges installed on federal district courts,
circuit courts and the Supreme Court.

White House aides expect Trump to treat impeachment as a
Democratic ploy he managed to beat, and any post-impeachment
celebration will likely marry Trump’s love of the victory lap
with his penchant for political grievances.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/27/trump-plots-flashy-finale-impeachment-105689

Mueller's report

On Friday evening, after Mueller gave his report to Barr, Trump was
at his Mar-a-Lago Club and in unusually good spirits, according to
people who interacted with him. Cable news shows were abuzz with
reports about the Mueller probe, but Trump was not seen watching
much television. Rather, he sat at his usual table on the patio for dinner
and to celebrate his son Barron’s 13th birthday with his wife, Melania,
and Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Trump Jr., who had been vacationing at Mar-a-Lago all week with
his children, was on a boat fishing when the Mueller news broke Friday.
The president’s son, who had come under scrutiny for the 2016 meeting
he arranged at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on
Hillary Clinton, responded by tweeting a picture of himself and his
boys holding up the fish they caught and then retweeting pro-Trump
reactions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...21f6c2-4d71-11e9-93d0-64dbcf38ba41_story.html

President Trump left the patio for about an hour Friday night to
attend a Republican Party fundraising dinner in Mar-a-Lago’s
ballroom, where the crowd chanted “Lock her up!” after one
of the featured speakers, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.),
called for an investigation of “both sides” — reflecting the
desire of Trump supporters to go after Clinton, the defeated
2016 Democratic nominee.

 

[bodysong]

Presiderp fibs about how many MAGAts attended his rally in NJ

https://www.nj.com/news/2020/01/tru...nj-rally-in-wildwood-heres-what-we-found.html

Seems as though Presiderp does not care very much
about his fan club.

a stage prop, a punching bag, or both ?

 

[bodysong]

Daniel Dale ✓
Twitter › ddale8

Trump falsely claimed again today that Ivanka has
created 15 million jobs...more than double the jobs
created during his presidency. He's, again, wrongly
depicting education/training opportunities - not jobs -
companies are telling the White House

13 hours ago

The elaborate specificity of some of Trump's imaginary
stories still gets me. Here is something he seems to have
invented out of thin air about Biden:

21 hours ago

Things Trump was dishonest about yesterday: Impeachment,
Michigan, Social Security, estate tax, household income,
Veterans Choice, a deal with South Korea, the USMCA,
energy, Obamacare, Mexico, judges, pre-existing conditions,
the media, Democrats, China.

21 hours ago

Playing pretend at the hate rally

31 Jan 2020

The president spread his arms wide in disbelief. “
Can you believe these people? I got impeached.
They impeached Trump!
The best trade deals (nope. Trump gave away everything for nothing)
the strongest military (nope. Trump created division and mistrust)
I took care of the vets – (nope. President Obama did that )
we got choice,(nope. John McCain to thank)
we got accountability for the vets, accountability! –
we got all these things and they impeach the president


He warned: “Now, that’s not going to work. Watch. Just watch.
They want to nullify your ballots, poison our democracy and
overthrow the entire system of government. That’s not happening,
I can tell you that. Washington Democrats have spent the last three
years trying to overturn the last election. Why am I not worried?
I should be worried.”

Trump mused on the Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and
Bill Clinton impeachments. With elaborate hand movements,
he said: “They say it was a very dark period. This is a happy
period for us. Really.” The crowd erupted in applause,
whistles and chants of “USA! USA! USA!”

Trump went on:

“It’s a happy period because we call this ‘impeachment-lite’.”
His supporters erupted in laughter.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/30/trump-rally-iowa-impeachment-trial

Vice President Pence arrives at President Trump's rally
at Drake University in Des Moines on Thursday

Pence was there to organize Republicans and assure them
that their version of reality, obscured by the Democrats
who had taken over their TV screens, was still correct.

President Trump’s remarks could stretch past the 60-
minute mark, dovetailing into subjects that bothered
the (Presiderp) when he flicked on a TV.

“We hear things like open borders, the Green
New Deal, they want your guns, government-run
health care, abortions any time,” said Iowa Gov. Kim
Reynolds, revving up the crowd before Pence spoke.
“And their absolute favorite, favorite word is …”

She paused for a moment. A (paid member of Trump crew ? Temp actor ?
Volunteer for Trump ?) shouted “Free!”

“Free!” said Reynolds. “Free, free, free. It is not sustainable.
It is not obtainable. It's ridiculous. Those ideas aren’t Iowan.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...in-iowa-sounds-like/5e3425f3602ff15f827967ed/

 

[bodysong]

3 Feb 2020

Donald Trump has threatened to veto the PFAS Action Act
which the House passed with bipartisan support in January.
Among other provisions, the act would require the EPA to
limit two types of PFAS discharges in drinking water and
emissions, place a five-year moratorium on new PFAS
production and authorize hundreds of millions of dollars
for clean-up.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class
of about 5,000 fluorinated compounds whose nickname
as “forever chemicals” comes because they don’t naturally
break down and there is no known way to destroy them.
The ubiquitous compounds are used to make products
water- and stain-resistant, and are commonly found in Teflon,
Scotchgard, waterproof rain gear, dental floss, eyeliner,
food packaging, carpeting, firefighting foam and a wide
range of textiles.

The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
in 2017 recommended dropping the “minimal risk level” from
70ppt to 12ppt for some PFAS chemicals after finding that
greater exposure “could be dangerous for sensitive populations
like infants and breastfeeding mothers”.

However, the Trump administration spiked the report,
fearing a “public relations nightmare” and increased
cleanup costs for the federal government.

The advisory level remains at 70ppt.

States such as Washington, New York and New Hampshire
have banned some products made with PFAS, while Michigan
and New Jersey have lowered drinking water limits.
But states are facing criticism for only lowering limits
for the two most common varieties of PFAS.

That leaves the rest of the nearly 5,000 chemicals
in their class unaccounted for.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/03/pfas-forever-chemicals-what-are-they

 

[bodysong]

Steve Bell provides a bit of visual satire

He made use of Botticelli's “Birth of Venus”

a young beautiful Goddess, arrives on a gigantic sea shell
floating close to shore- one of the Graces holds a cloak for
her naked body. Venus holds her generous, long, flowing
locks of hair in place with a hand to provide her slim, tall,
and graceful body with modesty

Mockery of Trump

Trump, naked and standing on giant scallop shell decorated
with gold foil

At first glance, Trump seems to have flowing locks
of brown hair- but that is not it, at all
his head has a golden toilet seat set into the skull
of his head, and the golden toilet lid is open
shit is flowing out of the toilet (his brain)
down his back, and down his shoulders
not enough to cover his old moobs
not enough to provide modesty, but his
overhanging gut does that for him
(big enough to hold Octo-Mom's fetuses)
Trump's tiny hands and feet barely register
and his chubby arm can barely reach to
cover a nipple

Trump's body is a violently orange coloured globe
of fat, that Mitch McConnell strains to reach
intends to cover the rotund arse and belly with an
enormous American flag, that is attempting to escape
But Trump is standing in admiration of himself
smiling through lips covered with white paste
and simpering through eyes encircled in white
grease paint, at what Trump imagines to be the
public's admiration of him.

Steve Bell on the trial of Donald Trump

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...5/steve-bell-impeachment-donald-trump-cartoon

(They both appear to be under the influence of drugs)

Which is appropriate, since his team sedated him,
and after that, Trump resumed taking whatever drug it is
that caused his subconscious to express itself in public
with curses, swears, and obscenities.

Trump is gloating again.

 

[bodysong]

TRUMP'S CORRUPTION CONTINUES,

as exhibited in this headline:

"Secret Service has paid rates as high as $650 a night
for rooms at Trump’s properties."

From my anecdotal experience, the public doesn't realize
that Trump is personally profiting off of taxpayer dollars
every time he visits his properties, but once you explain it
to people, they are truly shocked by it.

— Daniel Jacobson (@Dan_F_Jacobson) February 7, 2020

https://www.portlandmercury.com/blo...-dem-debate-tonight-and-some-actual-good-news

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...27a7c6-3ec5-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html

Trump at Mar-a-Lago, eating a snack- "Send out my personal guards!"

message to New Jersey, site of Trump's summer castle

Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, the Secret Service
was charged $17,000 a month to use a three-bedroom cottage
on the property, an unusually high rent for homes in that area,
according to receipts from 2017. Trump’s company billed the
government even for days when Trump wasn’t there.

“That’s kind of crazy that we know the president is benefiting
from the presidency, and we do not know how. We do not know
how many taxpayer dollars are in his pocket.”
-
- Jordan Libowitz, of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility
and Ethics in Washington.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...27a7c6-3ec5-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html